bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postdisaster relocation and its impacts on family dynamics: a case study of typhoon Ketsana relocation in the Philippines
Authors: Samonte Paoloregel , Djalante Riyanti
Published: August 2022

Purpose

In the realm of disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts and disaster resilience discipline globally, the impacts of disasters at the family level – especially in terms of interpersonal relationships – remain largely understudied. This paper aims to explore the impacts of postdisaster relocation on the internal dynamics of families in Southville 7 in Calauan, Laguna, Philippines during the aftermath of the 2009 typhoon Ketsana, and endeavors to inform institutional policies to strengthen families’ disaster resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

Purposive sampling was applied in choosing the 20 participating families for the case study of Site III, Southville 7 – a relocation site housing more than 3,000 displaced families from Metro Manila during typhoon Ketsana. Data gathering methods such as semistructured interviews and personal observations were used during fieldwork, the findings of which were coded to reveal the study’s analytical themes.

Findings

Research findings reveal that the impacts of postdisaster relocation to family dynamics could be classified into seven broad categories: family composition and structure; members’ roles; parenting; parents’ marital relationship; familial relationship; family member’s personalities; and death and disabilities. The interplay between these impacts results in either stronger overall family cohesion or further relational ruptures.

Originality/value

By spotlighting the impacts of disasters on overall family dynamics in the context of postdisaster relocation, this study seeks to elevate the place of the family in the DRR and disaster resilience discourse.
Exploring trade-offs between basic and advanced sustainable supply chain practices among consumer electronics: a social media analytics approach
Authors: Mirzaei Shima , Shokouhyar Sajjad , Shokoohyar Sina
Published: August 2022

Purpose

This study explores the sustainable supply chain trade-offs in the electronics industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs a social media analytics approach and analyses Twitter posts from August 2017 to December 2021. Thematic analysis is applied to discover the pattern in sustainable supply chain trade-offs based on the consumers' perceptions. In addition, a chi-square test was used to measure whether a relationship exists between product groups and sustainable supply chain perceptions.

Findings

The results indicate that environmental practices are the most frequent topic among consumers on social media. Further, although basic sustainable supply chain practices are prioritised in the environmental aspect, advanced sustainable supply chain practices take precedence over basic ones in the social dimension. The result from the chi-square independence test reveals that there is no significant relationship between different products and perceptions of consumers except for economically advanced sustainable supply chain practices.

Practical implications

The main implications of the present study are to offer a fast and efficient method to marketers and companies for discovering customer perceptions. In a way, they can identify where the quality of practices needs to improve in their supply chains to gain customer satisfaction. Additionally, the authors suggest industries declare their trade-off preferences between sustainable supply chain practices transparently.

Originality/value

The findings extend the abundance of sustainable supply chain literature by identifying the sustainable supply chain trade-offs among consumer electronics. Also, the reason for customers' dissatisfaction is provided. In the end, six propositions are presented based on the explorations.
When and how do innovation ecosystems outperform integrated organizations? On technological interdependencies and ecosystem performance
Authors: Zhang Huanren , Hu Yimei , Shi Xianwei , Gao Yuchen
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Studies have documented the distinctive advantage of innovation ecosystems in integrating and recombining heterogeneous knowledge resources across firms' boundaries. However, hierarchical governance in the form of vertical integration is still preferred in many industries for organizing innovation, and the current literature touches little on the relative performance of different organizational structures (integrated firms vs innovation ecosystem) and the factors that lead firms to choose one over the other. The authors conjecture that structure of technological interdependence is one of such important factors. Using a computational experiment, the authors compare the innovation performance of ecosystems with integrated firms under different interdependency structures.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the NKC model, the authors incorporate non-generic complementarities and modularity into the technological interdependence between different components. The authors compare four different types of technological interdependence (modular, hierarchical, nearly modular, and random).

Findings

The results show that integrated firms with centralized search demonstrate stable and consistent performance that is robust to the structure of technological interdependencies, but an ecosystem significantly outperforms integrated firms with centralized or decentralized when the products exhibit modular or nearly-modular structures.

Originality/value

This study sheds light on why an ecosystem often exhibits modular structures while vertical integration is prevalent in industries with complex technological interdependence. In addition, it shows the evolutionary nature of ecosystems and indicates how the cooperation and competition between actors shape the interdependence structure of ecosystems.
Are you talking to me? – calling laypersons in the sphere of data economy ecosystems
Authors: Knaapi-Junnila Sari , Rantanen Minna M. , Koskinen Jani
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Data economy is pervasively present in our everyday lives. Still, ordinary laypersons' chances to genuine communication with other stakeholders are scarce. This paper aims to raise awareness about communication patterns in the context of data economy and initiate a dialogue about laypersons' position in data economy ecosystems.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper covers theory-based critical reflection with ethical- and empirical-based remarks. It provides novel perspectives both for research and stakeholder collaboration.

