bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health-oriented leadership communication matters: a trickle-down model to enhance employees' health and well-being during turbulent times
Authors: Chen Feifei , Wu Qiwei Luna
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study explored how organizational leaders at different hierarchical levels may communicatively enhance employees' health and well-being. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, it proposed a model that connects health-oriented leadership communication at supervisory and executive levels with remote workers' self-care and stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected through a survey of 363 full-time United States (US) employees were analyzed to test the model.

Findings

Results showed health-oriented communication at the two leadership levels directly influenced employees' self-care, which in turn reduced their stress levels. Further, executive leaders' health-oriented leadership communication indirectly impacted remote workers' self-care through its positive association with supervisors' health-oriented leadership communication.

Practical implications

This study offers much-needed guidelines for executive leaders, supervisors and communication practitioners seeking to meet employees' growing expectations for a healthy work environment in today's post-pandemic era.

Originality/value

Although the literature has established organizational leadership as a vital determinant for a healthy workforce, few studies have explored leaders' health-specific communication to enhance employee health. This study is the first to conceptualize health-oriented leadership communication at dual hierarchical levels and uncover its influence on employees. The results suggested the importance of health-oriented leadership communication across hierarchical levels in building a healthy workplace.
Temperatures on the rise: adapting to heat extremes in South Asia. Conversation on the Nordic Asia Podcast
Authors: Raju Emmanuel , Singh Chandni , Geschewski Hanna
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This conversation presents reflections on heatwaves, vulnerability and adaptation in South Asia.

Design/methodology/approach

This is based on the Nordic Asia Podcast on Temperatures on the Rise: Adapting to Heat Extremes in South Asia.

Findings

Main themes discussed in this conversation include vulnerability and adaptation, livelihoods and cascading disasters.

Originality/value

This conversations adds value to the ongoing discussions on climate justice, loss and damage.
Employees go green: the roles of perceived CSR and intrinsic motivation
Authors: Tang Huihui , Loi Raymond , Lai Si Weng
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study investigates how and when employees' perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) encourages their workplace pro-environmental behavior (WPB).

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from 189 employees of different industries in southern China. Data were analyzed using PROCESS macro.

Findings

This study found that intrinsic motivation mediated the relationship between perceived CSR and WPB. Furthermore, self-concern strengthened the indirect perceived CSR–WPB link.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature of micro-CSR by highlighting intrinsic motivation as a mediating mechanism explaining how employees' perceived CSR encourages WPB. In addition, studying the moderating effects of other-orientation and self-concern enriches the understanding of when perceived CSR may or may not stimulate employees' WPB.
Interlibrary loan in Türkiye: interlibrary loan tracking system (KITS)
Authors: Çölden Akgül Rumeysa , Doğan Güleda
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the current situation of the interlibrary loan in Türkiye using interlibrary loan tracking system raw data (2008–2019). Data was analyzed geographically to reveal the effect of geographical distance on the collaboration and thematically to identify the prominent areas/topics in the requests. In addition, the requests were evaluated in terms of the type and age of the university, the size of the collection and the number of library users.

Design/methodology/approach

The effect of geographical distance on the collaboration was revealed using VOSviewer. The place numbers and titles of the requests were used for thematic analysis, which was performed using Flourish and VOSviewer. Statistical tests were conducted with SPSS to investigate the effects of factors such as university age and type.

Findings

Geographic analysis revealed that the prominent regions are Marmara, Central Anatolia and Aegean Regions, respectively. The fact that these regions host Türkiye’s largest cities with the highest number of universities has been effective in achieving this result. The results of the thematic analysis are in accordance with the literature. Almost half of the requests are from Social Sciences, Language and Literature, History and Law. While the effects of collection size and the number of library users have relatively insignificant effects on requests, age and university type were found to be more relevant.

Originality/value

Interlibrary loan data of this size has not been the subject of an evaluation before in Türkiye. Hence, the results obtained have the potential to influence relevant policies and decisions on the subject. On the other hand, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, bibliographic mapping was used for the first time on interlibrary loan data.
Customer mistreatment and unethical pro-organizational behavior: a daily diary study examining the roles of status threat
Authors: Ye Yanhua , Liu Pei , Zhang Linghan
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Despite extensive research on the detrimental work-related impact of customer mistreatment, there has been limited investigation into the outcomes that encompass both positive and negative connotations (i.e. unethical pro-organizational behavior [UPB]). This study aims to test whether, how and when daily customer mistreatment leads to hospitality employees’ daily UPB.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducted a two-phase daily diary study. In the first phase, participants completed measures of their sense of power and provided demographic information. During the subsequent two-week period, participants completed questionnaires twice daily. The analysis included data from 87 hospitality employees, with 781 surveys remaining. This study performed multilevel analyses using Monte–Carlo simulations.

