bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A truck scheduling problem at a cross-docking facility with mixed service mode dock doors
Authors: Vahdani Behnam , Shahramfard Shayan
Published: June 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is truck scheduling and assignment of trucks to the doors simultaneously since these issues were considered mainly separately in the previous research. Also, the door service time and its impact on truck scheduling were not taken into account, so this research endeavors to cover this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

In this research, a novel model has been presented for simultaneous truck scheduling and assignment problem with time window constraints for the arrival and departure of trucks, mixed service mode dock doors and truck queuing. To resolve the developed model, two meta-heuristic algorithms, namely, genetic and imperialist competitive algorithms, are presented.

Findings

The computational results indicate that the proposed framework leads to increased total costs, although it has a more accurate planning; moreover, these indicate that the proposed algorithms have different performances based on the criteria considered for the comparison.

Research limitations/implications

There are some limitations in this research, which can be considered by other researchers to expand the current study, among them the specifications of uncertainty about arrival times of inbound and outbound trucks, number of merchandises which has been loaded on inbound trucks are the main factors. If so, by considering this situation, a realistic scheme about planning of cross docking system would be acquired. Moreover, the capacity of temporary storage has been considered unlimited, so relaxing this limitation can prepare a real and suitable situation for further study. Examining the capacity in the front of each type of doors of cross-dock and executive servers are the other aspects, which could be expanded in the future.

Originality/value

In this study, a mathematical programing model proposed for truck scheduling to minimize total costs including holding, truck tardiness and waiting time for queue of trucks caused by the interference of each carrier’s movement. At the operational levels, this research considered a multi-door cross-docking problem with mixed service mode dock doors and time window constraints for arrival and departure time of trucks. Moreover, M/G/C queue system was developed for truck arrival and servicing of carriers to trucks.
Multi-objective optimization of bending force preset in cold rolling
Authors: Bu He-Nan , Zhou Hong-Gen , Yan Zhu-Wen , Zhang Dian-Hua
Published: June 2019

Purpose

In the process of cold rolled strip, there is tight coupling between flatness control and gauge control. The variation of the roll gap caused by the change of bending force will lead to the change of rolling force. Furthermore, it can cause a deep impact on the control accuracy of strip exit thickness and exit crown. The purpose of this paper is to improve the accuracy of the bending force preset value for cold rolled strip.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the bending force preset control strategy with considering of rolling force was proposed for the first time and the preset objective function of bending force was established on the basis of the two-objective optimization of bending force and rolling force. Meanwhile, the multi-objective intelligent algorithm – INSGA-II – was used to solve the objective function.

Findings

The proposed bending force multi-objective preset model has been tested in a 1,450 mm tandem cold rolling line. The analyzed results of field data show that the deviations of strip exit thickness and exit crown are reduced effectively by using the improved model, and at the same time, more reasonable bending force preset values are obtained, which can enhance the accuracy of flatness preset control.

Originality/value

A preset model of bending force with considering flatness and gauge is proposed in this paper and the multi-objective function of bending force preset is established on the basis of the two-objective optimization of bending force and rolling force. The value lies in proposing a new decoupling method of rolling force and bending force.
Developing cybersecurity education and awareness programmes for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Authors: Bada Maria , Nurse Jason R.C.
Published: June 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to focus on organisation’s cybersecurity strategy and propose a high-level programme for cybersecurity education and awareness to be used when targeting small- and medium-sized enterprises/businesses (SMEs/SMBs) at a city-level. An essential component of an organisation’s cybersecurity strategy is building awareness and education of online threats and how to protect corporate data and services. This programme is based on existing research and provides a unique insight into an ongoing city-based project with similar aims.

Design/methodology/approach

To structure this work, a scoping review was conducted of the literature in cybersecurity education and awareness, particularly for SMEs/SMBs. This theoretical analysis was complemented using a case study and reflecting on an ongoing, innovative programme that seeks to work with these businesses to significantly enhance their security posture. From these analyses, best practices and important lessons/recommendations to produce a high-level programme for cybersecurity education and awareness were recommended.

Findings

While the literature can be informative at guiding education and awareness programmes, it may not always reach real-world programmes. However, existing programmes, such as the one explored in this study, have great potential, but there can be room for improvement. Knowledge from each of these areas can, and should, be combined to the benefit of the academic and practitioner communities.

