bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Information disclosure and credit card repayments: evidence from Malaysia
Authors: Sahul Hamid Fazelina , Loke Yiing Jia 
Published: August 2021

PurposeThis study analyzes the role of information disclosure in influencing credit card repayments by focusing on three intervention methods for improving repayment decisions among credit cardholders.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the survey method to collect data. Four questionnaires are designed to identify which types of disclosure elicit better repayment decisions among credit cardholders. The participants were approached using the mall intercept method, and a total of 1,775 responses were obtained.FindingsEstimations using means comparison tests show that not providing minimum payment information improves repayments. The expected benefits are not delivered by the provision of higher minimum payment information or additional information that highlights the negative effects of making the minimum repayment only. Further analysis using logit estimation reconfirms the benefit of not providing minimum payment information. However, when such information is given, low minimum payment information elicits better repayment decisions than high minimum payment information or additional information. Repayment worsens under the additional information condition compared to the high minimum payment condition.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study have a bearing on the decisions of policy makers, credit card issuers and consumers.Originality/valueThis paper clarifies the role of information in improving debt repayment decisions.
Investigating the role of social identification on impulse buying in mobile social commerce: a cross-cultural comparison
Authors: Chen Shang , Min Qingfei , Xu Xuefei 
Published: August 2021

PurposeAs social commerce migrates to the mobile platform, mobile social commerce (ms–commerce), an emerging way of conducting social commerce in the mobile environment, is gaining popularity among mobile users. Although impulse buying in social commerce has been the focus of scholars in recent years, individuals' impulse-buying behavior in ms–commerce has not been highlighted and therefore is worth investigating. This study addressed that gap by differentiating and monitoring the impacts that three key targets of social identification in ms–commerce exerted on impulse buying. Furthermore, previous studies had highlighted the importance of culture in impulse buying in other contexts, so the authors examined how the effects of the key identification targets differed across cultures, as a result of cultural diversity among the ms–commerce users. Finally, the authors drew upon the lens of information technology (IT) affordances to explore how different combinations of ms–commerce affordances influenced each target of identification.Design/methodology/approachThis research first applied a qualitative methodology by using semi-structured interviews with 27 ms–commerce users to extract the relevant subdimensions of IT affordances in ms–commerce. Then, the authors tested their hypotheses with survey data collected from the United States and China.FindingsThe results clearly illustrate that three key targets of social identification had varying impacts on impulse buying in different cultural dimensions. In addition, nearly all of the proposed IT affordances in ms–commerce aided users in building multiple identifications, to various degrees.Originality/valueThis study extends social commerce research by examining the important role that social identification plays in impulse buying in the mobile environment. Moreover, unlike previous studies that mainly had focused on ordinary buying in social commerce across cultures, this study investigated the relative importance of the targets of social identification on impulse buying in different espoused cultural dimensions. Importantly, the authors used a technology affordance lens to also uncover the context-specific stimulators of separate identification targets, thus going beyond the existing body of knowledge that focused on general beliefs.
The effectiveness of using digital platforms to practice English during the COVID-19 crisis as perceived by Ecuadorian students
Authors: Estrella Felix 
Published: August 2021

PurposeThis mixed-methods research aimed to investigate students’ opinions on the effectiveness of using digital platforms to carry on their learning process.Design/methodology/approachThis is a mixed-methods research. One hundred students, registered in the last English course of their curriculum, took part in the investigation. They filled out a Likert-scale survey using the criteria for CALL evaluation. During the data analysis of the quantitative section of the research, a chi-square of 15.0672 and a p-value of 0.519719 were obtained, making this result not significant at p < 0.05. A Levene test of variance equality was performed on the resulting data to confirm the results. Personal interviews were carried out to triangulate the previous results.FindingsThis study determined that Ecuadorian undergraduate students have a negative perception of the usefulness of using a digital class to learn English. These results have important implications for teachers who must work harder during these times of COVID-19 to attain students' attention.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is limited by its conception of qualitative methods. This limitation also opens the door for further studies. The quantitative and mixed methods studies are suggested to confirm the results obtained here.Practical implicationsThis study has practical implications for teachers and language center managers. They can use the information attained to adapt their teachings in order to improve these results. Managers will benefit from it as they can plan for teacher training considering the comments given by students.Social implicationsThe social implication of this study is that the students, through their comments, have implied the need of having some sort of socialization and ERT does not permit such.Originality/valueThis paper has value as it closes the gap of information regarding the use of this new teaching modality attained from Latin American countries and more specifically from Ecuador.
Training characteristics and employees' performance among the nurses in Pakistan
Authors: Bhatti Mitho Khan , Soomro Bahadur Ali , Shah Naimatullah 
Published: August 2021

