bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Satellite imagery and machine learning for channel member selection
Authors: Brei Vinicius Andrade , Rech Nicole , Bozkaya Burçin , Balcisoy Selim , Pentland Alex Paul , Silveira Netto Carla Freitas
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study aims to propose a new method to predict retail store performance using publicly available satellite imagery data and machine learning (ML) algorithms. The goal is to provide manufacturers and other practitioners with a more accurate and objective way to assess potential channel members and mitigate information asymmetry in channel selection and negotiation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed an open-source approach using publicly available Google satellite imagery and ML algorithms. A computer vision algorithm was used to count cars in store parking lots, and the data were processed with a CNN. Linear regression and various ML algorithms were used to estimate the relationship between parked cars and sales.

Findings

The relationship between parked cars and sales was nonlinear and dependent on the type of channel member. The best model, a Stacked Ensemble, showed that parking lot occupancy could accurately predict channel member performance.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed approach offers manufacturers a low-cost and scalable solution to improve their channel member selection and performance assessment process. Using satellite imagery data can help balance the marketing channel planning process by reducing information asymmetry and providing a more objective way to assess potential partners.

Originality/value

This research is unique in proposing a method based on publicly available satellite imagery data to assess and predict channel member performance instead of forward-looking sales at the firm and industry levels like previous studies.
Utilising machine learning to investigate actor engagement in the sharing economy from a cross-cultural perspective
Authors: Barari Mojtaba , Ross Mitchell , Thaichon Sara , Surachartkumtonkun Jiraporn
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Recent literature on customer engagement has introduced the concept of “actor engagement,” which serves as the foundation for this study. The study aims to investigate the formation of engagement and engagement's impact on the performance of sharing economy platforms in an international context.

Design/methodology/approach

The study analyses unstructured data from 145,434 service providers and 1,703,266 customers on Airbnb across seven countries (USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, China and Singapore). Machine learning techniques are used to measure actor engagement, and the research model is tested using structural equation modelling (SEM).

Findings

The findings suggest that actor engagement, encompassing the reciprocal relationship between customer engagement and service provider engagement, has a significant impact on platform performance. The moderator analysis highlights the role of cultural differences in the relationship between customer engagement and service provider engagement and between actor engagement and platform performance. Specifically, the study reveals that actor engagement exhibits a more pronounced impact on platform performance in Western countries (such as the USA, Australia and the UK), compared to Eastern countries (such as China and Singapore).

Research limitations/implications

The analysis of the conceptual model is based on the utilisation of behavioural data obtained from the Airbnb website. Due to the nature of the available data, proxies are employed as measures for variables such as platform performance.

Originality/value

This research is amongst the first to provide empirical evidence for actor engagement formation and the function's role in platform performance in the sharing economy. The global nature of Airbnb as a platform facilitates the investigation of country-level factors, specifically cultural values, across seven diverse countries and highlight differences from business to customer (B2C) business models.
Decision-making in international marketing: past, present and future
Authors: Oliveira João S. , Hultman Magnus , Boso Nathaniel , Hodgkinson Ian , Hughes Paul , Nemkova Ekaterina , Souchon Anne
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This special issue seeks to create an interdisciplinary community of researchers applying decision-making theory to the international marketing context. The articles published in this special issue contain cutting-edge conceptual and empirical studies that enhance existing knowledge on international marketing decision-making.

Design/methodology/approach

Thirty-six (36) manuscripts were submitted to the editorial office focusing on a broad range of international marketing decision-making. Following a thorough review process, a collection of five original empirical studies on different facets of international marketing decision-making from multiple theoretical, contextual and methodological perspectives are included in this Special Issue.

Findings

Overall, the combined evidence presented in this Special Issue shows that the general field of international marketing decision-making is starting to mature. Evidence from the contributors to this Special Issue shows that researchers have taken inspiration from both the past and the present when designing and crafting their research and, by doing so, they have collectively contributed to new knowledge in terms of international marketing decision-making principles, decision-maker personality traits, the consequences of international marketing decisions and cross-cultural differences with regards to decision-making influences and behavior.

