Purpose
This study aims to examine the publishing and citation trends on library service quality (LSQ) in the past five decades (1972–2020). Additionally, this bibliometric study investigates the top ...authors, countries, organizations, journals, nature of collaboration, highly cited articles and LSQ sub-areas.
Design/methodology/approach
Bibliometric analysis has been used to extract data from the Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) databases. A comprehensive search strategy was devised to extract relevant data from both data sources. Finally, 341 Scopus and 212 WOS records were selected. Data analysis has been performed using VOS viewer software, Biblioshiny, Cite Space and Excel.
Findings
It was found that a total of 443 items were published in Scopus (n = 341) and WOS (n = 212) during this period. The largest number of studies were published in the year 2019 (n = 29), and the USA was found to be the most productive country, with the most productive organizations, authors and author collaborations. The Texas A&M University in Texas, USA, had the top three most productive authors (Cook C, Thompson B and Heath F) and was the most productive organization. The Performance Measurement and Metrics Journal is on the top of the list. The single author was the prevailing authorship pattern, followed by the two-authors pattern. The most collaborating countries were identified as the UK, Japan, Spain and Bangladesh. The keyword analysis informed that the published literature on LSQ mainly concentrated on academic libraries, Therefore, there is a need further to examine other types of libraries including public, national, special libraries.
Originality/value
To the best of the knowledge, this seems to be the first comprehensive bibliometric study that combined productivity and citations, citation impact to present a holistic picture of the LSQ literature.
Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is a nosocomial pathogen, produces septicemia, pneumonia and UTI. Excessive use of antibiotics contributes towards emergence of multidrug-resistance. ...Bacteriophage-therapy is a potential substitute of antibiotics with many advantages. In this investigation, microbiological and genome characterization of TSK1 bacteriophage and its biofilm elimination capability are presented. TSK1 showed narrow host range and highest stability at pH 7 and 37 °C. TSK1 reduced the growth of K. pneumoniae during the initial 14 hours of infection. Post-treatment with TSK1 against different age K. pneumoniae biofilms reduced 85-100% biomass. Pre-treatment of TSK1 bacteriophage against the biofilm of Klebsiella pneumoniae reduced > 99% biomass in initial 24 hr of incubation. The genome of TSK1 phage comprised 49,836 base pairs with GC composition of 50.44%. Total seventy-five open reading frames (ORFs) were predicted, 25 showed homology with known functional proteins, while 50 were called hypothetical, as no homologs with proved function exists in the genome databases. Blast and phylogenetic analysis put it in the Kp36 virus genus of family Siphoviridae. Proposed packaging strategy of TSK1 bacteriophage genome is headful packaging using the pac sites. The potential of TSK1 bacteriophage could be used to reduce the bacterial load and biofilm in clinical and non-clinical settings.
This study tries to investigate project success through inclusive leadership role along with self-efficacy. Data sets were collected using adopted questionnaires of previous studies from employees ...working on the metro bus project, their supervisors and passengers of metro bus service from Rawalpindi to Islamabad route in Pakistan. This study is measuring the effects of inclusive leadership on project success through self-efficacy which makes it causal in nature. The time lag data collection method was adopted. In order to reach correct findings, potential biases were controlled by theoretical and statistical controls. Exploratory factor analysis was used to test structural modelling, average variance and composite reliabilities using Smart PLS. SPSS 21.0 was used for regression analysis, bias correction measures were also considered. The study revealed that inclusive leadership is associated in a positive manner with project success. The mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship of inclusive leaders
•Effects of the top temperature variation on the HDH cycles is presented.•CAOW cycles involving zero or single air and water extractions were analysed.•Gain-out put ratio and exergetic efficiency ...parameters were studied in detail.•For extraction cycles, peak GOR corresponds to maximum exergetic efficiency point.
