bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Steroid Use and Risk of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Trivedi Hirsh D. , Lopes Emily W. , Glissen Brown Jeremy , Dudani Shaan , Lai Michelle , Feuerstein Joseph D. , Pierce Theodore T.
Published: June 2022

Goals:

We sought to evaluate the association of steroids with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Background:

Patients with IBD are at increased risk of NAFLD. Steroids may have a role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.

Study:

We searched MEDLINE (through PubMed) and Embase for studies from inception to July 2021. We included published interventional and observational studies of adults 18 years or older with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. We reported odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and generated forest plots. A random effects model generated a summary effect estimate. Publication bias was assessed by funnel plot and Egger’s test. Study quality was examined using modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Results:

A total of 12 observational studies with 3497 participants were included. NAFLD was identified in 1017 (29.1%) patients. The pooled odds ratio for the development of NAFLD in steroid users versus non-users was 0.87 (95% confidence interval: 0.72-1.04). There was no significant heterogeneity between studies (I²=0.00%, P=0.13). No publication bias was detected by funnel plot or Egger’s test (P=0.24). Findings were consistent among subgroup analyses stratified by study quality.

Conclusion:

In this meta-analysis, steroids were not associated with NAFLD in patients with IBD. Steroids may not need to be withheld from patients with IBD for the purposes of preventing NAFLD. Additional prospective studies that systematically document steroid exposure and important confounders among patients with IBD are warranted.
Associations of Healthy Infant Feeding Practices and Early Childhood Adiposity in the Rise & SHINE Cohort
Authors: Wu Allison J. , Aris Izzuddin M. , Hivert Marie-France , Fiechtner Lauren , Davison Kirsten K. , Redline Susan , Taveras Elsie M.
Published: June 2022

We studied healthy infant feeding practices among 308 mother-infant pairs, including exclusive breastmilk, satiety cues, complementary food introduction, sugary beverage intake, and bottle use in bed. We examined associations of individual and cumulative infant feeding practices through 12 months of age with body mass index (BMI) z-score at 2 years. Exclusive breastmilk and avoidance of bottle use in bed were associated with lower BMI z−score (β −0.29 units; 95% CI, −0.56, −0.02 units and β −0.32 units; 95% CI, −0.57, −0.07, respectively), when accounting for maternal pre−pregnancy BMI, household income, infant sex, race, and ethnicity. Adherence to 4–−5 practices, compared to ≤ 2 practices, was associated with lower BMI z−score (β −0.84 units; 95% CI, −1.35, −0.34 units). Adherence to healthy infant feeding practices may reduce risk of excessive adiposity in early childhood. Targeting multiple infant feeding practices may be a more effective way to prevent childhood adiposity.
Freeman John Dyson. 15 December 1923—28 February 2020
Authors: Dyson George
Published: June 2022

Freeman John Dyson combined a long career with a short attention span, contributing to five fields of mathematics and 11 fields of physics, as well as to theoretical biology, engineering, operations research, literature and public affairs. At the age of 25 he played a key role in the formulation of quantum electrodynamics—the theory of light and matter that gives us our most precise description of much of the physical world—securing a lifetime appointment to the Institute for Advanced Study that allowed him to cultivate his interests without ever becoming an administrator or obtaining a PhD. In addition to his theoretical pursuits, he helped to design a successful nuclear reactor, developed plans for an interplanetary spaceship, advocated for social justice and engaged in early efforts to mitigate the risks of nuclear weapons and anthropogenic climate change. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society for 67 years, 11 months and 7 days, a record exceeded among the Society's scientific Fellows only by Sir Hans Sloane (elected 1685, Fellow for 67 years, 11 months and 20 days), Sir John Davis (elected 1822, Fellow for 68 years and 7 months), and possibly by Jean Chardellou (elected 1702), who is believed to have died aged 107 in 1771, but the precise date is unknown.
An attempt to distinguish physical and socio-psychological influences on pedestrian bottleneck
Authors: Rzezonka Jonas , Chraibi Mohcine , Seyfried Armin , Hein Ben , Schadschneider Andreas
Published: June 2022

It has been realized that the distinction between social-psychological effects and physical effects in pedestrian crowds is complex, and so the relevance of social psychology for the properties of pedestrian streams is still discussed controversially. Although physics-based models appear to capture many properties rather accurately, it was argued that simple systems of self-driven particles could not explain certain emergent phenomena. In particular, results from a recent empirical study of pedestrian flow at bottlenecks have been interpreted as indicating the relevance of social psychology even in relatively simple scenarios of crowd dynamics. The study showed a surprising dependence of the density near the bottleneck on the width of the corridor leading to it. The density increased with increasing corridor width, although a wider corridor provides more space for pedestrians. It has been argued that this observation is a consequence of social norms, which trigger the effect by a preference for queuing in such situations. However, convincing evidence for this hypothesis is still missing. Here, we reconsider this scenario from a physics perspective using computer simulations of a simple microscopic velocity-based model.
Links between personality traits and problem-solving performance in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)
Authors: Barrett Lisa P. , Marsh Jessica L. , Boogert Neeltje J. , Templeton Christopher N. , Benson-Amram Sarah
Published: June 2022

