bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two different eurozones: disentangling the labyrinth of the European economic dynamics
Authors: Gil-Bermejo Celia , Golpe Antonio , Sánchez Fuentes Antonio Jesús , Vides González José Carlos
Published: January 2025

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the possible interdependencies among fiscal, monetary and growth variables by applying multivariate Granger Causality and determining an ultimate “causality path” excluding redundant relationships based on a complex endogenous system for each country.

Design/methodology/approach

We adopt a novel approach to test Granger Causality within the framework of Vector Autoregressive models. This approach enables us to expand the scope of relevant variables, which is typically limited to two or three, previously mentioned. Moreover, we employ graph-theoretic techniques for causal analysis, utilizing the PC algorithm (Colombo and Maathuis, 2014; Spirtes et al., 2000) to determine the optimal causal ordering among all statistically significant relationship.

Findings

Our findings highlight the continued division between “core” and “peripheral” Euro area countries, with monetary policy variables playing a crucial role in the economic growth of “core” nations. Stable inflation contributes to sustained growth in these countries, while fiscal variables contribute to growth across most nations.

Originality/value

The literature concerning the relationship among different macroeconomic variables such as prices, output and monetary policy indicators such as interest rates and interest payments, may be incomplete or misguided due to the exclusion of relevant information because studies are mostly based on a bivariate or a trivariate framework dynamics. In this sense, one goal is the extension of the system, which may be crucial, because the omission of relevant variables may lead to biased results. Furthermore, we apply graph-theoretic methods for causal analysis by using the PC algorithm to determine the ultimate causal sequence among all possible ones and, finally, we aim to understand and disentangle the transmission process and the relationships among economic policies in a Euro area country-level analysis.
A systematic review of AI-based chatbot usages in healthcare services
Authors: Mohamed Jasim K. , Malathi A. , Bhardwaj Seema , Aw Eugene Cheng-Xi
Published: January 2025

Purpose

This systematic literature review aims to provide a comprehensive and structured synthesis of the existing knowledge about chatbots in healthcare from both a theoretical and methodological perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

To this end, a systematic literature review was conducted with 89 articles selected through a SPAR-4-SLR systematic procedure. The document for this systematic review was collected from Scopus database. The VoSviewer software facilitates the analysis of keyword co-occurrence to form the fundamental structure of the subject field.

Findings

In addition, this study proposes a future research agenda revolving around three main themes such as (1) telemedicine, (2) mental health and (3) medical information.

Originality/value

This study underscores the significance, implications and predictors of chatbot usage in healthcare services. It is concluded that adopting the proposed future direction and further research on chatbots in healthcare will help to refine chatbot systems to better meet the needs of patients.
3D printing driven business model innovation and supply chain operations: a perspective of strategic alignment
Authors: Dai Yong , Lu Yan
Published: January 2025

Purpose

The dissemination of 3D printing is contingent upon the strategic formulation of innovative business models that are integrated with supply chain management. While 3D printing is considered a disruptive innovation that has simultaneously transformed business models and supply chain operations, previous research has often treated these two aspects separately. To bridge this gap, this paper aims to explore the alignment between business model and supply chain operations that enhance the proliferation of 3D printing technology.

Design/methodology/approach

This study integrates manufacturer- and customer-centric business models through 3D printing’s capacity to support both centralized and decentralized supply chains, conducts a strategic evaluation to align business model innovations with supply chain operations and employs fsQCA analysis with Chinese 3D printing provider cases.

Findings

Our research reveals that business models focusing on efficiency benefit from aligning with centralized supply chain strategies, while those emphasizing novelty are enhanced by decentralized supply chains, both positively influencing the adoption of 3D printing technology innovation. The research highlights the benefits of combining hybrid manufacturing and customization in centralized environments, as well as the significance of embracing supercenter and marketplace models in decentralized supply chains to foster 3D printing innovation.

Practical implications

The findings of our research provide valuable insights for practitioners looking to assess their supply chains and explore how their business innovations can be effectively implemented within the supply chain structure. This examination can help them recognize the transformative potential of 3D printing and how it can revolutionize their industry by enabling new business models and processes.

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper is (a) to analyze business model innovation considering the strategic alignment between the business model and supply chain strategy driven by 3D printing; (b) to empirically testify this aligned performance in 3DP manufacturer for the first time.
The impact of speciesism on customers' acceptance of service automation
Authors: Modliński Artur , Trump Rebecca K.
Published: January 2025

Purpose

The marketplace is becoming increasingly automated, with consumers frequently expected to interact with machines. Not all consumers are receptive to this trend. We examine how the individual difference of speciesism impacts consumer reactions to automation in the marketplace.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted three studies, including an exploratory correlational survey and two two-factor studies.

