bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding the key risks in circular construction projects: from systematic review to conceptual framework
Authors: Wuni Ibrahim Yahaya , Abankwa Derek Asante
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Circular construction offers sustainable solutions and opportunities to disentangle a project’s life cycle, including demolition, deconstruction and repurposing of architectural, civil engineering and infrastructure projects from the extraction of natural resources and their wasteful usage. However, it introduces additional layers of novel risks and uncertainties in the delivery of projects. The purpose of this study is to review the relevant literature to discover, classify and theorize the critical risk factors for circular construction projects.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper conducted a systematic literature review to investigate the risks of circular construction projects. It deployed a multistage approach, including literature search and assessment, metadata extraction, citation frequency analysis, Pareto analysis and total interpretive structural modeling.

Findings

Sixty-eight critical risk factors were identified and categorized into nine broad taxonomies: material risks, organizational risks, supply chain risks, technological risks, financial risks, design risks, health and safety risks, regulatory risks and stakeholder risks. Using the Pareto analysis, a conceptual map of 47 key critical risk factors was generated for circular construction projects. A hierarchical model was further developed to hypothesize the multiple possible connections and interdependencies of the taxonomies, leading to chain reactions and push effects of the key risks impacting circular construction projects.

Originality/value

This study constitutes the first systematic review of the literature, consolidating and theorizing the chain reactions of the critical risk factors for circular construction projects. Thus, it provides a better understanding of risks in circular construction projects.
Business professors’ behavior toward incorporating sustainability in the classroom – a theory of planned behavior perspective
Authors: Tridapalli Claudia W. , Elliott Oliver
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Sustainability has emerged as a key concept in 21st-century education. The purpose of this paper is to identify faculty’s behavior and barriers to incorporating sustainability in business school classrooms and suggest potential ways to tackle them.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses focus groups and interviews with faculty at a European business school using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore their beliefs and practices in incorporating sustainability in the classroom.

Findings

The results show that business school faculty have a strong awareness of sustainability and a desire to incorporate it into the classrooms. Recommendations for deans and curriculum creators are proposed to reduce obstacles to successful implementation.

Originality/value

The perceptions of faculty, a key agent of change in the incorporation of sustainability in the classroom, are analyzed, and practical steps to support them are suggested through the use of a TPB framework.
Cross country comparisons of environmental efficiency under institutional quality. Evidence from European economies
Authors: Barra Cristian , Falcone Pasquale Marcello
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The paper aims at addressing the following research questions: does institutional quality improve countries' environmental efficiency? And which pillars of institutional quality improve countries' environmental efficiency?

Design/methodology/approach

By specifying a directional distance function in the context of stochastic frontier method where GHG emissions are considered as the bad output and the GDP is referred as the desirable one, the work computes the environmental efficiency into the appraisal of a production function for the European countries over three decades.

Findings

According to the countries' performance, the findings confirm that high and upper middle-income countries have higher environmental efficiency compared to low middle-income countries. In this environmental context, the role of institutional quality turns out to be really important in improving the environmental efficiency for high income countries.

Originality/value

This article attempts to analyze the role of different dimensions of institutional quality in different European countries' performance – in terms of mitigating GHGs (undesirable output) – while trying to raise their economic performance through their GDP (desirable output).

Highlights

The paper aims at addressing the following research question: does institutional quality improve countries' environmental efficiency?

We adopt a directional distance function in the context of stochastic frontier method, considering 40 European economies over a 30-year time interval.

The findings confirm that high and upper middle-income countries have higher environmental efficiency compared to low middle-income countries.

The role of institutional quality turns out to be really important in improving the environmental efficiency for high income countries, while the performance decreases for the low middle-income countries.
Medical staff's emotional exhaustion and its relationship with patient safety dimensions
Authors: Huang Chih-Hsuan , Lee Yii-Ching , Wu Hsin-Hung
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Medical staff's emotional exhaustion increases cynical attitudes and behaviors about work and patients and leads medical staff to become detached from work. This may decrease patients' trust and satisfaction and even endanger patients' lives. There is a need to examine the critical factors affecting the medical staff's emotional exhaustion by investigating its relationship with the patient-safety dimensions based on the safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ).

Design/methodology/approach

A case study is conducted from the viewpoints of physicians and nurses to examine the relationship between emotional exhaustion and six dimensions of the SAQ from 2016 to 2020 from a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan. Linear regression with forward selection is employed. Six dimensions of the SAQ are the independent variables, whereas emotional exhaustion is the dependent variable for each year.

Findings

Stress recognition is the most important variable to influence emotional exhaustion negatively, while job satisfaction is the second important variable to affect emotional exhaustion positively from 2016 to 2020. On the contrary, working conditions do not influence emotional exhaustion in this hospital from medical staff's viewpoints.

