bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing the suitability of sustainability frameworks for embedding sustainability in higher education curricula: pragmatism versus transformation
Authors: Mair Simon , Druckman Angela
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This viewpoint paper addresses the use of sustainability frameworks in embedding education for sustainability into the curriculum of higher education institutions (HEIs). The purpose of this paper is to explore the paradox that sustainability frameworks must facilitate transformation of existing structures whilst also being well-enough aligned with current conditions to be readily adopted by today’s HEIs.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes a set of four criteria for assessing the suitability of sustainability frameworks for use across the curriculum: relevance to current curricula, language, institutional fit and concept of the future. Using these criteria, this paper assesses how various frameworks align with the current (unsustainable) state of affairs and their transformative potential. The frameworks assessed are: the sustainable development goals (SDGs), the three pillars framework and the capitals approach.

Findings

This paper finds that each of the frameworks has strengths and weaknesses: the SDGs and the capitals approach perform well on alignment but less well on transformational criteria. Conversely, the three pillars framework performs well on transformation criteria but less well on alignment criteria. By applying the criteria set out in this paper, the authors hope those working to embed sustainability into the curricula of HEIs will be better equipped to navigate the tensions presented by sustainability transitions.

Originality/value

Using a novel set of criteria for assessing sustainability frameworks, this paper provides guidance that was previously lacking in education for sustainability professionals who are attempting to embed sustainability into the curriculum at HEIs.
A comparative study on the strategic roles of service customer equity and innovation protection on firm performance
Authors: Angriawan Arifin , Thakur Ramendra , Baker David
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand the strategic roles of service customer equity (SCE) and innovation protection on firm performance (FP).

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed model. The authors tested the model using managerial data from two countries: USA and India.

Findings

The findings of this study indicated positive direct impacts of service innovation (SI) on FP and positive indirect impacts via SCE in both samples. SI and SCE impacts on FP were both stronger in the US samples. However, the effect of SI on SCE is stronger in India than in the USA. This study also identified moderating impacts of service innovation protection (SIP) on the relationship between SI and FP in the Indian sample and between SI and SCE in the US sample.

Originality/value

Although there is scholarly research in SI and its impact on FP, there are no studies the authors identified that discuss the moderating effect of SIP. The authors studied the moderating effect of SIP because (1) it is crucial for industries to maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace, (2) it protects industries investment in research and development and (3) it also protects industries intellectual property, such as trademark, copyrights and patents. There are two key contributions of this study: (a) investigating the effect of SCE between SI and FP and (b) investigating the moderating effect of SIP using managerial data from two countries (USA vs India).
Unpacking the dynamics of military spending in a globalized world: economic impacts with a network GVAR model
Authors: Economidou Claire , Karamanis Dimitris , Kechrinioti Alexandra , Konstantakis Konstantinos N. , Michaelides Panayotis G.
Published: July 2023

Purpose

In this work, the authors analyze the dynamic interdependencies between military expenditures and the real economy for the period 1970–2018, and the authors' approach allows for the existence of dominant economies in the system.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the authors employ a Network General Equilibrium GVAR (global vector autoregressive) model.

Findings

By accounting for the interconnection among the top twelve military spenders, the authors' findings show that China acts as a leader in the global military scene based on the respective centrality measures. Meanwhile, statistically significant deviations from equilibrium are observed in most of the economies' military expenses, when subjected to an unanticipated unit shock of other countries. Nonetheless, in the medium run, the shocks tend to die out and economies converge to an equilibrium position.

Originality/value

With the authors' methodology the authors are able to capture not only the effect of nearness on a country's military spending, as the past literature has documented, but also a country's defense and economic dependencies with other countries and how a unit's military expenses could shape the spending of the rest. Using state-to-the-art quantitative and econometric techniques, the authors provide robust and comprehensive analysis.
Entrepreneurial Muslim leadership in Islamic cooperative business unit
Authors: Ariatin Adrian , Dhewanto Wawan , Yudha Oktofa
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to find what kind of leadership is suitable for developing a business in an Islamic boarding school.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a qualitative research method by conducting in-depth interviews with 16 informants.

