bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Economic growth: the theoretical debate on resources, the environment and growth limits and the choices faced by human beings
Authors: Ding Renzhong
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The relationship between man and nature varies with different stages of the development of human society. The destructive consequences brought about in the early stage of industrialization sparked serious concerns about ecological and environmental issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The worldwide controversy aroused by The Limits to Growth published in 1972 made people realize that the carrying capacity of the ecosystem was limited, as were the resources. In the long run, scientific and technological progress can constantly discover new energy and resources.

Findings

However, in every specific stage of human society, the energy and resources crises are always a severe challenge that human beings should face. It is the core contents of sustainable development to change the old economic growth model and explore a new economic growth model.

Originality/value

The relationship between man and nature is one of the most fundamental relationships in human society and economic development. How to deal with it is also one of the most fundamental issues in human society and economic development. From the perspective of the historical process of human society, the relationship has roughly gone through the following stages.
Titan Company Limited: growth strategy
Authors: Manikandan K. S.
Published: October 2021

Subject area

Corporate Strategy; Strategy.

Study level/applicability

Post-graduate; Executive education; Under-graduate.

Case overview

The case is based on Titan Company Limited (Titan), one of India’s profitable diversified companies. Set in April 2020, the case presents the evolution of Titan’s growth strategy in the last three decades. The company had grown by continuously exploring adjacent categories in the personal lifestyle space. The case asks whether the strategy that has guided Titan for the past three decades would continue to provide growth. What changes, if any, should be made by C.K. Venkataraman—the new CEO who had taken charge a few months back in October 2019—and his team?

The case describes Titan’s evolution from 1987 to 2020. ‘Winning times’, the first section of the case, describes Titan’s early choices in the watches business that helped the company achieve market dominance and its successive choices to expand the scope of watches businesses by entering new adjacencies. The section also details the evolution of Titan’s design, manufacturing, marketing and retailing capabilities in early years. ‘Looking for another gem’ describes Titan’s venture into the jewellery business – the failure of its early attempts to export and its pivot to domestic market and the successful turnaround of the business. ‘On the fast track to growth’ deals with Titan’s accessories business. The section ‘Eyeing new businesses’ describes Titan’s foray into prescription eyewear and precision engineering businesses and the company’s performance in these businesses. ‘A new identity’ details Titan’s adoption of a distinct corporate identity in 2013. ‘New businesses’ provides information on Titan’s recent foray into fragrances and sarees business. The case ends with the section ‘Years ahead’ which asks what changes, if any, should be made by the leadership team.

Expected learning outcomes:

Upon completion of the case study discussion, participants will be able to: understand the concept of the ‘core competence’ and the three tests of core competence; how core competencies evolve in an organization over time; diversification (growth) strategy based on core competencies and adjacencies; and key managerial choices and organizational processes required to ensure effectiveness of diversification strategy based on core competencies.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 11: Strategy.
Using importance–performance analysis, goal difficulty and the Kano model to prioritize improvements in the quality of home delivery logistics services
Authors: Hu Kai-Chieh , Chia Kai-Chieh , Lu Mingying , Liang Ya-Lan
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to clarify the quality of home delivery logistics services from the perspectives of customers and provide insight to aid the prioritization of service quality improvements and guide managerial strategic planning.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a three-dimensional model that integrated Kano model, goal difficulty (GD) and importance–performance analysis (IPA) for investigating service quality aspects emphasized by customers and determine which attributes should be prioritized according to an enterprise's resource and capability constraints. Data were collected through questionnaires administered to the customers and managers of five primary home delivery logistics service enterprises and six small to medium-sized enterprises in Taiwan. Improving the quality of home delivery logistics services has become of increased interest for enterprises.

Findings

The three most important attributes, ranked in order of priority for improvement, were the protection of customers' personal information, delivery of products without damage and reasonable compensation standards for product damage. The study concludes that enterprises should prioritize the improvement of these attributes. Implications, detailed explanations and directions for further investigations are also proposed.

