bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Potential of Shallow Depth Gut Metagenomics Sequencing for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Stratification
Authors: Sing Justin C. , Whitley Owen , Davis Sachin
Published: October 2023

Background

Cardiovascular disease, specifically atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD), presents a burden on society in terms of financial resources and quality of life that is only expected to grow in the coming years. Current diagnostic methods lack the sensitivity or specificity to confidently screen for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and are either costly, invasive, or both. Building on previous research linking ACVD to changes in the microbiome, we hypothesized that one could build a machine learning classifier for ACVD that makes use of shallow depth microbiome data.

Methods and Findings

Raw metagenomics Illumina paired end sequencing data was downloaded from the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) public database under accession ERP023788. The dataset includes 383 Han Chinese subjects of which 170 are control subjects and 214 are ACVD subjects. The raw sequencing data was subsampled using seqtk to generatein silicoshallow depth datasets at various depths. Each subsampled experiment was processed through KneadData for quality control, and finally relative abundances were acquired through Kraken2. Based onin-silicodown sampling experiments, we demonstrate that species level information is still captured at read depths as low as 50K reads per sample, consistent with current literature. In addition, the shallow depth data (50K) contains relevant taxa information for stratification of ACVD patients. Differential expression analysis identified a variety ofStreptococcusspecies andEscherichia colienriched in ACVD patients and a few low abundanceBacteroidesspecies in ACVD patients, which have been previously reported.

Conclusion

Here, using publicly available data, we show within silicoexperiments that species-level microbiome information is preserved at low sequencing depths that would allow a screening or diagnostic tool to be cost-competitive with currently used methods such as stress ECGs and stress ECHO tests. Additionally, we show that we can indeed make a microbiome-based model with performance metrics comparable to or better than front-line or mid-tier tests.
Network state dynamics underpin craving in a transdiagnostic population
Authors: Ye Jean , Garrison Kathleen A. , Lacadie Cheryl , Potenza Marc N. , Sinha Rajita , Goldfarb Elizabeth V. , Scheinost Dustin
Published: October 2023

Emerging fMRI brain dynamic methods present a unique opportunity to capture how brain region interactions across time give rise to evolving affective and motivational states. As the unfolding experience and regulation of affective states affect psychopathology and well-being, it is important to elucidate their underlying time-varying brain responses. Here, we developed a novel framework to identify network states specific to an affective state of interest and examine how their instantaneous engagement contributed to its experience. This framework investigated network state dynamics underlying craving, a clinically meaningful and changeable state. In a transdiagnostic sample of healthy controls and individuals diagnosed with or at risk for craving-related disorders (N=252), we utilized connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) to identify craving-predictive edges. An edge-centric timeseries approach was leveraged to quantify the instantaneous engagement of the craving-positive and craving-negative networks during independent scan runs. Individuals with higher craving persisted longer in a craving-positive network state while dwelling less in a craving-negative network state. We replicated the latter results externally in an independent group of healthy controls and individuals with alcohol use disorder exposed to different stimuli during the scan (N=173). The associations between craving and network state dynamics can still be consistently observed even when craving-predictive edges were instead identified in the replication dataset. These robust findings suggest that variations in craving-specific network state recruitment underpin individual differences in craving. Our framework additionally presents a new avenue to explore how the moment-to-moment engagement of behaviorally meaningful network states supports our changing affective experiences.
Prevalence and factors associated with fear of COVID-19 in military personnel during the second epidemic wave in Peru
Authors: Valladares-Garrido Danai , Dominguez-Troncos Helena , Picón-Reátegui Cinthia Karina , Valdiviezo-Morales Christopher , Vera-Ponce Víctor J. , Failoc-Rojas Virgilio E. , Pereira-Victorio César Johan , León-Figueroa Darwin A. , Valladares-Garrido Mario J.
Published: October 2023

There is few research in military members that provided protection and security during the COVID-19 crisis. We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with fear of COVID-19 in military members. A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 02 and 09, 2021, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region of Lambayeque, Peru. The outcome was fear of COVID-19, measured with the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. The association with resilience (abbreviated CD-RISC), food insecurity (HFIAS), physical activity (IPAQ-S), eating disorder (EAT-26), and other socio-labor variables were assessed. Of 525 participants, the median age was 22, 95.8% were male, and 19.2% experienced fear of COVID-19. A higher prevalence of fear of COVID-19 was associated with age (PR=1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.06), religion (PP=2.05; 95% CI: 1.04-4.05), eating disorder (PR=2.95; 95% CI: 1.99-4.36), and having a relative with mental disorder (PR=2.13; 95% CI: 1.09-4.17). Overweight (PR=0.58; 95% IC: 0.37-0.90) and a high level of resilience (PR=0.63; 95% IC: 0.43-0.93) were associated with a lower prevalence of fear of COVID-19. Two out of ten military personnel were afraid of COVID-19. We recommend special attention to the factors associated with the development of suicide risk in military personnel.
Different pathways toward net-zero emissions imply diverging health impacts: a health impact assessment study for France
Authors: Moutet Léo , Bigo Aurélien , Quirion Philippe , Temime Laura , Jean Kévin
Published: October 2023

Background

In the transport sector, efforts to achieve carbon neutrality may generate public health cobenefits by promoting physical activity.

