bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The nexus between institutional quality and the financial sustainability of microfinance institutions
Authors: Tehulu Tilahun Aemiro , Muhammed Shekur Wosen , Melesse Mesfin Teshager
Published: September 2024

Purpose

In recent years, researchers have shown an increased interest in studying the institutional environment–financial institutions’ performance nexus. However, little attention is paid to investigating the role of institutional quality in the financial sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Consequently, this study explores whether investments in strengthening institutional environment enhance MFIs’ financial sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

The study relies on an unbalanced panel dataset of 136/138 MFIs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) spanning from 2004 to 2018, which was obtained from the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) Market database under the World Bank catalog. Data for institutional factors are accessed from the World Bank database for World Governance Indicators (WGI). The study applies the two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) to analyze the data.

Findings

The research uncovers that institutional environment matters in the financial sustainability of MFIs. The study shows that institutional quality is, in the aggregate, positively associated with financial sustainability. Different institutional factors also have distinct impacts on financial sustainability. While contemporaneous relationships are discovered between government effectiveness (GOVE), rule of law (RUL) and sustainability, the relationship between control of corruption (CCOR) and sustainability is an intertemporal one. Unlike the others, CCOR impacts sustainability with a one-year lag and not instantaneously. Nevertheless, the effects of the aforementioned institutional factors on financial sustainability are all positive and consistent with the result for the aggregate measure.

Practical implications

The practical implication of our findings to MFI managers is that strategies should be developed and instituted to manage MFI-specific factors appropriately and counterbalance the negative effect of a weak institutional environment (in SSA) on financial sustainability, as MFIs have no or less control over the institutional quality. For policymakers, our findings underscore the significance of policy documents that assist developing economies in improving their institutional environment, as strong institutions are vital for MFIs in the attainment of financial sustainability, which is crucial for sustainable poverty reduction.

Originality/value

While the extant literature provides valuable insights that different MFI-specific factors drive the financial sustainability of MFIs, the previous studies fail to address the role of institutional quality in the financial sustainability of MFIs. This study examines the nexus between institutional quality and financial sustainability, which has been ignored in the previous literature.
Analyzing the impact of digital innovation ecosystem on the intelligent development in high-end equipment manufacturing industry: a dynamic QCA analysis
Authors: Liu Yujing , Li Meifang
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study explores how the high-end equipment manufacturing industry (HEMI) achieves intelligent development through the digital innovation ecosystem. While this industry urgently needs to achieve intelligent development through innovation breakthroughs, existing research lacks a deep analysis in conjunction with the digital innovation ecosystem. Considering the sophisticated nature of HEMI and the unique characteristics of the digital innovation ecosystem, this paper aims to uncover the innovation potential and synergetic development opportunities that arise from their integration.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses Dynamic Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to explore the evolving relationship between the digital innovation ecosystem and intelligent development in HEMI enterprises. Data from 60 HEMI enterprises were collected from 2015 to 2022, and the study window was divided into two-year intervals for analysis. Compared to traditional QCA methods, this approach overcomes the limitations of cross-sectional analysis, fully accounting for time’s influence on causal relationships for more accurate results.

Findings

The study reveals that the digital innovation ecosystem of HEMI drives intelligent development through the coordinated interactions of its elements within each time window. Configuration paths and key driving factors evolve dynamically, reflecting the complexity of the ecosystem’s role in driving intelligent development. The study suggests that enterprises dynamically adjust their strategies to different stages, enhancing the effectiveness of intelligent transformation.

Originality/value

The paper proposes and validates a digital innovation ecosystem framework for HEMI, systematically exploring its role in driving intelligent development. The study fills a research gap and extends innovation ecosystem theory by identifying core driving factors and their evolutionary trends through Dynamic QCA. It offers a new perspective on the dynamic role of digital innovation ecosystems in intelligent transformation.
You reap what you sow – abusive leadership impact on organizational digital innovation through knowledge workers' competence and productivity
Authors: Sumbal Muhammad Saleem , Sahibzada Umar Farooq , Ahmed Quba , Russo Francesco , Papa Armando
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This research aims to determine how abusive leadership negatively affects knowledge workers' productivity and its potential influence on digital innovation. The present study also explores the mediating role of a knowledge worker’s competence between abusive leadership and knowledge worker productivity.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed a quantitative research approach. Data were gathered through purposive sampling using 255 questionnaires completed by IT industry knowledge workers in Pakistan. The data were analyzed using the SMART-PLS 4.0 software.

Findings

The findings demonstrated a negative correlation between abusive leadership and knowledge worker productivity. Additionally, the relationship was partially mediated by knowledge worker competence. Furthermore, the study asserts that knowledge worker productivity has a substantial positive impact on digital innovation.

