bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Si-Zhi Wan regulates osteoclast autophagy in osteoporosis through the AMPK signaling pathway to attenuate osteoclastogenesis
Authors: Huang Yucheng , Yao Huan , Tjahjono Adi Wirawan , Xiang Li , Li Ke , Tang Jiahe , Gao Yongxiang
Published: January 2024

Objectives

The mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of Si-Zhi Wan (SZW), a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat osteoporosis (OP), remain unknown. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of SZW on mice that underwent ovariectomy (OVX) and underlying mechanisms thereof.

Methods

We established an in vivo model of OP by performing OVX in mice. Microcomputed tomography (Micro-CT) was used to assess changes in bone characteristics of mice following SZW administration for 4 weeks. H&E staining revealed alterations in bone tissues of mice. Osteoclastogenesis in mouse bone tissue was observed using tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining and western blotting. Furthermore, we examined the impact of SZW on osteoclastogenesis in vitro using receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL). Finally, we explored the regulatory effects of SZW on osteoclast autophagy and the AMPK pathway.

Key findings

The results demonstrated that high-dose SZW reversed changes in bone density parameters caused by OVX, including bone volume (BV), BV/total volume, trabecular number, and trabecular spacing (P = 0.0007, 0.0035, 0.0114, and 0.0182, respectively), and stimulated the formation of bone trabeculae in mice (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, SZW suppressed osteoclast formation in mice with OVX and inhibited osteoclast formation induced by RANKL. Mechanistically, SZW inhibited osteoclast precursor cell autophagy through the AMPK pathway.

Conclusions

SZW effectively inhibited the autophagy of osteoclast precursors by regulating the AMPK pathway, thereby exerting anti-osteoclastogenic effects and serving as an alternative therapy for OP.
Globular clusters and bar: captured or not captured?
Authors: Smirnov Anton A , Bajkova Anisa T , Bobylev Vadim V
Published: January 2024

Studies of the dynamics of globular clusters assume different values of bar parameters (mass, velocity, and size) and analyse the results of orbit classifications over the range of the chosen values. It is also a usual thing that a spherical bulge component is converted into the bar to obtain a non-axisymmetric potential from an axisymmetric one. The choice of bar parameters and the way the bar is converted from the bulge introduce systematics into the orbit classifications that we explore in this study. We integrate orbits of 30 bulge globular clusters residing in the inner area of the Galaxy (R ≲ 5 kpc) backwards in time for three different potentials, two of which are obtained by fitting the rotation curve, and one is taken from the surrogate N-body model representing our Galaxy. We analyse each orbit in terms of dominant frequencies obtained from its coordinate spectra. We find that the bar pattern speed is a key factor in orbital classification. With an increase of the bar pattern speed, frequencies deviate more and more from the ‘bar’ frequency ratio 2:1. The bar-to-bulge mass ratio (assuming the total mass of the bar plus the bulge is fixed) and size of the bar play a smaller role. We also find that, in the N-body potential, the fraction of orbits that follow the bar is higher than in those obtained from fitting the rotation curve.
The dynamic centres of infrared-dark clouds and the formation of cores
Authors: Rigby Andrew J , Peretto Nicolas , Anderson Michael , Ragan Sarah E , Priestley Felix D , Fuller Gary A , Thompson Mark A , Traficante Alessio , Watkins Elizabeth J , Williams Gwenllian M
Published: January 2024

High-mass stars have an enormous influence on the evolution of the interstellar medium in galaxies, so it is important that we understand how they form. We examine the central clumps within a sample of seven infrared-dark clouds (IRDCs) with a range of masses and morphologies. We use 1-pc-scale observations from the Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) and the IRAM 30m telescope to trace dense cores with 2.8-mm continuum, and gas kinematics in C18O, HCO+, HNC, and N2H+ (J = 1–0). We supplement our continuum sample with six IRDCs observed at 2.9 mm with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and examine the relationships between core- and clump-scale properties. We have developed a fully automated multiple-velocity component hyperfine line-fitting code called mwydyn which we employ to trace the dense gas kinematics in N2H+ (1–0), revealing highly complex and dynamic clump interiors. We find that parsec-scale clump mass is the most important factor driving the evolution; more massive clumps are able to concentrate more mass into their most massive cores – with a log-normally distributed efficiency of around 9 per cent – in addition to containing the most dynamic gas. Distributions of linewidths within the most massive cores are similar to the ambient gas, suggesting that they are not dynamically decoupled, but are similarly chaotic. A number of studies have previously suggested that clumps are globally collapsing; in such a scenario, the observed kinematics of clump centres would be the direct result of gravity-driven mass inflows that become ever more complex as the clumps evolve, which in turn leads to the chaotic mass growth of their core populations.
An analytic surface density profile for ΛCDM haloes and gravitational lensing studies
Authors: Lazar Alexandres , Bullock James S , Nierenberg Anna , Moustakas Leonidas A , Boylan-Kolchin Michael
Published: January 2024