Originality/value

This study uses longitudinal data to find that both stress recognition and job satisfaction consistently influence emotional exhaustion negatively and positively, respectively, in this five-year period. The third dimension to impact emotional exhaustion varies from time to time. Thus, the findings from a cross-sectional study might be limited. The authors' findings show that reducing stress recognition and enhancing job satisfaction can lead to the improvement of emotional exhaustion from medical staff's viewpoints, which should be monitored by hospital management.
Quantification of the reliability of concrete slabs subjected to natural fires designed using tabulated values according to Eurocodes
Authors: Achenbach Marcus , Morgenthal Guido
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The design check regarding the fire resistance of concrete slabs can be easily performed using tabulated values. These tables are based on experimental results, but the level of safety, which is obtained by this approach, is not known. On the other hand, performance-based methods are more accepted, but require a target reliability as performance criterion. Hence, there is a need for calibration of the performance-based methods using the results of the “traditional” descriptive approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The calibration is performed for a single span concrete slab, where the axis distance of the reinforcement is chosen according to Eurocode 2 for a defined fire rating. A “standard” compartment is selected to cover typical fields of application. The opening factor is considered as parameter to obtain the maximum peak temperatures in the compartment. A Monte Carlo simulation, in combination with a response surface method, is set up to calculate the probabilities of failure.

Findings

The results indicate that the calculated reliability index for a standard is within the range, which has been used for the derivation of safety and combination factors in the Eurocodes. It can be observed that members designed for a fire rating R90 have a significant increase in the structural safety for natural fires compared to a design for a fire rating R30.

Originality/value

The level of safety, which is obtained by a design based on tabulated values, is quantified for concrete slabs. The results are a necessary input for the calibration of performance-based methods and could stimulate discussions among scientists and building authorities.
State of public libraries in Morocco
Authors: Bouaamri Asmaa , Hajdu Barat Ágnes
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This article discusses the public library system in Morocco, compiling the available information tackling the historical background of public libraries and their early work and the system that has been adopted during and after colonial periods. The main purpose of the study is to shed light on the present situation of the public library system in Morocco and also to further identify some of the recurrent issues in the public library system in Morocco.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors relied on a literature review as a theoretical reference in order to study and extract the available studies done previously on the Moroccan system for public libraries.

Findings

Public libraries in Morocco face various issues such as lack of available data and research, lack of appropriate funds, education in the field of library and information sciences, low rate of reading culture within the country and the high rate of illiteracy, all of which obstruct the development of Moroccan librarianship. There is a necessary reform need and action in order to help in the development of libraries in the country.

Originality/value

This paper is the first paper that discussed the state of public libraries in Morocco and that draws and highlights the importance of public libraries in relation with the country's development.
Inclusive leadership and team climate: the role of team power distance and trust in leadership
Authors: Orekoya Ibrahim Oluwapelumi
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of inclusive leadership on team climate. Drawing on the social exchange theory (SET), this study proposes a theoretical model in which (1) inclusive leadership enhances team climate, (2) the moderating effect of team power distance and trust in leadership in the relationship between inclusive leadership and team climate.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative research method was applied, with a survey of 247 Nigerian employees nested in 59 teams in multiple small manufacturing firms across diverse industries widely distributed into textile, furniture, bakery and palm oil production firms. The partial least square structural equation modelling was used to test the study's proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The results revealed that inclusive leadership has a positive and direct effect on team climate. Also, this study found that (1) team power distance positively influences the relationship between inclusive leadership and team climate; and (2) trust in leadership positively influences the relationship between inclusive leadership and team climate.

Research limitations/implications

This study affirms the explanatory power of SET to investigate inclusive leadership and team climate at the team level. Also, the study utilised the SET to confirm the significance and value of team power distance and trust in leadership in the relationship between inclusive leadership and team climate at the team level in the Nigerian context.

Practical implications

The paper examined the relationship between inclusive leadership and team climate with team power distance and trust in leadership as moderators. The findings suggest that inclusive leadership play a paramount role in understanding team climate among small manufacturing firms. Moreover, the findings can be applied in organisations by creating different assessment mechanisms, e.g. webinars and training sessions, to encourage effective inclusive leadership behaviours in fostering a team climate for creativity and innovation.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this current research to knowledge is on the examination of the distinctive leadership style that influences team climate. The study indicates that when team members are allowed to fully contribute to the team, inclusion is promoted among group members, and trust in leadership is strengthened, which increases their perception of team climate within organisations.
A comprehensive meta‐analysis to identify susceptibility genetic variants for precocious puberty
Authors: Gu Xiuli , Xiong Weining , Yang Yan , Li Honggang , Xiong Chengliang
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Currently, several genetic variants in ERα gene (rs2234693 and rs9340799), ERβ gene (rs1256049 and rs4986938), KISS1 gene (rs4889, rs1132506 and rs5780218), LIN28B gene (rs314263, rs314276 and rs314280), and MKRN3 gene (rs2239669) have been repeatedly explored for their contribution to precocious puberty (PP) susceptibility. However, the results remain conflicting rather than conclusive. We here performed a meta‐analysis to identify the real susceptibility genetic variants for PP.

