bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The hierarchical structure of galactic haloes: differentiating clusters from stochastic clumping with astrolink
Authors: Oliver William H , Elahi Pascal J , Lewis Geraint F , Buck Tobias
Published: April 2024

We present astrolink, an efficient and versatile clustering algorithm designed to hierarchically classify astrophysically relevant structures from both synthetic and observational data sets. We build upon clustar-nd, a hierarchical galaxy/(sub)halo finder, so that astrolink now generates a 2D representation of the implicit clustering structure as well as ensuring that clusters are statistically distinct from the noisy density fluctuations implicit within the n-dimensional input data. This redesign replaces the three cluster extraction parameters from clustar-nd with a single parameter, S – the lower statistical significance threshold of clusters, which can be automatically and reliably estimated via a dynamical model-fitting process. We demonstrate the robustness of this approach compared to astrolink’s predecessors by applying each algorithm to a suite of simulated galaxies defined over various feature spaces. We find that astrolink delivers a more powerful clustering performance while being $\sim 27~{{\ \rm per \, cent}}$ faster and using less memory than clustar-nd. With these improvements, astrolink is ideally suited to extracting a meaningful set of hierarchical and arbitrarily shaped astrophysical clusters from both synthetic and observational data sets – lending itself as a great tool for morphological decomposition within the context of hierarchical structure formation.
Agathias
Authors: Ficulle Santini Larisa , Agosti Gianfranco
Published: April 2024

Agathias Scholasticus (approximately 532–580 ce) was a lawyer, poet, editor, and historian. He is one of the main sources for the reign of Justinian (527–562 ce) and the protagonist of the sixth-century revival of the Greek epigram: in addition to his own poems, he gathered and edited those of his contemporaries (e.g.: Paul the Silentiary, Macedonius and Julian of Egypt) creating the so-called Cycle of Agathias, later incorporated into the Greek Anthology. Without Agathias’s editorial efforts, the 6th-century epigrammatic output would in all likelihood have been lost. According to his own information, he also wrote nine books of hexametric erotic poetry under the name of Daphniaca, now lost. His Histories in five books are the continuation of Procopius of Caesarea’s Wars and cover the years 552–559. The work narrates the two main conflicts of the time, the one in Italy against the Goths, Franks, and Alamanni (Book 1 - Book 2.17) and the one in Lazica against the Persians (Book 2.18 - Book 4). Book 5 focuses on the disastrous events that struck Constantinople in the years 557–559 (earthquake, plague, Hunnic invasion). The Histories, following the historiographical model set by Herodotus and Thucydides, fall under the label of early Byzantine classicizing historiography, whose major exponent is Procopius. The comparison with the latter—special adviser (symboulos/paredros) to Belisarius, and witness of many of the events he narrates—triggered Agathias’s reputation as an inferior historian in modern times (though not among the Byzantines). Recent scholarship is going in another direction, casting light to understudied aspects of the Histories and reassessing their literary and historical value.
Mari
Authors: Miglio Adam E.
Published: April 2024

Tell (ancient Mari) is located along the western bank of the central Euphrates River, about 17km (10.5 miles) north of the modern border between Syria and Iraq. Situated between the heartland of Mesopotamia and the world of the western Levant, ‘the world’ of ancient Mari was a mélange of east and west Semitic traditions. The site has been under excavation by a French expedition (Mission Archéologique de Mari) since 1933 and, more recently, a Syro-French team. Among the many devastating tragedies of the civil war in Syria, which began in 2001, the site of Tell Hariri was repeatedly looted by illicit excavations. Many of the remains excavated from the site are currently housed in museums in Paris, Damascus, Aleppo, and Deir es-Zor. Among the impressive archaeological recoveries from the site are a large, nearly 300-room palace and numerous temples. Also of particular note is an extensive cuneiform Akkadian tablet collection from the Middle Bronze Age/Old Babylonian period. These tablets, especially the nearly 4500 letters, not only provide unprecedented information about social, cultural, political, and religious traditions along the central Euphrates in ancient Syria but also have long provided a basis for comparative studies of the Hebrew Bible. Many of these letters are distinctively long and contain detailed information about social, cultural, political, and religious traditions along the central Euphrates in ancient Syria.
Nonformal and Informal Environmental Education
Authors: Heimlich Joe
Published: April 2024

Much of what people know about the environment and the world around them is learned outside of schooling. Everyday and incidental learning (e.g., magazines, newspapers, Internet) have rapidly become more prominent with the mobility and interconnectedness of handheld electronics and nearly constant connectivity, yet two other structures of learning, those of nonformal and informal environmental learning, remain important ways in which people learn about the world around them. Whether map-led nature walks, exhibits in museums, or interpretive signage in a park or zoo, informal education efforts are important in the learningscape of an individual. The nonformal elements of workshops, programs, guided experiences, and museum shows or first-person interpretation often help learners transition from the “wow” to the “what” of our world, including the natural and constructed components of it. The differences between the structures of informal and nonformal learning are important for designing learning experiences that are highly transferrable to other informal and nonformal learning contexts.
Dr. Strangelove
Authors: Wilson D. Harlan
Published: April 2024

