bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“ARVs is for HIV and cream is for HPV or precancer:” Women’s Perceptions and Perceived Acceptability of Self-Administered Topical Therapies for Cervical Precancer Treatment: A Qualitative Study from Kenya
Authors: Mungo Chemtai , Kachoria Aparna Ghosh , Adoyo Everlyn , Zulu Graham , Goraya Supreet Kaur , Omoto Jackton , Osongo Cirilus , Ferrari Renée M. , Rahangdale Lisa
Published: March 2024

Background

Women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear a disproportionate burden of cervical cancer, despite being a preventable disease. Prevention efforts in LMICs are hindered in part by lack of access to cervical precancer treatment, due to weak health infrastructure and a lack of adequate human resources to deliver current provider-administered precancer treatments. Innovative strategies are urgently needed to close the cervical precancer treatment gap in LMICs, including the use of self-administered topical therapies such as 5-fluorouracil and imiquimod, for which efficacy evidence is available from high-income settings. We investigated African women’s perceptions and perceived acceptability of these therapies for cervical precancer treatment.

Methods

Between November 2022 and April 2023, we conducted five focus group discussions (FGDs) with women ages 25-65 years undergoing cervical cancer screening or precancer treatment in Kisumu, Kenya. The FGDs explored women’s experiences with screening and precancer treatment, their acceptability of topical therapies for precancer treatment, and perceived barriers and facilitators to uptake. The FGDs were moderated by local qualitative research assistants, conducted in local languages, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using qualitative description using NVIVO software.

Results

Twenty-nine women participated, with a mean age of 35.4 years (SD 6.5). All had undergone cervical cancer screening, and 25 (83%) had a history of precancer treatment with ablation or excision. Multiple themes were identified related to women’s perceptions of topical therapies. Participants were highly receptive of topical treatments, with many favoring the option of self-administration compared to provider-administration of such therapies. Self-administration of topical therapies was felt to help address challenges associated with current treatment methods, including difficulty in access, pain with procedures, cost, and lack of privacy with pelvic exams. Participants had a preference for topical therapies that are used less frequently compared to those used daily.

Conclusions

Among Kenyan women with a history of cervical precancer treatment, self-administered topical therapies for precancer are acceptable and have the potential to address barriers, including access, privacy, and cost, that hinder precancer treatment in LMICs. If supported by efficacy studies in LMICs, self-administered topical therapies offer a scalable approach to closing the precancer treatment gap in LMICs.

Trial registration

Not applicable
Characterizing genetic profiles for high triglyceride levels in U.S. patients of African ancestry
Authors: Jiang Lan , Gangireddy Srushti , Dickson Alyson L. , Xin Yi , Yan Chao , Kawai Vivian , Cox Nancy J. , Linton MacRae F. , Wei Wei-Qi , Stein C. Michael , Feng QiPing
Published: March 2024

Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is a common cardiovascular risk factor characterized by elevated circulating triglyceride (TG) levels. Researchers have assessed the genetic factors that influence HTG in studies focused predominantly on individuals of European ancestry (EA). However, relatively little is known about the contribution of genetic variation to HTG in people of AA, potentially constraining research and treatment opportunities; the lipid profile for African ancestry (AA) populations differs from that of EA populations—which may be partially attributable to genetics. Our objective was to characterize genetic profiles among individuals of AA with mild-to-moderate HTG and severe HTG versus those with normal TGs by leveraging whole genome sequencing (WGS) data and longitudinal electronic health records (EHRs) available in the All of Us (AoU) program. We compared the enrichment of functional variants within five canonical TG metabolism genes, an AA-specific polygenic risk score for TGs, and frequencies of 145 known potentially causal TG variants between patients with HTG and normal TG among a cohort of AA patients (N=15,373). Those with mild-to-moderate HTG (N=342) and severe HTG (N≤20) were more likely to carryAPOA5p.S19W (OR=1.94, 95% CI [1.48-2.54], p=1.63×10-6and OR=3.65, 95% CI [1.22-10.93], p=0.02, respectively) than those with normal TG. They were also more likely to have an elevated (top 10%) PRS, elevated carriage of potentially causal variant alleles, and carry any genetic risk factor. Alternative definitions of HTG yielded comparable results. In conclusion, individuals of AA with HTG were enriched for genetic risk factors compared to individuals with normal TGs.
EpidemicKabu a new method to identify epidemic waves and their peaks and valleys
Authors: Galvis Lina Marcela Ruiz , Barbosa Anderson Alexis Ruales , Cardozo Oscar Ignacio Mendoza , Barengo Noël Christopher , Peñalvo Jose L. , Valencia Paula Andrea Diaz
Published: March 2024

INTRODUCTION

The dynamical behavior of epidemic curves is an oscillation between a very low and very high number of incident cases throughout the time. These oscillations are commonly called waves of the epidemic curve. The concept of epidemic waves lacks a consensual definition and a simple methodology that can be used for many diseases.

