bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The drivers and challenges of adopting the Malaysia industrialised building system for sustainable infrastructure development
Authors: Ismail Sushilawati , Hon Carol K.H. , Crowther Philip , Skitmore Martin , Lamari Fiona
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Malaysia’s industrialised building system (IBS) has been increasingly adopted for sustainable development by the country’s construction industry. However, although it has been used for commercial building projects, its application to sustainable infrastructure development has been limited to date. This study aims to examine the drivers and challenges involved.

Design/methodology/approach

A preliminary conceptual framework was initially developed based on a systematic literature review. Semi-structured interviews involving 20 participants were undertaken to gain insightful thoughts from the construction practitioners to discover the perception towards IBS application in the construction industry, the applicability of IBS, particularly in infrastructure projects, the strategies of IBS delivery and the sustainable potential of its application. A two-round Delphi study was conducted with 15 experienced and knowledgeable panellists to further identify, verify and prioritise factors developed from the literature review and interview findings. Then, the results were synthesised and triangulated to demonstrate a holistic insight.

Findings

The results show the main drivers to be better productivity, quality, environmental, safety and health, constructability design and cost, policy and requirements, with the main challenges being project planning and cost-related issues, inexperience and industry capacity.

Originality/value

The study’s main contribution is in systematically determining the practical implications involved in applying the IBS to sustainable infrastructure developments in Malaysia and other similar developing countries.
Government support, talent, coupling of innovation chain and capital chain: empirical analysis in integrated circuit enterprises
Authors: Chen Qiuling , Wang Tianchi
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of government support on the coupling coordination degree of innovation chain and capital chain in integrated circuit (IC) enterprises and to explore the mechanism for considering talent in the influence path.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses coupling coordination degree model to estimate the coupling of two chains, and applies dynamic panel system generalized method of moments (system-GMM) to analyze the impact of government support on coupling of two chains and conducts dynamic panel threshold regression to explore the threshold effect of talent in the influence of government support on coupling coordination degree.

Findings

Serious imbalance in the coupling of two chains is a major obstacle in IC enterprises. Government support significantly reduces the coupling coordination degree. The talent in IC enterprises has a significant threshold effect. When the number of talent is lower than the threshold value, government support has a negative impact. Once the number of talent reaches a certain level, government support can significantly enhance the coupling of two chains. Compared with state-owned enterprises, government support has a greater negative impact on the coupling of the two chains in non-state-owned enterprises. The former needs more talent to take advantage of government support.

Originality/value

This paper applies the concept of coupling into enterprises and deeply studies the coupling coordination degree of two chains. The influence mechanism of government support and talent on the coupling of two chains is explored, which reveals that government support cannot achieve the expected incentive effect without the support of talent. We also discuss the heterogeneous effect of government support and of talent in enterprises of different ownership types.
Supporting students' employability through structured, event-based engagement with employers
Authors: Mason Claire M. , Burns Shanae M. , Bester Elinor A.
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The authors proposed that participation in large-scale, structured events designed to match students to employers' internship opportunities could support students' employability by focussing students' career goals, strengthening students' career self-efficacy and growing students' social capital.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews were carried out with 49 students both before and after the students took part in the event to assess whether students career goals, self-efficacy or social capital changed after taking part in the events. In the second interview, the authors also asked students what outcomes students gained from the event and how the event process had contributed to these outcomes.

Findings

Students' descriptions of their outcomes from the event aligned with social capital theory and self-efficacy theory. The students valued the information, connections, skills and experience they developed through taking part in the interviews and connecting with employers and students. The longitudinal analyses revealed that most students career goals did not change, but students' career self-efficacy improved and students could identify more actions for achieving their career goals after taking part in the event. Importantly, these actions were often explicitly connected with information or connections that students gained from the event.

Originality/value

The interviews illustrate that students can build social capital from short, one-on-one engagement with employers that then enable them to identify ways of furthering students' career goals. The authors' findings suggest that structured, event-based engagement with employers can provide an efficient and equitable means of enhancing students' social capital and career self-efficacy.
AQI revisioned: a critical realism approach to transforming air pollution
Authors: Boonmavichit Thasanawan
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to present the case for critical realism (CR) as a framework in steering the anticipatory and participatory activities an appropriate analysis of complex problems, aiming toward a transformative change.

Design/methodology/approach

Through observation, interview and facilitation for Circular Design Lab and Thai Clean Air Network, this paper unpacks their foresight activities, their key findings and subsequently connects to the Morphogenesis analysis based on an alternative foresight epistemology of CR.

Findings

Foresight based on CR philosophy provides a deeper understanding of the complexity and invisibility of air pollution issues in Thailand. Acknowledging the transitive reality beyond this study’s perception, the activity design applies the iceberg models to investigate problem framing and illustrate the stratified reality in three domains: the empirical based on emission reports and legislative regulations; the actual based on patterns of farmers practice and industrial development, activated by causal mechanisms; the real based on structural and mental models, driven by cultural and belief systems in Thailand. At the bottom layer of the iceberg, the real lies the generative mechanisms of pre-existing structural and cultures that constrain Thai citizen from acting on social change.

