bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modeling the growth barriers of fresh produce supply chain in the Indian context
Authors: Singh Gaurvendra , Daultani Yash , Rajesh R. , Sahu Rajendra 
Published: March 2022

PurposeOver the years, the fruit and vegetable supply chain has encountered several challenges. From the harvesting stage until it reaches the consumer, a significant portion of fruits and vegetables gets wasted in the supply chain. As a result, the present study attempts to identify and analyze the growth barriers in the fresh produce supply chain (FPSC) in the Indian context.Design/methodology/approachAn integrated grey theory and DEMATEL based approach is used to analyze growth barriers in the FPSC. The growth barriers were analyzed and sorted based on their influence and importance relations.FindingsThe results emphasize that the most critical growth barriers in the FPSC that should be addressed to ensure food waste reduction are as follows: Lack of cold chain facilities (B2), lack of transportation or logistic facilities (B1), lack of collaboration and information sharing between supply chain partners (B3), lack of proper quality and safety protocols (B15), a lack of processing and packaging facilities (B14), and poor productivity and efficiency (B13). Results are also verified by conducting a sensitivity analysis.Practical implicationsThe results are highly useful for policymakers to exploit growth barriers within the FPSC that require more attention. The obtained results show that the managers and policymakers need to utilize more funds to develop the cold chain facilities and logistics facilities to develop the FPSC. By improving the cold chain facilities, it is possible to improve the quality of food, make the food safe for human consumption, reduce waste, and increase the efficiency and productivity of the supply chain. Also, this study may encourage policymakers and industrial managers to adopt the most influential SCM practices for food waste reduction.Originality/valueMany researchers have attempted to analyze the causes of food waste and growth barriers in the FPSC using various decision-making methods. Still, no attempts are made to explore the causal relations among various growth barriers in FPSC through the integrated Grey-DEMATEL technique. Also, we devise policy implications in the light of the new farm bills or the Indian agricultural acts of 2020. Lack of cold chain facilities (B2) was found to be the critical driving barrier in the FPSC, as it influences multiple barriers. Also, there is a dire need for cold chain facilities and transportation systems to enhance productivity and efficiency.
The role of knowledge sharing in hotel newcomer socialization: a formal intervention program
Authors: Lan Junbang , Wong Chi-Sum , Wong IpKin Anthony 
Published: March 2022

PurposeHospitality managers face constant challenges in promoting hotel service principles such as innovation and flexibility to their new employees, as such knowledge is usually tacit in nature and hard to formalize. This study aims to suggest that this problem can be addressed by using a knowledge sharing group intervention. Specifically, the authors propose that knowledge sharing groups can enhance a newcomer’s job clarity and positive work attitude by encouraging a stronger sense of perceived importance of and affection toward the hotel service principles.Design/methodology/approachThe authors designed a three-month knowledge sharing program in a five-star hotel chain in Hong Kong. Newcomers were randomly assigned into an experimental group (knowledge sharing group) (N= 235) and a control group (N= 233). The authors tested all the hypotheses via path analyses using Mplus 8.0.FindingsThe results revealed that employees of the experimental group showed a stronger sense of importance of and affection toward the service principles, which in turn resulted in higher levels of job clarity, satisfaction and commitment and lower levels of turnover intention.Practical implicationsThis research provides hotel managers with practical knowledge regarding sharing programs as key socialization intervention mechanisms. By triggering the employees’ deeper understanding of hotel policy, this program can help hotels fortify high-quality service and develop realistic and useful materials for their future training activities.Originality/valueAlthough hospitality scholars have consistently acknowledged the positive influence of knowledge sharing, field experimental research on the outcomes of knowledge management for the newcomer socialization process has been scanty. This study seeks to fill this gap by designing and testing a practical knowledge sharing intervention program in the hotel industry.
Managing suicidality in inpatient care: a rapid review
Authors: Evans Nicola , Edwards Deborah , Chick Phill 
Published: March 2022

Purpose
The purpose of this mixed methods rapid study was to identify the barriers and facilitators to implement relational and environmental risk management approaches to manage suicidality in inpatient services.

Design/methodology/approach
To achieve this within a short timeframe, a rapid review approach was chosen. Both research (qualitative and quantitative studies) and non-research material (policies, guidance and reports) were retrieved. The review was conducted across five databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, EMCARE, PsycINFO and CINAHL for English language citations within the last ten years (2009 –2019).

Findings
A total of 17 primary research papers and a further 73 reviews and grey literature were included. There was evidence that the removal of anti-ligature equipment, by which regular checks of the environment to identify and remove ligature points and increased levels of observation are carried out well, reduces suicide in hospital.

Research limitations/implications
There is a gap in research investigating “engagement activities” eliciting exactly what they are and determining how they might be effective. There is a need for new innovative ways for managing risk of suicide in hospitals that bring together meaningful engagement and maintaining safety.