OBJECTIVE

We describe in this study the EpidemicKabu method to identify the start and the end of past epidemic waves but also their peaks and valleys.

METHOD

The methodology is divided into processing of the curve, waves detection, and peaks and valleys delimitation. For processing the curve, a Gaussian kernel was used to diminish the noise and to smooth the curve. The first and second derivatives of the curve were used for the detection of waves, delimitation of peaks and valleys. The methodology was derived into the open access library. The method was tested using COVID-19 daily cases reported between 2020 and 2022 for different countries. After detection of waves, we made some measures related to the size of the waves for those countries.

RESULTS

The results of the method were the dates of start and end of waves, peaks, and valleys. The dates are displayed on graphs and added as a new column in a dataset. We found that Belgium was the country recording the highest ratio of incident cases per 100 people by day in a wave.

CONCLUSION

The EpidemicKabu method is simple, easy to use, and very useful in estimating epidemic waves. The methodology requires expert judgment in order to set a parameter that could only have three possible values.
Australian researchers’ perceptions and experiences with stem cell registration
Authors: Hu Mengqi , Santos Dan , Lopes Edilene , Nicol Dianne , Kurtz Andreas , Mah Nancy , Muller Sabine C. , Ankeny Rachel A. , Wells Christine A.
Published: March 2024

The recently issued ISSCR standards in stem cell research recommend registration of human pluripotent stem cell lines (hPSCs). Registration is an important part of establishing stem cell provenance and connecting cell lines to data derived on those lines. In this study, we sought to understand common barriers to registration, by conducting interviews with forty-eight Australian stem cell stakeholders, including researchers, clinicians, and industry professionals. Australian stem cell researchers do not routinely register their lines, and of those Australian lines captured by an international registry, only a third have completed the registration process. Most registered Australian cell lines miss information about their ethical provenance or key pluripotency characteristics. Incomplete registration is poorly aligned with the goals of open science that registries are founded on, and users themselves expressed concerns about the quality of the partial information provided to the resource. Registration was considered a publication hurdle, and this impacted on user perceptions of usefulness of registration, and lowered the likelihood that they would engage with registries to find resources. Although the Australian community represents a small fraction of registry users, the results of this study may suggest ways for journals, registries, and the stem cell community to improve registration compliance.

Highlights

Researchers who perceive registration as a publication hurdle are unlikely to complete the registration process.

Incomplete registration promotes misunderstandings about the goals and quality of a registry. Full registration of pluripotent stem cell lines is an important step in verifying cell line provenance.

Greater public awareness of registration, combined with requirements for full registration by journals will support the community adopt ISSCR recommendations to register lines.
Distinct tissue-dependent composition and gene expression of human fetal innate lymphoid cells
Authors: Rødahl Inga E. , Ivarsson Martin A. , Loh Liyen , Mold Jeff E. , Westgren Magnus , Friberg Danielle , Mjösberg Jenny , Björkström Niklas K. , Marquardt Nicole , Nixon Douglas F. , Michaëlsson Jakob
Published: March 2024

The human fetal immune system starts to develop in the first trimester and likely plays a crucial role in fetal development and maternal-fetal tolerance. Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are the earliest lymphoid cells to arise in the human fetus. ILCs consists of natural killer (NK) cells, ILC1s, ILC2s, and ILC3s that all share a common lymphoid origin. Here, we studied fetal ILC subsets, mainly NK cells and ILC3s and their potential progenitors, across human fetal tissues from the first and second trimesters. Our results show that fetal ILC subsets have distinct distribution, developmental kinetics, and gene expression profiles across human fetal tissues. Furthermore, we identify a putative CD34+RORγt+Eomes+/−ILC progenitor population exclusively present in fetal intestine, indicating that tissue-restricted development of ILCs could contribute to the variation in ILC composition and gene expression between tissues.
Robust cytoplasmic partitioning by solving an intrinsic cytoskeletal instability
Authors: Rinaldin Melissa , Kickuth Alison , Dalton Benjamin , Xu Yitong , Di Talia Stefano , Brugués Jan
Published: March 2024

