bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND TACIT KNOWLEDGE SHARING: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM CROATIA
Authors: Mečev Dijana , Martić Kuran Linda , Kardum Goleš Ivana
Published: May 2023

The paper aimed to investigate the influence of organizational culture types on tacit knowledge sharing in medium and large enterprises in Croatia. For research, organizational culture is differentiated according to the typology based on the Competing Values Framework. In the theoretical part, the basic concepts and open questions related to the issues of the subject research are systematized and analyzed. The empirical part of the paper presents the results of a survey conducted on 14 medium and large companies in the Croatian economy. A total of 492 knowledge workers were surveyed in these companies. Multiple regression was used to assess the research model. The results of the research showed that organizational culture significantly influences tacit knowledge sharing, where the mentioned influence can be positive or negative, depending on the culture type. More precisely, it was found that clan and adhocracy cultures have a positive, and market culture has a negative impact on tacit knowledge sharing. However, no statistically significant influence of hierarchy culture on tacit knowledge sharing has been proven. The results of this paper have significant theoretical and practical implications.
EXPLORING ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HR INDEPENDENCE IN ORGANIZING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND THE AVAILABILITY OF EDUCATIONAL AND TALENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN THE COMPANIES FROM SERBIA AND THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA
Authors: Bovan Ana , Milovanović Mirjana , Mamula Nikolić Tatjana
Published: May 2023

The aim of the study is to examine the association between HR independence in organizing educational programs and the availability of educational and talent management programs in the company. This study was conducted with the aim of demonstrating the importance of giving higher responsibility and independence to HR managers, especially in the field of education and training where they are undoubtedly experts. More recent articles were used, drawing conclusions from global practices on the topics of Human resource management and HR practices, Talent management, Management education, Development and training of employees, Labor market, Soft skills and hard skills of employees, Work environment, Organisational leadership, Performance management, Compensation strategies, Employee engagement, Employee motivation, and Organisational psychology. The study is part of the CEDEF (Central European Development Forum) research project, where 43 HR representatives answered structured in-depth telephone interviews lasting 45 to 90 minutes. Hypotheses are tested with non-parametric tests: Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square test. With higher HR independence in nominating candidates for educational programs and choosing the type of education, employees have greater chances for professional growth through different educational programs and more often have talent management programs. HR managers who have greater independence in choosing the type of educational programs, more often organize soft skill courses. In the future, we envisage a study that would encompass the availability of educational and talent management programs abroad.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS, OPENNESS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: EVIDENCE FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Authors: Kurteš Siniša , Amidžić Srđan , Kurušić Drago
Published: May 2023

The importance of free international movement of capital and openness to trade on the world market is very well known and elaborated in the relevant literature. Despite the fact that the most developed countries in the world are the carriers of international capital movements, especially through foreign direct investments, the inflow of foreign capital through foreign direct investments (FDI) is one of the key goals that developing countries set through their development strategies. In this way, developing countries strive to make their economies attractive for the presence of foreign capital in order to increase the level of production and raise the level of employment. What distinguishes developing countries is the high participation of foreign trade. Unlike large economies, which are said in the literature to be self-sufficient, small economies with insufficiently developed economies are nevertheless able to compete on the global market. The subject of research in this paper was to investigate the impact of FDI inflows on the economic growth of developing countries. The research covered 82 developing countries in the period from 1980 to 2020. In the paper, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) methods were used to examine whether FDI viewed through the share of inflows in GDP and openness viewed through the share of total exchange in GDP increase GDP per capita in developing countries. The obtained results with a high level of statistical significance testify in support of the conclusion that FDI and openness to foreign trade increase GDP per capita in developing countries.
ETHICS AS A CHALLENGE OF BiH MEDIA
Authors: Dušanić – Gačić Svetlana , Mirosavljević Mladen , Novaković Nenad
Published: May 2023

The function of a journalist who should and must be a critic of society has been lost, which is why it is inevitable to see how much ethical principles are respected in journalism. Ethical standards are adopted by media houses and journalists’ associations through codes of conduct, and the extent to which the codes are respected depends on the journalists themselves, editors and media owners, as well as the environment in which they operate. Journalism is also a profession, based on ethical principles understood as the duty of journalists to serve the truth. Since journalism is not just a job, its essence also consists of what the public thinks about it. The subject of research in this paper is journalistic ethics in the Bosnian media. The analysis was done descriptively with statistics and samples were collected electronically. In BiH, politics has influenced and shaped the media to a much greater extent than the media has managed to shape politics. It is clear that the journalistic profession is in crisis and that journalists have lost the trust of citizens. We can state that it is necessary to improve the working conditions of journalists and their economic position, to ensure their freedom of speech and access to information, and in that way the work of journalists would be improved and the quality of reporting would be improved. The aim of the paper is to present the situation in the media when it comes to ethics and compare journalistic practice that has overcome the requirements of quality ethical journalism. The political reality of every society is full of contradictions based on the struggle for power and privileges. That is why the media are the ones who have to offer a scale of possible solutions, channeling attitudes, opinions and behaviors in the desired direction.Observing the role of the media in developed societies, we can state that their task is to be observers, analysts and controllers of socio-political events. The role of the media is to inform, analyze, investigate, warn, and educate viewers, citizens, and the government, i.e. politicians. We found that the media in BiH are very far from the above. The conclusion is self-evident, the media are influenced by politics and are not self-sustaining, that is, they are economically dependent.We can characterize the activities of journalists as passive processing of information taken out of context if it corresponds to the policy that governs a particular media. A condition for ethical journalism is free media, and we have seen that Bosnia and Herzegovina is not high on the scale of media freedom.
MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS WITHIN THE CROATIA’S INSURANCE INDUSTRY
Authors: Anđelinović Mihovil , Sopta Martina , Aržek Anja
Published: May 2023

