bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electromagnetic sub-models for 3D edge-elements in transient non-linear simulation
Authors: Kowalski Matthias , Hanke Martin , Kreischer Christian
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Resolving eddy currents in three dimensions with finite elements, especially in geometrically complex structures, is very time consuming. Notable additional efforts will be required, if these eddy currents are influenced by magnetic fields arising from larger parts or range over widespread regions. The purpose of this article is to present a new sub-modelling simulation technique, based on the finite-element approach. This method offers remarkable advantages for solving this type of problems.

Design/methodology/approach

A novel sub-modeling technique is developed for the finite-element method addressing this problem by dividing the process into two steps: firstly, a simulation of a “source”-model is carried out providing magnetic field distributions within the entire domain neglecting local eddy current effects and without modeling it in full detailed geometry. A subsequent “sub”-model comprises only the region of interest in higher resolution and is solved while being constrained with boundary conditions derived from the previous source-model. An implementation in ANSYS Mechanical is carried out with the objective to validate finite-element simulation against measurement results.

Findings

The proposed simulation technique performs robustly and time efficiently. Applying this method to an end-region of a turbogenerator allows comparisons with test data of this region for validation purposes. The comparison between measured and simulated radial flux densities shows good correspondence.

Originality/value

This work is novel in many aspects: a new technique for three-dimensional (3D) finite-element method using edge-elements is introduced. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, these 3D sub-models are compared against measurement results of an electric machine with net currents. Leveraged from this work, detailed analyses of eddy current phenomena under influences of external magnetic fields can be investigated in higher detail within shorter calculation times.
Lean six sigma and stroke in rural hospital – The case of Baruch Padeh Medical Center
Authors: Tzadok Batsheva , Ben Tov Oran , Vaispapir Vladimir , Shornikov Lev , Marik Olga , Martens Leon , Tal Or Eran
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This case study aims to demonstrate the strengths of the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology to improve the acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treatment rates and reduce process lead time at Baruch Padeh Medical Center (BPMC), a rural hospital in the Galilee region of Northern Israel. The LSS project redefined the BPMC stroke care pathway and increased its efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach

The LSS methodology was implemented in September 2017 by integrating lean principles and the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define–Measure–Analyze–Improve–Control). Existing procedures, field observation, ad hoc measurement and in-depth interviews were utilized, and the GEMBA method was implemented to identify root cause and improve actions optimizing the stroke pathway.

Findings

The presented case shows the usefulness of the LSS methodology in improving quality performance in a rural hospital. The intervention allowed the BPMC to improve the intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) administration rate (+15.2%), reducing the process lead time. The lead time of door-to-computer tomography decreased from 52 to 26 min, and the door-to-needle time decreased from 94 to 75 min.

Originality/value

The present case study shows the implementation of the LSS methodology aimed to improve the IV-tPA administration rate and reduce the stroke pathway lead time in a rural hospital. The case demonstrates the potential for the LSS methodology to support the AIS pathway optimization and represents a guide for healthcare organizations located in rural areas.
Design of deep convolution feature extraction for multimedia information retrieval
Authors: Venkataravana Nayak K. , Arunalatha J.S. , Vasanthakumar G.U. , Venugopal K.R.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The analysis of multimedia content is being applied in various real-time computer vision applications. In multimedia content, digital images constitute a significant part. The representation of digital images interpreted by humans is subjective in nature and complex. Hence, searching for relevant images from the archives is difficult. Thus, electronic image analysis strategies have become effective tools in the process of image interpretation.

Design/methodology/approach

The traditional approach used is text-based, i.e. searching images using textual annotations. It consumes time in the manual process of annotating images and is difficult to reduce the dependency in textual annotations if the archive consists of large number of samples. Therefore, content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is adopted in which the high-level visuals of images are represented in terms of feature vectors, which contain numerical values. It is a commonly used approach to understand the content of query images in retrieving relevant images. Still, the performance is less than optimal due to the presence of semantic gap among the image content representation and human visual understanding perspective because of the image content photometric, geometric variations and occlusions in search environments.

Findings

The authors proposed an image retrieval framework to generate semantic response through the feature extraction with convolution network and optimization of extracted features using adaptive moment estimation algorithm towards enhancing the retrieval performance.