Findings

The authors suggest invitational rhetoric and Habermasian discourse as instruments towards understanding partnership between all stakeholders of the data economy to enable laypersons to transfer from subjectivity to the agency.

Originality/value

The authors provide (1) theory-based critical reflection concerning communication patterns in the data economy; (2) both ethical and empirical-based remarks about laypersons' position in data economy and (3) ideas for interdisciplinary research and stakeholder collaboration practices by using invitational rhetoric and rational discourse. By that, this paper suggests taking a closer look at communication practices and ethics alike in the data economy. Moreover, it encourages clear, rational and justified arguments between stakeholders in a respectful and equal environment in the data economy ecosystems.
Effects of politically controlled boards on bank loan performance: an emerging economy perspective
Authors: Uddin Mohammed Mohi , Islam Mohammad Tazul , Al Farooque Omar
Published: August 2022

Purpose

In this study, the authors explore the effects of politically controlled boards on bank loan performance in both state-owned commercial banks (SCBs) and private sector commercial banks (PCBs) in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

The data consist of 409 bank-year observations from 46 sample SCBs and PCBs of Bangladesh for the period 2008–17. The authors apply ordinary least squares pooled regression with year fixed effect for baseline econometric analyses and generalized method of moments regression for robustness tests after addressing the endogeneity issue.

Findings

The regression results reveal that the presence of bank “boards controlled by politically affiliated directors” (PA) have significant positive effects on non-performing loans (NPLs). Similarly, the presence of “boards controlled by politically affiliated directors without substantial ownership interests” (PAWOI) show positive association with NPLs. In contrast, the presence of “boards controlled by politically affiliated directors with substantial ownership interests” (PAOI) exhibit an inverse relationship with NPLs. These findings support ‘agency conflict’ arguments and document that both PA and PAWOI are detrimental to bank loan performance in Bangladesh, while PAOI do not have significant effect on increasing NPLs.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing bank governance literature by providing evidence from an emerging economy perspective, where politically affiliated directors (PADs) exploit their positions for personal and/or political gain at the cost of other stakeholders by taking advantage of relaxed regulatory oversights and investor protections.
COVID-19 exposure: a risk-averse firms’ response
Authors: Nasih Mohammad , Wardani Damara Ardelia Kusuma , Harymawan Iman , Putra Fajar Kristanto Gautama , Sarea Adel
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Without a doubt, COVID-19 is a disruptive event that one may not consider before it becomes a global pandemic. This study aims to examine the firm’s risk preference, represented as board characteristics towards COVID-19 exposure in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the boardroom’s average value of board age and female proportion to represent board characteristics. Fixed-effect regression based on industry (Industry FE) and year (Year FE) analyses 861 firm-year observations of all firms listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange in 2019–2020.

Findings

The result shows a positive relationship between the female board and COVID-19 exposure disclosure. Meanwhile, the age proportion does not offer a significant result. The additional analysis document that the directors mainly drove the result and were only relevant during 2020. These results are robust due to coarsened exact matching tests and Heckman’s two-stage regression. This study enriches COVID-19 literature, especially from a quantitative perspective.

Originality/value

The rise of global crises makes the outputs of this study important for non-financial listed firms in Indonesia.
Does it pay to deliver superior ESG performance? Evidence from US S&P 500 companies
Authors: Ademi Bejtush , Klungseth Nora Johanne
Published: August 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between a company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and its financial performance. This paper also investigates the relationship between ESG performance and a company’s market valuation. This paper provides convincing empirical evidence that delivering superior ESG performance pays off financially.

Design/methodology/approach

The financial data and ESG scores of 150 publicly traded companies listed in the Standard and Poor’s 500 index for 2017–2020, comprising 5,750 observations, were collected. STATA was used to run a fixed-effect regression and a weighted least squares model to analyze the panel data.

Findings

The results of the empirical analysis suggest that companies with superior ESG performance perform better financially and are valued higher in the market compared to their industry peers. The ESG rating score impacts both return-on-capital-employed as a proxy for financial performance and Tobin’s Q as a proxy for the market valuation of a company.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing research on ESG performance and financial performance relationship by providing empirical evidence to resolve confusion in the existing literature caused by contradictory evidence. Taking advantage of worldwide crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this study shows that a positive relationship between ESG performance and a company’s market valuation holds even during times of unexpected crises. Further, this study contributes to business practitioners’ knowledge by showing that ESG aspects constitute highly relevant non-financial information that impact the market’s perception of a company and that investing in sustainability positively impacts a company’s bottom line.
Impact of social media use on critical thinking ability of university students
Authors: Cheng Li , Fang Gege , Zhang Xiaoxue , Lv Yuxiang , Liu Lingxuan
Published: August 2022

Purpose

This research aims to discover the relationship between social media usage (SMU) and the critical thinking ability (CTA) of university students, and to answer the question that whether social media dependence (SMD) affects the development of CTA, and thus providing a reference for the social media access strategy of academic libraries from the perspective of media information literacy.