Modern companies need to operate in constantly changing conditions and uncertain changes. Changes started from the fundamental way of doing business, which nowadays is becoming more and more based on digital tools, where new technologies are constantly being implemented, where care for the environment is a necessity, where is a constant striving towards doing green and sustainable business. The production factors labor and capital, which used to be the most important in production, are complemented by knowledge as a production factor that leads all changes in the company. The economy erases its national borders and becomes globally spread. Before business was based on profit, but now business is changing according to socially responsible principles and rules. The previously mentioned changes are taking place in parallel with climate changes, natural disasters that have affected Croatia as well as some other parts of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic (2020.-2021.) and the crisis it has brought, rising inflation (2022.), the war in Ukraine (2022.) and numerous other uncertainties that tomorrow will bring. People realize that it is necessary to be insured, but sometimes just after the accident occurred. All modern companies, including those within the insurance industry, must adapt their operations to all these new challenges and changes. It is the management that plays an important role in enabling business adaptation to new circumstances and further development of the same. Insurance as such has an important role in all of this, because from insurance industry it is required to become more than ever guarantee of stability and economic growth. Although insurance began as an activity based on goodwill and mutual assistance of participants in an informal communities, nowadays it has developed into an extremely complex and demanding activity that protects people and their property. The basic task of insurance companies is distribution of risks from one insured, to all that are insured, and compensation payment of money based on concluded insurance contracts. Profit is still goal by which a company is run, but only profit is not enough, because the interests and needs of wider social communities are also important and needs to be satisfied. The role of managerial economics, which is the core focus in theoretical sense of this paper, is in identifying and predicting possible changes and accordingly suggesting to management how to adapt business to new challenges. Croatia osiguranje as a company with the largest market share in the Croatia’s insurance industry was in focus in the whole paper. With inductive and deductive methods are drawn conclusions about management aspects of contemporary companies, as well as the measurement of the business result of insurance companies using the example of Croatia osiguranje company.
ANTIHELMINTIC POTENTIAL OF CORIANDER ESSENTIAL OIL (CORIANDRUM SATIVUM L.) IN SHEEP
Authors: ŠTRBAC Filip , BOSCO Antonio , PETROVIĆ Kosta , STOJANOVIĆ Dragica , RATAJAC Radomir , SIMIN Nataša , ORČIĆ Dejan , CRINGOLI Giuseppe , RINALDI Laura
Published: May 2023

The development of anthelmintic resistance in sheep gastrointestinal nematodes to commercial anthelmintics has led to enormous economic losses in many parts of the world. For this reason, new sustainable strategies for the control of these parasites are being actively searched, which include the use of different alternatives such as plant essential oils. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and to test its anthelmintic potential against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep. Qualitative and semi-quantitative chemical characterization of the essential oil was performed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS analysis). The anthelmintic potential of the essential oil was tested using the in vitro egg hatching test (EHT), which was carried out with eight different concentrations of the tested oil (50; 12.5; 3.125; 0.781; 0.195; 0.049; 0.025 and 0.0125 mg/mL). Thiabendazole in concentrations of 0.025 and 0.0125 mg/mL was used as the positive control, and the emulsifier 3% Tween 80 v/v and distilled water was used as the negative control. GC-MS analyzes revealed a rich chemical composition of the tested oil, where a total of 17 different ingredients from different chemical groups were found, of which 15 were identified. The dominant ingredient was linalool (84.5%) along with γ-terpinene (5.04%),camphor (3.26%) and α-pinene (2.88%). The EHT results showed a high anthelmintic potential of coriander oil with inhibition of larval hatching, i.e. an ovicidal effect of 29.0-88.7% depending on the concentration, with an IC50 concentration of 0.04 mg/mL and a clear dose-dependent effect (R2= 0.90). This study confirmed the possible importance of botanical anthelmintics in the sustainable control of nematodes in animals and the fight against anthelmintic resistance. The obtained results indicate a possible role of coriander in future therapeutic approaches to infections caused by gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep, after further in vivo tests and toxicity studies.
CRYPTORCHIDISM IN DOGS
Authors: SPASOJEVIĆ Jovan , GALIĆ Ivan , TOHOLJ Bojan , STANČIĆ Ivan , NIKOLIĆ Sandra , DAVIDOV Ivana , KUKURIĆ Tijana , POPOVIĆ Nenad
Published: May 2023

