bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge diffusion of halal food research: a main path analysis
Authors: Rejeb Abderahman , Rejeb Karim , Zailani Suhaiza , Kayikci Yasanur
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Halal food (HF) has received significant attention from scholars and practitioners. However, no studies have explored the distinct role played by HF literature as part of knowledge diffusion. Given the increasing number of scholarly outputs, this study aims to examine the HF development over the past decades comprehensively, including emerging topics and knowledge transmission paths and structure.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducted a keyword co-occurrence network analysis and main path analysis (MPA). The MPA included four types of main paths to trace the historical formation of HF based on 253 articles extracted from the Web of Science database.

Findings

The findings show that: HF research revolves around several dimensions, including HF safety and trust, halal certification, HF supply chain management and attitudes towards HF purchasing, and the focus of HF research has shifted from the business perspective to the consumer perspective. In recent years, there has been a trend to explore how blockchains can benefit HF supply chains by improving traceability, transparency and consumer trust in HF.

Originality/value

This study addresses the need to examine the knowledge diffusion paths in the HF domain. This study offers a framework to investigate the knowledge dissemination and structure, helping researchers deal with hundreds of articles effectively and increasing their understanding of the past, present and future research trends in the HF domain.
Mental health, art and creativity: re-discover the child within
Authors: Niklasson Mats
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to investigate, using a “dipole model” of the brain as the foundation, if there could be a common denominator between the different concepts of mental health, art and creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

After a discussion of the three concepts of mental health, art and creativity, respectively, they were elaborated and compared in contrast to Bergström’s “dipole model” of the brain with the aim to look for a common denominator.

Findings

The findings tentatively suggest that playfulness over the lifespan might be a common denominator for the gaining and keeping of mental health.

Research limitations/implications

The author presents his personal perspective on these topics. There are many contrasting ways to view them.

Practical implications

A recognition of the importance of lifelong playing might contribute to improved mental health.

Social implications

Allowing a more playful behaviour through the lifespan could have a healthy impact for a society.

Originality/value

This conceptual paper might possibly add to the present literature through its emphasis on the importance of lifelong playfulness, which is suggested to be added within the frames of the concepts of mental health, art and creativity.
Entrepreneurial vision and Brazil’s system of higher education assessment
Authors: Almeida Mariza , Plonski Guilherme Ary , Axel-berg Justin , Baeta Adelaide , Terra Branca , Simões Bruno , Etzkowitz Henry
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a performance measurement system to evaluate the key aspects of entrepreneurial activities in Brazilian universities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was developed in two phases. Both phases consisted of a survey sent to Brazilian universities (public, private and not-for-profit) whose technology transfer offices (TTO) had contributed to the annual report by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI, 2015), which evaluates the implementation of the Innovation Law. Multiple correspondence analysis was used to analyze the answers.

Findings

A set of 13 indicators and 13 characteristics of the organizational structure of the institutions was identified for the purpose of evaluating the level of development of the entrepreneurship activities.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this study relates to the low quality of the survey responses. It was not possible to qualitatively validate all the selected indicators. This is because universities are still not internally organized, because the higher authorities do not enforce the collection and treatment of data based on the existing legislation.

Originality/value

The results of this study, with the definition of indicators, can be used to inform public policy for the stimulation of entrepreneurship in other countries and regions.
COVID-19 and “ageing well” for the older migrants and refugees in rural Australia: the case of Bhutanese elders in Albury, New South Wales
Authors: Georgeou Nichole , Schismenos Spyros , Wali Nidhi , Mackay Karin , Moraitakis Elfa
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to highlight the challenges and opportunities for the well-being of older migrants and refugees in rural Australia by learning from the example of the Bhutanese community in Albury, New South Wales.

Design/methodology/approach

This viewpoint focusses on health and aged care barriers that affect the well-being of older migrants and refugees in Australia. It also demonstrates how these can be intensified due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

Engagement though agriculture, and a sense of “belonging” strengthen the cultural well-being of the Bhutanese older adults in Albury. However, major issues remain as health-related resources and information are lacking in rural Australia. How this group’s meaningful activities in Albury enabled collaborations to be built is shown in this working example and can provide lessons for other communities that experience similar problems of disconnection as they get older.

Research limitations/implications

The information regarding the Bhutanese older adults in Albury is primarily based on the authors’ personal communication with the General Secretary of the Bhutanese Australian Community Support Group in Albury Wodonga Inc.

