bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How price labeling strategy affects consumers' purchase intention? The role of perceived price difference in price assessment
Authors: Liang Wanqi , Zhou Deyi , Rizwan Muhammad , Huseynov Samir
Published: May 2023

Purpose

By conducting an online experiment, this paper proposes and tests a conceptual model about the impact of price labeling strategy on consumers' perceived price difference and purchase intention. The authors also analyze differential influences of shopping channels and price levels on documented effects. The paper provides strategic suggestions for online grocery store managers to adopt profit-maximizing labeling decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

In a between-subject experiment, the authors simulated a shopping task with eight scenarios by exogenously manipulating price labeling strategies (unit price/retail price), sales channels (online/offline) and price levels (higher/lower than the average price). Participants are randomly assigned to one of the eight scenarios and asked to report their perceived price difference between the stimuli product and the average market price and their purchase intention on the stimuli product.

Findings

Experimental results show that compared to the unit price, the retail price increases the perceived price difference. It shows that the unit price increases consumers' purchase intention when the product price is higher than the average market price. However, these effects only exist in the online shopping context.

Originality/value

This paper extends the study of price labeling strategy to an online shopping context and examines the mediation effect of the perceived price difference.
Integrating lean construction with BIM and sustainability: a comparative study of challenges, enablers, techniques, and benefits
Authors: Moradi Sina , Sormunen Piia
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The construction industry has considerably evolved in the recent two decades due to the emergence of sustainability, lean construction (LC) and building information modelling (BIM). Despite previous research efforts, there is still a gap concerning the multidimensional nature of their integration. Hence, this study aims to fill the mentioned knowledge gap through exploring and comparing the challenges, enablers, techniques as well as benefits of integrating LC with BIM and sustainability in building construction projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted to fulfill the purpose of this study.

Findings

The findings reveal and compare the challenges, enablers, techniques and benefits of integrating LC with BIM and sustainability in building construction projects. The results suggest that there are eight common challenges for integrating LC with BIM and sustainability, including high initial cost, lack of collaboration, lack of professionals and lack of compatible contractual framework. The discovered challenges, enablers, techniques and benefits seem to be mostly routed in people. The findings also suggest that the synergistic benefits of integrating LC with BIM and sustainability can overcome the common challenges (safety, reliability, productivity, collaboration and quality) in construction projects.

Originality/value

The findings contribute to the literature and practice concerning the integration of LC with BIM and sustainability by exploring, comparing and discussing the relevant challenges, enablers, techniques as well as benefits. Moreover, the findings reveal the significance of the development of people in construction industry, besides processes and technology, as people are always subject of activities in construction while processes and technology are always objects.
The effects of joint-contract functions on PPP project value creation: a mediation model
Authors: Li Xuewei , Yuan Jingfeng , Liu Xuan , Wang Guangqi , Wang Qian-Cheng
Published: May 2023

Purpose

With the continuous improvement of public–private partnership (PPP) projects, the participants' value creation goals are not only limited to achieving the basic performance objectives but also to realising value added. However, the effect of traditional contract management on realising the value creation objectives of PPP projects is limited. According to the view of multifunctional contract, joint-contract functions that integrate contract control and flexibility are likely to be effective in enhancing the value creation of PPP projects. This study aims to explore the effects of joint-contract functions on PPP project value creation and relevant influencing mechanism by investigating the mediating effect of in-role behaviour and extra-role behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

After collecting 258 valid questionnaires from PPP professionals in China, this study used structural equation modelling to validate the hypotheses.

Findings

Contract control and flexibility can improve PPP project value creation. Specifically, contract control improves the achievement of the basic contract objectives of PPP projects, whereas contract flexibility enhances the achievement of the value-added of PPP projects. Moreover, only in-role behaviour mediates the effect of contract control on value creation. In addition, the mediating effect of extra-role behaviour on the impact of contract flexibility on value creation is stronger than that of in-role behaviour. The mediating effect of in- and extra-role behaviour is mainly reflected in the realisation of basic and value-added performance, respectively.

Research implications

The findings of this study can help realise value creation in three ways. Firstly, new perspectives for PPP project value creation should be proposed by combining the improvement of contract objectives and the realisation of the participants' implicit demands. Secondly, the effects of different contract functions on value creation should be analysed instead of a single dimension of contractual governance. Thirdly, the mediating effects of different types of cooperation behaviour that may influence the relationship between contractual governance and value creation should be evaluated.