Originality/value

This study contributes substantially to the existing body of evidence on the productivity of knowledge workers and digital innovation by examining the interlocking effects of abusive leadership. It also implies the interpersonal mechanism of employee competence that connects abusive leadership with the productivity of knowledge workers and digital innovation. Thus, this study is one of the first inquiries to analyze this paradigm.
Innovative work behavior of intrapreneurs: a matter of belonging and support?
Authors: Berisha Gentrit , Govori Drin , Lajçi Rrezon , Sonta Monika , Röhm Thomas
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The manager is to innovation what innovation is to organizations. Driven by this axiom, researchers and practitioners have turned their attention to the drivers of innovative work behavior of managers. In this study, we investigate whether organizational-based job attitudes (workplace belongingness and management support) are related to the innovative work behavior of managers directly or through the underlying mechanism of intrapreneurial intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered from 201 managers working in various industries in Kosovo. Using structural equation modeling, we tested how management support (MS) and workplace belongingness (WB) are related to innovative work behavior (IWB) as a direct relationship and mediated by intrapreneurial intentions (INI).

Findings

The study's findings reveal that the relationship between workplace belongingness and innovative work behavior is positive and significant. The relationship between management support and innovative work behavior is insignificant, but intrapreneurial intention fully mediates this relationship. The strongest relationship attested is between intrapreneurial intention and innovative work behavior, supporting the attitude-intention-behavior nexus.

Research limitations/implications

Our study is limited to a single-country, cross-sectional study, which hinders generalization and is susceptible to reverse causation.

Originality/value

Our study sheds light on the attitude-intention-behavior chain and provides insights for fostering innovative work behavior among managers. This is the first study to test the influence of management support and workplace belongingness as attitudes on innovative work behavior of managers from the lens of place attachment theory and perceived organizational support theory.
The effect of demographic shift on property values in Japan
Authors: Peng Ti-Ching
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Demographic transition, although gradual, has a profound impact on various socio-economic aspects of society, including the real estate market. Many countries, particularly Japan, are currently experiencing rapid population aging. While the rising participation of seniors in the labour market has helped to alleviate this demographic burden in Western societies, the question is whether, in Japan, the purpose of this paper is to examine if the return of elderly individuals to the workforce could mitigate the demographic pressures on the housing sector. Besides the conventional panel model, this study used the quantile panel method to evaluate whether the effect of this demographic shift remains consistent across property value ranges.

Design/methodology/approach

This study considered a panel data set of 47 prefectures from 2006 to 2016 in Japan, focusing on weighted dependency ratios that account for the labour force participation rates of three elder age cohorts. This approach captures the shifting dynamics of the workforce, particularly as more Japanese retirees have re-entered the labour market in recent years. By applying the quantile panel model (Koenker, 2004), this paper explores whether the reduced demographic burden exerts varying impacts across different quantiles of property prices.

Findings

The conventional and two weighted dependency ratios revealed their non-linear influence on different quantiles of property values in quantile panel models. The return of elderly labourers indeed mitigated the demographic burden given the weighted dependency ratios’ weaker negative influence on the property prices at Q90, compared to the conventional dependency ratio. However, compared to the conventional dependency ratio, the stronger positive effects of weighted dependency ratios on the prices at Q10 imply that the demographic debt associated with the working involvement of these inferior elders may pressure people, especially elders, to favour and buy cheap residences.

Originality/value

The return of retirees to the workforce should be a good sign, given the shrinking labour force in Japan. As one of the few studies considering this demographic shift in measuring dependency ratios, this paper further evaluates its effect on different quantiles of property values in Japan. Unlike their Western counterparts, many seniors in Japan work out of financial necessity. It is found in this study that the demographic debt associated with the working involvement of inferior seniors may pressure people to favour cheap residences. These findings should give policymakers a better understanding of the housing market in this aging era.
Systematic literature review and retrospective bibliometric analysis on ESG research
Authors: Mukhtar Bilal , Shad Muhammad Kashif , Ali Kashif , Woon Lai Fong , Waqas Ahmad
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to holistically present a systematic literature review (SLR) triangulated with bibliometric analysis on environmental, social and governance (ESG) research to synthesize and comprehensively review its evolving journey and emerging research streams.

Design/methodology/approach

Using R-studio software, this study carried out a retrospective quantitative bibliometric analysis through performance analysis, science mapping and network analysis, covering 261 documents published on ESG research between 2007 and 2022 in Scopus and Web of Science databases.

Findings

Performance analysis depicts the trends in publications, impactful journals and influential publications, authors and countries, while science mapping incorporates co-words and thematic analysis. Likewise, co-occurrence analysis provided four different clusters, representing ESG research linkage to other management fields along with key insights from co-citation network analysis. Additionally, the theory–context–characteristics–methods (TCCM) framework has provided valuable results in terms of widely and emerging used theories, contexts, characteristics and methodologies in ESG research.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study’s comprehensive bibliometric analysis combined with SLR uncovered a robust roadmap for further investigation in ESG research by identifying the inherent structure and evolution of research themes. This review has not only identified the prevalent gaps in determining priorities for future research but also provides insights which not previously been captured and evaluated on this topic.

