bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A holistic lens on entrepreneurial learning from failure: continuing the legacy of Jason Cope
Authors: Lattacher Wolfgang , Wdowiak Malgorzata Anna , Schwarz Erich J. , Audretsch David B.
Published: August 2024

Purpose

The paper follows Jason Cope's (2011) vision of a holistic perspective on the failure-based learning process. By analyzing the research since Cope's first attempt, which is often fragmentary in nature, and providing novel empirical insights, the paper aims to draw a new comprehensive picture of all five phases of entrepreneurial learning and their interplay.

Design/methodology/approach

The study features an interpretative phenomenological analysis of in-depth interviews with 18 failed entrepreneurs. Findings are presented and discussed in line with experiential learning theory and Cope's conceptual framework of five interrelated learning timeframes spanning from the descent into failure until re-emergence.

Findings

The study reveals different patterns of how entrepreneurs experience failure, ranging from abrupt to gradual descent paths, different management and coping behaviors, and varying learning effects depending on the new professional setting (entrepreneurial vs non-entrepreneurial). Analyzing the entrepreneurs' experiences throughout the process shows different paths and connections between individual phases. Findings indicate that the learning timeframes may overlap, appear in different orders, loop, or (partly) stay absent, indicating that the individual learning process is even more dynamic and heterogeneous than hitherto known.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the field of entrepreneurial learning from failure, advancing Cope's seminal work on the learning process and -contents by providing novel empirical insights and discussing them in the light of recent scientific findings. Since entrepreneurial learning from failure is a complex and dynamic process, using a holistic lens in the analysis contributes to a better understanding of this phenomenon as an integrated whole.
Leveraging the interplay of Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities for achieving customer satisfaction in a B2B2C context: an integrative perspective
Authors: Chand Pushpendu , Tarei Pradeep Kumar
Published: August 2024

Purpose

Despite IoT’s huge potential, enterprises’ ability to leverage it is their competitive advantage. Thus, competitive differentiation is primarily predicated on leveraging IoT toward customer needs. To examine the research gap, this study aims to explore the drivers of customer satisfaction and how they are affected by the interaction between IoT capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-method research framework is applied to assess the impact of IoT capabilities on customer satisfaction. Based on the theoretical underpinning of the resource-based view and dynamic capability, the study highlights the importance of IoT capabilities in active resource allocation and effective resource utilization. First, DEMATEL is used capture the interrelationship between IoT capabilities. Further, the impact of each IoT capabilities on customer satisfaction is studied using CoCoSo method.

Findings

The study highlights the importance of IoT capabilities in active resource allocation and effective resource utilization. The findings are enriched through the complementarity of resources in a dynamic business-to-business-to-customer (B2B2C) scenario. The authors expand the IoT capabilities from conventional business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-customer (B2C) scenario to tri-nodal B2B2C relationship triangle.

Practical implications

Based on the findings, the authors offer a business transformation strategy for firms in key areas of customer satisfaction by leveraging IoT. The study can help management prioritize and develop key IoT capabilities to meaningfully increase customer satisfaction metrics.

Originality/value

Building on the dynamic capabilities and resource-based view of the firm, an integrated decision-making research model is proposed. In addition, this study investigates the product and service capabilities unlocked using IoT capabilities. This work can be considered one of the leading attempts to improve customer satisfaction using IoT capabilities from traditional dyadic (B2B or B2C) structure to triadic (B2B2C) framework.
The impact of workforce environment on CSR audit report lag: the moderating role of media coverage
Authors: Moalla Marwa , Bouaziz Dhouha , Jarboui Anis
Published: August 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the workforce environment and corporate social responsibility (CSR) audit report lag while also developing a comprehensive understanding of the moderating effect of media coverage on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper was based on a sample of 151 French nonfinancial companies listed on the CAC All Shares index and covered an eight-year period, from 2014 to 2021. To test the hypotheses, a feasible generalized least squares regression was applied. Moreover, the authors checked the results using an additional analysis and the generalized method of moment model for endogeneity problems.

Findings

Based on a panel data set comprising 960 observations of French firms from the period 2014 to 2021, the results obtained indicate a significant negative relationship between the workforce environment and CSR audit report lag. Additionally, it was found that media exposure moderates the relationship between the workforce environment and CSR audit report lag.

Practical implications

This study contributes to the existing research on workforce environment and CSR audit report lag, potentially providing stakeholders such as employees, employers, regulators and auditors with an environment that shortens the time for issuing CSR audit reports. The findings are also relevant for foreign institutional investors aiming to enhance their investment decisions with more comprehensive information.

