bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Opportunity in uncertainty: small business response to COVID-19
Authors: Chapman Cook Megan , Karau Steven J.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The global spread of coronavirus brought the economy to a screeching halt as entrepreneurs faced constraints in their ability to transact business. Mandatory shutdowns of businesses, travel restrictions and other measures were taken. This study aimed to explore adaptations of small businesses for surviving in such a turbulent environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted exploratory research with detailed interviews with 15 small business owners from various industries in rural communities in the Midwestern United States.

Findings

The study revealed a variety of strategic responses and highlighted creativity and flexibility in coping with uncertainty. Business owners adapted their strategies regarding processes, products and target customers to remain flexible and reallocate resources to meet ever-changing demands. Some created and strengthened relationships with other business owners, clients, customers and the community. Several showed optimism for the long-term, whereas others viewed survival as contingent on a speedy return to normalcy.

Research limitations/implications

A modest sample of fifteen small business owners were interviewed in similar communities in the Midwest using snowball sampling. With a larger sample size and more variance in age and gender, interview responses may be more diverse and potentially more generalizable. However, the current research may provide some unique insights for younger, up-and-coming entrepreneurs in smaller cities and communities regarding some effective small business and community response to uncertainty and change.

Originality/value

The coronavirus pandemic provided a unique environment to gain insight into entrepreneurial adaptation to unpredictable crisis situations and highlights the importance of assessing and adjusting business strategies to constantly changing demands. The authors also present an emergent theoretical process model of small business adaptive responses to uncertainty that summarizes the major themes derived from the interview responses.
Towards a vernacular aesthetics of liking for information studies
Authors: Klimaszewski Cheryl
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Personal museums provide the conceptual catalyst for liking as a research approach and inclusivity around “idiosyncratic” knowledges within information research. An adapted research paper format echoes the approach of personal museums: as a commentary on the limits of institutional shaping for the field.

Design/methodology/approach

Personal museums are conceptualized as spaces of knowing in-formation, ontological openings that are literally and figuratively entered into, that make a difference to human and material ways of knowing. Karen Barad's agential realism and Sianne Ngai's vernacular aesthetic categories provide the theoretical lenses through which the researcher's 2018 visit to one personal museum is revisited.

Findings

An ethnographic account of the author's visit to the Communist Consumer Museum (CCM) in Timişoara, Romania shows how its improvisational, friendly and intimate atmosphere exposes it as a space of entanglements in a quantum sense, emphasizing the inseparability of human and material realms and how knowledges are always in-formation. Such entanglements create atmospheres generative of different ways of thinking about information and knowledge.

Originality/value

Human expressions of liking reveal material agencies as ways of knowing and information beyond the realm of human experience and meaning. A vernacular aesthetics of liking is presented as a way to resist the marginalizing tendencies of knowledges classified as unconventional, idiosyncratic or eccentric. This approach is one way of resisting the assumptions of channel thinking that often shape how information is studied.
Prosocial voice in the hierarchy of healthcare professionals: the role of emotions after harmful patient safety incidents
Authors: Richmond John G. , Burgess Nicola
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Supporting and nurturing effective communication between healthcare professionals is vital to protect patients from harm. However, not all forms of employee voice are effective. Fear can lead to defensive voice, while the role of other emotions to drive voice behaviour is less well understood. This paper aims to understand what role the broader range of emotions, including compassion and shame, experienced by healthcare professionals following patient safety incidents (PSI) play in the subsequent enactment of prosocial voice, a positive and other-oriented form of communication.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on data from a single English NHS hospital: interviews with healthcare professionals involved in PSIs (N = 40), observations at quality and risk committees and meetings (N = 26 h) and review of investigative documents (N = 33). Three recent PSIs were selected for cross-case analysis based upon organisational theory related to professional hierarchy, employee voice and literature on emotions.

Findings

Among three cases, the authors found variance in context, emotional experience and voice behaviour. Where professionals feared blame and repercussion, voice was defensive. Meanwhile where they experienced shame and compassion, prosocial voice was enacted to protect patients.

Practical implications

Healthcare organisations seeking to foster prosocial voice should: (1) be more considerate of professionals' emotional experiences post-PSI and ensure adequate support for recovery (2) establish norms for professionals to share their struggles with others (3) reward professionals who demonstrate caring behaviour (4) buffer professionals from workplace pressures.

Originality/value

The authors’ study highlights how emotional experiences, such as shame and compassion, can mediate blame and defensiveness and lead to the enactment of prosocial voice in the professional hierarchy.
Defining attributes of boutique hotels: a systematic literature review
Authors: Buhagiar Kristina , Pace Lisa A. , Dingli Sandra M.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Boutique hotels reflect a nascent phenomenon in the literature and in the accommodation sector. As a result, they are void of governmental classification and regulation. Concurrently, they lack any form of operational definition. The purpose of this paper is to address these limitations by identifying the core attributes found to define boutique hotels.