Originality/value

This study verifies the impacts of different contract functions on PPP project value creation. In addition, cooperative behaviour is embedded as a mediating variable, and the mediated transmission path from contract function to cooperative behaviour and further to PPP project value creation is systematically analysed.
Development of Gulf Cooperation Council human resources: an evidence-based review of workforce nationalization
Authors: Elbanna Said , Obeidat Shatha M. , Younis Heba , Elsharnouby Tamer H.
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to contribute to the field of Human Resource Management (HRM) by providing a critical review of existing scholarly research and a thematic analysis of the workforce nationalization domain in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. To strengthen the literature on this topic, it seeks to identify key gaps and areas for further exploration.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-step systematic research methodology (qualitative and quantitative) and a thematic analysis of empirical and theoretical studies were used in this study. The quantitative review was conducted using a predesigned coding framework.

Findings

The study identified and discussed four perspectives of workforce nationalization in the GCC countries. These were (1) the conceptualization of workforce nationalization; (2) the role of institutional policies in achieving it; (3) the practices and outcomes of nationalization efforts and (4) the impact of gender and women in the nationalization process.

Research limitations/implications

This study has several limitations, which the authors have addressed by proposing several future research avenues. For example, the reviewed studies are skewed toward certain countries (e.g. UAE and Saudi Arabia), which limits the generalizability of their findings.

Practical implications

A more comprehensive definition of nationalization, development of qualitative and quantitative measures to enhance HRM practices and outcomes, and the identification of alternative approaches to improve the employment of locals are emphasized as needs. Additionally, revised measures and mechanisms to rectify negative perceptions about entitlement and the revision of policies to integrate females in the national labor force are suggested.

Originality/value

Workforce nationalization initiatives in the GCC region offer a unique and rich research phenomenon replete with managerial, organizational, economic and political dilemmas. The investigation of this phenomenon would profoundly enlighten employers, policymakers and scholars.
Inhomogeneous waves propagation in double-porosity thermoelastic media
Authors: Kumar Manjeet , Bhagwan Jai , Kaswan Pradeep , Liu Xu , Kumari Manjeet
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the reflection of plane waves in a double-porosity (DP) thermoelastic medium.

Design/methodology/approach

To derive the theoretical formulas for elastic wave propagation velocities through the potential decomposition of wave-governing equations. The boundary conditions have been designed to incorporate the unique characteristics of the surface pores, whether they are open or sealed. This approach provides a more accurate and realistic mathematical interpretation of the situation that would be encountered in the field. The reflection coefficients are obtained through a linear system of equations, which is solved using the Gauss elimination method.

Findings

The solutions obtained from the governing equations reveal the presence of five inhomogeneous plane waves, consisting of four coupled longitudinal waves and a single transverse wave. The energy ratios of reflected waves are determined for both open and sealed pores on the stress-free, the thermally insulated surface of DP thermoelastic medium. In addition, the energy ratios are compared for the cases of a DP medium and a DP thermoelastic medium.

Originality/value

A numerical example is considered to investigate the effect of fluid type in inclusions, temperature and inhomogeneity on phase velocities and attenuation coefficients as a function of frequency. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed graphically to observe the effect of the various parameters on propagation characteristics, such as propagation/attenuation directions, phase shifts and energy ratios as a function of incident direction in double-porosity thermoelasticity medium.
On the analysis of thermosolutal mixed convection in differentially heated and soluted geometries beyond rectangular
Authors: Hansda Samrat , Pandit Swapan K.
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to study the impact of convexity and concavity of the vertical borders on double-diffusive mixed convection. In addition, the study of entropy generation is performed. This numerical study has been carried out for different patterns of wavy edges to reveal their effects on heat and mass transfer phenomena.

Design/methodology/approach

Four different flow features are treated by varying the directions of convexity and concavity of the vertical walls. A uniform temperature, as well as concentration distributions, are introduced to the left border while keeping a cold temperature and low concentration for the right border. The horizontal boundaries are in adiabatic condition. The upper border of the chamber is moving in the right direction with an equal speed. The governing Navies–Stokes equations are designed to describe energy and species transport phenomena, and these equations are solved by compact scheme.

Findings

The investigated results are analyzed for various parameters, namely, Prandtl number, Richardson number, thermal Grashof number, Lewis number, Buoyancy ratio and amplitude of the wavy walls. It is observed that the thermal and solutal transfer performance becomes effective with lower Richardson numbers. The results reveal that the concavity and convexity of the side borders of the cabinet can control the thermosolutal performance. It is also observed that among all wavy chambers, Case-4 records maximum thermosolutal transfer rate, while Case-3 attains minimum thermosolutal transfer rate.