Objective

This study aims to quantify the health impacts related to active transportation based on four different scenarios leading France toward carbon neutrality in 2050.

Methods

The French Agency for Ecological Transition developed four consistent and contrasting scenarios (S1 to S4) achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 as well as a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario that extends our current lifestyles until 2050, without reaching net-zero. For each of theseTransitions2050scenarios, we distributed the mobility demand for walking, cycling and e-cycling across age groups. Relying on the health impact assessment framework, we quantified the impacts of the corresponding physical activity on all-cause mortality. The impact of each of the carbon neutrality scenarios was determined by comparison with estimates from the BAU scenario.

Results

In S1 and S2 scenarios, volumes of active transportation are projected to increase to fulfil the World Health Organisations recommendations by 2050, while they increase slightly in S3 and decrease in S4. S2 scenario reaches the highest levels of health cobenefits, with 494,000 deaths prevented between 2021 and 2050. This would translate into a life expectancy gain of 3.0 months for the general population in 2050, mainly driven by e-bikes. S1 would provide smaller but important health benefits, while these benefits would be modest for S3. On the contrary, S4 implies 52,000 additional deaths as compared to the BAU scenario, and a loss of 0.2 month in life expectancy.

Discussion

Different ways to decarbonize mobility in a net-zero perspective may achieve very contrasting public health cobenefits. This study illustrates how the public health dimension may provide a relevant insight in choices of collective transformation toward net-zero societies.
A spatiotemporal model of multi-marker antimalarial resistance
Authors: Foo Yong See , Flegg Jennifer A.
Published: October 2023

The emergence and spread of drug-resistantPlasmodium falciparumparasites has hindered efforts to eliminate malaria. Monitoring the spread of drug resistance is vital, as drug resistance can lead to widespread treatment failure. We develop a Bayesian model to produce spatiotemporal maps that depict the spread of drug resistance, and apply our methods for the antimalarial sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. We infer from genetic count data the prevalences over space and time of various malaria parasite haplotypes associated with drug resistance. Previous work has focused on inferring the prevalence of individual molecular markers. In reality, combinations of mutations at multiple markers confer varying degrees of drug resistance to the parasite, indicating that multiple markers should be modelled together. However, the reporting of genetic count data is often inconsistent as some studies report haplotype counts, whereas some studies report mutation counts of individual markers separately. In response, we introduce a latent multinomial Gaussian process model to handle partially-reported spatiotemporal count data. As drug-resistant mutations are often used as a proxy for treatment efficacy, point estimates from our spatiotemporal maps can help inform antimalarial drug policies, whereas the uncertainties from our maps can help with optimising sampling strategies for future monitoring of drug resistance.
Base Excision Repair Pathway Regulates Transcription-Replication Conflicts in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Meng Fan , Singh Anup K. , Li Tiane , Attiyeh Marc , Kohram Fatemeh , Williams Terence , Liu Yilun , Raoof Mustafa
Published: October 2023

Oncogenic mutations (such as in KRAS) can dysregulate transcription and replication leading to transcription conflicts (TRCs). Unresolved TRCs can cause lethal DNA damage. Here, we sought to investigate the oncogene dependency of TRCs and TRC regulatory pathways in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Human PDAC demonstrated 30-120-fold higher levels of TRC genomic signatures compared to breast, colon and lung cancer (p<0.001). TRCs were significantly enriched in human PDAC cells (Panc-1, BxPC3, MiaPaca2) compared to immortalized human pancreatic ductal epithelial (HPNE). Ectopic oncogenic KRAS(G12D) in HPNE cells enhanced TRCs, and TRC-related DNA:RNA hybrids (R-loops). Inhibition of KRAS or downstream effectors abrogated TRCs in Panc1 and MiaPaca2 cells. An siRNA screen identified several factors in the base-excision repair pathway as regulators of TRCs. In pharmacologic validation, inhibitors of APE1 endonuclease in BER pathway (Methoxyamine and CRT) enhanced TRCs. Mechanistic studies revealed that BER pathway inhibition severely altered RNA polymerase II dynamics at nascent DNA; causing RNAPII trapping and contributing to enhanced TRCs. The ensuing DNA damage activated Chk2-ATR pathway but not Chk1-ATM pathway. Co-treatment with ATR inhibitor (VX970) and BER inhibitor (methoxyamine) at clinically relevant doses, synergistically enhanced DNA damage and reduced cell proliferation in PDAC cells. The study uncovers a novel role of BER pathway defects and oxidative DNA damage in promoting TRCs. Our studies provide mechanistic insights into the regulation of TRCs in PDAC which has implications for genome instability and therapy in PDAC.
Retrosplenial inputs drive diverse visual representations in the medial entorhinal cortex
Authors: Dubanet Olivier , Higley Michael J.
Published: October 2023

