bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Auditing state-owned enterprise through predictive analytics and function transformation
Authors: Zhou Bo , Siddik Abu Bakkar , Guang-Wen Zheng
Published: June 2023

Purpose

One of the best ways to assist China is through infrastructure investment. China might become more resilient to natural calamities by pouring more money into its transport network. Analyzing the relationship between China's degree of planned expansion and the country's current network of transport hubs can help with city development estimates. A wide range of factors were taken into consideration while evaluating China's dominance and the caliber of its transportation infrastructure. Using a geographical autocorrelation model and a coupling coordination model, the dynamic link between China's adaptability and the caliber of its transportation infrastructure is examined.

Design/methodology/approach

China's northwest is underdeveloped in comparison to the southeast, which has a high level of resilience and development of its transportation infrastructure. The relationship between the levels of resilience upheld by China's transport infrastructure is suggested to be coordinated.

Findings

The authors find a positive geographical autocorrelation between the degree of coupling coordination and the degree of agglomeration, despite the fact that the distance between cities increases with time. They now believe that there is a connection between an area's population density and the degree of interspousal cooperation within. The consequence is an improvement in both national security and economic prosperity. The facilities for disaster management and transportation in China have received several proposals for improvement.

Practical implications

The authors' Practical Implications suggests that scale inefficiency is a major contributor to the relatively poor efficiency of China's primary inland river ports. Different types of inland river ports may have vastly different water system efficiencies. Input and output congestion at China's important interior river ports has reached 51%, making it very clear that massive amounts of valuable port resources are being wasted.

Originality/value

Many variables, such as climate and human error, affect the total amount of goods that can be moved via inner river ports. Ports situated either higher up or lower down the same canal may perform better or worse, respectively, depending on the circumstances.
Perceptions and determinants of adopting sustainable eating behaviours among university students in Canada: a qualitative study using focus group discussions
Authors: Mollaei Sadaf , Minaker Leia M. , Lynes Jennifer K. , Dias Goretty M.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

University students are a unique population with great potential to adopt eating habits that promote positive human and planetary health outcomes. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the current perceptions of sustainable eating behaviours among the students and to examine the determinants of sustainable eating behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from December 2020 to May 2021 through focus group discussions among university students in Ontario, facilitated through synchronous online sessions. There were 21 student participants during the course of five focus group sessions (4–5 participants per session) from various departments within the university. The discussions were transcribed and analyzed for main themes and concepts using open coding; deductive coding based on the framework by Deliens et al. as well as the literature; and inductive coding for emerging themes.

Findings

The students had different perceptions about what constituted sustainable eating behaviours, some of which were not based on fact. A variety of individual, environmental (macro, micro and social) and university characteristics were mentioned as factors influencing sustainable food choices, with “food literacy” and “campus food” being the top two factors.

Originality/value

This study presents a novel and holistic overview of how sustainable eating behaviours and sustainable foods are perceived among university students and identifies the perceived determinants of adopting sustainable eating behaviours. This study helps with identifying opportunities to promote sustainable eating behaviours among university students and the design/implementation of informed interventions and policies aimed at improving eating behaviours.
Heritage and tourism development in China's former international concessions. Tianjin as a place study
Authors: Gravari-Barbas Maria , Guinand Sandra , Lu Yue , Li Xinyu
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Between 1840s and 1940s, 27 occidental concessions have been created in several cities in China which represented difficult signs and memories for Chinese. Nowadays, these territories are experiencing a joint phenomenon of heritagization and tourismification which makes them experimental theaters for modern urban life and identity. Taking the former concessions of Tianjin as place study, the purpose of this study is to analyze the role of the heritage and tourism in the former concessions in city branding and more specifically the actors, approaches and products of this phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach

This research draws on the comparison and analysis of two place studies in China. The authors base their analysis on semi-structured interviews in Chinese with previously identified stakeholders. In all, 20 individuals, including developers, public authority representatives, business owners, academics and conservation association members, were interviewed. This research was completed, updated and triangulated by content analysis of Web-based materials; official documents such as urban plans, guidelines and urban and tourism strategies collected during the fieldwork, as well as non-intrusive spatial observations of the concession and its various developments.

Findings

The results of this study show that the heritage in the former concessions has become an attractive tool for the city branding through tourism development, often led by the public actors with the participation of private entrepreneurs.

Originality/value

This study looks at the hybrid dimensions of the former concessions in China. It provides a better understanding of the co-action of heritage and tourism in the processes of territorial rehabilitation, which contributes to both the practitioners and researchers in this domain.
Self-initiated expatriates motivation and basic psychological needs – a generalization and extension replication
Authors: Madi Aziz , Alsoussi Abdelrahim , Shubailat Omar M.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This research aims to replicate the work of Oberholster et al. (2013) on expatriation motivation through a generalization and extension replication. Additionally, it aims to contribute to the Self-Initiated Expatriates (SIEs) literature by studying the Basic Psychological Needs (BPNs) of SIEs as proposed by the Self-Determination Theory (SDT).