Originality/value
Keeping people safe during an inpatient stay in a mental health service is a core function of mental health practitioners. This paper brings together what is already known about risk management and highlights areas for further investigation.
Can rolling composite wildflower blocks increase biodiversity in agricultural landscapes better than wildflowers strips?
Authors: Eccard Jana A. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract

Biodiversity and abundance of wildlife has dramatically declined in agricultural landscapes. Sown, short‐lived wildflower (WF) strips along the margins of crop fields are a widespread and often subsidised in agri‐environmental schemes, intended to enhance biodiversity, provide refuges for wild plant and arthropod populations and to provide ecosystem services to crops. Meanwhile, WF elements are also criticised, since their functionality decreases with plant succession, the removal of aged WF strip poses an ecological trap for the attracted arthropod populations and only common and mobile species benefit. Further, insects in WF strips are impacted by pesticides from agricultural fields due to shared boundaries with crop fields and by edge effects.

The performance of the measure could be improved by combining several WF strips of different successional stages, each harbouring a unique community of plants and arthropods, into persistent, composite WF block, where successional stages exist in parallel. Monitoring data on many taxa in the literature shows, that a third of species are temporarily present in an ageing WF stip, thus offering composite WF blocks should increase cumulative species richness by 28%–39% compared to annual richness in WF strips. Persistence of composite WF blocks would offer reliable refuge for animal and plant populations, also supporting their predators and herbivores. Further, WF blocks have less boundaries to crops compared to WF strips of the same area, and are less impacted by edge effects and pesticides.

Policy implications. Here I suggest a change of conservation practice changing from successional WF strips to composite WF blocks. By regular removal and replacement of aged WF strips either within the block (rotational) or at its margins (rolling), the habitat heterogeneity in composite WF block could be perpetuated. Rolling composite WF blocks change locations over years, and the original location can be reconverted to arable land while a nearby WF block is still available to wildlife. A change in agricultural schemes would be necessary, since in some European countries clustered WF strips are explicitly not subsidised.
Vegetable fermentations brined with low salt for reclaiming food waste
Authors: Little Connor , Cruz‐Martínez Viviana , St. Fort Datricia Pearl , Pagán‐Medina Christian , Page Clinton A. , Perez‐Perez Yobet , Taveirne Michael E. , Lee Alice M. , Arroyo‐González Nancy , Santiago‐Ortiz Cariluz , Pérez‐Díaz Ilenys M. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractFermentation of eight vegetables was studied as an alternative for reclamation of surplus volumes. Fermentation performance was predicted by comparing the amounts of acid that could be produced from the intrinsic sugar content with that buffered by the fresh vegetable matrices prior to reaching an inhibitory pH for fermentative microbes (3.30). Native fermentations were brined with 345.0 mM sodium chloride, 40.0 mM calcium chloride, 6.0 mM potassium sorbate, and vinegar to adjust the initial pH to 4.70. High‐performance liquid chromatography analysis, pH, and carbon dioxide measurements and spiral plating on selective media were employed to monitor the progress of fermentations. The average colony counts for yeast and/or molds and Enterobacteriaceae declined to undetectable levels from 3.6 ± 1.5 log CFU/ml within 7 days of fermentation. The fermentation of sugars produced lactic, acetic, succinic, and/or malic acids, and ethanol. As predicted, the fermentation of vegetables with low sugar content, such as broccoli, green leaf lettuce, and green pea proceeded to completion. The fermentation of vegetables with a moderate sugar content, such as green bell pepper, red ripened tomato, and green bean were incomplete at pH 3.1 ± 0.2. The fermentation of high sugar vegetables including sweet potato and corn were expected and observed to be incomplete. It is concluded that the intrinsic sugar content and buffer capacity of surplus vegetables are relevant parameters in obtaining complete fermentations.Practical ApplicationVegetables are the second most wasted commodity in the United States and a substantial constituent of the global food waste. Development of fermentation to reclaim surplus vegetables from farms, grocery stores, and farmer's markets offers opportunities to ameliorate economic losses and environmental impact and add value to waste. The research described here suggests that a fraction of vegetables could be fermented in cover brines while others, with high sugar content, need specialized handling. Evidently, optimization of vegetable fermentation with starter cultures and added buffers represent an opportunity to stimulate complete bioconversions useful for reclaiming surplus volumes.
A dynamic ancestral graph model and GPU‐based simulation of a community based on metagenomic sampling
Authors: Griswold Cortland K. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn this paper, we present an ancestral graph model of the evolution of a guild in an ecological community. The model is based on a metagenomic sampling design in that a random sample is taken at the community, as opposed the taxon, level and species are discovered by genetic sequencing. The specific implementation of the model envisions an ecological guild that was founded by colonization at some point in the past that then potentially undergoes diversification by natural selection. Within the graph, species emerge and evolve through the diversification process and their densities in the graph are dynamic and governed by both ecological drift and random genetic drift, as well as differential viability. We employ the 3% sequence divergence rule at a marker locus to identify operational taxonomic units. We then explore approaches to see whether there are indirect signals of the diversification process, including population genetic and ecological approaches. In terms of population genetics, we study the joint site frequency spectrum of OTUs, as well its associated statistics. In terms of ecology, we study the species (or OTU) abundance distribution. For both, we observe deviations from neutrality, which indicates that there may be signals of diversifying selection in metagenomic studies under certain conditions. The model is available as a GPU‐based computer program in C/C++ and using OpenCL, with the long‐term goal of adding functionality iteratively to model large‐scale eco‐evolutionary processes for metagenomic data.
Effects of topsoil transposition on the taxonomic and functional diversity of macrofauna of highly degraded soil
Authors: Parreira Beatriz de Vilhena , Beirão Marina , Antonini Yasmine , Leite Mariangela Garcia Praça 
Published: March 2022

