bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge management during emergency remote teaching: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the transition experiences of faculty members
Authors: Srivastava Pallavi , Sehgal Trishna , Jain Ritika , Kaur Puneet , Luukela-Tandon Anushree
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The study directs attention to the psychological conditions experienced and knowledge management practices leveraged by faculty in higher education institutes (HEIs) to cope with the shift to emergency remote teaching caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. By focusing attention on faculty experiences during this transition, this study aims to examine an under-investigated effect of the pandemic in the Indian context.

Design/methodology/approach

Interpretative phenomenological analysis is used to analyze the data gathered in two waves through 40 in-depth interviews with 20 faculty members based in India over a year. The data were analyzed deductively using Kahn’s framework of engagement and robust coding protocols.

Findings

Eight subthemes across three psychological conditions (meaningfulness, availability and safety) were developed to discourse faculty experiences and challenges with emergency remote teaching related to their learning, identity, leveraged resources and support received from their employing educational institutes. The findings also present the coping strategies and knowledge management-related practices that the faculty used to adjust to each discussed challenge.

Originality/value

The study uses a longitudinal design and phenomenology as the analytical method, which offers a significant methodological contribution to the extant literature. Further, the study’s use of Kahn’s model to examine the faculty members’ transitions to emergency remote teaching in India offers novel insights into the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on educational institutes in an under-investigated context.
Cultural and gender diversity for ESG performance towards knowledge sharing: empirical evidence from European banks
Authors: Paolone Francesco , Pozzoli Matteo , Chhabra Meghna , Di Vaio Assunta
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effects of board cultural diversity (BCD) and board gender diversity (BGD) of the board of directors on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in the European banking sector using resource-based view (RBV) theory. In addition, this study analyses the linkages between BCD and BGD and knowledge sharing on the board of directors to improve ESG performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study selected a sample of European-listed banks covering the period 2021. ESG and diversity variables were collected from Refinitiv Eikon and analysed using the ordinary least squares model. This study was conducted in the European context regulated by Directive 95/2014/EU, which requires sustainability disclosure. The original population was represented by 250 banks; after missing data were excluded, the final sample comprised 96 European-listed banks.

Findings

The findings highlight the positive linkages between BGD, BCD and ESG scores in the European banking sector. In addition, the findings highlight that diversity contributes to knowledge sharing by improving ESG performance in a regulated sector. Nonetheless, the combined effect of BGD and BCD negatively impacts ESG performance.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to measure and analyse a regulated sector, such as banking, and the relationship between cultural and gender diversity for sharing knowledge under the RBV theory lens in the ESG framework.
Business diversification choices: do director incentives matter?
Authors: Zhang Yan
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Much prior work involving director incentives and corporate behaviour has been focussing on their absolute dollar value or the intrinsic value and generated mixed findings. Comparison theories, however, suggest that the relative value of an incentive may be the main drive for individual performance. This study attempts to investigate the role of director relative pay in promoting the board’s intervention with unrelated diversification decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis uses data from firms operating in more than one segment during the period from 1999 to 2019. Data were obtained from WRDS databases. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis and the two-stage system generalized method of moments (GMM) were run to test the hypotheses. To test the robustness of the findings, alternative proxies for the key independent variables were used in separate analyses.

Findings

The results support the hypothesis that unrelated diversification negatively impact firm performance, while higher director relative pay will help reduce unrelated business diversification. The absolute director pay, however, has no significant impact on corporate strategic choices. The results also highlight the moderating effect of director overcompensation. Director overcompensation will cancel out the impact of relative director pay on unrelated diversification.

Originality/value

This study takes a fresh theoretical perspective by framing the investigation using the dimensional comparison theory to address the single untended comparison framework in the director pay structure – the intra-individual framework. It is the first to investigate the role of director relative pay in corporate strategic choices. The findings support the contention that the relative value of the incentive is an important indicator of the effectiveness of the pay.
HRM practices in the public service: a measurement model
Authors: Demo Gisela , Costa Ana Carolina Rezende , Coura Karla Veloso
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Considering the significant increase in researchers’ interest in human resource management (HRM) in the public sector domain, this study aims to focus on producing a scale of HRM practices customized for the context of public organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Experts and semantic analysis were performed for the scale development (qualitative stage), and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis through structural equation modeling was conducted for the scale validation (quantitative stage).

Findings

The public HRM practices scale (public HRMPS) is composed of 19 items, distributed along four factors/dimensions, named training, development and education; relationship; work conditions; and competency and performance appraisal. The scale showed evidence of internal and construct validity (convergent, divergent, criterion-related and discriminant), as well as reliability and content validity.

Research limitations/implications

The public HRMPS can be applied in relational studies to test structural models of prediction, mediation and moderation to evaluate relationships with organizational behavior variables, such as leader-members exchange, engagement at work, life quality at work and well-being at work, among others.

