bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Approximate symmetries of long-range Rydberg molecules including spin effects
Authors: Rivera-Rodríguez H. , Jáuregui R.
Published: February 2024

An operator that generates an approximate symmetry of long-range Rydberg molecules (LRRMs) formed by two alkali atoms, one in a Rydberg state and the other in the ground state, is identified. This is first done by evaluating the natural orbitals associated with a variational calculation of the binding wave function within the Born-Oppenheimer description of the molecule including s and p Fermi pseudopotential and the hyperfine structure energy terms. The resulting orbitals with the highest occupation number are shown to be identical to those obtained by a perturbative model for high angular momentum—trilobite and butterfly—LRRMs. Whenever the slight dependence of the quantum defects of the Rydberg electron on its total momentum j⃗=ℓ⃗+s⃗1 can be neglected, the symmetry operator of the high angular momentum LRRMs orbitals is identified as the sum of the spin of the Rydberg electron s⃗1, spin of the valence electron s⃗2, and the spin of nucleus i⃗ of the ground-state atom, N⃗=s1⃗+s2⃗+i⃗. The spin orbitals that diagonalize N⃗ define compact basis sets for the description of LRRMs beyond the aforementioned approximations. The matrix elements of the Hamiltonian in these basis sets have simple expressions, so that the relevance of triplet and singlet contributions can be directly estimated. The expected consequences of this approximate spin-symmetry on the spectra of LRRMs are briefly described.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Controlling nonlinear rogue-wave formation using the coherence length of phase noise
Authors: Choudhary Saumya , Black A. Nicholas , Antikainen Aku , Boyd Robert W.
Published: February 2024

Weak phase noise present on an optical field can be amplified by a self-focusing nonlinearity (n2>0) and form intense “rogue-wave” features. Here, we study the effect of the coherence length (or grain size) of this phase noise on the likelihood of rogue-wave formation in the presence of a self-focusing nonlinearity. We show that while the likelihood of rogue-wave formation increases with laser power when the coherence length is only slightly smaller than the beam diameter, the likelihood is minimally affected by a change in laser power when the coherence length is significantly smaller than the beam diameter. Our study provides insight into the interaction of nonlinearity with phase instabilities on a field and could be useful in applications such as reducing the effect of turbulence-induced breakup of intense laser beams, and developing radiance limiters to reduce the focusable power in a beam.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Drivers of smartwatch use and its effect on environmental sustainability: evidence from SEM-ANN approach
Authors: Almheiri Eiman , Al-Emran Mostafa , Al-Sharafi Mohammed A. , Arpaci Ibrahim
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The proliferation of smartwatches in the digital age has radically transformed health and fitness management, offering users a multitude of functionalities that extend beyond mere physical activity tracking. While these modern wearables have empowered users with real-time data and personalized health insights, their environmental implications remain relatively unexplored despite a growing emphasis on sustainability. To bridge this gap, this study extends the UTAUT2 model with smartwatch features (mobility and availability) and perceived security to understand the drivers of smartwatch usage and its consequent impact on environmental sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed theoretical model is evaluated based on data collected from 303 smartwatch users using a hybrid structural equation modeling–artificial neural network (SEM-ANN) approach.

Findings

The PLS-SEM results supported smartwatch features’ effect on performance and effort expectancy. The results also supported the role of performance expectancy, social influence, price value, habit and perceived security in smartwatch usage. The use of smartwatches was found to influence environmental sustainability significantly. However, the results did not support the association between effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and hedonic motivation with smartwatch use. The ANN results further complement these outcomes by showing that habit with a normalized importance of 100% is the most significant factor influencing smartwatch use.

Originality/value

Theoretically, this research broadens the UTAUT2 by introducing smartwatch features as external variables and environmental sustainability as a new outcome of technology use. On a practical level, the study offers insights for various stakeholders interested in smartwatch use and their environmental implications.
Independent directors’ status and R&D: a study based on Chinese cultural background
Authors: Liang Shangkun , Fu Rong , Jiang Yanfeng
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Independent directors are important corporate decision participants and makers. Based on the Chinese cultural background, this paper interprets the listing order of independent directors as independent directors’ status, exploring their influence on the corporate research and development (R&D) behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper studies A-share listed firms in China from 2008 to 2018 as the sample. The main method is ordinary least square (OLS) regression. We also use other methods to deal with endogenous problems, such as the firm fixed effect method, change model method, two-stage instrumental variable method, and Heckman two-stage method.