Cryptorchidism is a disease that is manifested by the retardation of the testicles with the associated anatomical structures inside the abdomen or inguinal canal. In dogs, the appearance of cryptorchidism is of unclear etiology, but it is believed to have a genetic basis. The "gold standard" in the diagnosis of this disease is ultrasound diagnostics with a sensitivity of 95-100%. The study was conducted on 10 dogs. The clinical examination of dogs suspected to suffer from cryptorchidism was initially carried out using adspection and palpation methods, after which an ultrasound examination was performed to identify and localize residual testicles. All dogs underwent surgical removal of both residual and physiologically descended testicles. A pathohistological analysis was performed on the removed residual testicles. Bilateral cryptorchidism was found in 2 out of 10 dogs (20%), while unilateral cryptorchidism was found in 8 out of 10 dogs (80%). Right unilateral cryptorchidism was found in 5 out of 8 dogs (62.5%), while left unilateral cryptorchidism was found in 3 out of 8 dogs (37.5%). The predictive value of the comparison of ultrasound identification and localization of residual testicles with their surgical identification and localization in this study was 100%. The results of the pathohistological analysis showed the presence of tumorous changes in the type of seminoma on one testicle in one dog (unilateral inguinal cryptorchidism), while the diagnosis of testicular atrophy was made in the remaining 9 dogs with morphologically changed testicles.
ACTIVITY OF SELENENZYMES GPx-1 AND GPx-3 IN THE BLOOD OF WORKING HORSES IN THE TERRITORY OF CENTRAL SERBIA
Authors: VALČIĆ Olivera , MILOSAVLJEVIĆ Petar , JOVANOVIĆ Ivan , MILANOVIĆ Svetlana
Published: May 2023

Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is an enzyme that has 8 isoenzyme forms, of which GPx-1 is an obligatory intracellular enzyme, while GPx-3 is active in extracellular fluids, especially in blood plasma. The main role of GPx is the protection of cells from oxidative stress induced by free oxygen radicals. GPx activity is taken as a reliable indicator of selenium status in the human and animal organism. Selenium is introduced in organism mainly through the food chain. Ingested selenium is incorporated in the form of selenomethionine and selenocysteine into tissue proteins, i.e. enzymes. Detailed investigation related to the content of selenium in feed and domestic animals were carried out in Serbia, especially in economically significant species such as poultry, pigs, sheep and cattle. However, working cold-blooded horses, especially those that are fed exclusively with locally grown feed, or are on pasture, have not been examined in detail so far. Due to their specific way of breeding, they are ideal indicators of the selenium status of monogastric herbivores in a given locality. The goal of our study was to determine the status of selenium based on the activity of GPx-1 and GPx-3 in blood samples of non-supplemented working horses in the territory of central Serbia. In our study, a total of 12 samples of horse blood taken from the localities of the municipalities of Kraljevo, Zaječar, Valjevo and Dimitrovgrad were tested as follows: 12 samples of blood plasma and 12 samples of washed erythrocytes. Measurement of GPx-3 and GPx-1 activity was carried out using the Guncler method at a wavelength of 366 nm. For each animal, during sampling, data on gender, age, vaccination and deworming, composition and origin of the given nutrients were recorded. The average activity of GPx-1 was 502.02 ± 91.77 μKat/l, and GPx-3 3.46 ± 1.02 μKat/l, which indicates the existence of a marginal selenium deficit in the population of unsupplemented working horses in the territory of central Serbia.
MIKROBIOLOŠKA ISPRAVNOST I FIZIKALNO-KEMIJSKI PARAMETRI KVALITETA KOZJIH I OVČIJIH SIREVA IZ HERCEGOVINE
Authors: SESAR Ana , DRMAĆ Maja , LANDEKA Viktor , GOLIĆ Bojan
Published: May 2023