Originality/value

The study contributes to current research through the outline of a high-level programme for cybersecurity education and awareness targeting SMEs/SMBs. Through this research, literature in this space was examined and insights into the advances and challenges faced by an on-going programme were presented. These analyses allow us to craft a proposal for a core programme that can assist in improving the security education, awareness and training that targets SMEs/SMBs.
Contextual adaptation of omni-channel grocery retailers’ online fulfilment centres
Authors: Eriksson Ebba , Norrman Andreas , Kembro Joakim
Published: June 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how grocery retailers configure their online fulfilment centres (OFC) as they move towards an omni-channel structure and what contextual factors influence their decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory case study with three grocery retailers in the Nordic countries was conducted. The study investigates the current OFC configurations and identifies nine important contextual factors.

Findings

This study shows the importance of understanding the changes that omni-channel retailing entails for an OFC configuration. Nine contextual factors were identified. Several of the factors are found in previous theory, but this paper extends the knowledge of how they affect the configuration of an OFC in grocery retail. The changes in, for example, order characteristics create different requirements for picking, packing, sorting and shipping when compared with traditional distribution centres (DC). Although representing a separate flow for online fulfilment, OFC configuration depends on how the other logistics flows from the DC to stores are designed.

Research limitations/implications

To support further theory development, nine contextual factors and their relationship to OFC configurations are proposed.

Practical implications

This study provides managerial value in two ways. First, grocery retailers with one or more OFCs can benchmark existing solutions using the empirical case descriptions. Second, the findings provide grocery retailers with knowledge of how to configure an OFC.

Originality/value

The literature lacks a holistic approach towards how grocery retailers configure their OFCs and what factors affect these decisions. This study provides the first in-depth analysis of how the omni-channel context affects the configuration of all the aspects of an OFC.
Optimal in-store inventory policy for omnichannel retailers in franchising networks
Authors: Xu Jianjun , Cao Lanlan
Published: June 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the optimal ordering and allocation policy for a store replenishment decision in the context of an omnichannel retailer in a franchise network. The authors further show that a myopic policy is optimal, which circumvents the curse of dimensionality for the multi-period inventory model and help store managers optimize their decisions about the amount of inventory to stock for both online and offline demands and the percentage of inventory to reserve for online orders.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is trigged by several managerial studies which suggest reserving a certain percentage of the in-store inventory for online orders as a good store inventory allocation practice for omnichannel retailers in a franchise network. The authors used an analytical model to develop this practice by clarifying how store managers can decide on the amount of inventory to replenish and the percentage to reserve for online orders.

Findings

This study develops a finite horizon, periodic review inventory model to identify an optimal and dynamic replenishment and allocation policy. The analysis uncovers the system’s fundamental structural property concavity. The research shows that, due to this property, the optimal replenishment policy is a base-stock policy. The latter is due to the base stock level being independent of the initial inventory at hand, and the optimal allocation level being non-decreasing on the base-stock level.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the literature on store inventory management for omnichannel retailers in a franchise network by investigating their optimal store inventory ordering and allocation policy. Nevertheless, the zero-lead time and zero-setup cost assumptions limit the findings.

Practical implications

Insights into an optimal store inventory policy may guide franchisee store managers to decide on the amount of inventory to replenish and the percentage to reserve for online orders.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lies in its focus on in-store inventory management for omnichannel retailers in a franchise network. The findings are helpful for franchisor retailers to implement the omnichannel strategy at the level of in-store inventory management. Beyond using incentive systems, the franchisor should leverage legitimate powers by mentioning a relevant measure in their contracts with their franchisee to minimize their channel conflicts and ensure their customers have seamless shopping experiences.
How to recover B2B relationships after a failed online reverse auction
Authors: Mora Cortez Roberto , Johnston Wesley J.
Published: June 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the possible scenarios after a failed reverse auction to continue a current buyer–seller relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a further understanding of reverse auctions through the examination of a longitudinal case study in the mining industry based on grounded theory.

Findings

The study indicates that losing a reverse auction is not a death sentence for the current supplier. Four factors influence the potential scenarios: buyer factors, supplier factors, buyer–seller factors and contextual factors. If the overall evaluation favors the current buyer–seller relationship, the supplier can continue the business interaction by full renegotiation or discrete step-by-step reconsideration. Conversely, the buyer–seller relationship would reach a state of dissolution.