The ability of rodents to use visual cues for successful navigation and goal-directed behavior has been long appreciated, although the neural mechanisms supporting sensory representations in navigational circuits are largely unknown. Navigation is fundamentally dependent on the hippocampus and closely connected entorhinal cortex, whose neurons exhibit characteristic firing patterns corresponding to the animal’s location. The medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) receives direct projections from sensory areas in the neocortex, suggesting the ability to encode sensory information. To examine this possibility, we performed high-density recordings of MEC neurons in awake, head-fixed mice presented with simple visual stimuli and assessed the dynamics of sensory-evoked activity. We found a large fraction of neurons exhibited robust responses to visual input that shaped activity relative to ongoing network dynamics. Visually responsive cells could be separated into subgroups based on functional and molecular properties within deep layers of the dorsal MEC, suggesting diverse populations within the MEC contribute to sensory encoding. We then showed that optogenetic suppression of retrosplenial cortex afferents within the MEC strongly reduced visual responses. Overall, our results demonstrate the the MEC can encode simple visual cues in the environment that can contribute to neural representations of location necessary for accurate navigation.
Inhibition of miR-199b-5p reduces pathological alterations in Osteoarthritis by potentially targetingFzd6andGcnt2
Authors: Feng Tong , Zhang Qi , Li Si-Hui , Ping Yan-ling , Tian Mu-qiu , Zhou Shuan-hu , Wang Xin , Wang Jun-Meng , Liang Fan-Rong , Yu Shu-Guang , Wu Qiao-Feng
Published: October 2023

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease with a high prevalence in the elderly population, but our understanding of its mechanisms remains incomplete. Analysis of serum exosomal small RNA sequencing data from clinical patients and gene expression data from OA patient serum and cartilage obtained from the GEO database revealed a common dysregulated miRNA, miRNA-199b-5p. In vitro cell experiments demonstrated that miRNA-199b-5p inhibits chondrocyte vitality and promotes extracellular matrix degradation. Conversely, inhibition of miRNA-199b-5p under inflammatory conditions exhibited protective effects against damage. Local viral injection of miRNA-199b-5p into mice induced a decrease in pain threshold and OA-like changes. In an OA model, inhibition of miRNA-199b-5p alleviated the pathological progression of OA. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation identifiedGcnt2andFzd6as potential target genes of miRNA-199b-5p. Thus, these results indicated that miRNA-199b-5p/Gcnt2andFzd6axis might be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of OA.
Post-ischemic inactivation of HIF prolyl hydroxylases in endothelium promotes maladaptive kidney repair by inducing glycolysis
Authors: Tiwari Ratnakar , Sharma Rajni , Rajendran Ganeshkumar , Borkowski Gabriella S. , An Si Young , Schonfeld Michael , O’Sullivan James , Schipma Matthew J. , Zhou Yalu , Courbon Guillaume , David Valentin , Quaggin Susan E. , Thorp Edward , Chandel Navdeep S. , Kapitsinou Pinelopi P.
Published: October 2023

Ischemic acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in hospitalized patients and increases the risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Impaired endothelial cell (EC) functions are thought to contribute in AKI to CKD transition, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we identify a critical role for endothelial oxygen sensing prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD) enzymes 1-3 in regulating post-ischemic kidney repair. In renal endothelium, we observed compartment-specific differences in the expression of the three PHD isoforms in both mice and humans. We found that post-ischemic concurrent inactivation of endothelial PHD1, PHD2, and PHD3 but not PHD2 alone promoted maladaptive kidney repair characterized by exacerbated tissue injury, fibrosis, and inflammation. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis of the post-ischemic endothelial PHD1, PHD2 and PHD3 deficient (PHDTiEC) kidney revealed an endothelial glycolytic transcriptional signature, also observed in human kidneys with severe AKI. This metabolic program was coupled to upregulation of theSLC16A3gene encoding the lactate exporter monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4). Strikingly, treatment with the MCT4 inhibitor syrosingopine restored adaptive kidney repair inPHDTiECmice. Mechanistically, MCT4 inhibition suppressed pro-inflammatory EC activation reducing monocyte-endothelial cell interaction. Our findings suggest avenues for halting AKI to CKD transition based on selectively targeting the endothelial hypoxia-driven glycolysis/MCT4 axis.
Improving protein expression, stability, and function with ProteinMPNN
Authors: Sumida Kiera H. , Núñez-Franco Reyes , Kalvet Indrek , Pellock Samuel J. , Wicky Basile I. M. , Milles Lukas F. , Dauparas Justas , Wang Jue , Kipnis Yakov , Jameson Noel , Kang Alex , De La Cruz Joshmyn , Sankaran Banumathi , Bera Asim K. , Jiménez-Osés Gonzalo , Baker David
Published: October 2023