Design/methodology/approach

To fulfil the purpose of this paper, the authors conducted a systematic literature review on Web of Science. This resulted in an analysis of 33 peer-review articles published from 1994 to 2022.

Findings

The findings of this review revealed that boutique hotels are defined by eight core attributes; these are (1) multiple ownership structures, (2) situatedness in a historic premises, (3) strategic locations, (4) thematized internal décor, (5) experience design, (6) high levels of personalization, (7) novelty in service provisions and (8) niche marketing strategies.

Practical implications

For policymakers, this paper may be used as a reference point to establish designated classification systems for boutique hotels. For practitioners, this paper may be used as a source of inspiration and benchmark to establish boutique hotels which align to the criteria highlighted in this paper. For scholars, this paper proposes an operational description of boutique hotels and novel areas for future research.

Originality/value

This paper represents one of the initial efforts undertaken by researchers to unify the literature on boutique hotels.
How does ethical leadership enhance employee work engagement? The roles of trust in leader and harmonious work passion
Authors: Islam Talat , Khatoon Areela , Cheema Amna Umer , Ashraf Yasir
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Employee work engagement has become a major concern for managers as hardly 21% of employees are engaged in their work. Therefore, this study aims to unveil the association between ethical leadership and employee engagement. Specifically, the study explores the mediating role of trust in leader between ethical leadership and employee work engagement and moderating role of harmonious work passion in the association between trust in leader and employee work engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected data from 491 employees and their immediate supervisors working in various organizations (in Pakistan) through “Google Forms”. The data were analyzed through analysis of moment structure (AMOS) and structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine measurement model (for unidimensionality) and structural model (for hypotheses testing).

Findings

The study noted that ethical leaders positively influence their subordinates to engage in their work. In addition, employees' trust in leader was noted to mediate the association between ethical leadership and employee work engagement. Finally, employees high in harmonious work passion are more likely to engage in their work when perceived their leaders ethical style.

Practical implications

The study suggests to management that fair dealing and involvement in decision-making (ethical leadership) improve employee work engagement as such practices build employees' level of trust in their leaders. In addition, management is suggested to give freedom to employees while selecting their tasks as it positively contributes to their harmonious work passion which ultimately benefits the organization.

Originality/value

Drawing upon social exchange and self-determination theory, this study is the first of its kind that explored the moderating role of harmonious work passion and mediating role of trust in leader between ethical leadership and employee work engagement.
Inside-out: cultural insiders as informants in outsider qualitative fieldwork
Authors: Cowley Lorraine Marie , Kelliher Felicity
Published: March 2023

Purpose

To document our experiences as female non-native researchers carrying out qualitative research in another country (Bahrain), and to reflect on our interactions with cultural insiders (CIs) as informants in this qualitative study. CIs share cultural commonalities such as language, social background and culture and are considered accepted members of the local community.

Design/methodology/approach

Two Bahraini academics were recruited as CIs for a qualitative research study and informant data was collected through face-to-face unstructured interviews over a period of 16 months. Data analysis involved manual and NVivo analytical processes.

Findings

Research findings derived three main themes: perceptions relating to the research participant interview template, views on collaboration in Bahrain, and research practicalities. CI engagement offered an opportunity to get fresh perspectives and insights that ultimately informed and improved the standard of research practice.

Research limitations/implications

As knowledge is subjective, multidimensional and partial, the inclusion of CIs offers a greater opportunity to capture true meaning within the data. Through close proximity to the research context, CIs can share pivotal social insights on the design of interview instruments and process, and on member checking and findings. However, CIs come with their own experiences and views of their community, a recognised limitation in this study.

Practical implications

A CI research protocol, designed to set boundaries and document the steps involved in CI engagement offers a process that may be replicated or adapted in future research and ensures parameters are observed for all parties and affords the security of insider counsel where and when needed.

Originality/value

The methodological approach of incorporating CIs as informants from the Middle East, is novel in management research.
‘ARE WE JUST KILLING PEOPLE?’: Centering Racial Capitalism in the Green Gentrification of the Atlanta BeltLine
Authors: Martínez Jessica (Jess)
Published: March 2023

In this article I argue that any analyses of the manifestations of urban natures within urban political ecology must center racial capitalism as a theoretical framework and account for how these manifestations, which rely upon the co‐constitutive workings of race and nature, reproduce anti‐Blackness and unequal productions of space. I engage urban frontier imaginative geographies as a lens through which to view the ongoing regimes of dispossession within the historical context of the founding of what is today known as Atlanta and the contemporary greening project of the Atlanta BeltLine. Race and nature intersect to function as instruments of power and converge in the spaces of the Atlanta BeltLine to (re)produce an urban green frontier.
Advances in surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy technology for detection of foodborne pathogens
Authors: Zhu Afang , Ali Shujat , Jiao Tianhui , Wang Zhen , Ouyang Qin , Chen Quansheng
Published: March 2023

