Abstract
Continuous improvement (CI) have been recognised as one of the most effective ways to improve organisational performance. However, there is a lack of research on this topic from a food service perspective. Thus, the aim of this work is to explore the adoption of CI-focused methodologies in food services and to understand how they contribute to improving the performance of these services. Critical success factors and barriers to the implementation of CI are also analysed. This systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA methodology and a total of 43 studies were included in the analysis. This review shows that CI is effective in improving operations and performance, as well as increasing stakeholder satisfaction in the food service sector. Additionally, the review reveals that CI-focused tools are mainly used in problem identification, waste identification, planning, operations, and logistics. Human-related issues are the most frequently mentioned when it comes to the factors determining the success or failure of CI in food services.

Abstract
Inherited retinal diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa and Stargardt’s disease are genetic conditions that cause the photoreceptors in the retina to deteriorate over time. This can lead to vision symptoms such as tubular vision, loss of central vision, and nyctalopia (difficulty seeing in low light) or photophobia (high light). Timely healthcare intervention is critical, as most forms of these conditions are currently untreatable and usually focused on minimizing further vision loss. Machine learning (ML) algorithms can play a crucial role in the detection of retinal diseases, especially considering the recent advancements in retinal imaging devices and the limited availability of public datasets on these diseases. These algorithms have the potential to help researchers gain new insights into disease progression from previous classified eye scans and genetic profiles of patients. In this work, multi-class identification between the retinal diseases Retinitis Pigmentosa, Stargardt Disease, and Cone-Rod Dystrophy was performed using three pretrained models, ResNet101, ResNet50, and VGG19 as baseline models, after shown to be effective in our computer vision task. These models were trained and validated on two datasets of autofluorescent retinal images, the first containing raw data, and the second dataset was improved with cropping to obtain better results. The best results were achieved using the ResNet101 model on the improved dataset with an Accuracy (Acc) of 0.903, an Area under the ROC Curve (AUC) of 0.976, an F1-Score of 0.897, a Recall (REC) of 0.903, and a Precision (PRE) of 0.910. To further assess the reliability of these models for future data, an Explainable AI (XAI) analysis was conducted, employing Grad-Cam. Overall, the study showed promising capabilities of Deep Learning for the diagnosis of retinal diseases using medical imaging. © ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering 2024.

Abstract
This study evaluates a new solution approach for the Resource -Constrained Project Scheduling with Alternative Subgraphs (RCPSP-AS) in case that complex relations (i.e. nested and linked alternatives) are considered. In the RCPSP-AS, the project activity structure is extended with alternative activity sequences. This implies that only a subset of all activities should be scheduled, which corresponds with a set of activities in the project network that model an alternative execution mode for a work package. Since only the selected activities should be scheduled, the RCPSP-AS comes down to a traditional RCPSP problem when the selection subproblem is solved. It is known that the RCPSP and, hence, its extension to the RCPSP-AS is NP -hard. Since similar scheduling and selection subproblems have already been successfully solved by satisfiability (SAT) solvers in the existing literature, we aim to test the performance of a GA -SAT approach that is derived from the literature and adjusted to be able to deal with the problem -specific constraints of the RCPSP-AS. Computational results on smalland large-scale instances (both artificial and empirical) show that the algorithm can compete with existing metaheuristic algorithms from the literature. Also, the performance is compared with an exact mathematical solver and learning behaviour is observed and analysed. This research again validates the broad applicability of SAT solvers as well as the need to search for better and more suited algorithms for the RCPSP-AS and its extensions.

Abstract
The intrinsic challenges of contemporary marketing encourage discovering new approaches to engage and retain customers effectively. As the main channels of interactions between customers and brands pivot between the physical and the digital world, analyzing the outcome behavioral patterns must be achieved dynamically with the stimulus performed in both poles. This systematic review investigates the collaborative impact of adopting multidisciplinary fields of Affective Computing to evaluate current marketing strategies, upholding the process of using multimodal information from consumers to perform and integrate Sentiment Analysis tasks. The adjusted representation of modalities such as textual, visual, audio, or even psychological indicators enables prospecting a more precise assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed technique, glimpsing future applications of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence in Marketing. Embracing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis as the research method to be applied, this article warrants a rigorous and sequential identification and interpretation of the synergies between the latest studies about affective computing and marketing. Furthermore, the robustness of the procedure is deepened in knowledge-gathering concerning the current state of Affective Computing in the Marketing area, their technical practices, ethical and legal considerations, and the potential upcoming applications, anticipating insights for the ongoing work of marketers and researchers.

Abstract

Abstract
A blue jeans brand committed to the environmental cause could position itself as unique and socially responsible and attract environmentally driven consumers. This research study examines the relationship between brand love and consumers’ environmental cause knowledge and their willingness to recommend and pay a premium for sustainable blue jeans. To this end, this cross-sectional study comprises a snowball convenience sample of 978 Portuguese respondents, whose data were collected from December 2022 to January 2023. Positive associations between self-expression, brand love, loyalty, environmental cause knowledge, positive word-of-mouth, and willingness to pay a premium for sustainable blue jeans stand out. There are differences in the willingness to pay a premium among generations, education levels, and consumers who are aware of sustainable line extensions and those who are not. The results may be helpful for brands, suggesting their communication should focus on creating increased proximity to consumers by enhancing their values and seeking to link their brands to intrinsic benefits and environmental stakes. This is the first study to incorporate knowledge of the environmental cause into a model linking brand love, brand loyalty, positive word-of-mouth, and willingness to pay a premium for sustainable blue jeans.