Findings

Study 1 provides survey evidence of a positive relationship between one’s level of speciesism and their belief that customer service automation is justified. Study 2 finds that speciesists have more favorable attitudes toward brands using automated (vs human) customer service. Study 3 finds that the more speciesists perceive that tasks they are required to perform at their own work are illegitimate (i.e. unreasonable), the more favorable their reactions to automation, which provides support for our theorizing that speciesists appreciate automation’s ability to relieve humans of such work tasks.

Practical implications

We recommend that marketers target speciesists as early adopters of chatbots. Further, brands targeting customers likely to be high on speciesism can benefit from adopting chatbots for routine tasks, as this can improve this segment’s brand attitudes.

Originality/value

This research identifies that speciesists, people who strongly ascribe to the belief that humans are superior to other species, are particularly receptive to automation in customer service (in the form of chatbots). We provide evidence suggesting that speciesists appreciate that automation relieves their fellow humans of automatable tasks.
The role of artificial intelligence tools in enhancing accessibility and usability of electronic resources in academic libraries
Authors: Mosha Neema Florence
Published: January 2025

Purpose

This study examined the role of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in facilitating the accessibility and usability of electronic resources (e-resources) in academic libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a quantitative descriptive survey to collect data from library users. The population targeted was sampled using a purposive sampling technique. A total of 427 (58%) participated in this study.

Findings

Most respondents preferred electronic journals (e-journals) among the e-resources stored in academic libraries. Chatbots were identified as preferred AI tools for accessing and enhancing the usability of these resources. Strategies mentioned included the potential for integrating AI tools across various e-resources. However, among the challenges reported was the inability to integrate AI tools with the existing library management systems. Improving e-resource discovery and access can significantly enhance the effectiveness of AI tools in academic libraries.

Originality/value

Originality in the context of AI applications in academic libraries refers to the unique approaches, innovative tools and creative solutions that enhance the accessibility and usability of electronic resources. By focusing on unique solutions that enhance the accessibility and usability of e-resources, these libraries can better serve their diverse user populations and adapt to the evolving landscape of information needs.
Urban regeneration and community participation: a critical review of project-based research
Authors: Park Eun Joo , Kang Eunki , Shin Yoon-jeong
Published: January 2025

Purpose

This study explores how sustainable community participation can be fostered in urban regeneration projects, particularly focusing on improving stakeholder engagement and ensuring equitable collaboration. The study aims to provide insights into who will benefit from these factors, specifically considering community members and policymakers. While cooperative decision-making has been a focus of recent studies, challenges such as ineffective cooperation strategies and unequal interest distribution among stakeholders remain important barriers. A comprehensive and systematic review of existing research is needed to inform future research in this area.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed the PRISMA-ScR checklist in a comprehensive scoping review and created an evaluation framework based on 126 journal papers. The framework comprises three categories of studies that examine community participation in the context of urban regeneration projects: (1) policies and strategies, (2) community participation methods and (3) sustainable approaches.

Findings

The in-depth review of these 30 selected articles revealed several potential ways to examine the mechanisms and interactions related to stakeholders’ engagement for community participation in urban regeneration projects. The findings suggest that sustainable community participation strengthens long-term community involvement and project success by fostering a sense of ownership. The review also identified limitations in current research and proposes concrete future research directions.

Originality/value

This study provides a roadmap for researchers and policymakers, offering strategies to improve collaborative decision-making in urban regeneration. It offers actionable insights for enhancing sustainable community participation and informs the development of effective policies in urban regeneration projects.
The pleasure and power of playful problem solving through storytelling
Authors: Mantei Jessica , Kervin Lisa
Published: January 2025

Purpose

Being “literate” is well established as key to active civic participation, right from the earliest years of life. Young children’s natural curiosity and motivation to understand the world and their places within it through playful explorations offers rich opportunities for learning. Reported here are findings from a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) project drawing on problem solving, inquiry and reflection through storytelling.

Design/methodology/approach

Responding to a playful scenario, children 12 months–6 years examined and tested properties of different materials to make a waterproof prototype for a soft toy. Subsequent testing occurred along with a narrative story about themselves and their toys experiencing different rain events.

Findings

Evident in the data was the children’s capacity to take up domain-specific language, intentionality in creating their own artifacts and stories, and the development and control of narratives within the play.

Originality/value

Argued here is that the arts, particularly making and storytelling, are powerful platforms from which to support young children’s complex knowledge and literacy development for active participation in the world.
Fostering college access literacy for students and educators in school-university partnerships: a culturally responsive approach
Authors: Savick Stephanie L. , Dunn Molly , Durham Rachel
Published: January 2025

Purpose

This practitioner-based manuscript describes the development and implementation of Focus on College Understanding and Success (FOCUS), a school-university programmatic model to develop College Access Literacy (CAL) among both students and educators in a Professional Development School (PDS) network. With an emphasis on teacher training, supplemental learning opportunities for students, and faculty-student-parent mentor/partnerships, this model was designed to apply a culturally responsive approach to achieving equity in college readiness programming.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is conceptual in that it presents an innovative idea to stimulate discussion, generate new ideas, and advance thinking about a collective impact school-university partnership initiative focused on supporting underrepresented students in pursuing higher education goals through participation in the FOCUS program. A thematic analysis was completed on focus group data collected for both educators and students who participated in the project. Data focused on the identification of both strengths and challenges of program development and implementation.

