bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Update: Diversity and Practice Patterns of International Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons
Authors: Blum Jessica D. , Cho Daniel Y. , Villavisanis Dillan F. , Cheung Liana , Ng Jinggang , Plana Natalie M. , Swanson Jordan W. , Bartlett Scott P. , Taylor Jesse A.
Published: February 2022

Background:

The authors’ group characterized the cranio-maxillo-facial workforce 10 years ago, revealing high levels of career satisfaction but significant gender disparity. This study provides an updated profile of the international cranio-maxillo-facial workforce.

Methods:

A 30-question electronic survey was distributed to 387 cranio-maxillo-facial surgeons with membership in the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons, American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, and international Society of Craniofacial Surgery. Questions related to demographics, training background, practice setting, surgical volume, career satisfaction, and perceived discrimination. Independent samples t test was used to compare continuous variables.

Results:

The authors received 91 responses (response rate = 23.5%). The majority of respondents were White (n = 73, 80.2%), non-Hispanic (n = 85, 93.4%), heterosexual (n = 72, 79.1%), cisgender males (n = 74, 81.3%). Practice setting was primarily academic, 65.9% (n = 60) and group/hospital-based 88.3% (n = 68), with two-thirds of respondents practicing in the United States. Female surgeons reported earlier planned retirement (66 versus 70 years, P = 0.012) and more personal encounters with discrimination of any kind (69% versus 29%, P = 0.033). US craniofacial surgeons reported more racial and sexual orientation-based discrimination compared with non-US surgeons (P = 0.049 and P = 0.048, respectively). Older surgeons (>55 years old) reported less perceived gender discrimination (P = 0.041). There was no difference between subgroups in career satisfaction or likelihood of repeating/recommending a cranio-maxillo-facial fellowship.

Conclusions:

Female representation in cranio-maxillo-facial surgery on an international scale has increased over the past decade, but this study demonstrates persistent, disparate perception of workplace discrimination by gender, practice region, and age.
Implications of an Anatomical Variation of the Infraorbital Nerve in Orbital Floor Reconstruction
Authors: Abdelazeem Mohamed Hazem , Erdogan Özgür , Osman Mohamed Fouad , Awad Tarek Ahmed
Published: February 2022

Fractures involving the orbital floor such as blow-out fractures may cause damage to the infraorbital nerve (ION). The integrity and course of the nerve should be evaluated preoperatively in order to prevent from such nerve injuries. The anatomy of the ION can show variations in significant number of patients, which should be taken into account in treatment planning. In this report, the authors present a patient with an isolated fracture of the orbital floor, who had abnormal anatomy of his both IONs. Our treatment approach for this patient is presented along with relevant literature findings.
Scalp Reconstruction Strategy Based on the Etiology of the Scalp Defects
Authors: Park Hojin , Min Jaechung , Oh Tae Suk , Jeong Woo Shik , Choi Jong-Woo
Published: February 2022

Scalp defects of various etiologies require distinct reconstruction strategies. Therefore, the authors divided scalp defects into the following categories: scar alopecia, open scalp wound, benign or low-grade malignant tumor, and high-grade malignancy. The authors reviewed the experience with scalp reconstruction of a single center to determine the factors that affect the reconstructive choices.

Patients who underwent scalp reconstruction between 2008 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Reconstruction methods were classified according to the etiology of the defect and were compared for each etiology. Accordingly, a reconstruction algorithm for scalp defects was proposed.

A total of 180 patients were included in this study, and the reconstruction methods demonstrated significant differences according to etiology (P < 0.05). For scar alopecia and open scalp wounds, reconstruction methods such as direct repair, local flap transfer, and tissue expander placement were used depending on the defect size. Patients with benign or low-grade malignancies mainly underwent reconstruction with local flaps or skin grafts and tissue expanders for covering the defects. Patients with high-grade malignancies underwent reconstruction with free flaps if they were scheduled for preoperative or postoperative radiation therapy.

Various factors, suchas the etiology, size, location, and depthofthe defect, should be considered in scalp reconstruction. The defect etiology is an important factor that determines the reconstructive goal. Our algorithm is based on the etiology of defects and is intended to aid physicians in choosing the appropriate treatment for various scalp defects.
Attractive Versus Golden Ratios: Formula of Utopian Beauty through Comparison of Facial Proportions among Worldwide Celebrities and Average People
Authors: Yalcinkaya Esin , Kocaman Sinan Altan , Yuksekkaya Mehmet
Published: February 2022

Introduction:

Beauty criteria change according to trends, cultures, and expectations. So, the golden ratios are not enough to understand the actual beauty concept.

Objective:

It is aimed to create a method and formula to define beauty in terms of different facial measurements and ratios as variables.

Methods:

Frontal view photographs of 50 celebrities and 50 volunteers (female [n = 70] and male [n = 30]) were obtained. Thirty-three specific facial points were used. Fifty-nine measurements of distances between those points and ratios of those distances are used as statistical variables. Mean values of those variables for celebrities are compared with all participants.

