bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring Generation Z’s expectations at future work: the impact of digital technology on job searching
Authors: Ma Ke , Fang Bo
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the perspectives of Generation Z college students regarding the job selection process, as well as the impact of digital technology on their career choices and job search endeavors.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the grounded theory methodology, the study used in-depth interviews with 15 participants to investigate the research inquiries.

Findings

The study identified six emerging themes related to the career aspirations of Generation Z students. The authors generated a job selection process model of Generation Z based on participants’ accounts of their recent job search experience. The model portrays the decision-making process performed by Generation Z job seekers while determining their career path.

Research limitations/implications

To enhance comprehension of the job selection process among Generation Z individuals, future studies should incorporate a broader range of participants encompassing diverse cultural, social and economic backgrounds. Scholars have the potential to examine the relationships between Generation Z job seekers’ job selection, job performance and job satisfaction through a quantitative approach.

Practical implications

The six themes pertaining to optimal jobs for Generation Z can assist HR professionals in enhancing their understanding of the emerging pool of young and talented individuals. The utilization of the four-stage job selection process model may serve as a valuable tool for college career service professionals in the enhancement of tailored training programs.

Originality/value

This empirical study examines Generation Z job seekers’ attitudes toward their future profession, their perceptions of ideal occupations and the influence of technology on their search, preparation and selection processes for future careers.
Web platform for building roof maintenance inspection using UAS and artificial intelligence
Authors: Staffa Junior Luciano de Brito , Bastos Costa Dayana , Torres Nogueira João Lucas , Silva Alisson Souza
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This work aims to develop a web platform for inspecting roof structures for technical assistance supported by drones and artificial intelligence. The tools used were HTML, CSS and JavaScript languages; Firebase software for infrastructure; and Custom Vision for image processing.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted the design science research approach, and the main stages for the development of the web platform include (1) creation and validation of the roof inspection checklist, (2) validation of the use of Custom Vision as an image recognition tool, and (3) development of the web platform.

Findings

The results of automatic recognition showed a percentage of 77.08% accuracy in identifying pathologies in roof images obtained by drones for technical assistance.

Originality/value

This study contributed to developing a drone-integrated roof platform for visual data collection and artificial intelligence for automatic recognition of pathologies, enabling greater efficiency and agility in the collection, processing and analysis of results to guarantee the durability of the building.
Fostering customer-oriented constructive deviance: the influence of moral emotions and moral disengagement
Authors: Al-Atwi Amer , Gong Taeshik , Bakir Ali
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the influential factors driving customer-oriented constructive deviance (COCD) within the context of the tourism and hospitality industry. Specifically, the authors explore the role of moral emotions as mediators and moral disengagement as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

In Study 1, the participant pool consisted of 259 frontline service employees hailing from a diverse selection of 54 four- and five-star hotels. Study 2 took an alternative approach, using a scenario-based experiment with 212 participants.

Findings

The results reported that organizational injustice toward customers is positively related to other-condemning emotions and leads to COCD. The results also reported that perceived customer citizenship behavior (CCB) positively relates to other-praising emotions, resulting in constructive deviance from customer-oriented. Moreover, these findings support moral emotions and moral disengagement interactions.

Originality/value

This paper shows that an organization’s injustice of external parties, such as customers, may provide important information that employees use to shape their moral emotions (e.g. other condemning emotions) and behavior toward the organization (e.g. COCD). Furthermore, this study confirms that perceived customer citizenship behavior contributes to COCD through other-praising emotions.
Agency conflicts, corporate governance, and capital structure decisions of Indian companies: evidence from new governance laws
Authors: Samal Debapriya , Yadav Inder Sekhar
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study investigates the effects of elements of corporate governance along with firm specific variables on the financial leverage of listed Indian firms in the context of agency conflicts and new governance laws.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of panel ordinary least squares as well as fixed/random effects regression models of book and market value of financial leverage on variables of corporate governance (board size, board composition, board meeting, board attendance and board gender) along with a set of control variables (asset tangibility, firm size, growth, liquidity and profitability) were estimated by employing 113 listed Indian firms during 2010–2021. Dynamic panel generalized method of moments models were also estimated to check the robustness of empirical results. Further, the full sample of firms was divided into small and large board sized companies using the median approach to investigate differences between small and large board characteristics on financial leverage.