Originality/value

With few exceptions, not much is known about how international marketing decisions are made. Yet, the way international marketing decisions are made is critical for international marketing success. This sphere of international marketing decision-making research, while relatively anemic, is typically underpinned by behavioral economic theories of decision-making, such that a duality in decision-making processes is identified. Nevertheless, international marketing and management studies are dominated by the planning paradigm, while in practice, managers often see the attempt to deviate from planning as irresponsible and dangerous. The articles included in this special issue have addressed major unanswered questions regarding the content and processes of international marketing decision-making.
Ego-depletion is in the way: the challenges of controlled communication and the role of the regulatory focus theory in sustainable goals pursuit
Authors: Anisimova Tatiana , Billore Soniya , Kitchen Philip J.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Via the lens of the ego-depletion phenomenon (Baumeister et al., 1998) and Higgins' (1998) regulatory focus theory, this paper seeks to explain why current controlled communications are failing to achieve coherence between people's free will and their actions pursuing sustainable goals in a society. This paper explains how ego-depletion triggered by controlled communications can lead to confusion and decision fatigue in a society, thus potentially sabotaging people's participation in sustainable behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors applied Jaakkola's (2020) theory synthesis approach to integrate concepts from previously unconnected disciplines in order to generate novel insights in the area of controlled communication management.

Findings

The authors develop a theoretical framework and present research propositions that can help advance research and the discourse at the intersection of controlled communication and self-regulation theories.

Research limitations/implications

This paper possesses the limitations associated with conceptual papers, e.g. the lack of empirical support of the study’s conceptual arguments.

Practical implications

This paper generates novel insights to assist communication practitioners and policymakers to improve vehicles and mechanisms of controlled communication with the public regarding sustainable goals pursuit.

Originality/value

To the best of authors' knowledge, this is one of the first papers that has merged the domains of self-regulation, ego-depletion, and controlled communication in an integrative framework in order to explain the mechanisms of how to enhance the effectiveness of controlled communication associated with sustainable goals pursuit.
Recruitment to social care roles in remote and rural contexts; strengthening the weakest link in integrated care?
Authors: Gibb Stephen
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Recruitment to social care roles can be the weakest link in many integrated systems, with vacancy rates being very high compared to other sectors, especially in remote and rural places. Analysis of Employer Value Propositions (EVPs) in social care can capture and challenge perceptions of care work.

Design/methodology/approach

This study of EVP in four organisations in a rural setting in Scotland focussed on young people as a target demographic. This study interprets recruitment challenges in social care in three contexts, the technical-instrumental, the hermeneutic and the emancipatory.

Findings

EVP articulation is at present not effective. Refreshed and new messaging has potential to attract, employ and nurture young people to the social care sector in remote and rural places.

Research limitations/implications

Recruiting to social care vacancies is crucial for sustainable social care. Improving the recruitment of young people is a key part of the longer-term solution. More studies on recruitment in a variety of remote and rural contexts, with a range of demographics, are needed.

Practical implications

The potential impact is attracting more young people to the social care workforce, enhancing capacity for integrated care improving lives for people who receive care and for paid care workers and unpaid carers.

Social implications

Remote and rural areas often feature a generational imbalance, with more older people from in-migration and fewer young people from out-migration. Employment in social care has the capacity to redress that to some extent.

Originality/value

This study is original in outlining the messages and methods that can be adopted to boost recruitment to social care.
Student think tanks for responsible management – a learning experience
Authors: Birnkraut Gesa , Eimterbäumer Marlene
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a case study from the master program management in nonprofit organizations at the University of Applied Sciences in Osnabrück, Germany and show how this case of innovative teaching helps to educate responsible managers for the world of tomorrow.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a model of a think tank to create a surrounding for students to learn about models and theories such as systems thinking and social innovations and work with practical instruments like the business canvas and design thinking. The objective was for the students to work on solutions for societal challenges.

Findings

The main findings were twofold: First, it is clear that the objective of the case was met. The evaluation at the end of both iterations made it clear, that the result is important for the students and something that they can embrace as their own. Second, the students show intense problems with the freedom that they get. It is very interesting how students are primed to perform in the regulation given by professors. Once these frameworks are loosened, they seem lost.

Originality/value

The value lies in the creation of a model that can be used by multiple professors in very different management studies. Through the model students can be taught to solve societal problems.
Moving toward sustainable development: the influence of digital transformation on corporate ESG performance
Authors: Yang Peng , Hao Xiuzi , Wang Liang , Zhang Shizhao , Yang Li
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Amidst the rapid development of the global digital economy, digital transformation has become a strategic choice that firms must use to respond to the changing times. This study analyzes the impact of digital transformation on corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzes the impact of digital transformation on corporate ESG performance.

Findings

Using panel data from Chinese A-share-listed companies from 2010 to 2019, the authors found that digital transformation has a positive impact on corporate ESG performance, especially for high-tech firms and state-owned firms. In particular, the authors find that the digital production and digital marketing exert a positive effect on corporate ESG performance. Mechanism tests showed that digital transformation helps promote corporate green innovation, improve information transparency and improve corporate governance, thus enhancing ESG performance. A moderating effect analysis revealed that the positive impact of digital transformation on ESG performance is more significant in firms with government subsidies and chief executive officers (CEOs) with rich career experience.