Originality/value

This work is an example of solar thermal power conversion, power collection systems, systems of energy deficiency, etc.
Managing complexity: addressing the civil conflict component of international-civil militarized conflicts (I-CMCs)
Authors: Owsiak Andrew , Diehl Paul F. , Goertz Gary
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The purpuse of this study is to answer the following two questions. Do conflict management efforts mitigate the recurrence and severity of civil conflict? If so, how? Do some conflict management strategies fare better than others in these tasks? This study theorizes about the connection between the costliness of a conflict management strategy – with respect to both the disputants and third parties – and civil conflict outcomes. This theory produces two contradictory predictions: that more costly strategies either increase or decrease violence. This study not only adjudicates between these two possibilities but also incorporates the role of timing. The early use of more costly strategies, for example, may encourage disputants to reduce violence in civil conflicts.

Design/methodology/approach

To evaluate the predications that the authors derive from their theoretical argument, the authors quantitatively analyze the effect of conflict management strategies’ relative cost on various measures of civil conflict recurrence and severity. The authors first identify the set of international–civil militarized conflicts (I-CMCs) during the period 1946–2010. I-CMCs contain two dimensions – interstate and intrastate – making them the most complex and dangerous form of militarized conflict. To each I-CMC, the authors then link all third-party attempts to manage the I-CMC’s civil conflict dimension. Finally, after developing quantitative indicators, a series of regression equations explore the relationships of primary interest.

Findings

Two main findings emerge. First, when third parties use a relatively more costly conflict management strategy to manage a civil conflict (e.g. a peace operation or military intervention, as opposed to mediation), the severity of the conflict increases, while conflict recurrence rates remain unchanged. Second, this study uncovers a trade-off. The early use of a relatively more costly management strategy lowers a civil conflict’s severity in the short-term. It also, however, increases the likelihood – and speed with which – civil conflict recurs. The timing of certain conflict management strategies matters.

Originality/value

Scholars typically isolate conflict management strategies in number (i.e. consider efforts as independent of one another, even those within the same conflict) and kind (i.e. examine mediation but not peace operations). This study, in contrast, includes the following: the full menu of conflict management strategies available to third parties – negotiation, mediation, adjudication/arbitration, peace operations, sanctions and military intervention – over a lengthy time period (1946–2010); theorizes about the relative merits of these strategies; and considers the timing of certain conflict management efforts. In so doing, it highlights a policy trade-off and proposes promising areas for future research.
Status of primary healthcare services in a geographically disadvantageous area: a study of Alipurduar district, West Bengal, India
Authors: Biswas Barnali , Basu Roy Piyal , Saha Ankita , Sarkar Abhijit
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The locational disadvantage of a health-care centre often restricts adequate delivery of health-care services in an area. The purpose of this study is to examine the status of primary health-care services in such a geographically disadvantageous area which is confined by forests, tea gardens and undulating topography.

Design/methodology/approach

Necessary secondary data of 13 primary health centres and 236 sub-centres has been collected from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Based on obtained data, Health-care Infrastructure Index has been prepared which has been validated by an expert panel, and subsequently, the Thiessen Polygon method has been applied through Arc GIS software to show spatial variation of health-care services delivered by different health-care centres.

Findings

In the study area, there is wide variation found in the case of physical facilities, caregivers and connectivity of road networks, which altogether affect the overall status of health-care services. Among all the indicators, some health-care centres experience staff shortages for prolonged non-recruitment, inaccessibility and inconsistent patient load in different health centres.

Originality/value

In spite of the unfavourable geographical landscape, health-care centres have to be set up wherever possible. There is a need to make new roads and simultaneously the existing road connectivity should be improved so that patients and caregivers can move quickly whenever required. Existing physical facilities need to be renewed or redeveloped along with increasing the number of doctors and other health-care providers as per the need of people with an adequate and optimum level of services.
Corporate philanthropy and corporate social irresponsibility during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from China
Authors: Ishfaq Ahmad Muhammad , Cepel Martin , Battisti Enrico , Ur Rehman Ramiz
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the perspective of corporate philanthropy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China for firms with various levels of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Specifically, the study appraises the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the stock returns and sustainable development of Chinese-listed companies and determines the likelihood of paying donations vis-à-vis firm reputation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used data from 117 Chinese-listed firms engaged in philanthropy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors also utilized the stock returns and cash donation data, and owing to the cross-sectional data and continuous nature of dependent variables, they employed the ordinary least squares regression to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

The results show that irresponsible actions have a positive relationship with donations. The study particularly reveals that irresponsible firms have significant negative abnormal returns during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical study to explore the perspective of corporate philanthropy during the COVID-19 pandemic for companies with different CSR levels. This study contributes to the empirical research on CSR and provides insights for managerial-cum-financial decisions to encourage managers of irresponsible firms to pursue philanthropic behaviors after crisis events.
Modeling enablers of agility of healthcare organizations
Authors: Prashar Anupama
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This purpose of the study is to investigate enablers of building agility capabilities in healthcare organisations in developing countries. The key research questions are: (1) What are the key enablers for building healthcare agility? (2) Is there an interdependence among the enablers of healthcare agility? (3) What is the driving and dependence power of the enabling factors of healthcare agility?