Findings

(1) Higher independent directors’ status attribute to more effective exertion of supervision and consultation function, and positively enhance the corporate R&D investment. The increase of the independent director’ status by one standard deviation will increase the R&D investment by 4.6%. (2) The above effect is more influential in firms with stronger traditional culture atmosphere, higher information opacity and higher performance volatility. (3) High-status independent directors promote R&D investment by improving the scientificity of R&D evaluation and reducing information asymmetry. (4) The enhancing effect of independent director’ status on R&D investment is positively associated with the firm’s patent output and market value.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to understanding the relationship between the independent directors’ status and their duty execution from an embedded cultural background perspective. The findings of the study enlighten the improvement of corporate governance efficiency and the healthy development of the capital market.
Multinational firms as emissaries of decent work: worker responses to progressive HRM in a foreign retailer in Japan
Authors: Bozkurt Ödül , Chung Chul , Kawai Norifumi , Honda-Howard Motoko
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The paper aims to provide an understanding of how the transfer of progressive human resource management (HRM) practices may or may fail to render multinational enterprises (MNEs) institutional entrepreneurs creating change in job quality and decent work to underprivileged workers in the low-pay retail sector in Japan.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on survey questionnaire data and interviews with workers and management in a foreign retailer in Japan.

Findings

The findings suggest that even where MNEs may provide some measurable material improvements in job quality, in this case equal pay for equal work, the total outcomes are nevertheless shaped by institutional context and constraints. In this case, the improvement in pay was intertwined with flexibility demands that were possible to meet for some workers but not others. In particular, women with care responsibilities and competing demands on their time were not able to experience “decent work” in the same way as others.

Research limitations/implications

The study had a relatively low response rate, due to lack of discretion over time experienced by workers in Japan, as well as limited data on program outcomes, with interviews conducted with a small number of participants.

Practical implications

The study suggests that spaces and opportunities exist for MNEs to diverge from dominant practices in given host country locations and exercise a level of agency as emissaries of decent work but successful outcomes require a very thorough understanding of individual worker experiences within the institutional constraints of given environments.

Social implications

The study offers insights into the complexities of initiatives by MNEs to contribute to the provision of decent work, particularly for workers in underprivileged positions including women in low-pay sectors such as retail, as firm-level practices lead to variable outcomes when filtered through local institutions.

Originality/value

The study brings together a focus on firm-level practices that inform much of the international HRM and international management scholarship with an emphasis on the experiences of workers, which is pursued in the sociology of work, to investigate whether MNEs can be actors in the realising of the Sustainable Development Goals around decent work.
Improving accessibility of digitization outputs: EODOPEN project research findings
Authors: Kavčič Čolić Alenka , Hari Andreja
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The current predominant delivery format resulting from digitization is PDF, which is not appropriate for the blind, partially sighted and people who read on mobile devices. To meet the needs of both communities, as well as broader ones, alternative file formats are required. With the findings of the eBooks-On-Demand-Network Opening Publications for European Netizens project research, this study aims to improve access to digitized content for these communities.

Design/methodology/approach

In 2022, the authors conducted research on the digitization experiences of 13 EODOPEN partners at their organizations. The authors distributed the same sample of scans in English with different characteristics, and in accordance with Web content accessibility guidelines, the authors created 24 criteria to analyze their digitization workflows, output formats and optical character recognition (OCR) quality.

Findings

In this contribution, the authors present the results of a trial implementation among EODOPEN partners regarding their digitization workflows, used delivery file formats and the resulting quality of OCR results, depending on the type of digitization output file format. It was shown that partners using the OCR tool ABBYY FineReader Professional and producing scanning outputs in tagged PDF and PDF/UA formats achieved better results according to set criteria.

Research limitations/implications

The trial implementations were limited to 13 project partners’ organizations only.

Originality/value

This research paper can be a valuable contribution to the field of massive digitization practices, particularly in terms of improving the accessibility of the output delivery file formats.
The role of conflict and opportunism on the duality of satisfaction in B2B sales relationships
Authors: Ferro-Soto Carlos , Padin Carmen , Roberts-Lombard Mornay , Svensson Goran , Høgevold Nils
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This study aims to explore the direct and indirect effects of sales opportunism and sales conflict as well as of non-economic and economic satisfaction in business-to-business (B2B) sales relationships. This understanding offers B2B buyers enhanced knowledge of sales business expectations towards sustainable business relationships in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

Through self-administered questionnaires, data were obtained from 237 sales or marketing managers/directors of small- and medium-sized companies across industries in Spain, who were randomly contacted via LinkedIn. The multivariate analysis of measurement and structural models was based on IBM SPSS Amos 27.

