Quality Choice Research Articles

Performance evaluation of mpeg-5 part 2 (lcevc): impact of packet loss

This paper presents an evaluation of the latest MPEG-5 Part 2 Low Complexity Enhancement Video Coding (LCEVC) for video streaming applications using best effort protocols. LCEVC is a new video standard by MPEG, which enhances any base codec through an additional low bitrate stream, improving both video compression efficiency and and transmission. However, there is an interplay between packetization, packet loss visibility, choice of codec and video quality, which implies that prior studies with other codecs may be not as relevant. The contributions of this paper is, therefore in twofold: It evaluates the compression performance of LCEVC and then the impact of packet loss on its video quality when compared to H.264 and HEVC.The results from this evaluation suggest that, regarding compression, LCEVC outperformed its base codecs, overall in terms average encoding bitrate savings when using the constant rate factor (CRF) rate control. For example at a CRF of 19, the average encoding bitrate was reduced by 18.7% and 15.8% when compared with the base H.264 and HEVC codecs respectively. Furthermore, LCEVC produced better visual quality across the packet loss range compared to its base codecs and the quality only started to decrease once packet loss exceeded 0.8-1%, and decreases at a slower pace compared to its equivalent base codecs. This suggests that the LCEVC enhancement layer also provides error concealment. The results presented in this paper will be of interest to those considering the LCEVC standard and expected video quality in error-prone environments

Auditing in family firms: Past trends and future research directions

ABSTRACT This systematic literature review synthesizes and maps existing research on auditing in family firms across multiple areas of study. The review includes 71 systematically selected academic articles published through to 2023. Our findings suggest that many audit-related issues, such as audit fees, audit quality, and auditor choice, differ significantly among family and nonfamily firms. Our review suggests that the positioning of the issues across different disciplines adds complexity and, to some extent, hinders the development of the field. This complexity, resulting from the intermixing of multiple concepts from different disciplines, pushes the majority of the reviewed articles toward theoretical singularity rather than a leap forward in terms of empirical relevance or theoretical plurality. By developing a field map that identifies gaps in current knowledge, our review not only suggests improvements to the status quo, but provides future research directions inspired by recent developments in family business and auditing.

Red, blue or mix: choice of optimal light qualities for enhanced plant growth and development through in silico analysis

Abstract In smart greenhouse farming, the impact of light qualities on plant growth and development is crucial but lacks systematic identification of optimal combinations. This study addresses this gap by analysing various light properties’ effects (photoperiod, intensity, ratio, light–dark order) on Arabidopsis thaliana growth using days-to-flower (DTF) and hypocotyl length as proxies to measure plant growth and development. After establishing suitable ranges through a comprehensive literature review, these properties varied within those ranges. Compared to white light, a 16-h cycle of blue light reduces DTF and hypocotyl length by 12 % and 3 %, respectively. Interestingly, similar results can be achieved using a shorter photoperiod of 14-h light (composed of 8 h of a mixture of 66.7 μmol m−2s−1 red and 800 μmol m−2s−1 blue lights (i.e. blue:red ratio of 12:1) followed by 6 h of monochromatic red light and 10-h dark. These findings offer potential for efficient growth light recipes in smart greenhouse farming, optimizing productivity while minimizing energy consumption.

Liposomal Nanomaterials: A Rising Star in Glioma Treatment.

Glioma is a primary malignant tumor in the central nervous system. In recent years, the treatment of glioma has developed rapidly, but the overall survival of glioma patients has not significantly improved. Due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier and intracranial tumor barrier, many drugs with good effects to cure glioma in vitro cannot be accurately transported to the corresponding lesions. In order to enable anti-tumor drugs to overcome the barriers and target glioma, nanodrug delivery systems have emerged recently. It is gratifying that liposomes, as a multifunctional nanodrug delivery carrier, which can be compatible with hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, easily functionalized by various targeted ligands, biodegradable, and hypoimmunogenic in vivo, has become a quality choice to solve the intractable problem of glioma medication. Therefore, we focused on the liposome nanodrug delivery system, and summarized its current research progress in glioma. Hopefully, this review may provide new ideas for the research and development of liposome-based nanomaterials for the clinical treatment of glioma.