Then, ‘‘total beauty score’’ using statically significant differences is defined. Points according to the importance level of interested value are assigned; 1 point for a significance of 0.001 ≤ P < 0.05 and 2 points for P < 0.001. Possible independent variables for the prediction of Utopian Beauty Score were determined using linear regression analysis. Finally, 10 variables (6 measurements and 4 ratios) are used to determine a formula for beauty.

Results:

In celebrities, the distance between head apex and hair border, lower lip vertical length, the distance between brow medial borders and forehead vertical length were higher than the average population (P < 0.001, 0.023, 0.034, 0.001, respectively). However, the width of columella, a length between bilateral ala nasi, horizontal face, and vertical nose length, and the distance between brow apexeyelash line were shorter (P = 0.005, < 0.001, < 0.001, < 0.001, < 0.001, respectively). Some study variables had severely significant correlations with the total beauty point (M29, r = –0.744, P < 0.001; R19, r =–0.745, P < 0.001; and R30, r = –0.735, P < 0.001). The linear regression formula for Utopian Beauty Score was determined according to statistically significant variables as y = 86.5 – 3.6 M5 + 8.1 M14 + 11.1 M20 – 6.4 M25–8.7 M29–10.3 M30–15.6 R19 + 9.3 R20 + 16.4 R25 + 18.3 R26.

Conclusions:

A large forehead, small nose with lifted tip, plump lip, brows with lateral apex, well-spaced eyes, and ovoid, elliptical face lines are seem to be more attractive. Additionally, a method to create a formula for beauty with variables of different measurements and ratios of facial points are determined.
Resection of Tumors Located in the Anterior Skull Base and Sellar Region Through the Supraorbital Keyhole Approach via a Forehead Wrinkle Incision: Modifications and Deficiencies
Authors: Yang Chi , Xie Haitong , Wang Jianbiao , Yang SiMing , Li Peng , Zhan Haibin , Wang Jingtao , Yu Danning , Hong Wenming , Wang Bin
Published: February 2022

Objective:

To investigate the clinical effect of the supraorbital keyhole approach (SKA) via a forehead wrinkle incision in the resection of tumors in the anterior skull base and sellar region.

Methods:

Sixty patients with tumors located in the anterior skull base and sellar region treated through the SKA in our hospital from 2017 to 2020. The skin incision and bone flap position were designed individually according to the size and growth of the tumor. The clinical data of the patients were retrospectively analyzed.

Results:

Based on the feasibility of this surgical approach, personalized skin incisions and bone flaps were designed for different lesions. Among the 60 patients, gross total resection was achieved in 53 cases (88.3%), for meningiomas 97.8% (46/47) and near-total resection in 7 cases (11.7%). In the survey of the patients’ scale scores toward skin incision after operation, the “no pain” level was 90.0% (54/60) and 91.7% (55/60) for the level of “very satisfactory” of the aesthetic of the skin incision (as shown in Supplementary Digital Content, Table 2, http://links.lww.com/ SCS/D742). Three patients whose satisfaction with the aesthetic of the incision excelled scale 3, suggesting that they were not completely satisfied with the wound healing. No permanent skin incision discomfort was noted during follow-up. There were no surgical deaths.

Conclusions:

The SKA via forehead wrinkle incision is a flexible and feasible method for tumors near the midline of the anterior skull base and sellar region. However, this approach requires strict preoperative planning, which includes choosing appropriate tumors and applicable forehead wrinkles.
Endoscope-Assisted Extracapsular Resection of Benign Parotid Tumors Via Temporal and Retroauricular Approach
Authors: Zhu Jian-Hua , He Zheng , Zhang Lei
Published: February 2022

Objective:

To evaluate the feasibility of endoscope-assisted extracapsular resection of benign parotid tumors via temporal and retroauricular approach.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 12 patients with parotid gland tumors had endoscope-assisted extracapsular resection performed via temporal and retroauricular approach (4 versus 8) between January 2018 and January 2019.

Results:

All tumors were benign with a median diameter of 2.32 ± 0.49 cm. The mean length of the skin incision was 3.5 ±0.35 cm. The mean operating time 86.7 ± 10.8 minutes. The median blood loss was 30.4 ± 5.94 ml. The median volume of drainage was 27.1 ± 8.88 ml and the duration of drainage was 2 ± 0.71 days. The mean aesthetics scoring assigned by patients was 9.67 ± 0.51. Two patients had numbness of the earlobe and 1 patient developed a transient salivary sialocele. No facial nerve paresis was observed and no tumor recurrence occurred during the follow-up period.