Originality/value

The study discusses the importance and relevant satisfaction levels of service quality attributes from the perspective of customers while also considering the limitations of companies' resources and capabilities. The results indicate that the method can be used to identify service quality attributes of home delivery logistics and formulate strategies for enhancing customer satisfaction.
Smart advertising in prescription only medication; aligning it with prescriber’s or consumer’s behavior
Authors: Menebo Mesay Moges
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study has four objectives. First is to investigate and compare the immediate and carryover effects of four pharmaceutical marketing tools (prescriber detailing, medical events, journal ads and direct-to-consumer advertising [DTCA]) on sales. Based on the effect comparisons, the second objective is to determine whether advertising tools that are more compatible with prescriber’s behavior have superior impact on sales. Third is to examine empirical support for the argument that advertising directly to consumers, as a market follower versus leader, has a backfiring effect. Finally, this paper aims to assess the magnitude of variance in sales as a function of each advertising tool.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on unit sales and spending (on DTCA, journal ads, events and detailing) ranging 84 months are obtained for six prescription-only cholesterol-reducing brands. First, linearity is checked. Second, evolution versus stationarity is tested by applying the unit-root test. Third, potential endogeneity among variables is assessed with granger causality. Fourth, vector autoregressive model (VAR) that accounts for endogeneity and dynamic interactions is specified. Intercept, seasons and market share are added into the model specification as exogenous variables. Fifth, VAR with akaike selected lags and generalized impulse response are conducted. Finally, sales variance is decomposed with forecast error variance decomposition and Cholesky ordering.

Findings

A 10% increase on detailing or journal ads spending brought an immediate (one month) negative effect on sales in a market leader, whereas that same increase is insignificant in a market follower. A 10% increase on DTCA (vs detailing) spending led to a negative (vs positive) carryover effect for the market follower, giving empirical support to the backfiring effect of DTCA and partial evidentiary support suggested about prescriber friendly advertising. However, DTCA induces a larger short term and longer carryover effect in a market leader, with seven times more effect on sales than what detailing does. In addition, it explains 50% of the variation in sales.

Originality/value

The model applied captures extensive dynamics; hence, findings are robust. The analysis considered comparison in terms of prescriber friendly (vs not) advertising tools and brand market status and thus can make managers rethink strategy of advertising budget allocations. This study also introduced a new look onto DTCA and hence challenges the traditional thought held on consumer advertising response.
Which leadership roles modify employee perceptions of CSR activities? Job satisfaction implications in the case of the tourism industry
Authors: Trivellas Panagiotis , Dekoulou Paraskevi , Polychroniou Panagiotis , Tokakis Vassileios
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the influence of leadership roles on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities as perceived by employees, as well as their impact on job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon a sample of 245 employees in the tourism industry, a structured questionnaire was developed to measure leadership roles and CSR activities as perceived by employees. The competing values model was adopted to operationalize leadership roles.

Findings

Results indicate that different leadership roles are linked with different dimensions of CSR activities, although innovator role proved to prevail on this association. More specifically, innovator role is related to all CSR dimensions, followed by monitor which is associated with the philanthropic and environmental dimensions. The broker role is related only to environmental CSR actions.

Research limitations/implications

The possibility to generalize the results to other countries with different characteristics (e.g. regulatory framework, economic development) needs to be investigated further by carrying out similar studies.

Practical implications

Understanding the nature of the association between leadership and CSR activities would enable practitioners to pursue or cultivate these roles and behaviors creating strategic value by fostering their multidimensional impact upon the social context.

Originality/value

The present research has led to the diagnosis of the leadership role profiles supporting CSR strategies in the tourism industry. Findings also highlighted the importance of the innovator leadership role in explaining the variance of different aspects of CSR activities.
Evaluating the innovation capability of cluster-based firms: a graph-theoretic approach
Authors: Gohr Cláudia Fabiana , Scoralick de Almeida Tavares Maryana , Morioka Sandra Naomi
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to propose an assessment framework to evaluate companies' innovation capability in the context of industrial clusters.

Design/methodology/approach

The assessment framework was built based on the Graph-Theoretic Approach (GTA) to measure the influence of the factors and sub-factors of innovation capabilities. To quantify the level of interdependence between factors and sub-factors of innovation capability Delphi method was adopted. The authors developed five case studies in firms from an Information and Communications Technology and Creative Economy cluster in Northeastern Brazil to test the framework's applicability.

Findings

The results showed that identifying and evaluating the factors of innovation capability allows a larger understanding of what affects these capabilities to a greater or lesser extent and contributes to strategic decision-making.

Research limitations/implications

The framework evaluates the innovation capability of each firm, not providing an index for the whole industrial cluster. Besides, the framework does not consider the innovations developed by the companies through the innovation's capabilities. As the Delphi technique was adopted to analyze the levels of influence or interdependence between factors and sub-factors of innovation capability, different experts may lead to different results.

Practical implications

Among the managerial implications, the authors can highlight the innovation capability index as a practical performance measure to stimulate improvement initiatives regarding innovations in industrial clusters. Besides, as the proposed framework is generic, research organizations, public institutions and regional governments can adopt it to analyze innovation capabilities in cluster-based companies.

