bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Suppressing DNMT3a Alleviates the Intrinsic Epigenetic Barrier for Optic Nerve Regeneration and Restores Vision in Adult Mice
Authors: Tai Wai Lydia , Cho Kin-Sang , Kriukov Emil , Ashok Ajay , Wang Xuejian , Monavarfeshani Aboozar , Yan Wenjun , Li Yingqian , Guan Timothy , Sanes Joshua R. , Baranov Petr , Chen Dong Feng
Published: November 2023

The limited regenerative potential of the optic nerve in adult mammals presents a major challenge for restoring vision after optic nerve trauma or disease. The mechanisms of this regenerative failure are not fully understood1,2. Here, through small-molecule and genetic screening for epigenetic modulators3, we identify DNA methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3a) as a potent inhibitor of axon regeneration in mouse and human retinal explants. Selective suppression of DNMT3a in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) by gene targeting or delivery of shRNA leads to robust, full-length regeneration of RGC axons through the optic nerve and restoration of vision in adult mice after nerve crush injury. Genome-wide bisulfite and transcriptome profiling in combination with single nucleus RNA-sequencing of RGCs revealed selective DNA demethylation and reactivation of genetic programs supporting neuronal survival and axonal growth/regeneration by DNMT3a deficiency. This was accompanied by the suppression of gene networks associated with apoptosis and inflammation. Our results identify DNMT3a as the central orchestrator of an RGC-intrinsic mechanism that limits optic nerve regeneration. Suppressing DNMT3a expression in RGCs unlocks the epigenetic switch for optic nerve regeneration and presents a promising therapeutic avenue for effectively reversing vision loss resulted from optic nerve trauma or diseases.
Ten years malaria trend analysis in Mangili Public Health Centre, East Sumba District of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia: a retrospective study
Authors: Lobo Maria , Guntur Robertus Dole , Kusumaningrum Damai , Bria Yulianti Paula
Published: November 2023

BACKGROUND

Malaria still remains a major public health problem globally including in Indonesia. Currently, most of malaria cases are in the eastern part of the country. However, there is no information yet regarding the trends of malaria prevalence at rural health institution particularly at Mangili Public Health Centre.

AIM

This study aims to explore the trend of malaria prevalence over a ten-year period.

METHODS

A retrospective study was carried out in the Centre. The laboratory record books from January 2013 to December 2022 were carefully reviewed to identify malaria cases based on the sex, age, type of plasmodium, year and month when the patients diagnosed malaria microscopically. The trend analysis was applied to identify the trend of malaria over the period under review.

RESULTS

Over the last ten years, 19,938 blood films were requested for malaria diagnosis at the health centre. From this number, 3.679 (18.5%, with 95% confidence interval (CI): 17.2 – 19.7) were microscopically confirmed malaria cases. From the total cases, prevalence of plasmodium falciparum, vivax and mix infection was 85.5% with 95% CI: 84.3 – 86.8; 6.39% with 95% CI: 3.26 – 9.51; and 7.58% with 95% CI: 4.48 – 10.7 respectively. The number of malaria cases reached a peak in January, whilst it was the lowest in October. Overall trend on the prevalence of malaria decreased significantly, however the prevalence of plasmodium falciparum increased considerably during COVI-19 pandemic. The prevalence of plasmodium falciparum, vivax and mixed infection was higher in male, age group ≥ 15, and student than their counterpart.

CONCLUSION

Malaria remains high in this area with plasmodium falciparum is the dominant species followed by mixed infection. Scaling up malaria control and prevention activities are very crucial to significantly reduce the burden of malaria and to boost malaria elimination in this region.
Endophytic bacterial communities of alpine Rosaceae plants are affected by the plant tissue, collection site and host plant and culturable psychrotolerant isolates contribute to plant freezing stress tolerance
Authors: Marian Malek , Antonielli Livio , Pertot Ilaria , Perazzolli Michele
Published: November 2023

Wild plants growing in alpine regions are associated with endophytic microbial communities that may support plant growth and survival under cold conditions.

The structure and function of endophytic bacterial communities were characterised in flowers, leaves and roots of three alpine Rosaceous plants in Alpine areas using a combined amplicon sequencing and culture-dependent approach to identify factors shaping these communities.

Amplicon-sequencing analysis revealed that plant tissue, collection site and host plant are the main factors affecting the richness, diversity and taxonomic structure of endophytic bacterial communities in alpine Rosaceae plants. Core endophytic bacterial taxa were identified as 31 amplicon sequence variants highly prevalent across all plant tissues.

