bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A bibliometric analysis of wine economics and business research: insights, trends, and future directions
Authors: Ruggeri Giordano , Corsi Stefano , Mazzocchi Chiara
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the academic landscape in wine economics and business research over the past decades, capturing and analysing the literature through rigorous bibliometric methodologies. The study is intended as a foundational resource for academics, policymakers and industry stakeholders interested in the evolving scholarly discourse within the wine industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyse data from over 3,200 papers in the field of wine economics and business published between 1990 and 2022, sourced from Scopus. Various bibliometric indicators are applied, including publication and citation counts, and methods like keyword and co-citation analyses were used to map out the thematic and intellectual landscape.

Findings

The study reveals the escalating global relevance of wine economics and business research and identifies prominent papers and authors, influential countries and leading journals. The analysis reveals a dynamic shift in academic focus. Initially concentrating on foundational inquiries in the 1990s, research evolved to encompass complex themes such as e-commerce, wine tourism, sustainability and global crises. The study emphasises the adaptability and resilience of the wine supply chain and anticipates future research areas.

Originality/value

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the expanding body of research in wine economics and business, using data from over 3,200 documents published between 1990 and 2022. It uniquely combines different advanced bibliometric tools to provide a multifaceted overview of wine economics and business research.
Research on the mechanism of digital transformation to improve enterprise environmental performance
Authors: Xie Jiaping , Zhang Tingting , Zhao Junjie
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Based on the background of enterprise digital transformation, this paper aims to examine the impact of digitization on the cooperative behavior and environmental performance of green technology innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

By constructing a model of quantity competition between the two enterprises, this paper examines the impact of digitization on the cooperative behavior and environmental performance of green technology innovation from the micro level. It uses Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share-listed companies as research samples. An unbalanced panel data set from 2011 to 2018 was constructed to empirically test the effect of digital transformation on the environmental performance of enterprises.

Findings

The findings reveal the following. First, digital transformation can significantly improve the environmental performance of enterprises. Second, green technological innovation sharing plays an intermediary role between digital transformation and enterprise environmental performance. Third, when the level of digitization is high, the sharing effect of green technology innovation brought about by digital technology is stronger and enterprises tend to carry out cooperative green technology innovation. Lastly, the level of development of regional science and technology finance plays a positive regulatory role in digital transformation and enterprise environmental performance.

Originality/value

This paper first proposes that green technology innovation-sharing is an important mechanism that can significantly improve enterprises' environmental performance. The authors empirically examine the mechanism and analyze the heterogeneity of the impact of digitalization level on enterprises' environmental performance. The authors also discuss the moderating effect of regional technology and finance development levels on the relationship between digitalization and enterprises' environmental performance.
Genoa, former church of Saints Gerolamo and Francesco Saverio and former university library: conservation, reuse and enhancement proposals
Authors: Musso Stefano Francesco , Franco Giovanna
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This article sets out to show how principles and questions about method that underlie a way of interpreting the discipline of conservation and restoration can find results in research and studies, aiming at achieving even conscious reuse process. The occasion is the very recent research performed on the former Church of Saints Gerolamo and Francesco Saverio in Genoa, Italy, the Jesuit church annexed to the 17th-century College of the order. It is a small Baroque jewel in the heart of the ancient city, former University Library and actually abandoned, forgotten for years, inaccessible and awaiting a new use.

Design/methodology/approach

The two-year work carried out on the monumental building was conducted according to a study and research methodology developed and refined over the years within the activities of the School of Specialisation in Architectural Heritage and Landscape of the University of Genoa. It is a multidisciplinary and rigorous approach, which aims to train high-level professionals, up-to-date and aware of the multiple problems that interventions on existing buildings, especially of a monumental nature, involve.

Findings

The biennal study has been carried out within the activities of the Post-Graduate Programme in Architectural Heritage and Landscape of the University of Genoa. The work methodology faces the challenges of the contemporary complexity, raised by the progressive broadening of the concept of cultural “heritage” and by the problems of its conservation, its active safeguard and its reuse: safety in respect of seismic risk, fire and hydro geological instability, universal accessibility – cognitive, physical and alternative – resource efficiency, comfort and savings in energy consumption, sustainability, communication and involvement of local communities and stakeholders.

