bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization and performance evaluation of the XSPA-500k detector using synchrotron radiation
Authors: Nakaye Yasukazu , Sakumura Takuto , Sakuma Yasutaka , Mikusu Satoshi , Dawiec Arkadiusz , Orsini Fabienne , Grybos Pawel , Szczygiel Robert , Maj Piotr , Ferrara Joseph D. , Taguchi Takeyoshi 
Published: February 2021

Hybrid photon counting (HPC) detectors are widely used at both synchrotron facilities and in-house laboratories. The features of HPC detectors, such as no readout noise, high dynamic range, high frame rate, excellent point spread function, no blurring etc. along with fast data acquisition, provide a high-performance detector with a low detection limit and high sensitivity. Several HPC detector systems have been developed around the world. A number of them are commercially available and used in academia and industry. One of the important features of an HPC detector is a fast readout speed. Most HPC detectors can easily achieve over 1000 frames s−1, one or two orders of magnitude faster than conventional CCD detectors. Nevertheless, advanced scientific challenges require ever faster detectors in order to study dynamical phenomena in matter. The XSPA-500k detector can achieve 56 kframes s−1 continuously, without dead-time between frames. Using `burst mode', a special mode of the UFXC32k ASIC, the frame rate reaches 1 000 000 frames s−1. XSPA-500k was fully evaluated at the Metrology beamline at Synchrotron SOLEIL (France) and its readout speed was confirmed by tracking the synchrotron bunch time structure. The uniformity of response, modulation transfer function, linearity, energy resolution and other performance metrics were also verified either with fluorescence X-rays illuminating the full area of the detector or with the direct beam.
Improving assessment accountability in initial teacher education programs through benchmarking
Authors: Knaus Marianne June , Kirk Gill , Roberts Pauline , Barblett Lennie , Adkin Bev 
Published: February 2021

PurposeIn Australia, political imperatives that drive the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) call for a new understanding of assessment at the tertiary level. Assessment strategies are under the microscope to provide accountability but are increasingly called to measure a wider set of attributes considered important in equipping graduates to meet 21st century opportunities and challenges. This paper reports on a shared benchmarking exercise between two universities to ensure the current assessment strategies in their undergraduate early childhood programs meet such requirements.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using qualitative methodology and conceptualised using an interpretivist frame that enabled the collaborative groups to socially construct the meaning of assessment and identify what was specific, unique and different across the two programs. A cross-case analysis enabled a robust examination of the data.FindingsFindings identified key structural and procedural differences between the two benchmarked university programs in terms of cohort size, university policies around assessment points, the use of exams and the choices surrounding professional experience placements.Practical implicationsImplications of the research note the complexity of contextual factors such as university policies on assessment and the impact these have on the quality of assessment.Originality/valueThis paper is unique in that it used the conceptual framework for self-evaluation from TEQSA and followed their six key phases of benchmarking.
Measuring operational efficiency of isolation hospitals during COVID-19 pandemic using data envelopment analysis: a case of Egypt
Authors: Kamel Mahmoud Abdelrahman , Mousa Mohamed El-Sayed 
Published: February 2021

PurposeThis study used Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to measure and evaluate the operational efficiency of 26 isolation hospitals in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as identifying the most important inputs affecting their efficiency.Design/methodology/approachTo measure the operational efficiency of isolation hospitals, this paper combined three interrelated methodologies including DEA, sensitivity analysis and Tobit regression, as well as three inputs (number of physicians, number of nurses and number of beds) and three outputs (number of infections, number of recoveries and number of deaths). Available data were analyzed through R v.4.0.1 software to achieve the study purpose.FindingsBased on DEA analysis, out of 26 isolation hospitals, only 4 were found efficient according to CCR model and 12 out of 26 hospitals achieved efficiency under the BCC model, Tobit regression results confirmed that the number of nurses and the number of beds are common factors impacted the operational efficiency of isolation hospitals, while the number of physicians had no significant effect on efficiency.Research limitations/implicationsThe limits of this study related to measuring the operational efficiency of isolation hospitals in Egypt considering the available data for the period from February to August 2020. DEA analysis can also be an important benchmarking tool for measuring the operational efficiency of isolation hospitals, for identifying their ability to utilize and allocate their resources in an optimal manner (Demand vs Capacity Dilemma), which in turn, encountering this pandemic and protect citizens' health.Originality/valueDespite the intensity of studies that dealt with measuring hospital efficiency, this study to the best of our knowledge is one of the first attempts to measure the efficiency of hospitals in Egypt in times of health' crisis, especially, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to identify the best allocation of resources to achieve the highest level of efficiency during this pandemic.
Emergency management system design for accurate data: a cognitive analytics management approach
Authors: Tarhini Abbas , Balozain Puzant , Srour F.Jordan 
Published: February 2021