Design/methodology/approach

The research data were collected via 300 valid questionnaires whose respondents are students from three universities in China. Multistage stratified cluster sampling method was used to select the respondents, which guarantees statistical representativeness. A pre-test was conducted to ensure the validity of the questionnaire.

Findings

It is shown that the total score of CTA and the six sub-dimensions are significantly positively correlated with SMU, but strongly negatively correlated with SMD. Based on the mediating effect testing, it is discovered that the degree of SMD can affect the promoting relations between the usage intensity of social media (UISM) and CTA. Clearly, SMU is a double-edged sword. While it narrows the digital gap in terms of accessibility, it widens the digital gap in terms of usage.

Originality/value

The differences in SMU have a significant impact on the development of CTA of university students. This inspires us to consider the ability of “using social media in a balanced way” as an important evaluation and training direction when inquiring media literacy. As social media is becoming a critical channel in cultivating individual's thinking skills, it is highly suggested that the amount of time spent on reading fragmented information on the internet should be controlled.
The Linked Data Librarian – an emerging speciality or the new cataloguer
Authors: Frederick Donna Ellen
Published: August 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to come to an understanding of the role of the Linked Data Librarian as well as to explain why this librarian requires significant skills and knowledge in the area of creating and working with legacy library metadata.

Design/methodology/approach

Typical job positions for cataloguing and metadata librarians from two different librarian job posting websites were monitored and examined over the course of nearly three months. The findings from the analysis were compared with a new job posting for a Linked Data Librarian to answer the question regarding whether or not the Linked Data Librarian is just a new type of cataloguer or if the job posting represents a new speciality within librarianship.

Findings

The analysis found that in the early days the position of Linked Data Librarian will appear to be very much like a cataloguer and linked data librarian. As linked data technologies become established in libraries and Bibliographic Framework is eventually implemented, the position will take on its full Linked Data leadership role.

Originality/value

Seeing as the Linked Data Librarian position is a new one, little analysis of it and how it fits into the cataloguing and metadata department as well as the library in general exists. This paper seeks to fill that gap.
Changing the C-suite: opportunities and threats for leadership diversity and equality
Authors: Whysall Zara , Bruce Alistair
Published: August 2022

Purpose

This study examines the decision-making processes surrounding C-suite changes, to help understand the extent to which these processes may help or hinder progress towards greater diversity and equality at board and senior leadership levels.

Design/methodology/approach

Since acquisition of corporate entities by private equity (PE) investors is known to trigger more frequent changes in leadership than in other corporate situations and its influence on global corporate structures continues to expand, it was targeted as a critical context for exploring the issue. In-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 23 senior investors from 19 different PE firms, examining how incumbent leadership capability is assessed, how decisions regarding changes to incumbent leaders are made, and how existing approaches might influence leadership equality and diversity.

Findings

The findings reveal a common reliance on informal approaches for informing decisions regarding C-suite changes, on subjective and/or anecdotal opinions of leaders' suitability, and an over-reliance on past experience rather than capability or potential when identifying suitable replacements. Evidence of heuristics and biases emerged, including a bias for maintaining incumbent leaders, even in light of concerns regarding their capability or suitability, thereby inhibiting efforts to improve diversity and perpetuating inequality.

Originality/value

This paper explores the decision-making processes undertaken within organisations to determine C-suite changes, a relatively unexplored area, which plays a key role in the upward mobility of a diverse workforce. The study engages directly with decision-makers to examine real-life decision-making situations and explores the findings with reference to theory from occupational psychology and behavioural economics, providing a rich exploration of potential limitations and consequences of current practices for equality and diversity.
How one gesture curbed ethnic discrimination
Authors: AUER DANIEL , RUEDIN DIDIER
Published: August 2022

Members of ethnic and racial minorities across North America and Europe continue to face discrimination, for instance, when applying for jobs or seeking housing. Such unequal treatment can occur because societies categorize people into groups along social, cultural, or ethnic and racial lines that seemingly rationalize differential treatment. Research suggests that it may take generations for such differences to decline, if they change at all. Here, we show that a single gesture by international soccer players at the World Cup 2018 – followed by an extensive public debate – led to a measurable and lasting decline in discrimination. Immediately after the galvanizing event, invitation rates to view apartments increased by 6 percentage points for the migrant group represented by the players, while responses to the native population did not change noticeably. We demonstrate that anti‐immigrant behaviour can disband rapidly when the public receives messages challenging the nature of ethnic and racial categories while sharing a common cause.
Peripheral refraction, relative peripheral refraction, and axial growth: 18‐month data from the randomised study—Clinical study Of Near‐sightedness; TReatment with Orthokeratology Lenses (CONTROL study)
Authors: Jakobsen Trine M. , Søndergaard Anders P. , Møller Flemming
Published: August 2022

Purpose

To investigate changes in peripheral and relative peripheral refraction (RPR) during orthokeratology lens (OKL) use in children, and predictors for myopia progression in a randomized controlled trial.