Findings

The evidence predominantly suggested that the governance variables have significant impact on leverage ratios of selected firms. Governance variables such as board size, composition, attendance and gender are significantly found to be reducing the financial leverage of firms indicating that in general these attributes in a way, through monitoring managers, put pressure on them to pursue lower financial leverage. Board meeting is found to be positive and significantly related with financial leverage suggesting that the frequency of meetings signals its monitoring ability that may influence lenders' risk assessment lowering borrowing cost. The results on small and large board sized companies indicate that firms with small boards relatively issue more debt compared to firms with large boards suggesting that small boards adopt high debt policy.

Practical implications

The main policy implication of the study is that elements of internal corporate governance is a significant governance tool that has the potential to reduce agency conflict between the managers and agents through monitoring and decision making that has tangible effects on critical corporate decisions such as capital structure choices.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the existing literature by bringing new evidence relating to agency conflicts and capital structure decisions in an emerging market like India post adoption of new regulations related to corporate governance specified in Clause 49 of Securities and Exchange Board of India and Companies Act, 2013 as there is significant dearth of such empirical work.
Investigating the financial efficiencies and productivities of the banking sector
Authors: Gökgöz Fazıl , Yalçın Engin , Salahaldeen Noor Ayoob
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The banking industry, which is one of the most significant industries when taking into account both deposit sizes and employment statistics in Turkey, is one of the country's primary economic drivers. In this regard, it is highly important to evaluate banks as it is necessary to present to what extent they use their resources efficiently. The main purpose of the study is to analyze the efficiencies of Turkish banks by the two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Malmquist productivity index (MPI).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors aim to analyze both the efficiency and productivity of Turkish banks by two-stage DEA and the MPI, which enable decomposing into sub-sections of production processes. Hence, more detailed insight into the Turkish banking system can be presented through two-stage efficiency and production approaches.

Findings

DEA results indicate that two out of three state-owned banks achieved resource efficiency while none of the investigated banks performed profit efficiency throughout the investigated period. Besides, average resource efficiency is found higher than average profit efficiency in Turkish banks. MPI results reveal that both technological and technical improvement prospects exist for Turkish banks.

Originality/value

The original contribution of this paper is to employ two-stage DEA and the MPI, which reflect both the static and dynamic performance of the Turkish banking sector. In this regard, this study aims to be a pioneer by both reflecting the static and dynamic performance analysis of Turkish banks.
CEO age, financial reporting quality, and the role of clawback provisions
Authors: Davis Justin G. , Garcia-Cestona Miguel
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Motivated by rapidly increasing CEO age in the USA, the purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of CEO age on financial reporting quality and consider the moderating role of clawback provisions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a data set of 18,492 US firm-year observations from 2003 to 2019. Financial reporting quality is proxied with accruals-based and real activities earnings management measures, and with financial statement irregularities, measured by applying Benford’s law to financial statement line items. A number of sensitivity tests are conducted including the use of an instrumental variable.

Findings

The results provide evidence that financial statement irregularities are more prevalent when CEOs are older, and they suggest a complex relation between CEO age and real activities earnings management. The results also suggest that the effect of CEO age on financial reporting quality is moderated by the presence of clawback provisions which became mandatory for US-listed firms in October 2022.

Originality/value

This study is the first, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to consider the effect of CEO age on financial statement irregularities and earnings management. This study has important implications for stakeholders evaluating the determinants of financial reporting quality, for boards of directors considering CEO age limitations and for policymakers considering mandating clawback provisions, which recently occurred in the USA.
Towards an urban ecosystem model through a cross-cultural Chinese and greek knowledge analysis
Authors: Chen Yirui , Chen Qianhu , Xu Yiling , Arrigo Elisa , Nespoli Pantaleone
Published: November 2023

Purpose

In the post-pandemic era urban ecosystem planning has become critically important. Given the emphasis on relevant issues concerning the complex interactions between human civilizations and natural systems within urban environments in the new normal, this article aims to enrich the field of knowledge management developing a cross-cultural analysis for clarifying the role of knowledge in planning and urban ecosystems.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is conceptual in nature. Based on a theoretical foundation built by a critical literature review and data from the China Statistical Yearbook and China’s National Bureau of Statistics, this paper introduces some emerging real-impact topics regarding the connections between humanistic knowledge and urban planning. A comparative analysis between the capital city of Chang’an in the Tang dynasty of China and the capital city of Athens in Ancient Greek was used for explaining the influence of knowledge on successful urban planning.

Findings

The understanding the role of cross-cultural differences in knowledge management and practices for urban ecosystems offer the opportunities for rethinking consolidated approach to the interaction among social, economic, and environmental dimensions in urban settings.