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) is the first installment in Stanley Kubrick’s so-called futurist trilogy, followed by 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and A Clockwork Orange (1971). Curiously, Dr. Strangelove is not set in an imagined future. It takes place in an alternate, counterfactual Cold War present that culminates in apocalyptic destruction when maladroit American and Soviet leaders enable the detonation of a nuclear bomb. The film is more often associated with the genres of war and black comedy than science fiction. Given its representations of technocultural affect, inner space, and apocalypse, however, Dr. Strangelove is thoroughly science-fictional, and all three films received SF’s top honor, the Hugo Award, for Best Dramatic Presentation while siphoning themes from SF’s locus classicus, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818). With respect to Kubrick’s oeuvre, the “nightmare comedy,” as it has been called, distinguished the up-and-coming director as an innovative filmmaker and auteur. He had made waves with his previous film, Lolita (1962), which also featured the talents of versatile actor Peter Sellers, but Dr. Strangelove achieved new heights of cinema and storytelling, combining wild satire with our darkest fears. More specifically, Dr. Strangelove sardonically critiques and fetishizes the destructive technologies that animate male desire, conflating sex, death, and technology in a way that caricatures the phallus via “serious” monkey business. Part documentary realism, the movie was adapted from Red Alert (1958)—published in the United Kingdom as Two Hours to Doom—a suspense novel by Peter George (pseudonym Peter Bryant) that he, Kubrick, and writer Terry Southern converted into an absurdist romp. The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 spurred Cold War anxiety, and another Atomic Age film, Fail-Safe (1964), came out later the same year; unlike Dr. Strangelove, it is a straight, humorless thriller, but it so closely resembled Red Alert that Kubrick and his producer James B. Harris sued for copyright infringement. Despite recognition in the 1960s, Fail-Safe has primarily been discussed in conjunction with Dr. Strangelove, which became part of the popular zeitgeist and remains a polestar in Kubrick’s legacy as well as cinematic history. Critics are drawn to Kubrick as much as cinephiles and general moviegoers; few filmmakers can boast a collective library of work that is at once entertaining and intellectual, evoking powerful emotional responses with an appreciation of his films’ stylistic and narrative construction. As such, the profusion of popular articles, opinion-pieces, and reviews on Dr. Strangelove has gained momentum alongside a wealth of scholarly material. This bibliography mainly accounts for academic scholarship in the form of monographs, full-length articles published in peer-reviewed journals, essays in anthologies, chapters in Kubrick biographies and comprehensive studies of his oeuvre, and other pertinent miscellany.
Ruth Patrick
Authors: Whorley Sarah
Published: April 2024

Ruth Myrtle Patrick (b. 1907–d. 2013) was an American scientist whose singular focus on diatoms and their potential to diagnose aquatic ecosystem status made her a titan among scientists. Patrick’s body of work spans seventy-four years, with nearly two hundred publications. Patrick was born and grew up in Topeka, Kansas. She attended Coker College in South Carolina, earning her bachelor’s degree in 1929. She then moved to the University of Virginia for graduate school. In addition, she spent considerable time at Cold Spring Harbor, New York. Following her completion of graduate school, she found a position with the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This would be her professional home for the duration of her career. While at the academy, Patrick founded the Department of Limnology and expanded its preeminent collection of diatom flora from across the world and launched the use of diatoms as a group of organisms capable of bioassessment of water bodies. This extensive study of diatoms in freshwater habitats has firmly established Patrick as an international authority on freshwater diatom taxonomy, biodiversity, and ecology. Her work here forged new paths in freshwater science and helped it emerge as a critical discipline.
African Political Parties
Authors: Krönke Matthias , Lockwood Sarah , Mattes Robert
Published: April 2024