Originality/value

The goals of the work were the following: understanding of the architectural heritage, through the correlated study of its geometries, elements and construction materials, surfaces, structures, spaces and functions; understanding of the transformations that the building has undergone over time, relating the results of historical reconstructions from indirect sources and those of direct archaeological analysis; assessment of the state of conservation of the building recognising phenomena of deterioration, damage, faults and deficits that affect materials, construction elements, systems and structures; identification of the causes and extent of damage, faults and deficits, assessing the vulnerability and level of exposure of the asset to the aggression of environmental factors and related risks; evaluation of the compatibility between the characteristics of the available spaces, the primary needs of conservation, the instance of regeneration and possible new uses; the definition of criteria and guidelines for establishing the planning of conservation, restoration and redevelopment interventions.
Identification of social scientifically relevant topics in an interview repository: a natural language processing experiment
Authors: Gárdos Judit , Egyed-Gergely Julia , Horváth Anna , Pataki Balázs , Vajda Roza , Micsik András
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The present study is about generating metadata to enhance thematic transparency and facilitate research on interview collections at the Research Documentation Centre, Centre for Social Sciences (TK KDK) in Budapest. It explores the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in producing, managing and processing social science data and its potential to generate useful metadata to describe the contents of such archives on a large scale.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors combined manual and automated/semi-automated methods of metadata development and curation. The authors developed a suitable domain-oriented taxonomy to classify a large text corpus of semi-structured interviews. To this end, the authors adapted the European Language Social Science Thesaurus (ELSST) to produce a concise, hierarchical structure of topics relevant in social sciences. The authors identified and tested the most promising natural language processing (NLP) tools supporting the Hungarian language. The results of manual and machine coding will be presented in a user interface.

Findings

The study describes how an international social scientific taxonomy can be adapted to a specific local setting and tailored to be used by automated NLP tools. The authors show the potential and limitations of existing and new NLP methods for thematic assignment. The current possibilities of multi-label classification in social scientific metadata assignment are discussed, i.e. the problem of automated selection of relevant labels from a large pool.

Originality/value

Interview materials have not yet been used for building manually annotated training datasets for automated indexing of scientifically relevant topics in a data repository. Comparing various automated-indexing methods, this study shows a possible implementation of a researcher tool supporting custom visualizations and the faceted search of interview collections.
Swedish public procurement and the defence industry: obstacles and opportunities
Authors: Hellberg Roland
Published: October 2023

Purpose

A deteriorating security situation and an increased need for defence equipment calls for new forms of collaboration between Armed Forces and the defence industry. This paper aims to investigate the ways in which the accelerating demand for increased security of supply of equipment and supplies to the Armed Forces requires adaptability in the procurement process that is governed by laws on public procurement (PP).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a review of current literature as well as empirical data obtained through interviews with representatives from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration and the Swedish defence industry.

Findings

Collaboration with the globalized defence industry requires new approaches, where the PP rules make procurement of a safe supply of defence equipment difficult.

Research limitations/implications

The study's empirical data and findings are based on the Swedish context. In order to draw more general conclusions in a defence context, the study should be expanded to cover more nations.

Practical implications

The findings will enable the defence industry and the procurement authorizations to better understand the requirements of Armed Forces, and how to cooperate under applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Originality/value

The paper extends the extant body of academic knowledge of the security of supply into the defence sector. It serves as a first step towards articulating a call for new approaches to collaboration in defence supply chains.
Determination of disease risk factors using binary data envelopment analysis and logistic regression analysis (case study: a stroke risk factors)
Authors: Gholamazad Maedeh , Pourmahmoud Jafar , Atashi Alireza , Farhoudi Mehdi , Deljavan Anvari Reza
Published: October 2023

Purpose

A stroke is a serious, life-threatening condition that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off. The earlier a stroke is treated, the less damage is likely to occur. One of the methods that can lead to faster treatment is timely and accurate prediction and diagnosis. This paper aims to compare the binary integer programming-data envelopment analysis (BIP-DEA) model and the logistic regression (LR) model for diagnosing and predicting the occurrence of stroke in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, two algorithms of the BIP-DEA and LR methods were introduced and key risk factors leading to stroke were extracted.

Findings

The study population consisted of 2,100 samples (patients) divided into six subsamples of different sizes. The classification table of each algorithm showed that the BIP-DEA model had more reliable results than the LR for the small data size. After running each algorithm, the BIP-DEA and LR algorithms identified eight and five factors as more effective risk factors and causes of stroke, respectively. Finally, predictive models using the important risk factors were proposed.

Originality/value

The main objective of this study is to provide the integrated BIP-DEA algorithm as a fast, easy and suitable tool for evaluation and prediction. In fact, the BIP-DEA algorithm can be used as an alternative tool to the LR model when the sample size is small. These algorithms can be used in various fields, including the health-care industry, to predict and prevent various diseases before the patient’s condition becomes more dangerous.
Exploring the influence of service employees' characteristics on their willingness to work with service robots
Authors: Tu Yangjun , Liu Wei , Yang Zhi
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This research empirically investigates how service employees' ratings of technology readiness (TRI), negative attitudes towards robots (NARS), Big Five personality traits (BFI) and emotional demands (ED) affect their willingness to work with service robots (WTW).