Research limitations/implications

CR’s emancipatory theory provides an immanent critique towards social improvement by illustrating comprehensive causal explanations of complex problems such as air pollution; while morphogenesis theory elaborates on the unconscious domination of the existing social structures, agencies, and cultures. Thus, the ethical inquiry of CR research is committed to the emancipation of false beliefs and creating conditions for “human prosperity”. However, this non-neutral value commitment is debated in the futures studies field.

Practical implications

The anticipatory activities on air pollution in Thailand bring to light the reality of power and oppression beyond human perception and illustrate the connection to the belief systems and its consequential action or lack thereof in dealing with the issues. The insight to power relationship provides an unconventional way to empower citizens in creating transformative change.

Originality/value

Modern foresight practice has developed under western cultures and societies. Recent efforts are made to investigate the epistemology underlying this field, for the future issues are ever more complex and interrelated across multiple sectors. This requires this study’s consideration of the meaning of knowledge and knowing, influencing the research paradigm. This paper proposes CR as a suitable foresight approach to emancipate this study from the widely accepted epistemologies and examine this study’s presupposition about social reality by a philosophical explanation based on the elements of ontology, causation, structure and persons.
Awakening the unconscious imagination and igniting ethical aspirations: the case of Hiraya Foresight via the engaged foresight approach
Authors: Cruz Shermon Ortega , Kahn-Parreño Nicole Anne
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to introduce, unpack, explore, make sense and share Hiraya Foresight via the Engaged Foresight approach as a futures concept, framework and methodology to reconceptualize foresight and reframe anticipatory processes to enable the self and communities to reimagine visions of the future. This indigenous foresight process offers to strip the husk and break the shell of conscious, colonial anticipation and reveal and liberate unconscious imagination that enables ethical aspirations to emerge.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper introduces and examines the context, purpose and process of the four waves of the Hiraya Foresight Framework via the Engaged Foresight approach. These were constructed through the use of the Engaged Foresight approach, through workshops, a literature review and an action–learning approach. The first wave, lawak, looks into the breadth of foresight. The second wave, lalim, looks into the depth of foresight. Tayog, the third wave, looks into the peak of foresight. Finally, the fourth wave of foresight kababaang-loob contemplates the nature, values and wisdom of foresight.

Findings

This paper shares the processes, experiences and impacts through five case studies where the Hiraya Foresight Framework via the Engaged Foresight approach was applied. This paper shares the impacts of Hiraya Foresight in democratizing and indigenizing futures literacy.

Originality/value

This paper describes and offers Hiraya Foresight via the Engaged Foresight approach as an indigenous approach to decolonize futures studies and foresight practice.
Brand attachment toward functional, symbolic and hedonic brands
Authors: Ugalde Cecilia , Vila-Lopez Natalia , Kuster-Boluda Ines
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Fashionable brands need to develop brand attachment so that their consumers become fans and act as apostles by recommending them. But how can companies develop brand attachment? This paper aims to investigate, on the one hand, the role of four drivers of brand attachment (perceived quality, brand personality, credibility and awareness) and three effects (loyalty, buying intention and perceived risk). On the other hand, three groups of fashionable brands with different positioning strategies are compared to analyze if the brand positioning strategy moderates the proposed relationships in the analyzed country.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the two objectives, surveys with the same instrument were conducted twice, and a sample of 1,922 consumers from the three most populated cities of Ecuador (Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca) took part in the study. They chose fashionable brands with functional (n = 1,066), hedonic (n = 463) and symbolic (n = 393) positioning strategies. They mentioned, for example, functional brands such as Avon, La Lechera, Nokia or Converse; hedonic brands such as Christian Dior, Oreo, Apple or Timberland and symbolic brands such as Axe, Coca-Cola/Coke, Motorola or DBond.

Findings

The results of this study show that (1) brand positioning affects attachment, (2) a functional positioning leads to higher consumers' loyalty, (3) a hedonic positioning leads to the strongest brand personality and credibility and (4) a symbolic positioning seems to be the less useful option in terms of desired effects.