Originality/value

This paper implies a new inter-disciplinary research field of great interest for the real impact KM community by illuminating how knowledge management is central in urban planning and across cultures.
How reverse logistics and sustainable supply chain initiatives influence sustainability performance: the moderating role of organisational learning capability
Authors: Yang Kaihan , Thoo Ai Chin , Ab Talib Mohamed Syazwan , Huam Hon Tat
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This research attempts to explore how reverse logistics (RL) and sustainable supply chain initiatives (SSCI) affect sustainability performance (SP) in the manufacturing industry under the moderating effects of organisational learning capability (OLC). At the same time, this study is expected to allow manufacturers to advance towards a high level of model generation in the green economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for this study was obtained from 451 manufacturing companies in the Hebei Province, China. This study develops a model and tests all hypothesised relationships using partial least square–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with two-step analytical procedures.

Findings

The results indicate that SSCI and RL have a positive relationship with SP, and SSCI is positively related to RL. Moreover, the OLC moderates the relationship between RL and SP as well as the relationship between SSCI and SP.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of the study yield valuable managerial insights on how the effective implementation of green practices, coupled with the utilisation of learning capabilities, can contribute to improving the sustainability of manufacturing firms. The study has certain limitations that suggest potential avenues for future research, the most significant of which is our reliance on data from a single country, which may impede the generalisability of the findings.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature on SP by considering RL and SSCI and offers a unique theoretical argument that describes the relationships by considering the moderating effect of OLC, which has not been empirically explored.
Assessment of critical parameters affecting the behaviour of bearing reinforced concrete walls under fire exposure
Authors: Assad Maha , Hawileh Rami , Karaki Ghada , Abdalla Jamal , Naser M.Z.
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This research paper aims to investigate reinforced concrete (RC) walls' behaviour under fire and identify the thermal and mechanical factors that affect their performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model is developed to predict the response of RC walls under fire and is validated through experimental tests on RC wall specimens subjected to fire conditions. The numerical model incorporates temperature-dependent properties of the constituent materials. Moreover, the validated model was used in a parametric study to inspect the effect of the fire scenario, reinforcement concrete cover, reinforcement ratio and configuration, and wall thickness on the thermal and structural behaviour of the walls subjected to fire.

Findings

The developed 3D FE model successfully predicted the response of experimentally tested RC walls under fire conditions. Results showed that the fire resistance of the walls was highly compromised under hydrocarbon fire. In addition, the minimum wall thickness specified by EC2 may not be sufficient to achieve the desired fire resistance under considered fire scenarios.

Originality/value

There is limited research on the performance of RC walls exposed to fire scenarios. The study contributed to the current state-of-the-art research on the behaviour of RC walls of different concrete types exposed to fire loading, and it also identified the factors affecting the fire resistance of RC walls. This guides the consideration and optimisation of design parameters to improve RC walls performance in the event of a fire.
Qualitative inquiry suggesting needed pathways: economic, social, religious, political and industrial an activist research on poverty
Authors: Chhibber Priyanka , Kaur Paposa Kamalpreet , Dhand Shivani
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The existing gaps and knowing about the truth inspired the researchers to select this area and to know more about various initiatives taken for their liberation by an individual self-propagating effort, the faith-based communities, the government, the organizations dealing with educationalists as researchers, banking, media and the revealing role of women in handling poverty concerns.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study is compiled after the review of seventy-seven research articles. This study adopted a descriptive research design essentially because it appears more appropriate for the study. Data were collected mainly through the secondary sources such as electronic databases like Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, Google Scholars. The study is conducted through a qualitative approach.

Findings

Hence based on the extensive literature review and its synthesis, this research work explores the meaning of poverty, its effects, root cause, measurement tools, associated theories and models and stakeholders' role in poverty alleviation.

Research limitations/implications

This study reflects that there is a huge gap in designing standardized tools that can bring more income equality, ethics in operations, cooperation and environmental sustainability.

Practical implications

For poverty alleviation, individuals need to work towards perfection and improving their own skill sets. Leading Faith groups encouraging individuals about their divine duties to help the poor community and promote debt forgiveness. Government provides funds to develop certain tools and app that can help in checking the distribution of wealth. Banks to introduce flexible microcredit scheme education sector need to develop more financial literacy and innovative thinking courses. Social media and Information communications technology (ICT) provide connectivity services with high affordability.

Social implications

Poverty will remain be an ongoing societal challenge if not handled by various stakeholders strategically by contributing in their own fields with their unique ideas.