Natural proteins are highly optimized for function, but are often difficult to produce at a scale suitable for biotechnological applications due to poor expression in heterologous systems, limited solubility, and sensitivity to temperature. Thus, a general method that improves the physical properties of native proteins while maintaining function could have wide utility for protein-based technologies. Here we show that the deep neural network ProteinMPNN together with evolutionary and structural information provides a route to increasing protein expression, stability, and function. For both myoglobin and tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease, we generated designs with improved expression, elevated melting temperatures, and improved function. For TEV protease, we identified multiple designs with improved catalytic activity as compared to the parent sequence and previously reported TEV variants. Our approach should be broadly useful for improving the expression, stability, and function of biotechnologically important proteins.
Distinct functions of EHMT1 and EHMT2 in cancer chemotherapy and immunotherapy
Authors: Kang Zhihua , Fu Pan , Ma Hui , Li Tao , Lu Kevin , Liu Juan , Ginjala Vasudeva , Romanienko Peter , Feng Zhaohui , Guan Ming , Ganesan Shridar , Xia Bing
Published: October 2023

EHTM1 (GLP) and EHMT2 (G9a) are closely related protein lysine methyltransferases often thought to function together as a heterodimer to methylate histone H3 and non-histone substrates in diverse cellular processes including transcriptional regulation, genome methylation, and DNA repair. Here we show that EHMT1/2 inhibitors cause ATM-mediated slowdown of replication fork progression, accumulation of single-stranded replication gaps, emergence of cytosolic DNA, and increased expression of STING. EHMT1/2 inhibition strongly potentiates the efficacy of alkylating chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in mouse models of tripe negative breast cancer. The effects on DNA replication and alkylating agent sensitivity are largely caused by the loss of EHMT1-mediated methylation of LIG1, whereas the elevated STING expression and remarkable response to immunotherapy appear mainly elicited by the loss of EHMT2 activity. Depletion of UHRF1, a protein known to be associated with EHMT1/2 and LIG1, also induces STING expression, and depletion of either EHMT2 or UHRF1 leads to demethylation of specific CpG sites in theSTING1promoter, suggestive of a distinct EHMT2-UHRF1 axis that regulates DNA methylation and gene transcription. These results highlight distinct functions of the two EHMT paralogs and provide enlightening paradigms and corresponding molecular basis for combination therapies involving alkylating agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Intrinsic Mechanics of Human Stem Cell Derived Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells Support a Developmental Basis for Aneurysm Localization in Marfan Syndrome
Authors: Wiener Robert J. , Orins Helen , Costa Kevin D.
Published: October 2023

Marfan Syndrome (MFS), a connective tissue disorder caused by a mutation in the fibrillin-1 gene, occurs in approximately 1 in 5,000 people worldwide. As an important constituent of the extracellular matrix, mutated fibrillin-1 in Marfan Syndrome leads to aortic medial degeneration, aneurysm, and dissection. TGFβ in the matrix, which is controlled by fibrillin-1, is known to cause pathological effects in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) within the aortic wall during MFS. TGFβ as well as other cytokines have been shown to impact neural crest derived SMCs differently than mesodermal derived SMCs. Furthermore, outcomes of variable cytokine responsiveness of neural crest SMCs are compounded by genetically imposed changes to neural crest SMC integrin distributions in MFS. Thus, it has been hypothesized that neural crest derived SMCs, which give rise to ascending aortic SMCs, are intrinsically mechanically susceptible to aneurysm formation in MFS. This hypothesis has been linked to the clinical observation of aneurysm formation preferentially occurring in the ascending versus descending aorta in MFS. We aim to test the hypothesis that aortic smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) have intrinsic mechanobiological properties which cause cell weakening in Marfan Syndrome. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) from Marfan patients and healthy volunteers were differentiated into either ascending- or descending-ASMCs via their respective developmental lineages, and cultured to either an early (6 days) or late (30 days) stage of post-differentiation maturation. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics of early-stage iPSC-ASMCs revealed an array of depleted proteins unique to MFS ascending-SMCs that were associated with cell mechanics and aortic aneurysm. Targeted examination of the proteomics dataset revealed intracellular proteins (ACTA2, CNN1, TAGLN) were significantly depleted in MFS ascending-ASMCs. The intrinsic, matrix-independent, hiPSC-ASMC stiffness quantified by atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that MFS ascending-ASMCs, but not descending-ASMCs, were significantly less stiff than healthy, at the late cell-maturation stage (p<0.0005). Late-stage ascending- and descending-ASMCs also showed clear functional impairments via calcium flux in MFS. AFM revealed a similar mechanical phenotype in early-stage ASMCs, with MFS ascending-ASMCs, but not descending-ASMCs, being significantly less stiff than healthy (p<0.005). In summary, this study supports an emerging hypothesis of ontogenetic predisposition for aneurysm susceptibility in Marfan Syndrome based on locally altered mechanobiology of developmental origin-specific ASMC subtypes. This may lead to new cell-targeted approaches for treating aortic aneurysm in patients with MFS.
The G1/S transition is promoted by Rb degradation via the E3 ligase UBR5
Authors: Zhang Shuyuan , Valenzuela Lucas Fuentes , Zatulovskiy Evgeny , Mangiante Lise , Curtis Christina , Skotheim Jan M.
Published: October 2023