Originality/value

The work is innovative as it explores the moderating impact of media exposure on the connection between workforce environment and CSR audit report lag, a topic not extensively studied before. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no prior empirical studies have examined this relationship within the French context or elsewhere.
Pride of the East: Motorcycle Speedway, Transnational Encounters and Provincial Heartlands
Authors: MILLS RICHARD
Published: August 2024

For a century, speedway has operated on a transnational basis. Its riders, competitions and machinery regularly traverse national and continental borders. The imposition of the Cold War's Iron Curtain did little to impede its growth. This article focuses on one of speedway's far‐flung and diverse provincial heartlands to show how the sport generated frequent transnational and transsystemic interactions and forged deep relationships that often stood in contrast to the prevailing trends of international politics. As one of speedway's ‘entangled peripheries’, rural East Anglia owes a debt of gratitude to Australasian pioneers. From the 1950s—decades before imported talent became commonplace in football—the region welcomed Scandinavian and Eastern Bloc riders and hosted visiting clubs and national representations from across the continent. Later, East Anglia became a bridgehead for the successful assault of communist‐built machinery on the Western market. These bold endeavours were not without controversy, as British riders voiced objections to foreign men and machines deemed a threat to their livelihoods. The Cold War's end accelerated existing trends and also created exciting new opportunities for itinerant East Anglians abroad. Archival material, conversations with the sport's foreign trailblazers and fans, Swedish and Czechoslovak sources, photographs and official publications serve to demonstrate speedway's enduring ability to forge unexpected ties and give voice to regions at the so‐called margins of twentieth‐century history.
Consequences of the deletion of the major specialized metabolite biosynthetic pathways of Streptomyces coelicolor on the metabolome and lipidome of this strain
Authors: Lejeune Clara , Abreu Sonia , Guérard Florence , Askora Ahmed , David Michelle , Chaminade Pierre , Gakière Bertrand , Virolle Marie‐Joelle
Published: August 2024

Chassis strains, derived from Streptomyces coelicolor M145, deleted for one or more of its four main specialized metabolites biosynthetic pathways (CPK, CDA, RED and ACT), in various combinations, were constructed for the heterologous expression of specialized metabolites biosynthetic pathways of various types and origins. To determine consequences of these deletions on the metabolism of the deleted strains comparative lipidomic and metabolomic analyses of these strains and of the original strain were carried out. These studies unexpectedly revealed that the deletion of the peptidic clusters, RED and/or CDA, in a strain deleted for the ACT cluster, resulted into a great increase in the triacylglycerol (TAG) content, whereas the deletion of polyketide clusters, ACT and CPK had no impact on TAG content. Low or high TAG content of the deleted strains was correlated with abundance or paucity in amino acids, respectively, reflecting high or low activity of oxidative metabolism. Hypotheses based on what is known on the bio‐activity and the nature of the precursors of these specialized metabolites are proposed to explain the unexpected consequences of the deletion of these pathways on the metabolism of the bacteria and on the efficiency of the deleted strains as chassis strains.
South Asia's Conundrum: Turning Potential into Sustained Progress
Authors: Kathuria Sanjay
Published: August 2024

South Asia has long been a region of untapped potential, lagging behind East Asia in economic progress, despite some remarkable successes. “China plus one” presents another opportunity for the region to capitalize on its demographic dividend. Focusing on Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, this article highlights major hurdles to their sustained progress, including protectionist trade policies, inadequate human capital, and a small labor force relative to population. For Sri Lanka and Pakistan, there are the additional challenges of coping with ongoing economic crises. The analysis suggests options to regaining/sustaining macroeconomic stability, while factoring in the fiscal dimension of climate change; acting urgently to deepen global and regional trade, to seize the moment; addressing the near crisis in human capital in many countries; accelerating digital solutions to improve governance and service delivery; and using regional cooperation to help build climate resilience. The role of business elites in influencing economic policies is also discussed.
Modulation of circulating free testosterone fraction by testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol during testosterone replacement therapy
Authors: Jasuja Ravi , Pencina Karol M. , Lawney Brian , Stephens‐Shields Alisa J. , Ellenberg Susan S. , Snyder Peter J. , Bhasin Shalender
Published: August 2024

Background

Testosterone, estradiol, and dihydrotestosterone share common ligand binding sites on sex hormone binding globulin and albumin. It is unknown whether and how changes in testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol concentrations during testosterone replacement therapy affect free testosterone fraction.

Objective

To determine the effect of changes in testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol concentrations on free testosterone fraction during testosterone replacement therapy of men with hypogonadism.

Methods

Using data from the Testosterone Trials, we assessed the association of changes in total testosterone, estradiol, and dihydrotestosterone concentrations over 12 months of testosterone replacement therapy with changes in free testosterone fraction, measured using equilibrium dialysis. We used random forests to evaluate the associations of predicted mean changes in free testosterone fraction with changes in circulating concentrations of each hormone at low, mean, or high change in the other two hormones.