Originality/value

The proposed framework is tested on Corel-1k and ImageNet datasets resulted in an accuracy of 98 and 96%, respectively, compared to the state-of-the-art approaches.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on perishable food supply chain management: a contingent Resource-Based View (RBV) perspective
Authors: Sharma Mahak , Alkatheeri Haseena , Jabeen Fauzia , Sehrawat Rajat
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study investigates the impact of supplier visibility on the adoption of sustainable practices and supply chain performance. The paper applies contingent Resource-Based View to explain how information sharing with customers and suppliers and supply chain traceability has influenced visibility; visibility has impacted supply chain velocity sustainable practices, and finally, supply chain performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This research analyses 263 survey responses from UK retail (grocery) stores' executives and managers for perishable food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

The research results indicate that both supply chain traceability and information sharing (customers) positively influence visibility. Further, visibility positively influences the adoption of sustainable practices and velocity, positively impacting supply chain performance. However, information sharing with the customer has no significant influence on performance, and information sharing with the supplier has no significant relationship with visibility.

Originality/value

This research is the first attempt that explores the contingent Resource-Based View for the perishable food supply chain. Further, the empirical evidence provides meaningful insights for academics and industry by filling a crucial lacuna in the literature.
Reliability and availability of IoT devices in resource constrained environments
Authors: Tambe Vineet , Bansod Gaurav , Khurana Soumya , Khandekar Shardul
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to test the Internet of things (IoT) devices with respect to reliability and quality.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors have presented the analysis on design metrics such as perception, communication and computation layers for a constrained environment. In this paper, based on their literature survey, the authors have also presented a study that shows multipath routing is more efficient than single-path, and the retransmission mechanism is not preferable in an IoT environment.

Findings

This paper discusses the reliability of various layers of IoT subject methodologies used in those layers. The authors ran performance tests on Arduino nano and raspberry pi using the AES-128 algorithm. It was empirically determined that the time required to process a message increases exponentially and is more than what benchmark time estimates as the message size is increased. From these results, the authors can accurately determine the optimal size of the message that can be processed by an IoT system employing controllers, which are running 8-bit or 64-bit architectures.

Originality/value

The authors have tested the performance of standard security algorithms on different computational architectures and discuss the implications of the results. Empirical results demonstrate that encryption and decryption times increase nonlinearly rather than linearly as message size increases.
Privacy considerations for online advertising: a stakeholder’s perspective to programmatic advertising
Authors: Cooper Dylan A. , Yalcin Taylan , Nistor Cristina , Macrini Matthew , Pehlivan Ekin
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Privacy considerations have become a topic with increasing interest from academics, industry leaders and regulators. In response to consumers’ privacy concerns, Google announced in 2020 that Chrome would stop supporting third-party cookies in the near future. At the same time, advertising technology companies are developing alternative solutions for online targeting and consumer privacy controls. This paper aims to explore privacy considerations related to online tracking and targeting methods used for programmatic advertising (i.e. third-party cookies, Privacy Sandbox, Unified ID 2.0) for a variety of stakeholders: consumers, AdTech platforms, advertisers and publishers.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzes the topic of internet user privacy concerns, through a multi-pronged approach: industry conversations to collect information, a comprehensive review of trade publications and extensive empirical analysis. This study uses two methods to collect data on consumer preferences for privacy controls: a survey of a representative sample of US consumers and field data from conversations on web-forums created by tech professionals.

Findings

The results suggest that there are four main segments in the US internet user population. The first segment, consisting of 26% of internet users, is driven by a strong preference for relevant ads and includes consumers who accept the premises of both Privacy Sandbox and Unified ID (UID) 2.0. The second segment (26%) includes consumers who are ambivalent about both sets of premises. The third segment (34%) is driven by a need for relevant ads and a strong desire to prevent advertisers from aggressively collecting data, with consumers who accept the premises of Privacy Sandbox but reject the premises of UID 2.0. The fourth segment (15% of consumers) rejected both sets of premises about privacy control. Text analysis results suggest that the conversation around UID 2.0 is still nascent. Google Sandbox associations seem nominally positive, with sarcasm being an important factor in the sentiment analysis results.

Originality/value

The value of this paper lies in its multi-method examination of online privacy concerns in light of the recent regulatory legislation (i.e. General Data Protection Regulation and California Consumer Privacy Act) and changes for third-party cookies in browsers such as Firefox, Safari and Chrome. Two alternatives proposed to replace third-party cookies (Privacy Sandbox and Unified ID 2.0) are in the proposal and prototype stage. The elimination of third-party cookies will affect stakeholders, including different types of players in the AdTech industry and internet users. This paper analyzes how two alternative proposals for privacy control align with the interests of several stakeholders.
The effect of economic policy uncertainty index on the Indian economy in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ghosh Raktim , Bagchi Bhaskar , Chatterjee Susmita
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The paper tries to analyse empirically the impact of India's economic policy uncertainty (EPU) index on different macro-economic variables of India, like import, export, interest rate, exchange rate, inflation rate and stock market during pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 era.