Design/methodology/approach

The enablers for building capabilities of organisational agility were identified from the extant literature. Perceptual responses for pair-wise comparison of identified enablers were collected from 17 clinical and non-clinical professionals working in Indian hospitals through online interviews. Participants were selected from India which supposedly represents the socioeconomic contexts and healthcare systems in developing economies. Next, the data was analysed using multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques to develop a structural framework depicting the enablers and their interdependence.

Findings

The TISM framework showed that the two most influential enablers of healthcare agility in developing countries are policy and regulatory support and strategic commitment and resource availability. The results were based on the analysis of four enablers identified from the literature. The results of MICMAC analysis revealed the driving and dependence power of each enabler and classified the enablers into driving, autonomous, dependence and linkage groups.

Practical implications

The study will help stakeholders and academics in the healthcare domain in devising effective strategies for building agility within healthcare systems and processes.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the service operations literature on building agile systems for dynamic and complex service environments.
Short video marketing: what, when and how short-branded videos facilitate consumer engagement
Authors: Dong Xuebing , Liu Hong , Xi Nannan , Liao Junyun , Yang Zhi
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study explores whether and how four main factors of short-branded video content (content matching, information relevance, storytelling and emotionality) facilitate consumer engagement (likes, comments and shares), as well as the moderating effect of the release time (morning, afternoon and evening) in such relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses Python to write programs to crawl relevant data information, such as consumer engagement and short video release time. It combines coding methods to empirically analyze the impact of short-branded video content characteristics on consumer engagement. A total of 10,240 Weibo short videos (total duration: 238.645 h) from 122 well-known brands are utilized as research objects.

Findings

Empirical results show that the content characteristics of short videos significantly affected consumer engagement. Furthermore, the release time of videos significantly moderated the relationship between the emotionality of short videos and consumer engagement. Content released in the morning enhanced the positive impact of warmth, excitement and joy on consumer engagement, compared to that released in the afternoon.

Practical implications

The findings provide new insights for the dissemination of products and brand culture through short videos. The authors suggest that enterprises that use brand videos consider content matching, information relevance, storytelling and emotionality in their design.

Originality/value

From a broader perspective, this study constructs a new method for comprehensively evaluating short-branded video content, based on four dimensions (content matching, information relevance, storytelling and emotionality) and explores the value of these dimensions for creating social media marketing success, such as via consumer engagement.
Expectation confirmation and assimilation of enterprise technology
Authors: Assadi Pooria
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Enterprise information systems (EISs) are intricate technological artifacts with wide user base within organizations. While much is known about the adoption and implementation of EISs, little is known about what subsequently follows them, i.e. the assimilation of EISs. This article aims to examine the assimilation of the EISs which is consequential to realizing any benefits from such enterprise technology.

Design/methodology/approach

The author conceptually draws on the insights from the expectation confirmation theory, theory of reasoned action, equity theory, and prospect theory to examine the assimilation of the EISs. In doing so, the author generates competing testable hypotheses regarding the relationship between individual users' psychological and social influences through expectation (dis)confirmation and the users' intention to assimilate the EISs.

Findings

By conceptually articulating the individual users' psychological and social influences through expectation (dis)confirmation, the author offers a more complete account of the assimilation of EISs, and provide several avenues for future empirical and theoretical research on enterprise technology assimilation.

Originality/value

The extant research that there is on the assimilation of the EISs focuses more on the organizational – as opposed to individual – level determinants of EISs assimilation and largely considers the functional – rather than psychological and social – drivers. This article addresses these important, yet understudied, factors to offer a more nuanced account of EISs assimilation.
Retaining talent in knowledge-intensive services: enhancing employee engagement through human resource, knowledge and change management
Authors: Kossyva Dorothea , Theriou Georgios , Aggelidis Vassilis , Sarigiannidis Lazaros
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study aims to explore talent retention in knowledge-intensive industries by investigating the mediating processes between the existence and application of human resource management (HRM) and employee turnover. Toward this end, drawing on the conservation of resources and job demands–resources theories, a three-dimensional model is examined, which includes the relationship between HRM, knowledge management (KM) and change management (CM), as well as their relationship with employee engagement and employee turnover intention.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed research model has been studied with a sample of 168 talented employees in over six European countries, using a quantitative approach, involving the structural equation modeling method. All data were gathered by a multidimensional questionnaire via prolific, an academic crowdsourcing platform.