Originality/value

To the best of the author's knowledge, no study presents the TCCM framework in the context of bibliometric analysis of ESG research. Besides, a conceptual framework is developed that illustrates antecedents, mediators, moderators and outcomes of research on ESG practices and provides the concluded key takeaways and recommendations for potential authors intending to publish their research papers on ESG practices.
Religiosity and positive emotions as predictors of work engagement among academics in Algeria
Authors: Elkheloufi Abderrahmane , Benlahcene Abderrahmane , Al Ansi Abdullah M. , Queiri Abdelbaset , Yean Tan Fee
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Integration of religiosity and positive emotions at workplace sheds light on the intersection of faith and professional well-being where these two factors lead to increased job satisfaction, higher productivity and improved overall mental health. The study examines the relationship between religiosity, positive emotions and work engagement among academics in Algeria.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and the job demands-resources (JD-R) model of work engagement. The study uses a cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire with stratified random sampling to collect data from 356 academics at public universities in Algeria. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with Smart PLS 3.

Findings

The results indicate that religiosity is positively associated with work engagement, and positive emotions mediate the relationship between religiosity and work engagement. The study also illustrates that job demands (workload) moderate the relationship between positive emotions and work engagement.

Originality/value

The study highlighted that role of religiosity and positive emotions as essential factors in increasing academics' work engagement and contributes to the COR theory and JD-R model of work engagement.
The causal factors of transformational leadership and sufficiency economy philosophy practice influencing the performance of coast tourism business in Thailand
Authors: Suttipun Muttanachai
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Transactional leadership and old-school management practices may not answer the changes in today’s world. Therefore, the study aimed to examine the influences of transformational leadership and the practice of sufficiency economy philosophy (SEP) on the performance of the coast tourism business in Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach

The population of this study comprised all Thai coast tourism businesses. Using simple random sampling, the quantitative data were collected from 407 coast tourism businesses in Thailand as the samples. Transformational leadership, SEP practice and business performance were adapted from the literature. Path analysis and factor confirmation including a correlation matrix were used to test the causal factors influencing the Thai coast tourism business’s performance.

Findings

Transformational leadership, SEP practice and performance of coast tourism business in Thailand were on a high level. Moreover, there were positive influences of transformational leadership (direct and indirect) and SEP practice on the coast tourism business’s performance.

Practical implications

Tourism business managers should pay attention to transformational leadership and SEP practice to lead to better performance for their businesses. Policymakers should educate businesses about new management practices to prepare for the changes in the future.

Originality/value

The findings of this study demonstrate that stakeholder theory can be used to explain the positive influences of transformational leadership and SEP practice on the coast tourism business’s performance in Thailand.
Disentangling the factors defining Bacillus subtilis group species abundance in natural soils
Authors: Xu Xinming , Pioppi Adele , Kiesewalter Heiko T. , Strube Mikael Lenz , Kovács Ákos T.
Published: September 2024

Bacillus subtilis is ubiquitously and broadly distributed in various environments but is mostly isolated from soil. Given that B. subtilis is known as a plant growth‐promoting rhizobacterium in agriculture, we aimed to describe the natural distribution of this species and uncover how biotic and abiotic factors affect its distribution. When comparing different soils, we discovered that B. subtilis group species are most abundant in grasslands but can rarely be isolated from forest soil, even if the soil sample sites are situated in proximity. Differential analysis revealed that spore‐forming bacteria exhibited enrichments in the grassland, suggesting niche overlap or synergistic interactions leading to the proliferation of certain Bacillus species in grassland environments. Network analysis further revealed that Bacillus and other Bacillota established a densely interconnected hub module in the grassland, characterised by positive associations indicating co‐occurrence, a pattern not observed in the forest soil. Speculating that this difference was driven by abiotic factors, we combined amplicon sequencing with physico‐chemical analysis of soil samples and found multiple chemical variables, mainly pH, to affect microbial composition. Our study pinpoints the factors that influence B. subtilis abundance in natural soils and, therefore, offers insights for designing B. subtilis‐based biocontrol products in agricultural settings.
The Faithless Analyst1
Authors: Stein Murray
Published: September 2024

In this lecture, I wish to speak about the faithless analyst. This is an analyst without fixed religious notions, without specific preferences with regard to religious faith and practice, without religious commitments or attachments of the kind that would influence the course of the analysis. Is this possible? Analysts like everyone else grow up in specific cultures that are deeply entangled with religious traditions. Can analysts shed this formation when they enter the consulting room? Should they? Values come with religious faith and practice. Should the analyst shed such religiously based values for the sake of absolute neutrality? I want to think about such faithlessness as an impossible ideal for analytical practice and how to work with failures to remain faithless in the presence of different faiths or the absence of faith among patients.
We are Country—Country mentors us
Authors: Harry Matilda , Trudgett Michelle , Page Susan , Grace Rebekah
Published: September 2024