Originality/value

Australia’s older population is growing rapidly, and older adults from culturally and linguistically diverse migrant and refugee backgrounds face numerous barriers such as limited linguistic, health and digital literacy. The authors describe common health and aged care issues that affect the well-being of older adults in rural Australia. They particularly emphasize those that occurred or intensified due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This novel information is now especially relevant to the health and aged care sectors in changing and diverse communities not only in Australia but also overseas.
Mobilising the walking-with technique to explore mundane consumption practices: practical and theoretical reflections
Authors: Mak Connie K.Y. , Lai Ai-Ling , Tsaousi Christiana , Davies Andrea
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Consumer studies drawing on interpretative approaches have tended to rely on sedentary interviews, which the authors argue are ill-equipped to capture the embodied, tacit and pre-reflexive knowledge that conditions routinized practices. This paper aims to provide practical and theoretical framing of the walking-with technique, in particular, with reference to practice theories. Specifically, this paper draws on Bourdieu’s concept of the “habitus” to illustrate the “workings” of the habituated body in performing routine consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper used the walking-with technique to elicit “mobile stories” with senior executives in Hong Kong. This paper explored how walking to and from work/lunch/dinner can open up culturally and historically embodied narratives that reflect evolving consumption practices throughout participants’ professional trajectories.

Findings

This paper demonstrates the uses of the walking-with technique by illustrating how embodied narratives foreground the pre-reflexive practices of mundane consumption. This paper illustrates how walking as a “mobile mundane practice” can expand a researcher’s horizon of understanding, enabling them to “fall into the routines of participants’ life”, “get into grips with participant’s temporal (time travel portal) and cultural conditioning” and “co-experience and empathise with participants through bodily knowing”. The authors argue that walking-with necessarily implies an inter-subjective sharing of intermundane space between the researchers and the participants. Such a method is therefore conducive to engendering co-created embodied understanding-in-practice, which the authors argue is accomplished when there is a fusion-of-habituses. Future applications in other consumer contexts are also discussed.

Practical implications

The walking-with technique embeds data collection in the day-to-day routes taken by participants. This does not only ease the accessibility issue but also render real-life settings relevant to participants’ daily life.

Originality/value

Despite receiving growing attention in social science studies, the walking-with technique is under-used in consumer research. This paper calls for the need to mobilise walking-with as a method to uncover practical and theoretical consumer insights in a way that allows for embodied and performative knowledge (know-how) to emerge.
Academics and policymakers at odds: the case of the IFRS Foundation Trustees’ consultation paper on sustainability reporting
Authors: Adams Carol A. , Mueller Frank
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the nature of academic engagement with policy and the (lack of) responsiveness by policymakers to the scientific community through the development of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation Trustees’ Consultation Paper on Sustainability Reporting (IFRS Foundation, 2020).

Design/methodology/approach

The 577 submissions to the IFRS Foundation consultation were reviewed, and 39 were identified as being submitted by academics. These 39 included collectively 104 academic signatories from 74 organisations or networks and 20 countries. They were analysed using NVivo. Drawing on the literature on techniques used to discredit or credit arguments, we examine the academic responses to the consultation questions, particularly those concerning: the role of the IFRS Foundation; perceptions of the “investor perspective”; the audience for reporting; the definition of materiality; and a climate first approach.

Findings

The majority (72%) of academic submissions were opposed to the IFRS Foundation Trustees’ proposals on key issues. This dissenting majority collectively have substantial research records in sustainability reporting and its outcomes. Those supportive were significantly less likely to reference research or state their credentials and, despite being supportive, nevertheless raised concerns with the proposals.

Practical implications

Senior academics undertaking research in the field have engaged, in unusually high numbers, with a policy development they believe will not work and maybe counter to achieving sustainable development. The findings underscore the importance of highlighting the discrediting strategies and tactics used in this discursive “battle”. The findings have implications for the legitimacy of policymakers on sustainability-related initiatives which are not engaging with the relevant scientific community.

Social implications

Policy initiatives that are judged as potentially harmful to sustainable development attract more intense, activist and sustained engagement supported by research evidence.

Originality/value

The paper identifies the importance of evidence-based academic engagement and highlights strategies that engaging academics need to persist over. It highlights the collective view of academics in the field on the IFRS Foundation consultation paper.
When talent goes unrecognized: racial discrimination, community recognition, and STEM postdocs’ science identities
Authors: Brockman Amanda J. , Naphan-Kingery Dara E. , Pitt Richard N.
Published: May 2022

Purpose

While science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) postdoctoral scholars often enter their positions with strong science identities, racially marginalized scholars are often not treated as scientists, which can weaken their science identities. This study aims to examine how racial discrimination negatively affects their science identities in STEM and the importance of community recognition in mitigating these effects.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use reflected appraisals and identity theory to theoretically guide this work. The data are based on a survey of 215 postdoctoral scholars in STEM disciplines.

Findings

The authors find that community recognition mediates the negative relationship between perceived discrimination and postdoctoral scholars’ science identities.

Research limitations/implications

The study shows the importance of recognizing the achievements and identities of underrepresented STEM scholars to counteract the chronic and cumulative identity nonverification that leaves talent unrecognized and disrupts scholars’ science identities.