Since the era of decolonization, political parties have played a crucial role in shaping the national political landscape of independent Africa. They have served as vehicles for mobilization, governance, and opposition; provided platforms for the expression of diverse ideologies, aspirations, and interests; channeled patronage and resources; and attempted to hold governments accountable. Despite playing such a crucial role, however, the study of political parties in Africa has lagged significantly behind its counterparts in North America, Europe, and many parts of the Global South. In the immediate post-independence period of the 1960s, scholarly work largely assessed the continent’s nascent political parties through functionalist typologies, examining issues such as interest articulation, aggregation, and recruitment. Reflecting the rapid closing of democratic spaces, however, those who studied parties in the 1970s and 1980s came to assess them, where they still existed, as institutions of mobilization, development, and legitimation. Following the new democratic openings of the late 1980s and early 1990s, scholars scrambled to (re)assemble the concepts and analytic tools that had been evolving in the Global North since the early 1960s. Parties in the region have long been assumed to be weak, with many taking their ethnic nature and lack of organizational capacity as given. However, a newer literature has started to push back on some of these long-held assumptions and claims, questioning, for example, whether parties can really be weak if they possess the capacity to distribute gifts or coordinate government decisions with electoral considerations. Other works, similarly, have focused on the activities of opposition parties and the ways in which they have acted to stem the decline of democracy. Still others have complicated the relationship between parties and patronage. It is at this critical moment in the study of political parties in Africa that we offer this annotated bibliography—encompassing a range of classic and cutting-edge literature, and seeking to act as a guide to the state of the field today. It is important to note, however, that this bibliography is not intended to be exhaustive but rather to serve as a starting point for scholars and enthusiasts seeking a solid foundation in the study of African political parties. The selected resources are drawn from a diverse range of disciplines, including political science, African studies, sociology, and history, and cover a range of regions and electoral system types. Ultimately, this bibliography on political parties in Africa hopes to stimulate further research, analysis, and discourse on this crucial subject.
A Prognostic Survival Model Incorporating Patient-Reported Outcomes for Transplant-Ineligible Patients With Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Mian Hira , Seow Hsien , Balitsky Amaris K , Cheung Matthew C , Gayowsky Anastasia , Tay Jason , Wildes Tanya M , McCurdy Arleigh , Visram Alissa , Sandhu Irwindeep , Sutradhar Rinku
Published: April 2024

Developing prognostic tools specifically for patients themselves represents an important step in empowering patients to engage in shared decision-making. Incorporating patient-reported outcomes may improve the accuracy of these prognostic tools. We conducted a retrospective population-based study of transplant-ineligible (TIE) patients with multiple myeloma (MM) diagnosed between January 2007 and December 2018. A multivariable Cox regression model was developed to predict the risk of death within 1-year period from the index date. We identified 2356 patients with TIE MM. The following factors were associated with an increased risk of death within 1 year: age > 80 (HR 1.11), history of heart failure (HR 1.52), “CRAB” at diagnosis (HR 1.61), distance to cancer center (HR 1.25), prior radiation (HR 1.48), no proteosome inhibitor/immunomodulatory therapy usage (HR 1.36), recent emergency department (HR 1.55) or hospitalization (HR 2.13), poor performance status (ECOG 3-4 HR 1.76), and increasing number of severe symptoms (HR 1.56). Model discrimination was high with C-statistic of 0.74, and calibration was very good. To our knowledge, this represents one of the first prognostic models developed in MM incorporating patient-reported outcomes. This survival prognostic tool may improve communication regarding prognosis and shared decision-making among older adults with MM and their health care providers.
The transcriptome landscape of developing barley seeds
Authors: Kovacik Martin , Nowicka Anna , Zwyrtková Jana , Strejčková Beáta , Vardanega Isaia , Esteban Eddi , Pasha Asher , Kaduchová Kateřina , Krautsova Maryna , Červenková Marie , Šafář Jan , Provart Nicholas J , Simon Rüdiger , Pecinka Ales
Published: April 2024

Cereal grains are an important source of food and feed. To provide comprehensive spatiotemporal information about biological processes in developing seeds of cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare L. subsp. vulgare), we performed a transcriptomic study of the embryo, endosperm, and seed maternal tissues collected from grains 4–32 days after pollination. Weighted gene co-expression network and motif enrichment analyses identified specific groups of genes and transcription factors (TFs) potentially regulating barley seed tissue development. We defined a set of tissue-specific marker genes and families of TFs for functional studies of the pathways controlling barley grain development. Assessing selected groups of chromatin regulators revealed that epigenetic processes are highly dynamic and likely play a major role during barley endosperm development. The repressive H3K27me3 modification is globally reduced in endosperm tissues and at specific genes related to development and storage compounds. Altogether, this atlas uncovers the complexity of developmentally regulated gene expression in developing barley grains.
Investigating the findings of a Police workshop on the identification of skeletal material
Authors: Goodison Georgina A , Aris Christopher
Published: April 2024

Emergency services professionals can encounter human remains on a frequent basis, therefore an ability to locate and recognize skeletal elements would be highly beneficial. While recognizing human bone has a clear utility to those involved in searching for remains, even for first responders who do not aid in the identification and analysis of remains, a basic knowledge of skeletal anatomy—and the ability to differentiate between human and animal bones—may assist both within the escalation process, and in understanding the scene. With this in mind, a workshop was commissioned by South Yorkshire Police in order to provide training on how to identify human bone in the field and differentiate between human and non-human bone. In total, 37 participants completed the workshop, with 100% completing a survey on the usefulness of the workshop regarding their own abilities before and after. Mann–Whitney U tests were run to determine differences in ability before and after the workshop to gauge whether participants noticed any improvement within their abilities. The testing showed that on average participants perceived an increase in their abilities after completing the workshop. Interestingly, when the test was broken into specific groups—Recovery Professionals and Identification Professionals—a difference in abilities both before and after the workshop was noted between groupings, suggesting that experience at crime scenes may aid in education. The results of this workshop show that training to not just first responders, but also to more senior personnel, was highly useful in widening their knowledge of skeletal material, which will help with any future encounters in the field.
Renal denervation for uncontrolled hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis examining multiple subgroups
Authors: Sharp Andrew S.P. , Sanderson Alice , Hansell Neil , Reddish Katie , Miller Paul , Moss Joe , Schmieder Roland E. , McCool Rachael
Published: April 2024