Methods

After screening by inclusion criteria, 20 related studies were finally included in this meta‐analysis. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to assess the strength of association. Sensitive analysis, publication bias, and trial sequential analysis (TSA) were performed to evaluate the stability and reliability of results.

Results

Rs2234693, rs9340799, and rs1256049 were significantly associated with PP susceptibility (p < 0.0084). Stratified analysis according to ethnicity showed that rs2234693 and rs9340799 were significantly associated with PP susceptibility in Asian and Chinese populations. Stratified analysis according to PP subtype showed that rs2234693 and rs9340799 were significantly associated with idiopathic central PP susceptibility in Asian and Chinese populations (p < 0.0084). The results of publication bias, sensitivity analysis, and TSA provided solid evidence for the association between these three variants and PP susceptibility.

Conclusions

Rs2234693 and rs9340799 in ERα gene and rs1256049 in ERβ gene may serve as susceptive factors for PP development. The present finding should be confirmed in replication studies and reinforced in functional studies, which will ultimately improve the feasibility of the application of these three PP‐susceptible loci in clinical practice.
Prediction of breath‐holding spells based on electrocardiographic parameters using machine‐learning model
Authors: Khalilian Mohammad Reza , Tofighi Saeed , Attar Elham Zohur , Nikkhah Ali , Hajipour Mahmoud , Ghazavi Mohammad , Samimi Sahar
Published: November 2023

Background

Breath‐holding spells (BHS) are common in infancy and early childhood and may appear like seizures. Factors such as autonomic dysfunction and iron deficiency anemia are thought to contribute to the incidence of BHS. In this study, electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters of patients with BHS were compared to those of healthy, normal children. Logistic regression and machine‐learning (ML) models were then created to predict these spells based on ECG characteristics.

Methods

In this case–control study, 52 BHS children have included as the case and 150 healthy children as the control group. ECG was taken from all children along with clinical examinations. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to predict BHS occurrence based on ECG parameters. ML model was trained and validated using the Gradient‐Boosting algorithm, in the R programming language.

Results

In BHS and control groups, the average age was 11.90 ± 6.63 and 11.33 ± 6.17 months, respectively (p = .58). Mean heart rate, PR interval, and QRS interval on ECGs did not differ significantly between the two groups. BHS patients had significantly higher QTc, QTd, TpTe, and TpTe/QT (all p‐values < .001). Evaluation of the ML model for prediction of BHS, fitting on the testing data showed AUC, specificity, and sensitivity of 0.94, 0.90, and 0.94 respectively.

Conclusion

There are repolarization changes in patients with BHS, as the QTc, QTd, TpTe, and TpTe/QT ratio were significantly higher in these patients, which might be noticeable for future arrhythmia occurrence. In this regard, we developed a successful ML model to predict the possibility of BHS in suspected subjects.
Drug levels after sirolimus initiation and short‐term outcomes in ambulatory heart transplantation recipients
Authors: Kancharla Mihail , Kugathasan Lakshmi , McDonald Michael , Alba Ana Carolina
Published: November 2023

Introduction

We evaluated the effect of relative changes in combined tacrolimus and sirolimus (drug) levels, following sirolimus initiation, on outcomes in ambulatory heart transplantation (HTx) recipients.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of HTx recipients who received tacrolimus, followed by sirolimus initiation, any time after HTx. We calculated the relative change in combined drug levels 1‐month post‐sirolimus initiation, relative to tacrolimus levels pre‐initiation, and categorized patients into decreased (≥15% decrease), stable (<15% decrease to <15% increase), or increased (≥15% increase) groups. We compared, across the three groups, changes in post‐initiation estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) using one‐way ANOVA and Šidák's post‐hoc analysis, as well as the individual and composite outcomes of new donor specific antibodies (DSA), acute cellular rejection (ACR), and all‐cause mortality using Fisher's exact test.

Results

Amongst 99 HTx recipients included, the median age was 53 years, time to sirolimus initiation was 1.5 years post‐HTx, and pre‐sirolimus eGFR was 52 mL/min/1.73 m2. Nine patients had decreased, 15 stable, and 75 increased, relative combined drug levels. Relative change in eGFR was significantly higher in patients with decreased levels compared to patients with increased levels at 6 months post‐initiation (P < .05), but this was not sustained at 12 months. There were no differences in LVEF change or in individual and composite risks for developing DSA, ACR, and all‐cause mortality at 12 months across the groups.