This article explores epistemological and ontological accounts of Country’s mentorship among young Indigenous Australian knowledge holders, creatives, entrepreneurs, changemakers, and advocates. Using a qualitative decolonising race theoretical lens, the research team adapted and explored multi‐directional, more‐than‐human understandings of the human–Country mentorship relationship to reflect young mob experiences of enacting and embodying Country. The findings highlight Country’s agency, sentience, and authority, whereby young mob shared how they were guided by, sustained by, and obligated to Country. This research honours Country as a knowledge holder and mentor. The research team aims to be transformative by showing new ways to understand Country and both‐ways mentorship relationships with young mob and Country. The article is a unique contribution to the research field, as mentorship literature often fails to effectively unpack Indigenous Australian relationality with Country, problematises young mob, and is contextually bound to individual programs, singular communities, or cohorts. By giving voice to Country as a mentor, the research team aims to disrupt Western hegemonic power relations in dominant mentorship frameworks and challenge mentorship theory, practice, and policy. We hope this article encourages geographers and others to take Indigenous ways of knowing, being, doing and becoming more seriously.
Luxembourg: Political Developments and Data in 2023
Authors: DUMONT PATRICK , KIES RAPHAEL
Published: September 2024

Luxembourg politics in 2023 was dominated by the local election in June followed by the national election in October. Local elections were characterized by a limited participation of foreigners and a certain stability of the political forces. Christian‐Social People's Party/Chrëschtlech‐Sozial Vollekspartei (CSV) remained by far the first party despite a slight drop in seats, and The Greens/Déi Gréng experienced proportionally the most significant drop in seats. As for the local elections, the national elections have been marked by the maintaining of the CSV as the first party, and the massive loss of the Green party. The significant drop of the Green party made the existing three coalition parties (DP‐LSAP‐Gréng) arithmetically impossible, positioning the leader of the CSV and new Prime Minister, Luc Frieden, in an ideal position to lead a coalition government. As expected, Luc Frieden and his party formed a coalition with the DP, which is closer to its political program and guarantees a comfortable majority in the Parliament.
Incidence of buprenorphine‐precipitated opioid withdrawal in adults with opioid use disorder: A systematic review
Authors: Gregory Caroline , Yadav Krishan , Linders Jordyn , Sikora Lindsey , Eagles Debra
Published: September 2024

Background and Aims

Buprenorphine is an evidence‐based treatment for opioid use disorder, and the risk of precipitated withdrawal contributes to its underuse. The goal of this systematic review was to determine the incidence of buprenorphine‐precipitated withdrawal in adults with opioid use disorder.

Methods

This systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023437634). We searched Medline, Embase Classic + Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL from inception to 10 November 2023, and included original research that reported the incidence of sublingual buprenorphine‐precipitated withdrawal in adults with opioid use disorder. Primary screening was completed by four independent reviewers. Full text review, data extraction and risk of bias assessments using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool were completed by two independent reviewers. The primary outcome was precipitated withdrawal. Secondary outcomes were baseline opioids used, induction dose, initial Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) score, location of induction, definition and severity of precipitated withdrawal and adverse events. The range of incidence of precipitated withdrawal across studies was described.

Results

Our search yielded 10 197 unique citations. Twenty‐one cohort and five randomized trials met inclusion criteria (n = 4497, range 20–1293). The overall incidence of precipitated withdrawal ranged from 0 to 13.2%. Nine studies defined precipitated withdrawal; definitions were inconsistent. Most patients used heroin at baseline. The most common initial dose of buprenorphine was between 2 mg and 8 mg (range: 0.075 mg–24 mg). Initial minimum COWS score ranged from 5 to 13. Induction locations included home, inpatient, emergency department, pre‐hospital, outpatient and residential units. Of the fifteen studies with cases of precipitated withdrawal, nine studies did not report the severity of withdrawal experienced. Other induction‐related adverse events varied. The overall quality of included studies was poor.

Conclusions

The best available evidence suggests the incidence of buprenorphine‐precipitated withdrawal in adults with opioid use disorder is low and should not be a barrier to use.
Creating value for objects‐in‐waiting
Authors: Sooudi Olga Kanzaki
Published: September 2024

In much anthropological reflection on value creation through objects, value is conceptualized as created in circulation. Yet objects’ social lives are punctuated by periods of waiting as much as they are by movement. Waiting can thus be theorized and examined as a critical pause in the circulation of objects, one that enables their value transformation and creation via social actors, institutions, and valuation processes. Demonstrating this can be accomplished ethnographically by following the consignment, exhibition, and sale of a group of objects—in this case by the artist Maqbool Fida Husain via a Mumbai art gallery. As objects wait, the art world turns around them, setting valuation and other value‐making processes in motion. This moment of waiting is precisely when our methodological and analytical gaze should turn to the object's social relations and to the collective activities of the art world.
The Canada Water Act, 1970: Did Parliamentarians Seek Cooperative Federalism?
Authors: Hania Patricia
Published: September 2024