Design/methodology/approach

This research used Latent Class Analysis (LCA) with covariate estimation to create five clusters based on survey data from 179 SIEs. Additionally, the replication procedure followed recommendations by Dau et al. (2022) to produce a constructive replication.

Findings

Besides validating clusters in the original study, one new cluster was found. Furthermore, identifying the BPNs of the clusters helped in understanding the mechanism that motivates them.

Research limitations/implications

By studying the BPNs as per the SDT, this research contributes to our understanding of the psychological factors that shape expatriates' motivations and experiences. This can inform the knowledge developed in the international mobility theories and the models related to SIEs' psychological well-being.

Practical implications

Building on the results of this research, organizations can tailor recruiting and retaining strategies to the specific BPNs of different SIEs groups. Organizations can motivate SIEs, enhance their job satisfaction and loyalty, predict their success, and support their psychological well-being.

Originality/value

A generalization and extension replication value lies in testing the validity and reliability of previous findings in new contexts. The originality in this research stems from its utilization of the BPNs from SDT to explain SIEs' motivation and evaluate their psychological well-being.
Exploring behavioral change support: the role of perceived uncertainty and self- and other-interest in change
Authors: Katsaros Kleanthis K. , Tsirikas Athanasios
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Both uncertainty reduction theory and uncertainty management theory suggest that uncertainty reduction during organizational change is imperative as it may influence positively employees’ attitudes and behaviors. By drawing on the theory of planned behavior that links individual’s beliefs and behavior, the study seeks to examine how employees’ self- and other-interest in change may reduce perceptions of change uncertainty and consequently, foster their behavioral change support (i.e. compliance, cooperation and championing).

Design/methodology/approach

The study hypothesizes that employees’ self- and other-interest in change mediate the relationship between perceptions of change uncertainty and behavioral change support. The research was conducted in two large IT companies co-located in a big science park in an EU country in South-eastern Europe. Data were collected from 105 employees and their supervisors in three sequential phases.

Findings

The research findings suggest that both self- and other-interest in change partially mediate the negative relationship between perceptions of change uncertainty and behavioral change support.

Practical implications

The findings indicate that change management practitioners will benefit considerably if they try to decrease employees’ perceived change uncertainty by increasing their self- and other-interest in change to provoke supportive behaviors. Relevant suggestions are made.

Originality/value

The findings provide new insights into how perceptions of change uncertainty and self- and other-interest in change can affect employees’ change participation. Further, the research findings add to the uncertainty reduction theory and uncertainty management theory as well as, other related notions.
Reflective participatory crime prevention education and solution finding through World Café and Forum Theatre with young people and young adults
Authors: Page Sarah
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to provide reflective practice insights on the use of the participatory approaches of World Café and Forum Theatre as crime prevention education and research tools with young people and young adults through a social learning theory lens.

Design/methodology/approach

Four independent case-studies showcase World Café and Forum Theatre methodology. World Café events investigated new psychoactive substances (NPS) awareness with young hostel users and college pupils (N= 22) and race hate crime with school and college pupils (N= 57). Forum Theatre events explored loan shark crime with college and university students (N= 46) and domestic abuse crime with young hostel users and college and university students (N= 28). Anonymous survey data produced qualitative and descriptive statistical data.

Findings

Learning impacts from participatory crime prevention education and research events were evidenced. Participatory approaches were perceived positively, although large group discussion-based methodologies may not suit all young people or all criminological topics.

Originality/value

Participatory approaches of World Café and Forum Theatre are vehicles for social learning and crime prevention with young people and young adults; eliciting crime victimisation data; and generating personal solutions alongside wider policy and practice improvement suggestions. Whilst World Café elicited greater lived experience accounts providing peer-level social learning, Forum Theatre provided crucial visual role modelling for communicating safeguarding messages.
Pregnancy reduces concurrent pup care behaviour in meerkats, generating differences between dominant and subordinate females
Authors: Rotics Shay , Groenewoud Frank , Manser Marta , Clutton‐Brock Tim
Published: June 2023

In some mammals, and particularly in cooperative breeding ones, successive bouts of reproduction can overlap so that a female is often pregnant while still nurturing dependent young from her previous litter. Such an overlap requires females to divide their energetic budget between two reproductive activities, and pregnancy costs would consequently be expected to reduce investment in concurrent offspring care. However, explicit evidence for such reductions is scarce, and the potential effects they may have on work division in cooperative breeders have not been explored.

Using 25 years of data on reproduction and cooperative behaviour in wild Kalahari meerkats, supplemented with field experiments, we investigated whether pregnancy reduces contributions to cooperative pup care behaviours, including babysitting, provisioning and raised guarding. We also explored whether pregnancy, which is more frequent in dominants than subordinates, could account for the reduced contributions of dominants to the cooperative pup care behaviours.