Originality/value

Previous industrial cluster studies have concentrated on knowledge transfer as the main attribute influencing innovation capabilities. The literature also presents assessment frameworks focusing on qualitative analyses or innovation capabilities outcomes (patents and products). Differently, the authors proposed a quantitative assessment framework considering specific factors (and sub-factors) of innovation capabilities in industrial clusters.
Value co-creation in the B2B context: a diagnosis of knowledge management based on multiple case studies
Authors: Bonamigo Andrei , Frech Camila Guimarães , Lopes Ana Carolina Custódio
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study aims to empirically investigate how organizations delivering services in business-to-business relations deal with the boundary paradox and knowledge asymmetry in value co-creation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a qualitative multiple case study strategy. Datas were gathered through 13 semi-structured interviews that were then analyzed through the content analysis.

Findings

The authors identified three mechanisms that organizations use to deal with the boundary paradox and two strategies to handle the knowledge asymmetry.

Research limitations/implications

First, no opportunities were afforded to involve more participants. Second, owning to confidentiality reasons, not all organizations provided us documents to be analyzed.

Practical implications

The findings guide managers in balancing the use of contracts and trust in inter-firm collaborations and fostering the learning of customers. Also, insights to protect knowledge based on the paradox of openness in value co-creation.

Originality/value

This study’s findings address the gap in value co-creation literature concerning the lack of empirical studies.
Examining the prominence and congruence of organizational corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication in medical tourism provider websites
Authors: Mason Alicia , Spencer Elizabeth , Barnett Kaitlin , Bouchie Jaquelyn
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study examines the prominence and congruence or “fit” between corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and medical tourism providers (MTPs). In doing so, this study seeks to understand the forms of CSR commonly used in the marketing of health-care services by international MTPs.

Design/methodology/approach

Exploratory quantitative content analysis methods are used to examine CSR communication provided by MTPs. Descriptive statistics and analyses of variance are used to analyze the data.

Findings

Results show that 22% of MTP websites provided CSR information. There was a high degree of congruence or “fit” between the MTPs and the CSR. Furthermore, each MTP averaged between three and six CSR engagements demonstrating a commitment to not only the practice of CSR but also the stakeholders and communities who benefit.

Research limitations/implications

This analysis focused on organizational websites and did not examine CSR communications delivered through alternative media channels (e.g. digital platforms, promotional brochures, print advertising, etc.).

Practical implications

This study adds to the CSR framework in the medical tourism context by discovering what forms of CSR are commonly used in the marketing and promotion of international health services and further analyzes the strategic communication techniques used to deliver these messages.

Social implications

CSR is argued to have direct impacts on employee satisfaction, investor relations and consumer behavior; therefore, current findings may contribute to the development of measurement tools for empirical studies that test relationships between the persuasiveness of CSR messages on the attitudes of medical tourists.

Originality/value

Research inquiries into the CSR strategic communication practices help to identify strengths and opportunities, while informing reputation management and relationship-building practices.
Customer engagement in online service brand communities
Authors: Chi Ming , Harrigan Paul , Xu Yongshun
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Online service brand communities (OBCs) are an essential services marketing channel and relationship marketing tool, in which social capital (SC) is a critical success factor. Underpinned in social identity and social exchange theories, this paper aims to explore the effects of SC on customer brand engagement (CBE), considering the roles of collective psychological ownership (CPO), customer citizenship behaviour (CCB) and perceived community support (PCS).

Design/methodology/approach

The research model was tested using survey data from 256 participants; 137 from the Xiaomi Community and 119 from the Huawei Fan Club. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling analysis was used.

Findings

SC drives CBE. CPO and CCB are important mediators, whilst PCS is an important moderator.

Practical implications

Brand marketers need to foster SC in OBCs to achieve the maximum level of customer engagement. The authors provide recommendations as to how to build structural, relational and cognitive SC, as well as CPO, CCB and PCS. In short, brand marketers need to foster an interactive, empowering and supportive environment.

Originality/value

The authors further service research around the humanisation of technology. Specifically, OBCs are social spaces for brands and customers, and a key enabler of relationship marketing principles, such as CBE. The authors test the roles of structural, cognitive and relational SC in engagement in OBCs, through CPO and CCB. This holistic picture of engagement in OBCs is an important foundation for future service research.
Dying for the job: police mortality, 1950–2018
Authors: Violanti John M. , Gu Ja K. , Charles Luenda E. , Fekedulegn Desta , Andrew Michael E.
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study is a mortality assessment on police officers (68-years, 1950–2018) and includes all causes of death.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors investigated 1,853 police deaths (1950–2018) using sources of mortality that included the National Death Index, NY State, and available records from the Buffalo NY police department. Standardized Mortality Ratios were calculated. Death codes were obtained from 8th and 9th International Classification of Disease revisions in accordance with the year of death.