Conclusion

Post‐sirolimus initiation, a relative decrease in combined drug levels, compared to increased levels, was associated with temporarily improved renal function.
The critical limits of phenomenology: Husserlian phenomenology as a modest metaphysics of appearance
Authors: Diaz Emiliano
Published: November 2023

Although Husserlian phenomenology appears to require that practitioners bracket all metaphysical questions and claims, this requirement runs against the evidence of experience in which objects themselves are presented as constituents of experience. Moreover, to completely bracket metaphysical considerations would suggest that phenomenology is compatible with metaphysical views it should in principle deny. Nonetheless, permitting metaphysical claims threatens to contravene the critical limits of phenomenology, to invite claims that would require a perspective different in kind than our own to verify. These tensions raise an important question, namely, what are the metaphysical implications of the phenomenologically intuitive claim that objects themselves are constituents of experience? To answer this question, I draw on a broad swath of thought on transcendental idealism and phenomenology. I argue that a modest metaphysics of appearance is warranted within the critical limits of Husserlian phenomenology. Through discussing and addressing the problems that typically plague transcendental arguments, I show that Husserlian phenomenology permits stronger claims about objects of experience than deflationary accounts allow but does not permit claims about intrinsic properties allowed by some forms of transcendental idealism.
Fatigue enhancement and hardening effect through ultrasonic vibration‐assisted ball‐burnishing process on AISI 1045 steel
Authors: Velázquez‐Corral Eric , Llumà Jordi , Jerez‐Mesa Ramón , Wagner Vincent , Dessein Gilles , Travieso‐Rodriguez J. Antonio
Published: November 2023

This paper aims to present a study of the effects of ball burnishing with vibration assistance on the bending fatigue endurance of cylindrical specimens subjected to bending stress and obtain the best input parameters. The specimens were burnished through six different combinations of preload force, number of passes, and vibration assistance, finding that burnishing while applying a 90‐N preload, five passes, and the addition of vibration assistance results in larger fatigue strength. In terms of roughness, it has been proved that vibration‐assisted ball burnishing reduces the mean roughness up to 90%, while enhancing the skewness and kurtosis parameters. The softening effect while deforming, caused by the vibration assistance, helped to reconstruct the surface, obtaining higher depths of affectation and hardening. Fatigue strength was improved by a 6.54% by only adding vibration assistance to the ball‐burnishing process.
Cyanobacterial effects on an aquatic keystone grazer are reshaped by presence of the herbicide atrazine
Authors: Lyu Kai , Gu Lei , Sun Yunfei , Zhang Lu , Frost Paul C. , Yang Zhou
Published: November 2023

As cyanobacterial blooms and herbicide pollution, which are often detected in eutrophic waters, can separately jeopardise zooplankton populations, there is an urgent and on‐going need to understand the strength and direction of their interactive effects. This is a crucial step toward realistic risk‐evaluation of agricultural pollution in eutrophic waterbodies.

In this study, we evaluated how the herbicide, atrazine (ATZ), alters the effects of cyanobacterial food on the zooplankter, Daphnia magna.

We found survival time of Daphnia decreased with increasing amounts of Microcystis in their diets, and the magnitude of this cyanobacterial effect was independent of ATZ. In contrast, ATZ exposure triggered faster growth and larger body size in Daphnia fed diets containing Microcystis compared to those fed the good‐food diet. Although toxic Microcystis reduced the overall reproductive output of Daphnia, the presence of ATZ, regardless of the type of food treatment, exhibited a masking effect by further significantly decreasing Daphnia's overall reproductive output, resulting in a low level of reproduction. Finally, we found an expression trade‐off at the molecular scale between growth and reproduction genes on one side, and antioxidation gene on the other, which could account in part for ATZ's influence on Microcystis toxicity to Daphnia at maturation stage.

These results demonstrated that ATZ can reshape Daphnia's responses to Microcystis, predominantly with effects on growth and reproductive traits. These trait‐dependent responses were found to be closely linked to the regulation of key metabolic pathways.