Mammalian cells make the decision to divide at the G1/S transition in response to diverse signals impinging on the retinoblastoma protein Rb, a cell cycle inhibitor and tumor suppressor. Rb is inhibited by two parallel pathways. In the canonical pathway, Cyclin D-Cdk4/6 kinase complexes phosphorylate and inactivate Rb. In the second, recently discovered pathway, Rb’s concentration decreases during G1 to promote cells progressing through the G1/S transition. However, the mechanisms underlying this second pathway are unknown. Here, we found that Rb’s concentration drop in G1 and recovery in S/G2 is controlled by phosphorylation-dependent protein degradation. In early G1 phase, un- and hypo-phosphorylated Rb is targeted by the E3 ligase UBR5.UBR5knockout cells have higher Rb concentrations in early G1, exhibit a lower G1/S transition rate, and are more sensitive to Cdk4/6 inhibition. This last observation suggests that UBR5 inhibition can strengthen the efficacy of Cdk4/6 inhibitor-based cancer therapies.
Energy hedging and annual report readability
Authors: Kim Thomas , Sun Li
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Using a sample of oil and gas firms in the USA, the study examines the relation between the presence of hedging and annual report readability.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use regression analysis to examine the relation between the presence of hedging and annual report readability.

Findings

The authors find that annual reports of firms with the use of hedging are less readable (i.e. difficult to read and understand). The authors also find that the primary results are more pronounced for firms with a higher level of business volatility.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the finance literature on the use and value of hedging and to the accounting literature on the determinants of annual report readability. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has persistently asked companies to improve the readability of their disclosures to stakeholders (SEC, 1998; 2013, 2014). Hence, the study not only identifies a potential determinant (i.e. hedging) that may influence the level of readability but also supports the current regulatory policy by the SEC, which is encouraging companies to improve readability.
Creative self-efficacy – a double-edged sword: the moderating role of mindfulness between deliberate practice, creative self-efficacy, and innovation performance
Authors: Zhang Hanzhi , Ayub Arslan , Iqbal Shahid
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Deliberate practice, an iterative process, has garnered increasing attention of researchers and practitioners in entrepreneurship and business domains in the recent years. However, research studies are on rise that found its positive correlates with superior performance. Nevertheless, whether the relationship always holds positive is an intriguing question that wedged the authors’ attention to probe the causal mechanism that might scrutinize the association otherwise. The purpose of the study is to build on the social cognitive theory and the attribution theory to project that deliberate practice deteriorates innovation performance due to augmented creative self-efficacy (CSE). While, individuals who draw on their mindfulness can overcome the harmful effects of increased CSE on innovation performance, subsequently translating deliberate practice into enhanced innovation performance through CSE.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors gather data from 312 entrepreneurs in the small and medium enterprises using a time-lagged research design and analyze the results using SmartPLS (v 4.0).

Findings

The findings reveal that deliberate practice significantly affects CSE of entrepreneurs. Besides, deliberate practice negatively influences innovation performance through CSE. In addition, the study finds that mindfulness significantly moderates the relationships between CSE and innovation performance and deliberate practice and innovation performance through CSE.

Originality/value

This is the first study that examines a moderated mediated model of CSE as a deteriorating agent and mindfulness as a coping mechanism between deliberate practice and innovation performance of entrepreneurs. The study highlights several essential theoretical and practical implications.
Long-term earnings growth forecasts: investor sentiment or valuation difficulty?
Authors: Formiga Miranda Kléber , Machado Márcio André Veras
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This article analyzes the hypothesis that analysts issue higher long-term earnings growth (LTG) forecasts following a market-wide investor sentiment.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzed 193 publicly traded Brazilian firms listed on B3 (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão), totaling 2,291 observations. To address the potential selection bias resulting from analysts' preference for more liquid firms, this study used the Heckman model in the analysis with samples with only one analyst and the entire sample. The study also applied other robustness tests to ensure the reliability of the findings.

Findings

The results suggest that market-wide investor sentiment influences LTG when the firm's stocks are difficult to value. Market optimism did not reflect five-year profit growth after the forecast issue, suggesting lower forecast accuracy during high investor sentiment values.