Originality/value

First, this paper considers three different subscenarios in launching a new product: hedonic, functional and symbolic brand positioning. The comparison of these three scenarios makes progress with respect to previous research since the connection between consumers' brand attachment and positioning brand strategy has been scarcely addressed to date. Second, no study has been found that assesses the simultaneous effect of four key antecedents capable of enhancing brand attachment (personality, quality, awareness and credibility), causing three major effects (loyalty, purchase intention and decrease in perceived risk).
The impact of ASC 842’s new leasing standards on default likelihood by industry
Authors: Hunsader Kenneth J. , Lawrey Christopher M. , Rich James
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact on firm financial distress by industry of one of the most recent accounting changes in the treatment of operating leases, Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016–02, Leases released February 25, 2016. ASU 2016–02, also known as ASC 842, considerably changed how firms account for operating leases.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use the Black–Scholes–Merton (BSM) option pricing methodology to estimate the change in default likelihood (DL) of nine different industries surrounding the adoption of ASC 842. In addition, the authors use univariate and multivariate analysis to test the statistical significance of firm-related factors.

Findings

The authors provide evidence that numerous industry’s DL increased following the FASB’s announcement of the new standard (ASC 842) regarding increased transparency in lease recognition. The effect is especially significant within the energy industry, although it is also shown in the consumer durables, manufacturing, hi-tech equipment, telecom, retail and wholesale and transportation industries. In addition, the authors find the effect is more pronounced for firms with high leverage, low financial slack, low operating return on assets, small market value and accounting for non-balance sheet recorded leases.

Practical implications

By investigating different industries, this study’s findings provide crucial insight to managers seeking lease financing as an operational strategy in a post-implementation environment and help them understand the impact of this new standard on their firm. Furthermore, this study answers the call of policy makers and academics to provide insight into the impact of updated leasing standards.

Originality/value

This is the only empirical study that examines the impact of ASC 842 on the DL of publicly traded firms by industry.
Personality traits and behavioral biases of Indian financial professionals
Authors: Baker H. Kent , Kapoor Sujata , Khare Tanu
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Financial professionals are increasingly important in the Indian financial system. Our study examines the association between the Big Five personality traits and Indian financial professionals' behavioral biases when making investment decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

After testing our questionnaire's reliability and validity, we used it to obtain the sample responses. We used multiple regression analysis and other statistical tools to identify the relationships between the Big Five personality traits and behavioral biases.

Findings

Our findings reveal a high level of extraversion and conscientiousness, a moderate level of agreeableness and openness and a low neuroticism level among financial professionals. The results show a significant association between neuroticism, extraversion, openness and all behavioral biases except anchoring bias. The neuroticism trait has a statistically significant relationship with all behavioral biases examined, whereas agreeableness and conscientiousness traits lack a significant association with behavioral biases. The openness trait is associated with many emotional biases and cognitive heuristics, while the extraversion trait has a significantly positive relationship with availability bias.

Research limitations/implications

Future researchers could analyze primary (survey) and secondary investor data from brokerage houses. Using a larger sample could provide more generalizable findings. Researchers could also consider other aspects of investment decision-making using various asset classes. Understanding financial professionals' personality traits and behavioral biases could help them develop strategies to suit client needs.

Originality/value

This study provides the first comprehensive examination of the association between personality traits and behavioral biases of Indian financial professionals.
Pharmacokinetics of lanoconazole in human skin after repeated topical application
Authors: Imai Hiromitsu , Hashimoto Satoru , Ninomiya Ryo , Luo Jingna , Wakuda Hirokazu , Otani Naoyuki , Inoue Genta , Amagishi Hiroaki , Uemura Naoto
Published: July 2022

Drug disposition after topical application to the skin has not been fully elucidated, especially after repeated application. We conducted a clinical trial to evaluate the pharmacokinetics in the stratum corneum of healthy adults after repeated application of lanoconazole cream as a model drug. We applied 25 mg of 1% lanoconazole cream onto the pre‐specified areas on the participants' back once daily for 5 days. The stratum corneum was sampled twice on each study day using a standardized tape‐stripping method, and the amount of lanoconazole contained in the samples was quantified using the tandem mass spectrometry method. The obtained data were used to evaluate lanoconazole pharmacokinetics in the stratum corneum. The amount of lanoconazole in the stratum corneum after once daily repeated administration reached a steady state on day 3, and it was eliminated from the stratum corneum with a half‐life of approximately 11 h after discontinuing application.
3D reflection seismic imaging of the Zinkgruvan mineral‐bearing structures in the south‐eastern Bergslagen mineral district (Sweden)
Authors: Gil Alba , Malehmir Alireza , Ayarza Puy , Buske Stefan , Carbonell Ramon , Orlowsky Dirk , Carriedo Jorge , Hagerud Anja
Published: July 2022