Consistent individual differences in behaviour across time or contexts (i.e. personality types) have been found in many species and have implications for fitness. Likewise, individual variation in cognitive abilities has been shown to impact fitness. Cognition and personality are complex, multidimensional traits. However, previous work has generally examined the connection between a single personality trait and a single cognitive ability, yielding equivocal results. Links between personality and cognitive ability suggest that behavioural traits coevolved and highlight their nuanced connections. Here we examined individuals' performance on multiple personality tests and repeated problem-solving tests (each measuring innovative performance). We assessed behavioural traits (dominance, boldness, activity, risk-taking, aggressiveness and obstinacy) in 41 captive zebra finches. Birds' scores for boldness and obstinacy were consistent over two years. We also examined whether personality correlated with problem-solving performance on repeated tests. Our results indicate that neophobia, dominance and obstinacy were related to successful solving, and less dominant, more obstinate birds solved the tasks quicker on average. Our results indicate the importance of examining multiple measures over a long period. Future work that identifies links between personality and innovation in non-model organisms may elucidate the coevolution of these two forms of individual differences.
Cost-effective, green HPLC determination of losartan, valsartan and their nitrosodiethylamine impurity: application to pharmaceutical dosage forms
Authors: Abd El-Hay Soad S. , Elhenawee Magda , Maged Khaled , Ibrahim Adel Ehab
Published: June 2022

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are one of the most widely used anti-hypertensive drugs which are used to reduce hypertension. In 2018, the United States Food and Drug Administration together with the European Medicine Agency declared the presence of carcinogenic nitrosamine impurities such as nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) in some of the products, including valsartan (VLS) and losartan (LOS), and drugs' recall procedures were started. Thus, they should be controlled to be below the acceptable cancer risk level to ensure safety of the pharmaceutical products. Therefore, sensitive and reliable analytical methods were required for detection and quantitation of NDEA in bulk and finished drug products. Green analytical chemistry has received great interest to minimize the amount of organic solvents consumed without loss in chromatographic performance. A green and sensitive HPLC method was developed for the determination of NDEA in LOS and VLS using mobile phase of 0.02 M ammonium acetate adjusted to pH 7.2 and ethanol in gradient manner. Limits of detection and limits of quantification for NDEA were estimated to be 0.2 and 0.5 µg ml
−1
, respectively. The standardized limits of NDEA impurity in drug substances were set as 0.56 ppm, which indicates the feasibility of its determination by the proposed conventional method without need for expensive instrumentations (e.g. MS/MS detectors) that are not found in most pharmaceutical quality control laboratories.
Targeted reduction of airborne viral transmission risk in residential aged care
Authors: Brass Amanda , Shoubridge Andrew P , Larby Nicolas , Elms Levi , Sims Sarah K , Flynn Erin , Miller Caroline , Crotty Maria , Papanicolas Lito E , Wesselingh Steve L , Morawska Lidia , Bell Scott C , Taylor Steven L , Rogers Geraint B
Published: June 2022

COVID-19 has demonstrated the devastating consequences of the rapid spread of an airborne virus in residential aged care. We report the use of CO2-based ventilation assessment to empirically identify potential “super-spreader” zones within an aged care facility, and determine the efficacy of rapidly implemented, inexpensive, risk reduction measures.
Anti-COVID-19 Activity of FDA Approved Drugs through RNA G-quadruplex Binding
Authors: Roy Shuvra Shekhar , Sharma Shalu , Rizvi Zaigham Abbas , Sinha Dipanjali , Gupta Divya , Rophina Mercy , Sehgal Paras , Sadhu Srikanth , Tripathy Manas Ranjan , Samal Sweety , Maiti Souvik , Scaria Vinod , Sivasubbu Sridhar , Awasthi Amit , Harshan Krishnan H , Jain Sanjeev , Chowdhury Shantanu
Published: June 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has caused millions of infections and deaths worldwide. Limited treatment options and the threat from emerging variants underline the need for novel and widely accessible therapeutics. G-quadruplexes (G4s) are nucleic acid secondary structures known to affect many cellular processes including viral replication and transcription. We identified heretofore not reported G4s with remarkably low mutation frequency across >5 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes. The G4 structure was targeted using FDA-approved drugs that can bind G4s - Chlorpromazine (CPZ) and Prochlorperazine (PCZ). We found significant inhibition in lung pathology and lung viral load of SARS-CoV-2 challenged hamsters when treated with CPZ, PCZ that was comparable to the widely used antiviral drug Remdesivir. In support, in vitro G4 binding, inhibition of reverse transcription from RNA isolated from COVID-infected humans, and attenuated viral replication and infectivity in Vero cell cultures were clear in case of both CPZ/PCZ. Apart from the wide accessibility of CPZ/PCZ, targeting relatively invariant nucleic acid structures poses an attractive strategy against fast mutating viruses like SARS-CoV-2.
CPPVec: an accurate coding potential predictor based on a distributed representation of protein sequence
Authors: Wei Chao , Ye Zhiwei , Zhang Junying , Li Aimin
Published: June 2022

