bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unveiling the associations between principal self-efficacy, openness to change and transformational leadership: the mediating role of well-being
Authors: Özdemir Servet , Sezgin Ferudun , Kılınç Ali Çağatay , Erdoğan Onur , Turan Bora Hatice
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The current study seeks to explore the links between principal self-efficacy, openness to change, well-being, and transformational leadership. Specifically, we tested a mediated-effects model where principal self-efficacy and openness to change were treated as independent variables, well-being as mediator, and transformational leadership as dependent variable.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from 351 principals employed in Turkish schools and analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.

Findings

The results suggested the direct empirical relationship of principal self-efficacy and openness to change with transformational leadership, and indirect through professional well-being.

Originality/value

Our study enriched our understanding of school leadership by elucidating the potential mechanisms that underpin the implementation of transformational leadership practices.
Leadership for action on climate change: the role of education policy and professional standards in the Hong Kong context
Authors: Campbell Paul
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Using Hong Kong as the context of study, this paper examines the role of education policy, particularly professional standards for teachers (PST) and principals (PSP), in enabling leadership for action on contemporary challenges and crises such as climate change.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper utilises critical policy analysis (CPA) and an associated analytical framework to examine key policy texts that are designed with the intent to frame the professional roles, practice and learning of educators and leaders in Hong Kong. The data analysis process involved rounds of descriptive coding, which was then collated into broader themes for discussion.

Findings

Policy texts emphasised the scope for educators to exercise leadership and decision-making that supports innovation, improvement and collaboration in the pursuit of a broad social mission for education, emphasising the skills students do and will need to respond to dynamic contemporary challenges. However, how this relates to broader policy goals, and limited articulation of the means through which this is possible, questions remain about the extent to which teachers and leaders are able to exercise leadership for action on climate change.

Originality/value

This study has important implications for how those in policymaking, research and practice spaces understand the framing of the role of teachers and school leaders in policy and the influence of this on their capacity to lead action on contemporary challenges and crises, such as climate change.
Stakeholder engagement and nonprofit organizations' (NPOs) accountability: a social media-based study of the Australian 2019/2020 bushfire crisis
Authors: Nguyen Mai , Alshamari Alia , Wills Debbie
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of stakeholder engagement on accountability, within nonprofit organizations (NPOs). Given the pivotal role NPOs play in disaster management and community welfare, it is crucial to gain an understanding of the obligations of NPOs, in terms of their disaster responses and accountability.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a case-study approach, the investigation features a content analysis of social media comments regarding the Australian Red Cross’ (ARC) funds’ allocation during the 2019/2020 bushfires, followed by a similar analysis of ARC's reports. Inspired by Carnegie et al.'s (2021) definition of accounting as a social science, this study uses dialogic theory and a transformative participatory framework, to evaluate how interactive stakeholder engagement influenced accountability strategies used by the NPO, to ensure its sustainable development.

Findings

The findings reveal that there was a significant increase in stakeholder engagement on social media, following negative media coverage, with participants voicing concerns over ARC’s method of funds’ allocation, delays in funds distribution and seemingly excessive administrative costs. ARC addressed these concerns by issuing Bushfire Reports, and conducting online Q&A sessions, in a bid to establish transparency. This study emphasizes how dialogic accounting can challenge accounting's limited scope – one that often overlooks ecological concerns and social justice.

Originality/value

This study uses the perspective of dialogic accounting theory to explore the relationship between stakeholder engagement on social media, and NPO accountability. It demonstrates how robust stakeholder engagement can challenge NPOs to establish accountability, thereby bridging the information gap between themselves and the public. The use of dialogic accounting theory allows the study to shift from the traditional focus of accounting research, which is the financial objectives of powerful entities, to the voices of the marginalized, the stakeholders, who are impacted by NPO decisions, and, in doing so, it highlights the potential for NPOs to foster accountability, and so advance sustainable development initiatives.
How are news portals integrated into daily news habits? A study on news trust, news repertoires and political participation in South Korea
Authors: Lor Zhieh , Choi Jihyang , Oh Hae Jung
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The modern high-choice news environment has changed the way people consume news. We examined the structure of news repertories, the role of news trust (and cynicism) in shaping news repertoires, and the effects of different news repertoires on political participation in the South Korean news environment, where news portals function as major news sources.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted a two-wave national survey of adults in January and February 2022 with a three-week time interval. Latent profile analyses and latent profile regression were employed.

Findings

Four major news repertoires were identified: news portal-concentrated, portal and TV combination, all except print and SNS, and platform omnivores. Trust in mainstream news media was found to be high in the following order: platform omnivores, all except print and SNS, portal and TV combination, and portal-concentrated repertoires. Cynicism about mainstream media was found to be higher among the users of portal-concentrated repertoire than those using the other three repertoires. Those who rely mainly on news portals for news (i.e. portal-concentrated) were less likely to participate in politics.