We introduce an analytic surface density profile for dark matter haloes that accurately reproduces the structure of simulated haloes of mass Mvir = 107–1011 M⊙, making it useful for modelling line-of-sight (LOS) perturbers in strong gravitational lensing models. The two-parameter function has an analytic deflection potential and is more accurate than the projected Navarro, Frenk, and White profile commonly adopted at this mass scale for perturbers, especially at the small radii of most relevant for lensing perturbations. Using a characteristic radius, R−1, where the log slope of surface density is equal to −1, and an associated surface density, Σ−1, we can represent the expected lensing signal from LOS haloes statistically, for an ensemble of halo orientations, using a distribution of projected concentration parameters, $\mathcal {C}_{\rm vir} := r_{\rm vir}/ R_{-1}$. Though an individual halo can have a projected concentration that varies with orientation with respect to the observer, the range of projected concentrations correlates with the usual three-dimensional halo concentration in a way that enables ease of use.
Antiproliferative activity of platinum(II) and copper(II) complexes containing novel biquinoxaline ligands
Authors: El-Beshti Hager Sadek , Gercek Zuhal , Kayi Hakan , Yildizhan Yasemin , Cetin Yuksel , Adigüzel Zelal , Güngör Gamze , Özalp-Yaman Şeniz
Published: January 2024

Nowadays, cancer represents one of the major causes of death in humans worldwide, which renders the quest for new and improved antineoplastic agents to become an urgent issue in the field of biomedicine and human health. The present research focuses on the synthesis of 2,3,2ʹ,3ʹ-tetra(pyridin-2-yl)-6,6ʹ-biquinoxaline) and (2,3,2ʹ,3ʹ-tetra(thiophen-2-yl)-6,6ʹ-biquinoxaline) containing copper(II) and platinum(II) compounds as prodrug candidates. The binding interaction of these compounds with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) and human serum albumin were assessed with UV titration, thermal decomposition, viscometric, and fluorometric methods. The thermodynamical parameters and the temperature-dependent binding constant (Kʹb) values point out to spontaneous interactions between the complexes and CT-DNA via the van der Waals interactions and/or hydrogen bonding, except Cu(ttbq)Cl2 for which electrostatic interaction was proposed. The antitumor activity of the complexes against several human glioblastomata, lung, breast, cervix, and prostate cell lines were investigated by examining cell viability, oxidative stress, apoptosis-terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling, in vitro migration and invasion, in vitro-comet DNA damage, and plasmid DNA interaction assays. The U87 and HeLa cells were investigated as the cancer cells most sensitive to our complexes. The exerted cytotoxic effect of complexes was attributed to the formation of the reactive oxygen species in vitro. It is clearly demonstrated that Cu(ttbq)Cl2, Pt(ttbq)Cl2, and Pt(tpbq)Cl2 have the highest DNA degradation potential and anticancer effect among the tested complexes by leading apoptosis. The wound healing and invasion analysis results also supported the higher anticancer activity of these two compounds.
Magnetic methods in studies of new superconducting hydrides in a diamond anvil cell
Authors: Struzhkin Viktor V , Mao Ho-kwang
Published: January 2024

This short perspective article summarizes the growing experimental evidence supporting the original claims about hydrogen-rich “superhydrydes” as members of a new family of nearly room temperature BCS superconductors, with hydrogen sub-lattice pre-compressed to the metallic and superconducting state, exactly as predicted in earlier and more recent theoretical works.
A probe into the acid deposition mitigation path in China over the last four decades and beyond
Authors: Yu Qian , Ge Xiaodong , Zheng Haotian , Xing Jia , Duan Lei , Lv Dongwei , Ding Dian , Dong Zhaoxin , Sun Yisheng , Maximilian Posch , Xie Danni , Zhao Yu , Zhao Bin , Wang Shuxiao , Mulder Jan , Larssen Thorjørn , Hao Jiming
Published: January 2024

China currently has the highest acid deposition globally, yet research on its status, impacts, causes and controls is lacking. Here, we compiled data and calculated critical loads regarding acid deposition. The results showed that the abatement measures in China have achieved a sharp decline in the emissions of acidifying pollutants and a continuous recovery of precipitation pH, despite the drastic growth in the economy and energy consumption. However, the risk of ecological acidification and eutrophication showed no significant decrease. With similar emission reductions, the decline in areas at risk of acidification in China (7.0%) lags behind those in Europe (20%) or the USA (15%). This was because, unlike Europe and the USA, China's abatement strategies primarily target air quality improvement rather than mitigating ecological impacts. Given that the area with the risk of eutrophication induced by nitrogen deposition remained at 13% of the country even under the scenario of achieving the dual targets of air quality and carbon dioxide mitigation in 2035, we explored an enhanced ammonia abatement pathway. With a further 27% reduction in ammonia by 2035, China could largely eliminate the impacts of acid deposition. This research serves as a valuable reference for China's future acid deposition control and for other nations facing similar challenges.
New structure transistors for advanced technology node CMOS ICs
Authors: Zhang Qingzhu , Zhang Yongkui , Luo Yanna , Yin Huaxiang
Published: January 2024