Findings

Results indicated that knowledge-intensive services firms may achieve higher talent retention through the interaction of HRM with KM and CM practices, which may lead to enhanced employee engagement.

Research limitations/implications

Possible limitations of the study include the relatively small sample size, the self-rate questions for the collection of data and the use of cross-sectional data.

Practical implications

To retain their talented employees, organizations should identify ways to improve their HRM, CM and KM practices. In addition, HR practitioners ought to include their talented employees in all organizational change and KM processes and create mechanisms that successfully support knowledge acquisition, creation, sharing, retention and codification.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine various factors of retaining talented employees in knowledge-intensive services. Furthermore, the study took place in six European countries, i.e. UK, Poland, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Greece, where the research on talent retention is very limited.
Talent management and firm performance in emerging markets: a systematic literature review and framework
Authors: Battisti Enrico , Graziano Elvira Anna , Pereira Vijay , Vrontis Demetris , Giovanis Apostolos
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The purposes of this study are to (i) systematically review the state of the existing research of talent management (TM) in emerging markets and its connections with firm performance; (ii) recap the results in an integrative and multidisciplinary framework and (iii) recognize potential research contradictions and gaps that offer avenues for future study.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the authors apply a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology to review 31 peer-reviewed articles published in highly ranked journals (ABS journals list – ranking 3, 4 and 4*) over more than two decades.

Findings

This review shows that the state of the current research of TM in emerging countries and its connections with firm performance is characterized by complexity and fragmentation within the different countries investigated. This review summarizes and highlights five central categories of TM in emerging markets. In order to ensure that the field of research investigated continues to be relevant to diverse constituents, the authors incorporate the various prominent research perspectives into an integrative framework structured at macro (economies/countries), meso (industries) and micro (individuals/organizations) levels.

Practical implications

This research provides guidance for chief executive officers, chief financial officers and human resource directors in emerging countries to develop TM within their organization in order to capture its relevant aspects, from a strategic (purposeful and competency modeling), organizational (talent planning and career track planning) and financial point of view (remuneration policy and firm performance).

Originality/value

The authors offer a first holistic overview of the features of TM in emerging markets and also introduce firm performance. The authors present an integrative multidisciplinary framework that can serve as a starting point of a summary of areas covered by the literature. Finally, the authors identify several knowledge gaps, emerging topics and limitation of current research, through which ideas for future investigations are offered.
Simultaneous random plus outlier attenuation and deblending based on L1‐norm misfit function
Authors: Sun Yaoguang , Cao Siyuan , Chen Siyuan , Yang Liuqing , Su Yuxin
Published: May 2023

Deblending technology aims at separating simultaneous source seismic data between adjacent shots by allowing multiple sources to be shot simultaneously. Conventional deblending methods based on sparse inversion assume that the primary source is coherent, and the secondary source is randomized. The L2‐norm minimization constraint can effectively minimize the Gaussian random noise while deblending in the transform domain. Nonetheless, the L2‐norm misfit function is highly sensitive to outliers, negatively influencing the deblending performance. An effective optimization strategy is developed with deblending in pre‐stack seismic data to eliminate outliers and enhance deblending accuracy. For this reason, we introduce the deblending algorithm in the morphological component analysis framework, modify the L2‐norm misfit function to outlier‐robust L1‐norm and provide the corresponding derivation in detail via the alternating direction method of multipliers. Applications to synthetic and field data sets prove the improved robustness and efficiency of our deblending method.
Maritime connectivity and agricultural trade
Authors: del Rosal Ignacio
Published: May 2023

Seaborne shipping is the dominant mode of transport in international trade in agricultural products, and an increasing part of seaborne agricultural trade is carried in containers. Furthermore, the majority of world containers are moved through liner shipping services, that is, regular transport services provided by global shipping companies which comprise a dense network connecting ports and countries around the world. Using a theoretically consistent gravity equation and a novel identification strategy based on the use of intra‐national trade flows, this paper investigates the effect of liner shipping connectivity on international trade in agricultural products. The results show that liner shipping connectivity has a positive and statistically significative effect on agricultural trade. Moreover, this positive effect can be observed for the majority of the agricultural products analysed and is also identified for countries at different stages of development. These findings appear especially relevant in terms of the objective of increasing less developed countries' participation in global agricultural trade.
Comments about selected recession parameters
Authors: Rutledge Albert T.
Published: May 2023