Practical implications

The public HRMPS may also serve as a useful diagnostic tool for the decision-making process made by public managers so they can promote a strategic, evidence-based HRM. Furthermore, the transforming role of strategic HRM can be operationalized by adopting practices gathered in the public HRMPS, advancing toward new HRM strategies to promote healthier and more productive work environments.

Social implications

Healthier and more productive environments translate into real impacts for society, the first beneficiary of public services with more quality, efficiency and accountability.

Originality/value

The public HRMPS is the first attempt to produce an operationally valid and reliable measure to evaluate strategic HRM practices, responding to calls in the literature concerning the need for an integrated, comprehensive and customized HRM practices scale for the public service context.
The relationships between political-economic typology and public service satisfaction: an empirical evidence from Türkiye
Authors: Kurt Merve , Çelikay Ferdi
Published: February 2024

Purpose

There are many factors that determine consumers’ satisfaction. Specifically, the current study examines how political-economic views affect the perception of public services. This study also aims to extend the relationship between public service satisfaction and political-economic opinion from an empirical perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis process is carried out with the Microdataset of the Life Satisfaction Survey. Independent sample t-test which compares individual public service satisfaction ratings and ordinal probit regression models assesses the impacts of political-economic attitude on public service satisfaction.

Findings

According to the findings, household size and gender impact public service satisfaction. Again, service satisfaction diminishes as the education level rises. Moreover, a person’s political-economic view affects their public service satisfaction. The study has the potential to literature in terms of determining society’s political-economic view on public services with these empirical results.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s use of the state as a point of reference and quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the service exchange between the citizen and the state is a significant difference in the literature. Also, unlike the other studies, this one used microdata to test the relationship between the political-economic type and the level of satisfaction with public services at different levels. It is thought that future studies on the determinants of public service satisfaction, to be carried out in different country samples, will contribute to the field.

Practical implications

This study has implications on whether the perception of public service varies according to partisanship status.

Social implications

This study has implications on whether the perception of public service varies according to partisanship status.

Originality/value

This study determines the interaction between the political-economic typology derived from microdata and the satisfaction level variables related to public services offered at different levels. It also evaluates how public service satisfaction differs regarding personality traits and political-economic attitudes.
All I know – destination cognitive image latent profile analysis
Authors: Bratić Marija , Carmer Adam B. , Vujičić Miroslav D. , Kovačić Sanja , Stankov Uglješa , Masliković Dejan , Bujković Rajko , Nikolić Danijel , Mujkić Dino , Ćirirć Lalić Danijela
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Understanding the multifaceted images of tourism destinations is critical for effective destination marketing and management strategies. Traditional approaches, including conceptualization of destination images or analysis of their antecedents and consequences, are commonly used. This study aims to advocate the inclusion of visitors’ latent profiles based on cognitive images to enrich the evaluation and formulation of destination marketing and management strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis focuses on Serbia, an emerging destination, that attracts an increasing number of first-time, repeat and prospective visitors. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to test the potential dimensions (tangible and intangible cultural destination; infrastructural and accessible destination; active, nature and family destination; sensory and hospitable destination; and welcoming, value for money (VFM) and safe destination) of the cognitive destination image factors scale while subtypes (profiles) were obtained using latent profile analysis (LPA).

Findings

The cognitive image component encompasses the perceived attributes of a destination, whether derived from direct experience or acquired through other means. The study identified the following profiles: conventional destination; sensory and hospitable destination; welcoming, VFM and safe destination; secure and active family destination and accessible cultural destination, which are presented individually with their sociodemographic assets.

Originality/value

The main contribution of the paper is the application of a novel method (LPA) for profiling visitor segments based on cognitive destination image. From a theoretical perspective, this research contributes to the extant body of literature pertaining to the destination image, thereby facilitating the identification of discrete latent visitor segments and elucidating noteworthy differences among them concerning a cognitive image.
An integrated population model reveals source‐sink dynamics for competitively subordinate African wild dogs linked to anthropogenic prey depletion
Authors: Creel Scott , Reyes de Merkle Johnathan , Goodheart Ben , Mweetwa Thandiwe , Mwape Henry , Simpamba Twakundine , Becker Matthew S.
Published: February 2024

Many African large carnivore populations are declining due to decline of the herbivore populations on which they depend. The densities of apex carnivores like the lion and spotted hyena correlate strongly with prey density, but competitively subordinate carnivores like the African wild dog benefit from competitive release when the density of apex carnivores is low, so the expected effect of a simultaneous decrease in resources and dominant competitors is not obvious.

Wild dogs in Zambia's South Luangwa Valley Ecosystem occupy four ecologically similar areas with well‐described differences in the densities of prey and dominant competitors due to spatial variation in illegal offtake.