Over recent decades, advancements in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) have mainly relied on structural innovations in transistors. From planar transistors to the fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) and gate-all-around FET (GAAFET), more gate electrodes have been added to three-dimensional (3D) channels with enhanced control and carrier conductance to provide higher electrostatic integrity and higher operating currents within the same device footprint. Beyond the 1-nm node, Moore’s law scaling is no longer expected to be applicable to geometrical shrinkage. Vertical transistor stacking, e.g. in complementary FETs (CFET), 3D stack (3DS) FETs and vertical-channel transistors (VFET), for enhanced density and variable circuit or system design represents a revolutionary scaling approach for sustained IC development. Herein, innovative works on specific structures, key process breakthroughs, shrinking cell sizes and design methodologies for transistor structure research and development are reviewed. Perspectives on future innovations in advanced transistors with new channel materials and operating theories are also discussed.
The application of machine learning on brain imaging features of different narcolepsy subtypes
Authors: Chin Wei-Chih , Huang Sheng-Yao , Liu Feng-Yuan , Wang Chih-Huan , Tang I , Hsiao Ing-Tsung , Huang Yu-Shu
Published: January 2024

Study Objectives

Narcolepsy is a central hypersomnia disorder, and differential diagnoses between its subtypes can be difficult. Hence, we applied machine learning to analyze the positron emission tomography (PET) data of patients with type 1 or type 2 narcolepsy, and patients with type 1 narcolepsy and comorbid schizophrenia, to construct predictive models to facilitate the diagnosis.

Methods

This is a retrospective and prospective case–control study of adolescent and young adult patients with type 1 or type 2 narcolepsy, and type 1 narcolepsy and comorbid schizophrenia. All participants received 18-F-fluorodeoxy glucose PET, sleep studies, neurocognitive tests, sleep questionnaires, and human leukocyte antigen typing. The collected PET data were analyzed by feature selections and classification methods in machine learning to construct predictive models.

Results

A total of 314 participants with narcolepsy were enrolled; 204 had type 1 narcolepsy, 90 had type 2 narcolepsy, and 20 had type 1 narcolepsy and comorbid schizophrenia. We used three filter methods for feature selection followed by a comparative analysis of classification methods. To apply a small number of regions of interest (ROI) and high classification accuracy, the Naïve Bayes classifier with the Term Variance as feature selection achieved the goal with only three ROIs (left basal ganglia, left Heschl, and left striatum) and produced an accuracy of higher than 99%.

Conclusions

The accuracy of our predictive model of PET data are promising and can aid clinicians in the diagnosis of narcolepsy subtypes. Future research with a larger sample size could further refine the predictive model of narcolepsy.
Genome-wide support for incipient Tula hantavirus species within a single rodent host lineage
Authors: Labutin Anton , Heckel Gerald
Published: January 2024

Evolutionary divergence of viruses is most commonly driven by co-divergence with their hosts or through isolation of transmission after host shifts. It remains mostly unknown, however, whether divergent phylogenetic clades within named virus species represent functionally equivalent byproducts of high evolutionary rates or rather incipient virus species. Here, we test these alternatives with genomic data from two widespread phylogenetic clades in Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) within a single evolutionary lineage of their natural rodent host, the common vole Microtus arvalis. We examined voles from forty-two locations in the contact region between clades for TULV infection by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Sequencing yielded twenty-three TULV Central North and twenty-one TULV Central South genomes, which differed by 14.9–18.5 per cent at the nucleotide and 2.2–3.7 per cent at the amino acid (AA) level without evidence of recombination or reassortment between clades. Geographic cline analyses demonstrated an abrupt (<1 km wide) transition between the parapatric TULV clades in continuous landscape. This transition was located within the Central mitochondrial lineage of M. arvalis, and genomic single nucleotide polymorphisms showed gradual mixing of host populations across it. Genomic differentiation of hosts was much weaker across the TULV Central North to South transition than across the nearby hybrid zone between two evolutionary lineages in the host. We suggest that these parapatric TULV clades represent functionally distinct, incipient species, which are likely differently affected by genetic polymorphisms in the host. This highlights the potential of natural viral contact zones as systems for investigating the genetic and evolutionary factors enabling or restricting the transmission of RNA viruses.
Topical Use of Human Milk in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Brodbeck Abby , Esser Media S. , Jacobson Emma , Helminiak Grace , Islas Dominique
Published: January 2024

Background:

Research has shown that the bioactive components in human milk could demonstrate efficacy when applied topically. One common neonatal skin issue is diaper dermatitis (DD). DD treatment and prevention guidelines often lack the inclusion of topical human milk as a viable option.

Purpose:

To analyze the safety and efficacy of topical human milk application as a means to support future research of human milk as a topical treatment for DD.

Data Sources:

Google Scholar, CINAHL, PubMed, and Cochrane.