Originality/value

Most existing research has confirmed the positive effect of digital transformation on firms' financial performance, whereas fewer studies have focused on the impact of digital transformation on the non-financial performance of firms.
A multiperspective approach to paradoxical leadership: the moderating effect of intelligence and trait emotions on leader behavior
Authors: Collins Michael D.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Paradoxical leadership concerns competing yet interrelated leader behaviors in response to conflicting workplace demands. Emerging research examines the outcomes of paradoxical leadership, yet less is known about its antecedents. This article aims to examine the combined effect of leader fluid intelligence, trait anxiety and trait anger, on transformational leadership and abusive supervision as contrasting paradoxical leader behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

This study involves 157 leader–manager dyads, and 137 leader–follower teams utilizing a cross-correlational, time-lagged, online survey design.

Findings

Results indicate that leader fluid intelligence moderates the relationship between leader trait emotions and behavior such that low fluid intelligence and high trait anxiety results in manager perceptions of low transformational leadership, while low fluid intelligence and high trait anger results in follower perceptions of high abusive supervision.

Originality/value

The results suggest that fluid intelligence is a common factor that determines how leader trait emotions (anxiety and anger) are expressed through paradoxical leader behaviors as perceived by different hierarchical observers (i.e. a leader's superior and subordinates).
Project leader's interactive use of controls, team learning behaviour and IT project performance: the moderating role of process accountability
Authors: Mir Farzana Asad , Rezania Davar
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study aims to understand how project leaders' interactive use of the project management control systems (MCS) impact IT project performance, by examining the mechanisms through which this relationship is enacted.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 109 IT project managers working in Canadian and USA-based organizations. A moderated mediation model was analysed by hierarchical component reflective-formative measurement modelling using PLS-SEM.

Findings

Results suggest that the leader's interactive use of project MCS is associated with IT project performance, and this relationship is partially mediated by team learning behaviour. In addition, the relationship between the interactive use of project MCS and team learning behaviour is moderated by the organization's emphasis on process accountability, with the effect being stronger under the conditions of higher emphasis on process accountability.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on the use of controls in the IT project-based business environments by explaining how the project leader's style of use of controls influences project team learning behaviour that in turn impacts project performance. Additionally, this study extends the project governance and accountability literature by identifying and empirically examining how the perceptions of project leader's institutionalized organizational accountability arrangements moderate the impact of the interactive use of control systems on team learning behaviour. A methodological contribution of the study is the scale development to measure leader's perceptions about the organization's emphasis on process accountability.
Host exposure to a common pollutant can influence diversity–disease relationships
Authors: Buss Nicholas , Hua Jessica
Published: August 2023

Hosts and parasites are embedded in communities where species richness and composition can influence disease outcomes (diversity–disease relationships). The direction and magnitude of diversity–disease relationships are influenced by variation in competence (ability to support and transmit infections) of hosts in a community. However, host susceptibility to parasites, which mediates host competence, is not static and is influenced by environmental factors, including pollutants. Despite the role that pollutants can play in augmenting host susceptibility, how pollutants influence diversity–disease dynamics is not well understood.

Using an amphibian–trematode model, we tested how NaCl influences diversity–disease dynamics. We predicted that NaCl exposure can alter relative susceptibility of host species to trematodes, leading to cascading effects on the diversity–disease relationship. To test these predictions, we exposed hosts to benign or NaCl environments and generated communities that differed in number and composition of host species. We exposed these communities to trematodes and measured disease outcomes at the community (total infections across all hosts within a community) and species levels (average number of infections per host species within a community).

Host species differed in their relative susceptibility to trematodes when exposed to NaCl. Consequently, at the community level (total infections across all hosts within a community), we only detected diversity–disease relationships (dilution effects) in communities where hosts were exposed to NaCl. At the species level, disease outcomes (average number of infections/species) and whether multi‐species communities supported lower number of infections relative to single‐species communities depended on community composition. Notably, however, as with overall community infection, diversity–disease relationships only emerged when hosts were exposed to NaCl.