Mineral exploration is facing greater challenges nowadays because of the increasing demand for raw materials and the lesser chance of finding large deposits at shallow depths. To be efficient and address new exploration challenges, high‐resolution and sensitive methods that are cost‐effective and environmentally friendly are required. In this work, we present the results of a sparse 3D seismic survey that was conducted in the Zinkgruvan mining area, in the Bergslagen mineral district of central Sweden. The survey covers an area of 10.5 km2 for deep targeting of massive sulphides in a polyphasic tectonic setting. A total of 1311 receivers and 950 shot points in a fixed 3D geometry setup were employed for the survey. Nine 2D profiles and a smaller 3D mesh were used. Shots were generated at every 10 m, and receivers were placed at every 10–20 m, along the 2D profiles, and 40–80 m in the mesh area. An analysis of the seismic fold coverage at depth was used to determine the potential resolving power of this sparse 3D setup. The data processing had to account for cultural noise from the operating mine and strong source‐generated surface waves, which were attenuated during both pre‐ and post‐stack processing steps. The processing workflow employed a combination of 2D and 3D refraction static corrections, and post‐stack FK filters along inlines and crosslines. The resulting 3D seismic volume is correlated with downhole data (density and P‐wave, acoustic impedance, reflection coefficient), synthetic seismograms, surface geology and a 3D model of mineral‐bearing horizons in order to suggest new exploration targets at depth. The overall geological architecture at Zinkgruvan is interpreted as two EW overturn folds, an antiform and a synform, affected by later NS‐trending folding. Two strong sets of shallow reflections, associated with the Zn–Pb mineralization, are located at the hinge of an EW‐trending antiform, while a strong set of reflections, associated with the main mineralization, is located at the overturned apex of the EW synform. The NS Knalla fault that crosses the study area terminates the continuation of the mineral‐bearing deposits at depth towards the west, a conclusion solely based on the reflectivity character of the seismic volume. This study illustrates that sparse 3D data acquisition, while it has its own challenges, can be a suitable replacement for 2D profiles while line cutting, and environmental footprints can totally be avoided.
High temporal accuracy elastic wave simulation with new time–space domain implicit staggered‐grid finite‐difference schemes
Authors: Wang Jing , Liu Yang , Zhou Hongyu
Published: July 2022

Implicit staggered‐grid finite‐difference methods are attractive for elastic wave modelling due to significantly enhanced spatial accuracy compared to explicit ones. However, the central‐grid finite‐difference operators used to approximate the temporal derivatives result in a limited accuracy in time. Temporal high‐order finite‐difference methods have the ability to weaken the temporal dispersion and improve the modelling stability. It is noted that the previous temporal high‐order and spatial implicit finite‐difference methods are all designed in the space domain for performing acoustic wave propagation. To implement 2‐D elastic wave simulation with high‐order accuracy both in space and time, we propose two time–space domain implicit staggered‐grid finite‐difference schemes, in which the spatial derivatives are approximated by the weighted average of a few extra off‐axial nodes and axial nodes of the conventional cross‐stencil. We derive the P‐ and S‐wave dispersion relations of the whole elastic wave equation and estimate the finite‐difference coefficients via a variable substitution‐based Taylor‐series expansion. Our Taylor‐series expansion‐based new scheme yields high‐order temporal and spatial accuracy. Besides, the spatial accuracy can be further enhanced by our newly proposed linear optimization strategy, which benefits from easy implementation since we only optimize the axial spatial coefficients via a least‐squares strategy and set the off‐axial temporal coefficients the same as the solution of the Taylor‐series expansion method. Besides, the P‐ and S‐wave separation approach is adopted to propagate the P‐ and S‐wavefields with the P‐ and S‐wave dispersion relation‐based finite‐difference operators, respectively. Our two new schemes are more capable of suppressing the numerical dispersion and exhibit better stability performance compared to conventional one, as we will illustrate via a detailed analysis of dispersion, stability and numerical experiments. In addition, a comparison of computation times demonstrates the efficiency advantage of two new schemes since small operator lengths and large time steps are allowed.
Les canaux de transmission des effets des TIC sur la mobilisation des recettes fiscales en Afrique
Authors: Ongo Nkoa Bruno Emmanuel , Song Jacques Simon
Published: July 2022

Le développement et l'usage des Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (TIC) enAfrique ont considérablement progressé au cours des deux dernières décennies, et alimentent une littérature très féconde. Dans cet article, nous identifions les effets et les canaux robustes par lesquels les TIC améliorent la Mobilisation des Recettes Fiscales (MRF). À partir d'un échantillonde 54 pays, nous spécifions et estimons un modèle en données de panel par la méthode des Moindres Carrés Généralisés (MCG) sur la période 1996‐2019. Nos résultats montrent que l'usage des TIC (mesuré par les pénétrations d'internet, du téléphone mobile, du téléphone fixe et de la fibre optique) stimule significativement la MRF. Leurs effets transitent par le développement financier, l'ouverture commerciale, l'énergie et le capital humain. Nous suggérons un‐renforcement des infrastructures de télécommunications et des canaux de transmission pour une meilleure dématérialisation des procédures fiscales et une plus grande mobilisation des recettes.
Political Charity: The 1642 Collection for the Relief of His Majesties Distressed Subjects in Ireland
Authors: WALTER JOHN
Published: July 2022