Findings

Compared to the US general population, white male police officers from 1950–2018 had elevated mortality rates for some causes of death, including diseases of the circulatory system, malignant neoplasms, cirrhosis of the liver, and mental disorders. Black and female officers had lower mortality rates for all causes of death compared to the general population.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of elevated risk for chronic disease among police need to be studied in relation to stress, lifestyle, and exposure to chemical and physical agents. There is a special need to further study officers from minority populations as larger samples become available.

Practical implications

The results of this study will provide police and occupational health practitioners with objective evidence to determine the health impact of work on law enforcement officers.

Originality/value

This study is longest running mortality assessment on police officers ever conducted (1950–2018) and includes white, black, and female officers.
Age‐specific fecundity under pathogenic threat in an insect: Terminal investment versus reproductive restraint
Authors: Jehan Charly , Sabarly Camille , Rigaud Thierry , Moret Yannick
Published: October 2021

The terminal investment hypothesis predicts that as an organism's prospects for survival decrease, through age or when exposed to a pathogenic infection, it will invest more in reproduction, which should trade‐off against somatic maintenance (including immunity) and therefore future survival. Attempts to test this hypothesis have produced mixed results, which, in addition, mainly rely on the assessment of changes in reproductive effort and often overlooking its impact on somatic defences and survival. Alternatively, animals may restrain current reproduction to sustain somatic protection, increasing the chance of surviving for additional reproductive opportunities.

We tested both of these hypotheses in females of the yellow mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, an iteroparous insect with reproductive tactics similar to that of long‐lived organisms.

To achieve this, we mimicked pathogenic bacterial infections early or late in the life of breeding females by injecting them with a suspension of inactivated Bacillus cereus, a known natural pathogen of T. molitor, and measured female age‐specific fecundity, survival, body mass and immunity.

Inconsistent with a terminal investment, females given either an early or late‐life immune challenge did not exhibit reduced survival or enhance their reproductive output. Female fecundity declined with age and was reduced by the early but not the late immune challenge. Both early and late‐life fecundity correlated positively with life expectancy. Finally, young and old females exhibited similar antibacterial immune responses, suggesting that they both restrained reproduction to sustain immunity.

Our results clearly demonstrate that age‐specific reproduction of T. molitor females under pathogenic threat is inconsistent with a terminal investment. In contrast, our results instead suggest that females used a reproductive restraint strategy to sustain immunity and therefore subsequent reproductive opportunities. However, as infections were mimicked only, the fitness benefit of this reproductive restraint could not be shown.
Alternative biome states challenge the modelling of species' niche shifts under climate change
Authors: Pausas Juli G. , Bond William J.
Published: October 2021

It is common to characterise the species niche using climate and global species distribution maps. This is then used to predict changes in distribution under a warming climate. This approach assumes that climate is a major driver of species distribution and that each species responds individually (sensu Gleason) to climate.

However, in many world landscapes, for a given climate, strikingly different vegetation types co‐occur: forests and non‐forests. These two alternative biome states are maintained by different feedback processes and have radically different species with contrasting shade and disturbance tolerance traits.

We propose that to improve predictions of species distribution changes under a novel climate, we need to consider the presence or absence of forest shade, as species are likely to respond individually only within their forest or non‐forest biome, and not across biomes.

Synthesis. By considering shade as a biotic filter in niche modelling, we are not only improving our predictive capacity, but we are also reconciling the two views of communities: both the individualistic (within biome) and the organismal (across biomes) views of the community concept become relevant and complementary.
Margaret McNair Stokes (1832–1900): Negotiating Cultural Values Within Nineteenth‐Century Irish Antiquarian Discourse
Authors: NICGHABHANN NIAMH , THOMAS COLLEEN M.
Published: October 2021

In her own time, Margaret McNair Stokes (1832‐1900) was an esteemed antiquarian and artist. Her work on early Christian architecture and monumental sculpture in Ireland was pioneering and foundational and continues to inform contemporary research on these topics. Facilitated by her family and their social networks, Stokes was part of an active antiquarian culture based in Dublin which involved membership of scholarly associations as well as social events both at home and on tour throughout the country. Stokes played an important role within these circles, taking on significant editorial projects as well as advancing her own research interests. However, in order to critically assess Stokes's specific contribution to Irish antiquarianism, this article examines two key aspects of her work – the development of new methodologies for the study of Irish sculptured stone monuments, and her advancement of a specific model of periodisation in relation to Irish medieval art and architecture, one which was highly nationalistic, focused on ideas of cultural purity, and which eschewed the prevailing trends within Irish antiquarianism and historiography away from politicised interpretations of the Irish early Christian and medieval past. In considering these facets of Stokes's contribution to Irish antiquarianism and historiography, this article repositions her as a pivotal figure, forging and heralding significant changes of scholarly direction in relation to the fields of research in which she engaged.
Jacqueline Dawson Chittenden: A Forgotten Classical Scholar
Authors: KOUNENI LENIA
Published: October 2021