Findings

The paper provides insights and ideas related to how to structure a college access and success program that focuses on the assets that underrepresented students bring to college readiness opportunities designed for them by centering their struggles while uplifting their personal, unique abilities. Our results validate a college readiness program design and implementation process that relies on asset-based theoretical frameworks including Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) model and Moll et al.’s (1992) Funds of Knowledge (FoK) framework.

Originality/value

This study shows how school-university partnerships are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the strengths of students and their families in designing college readiness programming. By considering the local context and culturally responsive approaches to program development and implementation, programs like FOCUS can build on community resources and the teacher-student relationship to increase College Access Literacy (CAL) in both students and their teachers.
From low to high elevations, flowers adapt traits and phenology to climate, but phenology‐trait relationships weak
Authors: Ahmad Mustaqeem , Rathee Sonia , Krishnadas Meghna
Published: January 2025

Flowering phenology is central to plant reproductive success and can relate to morphological traits such as size and quality of flowers, but phenology–trait associations of flowers remain unclear. Phenology–trait associations can vary within and among species, especially across climate gradients, due to allocational trade‐offs in response to selective pressures from abiotic stress and/or biotic factors such as pollinator availability. It is unknown whether floral morphology and phenology experience coordinated selection across climate gradients or vary independently.

Understanding the drivers of trait variation and its implications for floral phenology may be especially relevant in mountains where climate and abiotic gradients change sharply with elevation. At higher elevations, increasing cold and aridity may favour higher quality, stress‐tolerant flowers that withstand harsher conditions better than cheaper flowers, but trade‐off with size and showiness to pollinators. Relatively benign conditions at lower elevations may permit more flexible phenotypes and weaker association between trait and phenology by allowing species more leeway for flowering times compared with the short growing season at higher elevations.

We examined trait–phenology associations within and among 250 herbaceous species in the Western Himalayas, spanning 2000–4500 m AMSL. Intraspecific variation in traits and phenology decreased from low to high elevation at the community scale, but species showed idiosyncratic responses. Trait–trait correlations indicated stronger selection and constraints on phenotypes and phenology at higher elevations. However, trait–phenology correlations were relatively weak throughout, suggesting independent selection on flower morphology vs. phenology.

Overall, climate imposed strong selection on flower traits and regulated floral phenology, but without any strong or consistent associations between traits and phenology. It is likely that flower morphology responded to multiple abiotic and biotic drivers, within and across elevations, whereas phenology mainly responded to temperature and thaw. Our findings suggest that selection from ongoing warming will operate separately on floral morphology and phenology of alpine plant communities, and mechanisms and consequences should be evaluated using experiments.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Soil fauna trophic multifunctionality mediates the release of elements from decomposing typhoon‐generated leaf litter
Authors: Wang Lifeng , See Craig R. , Wang Huibin , Cao Rui , Liang Guopeng , Zhang Ajuan , Wang Zhuang , Wang Qin , Wang Zhihui , Liu Benjuan , Yang Wanqin
Published: January 2025

Tropical cyclones (i.e. hurricanes, typhoons) cause large pulse fluxes of leaves that have not undergone senescence (i.e. green litter) to forest soils, with consequences for biogeochemical cycling. Energy and mineral nutrient concentrations of green litter are higher than the naturally senesced litter, likely affecting rates of decomposition and nutrient release, as well as the structure and composition of detrital food webs, but these effects have not been well quantified.

During the typhoon ‘Hagubit’, we collected green and senesced litter from three common urban greening species, and then conducted a 316‐day field experiment to evaluate substrate quality affected the trophic multifunctionality of soil faunal communities and ultimately elemental release from the decomposing litter.

Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) were released at significantly higher rates from green litter than senesced litter. Aluminium (Al), manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) displayed a net accumulation during litter decomposition, and the immobilization of these elements was significantly higher in green than senesced litter. Litter substrate chemistry directly affected the release rates of elements, but its influence was stronger in decomposing senesced litter compared to green litter. Detritivores dominated green and senesced litter faunal communities relative to predators, omnivores and herbivores, and these distinct fauna functional groups showed significantly positive correlation during decomposition, but soil fauna trophic multifunctionality was significantly higher in green litter and stimulated the release of elements.