We used long‐term monitoring data to fit a Bayesian integrated population model (IPM) of the demography and dynamics of wild dogs in these four regions. The IPM used Leslie projection to link a Cormack–Jolly–Seber model of area‐specific survival (allowing for individual heterogeneity in detection), a zero‐inflated Poisson model of area‐specific fecundity and a state‐space model of population size that used estimates from a closed mark–capture model as the counts from which (latent) population size was estimated.

The IPM showed that both survival and reproduction were lowest in the region with the lowest density of preferred prey (puku, Kobus vardonii and impala, Aepyceros melampus), despite little use of this area by lions. Survival and reproduction were highest in the region with the highest prey density and intermediate in the two regions with intermediate prey density. The population growth rate () was positive for the population as a whole, strongly positive in the region with the highest prey density and strongly negative in the region with the lowest prey density.

It has long been thought that the benefits of competitive release protect African wild dogs from the costs of low prey density. Our results show that the costs of prey depletion overwhelm the benefits of competitive release and cause local population decline where anthropogenic prey depletion is strong. Because competition is important in many guilds and humans are affecting resources of many types, it is likely that similarly fundamental shifts in population limitation are arising in many systems.
Coupling Artificial Intelligence Capability and Strategic Agility for Enhanced Product and Service Creativity
Authors: Ameen Nisreen , Tarba Shlomo , Cheah Jun‐Hwa , Xia Senmao , Sharma Gagan Deep
Published: February 2024

Creativity is key for organizations’ ability to remain relevant in today's disruptive world. In this paper, we identify new ways in which organizations can use artificial intelligence (AI) more effectively for creativity. Drawing on the resource‐based view as a background mechanism, we developed and empirically tested a new integrative model. We collected the research data via a large survey of managers distributed to 600 organizations in China. Our findings show that coupling AI capability with strategic agility can directly support creativity. It also mediates the effects of ambidexterity, customer orientation and competitor orientation on organizations’ creativity and performance when developing new products and services. In addition, our findings show that coupling AI capability and strategic agility can significantly improve firms’ new product creativity and new service development performance when there is a high level of government institutional support. Our findings provide theoretical and practical implications for academics and practitioners interested in managing AI for organizational creativity.
Duration of rupture of membranes and microbiome transmission to the newborn: A prospective study
Authors: Ribère Maïté , Lemieux‐Labonté Virginie , Pincez Thomas , Azria Elie , Lapointe François‐Joseph
Published: February 2024

Objective

To assess whether labour variables (i.e. individuals characteristics, labour characteristics and medical interventions) impact maternal and newborn microbiomes.

Design

Prospective monocentric study.

Setting

Saint‐Joseph Hospital tertiary maternity unit, in Paris, France.

Population

All consecutive primiparous women with a physiological pregnancy and term labour from 15 April to 1 June 2017.

Methods

16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of the maternal vaginal, newborn skin and newborn oral microbiomes from 58 mother–baby dyads.

Main outcome measures

Analysis of the effects of 19 labour variables on the composition and diversity of these microbiomes.

Results

The 19 labour variables explained a significant part of the variability in the vaginal, newborn oral and skin microbiomes (44%–67%). Strikingly, duration of rupture of membranes was the single factor that explained the greatest variability (adjusted R2: 7.7%–8.4%, p ≤ 0.002) and conditioned, by itself, the compositions of the three microbiomes under study. Long duration of rupture of membranes was specifically associated with a lower relative abundance of the Lactobacillus genus (1.7‐fold to 68‐fold reduction, p < 0.0001) as well as an increase in microbiome diversity, including genera implicated in nosocomial infections. The effects of duration of rupture of membranes were also present in newborns delivered by non‐elective caesarean section.

Conclusions

Maternal and newborn microbiomes were greatly affected by labour variables. Duration of rupture of membranes, even in non‐elective caesarean sections, should be considered in epidemiological and microbiological studies, as well as in vaginal seeding practices.
Analysis of similarity among national parks in Korea: A comparison of habitat composition and species presence–absence data (Lepidoptera, aquatic insects, and higher plants)
Authors: Kang Seung‐Ho , Myeong Hyun‐Ho , Kim Sam‐kyu
Published: February 2024