Synthesis. Pollutants are ubiquitous in nature and can influence disease dynamics across a number of host–parasite systems. Here, we show that NaCl exposure can alter the relative susceptibility of host species to parasites, influencing the relationship between biodiversity and disease at both community and species levels. Collectively, our study contributes to the limited knowledge surrounding environmental mediators of host susceptibility and their influence on diversity–disease dynamics.
Implementation of inclusive education in Ghana: The mission of SENCos
Authors: Okai Martha‐Pearl
Published: August 2023

This article investigates the roles of special education needs co‐ordinators (SENCos) in the implementation of inclusive education (IE) in Ghana. The mixed‐methods approach, specifically the convergent design, was adopted. Seventy‐three SENCos responded to a questionnaire, and 15 SENCos were interviewed. The census approach was used for selecting the respondents for the quantitative phase, while the purposive sampling technique was used for the selection of participants in the qualitative phase. A semi‐structured interview guide was used in collecting the qualitative data. Frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations were used in analysing the quantitative data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The study concluded that SENCos are ‘directors’ of the implementation of IE; hence, the Ministry of Education should clearly state their roles in the IE policy.
Art education under development in Palestine: de‐ and repoliticization via universal values, institutional critique, and reflexive practice
Authors: Underhill Helen
Published: August 2023

This article studies ways in which art education is mobilized to modify subjective and aesthetic performances of Palestinian students, considering debates surrounding depoliticization and development funding in Palestine. It explores the subject matter and critical stance deemed appropriate for self‐directed art projects within a Ramallah art school. Moving beyond arguments put forward within existing literature on the depoliticizing impact of aid funding by drawing on ethnographic detail, the article explores how students experience and respond to this education. Despite being shaped by structures of control that arguably encourage depoliticization, many students understood this education as also opening a space for unpicking and critical examination of such structures. The article locates instances in which this repoliticization was invoked by students, in balance with their awareness of the complexity and contingency of this process.
Family matters: same‐sex relations and kinship practices in Kenya
Authors: Andrikopoulos Apostolos , Spronk Rachel
Published: August 2023

Guided by social justice and sexual health concerns, scholars of same‐sex sexualities in Africa have mainly examined related conflicts and inequities, generating an unbalanced emphasis on homophobia. Following Stella Nyanzi's plea for a broader exploration of queer sexuality in Africa, we move beyond the strictly sexual sphere to study the kinship arrangements of same‐sex couples in Kenya. These couples rely on the different possibilities afforded by kinship – in both its inclusive and exclusive capacities – to create accommodation and acceptance. Capturing the complexities and paradoxes of social life, the ethnographic study of kinship practices in everyday life shows how homophobia and accommodation can co‐exist. Furthermore, the embeddedness of same‐sex relationships in kinship structures and the subscription of same‐sex couples to the same norms held by cross‐sex couples clearly indicates the difficulty of construing these forms of relatedness as essentially different from other kinship formations. Thus ‘queering queer Africa’ requires not only taking a broader perspective and looking beyond what is usually classified as ‘queer’ but also un‐queering what at first appears as queer and thus ‘queerying’ the barriers and the range of possibilities that characterize the lives and subjectivities of people with same‐sex desires.
Biosemiotics and Hominidae history: technicity, animals, and the limitations of human exceptionalism
Authors: Alter Joseph S.
Published: August 2023

This article is focused on problematic distinctions of difference among animals in the lineage of great apes. It combines several theoretical perspectives on evolutionary relationships, technological innovation, the development of body parts as tools, and a semiotic interpretation of what André Leroi‐Gourhan called technicity. Foundational questions in social theory are developed using biosemiotics, particularly as concerns a materialist understanding of religion and the magical aspects of cultural representation. This, it is argued, provides a framework for theorizing social history in terms of real ecological relations, embodied meaning, and the transference of meaning onto objects. Understood semiotically, the material history of Hominidae, encompassing animals with different kinds of motility, dexterity, and techno‐semiotic orientations towards the world, is inclusive and relational rather than exclusively anthropocentric, as is the case for social theory based on the artifice of language and articulations of belief, creativity, and cultural distinction that are thought to be distinctive of the genus Homo.
ALGORITHMIC SUTURING: Platforms, Motorcycles and the ‘Last Mile’ in Urban Africa
Authors: Pollio Andrea , Cirolia Liza Rose , Ong'iro Odeo Jack
Published: August 2023

The ‘last mile' is not only a powerful metaphor of contemporary life, but also the tangible site of a challenge, whether for governments wanting to reach their citizens or companies wanting to reach their customers. In urban Africa this challenge is compounded by the fragmented material condition of cities. As a result, a growing number of tech companies have been compelled by the possibility of creating digital platforms that address the unique logistical configurations of African cities, often enrolling informal systems such as motorcycle taxis to address spatial and economic fragmentation. Through the perspective of three Nairobi‐based startups that incorporate motorcycle taxis into their last‐mile platforms, this article illustrates how processes of ‘algorithmic suturing’ knit together the loose ends of splintered urban networks thanks to platform business models that visualize the last mile as a site of optimization. In parallel with common understandings of suturing within African infrastructure debates which foreground makeshift practices of the urban poor, this article argues that algorithmic suturing is a speculative endeavour through which urban fractures are made legible as sites of value. By stitching together city fragments, these platforms envision large data‐driven urban economies which interface with informal mobility networks and the shifting urban demographic of the lower‐middle class.
Audit Partners’ Role in Material Misstatement Resolution: Survey and Interview Evidence
Authors: MAKSYMOV ELDAR , PEECHER MARK , SUTHERLAND ANDREW , WEBER JOSEPH
Published: August 2023