Impact of Intercompetitor Licensing on Remanufacturing Market Competition and Cooperation

This article investigates the impact of intercompetitor licensing between an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and an independent remanufacturer (IR) on market competition between new and remanufactured products, the IR's remanufacturing strategy, and the IR's optimal quality choice for remanufactured products. In the considered supply chain, the OEM sells new products, and the IR collects used products and then sells remanufactured products to compete with the OEM. To produce remanufactured products, the IR can acquire remanufacturing technology either by paying a licensing fee to the OEM or self-developing it in-house by incurring a fixed research and development cost. We develop game-theoretic models to determine the optimal supply chain decisions concerning the royalty licensing fee, IR's remanufacturing strategy and production quality, and product sale prices. We find that a licensing contract will always induce the OEM and the IR to increase their sales price for new and remanufactured products. However, the OEM will always increase the sales price for new products to a larger degree than that of the IR. This can alleviate price competition between new and remanufactured products and make remanufactured products more competitive in the market. Under licensing cooperation, the IR will always remanufacture used products to a higher quality level that will intensify quality competition. No matter whether the royalty fee is exogenously or endogenously determined by the OEM, there exists a wide range of parameter regions such that a licensing contract will produce a win-win solution for the OEM and the IR. A licensing cooperation may be reached even when the unit royalty fee is at a relatively low level and the total royalty fee is higher than the self-development option.

Sleep, activity, and diet in harmony: unveiling the relationships of chronotype, sleep quality, physical activity, and dietary intake.

This cross-sectional study aims to explore the intricate relationships among chronotype, sleep quality, physical activity, and dietary intake in a diverse cohort of 3,072 (50.2% female) participants residing in İstanbul, Türkiye. This study utilized established measurement tools, including the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) to assess chronotype, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to evaluate sleep quality, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) to measure physical activity, and a 24-h dietary recall method to assess dietary intake. The findings of this study revealed compelling associations. Firstly, a robust association was observed between sleep quality and chronotype (OR: 2.265; 95% CI: 1.954-2.626; p < 0.001) as well as physical activity (OR: 0.836; 95% CI: 0.750-0.932; p = 0.002). Specifically, evening chronotypes are more likely to have poor sleep quality, while highly active individuals tend to report lower sleep quality. Transitioning from inactivity to high activity was associated with a 16.4% increase in the odds of transitioning from normal to poor sleep, while a shift from an evening to a morning chronotype was linked to a substantial 126.5-fold increase in the odds of moving from poor to normal sleep. Additionally, morning chronotypes also display distinctive dietary patterns, characterized by higher energy, protein, and fat intake, and reduced carbohydrate intake. Poor sleep quality is associated with increased energy and macronutrient consumption. These findings underscore the intricate relationships of chrononutrition within the context of sleep quality, physical activity, and dietary choices. The study underscores the significance of personalized interventions to effectively address specific health behaviors, highlighting the complexity of chrononutrition's role in promoting overall health and wellbeing.

Reference Motion Quality and Design Choices for Bipedal Walking with PPO

This paper investigates the influence of reference motion quality and other design choices on the performance of deep reinforcement learning for bipedal walking with Proximate Policy Optimization (PPO). We use parametrized Cartesian quintic splines to generate reference actions for an omnidirectional walk policy. By using parameter sets with different qualities, we show that the performance of the trained policy correlates to the quality of the reference motion. We also show that a policy in Cartesian space performs superior to a joint-space-based one if an advantageous representation of orientation is chosen. Additionally, we show that using an initial bias for the policy speeds up the training and leads to higher performances for policies using position control. We also show that we can achieve a stable omnidirectional walk on a wide variety of simulated humanoid robots.

Postsearch uncertainty, product heterogeneity, and price divergence

AbstractWe develop a consumer search model in which consumers may remain uncertain about product quality even after inspecting the product. We first consider the postsearch uncertainty regarding vertical quality, and characterize the separating equilibrium in which firms with different quality levels charge different prices. If quality information is not sufficiently transparent after the search, then prices between the low‐ and the high‐quality products can either diverge or converge as the search cost decreases, depending on the degrees of horizontal and vertical product differentiation. We further extend the model to include the postsearch uncertainty about the horizontal match value and to endogenize the firm's quality choice.