Originality/value

The proposed idea explained through qualitative inquiry promotes compassion and hope needed for poverty alleviation through various stake holders.
How and when differentiated transformational leadership influences employees' taking charge? The roles of psychological availability and collectivism orientation
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Liu Wenru , He Wei
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Based on the conservation of resource theory, this paper explores the impact of differentiated transformational leadership on employees' taking charge in the context of Chinese organizations, with psychological availability as a mediator and collectivism orientation as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors distributed paired questionnaires to 67 team managers and 219 team members to obtain research data and established a hierarchical linear model for the hypothesis testing.

Findings

The results show that team-focus transformational leadership has a significant positive impact on employees' taking charge, and individual-focus transformational leadership has a significant negative impact on employees' taking charge. Specifically, psychological availability plays a partial mediating role between differentiated transformational leadership and employees' taking charge. Moreover, collectivism orientation has no significant moderating effect between team-focus transformational leadership and psychological availability. But it has a significant moderating effect between individual-focus transformational leadership and psychological availability, i.e. the higher the level of collectivism orientation, the stronger the negative effect of individual-focus transformational leadership on psychological availability.

Originality/value

The paper notes the hierarchy of differentiated transformational leadership and divides it into team-focus transformational leadership and individual-focus transformational leadership. It also provides a new mechanism and boundary condition, i.e. differentiated transformational leadership has an impact on employees' taking charge through psychological availability and collectivism orientation is a moderator.
Police use of force and race: a focal concerns theoretical perspective
Authors: Kim Dae-Young , Phillips Scott W.
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The present study examines the risk of citizens encountering police use of intermediate and deadly force, as opposed to using physical force, given a set of individual, situational and neighborhood variables.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses data from 2003 to 2016 in the Dallas Open Data Portal. Two-level multinomial logistic regression is used to analyze the data.

Findings

The effects of citizen race differ across the types of police force. Overall, citizen race plays no significant role in the officer's decision to shoot firearms at citizens. However, there is evidence of intra-racial disparity in officer-involved shootings (OISs) between Hispanic citizens and officers. African American citizens are disproportionately exposed to display-but-don't shoot incidents, while Hispanic citizens have a lower risk of encountering police use of intermediate weapons.

Originality/value

The study helps to understand how citizen and officer race influence and interact across various types of police force. Implications of the results are offered in relation to relevant literature.
Apparel professionals’ perception of sustainability-related technology: a structural equation modeling approach
Authors: Iqbal Md Arif , Su Jin
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effects of the characteristics of apparel professionals on their attitude toward sustainability-related technology in the context of a developing country, Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach was used to investigate the apparel professionals’ perception of sustainability-related technology. A survey was conducted, and 204 valid responses were used in data analysis. The structural equation modeling technique was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that apparel professionals’ personal innovativeness positively impacts their knowledge of apparel technology. Knowledge of apparel technology and environmental issues in apparel manufacturing both significantly and positively impact their level of awareness of sustainability-related technology in apparel manufacturing. The findings also suggest that managers’ level of awareness of sustainability-related technology has a significant positive impact on their attitude toward sustainability-related technology.

Originality/value

Fishbein’s attitude theory was applied to examine how the various characteristics of apparel professionals (i.e. personal innovativeness in technology, knowledge of apparel technology, knowledge of environmental issues of apparel manufacturing) affect their awareness of and attitude toward sustainability-related technology. This study expands our understanding of the causal flow among cognitive variables of apparel professionals, including their innovativeness, knowledge, awareness and attitudes. The findings of the study can be helpful to the apparel industry to improve apparel professionals’ adoption of sustainable technology.
Politics, integration of ESG in CEO compensation, and firm credit ratings: evidence from the USA
Authors: Peng Emma Y. , Smith III William
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how a US firm’s political landscape affects the integration of environmental, social and governance (hereafter ESG) measures in CEO compensation contracts, thereby affecting the firm’s ESG performance and credit rating.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the results of state senatorial and presidential elections and the location of a US firm’s headquarters, the authors categorize whether a firm has a political environment that is predominantly Democratic (blue) or Republican (red). The empirical analyses are based on a sample of US firms in the period 2014–2021.