This article revisits the 1642 Collection for the relief of the Protestant victims of the 1641 Irish Uprising. Based on an analysis of all extant (English) parish returns, it explores how the act of charity was understood by the thousands who contributed and what its consequences were for popular engagement in the politics of a country on the edge of civil war. Despite the relative historiographical neglect of the returns, the article seeks to show that they provide valuable evidence of politics at the most local level of the early modern state and society that contradicts an earlier historiographical emphasis on localism as the defining characteristic of provincial popular politics. Contributing to the Collection offered recognition and role to groups otherwise largely excluded by age, gender and class from formal participation in the politics of parish and nation. Conceived as an exercise in charitable benevolence to co‐religionists, the Collection demonstrates the political potential opened up in the politics of the gift, suggesting the possibilities of a protestant association with expansive boundaries and wider membership. In a political culture in which anti‐popery provided an imminent language to explain that crisis, a charitable collection for the protestant victims of Catholic cruelty was necessarily political and made the parish a space for political talk. Contextualising the Collection in the contemporaneous set of subscriptions to petitions and oath‐taking required from local communities, the article demonstrates how these developments helped politicise the parish and mobilise the country in the English Revolution.
Breaking the silence on femicide: How women challenge epistemic injustice and male violence
Authors: Cayli Messina Baris
Published: July 2022

Digital space has provided an important platform for women by enabling them to defy religious and patriarchal values while rendering their demands more visible in the public sphere. By analyzing the stories of 3349 murdered women, consulting 57 activist‐published materials, studying 37 protest‐focused videos, and using digital ethnography, this article explores Turkish women's struggles against femicide. I propose the emancipatory and democratizing counterpublics as an analytical concept to demonstrate how women challenge epistemic injustice and male violence. To this end, I investigate the struggles of women by studying their use of digital space as a means of breaking the silence on femicide, creating data, disseminating knowledge, and seeking justice. This article highlights the essential role of new media technologies in empowering vulnerable groups through the generation of new forms of knowledge, the formation of collective memory, and the elimination of epistemic injustice in opposition to the ruling authorities. The present study contributes to our knowledge of the sociology of epistemic injustice by demonstrating how digital space plays a limited but critical role in the efforts of activists living under authoritarian regimes to defend their fundamental rights to survive and prevent femicide, which has a devastating impact on the lives of millions of women.
Enzymatic bioactive peptides from sonicated whey proteins of camel milk: Impacts of nanopeptides on structural properties, antioxidant activity and inhibitory activity of alpha‐amylase and ACE
Authors: Gammoh Sana , Alu'datt Muhammad H. , Alhamad Mohammad N. , Alrosan Mohammad , Al‐husein Belal , AL‐U'datt Doa'a G. , Al‐kandari Sharifa , Rababah Taha , Ammari Zaid , Albiss Borhan A. , Alzoubi Haya , Kubow Stan
Published: July 2022

This study was carried out to investigate the biological properties of bioactive peptides derived from digestive enzymatic hydrolysis for nanoscaled protein particles from camel whey proteins. The hydrolysates were tested for aromatic content, antioxidant activity, α‐amylase inhibitory and angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) activities. The sonicated camel whey protein particles showed sizes less than 100 nm and were distributed in a 75% volume with a relatively stable −23.1 mV zeta potential value. Sonication enhanced the total aromatic ring content in the hydrolysates generated by combined trypsin and chymotrypsin treatment. A decrease in antioxidant activity was shown following trypsin and chymotrypsin hydrolysis that was inhibited by whey protein sonication. Pepsin hydrolysis improved aromatic content, ACE and α‐amylase inhibitory activities, and antioxidant activity. An increase in antioxidant activity of the pepsin‐derived hydrolysates was seen with sonicated whey proteins. Overall, the findings demonstrate the utility of the application of enzymatic hydrolysis and/or ultrasonication of camel whey proteins to enhance their antioxidant, anti‐hypertensive and anti‐diabetic properties.
Effects of Medicaid expansion on insurance coverage and health services use among adults with disabilities newly eligible for Medicaid
Authors: Creedon Timothy B. , Zuvekas Samuel H. , Hill Steven C. , Ali Mir M. , McClellan Chandler , Dey Judith G.
Published: July 2022

Objective

To estimate the effects of Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion on insurance and health services use for adults with disabilities who were newly eligible for Medicaid.

Data Sources

2008–2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data.

Study Design

We used the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) PUBSIM model to identify adults aged 26–64 years with disabilities who were newly Medicaid‐eligible in expansion states or would have been eligible in non‐expansion states had those states opted to expand. Outcomes included insurance coverage; access to care; receipt of primary care, outpatient specialty physician services, and preventive services; and out‐of‐pocket health care spending. To estimate the effects of Medicaid expansion, we used two‐way fixed effects models and a triple differences framework to compare pre‐post changes in each outcome in expansion and non‐expansion states for adults with and without disabilities.