Recession analysis can be used for qualitative comparisons between basins and for quantitative analysis involving the slope and the shape of the recession curve. The groundwater‐level recession hydrograph can be used to derive an estimate of the hydraulic diffusivity of a surficial aquifer. The recession index can be obtained from streamflow data and from a formulation that includes aquifer properties. The analysis of the method reveals nonlinear recession which can result from the down‐valley flow component, a dual‐aquifer effect, and leakage to or from the aquifer. Important concepts include the dominant recession index and secondary recession characteristics which can affect low flow. Under conditions of down‐valley flow, the cross‐valley flow component tends to be important for determining recession characteristics, including hydraulic diffusivity and the recession index. These findings are relevant to another recession parameter a which is the distance from the stream to the hydrologic divide and results are supported by test simulations of a technique for estimating recharge.
Absence of an association between gastrointestinal tract surgery and newly diagnosed psoriasis: A nationwide, population‐based, nested, case‐control study
Authors: Liu Yi‐Huei , Zhuo Xin‐Jie , Hung Yao‐Min , Wang Yu‐Hsun , Chang Renin , Wei James Cheng‐Chung
Published: May 2023

Background

Gastrointestinal tract surgeries could disrupt the microbiome and simultaneously cause trauma, which may result in psoriasis.

Objective

To examine associations between gastrointestinal tract surgeries and newly diagnosed psoriasis.

Methods

This nested case‐control study included patients with newly diagnosed psoriasis from 2005 to 2013, retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We retrospectively (5 years from the index date) determined whether the patients had undergone gastrointestinal tract surgery.

Results

We identified 16 655 patients with newly diagnosed psoriasis and matched 33 310 individuals as the control group. The population was stratified by age and sex. There was no association between age and psoriasis (<20 years: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52‐1.24; 20‐39 years: aOR 1.09, 95% CI 0.79‐1.51; 40‐59 years: aOR 0.89, 95% CI 0.57‐1.39; ≥60 years: aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.54‐1.26). Similar findings were obtained by sex, with no differences among men (aOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.69‐1.17) and women (aOR 0.96, 95% CI 0.71‐1.29).

Conclusion

Our study indicates that gastrointestinal surgeries have limited age‐ and sex‐related effects on psoriasis. These findings provide new insights into the risk of developing psoriasis.
International negotiations for a pandemic treaty: A thematic evaluation of 43 member states
Authors: Patel Jay
Published: May 2023

Negotiating a successful pandemic treaty should address a four‐fold purpose: to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from pandemics effectively (Phelan and Carlson, 2022, Science, 377, 475). Since the proposal for an international treaty on pandemic prevention and preparedness was endorsed by 26 heads of state and the WHO Director‐General in March 2021, WHO member states assigned an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) with the responsibility of coordinating negotiations in anticipation of adopting an agreement by May 2024. To date, four INB meetings have been held. In this analysis, the interventions of 43 member states at the INB sessions in July 2022 were evaluated against components considered integral to an effective pandemic treaty. These were mapped against elements previously identified for a transformative treaty (Phelan and Carlson, 2022). This analysis outlines gaps in the current pandemic treaty working draft and the INB negotiations, which may identify opportunities to enhance the value of the remaining negotiations and guide refinement in developing further iterations of the working draft.
Courtship and homosexual behaviour in saw‐shelled turtles (Myuchelys latisternum)
Authors: McKnight Donald T.
Published: May 2023

Turtles exhibit a wide range of courtship behaviours, but there are still many knowledge gaps, and the courtship and mating behaviours of many species are poorly known. Here, I present an observation of heterosexual courtship behaviour in wild saw‐shelled turtles (Myucheyls latisternum), as well as an observation of a male M. latisternum attempting to mount another male. The heterosexual courtship was characterized by the male repeatedly waving his feet at the female, scratching her face, pushing her chin with his nose (often moving her backwards) and attempting to align his snout with hers while facing her. A particularly strong emphasis seemed to be placed on aligning the snouts, and when they were aligned, the male would blow water out of his nose across her face (or into her nose). The female appeared indifferent to the male, and they swam away together before any copulation was observed. In the observation of apparent homosexual behaviour, a large male sat submerged and partially buried in a pile of leaves, while a smaller male repeatedly tried to mount him. It appeared that the smaller male was trying to align their posteriors in a typical turtle mating position. The large male eventually swam away. These observations expand our understanding of the courtship behaviour of Australian turtles and present the first documented case of same‐sex mounting in M. latisternum as well as one of the few reported observations of same‐sex mounting in wild turtles.
Identification of influential rare variants in aggregate testing using random forest importance measures
Authors: Blumhagen Rachel Z. , Schwartz David A. , Langefeld Carl D. , Fingerlin Tasha E.
Published: May 2023