Methods

Refraction and axial length (AL) were measured at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months for children aged 6–12 years, with myopia of 0.5 to 4.75 dioptres (D) spherical component randomized to either OKL or single‐vision spectacles (SVS) at baseline. Cycloplegic spherical equivalent refractive error (SEQ) was measured on‐axis and eccentric at 10°, 20°, and 30° during nasal and temporal gaze in the horizontal plane with Shin‐Nippon Nvision‐K 5001. RPR was computed as SEQ(eccentricity) minus SEQ(on axis). AL was measured with Lenstar LS900.

Results

Twenty‐one and 28 subjects from the OKL and SVS groups, respectively were available for analysis. OKL wear induced significant myopic RPR at all eccentricities (p ≤ 0.004) whereas peripheral refraction only changed in two out of six eccentric measuring points. Baseline peripheral refraction SEQ at all eccentricities, baseline on‐axis SEQ, and baseline RPR at 30° nasal eccentricity were positively correlated to treatment efficacy defined as change in AL.

Conclusion

We found no correlations between change in RPR and treatment efficacy defined as change in AL. Interestingly, our results suggest that the central emmetropisation that occurs during OKL‐use accounts for most of the optical changes and to a lesser extent the mid‐peripheral plus‐zone of the lens.
Life history and neonate behaviour of the new river crayfish Cambarus chasmodactylus James 1966 (Decapoda: Astacoidea: Cambaridae) from the central portion of the species range
Authors: Graham Zackary A. , Loughman Zachary J.
Published: August 2022

We studied the life history of the New River Crayfish, Cambarus chasmodactylus in Anthony, Creek, West Virginia during an entire activity season—from May 2011 through October 2011. We observed two mass moulting events; one occurred in May, whereas the other occurred in September. Most males within this population moulted from Form I (i.e. reproductive form) to Form II (i.e. non‐reproductive form) in May and then later returned to Form I after a September moulting event. We collected females with active glair glands from May to June, with oviposition occurring from July to August. Fecundity was high and weakly correlated with body size. Egg counts of attached eggs/young in ovigerous females ranged from 41 to 281, with an average of 168. Additionally, from June to October, we dissected a subset of females to determine the monthly gonadal development in females with and without active glair glands. Lastly, in the laboratory, we observed 4th instar neonate crayfishes repeatedly “drifting” between females. We speculate on the relevance of this drifting behaviour and propose future studies to investigate this phenomenon. Our study provides the first comprehensive understanding of the life history of C. chasmodactylus.
Winter severity affects occupancy of spring‐ and summer‐breeding anurans across the eastern United States
Authors: Weiskopf Sarah R. , Shiklomanov Alexey N. , Thompson Laura , Wheedleton Sarah , Campbell Grant Evan H.
Published: August 2022

Aim

Climate change is an increasingly important driver of biodiversity loss. The ectothermic nature of amphibians may make them particularly sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation regimes, adding to declines from other threats. While active season environmental conditions can influence growth and survival, effects of variation in winter conditions on population dynamics are less well‐studied. Given that extreme winter temperatures can influence amphibian survival and fitness, we expected that increased winter severity—as measured by variability in winter temperatures and snow cover—would be associated with decreased occupancy, and that populations that experience more severe winters would have the largest sensitivities and show the greatest declines.

Location

Eastern United States.

Time period

2001–2015.

Major taxa studied

Anurans.

Methods

We used large‐scale citizen science data from the eastern half of the United States, a diverse biogeographic and climatic region, to assess how variation in winter severity influenced occupancy dynamics (i.e. presence or absence of species across sites and years) of 11 spring and summer breeding anuran species.

Results

Most species had increased occupancy in years with greater than average snow cover and warmer than average mean winter temperatures. Surprisingly, climatic conditions in winter affected occupancy dynamics of species with varying life history characteristics, including both spring and summer breeding species, those that overwinter under the soil, and those that overwinter in ponds and stream beds. For two wide‐ranging species (Lithobates catesbeianus and Lithobates clamitans), colder winter temperatures reduced occupancy more at northern latitudes, while the association between days of snow cover and latitude was equivocal.