Findings

The authors find that firms in blue states are more likely to link CEO compensation to ESG performance measures. Further, the results show that firms in blue states with ESG-linked compensation contracts have better ESG performance. Lastly, the authors find evidence that a firm’s ESG performance has a positive impact on its credit rating, but the impact is weakened if firms in red states link ESG performance to executive compensation.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research that explores how a firm’s political environment affects the use of ESG performance measures in CEO compensation contracts. Furthermore, the authors contribute to the literature by showing evidence that the political environment interacts with the impact of ESG-linked compensation incentives on the firm’s ESG performance and, thus, its credit rating.
Creating personalized partnerships across diverse districts
Authors: Hicks Freda , Lyons Megan
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This work aligns with two of the following NAPDS Essentials: Clinical Preparation and Learning and Leading. The authors collaborated with district partners to determine how to best meet their needs. Additionally, our institution continues to develop a reciprocal relationship; pre-service teachers can hone skills during the clinical field experience, and the university will better support the professional development initiatives of districts with whom we partner. Clinical field assignments are designed with intentionality to align with the needs of our districts. Consequently, pre-service teachers will be better equipped to immerse themselves in the field experiences and effectively address the diverse needs of students. The authors will continue to engage our preservice and in-service teachers and personalize supports.

Design/methodology/approach

A needs assessment was conducted to determine the most appropriate supports for our district partners. A survey was disseminated, and individuals ranked their area for support. The authors followed up with in-service teachers and district leaders to discuss specific strategies that could strengthen academic achievement and social emotional development. Additionally, the data were used to determine how to better equip teacher candidates to serve in the partner districts.

Findings

Two programs that have been highly successful have been the Teacher Assistant to Teaching Professional program which is a specialized grow your own and bringing high school students to campus that are interested in becoming educators their junior year, lastly, the use of Mixed Reality Simulations to strengthen educator preparation. Creating diverse partnerships is not a one-size-fits-all approach in every district. Needs assessment and ongoing conversations are needed to ensure both the district and the Educator Preparation Program are able to support pre-service and in-service teachers along with the needs of PreK–12 students.

Originality/value

This paper highlights diverse approaches to strengthening partnerships and the teacher pipeline.
Understanding return‐to‐employment experiences after burns: Qualitative scoping review findings
Authors: Katsu Akane , Mackenzie Lynette , Tyack Zephanie , Mackey Martin
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Participation in work and employment is a milestone of adulthood. People returning to work after burn injury may have physical, psychological, social, and environmental barriers to overcome in order to resume their pre‐injury employment. The aim of this paper is to evaluate qualitative findings regarding return‐to‐employment after burn injury.

Methods

A qualitative synthesis was conducted based on the qualitative findings of an earlier mixed methods review. A pre‐determined scoping review protocol was used in the earlier review to search MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, CCRCT, and CDSR databases between 2000 and Aug 2021. Any papers presenting qualitative data from previously employed adults with cutaneous burn injuries were included.

Findings

A total of 20 papers with qualitative data on return‐to‐employment after burn injury were found. Only six included studies focused on return‐to‐employment outcomes and the remaining studies reporting on quality of life and life experiences after burn injury. Common themes included impairments that develop and change over time; occupational identity and meaning; temporal aspects of burn recovery; burn rehabilitation services and interventions; attitudes, knowledge and support of service providers; workplace environments supporting work re‐engagement after burn injury; usefulness of work accommodations; family and social supports, individuals attributes that influence re‐engaging in employment; and accepting and rebuilding.

Conclusion

Resumption of work after burn injury is regarded as a key marker of recovery for working‐aged adults by burn survivors and burn care professionals. Support at transition points during the burn recovery process and peer‐led programmes were important. However, limited information currently exists regarding clinical practices, service gaps, and understanding of return‐to‐employment outcomes after burn injury.
Diagnostic value of FibroTouch in identifying hepatic steatosis in NAFLD with MRI‐PDFF as the reference standard
Authors: Mu Rong , Xia You Chen , Zhu Kou Yun , Lu Jing Yi , Luo Qian , Zhang Lei , Lin Ren Kun , Cai Xiao Bo , Qu Ying , Lu Lun Gen
Published: November 2023

Objective

To estimate the performance of the FibroTouch‐based ultrasound attenuation parameter (UAP) for assessing hepatic steatosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), with magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI‐PDFF) as the reference standard.

Methods

This prospective, cross‐sectional study included 275 individuals in the training group and 110 individuals in the validation group, all of whom completed a standardized research visit, laboratory tests, MRI‐PDFF, and UAP measurements over 1 month. Pearson correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman analysis were used to assess the agreement between UAP and MRI‐PDFF for the detection of hepatic steatosis. The diagnostic value of UAP was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUROC). Confounding factors to UAP performance were identified by ROC curves and regression analyses.