Extraction Methods

We simulated Medicaid eligibility with the AHRQ PUBSIM model, which uses state‐specific Medicaid rules and MEPS data on family relationships, state of residence, and income.

Principal Findings

Among adults with disabilities who were newly eligible for Medicaid, Medicaid expansion was associated with significant increases in full‐year Medicaid coverage (35.9 percentage points [pp], p < 0.001), receipt of primary care (15.5 pp, p < 0.01), and receipt of flu shots (19.2 pp, p < 0.01), and a significant decrease in out‐of‐pocket spending (−$457, p < 0.01). There were larger improvements for adults with disabilities compared to those without disabilities in full‐year Medicaid coverage (11.0 pp, p < 0.01) and receipt of flu shots (18.0 pp, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Medicaid expansion was associated with improvements in full‐year insurance coverage, receipt of primary and preventive care, and out‐of‐pocket spending for adults with disabilities who were newly eligible for Medicaid. For insurance coverage, preventive care, and some primary care measures, there were differentially larger improvements for adults with disabilities than for those without disabilities.
Modeling microRNA‐driven post‐transcriptional regulation using exon–intron split analysis in pigs
Authors: Mármol‐Sánchez Emilio , Cirera Susanna , Zingaretti Laura M. , Jacobsen Mette Juul , Ramayo‐Caldas Yuliaxis , Jørgensen Claus B. , Fredholm Merete , Cardoso Tainã Figueiredo , Quintanilla Raquel , Amills Marcel
Published: July 2022

The contribution of microRNAs (miRNAs) to mRNA post‐transcriptional regulation has often been explored by the post hoc selection of downregulated genes and determining whether they harbor binding sites for miRNAs of interest. This approach, however, does not discriminate whether these mRNAs are also downregulated at the transcriptional level. Here, we have characterized the transcriptional and post‐transcriptional changes in mRNA expression in two porcine tissues: gluteus medius muscle of fasted and fed Duroc gilts and adipose tissue of lean and obese Duroc–Göttingen minipigs. Exon–intron split analysis of RNA‐seq data allowed us to identify downregulated mRNAs with high post‐transcriptional signals in fed or obese states, and we assessed whether they harbor binding sites for upregulated miRNAs in any of these two physiological states. We found 26 downregulated mRNAs with high post‐transcriptional signals in the muscle of fed gilts and 21 of these were predicted targets of miRNAs upregulated in fed pigs. For adipose tissue, 44 downregulated mRNAs in obese minipigs displayed high post‐transcriptional signals, and 25 of these were predicted targets of miRNAs upregulated in the obese state. These results suggest that the contribution of miRNAs to mRNA repression is more prominent in the skeletal muscle system. Finally, we identified several genes that may play relevant roles in the energy homeostasis of the pig skeletal muscle (DKK2 and PDK4) and adipose (SESN3 and ESRRG) tissues. By differentiating transcriptional from post‐transcriptional changes in mRNA expression, exon–intron split analysis provides a valuable view of the regulation of gene expression, complementary to canonical differential expression analyses.
Digital transformation for a sustainable agriculture in the United States: Opportunities and challenges
Authors: Khanna Madhu , Atallah Shady S. , Kar Saurajyoti , Sharma Bijay , Wu Linghui , Yu Chengzheng , Chowdhary Girish , Soman Chinmay , Guan Kaiyu
Published: July 2022

Agriculture faces key challenges of increasing productivity while reducing adverse impacts on the environment. Conventional practices that rely on tillage, inefficient and over‐application of chemicals, and monoculture row cropping are leading to growing resistance of weeds and pests to chemicals, nutrient and sediment run‐off, and declining soil carbon stocks in the United States. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are enabling the collection of vast amounts of geo‐referenced information about growing conditions within the field, automated implementation of spatially varying input applications, and reduced reliance on chemical inputs. We discuss the pathways by which digital agricultural technologies have the potential to address the challenge of herbicide‐resistant weeds, over‐application of nitrogen and irrigation water, and cover crop planting for restoring soil health and contribute to the environmental sustainability of agriculture. Then, we discuss the economic factors, behavioral preferences of farmers, peer pressure, and social networks that can be expected to play a role in adoption decisions. We conclude with a discussion of approaches for ex ante assessments of the determinants of farmer willingness to adopt digital technologies and their diffusion in a region.
Dynamics of DNA damage response markers, RAD51 and XRCC1, throughout the menstrual cycle and pregnancy in healthy women. Increment during pregnancy and relation to a low titer of antinuclear antibodies
Authors: González‐Chávez Susana Aideé , Burrola‐De Anda Jessica Ivonne , Mireles‐Canales Paola , Soto‐Adame Miguel Angel , Pacheco‐Tena César
Published: July 2022