Study Selection:

The search was limited to articles published between 2011 and 2023 in the English language. Disqualifying characteristics included nonhuman subjects, literature reviews, inability to obtain articles, and non–peer-reviewed articles.

Data Extraction:

For Google Scholar, the search terms “human milk OR breast milk” and “topical” were used. For CINAHL, PubMed, and Cochrane, the search terms “human milk OR chest milk OR breast milk OR donor milk” and “topical” were used. Quantitative significance was defined by a P value of less than .05.

Results:

The search yielded 20 articles. The results of the review demonstrate that topical human milk application is a safe and effective topical treatment to skin integrity/inflammatory issues such as DD. It also identified that caregivers will likely show positive regard to the treatment, promoting its acceptance.

Implications for Practice and Research:

The results provide evidence to support methodologic development for human milk application for the prevention and treatment of DD. Further studies can use the results to develop protocols that investigate the effects of human milk application.
Project bank account (PBA) decentralised application for the construction industry
Authors: Scott Denis , Ma Ling , Broyd Tim
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Poor cash flow management and lack of profitability have plagued the construction industry for decades. In response, the UK Government published the project bank account (PBA) payment strategy in 2012 to mitigate main contractors unfairly withholding liabilities. However, PBAs suffer from adoption challenges, such as systems fragmentation and a lack of incentives for main contractors to adopt them effectively. This study aims to investigate how to reduce systems fragmentation in construction by integrating PBA procedures with existing management workflows to increase payment automation, resulting in improved cash liquidity and better incentives for using PBAs.

Design/methodology/approach

A PBA blockchain decentralised application is developed, presented and critically evaluated. Blockchain is the technology used because of its permissionless, license-free, open-source and immutability properties. It is a suitable general-purpose technology layer for building and testing applications without the limitations associated with centralised technologies, such as high proprietary fees, vendor lock and intellectual property restrictions.

Findings

The research demonstrates how a blockchain application can integrate siloed construction workflows such as cash flow scheduling, supply chain management and payment executions, reducing the management workload for implementing PBAs in construction projects. Furthermore, the proposed application is open-source and replicable, and its user interface is available for external testing here: https://console.atra.io/app/bf26f846-7f16-4f80-90a0-c5488ab6edd3.

Originality/value

PBA is a suitable test case because it enforces an auditable, transparent and neutral account, which are inbuilt properties of blockchains; thus, both systems are harmonious to integrate. PBA is mandated in UK public sector construction projects; therefore, the research has a solid practical foundation.
The business students' intention to establish a start-up company: the role of higher education-related factors
Authors: Widyanty Winda , Oktasari Dian Primanita , Sumaedi Sik , Damayanti Sih
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This study aims to develop and test a conceptual model of business students' intention to establish a start-up business that involves attitude, perceived behavioral control (PBC), entrepreneurial competence, financial access, lecture service quality, curriculum program, extracurricular activity and institutional support simultaneously.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was performed. The respondents were 196 business students in a private university in Indonesia. The data were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

Business students' intention to establish a start-up business was positively and significantly influenced by attitude and PBC. PBC was positively and significantly influenced by entrepreneurial competence and financial access. Attitude and entrepreneurial competence were positively and significantly influenced by curriculum program and extracurricular activity, but not influenced by lecture service quality and institutional support. Financial access was positively and significantly influenced by extracurricular activity and institutional support.

Research limitations/implications

This research was conducted in a private university in Indonesia. Therefore, to test the stability of the research findings and the proposed conceptual model, it is necessary to conduct research in different contexts.

Originality/value

Research on the intention to establish a start-up business that simultaneously considers attitude, PBC, entrepreneurial competence, financial access, lecture service quality, curriculum program, extracurricular activity and institutional support is still scarce in the literature. This study addressed the gap.
Market risk exposure determinants during the COVID-19 outbreak: between competitiveness and inequality
Authors: Angosto-Fernández Pedro L. , Ferrández-Serrano Victoria
Published: January 2024

Purpose

The objective of this research is to identify the economic, demographic, sanitary and even cultural factors which explain the variability in the cross-section of returns in different markets globally during the first weeks after the outbreak of COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on the event study methodology and using seemingly unrelated equations, the authors created several indicators on the impact of the pandemic in 75 different markets. Then, and using cross-sectional regressions robust to heteroscedasticity and using an algorithm to select independent variables from more than 30 factors, the authors determine which factors were behind the different stock market reactions to the pandemic.

Findings

Higher currency depreciation, inflation, interest rate or government deficit led to higher returns, while higher life expectancy, ageing population, GDP per capita or health spending led to the opposite effect. However, the positive effect of competitiveness and the negative effect of income inequality stand out for their statistical and economic significance.