Design/methodology/approach

Although there exist several works where relationship and volatility among the stock markets and macro-economic indicators during the COVID-19 pandemic have been estimated, but till now none of the studies examined the effect of EPU index on different macro-economic variables in the Indian context along with the stock market due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. This is considered a noteworthy gap and hence opens up a new dimension for examination. To get a clear picture, monthly data from January, 2012 to September, 2021 have been considered where January, 2012–February, 2020 is taken as the pre-COVID-19 period and March, 2020–September, 2021 as COVID-19 period. All the data are converted into log natural. The authors applied DCC-GARCH model to investigate the impact of EPU index on volatility of selected variables over the study period across a multivariate framework and Markov regime-switching model to examine the switching over of the variables.

Findings

The results of dynamic conditional correlation - multivariate generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (DCC-MGARCH) model indicates the presence of volatility in the dependent variables arising out of economic policy uncertainty considering the segmentation of the study period into pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19. The results of Markov regime-switching model show the variables make a significant move from low-volatility regime to high-volatility regime due to the presence of COVID-19.

Research limitations/implications

It can be implied that impact of EPU in terms of volatility on the Indian Stock Market will lead to unfavourable investment conditions for the prospective investors. Even, the different macro-economic variables are to suffer from the volatility arising out of EPU across a long time horizon as confirmed from the DCC-MGARCH model.

Originality/value

The study is original in nature. It adds superior values from the new and significant findings from the study empirically. Application of DCC-MGARCH model and Markov regime switching model makes the study an innovative one in terms of methodology and findings.
Lost and found: an exploration of the professional identity of primary teachers during the Covid-19 pandemic
Authors: Mellon Conor
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on a small-scale study to explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Irish primary teachers’ evolving identities.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a narrative methodological approach, the study was underpinned by Kelchtermans’ (2009) interpretive framework. Five Irish primary teachers participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. The teachers’ narratives focused on what it meant to “be” a teacher during the pandemic, their overall experience of teaching and learning, their motivation during (and beyond) this time, lessons learned and their future perspectives.

Findings

The paper found that teachers’ identities shifted and evolved over the course of the pandemic, as they initially struggled to make sense of the significant challenges. However, the emergent self-image, as illustrated here, is characterised by commitment, altruistic motivation and personal and professional growth. The study also demonstrated a reconstruction of teachers’ identities, in line with reconfigured relationships with parents, a renewed commitment to space and time in teaching and learning and an attendance to pupil voice.

Originality/value

There is little specific research on how teachers’ identities have been redefined over the course of the pandemic. This admittedly small-scale study offers insights on how teachers viewed themselves during the pandemic, what it means to be a teacher at this tumultuous time and gives voice to the hard-learned lessons they take with them into a post-Covid era.
Influencing and being influenced: effects of individual influence and susceptibility on new product adoption
Authors: Zhang Honghong , Gong Xiushuang
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effect of opinion leadership on individuals’ susceptibility to social influence, which eventually affects their adoption behavior and assess how these relationships vary with gender in new product adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected based on a survey of young consumers regarding the adoption of new consumer electronics. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and multiple sample analyses.

Findings

The study finds that opinion leaders are more sensitive to influence from others when the mechanism of status competition is at work. Although consumers who are more susceptible to normative influence tend to adopt new products later than others, those who are more susceptible to status competition are more likely to adopt earlier. The results also provide evidence for gender differences. Female leaders are more susceptible to status competition, whereas male leaders are less sensitive to informational influence. The effects of susceptibility to normative influence and status competition on adoption behavior are stronger for female than for male consumers.

Originality/value

The overall structural model predicts an interesting relationship between individual influence and susceptibility, as well as the effects of these factors on adoption behavior. This study also provides deeper insights into the dynamics of the social influence mechanisms at work for each gender in new product adoption.
Sustainable production system: literature review and trends
Authors: Jasti Naga Vamsi Krishna , Jha Neeraj Kumar , Chaganti Phaneendra Kiran , Kota Srinivas
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The objective is to carry out a thorough literature review and analysis of sustainable production system (SPS) and identify avenues for the future research.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 903 articles published from 1996 to 2019 in 40 journals were considered in the analysis. The classification and analysis of articles was done based on: time, focus area, methodology, research stream, authorship, industry sector, critical elements, implementation status, type of support and performance. Based on the analysis the future scope development needs are identified.

Findings

The findings are: increasing trend in empirical and conceptual research articles, need of sustainable principles implementation in the product development with combination of all the areas, need of more intercontinental research collaborations as the sustainable production is interconnected rather than isolated, need of sustainable constructs implementation as a coherent set instead of individual constructs, need of integration of sustainable philosophy with other manufacturing philosophies to achieve sustainable results and need of testing and validation of the support by researchers.