Practical implications

Volatile-earnings firms have relevant implications in LTG forecasts during bullish moments. According to the study’s evidence, investors' decisions and policymakers' and regulators' rules should consider analysts' expertise as independent information when considering LTG as input for valuation models, even under market optimism.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on the influence of investor sentiment on analysts' forecasts by incorporating two crucial elements in the discussion: the scenario free from herding behavior, as usually only one analyst issues LGT forecast for Brazilian firms, and the analysis of research hypotheses incorporates the difficulty of pricing a firm given the uncertainty of its earnings as an explanation to bullish forecast.
How servant leadership influences the effectiveness of project management: antecedents and consequences
Authors: Zada Muhammad , Khan Jawad , Saeed Imran , Zada Shagufta
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study investigates the link between servant leadership and project management effectiveness in developmental projects in non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Further, this study examined the mediating role of conflict resolution and moderating role of organisational culture.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-wave survey of 288 non-governmental organisation (NGO) employees was used to evaluate the hypotheses. Hierarchical regression analysis and Hayes' PROCESS macro technique were used for data analysis.

Findings

In this study, servant leadership positively affects employee project management effectiveness in developmental projects in NGOs, and conflict resolution mediates the relationship. Furthermore, the results show that organisational culture moderates the positive relationship between servant leadership and employee project management effectiveness. Moreover, the authors investigated the hypotheses via a moderation mediation model. The strength of the mediated link between servant leadership and project management effectiveness (via conflict resolution) depends on organisational culture strength.

Practical implications

Leaders that practice servant leadership care for their employees genuinely and serve them by allowing them to make their own decisions. Every organisation may benefit from this leadership style since it encourages project effectiveness

Originality/value

New empirical data from this study suggests that servant leadership positively and substantially affects employee project management effectiveness in developmental projects in NGOs.
Mitigating the impacts of COVID-19: failure mode and effect analysis and supply chain resilience (FMEA-SCR) combined model
Authors: Marco-Ferreira Antonio , Fidelis Reginaldo , Horst Diogo José , Andrade Junior Pedro Paulo
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic generated a worldwide financial crisis by impacting several links of the supply chain, however companies can take advantage by quantitatively measuring the disruptive impacts.

Design/methodology/approach

This study sought to develop the failure mode and effect analysis and supply chain resilience (FMEA-SCR), a hybrid tool developed using a potential failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) applied to supply chain resilience (SCR) and taking into account the capability factors and business processes.

Findings

In order to validate, the proposed model was applied into two different organizational study cases: an university and a cooperative managing urban solid wastes with recyclable potential (MSWRP). Through the procedures described here any organization can understand and assess in a simplified way the impacts over their supply chain generated by such a crisis.

Originality/value

This study synthesizes three different procedures into a single method called FMEA-SCR, allowing organizations to understand and assess in a simplified way, the impacts over their supply chain generated by COVID-19. To this end, it brought together the studies developed by Rajesh and Ravi (2015) and Curkovic et al. (2015), on possible causes of disruptions in SC, the capability factors of Pettit et al. (2010) used by organizations to mitigate the effects of disruptions, besides Lambert's and Croxton (2005) business processes, thus weaving a method that allows organizations to visualize, analyze and classify the pandemic impacts over their supply chain.
Using YouTube for corporate communication: a comparison between Chinese and American companies
Authors: Yuan Sheng
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to compare the communication practices of Chinese and US companies on YouTube and explores the effectiveness of different communication strategies at the topic level.

Design/methodology/approach

The author selected 22 Chinese companies and 22 US firms and compared the content of their English language corporate YouTube channels through content analysis, sentiment analysis and cluster analysis.

Findings

The results revealed that the three communication strategies (information, response and involvement) in general were not significantly different regarding their engagement rates, but they generated different comment scores when communicating topics of corporate social responsibility. The results also showed that Chinese companies were more likely than American firms to display the speeches of corporate leaders, use collectivistic references and present human interest messages in YouTube videos.

Research limitations/implications

This study sheds light on how national institutional environment shapes corporate communication on YouTube.

Practical implications

This study challenges the infatuation with the involvement strategy and offers some advice for practitioners on topic selection and user comment function management.

