bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A flexible high-throughput cultivation protocol to assess the response of individuals’ gut microbiota to diet-, drug-, and host-related factors
Authors: Zünd Janina N. , Plüss Serafina , Mujezinovic Denisa , Menzi Carmen , von Bieberstein Philipp R. , de Wouters Tomas , Lacroix Christophe , Leventhal Gabriel E. , Pugin Benoit
Published: July 2023

Anaerobic cultivation of fecal microbiota is a promising approach to investigate how gut microbial communities respond to specific intestinal conditions and perturbations. Here, we describe a practical protocol using 96-deepwell plates to cultivate stool-derived gut microbiota. Our protocol addresses key challenges in high-throughput culturing, including a thorough assessment of the impact of gas phase on medium chemistry, a modular medium preparation process to enable testing of several conditions in parallel, a medium formulation designed to maximize the compositional similarity of fecal cultures with the donor microbiota, and the creation of a step-by-step protocol detailing all practical procedures from material preparation to sample handling for analyses. Finally, we validated the protocol by demonstrating that cultivated fecal microbiota responded similarly to dietary fibers (resistant dextrin, soluble starch) and drugs (ciprofloxacin, 5-fluorouracil) as reported in vivo. This high-throughput cultivation protocol can facilitate culture-dependent studies, accelerate the discovery of gut microbiota-diet-drug-host interactions, and pave the way to personalized and microbiota-centered interventions.

MOTIVATION

The human gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem unique to each individual. The extent of this diversity has limited our capacity to fully comprehend microbial dynamics that apply to the entire human population. To probe the response of donor-specific microbial communities to intestinal conditions or perturbations,in vitrocultivation of stool-derived gut microbiota can be employed. However, cultivating gut microbiota under strictly anaerobic conditions is commonly performed using individual gas-tight tubes, which is a highly time-consuming strategy that limits the number of conditions and donor microbiota that can be tested in parallel. A flexible high-throughput protocol to cultivate and test donor-specific gut microbiota is therefore required. Hence, we developed a robust procedure for cultivating stool-derived microbiota (and pure gut microbial cultures) in 96-deepwell plates within an anaerobic chamber.
Amyloid β induces cardiac dysfunction and neuro-signaling impairment in the heart of an Alzheimer’s disease model
Authors: Elia Andrea , Parodi-Rullan Rebecca , Vazquez-Torres Rafael , Carey Ashley , Javadov Sabzali , Fossati Silvia
Published: July 2023

Aims:Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cerebral amyloid β (Aβ) deposition and tau pathology. The AD-mediated degeneration of the brain neuro-signaling pathways, together with a potential peripheral amyloid accumulation, may also result in the derangement of the peripheral nervous system, culminating in detrimental effects on other organs, including the heart. However, whether and how AD pathology modulates cardiac function, neurotrophins, innervation, and amyloidosis is still unknown. Here, we report for the first time that cardiac remodeling, amyloid deposition, and neuro-signaling dysregulation occur in the heart of Tg2576 mice, a widely used model of AD and cerebral amyloidosis.Methods and Results:Echocardiographic analysis showed significant deterioration of left ventricle function, evidenced by a decline of both ejection fraction and fraction shortening percentage in 12-month-old Tg2576 mice compared to age-matched WT littermates. Tg2576 mice hearts exhibited an accumulation of amyloid aggregates, including Aβ, an increase in interstitial fibrosis and severe cardiac nervous system dysfunction. The transgenic mice also showed a significant decrease in cardiac nerve fiber density, including both adrenergic and regenerating nerve endings. This myocardial denervation was accompanied by a robust reduction in NGF and BDNF protein expression as well as GAP-43 expression (regenerating fibers) in both the brain and heart of Tg2576 mice. Accordingly, cardiomyocytes and neuronal cells challenged with Aβ oligomers showed significant downregulation of BDNF and GAP-43, indicating a causal effect of Aβ on the loss of cardiac neurotrophic function.Conclusions:Overall, this study uncovers possible harmful effects of AD on the heart, revealing cardiac degeneration induced by Aβ through fibrosis and neuro-signaling pathway deregulation for the first time in Tg2576 mice. Our data suggest that AD pathology can cause deleterious effects on the heart, and the peripheral neurotrophic pathway may represent a potential therapeutic target to limit these effects.
Magnetic susceptibility is predictive of future clinical severity in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Thomas George EC , Hannaway Naomi , Zarkali Angelika , Shmueli Karin , Weil Rimona S
Published: July 2023