A list of species of Lepidoptera, aquatic insects, and higher plant species inhabiting 22 National parks in Korea was compiled. A similarity analysis was performed to compare all National parks, and cladograms were constructed. In the case of higher plants, those inhabiting the Hallasan region were categorized as a separate group, while the plants living in National parks located near the southern and western coasts formed one group, and other terrestrial National parks were divided into two groups as follows: the Taebaek Mountain range/adjacent mountain group and the others group. Species of Lepidoptera, which appear to be related to plants, in the Hallasan, Taebaeksan, Taeanhaean, and Bukhansan mountains were each classified independently, and those in the Hallyeohaesang, Dadohaehaesang, Naejangsan, and Byeonsanbando in the southern and western parts of Korea were classified as a single group. In case of aquatic insects, those in the Hallasan, Taeanhaean, and Bukhansan region were categorized in independent groups, and other terrestrial National parks were placed in one group with high similarity. A similarity analysis was performed through a detailed classification of the habitats in National parks revealed that marine‐coastal National parks particularly showed low similarity with other mountainous National parks. In addition, other terrestrial National parks were further grouped into large and small National parks. Comparing the subject map that divided Korea into climate, vegetation, and topography, some marine‐coastal National park areas were confirmed to be distinguished from other areas. Furthermore, similarity analysis revealed that Gangwon‐do and Baekdu‐Daegan regions in Gyeongsangbuk‐do were categorized into one group with high similarity.
Characteristics and prevalence of clinical remission of rheumatoid arthritis in a nationwide study from Indonesia
Authors: Suryana Bagus Putu Putra , Hidayat Rudy , Sarmidi Sumariyono , Wibowo Suryo Anggoro Kusumo , Hamijoyo Laniyati , Rahmadi Andri Reza , Marpaung Blondina , Ginting Andi Raga , Kambayana Gede , Kurniari Pande Ketut , Sylvawani Mahriani , Najirman  , Suarjana Nyoman , Achadiono Deddy Nur Wachid , Rahmawati Lita Diah , Awalia  , Suntoko Bantar , Warlisti Ika Vemilia , Nurudhin Arief , Prabowo Nurhasan Agung , Partan Radiyati Umi , Reagan Muhammad , Adnan Endy , Ongkowijaya Jeffrey Arthur , Akil Natsir , Pratama Mirza Zaka
Published: February 2024

Aim

To investigate the clinical characteristics, DMARD treatment pattern, remission rate, and factors associated with disease remission of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in Indonesia.

Method

A multicenter survey was conducted in 2019–2020 involving 16 hospitals in Indonesia. Inclusion criteria were RA patients who fulfilled the 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria, were aged ≥18 years, and have been treated with 1 DMARD or more for at least 6 months, with exclusion criteria being the co‐existence of other autoimmune diseases or pain syndromes. Disease activities and remission rate were defined using DAS28‐ESR.

Results

A total of 870 patients were completed for analysis. Remission was achieved in 24.5% of patients, while low disease activity in 18.5%, moderate disease activity in 44.6%, and high disease activity in 12.4%. The distribution of conventional DMARDs from subjects was methotrexate 69.9%, leflunomide 15.9%, sulfasalazine 12.0%, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine 8.9%, and cyclosporine 4.8%. Patients treated with biologic DMARDs were only 0.3%. The mean methotrexate dose was 11.2 ± 4.0 mg/week, and the mean methotrexate duration was 45.1 ± 36.6 months. The majority of patients received glucocorticoids (65.5%). 71.1% received DMARD monotherapy, while 28.9% had combined DMARDs. According to the multivariate analysis, delayed time to diagnosis and treatment (>6 months), DMARD monotherapy, and glucocorticoid use were negatively associated with disease remission.

Conclusion

The remission rate of Indonesian RA patients is 24.5%, and low disease activity is 18.5%. Methotrexate and leflunomide are the most frequent conventional DMARDs used. Delayed diagnosis, delayed treatment, and DMARD monotherapy contributed to the current low remission rate in Indonesia.
Trade liberalisation and the wage premium: evidence from Thai manufacturing
Authors: Jongwanich Juthathip
Published: February 2024

This paper examines the impact of trade liberalisation on the wage premium using firm level data for Thai manufacturing as the case study. Tariff protection is applied here to represent trade liberalisation, in terms of both nominal and effective tariffs. Output and input tariffs are separately examined to assess nominal protection, while for effective rates of protection (ERP), both a traditional ERP measure and a measure incorporating possible water in tariffs and the effect of FTAs are applied. In addition to tariff protection, the impact of GVCs, considered through trade in parts and components (P&Cs), on the wage premium is investigated in the study. Our results show that firm‐specific factors are more crucial in affecting the wage premium than trade liberalisation and participation in global production networks. With trade liberalisation, only input tariffs matter in determining the wage premium while an insignificant relationship is observed when either output tariffs or ERPs are employed to reflect trade liberalisation. Participation in GVCs also has an insignificant impact on the wage premium. Wage‐skilled employment decoupling is evident in the study, that is, trade liberalisation and GVCs have a negligible influence on the wage premium but have a significant influence in the case of relatively skilled workers. Trade liberalisation tends to lower demand for skilled workers in response to cheaper imported products, while participation in global production networks encourages more skilled workers.
What ethics can say on artificial intelligence: Insights from a systematic literature review
Authors: Giarmoleo Francesco Vincenzo , Ferrero Ignacio , Rocchi Marta , Pellegrini Massimiliano Matteo
Published: February 2024