PurposeThis paper uses a cognitive analytics management approach to analyze, understand and solve the problems facing the implementation of information systems and help management do the needed changes to enhance such a critical process; the emergency management system in the health industry is analyzed as a case study.Design/methodology/approachCognitive analytics management (CAM) framework (Osman and Anouz, 2014) is used. Cognitive process: The right questions are asked to understand the behavior of every process and the flow of its corresponding data; critical data variables were identified, guidelines for identifying data sources were set. Analytics process: Techniques of data analytics were applied to the selected data sets, problems were identified in user–system interaction and in the system design. The analysis process helped the management in the management process to make right decisions for the right change.FindingsUsing the CAM framework, the analysis to the Lebanese Red Cross case study identified system user-behavior problems and also system design problems. It identified cases where distributed subsystems are vulnerable to time keeping errors and helped the management make knowledgeable decisions to overcome major obstacles by implementing several changes related to hardware design, software implementation, human resource training, operational and human-technology changes. CAM is a novel and feasible software engineering approach for handling system failures.Originality/valueThe paper uses CAM framework as an approach to overcome system failures and help management do the needed changes to enhance such a critical process. This work contributes to the software engineering literature by introducing CAM as a new agile methodology to be used when dealing with system failures. Furthermore, this study is an action research that validated the CAM theoretical framework in a health emergency context in Lebanon.
Racial characteristics of areas and police decisions to arrest in traffic stops: multilevel analysis of contextual racial effects
Authors: Zhang Yan , Zhang Lening 
Published: February 2021

PurposeThe present study assesses the contextual racial effects on police decisions to arrest in traffic stops.Design/methodology/approachA hierarchical logistic regression model is conducted using data collected from the Houston Police Department and US census.FindingsThe authors’ multilevel analysis indicates that the racial effect on police decision to arrest is more likely to be contextual than individual. Black and Hispanic drivers have no significant difference from White drivers in police decisions to arrest when area variations are controlled. In contrast, the concentrations of Blacks and other racial minorities in areas are significantly associated with the chance of being arrested by police in traffic stops. However, as the level of racial diversity increases in an area, the chance of being arrested is likely to decrease.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates the importance of racial characteristics of areas in the study of racial profiling and related police practice.
Thwarted psychological needs: the negative impact of customer mistreatment on service employees and the moderating role of empowerment HRM practices
Authors: Chen Jiuming , Kang Haiying , Wang Ying , Zhou Mingjian 
Published: February 2021

PurposeDrawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this study aims to understand the adverse effects of customer mistreatment on employee performance and well-being by thwarting the satisfaction of employees' basic psychological needs. It also examines how these negative effects may be mitigated by empowerment human resource management (HRM) practices.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies were conducted using survey data collected in China. In Study 1, cross-sectional data from 321 telemarketing employees were analyzed to examine how customer mistreatment reduces the satisfaction of employees' basic psychological needs, harming job performance and job satisfaction. In Study 2, multiwave, multisource data were collected from 149 property agents and their supervisors to replicate the findings of Study 1 and further test empowerment HRM as a moderator of the relationship between customer mistreatment and satisfaction of needs.FindingsThe results from both studies show that customer mistreatment leads to low job performance and job satisfaction via reduced satisfaction of employees' needs for autonomy and competence but not relatedness. Moreover, the negative effect on the satisfaction of employees' needs for autonomy and competence was buffered when organizations had high empowerment HRM practices in place.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights on customer mistreatment by understanding its effects from a motivational perspective, which has not been considered in prior research. It also explores how HRM practices can help satisfy employee needs in adverse work environments induced by customer mistreatment.
Exposing policy gaps: the experience of Kazakhstan in implementing distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Bokayev Baurzhan , Torebekova Zulfiya , Abdykalikova Marta , Davletbayeva Zhuldyz 
Published: February 2021

Purpose
The purpose of this study is analysing the experince of Kazakhstan in implementing distance/online learning during pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all areas of social and economic life, including education. More than 1.3 billion students worldwide have switched to online/distance learning. In Kazakhstan, more than 6 million active participants in the educational process are navigating this online migration. There is significant criticism of the process among the general population, demanding scholarly investigations into the government’s actions.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper examines the re-organization of education in Kazakhstan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods to uncover this included an express survey of 31,300 households, in interviews with 65 parents, 15 children, 9 school/college/university administration and teachers and 15 representatives of the Government of Kazakhstan, and in analyses of statistical and regulatory documents.

Findings
This study finds that the government of Kazakhstan has faced significant issues in the transition to distance/online learning due to weak internet infrastructure and a lack of effective interaction with all stakeholders, as well as biased statistical and analytical information.