Psychrotolerant bacterial endophytes belonging to the core taxa ofDuganella, Erwinia, PseudomonasandRhizobiumgenera mitigated freezing stress in strawberry plants, demonstrating the beneficial role of endophytic bacterial communities and their potential use for cold stress mitigation in agriculture.
UNLOCKING ROBOTIC POTENTIAL THROUGH MODERN ORGAN SEGMENTATION
Authors: Chaudhary Ansh
Published: November 2023

Abstract

Deep learning has revolutionized the approach to complex data-driven problems, specifically in medical imaging, where its techniques have significantly raised efficiency in organ segmentation. The urgent need to enhance the depth and precision of organ-based classification is an essential step towards automation of medical operation and diagnostics. The research aims to investigate the effect and potential advantages transformer models have on binary semantic segmentation, the method utilized for the project. Hence, I employed the SegFormer model, for its lightweight architecture, as the primary deep learning model, alongside the Unet. A custom 2D computerized tomography (CT) scan dataset was assembled, CT-Org2D through meticulous operations. Extensive experiments showed that, in contrast to the selected models, the task’s simplicity required a redesigned Unet architecture with reduced complexity. This model yielded impressive results: Precision, Recall, and IOU scores of 0.91, 0.92, and 0.85 respectively. The research serves as a starting point, motivating further exploration, through different methodologies, to achieve even greater efficiency in organ segmentation.
Environment-independent distribution of mutational effects emerges from microscopic epistasis
Authors: Ardell Sarah , Martsul Alena , Johnson Milo S. , Kryazhimskiy Sergey
Published: November 2023

Predicting how new mutations alter phenotypes is difficult because mutational effects vary across genotypes and environments. Recently discovered global epistasis, where the fitness effects of mutations scale with the fitness of the background genotype, can improve predictions, but how the environment modulates this scaling is unknown. We measured the fitness effects of ∼100 insertion mutations in 42 strains ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaein six laboratory environments and found that the global-epistasis scaling is nearly invariant across environments. Instead, the environment tunes one global parameter, the background fitness at which most mutations switch sign. As a consequence, the distribution of mutational effects is predictable across genotypes and environments. Our results suggest that the effective dimensionality of genotype-to-phenotype maps across environments is surprisingly low.

One Sentence Summary

The effects of mutations on microbial growth rate follow a pattern of global epistasis that is invariant across environments.
CAnDI: a new tool to investigate conflict in homologous gene trees and explain convergent trait evolution
Authors: Robertson Holly M. , Walker Joseph F. , Moyroud Edwige
Published: November 2023

Phenotypic convergence is found across the tree of life, and morphological similarities in distantly related species are often presumed to have evolved independently. However, clarifying the origins of traits has recently highlighted the complex nature of evolution, as apparent convergent features often share similar genetic foundations. Hence, the tree topology of genes that underlie such traits frequently conflicts with the overall history of species relationships. This conflict creates both a challenge for systematists and an exciting opportunity to investigate the rich, complex network of information that connects molecular trajectories with trait evolution. Here we present a novel conflict identification program named CAnDI (Conflict And Duplication Identifier), which enables the analysis of conflict in homologous gene trees rather than inferred orthologs. We demonstrate that the analysis of conflicts in homologous trees using CAnDI yields more comparisons than in ortholog trees in six datasets from across the eukaryotic tree of life. Using the carnivorous trap of Caryophyllales, a charismatic group of flowering plants, as a case study we demonstrate that analysing conflict on entire homolog trees can aid in inferring the genetic basis of trait evolution: by dissecting all gene relationships within homolog trees, we find genomic evidence that the molecular basis of the pleisiomorphic mucilaginous sticky trap was likely present in the ancestor of all carnivorous Caryophyllales. We also show that many genes whose evolutionary trajectories group species with similar trap devices code for proteins contributing to plant carnivory and identify aLATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARY DOMAINtranscription factor as a possible candidate for regulating sticky trap development.
An organic extract from ascidianCiona robustainduces cytotoxic autophagy in human malignant cell lines
Authors: Gallo Alessandra , Penna Ylenia Maria , Russo Maria , Rosapane Marco , Tosti Elisabetta , Russo Gian Luigi
Published: November 2023