Problem

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) potentially play a role in the pathogenesis of connective tissue diseases (CTDs); however, they are also detected in healthy individuals. Our understanding of the physiological and pathological origin of ANA is incomplete. Both; female reproductive processes and deficiencies in DNA damage response (DDR) have been independently associated with ANA production. However, the link between these two factors and the presence of ANA is unclear

Method of study

A cohort study was conducted on 87 non‐pregnant and 51 healthy pregnant women. ANA and the DDR markers X‐ray repair cross‐complementing 1 (XRCC1) and recombinase (RAD51) were quantified in sera by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Additionally, ANA was detected by indirect immunofluorescence in HEp‐2 cells in 1:40 diluted sera during the three phases of the menstrual cycle in non‐pregnant women and every trimester in pregnant women

Results

The prevalence of ANA+ in healthy women was 26.1%, with no significant differences between pregnant and non‐pregnant women. ANA and DDR marker levels did not vary among the three phases of the menstrual cycle or the three trimesters of pregnancy. However, DDR marker levels were higher in pregnant women than in non‐pregnant women (p < .001) and were found to be higher in ANA+ women (XRCC1, p = .025; RAD51, p = .006)

Conclusions

The menstrual cycle and pregnancy did not influence the levels of DDR markers or ANA in healthy women; however, the DDR was higher in pregnancy and ANA+ women. The results suggest a potential role of DDR in the pathophysiology of ANA.
Should a fourth category be added to the international tumor budding consensus conference tumor budding scoring system in colorectal adenocarcinomas?
Authors: Secinti Ilke Evrim , Ozgur Tumay , Gursoy Didar , Dede Isa
Published: July 2022

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between tumor budding (TB) and clinicopathologic prognostic criteria in colorectal adenocarcinomas and to discuss the inclusion of the fourth group in the scoring system. A total of 131 cases were included in the study. TB was scored according to the classical 3‐tiered scoring system and our proposed 4‐tiered scoring system: BD0 (no buds), BD1* (1–4 buds), BD2 (5–9 buds), and BD3 (≥10 buds). Cytokeratin staining was applied to 80 randomly selected cases and TB scoring was re‐evaluated. TB was not observed in 31 (23.7%) of 131 cases and was categorized as BD0. Patients with BD0 budding had lower pT category, AJCC stage, tumor grade, less lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular invasion, tumor deposits (p < 0.05), and longer overall survival than BD1* patients (log‐Rank p: 0.018). There was significant compatibility between the evaluation of TB with H&E and cytokeratin (kappa: 0.727, p < 0.001). In conclusion, we think it is valuable to add the “BD0” category to the International Tumor Budding Consensus Conference (ITBCC) scores. However, more research with larger cohorts is needed for clinical applicability. H&E staining is sufficient for the assessment of budding, except in conditions such as increased inflammation where the tumor‐stroma interface may be obscured.
Review article: Dietary management of coeliac disease
Authors: Lee Anne R.
Published: July 2022

As the gluten‐free diet is currently the only treatment for coeliac disease and one that needs to applied in the long term, this review aims to explore the various issues confronting an individual and discuss the importance of ongoing dietary management. The process of dietary counselling has shifted from one that focuses on just foods to avoid to one that evaluates the multiple life factors (social, cultural, environmental, biological) that affect the individual’s food choices and dietary behaviour. The nutritional quality of a gluten‐free diet continues to affect vitamin, mineral and weight status of individuals with coeliac disease. There are many barriers to dietary adherence including increased cost and limited availability of gluten‐free products, as well as the negative impact on an individual’s social domain of quality of life. Therefore, assessment, education and counselling by a coeliac specialist dietitian should be the cornerstone of dietary management.
TREM2‐induced activation of microglia contributes to synaptic integrity in cognitively intact aged individuals with Alzheimer's neuropathology
Authors: Fracassi Anna , Marcatti Michela , Tumurbaatar Batbayar , Woltjer Randall , Moreno Sandra , Taglialatela Giulio
Published: July 2022

The existence of individuals who remain cognitively intact despite presenting histopathological signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD), here referred to as “Nondemented with AD neuropathology” (NDAN), suggests that some mechanisms are triggered to resist cognitive impairment. Exposed phosphatidylserine (ePS) represents a neuronal “eat‐me” signal involved in microglial‐mediated phagocytosis of damaged synapses. A possible mediator of this process is TREM2, a microglial surface receptor activated by ligands including PS. Based on TREM2 role in the scavenging function of microglia, we hypothesize that an efficient microglial phagocytosis of damaged synapses underlies synaptic resilience in NDAN, thus protecting from memory deficits. Using immunofluorescence microscopy, we performed a comparative study of human post‐mortem frontal cortices of aged‐matched, AD and NDAN individuals. We studied the distribution of activated microglia (IBA1, IBA1+/CD68+ cells) and phagocytic microglia‐related proteins (TREM2, DAP12), demonstrating higher microglial activation and TREM2 expression in NDAN versus AD. A study of the preservation of synapses around plaques, assessed using MAP2 and βIII tubulin as dendritic and axonal markers, respectively, and PSD95 as a postsynaptic marker, revealed preserved axonal/dendritic structure around plaques in NDAN versus AD. Moreover, high levels of PSD95 around NDAN plaques and the colocalization of PSD95 with CD68 indicated a prompt removal of damaged synapses by phagocytic microglia. Furthermore, Annexin V assay on aged‐matched, AD and NDAN individuals synaptosomes revealed increased levels of ePS in NDAN, confirming damaged synapses engulfment. Our results suggest a higher efficiency of TREM2‐induced phagocytic microglia in removing damaged synapses, underlying synaptic resilience in NDAN individuals.
Composition, distribution, and change in Canada's federal policy staff
Authors: Henderson Samuel , Craft Jonathan
Published: July 2022

