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The tourism sector has played an important role in the development of the world economy, mobility and globalization. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sector needed to implement urgent measures and adaptations. This article aimed to identify which are the environmentally sustainable practices developed by a tourist enterprise of a rural property located in the municipality of Garibaldi-RS. In methodological terms, a single-type case study strategy was used with an exploratory and descriptive approach, operationalized with qualitative and quantitative research techniques. As data collection instruments, online interviews were used with the owner of the enterprise, respecting the recommendations of social isolation. The answers were recorded, tabulated and analyzed using the content analysis technique. Numerical data were tabulated using Excel software. The family responsible for the production unit, Familia Boroto, is fully dedicated to the organic production. The owner expressed concern about environmental sustainability and in this sense reported that the enterprise develops environmentally sustainable practices and, among them, they use solid waste management and recycling and he added that the health crisis brought a drop in revenue and little demand for organic products. In response, the producer made changes in management practices, such as process readaptation, innovation and entry into new markets. Thus, it was concluded that, even in the pandemic period, the venture had positive points and environmentally sustainable practices emerge as an opportunity to value products and services.
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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to map the intellectual structure of the research concerning conflict and conflict management in virtual teams (VT), to contribute to the further integration of knowledge among different streams of research and to develop an interpretative framework to stimulate future research. Design/methodology/approach: A data set of 107 relevant papers on the topic was retrieved using the Web of Science Core Collection database covering a period ranging from 2001 to 2019. A comparative bibliometric analysis consisting of the integration of results from the citation, co-citation and bibliographic coupling was performed to identify the most influential papers. The systematic literature review complemented the bibliometric results by clustering the most influential papers. Findings: The results revealed different intellectual structures across several types of analyses. Despite such differences, 41 papers resulted as the most impactful and provided evidence of the emergence of five thematic clusters: trust, performance, cultural diversity, knowledge management and team management. Research limitations/implications: Based on the bibliometric analyses an interpretative research agenda has been developed that unveils the main future research avenues. The paper also offers important theoretical contributions by systematizing knowledge on conflict in identifying VTs. Managerial contributions in the form of the identification of best practices are also developed to guide conflict management in VTs. Originality/value: The uniqueness of this paper is related to its effort in studying, mapping and systematizing the knowledge concerning the topic of handling conflicts in VTs. Considering the current contingencies, this research is particularly timely. © 2022, Andrea Caputo, Mariya Kargina and Massimiliano Matteo Pellegrini.
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Background: Despite similar motor recovery of limbs in research, clinically the lower limb is observed to demonstrate greater recovery than the upper limb (UL). Understanding the relation between the post-stroke rehabilitation experience in the hospital environment and neuroplasticity and motor recovery of the UL may provide insight into how to optimize the hospital and promote recovery. Aim(s): This feasibility study aimed to collect cross-sectional data from inpatients who were clinically receiving UL motor training within a rehabilitation hospital to determine the feasibility of our protocol as well as describe the factors and potential associations between motor performance and therapy participation, fatigue, stress and sleep. Method(s): Inpatients were recruited across two rehabilitation wards;inclusion criteria were broad (stroke diagnosis and clinically identified UL motor impairment). Therapy session duration and frequencies were recorded prior to assessing sleep quality and amount over one night (Actiwatch, Phillips Respironics, USA)). Participants rated their perceived fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale-FSS) and sleep quality (Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire-LSEQ), and overnight nursing documentation of sleep was extracted from the medical record. Motor performance was assessed via the box and block test. All data were collected across a 24h period. Result(s): N=14 participants participated (age 71+/-11y) at a mean+/-SD 32+/-23 days post-stroke and 22+/-21 days since admission to rehabilitation. Participants received motor training 10+/-3 times per week, and sessions were 51+/-18min in length. Mean+/-SD sleep duration was 9.5+/-1.9h with 1.1+/-0.7h awake-time during the night. All participants reported fatigue, with mean FSS (37+/-16), and identified issues with respect to getting to sleep as well as quality of sleep on the LSEQ. All data were feasible to collect, however COVID restrictions and bed-numbers influenced recruitment rate. Conclusion(s): Findings provide key feasibility data to better understand targetable factors to optimise the post-stroke rehabilitation experience, neuroplasticity and UL motor recovery after stroke.