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in numbers of biological processes and have received wide attention during the past years. Meanwhile, the rapid development of high-throughput transcriptome sequencing technologies (RNA-seq) lead to a large amount of RNA data, it is urgent to develop a fast and accurate coding potential predictor. Many computational methods have been proposed to alleviate this issue, they usually exploit information on open reading frame (ORF), k-mer, evolutionary signatures, or known protein databases. Despite the effectiveness, these methods still have much room to improve. Indeed, none of these methods exploit the context information of sequence, simple measures that are calculated with the continuous nucleotides are not enough to reflect global sequence order information. In view of this shortcoming, here, we present a novel alignment-free method, CPPVec, which exploits the global sequence order information of transcript for coding potential prediction for the first time, it can be easily implemented by distributed representation (e.g., doc2vec) of protein sequence translated from the longest ORF. Tests on human, mouse, zebrafish, fruit fly and Saccharomyces cerevisiae datasets demonstrate that CPPVec is an accurate coding potential predictor and significantly outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods.
The Role of EBP50 in Regulating Endothelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition in Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Gorelova Anastasia , Berman Mariah , Sharifi-Sanjani Maryam , Rocha Andres Pulgarin , Alsuraimi Anas , Riva Patricia , Negi Vinny , Bertero Thomas , Goncharov Dmitry , Kudryashova Tatiana , Dosunmu-Ogunbi Atinuke , Rajaratnam Arun , Harvey Lloyd , Nouraie Mehdi , Baust Jeffrey , Bachman Timothy , Sebastiani Andrea , Sembrat John , Vargas Sara O. , Waxman Aaron B. , Saggar Rajan , Kumar Rahul , Graham Brian , Straub Adam C. , Goncharova Elena A. , Mora Ana , Chan Stephen Y. , Al Ghouleh Imad
Published: June 2022

Objective

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a cardiopulmonary disease manifesting in increased pulmonary arterial pressure and right ventricular dysfunction. PH pathogenesis involves extensive pulmonary vascular remodeling precipitated, at least in part, by endothelial reprogramming. Mounting evidence points to endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) as an important potentiator of endothelial reprogramming in PH, yet progress in dissecting these processes remains limited.

Approach and Results

Lung samples from pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients and two rodent models of PH were used. Expression of the scaffolding protein ezrin-radixin-moesin-binding phosphoprotein 50 (EBP50, or NHERF1) was downregulated in PAH patient pulmonary arteries and isolated pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs), and in PH animal lung tissue and mouse isolated PAECs. In human PAECs in vitro, EBP50 was downregulated by PH-relevant stimuli, hypoxia and proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β). Phenocopy of EBP50 reduction in PAECs time-dependently increased expression and nuclear abundance of EndMT transcription factors Snail and Zeb1, and potentiated hypoxia-driven upregulation of Slug. Loss of EBP50 also drove expression of mesenchymal markers S100A4, fibronectin, N-cadherin, and transgelin (SM22), and inhibited cell proliferation and barrier function. In vivo studies on female EBP50+/- mice demonstrated that downregulation of EBP50 exacerbated the chronic hypoxia-induced rise in RV maximum pressure.

Conclusions

These data identify EBP50 as a key regulator of EndMT in PH whose expression is downregulated in PH patient pulmonary endothelium and whose partial deletion exacerbates PH disease manifestations in rodents, opening doors for future therapeutic strategies to target EBP50 restoration to reverse PH.
Lipid flipping in the omega-3 fatty-acid transporter
Authors: Nguyen Chi , Lei Hsiang-Ting , Lai Louis Tung Faat , Gallenito Marc J. , Matthies Doreen , Gonen Tamir
Published: June 2022