Main conclusions

As the climate continues to change, expected reductions in snowpack may reduce occupancy of already declining anuran populations, while milder winters may improve overwinter survival for some species. The contradictory impacts of temperature and snow cover illustrate the importance of considering multi‐dimensional impacts of climate change on anuran populations.
Shedding light on the decline of Iberian freshwater fish species over the period 1980–2020
Authors: Valerio Carlotta , Baquero Rocío A. , Gómez Nicola Graciela , Garrido Alberto , De Stefano Lucia
Published: August 2022

Freshwater fish biodiversity is experiencing an alarming decline worldwide. Understanding the main factors behind its deterioration is a key step for ecosystem restoration. In this work, large‐scale and long‐term data were used to identify the causes of the decline of native species richness in Castilla‐La Mancha. This region in central Spain covers part of six river basins belonging to four of the 11 biogeographical provinces for freshwater fish in the Iberian Peninsula.

Firstly, we built a dataset that associates the presence of several fish species and a wide range of environmental variables (e.g. hydrological and hydromorphological indicators, land use classes, presence of alien fish species) at selected river sites for two different time periods (1980–2000 and 2001–2020). Secondly, we conducted an exploratory data analysis to identify possible temporal trends in the dataset. Finally, we applied the random forest algorithm to predict the response of different ecological guild‐based metrics of fish richness to the selected variables.

The exploratory data analysis revealed a decrease in native fish species richness in 74% of the area studied. There was no sustained temporal trend for stressor variables, except for the number of alien species, which increased in most river sites (63%). The models of the richness of native rheophilic, native intolerant, alien rheophilic, and alien limnophilic species performed satisfactorily. Magnitude of maximum discharge, presence of alien species, land use in the catchment area and altitude were the most important predictors of richness of native intolerant and rheophilic species. Alien limnophilic species proved to be sensitive to variables related to flow regime alteration, such as the presence of dams and the number of river flow reversals, while a less degraded habitat was found to be favourable to alien rheophilic species.

The results suggest that the cumulative effect of persistent altered flow regimes and water pollution, coupled with a strong increase in the number of alien species, have led to the decline of native species in the area studied. The restoration of near‐natural magnitudes of high flows when implementing environmental flows emerged as a key measure to restore ecosystem integrity.

Starting from a long‐term and large‐scale dataset, this study provides new, quantitative insights into stressor–ecosystem relationships in rivers and could inform future environmental policy initiatives because it has identified the main factors leading to native fish decline and alien fish proliferation. Our findings emphasise the importance of considering metrics based on fish assemblage composition and ecological functional groups in order to disentangle the effects of stressors on fish communities.
Amazon fires in the 21st century: The year of 2020 in evidence
Authors: Silveira Marcus V. F. , Silva‐Junior Celso H. L. , Anderson Liana O. , Aragão Luiz E. O. C.
Published: August 2022

Aim

The aim was to evaluate fire activity for the entire Amazon and Amazon regions within each country/department from 2003 to 2020, assessing the potential contributions of drought and deforestation and contrasting 2020 with the previous years.

Location

Amazoniasensu lato.

Time period

Annually from 2003 to 2020.

Major taxa studied

Terrestrial plants.

Methods

We collected time series of MODIS active fire detections and burned area and assessed the yearly burned area of several land‐use/land‐cover types. We also divided the Amazon territory into 10 km × 10 km grid cells to identify annual anomalies in active fire occurrence, rainfall, maximum cumulative water deficit (MCWD) and deforestation. Rainfall and MCWD anomalies for a given cell each year consisted of annual values at least one standard deviation below average for that cell from 2003 to 2020, whereas fire and deforestation anomalies had annual values at least one standard deviation above the average for that cell.

Results

Brazil and Bolivia have contributed, on average, >70% and about 15%, respectively, of annual active fire detections in the Amazon, in addition to more than half and about one‐third of annual burned areas in the region. On average, 32% of annual burned areas in the Amazon have consisted of agricultural lands, 29% of natural grasslands and 16% of old‐growth forests. The annual extent of areas with fire anomalies was significantly associated with the annual extent of areas with deforestation anomalies, but not significantly associated with the annual extent of areas experiencing water deficit anomalies. In 2020, the total burned area in the Amazon was the greatest since 2010, and the ratio of burned area per active fire was the second greatest of the time series, despite a much lower extent of areas with anomalously high water deficit in comparison to the 2015–2016 megadrought.

Main conclusions

Our findings suggest that the majority of anomalously high fire occurrences in the Amazon since 2003 did not occur in anomalous drought conditions. The intensification of agricultural fires and deforestation aggravated the burning of Amazonian ecosystems in 2020.
Low‐temperature thermal energy storage with polymer‐derived ceramic aerogels
Authors: Zambotti Andrea , Biesuz Mattia , Bortolotti Mauro , Dorigato Andrea , Valentini Francesco , Fredi Giulia , Sorarù Gian Domenico
Published: August 2022