This article explores the life and career of Jacqueline Chittenden, a classical scholar whose story and voice exist in archives across the world, but whose achievements and career have hitherto been omitted from accounts of either classical or archaeological scholarship. Chittenden was an American archaeologist, classicist, collector, curator and cataloguer with close ties to the University of Cambridge and Newnham College. Her career flourished during and in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War in Britain and is closely linked to opportunities that arose during this period. Through study of her curatorial work, collecting and academic publications, Chittenden emerges as a significant scholar whose work had important implications on the fields of archaeology and classics, and one whose work was shaped, and limited, by her gender. Chittenden's input in wartime Greek art exhibitions emphasised the voice of Greek women and their art of embroidery, revealing their contribution to the heritage of ancient Greece. This article discusses and evaluates Chittenden's work in order to give a better understanding of the significant role of women in the study of the material culture of the past and, in particular, the historiography of women's art and ancient religion.
Women and History Now: A Conversation
Authors: HARRIS ALANA , THORNTON AMARA , CARR HELEN , BRUNSON TAKKARA
Published: October 2021

As part of this special issue of History, we invited four scholars working across academia and public history roles in the UK and US to respond to a series of questions relating to their work as historians today: Alana Harris, Takkara Brunson, Amara Thornton and Helen Carr. In foregrounding diverse textual, material and digital modes of historical work being undertaken by women in our own moment, the following conversation is intended as an expansion of many of the themes raised across this issue. It looks to some of the difficulties faced by practitioners of history today and the innovative mechanisms being developed in order to meet those challenges.
Redistribution attitudes and vote choice across the educational divide
Authors: ATTEWELL DAVID
Published: October 2021

How does the educational divide impact contemporary redistributive politics in the knowledge economy? Traditional political economy models which see education as a labour market asset predict the relatively secure educated will oppose redistribution, while the precarious less‐educated will support it. In contrast, a conception of education as a marker of social status suggests that the less‐educated may be more inclined than status‐secure university graduates to draw harsh boundaries against welfare state beneficiaries as a means to maintain social esteem. Building on both theoretical approaches, I analyze 2016 European Social Survey data from 15 Western European countries. I find that education has a negative relationship to support for an expansive welfare state. By contrast, education is strongly positively associated with perceptions of welfare state beneficiaries as deserving.

This has implications for education as a structural divide in electoral politics. Evidence that attitudes towards the scope of the welfare state mediate the effects of education on vote choice is mixed. However, KHB mediation analyses decomposing the effects of education on vote choice reveal that deservingness perceptions are a particularly substantial mediator of education effects on voting for radical right and green parties. This explains in part why these parties represent the poles of the educational divide, whose attitudinal basis is usually understood to be socio‐cultural rather than redistributive.
Calcium: A comprehensive review on quantification, interaction with milk proteins and implications for processing of dairy products
Authors: Barone Giovanni , Yazdi Saeed Rahimi , Lillevang Søren K. , Ahrné Lilia
Published: October 2021

Calcium (Ca) is a key micronutrient of high relevance for human nutrition that also influences the texture and taste of dairy products and their processability. In bovine milk, Ca is presented in several speciation forms, such as complexed with other milk components or free as ionic calcium while being distributed between colloidal and serum phases of milk. Partitioning of Ca between these phases is highly dynamic and influenced by factors, such as temperature, ionic strength, pH, and milk composition. Processing steps used during the manufacture of dairy products, such as preconditioning, concentration, acidification, salting, cooling, and heating, all contribute to modify Ca speciation and partition, thereby influencing product functionality, product yield, and fouling of equipment. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the influence of Ca partition on dairy products properties to support the development of kinetics models to reduce product losses and develop added‐value products with improved functionality. To achieve this objective, approaches to separate milk phases, analytical approaches to determine Ca partition and speciation, the role of Ca on protein–protein interactions, and their influence on processing of dairy products are discussed.
The interactions between anthocyanin and whey protein: A review
Authors: Ren Shuai , Jiménez‐Flores Rafael , Giusti Maria Monica
Published: October 2021