Originality/value

This manuscript contributes to the understanding of reverse auction, an under-researched theme in organizational buying behavior theory. This paper is the first attempt to link buyer–seller relationship dissolution and reverse auctions. The authors suggest that more academic endeavors are needed to study online reverse auctions.
Impact of power on channel members’ behavior: evidence from India
Authors: Kumar Sushant , Sadarangani Pradip H.
Published: June 2019

Purpose

Power is an important construct in retailing and channel literature. Power is studied in improving the performance of the firm, but less emphasis is given on the behavioral changes that lead to an improvement in performance. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the relationship between sources of power and channel members’ trust, affective commitment, agent dependence and environmental munificence individually. Also, the paper examines the interrelationship among coercive, expert, referent, legitimate and reward sources of power.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a structured questionnaire to collect data from 214 channel members from an Indian oil company. The study uses a covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) approach for establishing the interrelationship among sources of power. Also, the study uses partial least squares SEM approach for determining the relationship between power sources and channel members’ behavior.

Findings

The study establishes that the dichotomous nature of power, i.e. coercive and non-coercive power source exists independently in an emerging country context. Further, coercive power sources are negatively and non-coercive power sources are positively associated with trust. Also, coercive and reward power sources are positively associated with agent dependence, whereas expert, referent and legitimate power sources are positively related to affective commitment. Finally, referent power is found to be positively associated with environmental munificence.

Practical implications

The paper offers several managerial implications. For practitioners, the paper highlights that application of coercive and non-coercive power sources can bring the desired change in channel members’ behavior. Also, acknowledging the power position between channel leader and channel member can foster more efficient association.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the literature on channel management by enhancing the understanding of sources of power and their influence on the behavior of channel members. First, the study examines the relationship between channel members’ behavior of trust, affective commitment, agent dependence and environmental munificence and five sources of power. Second, the study establishes the interrelationship among sources of power. Finally, the paper outlines the implications for managers for effective use of sources of power in channel management.
A career with a heart: exploring occupational regret
Authors: Budjanovcanin Alexandra , Rodrigues Ricardo , Guest David
Published: June 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of career regret. It examines processes that give rise to it including social comparison, social influences on career choice and career satisfaction and explores its association with occupational commitment and intention to quit the profession.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses were tested among 559 British cardiac physiologists, using an online survey and structural equation modelling.

Findings

Research propositions were supported; social influences and social comparison are both associated with career regret. Direct and indirect pathways were found between career regret, occupational commitment and intention to quit the profession.

Research limitations/implications

The paper provides a starting point for future career regret research using a range of methods.

Practical implications

Careers advisers both at the point of career choice and within organisations should encourage realistic occupation previews. Managers should become aware of career regret and help to mitigate its effects – for example, facilitating job crafting or reframing of experiences.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to investigate career choice regret and its associated psychological mechanisms.
Placemaking and the right to the city of urban poor: a case studyin Sanandaj, Iran
Authors: Irandoost Kayoumars , Doostvandi Milad , Litman Todd , Azami Mohammad
Published: June 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to present a critical analysis of placemaking by the urban poor based on the Right to the City, Henri Lefebvre’s influential theory regarding the production of space and placemaking.

Design/methodology/approach

This study reflects Lefebvre’s production of space and the right to the city theories and containing three main pillars including holism, the urban and praxis, and the use of spatial dialectics. Also, for collecting information in this research, along with scrutiny of documents and books, residents of the poor settlements of Sanandaj have also been interviewed.

Findings

In Sanandaj, urban poor who lack formal housing reclaim the Right to City by creating informal settlements. Such settlements, such as Shohada, Baharmast and Tagh Taghan, cover 23% of the city’s area but house 69% of the urban population.

Originality/value

This research seeks to understand placemaking in urban slums by low-income inhabitants using Henry Lefebvre’s critical theory of social production of space and the Right to the City. This case study examines the city of Sanandaj, Iran, where most residents are poor and live in cooperative informal settlements. It illustrates how the urban poor, as marginalized inhabitants, overcome the constraints of conventional planning and property ownership to creatively and cooperatively develop communities that reflect their needs. This indicates a schism between formal and informal sectors.
Member loyalty and WOM in co-operative and mutual enterprises
Authors: Mazzarol Tim , Soutar Geoffrey , Mamouni Limnios Elena
Published: June 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a large-scale survey of members of co-operative and mutual enterprises (CMEs) that examines the factors influencing members’ intentions to remain loyal to the enterprise and to provide word of mouth (WOM).

Design/methodology/approach

A model was suggested and tested to examine the interrelationships between constructs measuring emotional, functional and financial value, affective and continuance commitment, intention to remain loyal to a CME and WOM communication. A large sample was drawn from a range of co-operative and mutual enterprises, and the suggested model was estimated using a partial least squares approach.