Thermal energy storage (TES) with phase change materials (PCMs) presents some advantages when shape‐stabilization is performed with ceramic aerogels. These low‐density and ultra‐porous materials guarantee high energy density and can be easily regenerated through simple pyrolysis while accounting for moderate mechanical properties. However, the small pore size that typically characterizes these sorbents can hinder the crystallization of PCMs, slightly reducing the energy density of the stabilized compound. In this work, we present the use of polymer‐derived mesoporous SiC and SiOC aerogels for the stabilization of polyethylene glycol and a fatty alcohol (PureTemp 23), having a melting temperature of 17 and 23°C, respectively. Their TES performances point out maximum thermal efficiency values of around 80%. These performances are discussed accounting for the results of thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and leaking tests.
Obstructive sleep apnea and right ventricular function: A meta‐analysis of speckle tracking echocardiographic studies
Authors: Tadic Marijana , Gherbesi Elisa , Faggiano Andrea , Sala Carla , Carugo Stefano , Cuspidi Cesare
Published: August 2022

The authors investigated the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction trough a meta‐analysis of echocardiographic studies providing data on RV mechanics as assessed by longitudinal strain (LS). A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, OVID‐MEDLINE, and Cochrane library databases to search English‐language review papers published from inception to March 31, 2022. Only studies reporting data on RV free‐wall or global LS in patients with OSA of different severity and non‐OSA controls were reviewed. Data of interest were pooled to obtain standard means difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). The meta‐analysis included 628 participants (436 with OSA and 192 controls) from eight studies. Compared to controls, RV free wall LS was significantly reduced in the pooled OSA group (SMD 1.02 ± .33, CI:.17/1.24,P < .002); this was also the case for RV global LS (SMD: .72 ± .11, CI: .50/.93,P < .0001). Notably, compared to patients with mild‐OSA those with moderate and severe OSA exhibited significantly lower RV free‐wall LS and global LS values; this was not the case for tricuspid annular plane excursion. In conclusions, both RV free‐wall and global LS are impaired in patients with OSA; deterioration of these indices, unlike TAPSE, was already evident in the early stages and was related to the severity of the syndrome. Thus, RV myocardial strain should be considered to be included in echocardiographic evaluation of OSA patients in order to detect subclinical cardiac damage in these patients regardless of its degree of severity.
When Should Bankruptcy Law Be Creditor‐ or Debtor‐Friendly? Theory and Evidence
Authors: SCHOENHERR DAVID , STARMANS JAN
Published: August 2022

We examine how creditor protection affects firms with different levels of owners' and managers' personal costs of bankruptcy (PCB). Theoretically, we show that firms with high PCB borrow and invest more under a more debtor‐friendly management stay system, whereas firms with low PCB borrow and invest more under a more creditor‐friendly receivership system. Intuitively, stronger creditor protection relaxes financial constraints but reduces credit demand. Which effect dominates depends on owners' and managers' PCB. Empirically, we find support for these predictions using a Korean bankruptcy reform that replaced receivership with management stay.
CEO Political Leanings and Store‐Level Economic Activity during the COVID‐19 Crisis: Effects on Shareholder Value and Public Health
Authors: BIZJAK JOHN M. , KALPATHY SWAMINATHAN L. , MIHOV VASSIL T. , REN JUE
Published: August 2022

Maintaining economic output during the COVID‐19 pandemic results in benefits for firm shareholders but comes at a potential cost to public health. Using store‐level data, we examine how a CEO's political leaning impacts this trade‐off. We document that firms with a Republican‐leaning CEO experience a relative increase in store visits compared to firms with a Democratic‐leaning CEO. The increase in store visits is associated with higher sales and positive abnormal stock returns. However, we also document higher COVID‐19 transmission rates and more employee safety complaints in communities where establishments with higher store traffic are managed by a Republican‐leaning CEO.
Factors associated with severe or fatal clinical manifestations of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection after receiving the third dose of vaccine
Authors: Corrao Giovanni , Franchi Matteo , Cereda Danilo , Bortolan Francesco , Leoni Olivia , Jara Jose , Valenti Giuseppina , Pavesi Giovanni
Published: August 2022

Background

Little is known about vulnerability to severe COVID‐19 illness after vaccination completion with three doses of vaccine against COVID‐19.

Objectives

To identify individual features associated with increased risk of severe clinical manifestation of SARS‐CoV‐2 infections after receiving the third dose of vaccine against COVID‐19.

Methods

We performed a nested case‐control study based on 3,360,116 citizens from Lombardy, Italy, aged 12 years or older who received the third dose of vaccine against COVID‐19 from 20 September through 31 December 2021. Individuals were followed from 14 days after vaccination completion until the occurrence of severe COVID‐19 illness, death unrelated to COVID‐19, emigration or 15 March 2022. For each case, controls were randomly selected to be 1:10 matched for the date of vaccination completion and municipality of residence. The association between candidate predictors and outcome was assessed through multivariable conditional logistic regression models.