Originality/value

The authors explore the negative impact of discriminatory experiences on the importance individuals place on their identities as scientists and if this can be affected by the degree to which they feel that other scientists recognize them as competent scientists among a group of scholars who have earned the highest of academic degrees, and who are also relatively understudied: postdocs.
Developing Internet of Things-related ISO 10001 Hand Hygiene Privacy Codes in healthcare
Authors: Ortiz María Belén , Karapetrovic Stanislav
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Augmentation of an ISO 10001 code system for healthcare worker (HW) satisfaction with ISO/IEC 27701 and ISO/IEC 29184 privacy-related subsystems is shown. Four specific codes regarding the privacy of HWs using electronic devices for hand hygiene (HH) monitoring and the related activities are presented.

Design/methodology/approach

HWs’ concerns involving automated hand hygiene monitoring technologies were identified through a literature review and classified. Privacy codes (PCs) that deal with such concerns were developed. ISO/IEC 27701 requirements for privacy information were mapped to the elements of these codes, labelled as “Healthcare Workers’ Hand Hygiene Privacy Codes (HW-HH-PCs)”. Both ISO/IEC 27701 and ISO/IEC 29184 guidelines for Privacy Notices and consent were linked with the activities for preparing the code resources.

Findings

Components of an ISO/IEC 27701 system, the guidance of ISO/IEC 29184 and the definitions provided in ISO/IEC 29100 can assist the preparation of HW-HH-PCs and the required resources. An ISO/IEC 29184 Privacy Notice can be used as input for developing an Informed Consent Form, which can be implemented to suit two of the four developed HW-HH-PCs.

Practical implications

HW-HH-PCs and the supporting resources, which healthcare organizations could implement to potentially increase quality assurance of an automated HH monitoring service, are illustrated.

Originality/value

Integrative augmentation of ISO 10001:2018, ISO/IEC 27701:2019 and ISO/IEC 29184:2020 within an underlying framework from ISO/IEC 20000–1:2018 for information technology service, together with the related examples of privacy-related customer satisfaction codes and the corresponding resources, is introduced.
Only one Mayweather: a critique of hope from the hopeful
Authors: Hopkinson Leo
Published: May 2022

Professional boxing offers hope of vast wealth and global mobility for aspiring athletes in Accra, hopes bolstered by the understanding that Ghanaians are particularly suited to boxing's attrition. However, when boxers become active in the global industry, they encounter power relations which locate them as cheap, subordinate labour, and stymie their championship hopes. As boxers build lives through the sport, they reflect critically on the role their hopes of ‘making it big’ play in perpetuating industry inequalities, recognizing what I call the ideological function of hope. Despite this, they remain committed to hopes of dramatic success. Their simultaneous optimism and cynicism complicates contemporary accounts of hope as a strategy of resilience in contexts of profound uncertainty. Building on ethnographic research with Accra boxers, I theorize hoping as a paradoxical experience of critique and optimism in equal measure, to account for the contradictory ways people act when orienting themselves towards better futures.
What's left after right‐wing extremism? The effects on political orientation
Authors: PICKARD HARRY , EFTHYVOULOU GEORGIOS , BOVE VINCENZO
Published: May 2022

Does radical right political violence favour or hinder public support for right‐wing stances? Numerous existing studies have demonstrated that Islamic terrorism provokes a conservative shift, increases nationalism and induces negative sentiments towards immigration. However, little is known about the consequences of far‐right terrorism, despite its incidence in Western societies. We leverage four waves of the British Election Study (BES) and use a quasi‐experimental design to analyse individual political orientations shortly before and after terrorist attacks. We find that respondents distance themselves from the ideology associated with the perpetrator and shift away from ideological positions at the right end of the political spectrum. Furthermore, respondents are less likely to report nationalistic attitudes and immigration skepticism, core tenets of extremist right‐wing political ideologies. Our findings suggest that the characteristics of the perpetrators and their driving goals are crucial factors shaping the impact of terrorism on public sentiments.
Was Sarbanes–Oxley Costly? Evidence from Optimal Contracting on CEO Compensation
Authors: GAYLE GEORGE‐LEVI , LI CHEN , MILLER ROBERT A.
Published: May 2022

This paper investigates the effects of regulatory interventions on contracting relationships within firms by examining the impacts of the Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) Act on CEO compensation. Using panel data of the S&P 1500 firms, it quantifies welfare gains from a principal–agent model with hidden information and hidden actions. It finds that SOX: (1) reduced the conflict of interest between shareholders and their CEOs, mainly by reducing shareholder loss from CEOs deviating from their goal of expected value maximization; (2) increased the cost of agency, or the risk premium CEOs are paid to align their interests with those of shareholders; (3) increased administrative costs in the primary sector (which includes utilities and energy) but the effect in the other two broadly defined sectors, services and consumer goods, was more nuanced; and (4) had no effect on the attitude of CEOs toward risk.
Liquidity in the mortgage market: How does the COVID‐19 crisis compare with the global financial crisis?
Authors: Pence Karen
Published: May 2022

The liquidity strains that contributed to the meltdown of the mortgage market in the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) re‐emerged in the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID‐19) Crisis. Some of these strains were acute. For example, the dependence of mortgage real estate investment trusts (REITs) on short‐term funding amplified market disruption in March 2020. However, other liquidity pressures had only minor repercussions for the overall mortgage market because of reforms since the GFC, a heavy government presence, and strong house prices. The lackluster performance of the private‐label mortgage‐backed securities market provides a glimpse of how the market might have performed in the absence of the heavy government presence.
From little things, big things grow: An exploratory analysis of the national cost of peripheral intravenous catheter insertion in Australian adult emergency care
Authors: Morgan Rachel , Callander Emily , Cullen Louise , Walker Katie , Bumpstead Suzanne , Hawkins Tracey , Kuhn Lisa , Egerton‐Warburton Diana
Published: May 2022

Objective

To estimate the total economic impact of peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) or cannula insertion and use in adult Australian EDs, including those cannulas that remain unused for therapeutic purposes.