These findings suggest that typhoons dramatically alter the dynamics of nutrient release during litter decomposition, and the influences are mediated in part by its substrate quality and changes in soil fauna trophic multifunctionality, which has significant implications for the magnitude and timing of soil nutrient availability after typhoon disturbances.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Policy shifts and drifts: From intention to implementation of Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme
Authors: Hummell Eloise , Foster Michele , Burns Kylie , Rimmer Sue Harris
Published: January 2025

It is not uncommon that original aspirations of social policy go astray during implementation. Issues that are the focus of social policy are often tied to various competing social, political, and value positions, making them unfailingly ‘wicked’ and rendering the design and implementation of solutions inherently challenging. Such is the case with Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which has been plagued by implementation problems and criticised for straying from its original objectives and principles. In this article, interview data from 31 stakeholders identify perceptions of congruence of the NDIS with its original objectives and values during the decade since inception, particularly focused on decision‐making of reasonable and necessary supports. The perceived shift from disability rights to fights for entitlements and changing narrative of cost containment is indicative not only of implementation challenges but the inevitability of ongoing value disputes that often plague complex social issues. At a time of major NDIS reform amid ongoing tensions and debates, goal clarity and better decision guidance remain critical for future policy design and implementation.

Points for practitioners

Perspectives from diverse stakeholders across Australia explore where and why the NDIS may have drifted away from its original values, especially pertaining to reasonable and necessary supports.

While stakeholders identified cost, sustainability, and consistency as increasingly significant issues in NDIS implementation, initial rights‐based and person‐centred objectives envisioned during policy design were seen as retreating.

The inherent value tensions and contestations within the reasonable and necessary criteria have been under‐recognised and inevitably persist in NDIS implementation.

Critical insights for future policy reform can be gained from thinking about implementation issues and understanding when and why good intentions wander off course.
Policy success and failure in Australia
Authors: Dowding Keith , Leslie Patrick , Taflaga Marija
Published: January 2025

This paper introduces the seven articles in the symposium on policy success and failure together with a short introduction to the large literature on policy success and failure. The issue brings together an analysis of success and failure within seven discrete policy domains, including Indigenous policy; immigration; foreign policy; water; government roll‐outs; education; and foreign aid. Previous case studies have not looked as systematically at both success and failure within the same policy domain, and so the direct comparison in a most similar systems framework has not previously been adopted. Each paper sets its own criteria for what it considers success and failure, allowing for the forthcoming analyses to remain relevant to their specific context and parameters. However, despite their differences, the papers reflect on the importance of institutions, implementation processes—specifically their attentiveness to the on‐ground conditions and target groups—political dimensions, time, expectations, and memory. This suggests that while it may be difficult to compare across policy domains, our within‐policy domain comparison reveals that good governance, despite some failures, is not a lost art.

Points for practitioners

The criteria for success or failure of government policy is relative to time, perspective, ideology, and context.

The criteria for success or failure of government policy might vary across policy domains; what is appropriate for some domains might not be for others.

We can consider policy success and failure in terms of programme, outcome, or political agenda.

Programmes can succeed in some aims and fail in others.

Case studies are the appropriate means for examining success and failure, and capturing the narrative is important in how a policy is viewed.
The influence of religious institutional logic in frontline work
Authors: Magri Giordano , Cortez Ana Cláudia , Costa Maria Izabel Sanches , Carvalho Adriana , Lotta Gabriela , Miranda Juliana Rocha
Published: January 2025

This research analyses the influence of religion—as an institutional logic—on the work of frontline workers (FLWs) in hybrid public policy implementation contexts. We conducted semi‐structured interviews and used vignettes with 37 therapeutic communities (TCs) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, which provide care for individuals with problematic drug use. Through our analysis, we discovered variations in how FLWs from faith‐based and secular organisations categorise their clients and provide them with alternative services. These differences were evident in their perceptions of problematic drug use, desired outcomes for clients, and the methods they utilise to achieve these goals. In practice, faith‐based TCs prioritise behavioural categories and emphasise support from family and work as treatment alternatives, whereas secular TCs employ professional language and offer alternatives based on psychological and medical support. This study enhances the understanding of religion as an institutional logic and underscores the significance of analysing institutional logics to comprehend the actions of FLWs in cases of hybridity, particularly the role of faith‐based organisations in service delivery.

Points for practitioners

The religion of organisations can have an impact on the work of frontline workers (FLWs).