Originality/value

This research provides a global view of investors' reaction to an extreme and unique event. Using a sample of 75 capital markets and testing the relevance of more than 30 variables from all categories, it is, to the authors' knowledge, the largest and most ambitious study of its kind.
Exploring the abilities of emotional intelligence in psychological empowerment: digital leadership as mediator
Authors: Anwar Sadia , Saraih Ummi Naiemah
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Numerous studies have been conducted on psychological empowerment's effects on individual and organizational outcomes. This research study investigates the effects of emotional intelligence (EI) on psychological empowerment (PE) directly and indirectly through digital leadership (DL) in higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

This study investigates the academic authorities' capacity to follow the EIs in identifying the PE from Pakistan's HEIs. The researchers have applied a survey questionnaire to collect quantitative cross-sectional data. To conclude, the researchers used 427 useable cases to get the results.

Findings

Based on the structural equation model (SEM), the results reveal a positive and significant effect of EIs, subscales like self-regulation (SR), self-awareness (SA), self-motivation (SM) and social skills (SS), on DL and PE. Besides, DL positively and significantly affects PE. Finally, DL mediates the association of SR, SA, SM and SS with PE.

Practical implications

This research can bring a new vision in exploring the policy to the higher authorities for the educational sector to have better direction and interpretation of EIs, DL and PE to develop new measures of positive and proactive attitudes in the organization. The results support developing DL practices toward digital transformation among HIEs.

Originality/value

This study contributes significantly by presenting valuable empirical insights for HEIs leaders. Importantly, it introduces a construct mediating the role of DL, effectively addressing the remaining gaps in the literature.
Appreciation of differences: promoting diversity and flourishing among college students
Authors: Zhang Ying , Shen Fei , Paredes Jean Carlos , Wang Cong
Published: January 2024

Purpose

College students who are interested in experiencing and learning about other cultures could be potential agents to ongoing social and policy initiatives in promoting societal changes. As universities intensify their efforts toward embracing cultural diversity, it is imperative to gauge how these diversity initiatives resonate with students' developmental stage and pursuits in diverse campus climates. However, what kinds of educational experiences/contexts students choose for enhancing cultural competence, and how seeking diversity experiences might benefit college students in emotional wellbeing and cognitive skills, are under-investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

This study explores the relationships among college students' diversity-seeking behaviors, cultural competence, perspective-taking, and flourishing. A total of 359 college students from a STEM-focused university participated in this study. Students were recruited from classes over four semesters, from 2021 to 2023.

Findings

Students exhibited moderate to high levels of interest in seeking diversity in their learning experiences. Results from the structural equation modeling showed that higher levels of diversity-seeking in learning were associated with higher levels of perceived cultural competence, as well as higher levels of perspective-taking and flourishing.

Originality/value

This research delves into experiential and extracurricular dimensions of learning diversity, bridging a significant gap in academic literature. This study also elucidates the links between aspects of diversity engagement, cultural competence, and positive outcomes for college students, which underscores the significance of diversity-focused educational opportunities in higher education. Such opportunities are instrumental in enhancing cultural proficiency and further implications on cognitive growth and emotional well-being.
Practice cupping therapy as a sustainable medical heritage from Andalusian and Ottoman surgery: a case study of Kitāb al-Taṣrīf and Cerrahiye-i Ilhaniye manuscripts
Authors: Elassal Ibrahim , Elmallwany Esraa , Hammad Ahmed
Published: January 2024

Purpose

The alternative medical practices of both Ottoman and Andalusian heritages could be shown through bloodletting and cupping therapies that have been utilized in various ancient civilizations. The current study endeavors to explore the historical implementation of bloodletting as a sustainable medical heritage by Muslim physicians in the Andalusian and Ottoman empires as a part of their surgical heritage that is documented in their manuscripts and miniatures.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary research materials utilized in this case study are the copy of the manuscript Al-Tasrif li-man ‘Ajiza ‘an al-Taʾlif in Berlin library and the copy of the manuscript Cerrahiye-I Ilhaniye of the National Library in Paris. The study applies an analytical comparative approach to examine the practice of bloodletting by two Muslim physicians as a part of reviving heritage usage.

Findings

The present study investigates the heritage in both periods throughout implementation of cupping therapy by Al-Zahrawi and Sabuncuoglu, while also examining the resemblances and divergences in the techniques of bloodletting as a heritage medical treatment employed by these Muslim physicians and still used in Muslim culture and could be used in medical tourism purposes.

Originality/value

The current study aims to investigate the understanding and implementation of heritage bloodletting and cupping therapy as a sustainable tool in surgical purposes, through an exploration of treatment methods detailed in both manuscripts. Additionally, it examines the contributions made by the two surgeons toward the development of new cups and the refinement of processes involved in bloodletting and cupping therapy. Furthermore, the study highlights the locations where cupping can be performed and differentiates between dry and wet cupping techniques, as depicted in the painted instruments documented in both manuscripts.
Impact of certification on efficiency: a study of the inverted U-shaped moderating role of supply chain complexity
Authors: Wang Jingmin , Cui Ligang , Xu Maozeng
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This study aims to find the impact of supply chain certification (SCCert) on supply chain efficiency (SCEffi) with the inverted U-shaped moderator role of supply chain complexity (SCComp).