Findings

Significant relationships were found between all constructs. However, emotional value and affective commitment were found to have particularly strong relationships. Emotional value had a strong influence on both affective and continuance commitment, while affective commitment had a strong influence on loyalty and WOM.

Originality/value

This paper provides empirical support for suggestions about the factors that influence member loyalty within CMEs and the relative importance of non-financial motivations. It also provides a strong foundation upon which directors and executive managers of CMEs can build more effective member marketing and communications strategies.
Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) flowers: review on processing and biological properties
Authors: Mishra Alok , Poonia Amrita
Published: June 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to review the recent advances in processing and utilization of Madhuca longifolia flowers to address its potential as an industrial ingredient.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyzes the harvesting practices of flowers and recent works on the value addition.

Findings

Mahua flowers are rich source of natural sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc.) and hence are deliberately used for liquor production by tribal besides various food products, namely, Mahua ladoo, barfi, kheer, sweet puri and as grain staple. Mahuain medicine has been curing people since ages such as in rakhtpitta, diarrhoea and skin diseases and as aphrodisiac, galactagogue, carminative, antihelmenthic, antibacterial and antioxidant. Mahua candy, cake, ready to serve beverages, toffee, squash, ladoo, bars, etc. have been developed as value-added products. However, such a wonderful nature’s gift remains underused due to post harvest spoilage.

Practical implications

Improvement in storage facilities and processing of flowers after harvesting and drying will lead to enhanced availability of flowers for industrial purposes for food, feed and fodder. More value-added products can be prepared by the preparation of flower-juice concentrate, as well as efforts are made to produce powder from the flowers.

Originality/value

Post-harvest spoilage of Mahua flowers due to improper collection and handling practices, and filthy storage conditions is the major limitation of Mahua flowers to be used as a potential industrial ingredient. An improvement in collection, handling and pre-processing practices can diversify its use from liquor production to various value-added and functional food products at an industrial scale.
Causality in qualitative market and social research
Authors: Boddy Clive Roland
Published: June 2019

Purpose

Academic qualitative researchers have been criticized for rejecting the idea that their research can establish causality while market and social researchers, with their realist and pragmatic approach to research, take for granted that it can. This paper aims to explore the ability of qualitative research to determine cause and effect in terms of market and social phenomena.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature on causality in qualitative research is reviewed and discussed. The discussion is further informed by the author’s own experience of undertaking commercial and academic market and social qualitative research over the past 33 years.

Findings

In qualitative market and social research, the determination of causality is often needed but rarely discussed. This paper explores this occurrence and brings to the fore, via discussion and the use of example, the ways in which causality can be determined by qualitative research.

Practical implications

A determination of what events bring about predictable changes in social and market environments can be established via qualitative research particularly at a probabilistic level of causality. This implies that policymakers should give a greater emphasis to qualitative findings than then sometimes do at the moment.

Originality/value

Causality in market and social research is rarely discussed by practitioners but is nevertheless a premise of much of the qualitative research that is undertaken. This paper is therefore distinctive in that it examines whether this premise is justifiable.
Navigating market opportunity: traditional market research and deep customer insight methods
Authors: Garrett Alexander , Wrigley Cara
Published: June 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the use of a design process of inquiry that incorporates both deep customer insight (DCI) and traditional market research (TMR) in an ill-defined, complex current market opportunity to generate new business opportunities for firm-based innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reports on an empirical research case study conducted within a multi-national insurance agency looking at the shift in mobility in Australia. Data were collected across seven distinct research phases, all of which used TMR and DCI techniques for joint comparison.

Findings

The findings revealed that TMR and DCI methodologies developed both contradictory and complementary research outcomes. These outcomes saw rise to newly generated novel business model concepts for market entry opportunity from the case study firm.

Research limitations/implications

The theoretical outcome of this study is the design thinking DCI framework providing guidance on appropriate implementation of research methods to respond to complex market opportunity.

