bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mediation effects on the relationships among the perceived and preferred coaching behaviors, and job satisfaction in Korea
Authors: Hwang Seokwon , Hwang Sunok , Jacobs Ronald Lynn
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the influences of perceived and preferred coaching behaviors and the discrepancy between them on job satisfaction, mediated by the quality of the relationship with the immediate supervisor and adaptive performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The research adopted a cross-sectional survey design. A total of 220 Korean employees, small-sized team members, were recruited from the automotive industry for the study. This research explored the relationship between perceived and preferred coaching behaviors using the Pearson correlation. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationships among perceived and preferred managerial coaching behaviors, the discrepancy between them, the quality of the relationship with the immediate supervisor, adaptive performance and job satisfaction.

Findings

Perceived and preferred coaching behaviors exhibited a weak correlation. Perceived coaching behaviors indirectly influenced job satisfaction through the quality of the relationship with the immediate supervisor and adaptive performance. The discrepancy between perceived and preferred coaching behaviors directly and indirectly influenced job satisfaction via adaptive performance. However, all paths related to preferred coaching behaviors were found to be insignificant.

Research limitations/implications

Although the results of this research may be generalized to the Korean automotive industry, the findings highlight perceived and preferred coaching behaviors and the discrepancy between them as independent variables. The findings shed light on the influences of managerial coaching on the quality of the relationship with the immediate supervisor within Korean workplace cultures and how coaching behaviors contribute to triggering subordinates’ adaptive performance. In addition, the study provides how managerial coaching influences job satisfaction in the workplace.

Practical implications

Based on the findings, an organization should cultivate self-directed learning environments to enhance employees’ adaptive performance. The coaching training session should be added to the leadership development program for new managers. Team leaders need to consider their members’ preferences during managerial coaching.

Originality/value

The variables, such as preferred coaching variables and the discrepancy between perceived and preferred coaching behaviors, along with the research framework, represent a novelty in managerial coaching, as well as within the Korean context.
Does fit matter? The impact of person-environment fit and internship quality on professional competence of TVET students: evidence from a large-scale competence assessment in China
Authors: Cui Yuting , Huang Fanghui , Zhao Zhiqun , Gao Fan
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Firstly, this study diagnosed professional competence amongst Chinese vocational students within a broad range of the manufacturing sectors; then, the authors examined how different types of P-E fit (job, organisation and vocation) and internship quality jointly shape the newly acquired professional competences of interns.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilised the COMET methodology to conduct a large-scale assessment of professional competence amongst 961 graduates from vocational colleges who had successfully completed internships. Participants actively engaged in the data collection process by responding to questionnaires that sought contextual information concurrently.

Findings

The majority of students have attained fundamental functional competencies, indicating their fulfillment of basic requirements. However, there is a tendency to overlook the cultivation of shaping competence. Three types of P-E fit and task characteristics are positively correlated with professional competence. The indirect relationship between P-E fit and professional competence mediated by task characteristics was verified through P-V fit and P-J fit except for P-O fit. Overall, the model explains 39.2% of the variance in professional competence.

Originality/value

“How to promote professional competence” has been highlighted as an important topic in vocational education. This paper contributes to identify the characteristics of a quality internship program for vocational colleges and firms. These insights are important in considering a student-centred approach, design internships programmes that better fit their own abilities, needs and vocations, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach to implement internships and thus, enhance students' professional development.
Getting users to click: a content analysis of phishers’ tactics and techniques in mobile instant messaging phishing
Authors: Ahmad Rufai , Terzis Sotirios , Renaud Karen
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how phishers apply persuasion principles and construct deceptive URLs in mobile instant messaging (MIM) phishing.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 67 examples of real-world MIM phishing attacks were collected from various online sources. Each example was coded using established guidelines from the literature to identify the persuasion principles, and the URL construction techniques employed.

Findings

The principles of social proof, liking and authority were the most widely used in MIM phishing, followed by scarcity and reciprocity. Most phishing examples use three persuasion principles, often a combination of authority, liking and social proof. In contrast to email phishing but similar to vishing, the social proof principle was the most commonly used in MIM phishing. Phishers implement the social proof principle in different ways, most commonly by claiming that other users have already acted (e.g. crafting messages that indicate the sender has already benefited from the scam). In contrast to email, retail and fintech companies are the most commonly targeted in MIM phishing. Furthermore, phishers created deceptive URLs using multiple URL obfuscation techniques, often using spoofed domains, to make the URL complex by adding random characters and using homoglyphs.