Mfsd2a is the primary transporter for the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, across the blood brain barrier (BBB). Defects in Mfsd2a are linked to ailments from behavioral, learning, and motor dysfunctions to severe microcephaly. Mfsd2a typically transports long-chain unsaturated fatty-acids, including DHA and α-Linolenic acid (ALA), that are attached to the zwitterionic lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) headgroup. Even with two recently determined structures of Mfsd2a the molecular details of how this transporter performs the energetically unfavorable task of translocating and flipping lysolipids across the lipid bilayer remained unclear. Here, we report five single-particle cryo-EM structures of the Danio rerio Mfsd2a (drMfsd2a): in the inward-open conformation in the ligand-free state and bound to ALA-LPC at four unique positions along the substrate translocation pathway. These Mfsd2a snapshots detail the Na+-dependent flipping mechanism of the lipid-LPC from outer to inner membrane leaflet during ligand translocation through the Mfsd2a substrate tunnel and release for membrane integration on the cytoplasmic side. These results also map Mfsd2a mutants that disrupt lipid-LPC transport and are associated with known disease. Together these results provide a model for omega-3 fatty-acid transport and has the potential for the design of the delivery strategies for amphipathic drugs across the BBB.
Microscopic origin of high corrosion resistance in 316L stainless steel by acidic passivation treatments
Authors: Niu Chengchang , Deng Shiqing , Yan Yu , Wu Leigang , Tao Ran , Chen Jun
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to fill the knowledge gap in the microscopic origin of high corrosion resistance in the passivated 316 L stainless steel.

Design/methodology/approach

Here, the pitting corrosion potential of the passivated 316 L stainless steel is measured, as well as the non-passivated one. Using the aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, the microstructure of the passive film is unambiguously revealed. Combining the electron energy loss spectroscopy with the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the depth profiling analysis is conducted and the variations in composition from the very surface of the passive film to the internal steel are clarified.

Findings

By optimizing the passivation treatment process, the authors significantly increase the pitting corrosion potential of the passivated 316 L stainless steel by 300 mV, compared with the non-passivated one. The passive film features a unique amorphous multilayer structure. On the basis of the depth profiling analysis, the origin of the high corrosion resistance achieved is unraveled, in which the redistribution of elements in the multilayer passive film, especially the enrichment of Cr in the topmost layer and Ni at the film-metal interface, prevent the oxidization of the inner iron of the steel.

Originality/value

This study advances understanding of the nature of the passive film from a microscopic view, which can be helpful for the further improvement of the corrosion resistance performance.

Graphical Abstract

This study introduces a model for the multilayer structure of passive films that reveals the reconstitution of the passive films after the opportune passivation treatments. Due to the redistribution of elements caused by passivation, the enrichment of Cr in the outer layer and Ni near the film-metal interface leads to enhance corrosion resistance performance.
Psychiatric severity and stress among recovery home residents utilizing medication assisted treatment: a moderated mediation analysis of homophily
Authors: Majer John M. , Bobak Ted J. , Jason Leonard A.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between psychiatric severity and stress among persons utilizing medication assisted treatment (MAT), and there is a need to identify resources that promote resilience against these risk factors. Although recovery homes might complement pharmacological interventions for persons using MAT, a lack of homophily (e.g. similar experiences) among residents could produce stress and increase psychiatric severity. The purpose of this paper is to examine stress and psychiatric severity in relation to recovery outcomes, and whether homophily moderated these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among recovery home residents who were recruited from the USA, including those using (n = 40) and not using (n = 132) MAT. Participants’ levels of psychiatric severity, stress, abstinence self-efficacy and quality of life were assessed in addition to whether residents using MAT were living with at least one other resident who used MAT. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted to examine whether homophily among residents using MAT would moderate the mediating effects of stress on the relationships between psychiatric severity and recovery outcomes (abstinence-self efficacy, quality of life).

Findings

Mediating effects were observed but they were significant only through homophily. Although stress increased the negative effects of psychiatric severity among residents using MAT, significantly lesser effects were observed among those living with residents using MAT.

Practical implications

Although psychiatric (problem) severity and stress threaten recovery for persons with substance use disorders, little is known how they impact recovery among those living in community-based settings such as recovery homes. In addition, there is a need to identify community resources that would complement MAT protocols, as patients who use MAT face unique stressors related to their sense of shared interests and experiences (i.e. homophily) when developing social bonds with others in recovery.

Social implications

This study suggests the social networks within recovery homes reduce the effects of psychiatric severity and stress, and that these effects are lessened for residents who use MAT when they live with others who also use MAT.

Originality/value

Little is known about recovery home residents who use MAT and have high psychiatric severity. Findings suggest homophily among persons using MAT living in recovery homes who have high psychiatric severity can promote resilience.
Indigenous healing in South Africa: looking for a tree of truth in the forest of illusions
Authors: Maluleka Jan Resenga , Nkwe Marcia
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the indigenous healing space in South Africa, by zooming in on the confusions that are faced by young people in the country. These muddles are a result of the country’s colonial and apartheid history which left the population divided between the Western and African philosophies when it comes to health among other things. The recent technological developments which are embraced by some of the healers exposed the space to exploitation by criminal elements.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study used content analysis and interviews to gather data.