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Background: ERN-EuroBloodNet was established in 2017 as the European Reference Network on Rare Hematological Disorders (RHDs) bringing together nationally recognized centres of excellence with the goal of promoting EU best health care in RHDs. ERN-EuroBloodNet has been recently enlarged integrating 103 HCP from 24 EU-MS. Aims: ERN-EuroBloodNet was conceived to contribute to innovative, efficient and sustainable health systems and facilitate access to better and safer healthcare for EU citizens while decreasing the cross-border health barriers. Methods: Since 2017, ERN-EuroBloodNet established the state-of-the art of RHD allowing the implementation of transversal and disease-specific strategies, where actions on very rare RHD were prioritized. Results: Profile. 182 expert profiles were created freely accessible. Expert centers follow 65,000 RHD patients and treat 5,000 new patients per year, while 24 patients requested support for cross-border health assistance. Expertise. The need to improve access to next-generation sequencing for non-oncological RHD and bone marrow transplantation for sickle cell disease (SCD) was identified. Also, significant disparities in the clinical practice of primary vitreoretinal lymphoma were found and we demonstrated that less than 30% of children with SCD benefit from adequate annual stroke risk monitoring. Guidelines. A repository of 68 Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) classified on quality of evidence and consensus approach was created. Recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of methemoglobinemia was published in collaboration with EHA. A CPG on Adult Burkitt Lymphoma is under development. Next topics focus long-term complications in hemoglobinopathies and patients' pathways&summary. Education. ERN-EuroBloodNet Webinars were launched for professionals with 26 Thursdays Webinars and 3 EBAH accredited Topic on Focus on Cutaneous Lymphoma, Thrombotic Microangiopathies, and Bone Marrow Failures. A collaboration was established for EHA & ERN-EuroBloodNet Spotlight on Castleman Disease. For patients, 3 Topic on Focus were launched for Myelodysplastic syndromes, SCD, and Cutaneous lymphoma. Past webinars are available at EuroBloodNet EDU Youtube channel. Preceptorships on SCD will be launched soon. Telemedicine. 43 complex cases have been inter-professionally discussed in the Clinical Patient Management System with 21 outcome reports delivered. Registries. 184 Registries were identified through the European Rare Blood Diseases Platform (ENROL), endorsed by the EHA. The ENROL project, which includes rare anemias, dendritic cell leukemia and von Villebrand's disease pilots, aims to collect exhaustive and therefore epidemiological data for RHDs. The final objective is a possibility of EU health planningl and the promotion of research by identifying cohorts of patients. ERNEuroBloodNet launched the collaborative platform on patients with red blood cells and COVID-19 containing so far 373 patients. Collaborations. collaborative research projects were encouraged like EC-funded projects i.e., genomics and personalized medicine in hematological diseases (GenoMed4All) and the properties and viability of erythrocytes (EVIDENCE), or the International Hemoglobinopathy Research Network (INHERENT) for genomic and phenotypic correlations. Summary/Conclusion: The implementation of well-defined strategies but above all adapted to the specific and not yet covered needs of RHD has led to the realization of concrete projects. This has laid the foundations to strengthen health systems in the field of RHD and allow them to flourish under the new EU4Health programme.
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This study explores how women’s fear is related to violence by a partner during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. Data come from a sample of 238 women, attending five anti-violence centres in June–September 2020, 44 per cent were cohabiting and 56 per cent not cohabiting with the perpetrator. A questionnaire administered by the advocates allowed us to collect information about several types of violence and their evolution during the lockdown, the feeling of fear, the impossibility of going out alone and help-seeking strategies. Most of these women lived with the fear of their aggressor, more often if they cohabited with him, 76 per cent instead of 57 per cent if not. Despite this high prevalence, the main determinants of not going out alone or help-seeking were the intensity of violence and its increase during the lockdown more than the women’s fear, even if the cohabitation status is considered. Fear strongly impairs the quality of daily life. In the context of this pandemic, it was an addition to the various damages exerted by the violence, coupled for some women with difficult social conditions. Professionals working with these women should consider fear but keep in mind that the factor to suppress is the violence. © Centre for Gender and Violence Research.