The last decades have seen an increase in the isolation and characterization of anticancer compounds derived from marine organisms, especially invertebrates, and their use in clinical trials. In this regard, ascidians, which are included in the subphylum Tunicata, represent successful examples with two drugs, Aplidine© and Yondelis©, that reached the market as orphan drugs against several malignancies. Here, we report that an organic extract prepared from homogenized tissues of the Mediterranean ascidianCiona robustainhibited cell proliferation in HT-29, Hep G2, and U2 OS human cells with the former resulting as the most sensitive to the extract (EC50= 250 µg/ml). We demonstrated that the ascidian organic extract was not cytotoxic on HT-29 cells induced to differentiate with sodium butyrate, suggesting a preference for the mixture for the malignant phenotype. Finally, we reported that the cell death induced by the organic extract was mediated by the activation of a process of cytotoxic autophagy as a result of the increased expression of the LC3-II marker and the number of autophagic vacuoles, which almost doubled in treated HT-29 cells. In summary, although the detailed chemical composition of theCiona robustaextract is still undetermined, our data suggest the presence in it of bioactive compounds possessing anticancer activity.
The Lifeact-EGFP Quail: A New Avian Model For Studying Actin DynamicsIn Vivo
Authors: Alvarez Yanina D. , van der Spuy Marise , Wang Jian Xiong , Noordstra Ivar , Tan Siew Zhuan , Carroll Murron , Yap Alpha S. , Serralbo Olivier , White Melanie D.
Published: November 2023

Here we report the generation of a transgenic Lifeact–EGFP quail line for the investigation of actin organization and dynamics during morphogenesisin vivo. This transgenic avian line allows for the high-resolution visualization of actin structures within the living embryo, from the subcellular filaments that guide cell shape to the supracellular assemblies that coordinate movements across tissues. The unique suitability of avian embryos to live imaging facilitates the investigation of previously intractable processes during embryogenesis. Using high-resolution live imaging approaches, we present the dynamic behaviours and morphologies of cellular protrusions in different tissue contexts. Furthermore, through the integration of live imaging with computational segmentation, we reveal the dynamics of cells undergoing apical constriction and the emergence of large-scale actin structures such as supracellular cables and rosettes within the neuroepithelium. These findings not only enhance our understanding of tissue morphogenesis but also demonstrate the utility of the Lifeact–EGFP transgenic quail as a new model system for livein vivoinvestigations of the actin cytoskeleton.
STRANDS OF CONNECTION: LIVESTOCK GRAZING, VEGETATION DENSITY, AND ORB-WEAVER SPIDER PERSISTENCE
Authors: Oyarzabal Guilherme , Guimarães Murilo
Published: November 2023

Studies on the effects of grazing disturbances in grasslands have shown mixed results for spider diversity, mainly regarding their guilds. While ungrazing, low, and moderate grazing potentially enhance diversity of orb-weavers, heavy grazing seems to reduce specieś richness. On the population level, studies of orb-weavers are scarce, and the effects of grazing are unknow. In this way, we investigated the effects of different levels of grazing on population persistence of orb-weaver spiders, hypothesizing that low to intermediate disturbances benefit populations. We predict that high grazing, due to the removal of vegetation structure, will negatively affect occupancy and abundance of orb-weavers. For that, we experimentally controlled grazing pressure and obtained population occurrence and counts of two orb-weaver spider species,Argiope argentataandAlpaida quadrilorata. We found thatA. argentatawas directly affected by grazing, as it relies on higher vegetation for web-building. In contrast,A. quadrilorata, which occurs in cattle-resistant rosette plants, showed no effects of grazing.Implications for insect conservation:Our study emphasizes the need for balanced grazing practices and habitat conservation to protect orb-weaver spiders and other arthropods, as well as, species-specific effects for species from the same guild, underscoring their ecological significance in maintaining ecosystem stability.
Self-reported decreases in the purchases of selected unhealthy foods resulting from the implementation of warning labels in Mexican youth and adult population
Authors: Contreras-Manzano Alejandra , White Christine M. , Nieto Claudia , Quevedo Kathia L. , Vargas-Meza Jorge , Hammond David , Thrasher James F. , Barquera Simón , Jáuregui Alejandra
Published: November 2023

Background

Front-of-package nutritional warning labels (WLs) are designed to facilitate identification and selection of healthier food choices. We assessed self-reported changes in purchasing different types of unhealthy foods due to WLs in Mexico and the association between the self-reported reductions in purchases of sugary beverages and intake of water and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Methods

Data came from 14-17 year old youth (n=1,696) and adults ≥18 (n=7,775) who participated in the Mexican arm of the 2020-2021 International Food Policy Study, an annual repeat cross-sectional online survey. Participants self-reported whether the WLs had influenced them to purchase less of each of ten unhealthy food categories due to WLs. Among adults, a 23-item Beverage Frequency Questionnaire was used derive past 7-day intake of water and sugary beverages analyzed to determine the relationship between self-reported reductions in purchasing sugary drinks due to the WLs. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the percentage of participants who self-reported reducing purchases within each food group, and overall. Sociodemographic characteristics associated with this reduction were investigated as well.