Early development across vertebrates and insects critically relies on robustly reorganizing the cytoplasm of fertilized eggs into individualized cells. This intricate process is orchestrated by large microtubule structures that traverse the embryo, partitioning the cytoplasm into physically distinct and stable compartments. Despite the robustness of embryonic development, here we uncover an intrinsic instability in cytoplasmic partitioning driven by the microtubule cytoskeleton. We reveal that embryos circumvent this instability through two distinct mechanisms: either by matching the cell cycle duration to the time needed for the instability to unfold or by limiting microtubule nucleation. These regulatory mechanisms give rise to two possible strategies to fill the cytoplasm, which we experimentally demonstrate in zebrafish andDrosophilaembryos, respectively. In zebrafish embryos, unstable microtubule waves fill the geometry of the entire embryo from the first division. Conversely, inDrosophilaembryos, stable microtubule asters resulting from reduced microtubule nucleation gradually fill the cytoplasm throughout multiple divisions. Our results indicate that the temporal control of microtubule dynamics could have driven the evolutionary emergence of species-specific mechanisms for effective cytoplasmic organization. Furthermore, our study unveils a fundamental synergy between physical instabilities and biological clocks, uncovering universal strategies for rapid, robust, and efficient spatial ordering in biological systems.
Haplotype-resolved 3D chromatin architecture of the hybrid pig
Authors: Lin Yu , Li Jing , Gu Yiren , Jin Long , Bai Jingyi , Zhang Jiaman , Wang Yujie , Liu Pengliang , Long Keren , He Mengnan , Li Diyan , Liu Can , Han Ziyin , Zhang Yu , Li Xiaokai , Zeng Bo , Lu Lu , Kong Fanli , Sun Ying , Fan Yongliang , Wang Xun , Wang Tao , Jiang An'an , Ma Jideng , Shen Linyuan , Zhu Li , Jiang Yanzhi , Tang Guoqing , Fan Xiaolan , Liu Qingyou , Li Hua , Wang Jinyong , Chen Li , Ge Liangpeng , Li Xuewei , Tang Qianzi , Li Mingzhou
Published: March 2024

In diploid mammals, allele-specific three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture may lead to imbalanced gene expression. Through ultradeep in situ Hi-C sequencing of three representative somatic tissues (liver, skeletal muscle, and brain) from hybrid pigs generated by reciprocal crosses of phenotypically and physiologically divergent Berkshire and Tibetan pigs, we uncover extensive chromatin reorganization between homologous chromosomes across multiple scales. Haplotype-based interrogation of multi-omic data revealed the tissue dependence of 3D chromatin conformation, suggesting that parent-of-origin-specific conformation may drive gene imprinting. We quantify the effects of genetic variations and histone modifications on allelic differences of long-range promoter–enhancer contacts, which likely contribute to the phenotypic differences between the parental pig breeds. We also observe the fine structure of somatically paired homologous chromosomes in the pig genome, which has a functional implication genome-wide. This work illustrates how allele-specific chromatin architecture facilitates concomitant shifts in allele-biased gene expression, as well as the possible consequential phenotypic changes in mammals.
Major impacts of widespread structural variation on sorghum
Authors: Zhang Zhihai , Gomes Viana Joao Paulo , Zhang Bosen , Walden Kimberly K.O. , Müller Paul Hans , Moose Stephen P. , Morris Geoffrey P. , Daum Chris , Barry Kerrie W. , Shakoor Nadia , Hudson Matthew E.
Published: March 2024

Genetic diversity is critical to crop breeding and improvement, and dissection of the genomic variation underlying agronomic traits can both assist breeding and give insight into basic biological mechanisms. Although recent genome analyses in plants reveal many structural variants (SVs), most current studies of crop genetic variation are dominated by single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The extent of the impact of SVs on global trait variation, as well as their utility in genome-wide selection, is not yet understood. In this study, we built an SV data set based on whole-genome resequencing of diverse sorghum lines (n = 363), validated the correlation of photoperiod sensitivity and variety type, and identified SV hotspots underlying the divergent evolution of cellulosic and sweet sorghum. In addition, we showed the complementary contribution of SVs for heritability of traits related to sorghum adaptation. Importantly, inclusion of SV polymorphisms in association studies revealed genotype–phenotype associations not observed with SNPs alone. Three-way genome-wide association studies (GWAS) based on whole-genome SNP, SV, and integrated SNP + SV data sets showed substantial associations between SVs and sorghum traits. The addition of SVs to GWAS substantially increased heritability estimates for some traits, indicating their important contribution to functional allelic variation at the genome level. Our discovery of the widespread impacts of SVs on heritable gene expression variation could render a plausible mechanism for their disproportionate impact on phenotypic variation. This study expands our knowledge of SVs and emphasizes the extensive impacts of SVs on sorghum.
4-Clique network minor embedding for quantum annealers
Authors: Pelofske Elijah
Published: March 2024