Methods

Searches on Australian government websites were conducted to find rates of insertion, complications and cost of cannula; following this, gaps in national data sets were filled with MEDLINE and PubMed searches to estimate the total cost of cannula use in Australian EDs. Once the data were collected, totals were combined to establish an estimated cost for the listed categories.

Results

The estimated cost of cannulation in Australia may be up to A$594 million per year, including the cost of insertion (equipment and staff), cost of complications such as Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia and phlebitis, and patient‐centred costs (lost patient productivity, infiltration, occlusion and dislodgement). Approximately A$305.9 million is attributed to unused cannulas and approximately 11 790 days of clinician time is spent annually inserting cannula that remains idle.

Conclusion

The figures developed in the present study represent an important educational opportunity to encourage thoughtful consideration of all interventions, no matter how small. ED cannula insertion represents a large economic and health cost to Australia's health system, many of which remain unused. There are no national data sets that record complications associated with PIVCs and we highlight the urgent need for improved data.
The 5‐year overall survival and its associated prognostic factors among patients with head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Cheng Ka Yu , Lim Jeren Jin Mun , Tsui Kwan Pok , Chow Tam Lin
Published: May 2022

Aim

The incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in Asians remains low but shows a steady rising trend. There is a lack of reporting of the long‐term outcome in this population. This study aims to evaluate the 5‐year overall survival and its associated prognostic factors among patients with head and neck cSCC.

Patients and Methods

Patients with head and neck cSCC were identified in a regional hospital over 20 years. The 5‐year overall survival was estimated with the Kaplan–Meier curve and its prognostic risk factors were analysed using Cox proportional hazard regression.

Results

A total of 73 patients were identified. The median age was 84. The 5‐year overall survival rate was 40.3%. A higher grade of differentiation (hazard ratio 3.732, 95% confidence interval 1.161–11.991, P = .027) was a significant prognostic factor on both univariate and multivariate analyses.

Conclusion

In this Asian cSCC survival series specific to the head and neck region, which mostly included octogenarians, the 5‐year overall‐survival was low and a poor grade of differentiation was associated with a worse survival. Further studies on the Asian population is warranted.
Bumblebees with the socially transmitted microbiome: A novel model organism for gut microbiota research
Authors: Zhang Zi‐Jing , Zheng Hao
Published: May 2022

Eusocial bumble and honey bees are important pollinators for global ecology and the agricultural economy. Although both the bumble and honey bees possess similar and host‐restricted gut microbiota, they differ in aspects of morphology, autonomy, physiology, behavior, and life cycle. The social bee gut bacteria exhibit host specificity that is likely a result of long‐term co‐evolution. The unique life cycle of bumblebees is key for the acquisition and development of their gut microbiota, and affects the strain‐level diversity of the core bacterial species. Studies on bumblebee gut bacteria show that they retain less functional capacity for carbohydrate metabolism compared with that of the honeybee. We discuss the potential roles of the bumblebee gut microbiota against pathogenic threats and the application of host‐specific probiotics for bumblebees. Given the advantages of the bumblebee microbiome, including the simple structure and host specificity, and the ease of manipulating bumblebee colonies, we propose that bumblebees may provide a valuable system for understanding the general principles of host–microbe interactions, gut–brain axis, and vertical transmission.
The effect of ergosterol on the allogrooming behavior of termites in response to the entomopathogenic fungusMetarhizium anisopliae
Authors: Chen Yong , Zhao Chongwen , Zeng Wenhui , Wu Wenjing , Zhang Shijun , Zhang Dandan , Li Zhiqiang
Published: May 2022

Termites have physiological and behavioral immunities that make them highly resistant to pathogen infections, which complicates biocontrol efforts. However, the stimuli that trigger the pathogen‐avoidance behaviors of termites are still unclear. Our study shows that workers ofCoptotermes formosanusexposed to the conidia ofMetarhizium anisopliaeexhibited a significantly higher frequency and longer duration of allogrooming behaviors compared with untreated termites. Volatile compounds in the cuticle of control termites and termites previously exposed to a suspension ofM. anisopliaeconidia were analyzed and compared using a gas chromatography‐mass spectrometer (GC‐MS). Our results showed that the amount of ergosterol differed between the fungus‐exposed and control termites. Choice tests showed that termites significantly preferred to stay on filter paper treated with ergosterol (0.05, 0.1, or 1.0 mg/mL) compared with control filter paper. In addition, termites exposed to ergosterol followed byM. anisopliaeconidia were allogroomed at a significantly higher frequency and for a longer duration than termites exposed to alcohol (the solvent used with the ergosterol in the ergosterol trials) alone followed byM. anisopliaeconidia. These results showed that ergosterol may enhance the allogrooming behavior of termites in the presence of entomopathogenic fungi.
Exploiting China's Rise: Syria's Strategic Narrative and China's Participation in Middle Eastern Politics
Authors: Ghiselli Andrea , Alsudairi Mohammed
Published: May 2022