Sir je polutvrdi ili tvrdi proizvod mlijeka, dobiven zgrušavanjem mlijeka i odvajanjem gruša od sirutke. Ispitivanje je obuhvatilo 46 uzoraka sira proizvedenih na poljoprivrednim gospodarstvima i malim mini-siranama na području Hercegovine, s naglaskom da najveći dio uzoraka potiče iz južne submediteranske i mediteranske regije Hercegovine. Cilj istraživanja je bio utvrditi mikrobiološku ispravnost i fizikalno-kemijske parametre kvalitete sireva koji se stavljaju na tržište kao kozji svježi sir, kozji polutvrdi sir te ovčiji i kozji sir iz mjeha. Od ukupnog broja analiziranih uzoraka 49,22% nije zadovoljilo zahtjeve fizikalno-kemijskih i mikrobioloških parametara ispitivanja, pri čemu 36,22% nije zadovoljilo fizikalno-kemijsku kvalitetu, a 13% mikrobiološku zbog povećanog broja β glukuronidaza pozitivne Escherichia coli. Prisustvo β glukuronidaza pozitivne Escherichia coli u uzorcima sira ukazuje na nedovoljnu higijenu prilikom samog tehnološkog procesa proizvodnje sira. Patogeni mikroorganizmi Salmonella spp i Listeria monocytogenes nisu izolirani, a broj koagulaza pozitivnih stafilokoka i Staphylococcus aureus bio je u dozvoljenim granicama. Ovo istraživanje ukazuje da je neophodno ujednačiti fizikalno- kemijske parametre u proizvodnji sira, kao i korištenje isključivo autohtone sirovine u proizvodnji kod individualnih malih proizvođača i u mini siranama koje se bave ovom proizvodnjom, kao što je to slučaj s industrijskom proizvodnjom ovih proizvoda u tom području.
GULAG in the memories of prisoners: gender and chronological aspects of content analysis
Authors: Goretskaia Ekaterina Mikhailovna
Published: May 2023

The periodization of political repression in the USSR was and remains an urgent issue in the study of the GULAG. According to A.V. Bakunin, when determining the main stages of political repression in the USSR, it is necessary to proceed from the periodization of Soviet totalitarianism, which includes three main stages: the formation (genesis) of totalitarianism (1917–1929), the domination (apogee) of totalitarianism (1929–1953), stagnation and collapse of totalitarianism (1953–1991). After 1991, the mass publication of memoirs of former prisoners of Soviet camps has begun, and it is the memories that are the main source for our research. As part of the current work, we hypothesize that the perception and transmission of memories of the camps may be influenced by the period or stage of repression in which the prisoners served time. The conducted content analysis of memoirs of former GULAG prisoners in subgroups by gender and stage of political repression allows us to conclude that in all subgroups of documents the categories of "Power", "Life" and "Work" dominate, regardless of the stage of political repression and the gender of the authors of the memoirs. This confirms the thesis that in the memory of former prisoners, first of all, memories associated with daily survival in the camp and overcoming inhuman living and working conditions leave an imprint. At the same time, it can be noted that in the subgroups with a small number of incoming documents and marked elements, for example, in the subgroup "women, dates of arrest from 1918 to 1922", significant deviations in the frequency of occurrence are observed – bright connections of atypical categories are revealed. Conversely, the more texts and the larger the studied subgroup, the more common features of the perception of camp life appear. This confirms the hypothesis about the massive nature of large arrays of thematically similar texts.
Quantum coherence and mutual information of mixed spin-(1/2, 5/2) Ising-XXZ model on quasi-one-dimensional lattices
Authors: Sun Zhen-Hui , Hu Li-Zhen , Xu Yu-Liang , Kong Xiang-Mu ,   School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China,   Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Published: May 2023

The mixed spin-(1/2, 5/2) Ising-XXZ model on quasi-one-dimensional lattices can be used to study the properties of some materials (such as heterotrimetallic Fe-Mn-Cu coordination polymer), and the study on this model is beneficial to the practical applications of such materials in the field of quantum information. The quantum coherence and mutual information are calculated by the transfer matrix method, and the effects of Ising interaction, temperature and magnetic field on them are discussed. The results show that the quantum coherence decreases gradually with the increase of Ising interaction at extremely low temperatures, while there is one minimum value of mutual information in an isotropic system and there appear four minimum values in an anisotropic \begin{document}$\left( {\varDelta = 4} \right)$\end{document} system. Furthermore, quantum coherence and mutual information jump abruptly at quantum phase transition points where the first derivatives of them exhibit singular behaviors. The quantum coherence and mutual information at finite temperatures are also studied. As the temperature increases, they decrease monotonically in a weak magnetic field, but they first increase and then decrease in a higher magnetic field, which is caused by the competition between thermal fluctuation and magnetic field. Compared with quantum mutual information, quantum coherence exists over a wider range of magnetic field and temperature, which can be easily manipulated experimentally.
Analytically modeling electric field of shielded gate trench metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor
Authors: Su Le , Wang Cai-Lin , Yang Wu-Hua , Liang Xiao-Gang , Zhang Chao ,   Department of Electronic and Engineering, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Published: May 2023