Findings

This study revealed that hospitality employees experiencing daily customer mistreatment exhibited heightened perceptions of status threats, resulting in increased daily UPB. The moderating effects of employees’ sense of power were found to be significant in both direct and indirect relationships.

Practical implications

Hospitality managers should recognize that customer mistreatment can threaten employees’ social status and result in daily UPB. To protect employees, implementing daily training programs is essential. Moreover, hotels and managers should provide HR management/recognition programs and empowerment initiatives to boost employees’ sense of power and counteract the harmful effects of customer mistreatment on their status.

Originality/value

This study makes contributions to the existing literature on customer mistreatment by establishing a positive relationship between daily customer mistreatment and daily UPB through the mechanism of status threat. Furthermore, thise study highlights the importance of enhancing hospitality employees’ sense of power as a protective factor against the negative consequences of customer mistreatment.
Governance determinants of health: exploring the structural impact of politicalization, bureaucratization and medical standardization on health inequity
Authors: Teig Inger Lise , Bærøe Kristine , Melberg Andrea , Carlsen Benedicte
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Unequal social conditions that provide people with unequal opportunities to live healthy lives are considered unjust and associated with “health inequity”. Governing power is impacting people's lives through laws, policies and professional decisions, and can be used intentionally to combat health inequity by addressing and changing people's living- and working conditions. Little attention is paid to how these ways of exercising governing power unintentionally can structure further conditions for health inequity. In this paper, the authors coin the term “governance determinants of health” (GDHs). The authors' discussion of GDHs potential impact on health inequity can help avoid the implementation of governing strategies with an adverse impact on health equality. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objective.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors identify Governance Determinants of Health, the GDHs. GDHs refer to governance strategies that structurally impact healthcare systems and health equality. The authors focus on the unintended, blind sides of GDHs that maintain or reinforce the effects of socioeconomic inequality on health.

Findings

The power to organize healthcare is manifested in distinct structural approaches such as juridification, politicalization, bureaucratization and medical standardization. The authors explore the links between different forms of governance and health inequalities.

Research limitations/implications

The authors' discussion in this article is innovative as it seeks to develop a framework that targets power dynamics inherent in GHDs to help identify and avoid GDHs that may promote unequal access to healthcare and prompt health inequity. However, this framework has limitations as the real-world, blurred and intertwined aspects of governing instruments are simplified for analytical purposes. As such, it risks overestimating the boundaries between the separate instruments and reducing the complexity of how the GDHs work in practice. Consequently, this kind of theory-driven framework does not do justice to the myriad of peoples' complex empirical practices where GDHs may overlap and intertwine with each other. Nevertheless, this framework can still help assist governing authorities in imagining a direction for the impacts of GDHs on health equity, so they can take precautionary steps to avoid adverse impacts.

Originality/value

The authors develop and explore – and demonstrate – the relevance of a framework that can assist governing authorities in anticipating the impacts of GDHs on health inequity.
HR’s hands are tied! Perceptions of the role of HR departments in Jordanian organisations
Authors: Al-Twal Arwa , Jarrar Doaa M.F. , Fakhoury Ghazal , Aljbour Rashed
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The aim of this study is to explore employees’ perceptions of the role of human resources (HR) departments in Jordanian organisations and the reasons behind these perceptions.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 employees who work at different organisations in various industrial sectors in Jordan.

Findings

Employees perceive HR roles as: providing transactional services (traditional); working as business partners to facilitate other departments’ roles (limited). Perceptions of HR professionals and the role of HR departments were generally negative, due to: societal-cultural norms and stereotypes of HR departments and HR professionals; the role of Wasta (a localised form of favouritism) in affecting HR practices; employees’ personal experiences with HR departments and HR professionals at their workplace; and the non-availability of human resources management (HRM) degrees in Jordan.