Practical implications

DCI methods used in conjunction with TMR can provide early stage market opportunity assessment for firms seeking to innovate from a customer perspective.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to apply a design approach, combining TMR and DCI methods to a complex market opportunity rather than a tangible problem. In addition, it also contributes to the emerging field of DCI methodologies by providing a practical examination of their use in the field.
Employing a dramaturgical lens to the interpretation of brand online social networking
Authors: Lim Heejin , Schumann David W.
Published: June 2019

Purpose

Brand online social networking (BOSN) is a novel marketing phenomenon in which companies initiate and cultivate relationships with their customers through online social networking (OSN) sites. Because of its openness to the public, BOSN is distinct from a traditional brand community. This study aims to explore patterns and schemes of individuals’ BOSN based on the sociological schemas noted in Goffman’s dramaturgical approach.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts in-depth personal interviews to uncover the full meaning of BOSN. A total of 21 Facebook brand page participants were interviewed, and the interviews were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim, providing data for analysis. Triangulation was accomplished through examination of informants’ Facebook webpages that presented their own postings. The transcribed data were interpreted using a hermeneutic approach.

Findings

The data analysis based on the dramaturgical lens reveals four key themes: diversity in consumers’ intentionality toward BOSN social connections, their feeling of contamination of the digital self and a desire for autonomy, consumers’ roles as the actors and audiences on a brand’s BOSN stage and backstage experience and consumers’ feeling of intimacy. Findings highlight how individuals’ perceptions of audiences and the social media platform as a stage influence their performance in BOSN conjointly. These findings reveal that individuals participate in BOSN as a means of augmenting their identity.

Originality/value

Findings from this study advance the extant literature addressing online brand communities by exploring a novel form of brand assemblages within the context of social media. Employing a dramaturgical approach, this study identifies the distinct nature of the consumer–brand relationship in the virtual agora of OSN, which is hyperindividualistic in nature and is used to augment a sense of self.
Liquid level measurement based on multi-S-bend plastic optical fiber
Authors: Jing Ning
Published: June 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a liquid level sensor with a multi-S-bend plastic optical fiber.

Design/methodology/approach

The principle of liquid sensing used is based on the leakage of higher modes out of the fiber and repeated regeneration in the following bend sections. Therefore, a propagation loss was introduced in every bend section of the fiber with the loss depending on the refractive index of the environment.

Findings

Therefore, a continue shift in the liquid level can be detected by observing changes in the propagation loss of the fiber. The sensor features compactness and a flexible resolution.

Originality/value

Compared with the exited ones, the sensor has capability of continue liquid measurement and a greater measurement range.
Reducing disturbance of crack location on crack depth-sensing tag
Authors: Xu Yawei , Dong Lihong , Wang Haidou , Di Yuelan , Xie Xiaozhu , Wang Peng , Zhang Miao
Published: June 2019

Purpose

Crack sensor based on RFID tag has become a research hotspot in the field of metal structural health monitoring for its significant benefit of passive wireless transmission. While in practice, crack location will impact the performance of crack depth-sensing tag. The purpose of this paper is to provide a method for reducing disturbance of crack location on crack depth-sensing tag.

Design/methodology/approach

The effect analysis of crack location on crack depth-sensing tag is presented first to find disturbance reason and disturbance law. On the basis of that, a miniaturized tag is proposed to improve the current distribution and reduce the disturbance introduced by crack location.

Findings

The degree of crack location disturbance is closely related to the current distribution in the coverage area of tag. Because sensing tag performs better when crack locates in the high current density area, miniaturization of sensing tag is exploited to expand the high current density area and make the area more symmetrical. The simulated and experimental results demonstrate that tag miniaturization can enhance the performance of crack depth-sensing tag.

Originality/value

This paper provides a method to enhance the performance of crack depth-sensing tag.
Long‐term studies of bighorn sheep and mountain goats reveal fitness costs of reproduction
Authors: Festa‐Bianchet Marco , Côté Steeve D. , Hamel Sandra , Pelletier Fanie
Published: June 2019

Fitness costs of reproduction are expected when resources are limited. Costs drive the evolution of life‐history strategies and can affect population dynamics if females change their allocation of resources to reproduction.

We studied fitness costs of reproduction in mountain ungulates in Alberta, Canada. We monitored two populations of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) for 44 and 30 years, and one of mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) for 30 years. Both species are highly iteroparous.

Heterogeneity in individual reproductive potential makes fitness costs of reproduction difficult to detect and quantify without manipulations. In capital breeders, individual differences can be partly accounted for by considering body mass and other correlates of reproductive potential. Long‐term monitoring can reveal costs that only manifest under stressful conditions such as disease or resource scarcity.