The abundance of literature on ethical concerns regarding artificial intelligence (AI) highlights the need to systematize, integrate, and categorize existing efforts through a systematic literature review. The article aims to investigate prevalent concerns, proposed solutions, and prominent ethical approaches within the field. Considering 309 articles from the beginning of the publications in this field up until December 2021, this systematic literature review clarifies what the ethical concerns regarding AI are, and it charts them into two groups: (i) ethical concerns that arise from the design of AI and (ii) ethical concerns that arise from human–AI interactions. The analysis of the obtained sample highlights the most recurrent ethical concerns. Finally, it exposes the main proposals of the literature to handle the ethical concerns according to the main ethical approaches. It interprets the findings to lay the foundations for future research on the ethics of AI.
Anhedonia in bipolar depression treated with ketamine
Authors: Wilkowska Alina , Wiglusz Mariusz S. , Arciszewska‐Leszczuk Aleksandra , Gałuszko‐Węgielnik Maria , Cubała Wiesław J.
Published: February 2024

Background

Bipolar depression is the major cause of morbidity in patients with bipolar disorder. It affects psychosocial functioning and markedly impairs occupational productivity. Anhedonia is one of the most debilitating symptoms of depression contributing to treatment resistance. It correlates with suicidality, low quality of life, social withdrawal, and poor treatment response. Currently, there is no approved treatment specifically targeting anhedonia. Emerging evidence suggests that ketamine possesses anti‐anhedonic properties in individuals with depression.

Objectives

The aim of this naturalistic open‐label study was to investigate the effect of add‐on ketamine treatment on anhedonia in treatment resistant bipolar depression.

Methods

Our main interest was the change in patient‐reported (Snaith‐Hamilton Pleasure Scale) and rater‐based anhedonia measure (Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale‐anhedonia subscale). The secondary aim was to analyze the score change in three Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology‐Self Report (IDS‐SR) domains: mood/cognition, anxiety/somatic, and sleep. Patients underwent assessments at several time points, including baseline, after the third, fifth, and seventh ketamine infusions. Additionally, a follow‐up assessment was conducted 1 week following the final ketamine administration.

Results

We found improvement in anhedonia symptoms according to both patient‐reported and rater‐based measures. The improvement in IDS‐SR domains was most prominent in anxiety/somatic factor and mood/cognition factor, improvement in sleep factor was not observed. No serious adverse events occurred.

Conclusion

Add‐on ketamine seems to be a good choice for the treatment of anhedonia in treatment resistant bipolar depression. It also showed a good effect in reducing symptoms of anxiety in this group of patients. Considering unmet needs and the detrimental effect of anhedonia and anxiety, more studies are needed on ketamine treatment in resistant bipolar depression.
The impact of preferential market access: British imports into Canada, 1892–1903
Authors: Keay Ian , Varian Brian D.
Published: February 2024

Canada initiated the formation of the (modern) imperial trade bloc in 1897 when it extended preferential market access to imports from Britain. British goods initially received a preferential reduction of one eighth of the applicable duty, rising to one quarter in 1898 and one third in 1900. Because duties varied across imported commodities, the uniform relative margins of preference resulted in cross‐commodity variation in the absolute margins of preference. This cross‐commodity variation is exploited in our paper. Relying on a data set that includes over 32,000 Canadian import products, we find that a 1 percentage‐point increase in the absolute margin of preference was associated with a 5.4% increase in the value of imports from Britain. Counterfactually, if Canada had not adopted a preferential trade policy, by 1903, the value of British imports into Canada would have been reduced by approximately one half.
Person‐reported outcomes in diabetes care: What are they and why are they so important?
Authors: Hermanns Norbert , Kulzer Bernhard , Ehrmann Dominic
Published: February 2024

In this review, we aim to show how person‐reported outcomes (PROs) and person‐reported experiences (PREs) can significantly contribute to the way diabetes care is delivered, the involvement of people with diabetes in diabetes care, and the collaboration between health care professionals and people with diabetes. This review focuses on the definition and measurement of PROs and PREs, the importance of PROs and PREs for person‐centred diabetes care, and integrating the perspectives of people with diabetes in the evaluation of medical, psychological and technological interventions. PROs have been increasingly accepted by Health Technology Assessment bodies and are therefore valued in the context of reimbursement decisions and consequently by regulators and other health care stakeholders for the allocation of health care resources. Furthermore, the review identified current challenges to the assessment and use of PROs and PREs in clinical care and research. These challenges relate to the combination of questionnaires and ecological momentary assessment for measuring PROs and PREs, lack of consensus on a core outcome set, limited sensitivity to change within many measures and insufficient standardization of what can be considered a minimal clinically important difference. Another issue that has not been sufficiently addressed is the involvement of people with diabetes in the design and development of measures to assess PROs and PREs.
Enhanced slime mould optimization with convolutional BLSTM autoencoder based malware classification in intelligent systems
Authors: Alsubai Shtwai , Dutta Ashit Kumar , Rahaman Wahab Sait Abdul , Jaish Yasser Adnan Abu , Alamer Bader Hussain , Saad Hussam Eldin Hussein , Ayub Rashid
Published: February 2024