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the training characteristics and employees' performance among the nurses in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed cross-sectional data through random sampling of trained health nurses from the Government sector hospitals of Pakistan. The survey questionnaire is applied as the primary tool to acquire data. In total, the authors utilized 306 valid cases to infer the final results.FindingsThe structural equation modeling (SEM) underlines a positive and significant impact of cognitive ability and performance goal on employees' performance. On the other hand, there is an insignificant impact of motivation to learn on performance among the nurses of Pakistan.Practical implicationsBroadly, the findings of the study would provide some new insights to understand the performance of nurses in the health care sector through the outcomes of the training characteristics. Further, the results would be a way out to make a better quality of health care enhanced with the support of training. It may contribute to the growth in quality of work and improve work productivity by boosting up and uplifting training characteristics. The research arena would enrich the inclusive theoretical framework of performance and contribute to the domain literature and methodological validation.Originality/valueThe study confirms the role of training characteristics towards performance among the nurses of the public health sector of Pakistan. The investigation would further validate the impact of cognitive ability and the motivation to learn and performance goals on performance globally.
The birth of intelligent passive room acoustic technology: a qualitative review
Authors: Burfoot Megan , Ghaffarianhoseini Amirhosein , Naismith Nicola , GhaffarianHoseini Ali 
Published: August 2021

PurposeInformed by acoustic design standards, the built environments are designed with single reverberation times (RTs), a trade-off between long and short RTs needed for different space functions. A range of RTs should be achievable in spaces to optimise the acoustic comfort in different aural situations. This paper proclaims a novel concept: Intelligent passive room acoustic technology (IPRAT), which achieves real-time room acoustic optimisation through the integration of passive variable acoustic technology (PVAT) and acoustic scene classification (ASC). ASC can intelligently identify changing aural situations, and PVAT can physically vary the RT.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative best-evidence synthesis method is used to review the available literature on PVAT and ASC.FindingsFirst, it is highlighted that dynamic spaces should be designed with varying RTs. The review then exposes a gap of intelligently adjusting RT according to changing building function. A solution is found: IPRAT, which integrates PVAT and ASC to uniquely fill this literature gap.Originality/valueThe development, functionality, benefits and challenges of IPRAT offer a holistic understanding of the state-of-the-art IPRAT, and a use case example is provided. Going forward, it is concluded that IPRAT can be prototyped and its impact on acoustic comfort can be quantified.
Improving performance of the hospitalization process by applying the principles of Lean Thinking
Authors: Fiorillo Antonella , Sorrentino Alfonso , Scala Arianna , Abbate Vincenzo , Dell'aversana Orabona Giovanni 
Published: August 2021

PurposeThe goal was to improve the quality of the hospitalization process and the management of patients, allowing the reduction of costs and the minimization of the preoperative Length of Hospital Stay (LOS).Design/methodology/approachThe methodology used to improve the quality of the hospitalization process and patient management was Lean Thinking. Therefore, the Lean tools (Value stream map and Ishikawa diagram) were used to identify waste and inefficiencies, improving the process with the implementation of corrective actions. The data was collected through personal observations, patient interviews, brainstorming and from printed medical records of 151 patients undergoing oral cancer surgery in the period from 2006 to 2018.FindingsThe authors identified, through Value Stream Map, waste and inefficiencies during preoperative activities, consequently influencing preoperative LOS, considered the best performance indicator. The main causes were identified through the Ishikawa diagram, allowing reflection on possible solutions. The main corrective action was the introduction of the pre-hospitalization service. A comparative statistical analysis showed the significance of the solutions implemented. The average preoperative LOS decreased from 4.90 to 3.80 days (−22.40%) with a p-value of 0.001.Originality/valueThe methodology allowed to highlight the improvement of the patient hospitalization process with the introduction of the pre-hospitalization service. Therefore, by adopting the culture of continuous improvement, the flow of hospitalization was redrawn. The benefits of the solutions implemented are addressed to the patient in terms of lower LOS and greater service satisfaction and to the hospital for lower patient management costs and improved process quality. This article will be useful for those who need examples on how to apply Lean tools in healthcare.
Can we teach race and equity?
Authors: Krause Inga‐Britt 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThis paper highlights the question, often asked, why does racism persist despite the many attempts to eradicate it? The paper provides some answers, first for social relations generally and second for systemic psychotherapy. Central to the answers is an acknowledgement of the obstacles in both spheres to address the structures, systems, organisation and processes which lie behind conceptualisations of race, racism, identity and relationships. It is in these structures and systems that the suffocating and inevitable effects of racism originate. The paper suggests that, if we want to begin to eradicate racism, we need to look in those places (mostly White) where we least suspect it, the places which seem ‘natural’ and therefore foundational. It concludes that we cannot teach race and equity, because by singling out this topic without looking behind it, we perpetuate a violence through which the very relations we want to eradicate are produced. This does not mean, however, that we should ignore the topic.Practitioner points

Racism is deeply rooted in action and ideas.