Results

Overall, 44.8% of adults and 38.7% of youth reported buying less of unhealthy food categories due to the implementation of WL, with the largest proportion reporting decreased purchases of cola, regular and diet soda. A greater impact of WLs on the reported purchase of unhealthy foods was observed among the following socio-demographic characteristics: females, individuals who self-identified as indigenous, those who were overweight, individuals with lower educational levels, those with higher nutrition knowledge, households with children, and those with a significant role in household food purchases. In addition, adults who reported higher water intake and lower consumption of sugary beverages were more likely to report reduced purchases of sugary drinks due to the WLs. Adults who reported greater water intake and lower sugary beverages intake were significantly more likely to report buying fewer sugary drinks due to the WLs.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that implementation of WLs has reduced purchases of unhealthy foods in Mexico. These results underscore the positive impact of the labeling policy particularly in subpopulations with lower levels of education and among indigenous adults.
Epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of the human angiotensinogen gene by high salt
Authors: Perla Sravan , Kumar Ashok
Published: November 2023

Hypertension is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Angiotensinogen (AGT) is a component of RAAS, that regulates blood pressure. The human angiotensinogen (hAGT) gene has -6A/-6G polymorphism and -6A variant is associated with human hypertension. In this study, we have investigated the epigenetic regulation of the hAGT. To understand transcriptional regulation of the hAGT, we have made transgenic animals containing -6A. We show that HS affects DNA methylation and modulates transcriptional regulation of this gene in liver and kidney. High salt (HS) increases hAGT gene expression in -6A TG mice. We have observed that the number of CpG sites in the hAGT promoter is decreased after HS treatment. In the liver, seven CpG sites are methylated whereas after HS treatment, only three CpG sites remain methylated. In the kidney, five CpG sites are methylated, whereas after HS treatment, only three CpG sites remain methylated. These results suggest that HS promotes DNA demethylation and increasing AGT gene expression. RT-PCR and immunoblot analysis show that hAGT gene expression is increased by HS. Chip assay has shown that transcription factors bind strongly after HS treatment. RNA-Seq identified differentially expressed genes, novel target genes associated with hypertension, top canonical pathways, upstream regulators. One of the plausible mechanisms for HS induced up-regulation of the hAGT gene is through IL-6/JAK/STAT3/AGT axis.
The dynamic evolution of an industrial innovation ecosystem: a case study of Around-Tongji Knowledge Economy Circle (Shanghai)
Authors: Bao Yuehua , Chen Qiang , Xia Xingcan
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the development and evolution of industrial innovation ecosystems of Around-Tongji Knowledge Economy Circle from the three levels mentioned above, focusing on knowledge-producing populations, core populations and service-supporting populations, and to further develop this research framework by combining with the latest developments.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the five-helix theory and economic census statistical data, this paper adopts geographic information system technology and examines the characteristics of the industrial innovation ecosystem and the synergistic evolution process in Around-Tongji knowledge economy circle.

Findings

The knowledge product populations lead the development of industries in Around-Tongji Knowledge Economy Circle. It contributes political capital output for the government. It innovates community cooperation and governance mode, and it improves the natural ecological environment. In the face of the changes and challenges in the development environment, the future development must be recognised from the height of the iterative development of the interaction mode between university knowledge production and economic and social development.

Originality/value

Based on the five-helix theory and economic census statistical data, this paper examines the characteristics of the industrial innovation ecosystem and the synergistic evolution process in Around-Tongji Knowledge Economy Circle. It further expands the research framework used to develop a synergistic evolution model, which reveals the interactive and synergistic relationship among the populations and the evolution characteristics of the entire industrial innovation ecosystem. This paper also provides useful perspectives for the study of the industrial innovation ecosystem.
Environmental turbulence, network position and firm innovation: evidence from a natural experiment in China
Authors: Jiang Yusi , Li Chuanjia , Zhao Yapu
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study aims to explore the relationship between network position and innovation under major environmental turbulence.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a difference-in-differences identification approach using the 2009 Industry Revitalization Plan in response to the global financial crisis as a natural experiment with a sample of Chinese listed firms from 2001 to 2017.

Findings

The findings show that a major environmental turbulence can facilitate firm innovation, and firms that occupy central positions in the interlock network show worse innovation performance while firms with high brokerage show better innovation performance.