Autonomous intelligent systems are artificial intelligence (AI) tools that act autonomously without direct human supervision. Cloud computing (CC) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies find it challenging to deploy sufficient security defences because of the different structures, storage, and limited computing capabilities that make them more vulnerable to attacks. Security threats against IoT structures, devices, and applications are increasing with the demand for IoT technology. The training data available to AI models may be limited, which could impact their performance and generalizability. Adopting AI solutions in real‐world situations may be impeded by compatibility concerns and the requirement for flawless integration. Malware classification errors can occur due to a lack of contextual knowledge, particularly in cases where benign files behave identically to malicious. Various studies were carried out on detecting IoT malware to evade the menaces posed by malicious code. However, prevailing techniques of IoT malware classification supported particular platforms or demanded complicated methods for attaining higher accuracy. This study introduces an enhanced slime mould optimization with a convolutional BLSTM autoencoder‐based malware classification (ESMO‐CBLSTMAE) system in the IoT cloud platform. The projected ESMO‐CBLSTMAE system focuses on detecting and classifying malware in the IoT cloud platform. To achieve that, the ESMO‐CBLSTMAE algorithm employs a min–max normalization technique for scaling the input dataset. The ESMO‐CBLSTMAE method uses a convolutional bidirectional long short‐term memory autoencoder (CBLSTM‐AE) model for the malware detection process. Lastly, the ESMO method is executed for the optimum hyperparameter tuning of the CBLSTM‐AE technique, which boosts the malware classification results. The experimental analysis of the ESMO‐CBLSTMAE method is tested against a benchmark database, and the outcomes portray the greater efficacy of the ESMO‐CBLSTMAE approach over other existing techniques. The proposed malware classification model achieved an accuracy of 98.57 and F Score of 80.77 and outperformed the existing models.
Implementing plantain (Plantago lanceolata) to mitigate the impact of grazing ruminants on nitrogen losses to the environment: A review
Authors: Pinxterhuis J. B. , Judson H. G. , Peterson M. E. , Navarrete S. , Minnée E. , Dodd M. B. , Davis S. R.
Published: February 2024

Urine patches from grazing ruminants contain high concentrations of nitrogen (N) and are the main source of N leaching from grazed pastoral farming systems. While there have been various options identified to substantially reduce N leaching, in general these practices increase the cost of production or reduce production per hectare. In New Zealand, multi‐species pastures were evaluated as a cheaper option that would potentially retain productivity. Early research showed these pastures had lower urinary N excretion from grazing animals and increased plant N uptake, compared with standard New Zealand perennial ryegrass/white clover (PR‐WC) pastures. Further research highlighted the beneficial attributes of the pasture herb narrow‐leaved plantain (Plantago lanceolata; PL), specifically: reduced urine N concentration, reduced urine N excretion, and reduced rate of soil nitrification. Significant reductions (14%–89%) in N leaching were found from cow urine applied to lysimeters with pastures including PL, compared with PR‐WC pasture. Paddock‐scale measurements confirmed the effects of PL, with 20%–60% lower N leaching when PL comprised 30%–40% of the dry matter (DM) of PL‐PR‐WC grazed pastures. There were no negative effects on milk production and composition when feeding PL to dairy cows, but small positive effects on fatty acid profiles. However, weed and pest management, palatability and persistence remain challenging in pastures containing PL on commercial farms. Management options need to be clarified to ensure successful establishment and maintenance of PL. Additionally, the cultivar differences in secondary compounds and their impact on nitrification rate and N leaching need to be better understood.
Artificial aging of rice using a sterilization box equipped with infrared heating and ultraviolet‐C radiation
Authors: Mahanta Nilkamal , Sharma Laipubam Gayatri , Pandey Lalit M. , Dixit Uday Shanker
Published: February 2024