Findings

The study confirms that sales opportunism positively affects sales conflict. Moreover, sales opportunism is negatively associated with non-economic sales satisfaction, whereas non-economic sales satisfaction is positively associated with economic sales satisfaction. Consequently, if all associates are pleased with the relationship and the gains it can provide, a long-standing orientation can be achieved.

Research limitations/implications

The study expands existing theory on seller–buyer relationships in a B2B context. It contextualises direct and indirect relationships between two antecedents (sales opportunism and sales conflict) and two postcedents (economic sales satisfaction and non-economic sales satisfaction) in sales business–buyer settings.

Practical implications

The study guides buyers in B2B relationships towards an improved understanding of how sales businesses perceive opportunism and conflict (as negative precursors) to impact non-economic satisfaction and how it can influence economic satisfaction.

Originality/value

Most studies explore B2B relationship building from the perspective of the buyer, thereby creating a shortfall in developing an understanding of all partner expectations in B2B relational intent. Moreover, the measurement of satisfaction as a multidimensional construct secured the integration of non-economic satisfaction and economic satisfaction within a single model allowing the constructs measured in this study to be holistically assessed.
Work readiness and trending avenues for future studies: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis
Authors: Amarathunga Buddhini , Khatibi Ali , Talib Zunirah Mohd
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This study aims to undertake a theoretical and technical exploration of the literature on Work Readiness (WR) through the implementation of a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. The present study addresses seven distinct research questions: (1) an examination of the descriptive features characterizing the literature on WR, (2) an analysis of trends in annual scientific publications related to WR, (3) the identification of the most pertinent and high-impact sources contributing to WR, (4) the delineation of the globally cited articles exerting the most influence on WR, (5) the determination of the most relevant countries associated with WR, (6) an evaluation of the outcomes derived from Bradford’s Law of Scattering and Lotka’s Law of scientific productivity in the context of WR, and (7) the identification of the prevailing research avenues that hold significance for future studies on WR.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study employed Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis mapping techniques to analyze 521 articles extracted from the Scopus database. The analysis utilized Biblioshiny software and VOSviewer software as the primary tools.

Findings

The findings reveal that WR constitutes a steadily expanding subject discipline, showcasing a notable 9.12% annual growth in scientific production spanning from 1975 to 2023. Australia, the USA, and Canada emerged as the most productive countries within the field of WR, as evidenced by their cumulative scientific production. The thematic map of keyword analysis suggests several burgeoning pathways for future researchers in the WR domain, including workplace learning, functional capacity evaluation, graduate WR, digital literacy, blended learning, resilience, and curriculum.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the WR discourse by providing a comprehensive literature review. The findings of this study hold significance for graduates, universities, employers, the higher education industry, and the broader community.
Analysis of open channel flow with various layered vegetation using CFD, considering different near-wall treatment methods
Authors: Şibil Rahim
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of near-wall treatment approaches, which are crucial parameters in predicting the flow characteristics of open channels, and the influence of different vegetation covers in different layers.

Design/methodology/approach

Ansys Fluent, a computational fluid dynamics software, was used to calculate the flow and turbulence characteristics using a three-dimensional, turbulent (k-e realizable), incompressible and steady-flow assumption, along with various near-wall treatment approaches (standard, scalable, non-equilibrium and enhanced) in the vegetated channel. The numerical study was validated concerning an experimental study conducted in the existing literature.

Findings

The numerical model successfully predicted experimental results with relative error rates below 10%. It was determined that nonequilibrium wall functions exhibited the highest predictive success in experiment Run 1, standard wall functions in experiment Run 2 and enhanced wall treatments in experiment Run 3. This study has found that plant growth significantly alters open channel flow. In the contact zones, the velocities and the eddy viscosity are low, while in the free zones they are high. On the other hand, the turbulence kinetic energy and turbulence eddy dissipation are maximum at the solid–liquid interface, while they are minimum at free zones.

Originality/value

This is the first study, to the best of the author’s knowledge, concerning the performance of different near-wall treatment approaches on the prediction of vegetation-covered open channel flow characteristics. And this study provides valuable insights to improve the hydraulic performance of open-channel systems.
Determination of driving power and dependency of wastes in the healthcare sector: a lean and ISM-Based approach
Authors: Kharub Manjeet , Gupta Himanshu , Rana Sudhir , McDermott Olivia
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The objective of this study is to systematically identify, categorize and assess the driving factors and interdependencies associated with various types of healthcare waste. The study specifically focuses on waste that has been managed or is recommended for treatment through the application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodologies.