We found that pregnancy, particularly at late stages of gestation, reduces contributions to cooperative pup care; that these reductions are eliminated when the food available to pregnant females is experimentally supplemented; and that pregnancy effects accounted for differences between dominants and subordinates in two of the three cooperative behaviours examined (pup provisioning and raised guarding but not babysitting).

By linking pregnancy costs with reductions in concurrent pup care, our findings illuminate a trade‐off between investment in successive, overlapping bouts of reproduction. They also suggest that some of the differences in cooperative behaviour between dominant and subordinate females in cooperative breeding mammals can be a direct consequence of differences in their breeding frequency.
Pesticide effects on soil fauna communities—A meta‐analysis
Authors: Beaumelle Léa , Tison Léa , Eisenhauer Nico , Hines Jes , Malladi Sandhya , Pelosi Céline , Thouvenot Lise , Phillips Helen R. P.
Published: June 2023

Soil invertebrate communities represent a significant fraction of global biodiversity and play crucial roles in ecosystems. A number of human activities threaten soil communities, in particular intensive agricultural practices such as pesticide use. However, there is currently no quantitative synthesis of the impacts of pesticides on soil fauna communities.

Here, using a meta‐analysis of 54 studies and 294 observations, we quantify pesticide effects on the abundance, biomass, richness and diversity of natural soil fauna communities across a wide range of environmental contexts. We also identify scenarios with the most detrimental effects on soil fauna communities by analysing the effects of different pesticides (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, broad‐spectrum substances and multiple substances), different application rates and temporal extents (short‐ or long‐term), as well as the response of different functional groups of soil animals (body size categories, presence of exoskeleton).

Pesticides overall decreased the abundance and diversity of soil fauna communities across studies (Grand mean effect size (Hedge's g) = −0.30 +/− 0.16) and had stronger effects on soil fauna diversity than abundance. The most detrimental scenarios involved multiple substances, broad‐spectrum substances and insecticides, which significantly decreased soil fauna diversity even at recommended rates. We found no evidence that pesticide effects dampen over time, as short‐term and long‐term studies exhibited similar mean effect sizes.

Policy implications: Our study highlights that pesticide use has significant detrimental non‐target effects on soil biodiversity, eroding a substantial part of global biodiversity and threatening ecosystem health. This provides crucial evidence supporting recent policies, such as the European Green Deal, that aim to reduce pesticide use in agriculture to conserve biodiversity. The detrimental effects of multiple substances revealed here are particularly concerning because realistic pesticide use often combines several substances targeting different pests and diseases over the crop season. We suggest that future guidelines for pesticide registration, restrictions and banning should rely on data able to fully capture the long‐term consequences of multiple substances for multiple non‐target species in realistic conditions.
Measuring pesticide overuse and its determinants: Evidence from Vietnamese rice and fruit farms
Authors: Tran Lan , Skevas Theodoros , McCann Laura
Published: June 2023

Pesticides have long been important for the development of agricultural production. However, improper use of pesticides may result in inefficiency with respect to farm profitability, in addition to external effects of pesticide use on environmental and human health. This paper employs a production function that explicitly accounts for the role of damage abatement inputs (i.e. pesticides) in the production process, to examine the optimal use of pesticides. It then investigates determinants of pesticide overuse versus underuse and the intensity of overuse. The empirical application uses data on Vietnamese rice and fruit farms drawn from the 2016 Vietnamese Household Living Standards Survey. Results show about 95% of farmers overused pesticides for both rice and fruit farming systems. The Mekong Delta, also known as the ‘Rice Bowl’ of Vietnam, has higher levels of overuse on rice farms than two other regions. Overuse intensity is lower for female and poorer rice farmers while intensity is higher for those with more income and more family members. For fruit farms, younger farmers or those with more family members were more likely to overuse versus underuse pesticides.
A lineage in land: the transmission of Palestinian Christianity
Authors: Goodgame Clayton
Published: June 2023

This article examines a Christian tradition defined by descent, but a descent that extends beyond family lineages to include relatedness with saints and sacred land. This tradition emerges from the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, one of the oldest churches in the world, composed of a Palestinian laity and a Greek monastic hierarchy. Through an ethnography of the Orthodox feast of St George and the ritual use of olive oil from Palestinian villages, the article frames discussion of indigeneity, land, and rootedness around the concept of descent. Putting Palestinian Orthodoxy in conversation with kinship theory and the critique of social structure, it argues against sequestering divine and human forms of relatedness in separate social domains. It suggests the concept of descent can be a powerful tool for integrating them when expanded to include all ‘forces that bring forth life’.
Price Rigidities and the Value of Public Information
Authors: GU LIFENG , XIE JIN
Published: June 2023