Originality/value

The results from the study will be useful to the researchers, academicians and professionals to trace the gaps, growth, pertinence and research developments in the field of SPS.
Effect of addition of compatibilizer on mechanical, thermal and thermo-mechanical behavior of a polymer blend (PBT/ PBT(G)/ PTT) composite
Authors: R.K. Sundaram , S. Senthil Kumaran , P. Edwin Samson
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to reduce the interfacial tension by increasing the better adhesion between different immiscible polymers phases and also to evaluate the mechanical, thermal and thermo-mechanical behavior of the immiscible polymer blends.

Design/methodology/approach

The polymer blend composite (PBC) was prepared using a twin-screw extruder followed by injection molding. Two different kinds of PBC with compatibilizer (Ethylene-n-Butylacrylate-Glycidyl methacrylate) of varying compositions like polybutylene terephthalate + poly trimethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate (30% glass filled) + poly trimethylene terephthalate were prepared and material behavior at various test conditions were studied. The effect of glass fiber reinforcement on polymer blend and the interlocking effect by the compatibilizer between the polymer phases were also assessed.

Findings

Mechanical behavior of PBC was estimated by tensile, flexural and angular impact tests. Likewise, the thermal deflection was studied with the help of heat deflection temperature test. Thermo-mechanical behavior likes storage modulus, loss modulus and loss tangent were studied using the dynamic mechanical analysis test. Morphological analysis was characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy.

Originality/value

This in turn makes the process easy to obtain the PBC having inherent mechanical, thermal and thermo-mechanically stable. And, it also enhances the mechanical properties like tensile, flexural and impact strength. Simultaneously, posse’s excellent heat deflection and thermo-mechanical behavior over a temperature range of 35–140ºC at a constant frequency of 5 Hz.
Relationship between patient acceptable symptom state and disease scores in psoriasis
Authors: Wang Qiaolin , Lu Wenhua , Luo Yan , Tan Minjia , Zhu Wu , Kuang Yehong , Shen Minxue
Published: January 2022

Patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) is a patient‐reported outcome that reflects patients’ perspective well. The relationship between the PASS and disease scores in psoriasis has not been described. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of PASS with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and body surface area (BSA) affected by lesions in patients with psoriasis. A sectional study was conducted. PASS was evaluated by a binary question on the patient’s feeling that they have about their symptoms. Clinical data including PASI, BSA, and other patient characteristics were collected. Logistic regression was used to investigate the associations. Receiver–operator curve (ROC) analysis was utilized to determine the PASI/BSA thresholds for PASS. A total of 198 participants (27.8% female, mean age 41.9 ± 12.6 years, mean disease duration 10.2 ± 8.6 years) completed this study. Of patients with mild psoriasis, 71.4% based on PASI and 76.3% based on BSA considered their symptom state acceptable. Female sex (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI = 0.42–0.92) and patients with exposed skin involved (adjusted OR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.19–0.76) were less likely to report acceptable symptom state. The threshold for differentiating psoriasis patients in PASS was 3.85 (area under the curve [AUC], 0.67; sensitivity, 0.67; specificity, 0.60) for PASI and 2.85% (AUC, 0.66; sensitivity, 0.79; specificity, 0.54) for BSA, respectively. These results showed that mild psoriasis based on PASI/BSA score align well with PASS status. Female and exposed skin involved are risk factors for acceptable status. Both PASI and BSA have limited capability in differentiating acceptable symptom state in psoriasis.
Advanced cutting techniques for solid food: Mechanisms, applications, modeling approaches, and future perspectives
Authors: Xu Weidong , Wang Jingyi , Deng Yong , Li Jiaheng , Yan Tianyi , Zhao Shunan , Yang Xiaoling , Xu Enbo , Wang Wenjun , Liu Donghong
Published: January 2022

Cutting is an imperative operation in the food‐manufacturing factory, separating food into a predefined geometry. A broad range of solid foods, with various components, textures, and structures, pose enormous challenges to conventional cutting strategies. Additionally, the cutting performance is significantly impacted by the processing parameters, wherein trial‐and‐error or empirical methods are often used to select the parameters in source‐wasting and time‐consuming ways. Hence, there is a need to accelerate the development of advanced cutting techniques and novel modeling approaches in the food‐manufacturing industry. Recently, advanced cutting techniques (ultrasonic vibration‐assisted [UVA], laser, and waterjet cutting) are seen to be superior in processing foods of various textures, with the advantages of high cutting quality, low contamination, and easy operation. Compared with conventional cutting, advanced cutting techniques can dramatically reduce cutting force and energy consumption, resulting in high efficiency, energy‐and‐source saving, and low carbon footprint. Additionally, the finite element (FE) model does simulate the cutting process well, and artificial intelligence (AI) technology is competent to optimize the cutting parameters. This review is perhaps the first one focusing on the advanced cutting techniques applied in the food industry, serving as a summary of the cutting mechanisms, critical influence factors, and applications of conventional and advanced cutting techniques including UVA, laser, and waterjet cutting. In addition, the modeling approaches with respect to FE and AI models are emphasized. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of advanced cutting techniques combined with modeling approaches are highlighted, and those approaches are promising in the future intelligent food‐manufacturing industry.