Despite individual differences in reproductive potential, we detected fitness costs of reproduction in females. Costs, in terms of mass gain and survival, are almost entirely born by subsequent offspring, as mothers prioritize their own maintenance and survival. Costs are greater for primiparous females, decrease with increasing body mass and increase as resource availability declines, and sons are costlier than daughters. Costs may increase for senescent females that appear to reduce allocation to reproduction. In bighorn sheep, costs mostly involve reduced mass gain and lower survival of subsequent offspring. In mountain goats, costs include reductions in mass gain, subsequent fecundity and juvenile survival.

In males, fitness costs derive mostly from attempts to reproduce rather than from siring success and likely depend upon individual competitiveness. In the absence of selective harvests, dominant males may enjoy high fitness and possibly lower costs compared to subordinates.

The conservative reproductive tactic of mountain ungulate females likely explains why density dependence mostly involves later primiparity and lower recruitment, but rarely affects adult survival. Future research will seek to better account for heterogeneity in reproductive potential, assess cumulative reproductive costs and investigate the potential effects of fathers on maternal allocation tactics.
Lactate, bicarbonate and anion gap for evaluation of patients presenting with sepsis to the emergency department: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Mitra Biswadev , Roman Cristina , Charters Kate E , O'Reilly Gerard , Gantner Dashiell , Cameron Peter A
Published: June 2019

Objective

A serum lactate level >2 mmol/L has been chosen as the preferred cut‐off value for screening of patients with suspected sepsis. In patients with suspected sepsis presenting to the ED, we aimed to determine the outcomes of patients with initial lactate levels ≤2 mmoL/L, but abnormal bicarbonate or anion gaps (AGs).

Methods

This prospective cohort study enrolled patients from an adult tertiary referral hospital who presented with suspected sepsis. The predictive value of lactate, bicarbonate and the AG for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and death at hospital discharge were evaluated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC).

Results

There were 441 patients with suspected sepsis enrolled from February 2016 to June 2017. There were 96 (22.0%) patients who were admitted to the ICU and at hospital discharge, 42 (9.6%) patients had died. There was no statistically significant difference between the AUROCs of lactate or bicarbonate level or AG to predict ICU admission (P = 0.17). There was no statistically significant difference between the AUROCs of lactate or bicarbonate level or AG to predict mortality at hospital discharge (P = 0.44). Among the 73 patients with normal lactate levels, but abnormal bicarbonate or AG, there were seven (9.6%) deaths.

Conclusions

A normal lactate level alone should not be used to exclude life‐threatening sepsis. Patients with metabolic acidosis characterised by low bicarbonate or high AG levels, but with normal lactate levels, have high rates of ICU requirement and mortality and should also be considered for early, aggressive therapy.
Salvage treatment with anlotinib for advanced non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Wu Di , Nie Jun , Dai Ling , Hu Weiheng , Zhang Jie , Chen Xiaoling , Ma Xiangjuan , Tian Guangming , Han Jindi , Han Sen , Long Jieran , Wang Yang , Zhang Ziran , Fang Jian
Published: June 2019

Background

This real‐world study assessed the efficacy and toxicity of anlotinib as salvage treatment in Chinese patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

The medical records of 81 patients with advanced NSCLC who had failed at least two lines of chemotherapy were retrospectively collected. All patients were administered anlotinib treatment until disease progression or intolerance as a result of adverse events. Survival curves were created using the Kaplan–Meier method. The log‐rank test was used for univariate analysis of progression‐free survival (PFS) between groups. Cox regression was used to estimate the statistically significant factors based on univariate analysis.

Results

The median PFS was five months (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.5–6.5). The objective response rate (ORR) was 7% and the disease control rate (DCR) was 84%. The following subgroups of patients had longer PFS (P < 0.05): squamous cell carcinoma, no brain or liver metastases, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 0–1, and no previous VEGF‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment. The results of Cox regression indicated that an ECOG PS of 0–1 (hazard ratio 0.152, 95% CI 0.057–0.403; P = 0.00) and patients without brain metastases (hazard ratio 0.421, 95% CI 0.195–0.911; P = 0.028) had longer PFS following anlotinib treatment.