Results

The AUROC of UAP for detecting MRI‐PDFF at ≥5%, ≥10%, and ≥20% were 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.92–0.97), 0.86 (95% CI 0.81–0.90), and 0.90 (95% CI 0.86–0.93), respectively, and their optimal thresholds were 259, 274, and 295 dB/m, respectively. The UAP measurements had higher diagnostic accuracy in participants with lower waist circumference (≤90 cm for men and ≤80 cm for women) compared to those with higher waist circumference (AUROC values: 0.97 vs 0.84, P < 0.05). Bland–Altman analysis showed good agreement between UAP and MRI‐PDFF (bias 0.00021). According to established regression analyses, hepatic steatosis could be accurately diagnosed using UAP estimation.

Conclusions

FibroTouch‐UAP has a high diagnostic potential for hepatic steatosis in NAFLD patients and helps clinical assessment and monitoring.
Effects of chlorination on the survival of sewage bacteria in seawater microcosms
Authors: Tang Mandy Lok Yi , Lau Stanley Chun Kwan
Published: November 2023

Chlorination is a commonly used disinfection method in sewage treatment process. However, resistant bacteria may survive chlorination and enter the receiving aquatic environment upon effluent discharge. There has been limited research on the effects of chlorination on bacterial survival in seawater. To address this knowledge gap, microcosm experiments were conducted to simulate the discharge of chlorinated effluents into coastal seawater. The results revealed that bacterial communities in seawater‐based effluents survived better in seawater than those in freshwater‐based effluents. High chlorine dosages could significantly reduce the viable bacterial populations and their chance of regrowth in seawater. Additionally, faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) that entered the viable but non‐culturable (VBNC) state under chlorination tended to persist in the VBNC state without resuscitation during seawater incubation. Because of the prevalence of VBNC indicator bacteria, qPCR quantification of FIB was more effective than conventional culture‐based methods in tracing viable pathogenic chlorine‐resistant bacteria, although the correlation strength varied depending on the type of effluent. This study sheds light on how chlorine dosages and the intrinsic properties of effluents affect bacterial survival in seawater and highlights the potential and limitations of using FIB in monitoring the health risks associated with the discharge of chlorinated effluents.
Abalone peptide increases stress resilience and cost‐free longevity via SKN‐1‐governed transcriptional metabolic reprogramming in C. elegans
Authors: Wang Qiangqiang , Wang Liangyi , Huang Ziliang , Xiao Yue , Liu Mao , Liu Huihui , Yu Yi , Liang Ming , Luo Ning , Li Kunping , Mishra Ajay , Huang Zebo
Published: November 2023

A major goal of healthy aging is to prevent declining resilience and increasing frailty, which are associated with many chronic diseases and deterioration of stress response. Here, we propose a loss‐or‐gain survival model, represented by the ratio of cumulative stress span to life span, to quantify stress resilience at organismal level. As a proof of concept, this is demonstrated by reduced survival resilience in Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to exogenous oxidative stress induced by paraquat or with endogenous proteotoxic stress caused by polyglutamine or amyloid‐β aggregation. Based on this, we reveal that a hidden peptide (“cryptide”)—AbaPep#07 (SETYELRK)—derived from abalone hemocyanin not only enhances survival resilience against paraquat‐induced oxidative stress but also rescues proteotoxicity‐mediated behavioral deficits in C. elegans, indicating its capacity against stress and neurodegeneration. Interestingly, AbaPep#07 is also found to increase cost‐free longevity and age‐related physical fitness in nematodes. We then demonstrate that AbaPep#07 can promote nuclear localization of SKN‐1/Nrf, but not DAF‐16/FOXO, transcription factor. In contrast to its effects in wild‐type nematodes, AbaPep#07 cannot increase oxidative stress survival and physical motility in loss‐of‐function skn‐1 mutant, suggesting an SKN‐1/Nrf‐dependent fashion of these effects. Further investigation reveals that AbaPep#07 can induce transcriptional activation of immune defense, lipid metabolism, and metabolic detoxification pathways, including many SKN‐1/Nrf target genes. Together, our findings demonstrate that AbaPep#07 is able to boost stress resilience and reduce behavioral frailty via SKN‐1/Nrf‐governed transcriptional reprogramming, and provide an insight into the health‐promoting potential of antioxidant cryptides as geroprotectors in aging and associated conditions.
Relevance of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics in veterinary clinical practice: A review
Authors: Vaidhya Ayushi , Ghildiyal Kanika , Rajawat Divya , Nayak Sonali Sonejita , Parida Subhashree , Panigrahi Manjit
Published: November 2023