Findings

The results suggest that the indigenous healing space in South Africa is poorly regulated and a fertile breeding ground for criminals. As a result, it is not easy to distinguish between genuine healers and bogus ones. The technological advancement, especially social media, has exposed the space to further exploitation by criminal elements.

Originality/value

This study paints a picture of the indigenous healing space in the age of technology in South Africa. This study further explains challenges faced by South Africans in navigating philosophical challenges influenced by their colonial past.
Implications of accountability on employment and income: evidence from Nigerian’s deposit banks
Authors: Asaleye Abiola John , Babajide Abiola Ayopo , Inegbedion Henry , Eluyela Damilola Felix , Lawal Adedoyin Isola , Maimako Rotdelmwa Filibus
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The issues of ineffective accountability have affected the performance of banks, which led the Nigerian government to introduce various reforms and policies. However, despite these attempts, the Nigerian banking sector experiences setbacks due to mismanagement of funds, fraudulent activities and lack of proper accountability, which negatively affects employment and income.

Design/methodology/approach

The dynamic least square was employed to investigate the selected indicators of Nigerian banks’ accountability, income and employment. Likewise, the study examined the causal effect using the Granger non-causality approach.

Findings

In the income equation, the total amount of fraud, deposit, total bank asset has a negative relationship with the income, while loan advance and operating expense depicted a positive relationship. In the employment equation, demand deposit, operating cost and bank total asset practices negatively affect employment. In contrast, loan advances and saving deposits have a positive relationship with employment in the long run.

Practical implications

Based on the findings, this study suggests, among others, the need for long-term systematic policies and reforms to improve the level of accountability in the Nigerian banking sector.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge, empirical studies examining the nexus between employment and accountability in the banking sector remain scarce in the literature. Therefore, this study examines the causality and long-run relationship between accountability and employment in Nigerian Banks.
Everyday information behavior during the “new normal” of the Covid-19 pandemic: approaching the notions of experiential and local knowledge
Authors: Montesi Michela
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to understand everyday information behavior (IB) during the Covid-19 pandemic at the “new normal” stage, focusing on the notions of experiential knowledge (EK), i.e. knowledge acquired by first-hand experience or in personal interactions, and local knowledge (LK) as perception of local environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Seventeen interviews were carried out in February–May 2021, in a district of the city of Madrid (Spain). Interview transcripts were analyzed according to grounded theory, to identify major and complementary themes of EK and LK.

Findings

Participants’ stories show that EK cooperated with information originating from government, scientific authorities and mainstream media, in patterns of convergence and divergence. While convergence produces “thick knowledge” (knowledge perceived as solid, real and multidimensional), divergence leads to uncertainty and collaboration, but it also supports a critical stance on authorities’ information. In addition, participants’ perceptions of LK emphasize its human component. LK and EK are exchanged both explicitly and tacitly.

Originality/value

The paper presents the first approach to understanding EK and LK and their function during the health crisis, characterizing them as alternative information systems and as topics deserving major attention in research on IB and crisis management.
Developing immersive videos to train social cognition in individuals with schizophrenia in forensic psychiatry
Authors: Dumont Mathieu , Briand Catherine , Aubin Ginette , Dumais Alexandre , Potvin Stéphane
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This study aims to develop immersive scenarios (immersive videos) to foster generalization of learning while addressing social cognition, a factor associated to violence in schizophrenia. The authors sought to develop immersive videos that generate a sense of presence; are socially realistic; and can be misinterpreted and, if so, lead to anger.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiphase mixed method was used to develop and validate the immersive scenarios. The development phase consisted of preliminary interviews and co-design workshops with patients (n = 7) and mental health practitioners (n = 7). The validation phase was conducted with patients (n = 7) and individuals without mental disorders (n = 7).

Findings

The development phase led to the creation of five scenarios (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5); they included social cues which could lead to self-referential and intentional biases. Results of the validation phase showed that all scenarios generated a sense of presence and were considered highly realistic. Three scenarios elicited biases and, consequently, moderate levels of anger (annoyance).

Practical implications

Immersive videos represent a relevant and accessible technological solution to address social-cognitive domains such as self-reference bias.

Originality/value

No intervention using immersive technologies had been developed or studied yet for individuals with schizophrenia at risk of violence in secure settings. This project demonstrated the feasibility of creating immersive videos which have relevant attributes to foster generalization of learning in the remediation of social-cognitive deficits.
Precedence analysis of customer engagement dimensions for tourism destinations: an evidence-based modeling using RIDIT-GRA approach
Authors: Kumar Navin , Panda Rajeev Kumar , Prakash K.C.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The current research prioritizes the dimensions of a higher-order customer engagement construct in the tourism destination context in order of their relative importance as perceived by tourists to provide meaningful insights to the tourism industry player.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected from 429 tourists' from selected tourist destinations. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used for data analysis using SPSS. The scale items were prioritized through hybrid evidence-based modeling using the RIDIT-GRA (Relative to an Identified Distribution and Grey Relational Analysis, respectively) approach.