Originality/value

The insights from this study provide a theoretical foundation for future research on the psychological aspects of phishing in MIM apps. The study provides recommendations that software developers should consider when developing automated anti-phishing solutions for MIM apps and proposes a set of MIM phishing awareness training tips.
Are materiality determination practices evolving in the wake of increasing legislation on sustainability reporting? Findings from EU pharmaceutical companies’ reports
Authors: Miettinen Mirella
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to contribute to the development of the European Union (EU) regulatory environment for sustainability reporting by analyzing how materiality is defined in the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and by examining the added value and challenges of legalizing reporting and materiality requirements from both regulatory and practical company perspectives. It provides insights on whether this is reflected by EU pharmaceutical companies and to what extent companies report information on their materiality analysis process.

Design/methodology/approach

Doctrinal analysis was used to examine regulatory instruments. Qualitative document analysis was used to analyze companies’ reports. The added value and challenges were examined using a governance approach. It focused on legalizing reporting and materiality requirements, with a brief extension to corporate management and organization studies.

Findings

Materiality has evolved from a vague concept in the NFRD toward double materiality in the CSRD. This was reflected by the industry, but reports revealed inconsistencies in materiality definitions and reported information. Challenges include lack of self-reflection and company-centric perceptions of materiality. Companies should explain how they identify relevant stakeholders and how input is considered in decision-making.

Practical implications

Managers must consider how they conduct materiality assessments to meet society’s expectations. The underlying processes should be explained to increase the credibility of reports. Sustainability reporting should be seen as a corporate governance tool.

Originality/value

This work contributes to the literature on materiality in sustainability reporting and to the debate on the need for a holistic, society-centric approach to enhance the sustainability of companies.
Big data analytics capability in building supply chain resilience: the moderating effect of innovation-focused complementary assets
Authors: Lee Voon Hsien , Foo Pik-Yin , Cham Tat-Huei , Hew Teck-Soon , Tan Garry Wei-Han , Ooi Keng-Boon
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This research investigates the mechanism by which big data capability enables superior supply chain resilience (SCRe) by empirically examining the links among big data analytics (BDA), supply chain flexibility (SCF) and SCRe, with innovation-focused complementary assets (CA-I) as the moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

Extensive surveys were conducted to gather 308 responses from Malaysian manufacturing firms in order to explore this framework. The structural and measurement models were examined and evaluated by using partial least squares structural equation modelling.

Findings

The findings revealed that BDA is linked to flexibilities in a manufacturing firm’s value chain, which in turn is related to the firm’s SCRe. However, the association between BDA and SCRe is surprisingly non-significant. Additionally, CA-I was discovered to moderate the connections between all of the constructs, except for the relationship between BDA and SCRe. Such findings imply that with the aim of enhancing resilience, a company should concentrate on SCF; and that BDA capability is a prerequisite for increasing these flexibilities.

Originality/value

This research extrapolates the findings of previous studies regarding BDA’s influence on SCRe by investigating the indirect effect of SCF, as well as the moderating influence of CA-I. This research is one of the first few studies to empirically examine the relationships between BDA, SCF and SCRe across manufacturing firms, with CA-I acting as a moderator.
Drivers of indigenous entrepreneurship: an empirical investigation of Indian tribal youth
Authors: Mishra Onkar Nath , Gupta Saurabh
Published: January 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the integrated role of psychological, economic and environmental determinants of entrepreneurial intention among tribal community.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applied the utility maximisation approach to model the determinants of entrepreneurial intention (EI) among tribal youth. Using a non-linear qualitative response model, the study examined the effects of psychological, economic and environmental determinants tribal youth entrepreneurship intention. A total of 363 tribal youths were sampled across the eastern central region of India.

Findings

The result from the use of a logit model revealed strong evidence in favour of economic and contextual factors in comparison to psychological factors as determinants of EI among tribal youth. Further, the external environmental factors along with socio-economic background of tribal community were found to be dominant in influencing their decision to be an entrepreneur.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides empirical evidence for the integrated and relative role of psychological, economic and environmental factors in shaping the entrepreneurial career decision of tribal community. Hence, one of the key contributions of this research was the development of an eclectic theory of tribal entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

This study discovering the determinants of entrepreneurial decision of tribal community using some recent advances in non-psychological approaches to study entrepreneurship. The domain of tribal/indigenous entrepreneurship is still in a nascent stage and in this context, it enriches the literature by closing few glaring gaps.
Marketing via Shangbangs (Chinese business networks)
Authors: Yan Tony , Hyman Michael R.
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This study examines how informal business networks achieve marketing goals in socially uncertain contexts. Drawing from multiple historical sources, Shangbangs, a type of business network that thrived in pre-1949 China, are analyzed.

Design/methodology/approach

The Critical Historical Research Method (CHRM) undergirds a study of Shangbangs’ historicity (i.e. their socio-historically embedded multiplicity, including organizational forms, activities and connotations.

