bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 vaccination in South Asia: a call for responsible leadership among SAARC countries
Authors: Haque Amlan , Islam Md Shamirul 
Published: December 2021

Purpose
Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has presented an opportunity to set aside traditional regional collaborations and take responsible leadership to overcome difficult times. This paper aims to explore the current COVID-19 vaccination progress and pandemic status for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries and suggests responsible leadership to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and to think beyond.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper offers a viewpoint of the current COVID-19 vaccination among eight SAARC nations. It scrutinises the recent COVID-19 vaccination statistics for the eight South Asian countries based on Web-based analytics and comparative analysis until 28 August 2021.

Findings
This paper calls for collaborative decisions and responsible actions for policymakers in the SAARC countries to deal with the COVID-19 vaccination crisis. When South Asian countries are fraught with the increasing number of populations with COVID-19 cases, deaths and acute shortage of life-saving vaccines, it is time for their national and SAARC leaders to strengthen regional cooperations and initiate collaborative actions. The paper demonstrates that implementing responsible leadership can result in favourable outcomes for individuals, organisations, regions and the world. Moreover, this paper suggests SAARC, through responsible actions, has the potentiality to overcome the current crisis of COVID-19 vaccination and enhance the regional sustainability of the South Asian nations.

Originality/value
This paper delivers information about the present developing situation of COVID-19 vaccination in SAARC countries, how the governments and regional leadership are handling and future challenges that have been raised and can be overcome effectively. This paper can be helpful for the policymakers and SAARC leaders for effective public health interventions in the region and to develop a recovery roadmap for the sustainable economic zone.
Balanced scorecard usage and organizational effectiveness: evidence from manufacturing sector
Authors: Oyewo Babajide , Moses Olayinka , Erin Olayinka 
Published: December 2021

Purpose
This study aims to investigate the drivers and impact of balanced scorecard (BSC) usage on organizational effectiveness in manufacturing companies. The objectives of the paper were to assess the organizational factors affecting the usage intensity of the BSC; the relative benefits of BSC determining its adoption speed; and the extent to which BSC usage enhances organizational effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a survey research design. Data collection was through a structured questionnaire administered on senior accounting/ finance personnel of 300 manufacturing companies that are members of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. Binary logistic regression analysis, discriminant analysis and structural equation modeling (maximum likelihood estimation method) were used to analyze survey data obtained from 104 BSC adopters.

Findings
Result shows that the three organizational factors affecting BSC usage intensity are affiliation to a foreign entity, availability of specialist skills and business strategy (strategic pattern). The strongest predictor is, however, the availability of specialist skills. The strongest determinants of the BSC adoption speed are the need for financial stability and the importance of customer feedbacks. The impact of BSC usage on organizational effectiveness is positive, statistically significant but weak. The inability of BSC usage to contribute appreciably to organizational effectiveness is attributable to the lack of integration among the performance measures in the BSC framework and the shallow usage rate of BSC.

Practical implications
Although it is commendable that financial stability and customer satisfaction strongly drive BSC adoption speed, the low rating recorded by other factors related to product development, employee development and process improvement suggests that the performance measures in the BSC framework are not used in an integrative manner. This also confirms that the BSC, like other innovative management accounting techniques, is applied at a rudimentary level by organizations in Nigeria.

Originality/value
The current study contributes to knowledge by exposing the organizational factors and relative benefits driving BSC adoption. It provides empirical evidence on why the BSC may not deliver the optimal benefit of improving organizational effectiveness despite its popularity and potential as an integrated performance measurement (IPM) apparatus that can add value to organizations. The paper adds to the scarce literature on IPM in developing countries. Drawing from the result that availability of specialist skills is the strongest predictor of BSC usage intensity, the practice of enmeshing the management accounting function with general accounting/finance should be discouraged.
CSR practices and creativity during COVID-19 pandemic in the emerging market: investigating the mediating effect of affective commitment
Authors: Mohammed Abdul Alem , Ferraris Alberto , Troise Ciro 
Published: December 2021