Auditors are expected to identify and resolve material misstatements (MMs) in management's financial statements. However, beyond the audit opinion, the audit process is opaque. To address this, we independently survey 462 audit partners and interview 24 audit partners, CFOs, and audit committee members on how partners assess and address MM risk, resolve MMs, and the consequences of MMs. Partners identify MMs in approximately 9% (15%) of public (private) engagements and use qualitative factors to waive apparent MMs. Loan covenant and going‐concern issues increase MM risk more than earnings benchmark issues. Partners point to a variety of both auditor and client factors as threats to audit effectiveness. Partners often rely on rapport with management and involve the national office and audit committee in resolving MMs. Partner incentives around restatements are context specific. Our results provide new insights into the auditor's role in financial reporting that are relevant to academics, practitioners, and regulators.
Gun‐ownership disclosure and localized home prices
Authors: Seiler Michael J. , Yang Liuming
Published: August 2023

This article examines how the disclosure of local gun‐ownership information affects property values. Using the sudden disclosure of a gun‐ownership map in two New York counties, we explore how home sellers respond to this exogenous information shock. Our results show that an additional permit holder in the neighborhood leads to a 1% decrease in housing prices after the disclosure. This effect is highly localized in that property values are only negatively impacted by gun‐permit holders within 0.1 mi of the focal property. These findings highlight the negative effect of the disclosure of gun‐ownership information on localized home prices.
Analytics and applications of polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR)—Current research progress
Authors: Su Chunxia , De Meulenaer Bruno , Van der Meeren Paul
Published: August 2023

Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is a synthetic food additive containing a complex mixture of various esters. In recent years, there has been a growing trend to use PGPR‐stabilized water‐in‐oil (W/O) emulsions to replace fat in order to produce low‐calorie food products. In this respect, it is essential to comprehensively characterize the PGPR molecular species composition, which might enable to reduce its required amount in emulsions and foods based on a better understanding of the structure‐activity relationship. This review presents the recent research progress on the characterization and quantitative analysis of PGPR. The influencing factors of the emulsifying ability of PGPR in W/O emulsions are further illustrated to provide new insights on the total or partial replacement of PGPR. Moreover, the latest progress on applications of PGPR in food products is described. Current studies have revealed the complex structure of PGPR. Besides, recent research has focused on the quantitative determination of the composition of PGPR and the quantification of the PGPR concentration in foods. However, research on the quantitative determination of the (poly)glycerol composition of PGPR and of the individual molecular species present in PGPR is still limited. Some natural water‐ or oil‐soluble surfactants (e.g., proteins or lecithin) have been proven to enable the partial replacement of PGPR in W/O emulsions. Additionally, water‐dispersible phytosterol particles and lecithin have been successfully used as a substitute of PGPR to create stable W/O emulsions.
Evaluation of the treatment volume and removal rate of Rheocarna: A novel adsorption‐type blood purification device for patients with chronic limb‐threatening ischemia
Authors: Ohkubo Atsushi , Sakurasawa Takatoshi , Hoshikawa Yuki , Usui Mana , Hoshi Misaki , Shiga Takuto , Deushi Masaya , Komori Shigeto , Itagaki Ayako , Yamamoto Hiroko , Seshima Hiroshi , Kurashima Naoki , Iimori Soichiro , Naito Shotaro
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Chronic limb‐threatening ischemia (CLTI) is a clinical syndrome defined by peripheral arterial disease (PAD) combined with rest pain, gangrene, or leg ulceration for longer than two weeks resulting in lower extremity amputation. In recent years, low‐density lipoprotein apheresis (LDL‐A) has been implemented for PAD treatment. However, it has not been possible to ensure insurance coverage for patients with lower LDL levels than 140 mg/dL under cholesterol‐lowering drugs. Rheocarna is a novel adsorption‐type blood purification device for the treatment of CLTI by adsorbing LDL and fibrinogen (Fib) that is not constrained by hypercholesterolemia and is not amenable to or nonresponsive to revascularization surgery. The only requirements for use are that the blood flow rate increases up to 200 mL/min gradually.