Findings

As informal regional, professional, project-based, special-product-based or mixed marketing networks, Shangbangs relied on “flexible specialization” and coupled multiple business needs to market goods and services, business organizations, specific social values and, when necessary, to debrand business rivals.

Research limitations/implications

This analysis extends theories about marketing networks by probing their subtypes, diverse marketing activities, multipronged channels and relationship building with social entities (including underground societies, business associations and guilds) in response to pre-1949 China’s market uncertainties. Substantiating an alternative approach to “flexible specialization” and marketing innovations within the pre-1949 Chinese economy shows how a parallel theoretical framework can complement western-based marketing theories.

Originality/value

This first comprehensive analysis of Shangbangs, an innovative historical Chinese marketing network outside the conventional market-corporate dichotomy, can inform theory building for marketing strategy-making and management conditioned by social contexts.
Does green transformational leadership reinforce green creativity? The mediating roles of green organizational culture and green mindfulness
Authors: Srivastava Shalini , Pathak Deepti , Soni Swati , Dixit Abha
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Utilising componential theory of creativity the study aims to examines the roles of green transformational leadership, organizational culture and green mindfulness as antecedents of green creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-wave data collection method was used to collect data from the 304 hotel employees belonging to hotels located in the tourist’s location of India. The study used PROCESS macro to test the hypothesized model.

Findings

The results found a significant serial mediating effect of green organizational culture and green mindfulness for strengthening the association between green transformational leadership and green creativity.

Practical implications

The study establishes that a transformational leadership can bring about a much-needed green turnaround and thus makes significant practical contribution. As customers are becoming environmentally conscious, the industry can translate the green practices and motivate their subordinates by exhibiting the environmentally conscious behaviour and exhibit the same in their actions at work.

Originality/value

The current research work expands the body of literature on green transformational leadership and green creativity nexus in tourism and hospitality industry by exploring the boundary condition that increases the strength of this relationship.
Co-creating customer experiences in service ecosystems: a study in a tourist destination
Authors: Monferrer Tirado Diego , Moliner Tena Miguel Angel , Estrada Marta
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This study aims to examine the co-creation of customer experiences at different levels in service ecosystems, analyzing the case of a tourist destination.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was designed based on previously validated scales. The questionnaire was distributed through the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. The survey yielded 1,476 valid responses for three types of destinations. Structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis were performed to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Aggregate service experience and memorable customer experience (MCE) in service ecosystems are determined by customer experiences at a dyadic level. Service experience at the ecosystem level is formed from ordinary experiences at the actor level, while MCE is formed from extraordinary experiences at the dyadic level. The type of ecosystem moderates the relationships between the variables but does not alter the importance of each of them.

Originality/value

The relationship between the co-creation of customer experiences at different levels of service ecosystems (dyadic vs aggregate) is addressed. A relationship is established between the ordinary and extraordinary character of experiences and their memorability at the ecosystem level.
BmSLC7A5 is essential for silk protein synthesis and larval development in Bombyx mori
Authors: Tang Xin , Liu Huawei , Wang Xin , Chang Li , Liu Qingsong , Xia Qingyou , Zhao Ping
Published: January 2024

Insects produce silk to form cocoons, nests, and webs, which are important for their survival and reproduction. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism of silk protein synthesis at the translation level. The solute carrier family 7 (SLC7) genes are involved in activating the target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) signaling pathway and protein translation process, but the physiological roles of SLC7 genes in silk‐producing insects have not been reported. Here, we found that amino acid signaling regulates silk protein synthesis and larval development via the L‐type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1; also known as SLC7A5) in Bombyx mori. A total of 12 SLC7 homologs were identified in the silkworm genome, among which BmSLC7A5 was found to be a silk gland‐enriched gene and may be involved in leucine transport. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that SLC7A5 displays high homology and a close phylogenetic relationship in silk‐producing insects. Subsequently, we found that leucine treatment significantly increased silk protein synthesis by improving the transcription and protein levels of silk genes. Furthermore, systemic and silk gland‐specific knockout of BmSLC7A5 led to decreased silk protein synthesis by inhibiting TORC1 signaling, and somatic mutation also resulted in arrested development from the 5th instar to the early pupal stage. Altogether, our study reveals that BmSLC7A5 is involved in regulating silk protein synthesis and larval development by affecting the TORC1 signaling pathway, which provides a new strategy and target for improving silk yield.
Pulmonary superinfection diagnosed with bronchoalveolar lavage at intubation in COVID patients: A Swedish single‐centre study
Authors: Hammarskjöld Fredrik , Berg Sören , Bavelaar Herjan , Henningson Anna J. , Taxbro Knut
Published: January 2024

Background

Patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID) pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (C‐ARDS) on invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) have been found to be prone to having other microbial findings than severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐2)‐CoV‐19 in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid at intubation causing a superinfection. These BAL results could guide empirical antibiotic treatment in complex clinical situations. However, there are limited data on the relationship between microbial findings in the initial BAL at intubation and later ventilator‐associated pneumonia (VAP) diagnoses.