Originality/value

Limited research has explored varying perceptions about HR departments and their impacts on business contexts in emerging markets, including Jordan. This research is unique as it identifies the reasons behind common misconceptions of HR roles in Jordanian organisations. It extends beyond existing literature by integrating employees’ perceptions of the role of the HR departments to understand the consequences for HR practices’ operational effectiveness. It also pioneers consideration of societal culture in shaping these perceptions, which helps us build theories for future testing and generalisation purposes in other contexts with cultural commonalities. This study also highlights the current state of HRM development in Jordan, which helps in setting the agenda for future research in the country and the Middle East and North Africa region.
Stakeholders’ perceptions of sustainability performance of a gold mining subsidiary in Ghana
Authors: Amoako Kwame Oduro , Dixon Keith , Amoako Isaac Oduro , Marfo Emmanuel Opoku , Tuffour James , Lord Beverley Rae
Published: August 2023

Purpose

With the recent increasing relevance of sustainability, multinational enterprises are faced with divergent stakeholder demands and persistently shifting priorities. This study aims to examine stakeholders’ perceptions of the sustainability performance of a gold mining subsidiary in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a purposive sampling technique, the authors interviewed managers and employees of the case enterprise, officials of regulatory institutions and host community members on their perceptions of the case enterprise’s sustainability performance. The authors triangulated the opinions expressed by these stakeholders with data from annual reports. The data were analysed through the lens of stakeholder theory.

Findings

The authors found that while members of the host community and the regulatory institutions were keenly interested in the case enterprise’s social and environmental activities, they perceived their performance as unimpressive, considering the economic benefits derived from the mining operations. On the contrary, the managers and employees of the case enterprise were satisfied with their environmental compliance and social intervention programmes, even though the company’s economic position had declined. The authors submit that the variations in the sustainability performance perceptions among the stakeholders are due to the lack of a deeper understanding of the other stakeholders’ expectations.

Practical implications

To equitably satisfy diverse stakeholder expectations, the study highlights the role of stakeholder collaborations in understanding the expectations of more salient stakeholder groups such as community members and employees, as well as the lesser salient groups such as academics. It also demonstrates the fluidity of sustainability and its benefits in designing a consensual sustainable management strategy. This implies that managers of the case mining enterprise make the necessary efforts to meet the diverse stakeholder needs while attaining their primary objective of creating wealth for shareholders.

Originality/value

Compared to advanced economies, studies on sustainability performance in emerging economies are limited. Nonetheless, these limited studies leave out stakeholder perceptions, focusing more on quantitative performance indicators. Using thematic and content analyses, the authors investigate stakeholder perceptions on the sustainability performance of a case mining subsidiary operating in Ghana. The study focused on Ghana because it is ranked with South Africa as the top two producers of gold in Africa. Nonetheless, unlike South Africa, Ghana faces more sustainability challenges from the mining sector due to weak institutions in enforcing sustainability standards.
The human spectrum: a position paper
Authors: Hopkins Gail Teresa
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to investigate the acceptance and support of neurodiverse people in society, with a focus on autism, and to use this to propose a framework to enhance inclusivity that can inform pedagogy within the education sectors.

Design/methodology/approach

Three case studies from higher education have been presented and mapped onto a multi-dimensional spectrum of characteristics normally associated with autistic people. Further examples have been taken from the general population and these have been used, along with user scenarios to propose a framework for inclusivity.

Findings

A framework, the human spectrum, has been proposed which encompasses all of society, regardless of diagnoses and within which people have mobility in terms of their characteristics. It is proposed that this framework should be incorporated into pedagogy in primary, secondary and tertiary education so that teaching and assessment is inclusive and so that people’s understanding of human nature is built from an early age to counter stigma and herd mentality, or othering.

Social implications

The contribution of this paper could have significant implications for society as the framework provides a structure to enable people to consider others with new perspectives.

Originality/value

The framework proposed provides a new and original way of shaping the way people think within the education sector and elsewhere.
Disruptive AI: the response depends on the buyer’s political ideology
Authors: van Esch Patrick
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The recent pandemic disrupted the way in which businesses transact with each other. In response to maintaining cleanliness in business-to-business (B2B) settings, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled robots have been adopted as substitutes for cleaning personnel, yet their implications remain largely underexamined. This study aims to examine B2B buyer responses to cleaning information notices (human vs AI-enabled agent) placed at either the entry to the premises or the sales counter, thereby adding to the nascent literature in this line of inquiry.

Design/methodology/approach

Three field experiments were conducted across diverse B2B businesses (wholesalers in Studies 1–2 and a commercial business in Study 3). To achieve greater empirical rigor and generalizability, this research used diverse stimuli across different B2B settings. In addition, the results ruled out alternate explanations and shed light upon political ideology as a boundary condition. Finally, a single-paper meta-analysis confirmed H1, consolidating the established effect.

Findings

Featuring over 1,000 B2B buyers, the results show that politically liberal B2B buyers express greater preference for human over AI-performed cleaning while labor-orientated buyers are indifferent. Importantly, this effect is driven by greater relaxation associated with humans, which in turn, increases their future patronage and referral intent.