Quality and selling format choices in a supply chain considering remanufacturing competition

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the interplay between the selection of selling formats of remanufactured products for a third-party remanufacturer (TPR) and the quality decision of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM).Design/methodology/approachThis study considers a remanufacturing supply chain, where the OEM sells new products through a platform retailer, but the products remanufactured by the TPR can be sold via a direct or indirect channel. The authors model a Stackelberg game and explore the optimal quality decision of the OEM and selling format choice of the TPR.FindingsThe OEM's optimal decision depends mainly on consumers' discounted utility coefficient and cost-scale factor of remanufactured products. A higher consumers' valuation of the remanufactured product will not result in a higher retail price, but may lead to an increase in new product's sales. Given the cost-scale factor, the TPR prefers to sell directly no matter what the value of consumers' discounted utility coefficient is. An all-win situation is achieved with selling directly when consumers' discounted utility coefficient is sufficiently large.Practical implicationsThese results provide some support to the operational strategies of the OEM and TPR.Originality/valueThis study firstly endogenizes the quality decision and combines the selling format selection of the TPR and the quality decision of the OEM to explore the interplay between these two important decisions.

No worries, eBay: displaying sales level information does not increase consumer price sensitivity

PurposeThis paper aims to study how price and sales level information influence consumer product perceptions and choices in online settings. It, in particular, tests whether displaying sales level information increases consumer price sensitivity, which is a potential strategic risk to retailers.Design/methodology/approachStudy 1 uses eBay data to investigate whether the interaction effects between price and sales level can be observed in an existing market. Study 2 involves online experiments across three product categories. Participants choose from product pairs that are shown with either the same or different prices and with no, the same or different sales levels.FindingsStudy 1 shows strong effects of a product’s displayed sales and price level on its daily sales but finds no interaction effect. Study 2 shows strong effects of price and sales levels on product choice but similarly finds no evidence that sales level information influences consumer price sensitivity, although it reveals an effect on quality perceptions. The results show how perceptions of quality, sacrifice and popularity mediate the effects of price and sales level information on product choice.Research limitations/implicationsStudy 1 has limited control over prices and sales levels. Study 2 involves only hypothetical choices.Practical implicationsThese findings indicate that businesses can use sales level information to manage consumer product quality perceptions and choices without having to be concerned that this will make consumers more price-sensitive.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to investigate how sales level information affects consumer responses to price differences in online contexts.

ESTIMATION OF PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES WITH OUTPUT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS

AbstractCoal‐fired power plants minimize costs subject to output and emission constraints. We model the plants' choice of coal quality and emission abatement to minimize costs under these constraints, allowing for heterogeneous unobserved generation productivity and abatement efficiency. We derive and estimate the plants' cost functions to recover the production technologies. Our data set is a balanced panel of 76 U.S. coal‐fired power plants from 1995 to 2005, when the emission permit trading system was viable. We find a dramatic growth in abatement efficiency, a major goal of the Acid Rain Program. By contrast, the growth in generation productivity is positive but small.

JUSTIFIKASI PROTOKOL COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY CARDIAC PROSPECTIVE DAN RETROSPECTIVE DITINJAU DARI ANALISIS KUALITAS CITRA DAN ESTIMASI DOSIS RADIASI

Cardiac CT is an imaging technique that detects the condition of the coronary arteries. EKG-triggered techniques are used to improve the resolution of coronary artery images and minimize artifacts caused by cardiac motion. Retrospective cardiac computed tomography remains the first choice for maximum image quality, especially in relative contraindications such as arrhythmias and high heart rates during the cardiac cycle. The prospective technique can significantly reduce the radiation dose compared with the retrospective technique. This study aimed to see the effectiveness of this prospective technique in terms of radiation dose and image quality. The effective dose analysis method is with indoseCT software and calculated with a formula from CTDIvol and DLP. Image quality was assessed by calculating the SNR by comparing prospective and retrospective techniques. The study results regarding image quality show that the retrospective method has an SNR value of 44, and the SNR value of the prospective method is 35. Dose estimation by indoseCT software obtained results. Retrospective techniques yield the following results: The effective dose is 24.09 mSv, and the prospective technique provides an effective dose of 12.54 mSv. Using the prospective technique shows that the dose can be reduced by 47.94% compared with the retrospective technique. The estimated dose was manually calculated based on CTDIvol and DLP, resulting in an effective dose of 33.5 mSv with the retrospective technique and an effective dose of 11.95 mSv with the prospective technique. Using the prospective technique shows that the dose can be reduced by 64.32% compared with the retrospective technique. The rationale for choosing a potential cardiac CT regimen must be careful and precise, as it may not apply to all patients. Use recommendations apply only to patients with low, stable heart rates and less than five bpm variability. Keywords: CT Cardiac, effective dose, Retrospective ECG-Gating, Prospective ECG-Gating.