Design/methodology/approach

One set of data is collected from 410 service employees expected to work with service robots in Study 1. Another set of field data is collected from 102 employees working with service robots in Study 2. Hierarchical regression is used to test hypotheses about the impact of technology readiness, negative attitudes towards robots and Big Five personality traits on WTW. Additionally, the interactions of emotional demands in the workplace are analysed.

Findings

TRI-optimism and TRI-insecurity significantly affect WTW in Study 2 but are nonsignificant in Study 1. The impacts of NARS-emotions in interaction with robots and NARS-interaction with robots situations on WTW are significant in Study 1 but nonsignificant in Study 2. Moreover, BFI-neuroticism negatively affected WTW in Study 1, while these effects were nonsignificant in Study 2. Finally, emotional demands significantly interact with three of eleven dimensions of IVs in Study 1, but all interactions are nonsignificant in Study 2.

Practical implications

This research provides a guiding framework for service companies to screen employees expected to cowork with service robots, to enhance newly hired employees' WTW and to improve existing employees' WTW.

Originality/value

Integrating the characteristics of service employees, service robots and jobs into a theoretical framework, this research is the first to empirically examine the effects of service employees' several critical characteristics (technology readiness, negative attitudes towards robots and Big Five personality) on WTW and the moderation of job characteristics (emotional demands).
Data-driven optimization for production planning with multiple demand features
Authors: Su Xiaoli , Zeng Lijun , Shao Bo , Lin Binlong
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The production planning problem with fine-grained information has hardly been considered in practice. The purpose of this study is to investigate the data-driven production planning problem when a manufacturer can observe historical demand data with high-dimensional mixed-frequency features, which provides fine-grained information.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, a two-step data-driven optimization model is proposed to examine production planning with the exploitation of mixed-frequency demand data is proposed. First, an Unrestricted MIxed DAta Sampling approach is proposed, which imposes Group LASSO Penalty (GP-U-MIDAS). The use of high frequency of massive demand information is analytically justified to significantly improve the predictive ability without sacrificing goodness-of-fit. Then, integrated with the GP-U-MIDAS approach, the authors develop a multiperiod production planning model with a rolling cycle. The performance is evaluated by forecasting outcomes, production planning decisions, service levels and total cost.

Findings

Numerical results show that the key variables influencing market demand can be completely recognized through the GP-U-MIDAS approach; in particular, the selected accuracy of crucial features exceeds 92%. Furthermore, the proposed approach performs well regarding both in-sample fitting and out-of-sample forecasting throughout most of the horizons. Taking the total cost and service level obtained under the actual demand as the benchmark, the mean values of both the service level and total cost differences are reduced. The mean deviations of the service level and total cost are reduced to less than 2.4%. This indicates that when faced with fluctuating demand, the manufacturer can adopt the proposed model to effectively manage total costs and experience an enhanced service level.

Originality/value

Compared with previous studies, the authors develop a two-step data-driven optimization model by directly incorporating a potentially large number of features; the model can help manufacturers effectively identify the key features of market demand, improve the accuracy of demand estimations and make informed production decisions. Moreover, demand forecasting and optimal production decisions behave robustly with shifting demand and different cost structures, which can provide manufacturers an excellent method for solving production planning problems under demand uncertainty.
Development of protective coating system using natural rubber – acrylic polyol resin for mild steel
Authors: Kerinasamy Naidu Monapriya Naidu , Wonnie Ma Iling Aema , Kumar Sachin Sharma Ashok , Balakrishnan Vengadaesvaran , Subramaniam Ramesh , Kasi Ramesh
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a protective coating system on mild steel panel incorporating epoxidized natural rubber with acrylic polyol resin.

Design/methodology/approach

In this work, a novel attempt is made to develop binder coatings using epoxidized natural rubber-based material and an organic resin (acrylic resin) for corrosion protection on metal substrate. Seven different samples of multifunctional coatings are developed by varying the compositions of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) and acrylic resin. The properties of the developed coatings have been characterized using analytical methods such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). EIS has been carried out for 30 days to evaluate the corrosion resistance after immersing into 3.5 wt.% of sodium chloride. Cross hatch cut tester (CHT) has been used to study the adhesive properties. UV–Visible Spectroscopy (UV–Vis) was also used to assess changes in the coating-film transparency of the natural rubber-based coating systems in this study.

Findings

The developed coatings have formed uniform layer on the substrate. CHT results show excellent adhesion of the coatings. Higher concentrations of ENR have higher transparency level, which reduces when the acrylic concentration increases. FTIR analysis confirms the crosslinking that occurred between the components of the coatings. Based on the impedance data from EIS, the incorporation of natural rubber can be an additive for the corrosion protection, which has the coating resistance values well above 108Ω even after 30 days of immersion.