Anthocyanins (ACN) are natural pigments that produce bright red, blue, and purple colors in plants and can be used to color food products. However, ACN sensitivity to different factors limits their applications in the food industry. Whey protein (WP), a functional nutritional additive, has been shown to interact with ACN and improve the color, stability, antioxidant capacity, bioavailability, and other functional properties of the ACN‐WP complex. The WP's secondary structure is expected to unfold due to heat treatment, which may increase its binding affinity with ACN. Different ACN structures will also have different binding affinity with WP and their interaction mechanism may also be different. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy show that the WP secondary structure changes after binding with ACN. Fluorescence spectroscopy shows that the WP maximum fluorescence emission wavelength shifts, and the fluorescence intensity decreases after interaction with ACN. Moreover, thermodynamic analysis suggests that the ACN‐WP binding forces are mainly hydrophobic interactions, although there is also evidence of electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding between ACN and WP. In this review, we summarize the information available on ACN‐WP interactions under different conditions and discuss the impact of different ACN chemical structures and of WP conformation changes on the affinity between ACN and WP. This summary helps improve our understanding of WP protection of ACN against color degradation, thus providing new tools to improve ACN color stability and expanding the applications of ACN and WP in the food and pharmacy industries.
Targeted paclitaxel‐octreotide conjugates inhibited the growth of paclitaxel‐resistant human non‐small cell lung cancer A549 cells in vitro
Authors: Liu Yanguo , Xia Handai , Wang Yawei , Han Wenfei , Qin Jing , Gao Wenjuan , Qu Xun , Wang Xiuwen
Published: October 2021

The application of chemotherapy in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is limited by the toxicity to normal cells and the development of multi‐drug resistance. Targeted chemotherapy using cytotoxic analogs against specific receptors on cancer cells could be a less toxic and more efficacious approach. We identified that the expressions of somatostatin receptor (SSTR) 2 and 5 in tumor tissues from NSCLC patients were higher than those in the adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemistry, and therefore, cytotoxic somatostatin analogues might be applied for SSTRs‐mediated targeted therapy against NSCLC. Two cytotoxic analogs, paclitaxel‐octreotide (PTX‐OCT) and 2paclitaxel‐octreotide (2PTX‐OCT), were synthesized by linking one or two molecules of paclitaxel to one molecule of somatostatin analog octreotide. PTX‐OCT and 2PTX‐OCT significantly inhibited the growth and induced apoptosis of SSTR2‐ and SSTR5‐positive A549 cells, compared with the control (p < 0.01), and had less inhibitory effect on SSTR2‐ and SSTR5‐negative H157 cells than paclitaxel (p < 0.01). Moreover, compared with paclitaxel, PTX‐OCT conjugates induced lower expression of MDR‐1 gene both in vitro and in vivo. Three A549 paclitaxel‐resistant cell lines were established through different approaches, and the paclitaxel‐resistant cell showed higher sensitivity to PTX‐OCT conjugates than to paclitaxel, which might be because of the differential MDR‐related gene expressions and cell‐cycle distribution in paclitaxel‐resistant A549 cells. Our results suggested that PTX‐OCT conjugates could be potentially used for SSTRs‐mediated targeted therapy for NSCLC, especially for those with paclitaxel resistance and induced less multidrug resistance.
Success rate of external cephalic version in relation to the woman’s body mass index and other factors—a population‐based cohort study
Authors: Svensson Emelie , Axelsson Daniel , Nelson Marie , Nevander Sofia , Blomberg Marie
Published: October 2021

Introduction

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of women’s body mass index (BMI) on the probability of a successful external cephalic version (ECV).

Material and methods

A retrospective population‐based observational study including all women that underwent an ECV in the southeast region of Sweden from January 2014 to December 2019. Data were collected from electronic medical records, Obstetrix, Cerner. The women were divided into BMI categories according to the World Health Organization classification. Women with a BMI below 25 kg/m2 formed the reference group. Crude and adjusted odds ratios for unsuccessful ECV in each BMI group were calculated using binary logistic regression. Furthermore, the association between maternal characteristics and clinical and ultrasound variables at the time of the ECV and unsuccessful ECV was evaluated.

Results

A total of 2331 women were included. The overall success rate of ECV was 53.4%. Women with a BMI below 25 kg/m2 had a success rate of 51.3% whereas obese women had a success rate of 58.6%. The risk of an unsuccessful ECV among obese women (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) had an OR of 0.74 (95% CI 0.59–0.94) compared with women with a BMI below 25 kg/m2. After adjusting for suitable confounding factors, the association was no longer significant. Higher maternal age, multiparity, higher gestational age, posterior placenta position, polyhydramnios and higher estimated weight of the fetus at the ECV significantly decreased the risk of an unsuccessful ECV.