Practical Application

The review clearly demonstrates that advanced cutting techniques as having advantages such as high efficiency, energy‐and‐source saving, and low damages, thus exhibiting great potential in processing food of various textures with high cutting quality, low contamination, and easy operation. Additionally, the FE model does simulate the cutting process well and AI is competent in optimizing the cutting parameters, which possesses great potential in providing comprehensive cutting information and selecting the optimal combination of cutting parameters.
The “Reliable History” of Geohazards
Authors: Rougier Jonathan
Published: January 2022

Estimating rates of occurrence over time of hazards such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes is crucial for risk assessment and planning. But it can be difficult. Human records only go back so far, and older ones may be patchy, making it hard to pinpoint the start of the “reliable history” for a particular type of event. Fear not, though, says Jonathan Rougier: a simple event-rate estimator might still hold up, even if we “overshoot” the reliable history by a century or more
Randomisation can do Many Things – But it Cannot “Fail”
Authors: Owora Arthur H. , Dawson John , Gadbury Gary , Mestre Luis M. , Pavela Greg , Mehta Tapan , Vorland Colby J. , Xun Pengcheng , Allison David B.
Published: January 2022

Although randomisation has long been seen as crucial to reaching reliable insights from data, it is still falling victim to some peculiar – and troublesome – misconceptions. By Arthur H. Owora, John Dawson, Gary Gadbury, Luis M. Mestre, Greg Pavela, Tapan Mehta, Colby J. Vorland, Pengcheng Xun and David B. Allison
Maths Anxiety – And How to Overcome it
Authors: Gabriel Florence
Published: January 2022

Negative feelings about maths create a barrier to learning. In a world awash with numbers this has worrying implications. Florence Gabriel shares the latest thinking on dealing with “maths anxiety”
Privatising and financialising roads: The peculiar case of Transurban
Authors: O’Neill Phillip
Published: January 2022

The Australian toll roads operator, Transurban, was created to build and operate Melbourne’s first toll road in the mid‐1990s. It has grown since to become a monopoly operator of motorways across Australia’s three east coast cities. The article interrogates this growth using a threefold framework involving an analysis of the company’s organisational and financial structures and its regulatory environment. Analysis reveals a complex set of actor decisions and circumstances within each of these frames. In respect to policy, we argue that pathways to sustainable, accessible urban transport services need to build on extant arrangements rather than reach nostalgically for an unattainable past.
The Role of UN Peace Operations in Countering Health Insecurity after COVID‐19
Authors: Gilder Alexander
Published: January 2022

This Policy Insight suggests the UN must account for a diverse range of conflict drivers, including health insecurity, and that UN peace operations can play a role in countries of deployment to counter health crises. Insecurity is experienced in a variety of different ways in a complex world where threats are multifaceted. COVID‐19 is merely the latest health crisis which has impacted populations around the globe in both developed and developing countries. However, UN peace operations have not typically played a major role in addressing health insecurity nor have they undergone any major shifts in their focus to provide direct health‐related assistance during the COVID‐19 pandemic. With health insecurity likely to persist, there should not need to be a global pandemic for the UN Security Council to use peace operations to undertake further preventative work in this area.
A review of alcohol–pathogen interactions: New insights into combined disease pathomechanisms
Authors: Osna Natalia A. , New‐Aaron Moses , Dagur Raghubendra S. , Thomes Paul , Simon Liz , Levitt Danielle , McTernan Patrick , Molina Patricia E. , Choi Hye Yeon , Machida Keigo , Sherman Kenneth E. , Riva Antonio , Phillips Sandra , Chokshi Shilpa , Kharbanda Kusum K. , Weinman Steven , Ganesan Murali
Published: January 2022