Aging of rice starts from the time of its harvest and continues until it is consumed. It positively impacts the cooking and eating qualities of rice, but natural aging takes years. In this study, artificial aging of rice was carried out at 70°C using simultaneous infrared (IR) radiation heating (3.18 × 104 W/m2) for 1, 3, 5, and 7 h and ultraviolet‐C (UV‐C) irradiation (49.24 J/cm2‐h) in a designed box. IR heating at 70°C combined with UV‐C irradiation for 5 h was the optimized condition for artificial aging. At optimized conditions, the proportionate change of rice was the highest as 0.21, followed by that for naturally aged (0.15) and non‐aged (0.08). The values of elongation ratio and actual elongation after cooking were the highest in artificial aging, followed by those for naturally aged and non‐aged rice. Water uptake (%) value was also the highest for artificial aging (89.62%), followed by that for naturally aged (68.45%) and non‐aged (59.93%) rice. Furthermore, nutritional values, microstructure, and antibacterial studies were carried out at optimized conditions. No significant changes in nutritional values viz., starch, protein, and fat were observed in artificially aged rice in comparison to one‐year‐old naturally aged rice. Electron microscopy analysis showed no changes in the structure of starch granules, which further revealed no adverse effect of IR radiation heating on the microstructure of rice. Results from the spread plate assay showed no growth of bacterial colony indicating the antibacterial effectiveness of artificial aging. Thus, simultaneous artificial aging as well as surface disinfection of rice can be carried out by combining IR radiation heating and UV‐C irradiation. These observations endorsed the effectiveness of the designed box for the artificial aging of rice without compromising the cooking and nutritional qualities. A preliminary sensory test was conducted. Overall, an efficient, inexpensive, and easy‐to‐handle artificial aging combined with surface disinfection was accomplished.
Comparison of the effect of topical triamcinolone 0.1% cream with sulfur 2.0% cream in the treatment of patients with hand eczema: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Asilian Ali , Mohammadian Parisa , Hosseini Seyed Mohsen , Heidaripour Farzad , Yekta Amir , Nateghi Mohammad Reza
Published: February 2024

Background

Hand eczema (HE) is a common and heterogeneous condition. It has a wide range of etiologies and clinical manifestations. In this study the efficacy of triamcinolone 0.1% cream and sulfur 2% creams was compared in treating patients with HE.

Methods

This randomized, triple‐blind clinical trial was performed on 70 patients with HE (including 70 right and 70 left hands). In this study, two creams were used including triamcinolone 0.1% and sulfur 2.0%. Patients were treated with these creams twice a day (once in every 12 h) for 4 weeks. Follow‐up was 4 weeks after treatment. Hand Eczema Severity Index (HECSI), itching, dryness, burning sensation, and erythema scores were collected three times during the study and compared between treatment regimens.

Results

Findings showed that both triamcinolone (0.1%) and sulfur (2.0%) creams could significantly reduce the scores of HECSI, itching, dryness, burning sensation, and erythema, and the therapeutic effects lasted for at least 4 weeks after cessation of topical treatment.

Conclusion

Topical sulfur cream (2.0%) is as effective as triamcinolone (0.1%) cream in treatment of HE without any prominent adverse reactions.
Diagnostic values of ten methods in patients with onychomycosis: A network meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhao Yan , Wang Xinwei , Lu Changyu
Published: February 2024

Background

Onychomycosis, a disease was with a high global prevalence, has been the focal point of this study. The research aims to compare diagnostic efficacy among various methods, including potassium hydroxide (KOH), Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), specific colour staining (Chlorazol, lactophenol cotton blue and Chicago sky blue stain), fluorescent staining (calcofluor white stain, acridine orange fluorescent dye), culture on dermatophyte test medium (DTM), conventional PCR, dermoscopy, histopathological examination using PAS stain (HEP‐PAS), real‐time PCR and multiple PCR. This comparison was achieved through a network meta‐analysis involving patients with onychomycosis.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search was conducted across eight databases. Subsequently, both direct and indirect evidence were amalgamated to assess sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy. This combination analysis helped to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) values of the nine different methods, providing an in‐depth perspective on diagnosing onychomycosis.

Results

The network meta‐analysis integrated 20 eligible diagnostic trials. The results exhibited that DTM provided higher sensitivity, NPV and accuracy, as indicated by SUCRA values. Meanwhile, DMSO demonstrated higher specificity and positive predictive value in terms of SUCRA values. Among the nine methods, fluorescent staining showcased comparatively superior sensitivity, specificity, NPV, PPV and accuracy. Furthermore, a cluster analysis indicated that DTM held the highest diagnostic value for sensitivity and accuracy among the nine techniques, with fluorescence staining ranking second.

Conclusion

This network meta‐analysis strengthens the evidence suggesting that fluorescence staining exhibits strong diagnostic value in onychomycosis. This finding bears diagnostic implications for onychomycosis.
Assessing the prevalence and potential drivers of food insecurity and the relationship with mental wellbeing in UK university students: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Aldubaybi Afnan A. , Coneyworth Lisa J. , Jethwa Preeti H.
Published: February 2024