Originality/value

This study makes a novel contribution to the literature of corporate communication on YouTube by adopting a cross-national comparative approach. A conceptual framework of major factors influencing stakeholder responses on YouTube was presented.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-02-2023-0061
Detection and picking of shear wave arrival for stiffness evaluation of highly porous chalk
Authors: Proestakis Ermis , Christensen Helle F. , Meireles Leonardo T. P. , Storebø Einar M. , Shamsolhodaei Amirhossein , Orlander Tobias
Published: October 2023

Elastic wave velocities of compressional and shear waves propagating through sedimentary rocks are often coupled with information of bulk density to derive the rock stiffness. Acquiring the transit time of compressional and shear waves often involves manual picking of wave arrival times from wave trains recorded in the laboratory or by well‐logging tools. Picking the compressional wave arrival time is commonly accepted as straightforward. Oppositely, detecting the shear wave arrival and picking its arrival time is often troublesome because the transmitted shear wave partly converts to compressional waves and back to a secondary shear wave, concealing the transmitted shear wave arrival in the wave train. In laboratory settings, we illustrate the difficulty of shear wave detection in wave trains recorded on highly porous chalk plug samples from the Danish North Sea Basin. Wave trains were recorded on plugs dry, Tap‐water or Isopar‐L saturated during uniaxial strain compaction. The recorded shear wave trains showed two distinct features, which could be interpreted as the transmitted shear wave first arrival; we denoted them as early and late arrivals. However, as only one feature can mark the arrival of the transmitted shear wave, we propose a semi‐empirical disclosure strategy combining a graphical representation of stacked wave trains with rock physical modelling. By stacking recorded wave trains in a graphical strain–time–amplitude domain, we demonstrate that an early shear wave feature marks a converted shear to compressional to shear wave and not the transmitted shear wave. We used physical modelling to identify early shear wave features and illustrate the consequences of adopting a falsely interpreted shear wave on stiffness properties.
Introduction: Women's Rights as Human Rights: Global Contestations over the Longue Durée
Authors: Donert Celia , Moses Julia
Published: October 2023

This short essay introduces the forum on ‛Women's Rights as Human Rights: Global Contestations over the Longue Durée’. It briefly outlines the state of the field, a new agenda for research in the area and the topics of the articles in the forum. The forum derives from a symposium on the same topic sponsored by Gender & History and held at the University of Sheffield in spring 2022.
Does total caloric count of camel milk differ by species, country, season and year of publication: A systematic review, meta‐analysis and meta‐regression
Authors: Alhaj Omar A , Ahmad Leena , Alenezi Ahmad F , Abodoleh Ghaida , Ghazzawi Hadeel , Trabelsi Khaled , Bragazzi Nicola L , Mehta Bhavbhuti M , Faye Bernard , Jahrami Haitham A
Published: October 2023

Camel milk is becoming more popular worldwide, and this review aims to estimate the calorie count of camel milk and establish whether calorie value differs in camel milk among different species, countries, seasons and years of publication. The DerSimonian–Laird estimator was utilised to create fix and random‐effects meta‐analysis. This systematic review and meta‐analysis included 7236 camel milk samples, which were extracted from 75 studies. The random effects of camel milk calorie are 61 Kcal/100 mL, and our findings revealed that camel milk calorie values are varied by species, country and season; this variation is mainly related to discrepancies in energy‐containing macronutrients.
Issue framing, political identities, and public support for multilateral vaccine cooperation during Covid‐19
Authors: AVDAGIC SABINA , SEDELMEIER ULRICH
Published: October 2023

Research shows that information cues influence public opinion on international cooperation, yet it is unclear whether all cues are equally effective in the context of a global crisis. This paper sheds light on this issue by analysing how frames in public discourse influence support for multilateral vaccine cooperation during Covid‐19. Building on research on in‐group favouritism, decision‐making under uncertainty, and public support for multilateralism, the paper argues that frames emphasizing vaccine nationalism are more potent than those emphasizing international cooperation and that nationalist political identities moderate these framing effects. An original survey experiment in the United Kingdom confirms this argument and shows that public support for multilateralism is substantial but vulnerable. A vaccine nationalism frame reduces support for multilateralism, while an international cooperation frame has no effect. Moreover, ‘Brexit identities’ moderate this framing effect, with ‘Leavers’ being more susceptible to the detrimental effect of the vaccine nationalism frame than ‘Remainers’.
Reflecting on the boundaries of the demos: A virtual deliberative experiment with German citizens
Authors: MAIER FRANZISKA , BÄCHTIGER ANDRÉ
Published: October 2023

This article combines the fields of deliberative theory and citizenship studies. Drawing from a deliberative experiment on foreigner political rights with almost 300 German citizens, we find that a short virtual deliberative treatment produced a clarification effect, whereby especially those with already negative views increased their scepticism. Participants in our deliberative treatment displayed higher levels of argument repertoire and integrative complexity, underlining that the treatment led to well‐considered opinions. A qualitative analysis of participants’ substantive rationales unravels traces of what De Schutter and Ypi dub ‘mandatory citizenship’, implying that political rights must be attached to obligations. These results have wide ranging implications: They indicate that the practice of deliberation is not quasi‐automatically programmed to progressive outcomes (as some have argued) but can have a communitarian dimension (where preferences are determined on the basis of existing communal values and self‐understandings); this suggests that participatory practices may not always advance progressive reforms.
Distinct age‐related differences among victims in cases of suspected child abuse
Authors: Eg Marlene Beyer , Græsholt‐Knudsen Troels , Madsen Kathrine Bang , Obel Carsten , Charles Annie Vesterby , Ingemann‐Hansen Ole
Published: October 2023