Originality/value

This study provides comprehensive insights into how audience perceptions of trust and cynicism toward mainstream news media shape news consumption patterns in today’s high-choice media environment. In particular, the findings of this study illuminate the function of news portals as a substitute platform for those who exhibit lower trust and higher cynicism toward mainstream news media.
Do independent directors enhance better corporate governance in companies in India?
Authors: Arora Akshita
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The effectiveness of independent directors in making autonomous decisions for better corporate governance in organizations has often been questioned. This paper aims to investigate their role in company’s decision making in India and the reasons behind their ineffectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the regulatory environment and ongoing reforms in which independent directors operate. It identifies crucial factors such as ownership patterns, the appointment and selection process that affect their autonomy. The analysis draws from newspaper articles, blogs, India’s regulatory requirements, The Companies Act and relevant related literature.

Findings

The findings reveal that the independence of directors remains largely in form but not in function. This paper recommends a fair and more robust selection through an independent authority, and disclosure of the resignations of independent directors. Independent directors should be given more powers and their risk-reward scheme should be analyzed.

Originality/value

The paper emphasizes the need for independent directors to be truly independent from the senior management, promoters, and other existing directors. It calls for tighter and more transparent appointment procedures to ensure that independent directors are not influenced by senior management and can bring objectivity to the company board.
Crime dynamics in Edmonton’s train stations: analysing hot spots, harm spots and offender patterns
Authors: Ottaro Paul , Ariel Barak , Harinam Vincent
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The objectives of this study are to (a) identify spatial and temporal crime concentrations, (b) supplement the traditional place-based analysis that defines hot spots based on counted incidents with an analysis of crime severity and (c) add to the research of hot spots with an analysis of offender data.

Design/methodology/approach

This study explores crime concentration in mass transit settings, focusing on Edmonton’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations in 2017–2022. Pareto curves are used to observe the degree of concentration of crime in certain locations using multiple estimates; trajectory analysis is then used to observe crime patterns in the data on both places and offenders.

Findings

A total of 16.3% of stations accounted for 50% of recorded incidents. Train stations with high or low crime counts and severity remained as such consistently over time. Additionally, 3.6% of offenders accounted for 50% of incident count, while 5% accounted for 50% of harm. We did not observe differences in the patterns and distributions of crime concentrations when comparing crime counts and harm.

Research limitations/implications

Hot spots and harm spots are synonymous in low-crime-harm environments: high-harm incidents are outliers, and their weight in the average crime severity score is limited. More sensitive severity measures are needed for high-frequenty, low-harm enviornments.

Practical implications

The findings underscore the benefits of integrating offender data in place-based applied research.

Originality/value

The findings provide additional evidence on the utility of place-based criminology and potentially cost-effective interventions.
Promoting home safety with older adults: a systematic review of occupational therapy interventions
Authors: Carrick Ryan M. , Brinkley Taylor , Harvey Cheyenne , Johnson Ashtin , Penney Taylor , Sauls Tanner Kate , Kearney Pamalyn J.
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Due to the projected increase in the older adult population, occupational therapy providers will have an increasing role in supporting health outcomes for older adults in the coming years. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of occupational interventions to promote home safety in older adults.

Design/methodology/approach

This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles were double screened by separate researchers, then exported and managed in EndNote. The Risk of Bias Table determined certainty of evidence for themes.

Findings

Three main preliminary themes were identified from the 17 included articles. Themes include multimodal interventions (n= 6), exercise interventions (n= 9) and home modifications (n = 2). None of the articles explicitly defined home safety, but distal outcomes related to safety included: increased strength, balance improvement and functional mobility.

Research limitations/implications

Importantly, an absent consensus for a definition of home safety limits the results of this systematic review while at the same time providing opportunity for future research.

Practical implications

Exercise combined with nutrition provided the strongest intervention evidence for physical functionality. Additionally, home modifications alone may be insufficient to result in improved home safety.

Social implications

An occupational therapy’s (OT) holistic approach benefits older adults through evidenced-based interventions improving home safety, independence in functional tasks and overall quality of life.

Originality/value

Findings provide clinicians with information on the effectiveness of interventions within the scope of OT that can be implemented within the home to promote home safety.
“We can work on this”: exploring supervisor approaches to feedback in the context of writing for a professional doctorate
Authors: Tuck Jackie
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to show how an Academic Literacies lens can contribute to a deeper understanding of writing for a professional doctorate (PD) by focusing both on the language of supervisors’ written feedback and on student and supervisor perspectives on feedback throughout Year 1 (Y1).

Design/methodology/approach

Firstly, written feedback summaries on formative assessments across two Y1 cohorts on a UK PD programme were analysed thematically to identify patterns in feedback practices. Secondly, two longitudinal, detailed student/supervisor case studies were developed, drawing on multiple data sources.