Results

Testosterone replacement therapy not only increased total testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estradiol, and free testosterone concentrations, but also the percent free testosterone, even though sex hormone binding globulin levels did not change. The predicted changes in free testosterone fraction during testosterone replacement therapy exhibited a non‐linear relationship with changes in each of total testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol concentrations. Greater increases in testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol levels during testosterone replacement therapy were each associated with higher model‐predicted percent free testosterone. Substantially smaller changes in molar concentrations of estradiol and dihydrotestosterone had a greater effect on percent free testosterone than those in testosterone.

Conclusion

During testosterone replacement therapy of men with hypogonadism, changes in testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol concentrations each altered percent free testosterone non‐linearly. Small changes in estradiol concentrations exerted much larger effect on the free testosterone fraction than testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, suggesting complex interactions of the three hormones with the binding proteins. Assessment of changes in free testosterone during testosterone replacement therapy should include consideration of changes in all three hormones.
Turbinal bones are still one of the last frontiers of the tetrapod skull: hypotheses, challenges and perspectives
Authors: Martinez Quentin , Amson Eli , Ruf Irina , Smith Timothy D. , Pirot Nelly , Broyon Morgane , Lebrun Renaud , Captier Guillaume , Gascó Martín Cristina , Ferreira Gabriel , Fabre Pierre‐Henri
Published: August 2024

Turbinals are bony or cartilaginous structures that are present in the nasal cavity of most tetrapods. They are involved in key functions such as olfaction, heat, and moisture conservation, as well as protection of the respiratory tract. Despite recent studies that challenged long‐standing hypotheses about their physiological and genomic correlation, turbinals remain largely unexplored, particularly for non‐mammalian species. Herein, we review and synthesise the current knowledge of turbinals using an integrative approach that includes comparative anatomy, physiology, histology and genomics. In addition, we provide synonyms and correspondences of tetrapod turbinals from about 80 publications. This work represents a first step towards drawing hypotheses of homology for the whole clade, and provides a strong basis to develop new research avenues.
Explaining bitcoin ownership in Canada: Trends from 2016 to 2021
Authors: Balutel Daniela , Engert Walter , Henry Christopher S. , Huynh Kim P. , Voia Marcel
Published: August 2024

This paper studies the dynamics of bitcoin ownership from 2016 to 2021, using the Bank of Canada's Bitcoin Omnibus Surveys. The estimated rate of bitcoin ownership jumped to 13% in 2021, up from the 5% observed in the previous three years. On one hand, this increase reflected broader economic trends related to increased savings and investment of Canadians during the COVID‐19 pandemic, along with financial technology companies providing accessible and user‐friendly platforms for buying bitcoin. Looking deeper, we use econometric models to quantify several specific ways in which bitcoin became more mainstream as an investment in 2021. Finally, we investigate the high cash holdings of bitcoin owners across time.
Limitations to fungal diversity in forest soil during secondary succession
Authors: Doonan James M.
Published: August 2024

The Bass Becking and Beijerinck theory of the microbial world that ‘everything is everywhere but the environment selects' has provided a basis to test microbial ecological theory for almost a century (Baas Becking 1934). Applying theory to the apparent chaos of the microbial world is arduous, and applying rules that guide our understanding is difficult. The Bass Becking and Beijerinck theory attempts to explain microbial community structure, i.e. why are certain microbes in a given environment? And why is a particular environment populated by certain microbes? Since the theory was advanced, limitations have been found. In particular, the advent of next‐generation sequencing in the 2000s has amplified our ability to categorize and quantify the microbial world (Tringe and Rubin 2005). Despite evident limitations demonstrating that the Bass Becking and Beijerinck theory is an oversimplification, it is perhaps the most unifying theory within microbial ecology (De Wit and Bouvier 2006).
Rethinking plasticity: Analysing the concept of “destructive plasticity” in the light of neuroscience definitions
Authors: Seblani Mostafa , Brezun Jean‐Michel , Féron François , Hoquet Thierry
Published: August 2024

As a multilevel and multidisciplinary field, neuroscience is designed to interact with various branches of natural and applied sciences as well as with humanities and philosophy. The continental tradition in philosophy, particularly over the past 20 years, tended to establish strong connections with biology and neuroscience findings. This cross fertilization can however be impeded by conceptual intricacies, such as those surrounding the concept of plasticity. The use of this concept has broadened as scientists applied it to explore an ever‐growing range of biological phenomena. Here, we examine the consequences of this ambiguity in an interdisciplinary context through the analysis of the concept of “destructive plasticity” in the philosophical writings of Catherine Malabou. The term “destructive plasticity” was coined by Malabou in 2009 to refer to all processes leading to psycho‐cognitive and emotional alterations following traumatic or nontraumatic brain injuries or resulting from neurodevelopmental disorders. By comparing it with the neuroscientific definitions of plasticity, we discuss the epistemological obstacles and possibilities related to the integration of this concept into neuroscience. Improving interdisciplinary exchanges requires an advanced and sophisticated manipulation of neurobiological concepts. These concepts are not only intended to guide research programmes within neuroscience but also to organize and frame the dialogue between different theoretical backgrounds.
Towards Transformative Soil Science: Who am I in relation to my research?
Authors: Wiersma W. , Lopez D. E.
Published: August 2024