Originality/value

The literature on environmental implication has largely focused on the threats and overlooked the potential opportunities. Moreover, social network literature has elaborated on the benefits and constraints of network positions from a static perspective but largely overlooked their implications facing environmental change. By exploring the bright side of major environmental turbulence and including this factor as a key contingency in exploring the effects of centrality and brokerage, this study integrates external environmental context with social network research and provides empirical evidence responding to the call for more attention to network dynamics and extends our understanding of the context-contingent network effects on firm innovation.
Performance indicators for public evaluation of environmental management plan implementation in highway construction projects
Authors: Dahalan Nurol Huda , Rahman Rahimi A. , Hassan Siti Hafizan , Ahmad Saffuan Wan
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Evaluating the implementation of environmental management plans (EMPs) in highway construction projects is essential to avoid climate change. Public evaluations can help ensure that the EMP is implemented correctly and efficiently. To allow public evaluation of EMP implementations, this study aims to investigate performance indicators (PIs) for assessing EMP implementation in highway construction projects. To that end, the study objectives are to compare the critical PIs between environment auditors (EAs) and environment officers (EOs) and among the main project stakeholders (i.e. clients, contractors and consultants), create components for the critical PIs and assess the efficiency of the components.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper identified 39 PIs from interviews with environmental professionals and a systematic literature review. Then a questionnaire survey was developed based on the PIs and sent to EAs and EOs. The data were analyzed via mean score ranking, normalization, agreement analysis, factor analysis and fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE).

Findings

The analyses revealed 21 critical PIs for assessing EMP implementation in highway construction projects. Also, the critical PIs can be grouped into four components: ecological, pollution, public safety and ecological. Finally, the overall importance of the critical PIs from the FSE is between important and very important.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first-of-its-kind study on the critical PIs for assessing EMP implementation in highway construction projects.
Non-farm income and household welfare in rural Burkina Faso: a focus on the household land tenure situation
Authors: Séogo Windinkonté
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study investigates how income from non-farm activities affects households' consumption in two land holders' groups: households with insecure land holding and households with secure land holding.

Design/methodology/approach

Following an instrumental variable approach, this study analyzes data collected on a nationwide sample of 1,800 households in rural Burkina Faso.

Findings

For insecure land holders' group, this study finds that income from non-farm activities has a positive effect on household consumption per capita. Moreover, the share of household food consumption is negatively associated with non-farm income in this group. For secure land holders' group, the results show that non-farm income has only a negative effect on the share of their food consumption.

Originality/value

The study highlights the livelihood sustaining role of non-farm activities for rural households. Unlike previous studies, the results show that non-farm income is particularly important for land tenure insecure households facing risk of losing agricultural income.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-05-2023-0423
Pollution, knowledge and coping strategy and life expectancy in oil producing communities
Authors: Nwani Stanley Emife
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between pollution and life expectancy in oil producing communities, where there is a dearth of empirical evidence on how knowledge and coping strategy, agriculture and foreign capital inflows mediate the relationship between pollution and life expectancy.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed a cross sectional survey design to analyze the roles of knowledge and coping strategy, agriculture and foreign capital inflows in the relationship between pollution and life expectancy in Benekuku and Okpai oil producing communities in the Niger Delta. The study employed the modern structural equation modeling (SEM) estimator.

Findings

Estimates show the mediating effect of agriculture on air pollution-longevity (coeff. = 0.398; t-value = 4.425; p < 0.05) and (coeff. = −0.120; t-value = −3.862; p < 0.05) mediating effect of foreign capital. The result revealed that agriculture and foreign capital inflows are significant mediators in pollution-life expectancy relations, affirming the Niger Delta as a pollution haven. However, knowledge and coping strategy with estimate of (coeff. = 0.233; t-value = 6.150; p < 0.05) spurs life expectancy.

Practical implications

The study suggests knowledge of hazard identification and reporting and awareness of coping strategy as the panacea to poor life expectancy rate in these local oil producing communities.

Originality/value

The study departs from existing works by estimating the mediating roles of agriculture and foreign capital inflow in air pollution-Life expectancy by controlling for knowledge and coping strategy using the structural equation model with ethical approval from Health Ethics Research Committee.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2022-0734
Mayday! Mayday! The airlines stock returns are failing. Analysis of the impact of Russia–Ukraine war
Authors: Martins António Miguel , Cró Susana
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This paper investigates the short-term market impact of the beginning of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine (February 24, 2022) on a set of airline stocks listed.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses an event study methodology, cross-section analyses and interaction effects to study the effect of the war on airline stock prices and firm-specific characteristics that explain the cumulative abnormal return.

Findings

The authors observe a negative and statistically significant stock price reaction at and around the beginning of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, for 74 listed airlines. These results are consistent with investment portfolio rebalancing and asset pricing perspective. Moreover, this study's results show a higher negative stock market reaction for airlines based in Europe. Empirical evidence suggests the existence of a “proximity penalty” for European companies. Finally, this study's results provide insights into which airline-specific characteristics emerge as value drivers. Larger, well-capitalized (high liquidity and low debt) and profitable airlines firms with less institutional ownership have superior stock market returns and show more able to handle with the losses resulting from the war.