PurposeThis study aims to explore how corporate social responsibility (CSR) dimensions (i.e. economic; legal; ethical; philanthropic) foster employee creativity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, an attempt is made to investigate the mediating role of affective commitment to explain the above linkage.Design/methodology/approachThe survey data were collected from 167 employees in the emerging market of Saudi Arabia. The data was analysed using PLS-SEM for frequency, reliability, confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modelling.FindingsThe CSR dimensions, particularly the ethical and philanthropic dimensions, showed both direct and indirect effects on the creativity behaviour of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, affective commitment mediated the relationship between the legal, ethical and philanthropic CSR dimensions and creativity behaviour.Originality/valueThis study enriches previous CSR empirical research and adds to current literature focused on the determinants of CSR dimensions' effectiveness; particularly, the research is set in a challenging scenario characterized by the pandemic. So, this paper extends previous studies by investigating under which key conditions CSR dimensions are most effective, in particular in two main directions. First, it contributes to the CSR literature by determining how various CSR dimensions influence creativity behaviour during a pandemic. Pandemics are events that occur regularly, and the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, offers the opportunity to explore its effects on employees' behaviours in the current context. Second, the study's mediation findings contribute to new empirical evidence which suggests that affective commitment has a positive effect on the CSR dimensions of employee creativity behaviour during a pandemic in an emerging market.
Streak artefacts in Computed Tomography Urography: Comparative evaluation between two different iodinated contrast media
Authors: Pedote Pasquale , Cozzolino Monica , Nicolardi Martina , Accogli Rocco Umberto , Sardaro Angela , Scardapane Arnaldo , Stabile Ianora Amato Antonio 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIntroductionThe objective of this study was to compare the frequency and entity, in computed tomography (CT) urography, of streak artefacts on the urinary tract generated by two contrast agents with a different iodine concentration and osmolarity.MethodsComputed tomography scans including an excretory renal phase, performed on adult subjects in the period May–July 2020, were retrospectively evaluated in consensus by three expert radiologists, to detect any streak artefacts located in the urinary tract. Patients were administered either 1.6 mL/kg of Iodixanol 320 mgI/mL or 1.3 mL/kg of Iomeprol 400 mgI/mL.ResultsIn total, 144 CT scans were analysed, subdivided into two groups administered either Iodixanol (71/144 (49.3%) patients) or Iomeprol (73/144 (50.7%) patients). In 41% cases, no beam hardening artefacts were found; among these, 12/59 (20.3%) patients had received Iodixanol and 47/59 (79.7%) Iomeprol. In the Iodixanol group, the mean contrast density on the renal pelvis was 2565.6 HU and streak artefacts occurred in 59/71 cases (83.1%); in 33/59 (55.9%) cases, the artefacts were marked, and in 26/59 (44.1%) minimal. In the Iomeprol group, the mean contrast density on the renal pelvis was 1666 HU and streak artefacts occurred in 26/73 cases (35.6%); in 7/26 (27%) cases, the artefacts were marked and in 19/26 (73%) minimal.ConclusionThe study data demonstrate a significant difference in the attenuation values of iodine urine in the excretory system between the Iodixanol and Iomeprol group. Iodixanol induced a higher frequency and burden of artefacts, compared to Iomeprol.
Argos: A toolkit for tracking multiple animals in complex visual environments
Authors: Ray Subhasis , Stopfer Mark A. 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Automatically tracking the positions of multiple animals is often necessary for studying behaviours. This task involves multiple object tracking, a challenging problem in computer vision. Recent advances in machine learning applied to video analysis have been helpful for animal tracking. However, existing tools work well only in homogeneous environments with uniform illumination, features rarely found in natural settings. Moreover, available algorithms cannot effectively process discontinuities in animal motion such as sudden jumps, thus requiring laborious manual review.

Here we present Argos, a software toolkit for tracking multiple animals in inhomogeneous environments. Argos includes tools for compressing videos based on animal movement, for generating training sets for a convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect animals, for tracking multiple animals in a video and for facilitating review and correction of the tracks manually, with simple graphical user interfaces.