Firms' inflexibility in adjusting output prices to economic shocks exacerbates information asymmetry with respect to firms' profits, but public information on firms' cost structure mitigates this problem. We construct a novel form of public information from economic statistics disclosed by the government and find that such public information significantly reduces inflexible‐price firms' bid–ask spreads, the probability of informed trading, and analyst forecast dispersions, but these results do not hold for flexible‐price firms. Security analysts seek more cost‐related information during conference calls about inflexible‐price firms, but such a phenomenon is observed less frequently if a firm's input cost is more publicly observable. In addition, stock markets react more strongly to earning news announced by inflexible‐price firms, consistent with our intuition.
The Real Effects of Modern Information Technologies: Evidence from the EDGAR Implementation
Authors: GOLDSTEIN ITAY , YANG SHIJIE , ZUO LUO
Published: June 2023

Using the implementation of the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system from 1993 to 1996 as a shock to information dissemination technologies, we examine how a significant reduction in disclosure processing costs affects the real economy. We find that the EDGAR implementation leads to an increase in corporate investment and that this effect is concentrated in value firms. We provide evidence that improved equity financing and enhanced managerial incentives are likely the underlying mechanisms. Specifically, the EDGAR implementation leads to an increase in a firm's stock liquidity, a decrease in the cost of equity capital, and an increase in the level of equity financing. Consistent with the monitoring effect of broad information dissemination, the EDGAR implementation leads to an increase in a firm's operating performance. Our findings suggest that it is important to consider information dissemination beyond information production when examining the real effects of corporate disclosures.
Innovative nonthermal technologies for inactivation of emerging foodborne viruses
Authors: Han Sangha , Hyun Seok‐Woo , Son Jeong Won , Song Min Su , Lim Dong Jae , Choi Changsun , Park Si Hong , Ha Sang‐Do
Published: June 2023

Various foodborne viruses have been associated with human health during the last decade, causing gastroenteritis and a huge economic burden worldwide. Furthermore, the emergence of new variants of infectious viruses is growing continuously. Inactivation of foodborne viruses in the food industry is a formidable task because although viruses cannot grow in foods, they can survive in the food matrix during food processing and storage environments. Conventional inactivation methods pose various drawbacks, necessitating more effective and environmentally friendly techniques for controlling foodborne viruses during food production and processing. Various inactivation approaches for controlling foodborne viruses have been attempted in the food industry. However, some traditionally used techniques, such as disinfectant‐based or heat treatment, are not always efficient. Nonthermal techniques are considered a new platform for effective and safe treatment to inactivate foodborne viruses. This review focuses on foodborne viruses commonly associated with human gastroenteritis, including newly emerged viruses, such as sapovirus and Aichi virus. It also investigates the use of chemical and nonthermal physical treatments as effective technologies to inactivate foodborne viruses.
Understanding (non)involvement in terrorist violence: What sets extremists who use terrorist violence apart from those who do not?
Authors: Schuurman Bart , Carthy Sarah L.
Published: June 2023

Research summary

We compare European and North American radicalization trajectories that led to involvement in terrorist violence (n = 103) with those for which this outcome did not occur (n = 103). Regression analyses illustrate how involvement in terrorist violence is determined not only by the presence of risk, but also the absence of protective factors. Bivariate analyses highlight the importance of considering the temporality of these factors; i.e., whether they are present before or after radicalization onset. The most salient risk factors identified were alignment with a group or movement with an exclusively violent strategic logic, and access to weapons. In terms of protective factors, parenting children during radicalization, self‐control, and participation in extremist groups with a strategic logic that was not exclusively focused on violent means were all associated with noninvolvement in terrorist violence.

Policy implications

Different patterns of risk and protective factors influence whether radicalization will, or will not, lead to involvement in terrorist violence. One‐size‐fits‐all radicalization‐prevention efforts may therefore be less effective than programs tailored to address a particular outcome. Even when terrorist violence is prevented, the targeted individual is likely to remain radicalized. Preventative efforts must carefully assess whether the measures used to avert terrorist violence in the short‐term risk contributing to a longer term societal threat. The efficacy of preventative efforts depends in part on when they are deployed, that is, before or after radicalization onset.
Financialisation and the management of people: Are leveraged buyouts bad for intrinsic job quality?
Authors: Hoque Kim , Bacon Nick , Boodoo Muhammad Umar , Wright Mike
Published: June 2023

This paper provides the first nationally representative assessment of intrinsic job quality in leveraged buyouts (LBOs). We propose a workforce re‐contracting perspective, which views LBOs as having negative implications for some aspects of intrinsic job quality (job demands) but positive implications for others (job resources), and employee wellbeing and affective outcomes that are no different than in comparable non‐LBOs. Our empirical findings support this perspective. Nevertheless, we find some evidence that certain LBO types have more negative implications for specific elements of intrinsic job quality than others. However, our overall findings contribute towards studies suggesting that the impact of LBOs on employees is modest, while also highlighting the varying implications of different LBO types for employees.
Development and evaluation of the channel routing model and parameters within the National Water Model
Authors: Read L. K. , Yates D. N. , McCreight J. M. , Rafieeinasab A. , Sampson K. , Gochis D. J.
Published: June 2023