Originality/value

The results enrich the collective knowledge of the adoption of AI-enabled robots, reinforcing for marketing practitioners and businesses that the reliance on human-based outcomes remains a preferred touchpoint in B2B settings, particularly for liberals.
Adoption of in-room voice assistants: a cross-cultural study
Authors: Kim Jungsun (Sunny) , Erdem Mehmet , Kim Boran
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore whether five factors drawn from the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and UTAUT2 significantly influence customers' intention to use hotel in-room voice assistants (VAs). It further examined culture as a moderator of the relationships between the five factors and customers' intention to use.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected data from US and Singapore to examine cultural differences in customer acceptance of in-room VAs. All hypotheses were tested via structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis.

Findings

The results showed that performance expectancy, social influence and hedonic motivation significantly affected customers' intentions to use in-room VAs, while effort expectancy and facilitating conditions did not. The results confirmed that culture did not play a substantial role in moderating the relationships between these factors and intentions to use.

Research limitations/implications

This study established that the instrument and structural paths in the research model were equivalent across two samples from different countries. The findings may not generalize to other countries as the data arises from customers in the US and Singapore.

Practical implications

The findings provide important implications for hotel operators and vendors seeking to enhance customer acceptance of in-room voice technology.

Originality/value

This study addresses the gaps of extant research by developing and testing a research model to better understand the influential factors of in-room VA adoption within the hotel domain.
Impact of school leadership on teacher professional collaboration: evidence from multilevel analysis of Taiwan TALIS 2018
Authors: Hsieh Chuan-Chung , Chen Yu-Ran , Li Hui-Chieh
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study examined the impact of school leadership on teacher professional collaboration, with collective teacher innovativeness and teacher self-efficacy (TSE) playing the mediating role. Two most commonly used leadership styles, instructional leadership (IL) and distributed leadership (DL), were analyzed using a multilevel design, i.e. teachers are nested within schools.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed model was validated using data of Taiwan TALIS 2018 collected from both teachers and principals and analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling.

Findings

Results showed that IL and DL influence teacher professional collaboration through different paths. IL had a significant direct impact on teacher professional collaboration alone, while DL had a significant direct impact on both teachers' collective innovativeness and their professional collaboration. While TSE had a direct effect on collective teacher innovativeness, TSE and collective teacher innovativeness had a direct effect on teacher professional collaboration.

Originality/value

This study highlights the significant impact of principal leadership as both principals and teachers work in the same environment and culture co-shaped through the interaction and collaboration. Research evidence regarding the effects of IL and DL on teacher professional collaboration is limited; this is even less evidential when the indirect effects of variables mediating between school leadership and teacher outcomes, including teacher collective innovativeness and TSE, are added to the total effects. The present findings provide useful references for principals and teachers when promoting professional collaboration to achieve desired outcomes in school and student improvement.
Theory of sustainable consumption behavior (TSCB) to predict renewable energy consumption behavior: A case of eco-tourism visitors of Bangladesh
Authors: Hasan Abdulla Al-Towfiq
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to exploring the factors influencing renewable energy consumption intentions and behaviors among eco-tourism visitors in Bangladesh, developing theory of sustainable consumption behaviors (TSCB).

Design/methodology/approach

Based on review of previous empirical studies and other literatures, and collection of 399 usable responses, the study is conducted through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) by using Smart PLS3.3.3.

Findings

The study results divulge that renewable energy consumption intentions significantly influence renewable energy consumption behavior; and the carbon mitigation norms and energy saving norms significantly impact on renewable energy consumption intentions among eco-tourists in Bangladesh.

Practical implications

The findings imply that availability of renewable energy consumption options may attract tourists towards eco-tourism in Bangladesh.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first attempts to developing the theory of sustainable consumption, exploring the integrated impacts of carbon mitigation norms, energy saving norms and renewable energy consumption intentions on eco-tourists’ renewable energy consumption behaviors in Bangladesh.
Current situation and development trend of design methods for subgrade structure of high speed railways
Authors: Ye Yangsheng , Cai Degou , Zhang Qianli , Wei Shaowei , Yan Hongye , Geng Lin
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This method will become a new development trend in subgrade structure design for high speed railways.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper summarizes the structural types and design methods of subgrade bed for high speed railways in China, Japan, France, Germany, the United States and other countries based on the study and analysis of existing literature and combined with the research results and practices of high speed railway subgrade engineering at home and abroad.