Shielded gate trench metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (SGT-MOSFET) introduces a longitudinal shielding gate connected to the source inside the body, which can assist in depleting the drift region. Its principle of withstanding voltage is different from that of the vertical U-groove MOSFET (VUMOSFET). The SGT-MOSFET will generate two electric field peaks inside the body, which will further optimize the electric field strength distribution of the device and increase the breakdown voltage of the device. Therefore, SGT-MOSFET has not only the advantages of low conduction loss of CCMOSFET, but also lower switching loss. The effects of structural parameters such as the width of the mesa, the thickness of the field oxygen, the depth of the trench and the doping concentration on the electric field strength distribution of SGT-MOSFET are not independent of each other. The more the parameters, the more complex the correlation of their effects on the electric field strength distribution is. In this paper, we take 110V SGT-MOSFET as a research object. Through numerical simulation, theoretical analysis and analytical modeling, the principle of withstanding voltage for different structures and the correlation between structural parameters and electric field strength distribution are studied. The analytical model of the electric field related to various structural parameters of the device is established, which provides a theoretical basis for the design of the device structure. The analytical model of electric field under low current is modified by introducing avalanche carriers, so that the modified analytical results can better match the simulation results. Through the modified electric field analysis model, the field oxygen thicknessin an optimal electric field is 0.68 µm . Comparing with the product of SGTMOSFET with 0.58 µm field oxygen thickness, at the optimal field oxygen thickness of 0.68 µm, the on-resistance of the device is reduced because the on-area of the device is increased; the electric field distribution is more uniform, so the device breakdown voltage increases; the gate-source capacitance decreases and the gate-drain capacitance is almost no change, so the gate-source charge decreases and the gate-drain charge is almost no change, while the total gate charge decreases. As a result, the optimal value parameter FOM1 of the device is increased by 18.9%, and the optimal value parameter FOM2 is reduced by 8.5%. Therefore, the static and dynamic characteristics of the device are significantly promoted, and the performance of the corresponding products is greatly improved.
Analysing the effectiveness of Twitter as an equitable community communication tool for international conferences
Authors: Duncan Niall W. , Shean Russell
Published: May 2023

Scientific conferences increasingly include online aspects. Some are moving to be entirely virtual whilst others are adopting hybrid models in which there are both in-person and virtual elements. This development of opportunities for people to attend conferences virtually has the potential to both reduce their environmental impact and to make access to them more equitable. An issue with virtual conference participation that has been raised, however, is that there is a reduction in informal communication between attendees. This is an important deficit as informal contacts play a significant role in both knowledge transmission and professional network development. One forum where some informal communication around conferences does occur is Twitter, with participation there being encouraged by some conferences. It is not clear, however, how effective Twitter is as a community communication tool in terms of equitable participation amongst conference attendees. To investigate this, we looked at Twitter usage surrounding four international conferences between 2010 and 2021. It was found that engagement with conference hashtags increased steadily over time, peaking in 2019. Users represented 9% of conference attendees and were primarily located in Europe and North America, communicating primarily in English (97% of tweets). Hub nodes within the interaction network were also primarily located in these regions. East Asia had fewer users than would be expected based on neuroscience publication numbers from that region. What users there were in East Asia were engaged with less than were users in other regions. It was found that the overall interaction network showed a rich-club structure, where users with more connections tend to interact more with others with similar connection numbers. Finally, it was found that users in Europe and North America tend to communicate with other users in their own regions whereas users in the rest of the world direct their interactions out of their region. These results suggest that although conference-related Twitter use has been successful to some degree in opening up access, there are some notable limitations in its usage that may mirror aspects of inequality inherent to in-person conferences. How to build equitable informal communication networks around virtual conferences remains a challenging question that requires further discussion.
EIF4A3 serves as a prognostic and immunosuppressive microenvironment factor and inhibits cell apoptosis in bladder cancer
Authors: Hu Bing , Chen Ru , Jiang Ming , Xiong Situ , Liu Xiaoqiang , Fu Bin
Published: May 2023

EIF4A3 (Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A3 (EIF4A3) was recently recognized as an oncogene; however, its role in BLCA (bladder cancer) remains unclear. We explored EIF4A3 expression and its prognostic value in BLCA in public datasets, including the TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) and GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus). Thereafter, the association between EIF4A3 expression and the infiltration of immune cells and immune-checkpoint expression was determined using TIMER2 (Tumor Immune Estimation Resource 2) tool. Additionally, the impact of EIF4A3 on cellular proliferation and apoptosis events in BLCA cell lines was determined by siRNA technology. In this study, EIF4A3 was found to be significantly upregulated in BLCA, upregulated expression of EIF4A3 was related to poor prognosis, advanced histologic grade, subtype, pathological stage, white race, and poor primary therapy outcome. The immune infiltration analysis revealed that EIF4A3 expression was negatively associated with CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and positively with myeloid-derived suppressor cells, macrophage M2, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and Treg cells. Moreover, EIF4A3 was coexpressed with PD-L1 (programmed cell death 1-ligand 1) and its expression was higher in patients responding to anti-PD-L1 therapy. EIF4A3 knockdown significantly inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis in 5,637 and T24 cells. In summary, BLCA patients with elevated EIF4A3 expression had an unfavorable prognosis and immunosuppressive microenvironment, and EIF4A3 may facilitate BLCA progression by promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis. Furthermore, our study suggests that EIF4A3 is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for BLCA.
Risk factors of self-reported physical child abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: work-related changes in men and fear of COVID-19 in women
Authors: Naito Haruaki , Nitta Katsuya , Kakiuchi Yasuhiro
Published: May 2023