Dementia is common in Parkinson’s disease, but there is wide variation in its timing. With the emergence of disease modifying treatments in neurodegeneration, there is increasing need to detect and treat disease at the earliest stages and to monitor disease progression. A critical gap in Parkinson’s disease is the lack of quantifiable markers of progression, and methods to identify early stages. Until recently, MRI has had limited sensitivity to detect or track changes relating to Parkinson’s dementia, but advanced techniques, especially quantitative magnetic susceptibility mapping (QSM) which is sensitive to brain tissue iron, show potential for these purposes. So far, QSM, applied to cognition in Parkinson’s, has only been investigated in detail in cross-sectional cohorts. Here we present a longitudinal study throughout the brain using QSM in Parkinson’s disease. We included 59 Parkinson’s patients (with no dementia at study onset), and 22 controls, at baseline and after 3-year follow-up. Participants underwent detailed assessments of motor and cognitive severity at both timepoints. We found that increased magnetic susceptibility values in right temporal cortex and right putamen in patients were associated with poorer cognition at baseline. Strikingly, increased baseline susceptibility values within right temporal cortex, nucleus basalis of Meynert and putamen in patients were associated with greater cognitive severity after 3-year follow-up; and increased baseline susceptibility in basal ganglia, substantia nigra, red nucleus, insular cortex and dentate nucleus in patients were associated with greater motor severity after 3-year follow-up. We further found that after 3-years, increased follow-up susceptibility in these regions was associated with increased follow-up cognitive and motor severity, with further involvement of hippocampus relating to cognitive severity. However, region of interest analyses revealed that, in cortical regions, increases in paramagnetic susceptibility relating to iron could not alone explain the associations with increased clinical severity that were observed; and, similar to other studies, we did not find consistent increases in susceptibility within the 3-year follow-up period. Our study suggests that QSM has predictive sensitivity to detect changes in clinical severity many months prior to overt cognitive involvement in Parkinson’s. However, it also suggests that susceptibility within brain tissue over time may relate to changes in tissue composition other than iron concentration, such as in the relative proportion of myelin. Whilst our findings open the door for QSM to detect patients at the earliest stages of Parkinson’s dementia, we will require additional tissue metrics to augment the interpretation QSM, such that it can be used robustly in clinical practice or to provide outcome measures in therapeutic trials for disease modifying treatments in neurodegeneration.
Risk Factors for Admission into COVID-19 General Wards, Sub-Intensive and Intensive Care Units among SARS-CoV-2 Positive Subjects in the Municipality of Bologna, Italy
Authors: Raponi Sofia , Durazzi Francesco , Derus Nicolas Riccardo , Giampieri Enrico , Miglio Rossella , Castellani Gastone , Sala Claudia ,   with the Bologna MODELS4COVID Study Group
Published: July 2023

This is a retrospective cohort study aimed at identifying the risk factors for the hospitalization of patients with COVID-19 in the municipality of Bologna. A total of 32500 patients that tested positive for COVID-19 from February 28/2020 to October 13/2021 in the municipality of Bologna were included. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate changes during time of ICU hospitalization for all patients as well as stratifying subjects by sex. A multi-state Cox’s proportional hazard model was fitted to investigate predictors of ICU and non-ICU hospitalization. Age, sex, calendar period of diagnosis, comorbidities and vaccination status of patients at the time of diagnosis were considered as candidate predictors. In general, male sex and advanced age resulted to be poor prognostic factors of COVID-19 outcomes. An exception was found for the over 80 age group which showed a decrease in the risk of ICU hospitalization compared to 70-79 (HR 0.57 95% CI 0.36 - 0.90 for DIAG→ICU; HR 0.40 95% CI 0.28 - 0.58 for HOSP→ICU). Having contracted the disease during the first wave was associated with a significant greater risk of hospitalization than during the second wave, while no difference in the risk of ICU admission was found between the second and third waves. Fully immunized patients showed a significant decrease in the risk of ICU and non-ICU hospitalization compared to the unvaccinated patients (HR 0.23 95% CI 0.16 - 0.31 for DIAG→HOSP; HR 0.10 95% CI 0.01 - 0.73 for DIAG→ICU). Chronic kidney failure and asthma were risk factors for non-ICU hospitalization. Diabetes and embolism were risk factors for both direct ICU and non-ICU hospitalization. The study of factors associated with a negative course of the COVID-19 disease allows to prevent fatal outcomes, establish priorities in the treatment of the disease and improve the management of hospital resources and the pandemic itself.
A standard descriptor for fixed-target serial crystallography
Authors: Owen Robin L. , de Sanctis Daniele , Pearson Arwen R. , Beale John H.
Published: July 2023