In 1970, freshwater pollution concerns led to the introduction of the Clean Water Act (CWA), which signaled the federal government's shift towards cooperative federalism in the shared constitutional space of water governance. A unilateral environmental federalism approach supported the enactment of the CWA and reinforced the new two‐prong regulatory strategy (i.e., CWA and the Fisheries Act) to manage water pollution. This article explores the historical enactment of the CWA through the lens of federalism and the views of parliamentarians. The legislative debates reveal how different modes of federalism play out in the legislation, beyond the dominant theme of cooperative federalism.
Concurrences across time and sensorimotor capacities promote infant learning
Authors: Li Ye , Benitez Viridiana L.
Published: September 2024

In infancy, sensorimotor capacities directly affect learning. Although developmental scientists have studied the link between sensorimotor capacities and learning, their work has focused primarily on a narrow window of time connecting just two domains. In this article, we propose that considering concurrences across multiple time points and domains provides novel insights into how sensorimotor capacities systematically shape learning. First, we present a developmental map synthesizing changes across the vision, motor, and language domains in the first 18 months of life. Using the map as a guide, we review literature identifying how changes in one sensorimotor domain affect learning. We then highlight additional concurrences that have not been systematically explored and use the concrete example of learning word‐object mappings to illustrate how the developmental map provides rich ground to raise new questions and revisit old ones. We end with a call to action to fill key gaps in the map by considering variations in other domains and cultures, as well as in atypical development.
Faecal haemoglobin concentration and colorectal cancer site, stage and grade in a symptomatic cohort
Authors: Farkas Nicholas G. , O'Brien James , Norman James , Steinke Jackie , Yu Kai Shing , Whyte Martin , Jourdan Iain , Rockall Tim , Benton Sally C.
Published: September 2024

Aim

Minimal evidence exists regarding faecal immunochemical tests (FITs) for colorectal cancer (CRC) site, stage and grade in symptomatic patients. The primary aim is to determine any association between faecal haemoglobin concentration (f‐Hb) (analysed with OC‐Sensor™ Pledia) and these prognostic factors. The secondary aim is to determine the association between f‐Hb and anaemia, microcytosis and iron deficiency (Hb, mean corpuscular volume [MCV] and ferritin).

Methodology

Symptomatic 2‐week wait CRC patients with FIT were included (July 2019–October 2022). Median f‐Hb and interquartile range according to sex, stage, grade and site (right‐sided, caecum to transverse colon, R‐CRC; left‐sided, splenic flexure to rectum, L‐CRC) were compared using the Mann–Whitney U test. Hb, MCV and ferritin were categorized into two groups and the median f‐Hb was compared using the Mann–Whitney U test.

Results

In all, 114 patients (57 women, 57 men) were studied; 46 had R‐CRC (f‐Hb = 113 μg Hb/g) and 68 had L‐CRC (f‐Hb = 342 μg Hb/g) (P = 0.07). Sixty‐nine were moderately differentiated CRC (f‐Hb = 183 μg Hb/g) and 29 were poorly differentiated (f‐Hb = 866 μg Hb/g) (P = 0.04). By T‐stage, 35 were early (T1/2) (f‐Hb = 170 μg Hb/g) and 79 were advanced (T3/4) (f‐Hb = 200 μg Hb/g) (P = 0.06). The relationship between f‐Hb and Hb, MCV and ferritin was not significant. Poorly differentiated (P = 0.04) and later stage (P = 0.02) R‐CRC had significantly lower f‐Hb compared to L‐CRC.

Conclusions

Right‐sided CRC is associated with lower f‐Hb than left. Poorly differentiated and later staged L‐CRC had higher median f‐Hb. These data add to existing evidence suggesting that FIT may be less sensitive for right‐sided CRC. Strategies to mitigate the potential for missed or FIT‐negative right‐sided CRC are required.
Establishing a Marine Protected Area network using a Marine Spatial Planning approach: A reflection on practical challenges and opportunities for social–ecological integration
Authors: Nuno Ana , Madruga Luísa , Cameron Andy , Airaud Frédéric , Andrade Claricela , Nazaré Lodney , Santos Albertino , Graça Manuel , Guedes Márcio , da Rocha Nina , Puig Patricia , Walker Katy , Murray Kieran , Rosendo Sérgio , Mulligan Berry
Published: September 2024