Food insecurity (FI) among university students in the United States has been associated with poor mental wellbeing, but very little is known about the relationship between FI and mental wellbeing in the UK university population. Here we examined the prevalence of FI, determined potential drivers for it and its relationship with mental wellbeing and coping ability. Students studying at UK universities (n = 289) completed an online self‐reported questionnaire to obtain socio‐economic characteristics including financial status, FI status (Household Food Insecurity Access scale), mental wellbeing (Warwick‐Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale) and coping ability (coping flexibility scale). FI was observed in 28% of the participants and was associated with financial independence, running out of money, borrowing money and lacking confidence to purchase healthy foods (p < 0.05). Although we cannot determine directionality, logistic regression analysis revealed those who were judged as FI were more likely to shop often (OR = 3.139 95% CI 1.533–6.429), never snacked between meals (OR = 4.261 95% CI 1.309–13.875) and the amount of food purchased was affected by perceptions of the price of food in general (OR = 2.954 95% CI 1.675–5.210). Financial instability and the inability to access nutritious food may contribute to the decrease in mental wellbeing (p < 0.01) and lower ability to cope with stressful situations (p < 0.01) in food‐insecure students although the direction of these relationships cannot be determined from this cross‐sectional study. This study has identified that there is a need to develop appropriate strategies to combat FI in university students and to improve mental health.
Atención recibida por las publicaciones en revistas biomédicas colombianas indexadas, medida por métricas alternativas
Authors: Muñoz Velandia Oscar Mauricio , Gómez Quesada Yalinne , Patiño Hernández Daniela , Fernández Ávila Daniel Gerardo
Published: February 2024

Introducción: No existe un análisis consolidado de la atención que recibe la información científica publicada en las revistas biomédicas colombianas en internet y redes sociales. Objetivo: Describir el impacto de los artículos publicados en dichas revistas mediante métricas alternativas. Métodos: Estudio observacional descriptivo que evalúa artículos publicados entre enero de 2017 y septiembre de 2019 en las revistas biomédicas colombianas indexadas en Scopus e ISI Web of Science. Para cada artículo se evaluaron las menciones registradas por la herramienta Altmetric (número, fuentes y características de las personas que compartieron la información), y se realizó un ranking de los mejores artículos. Resultados: Se evaluaron 2934 artículos publicados en 18 revistas colombianas. El 18,2 % tenía menciones en la red. La mayoría de las menciones aparecieron en Mendeley (73,8 %) y Twitter (18,4 %). Las revistas con mayor proporción de artículos mencionados en Altmetric fueron Biomédica (61,5 %) y la Revista Colombiana de Urología (57,4 %). El 82 % de las cuentas en Twitter que compartían la información pertenecían a público general. El 46,2 % de los usuarios residía en Colombia. Conclusiones: El estudio sugiere que existe espacio para mejorar en la diseminación de la información científica en la internet en general, por parte de autores y revistas biomédicas en Colombia.
Creep Behaviour of the Gas Turbine Parts With the Dissimilar Materials
Authors: Sambandam Manoharan , Colantoni Simone
Published: February 2024

Gas turbine parts defining the flow-path of the turbine section are normally made of high-grade material due to its severe operating conditions. Transition duct which provides aerodynamic coupling between high-pressure and low-pressure turbine modules define the flow-path and thus are made of high-grade material fabrication. This part is typically subjected to huge thermal and mechanical loads requiring a thorough design assessment to verify the fulfillment with respect to the product requirement. Careful consideration of various design requirements in selection of the material is very vital in keeping the cost of the gas turbine under control while achieving the durability requirements. These parts defining the flow-path are designed in such a way that the thermal induced stress is within the material capability. To achieve this requirement, the part is restrained in such a way that it remains at the desired position during the operation. Despite this consideration, thermal induced stress is unavoidable due the internal constraints wherein one side is exposed to the flue-gas and the other side is exposed to the cooling medium to keep the part’s operating temperature within the material capability. This causes the thermal gradient across the part cross-section resulting in thermal induced stress. Adding to this, the fabrication requires material selection from wrought and cast form to minimize the cost while fulfilling the product requirements. Material capability of these two forms of the same material possess marginally differing material characteristics. Due to these dissimilar material characteristics and the presence of weld material is expected to result in differential thermal expansion and thus significant thermal induced stress at the interface. The stress induced thus poses a limitation and scope of material separation under the extended operation of the gas turbine. Sample case studies using finite element analysis are performed to understand the creep behavior at the interface before application into the finite element analysis of the design under consideration. All the probable combinations of materials and numerical simulations are verified in this case study for a better understanding. The understanding from this case study is applied into the finite element analysis of the transition duct with all the probable material combinations and studied its creep behavior. This structured approach facilitated in completing the design evaluation within the project schedule and keep the cost within the target. This paper is intended to describe the steps followed in studying the creep behavior of the gas turbine transition duct made in dissimilar material.
Gas Turbine Nozzle Repair by Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Patel Mihir , Kraleti Pradeep Kumar , Wagh Rahul
Published: February 2024

During planned or even unplanned maintenance, timing is key, to quickly return in full operation. Sometimes having quickly, a Component repaired (or replaced) is essential to ensure production and plant profitability. In this context Additive Manufacturing can help to have Turbomachinery Components at the best time possible, with relentless quality and adaption of novel design to improve performance. The Turbomachinery component is defined as the component used in Gas Turbine made by either conventional manufacturing like casting, forging or additive etc., and are designed with complex internal structures which are difficult to repair. A case study on Gas turbine Nozzle trailing edge repair to reduce turnaround time following Baker Hughes rigorous repair qualification process from repair to validation strategy is presented.