Fixed-target crystallography has become a widely used approach for serial crystallography at both synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) sources. A plethora of fixed targets have been developed at different facilities and by various manufacturers, with different characteristics and dimensions and with little or no emphasis on standardization. These many fixed targets have good reasons for their design, shapes, fabrication materials and the presence or absence of apertures and fiducials, reflecting the diversity of serial experiments. Given this, it would be a Sisyphean task to design and manufacture a new standard fixed target that would satisfy all possible experimental configurations. Therefore, a simple standardized descriptor to fully describe fixed targets is proposed rather than a standardized device. This descriptor is a dictionary that could be read by fixed-target beamline software and straightforwardly allow data collection from fixed targets new to that beamline. The descriptor would therefore allow a much easier exchange of fixed targets between sources and facilitate the uptake of new fixed targets, benefiting beamlines, users and manufacturers. This descriptor was first presented at, and was developed following, a meeting of representatives from multiple synchrotron and XFEL sources in Hamburg in January 2023.
Developing a project performance assessment model for benchmarking the project success of Indian construction projects
Authors: Ingle Prachi Vinod , Gangadhar Mahesh , Deepak M.D.
Published: July 2023

Purpose

In recent times, there has been a lot of research focused on performance measurement (PM) in project-based sectors. However, there are very few studies that were reported on the significance of PM in the construction sector. Keeping track of an organization in achieving organizations goals and objectives seems an important way. One of the major challenges faced by the industry is unavailable of an appropriate PM system for assessing organizational performance. Most of the PM approaches consider the traditional project triangle assessment of project success. Based on the limitations identified in existing PM models, the purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive PM model, i.e. Modified Project Quarter Back Rating (MPQR) applicable for construction projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A detailed list of performance areas as a method for PM is analyzed in the construction industry context. Also, industry-specific professionals conducted semi-structured interviews to assess whether these performance areas are sufficient to measure and understand the PM systems.

Findings

The research finding focuses on developing the MPQR model that considers both financial and non-financial areas for performance assessment to provide a holistic assessment of project performance.

Practical implications

MPQR model provides an opportunity to set the benchmark for overall performance for construction organizations.

Originality/value

The findings of the study are expected to provide guidelines to construction professionals for implementing the performance model that will improve performance in the construction industry.
The effect of discriminatory culture against women and hierarchical culture on work–family conflict: the mediating role of sexual harassment
Authors: Park Chan Kyun , Park Sunyoung , Jo Sung Jun
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to examine the relationships among discriminary culture against women, hierarchical culture, sexual harassment and work–family conflict in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from female employees in South Korea. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze 202 responses obtained through a self-report survey.

Findings

The findings indicate that (a) discriminatory culture against women and a hierarchical culture were positively related to sexual harassment, and (b) sexual harassment positively affected work–family conflict. Additionally, both a discriminatory culture against women and a hierarchical culture had indirect effects on work–family conflict, which were mediated by sexual harassment.

Originality/value

This study can help researchers better understand the relationship between organizational culture and the work experience of female employees by examining the mechanisms that influence their work–family conflict.
Translating green to “green”: VAHDAM India’s marketing channelisation
Authors: Srivastava Shreya , Joshi Yatish
Published: July 2023

Complexity academic level

The case is meant for teaching business management students at the Postgraduate and Executive levels. It can be incorporated in the marketing management, entrepreneurship and international business course curriculum.

Synopsis

Since its inception in 2015, VAHDAM India had carved a niche for itself in the Global Tea Industry in a span of just seven years. The 29-year-old Founder-CEO, Bala Sarda was the first to create India’s largest born-global direct-to-consumer (D2C) premium wellness brand by bridging the gap between demand and supply of the country’s finest teas and superfoods globally. The venture also became a poster child for sustainability by strengthening its green credentials over the course of time.Having attained profitability in FY21, VAHDAM now aims to become a ₹500 Cr. brand by FY24. To push the goal across the line, channelisation of marketing will take centre stage. The case highlights the management’s dilemma of using green marketing as the pivot for increasing its market share in the emerging economies and boosting revenue. The underscored opportunities and challenges have to be addressed so as to formulate a green marketing mix suitable for the emerging market scenario.