Objective

To analyse the incidence of, and microorganisms responsible for, superinfections in C‐ARDS patients at the time of first intubation through microbial findings in BAL fluid. To correlate these findings to markers of inflammation in plasma and later VAP development.

Design

Retrospective single‐centre study.

Setting

One COVID‐19 intensive care unit (ICU) at a County Hospital in Sweden during the first year of the pandemic.

Patients

All patients with C‐ARDS who were intubated in the ICU.

Results

We analysed BAL fluid specimens from 112 patients at intubation, of whom 31 (28%) had superinfections. Blood levels of the C‐reactive protein, procalcitonin, neutrophil granulocytes, and lymphocytes were indistinguishable between patients with and without a pulmonary superinfection. Ninety‐eight (88%) of the patients were treated with IMV for more than 48 h and of these patients, 37% were diagnosed with VAP. The microorganisms identified in BAL at the time of intubation are normally found at the oral, pharyngeal, and airway sites. Only one patient had an indistinguishable bacterial strain responsible for both superinfection at intubation and in VAP.

Conclusions

One fourth of the patients with C‐ARDS had a pulmonary superinfection in the lungs that was caused by another microorganism identified at intubation. Routine serum inflammatory markers could not be used to identify this complication. Microorganisms located in BAL at intubation were rarely associated with later VAP development.
Alcohol use disorder and time perception: The mediating role of attention and working memory
Authors: Liu Yunpeng , Yin Huazhan , Liu Xiaoyi , Zhang Li , Wu Dehua , Shi Yan , Chen Yang , Zhou Xuhui
Published: January 2024

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been associated with attentional deficits and impairments of working memory. Meanwhile, attention and working memory are critical for time perception. However, it remains unclear how time perception alters in AUD patients and how attention and working memory affect their time perception. The current study aims to clarify the time perception characteristics of AUD patients and the cognitive mechanisms underlying their time perception dysfunction. Thirty‐one patients (three of them were excluded) with AUD and thirty‐one matched controls completed the Time Bisection Task, Attention Network Test and Digital Span Backward Test to assess their abilities in time perception, attention network and working memory, respectively. The results showed that, after controlling for anxiety, depression, and impulsivity, AUD patients had a lower proportion of ‘long’ responses at intervals of 600, 750, 900, 1050 and 1200 ms. Furthermore, they displayed higher subjective equivalence points and higher Weber ratios compared to controls. Moreover, AUD patients showed impaired alerting and executive control networks as well as reduced working memory resources. Only working memory resources mediated the impact of AUD on time perception. In conclusion, our findings suggested that the duration underestimation in AUD patients is predominantly caused by working memory deficits.
Maternal pre‐pregnancy overweight or obesity and risk of birth defects in offspring: Population‐based cohort study
Authors: Liu Weiying , Ren Luzhong , Fang Fang , Chen Ruoqing
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Maternal obesity, a health condition increasingly prevalent worldwide, has been suggested to be associated with a higher risk of birth defects in offspring, whereas evidence from population‐based data from China was largely lacking. Additionally, the role of gestational diabetes in the association between maternal obesity and birth defects remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the association of maternal pre‐pregnancy overweight or obesity with any and different types of birth defects in offspring and the interaction between pre‐pregnancy overweight or obesity and gestational diabetes.

Material and methods

We conducted a population‐based cohort study including 257 107 singletons born between 2015 and 2021 in Longgang District, Shenzhen, China, using data from the Shenzhen Maternal and Child Health Management System. Poisson regression was conducted to estimate the associations of maternal pre‐pregnancy overweight or obesity, as well as the interaction between pre‐pregnancy overweight or obesity and gestational diabetes, with the risk of birth defects. Models were adjusted for maternal age at delivery, educational level, type of household registration, and gravidity.

Results

Maternal pre‐pregnancy overweight was associated with a higher risk of any birth defect (risk ratio [RR] 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12 to 1.31) as well as of congenital malformations of the circulatory system (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.41), eye/ear/face/neck (RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.94), and musculoskeletal system (RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.44). Maternal pre‐pregnancy obesity was associated with a higher risk of any birth defect (RR 1.38, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.63) and congenital malformations of the circulatory system (RR 1.61, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.98). Infants born to overweight or obese mothers with gestational diabetes had a higher risk of congenital malformations of the circulatory system than infants born to overweight or obese mothers without gestational diabetes.