The paradigm of modernity is associated with human detachment from soil as the agricultural and affective foundation of modern societies. The focus on soil as a resource has created increasingly exhausted landscapes. Soil science is well placed to (re)build the urgently needed connection between humans and nature by generating evidence for soil functioning and, perhaps most importantly, by establishing linkages with diverse types of soil knowledge and integrating them in collaborative solutions. Such transdisciplinary solutions can be achieved by transforming current ways of doing soil science, which begin with soil scientists. Anchored in feminist and critical thinking, we used the ‘reflecting and doing’ framework (Lopez et al., 2023) to demonstrate how reflexivity can help soil science to become a transformative space. By partially dissolving the mind–heart and human–soil dualisms, we can foster a way of generating soil knowledge that emerges from the relations within and beyond the human Self. Such an approach is relatively new in academic soil science, which relies heavily on the scientific method as a detached form of knowing that privileges mind over body, reason over emotion, culture over nature and production over reproduction. We argue that this journey starts with (re)positioning ourselves as soil scientists in relation to our research and advance a Transformative Soil Science that recognizes soil knowledge as situated and embodied and that identifies soil as the main ally for a sustainable world.
The Role of Labour Market Intermediaries for Migrant Workers in Global Production Networks: The Example of Filipino Migrant Workers in the Taiwanese Semiconductor Industry
Authors: Chen Tingchien , Schiller Daniel
Published: August 2024

This article contributes to the literature at the intersection of migration and global production networks (GPNs) by examining the role of labour market intermediaries (LMIs) for migrant workers. It demonstrates mediation processes by LMIs and elaborates on migration networks in the global labour market through qualitative and quantitative data. It examines the role of LMIs in responding to mechanisms in GPN, including zero inventory and just‐in‐time production, and the impact of private employment agents on migrant workers, particularly on their career paths. The article found that LMIs play an active role in the mediation and cooperation between migrant labour and firms and in shaping structural conditions for migrant workers in response to global competitive pressures. However, LMIs play a controversial role in social upgrading. Private LMIs are identified as having a negative impact on career paths of migrant workers.
Technoeconomic feasibility of photovoltaic recycling
Authors: Crespo Beatrice , Cavanaugh Cailean , Potter Arron , Yaniger Stuart , Gaustad Gabrielle , Wilkinson Collin
Published: August 2024

Photovoltaic (PV) modules are a key technology to aid the imminent transition from carbon‐based energy. End‐of‐life crystalline silicon PV modules produce a waste stream that is predominantly landfilled due to the recycling challenges associated with PV reuse economics. Current practices recycle the aluminum frame and repurpose the junction box but landfill the rest of the module. The primary challenge in recycling the remaining module is finding a technoeconomically viable method for separating the silicon and glass from the ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) layers. This issue will rapidly expand with time as it is estimated that flat glass production for solar panels is currently unable to meet the demand for PV. Current literature suggests that chemical, thermal, and mechanical delamination offer economically feasible solutions under ideal circumstances. In this work we evaluate these methods using end‐of‐life panels and assess the economic viability. The technoeconomic study presented here suggests the most economically viable option for disposing of end‐of‐life solar panels, given current technology, is landfilling. Thermal delamination may offer an alternative route in the future. Financial incentives, which can be quantified with this work, may be required to kickstart PV recycling to help bridge externalities around environmental impact.
‘You would never pick up the thread from where you left off’: Older Irish women migrants' narratives of non‐return, post‐retirement
Authors: Ryan Louise , Doshi Neha
Published: August 2024

There is growing interest in the extent of post‐retirement return among migrants. However, most research focuses on those approaching or soon after retirement, e.g. in their 60s. Less is known about how return, and indeed non‐return, decision‐making evolves in later years, with calls for more research on migrants in the old‐old age groups. Moreover, there are indications that women migrants may be less inclined to return than their male counterparts. Our article seeks to advance understanding in this area of research by drawing upon rich qualitative data from Irish women migrants, who worked as nurses in Britain and are now entering older age, e.g. 70s–80s. Many simply asserted that they could not leave their adult children and grandchildren. However, using the embedding framework, through a life course lens, we argue that non‐return may reflect complex processes of disembedding and non‐belonging in the origin country – which are less easy to articulate.
How do information and communication technology platforms shape rural e‐governance: The case of Zhao‐lou Village on the WeCounty platform
Authors: Chen Xiaowei , Cheng Xiaojuan , Zhang Tianyu , Guo Hongdong
Published: August 2024