Findings

The prioritization of customer engagement scale items is done through RIDIT analysis and is verified through GRA. The rankings of two independent methodologies show a 93% correlation, thereby ensuring the ranking's robustness.

Practical implications

Prioritizing customer engagement scale items may assist destination managers in strategy formulation to ensure tourists' high-level loyalty transcending purchase. The findings help develop key response areas (KRA's) for effective destination brand management.

Originality/value

Such precedence analysis of customer engagement scale items has not been done in the tourism studies yet. Also, the present study verified the results by incorporating two independent methodologies, thus providing more valid results.
Integration, population commissioning and prison health and well-being – an exploration of benefits and challenges through the study of telemedicine
Authors: Edge Chantal , Luffingham Nikki , Black Georgia , George Julie
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This paper seeks to understand relationships between prison healthcare and integrated care systems (ICS), including how these affect the delivery of new healthcare interventions. It also aims to understand how closer integration between prison and ICS could improve cross system working between community and prison healthcare teams, and highlights challenges that exist to integration between prison healthcare and ICS.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses evidence from research on the implementation of a pilot study to establish telemedicine secondary care appointments between prisons and an acute trust in one English region (a cross-system intervention). Qualitative interview data were collected from prison (n = 12) and community (n = 8) healthcare staff related to the experience of implementing a cross-system telemedicine initiative. Thematic analysis was undertaken on interview data, guided by an implementation theory and framework.

Findings

The research found four main themes related to the closer integration between prison healthcare and ICS: (1) Recognition of prison health as a priority; (2) Finding a way to reconcile networks and finances between community and prison commissioning; (3) Awareness of prison service influence on NHS healthcare planning and delivery; and (4) Shared investment in prison health can lead to benefits.

Originality/value

This is the first article to provide research evidence to support or challenge the integration of specialist health and justice (H&J) commissioning into local population health.
Finding the right shade of embeddedness: the effect of political embeddedness on green innovation
Authors: Tang Fei , Zhang Lu
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Few efforts have considered political embeddedness heterogeneity and examined whether different types of political embeddedness can pose different valuation effect on green innovation. Address to this concern, this paper aims to provide a more nuanced conceptualization of different types of political embeddedness and their effects on green innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper conducts negative binomial method to test our predicts and adopts propensity score match (PSM) and placebo test to mitigate endogeneity issues.

Findings

The interpersonal political embeddedness (IPPE) has a stronger positive effect on green innovation than the interorganizational political embeddedness (IOPE) and that such effect depends on multiple factors at an individual (i.e. Cheif executive officer (CEO) duality), firm (i.e. firm growth) and environment (i.e. industrial competition) level. Figure 1 is the research model. The relationship is more pronounced when the firm has a dual leadership structure and a high level of firm growth and is less pronounced when a firm is engaged in intensive industrial competition.

Originality/value

The authors extend political embeddedness literature by introducing and distinguishing the concept of IPPE and IOPE. The authors enrich green innovation research by revealing how corporate green innovation is effected by the IPPE and the IOPE.
Politics, rumors and identity: how does a domestic firm challenge an MNE in the non-market environment amidst home–host political hostility?
Authors: Tzeng Cheng-Hua
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Prior studies of competitive dynamics in emerging economies restricted their attention to how the multinational enterprise (MNE) initiates actions against the domestic firm in the market environment with no regard for the home-host relations. By contrast, this study aims to investigate how the domestic firm challenges the MNE in the non-market environment when there is home–host political hostility.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a case study of non-market rivalry between an MNE from the Taiwan region and a domestic firm on the Chinese mainland in the period 2004–2008.

Findings

Riding the home–host political hostility, the domestic firm mounted political tactics against the MNE on two fronts. It lobbied the government for identity-targeted policy changes, which demanded state-funded clients buy only from domestic suppliers. It also unethically spread identity-targeted political rumors to vilify the MNE in the local society. The MNE defended itself against the unfavorable policy by engaging in identity work of restructuring its distribution channels to conceal its “foreign” (non-domestic) identity. To fight off the rumors, it built a corporate citizen identity by identity work of aligning corporate social responsibility and research and development with local policy priorities.

Originality/value

The authors broaden the concept of competitive aggressiveness to include non-market actions, particularly unethical ones targeting a rival’s identity. The authors contribute to identity work scholarship by pinpointing an unrecognized phenomenon – high-effort identity work, used by the MNE as a defensive response. The emergent findings develop a moral perspective on non-market rivalry.
Detection and analysis of emergency topic in social media considering changing roles of stakeholders
Authors: Ma Xiaoyue , Xue Pengzhen , Li Mingde , Matta Nada
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Most of the existing studies on the evolution of emergency topics in social media focused on the emergency information demand of fixed user type in emergency while ignoring the changing roles of stakeholders during the emergency. Thus in this study, a three-dimensional dynamic topic evolution model is proposed, in which fine grained division of time, dynamic identification of stakeholders in the emergency, and emergency topic evolution based on both timeline and stakeholder's type are all considered.

