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Since last few years, cold chain management (CCM) has gained growing interest among practitioners, policymakers, researchers and academicians. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review focused on food cold chain management (FCCM) over the last 16 years to identify state of the art in the literature, highlight research gaps and define appropriate research questions (RQs) for future research.

The paper analyzes the content of 89 research articles published on the topic of food cold chain (FCC) from 2001 to 2016 within different journals. The Scopus and Web of Science databases were taken into consideration to shortlist research articles. Henceforth, the authors scrutinized the FCC industry to offer some effective strategies to tackle the chain complexities. The authors also draw interwoven between FCC infrastructure, integration, stakeholders’ interest, value addition, partners’ performance and overall food cold chain performance (FCCP) into a conceptual framework.

This paper identifies four research gaps in the literature of FCC concerning the most popular approaches used for the FCCP measurement, the performance measurement metrics, the factors which negatively affect the FCCP and the main sustainability issues in FCC.

This study identifies RQs which represent possible areas of investigation to improve the body of the FCCP evaluation and management. Furthermore, the FCC practitioners, food authorities and researchers might find this review useful, as it draws a clear picture of research in the respective domain.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique that simultaneously measures efficiency and effectiveness to provide a comprehensive appraisal of the productivity. Additionally, an algorithm is recommended to determine targets that are used for measuring effectiveness.

In this paper, for measuring productivity, a new methodology based on non-parametric mathematical DEA technique was presented. The proposed procedure is able to compute the efficiency input effectiveness, and output effectiveness, simultaneously.

By comparing with previous models, the authors’ proposed integrated model generates more detailed results and has more discriminating power.

To the best of the authors knowledge, there is not any study in which a non-parametric mathematical approach measures productivity through simultaneous combining of the effectiveness, including input effectiveness, and output effectiveness, and the efficiency.

The pressure of globalization has raised social concerns related to the protection of the environment, forced companies to use sustainability as a strategic weapon to fulfill the legal obligations and achieve overall competitiveness. It is reported that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are globally responsible for approximately 70 percent of the industrial pollution, justifying urgent attention to the operations of these businesses. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of sustainability orientation (SO) and supply chain (SC) integration implemented by SMEs on their sustainable procurement (SP) and design. Moreover, this study examines how SMEs’ SP and design affect their environmental and cost performance (CP).

The authors develop a comprehensive model to test the relationships among SC, SC integration, SP, sustainable design (SD), environmental performance (EP) and CP at the SMEs level. The authors investigate the relationships of the mentoned factors by a data set that is collected from 358 Indian manufacturing SMEs.

The results indicate that in the SMEs’ context: SO positively influences both SP and SD; external integration positively affects SP; internal integration positively affects SD; SP positively influences EP and has not impact on CP; and SD positively influences both EP and CP.

This study provides a broad view of the relation between driving factors that may direct SMEs toward a better sustainability performance and offers practical managerial insights into these important business entities.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) and program evaluation and review technique/critical path method (PERT/CPM) for determining prospective benchmarks.

The idea of determining prospective benchmark is needed for developing a model for future planning where inputs and outputs of systems are influenced by external factors such as economic conditions, demographic changes, and other socio-economic factors. In this paper, the PERT/CPM method estimates prospective inputs and outputs. On the other hand, in particular systems some measures play the role of both input and output. Such factors in DEA literature are called dual-role factors. This paper integrates PERT/CPM technique and the DEA.

The results of the proposed model depict that a present benchmark may not be a benchmark in future. A numerical example validates the proposed model.

This paper, for the first time, applies the PERT/CPM technique to incorporate the ideas for identifying prospective benchmarks. Moreover, the proposed model is an alternative solution for classifying inputs and outputs in DEA. Also, the proposed model is utilized in benchmarking green supply chain management.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an innovative data envelopment analysis (DEA) model entitled “Non‐binary Arithmetic Operator Dual‐role” (NAOD) under free disposability assumption for selecting the refrigerated containers in cold chain management (CCM).

In classical DEA models, it is assumed that all of input and output variables play a certain role. However, in some cases, some variables play both input and output roles, simultaneously. These variables in DEA are called “dual‐role” factors. This study introduces a new approach to deal with these factors in the process of evaluating a set of homogeneous refrigerated containers, which is based on Free Disposal Hull (FDH) (one of the DEA models). However, in previous dual‐role models, this variable is considered as a binary variable. In this paper, a partial role for dual‐role factors is considered.

The main findings of this paper are: for the first time, the NAOD model is developed for the container selection problem in the context of CCM and the dual‐role factors are considered for the container selection problem. The NAOD model determines partial role of dual‐role factors and can consider multiple dual‐role factors. For the first time, the container selection problem is solved by an FDH model. The result of NAOD model is validated by genetic algorithm.