Collectively, our study enhances current knowledge regarding the potential interaction between fundamental trophic levels in cyanobacteria‐dominated lakes around farmlands, and is helpful to achieve more realistic environmental risk management of agricultural pollution in eutrophic waterbodies.
Effect of aggregate type on the mechanical properties and slag resistance of Al2O3‐SiC‐C hot metal ladle bricks
Authors: Gao Dongsheng , Nie Jianhua , Ju Maoqi , Cai Manfei , Liang Yonghe , Zhang Xiaocun
Published: November 2023

Aggregates are important factors that determine the performance of refractory materials. To explore the influence of aggregate types on refractory material properties, Al2O3‐SiC‐C bricks were prepared using bauxite, fused brown corundum, tabular corundum, fused white corundum, and microporous corundum with particle sizes of 5–3, 3–1, and ≤1 mm as aggregates, fused white corundum (≤.075 mm), SiC (≤.075 mm), or flake graphite (≤.15 mm) as the matrix, and a thermoset phenolic resin as the binder. Understanding the effects of the aggregate type on the mechanical properties and slag resistance of Al2O3‐SiC‐C bricks provides a theoretical basis for the selection of different aggregates during production. The results showed that the Al2O3‐SiC‐C brick had good high‐temperature mechanical properties and slag resistance when tabular corundum was used as an aggregate, owing to its high density and low content of cracks and impurity phases. When bauxite was used as an aggregate, its high‐temperature mechanical properties and slag resistance were poor, owing to its high porosity and impurity content.
Assessment of diagnostic accuracy for cryptorchidism and risk factors for delayed orchidopexy
Authors: Morizawa Yosuke , Aoki Katsuya , Fukui Shinji , Tomizawa Mitsuru , Shimizu Takuto , Onishi Kenta , Hori Shunta , Gotoh Daisuke , Nakai Yasushi , Miyake Makito , Torimoto Kazumasa , Fujimoto Ken , Otani Takeshi , Fujimoto Kiyohide
Published: November 2023

Objectives

Cryptorchidism (CO) diagnosis by palpation is challenging. Patients with suspected CO are primarily referred to pediatric urologists by general pediatricians and urologists. Currently, surgical treatment for CO is recommended earlier than in previous guidelines. In this study, we evaluated factors that lead to diagnosis discordance and delayed orchidopexy in patients referred with suspected CO in addition to timing of initial screening.

Methods

In total, 731 patients (1052 testes) with suspected CO were included. Risk factors for diagnostic discrepancy in CO diagnosis by pediatric urologists and risk of delayed orchiopexy were evaluated.

Results

Herein, 659 (90%) patients were diagnosed during routine public health checkups for infants and young children, and 419 (57%) patients were referred by pediatric practitioners. Of 1052 testes, 374 (36%) were diagnosed with CO by pediatric urologists. In multivariate analysis, risk factors of diagnostic discrepancy for CO diagnosis by pediatric urologists were bilateral testis (odds ratio [OR] = 9.17, p < 0.0001), >6 months old at initial diagnosis (OR = 1.036, p < 0.0001), and pediatric referral (OR = 4.60, p < 0.0001). In total, 296 patients underwent orchiopexy for CO. In multivariate analysis, risk factors for delayed orchiopexy were presence of comorbidities (OR = 3.43, p = 0.003) and >10 months old at referral (OR = 12.62, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Pediatric referral is a risk factor for discordant CO diagnostics, and late age at referral brings a risk of delayed orchiopexy. It is necessary to enlighten pediatricians, who are mainly responsible for routine health checkups, in teaching CO diagnostic techniques to ensure early referral.
A formative assessment of client characteristics associated with missed appointments in integrated primary care services in rural Arizona
Authors: Santos Jeffersson , Camplain Carolyn , Pollitt Amanda Marie , Baldwin Julie Ann
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Integrating primary care services in mental healthcare facilities is an uncommon model of care in the United States that could bring several benefits (e.g., improved access to physical healthcare) for vulnerable populations experiencing mental health conditions, especially those living in underserved regions like rural Arizona.

Aim

This formative assessment aimed to understand the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of clients accessing integrated primary care (IPC) services implemented in 2021 at a community mental healthcare facility in rural Arizona and to explore the proportion of missed appointments. Additionally, we analysed the association between client characteristics and IPC missed appointments.

Methods

The authors collaborated with a community mental health facility in rural Arizona, which provided deidentified data from 280 clients who accessed IPC services from June 2021 to February 2022.

Results

Most clients were White and of vulnerable socioeconomic status, with a substantial proportion of Native Americans (23.58%). The majority of clients (55.75%) had a mental health disorder (MHD), 23.74% had a substance use disorder (SUD), and 15.10% had comorbid MHD and SUD. Linear regression revealed that experiencing comorbid MHD and SUD was significantly associated with missed appointments. Compared with White clients, Native Americans missed fewer appointments.

Conclusion

Future studies conducted from a culturally‐centred perspective are crucial to guide strategies to reduce missed appointments in rural IPC services.
Nudging food choice in a prison setting: an investigation using food choice data
Authors: Fennessy A. , Homer M. S. , Ensaff H.
Published: November 2023

Background

The prison population presents complex health needs and is disproportionately affected by poor health, compared to the general population. Diet has a clear role in prisoner health, and the prison food environment within which food choices are made is relatively under–researched. The aim of this study was to examine whether food choices in a women's prison changed after the introduction of a new menu design by the catering team.