Integrative social–ecological approaches are crucial for addressing sustainability challenges in coastal and marine systems. Among these, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) emerges as a pivotal approach for integrated management. Often, the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and the application of MSP occur in parallel. Given the potential synergies, there is a need to better understand and address barriers to the adoption of MSP approaches for integrative conservation mechanisms. Using São Tomé and Príncipe as a case study, we illustrate how MSP was employed as an operational framework for establishing an MPA network. Drawing on the experiences of people directly involved in this co‐design process, we reflect on the main challenges and opportunities in achieving social–ecological integration, and highlight recommendations for conservation practitioners and planners. Applying MSP was perceived to contribute substantially to multiple project goals, with some (e.g., incorporating perspectives and needs of vulnerable groups) more challenging to achieve. While MSP enhanced conceptual, disciplinary, methodological and functional integration, practical challenges in implementation hindered the extent to which each of these was achieved. Given international commitments to Blue Growth, high fisheries dependence and current patterns of change, developing effective integrative MSP approaches is essential for social–ecological resilience.
Snare‐assisted clipping method for closure of mucosal incision of gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy
Authors: Muwanwella Niroshan
Published: September 2024

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Ten‐Year Follow‐Up of Oral Implants in Bone With Limited Bucco‐Oral Dimensions: A Prospective Case Series
Authors: Alami M. , Ntovas N. , Penne G. , Teughels W. , Quirynen M. , Castro A. , Temmerman A.
Published: September 2024

Background

It has been suggested that 1–2 mm of bone width at the buccal and lingual aspect is required for a successful long‐term implant outcome. Low levels of evidence support this minimum threshold of bone width. This prospective study aimed at evaluating the outcome of implants placed in alveolar ridges with limited bucco‐oral dimensions.

Materials and Methods

One‐hundred implants (dia. 3.5 mm) were placed in 28 patients with narrow alveolar ridge dimensions (<4.5 mm width) without augmentation procedures and conventionally loaded. Intra‐oral radiographs were taken at implant placement and abutment connection and at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 years of follow‐up. At the 10‐year follow‐up (21 patients; 75 implants), full‐mouth periodontal charting was performed, and the peri‐implant keratinized tissue width and attachment type were recorded. Two calibrated periodontists analysed the peri‐implant bone changes.

Results

After 10 years, all implants showed successful osseointegration and a cumulative survival rate of 100%. The implants were placed 0.85 mm ± 0.89 mm subcrestally. After 10 years, the marginal bone was located 1.59 ± 2.11 mm apical to the implant shoulder. Throughout this period of follow‐up, the mean annual marginal bone loss was 0.094 mm. Furthermore, 84% of implants in 72% of patients presented with bleeding on probing.

Conclusion

After 10 years of functional loading, implants placed in alveolar ridges with limited bucco‐oral dimensions (≤4.5 mm) exhibited only minimum marginal bone loss.
The Why, How, and When of CSR Managers’ Internal Legitimation Strategies
Authors: Loos Cynthia , Spraul Katharina
Published: September 2024

Organizations often leverage corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their efforts to gain external legitimacy, and yet CSR managers – the very people responsible for implementing CSR initiatives – often struggle to achieve internal legitimacy and, thus, their objectives. This qualitative research seeks insights into CSR managers’ need for legitimation (why) and the strategies they use to overcome challenges and establish legitimacy within their organizations (how). A set of six distinct challenges CSR managers face reveals the complex reality of their roles and the factors that drive their quests for legitimacy. In turn, CSR managers draw on a repertoire of eight legitimation strategies to navigate the challenges, each reflecting a different legitimacy dimension. Notably, CSR managers’ occupational self‐perception influences their perceptions of challenges and choice of legitimation strategies, indicating the importance of individual characteristics (when) in shaping CSR practices. These nuanced insights into the micro‐level dynamics of legitimacy advance literature on both legitimacy and micro‐CSR by offering a personalized approach that accounts for the unique perspectives and strategies of CSR managers.
The effect of illness uncertainty and self‐efficacy on the perception of shared decision‐making among parents of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit
Authors: Choi Dahae , Shin Hyewon
Published: September 2024

Background

Shared decision‐making is essential for improving infant prognoses. Medical staff should consider the effect of illness uncertainty and self‐efficacy on parents' perceptions of shared decision‐making.

Aims

This study examined the impact of illness uncertainty and self‐efficacy on the perception of shared decision‐making among parents of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Study Design

A descriptive‐analytical cross‐sectional study design was used. Data were collected from April to June 2023. A total of 103 parents of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit participated in this study. The participants used a self‐report questionnaire that included general characteristics of their infants, uncertainty of illness, self‐efficacy and perception of shared decision‐making. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent t‐test, analysis of variance, Scheffe's test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression.