We demonstrate that Argos can help reduce the amount of video data to be stored and analysed, speed up analysis and allow analysing difficult and ambiguous conditions in a scene.

Thus, Argos supports multiple approaches to animal tracking suited for varying recording conditions and available computational resources. Together, these tools allow the recording and tracking of movements of multiple markerless animals in inhomogeneous environments over many hours.
The marginal gaps of lithium disilicate crowns constructed by different scanner and milling unit combinations
Authors: Su Sinclair , Dudley James 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe purpose of this study was to compare the marginal gaps of CAD/CAM lithium disilicate (LDS) crowns constructed using three different scanner and milling unit combinations.MethodsTwenty‐four Columbia model lower left molars were prepared for LDS crowns by undergraduate students in a simulated environment. One LDS crown was constructed for each crown preparation using each of the following intraoral scanner/milling unit combinations: TRIOS 3 scanner/E4D milling unit (TRIO/E4DM); TRIOS 3 scanner/Sirona inLab MC X5 milling unit (TRIO/MCX5); E4D scanner/E4D milling unit (E4DS/E4DM). The crowns were seated onto the original crown preparations and three vertical marginal gap measurements taken at four locations (mid‐buccal, mid‐lingual, mid‐mesial and mid‐distal) using a stereomicroscope. The mean marginal gap (MMG) was calculated for each crown and each individual tooth surface.ResultsThe TRIO/MCX5 scanner/milling unit combination produced the smallest MMG of 63.73 ± 47.38 μm followed by E4DS/E4DM (88.64 ± 106.51 μm) and TRIO/E4DM (107.41 ± 76.47 μm). There was a significant effect of milling unit (p < 0.0001) on MMG but no significant effect of scanner (p = 0.070) or location (p = 0.182).ConclusionsThe newer scanner/milling unit combination produced LDS crowns with the smallest MMG. All scanner/milling unit combinations produced LDS crowns within a clinically acceptable MMG.
Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the ventricular system and brain parenchyma in healthy dogs of different skull conformation on computed tomography scans
Authors: Doiche Danuta Pulz , Rahal Sheila Canevese , Silva Jeana Pereira da , Oliveira Flávia Augusta , Miqueleto Nélida Simone Martinez Landeira , Mamprim Maria Jaqueline , Vulcano Luiz Carlos 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis study aimed to perform quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the lateral and third ventricles, and brain parenchyma, in healthy dogs of different skull conformations on CT scans. Forty‐five adult client‐owned dogs were divided into three groups according to skull conformation: G1 (dolichocephalic)—15 German Shepherds; G2 (mesaticephalic)—15 Rottweilers; G3 (brachycephalic)—15 Boxers. Transverse plane images were used for quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the lateral ventricles and third ventricle, and pre‐ and post‐contrast brain parenchyma. The height of both ventricles and brain was measured at the level of the interthalamic adhesion. Ventricle height, brain height, and ventricle/brain height ratio were statistically higher in G3 compared with G1 and G2 that were similar. The third ventricle was visible but unmeasurable in five dogs from G1 and three from G2. In G3, all dogs had third ventricle visible and measurable in all images. Asymmetric ventricles were seen in five dogs in Group 1 and Group 2, and seven in Group 3. Brain parenchyma had homogenous density in 80% of the dogs in all groups. Contrast enhancement of the rostral midline was visualized in all dogs. In conclusion, brain CT scans of healthy dogs showed that the qualitative data were similar among groups, but lateral ventricle and brain measurements in brachycephalic dogs differed from the dolichocephalic and mesaticephalic dogs.
COVID‐19 policy responses, mobility, and food prices
Authors: Dietrich Stephan , Giuffrida Valerio , Martorano Bruno , Schmerzeck Georg 
Published: December 2021