Practical implications

The blending method provides a simple and practical solution to improve the strength and adhesion properties of acrylic polyol resin with epoxidized natural rubber. There is still improvement needed for long-term applications.

Originality/value

The work has been conducted in our laboratory. The combination of natural rubber-based materials and organic resins is a new approach in coating research.
Drivers of the next-minute Bitcoin price using sparse regressions
Authors: Gurrib Ikhlaas , Kamalov Firuz , Starkova Olga , Elshareif Elgilani Eltahir , Contu Davide
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the role of price-based information from major cryptocurrencies, foreign exchange, equity markets and key commodities in predicting the next-minute Bitcoin (BTC) price. This study answers the following research questions: What is the best sparse regression model to predict the next-minute price of BTC? What are the key drivers of the BTC price in high-frequency trading?

Design/methodology/approach

Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and Ridge regressions are adopted using minute-based open-high-low-close prices, volume and trade count for eight major cryptos, global stock market indices, foreign currency pairs, crude oil and gold price information for February 2020–March 2021. This study also examines whether there was any significant break and how the accuracy of the selected models was impacted.

Findings

Findings suggest that Ridge regression is the most effective model for predicting next-minute BTC prices based on BTC-related covariates such as BTC-open, BTC-high and BTC-low, with a moderate amount of regularization. While BTC-based covariates BTC-open and BTC-low were most significant in predicting BTC closing prices during stable periods, BTC-open and BTC-high were most important during volatile periods. Overall findings suggest that BTC’s price information is the most helpful to predict its next-minute closing price after considering various other asset classes’ price information.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to identify the covariates of major cryptocurrencies and predict the next-minute BTC crypto price, with a focus on both crypto-asset and cross-market information.
Digital inclusion for all? A gender-disaggregated analysis of e-government service use in Indonesia
Authors: Ariansyah Kasmad , Setiawan Ahmad Budi , Darmanto Darmanto , Nupikso Daru , Budhirianto Syarif , Hidayat Dayat , Hikmaturokhman Alfin
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the factors that influence the use of e-government services among male and female samples, aiming at gaining a deeper understanding of how to promote digital inclusion and maximize the benefits of digitalization.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses binomial logistic regression modeling on two data sets: a nationwide survey at the individual level of 8,854 usable samples conducted in 2019 and village potential statistics.

Findings

The survey indicates low adoption and use of e-government services among both males and females. The statistical analysis further reveals that although there might be some variations in the influencing factors between the genders, the overall patterns are similar. These findings suggest that the low adoption and use of e-government services among males and females can be attributed to factors such as misperceptions about internet-based services, resulting in low motivation to use the services, inadequate internet connectivity, affordability, limited digital skills and exposure to harmful online content.

Originality/value

This study conducts a gender-disaggregated analysis to determine whether the antecedents of males’ decisions to adopt e-government services differ from those of females. Such a study is underrepresented in the extant literature, particularly in the context of e-government service use.
Does workplace incivility affect travel agency performance through innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors, and organizational commitment?
Authors: Al-Romeedy Bassam Samir , El-Sisi Shaymaa
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of workplace incivility on innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors, organizational commitment and performance in travel agencies. The study also aims at exploring the mediating roles of innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational commitment in the relationship between workplace incivility and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The questionnaire was used to collect study data from the sample, which consisted of employees in Egyptian travel agencies, category (A), in Cairo Governorate. The questionnaire link was sent to 854 employees in travel agencies, with 644 obtained responses. Only 586 responses were suitable for analysis.

Findings

The results depicted that there is a significant and negative effect of workplace incivility on innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors, organizational commitment and performance. The results also revealed a significant and positive effect of innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational commitment on performance. Moreover, the results indicated that innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational commitment play partial mediating roles in the link between workplace incivility and performance.

Originality/value

The current study attempts to measure the mediating role of innovation, organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational commitment in the link between workplace incivility and performance. Managerial implications, limitations and future research are also presented.
Defoliation enhances the positive effects of soil microbial diversity on plant productivity
Authors: Zhang Ruihuan , Zhou Ping , Wei Yuqi , Liu Nan , Zhang Yingjun
Published: October 2023

Defoliation, often induced by herbivores, and soil microbiomes are recognized as key drivers of plant diversity and productivity in grasslands. However, lack of experiments simultaneously manipulating defoliation and soil microbial diversity has constrained our understanding of how these two factors interactively influence both above‐ground and below‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP and BNPP).

We employed a soil filtering approach to create the gradient of soil microbial diversity and removal of above‐ground biomass by clipping to simulate defoliation effect from herbivores. Our goal was to investigate how soil microbial diversity affected both ANPP and BNPP under the stress of defoliation.