Results

Illness uncertainty (r = −.659, p < .001, 95% confidence interval = [−1.209, −0.765]) was negatively correlated with self‐efficacy, and self‐efficacy (r = .255, p = .009, 95% confidence interval = [0.082, 0.569]) was positively correlated with the perception of shared decision‐making. Using multiple linear regression, the number of visits to the intensive care unit (β = −1.939, p = .015, 95% confidence interval = [−3.490, −0.389]) and parents' self‐efficacy (β = .271, p = .028, 95% confidence interval = [0.030, 0.512]) had a statistically significant effect on the perception of shared decision‐making, accounting for 11.9% of the total explanatory power.

Conclusions

The results support that higher self‐efficacy is associated with a higher degree of perception of shared decision‐making among parents of infants in the intensive care unit. Therefore, clinicians might support parents in taking a more active role in shared decision‐making by discussing available options with clinicians and reaching treatment plans together.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

The study suggests creating scales to assess nurses' participation in shared decision‐making and recommends educational programmes to boost parents' self‐efficacy with infants, significantly affecting perceptions of shared decision‐making.
Primulina magnifica (Gesneriaceae), a new species from northern Guangxi, China
Authors: Zhang Shu‐Shan , Chou Wei‐Chuen , Wen Fang
Published: September 2024

Primulina magnifica F.Wen & W.C.Chou, a new species of Gesneriaceae from the limestone areas of Yizhou District, Hechi City, Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated here. It morphologically resembles P. mollifolia (D.Fang & W.T.Wang), J.M.Li & Yin Z.Wang in leaf blades. Still, it can be easily distinguished from the latter by noting a combination of characteristics, especially in its tube infundibuliform, and obviously broader bracts. We found only one population, about 300 mature individuals, at the type locality. According to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (ver. 3.1), the new species is tentatively designated as Critically Endangered (CR).
Loss of OsSPL8 Function Confers Improved Resistance to Glufosinate and Abiotic Stresses in Rice
Authors: He Da‐Yu , Liang Qin‐Yu , Xiang Cheng‐Bin , Xia Jin‐Qiu
Published: September 2024

Weeds are among the most significant factors contributing to decreases in crop yield and quality. Glufosinate, a nonselective, broad‐spectrum herbicide, has been extensively utilized for weed control in recent decades. However, crops are usually sensitive to glufosinate. Therefore, the development of glufosinate‐resistant crops is crucial for effective weed management in agriculture. In this study, we characterized a SQUAMOSA promoter‐binding‐like (SPL) factor, OsSPL8, which acts as a negative regulator of glufosinate resistance by inhibiting the transcription of OsGS1;1 and OsGS2 and consequently reducing GS activity. Furthermore, the loss of OsSPL8 function enhanced tolerance to drought and salt stresses. Transcriptomic comparisons between the gar18‐3 mutant and wild type revealed that OsSPL8 largely downregulates stress‐responsive genes and upregulates growth‐related genes. We demonstrated that OsSPL8 directly regulates OsOMTN6 and OsNAC17, which influence drought tolerance. In addition, OsSPL8 directly represses the expression of salt stress tolerance‐related genes such as OsHKT1.1 and OsTPP1. Collectively, our results demonstrate that OsSPL8 is a negative regulator of both glufosinate resistance and abiotic stress tolerance.
Identification of Crashworthy Designs Combining Active Learning and the Solution Space Methodology
Authors: Ascia Paolo , Marelli Stefano , Sudret Bruno , Duddeck Fabian
Published: September 2024

This study introduces a novel methodology for vehicle development under crashworthiness constraints. We propose coupling the solution space method (SSM) with active learning reliability (ALR) to map global requirements, i.e., safety requirements on the whole vehicle, to the design parameters associated with a component. To this purpose, we use a classifier to distinguish between the design that fulfills the requirements, the safe domain, and those that do not, the failure domain. This classifier is trained on finite element simulations, exploiting the learning strategies used by ALR to efficiently and precisely identify the border between the two domains and the information provided on these domains by the SSM. We then provide an exemplary application where the efficiency of the method is shown: the safe domain is identified with 270 samples and an average total error of 2.5%. The methodology we propose here is an efficient method to identify safe designs at a comparatively low computational budget. To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no methodology available that can identify regions in the design space that result in designs satisfying the local requirements set by the SSM due to the complexity and strong nonlinearity of crashworthiness simulations. The proposed coupling exploits the information of SSM and the capabilities of ALR to provide a fast mapping between the global requirements and the design parameters, which can, in turn, be made available to the designers to inexpensively evaluate the crashworthiness of new shapes and component features.
Marine compressed air source array acoustic field characterization from at-sea measurements: Long-range propagation
Authors: Li Kun , Sidorovskaia Natalia
Published: September 2024