Findings

It is found that in foreign countries, the layered reinforced structure is generally adopted for the subgrade bed of high speed railways, and the unified double-layer or multi-layer structure is adopted for the surface layer of subgrade bed, while the simple structure is adopted in China; in foreign countries, different inspection parameters are adopted to evaluate the compaction state of fillers according to their respective understanding and practice, while in China, compaction coefficient, subsoil coefficient and dynamic deformation modulus are adopted for such evaluation; in foreign countries, the subgrade top deformation control method, the subgrade bottom deformation control method, the subsurface fill strength control method are mainly adopted in subgrade bed structure design of high speed railways, while in China, dynamic deformation control of subgrade surface and dynamic strain control of subgrade bed bottom layer is adopted in the design. However, the cumulative deformation of subgrade caused by train cyclic vibration load is not considered in the existing design methods.

Originality/value

This paper introduces a new subgrade structure design method based on whole-process dynamics analysis that meets subgrade functional requirements and is established on the basis of the existing research at home and abroad on prediction methods for cumulative deformation of subgrade soil.
The effects of stakeholder power, strategic posture and slack financial resources on sustainability performance in UK higher education institutions
Authors: Núnez Chicharro Montserrat , Mangena Musa , Alonso Carrillo María Inmaculada , Priego De La Cruz Alba María
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are critical in the sustainability agenda, not only as catalysts for promoting sustainability practices but also because their activities have substantial social, economic and environmental impacts. Yet there is limited research that examines their sustainability performance. This paper aims to investigate the factors that are associated with sustainability performance in HEIs. Specifically, drawing from the stakeholder theory and exploiting Ullmann’s (1985) conceptual framework, this study examines the association between sustainability performance and stakeholder power, strategic posture and financial slack resources.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw the sample from the People & Planet University Green League Table for the period 2011–2019 and use the generalised estimating equations for the modelling approach.

Findings

This study finds that stakeholder power, in particular, funding grant income, tuition fee income and student and staff numbers, are positively associated with sustainability performance. In relation to strategic posture, this study finds that sustainability performance is negatively associated with governing body independence and gender diversity, and positively associated with internal structures. Finally, regarding financial slack resources, this study finds that surplus income (staff costs) is positively (negatively) associated with sustainability performance.

Practical implications

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research contributes to several existing literature focusing on the not-for-profit sector by documenting, for the first time, the role of stakeholder power, strategic posture and slack financial resources on sustainability performance.

Social implications

The paper includes relevant implications for HEI managers and regulators for promoting sustainability.

Originality/value

These results contribute to the literature on the factors influencing sustainability performance.
Squamate metabolic rates decrease in winter beyond the effect of temperature
Authors: Dubiner Shahar , Jamison Simon , Meiri Shai , Levin Eran
Published: August 2023

The reptilian form of hibernation (brumation) is much less studied than its mammalian and insect equivalents. Hibernation and brumation share some basic features but may differ in others. Evidence for hypometabolism in brumating reptiles beyond the effect of temperature is sporadic and often ignored.

We calculated the standard metabolic rates (SMR, oxygen uptake during inactivity), in winter and/or summer, of 156 individuals representing 59 species of Israeli squamates across all 17 local families. For 32 species, we measured the same individuals during both seasons. We measured gas exchange continuously in a dark metabolic chamber, under the average January high and low temperatures (20°C and 12°C), during daytime and nighttime. We examined how SMR changes with season, biome, body size, temperature and time of day, using phylogenetic mixed models.

Metabolic rates increased at sunrise in the diurnal species, despite no light or other external cues, while in nocturnal species the metabolic rates did not increase. Cathemeral species shifted from a diurnal‐like diel pattern in winter to a nocturnal‐like pattern in summer. Regardless of season, Mediterranean species SMRs were 30% higher than similar‐sized desert species. Summer SMR of all species together scaled with body size with an exponent of 0.84 but dropped to 0.71 during brumation. Individuals measured during both seasons decreased their SMR between summer and winter by a 47%, on average, at 20°C and by 70% at 12°C. Q10 was 1.75 times higher in winter than in summer, possibly indicating an active suppression of metabolic processes under cold temperatures.

Our results challenge the commonly held perception that squamate physiology is mainly shaped by temperature, with little role for intrinsic metabolic regulation. The patterns we describe indicate that seasonal, diel and geographic factors can trigger remarkable shifts in metabolism across squamate species.
Too young to die: Mapping nursery areas for early juveniles of the endangered sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) to inform conservation in the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Barbato Matteo , Zampieri Carlo , D'Acunto Simone , Pennino Maria Grazia , Barausse Alberto , Mazzoldi Carlotta
Published: August 2023

Globally, elasmobranch species have been declining in abundance due to fishery activities. This conservation issue calls for effective management strategies and increasing efforts to protect these species. The declining status of elasmobranchs in the Mediterranean Sea is alarming as well. Reversing such dramatic trends requires tackling fishing pressure using multiple methods, including a fine‐tuned spatial resolution in conservation strategies incorporating robust evidence on species spatial use at different life stages and its overlap with fishing pressure. In particular, a scientifically sound identification of nursery grounds is crucial to define key spatial management targets promoting the recruitment of such depleted species.