Findings

Supervisors’ written feedback enacted an encouraging dialogue around assessed writing, discursively constructing a sense of solidarity on the doctoral journey, focusing on the “long view”. Case study analysis, however, revealed tensions centred around jarring discontinuities in students’ feedback experience as they transitioned from formative to summative assessment at the end of Y1.

Research limitations/implications

The paper demonstrates that an Academic Literacies approach can offer valuable insights into the specific, situated context of writing for a distance learning PD and makes the case for greater attention to writing in contexts of partly taught doctorates.

Practical implications

Findings suggest that PD programmes should work towards providing continuity of feedback experience, through supervisor and examiner training and through assessment arrangements which support students to navigate challenging transitions between formative and summative phases of assessment.

Originality/value

This paper reports on an innovative research design which combined a textual “snapshot” of supervisory feedback, paying close attention to language, with detailed longitudinal case studies exploring perspectives on feedback over time. It contributes to doctoral writing research by throwing light on the relatively underexplored domain of writing in the taught phase of the PD. It contributes to doctoral education studies by highlighting the central role of feedback on writing in shaping the experience of PD researchers.
Investigation of the mechanical properties of lead-free Sn-58Bi solder alloy with cobalt addition through flux doping
Authors: Kamaruzzaman Lina Syazwana , Goh Yingxin , Goh Yi Chung
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effect of incorporating cobalt (Co) into Sn-58Bi alloy on its phase composition, tensile properties, hardness and thermal aging performances. The fracture morphologies of tensile-tested solders are also investigated to correlate the microstructural changes with tensile properties of the solder alloys. Then, the thermal aging performances of the solder alloys are investigated in terms of their intermetallic compound (IMC) layer morphology and thickness.

Design/methodology/approach

The Sn-58Bi and Sn-58Bi-xCo, where x = 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 Wt.%, were prepared using the flux doping technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) is used to study the phase composition of the solder alloys, whereas scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) are used to investigate the microstructure, fractography and compositions of the solders. Tensile properties such as ultimate tensile strength (UTS), Young’s modulus and elongation are tested using the tensile test, whereas the microhardness value is gained from the micro-Vickers hardness test. The morphology and thickness of the IMC layer at the solder’s joints are investigated by varying the thermally aging duration up to 56 days at 80°C.

Findings

XRD analysis shows the presence of Co3Sn2 phase and confirms that Co was successfully incorporated via the flux doping technique. The microstructure of all Sn-58Bi-xCo solders did not differ significantly from Sn-58Bi solders. Sn-58Bi-2.0Co solder exhibited optimum properties among all compositions, with the highest UTS (87.89 ± 2.55 MPa) at 0.01 s−1 strain rate and the lowest IMC layer thickness at the interface after being thermally aged for 56 days (3.84 ± 0.67 µm).

Originality/value

The originality and value of this research lie in its novel exploration of the flux doping technique to introduce minor alloying of Co into Sn-58Bi solder alloys, providing new insights into enhancing the properties and performance of these solders. This new Sn-Bi-Co alloy has the potential to replace lead-containing solder alloy in low-temperature soldering.
Integrating eDNA metabarcoding and citizen science enhances avian ecological research
Authors: Padró Julián
Published: July 2024

Research Highlight: Bourbour et al., 2024. Feeding en route: Prey availability and traits influence prey selection by an avian predator on migration. Journal of Animal Ecology. Diet selection plays a key role in the eco‐evolutionary dynamics of animals, exhibiting substantial variability across species, environments and seasons. The complex interplay between movement capability, hunting strategies, habitat use, prey traits and availability shapes the foraging patterns of avian predators. However, detailed information on how these birds exploit their extensive territories remains limited. In this study, Bourbour et al. utilised a novel integration of eDNA metabarcoding and citizen science to explore predator–prey interactions between migrating sharp‐shinned hawks (Accipiter striatus) and an ephemeral avian prey community along North America's Pacific flyway. The research identified 1396 detections from the diet (65 species) of 588 migrating sharp‐shinned hawks. Hawks' diet composition correlated with prey abundance indices sourced from the eBird database throughout the migration season, highlighting the significant impact of prey availability—shaped by migration tendency, flocking behaviour, and habitat—on raptor‐songbird interactions. Notably, the study also found significant differences in prey size between male and female hawks, indicating that sexual dimorphism has led to diverse foraging strategies during migration. These findings underscore the potential of combining eDNA metabarcoding with citizen science to deepen our understanding of the foraging ecology of highly mobile and wide‐ranging birds, as well as to monitor complex and vast ecosystems.
Management and outcomes of aortic dissection type B in late pregnancy: A retrospective case series
Authors: Wang Zhen , Yu Xuechen , Ding Shuai , Zhang Wei , Liang Chuan , Chen Huijun
Published: July 2024

Objective

Pregnancy complicated with type B aortic dissection is a rare but devastating condition. Guidelines for managing this condition are lacking. We present our observation and experiences in managing five pregnant women with complicated type B aortic dissection in the second or third trimesters, aiming to gain insights that can aid in proposing an appropriate management strategy.