Conclusions:

The minimally invasive endoscope-assisted extracapsular resection of benign parotid tumors provide both a safe and reliable technique for benign parotid tumors with excellent cosmetic results.
Huge Submandibular Gland Mucocele With Diagnostic Difficulties
Authors: Iwai Toshinori , Minamiyama Shuhei , Mitsudo Kenji
Published: February 2022

Submandibular gland mucoceles, which are very rare cystic lesions, make differentiation from other cystic neck masses such as plunging ranula and cystic lymphatic malformation difficult. The authors report a rare huge submandibular gland mucocele with diagnostic difficulties. A 39-year-old woman with painless swelling in the left submandibular region underwent OK-432 injection therapy with a diagnosis of plunging ranula at another hospital. However, she was referred to our department for recurrent swelling. Computed tomography showed a well-circumscribed, multilocular, low-density lesion in the left submandibular region. Fine needle aspiration was performed, and the content of the cystic lesion was yellowish-brown serous fluid. After the fine needle aspiration, computed tomography was performed. The cystic lesion was radiologically diagnosed as submandibular gland mucocele. Therefore, the patient underwent endoscopically-assisted intraoral removal of the sublingual and submandibular glands under general anesthesia. The pathological diagnosis was submandibular gland mucocele.
Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Navigation in Liver Surgery
Authors: Wakabayashi Taiga , Cacciaguerra Andrea Benedetti , Abe Yuta , Bona Enrico Dalla , Nicolini Daniele , Mocchegiani Federico , Kabeshima Yasuo , Vivarelli Marco , Wakabayashi Go , Kitagawa Yuko
Published: February 2022

Background:

Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence has proven to be a high potential navigation tool during liver surgery; however, its optimal usage is still far from being standardized.

Methods:

A systematic review was conducted on MEDLINE/PubMed for English articles that contained the information of dose and timing of ICG administration until February 2021. Successful rates of tumor detection and liver segmentation, as well as tumor/patient background and imaging settings were also reviewed. The quality assessment of the articles was performed in accordance with the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).

Results:

Out of initial 311 articles, a total of 72 manuscripts were obtained. The quality assessment of the included studies revealed usually low; only 9 articles got qualified as high quality. Forty articles (55%) focused on open resections, whereas 32 articles (45%) on laparoscopic and robotic liver resections. Thirty-four articles (47%) described tumor detection ability, and 25 articles (35%) did liver segmentation ability, and the others (18%) did both abilities. Negative staining was reported (42%) more than positive staining (32%). For tumor detection, majority used the dose of 0.5 mg/kg within 14 days before the operation day, and an additional administration (0.02–0.5 mg/kg) in case of longer preoperative interval. Tumor detection rate was reported to be 87.4% (range, 43%–100%) with false positive rate reported to be 10.5% (range, 0%–31.3%). For negative staining method, the majority used 2.5 mg/body, ranging from 0.025 to 25 mg/body. For positive staining method, the majority used 0.25 mg/body, ranging from 0.025 to 12.5 mg/body. Successful segmentation rate was 88.0% (range, 53%–100%).

Conclusion:

The time point and dose of ICG administration strongly needs to be tailored case by case in daily practice, due to various tumor/patient backgrounds and imaging settings.
Massilia soli sp. nov., isolated from soil
Authors: Baek Ju Hye , Baek Woonhee , Ruan Wenting , Jung Hye Su , Lee Sung Chul , Jeon Che Ok
Published: February 2022

A Gram-stain-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive and aerobic bacterium, designated strain R798T, was isolated from soil in South Korea. Cells were motile rods by means of a single polar flagellum. Growth of strain R798T was observed at 15–35 °C (optimum, 25–30 °C), pH 5.0–8.0 (optimum, 6.0) and 0–1.5 % NaCl (optimum, 0.3 %). Strain R798T contained ubiquinone-8 as the sole isoprenoid quinone, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1
 ω7c and/or C16 : 1
 ω6c) and C16 : 0 as the major fatty acids and phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine as the major polar lipids. The DNA G+C content of strain R798T calculated from the whole genome sequence was 63.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene and whole genome sequences revealed that strain R798T formed a distinct phyletic lineage within the genus

Massilia

. Strain R798T was most closely related to

Massilia eurypsychrophila

B528-3T with a 98.0 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain R798T and the type strain of

M. eurypsychrophila

were 79.2 and 22.7 %, respectively. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular analyses, strain R798T represents a novel species of the genus

Massilia

, for which the name Massilia soli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R798T (=KACC 22114T=JCM 34601T).
Polymyxin and lipopeptide antibiotics: membrane-targeting drugs of last resort
Authors: Ledger Elizabeth V. K. , Sabnis Akshay , Edwards Andrew M.
Published: February 2022

The polymyxin and lipopeptide classes of antibiotics are membrane-targeting drugs of last resort used to treat infections caused by multi-drug-resistant pathogens. Despite similar structures, these two antibiotic classes have distinct modes of action and clinical uses. The polymyxins target lipopolysaccharide in the membranes of most Gram-negative species and are often used to treat infections caused by carbapenem-resistant species such as

Escherichia coli

,

Acinetobacter baumannii

and

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

. By contrast, the lipopeptide daptomycin requires membrane phosphatidylglycerol for activity and is only used to treat infections caused by drug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria such as methicillin-resistant