Rapid control and prevention of diseases caused by foodborne pathogens is one of the existing food safety regulatory issues faced by various countries and has received wide attention from all sectors of society. The development of rapid and reliable detection methods for foodborne pathogens remains a hot research area for food safety and public health because of the limitations of complex steps, time‐consuming, low sensitivity, or poor selectivity of commonly used methods. Surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), as a novel spectroscopic technique, has the advantages of high sensitivity, selectivity, rapid and nondestructive detection and has exhibited broad application prospects in the determination of pathogenic bacteria. In this study, the enhancement mechanisms of SERS are briefly introduced, then the characteristics and properties of liquid‐phase, rigid solid‐phase, and flexible solid‐phase are categorized. Furthermore, a comprehensive review of the advances in label‐free or label‐based SERS strategies and SERS‐compatible techniques for the detection of foodborne pathogens is provided, and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods are reviewed. Finally, the current challenges of SERS technology applied in practical applications are listed, and the possible development trends of SERS in the field of foodborne pathogens detection in the future are discussed.
Clinical study on the correlation between monocyte‐related ratios and calcification of the abdominal aorta in peritoneal dialysis patients
Authors: Sun Jiani , Lu Yuan , Shen Lei , Xu Deyu , Sha Wengang , Zhou Ling , Li Jianzhong
Published: March 2023

Introduction

We aimed to investigate the relationship between monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and monocyte/high‐density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) with abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Methods

The time‐averaged (TA) of relevant indexes and AAC scores (AACs) of 160 eligible patients were measured.

Results

Patients divided into the new AAC (n = 57) and the other without (n = 82). High TA‐MLR (OR = 110.537, p = 0.018) and long duration of dialysis (OR = 1.045, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors of the new AAC. Patients divided into the no AAC (n = 82), the moderate‐to‐severe AAC (n = 26), and the mild AAC (n = 52). High TA‐MLR (OR = 42.649, p = 0.032), high age at starting PD (OR = 1.055, p < 0.001), and long duration of PD (OR = 1.036, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors of AAC severity.

Conclusions

MLR is an independent risk factor for the occurrence and severity of AAC and its value for the assessment of AAC is better than MHR.
The Struggle to Sustain Agriculture in EU Southern Neighbourhood Partners: Improving Data and Policies
Authors: Mili Samir , Arovuori Kyösti
Published: March 2023

The agricultural sector in the EU Southern Neighbourhood Partners (SNP) is struggling to respond to sustainability challenges. It needs stronger policies to deliver balanced sustainability outcomes in economic, social and environmental terms. Based on recent information and a structured assessment of the impacts of prevailing public policies on the sustainability of agriculture in Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Turkey, carried out within the Sustainmed project (https://sustainmed.iamm.fr), we conclude that several factors contribute to the struggles in strengthening sustainability functions of agriculture in these countries. In the main, there is a lack of policy coherence toward sustainability uncovered by the dual, unbalanced consideration given to different sustainability factors in the study countries: pure economic factors largely prevail over factors related to resource conservation and social and cultural values, these latter factors being a precondition for long‐term economic growth. Consequently, there is a genuine need for a more consistent vision of sustainability issues in future policy agendas, including better data systems and specific policies to incentivise sustainable agriculture in the SNP; as the challenge over the coming decades in these countries will be to increase agricultural production and productivity while at the same time managing natural resources sustainably. Findings can guide policymakers and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector to identify pathways towards sustaining agriculture in the SNP.
The impact of age on olfactory alcohol cue‐reactivity: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study in adolescent and adult male drinkers
Authors: Cousijn Janna , Mies Gabry , Runia Nora , Derksen Maik , Willuhn Ingo , Lesscher Heidi
Published: March 2023

Background

Adolescence is marked not only by rapid surges in the prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) but also by remarkable recovery rates, as most adolescent‐onset AUDs naturally resolve over time. Little is known about the differential vulnerability of adolescents and adults. Therefore, this study aimed to unravel the moderating role of age by comparing neural alcohol cue‐reactivity, an important AUD biomarker, between low‐to‐high beer‐drinking adolescent (n = 50, 16 to 18 years), and adult (n = 51, 30 to 35 years) males matched on drinking severity.

Methods

Associations between beer odor‐induced brain activity and AUD diagnosis, severity of alcohol use‐related problems, recent alcohol use, binge‐drinking frequency, and task‐induced craving were investigated across and between age groups in regions of interest thought to be central in alcohol cue‐reactivity: the medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and striatal subregions (nucleus accumbens and caudate putamen). These analyses were complemented by exploratory whole‐brain analyses.

Results

Pre‐task beer craving increased pre‐to‐post task in adolescents only. Individual differences in alcohol use, binge drinking, and craving did not relate to beer odor‐induced activity. Although region‐of‐interest analyses did not reach significance, whole‐brain analyses showed that adolescents with AUD, compared with adolescents without AUD and adults with AUD, had higher beer odor‐induced activity in a large mesocorticolimbic cluster encompassing the right caudate, nucleus accumbens, orbitofrontal cortex, and the olfactory sulcus. Activity in the right caudate and putamen was positively associated with the severity of alcohol use‐related problems in adolescents but negatively associated in adults.