This impact becomes especially clear in the categorisation process, as it shapes FLWs’ understanding of their work and the referrals they make based on that understanding.
Loanwords and Linguistic Phylogenetics: *pelek̑u‐ ‘axe’ and *(H)a(i̯)g̑‐ ‘goat’1
Authors: Poulsen Simon
Published: January 2025

This paper assesses the role of borrowings in two different approaches to linguistic phylogenetics: Traditional qualitative analyses of lexemes, and quantitative computational analysis of cognacy. It problematises the assumption that loanwords can be excluded altogether from datasets of lexical cognacy. It discusses two exemplary lexemes with a limited regional or topological distribution, which have been argued to be borrowings into intermediate proto‐languages between the dissolution of Proto‐Indo‐European and the protolanguages reconstructible for the daughter branches: *pelek̑u‐ ‘axe’ (limited to Indo‐Iranian and Greek; allegedly from a Semitic language) and *(H)a(i̯)g̑‐ ‘goat’ (limited to “Balkanic”, “Indo‐Slavic” or both; allegedly North‐East Caucasian). The paper brings to light how diverging analyses of these lexemes have been and may be used as phylogenetic arguments for different subgroupings. It further discusses the problems with the loan word origins of the lexemes: Although there is a Semitic root *p‐l‐q ‘cut’, it is impossible to derive the noun *pelek̑u‐ from it in Semitic and in Indo‐European; and while there is a reconstructed Proto‐North‐East‐Caucasian form comparable to *(H)a(i̯)g̑‐, the connection is dependent on idiosyncrasies. The main point of the paper is that loanword judgements and linguistic reconstruction are interdependent. This does not discredit the discipline, but it does call for awareness of the assumptions underlying the linguistic analyses on which the phylogenetic results rest, no matter the approach.
What Do Farmer Collectives Need to Enhance Biodiversity, Water Quality and Climate Action in Rural Areas?
Authors: Dik Lyda , Runhaar Hens , Termeer Katrien
Published: January 2025

The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has recently broadened the scope of public services that collaborating groups of farmers (farmer collectives) can provide. In addition to biodiversity measures via agri‐environment schemes (AES), they can apply for the implementation of water quality and climate mitigation measures. But what does this require from farmer collectives and from the public administrations that contract them? We address these questions based on previous and additional research on the farmer collectives in the Netherlands. To this purpose, we looked at the strategies of farmer collectives. The focus was on: what is the scope of services to be deployed to create public value; how is legitimacy and support ensured; and what does this imply for the organisation of the farmer collective, the qualifications of people involved in the farmer collective and managing external networks? We identify three types of farmer collectives with distinct needs, critical points of attention, and different roles for public administrations: 1) farmer collectives that only implement AES; 2) farmer collectives that also implement public and private funded projects; 3) farmer collectives that act as risk‐taking, entrepreneurial organisations. In other Member States, additional types of farmer collectives may emerge. Recognising the heterogenity of farmer collectives, by Member State and by farmer collective, is key to effective and legitimate biodiversity, water quality and climate action.
Evaluating the antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and neuroprotective potential of fruiting body and mycelium extracts from edible yellow morel (Morchella esculenta L. Pers.)
Authors: Haider Rida , Agnello Luisa , Shah Shahid Masood , Sufyan Muhammad , Khan Nimra , Nazir Abdul , Ciaccio Marcello , Rehman Sidra
Published: January 2025

Scope

This study aimed to assess the antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and acetylcholinesterase activities of fruiting bodies (FB) and mycelium (M) extracts of Morchella esculenta L. collected from various regions of Pakistan. The samples included Skardu fruiting body (SKFB) and mycelia Skardu (SKM), Malam Jaba fruiting body (MJFB) and Malam Jaba mycelia (MJM), Krair Mansehra fruiting body (KMFB) and Krair Mansehra mycelia (KMM), and Thandiani fruiting body (TFB) and Thandiani mycelia (TM).

Methods and results

The IC50 values for free radical scavenging activity of all samples revealed that fruiting body SKFB and MJFB of M. esculenta are significantly involved in relieving oxidative stress. Bovine serum albumin conformation destruction assay showed a significantly increased anti‐inflammatory activity of SKFB with an IC50 value of 10.94 ± 0.098 µg/mL. The human red blood cell protection assay showed that TFB has a lower EC50 value as compared to other samples. KMFB and KMM extracts of M. esculenta showed significantly higher anti‐acetylcholinesterase activity compared to the standard drug, donepezil. The lower IC50 value of M. esculenta extracts suggested higher efficacy for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition. Enzyme kinetics results showed that KMFB of M. esculenta is a competitive inhibitor, while KMM and Donepezil are noncompetitive AChE inhibitors. Further, molecular docking, physicochemical properties and ADMET analysis of M. esculenta constituents showed smooth drug diffusion and protection against neurodegenerative disorders.