Results

During 12,538,330 person‐months of follow‐up, 5171 cases of severe illness occurred. As age increased, a trend towards increasing odds of severe illness was observed. Male gender was a significant risk factor. As the number of contacts with the Regional Health Service increased, a trend towards increasing odds of severe illness was observed. Having had a previous SARS‐CoV‐2 infection was a significant protective factor. Having received the Moderna vaccine significantly decreased the odds of severe illness. Significant higher odds were associated with 42 diseases/conditions. Odds ratios ranged from 1.23 (diseases of the musculoskeletal system) to 5.00 (autoimmune disease).

Conclusions

This study provides useful insights for establishing priority in fourth‐dose vaccination programs.
Synthesize this: integrating innovation governance and EU regulation of synthetic biology
Authors: HAMLYN OLIVIA
Published: August 2022

Responsible innovation (RI) is an innovation governance framework developed by science and technology studies (STS) that seeks to transform innovation processes. While legal academia has derived valuable insights from STS for regulating technology, it has largely overlooked the implications of developments in research on RI for the law. This article aims to address this gap using European Union governance of synthetic biology (synbio) as a case study. It highlights how the existing regulatory framework struggles to accommodate the diverse issues that synbio raises, and explores hybrid approaches using soft mechanisms to enhance the effectiveness of hard law in governing technology. Considering the ‘governance continuum’ as a whole, the article argues, first, that while such hybrid approaches offer the potential for implementing RI, they are currently limited, and, second, that for RI to transform innovation processes, hard law must also adapt. The article suggests finally that RI itself offers guidance for addressing those two needs.
Indirect repair of saliva‐contaminated materials using veneering ceramics
Authors: Abou‐Ayash Samir , Molinero‐Mourelle Pedro , Schönenberger Alwin , Belser Urs Christophe , Brägger Urs , Flury Simon
Published: August 2022

Purpose

To analyze the in vitro efficacy of a surface conditioning liquid facilitating ceramic repairs of saliva‐contaminated metal‐ceramic and all‐ceramic restorations.

Materials and methods

Specimens constructed from nonprecious alloy (NPA), precious alloy (PA), lithium‐disilicate (LD), zirconia (ZI), veneering ceramics for zirconia (VZI), veneering ceramics for lithium‐disilicate (VLD), and veneering ceramics for metal alloys (VM) were manufactured (total: n = 168; each material n = 24). Veneering ceramic cylinders (thickness: 2 mm) were hand‐layered on top of the specimens. Shear bond strength (SBS) tests were performed, measuring the maximum bond strength (MBS) of the cylinders on the specimens. Following this, the specimens were artificially aged and stored in artificial saliva for 30 days at 37°C. After physical cleaning using aluminum oxide air abrasion, a new surface conditioning liquid was applied (test, n = 84) or not (control, n = 84). New ceramic cylinders were hand‐layered followed by a second SBS test. Descriptive statistics, linear regression analyses, and a one‐sample t‐test (α = 0.05) were used to ascertain the differences within (prerepair vs. postrepair) and between the groups.

Results

All specimens in the test group could be repaired, whereas 18 repairs in the control group failed. After the repairs, an MBS decrease was observed for the NPA specimens of the control group (–15.5 MPa, p = 0.004) but not among any of the test groups. Comparing the change in MBS between the test and control groups, the reduction was significantly higher in the repaired NPA specimens of the control group (mean difference 11.8 MPa, p = 0.017).

Conclusions

Using the analyzed surface conditioning liquid, metal‐ceramic and all‐ceramic materials can be repaired, while some repairs failed without the liquid. The initial bond strengths between core and veneering materials could be restored in all specimens when the new surface conditioning liquid was applied.
The Incivility of Meir Kahane
Authors: Filler Emily
Published: August 2022

This essay considers Shaul Magid's book on Meir Kahane and American Jewish politics through a discussion of the idea of modern Jewish “civility.” I argue that Magid's book enacts an argument that contemporary liberal Zionist politics are not as foreign to Kahanism as they might appear.
Primary infection of onion downy mildew on onion seedlings caused by belowground Peronospora destructor inoculum containing germinable oospores
Authors: Watanabe Sachiko , Syobu Shin‐ichirou
Published: August 2022