Conclusion

These findings suggest a differential role of alcohol cue‐reactivity in adolescents compared with adults with AUD and highlight the need for further studies investigating the role of age in the fundamental processes underlying the development of and recovery from of AUD.
Endogenous price fluctuations: Evidence from the chicken supply chain in Pakistan
Authors: Chaudhry Muhammad Imran , Miranda Mario J.
Published: March 2023

Persistent agricultural price fluctuations in developing countries have revived interest in the theory of endogenous price instability. We examine the underlying cause of price instability in Pakistan's broiler and chick markets. To this end, we utilize findings from our fieldwork and estimates from unobserved component‐models to formulate a theoretical model of endogenous price fluctuations in the chicken supply chain of Pakistan. Under standard assumptions, we derive hypotheses from our theoretical model that can be tested by using vector autoregressions and weekly data on broiler and chick (farm‐gate) prices in Pakistan. Our empirical estimates conform to the predictions of our theoretical model, and evidence of endogenous dynamics in observed prices is robust to alternative specifications and estimation methods. We use numerical simulations to illustrate that empirically grounded parameterizations of our theoretical model can emulate the salient features of broiler and chick price fluctuations in Pakistan. The accumulation of evidence from our descriptive, empirical, and numerical analysis builds a compelling case for the endogenous nature of price instability in Pakistan's chicken supply chain.
Development of a standardized minimum dataset for including low‐severity trauma patients in trauma registry collections in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Christey Grant , Warren Jacelle , Palmer Cameron S. , Burrell Maxine , Vallmuur Kirsten
Published: March 2023

Background

Trauma continues to place a burden on individuals, communities and health care systems around the world. To help reduce this burden and improve care, trauma registries in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand collect standardized data on patients admitted with Injury Severity Scores greater than 12. There is currently no agreed minimum data set for trauma patients with Injury Severity Score less than 13, representing an opportunity to provide more data for quality improvement and injury prevention.

Methods

A binational, expert, advisory group assessed the value of potential fields for a minimum dataset for low severity trauma. Existing trauma registries in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand were assessed to ensure compatibility.

Results

Thirty‐five data fields met criteria for inclusion in the low‐severity minimum dataset. The fields comprised a subset of the Australia New Zealand Major Trauma Registry and were included in existing low‐severity registries.

Conclusion

A minimum data set for low severity has been defined for use in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. In addition to high severity trauma data this will provide a standard for data collection that will contribute to quality improvement and injury prevention.
Highstand sublacustrine fans: The role of a sudden increase in sediment supply
Authors: Yang Tian , Cao Yingchang , Liu Haining
Published: March 2023

Contrary to widely used traditional sequence‐stratigraphic models, highstand sublacustrine fans developed in the deep‐water environment in the middle of the third member of the Eocene Shahejie Formation (Es3z, 42–40.5 Ma), Dongying Sag. Using four cores and 3D seismic data, we describe the sequence stratigraphy frameworks, sediment characteristics, depositional elements, and depositional model of the Liangjialou highstand sublacustrine fan. The Es3z is a complete third‐order sequence stratigraphic, bounded by T4 at the top and T6 at the base. Between T4 and T6, there is the maximum flooding surface (MFS) distributed from proximal to distal of the system in the third‐order stratigraphic sequence. Therefore, the Liangjialou Fan at the top of the Es3z, between MFS and T4, is a typical highstand sublacustrine fan as determined from seismic data. This highstand sublacustrine fan is characterised by gravel to fine‐grained sand, abundant amalgamation surfaces, and crude stratifications common in coarse‐grained structureless‐ to normal‐ graded sandstones. Climbing ripples and thin laminae rich in plant debris are common in inverse‐then normal‐graded sandstones. Channel‐levee, channel‐lobe transition zone, and lobes developed in this highstand sublacustrine fan, with clear internal progradation stacking patterns caused by hyperpycnal flow. The sudden increase in sediment supply in an accommodation decrease situation and the narrow shelf width are the primary controlling factors for forming highstand sublacustrine fans. In the late stage of the highstand systems tract, gravity‐flow deposits caused by hyperpycnal flow are developed from another new point source to form this highstand sublacustrine fan. Hyperpycnal flow in lacustrine basins can transport coarse‐grained sediments with the help of strong flood energy and steep slopes. Gravity flow deposits in lacustrine basins are not confined by sequence stratigraphy frameworks, and many additional areas of sand caused by hyperpycnal flow could be found in lacustrine basins.
Operationalising children's participation: Competing understandings of the policy to practice ‘gap’
Authors: Michail Samia , Baird Kelly , Fattore Tobia , Grace Rebekah
Published: March 2023