Design/methodology/approach

To accomplish the study’s objectives, interpretive structural modeling (ISM) was utilized. This analytical tool aided in quantifying the driving power and dependencies of each form of healthcare waste, referred to as “enablers,” as well as their related variables. As a result, these enablers were classified into four distinct categories: autonomous, dependent, linkage and drivers or independents.

Findings

In the healthcare sector, the “high cost” (HC) emerges as an autonomous variable, operating with substantial independence. Conversely, variables such as skill wastage, poor service quality and low patient satisfaction are identified as dependent variables. These are distinguished by their low driving power and high dependency. On the flip side, variables related to transportation, production, processing and defect waste manifest strong driving forces and minimal dependencies, categorizing them as independent factors. Notably, inventory waste (IW) is highlighted as a salient issue within the healthcare domain, given its propensity to engender additional forms of waste.

Research limitations/implications

Employing the ISM model, along with comprehensive case study analyses, provides a detailed framework for examining the complex hierarchies of waste existing within the healthcare sector. This methodological approach equips healthcare leaders with the tools to accurately pinpoint and eliminate unnecessary expenditures, thereby optimizing operational efficiency and enhancing patient satisfaction. Of particular significance, the study calls attention to the key role of IW, which often acts as a trigger for other forms of waste in the sector, thus identifying a crucial area requiring focused intervention and improvement.

Originality/value

This research reveals new insights into how waste variables are structured in healthcare, offering a useful guide for managers looking to make their waste-reduction strategies more efficient. These insights are highly relevant not just for healthcare providers but also for the administrators and researchers who are helping to shape the industry. Using the classification and ranking model developed in this study, healthcare organizations can more easily spot and address common types of waste. In addition, the model serves as a useful tool for practitioners, helping them gain a deeper, more detailed understanding of how different factors are connected in efforts to reduce waste.
Nexus between financialization of agricultural products and food security amid financial crisis: empirical insights from BRICS
Authors: Manogna R.L. , Kulkarni Nishil , Krishna D. Akshay
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The study endeavors to explore whether the financialization of agricultural commodities, traditionally viewed as a catalyst for price volatility, has any repercussions on food security in BRICS economies.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical analysis employs the examination of three agricultural commodities, namely wheat, maize and soybean. Utilizing data from the Chicago Board of Trade on futures trading for these commodities, we focus on parameters such as annual trading volume, annual open interest contracts and the ratio of annual trading volume to annual open interest contracts. The study spans the period 2000–2021, encompassing pre- and post-financial crisis analyses and specifically explores the BRICS countries namely the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. To scrutinize the connections between financialization indicators and food security measures, the analysis employs econometric techniques such as panel data regression analysis and a moderating effects model.

Findings

The results indicate that the financialization of agricultural products contributes to the heightened food price volatility and has adverse effects on food security in emerging economies. Furthermore, the study reveals that the impact of the financialization of agricultural commodities on food security was more pronounced in emerging nations after the global financial crisis of 2008 compared to the pre-crisis period.

Research limitations/implications

This paper seeks to draw increased attention to the financialization of agricultural commodities by presenting empirical evidence of its potential impact on food security in BRICS economies. The findings serve as a valuable guide for policymakers, offering insights to help them safeguard the security and availability of the world’s food supply.

Originality/value

Very few studies have explored the effect of financialization of agricultural commodities on food security covering a sample of developing economies, with sample period from 2000 to 2021, especially at the individual agriculture commodity level. Understanding the evolving effects of financialization is further improved by comparing pre and post-financial crisis times.
Financial harm in the context of adult protection: the complexity of factors influencing joint decision-making
Authors: Durowse Melanie , Fenton Jane
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This research was conducted as part of a PhD study. The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors taken into consideration when multi-agency practitioners were considering financial harm in the context of adult protection and how this influenced their decision-making processes.

Design/methodology/approach

An adapted q sort methodology initially established the areas of financial harm considered to have additional factors, which led to complexity in adult protection decision making. These factors were further explored in individual interviews or focus groups.

Findings

The data identified that the decision-making process varied between thorough analysis, rationality and heuristics with evidence of cue recognition, factor weighting and causal thinking. This highlighted the relevance of Kahneman’s (2011) dual processing model in social work practice. Errors that occurred through an over reliance on System 1 thinking can be identified and rectified through the use of System 2 thinking and strengthen social work decision-making.