Methods

To evaluate the applicability of this treatment procedure, we compared the removal rates of Fib and LDL following Rheocarna therapy using various blood treatment volumes (6, 10.5, and 19.5 L).

Results

Fib and LDL removal rates were about 20% and 15%–25% per treatment, with no significant differences between treatment volumes. Following treatment with Rheocarna, blood pressure tends to decrease at first, which later increases, and the higher the treatment volume, the longer the time of low blood pressure tended to be.

Conclusion

Although no significant difference was found in the removal rate of Fib and LDL in response to increase volume to 6 L or beyond in this study, the 6 L volume is considered effective enough for the removal of Fib and LDL.
Glasgow prognostic score as an outcome predictor for patients initiating hemodialysis
Authors: Ștefan Gabriel , Zugravu Adrian , Stancu Simona
Published: August 2023

Introduction

This retrospective study examined the relationship between the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) at hemodialysis (HD) initiation and overall/cardiovascular mortality.

Methods

A total of 264 patients starting HD between 2014 and 2015 at a single center were studied. Follow‐up persisted until therapy change, death, or study end (December 31, 2021), with a median of 6.8 years.

Results

Patients with a higher GPS more frequently had emergent HD initiation and showed increased eGFR at initiation. During follow‐up, 60% of patients died, with cardiovascular disease being the leading cause. Univariate analysis revealed a significant difference in median survival time across GPS classes. Cox proportional hazard models confirmed a significant association between GPS and mortality.

Conclusions

We report a significant association between GPS at HD initiation and mortality. GPS may prove useful as a prognostic tool for identifying high‐risk patients, underscoring the need for future research to validate these findings and explore the potential of GPS‐based interventions.
“Even though we're married, I'm single”: The meaning of jail incarceration in romantic relationships
Authors: Turney Kristin , Malae Katelyn Rose , Christensen MacKenzie A. , Halpern‐Meekin Sarah
Published: August 2023

Jail incarceration substantially transforms romantic relationships, and incarceration may alter the commitment between partners, thereby undermining or strengthening relationships. In this article, we use in‐depth interviews with 85 women connected to incarcerated men (as current or former romantic partners) to explore how women articulate relationship changes that stem from their partner's jail incarceration, a common but understudied form of contact with the criminal legal system. We identify three interrelated and mutually reinforcing processes, which are shaped by and shape a partner's commitment to the relationship. First, incarceration produces liminality in the status of the relationship. Second, incarceration fosters women's sense of independence from their incarcerated partners. Third, incarceration creates space for partners to reevaluate how they prioritize the relationship in their lives. Jail incarceration intervenes in romantic relationships at different points during each relationship, and accordingly, women experience heterogeneity in processes of liminality, independence, and reprioritization. These processes contribute to differential relationship experiences, with some relationships deteriorating during incarceration, others strengthening, and others neither deteriorating nor strengthening. By systematically uncovering these processes linking jail incarceration to romantic relationships, we advance an understanding of how the criminal legal system can shape relationship commitment processes and inequalities among families.
Decreased in n‐3 DHA enriched triacylglycerol in small extracellular vesicles of diabetic patients with cardiac dysfunction
Authors: Ding Wei , Zhang Xuejuan , Xiao Dandan , Chang Wenguang
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of death in diabetic patients, and the mechanism by which factors other than hyperglycemia contribute to the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy is unknown. Serum small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) carry bioactive proteins or nuclei, which enter into remote tissues and modulate cell functions. However, in diabetic conditions, the changes of lipids carried by sEVs has not been identified. Our study aims to explore the changes of lipids in sEVs in diabetic patients with cardiovascular disease, we hope to provide new ideas for understanding the role of lipid metabolism in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Methods

SEVs samples derived from serum of health controls (Ctrl), diabetic patients without cardiovascular diseases (DM), and diabetic patients with cardiovascular diseases (DM‐CAD) were used for lipidomics analysis. Because AC16 cells are also treated with those sEVs to confirm the entrance of cells and effects on insulin sensitivity, a lipidomics analysis on cells was also performed.