This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence available for renal denervation (RDN) in uncontrolled arterial hypertension. Twenty-five RCTs met the eligibility criteria for the systematic review, and 16 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. The results of the random effects meta-analysis estimated a mean difference of −8.5 mmHg [95% confidence interval (CI) −13.5 to −3.6] for office SBP, −3.6 mmHg (95% CI −5.2 to −2.0) for 24 h SBP and −3.9 mmHg (95% CI −5.6 to −2.2) for ambulatory daytime SBP in favour of RDN compared with control (medication and/or sham-only) at primary follow-up. Similarly favourable results were observed across a range of prespecified subgroup analyses, including treatment-resistant hypertension. This meta-analysis suggests that the use of RDN in uncontrolled hypertension leads to consistent reductions in blood pressure. Reductions appear to be statistically consistent in the presence or absence of medications and in populations resistant to the use of three medications.
Union is strength: the combination of radiomics features and 3D-deep learning in a sole model increases diagnostic accuracy in demented patients: a whole brain 18FDG PET-CT analysis
Authors: Bestetti Alberto , Zangheri Barbara , Gabanelli Sara Vincenzina , Parini Vincenzo , Fornara Carla
Published: April 2024

Objective

FDG PET imaging plays a crucial role in the evaluation of demented patients by assessing regional cerebral glucose metabolism. In recent years, both radiomics and deep learning techniques have emerged as powerful tools for extracting valuable information from medical images. This article aims to provide a comparative analysis of radiomics features, 3D-deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) and the fusion of them, in the evaluation of 18F-FDG PET whole brain images in patients with dementia and normal controls.

Methods

18F-FDG brain PET and clinical score were collected in 85 patients with dementia and 125 healthy controls (HC). Patients were assigned to various form of dementia on the basis of clinical evaluation, follow-up and voxels comparison with HC using a two-sample Student’s t-test, to determine the regions of brain involved. Radiomics analysis was performed on the whole brain after normalization to an optimized template. After selection using the minimum redundancy maximum relevance method and Pearson’s correlation coefficients, the features obtained were added to a neural network model to find the accuracy in classifying HC and demented patients. Forty subjects not included in the training were used to test the models. The results of the three models (radiomics, 3D-CNN, combined model) were compared with each other.

Results

Four radiomics features were selected. The sensitivity was 100% for the three models, but the specificity was higher with radiomics and combined one (100% vs. 85%). Moreover, the classification scores were significantly higher using the combined model in both normal and demented subjects.

Conclusion

The combination of radiomics features and 3D-CNN in a single model, applied to the whole brain 18FDG PET study, increases the accuracy in demented patients.
Peiella sedimenti gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel taxon within the family Caulobacteraceae isolated from sediment of a river
Authors: Wu Ningning , Wu Yan , Liu Le , Zhang Qi , Lv Yu , Yuan Ye , He Jian , Shen Qirong
Published: April 2024

A Gram-stain-negative bacterium, designated XZ-24T, was isolated from sediment of a river in Mianyang city, Sichuan province, PR China. Cells (1.0–2.0 µm long and 0.4–0.5 µm in width) were strictly aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod shaped, prosthecate and motile by means of a polar flagellum. Growth occurred at 10–37 °C (optimum, 30 °C), at pH 5.0–9.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and with 0–3.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1.0 % NaCl). The results of phylogenetic analysis based on genomes and 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that XZ-24T formed a distinct phyletic branch within the family Caulobacteraceae and was most closely related to members of the genera Brevundimonas, Caulobacter and Phenylobacterium with 95.3–96.5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities. The average amino acid identities (AAI) between XZ-24T and species of the family Caulobacteraceae were 47.0–64.5 %, which were below the genus boundary (70 %). The predominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0, C18 : 1ω7c 11-methyl and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), the isoprenoid quinone was Q-10, and the major polar lipids were 1,2-di-O-acyl-3-O-α-d-glucopyranuronosyl glycerol; 1,2-di-O-acyl-3-O-[d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-d glucopyranuronosyl] glycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. The genome size of XZ-24T was 2.64 Mb with a DNA G+C content of 68.9 %. On the basis of the evidence presented in this study, strain XZ-24T represents a novel species of a novel genus in the family Caulobacteraceae, for which the name Peiella sedimenti gen. nov., sp. nov. (Type strain XZ-24T=CCTCC AB 20 23 094T=KCTC 8038T) is proposed.
Falsiroseomonas oryziterrae sp. nov., and Falsiroseomonas oryzae sp. nov., isolated from rice paddy soil
Authors: Lee Hyo-Jin , Whang Kyung-Sook
Published: April 2024