This study investigates the role of information and communication technology (ICT) platforms in facilitating e‐governance within a rural context. A longitudinal single‐case study approach was employed, involving 37 semi‐structured interviews from 2019 to 2022. The findings reveal that information asymmetry and persistent tensions between the government and villagers hinder cooperative behaviour in rural governance, at varying degrees throughout all stages of e‐governance. Second, a contagion effect is identified, where the government coerces non‐cooperative villagers, exacerbating tensions. The coercive and negotiating‐compromising mechanism enabled by ICT platforms illustrates how the ICT platform enables the contagion effect occurs during rural policy deployment. Third, the goal incongruence between the government and villagers necessitates the government's utilisation of ICT platforms to adopt active engagement and induce event that encourage goal articulation, which facilitates a better goal alignment between both parties. This approach promotes the observation of collaborative behaviour among villagers and ultimately fosters increased collaboration with the government, that is, mimicking villagers' behaviour. Meanwhile, government stimulation can effectively facilitate the interaction between government and villagers, promoting the negotiation and compromise between the two parties. Such compromises can foster the goal congruence between the two parties, consequently encouraging greater participation from villagers in rural governance. The case offers valuable insights into the mechanisms by which ICT facilitates rural e‐governance, thereby holding significant implications for research on ICT‐rural governance and governments grappling with challenges in implementing rural policies.
Offspring sex ratio in a communal breeding bird is male‐biased when pre‐breeding rainfall is low
Authors: Grieves Leanne A. , Hing Sheng , Tabh Joshua , Quinn James S.
Published: August 2024

Offspring sex ratios may deviate from parity when the fitness benefits of producing male or female offspring vary. We tested for sex ratio bias in smooth‐billed anis Crotophaga ani, a communal laying cuckoo with low within‐group relatedness and high offspring dispersal. One male group member performs nocturnal incubation and sires more offspring than other males in the group, suggesting males may have greater reproductive variance than females. We hypothesized that pre‐breeding rainfall influences food availability and offspring sex ratio, predicting that breeding females skew production towards the sex with higher reproductive variance (males) in high food years. Females may also adjust sex ratio across the hatching order to increase survival of the more competitive sex, especially when clutches are larger and within‐brood competition is higher. As adults, male smooth‐billed anis are larger than females, so we assumed male nestlings are more competitive than females and predicted a male‐bias in first hatched chicks in larger broods. Contrary to our first prediction, offspring sex ratio was male biased when pre‐breeding rainfall was lower. In partial support of our second prediction, marginally more first hatched chicks were male in larger broods. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of offspring sex ratio bias in a communal laying bird species. Future work in this system will attempt to uncover the mechanisms by which co‐breeding females adjust offspring sex ratio and test alternative hypotheses to explain male‐biased offspring sex ratios under different conditions.
Does options trading affect audit pricing?
Authors: Ali Muhammad Jahangir , Balachandran Balasingham , Duong Huu Nhan , Puwanenthiren Premkanth , Theobald Michael
Published: August 2024

We examine the impact of options trading on audit pricing for a sample of US firms over the period from 2004 to 2021. We find that options trading is significantly and negatively related to audit fees, indicating that firms characterized by higher options trading incur lower audit fees. Auditors spend a lower number of days auditing firms with higher options trading and firms with higher options trading experience lower probabilities of lawsuits, and misstatements, and lower likelihood of material weaknesses and auditor opinion on internal controls. The impact of options trading on audit fees is stronger when the auditor is located further away from the audited firm, for firms with non‐specialized auditors, higher information asymmetry problems, poorer earnings and lower governance quality. Overall, our findings underscore the significance of options trading in improving a firm's information environment and reducing litigation risk, resulting in lower audit fees.
Do audit firms discount initial full‐year audit engagements with multiple potential successor auditors?
Authors: Omer Thomas C. , Yuan Ming (Mike)
Published: August 2024

Auditing theory predicts fee discounting when multiple potential successor auditors bid for the client. However, the empirical evidence on this issue varies as more recent research attributes prior evidence of fee discounting to measurement errors related to audit fees’ partial‐year reporting. We argue that the mixed results of previous literature are partially attributable to a failure to identify competitive auditor changes. We use U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosures of audit firm changes to identify cases with multiple potential successor auditors, which suggests more competition for the client. We compare each disclosing firm's audit fees between the first year following the auditor change year and all other years of the same disclosing firm. We find that successor audit firms discount audit fees in the first full year following the auditor change, compared to all other years, within the same disclosing firm. The fee discounting continues until at least the second full year of the engagement. Results also suggest Big N successor firms discount fees to win new engagements from smaller successor audit firms. Audit fee discounting occurs when companies dismiss their audit firm rather than when audit firms resign. Finally, we find no evidence of impaired audit quality for the 2 years following the auditor change.
Northern Realignment? Explaining Nordic Consent to NextGenerationEU
Authors: Ekman Johan , Stahl Rune Møller , Ryner Magnus
Published: August 2024