Design/methodology/approach

In order to test the conceptual model and the hypothesized relationships between all the constructs, the 307 useable survey responses were collected using the purposive sampling technique on a seven-point Likert scale. The SPSS26.0 and AMOS24.0 were used to analyze data, and the hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the model.

Findings

This study reached a set of interesting results where it was confirmed that there is a significant relationship between SCCert and SCEffi. It further confirmed the inverted U-shaped moderating effect of SCComp between SCCert and SCEffi: on the left side of the threshold, the increase of SCComp will enhance the promotion effect of SCCert on SCEffi, while on the right side of the threshold, excessive SCComp will rather weaken the promotion effect of SCCert on SCEffi.

Practical implications

The findings provide implications for supply chain efficiency enablers to introduce/promote certification upgrading actions. The study provides a framework for solving the power and constraint problem of supply chain efficiency change.

Originality/value

Findings provide deeper and new insights into threshold feature of supply chain complexity, analyzing how supply chain certification activity realize supply chain efficiency reform through the moderating role of supply chain complexity.
Enhancing organizational citizenship behaviour: role of collectivism in soft total quality management
Authors: Lim Ai-Fen , Lee Voon-Hsien , Ooi Keng-Boon , Foo Pik-Yin , Tan Garry Wei-Han
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Soft total quality management (STQM) practices are essential for promoting value-added organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) among employees in quality-focussed manufacturing firms. This study intends to investigate how STQM practices (empowerment, training, teamwork and involvement) affect OCB under the moderating influence of collectivism among employees for excellence in business performance using social exchange and social cognitive theories (SET-SCT).

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 245 useable surveys were gathered from manufacturers. Given the importance of the two-staged structural equation modelling–partial least squares–artificial neural networks (SEM-PLS-ANN) technique, this study used a two-staged SEM-PLS-ANN analysis to capture both linear and compensatory PLS models and nonlinear and noncompensatory ANN models.

Findings

The findings confirmed that empowerment, involvement and training had a significant impact on OCB. However, teamwork had no impact on OCB. Interestingly, collectivism was found to have a significant and positive moderating effect on training and OCB.

Originality/value

The study contributes significantly to the literature on TQM and human resource management. First, the study broadens researchers’ understanding of how to apply SET by including a collective value from SCT as positive reciprocity to foster positive workplace behaviour. Second, the authors offer a solid management strategy for organizations to assist them in understanding an STQM model that promotes OCB while including collectivism for superior business performance.
The field of resource-based view research: mapping past, present and future trends
Authors: Ferreira Neuza C.M.Q.F. , Ferreira João J.M.
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This study sought to develop an aggregated assessment of the literature on the resource-based view (RBV). The main aim was to map the RBV field based on a systematic literature review (SLR) of 226 academic articles published in refereed journals from 1994 to 2022.

Design/methodology/approach

Two bibliometric analysis methods were used: bibliographic coupling and co-citation. These measures are complementary because bibliographic coupling is retrospective in nature and co-citation is forward-looking.

Findings

The analysis identified the most influential studies, top-cited articles and journals and six major thematic clusters: RBV, customer orientation and alliance portfolio, resource-based theory, firm performance, entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and dynamic capabilities.

Originality/value

This research was based on a combination of bibliographic coupling and co-citation analysis. The results provide a better understanding of the RBV field’s intellectual structure, which reveals potential new lines of future research.
Predatory journals in dermatology: a bibliometric review
Authors: Shamsi Amrollah , Wang Ting , Vasantha Raju Narayanaswamy , Ghamgosar Arezoo , Mahdizadeh Davani Golbarg , Mansourzadeh Mohammad Javad
Published: January 2024

Purpose

By distorting the peer review process, predatory journals lure researchers and collect article processing charges (APCs) to earn income, thereby threatening clinical decisions. This study aims to identifying the characteristics of predatory publishing in the dermatology literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used Kscien's list to detect dermatology-related predatory journals. Bibliometric parameters were analyzed at the level of journals, publishers, documents and authors.

Findings

Sixty-one potential predatory dermatology publishers published 4,164 articles in 57 journals from 2000 to 2020, with most publishers claiming to be located in the United States. Most journals were 1–5 years old. Six journals were indexed in PubMed, two in Scopus and 43 in Google Scholar (GS). The average APC was 1,049 USD. Skin, patient, cutaneous, psoriasis, dermatitis and acne were the most frequently used keywords in the article's title. A total of 1,146 articles in GS received 4,725 citations. More than half of the journals had <10 citations. Also, 318 articles in Web of Science were contaminated by the most cited articles and 4.49% of the articles had reported their funding source. The average number of authors per article was 3.7. India, the United States and Japan had the most articles from 119 involved countries. Asia, Europe and North America had the most contributed authors; 5.2% of articles were written through international collaboration. A majority of authors were from high- and low-middle-income countries. Women contributed 43.57% and 39.66% as the first and corresponding authors, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

The study had limitations, including heavy reliance on Kscien's list, potential for human error in manual data extraction and nonseparation of types of articles. Journals that only published dermatology articles were reviewed, so those occasionally publishing dermatology articles were missed. Predatory journals covering multiple subjects (Petrisor, 2016) may have resulted in overlooking some dermatology papers. This study did not claim to have covered all articles in predatory dermatology journals (PDJs) but evaluated many of them. The authors accept the claim that Kscien's list may have made a mistake in including journals.