Design

A retrospective study.

Setting

Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University.

Population

Pregnant women with complicated type B aortic dissection.

Methods

Clinical data of five pregnant women with complicated type B aortic dissection admitted to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2022 to June 2023 were collected. The clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, and corresponding maternal and infant outcomes were retrospectively analysed.

Main Outcome Measures

Survival of mothers and foetuses.

Results

All five study participants were diagnosed with complicated type B aortic dissection by computed tomography angiography (CTA). The range of gestational weeks at admission was 27 weeks + 3 days to 36 weeks + 6 days. The first patient, planning a caesarean section (C‐section) followed by thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), died of aortic dissection rupture during C‐section. Her neonate was successfully rescued. In contrast, the remaining four patients who underwent TEVAR first survived. Among them, three patients underwent single‐stage aortic repair and delivery, while one patient received C‐section 31 days after TEVAR. Three preterm live births were recorded among these surviving mothers. Neonatal death occurred in one case with a gestational age of 29 weeks + 5 days, who had foetal distress before surgery. During the follow‐up period of up to 3 months, no maternal or infant death occurred. No device‐related or systemic complications were observed in the surviving mothers after discharge. Routine physical examinations of the four live births showed no abnormalities.

Conclusions

For pregnant women with thoracic back pain and high suspicion of aortic dissection, CTA should be conducted promptly to prevent missed or delayed diagnosis. Maternal survival should be prioritised over foetal outcome once diagnosed. TEVAR was demonstrated to be safe and feasible for such patients. For women with complicated type B aortic dissection in late pregnancy, TEVAR followed by C‐section may be a promising treatment strategy.
Focused deterrence, strategic management, and effective gun violence prevention
Authors: Braga Anthony A. , MacDonald John M. , Douglas Stephen , Wade Brian , Struhl Benjamin
Published: July 2024

Research Summary

The evaluation literature suggests that focused deterrence strategies are effective in reducing gun violence. However, focused deterrence is notoriously difficult to implement and sustain. The history of focused deterrence implementation failure raises questions about its viability as a gun violence prevention strategy. Stockton, California, implemented focused deterrence three times during the past 25 years. In its most recent version, Stockton officials explicitly designed the strategy to be a permanent feature of the city's violence prevention portfolio. Although program caseloads diminished over the course of the COVID‐19 pandemic and the strategy faced leadership and resource challenges, Stockton's efforts prevented the program from being discontinued and, for those gang members who did receive treatment, delivered a robust gun violence prevention strategy. A quasi‐experimental evaluation shows that treated gang members were less likely to be shot and reduced their violent offending relative to similar untreated gang members. The focused deterrence impacts also appear to spill over to gang members who were socially connected to treated gang members. Although Stockton experienced an increase in homicides over the course of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the increase was not as steep as other comparable California cities.

Policy Implications

Focused deterrence strategies can be effective responses to gun violence problems when implemented properly. A priori planning is essential when jurisdictions prepare to adopt focused deterrence. Strategic management actions, such as maintaining a robust network of partnering agencies, developing accountability structures and sustainability plans, and conducting upfront and ongoing problem analysis, are critical elements that must be in place for focused deterrence to be effective and sustainable.
Bisphosphonates show no association with preventing, slowing, or delaying radiographic changes and pain in hip osteoarthritis: A 4‐year study in female adults using data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative Study
Authors: Salis Zubeyir
Published: July 2024

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the association of bisphosphonates with outcomes related to radiographic changes and pain in hip osteoarthritis (OA) over 4 years.

Methods

This study examined data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), which included 4088 hips from 2057 participants. Bisphosphonate users were identified as those who reported usage at least three times, including at baseline and during the subsequent 1, 2, 3, and 4‐year follow‐up visits. Non‐users were participants who did not use bisphosphonates in the 5 years preceding the baseline and at subsequent follow‐up visits. Generalized estimating equations were performed to assess the association between bisphosphonate use and outcomes related to radiographic changes and pain in hip OA over a 4‐year follow‐up.

Results

The analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between bisphosphonate users and non‐users concerning outcomes related to radiographic changes and pain in hip OA over 4 years. Specifically, the odds ratios for the incidence and transition of radiographic hip OA were 0.55 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.26 to 1.17) and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.47 to 1.28), respectively. Furthermore, the odds ratios for the development and resolution of frequent hip pain were 1.04 (95% CI: 0.76 to 1.42) and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.72 to 1.36), respectively.