Conclusions

Maternal obesity does not seem to negatively influence the success rate of ECV. This is a finding that may encourage both caregivers and obese pregnant women to consider an ECV and so avoid a planned cesarean section for breech presentation in this group.
Comparing risk of repeat surgery for stress urinary incontinence after mid‐urethral slings and polyacrylamide hydrogel
Authors: Svenningsen Rune , Oversand Sissel Hegdahl , Schiøtz Hjalmar August , Kulseng‐Hanssen Sigurd
Published: October 2021

Introduction

Over the last two decades synthetic mid‐urethral slings (MUS) have become established as the main surgical method for correcting stress urinary incontinence (SUI). However, transurethral injections with polyacrylamide hydrogel are gaining popularity. We used surgical codes from a national registry to explore potential differences in risk of later surgery for SUI comparing retropubic slings, obturator slings, and polyacrylamide hydrogel injections.

Material and methods

This cohort study used surgical codes from The Norwegian Patient Registry. All women recorded as having had surgery for SUI coded as retropubic sling, obturator sling, or polyacrylamide hydrogel injection from 2008 until end‐of‐study censoring in 2017, were included. Main outcome was time to any recorded new SUI procedure later in the study period. Unadjusted comparison between groups was done using Kaplan–Meier. A Cox regression analysis was then performed to adjust for hospital unit size and patient age at surgery.

Results

The unadjusted analyses showed significant differences between the chosen index method and the risk of later SUI surgery favoring retropubic slings (p < 0.01). The proportions of patients without any recorded new SUI procedure at 1 and 5 years were 99.3% and 97.7% for retropubic MUS, 98.7% and 96.1% for obturator MUS, and 82.7% and 72.4% for polyacrylamide hydrogel injections. The majority of women having a repeat procedure for SUI after a polyacrylamide hydrogel injection underwent repeat treatment within 1 year (63%). After adjusting for age at time of surgery and hospital size, obturator slings (hazard ratio 1.8, 95% CI 1.4–2.4) and polyacrylamide hydrogel (hazard ratio 23.1, 95% CI 17.6–30.3) remained associated with a higher risk of later incontinence surgery.

Conclusions

Both retropubic and obturator slings have low long‐term risks of repeat incontinence surgery compared with polyacrylamide hydrogel injections. Retropubic slings were found to have superior longevity of the surgical result.
Oxygenated machine perfusion at room temperature as an alternative for static cold storage in porcine donor hearts
Authors: van Suylen Vincent , Vandendriessche Katrien , Neyrinck Arne , Nijhuis Foppe , van der Plaats Arjan , Verbeken Erik K. , Vermeersch Pieter , Meyns Bart , Mariani Massimo A. , Rega Filip , Erasmus Michiel E.
Published: October 2021

Background

There is a continued interest in ex situ heart perfusion as an alternative strategy for donor heart preservation. We hypothesize that oxygenated machine perfusion of donor hearts at a temperature that avoids both normothermia and deep hypothermia offers adequate and safe preservation.

Methods

Cardioplegia‐arrested porcine donor hearts were randomly assigned to six hours of preservation using cold storage (CS, n = 5) or machine perfusion using an oxygenated acellular perfusate at 21°C (MP, n = 5). Subsequently, all grafts were evaluated using the Langendorff method for 120 min. Metabolic parameters and histology were analyzed. Systolic function was assessed by contractility and elastance. Diastolic function was assessed by lusitropy and stiffness.

Results

For both groups, in vivo baseline and post‐Langendorff biopsies were comparable, as were lactate difference and myocardial oxygen consumption. Injury markers gradually increased and were comparable. Significant weight gain was seen in MP (p = 0.008). Diastolic function was not impaired in MP, and lusitropy was superior from 30 min up to 90 min of reperfusion. Contractility was superior in MP during the first hour of evaluation.

Conclusion

We conclude that the initial functional outcome of MP‐preserved hearts was transiently superior compared to CS, with no histological injury post‐Langendorff. Our machine perfusion strategy could offer feasible and safe storage of hearts prior to transplantation. Future studies are warranted for further optimization.
A systematic review of near work and myopia: measurement, relationships, mechanisms and clinical corollaries
Authors: Gajjar Shail , Ostrin Lisa A.
Published: October 2021