Quantum annealing is a quantum algorithm for computing solutions to combinatorial optimization problems. This study proposes a method for minor embedding optimization problems onto sparse quantum annealing hardware graphs called 4-clique network minor embedding. This method is in contrast to the standard minor embedding technique of using a path of linearly connected qubits in order to represent a logical variable state. The 4-clique minor embedding is possible on Pegasus graph connectivity, which is the native hardware graph for some of the current D-Wave quantum annealers. The Pegasus hardware graph contains many cliques of size 4, making it possible to form a graph composed entirely of paths of connected 4-cliques on which a problem can be minor-embedded. The 4-clique chains come at the cost of additional qubit usage on the hardware graph, but they allow for stronger coupling within each chain, thereby increasing chain integrity, reducing chain breaks, and allow for greater usage of the available energy scale for programming logical problem coefficients on current quantum annealers. The 4-clique minor embedding technique is compared with the standard linear path minor embedding with experiments on two D-Wave quantum annealing processors with Pegasus hardware graphs. We show proof-of-concept experiments where the 4-clique minor embeddings can use weak chain strengths while successfully carrying out the computation of minimizing random all-to-all spin glass problem instances.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Understanding localized states in the band tails of amorphous semiconductors exemplified by
a
-Si:H from the perspective of excess delocalized charges
Authors: Luo Yuezhou , Flewitt Andrew John
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we use a perturbation strategy to show that the band tails in the density of states (DOS) distribution of amorphous semiconductors form due to the existence of excess delocalized charges. These charges satisfy a Gaussian distribution with a mean of zero and vary slowly in space due to the short- and medium-range order of amorphous materials. The charges exist due to the bond angle and bond length distortion. They induce an extra potential energy distribution that leads to energy band fluctuation in the energy-space diagram and consequently gives rise to localized states. A 150×150×7.5 nm large-scale finite-element excess charge model for hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) is developed using a moving average smoothing that filters a Gaussian array of random charge values. Thanks to the analytical and computational simplicity of the theory in this paper (compared with conventional approaches considering atomistic details and complex electron-electron interactions), this large-scale model is calculated in only 90 s and reproduces the typical exponential and linear features found in the conduction band tail of a-Si:H and other amorphous semiconductors. Through a satisfactory fitting to experimental a-Si:H DOS data in the literature, model parameters are semiquantitatively determined. Unlike previous analytical and computational efforts, this large-scale model is physically unambiguous, computationally tractable, and satisfactorily accurate. The large-scale modeling capability allows reliable insights into the geometric features of localized and extended states, which are visualized in a nonschematic manner. This further leads to reinvestigations of several established concepts and conclusions. First, calculations in this paper challenge the description that the wave function envelope of a localized state decays away from its center in an exponential manner and that the spread of this exponential decay varies with energy in a power-law manner. Second, impurity states and/or extended states are critical to enable band tail hopping. Third, low-energy states are spatially included inside high-energy states, so the existing concept of average spatial separation of localized states is meaningless. Fourth, the mobility edge obtained from conductivity activation energy measurements turns out to be higher than the actual critical energy Ect that demarcates extended states from localized states; this judgment is supported by the electron mobility-energy relation that is inferred from the geometry of states, which validates a continuous increase of energy-specific mobility as electron energy increases from Ect.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Production of true para-muonium in linearly polarized photon fusions
Authors: Dai Jian-Ping , Zhao Shuai
Published: March 2024

True muonium (TM)—the bound state of μ+μ−—has not been discovered yet. It was demonstrated that searching for TM via γγ fusions in heavy ion collisions is feasible due to the enhancement of the atom number. We study the production of the true para-muonium (pTM) in the collisions of linearly polarized photons in the experiments of heavy-ion collisions, calculate the production rate as well as the transverse spectrum of pTM, and explore the discovery potential in nuclear experiments. Our results show that there is a significant correlation between the linearly polarized photon distribution and the transverse momentum distribution of pTM. The optimal kinematic region of the generated pTM is identified, which can provide a theoretical guide to the detection of pTM in experiments.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Universal IR holography, scalar fluctuations, and glueball spectra
Authors: Anabalón Andrés , Nastase Horatiu
Published: March 2024

We show that the d’Alembertian operator with a possible mass term in the anti–de Sitter (AdS) soliton and more general confining gravity dual backgrounds admits infinitely many different spectra. These can be interpreted as different theories in the infrared and correspond to multitrace deformations of either the Dirichlet or the Neumann theory. We prove that all these fluctuations are normalizable and provide examples of their spectra. Therefore, the AdS soliton can be interpreted as giving a holographic Renormalization Group flow between a universal UV theory at the AdS boundary and these infinitely many possibilities in the IR, obtained by deformations. The massive spectrum of the double trace deformation in AdS5 allows the matching of the large-N glueball masses of lattice QCD3; the ratio of the ground states of the 2++ and 0++ channels are in full agreement with the lattice prediction. When considering AdS7 and the four-dimensional pure glue theory, a remarkably general picture emerges, where we can write formulas for the fluctuations that are in agreement with ones from holographic high-energy scattering and from AdS/CFT with IR and UV cutoff. We point out that this log branch in the IR in D dimensions can be seen as the usual logarithmic branch of scalar fields saturating the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound in a conformally rescaled metric, with AdSD−1×S1 asymptotics.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Excitations of bubbling geometries for line defects
Authors: Hatsuda Yasuyuki , Okazaki Tadashi
Published: March 2024