AbstractTopsoil transposition has been identified as an environmental restoration technique capable of accelerating regeneration in degraded areas. In addition to the seed bank, topsoil contains invertebrates and microorganisms essential in ecological succession. This study evaluated the temporal variation in the macrofauna community structure in an experiment with topsoil transposition. We hypothesized that the morphospecies richness, functional groups and macrofauna biomass would be higher in the plots with topsoil and native vegetation compared with plots with no topsoil. We further hypothesized that the composition of macrofauna community and the proportion of functional groups in the topsoil and the reference plots would become more similar over time. The community was compared between plots that received topsoil, plots that did not receive topsoil and plots in a natural vegetation, over 14 months. The macrofauna biomass and the diversity of functional groups were equivalent in the degraded area and the topsoil. The effect of treatment on richness depended on time, and it was possible to observe higher values of macrofauna richness in the topsoil compared with the degraded area in some months. The compositions of the macrofauna communities in the degraded area and the topsoil showed greater similarity to each other. In contrast, the reference area showed the greatest dissimilarity with the other treatments. In general, the macrofauna community in the topsoil remained more similar to the degraded area. However, in the topsoil plots, we found higher macrofauna richness during rainy months and an increase in predator biomass. In conclusion, the macrofauna community in the topsoil, which has changed over time, presented higher values of morphospecies richness in some months and the increase in predator biomass, indicating an increase in the complexity of the community. Besides, the topsoil can improve biodiversity, but this does not produce the natural communities found at reference sites, in a small‐time scale experiment.
Lag time to diagnosis as a predictor of mortality in children with extraocular retinoblastoma: Experience from a developing country
Authors: Nindyastuti Herlina , Rusmawatiningtyas Desy , Makrufardi Firdian , Supriyadi Eddy 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAimTo define the prevalence of mortality and identify factors associated with mortality in pediatric patients with extraocular retinoblastoma attending the tertiary hospital in Indonesia.MethodsWe retrospectively collected medical records from 2013 to 2019 of patients who were diagnosed with extraocular retinoblastoma. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to evaluate the association of mortality predictors with patient outcomes (Hazard Ratio [HR], 95% CI) with significance set as p < .05.ResultsOverall, 60 patients were included in this study for a retrospective chart review, with 55% males and 45% females. The median age at diagnosis was 13 (5–24) months. About 60% of the patients did not survive, while 2‐year survival probability was 45%. The overall median survival time was 21.5 (7.25–40.75) months. Predictors of mortality were laterality (unilateral/bilateral): HR 2.15 (95% CI: 1.07–4.28; p = .03), nutritional status: HR 2.65 (95% CI: 1.34–5.25; p = .05), and lag time to diagnosis: HR 3.12 (95% CI: 1.56–6.2; p = .001).ConclusionLaterality, nutritional status and lag time to diagnosis were identified to be mortality predictors in extraocular retinoblastoma. The 2‐year survival for children with extraocular retinoblastoma was 45% with 21 months for median survival.
Long‐term efficacy of endoscopic pilonidal sinus treatment: a single‐centre Australian experience
Authors: Hinksman Mathew , Naidu Sanjeev , Loon Kenneth , Grundy Josh 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackgroundEndoscopic pilonidal sinus treatment (EPSiT) is a novel minimally invasive technique for treating pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) involving endoscopic assessment and treatment. This retrospective, non‐randomized, observational study is the first Australian study of EPSiT and its largest long‐term study to date.MethodsFrom January 2014 to November 2019, 137 patients with PSD underwent EPSiT. Seventy‐two had undergone previous surgery for PSD. Specialized Karl Storz video equipment (fistuloscope) was used. The rigid fistuloscope allowed direct visualization of cavities and secondary tracts. Cavities and tracts were then curetted endoscopically to remove all granulation tissues and hair/follicles. Ablation was then carried out under direct vision along with removal of debris. Patients were then followed up for a mean 56.2 months.Results72.2% (n = 91) of patients undergoing EPSiT achieved primary healing (needing nil further intervention) at a median of 6 weeks; 13.5% (n = 17) experienced healing followed by recurrence while 14.3% (n = 18) experienced non‐healing. Of the recurrence/non‐healing groups, 20/35 underwent repeat EPSiT with healing occurring in 18/20 patients at a median of 7 weeks. The balance of patients (n = 15) underwent other definitive procedures. The mean operating time was 34 min. There were no major complications and 85% of patients were discharged the same day. Eleven patients were lost to follow‐up.ConclusionEPSiT combines high efficacy of treatment for PSD along with relatively low rates of recurrence. The minimally invasive nature of the procedure means repeat procedures can be performed (where necessary) with low morbidity and a reasonable rate of success.
Mouse microphthalmia‐associated transcription factor (Mitf) mutations affect the structure of the retinal vasculature
Authors: Daníelsson Stefán Broddi , García‐Llorca Andrea , Reynisson Hallur , Eysteinsson Thor 
Published: March 2022