Originality/value

This paper fills a gap in the literature about the impact of the Russia–Ukraine war on the airline industry.
Developing enduring leadership competences in complex project management: charting a course, embarking on a journey
Authors: Ackermann Fran , Maytorena Eunice , Gavin Carl , Forsyth Stuart
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The aim of this study is to report and reflect on the development of a tailored executive education programme rooted in state-of-the-art research and focused on enhancing and embedding project leadership competences in a multi-national project-based organisation.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a detailed description of an example of a leadership development programme, the paper reflects on the learning journey. Drawing on research in management education, leadership and project management competence development, the authors present the rationale, design, delivery and participant and organisational experiences.

Findings

Reflections on the learning journey identify five key points: a) the fundamental role of a programme champion, b) the importance of balancing rigour and relevance in executive education programme design, c) the importance of attending to the milieu of the clientele in terms of culture, demands and where they are in terms of their learning journey, d) the significant role that reflection can play in personal development and e) the competences necessary for project leadership.

Research limitations/implications

This paper reflects on a single programme for a single organisation and is therefore at risk of being idiosyncratic and not generalisable. This is indeed a limitation. However, the authors are all experienced in delivering executive education – and therefore can use those experiences to view the reflections. Many of the considerations noted here resonate with other programmes (both in support and through experience of omission having detrimental effects).

Practical implications

The paper provides new insights into developing enduring and effective leadership competences in complex project management, i.e. one that has a lasting impact on the organisation and is recognised to provide benefits. The reflections on how the authors charted a course and embarked on a journey are deemed of relevance to academics and industry.

Originality/value

The paper provides, for both industry practitioners and academics, new insights into effective leadership development in complex project management, one that has a lasting impact on the individual and the organisation and is recognised to provide benefits.
Illicit drug use among medical students and its association with gender, psychological distress sleep quality and exposure to psychiatry: a nationwide study
Authors: Joudeh Rayan M. , Jarrar Raba’a F. , Alnaser Adnan Raed , Battah Abdelkader , Hindi Mazen , Battah Arwa A. , Wadi Eslam M. , Zitoun Osama A.
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Illicit drug use is a well-known global problem that has been noticed to be increased significantly among medical students. This study aims to assess the prevalence and consequences of illicit drug use among medical students in the country of Jordan using the validated Drug Abuse Screening Test-10 (DAST-10).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a cross-sectional, descriptive design to conduct this study. A total of 2,104 participants from six medical schools were included. A structured online-based English self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection.

Findings

Out of 2,104 included participants, 242 (11.5%) reported using illicit drugs in the past year. More than three-quarters (77%) of the drug users suffer from various degrees of problems related to drug use, ranging from risky (41%) to severe risk (6%). Drug use was found to be associated with gender, planned specialty and exposure to psychiatry training.

Research limitations/implications

The cross-sectional design prevents from drawing cause-and-effect relationships and confirming how the tendency toward substance use is affected by the psychological state, sleep quality and exposure to psychiatry. Also, although it is important to measure the subjective observation of distress and sleep, objective estimates of psychological distress and sleep including actigraphy and sleep diary could be helpful to strengthen the findings. Also using an online survey with convenience sampling are some inevitable limitations with the present COVID-19 restrictions. Also, the nature of DAST-10 closed-ended questions precluded from accurately exploring the consequences of substance abuse.

Practical implications

Appropriate screening to identify medical students at risk for substance abuse and provide them with treatment referrals are strongly recommended in this study. In addition, medical schools should provide a comfortable environment that encourages a healthy lifestyle with a responsible attitude toward using drugs.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of information about illicit drug use among medical students, especially in the country of Jordan. The nature of their studies, the different stresses they experience and the impact imposed by other factors such as sociocultural all are likely to make medical students more susceptible to drug abuse. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first cross-national study of its kind in Jordan with a representative sample of 2,104 participants. We assessed the prevalence and consequences of self-reported illicit drug use and the sleep quality of medical students from all schools of medicine in Jordan.
Scoping practical implications and managerial relevance in sport management
Authors: Mastromartino Brandon , Naraine Michael L. , Dees Windy , Zhang James J.
Published: November 2023

Purpose

There remains a critical issue in sport management scholarship in that the field lacks a well-defined framework for delineating practical implications in research. This research aims to answer the following research questions: (1) What types of practical implications can be identified in sport management research? (2) How can sport management research frame the practical implications of the study in a way that is both theoretically sound and useful for practitioners?

Design/methodology/approach

Through a scoping review and within the lens of Jaworski (2011)'s framework for managerial relevance, the study examined 427 articles fromEuropean Sport Management Quarterly,Journal of Sport ManagementandSport Management Reviewpublished between 2000 and 2020.

Findings

This study presents a five-pronged framework that identifies target managers, organizational tasks, time horizons, philosophical impact and desired outcomes. Furthermore, the current research offers suggestions for how to present managerial implications in sport management research.