China's rise has fuelled much speculation about its potential involvement in regional crises across the world, and especially in the Middle East. In this debate, the agency of local actors is often ignored, and China is described as actively pursuing a long‐term strategy to expand its influence at the expense of the United States. Taking the Syrian civil war as a case study, this study challenges, if not wholly overturns, this mainstream analysis. Through the comparative juxtaposition of Syrian official discourse and Chinese actions, it finds that the Syrian state articulates a strategic narrative which significantly overstates its relationship with China for domestic and foreign policy reasons. This narrative, which depicts China as a supporter of an anti‐American regional coalition that also includes Iran and its allies, has been picked up by Western observers, thereby creating a distorted image of China's level of engagement in Syria and the region more broadly. Accordingly, this paper also prompts important considerations about the dynamics of China's presence with the Middle East and how scholars should study it.
A randomized phase II study of docetaxel or pemetrexed with or without the continuation of gefitinib after disease progression in elderly patients with non‐small cell lung cancer harboring EGFR mutations (JMTO LC12‐01)
Authors: Asami Kazuhiro , Ando Masahiko , Nishimura Takashi , Yokoi Takashi , Tamura Atsuhisa , Minato Koichi , Mori Masahide , Ogushi Fumitaka , Yamamoto Akiyoshi , Yoshioka Hiroshige , Kawahara Masaaki , Atagi Shinji
Published: May 2022

Background

Gefitinib (G) is a recommended molecular‐targeted agent for elderly patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐mutant non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Docetaxel (Doc) and pemetrexed (Pem) have similar efficacies, and either is often used as the sole agent during treatment. The efficacy of continuing G after progressive disease (PD) develops has been reported. It remains unclear whether the continuation of G in combination with a single cytotoxic agent beyond PD is beneficial for elderly patients. Here, we conducted a randomized phase II study to assess the efficacy and safety of cytotoxic chemotherapy with G for elderly patients with progressive EGFR‐mutant NSCLC.

Methods

Elderly patients with EGFR‐mutant NSCLC with PD previously treated with G were enrolled. Patients received Pem 500 mg/m or Doc 60 mg/m every 21 days and were randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy with 250 mg G (G+ Doc/Pem arm) or without G (Doc/Pem arm) until further disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Results

This trial was terminated early owing to slow accrual. A group of 22 patients underwent analysis. The primary endpoint, progression‐free survival (PFS), was significantly longer in the G + Doc/Pem arm (median: 1.6 months vs. 5.6 months, hazard ratio = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.16–0.99, p = 0.0391). Adverse events ≥ grade 3 were more frequent in the G + Doc/Pem arm (45.5% vs. 90.9%, p = 0.032).

Conclusions

Patients on G and Pem or Doc beyond PD showed a longer PFS than those on single‐agent chemotherapy; however, it was associated with increased toxicity.
PRKCB is relevant to prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma through methylation and immune infiltration
Authors: Wang Jinjie , Shi Muqi , Zhang Haijian , Zhou Hao , Huang Zhanghao , Zhou Youlang , Shi Jiahai
Published: May 2022

Background

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the tumor‐related diseases with high morbidity worldwide. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation changes may involve in tumorigenesis. This study aimed to explore new biomarkers that have prognostic significance of LUAD.

Methods

First, we downloaded the gene expression and methylation data set from Gene Expression Omnibus. R software was then used to identify abnormally methylated differentially expressed genes (MDEGs). Next, R package Cluster Profiler was used to analyze the enrichment and pathway of the MDEGs. Analysis using STRING revealed the protein–protein interaction network. The result was then visualized by Cytoscape and obtained 10 hub genes. Afterward, they were further verified by The Cancer Genome Atlas to select candidate genes. Moreover, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to verify the expression and prognostic value of candidate genes in LUAD patients.

Results

The results showed that the expressions of ADCY5 and PRKCB are indeed related to LUAD. The clinical relevance to PRKCB was confirmed by its clinical correlation analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and tumor immune estimation resource (TIMER) tumor immune correlations showed that PRKCB is involved in the cancer‐related Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway and is involved in immune infiltration. It was also verified by qRT‐PCR and immunohistochemistry that PRKCB was lowly expressed in LUAD patients and correlated with prognosis.