The paper makes a sufficient contribution to the practice of operations research. It is the first study which applies advanced DEA models for selecting the containers in the context of the CCM. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no other reference that deals with container selection in the context of CCM in the presence of dual‐role factors.

User behavior in online information evaluation is the result of a multitude of factors related to social, cultural, personal and psychological issues. The present study aimed to examine the effects of three important psychological variables including personality, self-efficacy and attitude on online information evaluation.

Four validated measures were administrated in person and online among 355 postgraduate students at Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. For testing the possible relationships among the variables, the reliability, normality and Pearson correlation tests were performed by using SPSS 24.0. Moreover, to test the ten hypotheses of the research, the structural equation modeling was considered using AMOS 26.0.

The findings confirmed the first five research hypotheses indicating the direct positive relationships among the four variables except for the impact of self-efficacy on attitude. The mediated effects of the variables were not supported except for the mediating role of attitude in the impact of personality on online evaluation behavior. The variable personality was found to be fundamental among the tested paths because it influenced the information evaluation behavior, both directly and indirectly.

The study showed the impacts of the three variables, which demonstrates that online information evaluation is greatly affected by psychological factors.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is becoming a crucial health problem worldwide. Continued and high-speed mutations of this virus result in the appearance of new manifestations, making the control of this disease difficult. It has been shown that well-nourished patients have strong immune systems who mostly have short-term hospitalization compared to others. The purpose of this study is to review the major nutrients involved in the immune system reinforcement and to explain nutritional aspects during the recovery of COVID-19.

In this review paper, the mechanistic role of nutrients in boosting the immune system and the nutritional aspects during the recovery of COVID-19 patients were discussed. Papers indexed in scientific databases were searched using antioxidants, COVID-19, inflammation, immune system, macronutrient, micronutrient and probiotic as keywords from 2000 to 2022.

Because of the adverse effects of drugs like thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and hypercholesterolemia, a balanced diet with enough concentrations of energy and macronutrients could increase the patient's durability. The inflammatory cytokines in a vicious cycle delay patients’ rehabilitation. The main mechanistic roles of micronutrients are attributed to the downregulation of virus replication and are involved in energy homeostasis. Dysbiosis is defined as another disturbance among COVID-19 patients, and supplementation with beneficial strains of probiotics helps to exert anti-inflammatory effects in this regard. Being on a well-planned diet with anti-inflammatory properties could reverse cytokine storms as the major feature of COVID-19. Future studies are needed to determine the safe and effective dose of dietary factors to control the COVID-19 patients.

Being on a well-planned diet with anti-inflammatory properties could reverse cytokine storms as the major feature of COVID-19. Future studies are needed to determine the safe and effective dose of dietary factors to control the COVID-19 patients.

The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach for the optimal design of protective current transformers (CTs). The proposed technique is applied to the design of typical CTs and results are compared with traditional CT design method and genetic algorithm optimization algorithm.

The aim of CT design is to make current measurements more accurately, particularly for the high fault currents which arise in short circuits, and more efficient CT in terms of both size and cost. The present work formulates these objectives as an optimization problem to be solved by particle swarm optimization.

Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique in optimizing the CT design parameters. The designed CTs have smaller measurement errors compared to standard values and respond well to high fault currents. Manufacturing costs have also been reduced.

In addition to improved efficiency, the benefits of this method are its treatment of CT design in terms of an equivalent circuit and design parameters. The proposed algorithm also extends the linear operation area of the CT and guarantees its good response to high fault currents that may occur in power systems.

During hospitalization, children are faced with physical disorders and many psychological challenges. One important factor affecting children is the environmental design of the hospital. The inappropriate design of hospitals may contribute to an increase in fear, anxiety and behavioral disorders. The purpose of this study is to use children’s perspectives to evaluate the importance and impact of effective environmental factors to generate children’s hospital design guidelines.

In this study, children’s desired atmosphere during treatment was examined via 16 drawings and 24 interviews from children at a children’s hospital in Iran.

The encoding of information extracted environmental components such as window view, color, hobby, playing, decorations, family presence, structure of hospital, presence of nurse, furniture, water features, light and green space. The results indicate that children prefer a hospital environment that provides entertainment facilities while also offering design features such as the presence of light, colorful decorations, the existence of green spaces and conditions suitable for their families to be present.

Depending on the location and their living conditions, the children’s prioritization can be different in any society. In addition, the data of this research was descriptive; thus, the conclusions must be considered tentative.

A number of studies focus on the needs of populations in developed countries. This topic has not been investigated in a major way via professionals in non-western countries such as Iran. Thus, the context of this study and present findings can be deemed unique.