We found that defoliation and soil microbial diversity loss decreased the ANPP and BNPP of the plant community, andMedicago falcata(legume) was more responsive to these treatments thanLeymus chinensis(grass) andArtemisia frigida(forb). ANPP was positively correlated with soil microbial richness only when plants suffered defoliation. By contrast, BNPP showed a closer relationship with soil fungal richness than bacteria, and defoliation enhanced this relationship. The structural equation model (SEM) showed that defoliation indirectly regulated ANPP by affecting plant P content, while soil bacterial diversity loss decreased the ANPP through altering plant P and fungal diversity loss directly decreased BNPP. The LEfSe and linear regression analysis revealed that the biomarkers of bacteria (e.g.Actinobacteria,Xanthobacteraceae) and fungi (e.g.Ascomycota,Glomerales) significantly contributed to the variation of ANPP and BNPP under defoliation treatment respectively. Defoliation enhanced phosphorus acquisition by soil microorganisms, further strengthening the microbial regulation of plant productivity.

Overall, we provide novel insights on how defoliation enhances the positive effects of soil microbial diversity on above‐ and below‐ground net primary productivity. Our findings highlight that soil microorganisms associated with phosphorus cycling are mobilized to play a more active role in promoting productivity after defoliation. It may provide a new perspective on how to better utilize the role of soil microorganisms in grazed or managed grasslands.

Read the freePlain Language Summaryfor this article on the Journal blog.
Anatomical distribution of starch in the stemwood influences carbon dynamics and suggests storage‐growth trade‐offs in some tropical trees
Authors: Herrera‐Ramírez David , Hartmann Henrik , Römermann Christine , Trumbore Susan , Muhr Jan , Maracahipes‐Santos Leonardo , Brando Paulo , Silvério Divino , Huang Jianbei , Kuhlmann Iris , Sierra Carlos A.
Published: October 2023

Trees balance temporal asynchrony in carbon source and sink activity by accumulating and using non‐structural carbon (NSC). Previous work has demonstrated differences in the amount and distribution of NSC stored in stemwood in tropical tree species and related these patterns in NSC distribution to tree growth and mortality rates. However, we still do not know how changes in the amount and location of starch, a major component of NSC in stemwood, influence the seasonal carbon dynamics of mature trees and how this may reflect storage‐growth trade‐offs.

In this work, we hypothesized that combining two life history traits, here leaf habit (evergreen/semi‐deciduous) and the anatomical distribution of starch within the stemwood (parenchyma storage and fibre storage), would allow us to explain differences in the seasonal interplay between carbon sources and sinks and the use and accumulation of starch in the tree stem. We expected semi‐deciduous/fibre‐storing species to have greater seasonal amplitudes of carbon source and sink activity, and therefore greater variation in starch content and stronger storage‐growth trade‐offs than evergreen/parenchyma‐storing species.

We measured monthly increments in stem radial growth, soluble sugars and starch every 3 months during 2019 in Dacryodes microcarpa (semi‐deciduous/fibre‐storing species), Ocotea leucoxylon (evergreen/parenchyma‐storing species) and Sacoglottis guianensis (semi‐deciduous/parenchyma‐storing species).

We found seasonal changes in starch but not sugars in the semi‐deciduous species, with greater amplitude in the fibre‐storing species that also had greater storage capacity and stem respiration rates. The fibre‐storing species further showed a negative relationship between starch consumption/accumulation and growth during the rainy season, suggesting a trade‐off between growth and storage, with starch accumulating in some cases when growth was low.

Synthesis. Our results show the influence of seasonal starch storage on carbon dynamics in three species of tropical trees that differ in leaf phenology and starch storage traits. Semi‐deciduous/fibre‐storing species have greater temporal variation in carbon sink activities and more seasonally dynamic starch content. Since the fibre‐storing species we studied are slower‐growing and longer‐lived trees with lower mortality rates compared to the parenchyma‐storing species, these results may provide clues about how storage traits could influence their survival and life span.
The perils of producing revolutionary moderation: entertainment, style, and the ‘Islamic Che’ in Iran
Authors: Bajoghli Narges
Published: October 2023

What makes revolutionary media ‘moderate’, and why would a revolutionary state produce moderation? Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with pro‐regime media producers in Iran, this article examines the attempted creation of a new revolutionary hero, an ‘Islamic Che’, who appeals to younger audiences by creating a moderate style. Iran's regime media makers seek to attract not just youth who protest against the Islamic Republic, but their own children: those they imagined would be their automatic base of support. How do revolutionary states cultivate a base among a new generation willing to defend the existing political structure? This article examines how state media makers imagine ‘moderate style’ as that which can both stay true to the founding principles and be entertaining enough for younger generations. Beyond the example of post‐revolutionary Iran, this article also allows us to think more about the predicament of all states: namely how do they attempt to attract the attention of citizens in a world inundated with easy‐to‐access digital content?
Zainab's traffic: spatial lives of an Islamic ritual across Southwest Asia
Authors: Yıldız Emrah
Published: October 2023