Methods

The adjusted menu design incorporated an emoticon (a smiley face) placed next to designated ‘Healthy Choice’ foods on the menu sheets, which were used to preselect meals. Data comprised all women's (n = 865) food choices (more than 115,000 selections) for a period of 8 weeks (with the new menu) as well as 8 weeks prior (baseline period). The study design was a pre‐post intervention study, and food selection was examined using chi‐square tests and binary logistic regression models.

Results

The selection of promoted foods overall significantly increased under the new menu design (with the emoticon nudge strategy) compared to baseline; the effect size, however, was small according to the usual guidelines (21.4% compared to 20% at baseline; χ2(1) = 32.6, p < 0.001, φ = 0.02). Individuals were 11% more likely (p < 0.001) to select the promoted ‘Healthy Choice’ foods under the adjusted food choice architecture. A significant effect was found for lunch and evening meal – but not for desserts. A minority of individual food items that were promoted had significant positive changes in selection, and were 1.3–4 times as likely to be selected when emoticons had been introduced, compared to baseline.

Conclusions

Further research is needed to examine the potential added benefit of multiple complementary nudge strategies, and the relevance of the preselection of foods in advance of consumption.
Gambling culture and internal control extensiveness
Authors: Tan Jianhua , Gao Jun , Chan Kam C.
Published: November 2023

While cultural traits in a firm's location impact corporate operation, the role of local cultures on a firm's internal control effectiveness (ICE) remains unclear. Using data from a sample of Chinese firms from 2009 to 2019, we examine how the gambling culture in Chinese provinces where firms are located impacts the firms' ICE. We use per capita lottery sales of the provinces to proxy for gambling culture in China and find that firms raise their ICE in environments with strong gambling cultures. The results are robust to five components of ICE (control environment, risk assessment, control activity, information and communication, and internal monitoring), alternative metrics of gambling metrics, and after accounting for endogeneity. A mediating analysis also shows that firms in regions with a strong gambling culture engage in risky activities, which increases their ICE. Additional analyses suggest that the effect is more salient for firms with poor internal corporate governance, firms located in poor legal environments, firms with poor audit quality, or firms with more local external stakeholders, echoing that ICE and monitoring are partial substitutes.
Clinker based on calcium looped meals from the Cleanker Project
Authors: Gastaldi Daniela , Canonico Fulvio , Merlo Valentino , Magli Francesco
Published: November 2023

The Cleanker (CLEAN clinKER production by Calcium Looping process) project, financed in the framework of Horizon 2020 EU funding program, has demonstrated the feasibility of the integrated CaL concept at industrial scale in a new demo system realised in the Buzzi Unicem cement plant in Vernasca (IT). The Calcium Looping (CaL) CO2 capture process exploits the reversible reaction of limestone calcination/carbonation (CaCO3 ↔ CaO + CO2). The Cleanker pilot plant consists of the coupling of a carbonator and an oxyfuel calciner. When the flue gases from kiln (containing CO2) flow through the carbonator together with calcined meal, which acts as a CO2 sorbent, carbonation takes place and CO2 is fixed in calcium carbonate. CaO is then regenerated in the calciner, where the opposite reaction takes place, and the captured CO2 is released. When the lime/limestone looping is carried out through a carbonator and a calciner operated in oxyfuel, a concentrated CO2 stream is obtained that can be efficiently addressed towards CCS or CCUS processes.

In the Cleanker Project, the possibility to use raw meal for clinker production has been exploited and the meals sampled at the outlet of the oxyfuel calciner have been characterised and used for producing clinker at a lab scale. Calcium looped (CaL) meals collected at different sampling point during the operation of the CaL plant were characterised by means of X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction and particle size distribution. Electron scanning microscopy revealed significant differences in the surface of particles of the looped meals with respect to the original one, resulting from the loading and unloading of CO2 during the looping cycles. The meals were burnt in a laboratory furnace and the obtained clinkers have been characterised on a chemical, mineralogical and microscopical point of view, revealing the good burnability of all the meals and attesting the possibility to reintegrate the materials in the clinker production process. A lower alite/belite ratio in the clinker produced from the looped meals was observed: actually, the depletion of calcium during the recirculation of the meal in the calciner/carbonator system led to a reduction of the lime saturation factor influencing the mineralogical composition of the product.
Imaging of pediatric skull lytic lesions: A review
Authors: Santos Mariana , Cunha Bruno , Abreu Vasco , Ferraciolli Suely , Godoy Luís , Murakoshi Rodrigo , Amaral Lázaro Luís Faria , Conceição Carla
Published: November 2023