Conclusion

This study indicates that M. esculenta extracts may hold significant therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases, opening a path for potential therapeutic strategies.
Evaluation of natural polysaccharides from edible mushrooms for the treatment of male testicular injury caused by X‐ray
Authors: Jiang Nan , Huang Yu‐lin , Zhang Zihui , Qi Qi , Li Changtian
Published: January 2025

Radiation exposure can lead to reproductive damage (RD), for which there is currently no effective treatment. Natural compounds, particularly fungal polysaccharides, have shown promising therapeutic potential for RD. Due to limited availability of effective polysaccharides, research has turned to alternative sources from edible mushrooms. This study evaluated polysaccharides from Pleurotus eryngii, Agaricus bisporus, Coprinus comatus, and Pleurotus citrinopileatus for their effects on male mice subjected to X‐ray radiation. Histological analysis demonstrated significant damage to testicular tissue following X‐ray exposure, alongside altered antioxidant markers, such as malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px). Blood tests revealed mild leukopenia, erythropenia, and thrombocytopenia. Notably, the positive control groups treated with A. bisporus polysaccharides (ABPs) and Pleurotus eryngii polysaccharides showed increased SOD and GSH‐Px levels by 46.5% and 7.3%, and 15.9% and 10.1%, respectively, compared to the untreated group. MDA levels were reduced by 62.4% with ABP and by 32.1% with Coprinus comatus polysaccharides. ABPs were the most effective, significantly enhancing WBC, RBC, hemoglobin, and platelets by 58.3%, 8.9%, 30.6%, and 24.6%, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of polysaccharides from edible fungi as natural therapeutic agents for mitigating radiation‐induced reproductive damage. Future research on such compounds may pave the way for effective RD treatments.
Association between change in alcohol use reported during routine healthcare screening and change in subsequent hospitalization: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Jack Helen E. , Berger Douglas B. , Bobb Jennifer F. , Oliver Malia M. , Bradley Katherine A. , Hallgren Kevin A.
Published: January 2025

Background and aims

Primary care systems often screen for unhealthy alcohol use with brief self‐report tools such as the 3‐item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for consumption (AUDIT‐C). There is little research examining whether change in alcohol use measured on the AUDIT‐C captures meaningful change in outcomes affected by alcohol use. This study aimed to measure the association between change in AUDIT‐C and change in all‐cause hospitalization risk, measured in the year after each AUDIT‐C.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Health system in the state of Washington, USA, that conducts annual screening with the AUDIT‐C in outpatient care.

Participants

Adults (n = 165 101) who had completed at least two AUDIT‐Cs 11–24 months apart (2016–2020).

Measurements

AUDIT‐C scores were grouped into five risk categories reflecting no drinking (0), drinking without unhealthy alcohol use [1–2 (female)/1–3 (male)] and unhealthy alcohol use with moderate risk [3–6 (female)/4–6 (male)], high risk (7–8), and very high risk (9–12). Changes in AUDIT‐C were based on the number of category levels that changed (0–4). Hospitalizations were binary, reflecting one or more hospitalizations in the 365 days after each AUDIT‐C, identified from insurance claims.

Findings

Of 165 101 eligible patients, 5.7% and 6.1% were hospitalized the year after the first and second AUDIT‐C, respectively. Decreases in AUDIT‐C risk category of 1 or ≥2 levels were associated with statistically significant decreases in risk of hospitalization, compared with the change in hospitalization risk for those with no change in AUDIT‐C [1‐level decrease: ratio of adjusted risk ratios (aRR) = 0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.86–0.99; ≥2‐level decrease: ratio of aRR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.58–0.81]. Increases in AUDIT‐C risk category of 1 or ≥2 levels were not associated with statistically significant differences in risk of hospitalization, compared with those with no change in AUDIT‐C.

Conclusions

A decrease in AUDIT‐C score risk category is associated with a decreased risk of both all‐cause hospitalizations and hospitalizations with conditions directly or potentially attributable to alcohol. An increase in AUDIT‐C score does not appear to be associated with a change in risk of hospitalization in the following year.
Big Data and Machine Learning in ESG Research*
Authors: Li Kai
Published: January 2025

The wide applications of machine learning techniques to big data allow researchers to dig deep into novel large‐scale data sets, such as job postings, earnings calls, and news reports. They also equip researchers with powerful tools to study important but subtle/challenging topics that are impossible to explore before on a large scale, such as corporate culture and climate risk exposure. In this review, I survey various applications of different machine learning techniques in ESG research, beginning with foundational methods such as bag‐of‐words, progressing through topic modeling, word embedding, and BERT, and culminating with generative artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced machine learning approaches. I conclude by outlining future directions for using big data and machine learning in ESG research.
Retained versus removed copper intrauterine device during pregnancy: An updated systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Molino Gabriela Oliveira Gonçalves , Santos Ana Clara Felix de Farias , Dias Maírla Marina Ferreira , Pereira Ana Gabriela Alves , Pimenta Nicole dos Santos , Silva Pedro Henrique Costa Matos da
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are highly effective contraceptives. Despite their effectiveness, pregnancies can occur during IUD use, and the management of such cases, particularly when the pregnancy is desired, remains controversial.

Material and Methods

We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to evaluate outcomes in women who unintentionally conceived while using IUDs and chose to continue their pregnancies. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases to identify studies comparing women who removed their IUD after pregnancy discovery to those who retained it. The primary outcomes assessed were miscarriage, bleeding during pregnancy, and preterm delivery. Secondary outcomes included cesarean delivery, chorioamnionitis, congenital malformations, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm premature rupture of membranes, and stillbirth. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the binary outcomes using random‐effects models to account for variability across studies. The certainty of evidence was measured using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach.