Here we focused on the sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus), listed as endangered by the IUCN, and on the nursery of its early juveniles such as newborns (i.e. a few months old) and young‐of‐the‐year individuals (i.e., < 1 year old), both characterized by a total length below 71 cm. First, by monitoring a small‐scale fishery fleet in the North‐Western Adriatic Sea, we unambiguously identified a local multiyear nursery site for early juveniles of this species.

Then, we combined such novel information with a bibliographic review on the presence and absence of early juveniles across Mediterranean regions to construct a species distribution model predicting favourable nursery areas throughout the entire Mediterranean Sea. To do so, a Bayesian approach was applied to construct a generalized linear model with spatial effect estimated by a Gaussian random field (INLA‐SPDE). Model‐based inference indicates that, in summer, which is the main pupping season, important nursery areas for this species are found along the North‐Western coast of the Adriatic Sea, in the coastal area of the Gulf of Gabes, and in the Gulf of Iskenderun (North‐Eastern Levantine Sea).

Synthesis and applications: These key areas should be prioritized to apply conservation measures to foster the recruitment of this species since intense fishing activities were also documented. Model predictions also allowed to determine where unknown nursery grounds may potentially occur, a valuable information to direct future monitoring efforts and clarify any further occurrence of nursery areas.
Expanding Capacity for Learning and Transformation: A New Look from Human Resource Configurations Towards Product Innovation in the Healthcare Industry
Authors: Mehralian Gholamhossein , Ghaleh Hossein Heidarian , Wang Peng , Moradi Mohammad
Published: August 2023

Prioritizing human resource (HR) practices has been found to improve innovation outcomes in organizations. However, most previous studies have concentrated on internal mechanisms, leaving a gap in our understanding of how HR practices facilitate organizations in adapting external knowledge and technology to drive innovation. To bridge this research gap, we study the mediating role of employees’ innovative work behaviour (IWB) and an organization's capacity for learning and transformation (CLT) in the relationship between HR practices that strengthen intellectual capital (IC) and product innovation. The hypotheses were tested using a time‐lagged design and survey data from the healthcare industry collected over three waves. The findings indicate that employees' IWB mediates the relationship between IC‐enhancing HR practices and the organization's CLT. IC‐enhancing HR practices are also associated with product innovation through the serial mediation effects of IWB and CLT. The study also highlights the moderating role of transformational leadership in the indirect relationship between IC‐enhancing HR practices and the organization's CLT via IWB. This research demonstrates that HR systems, although internally designed, can capture external transformations. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of the combined impact of well‐designed HR systems and leadership for driving innovation.
THE POLITICS OF URBAN ECOLOGY: Paul Duvigneaud and the Rise of Ecological Urbanism in Brussels during the 1970s
Authors: Danneels Koenraad
Published: August 2023

Today, design disciplines such as ecological urbanism aim at fusing natural and social sciences to restore the equilibrium between social and natural systems, and in extenso the urban and natural environment. But recent literature in urban political ecology and urban history has shown how this socioecological approach is generally stripped down to a merely ecological perspective, ignoring the sociopolitical side of the urban ecological project. I therefore argue that there is a need for a research programme that interrogates the history of the interaction between ecology, planning and politics. In this article I respond by developing a historical perspective on the rise of the ecosystemic approach towards the city, delving into the agency and political nature of ecological science itself. Through an in‐depth historical analysis of the Brussels school of urban ecology and urban ecologist Paul Duvigneaud, I highlight how urban ecology influenced politics through its association with the regional government and vice versa to argue that ecological knowledge was used to overcome political opposition, incorporate a specific regionalist agenda and build an ecological zoning practice in urban planning policies.
The endogenous antioxidant ability of royal jelly in Drosophila is independent of Keap1/Nrf2 by activating oxidoreductase activity
Authors: Wen Dongjing , Xie Jiayu , Yuan Yao , Shen Lirong , Yang Yufeng , Chen Wenfeng
Published: August 2023