Saline water desalination is attaining a prime focus to meet the challenges of water scarcity in the developing countries. Solar energy could be effectively utilized for desalinating the saline/sea water. In this respect, humidification dehumidification (HDH) cycle could prove as a promising solar driven desalination technology. In this paper, exergy analysis of single extraction air heated and water heated HDH desalination cycles are examined in detail. The top temperature and extraction rate parameters are considered crucial for any typical single extraction HDH cycle. Analysis of the effects of varying top cyclic temperature keeping fixed extraction/injection rate of 70% water/air stream is carried out. The top temperature is varied between 60 °C−80 °C range. For the air heated air extraction cycle, total exergy destroyed is higher at lower top temperatures, resulting in lower exergetic efficiency. A similar trend is also followed by the air heated water extraction cycle for the top temperatures ranging up to 70 °C. The total exergy destroyed registered an increase above 70 °C because of the significant rise in exergy destruction for the heater component. In the water heated cycle with water/air extraction, exergy destroyed decreases at lower top temperatures, thereby yielding higher exergetic efficiencies. For each HDH cycle configuration, correlation between the gain output ratio (GOR) and exergetic efficiency is additionally obtained. The results revealed that at the given top temperature, sub-component effectiveness, mass flow rate ratio and bottom temperature parameters, the GOR increases with the exergetic efficiency of the cycle.
The present study explores a series of novel donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) molecules containing 4,4′-dimethyldiphenylamine moiety as donor, 4,4′-dinitrodiphenylborane as acceptor while different π-bridges ...as efficient linkers between them, which comprises of (−HCCH−)n, (−Ph−)n and (−Ph ̶ HCCH−)n combinations for compounds in series 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Quantum chemical computations are applied to calculate the linear polarizability (α), first (β) and second (γ) hyperpolarizabilities. A comparative analysis is performed considering an increase of NLO polarizabilities as a function of different π-linkers. Among the investigated compounds, 3c shows the largest first and second hyperpolarizabilities of 1378 × 10−30 and 34971 × 10−36 esu, respectively. Interestingly, an increase in NLO polarizability is observed by modifying the π-conjugated bridges and the largest NLO polarizability is observed for series 3 possessing (Ph ̶ HCCH−)n π-linker which is found due to its lower transition energy and higher oscillator strengths. Furthermore, TD-DFT investigations, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) and electron density difference (EDD) maps analysis have shown a more efficient intramolecular charge transfer character from donor to acceptor moieties through (Ph ̶ HCCH−)n π-linkers. The density of states (DOS) maps are showing explicit contributions of electronic states from different fragments of a molecular system where the partial contributions of (Ph ̶ HCCH−)n π-linkers is seen significant in HOMO-LUMO orbitals of all the systems in series number 3. Thus, we believe that our study will highlight the importance of different D-π-A chromophores having variant types of π-conjugation cores as discussed in the present investigation.
Schematic and graphical description of the designed D-π-A molecules. Display omitted
•Three series of novel D-π-A molecules consisting of (HC=CH)n, (Ph)n and (Ph ̶ HC=CH)n combinations•The NLO polarizabilities are calculated using DFT methods.•All the designed series of compounds show reasonably larger NLO responses.•A structure-NLO property relationship is examined using TD-DFT, FMOs and EDD maps.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) offers a way to identify objects without any contact. However, positioning accuracy is limited since RFID neither provides distance nor bearing information about ...the tag. This paper proposes a new and innovative approach for the localization of moving object using a particle filter by incorporating RFID phase and laser-based clustering from 2d laser range data. First of all, we calculate phase-based velocity of the moving object based on RFID phase difference. Meanwhile, we separate laser range data into different clusters, and compute the distance-based velocity and moving direction of these clusters. We then compute and analyze the similarity between two velocities, and select K clusters having the best similarity score. We predict the particles according to the velocity and moving direction of laser clusters. Finally, we update the weights of the particles based on K clusters and achieve the localization of moving objects. The feasibility of this approach is validated on a Scitos G5 service robot and the results prove that we have successfully achieved a localization accuracy up to 0.25 m.
BackgroundLiver surgery is a major and challenging procedure for the surgeon, the anesthetist, and the patient. The objective of this study was to evaluate the postoperative nonhepatic complications ...of patients undergoing liver resection surgery with perioperative factors.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 79 patients who underwent liver resection surgeries at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Lahore, Pakistan, from July 2015 to December 2022.ResultsThe mean age at the time of surgery was 53 years (range: 3-77 years), and the mean BMI was 26.43 (range: 15.72-38.0 kg/m2). Of the total patients, 44.3 % (n = 35) had no comorbidities, 26.6% (n=21) had one comorbidity, and 29.1% (n=23) had two or more comorbidities. Patients in whom the blood loss was more than 375 ml required postoperative oxygen inhalation with a significant relative risk of 2.6 (p=0.0392) and an odds ratio of 3.5 (p=0.0327). Similarly, patients who had a surgery time of more than five hours stayed in the hospital for more than seven days, with a statistically significant relative risk of 2.7 (p=0.0003) and odds ratio of 7.64 (p=0.0001). The duration of surgery was also linked with the possibility of requiring respiratory support, with a relative risk of 5.0 (p=0.0134) and odds ratio of 5.73 (p=0.1190).ConclusionPatients in our cohort who had a prolonged duration of surgery received an increased amount of fluids, and a large volume of blood loss was associated with prolonged stay in the ICU (>2 days), hospital admission (>7 days), ICU readmission, and increased incidence of cardiorespiratory, neurological, and renal disturbances postoperatively.