There is widespread discourse and policy on children's participation in decision‐making. This is not matched with an equal level of implementation in practice. This qualitative research explores the policy to practice gap with senior decision makers in the child protection system in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Their reflections on the challenges associated with translating the participation principles into practice are deconstructed to understand the complex and overlapping ways in which participation is perceived. The research data indicate there are competing understandings of participation at play, depending on the actor, their role and organisation. This paper suggests that genuine participation in practice relies on bridging the epistemic differences and interests of different stakeholder groups who are all critical to achieving children's participation in service decision‐making.
Proangiogenic role of circRNA‐007371 in liver fibrosis
Authors: Zhao Chong , Qian Shuaijie , Tai Yang , Guo Yangkun , Tang Chengwei , Huang Zhiyin , Gao Jinhang
Published: March 2023

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are crucially involved in cancers as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) or microRNA (miRNA) sponges. However, the function and mechanism of circRNAs in liver fibrosis remain unknown and are the focus of this study. Murine fibrotic models were induced by thioacetamide (TAA) or carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Increased angiogenesis is accompanied by liver fibrosis in TAA‐ and CCl4‐induced murine fibrotic livers. circRNA microarray and argonaute 2 (AGO2)‐RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) sequencing (AGO2‐RIP sequencing) were performed in murine livers to screen for functional circRNAs. Compared to control livers, 86 differentially expressed circRNAs were obtained in TAA‐induced murine fibrotic livers using circRNA microarray. In addition, 551 circRNAs were explored by AGO2‐RIP sequencing of murine fibrotic livers. The circRNA‐007371 was then selected and verified for back‐spliced junction, resistance to RNase R, and loop formation. In vitro, murine hemangioendothelioma endothelial (EOMA) cells were transfected with circRNA‐007371 overexpressing plasmid or empty plasmid. circRNA‐007371 overexpression promoted tube formation, migration, and cell proliferation of EOMA cells. RNA sequencing and miRNA sequencing were then performed to explore the mechanism of the proangiogenic effects of circRNA‐007371. circRNA‐007371 promotes liver fibrosis via miRNA sponges or ceRNA mechanisms. Stag1, the parent gene of circRNA‐007371, may play a significant role in proangiogenic progression. In conclusion, circRNA‐007371 enhances angiogenesis via a miRNA sponge mechanism in liver fibrosis. The antiangiogenic effect of circRNA‐007371 inhibition may provide a new strategy for treating patients with liver cirrhosis.
Allometric body shape indices, type 2 diabetes and kidney function: A two‐sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Kjaergaard Alisa D. , Krakauer Jesse , Krakauer Nir , Teumer Alexander , Winkler Thomas W. , Ellervik Christina
Published: March 2023

Aim

To examine the association between body mass index (BMI)‐independent allometric body shape indices and kidney function.

Materials and methods

We performed a two‐sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, using summary statistics from UK Biobank, CKDGen and DIAGRAM. BMI‐independent allometric body shape indices were: A Body Shape Index (ABSI), Waist‐Hip Index (WHI) and Hip Index (HI). Kidney function outcomes were: urinary albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio (UACR), estimated glomerular filtration rate and blood urea nitrogen. Furthermore, we investigated type 2 diabetes (T2D) as a potential mediator on the pathway to albuminuria. The main analysis was inverse variance‐weighted random‐effects MR in participants of European ancestry. We also performed several sensitivity MR analyses.

Results

A 1‐standard deviation (SD) increase in genetically predicted ABSI and WHI levels was associated with higher UACR (β = 0.039 [95% confidence interval: 0.016, 0.063] log [UACR], P = 0.001 for ABSI, and β = 0.028 [0.012, 0.044] log [UACR], P = 6 x 10−4 for WHI) in women, but not in men. Meanwhile, a 1‐SD increase in genetically predicted HI was associated with lower UACR in women (β = −0.021 [−0.041, 0.000] log [UACR], P = 0.05) and in men (β = −0.026 [−0.058, 0.005] log [UACR], P = 0.10). Corresponding estimates in individuals with diabetes were substantially augmented. Risk of T2D increased for genetically high ABSI and WHI in women (P < 6 x 10−19) only, but decreased for genetically high HI in both sexes (P < 9 x 10−3). No other associations were observed.

Conclusions

Genetically high HI was associated with decreased risk of albuminuria, mediated through decreased T2D risk in both sexes. Opposite associations applied to genetically high ABSI and WHI in women only.
An observational study on monoclonal antibodies against calcitonin‐gene‐related peptide and its receptor
Authors: Schiano di Cola Francesca , Bolchini Marco , Ceccardi Giulia , Caratozzolo Salvatore , Liberini Paolo , Rao Renata , Padovani Alessandro
Published: March 2023

Background and purpose

Based on their pharmacological target, two classes of calcitonin‐gene‐related peptide (CGRP) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been identified: antibodies against the CGRP ligand—galcanezumab, fremanezumab, eptinezumab—and antibodies against the CGRP receptor (CGRP‐R), erenumab. The aim of the present study was to compare anti‐CGRP versus anti‐CGRP‐R mAbs in patients with high frequency episodic and chronic migraine.