The half-Bogomolny-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) Wilson line operators in the irreducible representations labeled by the Young diagrams for N=4 U(N) super Yang-Mills theory have gravity dual descriptions. When the number k of boxes of the diagram grows as k∼N2, the bubbling geometries emerge. We evaluate the spectra of quantum fluctuations on the particular bubbling geometry involving the largest degeneracy from the large N and large k limit of the supersymmetric indices decorated by the Wilson lines. The spectra of excitations over multiparticle

1

/

8

- and 1/2-BPS states agree with the numbers of conjugacy classes of general linear group over finite fields while degeneracies of single particle BPS states are given by the general necklace polynomial. The bubbling geometry exhibits a new class of asymptotic degeneracy of states.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Localized source above a time-modulated dielectric half-space: Green's function theory
Authors: Kreiczer Michael , Steinberg Ben Z. , Hadad Yakir
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we explore the two-dimensional Green's function problem above an instantaneous time-modulated dielectric half-space. In particular, we focus on studying the excitation dynamic with modulation that is carried out near the critical angle and the total internal reflection regime, where an impinging spectrum of waves expects the so-called lateral wave excitation on the interface. We start by analyzing the reflection of a plane wave, with detailed attention given to the difference between two cases: a slow quasistatic modulation versus a relatively fast modulation that leads to substantial excitation of intermodulation frequencies. Next, we provide a space-time representation to the space-domain Green's function, and later, we move to evaluate the spectral integral both in a brute-force numerically exact manner and using integration along the steepest descent path and the branch cuts, which unravel the distinction between different wave phenomena associated with the excitation problem. Thus, we identify different wave species that can be associated with reflected rays and waves that resemble the known head wave in the classical problem of stationary stratified media. We examine the unique time-dependent behavior of each wave species that arises as a consequence of the interface between the time-harmonics of the reflected space-time plane wave spectrum. Lastly, we demonstrate the broader validity of our analytical predictions, also in the case of a dispersive and finite time-modulated medium. To that end, we use a full-wave simulation of a source above a finite time-modulated thick layer that is implemented using a time-varying wire medium. These full-wave results are compared with our current analytical model with effective (homogenized) parameters of the time-modulated wire medium taken from .

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Absorbing state phase transition with Clifford circuits
Authors: Makki Nastasia , Lang Nicolai , Büchler Hans Peter
Published: March 2024

The role of quantum fluctuations in modifying the critical behavior of nonequilibrium phase transitions is a fundamental but unsolved question. In this study, we examine the absorbing state phase transition of a 1D chain of qubits undergoing a contact process that involves both coherent and classical dynamics. We adopt a discrete-time quantum model with states that can be described in the stabilizer formalism, and therefore allows for an efficient simulation of large system sizes. The extracted critical exponents indicate that the absorbing state phase transition of this Clifford circuit model belongs to the directed percolation universality class. This suggests that the inclusion of quantum fluctuations does not necessarily alter the critical behavior of nonequilibrium phase transitions of purely classical systems. Finally, we extend our analysis to a non-Clifford circuit model, where a tentative scaling analysis in small systems reveals critical exponents that are also consistent with the directed percolation universality class.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Type-II heavy Fermi liquids and the magnetic memory of
4Hb−TaS2
Authors: König Elio J.
Published: March 2024

The interplay of quantum spin liquids with itinerant conduction electrons is of crucial interest for understanding layered structures composed of frustrated magnet and metal monolayers. Using parton-mean-field theory, we demonstrate here that a type-II heavy Fermi liquid, which is characterized by a vortex lattice in the slave boson condensate, can occur in the vicinity of the quantum phase transition separating fractionalized and heavy Fermi liquid phases. The magnetic flux threading each such vortex is about vf/137c times smaller than the magnetic flux threading vortices in type-II superconductors, where vf is the speed of magnetic excitations and c the speed of light. This makes a magnetic observation of this effect challenging. We propose scanning tunneling spectroscopy instead and investigate its signatures. If a type-II heavy Fermi liquid is cooled into a type-II superconductor, vortices in the slave boson condensate and in the superconducting condensate mutually attract. We argue that the type-II heavy Fermi liquid thereby provides a compelling explanation for the magnetic memory observed recently [Persky , ] in thermal cycles of 4Hb−TaS2.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Reconceptualizing the interplay between geopolitical index, green financial assets and renewable energy markets: evidence from the machine learning approach
Authors: Jarboui Anis , Mnif Emna , Zghidi Nahed , Akrout Zied
Published: March 2024

Purpose

In an era marked by heightened geopolitical uncertainties, such as international conflicts and economic instability, the dynamics of energy markets assume paramount importance. Our study delves into this complex backdrop, focusing on the intricate interplay the between traditional and emerging energy sectors.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzes the interconnections among green financial assets, renewable energy markets, the geopolitical risk index and cryptocurrency carbon emissions from December 19, 2017 to February 15, 2023. We investigate these relationships using a novel time-frequency connectedness approach and machine learning methodology.