Learning objectives

Participants will develop an understanding about the evolving consumption landscape inclining towards eco-friendly wellness products and the relationship between green marketing mix, brand equity and its channelisation towards revenue generation. They will also get an overview of marketing challenges faced by a premium D2C wellness brand while entering an emerging market. The readers shall be able to analyse and suggest ideas for the formulation of an effective green marketing mix to meet the consumer expectations and achieve desired brand positioning.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 8: Marketing
University students' perceptions and practices of online learning in Ethiopia
Authors: Endris Abdurahman Ahmed , Molla Yohannes Sisay
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Most educational institutions worldwide have suddenly switched to online instruction due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and English language teaching took its part in this transition. The immediate transition from face-to-face to fully online instruction affects its effective implementation, especially in developing countries like Ethiopia where online learning is in its early stage. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate postgraduate EFL students’ perceptions and practices of online learning.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a descriptive survey design. Using simple random sampling, 91 postgraduate EFL students were selected from four universities. Online questionnaires were employed to collect data. To analyze the data, both descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (one samplet-test) statistics were used.

Findings

The findings of the study indicate that the students had favorable perceptions of online learning. Despite the students' positive perceptions, the results of the study showed that the practice of online learning in the universities was limited; especially the practice of synchronous online learning was low.

Research limitations/implications

The results suggest that the concerned bodies at the universities should consider implementing a blended (both synchronous and asynchronous) learning system to deliver an online learning approach.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies in a higher education context in Ethiopia, which tries to investigate the postgraduate EFL students' perceptions and practices of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper is original because it investigated the status of online learning during the pandemic in a developing country like Ethiopia; it provides a real and convincing idea of a new way of learning in the post-COVID-19 context. The study can also be useful for related future research in the context of a pandemic-like COVID-19.
If I feel valued, I am committed to change: role of workplace dignity and perceived supervisor support
Authors: Gupta Bindu , Sihag Priyanka , Pangtey Rakesh Singh
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effect of perceived supervisor support (PSS) and workplace dignity (WPD) on employees' affective commitment to change (ACC). It also investigates PSS as an antecedent of WPD and WPD as a mediator between PSS and ACC.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine the proposed relationships, data was collected from employees of an Indian public sector company undergoing many change initiatives at the time of the study. The hypotheses were tested using the structural equation model.

Findings

The findings indicate the direct effect of PSS and WPD on employees' ACC, and WPD does mediate between PSS and ACC. The results also suggest PSS works as an antecedent of WPD.

Practical implications

The findings suggest how organizations can enhance employees’ ACC by creating a positive context involving supervisor support and experience of WPD.

Originality/value

The findings contribute to ACC literature by highlighting the role of WPD and PSS. This is one of the few quantitative studies which examines the antecedent and consequences of WPD.
The effect of SMEs' ambidextrous innovations on supply chain financing performance: balancing effect and moderating effect
Authors: Lu Qiang , Zhou Yihang , Luan Zhenzeng , Song Hua
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study empirically investigates how ambidextrous innovations and their balancing affect the supply chain financing performance (SCFP) of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), based on signaling theory. Moreover, this study explores the moderating effect of the breadth and depth of digital technology deployment on the relationship between ambidextrous innovations and the SCFP of SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-methods design is used, including a qualitative study and a quantitative study. Qualitative data have been collected from six multi-cases in different industries. Questionnaire data have been collected from 259 SMEs in China, and a multiple regression model is used to verify the research hypotheses.

Findings

The findings indicate that, in supply chain financing, both exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation are helpful in improving the SCFP of SMEs. For resource-constrained SMEs, a relative balance between exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation can help improve SCFP. The breadth of digital technology deployment can strengthen the relationship between exploitative innovation and SCFP, while the depth of digital technology deployment can weaken the relationship between exploratory innovation and SCFP. In addition, increasing the depth of digital technology deployment strengthens the positive correlation between the relative balance of ambidextrous innovations and SCFP.

Practical implications

To effectively obtain supply chain financing, SMEs can either concentrate their limited resources on a single type of innovation or use relative balance strategies to simultaneously pursue two innovations. In addition, in the process of obtaining supply chain financing by ambidextrous innovations, SMEs should appropriately deploy digital technologies.

Originality/value

This study first deconstructs the impact mechanism of ambidextrous innovation capabilities on SCFP based on signaling theory, and then discusses the balancing effect of ambidextrous innovations on SCFP in the cases of resource-constrained SMEs. This study also goes further and finds the negative moderating effect of digital technology deployment in the process of supply chain financing.
Self-concept and job performance: the mediating role of resilience
Authors: Varshney Deepanjana , Varshney Nirbhay Krishna
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Organizations in today's changing environment face significant challenges, requiring continual innovation. Understanding oneself from the employee's perspective is paramount, especially in organizations and businesses, transforming all levels, accommodating new work paradigms and adapting to the post-pandemic business world. The authors examine the employees' critical dimensions, self-concept and resilience through self-reported studies to ascertain the impact on their performance in the organization. Self-concept, a multidimensional knowledge structure, implies the individual's description and examination, including psychological characteristics, attributes and skills. On the other hand, resilience is adapting appropriately to adversity, challenges and stressful situations and emerging unscathed. Resilience additionally leads to profound personal growth and acceptance of reality. It also endows the individual's sense of identity over time. It provides insights into work behavior and outcomes and fosters a positive psychological perspective to improve performance. Job performance is an observable individual performance that adds value and enables organizational goal achievement. To sum job performance is an achievement-related behavior. The research study examines the relationship between employee self-concept, resilience and performance elements (task, contextual and counterproductive work behavior).