Royal jelly (RJ) is a biologically active substance secreted by the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands of worker honeybees. It is widely claimed that RJ reduces oxidative stress. However, the antioxidant activity of RJ has mostly been determined by in vitro chemical detection methods or by external administration drugs that cause oxidative stress. Whether RJ can clear the endogenous production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells remains largely unknown. Here, we systematically investigated the antioxidant properties of RJ using several endogenous oxidative stress models of Drosophila. We found that RJ enhanced sleep quality of aging Drosophila, which is decreased due to an increase of oxidative damage with age. RJ supplementation improved survival and suppressed ROS levels in gut cells of flies upon exposure to hydrogen peroxide or to the neurotoxic agent paraquat. Moreover, RJ supplementation moderated levels of ROS in endogenous gut cells and extended lifespan after exposure of flies to heat stress. Sleep deprivation leads to accumulation of ROS in the gut cells, and RJ attenuated the consequences of oxidative stress caused by sleep loss and prolonged lifespan. Mechanistically, RJ prevented cell oxidative damage caused by heat stress or sleep deprivation, with the antioxidant activity in vivo independent of Keap1/Nrf2 signaling. RJ supplementation activated oxidoreductase activity in the guts of flies, suggesting its ability to inhibit endogenous oxidative stress and maintain health, possibly in humans.
It's a matter of style: The role of audit firms and audit partners in key audit matter reporting
Authors: Rousseau Linette M. , Zehms Karla M.
Published: August 2023

We examine the relative importance of audit firm versus partner decision styles in key audit matter (KAM) reporting. Standard setters intended KAMs to increase the usefulness of the audit report by requiring the partner‐led engagement team to disclose engagement‐specific information about the most significant judgments they made during the audit. However, stakeholders expressed widespread concern that audit firms' longstanding efforts toward standardization would result in generic KAMs at the audit firm level and provide partners little opportunity or incentive for engagement‐specific reporting. We evaluate this high‐stakes tension between standard setters' goals for audit reporting and auditors' deep‐rooted practices by leveraging data from the United Kingdom, which has required partner identification since 2009 and expanded audit reports since 2013. We find that clients sharing the same partner receive KAMs that are 10% more textually similar than clients with different partners. In contrast, clients sharing the same audit firm receive KAMs that are just 2% more textually similar than clients with different audit firms. This implies that partner decision styles are more important in influencing KAM outcomes than audit firm styles. Collectively, our results suggest that partners make unique KAM reporting judgments, countering concerns that audit firms' efforts toward standardization will yield boilerplate KAMs. This evidence extends the literature on expanded audit reporting and partner decision styles and provides valuable insights into a contemporary issue in audit regulation with broader implications for understanding dynamics within the profession.
Biologics (mepolizumab and omalizumab) induced remission in severe asthma patients
Authors: Thomas Dennis , McDonald Vanessa M. , Stevens Sean , Harvey Erin S. , Baraket Melissa , Bardin Philip , Bowden Jeffrey J. , Bowler Simon , Chien Jimmy , Chung Li Ping , Gillman Andrew , Hew Mark , Hodge Sandra , James Alan , Jenkins Christine , Katelaris Constance H. , Katsoulotos Gregory P. , Langton David , Lee Joy , Marks Guy , Peters Matthew , Radhakrishna Naghmeh , Reynolds Paul N. , Rimmer Janet , Sivakumaran Pathmanathan , Upham John W. , Wark Peter , Yang Ian A. , Gibson Peter G.
Published: August 2023

Background

Asthma remission has emerged as a potential treatment goal. This study evaluated the effectiveness of two biologics (mepolizumab/omalizumab) in achieving asthma remission.

Methods

This observational study included 453 severe asthma patients (41% male; mean age ± SD 55.7 ± 14.7 years) from two real‐world drug registries: the Australian Mepolizumab Registry and the Australian Xolair Registry. The composite outcome clinical remission was defined as zero exacerbations and zero oral corticosteroids during the previous 6 months assessed at 12 months and 5‐item Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ‐5) ≤1 at 12 months. We also assessed clinical remission plus optimization (post‐bronchodilator FEV1 ≥80%) or stabilization (post‐bronchodilator FEV1 not greater than 5% decline from baseline) of lung function at 12 months. Sensitivity analyses explored various cut‐offs of ACQ‐5/FEV1 scores. The predictors of clinical remission were identified.

Results

29.3% (73/249) of AMR and 22.8% (37/162) of AXR cohort met the criteria for clinical remission. When lung function criteria were added, the remission rates were reduced to 25.2% and 19.1%, respectively. Sensitivity analyses identified that the remission rate ranged between 18.1% and 34.9% in the AMR cohort and 10.6% and 27.2% in the AXR cohort. Better lung function, lower body mass index, mild disease and absence of comorbidities such as obesity, depression and osteoporosis predicted the odds of achieving clinical remission.