The recent murders of Black persons demonstrate the slow, suffocating and strangling aspects of racist systems and structures in our society.

Ideas and concepts are difficult to address because they tend to be buttressed by basic assumptions about life and relationships.

Race, ethnicity and culture are processes rather than a list of items/things.

Tools such as the Social GRRRAAACCEEESSS and the cultural genogram are inadequate for training because the assumptions they are based on are rarely made transparent.
Association of prescription drug monitoring program laws with bedridden and missed work days
Authors: Wetzel Martha , Yarbrough Courtney R. , von Esenwein Silke A , Hockenberry Jason M. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo examine the relationship between optional and must‐use prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and markers of disability.Data SourcesNationwide data from the National Health Interview Survey for 2006–2015.Study DesignGeneralized difference‐in‐difference models with state‐specific time trends were used to assess the relationship between PDMPs and two outcomes: missed days of work and bedridden days.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsAll respondents above the age of 18 years with complete data on key measures were included. A subpopulation of respondents who had a recent surgery or injury was identified.Principal FindingsWe found an increase of 3.3 and 5.9 bedridden days associated with optional and must‐use PDMPs, respectively, for respondents reporting a recent injury or surgery (p‐values <0.05; unadjusted population average 12.2 bedridden days). Increases in days of missed work were not statistically significant.ConclusionsImplementation of PDMPs was associated with negative unintended consequences in the injury/surgery subpopulation. The association between bedridden days and PDMPs suggests a gap between clinical trials showing equivalence of opioids and nonopioids for pain treatment and real‐world results. As increasingly tighter opioid restrictions proliferate, evidence‐based strategies to address pain without opioids in the acute pain population likely need to be more widely disseminated.
Within and across country variations in treatment of patients with heart failure and diabetes
Authors: Or Zeynep , Shatrov Kosta , Penneau Anne , Wodchis Walter , Abiona Olukorede , Blankart Carl Rudolf , Bowden Nicholas , Bernal‐Delgado Enrique , Knight Hannah , Lorenzoni Luca , Marino Alberto , Papanicolas Irene , Riley Kristen , Pellet Leila , Estupiñán‐Romero Francisco , van Gool Kees , Figueroa Jose F. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo compare within‐country variation of health care utilization and spending of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and diabetes across countries.Data SourcesPatient‐level linked data sources compiled by the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes, and Needs in Care across nine countries: Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.Data Collection MethodsPatients were identified in routine hospital data with a primary diagnosis of CHF and a secondary diagnosis of diabetes in 2015/2016.Study DesignWe calculated the care consumption of patients after a hospital admission over a year across the care pathway—ranging from primary care to home health nursing care. To compare the distribution of care consumption in each country, we use Gini coefficients, Lorenz curves, and female–male ratios for eight utilization and spending measures.Principal FindingsIn all countries, rehabilitation and home nursing care were highly concentrated in the top decile of patients, while the number of drug prescriptions were more uniformly distributed. On average, the Gini coefficient for drug consumption is about 0.30 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.27–0.36), while it is, 0.50 (0.45–0.56) for primary care visits, and more than 0.75 (0.81–0.92) for rehabilitation use and nurse visits at home (0.78; 0.62–0.9). Variations in spending were more pronounced than in utilization. Compared to men, women spend more days at initial hospital admission (+5%, 1.01–1.06), have a higher number of prescriptions (+7%, 1.05–1.09), and substantially more rehabilitation and home care (+20% to 35%, 0.79–1.6, 0.99–1.64), but have fewer visits to specialists (−10%; 0.84–0.97).ConclusionsDistribution of health care consumption in different settings varies within countries, but there are also some common treatment patterns across all countries. Clinicians and policy makers need to look into these differences in care utilization by sex and care setting to determine whether they are justified or indicate suboptimal care.
Allicin inclusions with α‐cyclodextrin effectively masking its odor: Preparation, characterization, and olfactory and gustatory evaluation