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional data were collected from 224 employees from the retail sector to test the hypotheses among self-concept, employee performance elements and resilience. SPSS 21.0 was used, and the authors conducted reliability, correlation and regression analysis using statistical tools to analyze the mediating effect.

Findings

Self-concept and employee performance elements have significant relationships. The mediating effect of resilience on the relationship between self-concept and counterproductive work behavior and self-concept and contextual performance is significant. In contrast, resilience does not impact the relationship between self-concept and task performance.

Originality/value

The authors examined a framework of untested variables, namely self-concept and the different factors of performance (task, contextual and counterproductive behavior). The authors investigated the mediating effect of resilience in the model, which was not previously explored.
A 5 pillars approach to the sustainable development goals performance and reporting in Portuguese higher education institutions. Proposal for an applied framework
Authors: Monteiro Sónia , Ribeiro Verónica , Molho Cristiana
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The implementation and reporting of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is one of the emerging challenges for higher education institutions (HEIs), but the lack of well-defined reporting structures and topics for this sector makes it difficult to map and evaluate HEI performance in relation to 2030 Agenda. This study aims to assess the SDG performance and reporting by the 13 HEIs that integrate the Times Higher Education Impact Ranking (THE_IR), from the perspective of the five pillars of the 2030 Agenda in the Portuguese context, where research on this topic is quite scarce.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering the THE_IR methodology, an SDG reporting assessment framework with 85 key topics has been developed to search for in the institutional reports of the 13 studied HEIs. For each topic, depending on the number of institutions that disclose it, a reporting index (RI) has been calculated, which was used to compare the level of reporting between the different SDGs and pillars.

Findings

Concerning HEIs’ SDG performance in the THE_IR, the People pillar was the one with the most HEIs ranked, followed by the Prosperity pillar. The Planet pillar was less highlighted. SDG reporting varied widely among Portuguese HEIs. The SDG RI presented a mean value of 43.1%. The Kruskal–Wallis test revealed that the RI for the Planet pillar (RI = 23.6%) was statistically and significantly lower than those for the People and Prosperity pillars (RI = 48.6% and 53.5%, respectively). The results thus demonstrated some conformity of the SDG reporting with Portuguese HEI performance in THE_IR. Aside from Goal 5, the SDGs 4 and 3 stood out in the first four positions of the HEIs in the THE_IR. Goals 3 and 4 were also the most disclosed in institutional reports.

Originality/value

This study proposed and applied a new SDG reporting assessment framework for HEIs, contributing to better evaluation of the inclusion of important SDG-related topics in their institutional reports.
Destination image and tourist motivations as antecedents of tourist engagement
Authors: Moliner-Tena Miguel Ángel , Hernández-Lobato Lucio , Fandos-Roig Juan Carlos , Solís-Radilla María Magdalena
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to establish the causal relationship between destination image and tourist motivation and engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

A causal model with seven hypotheses was tested into a sample of 438 domestic tourists in Acapulco (Mexico).

Findings

Cognitive destination image is the main antecedent of tourist engagement, exerting an important direct and indirect effect through push and pull motivations. Affective image also exerts a direct effect on tourist engagement and an indirect effect through push and pull motivations. Only pull motivations exert an influence on tourist engagement.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on domestic tourists at a sun and beach destination.

Practical implications

Destination management organisations should invest in the care, improvement and promotion of tourism resources. Online and offline communication campaigns should be based on tourism resources and experiences.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils three research gaps: destination image is associated with tourist engagement; tourist motivations affect tourist engagement; and destination image is associated with tourist motivations.
Multiple flexible suppliers and competitive advantage during market turbulence: the role of digital capabilities
Authors: Pratono Aluisius Hery
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This article aims to examine the impact of multiple suppliers on competitive advantage by exploiting digital capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The author propose a structural equation model with the adopted measure from the literature. Hence, the study conducted an online survey in Indonesia with 450 qualified respondents involving managers and owner-managers.