Evidence describing age‐related differences among children with suspected physical and sexual child abuse is lacking. We describe findings in severe cases of suspected abuse. Cases with 756 children <15 years old were included during 2001–2013 at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Aarhus University, using forensic evaluation documents, medical records, and court proceedings. Eight percent of children <4 years old died from child abuse, 36% through violence resulting in death, and 64% by manslaughter, whereas 1% > 4 years old died, solely by manslaughter. External injuries were mainly located to head and torso in children <4 years old, changing to the upper and lower extremities in older children. Child sexual abuse was suspected in 52% of cases with living children <4 years old, 83% of children 4–7 years of age, 88% of children 8–11 years of age, and 93% of children >12 years old. Anogenital findings were mainly caused by other medical conditions in children <4 years old, hymenal clefts in the superior half of the hymenal rim were almost exclusively found in children between 8 and 11 years of age, whereas both superficial and complete hymenal clefts in the inferior half of the hymenal rim were found in children >12 years old. The present study describes age‐related differences in victims of suspected child abuse. Fatal versus nonfatal child physical abuse and the significance of hymenal findings in child sexual abuse could be studied further.
Evaluation of the Empower model of care for partial denture clients in a public oral health care setting
Authors: Ingram K , Shankumar R , Marwaha P , Mariño R
Published: October 2023

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Empower model of care (EMC) on reducing the addition of teeth to removable partial dentures (RPD).

Methods

Data reports were generated through the Titanium electronic database to retrieve all clients at Monash Dental Services (MHDS) who participated in the EMC or received an RPD prior to the implementation of EMC was assessed over a two‐year period to determine if they had additional teeth added to their partial dentures (PD). A logistic regression was performed testing whether a combination of socio‐demographic and clinical variables, provided a multivariate explanation of the EMC outcome.

Results

Prior to EMC, 2034 patients attended MHDS requiring RPDs with 363 returning to have teeth added. From 2018 to 2020, 38 of 584 participants in EMC returned to have teeth added to their PDs. Those in the ‘High’ risk group were two times more likely to return requiring additional teeth (OR = 1.99; 95%CI:1.31–3.02); each additional year of age increased the odds of requiring additional teeth (OR = 1.03; 95%CI:1.02–1.04). Participants of the EMC were more than two times less likely to require additional teeth (OR = 0.42; 95%CI:0.29–0.59). The variance in requiring additional teeth accounted for using the full model was 9.1% (η2 = 0.091).

Conclusions

This analysis confirms the effectiveness of the EMC. This approach assists denture wearers to maintain good oral health and provides an effective way of managing public health funds by reducing denture repairs and additions. © 2023 Australian Dental Association.
Endodontic management of an aberrant germinated composite odontome: A case report
Authors: Arora Ankit , Desai Kavina , Kapoor Sonali , Gajera Seema
Published: October 2023

To describe the endodontic treatment of a germinated composite odontome with atypical internal anatomy. A 35‐year‐old male presented with pain in the left mandibular second molar region. Intraoral examination and Cone‐Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) revealed a rare case of a germinated composite odontome with a 3‐2‐1 Vertucci configuration in the mesial root. Occlusal morphology and mesial root configuration required modifications in methods of isolation and access cavity preparation. Contemporary tools like magnification, ultrasonics and controlled memory rotary files were essential for executing the treatment plan. The tooth was functional at 18 months follow up and radiographs revealed no abnormality.
Dementia care for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds: Qualitative secondary analysis of the Aged Care Australian Royal Commission data
Authors: Chejor Pelden , Cain Patricia , Laging Bridget , Porock Davina
Published: October 2023

Objective

Understanding the concerns and experiences of people living with dementia from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds is critical to ensure culturally appropriate care is delivered. This study aimed to describe the current experiences and concerns of older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds using the publicly available evidence from the Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

Methods

This was a qualitative secondary analysis of the Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety data to explore new and nuanced insights about care for culturally and linguistically diverse people living with dementia. Using the keywords to search the data corpus, we extracted a topic‐specific data set focused on dementia care and cultural diversity. Thematic analysis was used to identify and describe the present practices and challenges.

Results

Our findings showed that the need for cultural connection for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds increases as dementia progresses. Access to culture‐specific food and music facilitated connection with their culture of origin. Many older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds with dementia reverted to their language of origin; however, the inability to communicate due to a lack of language support impacted their health and well‐being, and care provision.

Conclusions

Further work is needed to provide the necessary cultural experiences and language support to ensure comfort and equity in the provision of dementia care for Australians from migrant backgrounds.