Conclusions

Maternal pre‐pregnancy overweight or obesity was associated with a higher risk of birth defects, particularly congenital malformations of the circulatory system, in offspring. Gestational diabetes interacts additively with pre‐pregnancy overweight or obesity on modifying the risk of congenital malformations of the circulatory system. The importance of improving weight management and assessment of glucose and metabolic functions was emphasized among women planning for pregnancy who are overweight or obese.
Printable oxygen‐generating biodegradable scaffold for thicker tissue‐engineered medical products
Authors: Pei Zihan , Montagne Kevin , Namiki Ayaka , Shinohara Makoto , Ushida Takashi , Furukawa Katsuko S.
Published: January 2024

Background

Due to the increasing demand to generate thick and vascularized tissue‐engineered constructs, novel strategies are currently being developed. An effective example is the fabrication of a 3D scaffold containing oxygen‐releasing biomaterials to solve the limitations of gas diffusion and transport within transplanted tissues or devices.

Methods

In this study, we developed a biodegradable scaffold made of polycaprolactone (PCL) mixed with oxygen‐generating calcium peroxide (CPO) to design new structures for regenerative tissue using a 3D printer capable of forming arbitrarily shapes.

Results and Conclusion

When osteoblast progenitor cells (MC3T3‐E1 cells) were cultured under hypoxic conditions on scaffolds fabricated with this technique, it was shown that cell death was reduced by the new scaffolds. Therefore, the results suggest that 3D‐printed scaffolds made from biodegradable oxygen‐releasing materials may be useful for tissue engineering and regeneration.
Bacterial aerobic respiration is a major consumer of oxygen in sputum from patients with acute lower respiratory tract infection
Authors: Jensen Peter Østrup , Olsen Pernille , Dungu Arnold Matovu , Egelund Gertrud Baunbæk , Jensen Andreas Vestergaard , Ravn Pernille , Lindegaard Birgitte , Hertz Frederik Boëtius , Bjarnsholt Thomas , Faurholt‐Jepsen Daniel , Kolpen Mette
Published: January 2024

Bacterial aerobic respiration may determine the outcome of antibiotic treatment in experimental settings, but the clinical relevance of bacterial aerobic respiration for the outcome of antibiotic treatment has not been tested. Therefore, we hypothesized that bacterial aerobic respiration is higher in sputum from patients with acute lower respiratory tract infections (aLRTI), than in sputum from patients with chronic LRTI (cLRTI), where the bacteria persist despite antibiotic treatment. The bacterial aerobic respiration was determined according to the dynamics of the oxygen (O2) concentration in sputum from aLRTI patients (n = 52). This result was evaluated by comparison to previously published data from patients with cLRTI. O2 consumption resulting in anoxic zones was more frequent in sputum with detected bacterial pathogens. The bacterial aerobic respiration in aLRTI sputum approximated 55% of the total O2 consumption, which was significantly higher than previously published for cLRTI. The bacterial aerobic respiration in sputum was higher in aLRTI patients than previously seen in cLRTI patients, indicating the presence of bacteria with a sensitive physiology in aLRTI. These variations in bacterial physiology between aLRTI patients and cLRTI patients may contribute the huge difference in treatment success between the two patient groups.
A framework for Indigenous climate resilience: A Gitxsan case study
Authors: Wale Janna Deanne , Parrott Lael
Published: January 2024

Indigenous communities in British Columbia hold deep relationships with their Lands, and are disproportionately affected by climate change. This study assesses resilience of Indigenous communities to climate change with respect to changes in the traditional seasonal round. Through a decolonizing methodology that is inclusive of a two‐eyed seeing approach, we develop a culturally appropriate framework for assessing climate resilience of Indigenous communities and apply this framework to a case study of the Gitxsan Nation. Our “Rez‐ilience” framework is an adaptation of a commonly used resilience assessment framework to include an Indigenous worldview. Through application of the framework to qualitative data obtained from surveys and interviews with Nation members, we document how the cumulative impacts of climate change and ecosystem degradation are affecting the timing of traditional seasonal activities, and how people are responding to these changes. We conclude with recommendations for ways that the Gitxsan Nation might increase its climate resilience.
Economic Development and Social Integration of Migrants in China
Authors: Shen Guangjun , Zhang Chuanchuan
Published: January 2024