Design/methodology/approach

Particularly the relevance between the tweets posted and the topic of emergency, the influence on the social network, and the attention of emergency topic are as well taken into account to quantitatively calculate the weight and ranking of stakeholders at different stages of the emergency. To verify the proposed model, an experimental demonstration was carried out under an emergency event posted on social media.

Findings

The results show that (1) based on the three-dimensional dynamic topic evolution model, the composition and ranking of stakeholders have obvious differences at different stages; (2) the emergency information needs and the sharing behavior of stakeholders on emergency information also indicate different preferences where the topic concerns of stakeholders at different stages have a strong relationship with their weight ranking; (3) the emergency topic evolution considering both the dynamics of emergency stakeholders and emergency information demand could more accurately reflect the changing regularity of social media users' attention to information in emergency events.

Originality/value

This study is one of first to investigate the emergency topic evaluation on social media by considering the dynamic changes of various stakeholders in emergency. It could not only theoretically provide more accurate method to understand how users share and search emergency information in social media, but also practically signify an information recommendation way in social media for emergency tracking.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-02-2021-0098.
Series and interactive sensing coil layouts for reducing sensing channels of flexible eddy current array sensor
Authors: Fan Xianghong , He Yuting , Chen Tao
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Flexible eddy current array (FECA) sensor is flexible and light in weight, which has broad application prospects in structural health monitoring. But, the sensor’s sensing channel number is more, increasing the added mass of sensor networks. This paper aims to reduce the sensing channel number by changing the sensing coil layout.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, FECA sensors with series sensing coil (SSC) layout and interactive sensing coil (ISC) layout are proposed, which reduce the number of sensor’s channels by half. Then, the variation of the output signal of the sensor when the crack expands along both sides of the hole is analyzed by simulation model. Finally, the fatigue crack monitoring experiment is carried out.

Findings

For the SSC layout, the simulation results show that the amplitude of each SSC group of the sensor increases when the crack propagates to the left or right. For the ISC layout, when the crack propagates on the right side of bolt hole, the induced voltage of each ISC group decreases. When the crack propagates on the left side of bolt hole, the induced voltage of each ISC group increases. The experiment results are consistent with simulation results, which verifies the correctness of simulation model. Compared with SSC layout, the ISC layout can judge the crack propagation direction. And the crack monitoring accuracy is 1 mm.

Originality/value

The research results provide a certain reference for reducing the number of sensor’s sensing channels. Results of the simulation and experiment show that the ISC layout can judge the crack propagation direction, and the crack monitoring accuracy is 1 mm.
Machine learning methods for the prediction of milk fatty acid content
Authors: Petrini Juliana , Salgado Ricardo Menezes , Rodriguez Mary Ana Petersen , Machado Paulo Fernando , Mourão Gerson Barreto
Published: June 2022

Random forest, extreme gradient boosting and artificial neural network machine learning methods were used to predict the content of myristic acid (C14:0) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) based on the milk fatty acids (FA) obtained through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The methods had similar prediction performance for C14:0 (mean average percentage error < 7%). The low prediction accuracy for CLA was probably due to the poor association between the CLA and the input variables. Therefore, machine learning can be used to predict C14:0 and other saturated FA fromed from similar metabolic pathways
Rpadrino: An R package to access and use PADRINO, an open access database of Integral Projection Models
Authors: Levin Sam C. , Evers Sanne , Potter Tomos , Guerrero Mayra Peña , Childs Dylan Z. , Compagnoni Aldo , Knight Tiffany M. , Salguero‐Gómez Roberto
Published: June 2022

Discrete time structured population projection models are an important tool for studying population dynamics. Within this field, integral projection models (IPMs) have become a popular method for studying populations structured by continuously distributed traits (e.g. height, weight). Databases of discrete time, discrete state structured population models, for example DATLife (life tables) and COMPADRE & COMADRE (matrix population models), have made quantitative syntheses straightforward to implement. These efforts allow researchers to address questions in both basic and applied ecology and evolutionary biology. Since their introduction in 2000, over 300 works containing IPMs have been published, offering opportunities for ecological synthesis too. We describe a novel framework to quickly reconstruct these models for subsequent analyses using Rpadrino R package, which serves as an interface to PADRINO, a new database of IPMs.

We introduce an R package, Rpadrino, which enables users to download, subset, reconstruct, and extend published IPMs. Rpadrino makes use of recently created software, ipmr, to provide an engine to reconstruct a wide array of IPMs from their symbolic representations and conduct subsequent analyses. Rpadrino and ipmr are extensively documented to help users learn their usage.