After decades of investigation, the role of near work in myopia remains unresolved, with some studies reporting no relationship and others finding the opposite. This systematic review is intended to summarize classic and recent literature investigating near work and the onset and progression of myopia, potential mechanisms and pertinent clinical recommendations. The impact of electronic device use is considered. PubMed and Medline were used to find peer‐reviewed cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies related to near work and myopia from 1980 to July 2020 using the PRISMA checklist. Studies were chosen using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist, with a focus on studies with a sample size greater than 50. Studies were independently evaluated; conclusions were drawn per these evaluations. Numerous cross‐sectional studies found increased odds ratio of myopia with increased near work. While early longitudinal studies failed to find this relationship, more recent longitudinal studies have found a relationship between myopia and near work. Rather than daily duration of near work, interest has increased regarding absolute working distance and duration of continuous near viewing. Several reports have found that shorter working distances (<30 cm) and continuous near‐work activity (>30 min) are risk factors for myopia onset and progression. Novel objective continuously measuring rangefinding devices have been developed to better address these questions. The literature is conflicting, likely due to the subjective and variable nature in which near work has been quantified and a paucity of longitudinal studies. We conclude that more precise objective measures of near viewing behaviour are necessary to make definitive conclusions regarding the relationship between myopia and near work. Focus should shift to utilizing objective and continuously measuring instruments to quantify near‐work behaviours in children, followed longitudinally, to understand the complex factors related to near work. A better understanding of the roles of absolute working distance, temporal properties, viewing breaks and electronic device use on myopia development and progression will aid in the development of evidence‐based clinical recommendations for behavioural modifications to prevent and slow myopia.
Impact of timing of PERT on gastrointestinal symptoms in Danish children and adolescents with CF
Authors: Raun Anne Mette Terp , Brekke Ghita , Mølgaard Christian , Jaudszus Anke , Mainz Jochen G. , Pressler Tacjana , Skov Marianne
Published: October 2021

Aim

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are often reported by CF patients. Despite a proven relation to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (PI), it remains unclear whether GI symptoms are related to the timing of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). Whereas most international recommendations suggest administration of PERT at the beginning of meals, it has not been studied whether such a proceeding is associated with lower burden of symptoms. Methods: Thirty CF patients aged 0–17 years of age with PI were randomised to four weeks of PERT prior to meals followed by four weeks of PERT after meals or vice versa. Using the CF‐specific validated CFAbd‐Score, abdominal pain, dysfunctional bowel habits and Quality of Life (QoL) related to GI symptoms were assessed in relation to the timing of PERT. Data were analysed using a linear mixed model. Results: There was no significant difference regarding abdominal pain, bowel habits or QoL related to GI symptoms when timing of PERT was changed from prior to after meals. Conclusion: No significant difference was found when administration mode of PERT changed from prior to after meals or vice versa. However, after an individual assessment, some patients may profit from changing administration mode of PERT from prior to after meals.
Provenances and production techniques of the so‐called ‘Port Saint Symeon ware’ (13th–early 14th centuries ce) from Kinet Höyük (Cilicia, Turkey): Witnessing interactions in the medieval north‐eastern Mediterranean
Authors: Burlot Jacques , Waksman Sylvie Yona
Published: October 2021

One of the most widely distributed ceramics in the North‐eastern Mediterranean during the 13th century ce was the ceramic commonly called ‘Port Saint Symeon ware’, whose iconography reflects multicultural influences and traditions. Samples coming mainly from the archaeological site of Kinet Höyük (Cilicia, Turkey), as well as from several sites in the Mediterranean, enabled us to define the output of two production centres of Port Saint Symeon ware based on archaeological data and wavelength‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (WD‐XRF) analyses of the ceramic bodies. The materials and recipes used for their decoration—glazes, slips and colorants—were investigated by scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS). The results show that the two production centres had very different scales of diffusion, but shared similar decoration techniques that might be considered as standardized. They consisted of the application of a transparent high‐Pb glaze on a ‘hybrid’ vitrified clayey slip, rich in angular siliceous inclusions, whose features suggest technical influences of the Islamic tradition. The potters of the Port Saint Symeon ware seem to have selected inclusions and K‐rich clays in order to obtain off‐white slips which are visually and technically close to synthetic ones.
Genetic polymorphism of bovine beta‐casein gene in Japanese dairy farm herds
Authors: Yamada Asaha , Sugimura Miyu , Kuramoto Takashi
Published: October 2021

The aim of this study was to investigate beta‐casein polymorphism among 320 Japanese cows sampled from eight dairy farms. We used a newly‐developed genotyping method that involved collecting DNA from hairs and a Cycleave polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect the A1, A2, and B variants. Results revealed the presence of five genotypes (A1A1, A2A2, A1A2, A1B, and A2B). We found that the most common genotype was A2A2 (0.42), followed by A1A2 (0.39) and A1A1 (0.11). The A1B and A2B genotypes were less frequent (<0.05). The frequencies of alleles A1, A2, and B were calculated to be 0.32, 0.64, and 0.04, respectively. Our study is the first to show the current status of beta‐casein polymorphisms in Japanese dairy farms. Given the adverse effects of A1 beta‐casein on human health, attempts have been made to develop herds consisting solely of A2A2 cows. Our study provides a reference for improving cow populations in Japanese dairy farms. The Cycleave PCR‐based assay we developed here can be used for rapid and reliable genotyping of bovine beta‐casein.