This article explains the consent of the European Union's (EU) Nordic member states to NextGenerationEU (NGEU). Broad domestic consensus against EU‐level fiscal federal measures, based on what the growth model literature calls labour‐inclusive export‐based growth models, was overcome through two channels. Despite principled opposition in public, Nordic governments responded almost instantly to the changes in German preferences in the ‘Moravcsik channel’ of intergovernmental bargaining. This was complemented by dynamics in the ‘Amsterdam School channel’ that co‐ordinated transnational support by export‐oriented business for an EU‐level recovery plan and set the stage for consensus formation with trade unions. Despite non‐trivial complications in the short run, the party systems followed these leads in executive and corporatist politics.
Understanding cultural dynamics shaping clinical reasoning skills: A dialogical exploration
Authors: Karunaratne Dilmini , Sibbald Matthew , Chandratilake Madawa
Published: August 2024

Our study examined the influence of national cultural predispositions on training medical professionals and doctor–patient dynamics using a dialogical approach, guided by Hofstede's framework. This framework provided valuable insights into how cultural tendencies shape the learning and application of clinical reasoning skills in different cultural contexts. We found that dimensions such as power distance and individualism versus collectivism significantly influenced clinical reasoning, while other dimensions had more nuanced effects. Junior doctors in Southern nations, despite initially lagging behind, developed advanced clinical reasoning skills with experience, eventually matching their Northern counterparts. The study highlighted the link between cultural norms and educational practices, variations in family involvement during reasoning, adherence to clinical guidelines and doctors' emotional engagement in clinical care between Southern and Northern contexts. Additionally, we recognised that effective clinical reasoning extends beyond technical knowledge, involving an understanding and integration of cultural dynamics into patient care. This highlights the pressing need to prioritise this topic.
Adopting a pedagogy of connection for medical education
Authors: de Carvalho Filho Marco Antonio , Hafferty Frederic William
Published: August 2024

In this article, we propose developing a “pedagogy of connection” based on the history and evolution of medical education in Brazil. This pedagogy emerged from the intersection of the healthcare and higher educational systems, both dedicated to the principles of social justice and universal access, in response to the country's efforts to address the enduring impacts of slavery and social inequality. Following the “Sanitary Reformation” movement—a foundational moment for Brazil's healthcare and medical education systems—Brazil established the Unified Public Healthcare System (Sistema Único de Saúde — SUS). SUS is founded on principles of universality, integrality, equity, community participation, political and administrative decentralisation, hierarchisation and regionalisation. Aligned with these core principles and inspired by critical pedagogy, Brazilian medical education has evolved with a profound commitment to social justice, critical consciousness, professional presence and compassion. This evolution has given rise to a “pedagogy of connection,” which imbues medical education with a sense of purpose and joy, preparing future medical professionals to address the challenges of our ever‐evolving society and healthcare systems. The connections fostered by this pedagogy occur in complementary dimensions: (a) healthcare system and society, (b) community, (c) profession, (d) patients, and (e) ourselves. This innovative pedagogy enhances medical education discourse and practice by emphasising the development of a professional identity grounded in social justice and patient‐centred care, which remain challenges for current medical education systems. As the global medical education community embraces decolonisation, this pedagogy offers a framework that can be adapted and enriched in various contexts worldwide, fostering opportunities for mutual learning from diverse educational systems in a dialogical and democratic manner.
A methodological approach to age estimation of the intra‐puparial period of the forensically relevant blow fly Calliphora vicina via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Thümmel Luise , Tintner‐Olifiers Johannes , Amendt Jens
Published: August 2024