In 2007, the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center conducted a comprehensive experiment in the northern Gulf of Mexico to measure the three-dimensional acoustic field of a standard marine compressed-air source array used in seismic exploration. This study aims to enhance understanding of long-range acoustic propagation of the array signals, with focus on variations in received sound pressure levels and sound exposure levels (SELs) at various ranges from the source. These variations are influenced by factors, such as receiver depth, array orientation, and propagation conditions. The long-range measurements show that received peak pressure levels and SELs exhibit non-monotonic (oscillatory) behavior with range leading up to 10 dB increase in received levels at longer ranges. At ranges beyond 20 km, acoustic levels at the shallowest hydrophone consistently surpassed those at deeper ones by 3–10 dB, suggesting the impact of surface duct propagation effects. The results demonstrate that range-independent bathymetry leads to approximately 4 dB higher received acoustic levels than range-dependent propagation conditions. The measured long-range propagation acoustic metrics from controlled experiment provide a unique and critical dataset for validating both source and propagation model accuracy in predicting received sound pressure and SEL in the far-field of the source array.
The phospholipase A of
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
lyses eukaryotic membranes and is necessary for survival in neutrophils and cervical epithelial cells
Authors: Apicella Michael A. , Edwards Jennifer L. , Ketterer Margaret R. , Weiss David S. , Zhang Yuan , Jen Freda E.-C. , Jennings Michael P.
Published: September 2024

Contact-dependent hemolysins are virulence factors in a number of human pathogens, including
Helicobacter pylori, Rickettsia typhi, Bartonella bacilliformis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis,
entero-invasive
Escherichia coli,
and
Shigella
. Here we demonstrate that
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
produces an outer membrane protein, phospholipase A, that exhibits contact-dependent lytic activity on host cell membranes. This enzyme can lyse human erythrocytes over a 3-day period, whereas a phospholipase A mutant cannot. We demonstrated phospholipase A activity in the parent strain but not in two, independent phospholipase A mutants. A gene for phospholipase A,
pldA
(hereafter referred to as
pla
to avoid confusion with the gene for phospholipase D,
pld
), is present in all sequenced gonococcal strains. Fluid phase, hemolytic activity assays showed that 25 of 29 gonococcal strains tested had hemolytic activity greater than 50% of the positive control. In support of PLA as a gonococcal outer membrane protein, supernatants from 24-, 48-, and 72-h cultures of
N. gonorrhoeae
strain 1291 did not contain hemolysin activity, and a monoclonal antibody specific for gonococcal phospholipase A failed to detect the enzyme in these supernatants. The organism must be viable for lysis to occur, and the inclusion of EDTA in the media removes all activity. Our studies have shown that a phospholipase A mutant has significantly reduced survival in human neutrophils and primary human cervical epithelial cells compared to the parent gonococcal strain after 3 h of incubation. Collectively, our data demonstrate that gonococcal PLA lyses host cell membranes, which is important for intracellular survival.

IMPORTANCE

Intracellular survival is crucial to the success of
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
as a human pathogen. Multiple factors contribute to the intracellular survival of gonococci, including the ability to prohibit apoptosis of the epithelial cell the organism invades and mechanisms to evade host innate defense systems. The role of phospholipase A (PLA), an outer membrane protein, is important as it disrupts the host vacuolar and phagolysosomal membranes, preventing the effective delivery of innate immune factors that normally restrict organism growth within human cells. After cell entry, PLA disrupts the integrity of these host cell membranes, allowing the gonococcus to live free within disrupted vacuoles where it pilfers host cell nutrients that enable its survival and replication. A vaccine or drug that could neutralize PLA activity would disrupt the intracellular survival of the gonococcus.
Draft genome sequence of
Listeria aquatica
strain SG_BD1, isolated from a cow dung sample in Bangladesh
Authors: Rivu Supantha , Smith Elspeth , Stafford Graham , Ahmed Sangita
Published: September 2024

Here, we present the genome of
Listeria aquatica
strain SG_BD1, isolated from cow dung in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and assembled after Oxford Nanopore sequencing. The genome is 2,690,148 bp with 2,855 predicted coding DNA sequences, G + C content of 39.6%, and displays a putative virulence gene
clpP
and 9 CRISPRs.
Non-surgical resolution of pneumocephalus following a sneeze
Authors: Tankersley Anna , Khan Sheena , Estes Kaitlyn , Paisley Cameron
Published: September 2024

Pneumocephalus is defined as the abnormal presence of air in the intracranial cavity. Pneumocephalus is most commonly caused by trauma, but there are rare reports of pneumocephalus secondary to allergy-induced sinusitis. In this report, we present a woman in her 60s who presented to the emergency department with a chief complaint of headache after experiencing a ‘popping’ sensation in her ears while sneezing. Over the course of a day, she began experiencing severe pain across the forehead along with copious amounts of clear rhinorrhea. A head CT without contrast was ordered, and findings revealed large amounts of intracranial air visualised diffusely throughout the subarachnoid spaces and the anterior horn of the left lateral ventricle. A diagnosis of pneumocephalus was confirmed. This patient made a full recovery without surgical intervention. Standard conservative therapy included bed rest, head elevation, avoidance of activities that increase intracranial pressure and antibiotic prophylaxis for meningitis.