Originality/value

The findings shed light on the managerial relevance of the recent sport management body of work, developing an important framework for practical implications for the field to reflect and incorporate into future studies. With a theoretical understanding of how to frame the practical implications of sport management research, the gap between academia and industry can continue to narrow, and the relevance to the industry may be more pertinent than ever before.
Brain and cortisol responses to smoking cues are linked in tobacco‐smoking individuals
Authors: Wanger Timothy J. , de Moura Fernando B. , Ashare Rebecca , Loughead James , Lukas Scott , Lerman Caryn , Janes Amy C.
Published: November 2023

Cues associated with smoking can induce relapse, which is likely driven by cue‐induced neurobiological and physiological mechanisms. For instance, greater relapse vulnerability is associated with increases in cue‐induced insula activation and heightened cortisol concentrations. Determining if there is a link between such cue‐induced responses is critical given the need for biomarkers that can be easily measured in clinical settings and used to drive targeted treatment. Further, comprehensively characterising biological reactions to cues promises to aid in the development of therapies that address this specific relapse risk factor. To determine whether brain and cortisol responses to smoking cues are linked, this study recruited 27 nicotine‐dependent tobacco‐smoking individuals and acquired whole‐brain functional activation during a cue reactivity task; salivary cortisol was measured before and after scanning. The results showed that increases in blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent activation in the right anterior insula and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) when viewing smoking versus neutral cues were positively correlated with a post‐scan rise in salivary cortisol concentrations. These brain regions have been previously implicated in substance use disorders for their role in salience, interoception and executive processes. These findings show that those who have a rise in cortisol following smoking cue exposure also have a related rise in cue‐induced brain reactivity, in brain regions previously linked with heightened relapse vulnerability. This is clinically relevant as measuring cue‐induced cortisol responses is a more accessible proxy for assessing the engagement of cue‐induced neurobiological processes associated with the maintenance of nicotine dependence.
Hindlimb bones texture through postnatal ages of Rhea americana (Aves: Palaeognathae)
Authors: Picasso M. B. J. , Acosta Hospitaleche C.
Published: November 2023

The bone texture of Rhea americana was evaluated through the examination of a postnatal ontogenetic series. The hind limb bone surfaces of specimens of one, three and five months old, and adults were compared to characterize each stage according to the morphological features generated by their differential ossification. The results suggest a similar process of tissue maturation concerning neognathous birds, although with some differences. A spongy or striated surface with abundant pores in the femur and longitudinal grooves in the tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus characterizes chicks. Vascularity decreases, and the bone texture gradually changes acquiring a more homogeneous surface, to eventually reach the smooth appearance of adult bones. The establishment of particular textures corresponding to different bones and ontogenetic stages permits the accurate interpretation of remains in ecological, archaeological and paleontological contexts in which bones are fragmented and/or incomplete.
First experience with the new extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system Colibrì
Authors: Saemann Lars , Stiller Markus , Willsch Jan , Schultze Thomas , Matin Meradjoddin , Veres Gábor , Szabó Gábor
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly used for circulatory or pulmonary support not only in‐hospital but also out‐of‐hospital. Small dimensions and a lightweight design are important, especially for out‐of‐hospital use but also for intra‐hospital transportation of patients who require ECMO support. We share our first experience with the new Colibrì ECMO system.

Patients and Methods

From December 2022 to January 2023, we used the new Colibrì extracorporeal circulation (ECC) system in six patients with cardiac or pulmonary failure.

Results

The Colibrì system was used in‐hospital in six patients with post‐cardiac surgery low output syndrome, respiratory failure due to influenza or acute respiratory distress syndrome, cardiogenic shock, pulmonary embolism, and failed weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass. The system was implanted in venovenous (VV) and venoarterial (VA) fashion in 3 patients, respectively. In one patient, the configuration was switched from VA to VV after cardiac recovery. One patient received left‐ventricular unloading using the IMPELLA®5.5. ECMO run time was 1 to 13 days. We did not notice any ECC system‐associated complications. No ECMO system changes were required.