Choice of product quality in supply chain of live-streaming e-commerce under different power structures

Product quality has become an important factor affecting consumer demand and the sustainable and stable development of the live-streaming e-commerce supply chain. In this article, two types of Stackelberg game of manufacturer-led or streamer-led and centralized decision game models are constructed to explore the impact of streamer commission proportion and different power structures on product quality decision-making of live-streaming e-commerce supply chain. The results show that (1) product quality decreases with the increase of streamer commission proportion under streamer’s dominant power structure and manufacturer’s dominant power structure, and product quality is not affected by streamer commission proportion under a centralized decision-making mode; (2) the product quality under the three power structures increases with the increase of quality sensitivity coefficient and decreases with the increase of quality-improvement cost coefficient; (3) comparatively speaking, the live-streaming under centralized decision-making mode has lower price and higher product quality, while the power structure dominated by manufacturers is unfavorable to the improvement of product quality. JEL Classification: C72, D21

Evaluation of the behaviour of phenols and alkaloids in samples of roasted and ground coffee stored in different types of packaging: Implications for quality and shelf life

The most important factor in determining coffee quality and consumer choice is the flavour. During roasting, hundreds of simultaneous chemical reactions take place that contribute to the formation of the basic flavour of the coffee drink, imparting bitterness, astringency and acidity. The main chemical compounds responsible for these qualitative sensory properties are chlorogenic acids (CQAs), hydroxycinnamic acids and alkaloids. However, during storage, roasted and ground coffee can undergo several chemical and physical reactions that alter its flavour. This study focuses on LC-DAD analysis to investigate the effects of storing commercial coffee blends in different packaging, namely standard (multilayer film with aluminium barrier) and Eco-capsules. The results show relative stability of the phenolic and alkaloid fractions, although the CQA isomers behave differently and a decrease in caffeine and caffeic acid is observed during prolonged storage under 75% relative humidity compared to 65%, especially in Eco-friendly packaging.

Entry decisions for vertically differentiated markets with brand spillovers

When a branded firm offers a new product at a quality level different from that of its existing product(s), some bias is often present as consumers are affected by the quality of the existing product(s) when evaluating the quality of the new one(s). Consequently, this product offering creates a forward spillover effect and, in turn, might even impact consumers’ utility from the existing product, referred to as the reciprocal spillover effect. Given the potential for such brand spillovers, how should a branded firm enter a new market with a vertically differentiated product? We analytically investigate a branded firm’s choice of quality and the profitability of entering a new market.The results indicate that bilateral spillovers cause the entrant to fail to adjust the quality of its new product, meaning that a new firm providing a high-end existing product entering the market will not be profitable, even in the absence of any fixed entry costs and potential competitors. Nevertheless, we also show that when the new market has a rival firm, the potential presence of severe spillovers works as a commitment device for the entrant’s quality positioning, which can reverse the entrant’s incentive to enter; in contrast, the entrant’s resulting profits can be greater in this case than in the absence of spillovers.

The Ability of Nutrition Warning Labels to Improve Understanding and Choice Outcomes Among Consumers Demonstrating Preferences for Unhealthy Foods

BackgroundGiven growing interest in warning labels as a form of front-of-pack nutrition label, it is important to better understand the mechanisms via which these labels may exert their effects, especially among those making suboptimal food choices. ObjectiveThe study aim was to assess the extent to which consumers with the weakest outcomes for objective understanding and choice in no-label conditions were able to improve their understanding and choices after exposure to warning labels on food product options. DesignPost-hoc analyses of the cross-sectional FOP-ICE (Front-of-Pack International Comparative Experimental) study data generated from an online survey that included simulated food choice and nutritional quality ranking scenarios. Participants/settingParticipants included 3,680 adults from the following 18 countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States. InterventionSurvey respondents selected their preferred product options and ranked foods according to their healthiness before and after exposure to mock breakfast cereal, cake, and pizza products displaying warning labels. Main outcome measuresObjective understanding and food choice were measured. Statistical analyses performedWithin each product category, analyses were conducted on respondents who initially incorrectly identified the healthiest option and/or selected the unhealthiest option as their preferred choice. Significant differences between proportions selecting each understanding and choice response option were assessed using 2-sample z tests for proportions. ResultsSalience of the warning labels was low; 46% reported noticing the labels while completing the survey. Just over one-third of those aware of the presence of warning labels were able to identify the least healthy option in the post-exposure condition. Approximately one-half reselected the least healthy option post exposure and just over one-fourth switched to the healthiest option. ConclusionsThe results indicated that warning labels can assist some consumers to improve their food quality assessments and choices. However, design improvements could enhance the salience and interpretability of this label format.