Conclusion

Biologic treatment with mepolizumab or omalizumab for severe asthma‐induced asthma remission in a subgroup of patients. Remission on treatment may be an achievable treatment target and future studies should consider remission as an outcome measure.
Analysis of the anatomical and biomechanical characteristics of the pelvic floor in cystocele
Authors: Song Chuqiao , Wen Wei , Pan Lei , Sun Jiaqian , Bai Yun , Tang Jinhua , Zhong Chen , Han Bangmin , Xia Shujie , Zhu Yiping
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) occurs due to disruption of the pelvic floor anatomy; however, the complexity of the pelvic floor support structures and individual patient differences make it difficult to identify the weak points in the pelvic floor support that cause SUI to occur, develop, and recur. This study aimed to analyze the pelvic floor anatomy, structural features, and biomechanics of cystoceles to develop more effective treatment plans with individualized and precise healthcare.

Material and methods

In this observational case‐controlled study (clinical trial identifier BOJI201855L), 102 women with normal pelvic floor function and 273 patients diagnosed with cystocele degrees I–III were identified at Shanghai General Hospital from October 2016 to December 2019. We combined ultrasound and vaginal tactile imaging (VTI) to assess the anatomy and biomechanical functions of the anterior and posterior vaginal walls. Both examinations included relaxation and muscle tension tests.

Results

Of the 42 VTI parameters, 13 were associated with the degree of cystocele, six with an increase in the urethral rotation angle (pointing to the mobility of the urethra), and six with a decrease in the retrovesical angle (pointing to hypsokinesis and decrease in bladder position). According to these data, the strength of tissues, especially the muscles in both the anterior and posterior compartments, contributes to the stability of the pelvic floor structure. The strength of the levator ani muscle (LAM) is important for the degree of cystocele, mobility of the urethra, hypsokinesis, and decrease in bladder position.

Conclusions

In general, the biomechanical status of the pelvic floor in patients with cystocele is complex and involves various muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia. Of these, repair and exercise of the LAM have not received much attention in the treatment of patients with cystoceles, which may be an important risk factor for the high recurrence rate.
Editorial: If STRIDE‐II is the hammer, then Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are not the same nails
Authors: Kedia Saurabh , Ahuja Vineet
Published: August 2023

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Dignass et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17622 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17656
Letter: Chinese herbal medicine Curcumin‐QingDai (CurQD) – A good treatment option for active ulcerative colitis?
Authors: Wu Xiaojiao , Yang Yang
Published: August 2023

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Yanai et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17538 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17655
Recent advances in fibrosis assessment for metabolic dysfunction‐associated fatty liver disease
Authors: Jeffrey Angus W. , Adams Leon A.
Published: August 2023

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Zhan et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17635 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17660
Letter: Chinese herbal medicine Curcumin–QingDai (CurQD)—A good treatment option for active ulcerative colitis? Authors' reply
Authors: Yanai Henit , Salomon Nir , Ben‐Horin Shomron , Kopylov Uri
Published: August 2023

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Yanai et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17538 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17647
Editorial: Recent advances in fibrosis assessment for metabolic dysfunction‐associated fatty liver disease–Authors' reply
Authors: Gao Feng , Byrne Christopher D. , Targher Giovanni , Zhuo Shuangmu , Zheng Ming‐Hua ,   CHESS‐MAFLD consortium
Published: August 2023

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Zhan et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17635 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17651
Possible roles of bone morphogenetic protein 4 in regulating endometrial function in cows
Authors: Koizumi Yuki , Hayashi Ken‐Go , Sakumoto Ryosuke
Published: August 2023

This study investigated the expression dynamics of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and its receptors (BMPR1A, BMPR1B, and BMPR2) in bovine endometrium and examined the physiological function and regulatory mechanism of BMP4 expression. The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of BMP4 and its receptors was detected in bovine endometrium of both ipsilateral (corpus luteum [CL]‐side) and contralateral (non‐CL‐side) uterine horns during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. BMP4 protein levels were higher in the endometrial tissues obtained from those cows in early pregnancy than in the estrous cycle. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that BMP4 and its receptors were localized in endometrial epithelial cells. The addition of BMP4 to cultured endometrial epithelial cells did not affect caspase‐3/‐8 mRNA expression, whereas it significantly inhibited cell proliferation. Both prostaglandin (PG) E2 and PGF2α concentrations in the culture supernatant were decreased when stimulated by BMP4. Furthermore, BMP4 mRNA expression was increased by stimulation with tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF) and interferon‐γ (IFNG). In conclusion, BMP4 is produced in bovine endometrial epithelial cells and may contribute to the regulation of cell proliferation and suppression of PG secretion through autocrine or paracrine mechanisms. BMP4 expression in the bovine endometrium may be regulated by TNF and IFNG.