Since the 1979 Revolution, Iranian pilgrims have engaged in saint visitation (ziyarat) to sites in Syria. By travelling via Turkey on buses, and venerating Sayyida Zainab at their destination, these pilgrims disrupt conventional conceptions of not only Islamic ritual, but also Iranian mobility under sanctions. Their experiences venerating Sayyida Zainab – emerging out of a self‐described ‘poverty of mobility’ – demonstrate the utility of a more expansive conceptualization of ritual in anthropology. Instead of taking ritual for a scripturally canonized ‘manual for’ pious self‐cultivation, here I approachziyaratas a traffic of pilgrims, goods, and ideas across Iran, Turkey, and Syria. This approach produces a dynamic and spatial conception ofziyaratas a ritual of mobility. Ethnographic attention to these pilgrims’ politically conditioned and regionally networked spatial practices reveals that their movements are irreducible to ethical projects of cultivating piety alone. What is at stake in Iranian pilgrims’ movements is nothing short of the extra‐religious conditions of religion – those of the economy and the polity. These stakes illuminate how religious practices interarticulate with political and social institutions – including bazaars, borders, and shrines – that remain understudied in recent anthropological scholarship on Islamic piety.
‘I will never forgive him’: blame, precarious kinship, and illness in low‐income urban India
Authors: Branagan Lesley
Published: October 2023

This article examines the constitutive role of blame in kinship as a practice in a low‐income neighbourhood in India's capital city, Delhi. Using ethnographic data, I show how women with serious or chronic illness express blame towards kin for their failures in critical moments: for not providing care during illness, not fulfilling kinship obligations, and even for causing or exacerbating illness. As relationships rupture to reveal the underlying precariousness of kinship, women use blaming statements, accusations, and critique to leverage toeholds of power and take matters into their hands against their families’ wishes. Yet even as women forge a degree of agency through blaming practices, I show that these practices can lead, paradoxically, to the repair and reconstitution of kinship. This article builds upon existing scholarship that addresses both the failure of kinship as a system of mutual support and the work of kinship repair in similar marginal contexts in north India characterized by neglect, which render women vulnerable to negative effects. My focus on blaming acts offers a new angle on this intimate terrain, illustrating how women enact the social practice of blame to reshape the dynamics and terms of kinship relations, rather than reconciling themselves to kinship failings.
Exploring attitudes towards health preparedness in the Middle East and North Africa against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats: A qualitative study
Authors: Farhat Hassan , Alinier Guillaume , Helou Mariana , Galatas Ioannis , Josse Denis , Campbell Craig , Olim Nelson , Handan Dökmeci Ayşe , Heriza Mohammed , Chebbi Henda , El‐Aifa Kawther , Jaafar Amira , Souissi Sami , Amor Asma Ben , Castle Nicholas , Al‐Shaikh Loua , Abougalala Walid , Dhiab Mohamed Ben , Laughton James
Published: October 2023

Since 1970, Middle East and North African (MENA) countries have witnessed evolutionary industrial development and long‐running terrorist and inter‐country conflicts. Additionally, the risk of accidental, deliberate or natural chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats has also increased, requiring a collaborative review of the health sectors’ preparedness for potential CBRN risks within the region. This study aimed to explore the opinion of multidisciplinary experts interested in disaster management research in MENA about perspectives and challenges on readiness for potential CBRN incidents.

A modified interview online link was sent to the participants. A qualitative thematic analysis was performed on the responses using Nvivo®12 software, following semi‐structured modified interviews using the Phonic® application.

A total of 29 participants were sufficient to reach the data saturation. Through an inductive coding approach, five themes were identified: ‘CBRN‐Related Incidents are a Threat’, ‘Inadequate National Practice and Policy’, ‘Need for International Cooperation’, ‘Importance of Better Mass Gathering Management’, and ‘Ineffective Hospital Preparedness’.

With the assistance of the World Health Organization, there is a consensus on the need for cooperation between the MENA countries to ensure adequate healthcare preparedness for CBRN threats. Suggested measures should be considered, such as creating a unified database and liaison officer designation.
Heat stress and adverse pregnancy outcome: Prospective cohort study
Authors: Rekha Shanmugam , Nalini Sirala Jagadeesh , Bhuvana Srinivasan , Kanmani Sellappa , Hirst Jane Elizabeth , Venugopal Vidhya
Published: October 2023

Objective

To explore the relationship between occupational heat exposure, physiological heat strain indicators and adverse outcomes in pregnant women.