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Purpose The purpose of this study is to map the intellectual structure of the research concerning conflict and conflict management in virtual teams (VT), to contribute to the further integration of knowledge among different streams of research and to develop an interpretative framework to stimulate future research. Design/methodology/approach A data set of 107 relevant papers on the topic was retrieved using the Web of Science Core Collection database covering a period ranging from 2001 to 2019. A comparative bibliometric analysis consisting of the integration of results from the citation, co-citation and bibliographic coupling was performed to identify the most influential papers. The systematic literature review complemented the bibliometric results by clustering the most influential papers. Findings The results revealed different intellectual structures across several types of analyses. Despite such differences, 41 papers resulted as the most impactful and provided evidence of the emergence of five thematic clusters: trust, performance, cultural diversity, knowledge management and team management. Research limitations/implications Based on the bibliometric analyses an interpretative research agenda has been developed that unveils the main future research avenues. The paper also offers important theoretical contributions by systematizing knowledge on conflict in identifying VTs. Managerial contributions in the form of the identification of best practices are also developed to guide conflict management in VTs. Originality/value The uniqueness of this paper is related to its effort in studying, mapping and systematizing the knowledge concerning the topic of handling conflicts in VTs. Considering the current contingencies, this research is particularly timely.
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Background: Muscle and fat mass loss as a consequence of protein catabolism and prolonged immobilization is frequent in critically ill patients. Post-COVID acute sarcopenia may be due also to inflammaging for the strong inflammatory reaction. The study aims were to describe changes in chest CT body composition parameters from baseline to follow-up CT scan in severe COVID-19 survivors, and to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 inflammatory burden on these changes. Methods: Baseline (t0), 2-3 months (t1) and 6-7 months (t2) follow-up CT scan of severe COVID-19 pneumonia survivors were retrospectively reviewed to measure pectoralis muscle area (PMA) and density (PMD), liver-to-spleen ratio (LSR), and total, visceral, and intermuscular adipose tissue areas (TAT, VAT and IMAT) at T7-T8 vertebrae. C-reactive protein (CRP) curve integral was used to describe COVID-19 inflammatory burden, and its impact on body composition changes was evaluated in multivariable linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, and baseline TAT (index of general adiposity). Results: At follow-up a decrease in mean PMA and in all mean body fat areas was registered, faster from t0 to t1, and slower from t1 to t2, with the exception of PMD, which increased (i.e. intramuscular fat decreased) only from t1 to t2 (Table). Mean VAT decrease was more conspicuous than mean TAT decrease. In models adjusted for age, sex, and baseline TAT, increasing CRP integral was significantly associated with higher PMA reduction (p=0,017 for delta t2-t0) and lower PMD increase (p=0.01 for delta t2-t0), higher LSR increase (i.e. higher steatosis decrease) (p<0.0001 for delta t1-t0, n.s. for delta t2-t0), and higher VAT decrease (p=0.035 for delta t2-t0), but not with TAT decrease. These associations were stronger in patients with higher VAT and lower LSR at baseline. Conclusion: Muscle and fat loss after COVID-19 is faster in the first months, but slowly continues till 6-7 months. Fat loss is more apparent in visceral compartments. Inflammatory burden is associated with the degree of muscle and visceral/liver fat loss.
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Purpose While the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence (AI) has been receiving growing consensus with regards to its positive influence on entrepreneurship, there is a clear lack of systematization in academic literature pertaining to this correlation. The current research seeks to explore the impact of AI on entrepreneurship as an enabler for entrepreneurs, taking into account the crucial application of AI within all Industry 4.0 technological paradigms, such as smart factory, the Internet of things (IoT), augmented reality (AR) and blockchain. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was used to analyze all relevant studies forging connections between AI and entrepreneurship. The cluster interpretation follows a structure that we called the "AI-enabled entrepreneurial process." Findings This study proves that AI has profound implications when it comes to entrepreneurship and, in particular, positively impacts entrepreneurs in four ways: through opportunity, decision-making, performance, and education and research. Practical implications The framework's practical value is linked to its applications for researchers, entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs (as well as those acting entrepreneurially within established organizations) who want to unleash the power of AI in an entrepreneurial setting. Originality/value This research offers a model through which to interpret the impact of AI on entrepreneurship, systematizing disconnected studies on the topic and arranging contributions into paradigms of entrepreneurial and managerial literature.