Originality/value

This paper considers the practice of multi-agency adult protection work in relation to financial harm and identifies the influences on decisions.
How to handle the academic literature of sex offenders? A post-publication protection mechanism is needed
Authors: Teixeira da Silva Jaime A.
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the creation of safe academic (education and research) environments that offer proper protections to adult academics and staff, so that academia and society at large may benefit from the fruits of safe workplaces. Not all academic environments are entirely safe, and there are recorded cases of victims of harassment and sexual abuse.

Design/methodology/approach

Given that co-workers in a laboratory, or research subjects in a research project, may be victims of harassment or sexual abuse, and that the same individuals may then become co-authors or anonymized research subjects, respectively, in academic papers, there is a need to appreciate what structural protection exists for such victims at the post-publication level. What should academia do with the literature of legally recognized sex offenders who have published in peer-reviewed and indexed academic journals?

Findings

Currently, there is no specific guidance by ethics organizations (e.g., Committee on Publication Ethics and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) to deal with this issue, so protective mechanisms for adult victims, as well as punitive measures against perpetrators at the post-publication stage, are needed.

Originality/value

There may be career-altering repercussions – personal, professional and reputational – for co-authors of legally recognized sex offenders in papers published in peer-reviewed and indexed journals. There may also be life-altering outcomes to victims of sexual abuse who are the study subjects of such papers. Thus, a robust form of post-publication protection (and justice) based on unbiased and independent ethical and legal investigations, coordinated by editors, publishers and research institutes, needs to be established.
Relevance and creativity – a linear model
Authors: de Fremery Wayne , Buckland Michael Keeble
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a new and useful formulation of relevance.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is formulated as a conceptual argument. It makes the case for the utility of considering relevance to be function of use in creative processes.

Findings

There are several corollaries to formulating relevance as a function of use. These include the idea that objects by themselves cannot be relevant since use assumes interaction; the affordances of objects and how they are perceived can affect what becomes relevant but are not in themselves relevant; relevance is not an essential characteristic of objects; relevance is transient; potential relevance (what might be relevant in the future) can be distinguished from what is relevant in use and from what has been relevant in the past.

Originality/value

The paper shows that its new formulation of relevance brings improved conceptual and terminological clarity to the discourse about relevance in information science. It demonstrates that how relevance is articulated conceptually is important as its conceptualization can affect the ways that users are able to make use of information systems and, by extension, how information systems can facilitate or disable the co-production of creative outcomes. The paper also usefully expands investigative opportunities by suggesting relevance and creativity are interrelated.
Tweeting for change: social media narratives for sustainable service
Authors: Krishen Anjala S. , Barnes Jesse L. , Petrescu Maria , Janjuha-Jivraj Shaheena
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This interdisciplinary study aims to analyze how service organizations communicate sustainable beliefs in their social media narratives and use them to generate brand awareness, customer recognition and ongoing demand for sustainable service.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-phase exploratory analysis of 10,342 tweets from 2019–2020 was conducted by sustainable global corporations to identify best practices for their social media teams operating within a service-based business model. First, the significant themes were identified using an unguided machine learning approach of three types of firms: services, goods and mixed. Next, the full set of tweets with linguistic sentiment analysis was analyzed followed by a deeper view of the services-based organizations based on their strategic focus (business-to-business [B2B] versus mixed).

Findings

The findings indicate that tweets that appear to create the highest customer engagement are characterized as having high levels of analytical language, high clout (i.e. are socially relevant), a positive tone, a high number of words and a high number of words per sentence. On the other hand, having complex language in terms of six-letter words does not seem to associate with customer engagement. The last level of analysis shows that B2B services-based corporations with positive tone and higher word count exhibit higher levels of retweets. Implications include providing rational and informational tweets to increase engagement and highlight societal relevance.

Originality/value

Climate change has negative consequences on human and physical capital, and ecosystems across the globe. This study provides specific recommendations for how services corporations can increase their sustainable communications and actions.

Practical implications

The key implication of our research is that corporations must strategically design social media narratives about climate change as part of their online branding and communications process.
Contrasting effects of sheep and cattle grazing on foliar fungal diseases by changing plant community characteristics
Authors: Li Tianyun , Allan Eric , Yang Sihan , Liu Yiming , Inbar Moshe , Wang Deli , Zhong Zhiwei
Published: February 2024

Pathogens are ubiquitous in ecosystems and play a key role in affecting host community structure. In grasslands, large grazing animals such as cattle and sheep have been shown to affect foliar fungal pathogens. However, theory and empirical studies have come to conflicting conclusions because grazers can directly and indirectly impact pathogens through a wide variety of mechanisms and various grazers may impact pathogens in different ways. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which grazers impact pathogens is important for a fundamental understanding of herbivore pathogen interactions and also to optimise grazing managements to reduce pathogen outbreaks.