Findings

The results indicate multiple suppliers help the firms to exploit digital capabilities, which foster them to achieve competitive advantage. Hence, different level of market turbulences determines the impact of numerous suppliers on competitive advantage. Specifically, the multiple-suppliers approach is more effective in supporting buyer firms to gain a competitive advantage during high market turbulence than low market turbulence.

Research limitations/implications

This study offers empirical evidence with unit analysis of buyer firms that seek competitive advantage by exploiting digital capability. However, this approach focusses on a single unit analysis, which is buyer firms. Hence, there is an opportunity to adopt qualitative approach to explore the suppliers and end-users from different perspectives from other supply chain players.

Originality/value

This article contributes to the growing literature on the resource-based theory by examining the relationship between the multiple-sourcing model and competitive advantage. The authors also discuss the intersection between resource-based, dynamic capability and stakeholder theory.
Creating experiential learning opportunities in enterprise education: an example of a facilitator-led business simulation game in a taught setting
Authors: Heyworth-Thomas Elizabeth M.
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Simulation in education has been well documented. Business simulation games (BSGs) are often digital and run by a third-party provider. This can create barriers to engagement from educator and student perspectives. This paper explores a facilitator-led BSG, posing the question: can facilitator-led BSGs provide practical experiential learning experiences within a taught setting.

Design/methodology/approach

Exploratory inductive research recruited a sample of 45 student participants, an external examiner and a module leader. Qualitative data were collected using focus group discussion, participant obsession and facilitator reflection. Mixed-method feedback forms were also used.

Findings

The facilitator-led BSG offered a flexible approach to challenge or problem-based learning, experiential learning, collaborative learning and critical reflection. Student feedback was positive, and there was an increase in engagement within all elements of the module.

Originality/value

This paper presents a case study example of the implementation of a facilitator-led BSG, providing an alternative solution for teaching practitioners to structured simulations run by third-party hosts. This paper highlights a flexible approach to student-centric experiential and challenging learning through enterprise education within small-group settings. There are opportunities for further evaluation and exploration of the notion, which can be developed from this paper in future works.
Seize market opportunities: market segmentation, profile and monitoring through user-generated content
Authors: Jiang Xiaoyan , Lin Jie , Wang Chao , Zhou Lixin
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to propose a normative approach for market segmentation, profile and monitoring using computing and information technology to analyze User-Generated Content (UGC).

Design/methodology/approach

The specific steps include performing a structural analysis of the UGC and extracting the base variables and values from it, generating a consumer characteristics matrix for segmenting process, and finally describing the segments' preferences, regional and dynamic characteristics. The authors verify the feasibility of the method with publicly available data. The external validity of the method is also tested through questionnaires and product regional sales data.

Findings

The authors apply the proposed methodology to analyze 53,526 UGCs in the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) market and classify consumers into four segments: Brand-Value Suitors (32%), Rational Consumers (21%), High-Quality Fanciers (26%) and Utility-driven Consumers (21%). The authors describe four segments' preferences, dynamic changes over the past six years and regional characteristics among China's top five sales cities. Then, the authors verify the external validity of the methodology through a questionnaire survey and actual NEV sales in China.

Practical implications

The proposed method enables companies to utilize computing and information technology to understand the market structure and grasp the dynamic trends of market segments, which assists them in developing R&D and marketing plans.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the research on UGC-based universal market segmentation methods. In addition, the proposed UGC structural analysis algorithm implements a more fine-grained data analysis.
Closed formula of test length required for adaptive testing with medium probability of solution
Authors: T. Kárász Judit , Széll Krisztián , Takács Szabolcs
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Based on the general formula, which depends on the length and difficulty of the test, the number of respondents and the number of ability levels, this study aims to provide a closed formula for the adaptive tests with medium difficulty (probability of solution is p = 1/2) to determine the accuracy of the parameters for each item and in the case of calibrated items, determine the required test length given number of respondents.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical results have been obtained on computerized or multistage adaptive implementation. Simulation studies and classroom/experimental results show that adaptive tests can measure test subjects’ ability to the same quality over half the test length compared to linear versions. Due to the complexity of the problem, the authors discuss a closed mathematical formula: the relationship between the length of the tests, the difficulty of solving the items, the number of respondents and the levels of ability.

Findings

The authors present a closed formula that provides a lower bound for the minimum test length in the case of adaptive tests. The authors also present example calculations using the formula, based on the assessment framework of some student assessments to show the similarity between the theoretical calculations and the empirical results.