Conclusion

The findings from this longitudinal study do not suggest an association between bisphosphonate use and the prevention, slowing, or delay of development and transition of radiographic changes or pain in hip OA over a 4‐year follow‐up.
Changes in microbial community structure of bio‐fouled polyolefins over a year‐long seawater incubation in Hawai'i
Authors: Connors Elizabeth , Lebreton Laurent , Bowman Jeff S. , Royer Sarah‐Jeanne
Published: July 2024

Plastic waste, especially positively buoyant polymers known as polyolefins, are a major component of floating debris in the marine environment. While plastic colonisation by marine microbes is well documented from environmental samples, the succession of marine microbial community structure over longer time scales (> > 1 month) and across different types and shapes of plastic debris is less certain. We analysed 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA amplicon gene sequences from biofilms on polyolefin debris floating in a flow‐through seawater tank in Hawai'i to assess differences in microbial succession across the plastic types of polypropylene (PP) and both high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) made of different plastic shapes (rod, film and cube) under the same environmental conditions for 1 year. Regardless of type or shape, all plastic debris were dominated by the eukaryotic diatom Nitzschia, and only plastic type was significantly important for bacterial community structure over time (p = 0.005). PE plastics had higher differential abundance when compared to PP for 20 bacterial and eight eukaryotic taxa, including the known plastic degrading bacterial taxon Hyphomonas (p = 0.01). Results from our study provide empirical evidence that plastic type may be more important for bacterial than eukaryotic microbial community succession on polyolefin pollution under similar conditions.
Paediatric postoperative acute kidney injury after non‐cardiac surgery: Protocol for a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Emami Arash , Sivertsson Ebba , Westerbergh Johan , Hultström Michael , Danielsson Johan , Frykholm Peter , Frithiof Robert
Published: July 2024

Background

Paediatric acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with significant adverse outcomes such as increased mortality, progression to chronic kidney disease and longer length of stay in hospital. Postoperative AKI is a common and recognized complication after surgery in adults. In the paediatric population, AKI postoperatively to cardiac surgery has been extensively studied. However, the incidence of postoperative AKI after non‐cardiac surgery is less clear. Therefore, we aim to assess the available literature on this topic.

Methods

We will conduct a systematic review of observational and randomized controlled trials assessing the incidence of paediatric postoperative AKI after non‐cardiac surgery. Pairs of reviewers will independently screen the literature and extract data and assess risk of bias from eligible studies. The databases Pubmed, Cochrane and Web of Sciences will be searched. We will conduct the review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. If sufficient homogeneity within the included trials we will conduct meta‐analyses.

Discussion

This systematic review aims to investigate the incidence of postoperative AKI in the paediatric non‐cardiac surgery population. The results of this review will provide a foundation for future research in the field of paediatric postoperative AKI.
The determined indeterminacy of white supremacy
Authors: Resnick Elana
Published: July 2024

Contemporary white supremacy often takes hold through strategies of racial disavowal. One strategy that political parties and regular citizens in Bulgaria use is what I call determined indeterminacy. Determined indeterminacy is a collective, institutionalized method of denying the ubiquitous systemic racism that undergirds social life. It allows people to naturalize white supremacy and render it adaptably persistent. This is the case especially in contexts of aspirational whiteness, such as Bulgaria, where whiteness is fraught and many people claim that their country has never been racial. Tracing Bulgaria's history of racial disavowal helps us understand how the local particularities of white supremacy naturalize, transform, and set in place long‐standing racial hierarchies.
Do we more often opt for conservative management of ovarian tumors after changing the Dutch national guideline on enlarged ovaries? A nationwide cohort study
Authors: Lems Esther , Koch Anna H. , Armbrust Sam , Leemans Jaklien C. , Bongers Marlies Y. , Leon‐Castillo Alicia , Lok Christianne A. R. , Geomini Peggy M. A. J.
Published: July 2024

Introduction

Increasing evidence shows that conservative management of ovarian tumors classified as benign, based on ultrasound assessment, is safe. Therefore, conservative management has been adopted as the preferred strategy for certain ovarian tumors assessed as benign in the Dutch national guideline on enlarged ovaries in 2013. The aim of this study was to examine whether implementation of this guideline has led to changes in the number of women/100 000 women undergoing surgery for an ovarian tumor in the Netherlands.

Material and Methods

Histopathology reports were requested for all examinations of ovarian and fallopian tube specimens (including cyst enucleations) registered in Palga, the Dutch nationwide pathology databank, from 2011 (before guideline adaptation) and 2019 (after guideline adaptation). Reports on prophylactically removed adnexa, removal for other primary tumors (eg endometrial carcinoma), and for patients under 18 years of age, were excluded from the analysis. Interobserver agreement for the inclusion and classification of reports was assessed using Cohen's Kappa analysis.