Conclusions

PRKCB is relevant to prognosis of LUAD through methylation and immune infiltration.
The Role of Corporate Sustainability and Its Consistency on Firm Financial Performance: Canadian Evidence*
Authors: Abukari Kobana , Musah Alhassan , Assaidi Abdelouahid
Published: May 2022

This paper investigates the impact of corporate sustainability and the consistency of corporate sustainability efforts on firm financial performance in Canada. Using data on 266 Canadian companies over the 2007–2017 period, we find a significantly positive association between corporate sustainability performance and firm financial performance. In addition, we find that companies that perform consistently well on sustainability (i.e., consistent performers) achieve better financial performance compared to inconsistent performers. Thus, far from their being net costs/expenses, our results indicate that corporate sustainability performance and consistency in sustainability performance both provide net benefits and significantly impact financial performance positively, implying that corporate sustainability not only helps address the needs of the current and future generations but also has a positive effect on the corporate bottom line. Taken together, our results suggest that not only does corporate sustainability have a positive effect on firm performance, but better financial performance may be achieved through a committed—rather than a “tokenism”—approach to corporate sustainability.
Alzheimer’s disease associated AKAP9 I2558M mutation alters posttranslational modification and interactome of tau and cellular functions in CRISPR‐edited human neuronal cells
Authors: You Yang , Hersh Samuel W. , Aslebagh Roshanak , Shaffer Scott A. , Ikezu Seiko , Mez Jesse , Lunetta Kathryn L. , Logue Mark W. , Farrer Lindsay A. , Ikezu Tsuneya
Published: May 2022

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a pervasive neurodegeneration disease with high heritability. In this study, we employed CRISPR‐Cas9‐engineered technology to investigate the effects of a rare mutation (rs144662445) in the A kinase anchoring protein 9 (AKAP9) gene, which is associated with AD in African Americans (AA), on tau pathology and the tau interactome in SH‐SY5Y P301L neuron‐like cells. The mutation significantly increased the level of phosphorylated tau, specifically at the site Ser396/Ser404. Moreover, analyses of the tau interactome measured by affinity purification‐mass spectrometry revealed that differentially expressed tau‐interacting proteins in AKAP9 mutant cells were associated with RNA translation, RNA localization and oxidative activity, recapitulating the tau interactome signature previously reported with human AD brain samples. Importantly, these results were further validated by functional studies showing a significant reduction in protein synthesis activity and excessive oxidative stress in AKAP9 mutant compared with wild type cells in a tau‐dependent manner, which are mirrored with pathological phenotype frequently seen in AD. Our results demonstrated specific effects of rs14462445 on mis‐processing of tau and suggest a potential role of AKAP9 in AD pathogenesis.
High‐resolution diffusion tensor imaging identifies hippocampal volume loss without diffusion changes in individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure
Authors: Solar Kevin Grant , Treit Sarah , Beaulieu Christian
Published: May 2022

Background

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) commonly report reduced hippocampal volumes, which animal models suggest may result from microstructural changes that include cell loss and altered myelination. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive to microstructural changes but has not yet been used to study the hippocampus in PAE.

Methods

Thirty‐six healthy controls (19 females; 8 to 24 years) and 19 participants with PAE (8 females; 8 to 23 years) underwent high‐resolution (1 mm isotropic) DTI, anatomical T1‐weighted imaging, and cognitive testing. Whole‐hippocampus, head, body, and tail subregions were manually segmented to yield DTI metrics (mean, axial, and radial diffusivities—MD, AD, and RD; fractional anisotropy—FA), volumes, and qualitative assessments of hippocampal morphology and digitations. Automated segmentation of T1‐weighted images was used to corroborate manual whole‐hippocampus volumes.

Results

Gross morphology and digitation counts were similar in both groups. Whole‐hippocampus volumes were 18% smaller in the PAE than the control group on manually traced diffusion images, but automated T1‐weighted image segmentations were not significantly different. Subregion segmentation on DTI revealed reduced volumes of the body and tail, but not the head. There were no significant differences in diffusion metrics between groups for any hippocampal region. Correlations between age and volume were not significant in either group, whereas negative correlations between age and whole‐hippocampus MD/AD/RD, and head/body (but not tail) MD/AD/RD were significant in both groups. There were no significant effects of sex, group by age, or group by sex for any hippocampal metric. In controls, seven positive linear correlations were found between hippocampal volume and cognition; five of these were left lateralized and included episodic and working memory, and two were right lateralized and included working memory and processing speed. In PAE, left tail MD positively correlated with executive functioning, and right head MD negatively correlated with episodic memory.