Progression of chronic infections to end‐stage diseases and poor treatment results are frequently associated with alcohol abuse. Alcohol metabolism suppresses innate and adaptive immunity leading to increased viral load and its spread. In case of hepatotropic infections, viruses accelerate alcohol‐induced hepatitis and liver fibrosis, thereby promoting end‐stage outcomes, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this review, we concentrate on several unexplored aspects of these phenomena, which illustrate the combined effects of viral/bacterial infections and alcohol in disease development. We review alcohol‐induced alterations implicated in immunometabolism as a central mechanism impacting metabolic homeostasis and viral pathogenesis in Simian immunodeficiency virus/human immunodeficiency virus infection. Furthermore, in hepatocytes, both HIV infection and alcohol activate oxidative stress to cause lysosomal dysfunction and leakage and apoptotic cell death, thereby increasing hepatotoxicity. In addition, we discuss the mechanisms of hepatocellular carcinoma and tumor signaling in hepatitis C virus infection. Finally, we analyze studies that review and describe the immune derangements in hepatotropic viral infections focusing on the development of novel targets and strategies to restore effective immunocompetency in alcohol‐associated liver disease. In conclusion, alcohol exacerbates the pathogenesis of viral infections, contributing to a chronic course and poor outcomes, but the mechanisms behind these events are virus specific and depend on virus–alcohol interactions, which differ among the various infections.
Attitudes toward year‐round influenza vaccination in pregnant women
Authors: Whyler Naomi Catharine Alys , Kong Khai Lin , Krishnaswamy Sushena , Giles Michelle
Published: January 2022

Influenza virus circulates year‐round, yet uptake of maternal influenza vaccination decreases outside of influenza season. This prospective study of 62 pregnant women provides insight into the possible underlying reasons for this. Despite knowledge of benefits for maternal and infant outcomes, we observed a lack of understanding of rates of influenza infection outside influenza season, concerns about safety in relation to receiving multiple vaccinations during the same pregnancy, and lack of healthcare provider recommendation to be vaccinated outside influenza season. These findings can help tailor public health education targeting pregnant women and their healthcare providers to improve influenza vaccine uptake.
Lived experience of parents and carers of people receiving services in rural areas under the National Disability Insurance Scheme
Authors: Prowse Alexandra , Wolfgang Rebecca , Little Alexandra , Wakely Katrina , Wakely Luke
Published: January 2022

Objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experience of parenting or caring for a person with a disability receiving services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme in rural Australia.

Design

Qualitative study guided by the phenomenology of practice.

Setting

Rural areas of New South Wales (MM 3‐7).

Participants

Participants were 5 parents and one carer of people receiving National Disability Insurance Scheme services who resided in rural New South Wales.

Design

Participants engaged in a semi‐structured interview about their lived experiences caring for someone accessing services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme in rural New South Wales. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.

Results

Three themes emerged from the data analysis. ‘More than a disability’ described the absence of understanding of family and carer challenges when National Disability Insurance Scheme plans were designed and implemented. ‘Fighting for funding and services’ described that while the National Disability Insurance Scheme increased funding support, parents and carers experienced limited support navigating the National Disability Insurance Scheme. ‘Cold as Ice’ encompassed parents' and carers' descriptions of their relationship with National Disability Insurance Scheme staff. These challenges were further impacted by the limited choice and availability of health service providers in rural areas.

Conclusion

Participants felt that the National Disability Insurance Scheme had created additional stress and confusion in their lives and at times had hindered the achievement of the goals of their family member with a disability. The voices of parents and carers is a critical one, and it is essential that rural parents' and carers' needs are considered and supported in future planning of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in association with gamma zone width and disc‐fovea distance
Authors: Jonas Jost B. , Yan Yan Ni , Zhang Qi , Zhang Qing , Wei Wen Bin , Jonas Rahul A. , Wang Ya Xing
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Previous studies have shown that the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness as surrogate of the optic nerve decreases with longer axial length. We explored which explanatory parameters might explain that association.

Methods

Participants of the population‐based Beijing Eye Study 2011 without any retinal or optic nerve disease were selected based on a refractive error‐based stratified randomization.