Three Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and coccobacilli-shaped bacterial strains, designated as NPKOSM-4T, NPKOSM-8 and MO-31T, were isolated from rice paddy soil. They had 96.5–100 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to each other, and strains NPKOSM-4T and NPKOSM-8 showed 100 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, confirming that they were the same species. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA genes with closely related type strains showed that three isolates were most closely related to Falsiroseomonas terricola EM0302T (96.1–97.8 %), Falsiroseomonas wooponensis WW53T (95.51–96.3 %) and Falsiroseomonas bella CQN31T (96.0–96.5 %), respectively. The genomes of strains NPKOSM-4T and MO-31T consisted of 4 632 875 and 6 455 771 bps, respectively, with 72.0 and 72.1 mol% G+C content. The average nucleotide identity (ANI), average amino acid identity (AAI) and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between strains NPKOSM-4T and MO-31T and type strains of Falsiroseomonas species were lower than the cut-offs (≥95 % for ANI, ≥95–96 % for AAI and ≥ 70 % for dDDH) required to define a bacterial species. The major fatty acids of strains NPKOSM-4T, NPKOSM-8 and MO-31T were C18 : 1 ω7c and C18 : 1 2-OH (<10 %) and the predominant quinone was Q-10. The polar lipids of strain NPKOSM-4T were identified as diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, one unidentified aminophospholipid and three unidentified aminolipids. The polar lipid profiles of strain MO-31T contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, one unidentified aminolipid and three unidentified lipids. Based on their distinctive phenotypic, phylogenetic, and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strains NPKOSM-4T, NPKOSM-8 and MO-31T are considered to represent two novel species of the genus Falsiroseomonas, for which the names Falsiroseomonas oryziterrae sp. nov. [to accommodate strains NPKOSM-4T (= KACC 22135T=JCM 34745T), NPKOSM-8 (=KACC 22134=JCM 34746)] and Falsiroseomonas oryzae sp. nov. [to accommodate strain MO-31T (= KACC 22465T=JCM 35532T)] are proposed.
Bi-directional allosteric pathway in NMDA receptor activation and modulation
Authors: Bender Paula A. , Chakraborty Subhajit , Durham Ryan J. , Berka Vladimir , Carrillo Elisa , Jayaraman Vasanthi
Published: April 2024

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are ionotropic glutamate receptors involved in learning and memory. NMDA receptors primarily comprise two GluN1 and two GluN2 subunits. The GluN2 subunit dictates biophysical receptor properties, including the extent of receptor activation and desensitization. GluN2A- and GluN2D-containing receptors represent two functional extremes. To uncover the conformational basis of their functional divergence, we utilized single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer to probe the extracellular domains of these receptor subtypes under resting and ligand-bound conditions. We find that the conformational profile of the GluN2 amino-terminal domain correlates with the disparate functions of GluN2A- and GluN2D-containing receptors. Changes at the pre-transmembrane segments inversely correlate with those observed at the amino-terminal domain, confirming direct allosteric communication between these domains. Additionally, binding of a positive allosteric modulator at the transmembrane domain shifts the conformational profile of the amino-terminal domain towards the active state, revealing a bidirectional allosteric pathway between extracellular and transmembrane domains.
Do creditors appreciate CSR transparency and credibility in emerging markets?
Authors: Uyar Ali , Ben Arfa Nouha , Kuzey Cemil , Karaman Abdullah S.
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This study investigates CSR reporting’s role in debt access and cost of debt with the moderating role of external assurance and GRI adoption in emerging markets. Such an investigation will help facilitate external fund flow to firms in better terms.

Design/methodology/approach

We collected data from 16 emerging markets between 2008 and 2019 from the Thomson Reuters Eikon and ran fixed effects regression analysis and robustness tests by addressing endogeneity concerns, adopting alternative sample and integrating additional control variables.

Findings

The results show that CSR reporting has a positive association with access to debt and a negative association with the cost of debt. Furthermore, both external assurance and GRI adoption do not significantly moderate between CSR reporting and access to debt and cost of debt. Hence, creditors in emerging markets are not interested in CSR report assurance and GRI framework adoption and do not integrate them into their lending decisions.

Originality/value

Emerging markets are unique settings characterized by high growth rates, limited capital availability, high debt costs and weak institutional environments. Thus, reaching debt with convenient conditions is critical for emerging market firms to finance their growth. Hence, our study will help emerging market firms reach external funding more easily and in better terms via CSR transparency. Besides, our investigation is based on a broad sample of emerging markets, and hence updates prior emerging market studies conducted in single-country settings. Lastly, we test the complementarity of third-party assurance and GRI adoption to CSR reporting in loan contracting.
Can HERO help in employee engagement? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Goyal Richa , Sharma Himani , Sharma Aarti
Published: April 2024

Purpose

In the organizational behaviour literature, psychological capital (psycap) has been identified as a significant variable affecting the engagement level of employees. Relying on this, this study aims to examine the association between psycap sub-constructs and employee engagement (EE) using systematic review and meta-analysis techniques.