The National Water Model (NWM) was deployed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to simulate operational forecasts of hydrologic states across the continental United States. This paper describes the geospatial river network (“hydro‐fabric”), physics, and parameters of the NWM, elucidating the challenges of extrapolating parameters a large scale with limited observations. A set of regression‐based channel geometry parameters are evaluated for a subset of the 2.7 million NWM reaches, and the riverine compound channel scheme is described. Based on the results from regional streamflow experiments within the broader NWM context, the compound channel reduced the root mean squared error by 2% and improved median Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency by 16% compared with a non‐compound formulation. Peak event analysis from 910 peak flow events across 26 basins matched from the US Flash Flood Observation Database revealed that the mean timing error is 3 h lagged behind the observations. The routing time step was also tested, for 5‐min (default, operational setting) and 1‐h increments. The model was computationally stable and able to convey the flood peaks, although the hydrograph shape and peak timing were altered.
Energy as a weapon of war: Lessons from 50 years of energy interdependence
Authors: LaBelle Michael Carnegie
Published: June 2023

The Organization of the Petroleum‐Exporting Countries (OPEC) used oil as a weapon against Western countries supporting Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. From 2021, Russia used a similar strategy of restricting gas flows to Europe, while Europe later reduced Russia's market access. In these cases, there was economic and political damage. These examples show that energy is a weapon used to pressure sovereign states. Energy is a multidimensional resource that reflects broader ties within the political‐economic system of international relations. This comparative study identifies four components that enable energy as a weapon: interdependence, energy security, neoliberal economics and sovereignty. Four key policy lessons emerge to improve energy security: (1) determine the acceptable limits of energy dependence, (2) acknowledge institutions and markets cannot deliver energy security outside their design parameters, (3) energy security requires addressing the entire value chain, and (4) energy is a weapon that threatens state sovereignty. The collapse of the gas trade between Russia and the EU creates instability and removes the pillar of interdependency; this now ushers in a new era.
Genetic profiling of circulating cell‐free DNA from cerebrospinal fluid and paired plasma in ALK‐positive lung cancer with brain metastases
Authors: Shi Liang , Guo Lili , Tao Hong , Meng Qiyi , Tong Li , Tang Junfang , Li Kun , Zhang Shucai , Liu Zhe
Published: June 2023

Background

This study used next‐generation sequencing (NGS) to investigate the genetic profiles in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma, and tumor tissue to explore alternative detection methods for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement status and potential resistance mechanisms to ALK inhibitors.

Methods

From January 2016 to January 2021, 19 non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastases (BMs) and ALK‐positive primary tumors were enrolled at Beijing Chest Hospital. CSF, plasma, and primary tumor samples from patients with BMs of NSCLC were tested using NGS with a 168‐gene panel. The intracranial response and prognosis were also investigated.

Results

The study included 19 patients, seven females and 12 males, aged between 29 and 68 (median age 44). CSF cytology was negative in all cases. NGS results showed ALK fusion genes detected in 26.3% (5/19) of CSF cfDNA samples, 78.9% (15/19) of plasma samples, and 89.5% (17/19) of tumor samples from ALK‐positive patients. ALK‐positive CSF samples had significantly higher allele fractions in CSF cfDNA compared with the other two sample types. In five patients with ALK‐positive in CSF, after receiving ALK inhibitors ± local treatment, one case achieved an intracranial complete response, and two had an intracranial partial response. In CSF samples, the intracranial median progression‐free survival was 8.0 and 18.0 months for ALK‐positive (n = 5) and ALK‐negative (n = 14), respectively (p = 0.077).

Conclusion

CSF may serve as a liquid biopsy for ALK‐positive lung cancer with BMs by detecting cfDNA within CSF to characterize driver and resistant genes.
Platinum‐combination chemotherapy with or without immune‐checkpoint inhibitor in patients with postoperative recurrent non‐small cell lung cancer previously treated with adjuvant platinum‐doublet chemotherapy: A multicenter retrospective study
Authors: Hisakane Kakeru , Tozuka Takehiro , Takahashi Satoshi , Taniuchi Namiko , Nishijima Nobuhiko , Atsumi Kenichiro , Okano Tetsuya , Seike Masahiro , Hirose Takashi
Published: June 2023

Background

Rechallenge with platinum‐combination chemotherapy in patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after disease progression on platinum‐combination chemotherapy occasionally leads to a favorable response. The efficacy and safety of platinum‐combination chemotherapy with or without immune‐checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) for patients with recurrent NSCLC after surgery followed by adjuvant platinum‐doublet chemotherapy remains uncertain.