Background

There is no global consensus on whether pandemic-related factors are related to child abuse. How the pandemic reinforces the risk factors of child abuse might depend largely on individuals’ current and past lifestyles in each country. Some changes of lifestyles continue after the pandemic, and it is important to understand which factors are strongly associated with child abuse. We analyzed the pandemic-related characteristics of offenders and non-offenders of self-reported child physical abuse from Internet survey data in Japan and discussed how the pandemic affected physical child abuse and what caused the difference by gender.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study on physical child abuse by caregivers based on the Internet survey conducted from September to October 2021. We divided the participants who were living with their child aged less than 14 years into offenders and non-offenders based on the answer to the question about physical child abuse. The population distribution of the sample was compared to that of caregivers under the same conditions in a large Japanese dataset. The association between their characteristics and physical child abuse was analyzed by univariable and multivariable analysis.

Results

The caregivers analyzed in the cohort had similar population distributions to those in the large Japanese dataset. As risk factors of male offenders, “work from home 4–7 days/week,” “decreased work,” “normal relationships with household members (compared to good relationships),” “COVID-19 infected, both themselves and household members, within a year,” “unwillingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination because the license process of the vaccine is doubtful,” “high levels of benevolent sexism,” and “history of child abuse” were observed. As risk factors of female offenders, “bad relationships with household members (compared to good relationships),” “fear of COVID-19,” “COVID-19 infected, both themselves and household members, within a year,” “feelings of discrimination related to COVID-19 in the past two months,” and “history of child verbal abuse” were observed.

Conclusions

Among male offenders, a significant relationship was observed regarding work-related changes, which may have been reinforced by the pandemic. Furthermore, the extent of the influence and fear of losing jobs caused by these changes may have varied according to the strength of gender roles and financial support in each country. Among female offenders, a significant relationship was observed regarding fear of infection itself, which is consistent with the findings of other studies. In terms of factors related to dissatisfaction with families, in some countries with prominent stereotyped gender roles, men are thought to experience difficulties adapting to work-related changes induced by crises, while women are thought to experience intense fear of the infection itself.
Modularization Medical Scheduling System for Multi-clinical Departments at Medical Center
Authors: Cheng Shu-Fang , Han Chia-Yeuan
Published: May 2023

A hospital is a place where sick patients are treated, treatments can be one-time, short-term, and long-term, such as chemotherapy and rehabilitation. The more patients who need to be treated; the more valuable medical resources become. With the increase of human population and the used of medical resources, how to effectively arrange medical resources has become the major problem faced by medical centers. However, different medical departments have different kinds of medical resources, and customizing the scheduling system for each department is not an effective approach. To solve this problem, we surveyed different medical departments in a (Medical Center in Southern Taiwan, summarize the needed, implemented a modularization Medical Scheduling System (MSS), for a Medical Center in Southern Taiwan, and resolve the complex appointment scheduling problem in a multi-clinic. The MSS improves work assignment effective and sensible utilization in medical device. Furthermore, it can be used for epidemic prevention and the control of Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the confirmed cases, we can identify potential contacts via MSS and contain the coronavirus.
Addressing Maternal Mortality in the US—A Pediatrics Responsibility
Authors: Scott Kristan , Gregory Emily F. , Burris Heather H.
Published: May 2023

This Viewpoint suggests that pediatricians’ contact with the maternal-infant dyad postpartum presents an opportunity to address the US maternal mortality crisis and its inequities.
Prediagnosis Smoking Cessation and Overall Survival Among Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Wang Xinan , Romero-Gutierrez Christopher W. , Kothari Jui , Shafer Andrea , Li Yi , Christiani David C.
Published: May 2023

Importance

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death globally; non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 85% of all lung cancer cases, and cigarette smoking is the factor most significantly associated with its risk. However, little is known about the association of years since prediagnosis smoking cessation and cumulative smoking with overall survival (OS) following a lung cancer diagnosis.

Objective

To characterize the association of years since smoking cessation before diagnosis and cumulative smoking pack-years with OS in patients with NSCLC in a lung cancer survivor cohort.

Design, Setting, and Participants

The cohort study involved patients with NSCLC who were recruited to the Boston Lung Cancer Survival Cohort at Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts) between 1992 and 2022. Patients’ smoking history and baseline clinicopathological characteristics were prospectively collected through questionnaires, and OS following lung cancer diagnosis was regularly updated.

Exposures

Duration of smoking cessation before a lung cancer diagnosis.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was the association of detailed smoking history with OS following a lung cancer diagnosis.