Design/methodology/approach

The study analyzed 28 primary studies (selected through a systematic review of literature by incorporating inclusion and exclusion criteria) via meta-analysis techniques conducted using Meta-Essential Software (1.5). Along with this, the Cohen Kappa reliability test and the trim and fill technique have been applied, followed by moderator analysis.

Findings

The results of the study contribute to the extant literature in three ways. Firstly, the study confirms the positive association between psycap sub-constructs and EE. Secondly, it looks into the individual constructs of psycap and shows that hope is the primary component that influences EE, followed by optimism, efficacy and resilience. Thirdly, the country acts as a moderator between psycap and EE.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s result highlights numerous implications, suggesting that organizations should focus on bringing out the latent “HERO” (hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism) qualities of their employees to make the workplace more engaging. Lastly, the study concludes by pointing out the limitations and highlighting future directions.

Originality/value

Being the first systematic review and meta-analytical study focusing on psycap sub-constructs and EE associations, this study contributes to the engagement literature.
Exploring Industry 4.0 technologies as drivers of lean implementation in SMEs using COPRAS
Authors: Thekkoote Ramads
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This paper uses the complex proportionality assessment (COPRAS) method to examine the driving factors of Industry 4.0 (I4) technologies for lean implementation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting I4 technology is imperative for SMEs seeking to maintain competitiveness within the manufacturing sector. A thorough understanding of the driving factors involved is required to support the implementation of I4. For this objective, the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tool COPRAS was used to efficiently analyze and rank these driving elements based on their importance. These factors can help small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) prioritize their efforts and investments in I4 technologies for lean implementation.

Findings

This study evaluates and prioritizes the nine I4 factors according to the perceptions of SMEs. The ranking offers significant insights into the factors SMEs consider more accessible and effective when adopting I4 technologies.

Originality/value

The author's original contribution is to examine I4 driving factors for lean implementation in SMEs using COPRAS.
Revisiting Syntactic Microvariation and Diachrony in the Dual Complementizer Systems of Upper Southern Italy1
Authors: Cardullo Sara N. , Groothuis Kim A.
Published: April 2024

The primary aim of this work is to propose a diachrony of complementizer systems in the upper southern Italian dialects (USIDs). While previous diachronic studies have focused mainly on the transition from Latin to Romance, we aim to address several unanswered questions about the transition from medieval southern Italo‐Romance—in particular the system documented by Ledgeway (2005)—to the attested modern USID ones that are claimed to derive from it. Using the cartographic framework, and in particular the split‐CP (Rizzi 1997), our revisitation of the literature leads us to identify at least six distinct modern systems, which differ morpholexically (what we consider “dual” systems, e.g., presenting both che and ca) and/or syntactically (which we consider “split” systems, i.e., lexicalizing both Force° and Fin°). We ultimately propose that these systems should be interpreted as distinct stages in two separate diachronic developments. This is accounted for both through novel empirical insights concerning the conservative nature of the complementizer system found in e.g. Verbicarese—which we argue coincides with the one found in 17th–19th century Neapolitan‐‐, and through the view that complementizers are generated in Fin°, which presents theoretical advantages concerning the expression of (illocutionary) force and (modal)/finiteness marking.
Think of ink: Tattoo pigment masquerading as a breast mass
Authors: Chin Sian , Cumper Marissa , Thomas Anitha , Wylie Elizabeth
Published: April 2024

Migration of tattoo pigment to axillary lymph nodes mimicking calcifications is a recognized phenomenon, however, pigment in an intra‐mammary node masquerading as a breast mass is a rare complication of cosmetic tattoos. As the prevalence of tattooing increases among women presenting to Breastscreen, radiologists may expect to encounter this lesion mimicking a breast neoplasm. We present a 50‐year‐old female with extensive tattoos on her arms, chest wall and abdomen, recalled for a small calcified breast mass on her first screening mammogram. Tomosynthesis‐guided vacuum‐assisted biopsy demonstrated intra‐mammary lymph node with abundant tattoo pigment.
Associations between child maltreatment and hospital admissions for alcohol and other substance use‐related disorders up to 40 years of age: Results from the Childhood Adversity and Lifetime Morbidity study
Authors: Bull Claudia , Trott Mike , Najman Jake Moses , Arnautovska Urska , Siskind Dan , Warren Nicola , Kisely Steve
Published: April 2024

Background and aims

Evidence on the associations between child maltreatment (CM), alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and other substance use disorders (SUDs) comes largely from retrospective studies. These rely on self‐reported data, which may be impacted by recall bias. Using prospective CM reports to statutory agencies, we measured associations between CM notifications and inpatient admissions for AUDs and SUDs up to 40 years of age.

Design, setting and participants

Observational study linking administrative health data from Queensland, Australia to prospective birth cohort data comprising both agency‐reported and substantiated notifications of CM.

Measurements

Outcomes were inpatient admissions for AUDs and SUDs based on ICD‐10‐Australian modification (AM)‐coded primary diagnoses. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were undertaken.