Migrants often face challenges in social integration. Using a nationally representative sample of migrant workers and employing the epidemiological approach, this paper examines the determinants of social integration. It finds that, conditional on a set of individual features, the migrants from less‐developed provinces have greater difficulty in integrating into local communities. These results still demonstrate robustness across alternative variables, samples, and various specifications. Mechanism analysis shows that educational and employment factors account for over 40 percent of the variance in social integration levels, suggesting their significant influence. Additionally, the analysis suggests that native bias against migrants, along with misunderstandings between them, may account for part of the remaining variation in social integration levels. Importantly, the ability to speak local dialects has been identified as a crucial factor that can significantly improve migrants' subjective experience of integrating into a new city. By identifying one specific cause of social integration, this paper provides information to individuals and governments and assists them to improve social integration.
Does City Shape Affect China's Economic Development?
Authors: Zou Wei , Yang Fei
Published: January 2024

This paper constructs a general equilibrium spatial urban model and measures city geometric compactness using the patch‐shape index based on evidence from satellite imagery and basic vector maps of China. It adopts the ordinary least squares and instrumental variable approaches to examine the effect of city shape on the urban development of 279 Chinese cities at or above the prefecture level. The empirical results show that there was a significant negative correlation between city shape and economic outcomes. Specifically, every 1 percentage point increase in the patch‐shape index led to a decrease in city‐scale GDP by 0.009 percent, housing prices by 0.044 percent, and wages by 0.024 percent. More compact urban layouts attracted an inflow of households and firms, stimulated city economic growth, and were associated with increased housing prices and wage rates. The paper considers the cities' initial conditions, trends in population changes (expanding, shrinking, and stagnant cities), and geographic factors, and finds that the results are robust. An array of policy implications can be drawn from the research.
Assessment of an online tooth morphology course and 3D examination tool during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Lone Mutahira , Mohamed Mawadda Abdelmahmoud Abdelgader , Toulouse André
Published: January 2024

Introduction

The COVID‐19 pandemic brought major disruptions to dental teaching and has impacted the delivery of tooth morphology courses where students are introduced to the three‐dimensional features of the dentition. The aim of this study was to assess the implementation of newly developed online teaching modalities for tooth morphology, evaluate their usefulness and identify elements that are beneficial for learners.

Materials and Methods

Following the delivery of an online course that included online 3D models, 2D cue cards, live discussion sessions and Socrative™ quizzes, the participants were asked to rate the usability and usefulness of each tool. The participants' knowledge of tooth morphology was assessed through an online examination using 3D‐digitised tooth models.

Results

The participants identified lecture handouts and online 3D models as their preferred learning tools, while lecture video recordings and 2D cue cards were viewed as less useful. Data analysis from Socrative™ quizzes demonstrated improvement in tooth identification skills throughout the course delivery. Finally, results from the final assessment are in line with previous in‐person deliveries of this course.

Conclusions

The study provides valuable information on the usefulness of teaching modalities that were implemented in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic and their merit to be retained in future deliveries of the course. The 3D models have been identified as particularly useful in this context, but the participants still value the opportunity to learn with extracted teeth. Furthermore, it remains to be confirmed whether tooth identification skills acquired using 3D models can be transferred to the clinical setting.
Classification of Alzheimer's disease: application of a transfer learning deep Q‐network method
Authors: Ma Huibin , Wang Yadan , Hao Zeqi , Yu Yang , Jia Xize , Li Mengting , Chen Lanfen
Published: January 2024

Early diagnosis is crucial to slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), so it is urgent to find an effective diagnostic method for AD. This study intended to investigate whether the transfer learning approach of deep Q‐network (DQN) could effectively distinguish AD patients using local metrics of resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI) as features. This study included 1310 subjects from the Consortium for Reliability and Reproducibility (CoRR) and 50 subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) GO/2. The amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuation (ALFF), fractional ALFF (fALFF) and percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF) were extracted as features using the Power 264 atlas. Based on gender bias in AD, we searched for transferable similar parts between the CoRR feature matrix and the ADNI feature matrix, resulting in the CoRR similar feature matrix served as the source domain and the ADNI similar feature matrix served as the target domain. A DQN classifier was pre‐trained in the source domain and transferred to the target domain. Finally, the transferred DQN classifier was used to classify AD and healthy controls (HC). A permutation test was performed. The DQN transfer learning achieved a classification accuracy of 86.66% (p < 0.01), recall of 83.33% and precision of 83.33%. The findings suggested that the transfer learning approach using DQN could be an effective way to distinguish AD from HC. It also revealed the potential value of local brain activity in AD clinical diagnosis.
Trait‐matching models predict pairwise interactions across regions, not food web properties
Authors: Caron Dominique , Brose Ulrich , Lurgi Miguel , Blanchet F. Guillaume , Gravel Dominique , Pollock Laura J.
Published: January 2024

Aim

Food webs are essential for understanding how ecosystems function, but empirical data on the interactions that make up these ecological networks are lacking for most taxa in most ecosystems. Trait‐based models can fill these data gaps, but their ability to do so has not been widely tested. We test how well these models can extrapolate to new ecological communities both in terms of pairwise predator–prey interactions and higher level food web attributes (i.e. species position, food web‐level properties).