Methods

Patients who relapsed after surgery plus adjuvant platinum‐doublet chemotherapy and received platinum‐combination chemotherapy with or without ICI between April 2011 and March 2021 at four Nippon Medical School hospitals were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Among 177 patients who received adjuvant platinum‐doublet chemotherapy after surgery, a total of 30 patients who received platinum‐combination rechemotherapy with or without ICI after relapse were included in this study. Seven patients received ICI‐combined chemotherapy. The median disease‐free survival (DFS) after surgery was 13.6 months. The objective response rate and disease‐control rate were 46.7% and 80.0%, respectively. The median progression‐free survival and overall survival were 10.2 and 37.5 months, respectively. Patients with longer DFS (≥12 months) had a better prognosis than others. The most common grade ≥3 toxicity associated with this treatment was neutropenia (33%). Grade ≥3 immune‐related adverse events were pneumonitis (14%) and colitis (14%). Treatment‐related deaths did not occur in this study.

Conclusion

Platinum‐combination chemotherapy with or without ICI for patients with postoperative recurrent NSCLC who previously received adjuvant platinum‐doublet chemotherapy was effective and safe. In particular, this therapy may be promising for patients with longer DFS.
MetaIPM: Placing integral projection models into a metapopulation framework
Authors: Erickson Richard A. , Peirce James P. , Sandland Greg J. , Thompson Hannah M. , Coulter Alison A. , Glover David C.
Published: June 2023

Metapopulation models include spatial population dynamics such as dispersion and migration between subpopulations. Integral projection models (IPMs) can include demographic rates as a function of size. Traditionally, metapopulation models do not included detailed populaiton models such as IPMs. In some situations, both local population dynamics (e.g. size‐based survival) and spatial dynamics are important.

We present a Python package, MetaIPM, which places IPMs into a metapopulation framework, and allow users to readily construct and apply these models that combine local population dynamics within a metapopulation framework.

MetaIPM includes an IPM for each subpopulation that is connected to other subpopulations via a metapopulation movement model. These movements can include dispersion, migration or other patterns. The IPM can include for size‐specific demographic rates (e.g. survival, recruitment) as well as management actions, such as length‐based harvest (e.g. gear specific capture sizes, varying slot limits across political boundaries). The model also allows for changes in metapopulation connectivity between locations, such as a fish passage ladders to enhance movement or deterrents to reduce movement. Thus, resource managers can use MetaIPM to compare different management actions such as the harvest gear type (which can be length‐specific) and harvest locations.

We demonstrate how MetaIPM may be applied to inform managers seeking to limit the spread of an invasive species in a system with important metapopulation dynamics. Specifically, we compared removal lengths (all length fish versus longer fish only) for an invasive fish population in a fragmented, inland river system. MetaIPM allowed users to compare the importance of harvesting source populations away from the invasion front, as well as species at the invasion front. The model would also allow for future comparisons of different deterrent placement locations in the system.

Moving beyond our example system, we describe how MetaIPM can be applied to other species, systems and management approaches. The MetaIPM packages includes Jupyter Notebooks documenting the package as well as a second set of JupyterNotebooks showing the application of the package to our example system.
Heirloom cylinder seals at Mleiha (Sharjah Emirate, UAE)
Authors: Overlaet Bruno , Jasim Sabah , Yousif Eisa
Published: June 2023

Very few cylinder seals are reported from South‐East Arabia. This paper reports on two cylinder seals that were found as heirlooms at Mleiha, UAE. The first is a Neo‐Assyrian seal with a ritual scene: kneeling worshippers around a tree of life. The second is a seal of local manufacture. The positioning of its image, a human figure holding an Arabian horned viper, is turned 90°, questioning whether it was ever used as a seal or rather worn as an amulet or bead. Local seal production and seal use are discussed. Seals from the Iron Age II suggest that the object is of local production, as does the iconography that can be linked to Iron Age snake cults in South‐East Arabia. Comparable snake representations are, however, occasionally still found in the Mleiha/PIR period.
Guidance to best tools and practices for systematic reviews
Authors: Kolaski Kat , Logan Lynne Romeiser , Ioannidis John P. A.
Published: June 2023

Data continue to accumulate indicating that many systematic reviews are methodologically flawed, biased, redundant, or uninformative. Some improvements have occurred in recent years based on empirical methods research and standardization of appraisal tools; however, many authors do not routinely or consistently apply these updated methods. In addition, guideline developers, peer reviewers, and journal editors often disregard current methodological standards. Although extensively acknowledged and explored in the methodological literature, most clinicians seem unaware of these issues and may automatically accept evidence syntheses (and clinical practice guidelines based on their conclusions) as trustworthy.