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Purpose This study aims to identify context-specific antecedents to schools' absorptive capacity (AC) and to show how those can enact "a virtuous learning circle." Design/methodology/approach The study uses a mixed method: an exploration based on semi-structured interviews with educational experts;the development of a measurement scale and a partial least squares structural equation modelling to test the impact of the antecedents. Findings The results yielded four empirically-grounded antecedents and their measurement scales, namely, prior knowledge, employees' skills, educational projects and interactions with the environment (Studies one and two). All antecedents are significantly and positively related to AC processes (study three). Using the organizational learning theory perspective, the results have been interpreted as an AC "virtuous learning circle." Practical implications With increasing pressures to adapt, a case of which was the COVID-19 pandemic, schools can greatly benefit from absorbing knowledge flows. This suggests the construction a favourable environment for AC. To this end, the individual (employees' prior knowledge and skills), organizational (educational projects) and institutional level of managerial action (interactions with the environment) can be effective when create a recursive organizational learning circle. In addition, this study offers an expert-validated measurement scale for self-assessment of a school's specific contingencies, and thus, for planning of punctual interventions to develop AC. Originality/value This study advances the existing body of knowledge management in the educational context by rigorously identifying and validating a scale for measuring the antecedents of AC and developing an interpretive approach to the AC "virtuous circle."
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Purpose This study aims to shed light on the ambiguous effects of smart working (SW) on work meaningfulness. On the one hand, SW enables people to benefit from greater work flexibility, advancing individual control over organizational activities. On the other hand, it may impair interpersonal exchanges at work, disrupting job meaningfulness. Hence, the implications of SW on work meaningfulness are investigated through the mediating role of interpersonal exchanges at work. Design/methodology/approach The authors investigate both the direct and indirect effects of SW on employees' perceived meaningfulness at work. Secondary data come from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey. The study encompasses a sample of 30,932 employees. A mediation model based on ordinary least square regressions and bootstrap sampling is designed to obtain evidence of SW's implications on meaningfulness at work through the mediating role of interpersonal relationships (IR). Findings The research findings suggest that SW triggers a positive sense of the significance of work. However, it negatively affects IR with peers and supervisors, entailing professional and spatial isolation. Impaired IR twists the positive implications of SW on organizational meaningfulness (OM), curtailing the employees' sense of significance at work. Practical implications SW is a double-edged sword. It contributes to the enrichment of OM, enhancing the individual self-determination to shape the spatial context of work. However, its side effects on interpersonal exchanges generate a drift toward organizational meaninglessness. Tailored management interventions intended to sustain IR at work are needed to fit the design of SW arrangements to the employees' evolving social needs. Originality/value The paper pushes forward what is currently known about the implications of SW on OM, examining them through the mediating role of IR at work.
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The COVID-19 emergency has created several issues for professors and students, forcing them to quickly learn the various methods for carrying out distance learning, a skill that is not obvious especially for professors with difficulties in using new multimedia technologies. Considering the current global health situation, it is needed for European and USA Universities to discuss, learn and exchange experiences on adapting teaching activities to new learning situations in order to recover and thrive in a post COVID-19 educational world. To tackle these challenges, only a few meetings between expert groups on virtual and student mobilities was held to explore the opportunities of blended learning for the coming academic year. As continuously required in the last months several people in the academic environment are asking a support to manage and reduce the adverse effects of COVID-19 on the University lessons, exams, thesis dissertations, live laboratories, etc. We would like to focus on some opportunities that this global shock is leaving us trying to find a light at the end of the tunnel, but also to the fact that there is already a wide debate going on precisely the lack of adequate perception of the risks determined by COVID-19 in terms of teaching and digital innovation. © 2020 Fondazione Gerardo Capriglione Onlus. All rights reserved.
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The current coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, has spurred a wave of research of nearly unprecedented scale. Among the different strategies that are being used to understand the disease and develop effective treatments, the study of physical molecular interactions can provide fine-grained resolution of the mechanisms behind the virus biology and the human organism response. We present a curated dataset of physical molecular interactions focused on proteins from SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1 and other members of the Coronaviridae family that has been manually extracted by International Molecular Exchange (IMEx) Consortium curators. Currently, the dataset comprises over 4400 binarized interactions extracted from 151 publications. The dataset can be accessed in the standard formats recommended by the Proteomics Standards Initiative (HUPO-PSI) at the IntAct database website (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/intact) and will be continuously updated as research on COVID-19 progresses.