Findings

Ten per cent (n = 609) of the cohort had a history of agency‐reported or substantiated CM notifications before age 15. These individuals had higher adjusted odds of being admitted for AUDs and SUDs. For AUDs, the adjusted odds of inpatient admission were 2.86 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.73–4.74] greater where there was any previous agency‐reported CM and 3.38 (95% CI = 1.94–5.89) greater where there was any previous substantiated CM. For SUDs, the adjusted odds of inpatient admission were 3.34 (95% CI = 2.42–4.61) greater where there was any previous agency‐reported CM and 2.98 (95% CI = 2.04–4.36) greater where there was any previous substantiated CM.

Conclusions

People with a history of child maltreatment appear to have significantly higher odds of inpatient admissions for alcohol use disorders and other substance use disorders up to 40 years of age compared to people with no history of child maltreatment.
Belonging to No One, to Everyone, and for Whom? Learnings from the Disputes about the Public Dimension of Education in Chile's Constitutional Convention
Authors: Galioto Carmelo
Published: April 2024

The public dimension of education is a key issue in democratic countries. However, in a time of conspicuous privatisation and pluralism, the value and meaning of the public sphere in education are in dispute with other value preferences. This paper offers a phenomenological account of the discussion that took place in Chile's Constitutional Convention, which represents an interesting case study due to the country's background of extensive privatisation of education. The main themes that revealed the spheres of values in dispute in this respect revolved around: the public function of the State, the public arena and its relationship with freedom of education and the diversity of educational projects, and finally the relationship between the public arena and the preferences of families. The paper describes the value controversies implicit in this debate and explains the philosophical foundations that enable us to continue questioning what constitutes the public dimension of education.
Editorial: Equity, diversity and inclusion in child and adolescent mental health – equality of opportunities should be every child's right and every society's obligation
Authors: Ani Cornelius , Ola Bolanle , Hodes Matthew , Eapen Valsamma
Published: April 2024

Socio‐ecological factors are major determinants of poor mental health across the life span. These factors can lead to health inequalities, which refer to differences in the health of individuals or groups (Kirkbride et al., 2024). Health inequity “is a specific type of health inequality that denotes an unjust, avoidable, systematic and unnecessary difference in health” (Arcaya, Arcaya, & Subramanian, 2015). Among several intersecting social adversities, inequity is one of the most pervasive contributors to poor mental health across all regions (Venkatapuram & Marmot, 2023). Structural inequity creates institutional power structures that marginalise large sections of the population and concentrate resources in the hands of a small minority (Shim, Kho, & Murray‐García, 2018). The world is now more prosperous than it has ever been, yet the world is witnessing more within country inequality with the vast majority of the world's resources in the hands of a small minority of individuals or regions (United Nations, 2020).
Dysnatremia in a changing climate: A global systematic review of the association between serum sodium and ambient temperature
Authors: Wootton Elizabeth , Grossmann Mathis , Warren Annabelle M.
Published: April 2024

Objective

Both hyponatremia and hypernatremia have been reported to occur more frequently with higher ambient temperatures, although the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Global temperatures are rising due to climate change, which may impact the incidence of dysnatremia worldwide. We aimed to identify, collate and critically appraise studies analyzing the relationship between climate measures (outdoor temperature, humidity) and serum sodium concentrations.

Design

Systematic review, reported in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.

Methods

MEDLINE and Embase were searched with relevant key terms. Studies assessing the effect on serum sodium measurement of elevated temperature or humidity versus a comparator were included.

Results

Of 1466 potentially relevant studies, 34 met inclusion criteria, originating from 23 countries spanning all inhabited continents. The majority (30 of 34, 88%) reported a significant association between outdoor temperature and dysnatremia, predominantly lower serum sodium with increased ambient temperature. Humidity had a less consistent effect. Individuals aged above 65 years, children, those taking diuretics and antidepressants, those with chronic renal impairment or those undertaking physical exertion had increased vulnerability to heat‐associated dysnatremia. The risk of bias was assessed to be high in all but four studies.

Conclusions

Higher ambient temperature is consistently associated with an increased incidence of hyponatremia. We infer that hyponatremia presentations are likely to rise with increasing global temperatures and the frequency of extreme heat events secondary to climate change. Evidence‐based public health messages, clinician education and reduction in fossil fuel consumption are necessary to reduce the expected burden on healthcare services worldwide.
Influence of cardiac diagnosis on outcomes of pediatric heart‐lung transplantation
Authors: Sainathan Sandeep , Ryan John , Mullinari Leonardo , Sanchez Pablo
Published: April 2024

Objective

Pediatric Heart‐lung transplant (HLTX) is performed for endstage congenital heart disease (CHD) with irreversible pulmonary hypertension or non‐congenital heart disease (NCHD) with end‐stage heart and lung disease. CHD could influence the outcomes of HTLX due to increased complexity of the operation as compared to NCHD. In this study we evaluated the influence of cardiac diagnosis on outcomes of pediatric HTLX.