Pesticides are highly toxic substances. Their toxicity may not be absolutely specific to the target organisms but can adversely affect different processes in the non-target host plants. In the ...present study, the effect of over application of four commonly used pesticides (emamectin benzoate, alpha-cypermethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and imidacloprid) was evaluated on the germination, seedling vigor and photosynthetic pigments in tomato. The obtained results revealed that seed germination was decreased by the pesticides and this effect was more prominent at early stages of exposure. All the tested pesticides reduced the growth of tomato when applied in higher concentration than the recommended dose, but at lower doses the pesticides had some stimulatory effects on growth as compared to the control. A similar effect of pesticides was observed on the photosynthetic pigments, i.e. a decrease in pigments concentrations was caused at higher doses but an increase was observed at lower doses of pesticides. The calculation of EC₅₀ values for different parameters revealed the lowest EC₅₀ values for emamectin (ranged as 51–181 mg/L) followed by alpha-cypermethrin (191.74–374.39), lambda-cyhalothrin (102.43–354.28) and imidacloprid (430.29–1979.66 mg/L). A comparison of the obtained EC₅₀ values for different parameters of tomato with the recommended doses revealed that over application of these pesticides can be harmful to tomato crop. In a few cases these pesticides were found toxic even at the recommended doses. However, a field based study in this regard should be conducted to further verify these results.
PurposeThis study investigates the impact of board characteristics on the stock liquidity of Pakistani listed non-financial firms for the period 2007–2016.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses ...fixed-effects regression model on a sample of 170 non-financial firms listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange for regressing the impact of board attributes on stock liquidity while for addressing the endogeneity two-stage least-square (2SLS) and lagged structure models are used.FindingsThe study finds that board meetings (BM), directors' attendance (DAT) at BM, board gender diversity, the number of board subcommittees (NBC) and board foreign diversity (BFD) positively affect stock liquidity. Checking the robustness through 2SLS and lagged structure models, it is suggested that the findings are robust to the problem of endogeneity.Practical implicationsOutcomes of the study signify the role of novel board attributes in improving the stock liquidity which has implications for investors, the board of directors and policymakers.Originality/valueThe authors are the first to investigate the impact of novel board attributes–BFD, directors' remuneration (DR), DAT and the number of board sub-committees on stock liquidity. Up to the best of researchers' knowledge, these board attributes have never been examined before in relation to stock liquidity.
The aim of the current study was to explore the underlying neuroprotective mechanisms of curcumin (50 mg/kg, for six weeks) against ethanol (5 mg/kg i.p., for six weeks) induced oxidative stress and ...inflammation-mediated cognitive dysfunction in mice. According to our findings, ethanol triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis, neuroinflammation, and memory impairment, which were significantly inhibited with the administration of curcumin, as assessed by ROS, lipid peroxidation (LPO), and Nrf2/HO-1 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/Heme-oxygenase-1) expression in the experimental mice brains. Moreover, curcumin regulated the expression of the glial cell markers in ethanol-treated mice brains, as analyzed by the relative expression TLR4 (Toll like Receptor 4), RAGE (Receptor for Advanced Glycations End products), GFAP (Glial fibrillary acidic protein), and Iba-1 (Ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1), through Western blot and confocal microscopic analysis. Moreover, our results showed that curcumin downregulated the expression of p-JNK (Phospo c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase), p-NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells), and its downstream targets, as assessed by Western blot and confocal microscopic analysis. Finally, the expression of synaptic proteins and the behavioral results also supported the hypothesis that curcumin may inhibit memory dysfunction and behavioral alterations associated with ethanol intoxication. Altogether, to the best of our knowledge, we believe that curcumin may serve as a potential, promising, and cheaply available neuroprotective compound against ethanol-associated neurodegenerative diseases.
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