Here, we investigate multiple mechanisms by which livestock grazing impacts foliar fungal pathogens in grasslands. We integrate a large‐scale grazing experiment, with a removal experiment manipulating plant density and litter biomass, to identify direct and indirect effects of two herbivores on pathogens with different life histories (biotrophs and necrotrophs), in a temperate grassland in northeast China.

We found that grazing by cattle and sheep had contrasting impacts: cattle grazing significantly reduced pathogen load, of both biotrophs and necrotrophs, whereas sheep grazing increased biotrophic pathogen load, but did not affect the necrotrophs. The grazing effects were mostly indirect and mediated by different impacts of the herbivores on plant community structure. Cattle grazing reduced pathogen load because it reduced the abundance of susceptible, fast‐growing plants, and the overall density of plants, while sheep grazing increased pathogen infection because it reduced the abundance of resistant plant species. Plant diversity also reduced pathogen infection but these effects were independent of the herbivores.

Our results show that different herbivores can have contrasting impacts on pathogen infection through contrasting impacts on host community competence. This suggests the importance of considering multiple mechanisms simultaneously to evaluate the impact of herbivores on host‐pathogen interactions.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Seed mix design and floral resources drive multitrophic interactions in prairie restoration
Authors: Hulting Katherine A. , Kemmerling Lindsey R. , Griffin Sean R. , Webb Jessica , Brown Ally K. , Haddad Nick M.
Published: February 2024

Ecological restoration often targets plant community recovery, but restoration success may depend on the recovery of a complex web of biotic interactions to maintain biodiversity and promote ecosystem services. Specifically, management that drives resource availability, such as seeding richness and provenance, may alter species interactions across multiple trophic levels. Using experimentally seeded prairies, we examine three key groups—plants, pollinators and goldenrod crab spiders (Misumena vatia, predators of pollinators)—to understand the effects of species richness and admixture seed sourcing of restoration seed mixtures on multitrophic interactions.

Working with prairie plants, we experimentally manipulated seed mix richness and the number of seed source regions (single‐source region or admixture seed sourcing). In each experimental prairie, we surveyed floral abundance and richness, pollinator visitation and plant–M. vatia interactions.

A high richness seed mix increased floral abundance when seeds were sourced from a single geographic region, and floral abundance strongly increased pollinator visitation, M. vatia abundance and prey capture. Seeding richness and admixture seed sourcing of the seed mixture did not affect floral species richness, but floral species richness increased pollinator visitation.

Pollinators interacted with different floral communities across seeding treatments, indicating a shift in visited floral species with restoration practices.

Synthesis and applications. Long‐term success in prairie restoration requires the restoration of plant–arthropod interactions. We provide evidence that seed mix richness and admixture seed sourcing affect arthropod floral associations, but effective restoration of plant–arthropod interactions should consider total floral resource availability. Incorporating a food web perspective in restoration will strengthen approaches to whole ecosystem restoration.
Challenges in creating humane and equitable policing: A focus on the Global South
Authors: Magaloni Beatriz
Published: February 2024

Research Summary

Police brutality is a widespread phenomenon around the world. Particularly gruesome human rights abuses in the course of policing take place in Latin America, the world's most violent region outside war zones. Democratic institutions such as competitive elections, checks and balances, and judicial independence are insufficient to prevent police from abusing their power. What factors explain that police engage in abusive behaviors, including illegal arrest, the fabrication of evidence, the use of torture to extract confessions, and the excessive use of force causing injury or death? How can societies restrain these abusive behaviors and subject police to the rule of law? Police behavior is shaped by a combination of institutional, societal, political, organizational, and individual factors. Inquisitorial criminal justice institutions, inherited from the colonial past, have persisted in Latin America until very recently. This meant that democracies in the region were born with weak due process protections that have enabled state authorities and police to abuse their coercive powers as they investigate and prosecute crimes. Police brutality is further the product of security policies. High crime rates and the presence of highly organized criminal groups have pushed many Latin American governments to adopt militarized security interventions ‐including deploying the armed forces to control crime and militarizing police forces. Populist demands for harsh policies, moreover, generate incentives for politicians to adopt security strategies that violate human rights and which, in the long run, increase violence in society. The most affected groups are the poor, people of color, and those living in impoverished minoritized communities.