Using a decade of administrative data from the Government of Canada, we provide fresh analysis of the composition and distribution of staff most formally associated with policy work, the Economics and Social Science (EC) classification. Comparative analysis across unit levels including “ministerial departments” and central agencies, as well as non‐standard organizations support but clarify the nature of the uneven distribution of policy analytical capacity across government. We demonstrate a dramatic increase in not only the overall complement of EC staff over time, particularly since 2017, but also significant growth at senior levels while junior EC staff have remained stable or declined. The findings also point to new dynamics related to the pace, orientation, and distribution of policy analytical capacity as governments gain, lose, and exercise that capacity often in the face of tough choices about how, where, and when to deploy policy resources.
Rehabilitation of full‐arch edentulism with fixed or removable dentures retained by root‐form dental implants: A systematic review of outcomes and outcome measures used in clinical research in the last 10 years
Authors: Messias Ana , Karasan Duygu , Nicolau Pedro , Pjetursson Bjarni E. , Guerra Fernando
Published: July 2022

Aim

To evaluate outcome measures, methods of assessment, and analysis in clinical studies on the rehabilitation of full‐arch edentulism with implant‐supported fixed or removable prostheses.

Materials and Methods

A protocol‐oriented search was conducted in MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library (PROSPERO registration CRD42021265179) from 1 January 2011 to 27 July 2021 to identify longitudinal studies reporting on the rehabilitation of edentulous patients with implant‐supported prostheses. The primary aim of this study was the collection of all objectively reported outcomes in each study. Secondary aims included the description of the methods of assessment and analytical methods. Risk of bias was applied according to the study design (randomized controlled trial, cohort study, or descriptive pre–post study). Individual study data were extracted into an outcomes matrix. Outcomes were grouped into domains and descriptively analysed. A network diagram was generated to establish relationships between domains. The present review follows the PRISMA statement.

Results

The screening and selection processes resulted in the identification of 491 publications, corresponding to 421 different studies (cohorts of patients). Only 24% of the studies reported the use of EQUATOR network guidelines. Implant failure/survival was the most reported outcome (270 studies), but the criterion to determine implant failure and/or survival was frequently not described or was ambiguous. Implant success was much less frequently reported (88) and was based on several heterogenous composite definitions. Marginal bone levels (233 studies), technical complications (158), and clinical outcomes (150), including peri‐implant soft tissue and implant stability assessment, were also frequently reported. Patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) (145) and function‐based outcomes (40) were predominantly reported in isolation from other outcomes and most frequently in removable restorations. While quality of life was evaluated using valid instruments, patient satisfaction was evaluated based on a common sense concept of satisfaction. Economic outcomes were under‐reported (13).

Conclusions

There is great heterogeneity in the criteria to define implant failure or survival and implant success, which prevents the comparison of rates across studies. Even though studies frequently report multiple outcomes, PROMs are usually reported in isolation from other outcomes. It would be valuable to have a set of core outcome variables and standardized methods of measurement for future studies.
Social capital in the context of volunteer conservation initiatives
Authors: Gerolemou Rosie V. , Russell James C. , Stanley Margaret C.
Published: July 2022

Conservation volunteering aims to benefit species and ecosystems, but whether positive collective social outcomes exist for conservation group participants is largely unknown. To examine the importance of the collective social benefits from conservation, we surveyed members of the Auckland, New Zealand public to investigate social capital: the connections among people and the collective positive benefits that are enabled. We found members of community groups, particularly conservation groups, had higher social capital than people who did not participate in community groups. Members of multiple types of community group also had increased social capital scores. Conservation group members had more positive perceptions of pest management compared with members of the public not undertaking conservation action. Our findings indicate that conservation groups and their members are associated with collective social benefits not previously identified. Linking social capital benefits with ecological benefits could increase conservation's appeal to people more strongly motivated by personal well‐being and a sense of community, facilitating positive outcomes for them and the environment. To increase social capital at the community level, we recommend encouraging participation in community conservation.