Results

The study included of 632 participants (age: 59.1 ± 7.3 years; axial length: 23.5 ± 1.2 mm; range: 20.88–28.68 mm). Thicker RNFL (mean: 101.0 ± 10.0 μm) was associated (multivariable analysis) with smaller parapapillary gamma zone (defined as Bruch's membrane‐free parapapillary region) (standardized regression coefficient beta: −0.13; non‐stadardized regression coefficient B: −0.008; 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.014, −0.003; p = 0.005) and shorter disc‐fovea distance (beta: −0.15; B: −3.91; 95% CI: −6.60; −1.22; p = 0.004), after adjusting for age (beta: −0.22; B: −030; 95% CI: −0.41, −0.19; p < 0.001), gender (beta: 0.12; B: 2.37; 95% CI 0.77, 3.97; p = 0.004) and larger optic disc area (beta: 0.12; B: 0.12; 95% CI: 2.14; 95% CI: 0.54, 3.73; p = 0.009). RNFL thickness decreased by 8 μm (95% CI: 3, 14) for each mm increase in gamma zone width, and by 3.91 μm (95% CI: 1.22, 6.60) for each mm elongation of the disc‐fovea distance. If disc‐fovea distance and gamma zone width were replaced by axial length, the latter was correlated with RNFL thickness (beta: −0.37; B: −3.12; 95% CI: −3.88, −2.35; p < 0.001). Longer disc‐fovea distance was directly associated with larger gamma zone (beta: 0.50; B: p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The RNFL thickness decrease with longer axial length is associated with a longer optic disc‐fovea distance and larger parapapillary gamma zone. Longer disc‐fovea distance and larger gamma zone lead to an elongation and stretching of the retinal nerve fibres, potentially causing a thinning or loss of the nerve fibres. It may explain the occurrence of visual field defects in some non‐glaucomatous highly myopic eyes without macular correlates of the perimetric defects.
Renal function after withdrawal of lithium
Authors: Hoekstra Rocco , Lekkerkerker Marius N. , Kuijper Tjallingius M. , Bosch Tessa M. , van Alphen Arjan M.
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Patients on chronic lithium therapy sometimes develop chronic kidney disease. For clinical decision–making, it is important to know whether discontinuation of lithium can lead to improvement of renal function. We studied the trajectory of renal function in a population previously on chronic lithium therapy.

Methods

From a large database of patients on chronic lithium therapy, we selected a group of patients who stopped using lithium and whose creatinine values at least half a year after lithium withdrawal were available. We measured the slope of renal function (eGFR) before and after discontinuation of lithium. We compared the subgroup of patients with improvement of the renal function with those who showed further deterioration of the eGFR.

Results

eGFR slope significantly improved after discontinuation of lithium. Of patients with chronic kidney disease stage 3 or more (eGFR<60 ml/min), the vast majority showed an increase of eGFR or a decrease in the rate of decline after lithium withdrawal. The group of patients with further deterioration of the renal function had a mean eGFR of 32 ml/min, which was significantly lower than the patients with an improvement of the kidney function.

Conclusions

Discontinuation of lithium leads in the majority of patients to improvement in renal function or at least less rapid deterioration.
BNT162b2 mRNA COVID‐19 vaccine booster induces seroconversion in patients with B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma who failed to respond to two prior vaccine doses
Authors: Avivi Irit , Luttwak Efrat , Saiag Esther , Halperin Tami , Haberman Shira , Sarig Ariel , Levi Sivan , Aharon Anat , Herishanu Yair , Perry Chava
Published: January 2022

This prospective study evaluated seroconversion rates in response to BNT162b2 (Pfizer‐BioNTech) COVID‐19 vaccine booster in 44 B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (B‐NHL) patients who failed to respond to two prior doses [42 previously exposed to anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibodies (moAbs) including 13 under maintenance treatment]. Seroconversion was obtained in 29.5% of the patients. Longer time from last anti‐CD20 moAb (>6 months) and diagnosis of aggressive lymphoma compared to other, incurable B‐NHLs were associated with increased seroconversion rates (47.8% vs.10.5%, p = 0.019 and 50% vs. 17.9%, p = 0.025 respectively). Thus, seronegative patients with B‐NHL that completed anti‐CD20 therapy more than 6 months prior to the booster have greater chances to achieve seroconversion.
Can culture beat Covid‐19? Evidence that exposure to facemasks with cultural symbols increases solidarity
Authors: Perach Rotem , Limbu Maliyana
Published: January 2022

Facemasks have become integral to everyday life. We propose that exposure to facemasks with a solidarity‐related cultural symbol can activate cultural values such as mutual trust and increase corresponding interpersonal perceptions, thereby enhancing collective resilience in the Covid‐19 pandemic. In three (two of which preregistered) studies, we examined whether exposure to facemasks with a solidarity‐related cultural symbol predicts positive interpersonal perceptions, and whether this depends on death awareness. Across studies, exposure to facemasks with a cultural symbol (either pride flag or National Health Service) increased positive interpersonal perceptions, an index of solidarity, in people for whom this symbol represents a meaningful social identity. This was found whether participants were reminded of death, a neutral experience, or a negative experience. Importantly, in Study 3, exposure to facemasks with a solidarity‐related cultural symbol (vs. surgical) led to greater increases in positive interpersonal perceptions when death awareness was high. Together, our findings suggest that wearing facemasks with a cultural symbol that relates to solidarity can be a vehicle for shaping people's personality impressions of others. Applied directions for the activation of people's social identities via facemask selection to promote collective resilience in the Covid‐19 pandemic are discussed.
Nasal administration of a probiotic assemblage in allergic rhinitis: A randomised placebo‐controlled crossover trial
Authors: Mårtensson Anders , Nordström Franziska U. , Cervin‐Hoberg Charlotte , Lindstedt Malin , Sakellariou Christina , Cervin Anders , Greiff Lennart
Published: January 2022

Background

Topical probiotics have been suggested as a treatment option for allergic rhinitis, as they may skew the immune response towards a beneficial type‐1 non‐allergic profile. So far observations in man have exclusively involved oral intake. The aim of this study was to examine whether a topical/nasal administration of a probiotic assemblage (PA) affects quality of life, symptoms and signs of allergic rhinitis in a nasal allergen challenge (NAC) model.