Aggregate tests of rare variants are often employed to identify associated regions compared to sequentially testing each individual variant. When an aggregate test is significant, it is of interest to identify which rare variants are “driving” the association. We recently developed the rare variant influential filtering tool (RIFT) to identify influential rare variants and showed RIFT had higher true positive rates compared to other published methods. Here we use importance measures from the standard random forest (RF) and variable importance weighted RF (vi‐RF) to identify influential variants. For very rare variants (minor allele frequency [MAF] < 0.001), the vi‐RF:Accuracy method had the highest median true positive rate (TPR = 0.24; interquartile range [IQR]: 0.13, 0.42) followed by the RF:Accuracy method (TPR = 0.16; IQR: 0.07, 0.33) and both were superior to RIFT (TPR = 0.05; IQR: 0.02, 0.15). Among uncommon variants (0.001 < MAF < 0.03), the RF methods had higher true positive rates than RIFT while observing comparable false positive rates. Finally, we applied the RF methods to a targeted resequencing study in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), in which the vi‐RF approach identified eight and seven variants in TERT and FAM13A, respectively. In summary, the vi‐RF provides an improved, objective approach to identifying influential variants following a significant aggregate test. We have expanded our previously developed R package RIFT to include the random forest methods.
Factors associated with higher risk of small‐for‐gestational‐age infants in women treated for gestational diabetes
Authors: DREVER Hillarie J. , DAVIDSON Sarah J. , CALLAWAY Leonie K. , SEKAR Renuka , DE JERSEY Susan J.
Published: May 2023

Background

Previously, management of gestational diabetes (GDM) has focused largely on glycaemic control, with a view to reduce the occurrence of large‐for‐gestational‐age (LGA) infants. However, tight glycaemic control in GDM is associated with a higher incidence of small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) infants, which has been linked to higher rates of adverse outcomes.

Aim

The aim was to characterise risk factors associated with having an SGA infant in women being treated for GDM.

Methods

This was a retrospective observational cohort study of 308 women with GDM. Women were split into groups based on their infant's size at delivery (SGA, appropriate‐for‐gestational‐age (AGA) or LGA). Literature review and expert opinion helped to determine several predictors of women with GDM delivering an SGA infant, and statistical analysis was used to produce odds ratios (OR) for these predictors.

Results

The sample included primiparous women with a mean pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI) of 25.72 (standard deviation: 5.75). Metabolic risk factors associated with delivering an SGA infant included a lower pre‐pregnancy BMI (adjusted OR 1.13, P = 0.04, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–1.26), a lower fasting blood glucose level (BGL) (adjusted OR: 3.21, P = 0.01, 95% CI: 1.30–7.93) and growth that was high risk for SGA at baseline ultrasound scan (USS) (adjusted OR: 7.43, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 2.93–18.79).

Conclusions

The combined clinical picture of lower pre‐pregnancy BMI, fasting BGL and baseline USS growth measurements may indicate a need for less aggressive glucose management in women with GDM to prevent SGA infants.
Role of perfusion index and plethysmography variability index for predicting outcomes in neonatal sepsis
Authors: Saini Shiv Sajan , Shrivastav Amit Kumar , Sundaram Venkataseshan , Dutta Sourabh , Kumar Praveen
Published: May 2023

Aim

(i) To compare perfusion index (PI) and plethysmography variability index (PVI) between neonates with proven or probable sepsis versus no‐sepsis, (ii) to examine an association of PI and PVI with in‐hospital mortality.

Methods

We enrolled neonates with clinically presumed sepsis. Culture‐proven or probable sepsis were categorised as ‘cases’ and no‐sepsis as ‘controls’. PI and PVI were recorded hourly for 120 h and averaged in 20‐time epochs (0–6 h to 115–120 h).

Results

We analysed 148 neonates with sepsis (proven sepsis = 77, probable sepsis = 71) and 126 with no‐sepsis. Neonates with proven/probable sepsis and no‐sepsis had comparable PI and PVI values. Among 148 neonates with sepsis, 43 (29%) died. Non‐survivors had significantly lower PI values than survivors (mean difference 0.21 [95% CI 0.14–0.29], p‐value <0.001). PI had a significant but modest discriminative ability to identify non‐survivors. However, PI did not independently predict mortality.