The recent advances in high‐throughput next‐generation sequencing technologies have heralded the arrival of the Big Data era. As a result, the use of pharmacogenetics in drug discovery and individualized drug therapy has transformed the field of precision medicine. This paradigm shift in drug development programs has effectively reshaped the old drug development practices, which were primarily concerned with the physiological status of patients for drug development. Pharmacogenomics bridges the gap between pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, advancing current diagnostic and treatment strategies and enabling personalized and targeted drug therapy. The primary goals of pharmacogenetic studies are to improve drug efficacy and minimize toxicities, to identify novel drug targets, to estimate drug dosage for personalized medicine, and to incorporate it as a routine diagnostic for disease susceptibility. Although pharmacogenetics has numerous applications in individualized drug therapy and drug development, it is in its infancy in veterinary medicine. The objective of this review is to present an overview of historical landmarks, current developments in various animal species, challenges and future perspectives of genomics in drug development and dosage optimization for individualized medicine in veterinary subjects.
Round Trip Policies: Housing and Self‐Management, from Europe to Latin America and Back Again
Authors: Díaz‐Parra Ibán , Candón‐Mena Jose , Zapata Cecilia
Published: November 2023

Current debates in radical urban studies and comparative urbanism focus in part on the denunciation of universalisation in urban theories as an expression of Eurocentrism. Decolonial and postcolonial scholars risk rejecting general theorising in the name of particularism, difference, and the fragmentary character of the world and reducing every urban policy transmission to the result of colonial relations. On the contrary, it would be more productive for radical scholars to pay attention to common pathways and universalist aspirations of anti‐capitalist urban struggles. This paper traces the connections between three experiences of self‐managed habitat production, developed by grassroots movements in Latin America and Europe. The comparative case study enables discussion of universalising aspirations of struggles against capitalist urban development. The paper concludes that collective and solidarity‐based self‐construction is a universal form of production of space, common to any culture at some point and to some extent, and that the self‐managed production of habitat is a potentially universal paradigm for current anti‐capitalist urban struggles.
One Kensington Gardens: Buy‐to‐Leave Gentrification in the Royal Borough
Authors: Rozena Sharda
Published: November 2023

One Kensington Gardens is a large nine‐storey luxury apartment building on High Street Kensington. Rarely are there any lights on. The building exemplifies the many buy‐to‐leave homes in Kensington and Chelsea, the richest local authority in the UK. Looking at these homes from the perspective of residents and councillors who live and work in the borough, I explore how buy‐to‐leave housing hollows out community, increases the cost of living, sanitises public space, and results in exclusionary and physical displacement. I also identify what role the local authority has in the process of financialising housing in the borough, including how councillors work with developers to make decisions that do not meet the needs of the residents they have been elected to serve. By concentrating on the voice of residents, I show how buy‐to‐leave homes reinforces the super‐gentrification of the borough and becomes another form of gentrification that contributes to displacement.
Politicized science and rural–urban divides: Exploring how rurality in the place of residence and red and blue media use affected attitudes toward scientists before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Okada Tomoko , Shen Liwei
Published: November 2023

Based on the concept of place‐based identity, this study disentangles the effects of rurality and partisanship and considers their interactions with red/blue media use in rural–urban divides in attitudes toward scientists. By employing the 2016 American National Election Survey and our 2021 survey data, we investigated how partisanship, rurality, and red/blue media use related to attitudes toward scientists. Analyses revealed distinct roles for partisanship and rurality in predicting attitudes, even after controlling for demographic variables, including family income and education. Compared to those who resided in large metro areas, residents of more rural areas tended to harbor more negative attitudes toward scientists. This tendency was reinforced by red media use in 2021 but not in 2016. Given the dissimilar results in 2016 and 2021 in terms of the interaction of red media use and rurality, we should pay more attention to rural–urban divides in attitudes toward scientists.
Expression of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 correlates inversely with the efficacy of single‐agent fibroblast growth factor receptor‐specific inhibitors in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Lin Qingxiang , Serratore Andrea , Perri Jonathan , Roy Chaudhuri Tista , Qu Jun , Ma Wen Wee , Kandel Eugene S. , Straubinger Robert M.
Published: November 2023

Background and Purpose

Elevated fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) activity correlates with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression and poor prognosis. However, its potential as a therapeutic target remains largely unexplored.