Design

Prospective cohort.

Setting

Workplaces in Tamil Nadu, India.

Sample

A cohort of 800 pregnant women engaged in moderate to heavy physical work in 2017–2019 and 2021–2022.

Methods

Participants were recruited at between 8 and 14 weeks of gestation. Occupational heat exposure and heat strain indicators were captured each trimester. ‘Heat exposed’ was defined as heat stress exceeding the threshold limit value (TLV) for safe manual work (with maximum wet‐bulb globe temperatures of 27.5°C for a heavy workload and 28.0°C for a moderate workload). Physiological heat strain indicators (HSIs) such as core body temperature (CBT) and urine specific gravity (USG) were measured before and after each shift. Heat‐related health symptoms were captured using the modified HOTHAPS questionnaire.

Main outcome measures

The main outcome measures included (1) a composite measure of any adverse pregnancy outcome (APO) during pregnancy (including miscarriage, preterm birth, low birthweight, stillbirth, intrauterine growth restriction and birth defects), (2) a composite measure of adverse outcomes at birth (3) and miscarriage.

Results

Of the 800 participants, 47.3% had high occupational heat exposure. A rise in CBT was recorded in 17.4% of exposed workers, and 29.6% of workers experienced moderate dehydration (USG ≥ 1.020). Heat‐exposed women had a doubled risk of miscarriage (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 2.4; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 1.0–5.7). High occupational heat exposure was associated with an increased risk of any adverse pregnancy and foetal outcome (aOR 2.3; 95% CI 1.4–3.8) and adverse outcome at birth (aOR 2.0; 95% CI 1.2–3.3).

Conclusions

High occupational heat exposure is associated with HSIs and adverse pregnancy outcomes in India.
Pollution and endometriosis: A deep dive into the environmental impacts on women's health
Authors: Vallée Alexandre , Ceccaldi Pierre‐François , Carbonnel Marie , Feki Anis , Ayoubi Jean‐Marc
Published: October 2023

Background

The interaction between pollution and endometriosis is a pressing issue that demands immediate attention. The impact of pollution, particularly air and water pollution, or occupational hazards, on hormonal disruption and the initiation of endometriosis remains a major issue.

Objectives

This narrative review aims to delve into the intricate connection between pollution and endometriosis, shedding light on how environmental factors contribute to the onset and severity of this disease and, thus, the possible public health policy implications.

Discussion

Endocrine‐disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in pollutants dysregulate the hormonal balance, contributing to the progression of this major gynaecological disorder. Air pollution, specifically PM2.5 and PAHs, has been associated with an increased risk of endometriosis by enhancing chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and hormonal imbalances. Chemical contaminants in water and work exposures, including heavy metals, dioxins, and PCBs, disrupt the hormonal regulation and potentially contribute to endometriosis. Mitigating the environmental impact of pollution is required to safeguard women’s reproductive health. This requires a comprehensive approach involving stringent environmental regulations, sustainable practices, responsible waste management, research and innovation, public awareness, and collaboration among stakeholders.

Conclusion

Public health policies have a major role in addressing the interaction between pollution and endometriosis in a long‐term commitment.
Legal situation and consumer acceptance of insects being eaten as human food in different nations across the world–A comprehensive review
Authors: Siddiqui Shahida Anusha , Tettey Elizabeth , Yunusa Bello Mohammed , Ngah Norhayati , Debrah Shadrack Kwaku , Yang Xi , Fernando Ito , Povetkin Sergey Nikolaevich , Shah Mohd Asif
Published: October 2023

Insect consumption is a traditional practice in many countries. Currently, the urgent need for ensuring food sustainability and the high pressure from degrading environment are urging food scientists to rethink the possibility of introducing edible insects as a promising food type. However, due to the lack of the standardized legislative rules and the adequate scientific data that demonstrate the safety of edible insects, many countries still consider it a grey area to introduce edible insects into food supply chains. In this review, we comprehensively reviewed the legal situation, consumer willingness, acceptance, and the knowledge on edible insect harvesting, processing as well as their safety concerns. We found that, despite the great advantage of introducing edible insects in food supply chains, the legal situation and consumer acceptance for edible insects are still unsatisfactory and vary considerably in different countries, which mostly depend on geographical locations and cultural backgrounds involving psychological, social, religious, and anthropological factors. Besides, the safety concern of edible insect consumption is still a major issue hurdling the promotion of edible insects, which is particularly concerning for countries with no practice in consuming insects. Fortunately, the situation is improving. So far, some commercial insect products like energy bars, burgers, and snack foods have emerged in the market. Furthermore, the European Union has also recently issued a specific item for regulating new foods, which is believed to establish an authorized procedure to promote insect‐based foods and should be an important step for marketizing edible insects in the near future.
Microbial inoculants with higher capacity to colonize soils improved wheat drought tolerance
Authors: Li Jiayu , Wang Juntao , Liu Hongwei , Macdonald Catriona A. , Singh Brajesh K.
Published: October 2023