AbstractGovernments around the world have taken drastic measures to contain the spread of COVID‐19. Policy responses to the pandemic could affect local food prices in important ways. In this paper, we hypothesize that food prices in regionally integrated markets are more sensitive to mobility constraints than those in segmented markets. We use World Food Programme price data from 774 retail markets in 44 low and middle‐income countries to test whether and how food prices have been affected by the stringency of COVID‐19 containment measures. We assess market segmentation based on pre‐COVID‐19 price data and measure government responses using the Oxford Coronavirus Government Response Tracker. Our results show that more stringent policy responses increase food prices for integrated markets but not for segmented markets. The impact of the stringency of policy responses on food prices seems to be mediated by reductions in mobility and moderated by the dependence of markets on trade before COVID‐19.
Substituted judgment for the never‐capacitated: Crossing Storar's bridge too far
Authors: Appel Jacob M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSince several landmark legal decisions in the 1970s and 1980s, substituted judgment has become widely accepted as an approach to decision‐making for incapacitated patients that incorporates their autonomy and interests. Two notable exceptions have been cases involving minors and those involving cognitively or psychiatrically impaired individuals who never previously possessed the ability to contemplate the medical decisions involved in their care. While a best interest standard may have universal merit in pediatric cases, this paper argues that substituted judgement has been rejected too broadly for “never‐capacitated” patients. It then lays out a three‐condition test for using substituted judgment in these cases. For a subset of “never‐capacitated” patients who belong to distinctive religious or cultural communities with clear medical values and have an appropriate surrogate, these values may prove helpful in vindicating the interests of the never‐capacitated and should not be blanketly dismissed.
Should patients with non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer discontinue fibrin clot inhibitors during bacille Calmette–Guérin?
Authors: Lobo Niyati , Hensley Patrick J. , Bree Kelly K. , Nogueras‐Gonzalez Graciela M. , Navai Neema , Dinney Colin P. , Kamat Ashish M. 
Published: December 2021