Originality/value

The wide dispersion of authors involved in PDJs highlights the need to increase awareness among these authors.
Abiotic legacies mediate plant–soil feedback during early vegetation succession on rare earth element mine tailings
Authors: Zhu Shi‐Chen , Liu Wen‐Shen , Chen Zi‐Wu , Liu Xiao‐Rui , Zheng Hong‐Xiang , Chen Bo‐Yu , Zhi Xin‐Yu , Chao Yuanqing , Qiu Rong‐Liang , Chu Chengjin , Liu Chong , Morel Jean Louis , van der Ent Antony , Tang Ye‐Tao
Published: January 2024

An increasing number of studies have shown how feedback interactions between plants and soil can influence primary and secondary succession. However, very little is known about the patterns and mechanisms of such plant–soil feedbacks on stressed mine tailings ecosystem, which can be severely contaminated by a range of toxic elements.

In a two‐phase plant–soil feedback experiment based on the rare earth element (REE) mine tailing soil, we investigated biotic (changes in bacterial and fungal communities) and abiotic (changes in chemical properties) legacies of three pioneer grass species, and examined feedback effects of three grasses, two legumes and two woody plants with different root traits.

Positive plant–soil feedbacks were found in Miscanthus sinensis, Paspalum thunbergii and Tephrosia candida, and neutral feedbacks were observed in the other four plants. These effects corresponded with an increase in nutrients and total organic carbon, as well as a decrease in acidity and extractable aluminium and REEs. There were less signs of biotic changes in the conditioned tailings.

The correlation analysis suggested a relationship between plants' responses to soil legacies and root traits, as well as root economics spectrum. On the mine tailings, acquisitive species with higher specific root length appeared to have greater potential for positive feedback.

Synthesis and application. Our study shows that early succession on contaminated rare earth element mine tailings may lead to more positive plant–soil feedback than predicted based on results of non‐contaminated soils, mainly due to the alleviation of abiotic stress in tailings. Therefore, the improvement of specific abiotic soil stress and the trait‐based selection of acquisitive plants should be preferentially considered to promote the primary restoration of degraded land.
Global spectra of plant litter carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and returning amounts
Authors: Yuan Ji , Wu Fuzhong , Peng Changhui , Peñuelas Josep , Vallicrosa Helena , Sardans Jordi , Peng Yan , Wu Qiqian , Li Zimin , Heděnec Petr , Li Zhijie , Tan Siyi , Yuan Chaoxiang , Ni Xiangyin , Yue Kai
Published: January 2024

Litter decomposition is a key ecological process that determines carbon (C) and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The initial concentrations of C and nutrients in litter play a critical role in this process, yet the global patterns of litter initial concentrations of C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are poorly understood.

We employed machine learning with a global database to quantitatively assess the global patterns and drivers of leaf litter initial C, N and P concentrations, as well as their returning amounts (i.e. amounts returned to soils).

The medians of litter C, N and P concentrations were 46.7, 1.1, and 0.1%, respectively, and the medians of litter C, N and P returning amounts were 1.436, 0.038 and 0.004 Mg ha−1 year−1, respectively. Soil and climate emerged as the key predictors of leaf litter C, N and P concentrations. Predicted global maps showed that leaf litter N and P concentrations decreased with latitude, while C concentration exhibited an opposite pattern. Additionally, the returning amounts of leaf litter C, N and P all declined from the equator to the poles in both hemispheres.

Synthesis: Our results provide a quantitative assessment of the global concentrations and returning amounts of leaf litter C, N and P, which showed new light on the role of leaf litter in global C and nutrients cycling.
Climate Change Exposure and Bankruptcy Risk
Authors: Feng Fan , Han Liyan , Jin Jiayu , Li Youwei
Published: January 2024

This research documents that a firm's bankruptcy risk increases with its climate change exposure. This study further investigates the underlying mechanisms and finds that this effect is stronger for firms with lower operating cash flows or tighter financial constraints. Consistent with the agency theory of debt, the evidence suggests that improving the protection of creditor rights can mitigate the adverse impact of climate change. In addition, two distinct sets of quasi‐natural experiments are exploited to establish causality and eliminate alternative explanations. Specifically, the positive effect of climate change exposure on bankruptcy risk is weaker after the 2015 Paris Agreement, which raised public awareness of climate issues, and stronger for firms headquartered in countries that are more severely affected by natural disasters. Cross‐sectional analyses reveal that the main effect is more pronounced among loss firms, firms with higher levels of asset tangibility, cash flow volatility or profit volatility, and firms with worse solvency performance. Overall, the collective evidence indicates that climate change has real consequences for firm financial conditions.
Continuing professional development for special educational needs and disabilities within the school workforce: The results of a national survey in England
Authors: Dobson Graeme , Curran Helen , Perepa Prithvi
Published: January 2024