Results

A total of 34 932 reports were retrieved, 13 917 of which were included in the analysis. In 2011 and 2019, respectively, 96.3/100 000 vs 68.8/100 000 women aged ≥18 underwent surgery for benign ovarian tumors, and 19.6/100 000 vs 18.3/100 000 for borderline and malignant tumors combined. The number of women/100 000 who had surgery for a benign ovarian tumor per 100 000 women declined by 28.5% (p < 0.001) between 2011 and 2019. The largest difference between 2011 and 2019 was observed in the number of women per 100 000 women who underwent surgery for a serous cystadenoma (−40.7%; 20.8/100 000 vs. 12.3/100 000), followed by endometrioma (−33.2%; 14.7/100 000 vs. 9.8/100 000), simple epithelial cyst (−57.3%; 8.4/100 000 vs. 3.6/100 000), and corpus luteum cyst (−57.0%; 4.0/100 000 vs. 1.7/100 000). Cohen's Kappa for the interobserver agreement was 0.96.

Conclusions

The number of women/100 000 undergoing surgery for a benign ovarian tumor has substantially decreased in the Netherlands when comparing data before and after implementation of the national guideline in 2013, while the number of women/100 000 undergoing surgery for a malignant or borderline tumor remained the same. These findings suggest successful implementation of the updated guideline, and a measurable effect on increased adoption of conservative management for benign‐looking ovarian tumors.
Expected and unexpected long‐term effects of values affirmation in school
Authors: Hadden Ian R. , Harris Peter R. , Easterbrook Matthew J.
Published: July 2024

Background

An earlier study in a school in England found that a series of brief values affirmation writing exercises, performed over the course of a school year by students aged 11–14, increased the mathematics attainment of students of low socioeconomic status (SES).

Aims

This pre‐registered follow‐up of the original study aims to investigate the long‐term effects of values affirmation on low‐SES students' attainment.

Sample

The sample consisted of all students in the analytical sample of the original study who remained at the school and for whom the necessary data were available, N = 409 (95 low‐SES).

Methods

The students' results in high‐stakes national standardized assessments at age 16, taken two to four years after the affirmation, were analysed.

Results

The evidence did not support the pre‐registered hypotheses that values affirmation would raise the attainment of low‐SES students in mathematics and English. However, exploratory analyses suggested that for low‐SES students in two of the three‐year groups, the intervention increased Attainment 8, a broad policy‐relevant measure of academic attainment, and increased the attainment of boys in English (in particular English Literature) but reduced the corresponding attainment of girls.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the benefits of values affirmation can differ by student cohort and by school subject and that they might be time‐limited in some circumstances. This suggests a set of hypotheses that future research could test in order to advance understanding of when values affirmation is, and is not, successful for school students over a sustained period.
Mourning the Loss of the Ideal Self: Short‐Term Work with a Trans Patient Post‐Transition
Authors: Evans Marcus
Published: July 2024

Many individuals who have been through transition struggle to obtain the necessary medical and psychological support. This paper explores the importance of psychological support for post‐transition individuals. In my experience, there is a subgroup of patients who struggle to come to terms with life post‐transition, particularly the losses involved. They remain stuck in the mourning process. There is a loss of fantasies regarding an ideal transition, and the gap between the hoped‐for transition outcomes and the post‐transition reality can be painfully large. In addition, issues that the transition was meant to address remain in some form for some people, and they may also be haunted by misgivings about how the transition occurred. This paper employs a heavily anonymised composite case to illustrate and elaborate on how these issues emerged and were dealt with in the context of a psychotherapeutic process. Working through issues that led to transition and grievances about perceived and actual failures in care from the past allowed the patient to mourn the loss of her pre‐transition image. The patient was able to come to terms with the reality of her transfer from male to trans‐female and her body and life post‐transition and to shift from a preoccupation with the past to move on with her life.
The atypical antipsychotics lurasidone and olanzapine exert contrasting effects on the gut microbiome and metabolic function of rats
Authors: Kamath Srinivas , Hunter Alexander , Collins Kate , Wignall Anthony , Joyce Paul
Published: July 2024

Background and Purpose

Antipsychotics such as olanzapine are associated with significant metabolic dysfunction, attributed to gut microbiome dysbiosis. A recent notion that most psychotropics are detrimental to the gut microbiome has arisen from consistent findings of metabolic adverse effects. However, unlike olanzapine, the metabolic effects of lurasidone are conflicting. Thus, this study investigates the contrasting effects of olanzapine and lurasidone on the gut microbiome to explore the hypothesis of ‘gut neutrality’ for lurasidone exposure.

Experimental Approach

Using Sprague–Dawley rats, the effects of olanzapine and lurasidone on the gut microbiome were explored. Faecal and blood samples were collected weekly over a 21‐day period to analyse changes to the gut microbiome and related metabolic markers.