Methods

All patients on monthly treatment with anti‐CGRP mAbs with an available 6 months’ follow‐up at January 2022 were included. Data on efficacy outcome were collected following one (T1), three (T3) and six (T6) months of treatment, and included monthly headache/migraine days, the Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS) and Headache Impact Test 6 (HIT‐6) scores, pain intensity, analgesics consumption and response rates (>50% headache days reduction compared to baseline).

Results

In all, 152 patients were enrolled, of whom 68 were in treatment with anti‐CGRP mAbs (49 galcanezumab, 19 fremanezumab) and 84 with the anti‐CGRP‐R (erenumab). MIDAS scores were significantly lower in the anti‐CGRP group at T1 and T3 (respectively p < 0.02 and p < 0.03) as well as the number of mean migraine days at T3 (p < 0.01). At T3 and T6 outcome measures were comparable, although a significantly higher percentage of super‐responders was found in the anti‐CGRP group (respectively p < 0.04 and p < 0.05), with a similar overall percentage of responders.

Conclusions

The present study on a real‐world sample confirms the beneficial effect of both anti‐CGRP and anti‐CGRP‐R mAbs, with a more favorable outcome for anti‐CGRP antibodies.
Relationship between common telomere length‐related genetic variations, telomere length, and risk of antituberculosis drug‐induced hepatotoxicity in Chinese Han population: As assessed for causality using the updated Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method
Authors: Chen Xinyu , Hao Zhuolu , Pan Hongqiu , Liu Wenpei , Lu Lihuan , Zhang Meiling , He Xiaomin , Yi Honggang , Tang Shaowen
Published: March 2023

Antituberculosis drug‐induced hepatotoxicity (ATDH) is a significant threat to tuberculosis control, and two recent studies indicated that leukocyte telomere length (LTL) might be a potential biomarker for ATDH. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between common telomere length‐related genetic variations, LTL, and risk of ATDH in Eastern Chinese antituberculosis treatment patients. A 1:4 matched case–control study was conducted among 79 ATDH cases assessed for causality using the updated RUCAM and 316 controls. LTL was determined by quantitative real‐time PCR, and nine SNPs involved in telomere biology reported by previous GWAS were assessed. Conditional logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between genotypes and risk of ATDH with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The average RUCAM score of cases was 7.1. The average LTL in cases was significantly shorter than that in controls (median = 1.239 vs. 1.481, P = 0.032). Differences in the distribution of LTL were statistically significant among three genotypes of SNP rs2736098 (CC vs. CT vs. TT, median = 1.544 vs. 1.356 vs. 1.337, P = 0.026) and rs2853677 (AA vs. AG vs. GG, median = 1.511 vs. 1.544 vs. 1.159, P = 0.005) in TERT. SNP rs7675998 in NAF1 was statistically associated with the risk of ATDH under the dominant model (adjusted OR = 1.725, 95% CI: 1.021–2.913, P = 0.042). This is the first study to investigate the relationship of LTL, common telomere length‐related variations, and risk of ATDH. SNP rs2736098 and rs2853677 in TERT were significantly associated with LTL, and SNP rs7675998 in NAF1 may be associated with ATDH in Chinese population.
Gradual stimulation of respondents' reflexivity: A research design for studying unreflexive consumers
Authors: Šimůnková Klára , Šimůnek Michal
Published: March 2023

In interpretive research accounts, reflexivity has been understood primarily in terms of the researcher's reflexivity, while the respondent's reflexivity has been considered only marginally. We regard this gap as critical and therefore introduce a research design for the gradual stimulation of respondents' reflexivity (GSRR), which we propose as a methodological tool for strengthening research validity. First, to frame our argumentation in the contemporary socio‐technological context, we emphasize the need to focus on the respondent's reflexivity in the onto‐epistemological conditions of the hybrid space and posthuman consumer culture, which unprecedentedly eliminate actors' abilities to monitor their actions reflexively. Second, we present and methodologically examine the GSRR as a 3‐phase sequential mixed‐method research design for stimulating respondents' reflexivity. GSRR's logic is as follows: the questionnaire captures what respondents think they are doing; the digital self‐tracking diary captures what they are doing and what they often do not acknowledge (unreflexivity); the interviews use the previous phases' data to elicit respondents' reflexivity. Third, we present examples from our research practice to demonstrate the strengthening of data validity elicited from respondents by stimulating their reflexivity. We conclude by outlining the GSRR's possible future applications and directions.
Kappaphycus alvarezii flours as an ingredient for seaweed‐enriched, rice‐based, snacks: raw algae pretreatment and physical properties of the dough and snacks
Authors: Lopes Julia Serpa , Simão Raquel da Silva , Mendes Gabrielly da Silva , Demarco Mariana , de Moraes Jaqueline Oliveira , Hayashi Leila , Laurindo João Borges , Tribuzi Giustino
Published: March 2023