Staphylococcus aureus

and vancomycin-resistant enterococci. However, despite having distinct targets, both antibiotic classes cause membrane disruption, are potently bactericidal in vitro and share similarities in resistance mechanisms. Furthermore, there are concerns about the efficacy of these antibiotics, and there is increasing interest in using both polymyxins and daptomycin in combination therapies to improve patient outcomes. In this review article, we will explore what is known about these distinct but structurally similar classes of antibiotics, discuss recent advances in the field and highlight remaining gaps in our knowledge.
Capturing early human memory consolidation utilizing the higher functional specificity of 7T compared to 3T-fMRI
Authors: Kreitz Silke , Mennecke Angelika , Konerth Laura , Rösch Julie , Nagel Armin M. , Laun Frederik B. , Uder Michael , Dörfler Arnd , Hess Andreas
Published: February 2022

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) visualizes brain structures at increasingly higher resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as field strength increases. Yet, mapping the BOLD response to distinct neuronal processes continues to be challenging. Here, we performed 3T and 7T-fMRI analysis of motor-task activation and resting-state connectivity with adjusted SNR. We then applied graph theory to analyze resting-state neuronal networks detected by fMRI after a simple motor task. Despite adjusted SNR, 7T achieved a higher functional specificity of the BOLD response than 3T-fMRI. Following the motor task, 7T-fMRI therefore enabled the detection of an ‘offline replay’ that was directly linked to brain regions associated with memory consolidation. These findings reveal how memory processing is initiated even after simple motor tasks and begins earlier than previously shown. Thus, the superior capability of 7T-fMRI to detect subtle functional dynamics promises to improve diagnostics and therapeutic assessment of neurological diseases.
Fezf2 and Aire1 evolutionary trade-off in negative selection of T cells in the thymus
Authors: Mickael Michel-Edwar , Kubick Norwin , Gurba Agata , Klimovich Pavel , Bieńkowska Irmina , Kocki Tomasz , Sacharczuk Mariusz
Published: February 2022

In vertebrates, thymus expression of various body proteins to eliminate autoreactive T cells during the negative selection process is orchestrated by AIRE and FEZF2. T cells first appeared in vertebrates. However, the evolutionary history of these two genes in relation to T cells emergence is still not clear. Specifically, it is still not known, whether these two genes emerged concurrently to support the negative selection process. Furthermore, whether there is an evolutionary trade-off between these two genes is not known. Whether these two genes play a similar role in controlling auto-reactivity elimination in lampreys and invertebrates is also unknown. We used a plethora of phylogenetic analysis tools including; multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetic tree building, ancestral sequence reconstruction, functional specificity investigation, and positive selection analysis to address these questions. We found that these two genes represent two distinct pathways of negative selection with two unique origins. While AIRE emerged during the divergence of T cells in vertebrates, FEZF2 is far ancient with homologs in invertebrates including Cnidaria, Trichoplax. We found that FEZF2 structure is highly conserved between invertebrates and vertebrates. Moreover, the genes controlled by both families included a mixture of ancient and recently diverged genes. However, we found that AIRE contains an LXXLL motif for binding nuclear receptors. Conversely, FEZF2 possesses several motifs known to play a role in autophagy, such as DKFPHP, SYSELWKSSL, and SYSEL. However, both genes contain similar motifs such as MAPK regulating motifs. Interestingly, AIRE seems to be lacking in lampreys, in contrast to FEZF2. Taken together, our investigation hints that FEZF2 was initially employed to control a rudimentary auto-reactivity elimination process in invertebrates, then evolved to play a part in controlling a negative selection process in early vertebrates and higher vertebrates. The emergence of AIRE seems to be correlated with controlling the negative selection process in higher vertebrates. The results demonstrate a strong evolutionary trading-off process, where FEZF2 kept controlling certain biological processes whereas AIRE gained control of others. Several critical genes are controlled by both genes, to ensure an adequate negative selection process.
A Mouse Model with Complete Penetrance for Atrioventricular Septal Defect/Complete AV Canal
Authors: Li Yicong , Andersen Peter , Liu Xihe , Moyer Anna J. , Kwon Chulan , Reeves Roger H.
Published: February 2022

Complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect/complete AV canal (AVSD/ cAVC) occurs via defective formation of the Dorsal Mesenchymal Protrusion (DMP) which grows from the interior dorsal wall of the fetal heart. The DMP is derived from cells of the second heart field (SHF). AVSD occurs in about 1/10,000 births in the general population, but is 2000 times more prevalent in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). The low penetrance of AVSD in the general population remains a fundamental challenge to investigation of the genetic and developmental basis for this condition. Analysis of the etiology of this condition in mouse models is limited by the fact that the developmental events producing the DMP begin around embryonic day 9 (E9) but AVSD cannot be diagnosed until E14, and no model has been described previously in which AVSD occurs in 100% of embryos. We describe a trisomic mouse DS model with conditional mutations in the SHH pathway that produces AVSD with 100% penetrance. This new mouse model can serve as an important tool to understand the mechanisms underlying AVSD pathogenesis.
mRNA-1273 or mRNA-Omicron boost in vaccinated macaques elicits comparable B cell expansion, neutralizing antibodies and protection against Omicron
Authors: Gagne Matthew , Moliva Juan I. , Foulds Kathryn E. , Andrew Shayne F. , Flynn Barbara J. , Werner Anne P. , Wagner Danielle A. , Teng I-Ting , Lin Bob C. , Moore Christopher , Jean-Baptiste Nazaire , Carroll Robin , Foster Stephanie L. , Patel Mit , Ellis Madison , Edara Venkata-Viswanadh , Maldonado Nahara Vargas , Minai Mahnaz , McCormick Lauren , Honeycutt Christopher Cole , Nagata Bianca M. , Bock Kevin W. , Dulan Caitlyn N. M. , Cordon Jamilet , Todd John-Paul M. , McCarthy Elizabeth , Pessaint Laurent , Van Ry Alex , Narvaez Brandon , Valentin Daniel , Cook Anthony , Dodson Alan , Steingrebe Katelyn , Flebbe Dillon R. , Nurmukhambetova Saule T. , Godbole Sucheta , Henry Amy R. , Laboune Farida , Roberts-Torres Jesmine , Lorang Cynthia G. , Amin Shivani , Trost Jessica , Naisan Mursal , Basappa Manjula , Willis Jacquelyn , Wang Lingshu , Shi Wei , Doria-Rose Nicole A. , Olia Adam S. , Liu Cuiping , Harris Darcy R. , Carfi Andrea , Mascola John R. , Kwong Peter D. , Edwards Darin K. , Andersen Hanne , Lewis Mark G. , Corbett Kizzmekia S. , Nason Martha C. , McDermott Adrian B. , Suthar Mehul S. , Moore Ian N. , Roederer Mario , Sullivan Nancy J. , Douek Daniel C. , Seder Robert A.
Published: February 2022

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron is highly transmissible and has substantial resistance to antibody neutralization following immunization with ancestral spike-matched vaccines. It is unclear whether boosting with Omicron-specific vaccines would enhance immunity and protection. Here, nonhuman primates that received mRNA-1273 at weeks 0 and 4 were boosted at week 41 with mRNA-1273 or mRNA-Omicron. Neutralizing antibody titers against D614G were 4760 and 270 reciprocal ID50 at week 6 (peak) and week 41 (pre-boost), respectively, and 320 and 110 for Omicron. Two weeks after boost, titers against D614G and Omicron increased to 5360 and 2980, respectively, for mRNA-1273 and 2670 and 1930 for mRNA-Omicron. Following either boost, 70-80% of spike-specific B cells were cross-reactive against both WA1 and Omicron. Significant and equivalent control of virus replication in lower airways was observed following either boost. Therefore, an Omicron boost may not provide greater immunity or protection compared to a boost with the current mRNA-1273 vaccine.
Informal finance: its drivers and contributions to farm investment among rural farmers in Northcentral Nigeria
Authors: Falola Abraham , Mukaila Ridwan , Abdulhamid Kafilat Ololade
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The problem of inaccessibility of finance for farm investment is a common phenomenon among farmers, especially the rural dwellers. Thus, there is a need to know how the accessibility of informal finance can be increased to increase farm investment. Therefore, this study evaluates farmers’ access to informal finance and its contribution to farm investment among rural farmers in Northcentral Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-stage random sampling technique was employed to select 160 farmers. Primary data collected were analysed with descriptive statistics and the Heckman selection model.

Findings

The study revealed that cooperative society is the major informal means of loan acquisition used by the farmers followed by Rotational Savings and Credit Associations (RoSCAs). Informal loans contributed to agricultural investment through the various operational activities involved in production. Factors influencing farmers’ access to informal loans were the age, farm size and income of the farmers. Interest charged, farmers' age, farming experience, household size, education and loan duration were the drivers of the amount borrowed from the informal financing sector.

Practical implications

The findings of the study call for policies that will sustain informal financial institutions in developing economies, like Nigeria. Thus, the government through its regulatory agencies should assist informal finance providers with the necessary resources to achieve more goals. This is because the informal credit lenders help in bridging financial gaps created by formal financial institutions, such as commercial banks.

Originality/value

Unlike the previous research studies, this study investigated the driving factors of the amount borrowed from informal finance and its use in farm investment.
The interactive effects of sexual harassment and psychological capital on victims’ burnout: evidence from the post-#MeToo movement era
Authors: Hashmi Syed Danial , Shahzad Khurram , Abbas Fakhar
Published: February 2022

Purpose

In the post-#MeToo movement era, heightened awareness regarding harassment at workplace has forced corporations to consider gender-based harassment as a serious issue. This study aims to theorise and test psychological capital as a resource reservoir to cope with burnout experienced in the form of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishments as results of gender-based harassment at workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Multi-wave data were collected from 304 female employees working in project-based organisations in the information technology industry in Pakistan.