A plethora of methods and tools are recommended for the development and evaluation of evidence syntheses. It is important to understand what these are intended to do (and cannot do) and how they can be utilized. Our objective is to distill this sprawling information into a format that is understandable and readily accessible to authors, peer reviewers, and editors. In doing so, we aim to promote appreciation and understanding of the demanding science of evidence synthesis among stakeholders. We focus on well‐documented deficiencies in key components of evidence syntheses to elucidate the rationale for current standards. The constructs underlying the tools developed to assess reporting, risk of bias, and methodological quality of evidence syntheses are distinguished from those involved in determining overall certainty of a body of evidence. Another important distinction is made between those tools used by authors to develop their syntheses as opposed to those used to ultimately judge their work.

Exemplar methods and research practices are described, complemented by novel pragmatic strategies to improve evidence syntheses. The latter include preferred terminology and a scheme to characterize types of research evidence. We organize best practice resources in a Concise Guide that can be widely adopted and adapted for routine implementation by authors and journals. Appropriate, informed use of these is encouraged, but we caution against their superficial application and emphasize their endorsement does not substitute for in‐depth methodological training. By highlighting best practices with their rationale, we hope this guidance will inspire further evolution of methods and tools that can advance the field.
Hallucinogen use among young adults ages 19–30 in the United States: Changes from 2018 to 2021
Authors: Keyes Katherine M. , Patrick Megan E.
Published: June 2023

Background and aims

Given the shifting landscape of hallucinogen use, particularly with increased therapeutic use, understanding current changes in use is a necessary part of examining the potential risk hallucinogens pose to vulnerable populations, such as young adults. This study aimed to measure hallucinogen use among young adults aged 19–30 years from 2018 to 2021.

Design, setting and participants

This was a longitudinal cohort study among young adults aged 19–30 years from the US general population, interviewed between 2018 and 2021. Participants comprised 11 304 unique respondents, with an average number of follow‐ups of 1.46 (standard deviation = 0.50). Of the observed data points, 51.9% were among females.

Measurements

We examined past 12‐month self‐reported use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), as well as hallucinogens besides LSD (e.g. psilocybin), monitoring any use as well as frequency, overall and by sex.

Findings

From 2018 to 2021, past 12‐month use of LSD among young adults in the US remained relatively unchanged, from 3.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.1–4.3] in 2018 to 4.2% in 2021 (95% CI = 3.4–5.0). Non‐LSD hallucinogen [e.g. ‘shrooms’, psilocybin or PCP (phenylcyclohexyl piperidine)] use, however, increased in prevalence from 3.4% (95% CI = 2.8–4.1) to 6.6% from 2018 to 2021 (95% CI = 5.5–7.6). Across years, the odds of non‐LSD use were higher for males [odds ratio (OR) = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.52–2.26] and lower for black than white participants (OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.19–0.47) and those without a college‐educated parent (OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.64–0.99). Demographic disparities were similar for LSD use.

Conclusion

Prevalence of past‐year use non‐lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) hallucinogen was twice as high in 2021 as in 2018 among US young adults. Correlates of non‐LSD hallucinogen use included being male, white and from higher socio‐economic status backgrounds.
Cold tolerance of the invasive oak lace bug, Corythucha arcuata
Authors: Paulin Márton J. , Eötvös Csaba B. , Zabransky Petr , Csóka György , Schebeck Martin
Published: June 2023

The North American oak lace bug (OLB), Corythucha arcuata, is an invasive species in Europe and a serious threat to oak‐dominated forests.

Survival at low temperatures is one major factor determining the spread of invasive insects. Thus, we studied key traits, that is, cold‐tolerance strategy, supercooling points (SCP) and chilling‐related mortality, of overwintering adults to assess their potential to withstand harsh winters.

Samples for SCP measurements were collected once a month from November 2020 until March 2021 at three different locations in Hungary; specimens for chilling experiments were sampled in November 2020, January 2021 and March 2021.

SCPs of overwintering adults ranged from −29.68 to −7.49 °C, with only moderate variation among months; C. arcuata is a freeze‐avoidant species.

Mortality rates of adults exposed to two sub‐zero temperatures above the SCP (−3 and −5 °C) for 1, 2 and 3 weeks ranged between 0% and 69.1%, suggesting that OLB has a moderate risk to die from chilling injuries. Exposure time and sampling date affected mortality, with lowest survival rates after 3 weeks, collected in March 2021.
The Sara quads
Authors: Lawson Gerald Wightman
Published: June 2023

In August 1950, Mrs Betty Sara, aged 29 years, was confined of quadruplets in the town of Bellingen, New South Wales, which is 500 km north of Sydney. All four babies were delivered vaginally, after a confinement lasting over two and a half days.
Do outsourcing services provided by agricultural cooperatives affect technical efficiency? Insights from tobacco farmers in China
Authors: Lin Junying , Jin Songqing , Guo Hongdong
Published: June 2023