Continuing professional development (CPD) is considered an important part of improving professional practice and its importance has been highlighted in Department of Education policies in England. However, very little research has explored what CPD school staff access and consider as effective for their roles. This research addressed this gap by conducting an online survey of child‐facing school staff in England. The survey was completed by 637 participants. The results indicate that there is a mismatch between what the staff consider as impactful CPD and the CPD to which they have most access. School leaders and SENCos are key people in delivering CPD in schools, and the findings of this study show that it is important to provide them with appropriate skills and knowledge to ensure that the most accessible CPD is also the most effective for the school workforce.
The shape of the change: Cumulative and incremental changes in daily mood during mobile‐app‐supported mindfulness training
Authors: Golec de Zavala Agnieszka , Förster Chiara , Ziegler Matthias , Nalberczak‐Skóra Maria , Ciesielski Pawel , Mazurkiewicz Magdalena
Published: January 2024

Understanding of the exact trajectories of mood improvements during mindfulness practice helps to optimize mindfulness‐based interventions. The Mindfulness‐to‐Meaning model expects mood improvements to be linear, incremental, and cumulative. Our findings align with this expectation. We used multilevel growth curve models to analyze daily changes in positive mood reported by 190 Polish participants during 42 days of a mobile‐app‐supported, mindfulness‐based intervention. The daily positive mood increased among 83.68% of participants. Participants who started the training reported worse mood improved more and faster than participants with better mood at the baseline. Dispositional mindfulness and narcissism – individual difference variables associated with high vs. low emotion regulation ability, respectively – were not associated with mood improvement trajectories. A small group of participants (16.32%) showed a steady decline in positive mood during the intervention. The results underscore the importance of a more comprehensive understanding of individual variability in benefiting from mindfulness‐based interventions.
Lead isotopic compositions link copper axes from Kietrz (Poland, 3500–3350 BC) to Slovak and Balkan copper mines
Authors: Kowalski Łukasz , Stos‐Gale Zofia Anna , Adamczak Kamil , Maas Roland , Woodhead Jon , Garbacz‐Klempka Aldona , Kozicka Magdalena , Kofel Dominika , Matuszczyk Ewa
Published: January 2024

Chemical and lead isotope analyses aided by metallographic examination of copper axes found at the Late Neolithic settlement of Kietrz in southwestern Poland provide new evidence for the origin of copper and metal trade routes in the region. Our results indicate that metal used for the axes could be sourced from copper mines in modern Slovakia, Bulgaria and perhaps Serbia. The evidence from this study confirms that the Funnel Beaker people from Poland became parties to a metal trading network that connected much of continental Europe in the mid‐4th millennium bce and provides a better understanding of how these contacts provided the background for the technological and socio‐economic developments of the Baden era.
Xenograft recipients and the right to withdraw from a clinical trial
Authors: Bobier Christopher , Hurst Daniel J. , Rodger Daniel , Omelianchuk Adam
Published: January 2024

Preclinical xenotransplantation research using genetically engineered pigs has begun to show some promising results and could one day offer a scalable means of addressing organ shortage. While it is a fundamental tenet of ethical human subject research that participants have a right to withdraw from research once enrolled, several scholars have argued that the right to withdraw from xenotransplant research should be suspended because of the public health risks posed by xenozoonotic transmission. Here, we present a comprehensive critical evaluation of the claim that xenotransplant recipients should be required to waive their right to withdraw from lifelong biosurveillance. We conclude that if xenotransplantation requires participants to waive their right to withdraw, then clinical trials may not be justifiable, given the ethical and legal obstacles involved with doing so. Consequently, if clinical trials are permitted with a right to withdraw, then they may pose a significant public health risk.
Translational bioethics: Reflections on what it can be and how it should work
Authors: Bærøe Kristine
Published: January 2024

Translational ethics (TE) has been developed into a specific approach, which revolves around the argument that strategies for bridging the theory‐practice gap in bioethics must themselves be justified on ethical terms. This version of TE incorporates normative, empirical and foundational ethics research and continues to develop through application and in the face of new ethical challenges. Here, I explore the idea that the academic field of bioethics has not yet sufficiently analysed its own philosophical foundation for how it can, and should, be practically relevant; neither has it comprehensively discussed the limitations on what impacts bioethicists should pursue. As a result, there has not been adequate training on how to suitably and appropriately impact real‐world practices. Moreover, bioethical perspectives are often competing with other strong interests, for example, economic and political, which may weaken their impact on policy‐making. The TE approach I propose can not only facilitate practical impacts of academic bioethics by being better informed by real‐world ethical issues but it also supports targeted and ethical justifications of the actual impact of academic work in real‐world contexts. In this paper, I clarify the premises for this TE approach, identify further challenges and sketch out potential solutions for the implementation of this methodological framework.