Microbial inoculants have gained increasing attention worldwide as an eco‐friendly solution for improving agriculture productivity. Several studies have demonstrated their potential benefits, such as enhanced resistance to drought, salinity, and pathogens. However, the beneficial impacts of inoculants remain inconsistent. This variability is attributed to limited knowledge of the mechanisms by which microbial inoculants affect crop growth and a lack of ecological characteristics of these inoculants that limit our ability to predict their beneficial effects. The first important step is believed to be the evaluation of the inoculant's ability to colonize new habitats (soils and plant roots), which could provide crops with beneficial functions and improve the consistency and efficiency of the inoculants. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of three microbial inoculants (two bacterial: P1 and P2, and one fungal: P3) on the growth and stress responses of three wheat varieties in two different soil types under drought conditions. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of microbial inoculants on soil microbial communities. Plant biomass and traits were measured, and high‐throughput sequencing was used to characterize bulk and rhizosphere soil microbiomes after exposure to drought stress. Under drought conditions, plant shoot weight significantly increased (11.37%) under P1 treatments compared to uninoculated controls. In addition, total nitrogen enzyme activity increased significantly under P1 in sandy soil but not in clay soil. Importantly, network analyses revealed that P1, consisting of Bacillus paralicheniformis and Bacillus subtilis, emerged as the keystone taxa in sandy soil. Conversely, P2 and P3 failed to establish as keystone taxa, which may explain their insignificant impact on wheat performance under drought conditions. In conclusion, our study emphasizes the importance of effective colonization by microbial inoculants in promoting crop growth under drought conditions. Our findings support the development of microbial inoculants that robustly colonize plant roots for improved agricultural productivity.
The “telomereless” erythrocytes and telomere‐length dependent erythropoiesis
Authors: Aviv Abraham
Published: October 2023

Approximately 25 trillion erythrocytes (red blood cells) circulate in the bloodstream of an adult human, surpassing the number of circulating leukocytes (white blood cells) by a factor of about 1000. Moreover, the erythrocyte turnover rate accounts for approximately 76% of the turnover rate of all circulating blood cells. This simple math shows that the hematopoietic system principally spends its telomere length‐dependent replicative capacity on building and maintaining the erythrocyte blood pool. Erythropoiesis (red blood cell production) is thus the principal cause of telomere shortening with age in hematopoietic cells (HCs), a conclusion that holds significant implications for linking telomere length dynamics in HCs to health and lifespan of modern humans.
Trends and projection in the proportion of (heavy) cannabis use in Germany from 1995 to 2021
Authors: Olderbak Sally , Möckl Justin , Manthey Jakob , Lee Sara , Rehm Jürgen , Hoch Eva , Kraus Ludwig
Published: October 2023

Aims

To measure the current trends of cannabis use in Germany, measure trends in the proportion of heavy cannabis users and estimate future cannabis use rates.

Design

Repeated waves of the Epidemiological Survey on Substance Abuse, a cross‐sectional survey conducted between 1995 and 2021 with a two‐stage participant selection strategy where respondents completed a survey on substance use delivered through the post, over the telephone or on‐line.

Setting

Germany.

Participants/cases

German‐speaking participants aged between 18 and 59 years living in Germany who self‐reported on their cannabis use in the past 12 months (n = 78 678). With the application of a weighting scheme, the data are nationally representative.

Measurements

Questions on the frequency of cannabis use in the past 12 months and self‐reported changes in frequency of use due to the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Findings

The prevalence of past 12‐month cannabis users increased from 4.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.7, 5.1] in 1995 to 10.0% (95% CI = 8.9, 11.3) in 2021. Modeling these trends revealed a significant increase that accelerated over the past decade. The proportion of heavy cannabis users [cannabis use (almost) daily or at least 200 times per year] among past‐year users has remained steady from 1995 (11.4%, 95% CI = 7.7, 16.5) to 2018 (9.5%, 95% CI = 7.6, 11.9), but significantly increased to 15.7% (95% CI = 13.1, 18.8) in 2021 during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Extrapolating from these models, the prevalence of 12‐month cannabis users in 2024 is expected to range between 10.4 and 15.0%, while the proportion of heavy cannabis users is unclear.

Conclusions

Trends from 1995 to 2021 suggest that the prevalence of past 12‐month cannabis users in Germany will continue to increase, with expected rates between 10.4 and 15.0% for the German‐speaking adult population, and that at least one in 10 cannabis users will continue to use cannabis heavily (almost daily or 200 + times in the past year).