Conclusion

Our case series concludes that the new Colibrì system is safe and effective for in‐hospital ECMO indications. The small dimensions and lightweight design are very beneficial for the transportation of patients. It might be especially helpful for out‐of‐hospital situations.
The Role of Collateral in Sudden Stop Models
Authors: Dong Bingbing , Wu Jieran , Young Eric
Published: November 2023

This paper examines the role of collateral in sudden stop models that feature occasionally binding constraints and endogenous growth. It shows how different assumptions regarding the nature and valuation of collateral alter the dynamics of crisis episodes and the welfare costs of pecuniary externalities. For example, in a model with land as collateral, valuing collateral at the “expected future price” leads to substantially weaker Fisherian deflation effects than the case with collateral valued at the “current price.” However, the average size of sudden stops in the two economies are similar because households endogenously avoid the region where large sudden stops would occur. The differences between different collateral valuations and the size of sudden stops are amplified when we abstract from endogenous growth. In another case, assuming collateral is income rather than land leads to smaller sudden stops as income is less volatile than asset prices. Finally, we show that some choices lead to constrained or conditionally efficient allocations whereas others generate inefficiencies, but these inefficiencies are small.
Population responses to temperature in 12‐year insect time series
Authors: Andow David A.
Published: November 2023

Considerable work has examined the distribution of species under projected climate change, but empirical data are needed to support predicting change in abundance.

I analysed populations of 17 saproxylic beetle species collected twice nightly from mid‐May to mid‐October from 2004 to 2015 at lights in Shizuoka, Japan, to investigate effects of two 100‐year hot summers (2010 and 2013) and correlated changes with June, July and August maximum temperatures. The first analysis examined the effect of heat stress and the second examined how populations tracked changes in temperature.

I hypothesised that the responses would be species‐specific and could be related to interspecific variation in body size, voltinism, primary food source and the strength of density dependence.

Heat stress was associated with population declines of five species during the same year and five other species in the following year. Conifer feeders were more likely to decline during the same year as the heat stress. Only one species tracked variation in maximum June temperature. Larger, later emerging species were more strongly detrimentally affected by high June temperatures than smaller, early emerging species. There was no relation between the response to heat stress and tracking June temperatures across species.

The influence of summer temperature on saproxylic beetles was detectable from relatively short time series and occurred in a species‐specific manner. The effect of heat stress was more readily detected than correlated changes in abundance and temperature. Short time series may help reveal the response of insect populations to changing temperatures.
Evaluating resectoscopy and the levonorgestrel intrauterine system for intermenstrual bleeding associated with cesarean scar defects: A retrospective study of treatment outcomes
Authors: Huang Szu‐Yu , Chen Ying‐Yi , Tsai Ching‐Chang , Lin Hao , Ou Yu‐Che
Published: November 2023

Aim

To compare and evaluate the efficacy of the levonorgestrel‐releasing intrauterine system (LNG‐IUD) and resectoscopy remodeling procedure for intermenstrual bleeding associated with previous cesarean delivery scar defect (PCDS).

Methods

A retrospective comparative study was conducted on patients with PCDS receiving LNG‐IUD (levonorgestrel 20 μg/24 h, N = 33) or resectoscopy remodeling (N = 27). Treatment outcomes were compared over 1, 6, and 12 months. Outcomes in patients with a retroverted or large uterus size, defect size, and local vascularization also were evaluated.

Results

At 12 months post‐treatment, there were no significant differences between groups in efficacy rate; however, the reduction of intermenstrual bleeding days was higher in the LNG‐IUD group than in the resectoscopy group (13.6 vs. 8.5 days, p = 0.015). Within the first year, both groups experienced a reduction in bleeding days, but the decrease was greater in the LNG‐IUD group. Individuals exhibiting increased local vascularization at the defect site experienced more favorable outcomes in the LNG‐IUD group than the resectoscopy group (p = 0.016), and who responded poorly tended to have a significantly larger uterus in the LNG‐IUD group (p = 0.019). No significant differences were observed in treatment outcomes for patients with a retroverted uterus or large defect in either group.

Conclusions

Our findings support that the LNG‐IUD is as effective as resectoscopy in reducing intermenstrual bleeding days associated with PCDS and can be safely applied to patients without recent fertility aspirations. Patients with increased local vascularization observed during hysteroscopy may benefit more from LNG‐IUD intervention than resectoscopy.
Achievement Goal Impacts Students' Preferences for “Personalized Problems” in Computer‐Adaptive Tests
Authors: Goto Takayuki , Kano Kei , Shiose Takayuki
Published: November 2023

The contemporary development of psychometric theories and information technologies enables students to work on algorithm‐based personalized tests in classroom settings. This study aims to investigate the relationship between students' achievement goals and what they prefer as “personalized problems” in computer‐adaptive tests. We theoretically contrast achievement goals with developing competency through mastery and demonstrating competency through performance goals. We asked elementary and secondary school students to work on a computer‐adaptive test and to complete questionnaires about what they prefer as “personalized problems” in computer‐adaptive tests. The results revealed that while mastery goals positively predicted preference for challenging problems, performance goals positively predicted preference for problems that guaranteed students’ success. Moreover, only the preference for challenging problems positively predicted the intention to take computer‐adaptive tests in the future. These results suggest that simply introducing a computer‐adaptive test into the classroom may not be effective. We discuss how educational technologies should be integrated into human teaching activities.