Results

From 3719 records, 4 cohorts were included. Among the 693 pregnant women analyzed, 402 had their IUD removed, while 291 retained the device. The analysis focused on copper IUDs, with most studies reporting removal during the first trimester and after ultrasound evaluation, although gaps in standardized reporting practices and removal methods were noted. Significant benefits were observed for the IUD‐removed group, including reduced incidences of bleeding during gestation (OR 0.42; 95% CI 0.24 to 0.73; p < 0.01. Moderate certainty of evidence), and miscarriage (OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.48; p < 0.01. Moderate certainty of evidence). There was no significant difference in preterm delivery rates (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.34 to 1.76; p = 0.55).

Conclusions

This meta‐analysis, based on data from cohort studies with moderate certainty of evidence, indicates that removing an IUD after pregnancy diagnosis may reduce the odds of miscarriage and bleeding during gestation. However, further high‐quality research is needed to evaluate outcomes in pregnancies associated with hormonal IUDs, as well as critical factors such as gestational age at diagnosis, timing of IUD removal, and the position of the gestational sac relative to the device.
Heat stress induces oxidative stress and activates the KEAP1‐NFE2L2‐ARE pathway in reproduction‐related cells
Authors: Bai Hanako , Kawahara Manabu , Kusama Kazuya , Sakurai Toshihiro , Pfarrer Christiane , Takahashi Masashi
Published: January 2025

Heat stress negatively affects the reproductive function of in animals and humans. Although a relationship between heat and oxidative stress has been suggested, the underlying mechanism has not been sufficiently examined in reproduction‐related cells. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether heat stress induces oxidative stress using a variety of reproduction‐related cells including bovine placental and cumulus–granulosa cells, human cell lines derived from cervical and endometrial cancers, and fibroblasts derived from endometrium. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the expression levels of representative heat and oxidative stress–related genes were significantly increased in cells cultured at high temperatures compared with those in cells cultured at basal temperatures. Moreover, luciferase reporter assays showed that the reporter activity of the heat shock element and antioxidant responsive element (ARE) was increased in cells cultured at high temperatures compared with that in cells cultured at basal temperatures. Furthermore, the stability of nuclear factor erythroid 2 like 2 (NFE2L2), a master regulator of the cellular stress response, increased under high temperatures. Point mutations in Kelch‐like ECH‐associated protein 1 (KEAP1) cysteine residues reduced the luciferase activity. Our results suggest that heat stress induces oxidative stress and that the KEAP1‐NFE2L2‐ARE pathway may play a protective role in reproduction‐related cells against heat stress.
Environmental sustainability and the limits of healthcare resource allocation
Authors: Hart James , Lignou Sapfo , Sheehan Mark
Published: January 2025

Recent literature has drawn attention to the complex relationship between health care and the environmental crisis. Healthcare systems are significant contributors to climate change and environmental degradation, and the environmental crisis is making our health worse and thus putting more pressure on healthcare systems; our health and the environment are intricately linked. In light of this relationship, we might think that there are no trade‐offs between health and the environment; that healthcare decision‐makers have special responsibilities to the environment; and that environmental values should be included in healthcare resource‐allocation decisions. However, we argue that these claims are mistaken. The environmental crisis involves a wider range of considerations than just health. There is a plurality of reasons to act on the environment; we might do so to protect the natural world, to prevent catastrophes in other parts of the world, or to avert climate war and displacement. Trading‐off between health care and environmental sustainability is thus unavoidable and requires sensitivity to all these reasons. Healthcare decision‐makers are not well placed to be sensitive to these reasons, nor do they have the democratic authority to make such value judgements. Therefore, decisions about environmental sustainability interventions should be made at a ‘higher level’ of resource allocation. Importantly, hospitals have environmental duties but not environmental responsibilities; their job is to provide the best healthcare possible within the constraints given to them, not to choose between health care and other goods.
On the heterogeneous effects of sanctions on trade
Authors: Felbermayr Gabriel , Syropoulos Constantinos , Yalcin Erdal , Yotov Yoto V.
Published: January 2025

With the help of a new, comprehensive sanctions database and utilizing the latest developments in the structural gravity literature, we estimate the effects of economic sanctions on international trade. We demonstrate that the average effects of sanctions hide significant heterogeneity depending on the type of sanctions considered, their duration, objectives and sender types. We also zoom in on the sanctions against Iran. We find that their effects are significant but also widely heterogeneous across sanctioning countries, even within the European Union, and depend on the direction of trade. We complement the aggregate analysis with estimates for 170 sectors, showing that sanctions have been effective in decreasing bilateral trade at the sectoral level while the effects vary significantly across sectors and across complete versus partial trade sanctions.
Clinical Utility of Dual‐Time 68Ga‐Pentixafor PET/CT in Diagnosing and Subtyping Primary Aldosteronism
Authors: Zuo Rui , Liu Shuang , Ren Xinyi , Li Wenbo , Xia Zhu , Xu Lu , Pang Hua
Published: January 2025

Objectives

This study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of dual‐time 68Ga‐pentixafor PET/CT with adrenal vein sampling (AVS) in PA lateralization.