This study investigated the possible role of oospores in soil as a primary source of onion downy mildew caused by Peronospora destructor. Oospores were extracted from the debris of diseased leaves collected in spring and stored outdoors during the summer. The resulting oospore suspensions were used for germination assays and inoculation experiments in the laboratory. Germination of oospores buried in the soil in cups occurred at a rate of approximately 0.3%–1.3%. Oospore suspensions were dripped or injected into artificial culture soil in cups at sowing onion seeds or at the seedling stage. After raising these plants in a growth chamber for more than 40 days, approximately 20%–30% of the plants exhibited leaf chlorosis and distortion, reproducing the primary infection symptoms of onion downy mildew observed in commercial fields. The presence of P. destructor in symptomatic plants was confirmed by histological observations and species‐specific PCR. Thus, laboratory experiments have demonstrated for the first time that (i) P. destructor oospores that have oversummered outdoors germinate in soil and (ii) belowground inoculum containing germinable oospores causes primary infection. The results showed that P. destructor survives as oospores during host‐free periods and can be a primary inoculum source for downy mildew during the following growing season in autumn. This research on soil‐borne primary infection by P. destructor may help develop knowledge‐based disease management strategies for onion downy mildew, such as proper disposal of crop residues after harvest, effective crop rotation and chemical soil treatments.
A Motivational Theory of Roles, Rewards, and Institutions
Authors: Abrutyn Seth , Lizardo Omar
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we attempt to rehabilitate the notion of role by linking sociological role theory to recent work on motivational, affective, and cognitive neuroscience specifying the internal mechanisms behind motivated action. We argue that there is nothing inherently problematic or retrogressive in the idea of “role,” once its link to a purely normative account of motivated action is severed. Instead, by conceptualizing roles as emerging and persisting around structured reward systems, we are able to incorporate contemporary motivational science such that rewards become the proximate causal mechanisms currently missing in role theory. Consequently, a key implication of our argument is that the best way to link role, action, and structures is by reviving the idea of institutions as literal reward systems, which allows us to envision roles as the mechanisms via which the pursuit and delivery of rewards and goal‐objects are routinized. Implications for a motivational theory of roles, rewards, and institutions is discussed.
Bulevirtide for patients with compensated chronic hepatitis delta: A review
Authors: Degasperi Elisabetta , Anolli Maria P. , Lampertico Pietro
Published: August 2022

Chronic hepatitis delta (CHD) affects approximately 10–20 million people worldwide and represents the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis, as it is characterized by high rates of progression to cirrhosis and its complications (end‐stage liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma). In the last 30 years, the only treatment option for CHD has been represented by the off‐label administration of Interferon (or Pegylated Interferon)‐alpha: antiviral treatment, however, resulted in suboptimal (20–30%) virological response and was burdened by several side effects, de facto contraindicating Interferon (IFN) administration in patients with more advanced liver disease. Recently, Bulevirtide (BLV), a first‐in‐class HBV‐HDV entry inhibitor blocking Na+‐taurocholate co‐transporting polypeptide (NTCP), has provided very promising efficacy data in Phase II and Phase III (interim analysis) trials as well as in preliminary real‐life reports. In July 2020, BLV has granted conditional approval by EMA for treatment of compensated CHD, at the dose of 2 mg/day by self‐administered subcutaneous injections. In Phase II and Phase III trials, BLV was evaluated at different doses (2 vs. 10 mg/day) for 24 or 48 weeks, either in monotherapy or in combination with PegIFN. Administration of BLV monotherapy for 24 or 48 weeks resulted in 50%–83% virological response (HDV RNA ≥ 2 Log decline) rates and 45%–78% ALT normalization. Combination therapy with PegIFN provided synergistic effects. These results were replicated in real‐life studies and confirmed also in patients with advanced cirrhosis and clinically significant portal hypertension. BLV treatment was optimally tolerated, resulting only in an asymptomatic increase of bile acids.
Identifying the core components of a nursing home hospital avoidance programme
Authors: O'Neill Barbara J. , Dwyer Trudy , Parkinson Lynne , Reid‐Searl Kerry , Jeffrey Dee
Published: August 2022

Background

Nursing home hospital avoidance programmes have contributed to a reduction in unnecessary emergency transfers but a description of the core components of the programmes has not been forthcoming. A well‐operationalised health‐care programme requires clarity around core components to evaluate and replicate the programme. Core components are the essential functions and principles that must be implemented to produce expected outcomes.

Objectives

To identify the core components of a nursing home hospital avoidance programme by assessing how the core components identified at one nursing home (Site One) translated to a second nursing home (Site Two).

Methods

Data collected during the programme's implementation at Site Two were reviewed for evidence of how the core components named at Site One were implemented at Site Two and to determine if any additional core components were evident. The preliminary updated core components were then shared with seven evaluators familiar with the hospital avoidance programme for consensus.

Results

The updated core components were agreed to include the following: Decision Support Tools, Advanced Clinical Skills Training, Specialist Clinical Support and Collaboration, Facility Policy and Procedures, Family and Care Recipient Education and Engagement, Culture of Staff Readiness, Supportive Executive and Facility Management.

Conclusion

This study launches a discussion on the need to identify hospital avoidance programme core components, while providing valuable insight into how Site One core programme components, such as resources, education and training, clinical and facility support, translated to Site Two, and why modifications and additions, such as incorporating the programme into facility policy, family education and executive support were necessary, and the ramifications of those changes. The next step is to take the eight core component categories and undertake a rigorous fidelity assessment as part of formal process evaluation where the components can be critiqued and measured across multiple nursing home sites. The core components can then be used as evidence‐based building blocks for developing, implementing and evaluating nursing home hospital avoidance programmes.