Findings

The analysis shows contradictory findings about the prevalence of sexual harassment when a behavioural measurement approach was used against a direct query method. The results also show that gender harassment leads to burnout causing emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment among the victims. However, psychological capital helps victims cope with these adverse effects of gender harassment.

Practical implications

Managers need to boost the psychological capital of female workers and devise effective policies to combat gender harassment in the workplace. Enforcement of legislation regarding harassment in the workplace should be ensured, which will also indicate seriousness towards the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal No. 5, that is, gender equality.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to present psychological capital as a resource reservoir to combat the negative effects of gender harassment and has been conducted in less studied non-Western work settings.
A systematic framework to explore the determinants of information security policy development and outcomes
Authors: Stewart Harrison
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to develop an effective information security policy (ISP), which is an important mechanism to combat insider threats.

Design/methodology/approach

A general framework based on the Nine-Five-circle was proposed for developing, implementing and evaluating an organisation's ISP.

Findings

The proposed framework outlines the steps involved in developing, implementing and evaluating a successful ISP.

Research limitations/implications

The study took place in Germany, and most of the data was collected virtually due to the different locations of the organisation.

Practical implications

In practice, this study can be a guide for managers to design a robust ISP that employees will read and follow.

Social implications

Employee compliance with the ISP is a critical aspect in any organisation and therefore a rigorous strategy based on a systematic approach is required.

Originality/value

The main contribution of the paper is the application of a comprehensive and coherent model that can be the first step in defining a “checklist” for creating and managing ISPs.
Enterprise risk management and information technology security in the financial sector
Authors: Owusu Kwateng Kwame , Amanor Christopher , Tetteh Francis Kamewor
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aims to empirically investigate the relationship between enterprise risk management (ERM) and information technology (IT) security within the financial sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Risk officers of financial institutions licensed by the Central Bank of Ghana constituted the sample frame. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit data from the respondents. The structural equation modeling method was employed to analyze the hypothesized model.

Findings

The results revealed that ERM has a strong positive substantial effect on IT security within financial institutions. However, organizational culture failed to moderate the relationship between ERM and IT security.

Practical implications

A well-managed risk helps to eliminate ineffective, archaic and redundant technology as the originator of rising perils and organizational concerns in today's corporate financial institutions since ERM established a substantially strong positive correlation among the variables.

Originality/value

ERM studies in the African context are rare. This paper adds to contemporary literature by providing a new perspective toward the understanding of the relationship between ERM and IT security, especially in the financial industry.
Soft and hard skills development in lean management trainings
Authors: Lista Ana Paula , Tortorella Guilherme Luz , Bouzon Marina , Thürer Matthias , Jurburg Daniel
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of traditional teaching and active learning methods in lean management (LM) on the development of both soft and hard skills.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a longitudinal study, team members from two different organisations (the administrative sector of a public higher education institution and a public teaching hospital), each adopting different teaching methods to support their LM trainings, were systematically examined at four moments during an 18-month period. How teaching methods impacted team members’ development and knowledge was then assessed using multivariate data analysis techniques.

Findings

Results indicated that LM trainings can provide significant impacts when a combination of traditional teaching methods and active learning is adopted. Traditional teaching methods can be a good choice for learning hard skills depending on resources’ availability. However, it is recommended to include active learning methods to assist in the comprehension of more complex and abstract LM concepts (soft skills).

Originality/value

Although there exists a large number of publications on the relationship between LM implementation and teaching methods, the number of studies that consider the development of both hard and soft skills is rather limited. This study complements the existing literature on LM by identifying which teaching methods can support the development of hard skills and which the development of soft skills. Such identification facilitates the work of both scholars wishing either to begin or to dig deeper into this sphere and practitioners pursuing the best outcomes from LM.
Barriers for adoption of Industry 4.0 in sustainable food supply chain: a circular economy perspective
Authors: Kumar Anish , Mangla Sachin Kumar , Kumar Pradeep
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Food supply chains (FSCs) are fast becoming more and more complex. Sustainability is a necessary strategy in FSCs to meet the environmental, economic and societal requirements. Industry 4.0 (I4.0) applications for a circular economy (CE) will play a significant role in sustainable food supply chains (SFSCs). I4.0 applications can be used in for traceability, tracking, inspection and quality monitoring, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, farm input optimization, process automation, etc. to improve circularity and sustainability of FSCs. However, the factors integrating I4.0 and CE adoption in SFSC are not yet very well understood. Furthermore, despite such high potential I4.0 adoption is also met with several barriers. The present study identifies and analyzes twelve barriers for the adoption of I4.0 in SFSC from an CE context.

Design/methodology/approach

A cause-effect analysis and prominence ranking of the barriers are done using Rough-DEMATEL technique. DEMATEL is a widely used technique that is applied for a structured analysis of a complex problems. The rough variant of DEMATEL helps include the uncertainty and vagueness of decision maker related to the I4.0 technologies.