Findings

Our findings reveal that green energy stocks, except the PBW, exhibit the highest net transmission of volatility, followed by COAL. In contrast, CARBON emerges as the primary net recipient of volatility, followed by fuel energy assets. The frequency decomposition results also indicate that the long-term components serve as the primary source of directional volatility spillover, suggesting that volatility transmission among green stocks and energy assets tends to occur over a more extended period. The SHapley additive exPlanations (SHAP) results show that the green and fuel energy markets are negatively connected with geopolitical risks (GPRs). The results obtained through the SHAP analysis confirm the novel time-varying parameter vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) frequency connectedness findings. The CARBON and PBW markets consistently experience spillover shocks from other markets in short and long-term horizons. The role of crude oil as a receiver or transmitter of shocks varies over time.

Originality/value

Green financial assets and clean energy play significant roles in the financial markets and reduce geopolitical risk. Our study employs a time-frequency connectedness approach to assess the interconnections among four markets' families: fuel, renewable energy, green stocks and carbon markets. We utilize the novel TVP-VAR approach, which allows for flexibility and enables us to measure net pairwise connectedness in both short and long-term horizons.
The role of perceived value in football club branding: a developing league perspective
Authors: Amu Prince Yao , Narteh Bedman , Kodua Prince
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify which dimensions of perceived value best mediate football club branding and fan loyalty from a developing league perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a cross-sectional design, we collected data using questionnaires from football fans in Ghana (N = 700). The data were analysed using SmartPLS V3, applying structural equation modelling with bootstrapping procedure.

Findings

The results indicate that club branding is an effective precursor of fan loyalty. Moreover, the findings suggest that functional, social and emotional values mediated club branding and fan loyalty, whereas epistemic and economic values did not.

Originality/value

This study contributes to sports management literature by identifying the dimensions of perceived value that will be relevant in the development of club brands in the developing league context.
Accent modification and workplace accentism: the institutionalization of linguistic profiling and its career implications
Authors: Ramjattan Vijay A.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This paper argues that accent modification acts as a mechanism that (re)produces workplace accentism, which is a set of ideologies and practices positioning some English accents as inherently superior/inferior to others in the context of work and careers.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper draws on existing literature mainly from critical sociolinguistic and labor studies to support its central argument.

Findings

Through acting as a skill, a technology and a commodified service, accent modification naturalizes linguistic hierarchies, which are racist, classist and colonial constructions, and reinforces the structural status quo in different contexts.

Practical implications

In order to move away from accent modification as a means to enhance oral communication at work, organizational attempts at fostering mutual intelligibility and undoing the role of accent in workplace communication are necessary.

Originality/value

Contrary to research that presents accentism as a purely interpersonal issue, the paper explores how accentism is institutionalized and is connected to linguistic profiling.
Vicarious learning and graduates' adaptive career behaviours: the case of graduates on clinical internships
Authors: Ehiobuche Christian
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The effect of vicarious learning during clinical or medical internships on graduates' adaptive career behaviours has attracted scant attention from healthcare researchers, particularly, in the developing world context. Drawing upon the social cognitive career theory model of career self-management (SCCT-CSM), the current study examines how vicarious learning influences the clinical graduates' adaptive career behaviours (i.e. career exploration and decision-making) via career exploration and decision-making self-efficacy (CEDSE) and career intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 293 nursing graduates undertaking clinical internships in 25 hospitals across Nigeria who willingly participated in this study as they were also assured of confidentiality at two-waves. The proposed hypotheses were tested using a path analysis.

Findings

The findings showed that vicarious learning during clinical internship had a direct effect on career exploration, decision-making and career decision self-efficacy among graduate trainees. Also, the findings revealed that the effects of vicarious learning on the graduates' career exploration and career decision-making were significantly mediated by career decision self-efficacy and career intentions.

Practical implications

The findings of this study have important practical implications for higher education institutions and industries that send and receive clinical graduates for clinical internships to gain more skills. More emphasis should be on encouraging learners to learn vicariously in addition to other forms of learning experiences available during clinical internships.

Originality/value

The study explains that the graduates' higher engagement in clinical career exploration and decision-making was based on a higher level of vicarious learning during internships. The results suggest that higher education institutions and healthcare service providers can derive greater benefits from more emphasis on promoting vicarious learning during clinical internships.
How does goal orientation affect employees’ perception of abusive supervisors?
Authors: Wang Haizhen , Ma Xin , An Ge , Zhang Wenming , Tang Huili
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Goal orientation shapes employees’ approach to and interpretation of workplace aspects such as supervisors’ behavior. However, research has not fully examined the effect of goal orientation as an antecedent of abusive supervision. Drawing from victim precipitation theory, this study aims to fill this research gap by investigating how employees’ goal orientation influences their perception of abusive supervision.