Conclusion

Neonates with proven/probable sepsis and no‐sepsis had comparable PI and PVI values in the first 120 h of sepsis. PI but not PVI values were significantly lower in non‐survivors than survivors. PI did not independently predict in‐hospital mortality. Due to modest discriminative ability, PI should be interpreted along with other vital signs to take clinical decisions.
Robot‐assisted total remnant gastrectomy for interposed jejunal pouch dysfunction 25 years after proximal gastrectomy for gastric cancer: A case report
Authors: Uemura Sunao , Yamai Hiromichi , Onishi Kazuhisa , Chikamori Fumio , Yoshida Mitsuteru , Hokimoto Norihiro , Matsuoka Hisashi , Iwabu Jun , Ueta Koji , Yamada Ryo , Mizobuchi Kai , Marui Akira , Tanida Nobuyuki
Published: May 2023

Proximal gastrectomy (PG) in combination with jejunal pouch interposition is a technique aimed at improving the postoperative dietary outcomes; however, some cases are reported to require surgical intervention owing to difficulty of food intake caused by pouch dysfunction. Herein, we present a case of robot‐assisted surgery for interposed jejunal pouch (IJP) dysfunction in a 79‐year‐old male, occurring 25 years after the initial PG for gastric cancer. The patient had chronic anorexia for 2 years and was treated with medications and dietary guidance; however, 3 months prior to admission his quality of life had reduced, owing to worsening symptoms. The patient was diagnosed with pouch dysfunction due to extremely dilated IJP identified using computed tomography and underwent robot‐assisted total remnant gastrectomy (RATRG) with IJP resection. After an uneventful course of intraoperative and postoperative treatment, he was discharged with sufficient food intake on postoperative day 9. RATRG can, thus, be considered in patients with IJP dysfunction after PG.
Instability of Inverse Probability Weighting Methods and a Remedy for Nonignorable Missing Data
Authors: Li Pengfei , Qin Jing , Liu Yukun
Published: May 2023

Inverse probability weighting (IPW) methods are commonly used to analyze nonignorable missing data (NIMD) under the assumption of a logistic model for the missingness probability. However, solving IPW equations numerically may involve nonconvergence problems when the sample size is moderate and the missingness probability is high. Moreover, those equations often have multiple roots, and identifying the best root is challenging. Therefore, IPW methods may have low efficiency or even produce biased results. We identify the pitfall in these methods pathologically: they involve the estimation of a moment-generating function (MGF), and such functions are notoriously unstable in general. As a remedy, we model the outcome distribution given the covariates of the completely observed individuals semiparametrically. After forming an induced logistic regression (LR) model for the missingness status of the outcome and covariate, we develop a maximum conditional likelihood method to estimate the underlying parameters. The proposed method circumvents the estimation of an MGF and hence overcomes the instability of IPW methods. Our theoretical and simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms existing competitors greatly. Two real data examples are analyzed to illustrate the advantages of our method. We conclude that if only a parametric LR is assumed but the outcome regression model is left arbitrary, then one has to be cautious in using any of the existing statistical methods in problems involving NIMD.
Paraneoplastic pemphigus uncovers distinct clinical and biological phenotypes of western unicentric Castleman disease
Authors: Dieudonné Yannick , Silvestrini Marc‐Antoine , Dossier Antoine , Meignin Véronique , Jouenne Fanélie , Mahévas Thibault , Bouaziz Jean‐David , Jackson Margaret A. , Mordant Pierre , Poirot Justine , Onodi Fanny , Calvani Julien , Hourseau Muriel , Evrard Diane , Berisha Mirlinda , Perrin François , Danel Claire , Borie Raphael , Galicier Lionel , Mourah Samia , Bengoufa Djaouida , Oksenhendler Eric , Grootenboer‐Mignot Sabine , Boutboul David
Published: May 2023

Unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) is a lymphoproliferative disease of unknown cause. Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a major complication shown to be associated with a poor prognosis, with particular severity in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). This study describes the clinical and biological characteristics of UCD‐PNP patients in a large Western cohort. A total of 148 patients diagnosed with UCD were identified, including 14 patients with a defined PNP. PNP was significantly associated with myasthenia gravis (MG) and FDC sarcoma during follow‐up (FDCS). PNP was also significantly associated with reduced survival. These data, together with a multivariate analysis by principal components, led to the identification of UCD‐PNP as a group at risk of MG, FDCS and death. PDGFRB sequencing performed on UCD lesions from six patients found the gain‐of‐function p.N666S variant in two. Interestingly, both patients had hyaline‐vascular UCD subtype, were in the UCD‐PNP subgroup and had FDCS. Sera from 25 UCD‐PNP patients and 6 PNP patients without UCD were tested for PNP‐associated autoantibodies. Sera from UCD‐PNP patients had a strong reactivity against the N‐terminal domain of recombinant periplakin (rPPL, 82%) and showed reactivity against at least two domains of rPPL. These features were not found in patients with UCD alone or in the PNP group without UCD. These data indicate that UCD‐PNP patients belong to a subgroup sharing strong clinical and biological identity that might help to decipher the different dynamics of UCD natural history.