Methods

The UNOS database (1987–2022) was queried for primary HTLX in patients <18 years. The data were extracted for demographics, pretransplant characteristics, post‐transplant outcomes, and analyzed for the impact of cardiac diagnosis on post‐transplant outcomes. Standard statistical tests were used. Survival was compared using the Kaplan–Meier method.

Results

Ninety of the 213 patients who underwent HLTX had CHD. There were no demographic differences. Heart listing status was similar but with a higher LAS score for NCHD. NCHD had higher pre‐operative life support use (mechanical ventilation, inotropes or dialysis) but the use of ECMO as a bridge to transplantation was similar. Wait‐list times were longer for CHD. The ischemic times were similar. Post‐transplant dialysis, stroke, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and rejection were similar. Survival at 30‐days, 1‐year, and long‐term survival at 17 years was similar. Non‐survivors at 30‐days post‐transplant were on life support, used ECMO as a bridge, had lower wait‐list times, longer ischemic times and had strokes. Non‐survivors at 1‐year had similar factors in addition to a higher dialysis use.

Conclusion

Cardiac diagnosis had no impact on outcomes after Pediatric HLTX. Patients on life support or ECMO before transplantation were transplanted faster but with lower survival.
Area and configuration of both semi‐natural habitats and vineyards influence arthropods in South African and central European agricultural landscapes
Authors: Gaigher René , Pryke James S. , Kratschmer Sophie , Zaller Johann G. , Winter Silvia , Samways Michael J. , Pachinger Baerbel , Geldenhuys Marinus , Van Schalkwyk Julia
Published: April 2024

Restoring the heterogeneity of farmland mosaics can help mitigate the ongoing global decline of biodiversity. It has been shown that semi‐natural habitats in viticultural landscapes influence biodiversity in vineyards. However, less attention has been paid to the influence of the extent of vineyard fields and their arrangement in the landscape.

Using previously published data, we investigated the influence of both semi‐natural habitats and vineyard fields on arthropod diversity in vineyards in 35 viticultural landscapes located in South Africa and Austria. Effects on several arthropod groups were assessed using standardised landscape predictors that integrate compositional (total area) and configurational (shape and spatial arrangement) heterogeneity of semi‐natural habitats and vineyards. In addition, we assessed the influence of within‐vineyard vegetation cover and farming system (organic or non‐organic) to explore local‐scale effects.

Within‐vineyard vegetation and flower cover had a consistent positive influence on most arthropod taxa, whereas farming system had little effect. In addition, configurational heterogeneity of semi‐natural vegetation and vineyards influenced several taxa. However, different taxa showed contrasting relationships with configurational heterogeneity, hindering general recommendations for optimal configuration of semi‐natural elements and vineyards in the landscape. The only significant response to compositional heterogeneity was bug abundance in South Africa, which increased with increasing proportion of semi‐natural elements.

We found that increasing vegetation cover in vineyards is an effective and easily implementable measure to improve biodiversity in vineyards. In addition, the spatial arrangement of vineyards influences within‐vineyard arthropod diversity as much as the spatial arrangement of semi‐natural vegetation in the landscape, which expands the possibilities for planning viticultural landscapes with high overall biodiversity.
Oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG‐ODN) restores immune regulatory functions of airway macrophages of patients with asthma
Authors: Zhang Huanping , Wang Lihuan , Zhang Aizhi , Wang Xiangyu , Liao Yun , Chen Xiaoxue , Xu Xuejie , Yang Litao , Liu Yu , Tang Aifa , Yang Pingchang
Published: April 2024

Allergic asthma is characterized by the polarization of Th2 cells and impaired immune regulation. Macrophages occupy the largest proportion of airway immune cells. This study aims to discover the mechanism that hinders the immune regulatory functions of airway macrophages. In this study, macrophages were isolated from cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) collected from asthma patients and normal control (NC) subjects. The results indicated that macrophages occupied the largest portion of the cellular components in BALF. The frequency of IL‐10+ macrophage was significantly lower in asthma patients than in NC subjects. The expression of IL‐10 in macrophages of BALF was associated with the levels of asthma‐related parameters. The immune‐suppressive functions of BALF M0 cells were defective in asthma patients. The inducibility of IL‐10 expression was impaired in BALF macrophages of asthma patients, which could be restored by exposing to CpG. In conclusion, the induction of IL‐10 in macrophages of BALF in asthma patients was impaired, and it could be restored by exposure to CpG.
Abandoning disaster relief and stimulating insurance demand through premium subsidies
Authors: Philippi Tim , Schiller Jörg
Published: April 2024

Premium subsidies can be used to address low demand for natural hazard insurance when it is partly caused by governmental disaster relief payments. We analyze how the introduction of ex ante premium subsidies affects the frost insurance demand of German winegrowers after the government changed insurance regimes to avoid ex post disaster relief payments. We find that the implementation of a premium subsidy in an immature market with low levels of participation, presumably caused by strong anticipation of disaster relief, is effective in increasing overall frost insurance demand. Receiving disaster relief payments 3 years before the introduction of the subsidy seems to make farmers more responsive toward the premium subsidy.