Authors: Zhou Yong , Feng Jing , Peng Hui , Guo Tao , Xiao Jian , Zhu Weifeng , Qian Wei , Zhang Jiwen , Wu Li 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAllicin, a chemical found in functional foods, has a variety of beneficial bioactivities but the unpleasent odor and unstability hinder its applications. Isolating products from cyclodextrin (CD) complexation, using β‐CD and its derivatives, is usually a time and energy‐consuming process. Herein, a high‐efficiency and eco‐friendly preparation method of an inclusion (allicin@α‐CD) formed by allicin and α‐CD was designed, which turned liquid allicin into crystal particles with high‐speed stirring (10,000 r/min) at 25°C for 10 min in water. In vivo and in vitro masking evaluations showed that the inclusion particles could decrease the unpleasant odor of allicin. Molecular docking and experimental characterization results illustrated that the main reason of odor masking was due to the disulfide and thiocarbonyl groups of allicin being partially encapsulated by the cavity of α‐CD. Compared with the physical mixture, the stability of allicin in allicin@α‐CD at 60°C for 10 days was 33‐fold improved. Overall, this efficient strategy of inclusion provided a promising approach for the industrialization of allicin‐related formulations.Practical ApplicationIn this study, an environmentally friendly method of α‐CD inclusion without the use of organic reagents was designed to solidify and stabilize allicin, which effectively masked the unpleasant odor and taste of allicin. It has contributed greatly to improving the compliance of consumers and provided a new and effective approach to broaden the application of allicin.
Synaptic dysregulation and hyperexcitability induced by intracellular amyloid beta oligomers
Authors: Fernandez‐Perez Eduardo J. , Muñoz Braulio , Bascuñan Denisse A. , Peters Christian , Riffo‐Lepe Nicolas O. , Espinoza Maria P. , Morgan Peter J. , Filippi Caroline , Bourboulou Romain , Sengupta Urmi , Kayed Rakez , Epsztein Jérôme , Aguayo Luis G. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIntracellular amyloid beta oligomer (iAβo) accumulation and neuronal hyperexcitability are two crucial events at early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, to date, no mechanism linking iAβo with an increase in neuronal excitability has been reported. Here, the effects of human AD brain‐derived (h‐iAβo) and synthetic (iAβo) peptides on synaptic currents and action potential firing were investigated in hippocampal neurons. Starting from 500 pM, iAβo rapidly increased the frequency of synaptic currents and higher concentrations potentiated the AMPA receptor‐mediated current. Both effects were PKC‐dependent. Parallel recordings of synaptic currents and nitric oxide (NO)‐associated fluorescence showed that the increased frequency, related to pre‐synaptic release, was dependent on a NO‐mediated retrograde signaling. Moreover, increased synchronization in NO production was also observed in neurons neighboring those dialyzed with iAβo, indicating that iAβo can increase network excitability at a distance. Current‐clamp recordings suggested that iAβo increased neuronal excitability via AMPA‐driven synaptic activity without altering membrane intrinsic properties. These results strongly indicate that iAβo causes functional spreading of hyperexcitability through a synaptic‐driven mechanism and offers an important neuropathological significance to intracellular species in the initial stages of AD, which include brain hyperexcitability and seizures.
Multiomic analysis reveals decidual‐specific transcriptional programing of MAIT cells
Authors: Vazquez Jessica , Chavarria Melina , Chasman Deborah A. , Welch Schwartz Rene , Tyler Chanel T. , Lopez Gladys , Fisher Rachel C. , Ong Irene M. , Stanic Aleksandar K. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractProblemMucosal‐Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells have been recently identified at the maternal‐fetal interface. However, transcriptional programming of decidual MAIT cells in pregnancy remains poorly understood.Method of studyWe employed a multiomic approach to address this question. Mononuclear cells from the decidua basalis and parietalis, and control PBMCs, were analyzed via flow cytometry to investigate MAIT cells in the decidua and assess their transcription factor expression. In a separate study, both decidual and matched peripheral MAIT cells were analyzed using Cellular Indexing of Transcriptomes and Epitopes by Sequencing (CITE‐seq) coupled with gene expression analysis. Lastly, decidual MAIT cells were stimulated with E.coli and expression of MR1 by antigen presenting cells was measured to evaluate decidual MAIT cell function.ResultsFirst, we identified MAIT cells in both the decidua basalis and parietalis. CITE‐seq, coupled with scRNA‐seq gene expression analysis, highlighted transcriptional programming differences between decidual and matched peripheral MAIT cells at a single cell resolution. Transcription factor expression analysis further highlighted transcriptional differences between decidual MAIT cells and non‐matched peripheral MAIT cells. Functionally, MAIT cells are skewed towards IFNγ and TNFα production upon stimulation, with E.coli leading to IFNγ production. Lastly, we demonstrate that MR1, the antigen presenting molecule restricting MAIT cells, is expressed by decidual APCs.ConclusionMAIT cells are present in the decidua basalis and obtain a unique gene expression profile. The presence of MR1 on APCs coupled with in vitro activation by E.coli suggests that MAIT cells might be involved in tissue‐repair mechanisms at the maternal‐fetal interface.