Findings

“Technological immaturity,” “High investment,” “Lack of awareness and customer acceptance” and “technological limitations and lack of eco-innovation” are identified as the most prominent barriers for adoption of I4.0 in SFSC.

Originality/value

Successful mitigation of these barriers will improve the sustainability of FSCs through accelerated adoption of I4.0 solutions. The findings of the study will help managers, practitioners and planners to understand and successfully mitigate these barriers.
Vision sensor based residual vibration suppression strategy of non-deformable object for robot-assisted assembly operation with gripper flexibility
Authors: Jalendra Chetan , Rout B.K. , Marathe Amol
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Industrial robots are extensively deployed to perform repetitive and simple tasks at high speed to reduce production time and improve productivity. In most cases, a compliant gripper is used for assembly tasks such as peg-in-hole assembly. A compliant mechanism in the gripper introduces flexibility that may cause oscillation in the grasped object. Such a flexible gripper–object system can be considered as an under-actuated object held by the gripper and the oscillations can be attributed to transient disturbance of the robot itself. The commercially available robots do not have a control mechanism to reduce such induced vibration. Thus, this paper aims to propose a contactless vision-based approach for vibration suppression which uses a predictive vibrational amplitude error-based second-stage controller.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed predictive vibrational amplitude error-based second-stage controller is a real-time vibration control strategy that uses predicted error to estimate the second-stage controller output. Based on controller output, input trajectories were estimated for the internal controller of the robot. The control strategy efficiently handles the system delay to execute the control input trajectories when the oscillating object is at an extreme position.

Findings

The present controller works along with the internal controller of the robot without any interruption to suppress the residual vibration of the object. To demonstrate the robustness of the proposed controller, experimental implementation on Asea Brown Boveri make industrial robot (IRB) 1410 robot with a low frame rate camera has been carried out. In this experiment, two objects have been considered that have a low (<2.38 Hz) and high (>2.38 Hz) natural frequency. The proposed controller can suppress 95% of vibration amplitude in less than 3 s and reduce the stability time by 90% for a peg-in-hole assembly task.

Originality/value

The present vibration control strategy uses a camera with a low frame rate (25 fps) and the delays are handled intelligently to favour suppression of high-frequency vibration. The mathematical model and the second-stage controller implemented suppress vibration without modifying the robot dynamical model and the internal controller.
Commerce, jobs and politics: the impact of the USA–China trade on USA domestic politics
Authors: Caporaso James
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of the paper “Commerce, jobs and politics: the impact of the USA–China trade on USA domestic politics” is to examine the impact of Chinese trade with the USA to determine the consequences of the trade on manufacturing employment. The geographic and sectoral impacts of this trade are assessed. The conclusion is that the USA–China trade has affected political polarization in such a way as to affect electoral outcomes. Implications for policy are discussed in the paper.

Design/methodology/approach

The overall design is a focused case study in terms of its focus on the USA–China trade relations. There is also a statistical component due to the breakdown of the USA in economic commuting zones.

Findings

The major finding is that Chinese import penetration created substantial political polarization in the USA and that polarization affected electoral outcomes. Chinese import penetration also resulted in a shift of jobs from the eastern heartland to the coasts. Much of the transition was aided by the restructuring of jobs within firms from manufacturing to high-end services.

Research limitations/implications

Perhaps, the biggest limitation concerns how general and durable the findings are. The authors establish that the first decade after Chinese entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) (2001) was characterized by economic disruption in the USA labor market. Whether the economic effects will have a longer duration is not known.

Practical implications

One practical limitation is that it is difficult to know what policy actions to take on the basis of the research: trade policy, human capital (education) policy or place-based policies which aid particular regions.

Social implications

The social implications in this paper are jobs and employment policy.

Originality/value

The author thinks this is very original work, though based on the work of several economists. But outside of a few articles, the author does not think much has appeared in political science journals.
Effects of feedback on individual creativity in social learning: an experimental study
Authors: Wu Manli
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The study aims to develop a comprehensive theoretical model to understand the relationship between feedback and individual creativity in a social learning context. To achieve the goal, the study unravels the mechanism underlying the relationship between evaluative feedback and creativity development and examines the interaction effects between informative feedback and evaluative feedback.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework to develop the research model. A laboratory experiment with a self-designed social learning platform was conducted to test the model. A total of 125 subjects participate in the experiment.

Findings

The empirical findings reveal that evaluative feedback affects creativity via intrinsic motivation and perceived feedback accuracy and informative feedback moderates the effects of negative feedback on intrinsic motivation and perceived feedback accuracy.

Practical implications

Organizations should be conscious of the role feedback plays in individual creativity development when building a social learning platform. Specifically, organizations can guide learners to provide favorable online feedback as well as train learners to cope with feedback effectively in creative tasks.