Methods

In a placebo‐controlled and crossover design, 24 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis were randomised to topical/nasal administration with a PA of Lactobacillus rhamnosus SP1, Lactobacillus paracasei 101/37 and Lactococcus lactis L1A or placebo for 3 weeks. Participants and investigators were blind to treatment allocation. The last week of each treatment period was combined with a NAC series. Efficacy variables were “Mini‐Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire” (Mini‐RQLQ), “Total Nasal Symptom Score” (TNSS), “Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow” (PNIF) and “Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide” (FeNO). In addition, to assess whether or not the PA produced any pro‐inflammatory effect per se, soluble analytes were monitored in nasal lavage fluids. Finally, bacterial cultures, sampled using swabs from the middle nasal meatus, were assessed for the presence of the PA by MALDI‐TOF analysis.

Results

Administration of the PA did not produce any nasal symptoms (cf. placebo). An innate immune response was discerned within the PA run (cf. baseline), but no change in nasal lavage fluid levels of cytokines/mediators was observed cf. placebo except for IL‐17/IL‐17A (a minor increase in the PA run). Administration of the PA did neither affect Mini‐RQLQ, TNSS, PNIF nor FeNO. No evidence of persistent colonization was observed.

Conclusions

Topical/nasal administration of a PA comprising Lactobacillus rhamnosus SP1, Lactobacillus paracasei 101/37 and Lactococcus lactis L1A, while likely evoking a minor innate immune response yet being safe, does not affect quality of life, symptoms or signs of allergic rhinitis. Trial registration: not registered.
Corporate governance progress and the pay premium of owner CEOs: Evidence from Israel
Authors: Lauterbach Beni , Yosef Revital
Published: January 2022

Research Question/Issue

Can progress in corporate governance trim the pay premium of owner CEOs (CEOs that are members of the control group) over professional non‐owner CEOs?

Research Findings/Insights

We examine CEO pay in 201 concentrated‐ownership companies traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange during 2008–2015 and compare it to earlier evidence from 1994 to 2001. We find that following the significant advance in Israeli corporate governance since the beginning of the 21st century, including some specific CEO pay regulation, the owner CEO pay premium dropped by almost three‐quarters, primarily in partnership‐controlled firms (firms controlled by a coalition of business partners).

Theoretical/Academic Implications

In some concentrated ownership firms controlling shareholders extract private benefits by appointing themselves as CEOs and receiving an excessive owner CEO pay. The problem of owner CEO pay premium appears much milder in partnership‐controlled relative to family‐controlled firms, perhaps due to the more cohesive nature of the family control group.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

Measures such as establishing an independent compensation committee on the board and, more directly, requiring a periodic (say, once every 3 years) approval of owner CEO pay by a majority of the minority shareholders vote are effective in cutting owner CEOs' excess pay.
Wildfire severity alters drivers of interaction beta‐diversity in plant–bee networks
Authors: Burkle Laura A. , Belote R. Travis , Myers Jonathan A.
Published: January 2022

Spatial variation in species interactions (interaction β‐diversity) and its ecological drivers are poorly understood, despite their relevance to community assembly, conservation and ecosystem functioning. We investigated effects of wildfire severity on patterns and four proximate ecological drivers of interaction β‐diversity in plant–bee communities across three localities in the northern Rocky Mountains (Montana, USA). Wildfires decreased interaction β‐diversity but increased interaction frequency (number of visits) and richness (number of links). After controlling for interaction frequency and richness, standardized effect sizes of interaction β‐diversity were highest following mixed‐severity wildfires, intermediate following high‐severity wildfires and lowest in unburned landscapes, suggesting that wildfire increases spatial aggregation of plant–bee interactions. Moreover, higher effect sizes in burned landscapes were largely determined by turnover in the species composition of both trophic levels rather than by interaction rewiring (spatial turnover in local species interactions not due to species turnover). The underrepresented level of rewiring indicated spatial consistency in post‐disturbance patterns of interactions among co‐occurring species. Together, our findings suggest that wildfire alters the β‐diversity of mutualistic species interactions via linked assembly of plant–bee communities and provide insights into how environmental change alters complex networks of species interactions.