Policy Implications

It is essential to strengthen due process protections and judicial oversight over police to reduce torture and other forms of police brutality. Police demilitarization and, under some conditions, community‐oriented policing approaches can sharply reduce the use of excessive force causing injury or death. Body‐worn cameras (BWC), moreover, can effectively be used to reduce police abusive behavior —and violence against police officers — even in high violence situations and where toxic police‐community relations prevail. One limitation of this technology is that it gives too much leeway to frontline officers to turn their cameras on. Poor supervision can further undermine police compliance with camera protocols. These problems can be overcome by assigning cameras to supervisors and using more advanced technologies that allow turning cameras on from the main station. Monetary incentives that reward police officers “to kill less” is another effective policy intervention to reduce police violence causing injury or death.
Perfusion magnetic resonance imaging in Asherman syndrome
Authors: Deans Rebecca , Moses Daniel , Sach Toos Anthony , Vancaillie Thierry , Ledger Bill , Abbott Jason A.
Published: February 2024

Background

Microvascular scarring compromises the functionality of the endometrium, and vascular flow at the junctional zone (JZ) may be the key to understanding poor reproductive outcomes in women with Asherman syndrome (AS).

Aims

To investigate whether vascular perfusion of the uterus, measured by dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE‐MRI) is impaired in women with intrauterine adhesions (IUA) and AS.

Materials and Methods

A prospective observational cohort pilot study of 23 women with IUA treated with hysteroscopic synecholysis and a control group of two patients with cervix cancer were subject to DCE‐MRI with gadolinium to assess uterine vascularity. Twelve regions of interest (ROIs) were allocated on the DCE‐MRI image incorporating the JZ, with control ROI placed at the psoas muscle. Individual ROIs were compared to the mean total perfusion (TP) in the same uterus. Pre‐ and post‐operative perfusion analyses were performed on five women. Receiver operator curves (ROC) were used to analyse MRI as a predictor of IUA.

Results

There was no significant difference in perfusion; a trend toward reduced perfusion was observed in women with IUA compared to the controls. The ROC was predictive of higher‐grade and inoperable IUA.

Conclusions

Reduced perfusion on DCE‐MRI as assessed by ROC predicted higher‐stage AS. The results of this study support further investigation of DCE‐MRI as a prognostic tool for AS prior to surgical intervention to assist in providing prognostic guidance for women suffering from AS.
Coronary artery bypass grafting in octogenarians: an Australian experience
Authors: Bibo Liam , Goldblatt Joshua , Cohen Ryan , Merry Chris , Larbalestier Robert
Published: February 2024

Background

The aims of this study were to describe early and mid‐term morbidity and mortality in octogenarian patients undergoing CABG, to determine if outcomes are comparable to younger patients undergoing the same procedure.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of the first 901 patients who underwent cardiac surgery at a large newly established tertiary hospital in Western Australia from February 2015 to September 2019. Inclusion criteria involved all patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Exclusion criteria included patients who underwent concomitant valve or aortic procedure.

Results

From a cohort of 901 patients, 37 octogenarian patients underwent CABG. Octogenarian patients had a higher rate of post‐operative transfusion 35.1% versus 21.4% (P = 0.048), a higher rate of post‐op acute kidney injury 40.5% versus 17.2% (P < 0.0001), a higher rate of post‐operative atrial arrythmia requiring treatment 40.5% versus 22.5% (P = 0.011) and higher rate of return to theatre (13.5% versus 4.7%, P = 0.018), with bleeding/tamponade being the most likely reason (10.8% versus 2.7%). Octogenarian patients had a longer post‐operative length of stay (LOS) with a median LOS of 10 versus 7 days (P < 0.0001). There was no increase in hospital readmission rate, in‐hospital mortality or 1 year mortality in octogenarian patients. 24‐month and 36‐month survivals were 95.2% and 89.6% in octogenarians and 95.3% and 91.5% in the younger group.