Key Results

Lurasidone triggered no significant weight gain or metabolic alterations, instead positively modulating the gut microbiome through increases in mean operational taxonomical units (OTUs) and alpha diversity. This novel finding suggests an underlying mechanism for lurasidone's metabolic inertia. In contrast, olanzapine triggered a statistically significant decrease in mean OTUs, substantial compositional variation and a depletion in short‐chain fatty acid abundance. Microbiome depletion correlated with metabolic dysfunction, producing a 30% increase in weight gain, increased pro‐inflammatory cytokine expression, and increased blood glycaemic and triglyceride levels.

Conclusion and Implications

Our results challenge the notion that all antipsychotics disrupt the gut microbiome similarly and highlights the potential benefits of gut‐neutral antipsychotics, such as lurasidone, in managing metabolic side effects. Further research is warranted to validate these findings in humans to guide personalised pharmacological treatment regimens for schizophrenia.
Practical applications of soil microbiota to improve ecosystem restoration: current knowledge and future directions
Authors: Peddle Shawn D. , Hodgson Riley J. , Borrett Ryan J. , Brachmann Stella , Davies Tarryn C. , Erickson Todd E. , Liddicoat Craig , Muñoz‐Rojas Miriam , Robinson Jake M. , Watson Carl D. , Krauss Siegfried L. , Breed Martin F.
Published: July 2024

Soil microbiota are important components of healthy ecosystems. Greater consideration of soil microbiota in the restoration of biodiverse, functional, and resilient ecosystems is required to address the twin global crises of biodiversity decline and climate change. In this review, we discuss available and emerging practical applications of soil microbiota into (i) restoration planning, (ii) direct interventions for shaping soil biodiversity, and (iii) strategies for monitoring and predicting restoration trajectories. We show how better planning of restoration activities to account for soil microbiota can help improve progress towards restoration targets. We show how planning to embed soil microbiota experiments into restoration projects will permit a more rigorous assessment of the effectiveness of different restoration methods, especially when complemented by statistical modelling approaches that capitalise on existing data sets to improve causal understandings and prioritise research strategies where appropriate. In addition to recovering belowground microbiota, restoration strategies that include soil microbiota can improve the resilience of whole ecosystems. Fundamentally, restoration planning should identify appropriate reference target ecosystem attributes and – from the perspective of soil microbiota – comprehensibly consider potential physical, chemical and biological influences on recovery. We identify that inoculating ecologically appropriate soil microbiota into degraded environments can support a range of restoration interventions (e.g. targeted, broad‐spectrum and cultured inoculations) with promising results. Such inoculations however are currently underutilised and knowledge gaps persist surrounding successful establishment in light of community dynamics, including priority effects and community coalescence. We show how the ecological trajectories of restoration sites can be assessed by characterising microbial diversity, composition, and functions in the soil. Ultimately, we highlight practical ways to apply the soil microbiota toolbox across the planning, intervention, and monitoring stages of ecosystem restoration and address persistent open questions at each stage. With continued collaborations between researchers and practitioners to address knowledge gaps, these approaches can improve current restoration practices and ecological outcomes.
Alveolar ridge bone changes in patients treated with the split‐crest technique with simultaneous implant placement: A retrospective longitudinal observational study
Authors: Garcez‐Filho João , Bianco Débora de Almeida , Barbisan de Souza André , de Oliveira Ricardo Puziol , Matarazzo Flávia , Araújo Maurício G.
Published: July 2024

Objectives

To investigate long‐term alveolar ridge bone changes in patients treated with the split‐crest technique (SCT) with simultaneous implant placement.

Materials and Methods

Alveolar ridge width (ARW) was measured with a caliper immediately before (ARW1) and after SCT (ARW2) with a caliper. Existing CBCT scans taken at least 5 years postoperatively were used to assess the healed ARW (ARWF), buccal bone thickness (BBT), and lingual/palatal bone thickness (L/PBT) at 0, 3, and 5 mm apically from implant platform level (IPL). The distance between IPL and buccal bone crest (IPL‐BBC) was also measured. Findings were compared with Wilcoxon and Student's t tests (p < .05).

Results

Records of thirty patients with 85 implants were included. Eleven patients (31 implants) presented CBCT scans taken in two separate occasions, resulting in 116 measurements. Tomographic follow‐up ranged from 5 to 18 years (11.5 ± 4.18 years). Mean ARW increased from 3.2 ± 0.6 to 6.6 ± 0.48 mm after SCT, but significantly reduced overtime to 4.46 ± 0.83 mm (ARWF) (p < .0001). Mean BBT was 0.5 ± 0.9, 1.3 ± 0.9, and 2.0 ± 1.2 mm, while mean L/PBT was 0.9 ± 0.7, 1.6 ± 0.9, and 2.1 ± 1.0 mm at 0, 3, and 5 mm from IPL, respectively. IPL‐BBC distance varied up to 8.7 mm (1.4 ± 2.0 mm), with 56/116 measurements (51/85 implants) showing IPL‐BBC = 0 mm.