Results

Of 5594 patients with NSCLC (mean [SD] age, 65.6 [10.8] years; 2987 men [53.4%]), 795 (14.2%) were never smokers, 3308 (59.1%) were former smokers, and 1491 (26.7%) were current smokers. Cox regression analysis suggested that former smokers had 26% higher mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.26; 95% CI, 1.13-1.40; P < .001) and current smokers had 68% higher mortality (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.50-1.89; P < .001) compared with never smokers. Log2-transformed years since smoking cessation before diagnosis were associated with significantly lower mortality among ever smokers (HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93-0.99; P = .003). Subgroup analysis, stratified by clinical stage at diagnosis, revealed that former and current smokers had even shorter OS among patients with early-stage disease.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study of patients with NSCLC, quitting smoking early was associated with lower mortality following a lung cancer diagnosis, and the association of smoking history with OS may have varied depending on clinical stage at diagnosis, potentially owing to the differing treatment regimens and efficacy associated with smoking exposure following diagnosis. Detailed smoking history collection should be incorporated into future epidemiological and clinical studies to improve lung cancer prognosis and treatment selection.
Someone Like Me—The Importance of Visible Sexual and Gender Minority Health Care Professionals
Authors: Meléndez García Carlos E. , Coulter Robert W. S.
Published: May 2023

This Viewpoint proposes ways to promote safe spaces for sexual and gender minority health care professionals and patients.
Dual Properties of Microwave Absorption and Thermal Protection in La0.5Sr0.5FeO3–Al2O3 Pseudobinary Composites
Authors: Wu Peng , He Wenting , Gao Yuyi , Xiao Jie , Wei Liangliang , Guo Hongbo
Published: May 2023

As multifunctional material for microwave absorption and thermal protection, the dielectric and thermophysical properties of equilibrium phases in LSF(La0.5Sr0.5FeO3)–Al2O3 pseudobinary phase diagram are investigated herein. Four pseudobinary composites are obtained by sintering at 1400 °C for 10 h with different raw components (x wt% LSF‐(100−x) wt% Al2O3, x = 20, 40, 60 and 80), labeled as LSFA20, LSFA40, LSFA60, and LSFA80, respectively. After sintering, the main equilibrium phase in LSFA20 and LSFA40 composites is SrAl12O19‐based solid solution. For LSFA60 and LSFA80, however, LSF‐based and SrAl12O19‐based solid solutions are the main equilibrium phases. The increase of conductive LSF content results in the highest dielectric loss tangent and the best microwave absorbing property in LSFA80, in which the bandwidths for reflection loss less than −10 and −5 dB are about 2.37 and 7.7 GHz, respectively, when the thickness is only 1.5 mm. The thermophysical properties reveal that the thermal conductivity in LSF‐Al2O3 pseudobinary composites shows weak temperature dependence because of the opposite contribution between phonons and electrons. It is lower than that of the traditional thermal barrier coating material of 8 wt% Y2O3‐stabilized zirconia (8YSZ).
Light‐Regulated Pro‐Angiogenic Engineered Living Materials
Authors: Dhakane Priyanka , Tadimarri Varun Sai , Sankaran Shrikrishnan
Published: May 2023

Regenerative medicine aims to restore damaged cells, tissues, and organs, for which growth factors are vital to stimulate regenerative cellular transformations. Major advances have been made in growth factor engineering and delivery like the development of robust peptidomimetics and controlled release matrices. However, their clinical applicability remains limited due to their poor stability in the body and need for careful regulation of their local concentration to avoid unwanted side‐effects. In this study, a strategy to overcome these limitations is explored using engineered living materials (ELMs), which contain live microorganisms that can be programmed with stimuli‐responsive functionalities. Specifically, the development of an ELM that releases a pro‐angiogenic protein in a light‐regulated manner is described. This is achieved by optogenetically engineering bacteria to synthesize and secrete a vascular endothelial growth factor peptidomimetic (QK) linked to a collagen‐binding domain. The bacteria are securely encapsulated in bilayer hydrogel constructs that support bacterial functionality but prevent their escape from the ELM. In situ control over the release profiles of the pro‐angiogenic protein using light is demonstrated. Finally, it is shown that the released protein is able to bind collagen and promote angiogenic network formation among vascular endothelial cells, indicating the regenerative potential of these ELMs.
Ionic Dye Based Covalent Organic Frameworks for Photothermal Water Evaporation
Authors: Li Guoqing , Yue Qihong , Fu Ping , Wang Ke , Zhou Yu , Wang Jun
Published: May 2023