Conclusion

Anlotinib, which is well tolerated, plays a significant role in the salvage treatment of advanced NSCLC. Patients with advanced NSCLC with an ECOG PS of 0–1 and no brain metastases achieved longer PFS following anlotinib salvage treatment.
Letter: post‐infective bile acid malabsorption and diarrhoea
Authors: Menon Shyam , Jones Barry
Published: June 2019

Linked Content

This article is linked to Damsgaard et al and Jørgensen et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.14533 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15301.
Editorial: assessing histological disease activity in Crohn’s disease—a call for standardisation of mucosal biopsy location
Authors: Bryant Robert V. , Costello Samuel P.
Published: June 2019

Linked Content

This article is linked to Novak et al and Vande Casteele and Jairath papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15250 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15307.
Editorial: faecal gluten immunogenic peptides in coeliac children
Authors: Guandalini Stefano
Published: June 2019

Linked Content

This article is linked to Comino et al paper. To view this article, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15277.
Letter: mechanistic target of rapamycin inhibitors—do they impact on recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation?
Authors: Cholongitas Evangelos
Published: June 2019

Linked Content

This article is linked to Grigg et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15253 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15324.
Letter: contraindicated drug‐drug interactions before and after initiation of direct‐acting anti‐viral agents in chronic hepatitis C patients in Taiwan. Authors’ reply
Authors: Liu Chen‐Hua , Kao Jia‐Horng
Published: June 2019

Linked Content

This article is linked to Liu et al and Shao papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15011 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15303.
Using metapopulation theory for practical conservation of mangrove endemic birds
Authors: Huang Ryan , Pimm Stuart L. , Giri Chandra
Published: June 2019

As a landscape becomes increasingly fragmented through habitat loss, the individual patches become smaller and more isolated and thus less likely to sustain a local population. Metapopulation theory is appropriate for analyzing fragmented landscapes because it combines empirical landscape features with species‐specific information to produce direct information on population extinction risks. This approach contrasts with descriptions of habitat fragments, which provide only indirect information on risk. Combining a spatially explicit metapopulation model with empirical data on endemic species’ ranges and maps of habitat cover, we calculated the metapopulation capacity—a measure of a landscape's ability to sustain a metapopulation. Mangroves provide an ideal model landscape because they are of conservation concern and their patch boundaries are easily delineated. For 2000–20015, we calculated global metapopulation capacity for 99 metapopulations of 32 different bird species endemic to mangroves. Northern Australia and Southeast Asia had the highest richness of mangrove endemic birds. The Caribbean, Pacific coast of Central America, Madagascar, Borneo, and isolated patches in Southeast Asia in Myanmar and Malaysia had the highest metapopulation losses. Regions with the highest loss of habitat area were not necessarily those with the highest loss of metapopulation capacity. Often, it was not a matter of how much, but how the habitat was lost. Our method can be used by managers to evaluate and prioritize a landscape for metapopulation persistence.
Effect of the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist eplerenone on liver fat and metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial (MIRAD trial)
Authors: Johansen Marie L. , Schou Morten , Rossignol Patrick , Holm Maria R. , Rasmussen Jon , Brandt Niels , Frandsen Mikkel , Chabanova Elizaveta , Dela Flemming , Faber Jens , Kistorp Caroline
Published: June 2019

Aim

To investigate whether the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist eplerenone has beneficial effects on liver fat and metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist in type 2 diabetes (MIRAD) trial.

Material and methods

In this 26‐week, double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial, we enrolled 140 patients with T2D and high risk of cardiovascular disease. Patients were randomized 1:1 to either eplerenone with a target dose of 200 mg/day for patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 or more and 100 mg/day for patients with eGFR between 41 and 59 mL/min per 1.73 m2 or placebo. The primary outcome measure was change in liver fat by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at week 26 from baseline; secondary outcomes were changes in metabolism, and safety by incident hyperkalaemia.

Results

No changes in liver fat in the eplerenone group 0.91% (95% CI −0.57 to 2.39) or the placebo group −1.01% (−2.23 to 0.21) were found. The estimated absolute treatment difference was 1.92% (−3.81 to 0.01; P = 0.049). There was no beneficial impact on supporting secondary outcome variables of metabolism as fat mass distribution, lipid metabolism or insulin resistance. Despite a high dosage of eplerenone 164 versus 175 mg in patients treated with placebo (P = 0.228), the number of patients with incident hyperkalaemia (≥5.5 mmol/L) was low, with six in the eplerenone versus two in the placebo group (P = 0.276).

Conclusion

The addition of high doses of eplerenone to background antidiabetic and antihypertensive therapy does not show beneficial effects on liver fat and metabolism in patients with T2D.
Assessment of right ventricular function and relation to mortality after acute pulmonary embolism: A speckle tracking echocardiography‐based study
Authors: Kanar Batur Gönenç , Göl Gökhan , Oğur Erhan , Kavas Murat , Ataş Halil , Mutlu Bülent
Published: June 2019

Purpose

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a common condition that is related to increased adverse outcomes in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE). Our aim was to assess timing and magnitude of regional RV function using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and to evaluate their relationship to long‐term mortality in patients after APE.