Design/methodology/approach

Two studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. In Study 1, 181 employees in 45 departments participated in the survey, and multilevel confirmatory factor analysis, two-level path model and polynomial regression were used. In Study 2, 108 working adults recruited from a professional online survey platform participated in a two-wave time-lagged survey. Confirmatory factor analysis, hierarchical linear regression and polynomial regression were used.

Findings

This study found that employees’ learning goal orientation was negatively related to their perception of abusive supervision. In contrast, performance-avoidance goal orientation was positively related to their perception of abusive supervision, whereas performance-approach goal orientation was unrelated to this perception. Moreover, employees’ perception of abusive supervision was greater when learning and performance-approach goal orientation alignment occurred at lower rather than higher levels, and when performance-avoidance and performance-approach goal orientation alignment occurred at higher rather than lower levels.

Originality/value

This research identified two novel victim traits as antecedents of abusive supervision – employees’ learning goal orientation and performance-avoidance goal orientation. Furthermore, adopting a multiple goal perspective, the authors examined the combined effects of goal orientation on employees’ perception of abusive supervision.
Occupational health and safety management: managers’ organizational conditions and effect on employee well-being
Authors: Lundqvist Daniel , Reineholm Cathrine , Ståhl Christian , Hellgren Mattias
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Knowledge regarding the importance of the psychosocial work environment for health and well-being in the workplace is extensive. However, more knowledge is needed about how the managers’ organizational conditions are related to what occupational health and safety management (OHSM) is actually conducted and how this relates to the work-related health of employees. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate if managers’ organizational conditions are associated with the conducted OHSM, and if the conducted OHSM is associated with the psychosocial work environment and well-being of the employees.

Design/methodology/approach

An electronic questionnaire was sent to managers and their employees working in 10 different organizations in Sweden, resulting in 1,097 valid responses. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the results.

Findings

The SEM analysis showed that managers’ conditions were related to employee well-being via OHSM and psychosocial work environment (job demands and job resources).

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature in the field of OHSM by placing explicit focus on the role of organizational conditions for conducting OHSM. By studying not only the link between work environment and health, but also focus on the underlying organizational structures for OHSM, provides additional possibilities for prevention of the increasing work-related illness. As such, this paper contributes to a more holistic perspective in the field of OHSM.
Capital market effects of integrated reporting quality: evidence from South African context
Authors: Boujelben Nawar , Hadriche Manal , Makni Fourati Yosra
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the interplay between integrated reporting quality (IRQ) and capital markets. More specifically, the authors test the impact of IRQ on stock liquidity, cost of capital and analyst forecast accuracy.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consists of listed firms on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa, covering the period from 2012 to 2020. The IRQ measure used in this study is based on data from Ernst and Young. To test the proposed hypotheses, the authors conducted a generalized least squares regression analysis.

Findings

The empirical results evince a positive relationship between IRQ and stock liquidity. However, the authors did not find a significant effect of IRQ on the cost of capital and financial analysts’ forecast accuracy. In robustness tests, it was shown that firms with a higher IRQ score exhibit higher liquidity and improved analyst forecast accuracy. Additional analysis indicates a negative association between IRQ and the cost of capital, as well as a positive association between IRQ and financial analyst forecast accuracy for firms with higher IRQ scores (TOP ten, Excellent, Good).

Originality/value

The study stands as one of the initial endeavors to investigate the impact of IRQ on the capital market. It provides valuable insights for managers and policymakers who are interested in enhancing disclosure practices within the financial market. Furthermore, these findings are significant for investors as they make informed investment decisions.
A simulation-based performance evaluation model for decision support on drone location and delivery scheduling
Authors: Ghelichi Zabih , Gentili Monica , Mirchandani Pitu
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a simulation-based performance evaluation model for the drone-based delivery of aid items to disaster-affected areas. The objective of the model is to perform analytical studies, evaluate the performance of drone delivery systems for humanitarian logistics and can support the decision-making on the operational design of the system – on where to locate drone take-off points and on assignment and scheduling of delivery tasks to drones.

Design/methodology/approach

This simulation model captures the dynamics and variabilities of the drone-based delivery system, including demand rates, location of demand points, time-dependent parameters and possible failures of drones’ operations. An optimization model integrated with the simulation system can update the optimality of drones’ schedules and delivery assignments.