Originality/value

With this formula, we can form a connection between theoretical and simulation results.
Economic burden of alopecia areata: A study of direct and indirect cost in Japan using real‐world data
Authors: Ohyama Manabu , Kamei Kazumasa , Yuasa Akira , Anderson Peter , Milligan Gary , Sakaki‐Yumoto Masayo
Published: July 2023

Alopecia area (AA) is a common autoimmune disorder, characterized by hair loss. Although its impact on quality of life is fairly well understood, studies on the economic impact of AA are limited. The aim of this study was to quantify the personal and nationwide economic burden of AA in Japan. Data were drawn from the Adelphi AA Disease Specific Programme (DSP)™, a real‐world, cross‐sectional survey with retrospective data collection, of Japanese physicians and patients with AA. The study was conducted in 2021, before the approval of Janus kinase inhibitors for AA. Physicians and their consulting AA patients completed questionnaires regarding disease severity, treatment, and AA‐related costs. The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire was used to evaluate the impact of AA on patients' work and activity. Nationwide estimates of cost and productivity loss were extrapolated from collected patient data. A total of 50 physicians provided data on 235 patients; 58.7% were female, mean ± SD age was 41.1 ± 11.8 years, and mean physician‐estimated scalp hair loss was 40.4% ± 30.2%. Prescription medication use was high (92.3% of patients), but the use of over‐the‐counter medication was low, at 8.7%. Mean cost to patients for medication was ¥ 4263 (US$ 32.42) per month. Productivity while at work (presenteeism) was significantly impaired (23.9% ± 25.7%), but absenteeism was low (0.9% ± 2.8%). The total nationwide cost of AA was estimated at 112.7 billion yen (US$ 857 million), of which 88.1 billion yen (78.2%) was due to productivity loss. Over 2 million days per year of activity time were estimated to be lost due to AA. Thus, despite not being a physically limiting disease, AA has a significant impact in terms of cost and time, both on a personal and national level. These data highlight the need for more targeted interventions to reduce the effects of AA on the Japanese economy.
Mechanisms that can cause population decline under heavily skewed male‐biased adult sex ratios
Authors: Chiba Susumu , Iwamoto Aya , Shimabukuro Seina , Matsumoto Hiroyuki , Inoue Karin
Published: July 2023

While adult sex ratio (ASR) is a crucial component for population management, there is still a limited understanding of how its fluctuation affects population dynamics. To demonstrate mechanisms that hinder population growth under a biased ASR, we examined changes in reproductive success with ASR using a decapod crustacean exposed to female‐selective harvesting.

We examined the effect of ASR on the spawning success of females. A laboratory experiment showed that the number of eggs carried by females decreased as the proportion of males in the mating groups increased. Although the same result was not observed in data collected over 25 years in the wild, the negative effect of ASR was suggested when success in carrying eggs was considered as a spawning success. These results indicate that a surplus of males results in females failing to carry eggs, probably due to sexual coercion, and the negative effect of ASR can be detected at the population level only when the bias increases because failure in spawning success occurs in part of population.

We experimentally examined how male‐biased sex ratios affected the maintenance of genetic diversity in a population. The diversity of paternity in a clutch increased with the number of candidate fathers. However, over 50% of a clutch was fertilised by a single male regardless of the sex ratio, and the degree of diversity was less than half of the highest diversity expected in each mating group.

We also experimentally examined the mating ability of males during the breeding season. The experiment showed that multiple mating by males could not compensate for the risk that their genotypes would be lost when multiple males competed for one female. These results suggest that a male‐biased ASR could trigger a decline of genetic diversity in a population.

We show that ASR skewed by female‐selective harvesting decreases reproductive success not only of males that have few mating opportunities but also of females. We discuss that we may still underestimate the significance of ASR on population persistence due to the difficulty of revealing the effect of ASR.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the lives of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in the UK: A scoping review
Authors: Paterson Jacqueline , McCarthy Michelle , Triantafyllopoulou Paraskevi
Published: July 2023

The COVID‐19 pandemic impacted everyone in the United Kingdom when restrictions were put in place to prevent the spread of the disease. However, it is thought that children and young people (CYP) with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) would be more affected than others due to existing inequalities and vulnerabilities. A scoping review methodology was used to ascertain what is known from academic literature about CYP with SEND in the United Kingdom. The findings indicate that existing inequalities for CYP with SEND and their families were exacerbated, with impacts on their mental health. Home‐learning and home life was also challenging for many, resulting in difficulties with education and physical health. The majority say the experience was negative, but there was a minority who experienced positive impacts because of the restrictions. This minority voice is sometimes a sizeable minority so their views should not be overlooked. Even those who found it mostly negative reported some positives which are of interest. Participants were mostly parent/carers of autistic CYP, and the research did not reach great numbers of CYP with other diagnoses nor did it hear from many CYP directly due to the restrictions in place at the time.
Advances in mass spectrometry technologies to characterize cervicovaginal microbiome functions that impact spontaneous preterm birth
Authors: Masson Lindi , Wilson Jenna , Amir Hamzah Aleya Sarah , Tachedjian Gilda , Payne Matthew
Published: July 2023