Location

Canada, Europe, Tanzania.

Time Period

Current.

Major Taxa Studied

Terrestrial vertebrates.

Methods

We train trait‐based models of pairwise trophic interactions on four independent vertebrate food webs (Canadian tundra, Serengeti, alpine south‐eastern Pyrenees and Europe) and evaluate how well these models predict pairwise interactions and network properties of each food web.

Results

We find that, overall, trait‐based models predict most interactions and their absence correctly. Performance was best for training and testing on the same food web (AUC > 0.90) and declined with environmental and phylogenetic distances with the strongest loss of performance for the tundra‐Serengeti ecosystems (AUC > 0.75). Network metrics were less well‐predicted than single interactions by our models with predicted food webs being more connected, less modular, and with higher mean trophic levels than observed.

Main Conclusions

Theory predicts that the variability observed in food webs can be explained by differences in trait distributions and trait‐matching relationships. Our finding that trait‐based models can predict many trophic interactions, even in contrasting environments, adds to the growing body of evidence that there are general constraints on interactions and that trait‐based methods can serve as a useful first approximation of food webs in unknown areas. However, food webs are more than the sum of their parts, and predicting network attributes will likely require models that simultaneously predict individual interactions and community constraints.
Deprescribing psychotropic medications is associated with improvements in activities of daily living in post‐stroke patients
Authors: Kose Eiji , Matsumoto Ayaka , Yoshimura Yoshihiro
Published: January 2024

Aims

To examine the effect of deprescribing psychotropic medications on activities of daily living (ADLs) and swallowing function in patients undergoing convalescent rehabilitation following a stroke.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, patients who underwent convalescent rehabilitation after a stroke were divided into two groups: deprescribing (number of psychotropic medications decreased during hospitalization) and non‐deprescribing (number of psychotropic medications increased or remained unchanged). The primary outcome measure was ADLs assessed using the Functional Independence‐Measured Motor Activity (FIM‐motor) score at discharge. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the independent association between deprescribing psychotropic medications and rehabilitation outcomes.

Results

Of the 586 patients enrolled, 128 with a mean age of 74.1 ± 12.7 years were included in the final analysis after being prescribed psychotropic medications, with 36 of them (28.1%) in the deprescribing group. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that deprescribing psychotropic medications was independently associated with FIM‐motor function at discharge.

Conclusions

Deprescribing psychotropic medications is positively associated with improvements in ADLs among patients undergoing convalescent rehabilitation after a stroke. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 275–282.
Effect of prednisolone for the treatment of medication‐overuse headache: A 3‐month result from a multicenter REgistry for Load and management of mEdicAtion overuSE headache (RELEASE) study
Authors: Lee Mi Ji , Park Hong‐Kyun , Oh Sun‐Young , Kang Jin‐Ju , Hong Yooha , Moon Heui‐Soo , Song Tae‐Jin , Chu Min Kyung , Cho Soo‐Jin
Published: January 2024

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy of prednisolone in the treatment of medication‐overuse headache (MOH) using data from a multicenter prospective registry (Registry for Load and Management of Medication Overuse Headache [RELEASE]).

Background

The treatment of MOH is challenging, especially when withdrawal headache manifests during the cessation of overused medication. Although systemic corticosteroids have been empirically used to reduce withdrawal headaches, their efficacy on the long‐term outcomes of MOH has not been documented.

Methods

This was a post hoc analysis of the RELEASE study. The RELEASE is an ongoing multicenter observational cohort study in which patients with MOH have been recruited from seven hospitals in Korea since April 2020. Clinical characteristics, disease profiles, treatments, and outcomes were assessed at baseline and specific time points. We analyzed the effect of prednisolone on MOH reversal at 3 months.

Results

Among the 309 patients enrolled during the study period, prednisolone was prescribed to 59/309 (19.1%) patients at a dose ranging from 10 to 40 mg/day for 5–14 days; 228/309 patients (73.8%) completed the 3‐month follow‐up period. The MOH reversal rates at 3 months after baseline were 76% (31/41) in the prednisolone group and 57.8% (108/187) in the non‐prednisolone group (p = 0.034). The effect of steroids remained significant (adjusted odds ratio 2.78, 95% confidence interval 1.27–6.1, p = 0.010) after adjusting for the number of monthly headache days at baseline, mode of discontinuation of overused medication, use of early preventive medications, and the number of preventive medications combined.