Findings

An extensive set of experiments was performed to evaluate alternative strategies to demonstrate the effectiveness for the proposed optimization/simulation system. In the first set of experiments, the authors use the simulation-based evaluation tool for a case study for Central Florida. The goal of this set of experiments is to show how the proposed system can be used for decision-making and decision-support. The second set of experiments presents a series of numerical studies for a set of randomly generated instances.

Originality/value

The goal is to develop a simulation system that can allow one to evaluate performance of drone-based delivery systems, accounting for the uncertainties through simulations of real-life drone delivery flights. The proposed simulation model captures the variations in different system parameters, including interval of updating the system after receiving new information, demand parameters: the demand rate and their spatial distribution (i.e. their locations), service time parameters: travel times, setup and loading times, payload drop-off times and repair times and drone energy level: battery’s energy is impacted and requires battery change/recharging while flying.
Predicting Generation Z consumers’ food waste reduction behavior through social media marketing activities: a mediated model
Authors: Attiq Saman , Mumtaz Sumia , Abbasi Amir Zaib , Bashir Shahid
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The present study aims to examine the impact of social media marketing activities (SMMAs) on the adoption of food waste reduction behavior among Generation Z consumers within the restaurant service industry in Pakistan. The study focuses on the impact of social media advertisements and investigates the mediating influence of waste reduction intentions on actual behavior. This underscores the significance of contextual and emotional variables in comprehending consumer behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a cross-sectional research methodology to examine the impact of SMMAs on the behavior of Generation Z consumers in Pakistan’s food service industry with regard to reducing food waste. A study was conducted to investigate the restaurant purchasing behaviors of a sample consisting of 449 individuals belonging to the millennial generation, often known as Generation Z.

Findings

The majority of variables related to SMMA, except for interactivity and personalization, were shown to have a positive impact on individuals’ intents to reduce food waste. The study observed a significant relationship between consumers’ intentions to decrease waste and their actual behavior in waste reduction. Furthermore, this relationship was shown to be influenced by the mediating role of waste reduction intention.

Originality/value

Examining how social media affects Pakistani Generation Z’s efforts to reduce food waste is what makes this study distinctive. According to the research, the majority of social media factors positively influence intentions to reduce waste. The relationship between intentions and actual behavior, which highlights the impact of social media campaigns and emotional aspects in promoting waste reduction, is one of the important conclusions.
Clarifying the definition of common mycorrhizal networks
Authors: Rillig Matthias C. , Lehmann Anika , Lanfranco Luisa , Caruso Tancredi , Johnson David
Published: March 2024

Common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) are an enigmatic feature of soil and mycorrhizal ecology. The current use of the term ‘common mycorrhizal network’ stipulates a direct, continuous physical link between plants formed by the mycelium of mycorrhizal fungal genets. This means that a specific case (involving hyphal continuity) is used to define a much broader phenomenon of hyphae interlinking among roots of different plants.

We here embrace a more inclusive definition of the CMN as a network formed by mycorrhizal fungal genets among roots of different plants, irrespective of the type of connection or interaction, and not limited to direct hyphal linkages. Implicitly, this broader version of the term has been used by many researchers already.

We propose using the term ‘common mycorrhizal networks with hyphal continuity’ (CMN‐HC) to capture the more specific case of a continuous link via hyphae between the roots of different plants, which is important to study for some (notable carbon and nutrient exchange), but not all functions of a CMN (e.g. transfer of infochemicals or microbes).

In addition, and becoming more general than CMN, we introduce the term ‘common fungal network’ (CFN) to include networks of any type of connection formed between different plants by any type of fungus; this includes also non‐mycorrhizal fungi, and indeed a combination of non‐mycorrhizal and mycorrhizal networks.

We assert that this new conceptual framework incorporating three hierarchical terms (CMN‐HC, CMN and CFN), ranging from the most specific to the very broad, can usher in a period of new research activity on fungal networks.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Effect of aspirin on cardiovascular events in patients undergoing hemodialysis with hyperphosphatemia: A post hoc analysis of the LANDMARK trial
Authors: Kato Masanori , Ito Hidetoshi , Yamakawa Akane , Kagimura Tatsuo , Fukagawa Masafumi , Yamamoto Masahiro , Saito Yoshinori , Akizawa Tadao , Ogata Hiroaki
Published: March 2024

Introduction

The clinical benefits of aspirin in patients undergoing hemodialysis remain unclear.

Methods

The secondary analysis of the LANDMARK trial investigated whether aspirin use was associated with cardiovascular events (CVEs) and all‐cause mortality was performed. A total of 2135 patients at risk for vascular calcification were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model with propensity score matching.

Results

The risk of CVEs was comparable between participants with aspirin use at baseline and those without at baseline, between participants with aspirin use during the study period and those without during the study period, and between participants with new aspirin prescription and those without aspirin use during the study period.

Conclusion

Aspirin use was not significantly associated with a lower risk of CVEs in participants undergoing hemodialysis patients at risk of vascular calcification.