In this work, the addition of pretreated Kappaphycus alvarezii flour to a rice‐based snack formulation was proposed as an alternative to producing algae‐enriched snacks adding value to this seaweed and improving the quality of the snacks. Dried algae were submitted to multiple washing cycles to allow the reduction of the natural salt concentration of the algae. After, algae were dried and milled to obtain flour. The flour was added in different concentrations (0%, 2%, 5%, and 10%) in the model formulation of rice‐based dough. Rice‐K. alvarezii snacks were produced by baking at 220 °C. The proximate composition of the raw and pretreated algae was determined, as well as the colour, texture, and microstructure of dough and snacks. The pretreatment efficiently allowed for a reduction of 78% of the initial content of sodium and an 85% reduction of potassium. The concentration of 5% and 10% of algae addition presented higher values of hardness and consistency of the dough and lower adhesiveness. At higher concentrations, the seaweed flour acts as a processing aid during the preparation steps of the snacks but does not influence the hardness of the final snacks. The pretreated K. alvarezii flour is an alternative for increasing the quality of rice‐based snacks while preserving the algae's potential health benefits.
Trust in hybrid human‐automated decision‐support
Authors: Kares Felix , König Cornelius J. , Bergs Richard , Protzel Clea , Langer Markus
Published: March 2023

Research has examined trust in humans and trust in automated decision support. Although reflecting a likely realization of decision support in high‐risk tasks such as personnel selection, trust in hybrid human‐automation teams has thus far received limited attention. In two experiments (N1 = 170,N2 = 154) we compare trust, trustworthiness, and trusting behavior for different types of decision‐support (automated, human, hybrid) across two assessment contexts (personnel selection, bonus payments). We additionally examined a possible trust violation by presenting one group of participants a preselection that included predominantly male candidates, thus reflecting possible unfair bias. Whereas fully‐automated decisions were trusted less, results suggest that trust in hybrid decision support was similar to trust in human‐only support. Trust violations were not perceived differently based on the type of support. We discuss theoretical (e.g., trust in hybrid support) and practical implications (e.g., keeping humans in the loop to prevent negative reactions).
Peritoneal closure and the processus vaginalis transection method to prevent inguinal hernia after robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy
Authors: Soma Takahiko , Fukuda Shohei , Matsuyama Yusuke , Ikeda Riko , Inoue Masaharu , Waseda Yuma , Tanaka Hajime , Yoshida Soichiro , Yokoyama Minato , Matsuoka Yoh , Fujiwara Takeo , Kageyama Yukio , Fujii Yasuhisa
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Postoperative inguinal hernia (IH) is one of the most common complications of radical prostatectomy (RP) including robot‐assisted RP (RARP). However, a procedure to prevent IH after RARP has not been established. We investigated the impact of processus vaginalis transection (PVT) and PVT with peritoneal closure on IH after RARP.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed on data from patients who underwent RARP at two tertiary hospitals in Japan, where PVT with subsequent peritoneal closure was introduced after 2014. The incidence of IH for 2 years after RARP was compared among 79 patients without PVT or peritoneal closure, 232 patients with only PVT, and 325 patients with PVT and peritoneal closure. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models that adjusted for hospital, age, history of abdominal operation, body mass index, operation time, and prostate weight were used.

Results

Postoperative IH was observed in seven (8.9%) patients without PVT or peritoneal closure, 34 (15%) patients with only PVT, and nine (2.8%) patients with PVT and peritoneal closure. Compared with patients without PVT or peritoneal closure, the incidence of IH was not different in patients with only PVT (hazard ratio [HR] 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.34, 2.38) and significantly lower in patients with PVT and peritoneal closure (HR 0.22, 95% CI 0.07, 0.70).

Conclusion

PVT with peritoneal closure may reduce the risk of postoperative IH after RARP. Future randomized controlled trials are required to confirm these findings.
Association between low‐carbohydrate diets and continuous glucose monitoring‐derived time in ranges
Authors: Osugi Keiko , Kusunoki Yoshiki , Ohigashi Mana , Kusunoki Kenji , Inoue Chikako , Inoue Maki , Takagi Ayako , Tsunoda Taku , Kadoya Manabu , Konishi Kosuke , Katsuno Tomoyuki , Koyama Hidenori ,   Hyogo Diabetes Hypoglycemia Cognition Complications (HDHCC) study group
Published: March 2023

Aims

Low‐carbohydrate diets have become popular in the general community. The mutual relationship between the percentage of total energy intake from carbohydrates (CHO/E), glycemic control indices, and diabetes complications remains unclear.