Estimating the age of immature blow flies is of great importance for forensic entomology. However, no gold‐standard technique for an accurate determination of the intra‐puparial age has yet been established. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a method to (bio‐)chemically characterise material based on the absorbance of electromagnetic energy by functional groups of molecules. In recent years, it also has become a powerful tool in forensic and life sciences, as it is a fast and cost‐effective way to characterise all kinds of material and biological traces. This study is the first to collect developmental reference data on the changes in absorption spectra during the intra‐puparial period of the forensically important blow fly Calliphora vicina Robineau‐Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Calliphora vicina was reared at constant 20°C and 25°C and specimens were killed every other day throughout their intra‐puparial development. In order to investigate which part yields the highest detectable differences in absorption spectra throughout the intra‐puparial development, each specimen was divided into two different subsamples: the pupal body and the former cuticle of the third instar, that is, the puparium. Absorption spectra were collected with a FTIR spectrometer coupled to an attenuated total reflection (ATR) unit. Classification accuracies of different wavenumber regions with two machine learning models, i.e., random forests (RF) and support vector machines (SVMs), were tested. The best age predictions for both temperature settings and machine learning models were obtained by using the full spectral range from 3700 to 600 cm−1. While SVMs resulted in better accuracies for C. vicina reared at 20°C, RFs performed almost as good as SVMs for data obtained from 25°C. In terms of sample type, the pupal body gave smoother spectra and usually better classification accuracies than the puparia. This study shows that FTIR spectroscopy is a promising technique in forensic entomology to support the estimation of the minimum post‐mortem interval (PMImin), by estimating the age of a given insect specimen.
Green nationalism from above: Authoritarian state power and the greening of UAE nationalism
Authors: Koch Natalie
Published: August 2024

All nationalisms have multiple storylines that evolve in response to changes in global affairs. The shifting geopolitical and ecological circumstances surrounding climate change are contributing to the strengthening of “green nationalisms” around the world — including in authoritarian states. This article examines the rise of green nationalism in the UAE, where state‐led discourse has tapped into sustainability tropes to reframe the country's national identity and values as “green.” Building from over 5 years of qualitative research on the UAE's sustainability agenda, it examines the evolution of state‐led green nationalist storylines through institutional, policy, and events landscapes in the years leading up to and including the United Nations COP28 climate talks in Dubai in December 2023. Emirati political elites, I argue, mobilise green nationalism to cultivate symbolic capital domestically and internationally and, in so doing, legitimate their authoritarian hold on state power. The greening of nationalisms requires much closer scrutiny around the world — and especially when promoted by authoritarian leaders who are more motivated by regime durability rather than joining the global community for urgent climate action.
Plasmopara viticola effector PvCRN20 represses the import of VvDEG5 into chloroplasts to suppress immunity in grapevine
Authors: Fu Qingqing , Chen Tingting , Wang Yunlei , Zhou Huixuan , Zhang Kangzhuang , Zheng Runlong , Zhang Yanan , Liu Ruiqi , Yin Xiao , Liu Guotian , Xu Yan
Published: August 2024

Chloroplasts play a crucial role in plant defense against pathogens, making them primary targets for pathogen effectors that suppress host immunity. This study characterizes the Plasmopara viticola CRN‐like effector, PvCRN20, which interacts with DEG5 in the cytoplasm but not with its interacting protein, DEG8, which is located in the chloroplast.

By transiently overexpressing in tobacco leaves, we show that PvCRN20 could inhibit INF1‐ and Bax‐triggered cell death. Constitutive expression of PvCRN20 suppresses the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promotes pathogen colonization. PvCRN20 reduces DEG5 entry into chloroplasts, thereby disrupting DEG5 and DEG8 interactions in chloroplasts.

Overexpression of VvDEG5 and VvDEG8 induces ROS accumulation and enhances grapevine resistance to P. viticola, whereas knockout of VvDEG8 represses ROS production and promotes P. viticola colonization. Consistently, ectopic expression of VvDEG5 and VvDEG8 in tobacco promotes chloroplast‐derived ROS accumulation, whereas co‐expression of PvCRN20 counteracted this promotion by VvDEG5. Therefore, DEG5 is essential for the virulence function of PvCRN20. Although PvCRN20 is located in both the nucleus and cytoplasm, only cytoplasmic PvCRN20 suppresses plant immunity and promotes pathogen infection.

Our results reveal that PvCRN20 dampens plant defenses by repressing the chloroplast import of DEG5, thus reducing host ROS accumulation and facilitating pathogen colonization.
The clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of PD‐L1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Li Yizhan , Ren Wenhao , Li Shaoming , Zheng Jingjing , Gu Haiyan , Gao Ling , Zhi Keqian
Published: August 2024

Objective

To investigate the relationship between the expression of PD‐L1 in OSCC and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological data and prognosis of 381 OSCC patients. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on OSCC tumor specimens, and the expression level of PD‐L1 was evaluated according to the combined positive score (CPS). Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to identify the effect of PD‐L1 expression and clinicopathological features on the prognosis of patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to determine the hazard factors affecting the prognosis of patients.

Results

PD‐L1 overexpression was significantly associated with cervical lymph node metastasis (p = 0.018), worse clinical stage (p = 0.022), worse tumor differentiation (p = 0.046), and worse depth of invasion (DOI) (p = 0.003). Poorer clinical stage and degree of tumor differentiation were significantly associated with poorer OS and DSS in patients. PD‐L1 expression was not associated with prognosis in patients with OSCC.