Originality/value

The study integrates feedback and creativity literature to propose three important mediators and examines the roles of the mediators in the process of creativity development in a social learning context, extending current understanding on the direct relationship between feedback and creativity. The study also complements the existing feedback literature by investigating the interactions between different types of peer feedback in the model of creativity development.
Pricing research for automotive supply chains considering low-carbon consumer preferences under a dual policy
Authors: Liu Aijun , Yang Yun , Miao Jie , Li Zengxian , Lu Hui , Li Feng
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The promotion of new energy vehicles (EVs) is an effective way to achieve low carbon emission reduction. This paper aims to investigate the optimal pricing of automotive supply chain members in the context of dual policy implementation while considering consumers' low-carbon preferences.

Design/methodology/approach

This article takes manufacturers, retailers and consumers in a main three-level supply chain as the research object. Stackelberg game theory is used as the theoretical guidance. A game model in which the manufacturer is the leader and the retailer is the follower is established. The author also considered the impact of carbon tax policies, subsidy policies and consumer preferences on the results. Furthermore, the author investigates the optimal decision-making problem under the profit maximization model.

Findings

Through model solving, it is found that the pricing of EVs is positively correlated with the unit price of carbon and the amount of subsidies. The following conclusions can be obtained by numerical analysis of each parameter. Changes in carbon prices have a greater impact on conventional gasoline vehicles. Based on the numerical analysis of parameter β, it is also found that when the government subsidizes consumers, supply chain members will increase their prices to obtain partial subsidies. Compared with retailers, low-carbon preferences have a greater impact on manufacturers.

Research limitations/implications

The new energy automobile industry involves many policies, including tax cuts, tax exemptions and subsidies. The policy environment faced by the members of a supply chain is complex and diverse. Therefore, the analysis in this article is based only on partial policies.

Originality/value

The authors innovatively combine the three factors of subsidy policy, carbon tax policy and consumer low-carbon preference, with research on the pricing of EVs. The influence of policy factors and consumer preferences on the pricing of EVs is studied.
The stochastic evolutionary game analysis of public prevention and control strategies in public health emergencies
Authors: Jia Fangju , Wang Dong-dong , Li Lianshui
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The COVID-19 epidemic is still spreading globally and will not be completely over in a short time. Wearing a mask is an effective means to combat the spread of COVID-19. However, whether the public wear a mask for epidemic prevention and control will be affected by stochastic factors such as vaccination, cultural differences and irrational emotions, which bring a high degree of uncertainty to the prevention and control of the epidemic. The purpose of this study is to explore and analyze the epidemic prevention and control strategies of the public in an uncertain environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the stochastic evolutionary game model of the Moran process, the study discusses the epidemic prevention and control strategies of the public under the conditions of the dominance of stochastic factors, expected benefits and super-expected benefits.

Findings

The research shows that the strategic evolution of the public mainly depends on stochastic factors, cost-benefit and the number of the public. When the stochastic factors are dominant, the greater the perceived benefit, the lower the cost and the greater the penalty for not wearing masks, the public will choose to wear a mask. Under the dominance of expected benefits and super-expected benefits, when the number of the public is greater than a certain threshold, the mask-wearing strategy will become an evolutionary stable strategy. From the evolutionary process, the government’s punishment measures will slow down the speed of the public choosing the strategy of not wearing masks. The speed of the public evolving to the stable strategy under the dominance of super-expected benefits is faster than that under the dominance of expected benefits.

Practical implications

The study considers the impact of stochastic factors on public prevention and control strategies and provides decision-making support and theoretical guidance for the scientific prevention of the normalized public.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research has considered the impact of different stochastic interference intensities on public prevention and control strategies. Therefore, this paper can be seen as a valuable resource in this field.
Revisiting the marketing approach between seaports and dry ports in Malaysia: current trend and strategy for improvement
Authors: Jeevan Jagan , Rahadi Raden Aswin , Mohamed Monizaihasra , Mohd Salleh Nurul Haqimin , Othman Mohamad Rosni , Mhd Ruslan Siti Marsila
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the comparative analysis of marketing strategies between seaports and dry ports. Second, this paper proposes a recommendation to improve marketing approaches in both nodes.

Design/methodology/approach

This research analyzes current marketing approaches to improve the freight volume and enhance interrelation between them for a comprehensive collaboration in the freight supply chain. This research employed semi-structured interviews via an e-interview questionnaire.

Findings

The result shows that dry port and seaport practice a mixed marketing strategy. Some marketing elements that a seaport applies are also applied by a dry port, like focusing on the target customer, joining exhibitions and face-to-face meetings. Customized service to clients, frequent discussion on the effective marketing plans and increasing the facilities at the seaport and dry ports can improve the marketing strategies in dry port and seaports.

Originality/value

Seaports are the critical components in esteem-driven context, which add to supply chains by creating value-added services in the transport chain. Nonetheless, research between dry ports and seaports has increasingly drawn the attention of scholars during the last decade. Having said like that, there have not been any pragmatic studies undertaken in the Malaysian context that mainly discusses the marketing prospect of the dry ports and seaports especially during COVID-19 outbreak.