Preterm birth (PTB) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in young children. Infection is a major cause of this adverse outcome, particularly in PTBs characterised by spontaneous rupture of membranes, referred to as spontaneous (s)PTB. However, the aetiology of sPTB is not well defined and specific bacteria associated with sPTB differ between studies and at the individual level. This may be due to many factors including a lack of understanding of strain‐level differences in bacteria that influence how they function and interact with each other and the host. Metaproteomics and metabolomics are mass spectrometry‐based methods that enable the collection of detailed microbial and host functional information. Technological advances in this field have dramatically increased the resolution of these approaches, enabling the simultaneous detection of thousands of proteins or metabolites. These data can be used for taxonomic analysis of vaginal bacteria and other microbes, to understand microbiome‐host interactions, and identify diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Although these methods have been used to assess host proteins and metabolites, few have characterized the microbial compartment in the context of pregnancy. The utilisation of metaproteomic and metabolomic‐based approaches has the potential to vastly improve our understanding of the mechanisms leading to sPTB.
Cognitive vulnerability, anxiety, and physical well‐being in relation to 10‐year cardiovascular disease risk: The ATTICA epidemiological study
Authors: Vassou Christina , Chrysohoou Christina , Georgousopoulou Ekavi N. , Yannakoulia Mary , Pitsavos Christos , Cropley Mark , Panagiotakos Demosthenes B.
Published: July 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the association between irrational beliefs and the 10‐year cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence among apparently healthy adults. The ATTICA study is a population‐based, prospective cohort (2002–2012) consisting of 853 participants without evidence of CVD (453 men and 400 women) who underwent psychological evaluations. Participants completed the Irrational Beliefs Inventory (IBI, range 0–88), a self‐reported measure consistent with the Ellis model of psychological disturbance. We conducted a factor analysis to develop irrational beliefs factors to evaluate the association between subcategories of irrational beliefs and CVD incidence. Demographic characteristics, detailed medical history, other psychological factors, and dietary and other lifestyle habits were also evaluated. The incidence of CVD was defined according to the International Coding Diseases (ICD)‐10 criteria. The identified dominant irrational beliefs factor, “cognitive vulnerability to anxiety,” consisted of demandingness, perfectionism, emotional irresponsibility, anxious overconcern, dependence on others, and overconcern for the welfare of others, was strongly associated with an increased 10‐year CVD risk. Nested multi‐adjusted regression analysis revealed that anxiety, as well as negative physical well‐being, mediated this relationship, and subset of irrational beliefs predicted CVD risk directly and indirectly through anxiety and negative physical well‐being. These findings further map the path through which irrational beliefs can contribute to CVDs and provide insights in favor of preventive healthcare.
Heat enhances the inhibitory effect of lipopolysaccharide on duck granulosa cell proliferation and steroid biosynthesis in vitro
Authors: Luo Pei , Huang Xue‐bing , Zhan Xiao‐zhi , Yang Chen , Deng Zhi‐chao , Zhang Chen , Fu Xin‐liang , Tian Yun‐bo , Huang Yun‐mao , Liu Wen‐jun
Published: July 2023

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) reduces the reproductive performance of laying ducks, especially during the hot summer months. To study the underlying mechanisms, we investigated the effects of different LPS concentrations and heat on duck granulosa cell (GC) proliferation and steroid biosynthesis in vitro. We investigated GC proliferation, secretion, and activation of the MAPK pathway. The cell cycle results showed that LPS treatment alone did not significantly affect cell proliferation, whereas the mRNA expression levels of IGF2, IGFBP2, and CyclinD1 were downregulated and p27kip1 was significantly upregulated after 2000 ng/mL LPS treatment when compared to untreated cells. In steroid hormone synthesis, although LPS increased the expression of most steroid biosynthesis genes, it inhibited the expression of CYP11A1 at high LPS concentrations. High temperatures enhanced the inhibitory effect of LPS on the expression of proliferation‐promoting genes. Heat significantly reduced CYP11A1 and CYP19A1 expression. In addition, the phosphorylation of P38 was significantly upregulated by high temperatures combined with LPS, whereas the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and JNK was downregulated. The relative protein expression of Bax/BCL‐2 was upregulated at high temperatures in combination with LPS. Heat treatment enhanced the inhibitory effects of LPS on the proliferation and hormone biosynthesis of duck GCs in vitro.