Conclusions

Although our observational study could not draw a definitive conclusion, prednisolone may be effective in the treatment of MOH.
Clinical effects of acupuncture for the treatment of pressure ulcers: A comprehensive systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Guo Yaoguang , Qiao Peng , Zhang Kaichen , Sun Guangwei , Wang Rui , Yang Xiaohui
Published: January 2024

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of pressure ulcers. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of acupuncture on pressure ulcers were identified through a comprehensive literature search on public database. The quality assessment of the included trials was performed based on the guidance of the Cochrane Reviewers' Handbook, and pooled analyses were performed by using the RevMan 5.4 software. The pooled results demonstrated that acupuncture in combination with standard wound care was significantly superior to standard wound care alone with regard to effective rate (RR 1.17, 95% CI [1.10, 1.24]), reduction in Wound Size (MD −2.78, 95% CI [−2.43, −1.44]), healing time (MD −6.24, 95% CI [−12.32, −0.17]) and the amount of 24‐h exudate (MD −0.86, 95% CI [−1.54, −0.18]). In conclusion, this study suggests that acupuncture can be used as an adjunctive therapy to promote healing of pressure ulcers.
Origin of high‐temperature piezoelectric stability and polar nanoregions dynamics in 0.55Bi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3–0.45PbTiO3
Authors: Chen Kaiyuan , Yan Tianxiang , Lei Xiuyun , Lanceros‐Méndez Senentxu , Yuan Zhi , Fang Liang , Peng Biaolin , Wang Dawei , Liu Laijun , Zhang Qi
Published: January 2024

The 0.55Bi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3–0.45PbTiO3 ceramics exhibit notable dielectric anomalies across three temperature ranges. The low‐temperature anomaly is attributed to a reentrant dipole glass‐like relaxor behavior; the mid‐temperature anomaly results from a ferro‐paraelectric phase transition; and the high‐temperature anomaly is associated with a diffuse phase transition. The system demonstrates favorable piezoelectric, electromechanical, and ferroelectric properties. Specifically, the ceramic presents a piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of 220 pC/N, an electromechanical coupling factor (kp) of 27%, and a remanant polarization (Pr) of 32.5 μC/cm2. Moreover, it maintains an operational capability up to 643 K. The unsaturated P(E) loops are formed through the coupling polarization between polar nanoregions (PNRs) and P4mm ferroelectric domains. By examining the electrical modulus, the dynamic PNRs resulting from ferroelectric phonon localization and the formation of P4mm ferroelectric domains were analyzed. The result reveals a mesoscale coupling relationship between the origin of high‐temperature piezoelectric stability and the dynamics of PNRs, thereby providing noble insights into the (1 − x)BiMeO3–xPbTiO3 system.
It was a Different Time: Judging Historical Figures by Today's Moral Standards
Authors: Archer Alfred , Matheson Benjamin
Published: January 2024

How should we respond to historical figures who played an important role in their country's history but have also perpetrated acts of great evil? Much of the existing philosophical literature on this topic has focused on explaining why it may be wrong to celebrate such figures. However, a common response that is made in popular discussions around these issues is that we should not judge historical figures by today's standards. Our goal in this article is to examine the most plausible way to understand this objection. We will examine three different interpretations of this argument. First, we will examine a view we call Temporal Moral Relativism, according to which moral standards are relative to particular points in time. Next, we outline Blame Relativism, the view that people from the past may be excused from blame for acts of conventionalised wrongdoing. Finally, we outline Ideals Relativism, according to which our moral ideals are partially relative to the time in which we live. We argue that Ideals Relativism provides the most plausible interpretation of this argument.
A rapid freezing method to determine tissue layer thickness in drought‐stressed leaves
Authors: Zekri Maryam Alsadat , Leimhofer Carina , Drexler Nicole , Lang Ingeborg
Published: January 2024

Plants have been affected by water stress ever since they settled on dry land. In severe and persisting drought, plant leaves are wilting. However, a documentation at the anatomical level of the minute changes that occur before wilting is challenging. On the other hand, understanding the anatomical alteration in plant leaves with respect to water stress provides a stronger basis to study molecular and submolecular processes through which plants enhance drought tolerance. In this work, we applied an affordable method to visualise mesophyll layers of Arabidopsis thaliana cell lines without preparation steps that would alter the volume of the cells. We rapidly plunge‐froze the leaves in liquid nitrogen, cut them while in the N2 bath, and immediately imaged the mesophyll cross sections in a scanning electron microscope. We applied a reduction of watering from 60 to 40 to 20 mL per day and investigated two time points, 7 and 12 days, respectively. Interestingly, the overall thickness of leaves increased in water stress conditions. Our results showed that the palisade and spongy layers behaved differently under varying watering regimes. Moreover, the results showed that this method can be used to image leaf sections after drought stress without the risk of artefacts or swelling caused by contact to liquids as during chemical fixation.