ObjectiveTo determine the impact of fibrin clot inhibitor (FCI) use on oncological outcomes in a large contemporary cohort of patients with non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) treated with adequate bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG).Patients and MethodsWe performed an Institutional Review Board‐approved review of patients with NMIBC treated with adequate intravesical BCG, at our institution between 2000 and 2018. FCI use at the time of BCG therapy was recorded for each patient. Patients were stratified according to use of FCI medication. Recurrence‐ and progression‐free survival were analysed using Kaplan–Meier methods and Cox proportional hazard models.ResultsOverall, 226 of 526 patients (43.0%) used a FCI: aspirin (205), clopidogrel (38), warfarin (18) and novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC; seven). The use of FCIs did not adversely affect either recurrence‐ or progression‐free survival (P = 0.385 and P = 0.131, respectively). These results did not change when the impact of aspirin, clopidogrel or warfarin/NOAC use on recurrence and progression was evaluated separately. On multivariate analysis, FCI use was neither associated with tumour recurrence nor progression.ConclusionThe use of FCIs was not associated with adverse oncological outcomes in a large contemporary cohort of patients receiving adequate intravesical BCG for NMIBC. Based on these results, FCIs may be safely continued during BCG immunotherapy.
Many losers and a few winners: The impact of COVID‐19 on Canadian industries and regions
Authors: Slade Margaret E. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractCOVID‐19 has affected all industrial sectors and regions of the world and, in many cases, the impact has been devastating. Nevertheless, there are large differences across sectors and regions, with a few winners as well as many losers. This paper assesses the impact of the first wave of the virus on Canadian industries and provinces in the short and medium run. In particular, time series forecasting models for 39 three‐digit industries in each of the 10 provinces are estimated and used to predict post‐lockdown losses: percentage differences between forecast and observed economic activity. Econometric analysis of the estimates is then used to quantify and rank industries and provinces in terms of short‐ and medium‐term losses and gains. Provincial ranks are then compared with the stringency of provincial economic restrictions.
LS‐106, a novel EGFR inhibitor targeting C797S, exhibits antitumor activities both in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Liu Yingqiang , Lai Mengzhen , Li Shan , Wang Yanan , Feng Fang , Zhang Tao , Tong Linjiang , Zhang Mengge , Chen Hao , Chen Yi , Song Peiran , Li Yan , Bai Gang , Ning Yi , Tang Haotian , Fang Yan , Chen Yi , Lu Xiaoyun , Geng Meiyu , Ding Ke , Yu Ker , Xie Hua , Ding Jian 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWith the wide clinical use of the third‐generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor osimertinib for the treatment of EGFR‐mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), acquired resistance caused by EGFR C797S tertiary mutation has become a concern. Therefore, fourth‐generation EGFR inhibitors that could overcome this mutation have gained increasing attention in recent years. Here, we identified LS‐106 as a novel EGFR inhibitor against C797S mutation and evaluated its antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. In cell‐free assay, LS‐106 potently inhibited the kinase activities of EGFR19del/T790M/C797S and EGFRL858R/T790M/C797S with IC50 values of 2.4 nmol/L and 3.1 nmol/L, respectively, which was more potent than osimertinib. Meanwhile, LS‐106 exhibited comparable kinase inhibitory effect to osimertinib on EGFRL858R/T790M and wild‐type EGFR. Results from cellular experiments demonstrated that LS‐106 potently blocked the phosphorylation of EGFR C797S triple mutations in the constructed BaF3 cells that highly expressed EGFR19del/T790M/C797S or EGFRL858R/T790M/C797S, and thus inhibited the proliferation of these cells. We also constructed tumor cells harboring EGFR19del/T790M/C797S (named PC‐9‐OR cells) using the CRISPR/Cas9 system and found that LS‐106 markedly suppressed the activation of EGFR19del/T790M/C797S and the proliferation of PC‐9‐OR cells. Moreover, cells harboring EGFR19del/T790M/C797S underwent remarkable apoptosis upon LS‐106 treatment. In vivo experiments further demonstrated that oral administration of LS‐106 caused significant tumor regression in a PC‐9‐OR xenograft model, with a tumor growth inhibition rate (TGI) of 83.5% and 136.6% at doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg, respectively. Taken together, we identified LS‐106 as a novel fourth‐generation EGFR inhibitor against C797S mutation and confirmed its preclinical antitumor effects in C797S–triple‐mutant tumor models.
Population genomics of free‐ranging Great Plains white‐tailed and mule deer reflects a long history of interspecific hybridization
Authors: Combe Fraser J. , Jaster Levi , Ricketts Andrew , Haukos David , Hope Andrew G. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractHybridization is a natural process at species‐range boundaries that may variably promote the speciation process or break down species barriers but minimally will influence management outcomes of distinct populations. White‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) have broad and overlapping distributions in North America and a recognized capacity for interspecific hybridization. In response to contemporary environmental change to any of one or multiple still‐unknown factors, mule deer range is contracting westward accompanied by a westward expansion of white‐tailed deer, leading to increasing interactions, opportunities for gene flow, and associated conservation implications. To quantify genetic diversity, phylogenomic structure, and dynamics of hybridization in sympatric populations of white‐tailed and mule deer, we used mitochondrial cytochrome b data coupled with SNP loci discovered with double‐digest restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing. We recovered 25,018 SNPs across 92 deer samples from both species, collected from two regions of western Kansas. Eight individuals with unambiguous external morphology representing both species were of hybrid origin (8.7%), and represented the product of multi‐generational backcrossing. Mitochondrial data showed both ancient and recent directional discordance with morphological species assignments, reflecting a legacy of mule deer males mating with white‐tailed deer females. Mule deer had lower genetic diversity than white‐tailed deer, and both mitochondrial and nuclear data suggest contemporary mule deer effective population decline. Landscape genetic analyses show relative isolation between the two study regions for white‐tailed deer, but greater connectivity among mule deer, with predominant movement from north to south. Collectively, our results suggest a long history of gene flow between these species in the Great Plains and hint at evolutionary processes that purge incompatible functional genomic elements as a result of hybridization. Surviving hybrids evidently may be reproductive, but with unknown consequences for the future integrity of these species, population trajectories, or relative susceptibility to emerging pathogens.