Conclusions

Reductions of hippocampal volumes and altered relationships with memory suggest disrupted hippocampal development in PAE.
Comprehending the allergen repertoire of shrimp for precision molecular diagnosis of shrimp allergy
Authors: Wai Christine Y. Y. , Leung Nicki Y. H. , Leung Agnes S. Y. , Ngai Sai Ming , Pacharn Punchama , Yau Yat Sun , Rosa Duque Jaime Sou Da , Kwan Mike Y. W. , Jirapongsananuruk Orathai , Chan Wai Hung , Chua Gilbert T. , Lee Qun Ui , Piboonpocanun Surapon , Ho Po Ki , Wong Joshua S. C. , Li Shanshan , Xu Kary J. Y. , Wong Gary W. K. , Chu Ka Hou , Leung Patrick S. C. , Vichyanond Pakit , Leung Ting Fan
Published: May 2022

Background

Clinical management of shrimp allergy is hampered by the lack of accurate tests. Molecular diagnosis has been shown to more accurately reflect the clinical reactivity but the full spectrum of shrimp allergens and their clinical relevance are yet to be established. We therefore sought to comprehend the allergen repertoire of shrimp, investigate and compare the sensitization pattern and diagnostic value of the allergens in allergic subjects of two distinct populations.

Methods

Sera were collected from 85 subjects with challenge‐proven or doctor‐diagnosed shrimp allergy in Hong Kong and Thailand. The IgE‐binding proteins of Penaeus monodon were probed by Western blotting and identified by mass spectrometry. Recombinant shrimp allergens were synthesized and analyzed for IgE sensitization by ELISA.

Results

Ten IgE‐binding proteins were identified, and a comprehensive panel of 11 recombinant shrimp allergens was generated. The major shrimp allergens among Hong Kong subjects were troponin C (Pen m 6) and glycogen phosphorylase (Pen m 14, 47.1%), tropomyosin (Pen m 1, 41.2%) and sarcoplasmic‐calcium binding protein (Pen m 4, 35.3%), while those among Thai subjects were Pen m 1 (68.8%), Pen m 6 (50.0%) and fatty acid‐binding protein (Pen m 13, 37.5%). Component‐based tests yielded significantly higher area under curve values (0.77–0.96) than shrimp extract‐IgE test (0.70–0.75). Yet the best component test differed between populations; Pen m 1‐IgE test added diagnostic value only in the Thai cohort, whereas sensitizations to other components were better predictors of shrimp allergy in Hong Kong patients.

Conclusion

Pen m 14 was identified as a novel shrimp allergen predictive of challenge outcome. Molecular diagnosis better predicts shrimp allergy than conventional tests, but the relevant component is population dependent.
Transcriptomic fingerprint of bacterial infection in lower extremity ulcers
Authors: Fritz Blaine G. , Kirkegaard Julius B. , Nielsen Claus Henrik , Kirketerp‐Møller Klaus , Malone Matthew , Bjarnsholt Thomas
Published: May 2022

Clinicians and researchers utilize subjective, clinical classification systems to stratify lower extremity ulcer infections for treatment and research. The purpose of this study was to examine whether these clinical classifications are reflected in the ulcer's transcriptome. RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq) was performed on biopsies from clinically infected lower extremity ulcers (n = 44). Resulting sequences were aligned to the host reference genome to create a transcriptome profile. Differential gene expression analysis and gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis were performed between ulcer severities as well as between sample groups identified by k‐means clustering. Lastly, a support vector classifier was trained to estimate clinical infection score or k‐means cluster based on a subset of genes. Clinical infection severity did not explain the major sources of variability among the samples and samples with the same clinical classification demonstrated high inter‐sample variability. High proportions of bacterial RNA were identified in some samples, which resulted in a strong effect on transcription and increased expression of genes associated with immune response and inflammation. K‐means clustering identified two clusters of samples, one of which contained all of the samples with high levels of bacterial RNA. A support vector classifier identified a fingerprint of 20 genes, including immune‐associated genes such asCXCL8,GADD45B, andHILPDA, which accurately identified samples with signs of infectionviacross‐validation. This study identified a unique, host‐transcriptome signature in the presence of infecting bacteria, often incongruent with clinical infection‐severity classifications. This suggests that stratification of infection status based on a transcriptomic fingerprint may be useful as an objective classification method to classify infection severity, as well as a tool for studying host–pathogen interactions.
When sustainability managers' greenwash: SDG fit and effects on job performance and attitudes
Authors: Westerman James W. , Acikgoz Yalcin , Nafees Lubna , Westerman Jennifer
Published: May 2022

Sustainability managers represent a key stakeholder in implementing and diffusing sustainability initiatives. However, there is a significant gap in the literature examining the impact of greenwashing on sustainability managers. This research examines the effects of greenwashing on sustainability managers' job satisfaction, commitment, turnover intentions, and job performance from a social identity/person–organization (P‐O) fit perspective. Our sample consists of practicing sustainability managers (n = 125) in high‐ (77%) or mid‐level (23%) positions. Results indicate that perceived greenwashing negatively affects the attitudinal outcomes and job performance of sustainability managers. The results also indicate that for sustainability managers whose social responsibility identity is higher than that of their firm, greenwashing has a significant association with lower satisfaction and job performance and higher intentions to leave. However, for managers whose social responsibility identity is lower than that of their firm, employer greenwashing had no effect on the sustainability managers' attitudes, even though they recognized their own poor job performance. The cumulative effect may be a situation in which managers in the best position to enhance a firm's CSR leave the firm, and vice versa.
Skeletal muscle relaxant drug–drug–drug interactions and unintentional traumatic injury: Screening to detect three‐way drug interaction signals
Authors: Chen Cheng , Hennessy Sean , Brensinger Colleen M. , Dawwas Ghadeer K. , Acton Emily K. , Bilker Warren B. , Chung Sophie P. , Dublin Sascha , Horn John R. , Miano Todd A. , Pham Nguyen Thanh Phuong , Soprano Samantha E. , Leonard Charles E.
Published: May 2022