Results and Conclusions

In this study, we found that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)‐triacylglycerides of sEVs from serums of DM‐CAD patients decreased significantly, and those sEVs could enter into AC16 cells and diminish insulin sensitivity. In addition, DHA‐triacylglycerides were also decreased in cells treated with sEVs from DM‐CAD. Therefore, DHA‐triacylglycerides carried by sEVs may mediate intercellular signaling and be associated with the incidence of diabetic cardiovascular complications.
Diabesity phenotype in relation to the incidence and resolution of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Kong Lijie , Ye Chaojie , Wang Yiying , Dou Chun , Zheng Jie , Wang Shuangyuan , Lin Hong , Zhao Zhiyun , Li Mian , Xu Yu , Chen Yuhong , Lu Jieli , Xu Min , Wang Weiqing , Ning Guang , Bi Yufang , Wang Tiange
Published: August 2023

Background

Diabesity is a term used to emphasize the dual epidemic and the combined detrimental effects of diabetes and obesity. We aimed to investigate the associations of diabesity with the incidence and resolution of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods

This prospective cohort study included 5549 participants with a median follow‐up of 4.3 years (2010–2015). Diabesity was defined as six categories by the combinations of glucose tolerance status (normal glucose tolerance [NGT], prediabetes, and diabetes) diagnosed by fasting and oral glucose tolerance test 2‐h glucose and hemoglobin A1c and general or abdominal obesity status. We examined the odds ratios (ORs) for the incidence and resolution of NAFLD associated with diabesity categories, respectively.

Results

For NAFLD incidence, compared with the diabesity category of NGT with nonobesity, the categories of either glucose intolerance or general obesity were associated with higher risks of NAFLD, of which the categories with obesity, regardless of glucose intolerance status, exhibited greater risks (ORs ranged from 3.19 to 4.49) than the categories of nonobesity. For NAFLD resolution, the categories of prediabetes or diabetes with obesity were associated with decreased likelihoods of a resolution of NAFLD (ORs ranged from 0.40 to 0.58). These association patterns were consistent across various definitions of diabesity by glucose tolerance status diagnosed by different combinations of glycemic parameters and general or abdominal obesity.

Conclusions

The diabesity association pattern with NAFLD incidence was mainly determined by obesity, while that with NAFLD resolution was driven by the combined phenotype of glucose intolerance and obesity.
Does tax enforcement disparately affect domestic versus multinational corporations around the world?
Authors: De Simone Lisa , Stomberg Bridget , Williams Brian
Published: August 2023

Global tax enforcement policies have received increased attention since the financial crisis, with much stated focus on curbing perceived harmful tax practices of multinational corporations. Yet there is a dearth of evidence on possible differential effects of home‐country tax enforcement on multinationals. We take a step toward filling this void in the tax policy discussion by examining whether there is a differential relation between changes in home‐country enforcement and the tax avoidance of domestic versus multinational corporations. Using OECD data on 50 countries from 2005 to 2019, we find increases in home‐country enforcement are associated with lower levels of tax avoidance for domestic firms than for multinational corporations. Using a subset of firms from the Bureau van Dijk database, we find that multinationals avoid more tax in foreign countries when home‐country enforcement increases. Results are stronger for multinationals with a higher proportion of subsidiaries in low‐tax countries and when enforcement spending is low. These findings have implications for policy‐makers and highlight the importance of coordinated enforcement efforts across jurisdictions—such as the recently proposed global minimum tax—to successfully curb multinationals' worldwide tax avoidance.
Incidence, causes, and management of failed awake fibreoptic intubation—A retrospective study of 833 procedures
Authors: Karlsen Kjetil Andreas Hognestad , Gisvold Sven Erik , Nordseth Trond , Fasting Sigurd
Published: August 2023

Awake fibreoptic intubation has been considered a gold standard in the management of the difficult airway. However, failure may cause critical situations. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and causes of failed awake fibreoptic intubation at a tertiary care hospital. The study was conducted at St. Olav University Hospital in Trondheim, Norway. Problems occurring during anaesthesia are routinely recorded in the electronic anaesthesia information system (Picis Clinical Solutions Inc.), including difficult intubations. We applied text search on all anaesthesia records between 2011 and 2021 and identified 833 awake fibreoptic intubations. The anaesthesia records were examined to identify failed awake fibreoptic intubations, the cause of failure and how the airway ultimately was secured. Among 233,938 patients who received anaesthesia, 90,397 received tracheal intubation and 833 received awake fibreoptic intubation. Twenty‐nine of the procedures failed. In nine patients the failure caused loss of airway control with desaturation and hypoventilation. The major causes of failure were dislodged tube after induction of general anaesthesia (n = 8), patient distress (n = 5), tube not able to pass (n = 5), and airway bleeding (n = 3). The situations were primarily solved using direct laryngoscopy, with or without bougie, or with video laryngoscopy. Tracheostomy was performed in four patients. Awake fibreoptic intubation failed in 3.5% of patients, most often due to dislocation, problems passing the tracheal tube, or patient discomfort. The failure rate was higher than in previous studies.
Disparities in use of physical restraints at an urban, minority‐serving hospital emergency department
Authors: Pino Elizabeth C. , Gonzalez Felisha , Nelson Kerrie P. , Jaiprasert Sorraya , Lopez Gina M.
Published: August 2023

Background

Recent reports have identified associations between patient race and ethnicity and use of physical restraint while receiving care in the emergency department (ED). However, no study has assessed this relationship in hospitals primarily treating patients of color and underserved populations. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between race/ethnicity and the use of restraints in an ED population at a minority‐serving, safety‐net institution.