Conclusions

High PD‐L1 expression was significantly associated with higher tumor malignancy in OSCC patients. Poorer clinical stage and degree of tumor differentiation were associated with poor prognosis in OSCC patients. Our results may help clinicians develop more appropriate individualized treatment strategies for their patients, thus improving their outcomes.
Development of a dry eye index as a new biomarker of dry eye disease
Authors: Gala‐Núñez César , Ortiz‐Peregrina Sonia , Castanera‐Gratacós Diego , Anera Rosario G.
Published: August 2024

Purpose

To evaluate signs and symptoms in patients diagnosed with dry eye disease (DED), divided into dry eye (DE) groups, in order to find a new biomarker that allows an accurate diagnosis, management and classification of DED.

Methods

This cross‐sectional, observational study included 71 DED subjects. Subjective symptoms, visual quality and DE signs were assessed using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), the Quality of Vision (QoV) questionnaire, best corrected distance visual acuity (VA), functional visual acuity (FVA), contrast sensitivity (CS), high‐ and low‐order corneal aberrations (HOA and LOA, respectively), tear break‐up time (TBUT), Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), Schirmer test, corneal staining, lid wiper epitheliopathy (LWE) and meibography. Participants were classified into three groups based on dryness severity using a cluster analysis, i.e., mild (N = 17, 55.8 ± 15.4 years), moderate (N = 41, 63.5 ± 10.6 years) and severe (N = 13, 65.0 ± 12.0). A new Dry Eye Severity Index (DESI) based on ocular surface signs has been developed and its association with symptoms, visual quality and signs was assessed. Comparisons between groups were made using Kruskal–Wallis and Chi‐squared tests. Spearman correlation analysis was also performed.

Results

The DESI was based on three tests for DE signs: TBUT, Schirmer test and MGD. The DESI showed significant differences between different pairs of groups: Mild Dryness versus Moderate Dryness (p < 0.001), Mild Dryness versus Severe Dryness (p < 0.001) and Moderate Dryness versus Severe Dryness (p < 0.001). The DESI was significantly correlated with age (rho = −0.30; p = 0.01), OSDI score (rho = −0.32; p = 0.007), QoV score (rho = −0.35; p = 0.003), VA (rho = −0.34; p = 0.003), FVA (rho = −0.38; p = 0.001) and CS (rho = 0.42; p < 0.001) Also, significant differences between the severity groups were found for OSDI and QoV scores, VA, FVA, CS and MGD (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The DESI has good performance as a biomarker for the diagnosis, classification and management of DED.
In the Acute Phase of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture: Quantitative Assessment of Matrix Changes and Correlation between Different States of Meniscus and Adjacent Cartilage
Authors: Zhang Jiaying , Jia Zhenyu , Yang Yangyang , Zhang Lihang , Huang Tianwen , Tsai Tsung‐Yuan , Li Pingyue
Published: August 2024

Objective

Cartilage and meniscus are important structures that maintain the health of the knee joint. Early detection of changes in the internal components of cartilage and meniscus before morphological changes occur is essential to prevent and delay the development of osteoarthritis (OA). This study was designed to determine the changes in the matrix composition of morphologically intact cartilage and meniscus during the acute phase of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, as well as the effect of different states of meniscus (intact or tear) on adjacent cartilage during the acute phase.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study compared and analyzed 50 patients in the acute phase of ACL rupture who underwent surgical treatment and 66 age‐, weight‐ and height‐matched healthy volunteers from May 2022 to May 2023 at our institution. Mean T2 relaxation times and effect sizes in different regions of tibiofemoral articular cartilage and meniscus were compared between the two groups using the Mann–Whitney nonparametric t‐test, and correlations between different meniscal states and adjacent cartilage were analyzed.

Results

Both in the lateral and medial compartments of the knee, T2 relaxation times were significantly higher in all subregions of cartilage and meniscus in the ACL rupture group (p < 0.05), and the site of injury was predominantly centered in the medial compartment (femur, p = 0.000; tibia, p = 0.000; anterior horn, p = 0.000). In the respective compartments, the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus showed a significant positive correlation with the mid‐cartilage of the femoral and tibial (r = 0.566, p = 0.035; r = 0.611, p = 0.02); and the posterior horn of the medial meniscus showed a significant positive correlation with the posterior tibial cartilage (r = 0.668, p = 0.018).

Conclusion

During the acute phase of ACL rupture, the internal composition of the cartilage and meniscus undergoes significant changes, even if the morphology is intact. More importantly, the state of the meniscus significantly affects the internal composition of the adjacent cartilage. This is an early warning sign of OA, which should be closely monitored and carefully managed in clinical practice.