Methods

In total, 147 patients were enrolled at the onset of an APE episode and followed for 12 ± 1.1 months. For all patients, the clinical, laboratory, and echocardiography examinations were performed at the diagnosis of APE and at the end of the 1‐year follow‐up.

Results

Of the 147 patients, 44 (29.9%) died during the 1‐year follow‐up after APE. The patients who died had lower RV free wall peak longitudinal systolic strains (PLSS) and left ventricular (LV) PLSS and higher RV peak systolic strain dispersion (PSSD) index which means the electromechanical dispersion when compared with the survivors. The difference in time to PLSS between the RV free wall and LV lateral wall (RVF–LVL) which means the electromechanical delay was longer in patients who died than in those who survived during follow‐up, and this difference was an independent predictor of mortality at 1 year of follow‐up after APE, with 86.4% sensitivity and 81.7% specificity. At the end of 1‐year follow‐up, the RV free wall PLSS and the LV global PLSS increased, whereas the RV PSSD index and the difference in time to PLSS between the RVF and LVL decreased.

Conclusions

Acute pulmonary embolism was associated with RV dysfunction and RV electromechanical delay and dispersion. These parameters improved at the end of 1‐year follow‐up. The electromechanical delay index might be a useful predictor of mortality in patients after APE.
DO STATE EXCISE TAXES REDUCE ALCOHOL‐RELATED FATAL MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES?
Authors: McClelland Robert , Iselin John
Published: June 2019

We study the effect of alcohol excise taxes on alcohol‐related fatal traffic crashes by examining two large increases in excise taxes in Illinois that occurred in 1999 and in 2009. Using the synthetic control method, we do not find evidence that the tax increases led to a long‐term reduction in fatal alcohol‐related motor vehicle crashes following either tax increase. These results are robust across several specifications and pass sensitivity tests. However, we find evidence that following the 2009 increase Illinois counties that do not share a border with another state experienced a temporary drop in alcohol‐related traffic fatalities. (JEL H71, H75, 118)
Direct and indirect costs associated with stereotactic radiosurgery or open surgery for medial temporal lobe epilepsy: Results from the ROSE trial
Authors: Langfitt John T. , Quigg Mark , Yan Guofen , Yu Wei , Ward Mariann M. , Barbaro Nicholas M. , Chang Edward F. , Broshek Donna K. , Laxer Kenneth D. , Cole Andrew J. , Sneed Penny K. , Hess Christopher , Tripathi Manjari , Heck Christiaanne N. , Miller John W. , Garcia Paul A. , McEvoy Andrew , Fountain Nathan B. , Salanova Vicenta , Knowlton Robert C. , Bagić Anto , Henry Thomas , Kapoor Siddharth , McKhann Guy , Palade Adriana E. , Reuber Markus , Tecoma Evelyn ,   the ROSE Trial Study Group
Published: June 2019

Objective

To determine whether a less‐invasive approach to surgery for medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with lower health care costs and costs of lost productivity over time, compared to open surgery.

Methods

We compared direct medical costs and indirect productivity costs associated with treatment with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) in the ROSE (Radiosurgery or Open Surgery for Epilepsy) trial. Health care use was abstracted from hospital bills, the study database, and diaries in which participants recorded health care use and time lost from work while seeking care. Costs of use were calculated using a Medicare costing approach used in a prior study of the costs of ATL. The power of many analyses was limited by the sample size and data skewing.

Results

Combined treatment and follow‐up costs (in thousands of US dollars) did not differ between SRS (n = 20, mean = $76.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 50.7‐115.6) and ATL (n = 18, mean = $79.0, 95% CI = 60.09‐103.8). Indirect costs also did not differ. More ATL than SRS participants were free of consciousness‐impairing seizures in each year of follow‐up (all P < 0.05). Costs declined following ATL (P = 0.005). Costs tended to increase over the first 18 months following SRS (P = 0.17) and declined thereafter (P = 0.06). This mostly reflected hospitalizations for SRS‐related adverse events in the second year of follow‐up.

Significance

Lower initial costs of SRS for medial temporal lobe epilepsy were largely offset by hospitalization costs related to adverse events later in the course of follow‐up. Future studies of less‐invasive alternatives to ATL will need to assess adverse events and major costs systematically and prospectively to understand the economic implications of adopting these technologies.