Conversion of solar energy into heat for water evaporation is of great significance to provide clean and sustainable technology for water purification by using inexhaustible sunlight. In this field, one of the challenges comes from the design of high‐performance photothermal materials powerful in light harvesting, light‐to‐heat conversion, and water activation. Herein, it is demonstrated that rationalization of the ionic covalent organic framework (iCOF) can simultaneously satisfy these multiple requirements and a new iCOF STTP is constructed through the Schiff base chemistry in a rapid microwave‐assisted solvothermal route by using a hydrophilic dye molecule safranineT as the ionic building block. The integrated dye‐related ionic moieties greatly strengthen the light absorbance (>97%) throughout the entire solar spectrum from UV–vis to the infrared region. The framework ionic moieties provide strong polarization to reduce the exciton dissociation energy for enhanced photothermal effect, and in addition, promote sufficient water activation to decrease the water evaporation enthalpy. As an outcome, the STTP driven solar water evaporator affords a fast water evaporation rate of 3.55 kg h−1 m−2 and high solar‐to‐vapor efficiency of 95.8%. This study highlights the potential of designing iCOF materials for photothermal applications.
Nanoscale Surface Analysis Reveals Origins of Enhanced Interface Passivation in RbF Post Deposition Treated CIGSe Solar Cells
Authors: Boumenou Christian Kameni , Phirke Himanshu , Rommelfangen Jonathan , Audinot Jean‐Nicolas , Nishiwaki Shiro , Wirtz Tom , Carron Romain , Redinger Alex
Published: May 2023

Alkali post deposition treatments (PDTs) of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 absorbers have boosted the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the solar cell devices in the last years. A detailed model explaining how the PDTs impact the optoelectronic properties at the nanoscale is still lacking. Here, via various scanning probe techniques, X‐Ray photo‐electron spectroscopy and high resolution secondary ion mass spectroscopy it is shown that the RbF PDT treatments lead to a one to one exchange of Rb with Cu at the surface. This exchange takes place in the naturally occurring Cu‐depleted CIGSe surface, known as the ordered vacancy compound. A detailed comparison between samples with different PDTs after various cleaning procedures furthermore highlights the necessity to perform all the measurements on NH4OH cleaning surfaces only. After NH4OH, no RbInSe2 phase could be detected at the surface anymore and the surface bandgap, as measured with scanning tunneling spectroscopy is only 1.7 eV. The findings demonstrate that the existence of a RbInSe2 phase is most likely not responsible for the recent improvements in power conversion efficiency for state of the art solar cells. The primary effect of the PDT treatment is a modification of the ordered vacancy compound, where Cu is exchanged with Rb.
DPA‐Zinc around Polyplexes Acts Like PEG to Reduce Protein Binding While Targeting Cancer Cells
Authors: Nie Xuan , You Wei , Zhang Ze , Gao Fan , Zhou Xiao‐Hong , Wang Hai‐Li , Wang Long‐Hai , Chen Guang , Wang Chang‐Hui , Hong Chun‐Yan , Shao Qi , Wang Fei , Xia Lei , Li Yang , You Ye‐Zi
Published: May 2023

Gene therapy holds great promise as an effective treatment for many diseases of genetic origin. Gene therapy works by employing cationic polymers, liposomes, and nanoparticles to condense DNA into polyplexes via electronic interactions. Then, a therapeutic gene is introduced into target cells, thereby restoring or changing cellular function. However, gene transfection efficiency remains low in vivo due to high protein binding, poor targeting ability, and substantial endosomal entrapment. Artificial sheaths containing PEG, anions, or zwitterions can be introduced onto the surface of gene carriers to prevent interaction with proteins; however, they reduce the cellular uptake efficacy, endosomal escape, targeting ability, thereby, lowering gene transfection. Here, it is reported that linking dipicolylamine‐zinc (DPA‐Zn) ions onto polyplex nanoparticles can produce a strong hydration water layer around the polyplex, mimicking the function of PEGylation to reduce protein binding while targeting cancer cells, augmenting cellular uptake and endosomal escape. The polyplexes with a strong hydration water layer on the surface can achieve a high gene transfection even in a 50% serum environment. This strategy provides a new solution for preventing protein adsorption while improving cellular uptake and endosomal escape.
3D Printing of Collagen Scaffold with Enhanced Resolution in a Citrate‐Modulated Gellan Gum Microgel Bath
Authors: Xie Zheng‐Tian , Zeng Jinfeng , Kang Dong‐Hee , Saito Shigeyoshi , Miyagawa Shigeru , Sawa Yoshiki , Matsusaki Michiya
Published: May 2023

3D printing in a microgel‐based supporting bath enables the construction of complex structures with soft and watery biomaterials but the low print resolution is usually an obstacle to its practical application in tissue engineering. Herein, high‐resolution printing of a 3D collagen organ scaffold is realized by using an engineered Gellan gum (GG) microgel bath containing trisodium citrate (TSC). The introduction of TSC into the bath system not only mitigates the aggregation of GG microgels, leading to a more homogeneous bath morphology but also suppresses the diffusion of the collagen ink in the bath due to the dehydration effect of TSC, both of which contribute to the improvement of print resolution. 3D collagen organ structures such as hand, ear, and heart are successfully constructed with high shape fidelity in the developed bath. After printing, the GG and TSC can be easily removed by washing with water, and the obtained collagen product exhibits good cell affinity in a tissue scaffold application. This work offers an easy‐to‐operate strategy for developing a microgel bath for high‐resolution printing of collagen, providing an alternative path to in vitro 3D organ construction.