Rpadrino currently enables users to reconstruct 280 IPMs from 40 publications that describe the demography of 14 animal and 26 plant species. All of these IPMs are tested to ensure they reproduce published estimates. Rpadrino provides an interface to augment PADRINO with external data and modify parameter values, creating a platform to extend models beyond their original purpose while retaining full reproducibility.

PADRINO and Rpadrino provide a toolbox for asking new questions and conducting syntheses with peer‐reviewed published IPMs. Rpadrino provides a user‐friendly interface so researchers do not need to worry about the database structure or syntax, and can focus on their research questions and analyses. Additionally, Rpadrino is thoroughly documented and provides numerous examples of how to perform analyses which are not included in the package's functionality.
Between‐hospital and between‐surgeon variation in thresholds for hip and knee replacement
Authors: Heath Emma L. , Ackerman Ilana N. , Holder Carl , Lorimer Michelle F. , Graves Stephen E. , Harris Ian A.
Published: June 2022

Background

Total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR) are cost‐effective interventions to reduce pain and disability associated with osteoarthritis, however there is no clear guidelines available to determine appropriate patient selection and the timing of surgery. This prospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the hospital‐ and surgeon‐level variation in the severity of patient‐reported symptoms prior to THR and TKR.

Methods

Patients undergoing primary THR (n = 4330) or TKR (n = 7054) for osteoarthritis who participated in a national registry‐led Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) pilot program were included in the analysis. Pre‐operative Oxford Hip Score (OHS) and Oxford Knee Score (OKS) (range 0–48; representing worst to best hip/knee pain and function) data were examined for variation between private and public hospitals and between surgeons using linear mixed models.

Results

Pre‐operative mean OHS was significantly higher (better) in patients whose surgery was performed in a private hospital compared to public hospitals; 21.39 versus 18.11 (mean difference 3.27, 95% CI 1.75, 4.79). For OKS, the difference between private hospital and public hospital scores was dependent on BMI and gender. Most of the variation in pre‐operative OHS and OKS was not at the individual hospital‐ or surgeon‐level, which explained only a negligible proportion of the model variance (⟨5%) for THR and TKR.

Conclusion

Apart from a difference between private and public hospitals, there was little between‐hospital or between‐surgeon symptom variation in joint‐specific pain and function prior to THR or TKR. The findings suggest consistency in the surgical thresholds for patients being offered hip and knee joint replacement procedures.
On the evolution of multiple jobholding in Canada
Authors: Kostyshyna Olena , Lalé Etienne
Published: June 2022

In Canada, the fraction of workers holding multiple jobs has almost tripled since the mid‐1970s. In this paper, we document this historical change and provide a comprehensive account of its dynamics. We use restricted‐access panel micro‐data from the Canadian labour force survey to construct transition probabilities in and out of multiple jobholding. We analyze these data through the lens of a trend decomposition that separates out the role of worker inflows and outflows. The upward trend in multiple jobholding is explained chiefly by the increased likelihood of single jobholders to pick up second jobs. While economic reasons remain important, a more flexible hours schedule of the main job adds to the factors that push workers towards multiple jobholding.
Housing tax expenditures and financial intermediation
Authors: Ghiaie Hamed , Rouillard Jean‐François
Published: June 2022

Through the lens of a multi‐agent dynamic general equilibrium model, we examine the effects of changes in preferential housing‐related tax treatments on macroeconomic aggregates and welfare. Our first finding is that financial frictions on banks contribute to lowering tax multipliers. The multipliers that we find are smaller over a horizon of 20 quarters—they range from to , while the long‐run tax multipliers range from to . We then find that the reduction in the deduction of mortgage interest payments delivers the lowest long‐run multiplier. We also implement revenue‐neutral tax reforms and find that the repeal of mortgage deductibility is the best housing tax policy because it generates small losses in output.
Exploring novel nitrofuranyl sulfonohydrazides as anti‐Leishmania and anti‐cancer agents: Synthesis, in vitro efficacy and hit identification
Authors: Kannigadu Christina , Aucamp Janine , N'Da David D.
Published: June 2022

Leishmaniasis and cancer are two deadly diseases that plague the human population. There are a limited number of drugs available for the treatment of these diseases; however, their overuse has resulted in pathogenic resistance. Recent studies have indicated the repurposing of nitro‐containing compounds to be a new avenue into finding new treatments. In this study, new nitrofuranyl sulfonohydrazide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antileishmanial and anticancer activities. The analogue 2h, featuring biphenyl moiety exhibited selective (SI > 10) submicromolar activity (IC50 0.97 μM) against acute promyelocytic leukemia cells hence was identified anticancer hit. This study revealed no antileishmanial hit. However, several promising analogues were uncovered and are worthy of further structural modifications to improve their toxicity and bioactivity profiles.