Originality/value
The pandemic has functioned as a test of government readiness for crisis and has exposed several fault lines where official development policy has been ineffective. While the “gap” between policy and outcome is often attributed to failures in local implementation, the unique factors at play here – an interested citizenry and committed teachers – show that considerably more work has to be put into bringing “best practices” from developed countries to developing ones.
Assessing unintended human‐mediated dispersal using visitation networks
Authors: Runghen Rogini , Bramon Mora Bernat , Godoy‐Lorite Antonia , Stouffer Daniel B. 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Human visitors are associated with the unintended dispersal of weeds, seeds and pathogens across ecological communities. With the increasing popularity of nature‐based tourism, access to protected areas has increased, in turn increasing the risks of unintended dispersal of exotic species to these areas.

Here, we assess the potential contribution of both international and domestic visitors travelling within New Zealand to the spread of exotic species. To get an overview of the visitors’ travelling patterns across the country, we constructed visitation networks at two spatial scales—a regional scale (which is a coarse scale) and a local territorial scale (which is a finer scale).

We then used a Mixed Membership Stochastic Block Model to identify characteristic groups of visitors and places based on the similarities of the visitors’ travelling patterns across the country. Overall, we found that there are 10 characteristic groups of visitors travelling to 12 characteristic groups of places at the regional scale and 6 characteristic groups of visitors travelling to 6 characteristic groups of places at the territorial scale.

The resulting characteristic travelling patterns of the visitors across New Zealand further allowed us to estimate the different visitor groups’ likelihood to travel to protected areas. Overall, we found that some visitor groups are much more likely than others to travel to protected areas of high protection status, at both spatial scales.

Synthesis and applications. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for human behaviour—that is, understanding how visitors travel to places—when assessing human‐mediated dispersal. More specifically, we illustrate how to assess the relative contribution of a potential vector dispersing exotic species based on their travelling patterns—especially in cases where the target exotic species are not yet identified or when there is limited information regarding the dispersal routes of exotic species and their potential vectors. As a result, our work offers a holistic perspective on human‐mediated dispersal of exotic species. Moreover, it provides a potential baseline against which both field biologists and practitioners can identify areas that would benefit from further investigation to better understand invasion processes in their focal systems.
Phytic acid and its interactions: Contributions to protein functionality, food processing, and safety
Authors: Wang Ruican , Guo Shuntang 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIs phytic acid (IP6) an undesirable constituent for vegetables and foods? This question is getting harder to answer. Phytic acid contributes to mineral/protein deficiency, but also brings about potential physiological benefits. Both the positive and negative effects boil down to the interactions among IP6, metal ions, and biopolymers. In the wake of the booming market of plant‐based foods, an unbiased understanding of these interactions and their impacts on the foods themselves is a necessity to the smart control and utilization of plant‐sourced phytates. This overview presents updated knowledge of IP6‐related interactions, with a strong focus on their contributions to food functionality, processability, and safety.
Preparation and antioxidant activity of selenium nanoparticles decorated by polysaccharides from Sargassum fusiforme
Authors: Wang Tian , Zhao Hongying , Bi Yongguang , Fan Xiaodan 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn this study, the response surface method was employed to optimize the extraction conditions of the ultrasonic‐assisted extraction of Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharides (SFPS). The effects of four independent variables (hot water extraction time, ultrasonic time, ultrasonic power, and material‐to‐liquid ratio) on the extraction rate of SFPS were tested. In addition, the SFPS functionalized nanoselenium (SFPS‐SeNPs) was prepared by chemical reduction method, whose characterization and in vitro antioxidant activity were investigated. The results showed that the yield of the crude SFPS was 25.8% at the optimal conditions of material‐to‐liquid ratio 1:50 (w/v), ultrasonic power 200 W, ultrasonic time 15 min, and water bath time 130 min. A series of characterization experiments showed that the SFPS‐SeNPs performed higher dispersion and stability than naked SeNPs. Furthermore, the in vitro antioxidant activity assay indicated that SFPS functioned as a modifier improved the free radical scavenging activity of SeNPs significantly. In conclusion, this study provided a method to extract SFPS as a carrier for SeNPs, and SFPS‐SeNPs could not only improve the stability of SeNPs, but also exerted the biological activities of SFPS.Practical ApplicationThis research provided new ideas for the application of SFPS and the development of nanoselenium preparation carriers.
The silent occurrence of cerebral small vessel disease in nonelderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Fang Fang , Cao Rong , Luo Qian , Ge Renbin , Lai Mengyu , Yang Jiaying , Ma Mingming , Kang Mei , Zhang Lei , Wang Yufan , Peng Yongde 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe prevalence of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) increases in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), exacerbating cognitive decline. However, the prevalence and the severity of SVD in dementia‐free nonelderly T2DM patients were largely unknown. Our primary aim is to investigate SVD in such patients, with a specific focus on the correlation between SVD and diabetic peripheral sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSP).MethodsWe recruited 180 young and middle‐aged subjects without cognitive impairment (106 with T2DM, 74 controls). Signs of cerebral SVD on magnetic resonance image were investigated, and the overall SVD burden was evaluated by a combined score. Patients with T2DM underwent further detailed DSP assessment. Regression models were used to investigate the association of SVD with the presence of T2DM, and the associations of the prevalence and severity of SVD and DSP were also explored in patients with T2DM.ResultsThe prevalence of microbleeds and overall burden of SVD were significantly higher in T2DM patients than in the controls. Further, the presence of DSP related to an increased risk of SVD after adjustment in diabetic group. Moreover, Toronto Clinical Scoring System values were positively associated with the increased SVD scores, and bilateral sural sensory nerve conduction velocities were negatively associated with increasingly severity of SVD scores.ConclusionThe current findings extended the increasing prevalence of SVD to dementia‐free nonelderly patients with T2DM, suggesting that the time for cognitive screening and prevention might be moved forward in T2DM patients, especially for those with DSP.
Identifying flow modules in ecological networks using Infomap
Authors: Farage Carmel , Edler Daniel , Eklöf Anna , Rosvall Martin , Pilosof Shai 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAnalysing how species interact in modules is a fundamental problem in network ecology. Theory shows that a modular network structure can reveal underlying dynamic ecological and evolutionary processes, influence dynamics that operate on the network and affect the stability of the ecological system.Although many ecological networks describe flows, such as biomass flows in food webs or disease transmission, most modularity analyses have ignored network flows, which can hinder our understanding of the interplay between structure and dynamics.Here we present Infomap, an established method based on network flows to the field of ecological networks. Infomap is a flexible tool that can identify modules in virtually any type of ecological network and is particularly useful for directed, weighted and multilayer networks. We illustrate how Infomap works on all these network types. We also provide a fully documented repository with additional ecological examples. Finally, to help researchers to analyse their networks with Infomap, we introduce the open‐sourceRpackageinfomapecology.Analysing flow‐based modularity is useful across ecology and transcends to other biological and non‐biological disciplines. A dynamic approach for detecting modular structure has strong potential to provide new insights into the organisation of ecological networks.
Adding vaping restrictions to smoke‐free air laws: associations with conventional and electronic cigarette use
Authors: Friedman Abigail S. , Oliver Jon F. , Busch Susan H. 
Published: February 2021