AbstractPurposeMice carrying pathogenic variants in the microphthalmia transcription factor (Mitf) gene show structural and functional changes in the retina and retinal pigment epithelium. The purpose of this study was to assess the vascular changes in Mitf mice carrying pathogenic variants by determining their retinal vessel diameter.MethodsMice examined in this study were: B6‐Mitfmi‐vga9/+ (n = 6), B6‐Mitfmi‐enu22(398) /Mitfmi‐enu22(398) (n = 6) and C57BL/6J wild type mice (n = 6), all 3 months old. Fundus images were taken with a Micron IV camera after intraperitoneal injection of fluorescein salt. Images were adjusted to enhance contrast and a custom written MATLAB program used to extract the mean vascular diameter at a pre‐defined distance from the optic disc. The number of vessels, mean diameter and mean total diameter were examined.ResultsThe mean diameter of retinal veins in Mitfmi‐enu22(398)/Mitfmi‐enu22(398) mice was 18.8% larger than in wild type (p = 0.026). No differences in the mean diameter of the retinal arteries were found between the genotypes. Mitfmi‐enu22(398)/Mitfmi‐enu22(398) mice have 17.2% more retinal arteries (p = 0.026), and 15.6% more retinal veins (p = 0.041) than wild type. A 24.8% increase was observed in the mean combined arterial diameter in mice with the Mitfmi‐enu22(398)/Mitfmi‐enu22(398) compared to wild type mice (p = 0.024). A 38.6% increase was found in the mean combined venular diameter in mice with the Mitfmi‐enu22(398)/Mitfmi‐enu22(398) pathogenic variation as compared to wild type (p = 0.004). The mean combined retinal venular diameter in the Mitfmi‐vga9/+ mice was 17.8% larger than in wild type (p = 0.03).ConclusionAn increase in vascularization of the retina in Mitfmi‐enu22(398) /Mitfmi‐enu22(398) mice was found, indicating an increased demand for blood flow to the retina.
Body size and risk of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma by subtype: A pooled analysis from six prospective cohorts in the United States
Authors: Teras Lauren R. , Bertrand Kimberly A. , Deubler Emily L. , Chao Chun R. , Lacey James V. , Patel Alpa V. , Rosner Bernard A. , Shu Yu‐Hsiang , Wang Ke , Zhong Charlie , Wang Sophia S. , Birmann Brenda M. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn 2022, more than 100 000 non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) diagnoses are expected, yet few risk factors are confirmed. In this study, data from six US‐based cohorts (568 717 individuals) were used to examine body size and risk of NHL. Over more than 20 years of follow‐up, 11 263 NHLs were identified. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) estimated associations with NHLs for adult body mass index (BMI), height, weight change, waist circumference and predicted fat mass. Adult height was broadly associated with NHL, but most strongly with B‐cell NHLs among non‐White participants (e.g. HRBLACK = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.62–2.62). However, the strongest association among the anthropometric traits examined was for young adult BMI and risk of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL), particularly those who maintained a higher BMI into later adulthood. Individuals with BMI over 30 kg/m2 throughout adulthood had more than double the DLBCL risk (HR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.71–4.17) compared to BMI 18.5–22.9 kg/m2. Other anthropometric traits were not associated with NHL after controlling for BMI. These results suggest that sustained high BMI is a major driver of DLBCL risk. If confirmed, we estimate that up to 23.5% of all DLBCLs (and 11.1% of all NHLs) may be prevented with avoidance of young adult obesity.