In this study, we assess whether household outsourcing production tasks provided by tobacco cooperatives affect household technical efficiency, using the survey data from 449 households in Guizhou Province, China in 2014. The one‐step estimation of the stochastic frontier production function is employed. We also use the instrumental variable approach to address the potential selection biases that may arise from unobserved factors that are correlated with both outsourcing service adoption and technical efficiency. The empirical results show that the farmers’ decision to outsource agricultural services provided by cooperatives has a positive effect on technical efficiency. The effects of outsourcing on technical efficiency are highly heterogeneous at different production stages. It is also interesting to note that the magnitudes of outsourcing effects on technical efficiency are similar between labor‐intensive services and technology‐intensive services.
Women self‐help groups and intra‐household decision‐making in agriculture
Authors: Surendran Padmaja Subash , Korekallu Srinivasa Aditya , Trivedi Pooja , Srinivas Kondapi
Published: June 2023

This study examines the effect of women‐centric agricultural self‐help groups (SHGs) on intra‐household decision‐making in agriculture. Using data collected from an intra‐household survey of 815 households, we analyze the effect of women's membership in different types of SHGs on 14 decisions related to farms and households. Specifically, we investigate the discord in decision‐making, which is the difference in the perceived decision‐making roles of spouses within a household. Our results show that women's participation in SHGs has increased their role in decision‐making by 8–13%. However, the effects vary according to the type of intervention and the decision. We found fewer discords in intra‐household decision‐making in seed SHGs than in micro‐finance SHGs. In conclusion, our study suggests that women's engagement in agriculture‐based SHG interventions can encourage joint decision‐making, but the magnitude of this effect depends on the type of SHG. Development agencies can use this information to design interventions targeted at empowering women through the improvement of the agricultural value chain.
Examining the learning effects of concrete and abstract materials among university students using a two‐dimensional approach
Authors: Chan Joy Wai Yan , Chan Winnie Wai Lan
Published: June 2023

Background

The debate on using concrete versus abstract materials in learning mathematics has been longstanding. For decades, research has focused on the physical characteristics of materials when defining them as concrete or abstract.

Aims

This study extends the field by proposing a two‐dimensional classification, which defines materials as concrete or abstract based on the two dimensions of representation, namely object (i.e., appearance) and language (i.e., label).

Sample

A total of 120 university students participated in the study.

Methods

Participants were randomly assigned to learn the concept of modular arithmetic with one of four types of learning materials: concrete object labelled with concrete language, concrete object labelled with abstract language, abstract object labelled with concrete language and abstract object labelled with abstract language. They were also divided into high and low maths anxiety groups.

Results

Results showed that the students who learnt with abstract objects, regardless of the level of maths anxiety, outperformed their peers who learnt with concrete objects. However, for students with low maths anxiety only, those who learnt with materials labelled with abstract language showed better far‐transfer performance compared with those who learnt with materials labelled with concrete language.

Conclusions

The findings offer a new direction in the conceptualization of concrete and abstract learning materials by specifying the dimensions of representation.
Achievement goal profiles and their associations with math achievement, self‐efficacy, anxiety and instructional quality: A single and multilevel mixture study
Authors: Chan Melvin , Liem Gregory Arief D.
Published: June 2023

Background

There is growing interest in studying the co‐occurrence of multiple achievement goals and how different goal profiles relate to educational outcomes. Further, contextual aspects of the classroom have been known to influence the goals students pursue but existing studies remain confined within certain traditions and confounded by methods not well suited for studying classroom climate effects.

Aims

This study sought to investigate achievement goal profiles in mathematics and their associations with background covariates (i.e., gender, prior achievement) and correlates at the student‐level (i.e., achievement, self‐efficacy, anxiety) and class‐level (instructional quality dimensions of classroom management, supportive climate, instructional clarity and cognitive activation).

Sample

Participants were 3836 Secondary‐3 (Grade‐9) students from 118 mathematics classes in Singapore.

Methods

Achievement goal profiles and their relationships with covariates and student‐level correlates were examined with updated procedures of latent profile analysis. Subsequently, multilevel mixture analysis assessed the associations of student‐level goal profiles and different class‐level dimensions of instructional quality.

Results

Four profiles were identified: Average‐All, Low‐All, High‐All and High‐Approach. These profiles differed across covariates and correlates, with High‐Approach students associated with positive outcomes and High‐All students with math anxiety. Cognitive activation and instructional clarity predicted stronger membership in High‐Approach profile than Average‐All and Low‐All, but not High‐All.

Conclusion

Certain goal profile patterns were consistent with past studies and supported the fundamental separation of approach and avoidance goals. Less differentiating profiles were associated with undesirable educational outcomes. Instructional quality can be considered as an alternative framework for examining classroom climate effects of achievement goals.