ABSTRACTBackground and AimsIn the United States, some states and localities have added vaping restrictions to established smoke‐free indoor air laws in order to reduce electronic cigarette use. Yet, if smokers use e‐cigarettes to quit, such restrictions could have the unintended effect of attenuating the original smoke‐free air policy’s effects on smoking. This study estimated changes in current smoking, past‐year smoking cessation, and recent vaping following the introduction of smoke‐ and vape‐free air laws.DesignObservational study of nationally representative data from the 2014–2018 National Health Interview Survey.SettingUnited States.Participants/Cases87 334 participants, 18–54 years of age.MeasurementsMultivariable linear regressions estimated the association between increased exposure to smoke‐ and vape‐free worksite and restaurant laws and self‐reported current smoking and recent vaping among emerging adults (ages 18–25), as well as past‐12‐month smoking cessation among prime age adults (ages 26–54). All regressions adjusted for respondent sociodemographic and other tobacco control policies, along with state and year fixed effects.FindingsSmoke‐free worksite laws were associated with significant reductions in the likelihood of current smoking (
= − 0.050, 95% CI: −0.098, −0.002, P = 0.038) and recent vaping (
= − 0.040, 95% CI: −0.072, −0.007, P = 0.013), as well as increases in the likelihood of smoking cessation (
= 0.026, 95% CI: 0.000, 0.052, P = 0.046). Adding vaping restrictions to smoke‐free worksite laws did not yield further reductions in recent vaping (
= 0.008, 95% CI: −0.021, 0.036, P = 0.568) and counteracted over half of the estimated association with current smoking relative to smoke‐free policies alone (
= 0.030, 95% CI: −0.028, 0.088, P = 0.301).ConclusionsFrom 2014 to 2018, increased adoption of smoke‐free worksite laws in the United States was associated with reductions in both current smoking and recent vaping, as well as increases in smoking cessation. Adding vaping restrictions to smoke‐free worksite laws, however, was not associated with a reduction in recent vaping among emerging adults and may have attenuated the smoke‐free policy’s impact on current smoking in this age group.