Methods and Methods

We retrospectively analysed 161 patients with PA. We assessed the diagnostic performance of dual‐time 68Ga‐pentixafor PET/CT in diagnosing unilateral primary aldosteronism (UPA) and aldosterone‐producing adenoma (APA). We also explored the relationship between 68Ga‐pentixafor PET/CT findings, postoperative outcomes, and the presence of the KCNJ5 gene mutation.

Results

The diagnostic accuracy of 68Ga‐pentixafor PET at 10 and 40 min for UPA (75.2% and 76.4%, respectively) surpassed that of CT (55.3%, p < 0.01). The optimal cutoff for diagnosing APA was 10 min lesion‐to‐normal adrenal ratio = 1.95, yielding an AUC of 91.9%, with sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 76.0%, 91.3%, and 83.3%, respectively. This high diagnostic efficacy extended to subgroups with nodules ≥ 1 or < 1 cm, and the largest AUC of 68Ga‐pentixafor PET/CT for diagnosis APA with lesions ≥ 1 and < 1 cm is 88.2% and 97.0%, respectively. The lateralization results provided by 68Ga‐pentixafor PET/CT corroborated the surgical treatment decision in 92.0% of PA patients, and more than 95% achieved clinical and/or biochemical cure or improvement. The PET positive rate of KCNJ5 mutation was higher than that of KCNJ5 wild‐type, with optimal diagnostic efficacy at 40 min lesion‐to‐liver ratio = 4.79 (AUC 81.3%, sensitivity 90.0%, specificity 66.7%).

Conclusion

Dual‐time 68Ga‐pentixafor PET/CT exhibits robust diagnostic efficacy in PA lateralization. Furthermore, 68Ga‐pentixafor PET/CT holds promise as an imaging marker for predicting the presence of the KCNJ5 mutation in PA patients.
Are farmland prices too high? Exploring the rent‐to‐price ratio and farmer perceptions
Authors: Bannon Nicholas , Deaton B. James , Naylor Jamie , Scholz Alexander
Published: January 2025

Approximately 50% of the farmer respondents to the 2023 Ontario Farmland Value and Rental Value Survey (OFVRVS) indicate that farmland prices are “too high” relative to fundamentals. The survey also asks respondents about rent and price information for a familiar parcel of farmland. We use this information to construct a rent‐to‐price ratio and then apply regression analysis to data collected from the 2023 OFVRVS. We find that the respondents in the lowest quartile of the rent‐to‐price ratio are associated with a 17% increase in the probability of indicating farmland prices are “too high.”
Airway Basal Stem Cells Inflammatory Alterations in COVID‐19 and Mitigation by Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Du Sheng , Jin Jing , Tang Chunli , Su Zhuquan , Wang Lulin , Chen Xinyuan , Zhang Mengni , Zhu Yiping , Wang Jiaojiao , Ju Chunrong , Song Xinyu , Li Shiyue
Published: January 2025

SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and the resultant COVID‐19 pneumonia cause significant damage to the airway and lung epithelium. This damage manifests as mucus hypersecretion, pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis, which often lead to long‐term complications collectively referred to as long COVID or post‐acute sequelae of COVID‐19 (PASC). The airway epithelium, as the first line of defence against respiratory pathogens, depends on airway basal stem cells (BSCs) for regeneration. Alterations in BSCs are associated with impaired epithelial repair and may contribute to the respiratory complications observed in PASC. Given the critical role of BSCs in maintaining epithelial integrity, understanding their alterations in COVID‐19 is essential for developing effective therapeutic strategies. This study investigates the intrinsic properties of BSCs derived from COVID‐19 patients and evaluates the modulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Through a combination of functional assessments and transcriptomic profiling, we identified key phenotypic and molecular deviations in COVID‐19 patient‐derived BSCs, including goblet cell hyperplasia, inflammation and fibrosis, which may underlie their contribution to PASC. Notably, MSC co‐culture significantly mitigated these adverse effects, potentially through modulation of the interferon signalling pathway. This is the first study to isolate BSCs from COVID‐19 patients in the Chinese population and establish a COVID‐19 BSC‐based xenograft model. Our findings reveal critical insights into the role of BSCs in epithelial repair and their inflammatory alterations in COVID‐19 pathology, with potential relevance to PASC and virus‐induced respiratory sequelae. Additionally, our study highlights MSC‐based therapies as a promising strategy to address respiratory sequelae and persistent symptoms.