Experimental Approach

The mechanisms of action and therapeutic effects of selective pan‐FGFR inhibitors (pan‐FGFRi) were explored using in vitro and in vivo PDAC models ranging from gemcitabine‐sensitive to highly gemcitabine‐resistant (GemR). Gain‐/loss‐of‐function investigations were employed to define the role of individual FGFRs in cell proliferation, migration, and treatment response and resistance.

Results

The pan‐FGFRi NVP‐BGJ398 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and downregulated key cell survival‐ and invasiveness markers in multiple PDAC cell lines. Gemcitabine is a standard‐of‐care for PDAC, but development of resistance to gemcitabine (GemR) compromises its efficacy. Acquired GemR was modelled experimentally by developing highly GemR cells using escalating gemcitabine exposure in vitro and in vivo. FGFRi treatment inhibited GemR cell proliferation, migration, GemR marker expression, and tumour progression. FGFR2 or FGFR3 loss‐of‐function by shRNA knockdown failed to decrease cell growth, whereas FGFR1 knockdown was lethal. FGFR1 overexpression promoted cell migration more than proliferation, and reduced FGFRi‐mediated inhibition of proliferation and migration. Single‐agent FGFRi suppressed the viability and growth of multiple patient‐derived xenografts inversely with respect to FGFR1 expression, underscoring the influence of FGFR1‐dependent tumour responses to FGFRi. Importantly, secondary data analysis showed that PDAC tumours expressed FGFR1 at lower levels than in normal pancreas tissue.

Conclusions and Implications

Single‐agent FGFR inhibitors mediate selective, molecularly‐targeted suppression of PDAC proliferation, and their effects are greatest in PDAC tumours expressing low‐to‐moderate levels of FGFR1.
Intergenerational income mobility trends in Canada
Authors: Connolly Marie , Haeck Catherine
Published: November 2023

We document the rise the intergenerational transmission of income using newly updated administrative Canadian tax data for children born between the early 1960s and the mid‐1980s. We show that children whose parents were in the bottom income quintile have become less likely to exit the bottom quintile once in adulthood and less likely to transition into the middle class. Declining mobility is observed both at the national and provincial level. While federal and provincial policy‐makers should worry about the rise in the strength of the poverty trap, the impact of recent policy developments on children that have yet to become adults remains to be documented.
Abnormal regional activity in the prefrontal‐limbic circuit at rest: Potential imaging markers and treatment predictors in drug‐naive anxiety disorders
Authors: Shan Xiaoxiao , Yan Haohao , Li Huabing , Liu Feng , Li Ping , Zhao Jingping , Guo Wenbin
Published: November 2023

Background

Previous research has identified functional impairments within the prefrontal‐limbic circuit in individuals with anxiety disorders. However, the link between these deficiencies, clinical symptoms, and responses to antipsychotic treatment is still not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate abnormal regional activity within the prefrontal‐limbic circuit among drug‐naive individuals diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder (PD) and to analyze changes following treatment.

Methods

Resting‐state magnetic resonance imaging was performed on a cohort of 118 anxiety disorder patients (64 GAD, 54 PD) and 61 healthy controls (HCs) at baseline. Among them, 52 patients with GAD and 44 patients with PD underwent a 4‐week treatment regimen of paroxetine. Fractional amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuation (fALFF) measurements and pattern classification techniques were employed to analyze the data in accordance with the human Brainnetome atlas.

Results

Both patients with GAD and PD demonstrated decreased fALFF in the right cHipp subregion of the hippocampus and increased fALFF in specified subregions of the cingulate and orbitofrontal lobe. Notably, patients with PD exhibited significantly higher fALFF in the left A24cd subregion compared to patients with GAD, while other ROI subregions showed no significant variations between the two patient groups. Whole‐brain analysis revealed abnormal fALFF in both patient groups, primarily in specific areas of the cingulate and parasingulate gyrus, as well as the inferior and medial orbitofrontal gyrus (OFG). Following a 4‐week treatment period, specific subregions in the GAD and PD groups showed a significant decrease in fALFF. Further analysis using support vector regression indicated that fALFF measurements in the right A13 and right A24cd subregions may be predictive of treatment response among anxiety disorder patients.

Conclusions

Aberrant functional activity in certain subregions of the prefrontal‐limbic circuit appears to be linked to the manifestation of anxiety disorders. These findings suggest potential imaging indicators for individual responses to antipsychotic treatment.