Methods

For this cross‐sectional study, chart review identified all adult patients presenting to the Boston Medical Center ED between January 2018 and April 2021. Generalized estimating equation logistic regression modeling was conducted to evaluate associations between race and use of restraints.

Results

Of 348,384 ED visits (22.9% White, 46.7% Black, 23.1% Hispanic), 1852 (0.5%) had an associated physical restraint order. Multivariable models showed significant interactions (p = 0.02) between race/ethnicity, behavioral health diagnosis, and sex on the primary outcome of physical restraint. Stratified analysis revealed that among patients with no behavioral health diagnoses, Black (odds ratio [OR] 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.34–0.72, p = 0.0003) and Hispanic (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.20–0.63, p = 0.0004) patients had lower odds of restraint than White patients. Among female patients with a mental health and/or substance use disorder diagnosis, Black (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.49–2.54, p < 0.0001) and Hispanic (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.49–3.03, p < 0.0001) patients had higher odds of restraint than White patients. Similar trends were observed for Black male patients (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.34–1.91, p < 0.0001) but not for Hispanic male patients (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.73–1.26, p = 0.77) with behavioral health diagnoses who had similar odds of restraint to White patients. Additional factors associated with physical restraint include younger age, public or lack of insurance, and ED visits during the pandemic.

Conclusions

Racial disparities exist in restraint utilization at this minority‐serving safety‐net hospital; however, these disparities are modified by sex and by behavioral health diagnoses. The reasons for these disparities may be multifactorial and warrant further investigation.
Population genetic diversity in Nezara viridula by analysis of mitochondrial control region sequences
Authors: Pérez de Rosas Alicia R. , García Beatriz A.
Published: August 2023

Here, we examine genetic diversity and dispersal patterns in populations of the agricultural pest Nezara viridula from Argentina using mitochondrial control region sequences.

The DNA sequence comparisons of 1837 base pairs of the control region revealed 60 haplotypes determined by a total of 108 variable sites. The observed total haplotype diversity (Hd) value was 0.99, and the nucleotide diversity was 0.00423 and 0.00571 according to π and θW, respectively.

The high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity, as well as both neutrality tests and unimodal mismatch distributions, suggested a recent expansion in the populations of N. viridula from Argentina. The expansion of the populations of this insect is probably due to the recent agricultural expansion and intensification of soybean cultivation in this country.

No significant levels of genetic differentiation were detected, suggesting that gene flow predominates over genetic drift. In addition, the Bayesian individual assignment analysis revealed that all populations share ancestry. It is probable that the growth in the area cultivated with soybean has generated stable and continuous habitats that allow gene flow among populations of N. viridula.

The results of demographic history analysis suggest that the direction of migration of N. viridula would be associated with the growth pattern of soybean crops in Argentina.
State‐contingent production technology formulation: Identifying states of nature using reduced‐form econometric models of crop yield
Authors: Bokusheva Raushan , Baráth Lajos
Published: August 2023

Conducting experiments can be time consuming and expensive, and may not always be reasonable. Therefore, empirical research often derives structural parameters based on observational data and reduced‐form econometric models. The state‐contingent approach presents a consistent conceptual framework for analyzing producer decisions under uncertainty. However, application of this structural modeling approach has been hampered by data constraints, particularly the lack of information for mapping producers' stochastic outputs onto a set of the states of nature representing different uncertain events. Consistent mapping of uncertainty is particularly critical in the context of multiple output production where weather shocks often have different effects across crops and in microeconometric analyses when unobserved farm heterogeneity may confound the effect of uncertainty. Our study demonstrates how the application of reduced‐form approaches can overcome constraints of structural econometric modeling associated with the lack of relevant data and presents an approach for identifying states of nature in the context of multiple output production using reduced‐form econometric models of crop yield. In an empirical application based on Hungarian farm accountancy data, we demonstrate that the proposed approach allows a consistent mapping of production uncertainty in crop farming, utilizes panel data structure, and controls for potential endogeneity due to unobserved farm heterogeneity. We anticipate the presented approach to be useful for developing further the state‐contingent approach and to stimulate further studies combining the strengths of structural approaches and reduced‐form models.