Skull lesions in pediatric population are common findings on imaging and sometimes with heterogeneous manifestations, constituting a diagnostic challenge. Some lesions can be misinterpreted for their aggressiveness, as with larger lesions eroding cortical bone, containing soft tissue components, leading to excessive and, in some cases, invasive inappropriate etiological investigation. In this review, we present multiple several conditions that may present as skull lesions or pseudolesions, organized by groups (anatomic variants, congenital and development disorders, traumatic injuries, vascular issues, infectious conditions, and tumoral processes). Anatomic variants are common imaging findings that must be recognized by the neuroradiologist. Congenital malformations are rare conditions, such as aplasia cutis congenita and sinus pericranii, usually seen at earlier ages, the majority of which are benign findings. In case of trauma, cephalohematoma, growing skull fractures, and posttraumatic lytic lesions should be considered. Osteomyelitis tends to be locally aggressive and may mimic malignancy, in which cases, the clinical history can be the key to diagnosis. Vascular (sickle cell disease) and tumoral (aneurismal bone cyst, eosinophilic granuloma, metastases) lesions are relatively rare lesions but should be considered in the differential diagnosis, in the presence of certain imaging findings. The main difficulty is the differentiation between the benign and malignant nature; therefore, the main objective of this pictorial essay is to review the main skull lytic lesions found in pediatric age, describing the main findings in different imaging modalities (CT and MRI), allowing the neuroradiologist greater confidence in establishing the differential diagnosis, through a systematic and simple characterization of the lesions.
Cardiovascular diseases, risk factors, and ulcer relapse in older adults with aphthous stomatitis
Authors: Yao Hui , Deng Yiwen , Du Guanhuan , Wang Yufeng , Tang Guoyao
Published: November 2023

Objectives

To test the hypothesis that cardiovascular diseases and risk factors are associated with ulcer relapse in after‐retirement patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Subjects and Methods

This retrospective cohort study analyzed the data of 40 minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis patients aged 55–75 years, admitted to Oral Medicine Clinic at one university hospital in China between 2016 and 2018. The diagnosis of minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis was made based on the history and manifestation of oral ulcers. The ulcer relapse was evaluated after a 5‐week anti‐inflammatory treatment, and the history of systemic diseases was collected. cardiovascular disease/metabolic risk referred to the presence of any cardiovascular diseases and metabolic cardiovascular disease risks. Associations among cardiovascular diseases, risk factors, and ulcer relapse were evaluated.

Results

The mean age of 40 patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis was 62.4 years (SD 5.1), and 60% were women. The ulcer relapse rate was 37.5% (95% CI, 0.242–0.530). The proportion of cardiovascular disease/metabolic risk was higher in the relapse group than in the no‐relapse group after 5‐week anti‐inflammatory treatment (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.041).

Conclusions

According to this single‐center experience, older patients with cardiovascular disease/metabolic risk may be more prone to oral ulcer recurrence. Nevertheless, larger prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.
Changes in Politics and Religiosity Among Students at a Protestant University
Authors: Brown Brandon M. , Dougherty Kevin D. , Uecker Jeremy E. , Schnitker Sarah A. , Glanzer Perry L.
Published: November 2023

College is a setting and time of profound change in the lives of emerging adults. This change can include shifts in identity related to politics and religion. Given widespread attention to the alignment of religious people with conservative politics and less religious people with liberal politics (i.e., the “God Gap”), we ask: do college students who become politically liberal lose their religion in the process? Using longitudinal panel data, this study examines changes in political identity and religiosity among students at a Protestant university. Findings reveal changes in students’ politics align with changes in public and private religious behaviors, certainty in belief, agreement with core tenets of the Christian faith, faith maturity, and closeness to God. Whereas students who become more politically conservative increase their religiosity, the inverse is true for those whose politics become more liberal in college.
The effect of host admixture on wild house mouse gut microbiota is weak when accounting for spatial autocorrelation
Authors: Čížková Dagmar , Schmiedová Lucie , Kváč Martin , Sak Bohumil , Macholán Miloš , Piálek Jaroslav , Kreisinger Jakub
Published: November 2023