Conclusions

Despite an increase in post‐operative morbidity and LOS, there was no difference in hospital readmission, in‐hospital mortality or 1 year mortality in octogenarian patients who underwent CABG. CABG is safe and remains an important management option for these patients.
Searching for low phospholipid associated cholelithiasis among patients with post‐cholecystectomy biliary pain
Authors: Trinh Andrew , Tjandra Doug , Park Yeung‐Ae , Sood Siddharth , Thomson Benjamin , Speer Tony , Buchanan Daniel , Boussioutas Alex , Metz Andrew J.
Published: February 2024

Introduction

Low phospholipid associated cholelithiasis (LPAC) is associated with variants of the adenosine triphosphate‐binding cassette subfamily B, member 4 (ABCB4) gene and is characterized by reduced phosphatidylcholine secretion into bile, impairing the formation of micelles and thus exposing bile ducts to toxic bile acids and increasing cholesterol saturation. LPAC is present in 1% of patients with gallstones and post‐cholecystectomy pain is common in this group. LPAC is an under‐appreciated cause of post‐cholecystectomy pain. The aim of this study is to assess a cohort of patients with post‐cholecystectomy pain to identify those with clinical features suggesting that further investigations for LPAC would be beneficial.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed of the first 2 years of post‐operative follow‐up for all patients under 40 years of age undergoing cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallstones at a tertiary centre between January 2016 and December 2017.

Results

258 patients under the age of 40 underwent a cholecystectomy. 50 patients (19.4%) reported abdominal pain post‐cholecystectomy. Five patients (1.9%) fulfilled the criteria for suspected LPAC. Family history of gallstones was documented in 33 of 258 (12.8%) of cases. Obstetric history was obtained in 69 of 197 (35%) female patients. None of the five patients identified above who satisfied the criteria of LPAC had the diagnosis of LPAC considered by their treating clinicians.

Conclusion

LPAC is an under‐recognized cause of post‐cholecystectomy pain. Treatment can avoid long‐term symptoms and complications. Clinicians should take a family history and obstetric history to alert them to the diagnosis of LPAC.
The role of personal, relational, and collective self‐esteem in predicting acute salivary cortisol response and perceived stress
Authors: Tang Xinli , Hu Weiyu , Zhao Xiaolin , Liu Yadong , Ren Yipeng , Tang Zihan , Yang Juan
Published: February 2024

Personal self‐esteem (PSE) has been well recognized as a buffer against stress; however, the effects of other types of self‐esteem, such as relational self‐esteem (RSE) and collective self‐esteem (CSE), on stress have not been adequately explored. This study investigated the roles of PSE, RSE, and CSE in reducing stress response. The Rosenberg, Relational, and Collective Self‐Esteem Scales were adopted to assess PSE, RSE, and CSE, respectively. Participants underwent an acute social stress paradigm, and their acute stress response was assessed using subjective stress reports and salivary cortisol levels. Chronic stress level was estimated using the Perceived Stress Scale and hair cortisol concentration. The results showed that PSE was negatively correlated with salivary cortisol response during acute social stress; however, no significant associations were found between any type of self‐esteem and subjective stress reports. For chronic stress, all types of self‐esteem were negatively associated with perceived stress level, but not with hair cortisol concentration. Further hierarchical regression analyses suggested that only PSE negatively predicted acute salivary cortisol response and perceived stress level. Overall, the findings suggest the essential role of PSE in predicting acute salivary cortisol responses and perceived stress.
‘Meeting the Client Where They Are Rather Than Where I'm At’: A Qualitative Survey Exploring CBT and Psychodynamic Therapist Perceptions of Psychotherapy Integration
Authors: Kaluzeviciute‐Moreton Greta , Lloyd Christopher E. M.
Published: February 2024

This qualitative study explored therapists' attitudes towards psychotherapy integration. Twenty‐nine psychoanalytic/psychodynamic and cognitive‐behavioural therapy (CBT) therapists completed an open‐ended survey that focused on their personal understanding of psychotherapy integration, examples from their own practice and reflections on improving integrative therapy. Participants were also encouraged to share attitudes and perceptions towards the other therapeutic paradigm (CBT towards psychoanalysis, and vice versa). Thematic analysis revealed three main themes: (1) Positive perceptions and benefits of psychotherapy integration, (2) Negative perceptions and challenges of psychotherapy integration and (3) Proposals for strengthening integration in clinical practice. While most participants had a strong allegiance to their modality, they recognised the need for flexibility and additional techniques from other paradigms to address individual client needs. However, participants raised concerns about the level of knowledge required for integrative work and the epistemological compatibility between CBT and psychoanalysis. Some responses reflected the ongoing ‘turf wars’ between the two paradigms, with some referring to ‘outdated’ psychoanalytic ideas and ‘dogmatic’ evidence‐based hierarchies. Suggestions were made for further development of psychotherapy integration during the training and post‐qualification. The study reflects a generally positive outlook towards integration while recognising the challenges as well as the continuing resistances between CBT and psychoanalytic paradigms.