Aim

The aim of this study was to identify skeletal muscle relaxant (SMR) drug–drug–drug interaction (3DI) signals associated with increased rates of unintentional traumatic injury.

Methods

We conducted automated high‐throughput pharmacoepidemiologic screening of 2000–2019 healthcare data for members of United States commercial and Medicare Advantage health plans. We performed a self‐controlled case series study for each drug triad consisting of an SMR base‐pair (i.e., concomitant use of an SMR with another medication), and a co‐dispensed medication (i.e., candidate interacting precipitant) taken during ongoing use of the base‐pair. We included patients aged ≥16 years with an injury occurring during base‐pair‐exposed observation time. We used conditional Poisson regression to calculate adjusted rate ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for injury with each SMR base‐pair + candidate interacting precipitant (i.e., triad) versus the SMR‐containing base‐pair alone.

Results

Among 58 478 triads, 29 were significantly positively associated with injury; confounder‐adjusted RRs ranged from 1.39 (95% CI = 1.01–1.91) for tizanidine + omeprazole with gabapentin to 2.23 (95% CI = 1.02–4.87) for tizanidine + diclofenac with alprazolam. Most identified 3DI signals are new and have not been formally investigated.

Conclusion

We identified 29 SMR 3DI signals associated with increased rates of injury. Future aetiologic studies should confirm or refute these SMR 3DI signals.
The efficacy of a transdiagnostic emotion regulation skills training in the treatment of binge‐eating disorder—Results from a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Berking Matthias , Eichler Eva , Naumann Eva , Svaldi Jennifer
Published: May 2022

Objectives

Deficits in emotion regulation (ER) have been shown to be associated with binge‐eating disorder (BED). To further clarify the causal nature of this association, we tested whether systematically enhancing ER skills would reduce symptoms of BED.

Methods

We randomly allocated N = 101 individuals meeting the criteria for BED to a transdiagnostic ER skills training or to a waitlist control condition (WLC). Primary outcome was the reduction in binges during the treatment‐vs.‐waiting period as assessed with the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) interview.

Results

Mixed‐model ANOVAs indicated that the average pre‐to‐post decrease in binges assessed with the EDE was significantly greater in the ER skills training condition than in the WLC (d = 0.66). These effects were stable over the 6‐month follow‐up period (d = 0.72). Remission rates at post/follow‐up were 34.4/45.0% in the skills training and 7.5/20.0% in the WLC. Additionally, we found a greater reduction in general eating disorder psychopathology, of food consumption in a bogus taste test and of depression in the ER skills training condition. Moreover, the greater reduction in binge‐eating episodes in the training condition was (partially) mediated by a greater increase in ER skills.

Conclusions

The findings provide further support for the assumed importance of deficits in ER as a maintaining factor and, hence, as a target in the treatment of BED. As ER skills trainings have been shown to also reduce other kinds of psychopathology, they might be considered a promising transdiagnostic add‐on component to disorder‐specific interventions.
Subjective wellbeing and emotion regulation strategies: How are they associated with student engagement in online learning during Covid‐19?
Authors: Zhoc Karen C. H. , Cai Yuyang , Yeung S. S. , Shan Jianguo
Published: May 2022

Background

The COVID‐19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the world, creating significant impact on people's lives and subjective wellbeing. While previous studies have shown that students’ wellbeing and how they manage their emotions are critical to students’ learning, less research has considered their specific impacts on student engagement in online learning.

Aims

The aim of this study is to examine how students’ subjective wellbeing and emotion regulation strategies (viz cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) are associated with student engagement in online learning during the pandemic.

Sample

A total of 965 students from a university in China participated in the study.

Methods

The data were collected online during the COVID‐19 from March to July 2020, which included measures of wellbeing, emotion regulation strategie, and online learning engagement.

Results

Structural equation modelling results showed that wellbeing was positively associated with both the use of reappraisal and suppression. Moreover, mediation analysis showed that reappraisal partially mediated the relationship between wellbeing and all types of online learning engagement (including cognitive, emotional and behavioural engagements). Conversely, suppression was found to have a small mediating effect between wellbeing and behavioural engagement of online learning only. No such effect was found on cognitive and emotional engagements.

Conclusions

The findings provide evidence on the positive relationship between wellbeing and both the strategies of suppression and reappraisal during the pandemic. However, only reappraisal has positive impact on learning, suggesting the importance of effective regulation strategies on students’ online engagement. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.