The question of how interactions between the gut microbiome and vertebrate hosts contribute to host adaptation and speciation is one of the major problems in current evolutionary research. Using bacteriome and mycobiome metabarcoding, we examined how these two components of the gut microbiota vary with the degree of host admixture in secondary contact between two house mouse subspecies (Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus). We used a large data set collected at two replicates of the hybrid zone and model‐based statistical analyses to ensure the robustness of our results. Assuming that the microbiota of wild hosts suffers from spatial autocorrelation, we directly compared the results of statistical models that were spatially naive with those that accounted for spatial autocorrelation. We showed that neglecting spatial autocorrelation can strongly affect the results and lead to misleading conclusions. The spatial analyses showed little difference between subspecies, both in microbiome composition and in individual bacterial lineages. Similarly, the degree of admixture had minimal effects on the gut bacteriome and mycobiome and was caused by changes in a few microbial lineages that correspond to the common symbionts of free‐living house mice. In contrast to previous studies, these data do not support the hypothesis that the microbiota plays an important role in host reproductive isolation in this particular model system.
Patterns of speciation in a parapatric pair of Saturnia moths as revealed by target capture
Authors: Khan Maria , Joshi Mukta , Espeland Marianne , Huemer Peter , Lopez‐Vaamonde Carlos , Mutanen Marko
Published: November 2023

The focus of this study has been to understand the evolutionary relationships and taxonomy of a widely distributed parapatric species pair of wild silk moths in Europe: Saturnia pavonia and Saturnia pavoniella (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). To address species delimitation in these parapatric taxa, target enrichment and mtDNA sequencing was employed alongside phylogenetic, admixture, introgression, and species delimitation analyses. The dataset included individuals from both species close to and farther away from the contact zone as well as two hybrids generated in the lab. Nuclear markers strongly supported both S. pavonia and S. pavoniella as two distinct species, with hybrids forming a sister group to S. pavoniella. However, the Maximum Likelihood (ML) tree generated from mtDNA sequencing data presented a different picture, showing both taxa to be phylogenetically intermixed. This inconsistency is likely attributable to mitonuclear discordance, which can arise from biological factors (e.g., introgressive hybridization and/or incomplete lineage sorting). Our analyses indicate that past introgressions have taken place, but that there is no evidence to suggest an ongoing admixture between the two species, demonstrating that the taxa have reached full postzygotic reproductive isolation and hence represent two distinct biological species. Finally, we discuss our results from an evolutionary point of view taking into consideration the past climatic oscillations that have likely shaped the present dynamics between the two species. Overall, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of the target enrichment approach in resolving shallow phylogenetic relationships under complex evolutionary circumstances and that this approach is useful in establishing robust and well‐informed taxonomic delimitations involving parapatric taxa.
Association between the skin microbiome and MHC class II diversity in an amphibian
Authors: Cortazar‐Chinarro M. , Richter‐Boix A. , Rödin‐Mörch P. , Halvarsson P. , Logue J. B. , Laurila A. , Höglund J.
Published: November 2023

Microbiomes play an important role in determining the ecology and behaviour of their hosts. However, questions remain pertaining to how host genetics shape microbiomes, and how microbiome composition influences host fitness. We explored the effects of geography, evolutionary history and host genetics on the skin microbiome diversity and structure in a widespread amphibian. More specifically, we examined the association between bacterial diversity and composition and the major histocompatibility complex class II exon 2 diversity in 12 moor frog (Rana arvalis) populations belonging to two geographical clusters that show signatures of past and ongoing differential selection. We found that while bacterial alpha diversity did not differ between the two clusters, MHC alleles/supertypes and genetic diversity varied considerably depending on geography and evolutionary history. Bacterial alpha diversity was positively correlated with expected MHC heterozygosity and negatively with MHC nucleotide diversity. Furthermore, bacterial community composition showed significant variation between the two geographical clusters and between specific MHC alleles/supertypes. Our findings emphasize the importance of historical demographic events on hologenomic variation and provide new insights into how immunogenetic host variability and microbial diversity may jointly influence host fitness with consequences for disease susceptibility and population persistence.
Cassava molecular genetics and genomics for enhanced resistance to diseases and pests
Authors: Ntui Valentine Otang , Tripathi Jaindra Nath , Kariuki Samwel Muiruri , Tripathi Leena
Published: November 2023

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is one of the most important sources of dietary calories in the tropics, playing a central role in food and economic security for smallholder farmers. Cassava production is highly constrained by several pests and diseases, mostly cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD). These diseases cause significant yield losses, affecting food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Developing resistant varieties is a good way of increasing cassava productivity. Although some levels of resistance have been developed for some of these diseases, there is observed breakdown in resistance for some diseases, such as CMD. A frequent re‐evaluation of existing disease resistance traits is required to make sure they are still able to withstand the pressure associated with pest and pathogen evolution. Modern breeding approaches such as genomic‐assisted selection in addition to biotechnology techniques like classical genetic engineering or genome editing can accelerate the development of pest‐ and disease‐resistant cassava varieties. This article summarizes current developments and discusses the potential of using molecular genetics and genomics to produce cassava varieties resistant to diseases and pests.