Sustainability assurance and provider choice: a meta-regression analysis

PurposeThis paper aims to assess the cumulative evidence on the determinants of sustainability assurance (SA) reports and the choice of assurance provider quality. It addresses the contradictory and inconsistent findings of past studies conducted over the past two decades.Design/methodology/approachThe authors undertake a meta-regression analysis that enables systematic, comparative assessment of the variables associated with the choice of SA and the type of assurance provider. The authors undertake a chronological analysis with the aim of identifying systematic differences in the empirical evidence across distinct time periods.FindingsThe results indicate that there is very little evidence to support many of the expected associations between commonly studied predictor variables (namely, measures based on agency and corporate governance conceptions) and the choice of SA and the assurance provider type. As a result, research on this topic does not make as effective a contribution as might be expected. There is, however, a time period difference. The authors find results from studies using company data prior to 2010 are significantly different from those using post-2010 data. The results indicate the decision to publish SA to be significantly associated with companies in the oil industry and utilities, and larger organisations where agency costs tend to be higher. Obtaining assurance from a higher-quality provider is found to be associated with companies in environmentally sensitive industries and in stakeholder-oriented countries.Practical implicationsThe study shows that as yet there is not sufficient evidence to support expected results. Users of the research should be aware of this, and researchers should know that more work is needed. The authors suggest researchers take greater care in the choice and comparability of variable measurement and expand the conceptual base when selecting predictor variables.Social implicationsCompanies need to be more transparent and accountable to critical stakeholders such as report users and regulators, and the latter should be more aware that the organisational practice of SA and choice of service provider have changed over time and are increasingly open to agency and other cultural biases.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to apply meta-regression techniques for understanding the body of literature on SA and provider choice.

Revolutionizing sustainable supply chain management: A review of metaheuristics

This paper reviews the application of metaheuristics for optimized sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). This paper explores the potential of metaheuristics to improve the supply chain’s sustainability while enhancing its efficiency and competitiveness. The paper provides an overview of the principles of SSCM and the challenges businesses face in achieving sustainable supply chain management. It then introduces the concept of metaheuristics and describes their use in solving complex optimization problems. The paper reviews various metaheuristics algorithms applied to sustainable supply chain management and analyzes their effectiveness in addressing the challenges of SSCM. The paper also identifies the key factors that influence the success of using metaheuristics for SSCM, such as the choice of algorithm, problem complexity, and data quality. Finally, the paper provides recommendations for future research in this area and highlights the potential of metaheuristics to promote sustainable supply chain management. The review suggests that metaheuristics can be a valuable tool for optimizing sustainable supply chain management and improving supply chain operations’ sustainability, efficiency, and competitiveness.

Competition for Attention and News Quality

Over the past decades the number of news outlets has increased dramatically, but the quality of news products has declined. We propose a model to reconcile these facts where consumers’ attention allocation decisions not only depend on but also affect news outlets’ quality choices. When competition is intensified by new entries, the informativeness of the news industry rises. Thus, attention is diverted from existing outlets, reducing their incentives to improve news quality, which begets a downward spiral. Furthermore, when attention becomes cheaper, a larger number of news outlets can be accommodated in equilibrium, but news quality still falls. (JEL D83, L15, L82)

Depression, sleep, body image, and lifestyle: Prevalence and associated factors of depression among school-going adolescents in Delhi National Capital Region.

Adolescents are known to be vulnerable to depression, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also exhibit poor sleep quality and body image issues (BIIs) which are considered risk factors for depression. There is a paucity of Indian studies regarding adolescent depression and its correlation with lifestyle. To detect the prevalence of depression in adolescents, and understand its association with sociodemographic variables, sleep quality, BIIs, and lifestyle factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 392 adolescents attending classes 8th-12th in two schools in Delhi National Capital Region. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and lifestyle data. Depression anxiety stress scale-21 was used to detect depression. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Stunkard Figure Rating Scale were used to evaluate sleep quality and BIIs. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version-25. Depression was present in 40.3% of students. It was more common in girls, older students, students in higher classes, who lacked siblings and whose mothers were engaged in professions as well as those with BIIs. However, after multivariate analysis, the association of depression with poor sleep quality, meal skipping, lack of exercise, family history of mental illness, and inverse association with open discussion of one's thoughts and worries with family remained significant. Depression is common among adolescents and shows associations with poor sleep quality and lifestyle choices. Awareness of these associations may enable better screening and early intervention for vulnerable adolescents.