Materials and Methods

This cross‐sectional study included 177 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who regularly visited outpatient clinics. In this study, dietary questionnaires were used to assess the intake ratio of the three macronutrients, and the low‐carbohydrate‐diet score was calculated. We investigated the association between the low‐carbohydrate‐diet score, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)‐derived short‐term glycemic control indices, and diabetes complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Results

The results are presented as medians (interquartile ranges) unless otherwise stated. Hemoglobin A1c was 7.1% (6.6–7.7%), CGM‐derived time in range (TIR) was 75.3% (62.8–87.0%), body mass index (BMI) was 24.0 (22.1–26.3) kg/m2, and CHO/E was 49.8% (44.8–55.6%). BMI, triglycerides, and CGM‐derived time above range decreased significantly with increasing low‐carbohydrate‐diet scores. However, no significant association was found between the low‐carbohydrate‐diet score and glycemic control indices, including TIR, mean amplitude of glycemic excursions, and vascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Conclusion

Moderate‐carbohydrate diets positively impact weight control and lipid metabolism but may have a limited effect on short‐term glycemic variability in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Testing assumptions underlying cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus) otolith microstructure analysis using wild‐caught juveniles and opportunistic rearing of eggs and larvae
Authors: Wilson Megan , Sponaugle Su , Grorud‐Colvert Kirsten
Published: March 2023

Otolith microstructure analysis provides critical biological and ecological information about the early life history of fishes. This information is particularly important to interpret and predict population dynamics for socio‐economically important fisheries species; nonetheless, several key assumptions underpin the use of otolith techniques. The authors validated the use of this analysis for cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus; Ayres, 1854), a long‐lived, large‐bodied cottid constituent of nearshore fisheries from Baja California, Mexico, to Alaska, USA. To test three critical assumptions, the authors coupled otolith and morphometric analyses from an opportunistic rearing study of cabezon eggs and larvae with a long‐term time series of juvenile cabezon field collections. The authors confirmed the daily otolith increment deposition in laboratory‐reared larvae, identified the timing of first otolith increment deposition and examined the relationship between otolith growth and somatic growth in field‐collected juveniles, validating the use of otolith microstructure analysis in biological and ecological interpretations of early life‐history traits for this species. The findings of this study also indicated that the absorption of yolk‐sac reserves, and likely the transition to exogenous feeding, plays an important role in regulating otolith increment deposition. Finally, the authors found within‐brood size‐at‐age variation, which may be an advantage for young fish in prey‐limited environments.
Association of early acute‐phase rehabilitation initiation on outcomes among patients aged ≥90 years with acute heart failure
Authors: Ueno Kensuke , Kaneko Hidehiro , Kamiya Kentaro , Okada Akira , Itoh Hidetaka , Konishi Masaaki , Sugimoto Tadafumi , Suzuki Yuta , Matsuoka Satoshi , Fujiu Katsuhito , Michihata Nobuaki , Jo Taisuke , Takeda Norifumi , Morita Hiroyuki , Ako Junya , Node Koichi , Yasunaga Hideo , Komuro Issei
Published: March 2023

Background

Data on the potential benefit of acute‐phase rehabilitation initiation in very old (aged ≥90) patients with acute heart failure (AHF) have been scarce.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed data from the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, which is a nationwide inpatient database. This study included patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF) from January 2010 to March 2018, those aged ≥90 years, who had a length of stay of ≥3 days, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class of ≥II, and had not undergone major procedures under general anesthesia. Propensity score matching and generalized linear models were used to compare in‐hospital mortality, length of stay, 30‐day readmission rate due to HF, all‐cause 30‐day readmission, and improvement in activities of daily living (ADL) between patients with and without an acute‐phase rehabilitation initiation, which is defined as the rehabilitation initiation within 2 days after hospital admission.

Results

Acute‐phase rehabilitation was initiated in 8588 of 41,896 eligible patients. Propensity score matching created 8587 pairs. Patients with acute‐phase rehabilitation initiation have lower in‐hospital mortality (9.0% vs. 11.2%, p < 0.001). Acute‐phase rehabilitation initiation was associated with lower in‐hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.778; 95% confidence interval, 0.704–0.860). Patients with acute‐phase rehabilitation initiation have a shorter median length of stay (17 days vs. 18 days, p < 0.001), lower 30‐day readmission rate due to HF (5.5% vs. 6.4%, p = 0.011) and all‐cause 30‐day readmission (10.2% vs. 11.2%, p = 0.036), and better ADL improvement (49.7% vs. 46.9%, p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed consistent results (sex, body mass index, NYHA class, and Barthel Index).

Conclusions

The acute‐phase rehabilitation initiation was associated with improved short‐term clinical outcomes in patients aged ≥90 years with AHF.
Effects of Cultural Intelligence on Perceived Stress Among the Japanese Overseas Workers
Authors: Tabuse Midori , Otsuka Yasumasa
Published: March 2023

We evaluated the effects of cultural intelligence (CQ) on perceived stress and explored the factors associated with CQ. We constructed a model that included the antecedents that may affect the CQ based on hypotheses derived from a preliminary feasibility study. The main study comprised an Internet survey of Japanese workers who were currently working or had previously worked overseas (n = 296). The Expanded Cultural Intelligence Scale (E‐CQS) was used to assess the CQ and the Perceived Stress Scale was used to assess the cognitive appraisal of stressors. The path analysis results showed that “Self‐efficacy to adjust” in CQ was influenced by all explored antecedents and negatively related to perceived stress. This suggests that facilitating the antecedents of CQ and developing “Self‐efficacy to adjust” may ameliorate perceived stress in overseas Japanese workers.