Conclusion

Although SCT with simultaneous implant placement can predictably increase ARW postoperatively, ARW tended to significantly reduce over time, due to reductions in BBT and L/PBT, especially coronally. Nonetheless, 60% of the implants still presented some buccal bone at IPL.
Business as usual? Unraveling the impact of Brexit on UK‐EU business links
Authors: Kone Zovanga , Wang Feicheng , Wang Zheng , Zhou Zhuo
Published: July 2024

We present the first systematic evidence on the impact of Brexit on the business links between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) through the lens of international visits. We find important asymmetry in the direction of changes in business visits between the two regions following the referendum. Specifically, we observe a significant drop in EU‐to‐UK trips, while UK‐to‐EU trips increased noticeably after the vote. These results support the claim that Brexit has made the UK less attractive to EU businesses, but also reveal that UK businesses are investing more in their relationships with EU partners to offset the uncertainty.
Wage–price spirals: what is the historical evidence?
Authors: Alvarez Jorge , Bluedorn John Christopher , Hansen Niels‐Jakob , Huang Youyou , Pugacheva Evgenia , Sollaci Alexandre
Published: July 2024

How common are wage–price spirals, and what has happened in their aftermath? We construct a new historical database of wage–price spirals—identified as episodes with consumer price inflation and average nominal wage growth rising jointly for at least a year—going back to the 1960s for a large sample of advanced economies. We find that only about a quarter of such episodes were followed by sustained accelerations in wages and prices. Instead, nominal wage growth and inflation tended to stabilize at a higher level on average, and then gradually revert, with real wage growth broadly unchanged. A decomposition of average wage dynamics during wage–price spiral episodes using a wage Phillips curve suggests that nominal wage growth normally stabilizes at levels consistent with observed inflation and labour market tightness. After historical episodes exhibiting rising inflation, falling real wages, and tightening labour markets—similar to what was observed in the early post‐COVID‐19 recovery in 2021—inflation tended to decline and nominal wage growth to rise, allowing real wages to gradually catch up. Our findings suggest that an acceleration of nominal wages against a backdrop of rising inflation does not necessarily signal that a persistent wage–price spiral dynamic is taking hold.
Reduced size in a montane butterfly at its warm range boundaries
Authors: Minter Melissa , Dasamahapatra Kanchon K. , Morecroft Mike D. , Thomas Chris D. , Hill Jane K.
Published: July 2024

Variation in insect size is often related to temperature during development and may affect the persistence of populations under future climate warming if smaller individuals have reduced fitness. Montane species are particularly vulnerable to climate‐driven local extinctions due to range retractions at their warm range margins, and so we examined spatial and temporal variation in body size in the butterfly Erebia epiphron (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the United Kingdom, where it is restricted to two montane regions in England and Scotland. We examined spatial and temporal variation in body size in relation to temperature.

We sampled 19 populations (6–15 individuals per population) in England and Scotland between 2018 and 2019 spanning elevations from 380 to 720 m and examined museum specimens collected between 1890 and 1980. We examined individual body size (forewing length) and its relationship with the local temperature of sites, as well as temporal variation in body size over the last century in relation to the temperature during larval development.

The forewing lengths of field‐collected individuals in England were on average 7%–8% smaller than in Scotland (England, mean = 14.9 mm, Scotland, mean = 15.9 mm), and warmer sites also had smaller individuals (0.13 mm reduction in wing length per 1°C increase in local site mean temperature). However, we found no effect of temporal temperature variation on body size changes during larval development.

The observed smaller body size in English populations could have impacts on fecundity and dispersal ability. Future work should seek to understand the life‐cycle lengths, genetics and phenotypic plasticity of these two populations to evaluate potential explanations for regional differences.
Creep damage evolution by cavity nucleation and growth considering the cavity closure under cyclic loading conditions
Authors: Xu Le , Cheng Lv‐Yi , Li Kai‐Shang , Suzuki Ken , Miura Hideo , Wang Run‐Zi
Published: July 2024

Creep damage assessment is crucial for ensuring the long‐term reliability of key components operating at high temperatures. However, the existing studies on creep damage are mainly focused on constant loading conditions, while the effect of cyclic loading, which is a common loading mode in practice, remains unclear. In this paper, a series of stress‐controlled cyclic creep tests on the Inconel 718 superalloy were performed to investigate the influence of cyclic loading on creep damage evolution. The ex‐situ microstructural analyses, including fracture surface observations and EBSD measurements, were conducted to reveal the damage mechanisms under cyclic creep conditions. Furthermore, a cavity nucleation and growth model that accounts for the additional cavity closure was developed for the healing effect of cyclic creep damage evolution. The prediction results were consistent with the experimental data of cavity nucleation life and experimental life within a factor of 2.