Findings

This study resulted in three critical factors leadership qualities, entrepreneurial qualities and Muslim qualities. The unique combination of these essential elements must be in the soul of a business leader in a boarding school in carrying out its business activities to meet school operational costs while developing it into a sustainable business.

Research limitations/implications

This research is limited to being conducted in Indonesia’s most densely populated areas, namely, West Java Province, which also has the highest number of Islamic boarding schools. Not all Islamic boarding schools have business units because their operational needs have been met either by tuition fees or outside assistance.

Practical implications

These findings are expected to be a guideline for other Islamic boarding schools to find out how business leadership in Islamic boarding schools should be in carrying out their activities so that their business not only survives but also develops and competes with other companies.

Originality/value

This study presents a combination of theories of entrepreneurship, leadership and Muslim qualities obtained from the literature review and empirical data from the results of in-depth interviews.
Public policy and strategic business recommendations to accelerate adoption of stationary battery energy storage systems (BESS) in India
Authors: Gandhok Tejpavan , Manthri Pranusha
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Interest in battery energy storage systems (BESS) is high, and technologies such as Li-ion (and other advanced chemistry) batteries in specific use cases are already economically viable. In this paper, the authors build further on the authors' previously published paper1 to estimate the potential positive impact that accelerated adoption of Li-ion batteries for stationary storage per the authors' identified already economically viable use cases, can have both on India's macro-economy and current account deficit as well as in helping meaningfully accelerate circular economy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) benefits of green economy transition.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors identified key challenges for development of BESS ecosystem and applied quantitative and qualitative assessment methodology for rapid adoption of BESS in India. The authors' study was validated through interviews with stakeholders and the authors summarize applicable findings for emerging countries such as India to encourage faster, wider adoption of energy storage.

Findings

The authors' study provides key policy recommendations to achieve a better balance in policy focus—not only for electronic vehicles (EVs) and utility-scale storage, but also for stationary behind-the-meter storage through key policy measures including placing a CESS on diesel generators (DGs), differential tariffs, encouraging advanced battery imports as a way to reduce crude oil imports, green financing and investments in de-carbonized energy breakthrough technologies (e.g. gravity-based energy storage systems). The authors recommend key technology priorities and strategic business rationale for private sector efforts by developing competitive advantages for non-battery hardware and software and expanding into emerging markets, with potential US$15–20+bn enterprise value.

Originality/value

While the dominant discourse focuses on EVs and utility scale applications of storage, the authors' paper shows the larger near term opportunity for impact is in stationary storage that too in end-user adoption use cases.
How do we rage against the dying of the light? A trans-generational exploration of character strengths
Authors: Vyas Mahimna , Vyas Rudresh
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate character strengths, focussing on their development over time and application from a personal perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was conducted using an autoethnographic, semi-structured interview approach with two participants: the authors themselves.

Findings

This study explored character strengths, their commonalities across generations and how personal experiences shape them. It also highlighted how to encourage others to recognise and use their strengths.

Research limitations/implications

This study also enriches character strengths theory by addressing cultural and generational differences, aligning with positive psychology 3.0 (Lomas et al., 2020). This study also introduces a unique methodological approach to explore character strengths.

Practical implications

This study provides novel insights for personal growth, enhancing psychological evaluations and inter-generational discourse on knowledge transfer through the lens of character strengths. These can be used to develop interventions for a range of populations.

Originality/value

Through this personalised and culturally relevant approach, novel insights into the longitudinal effects of interactions between individual experiences and character strengths were gained. This study emphasised the dynamic nature of strengths and drew parallels to the tenets of Indian psychology, thereby underscoring the significance of strengths as a pivotal next step in the understanding of a person.
Bureaucracy and distributed vulnerability at a Chinese research institute: beyond the faculty perspective on audit cultures
Authors: McLellan Timothy
Published: July 2023

Bureaucracy and audit are an increasingly pervasive fact of scientific and academic life. In this article, I examine this bureaucracy through the perspectives of non‐faculty staff at a Chinese research institute: the Institute for Farms and Forests (IFF). I build upon the lament of a staff member called Tao that inflexible bureaucracy is the consequence of civil servants’ determination to evade vulnerability. Bringing Tao and her colleagues’ analyses into conversation with the anthropology of gift exchange, I show how a literature that has long informed anthropological analyses of informal bureaucratic back doors provides an equally rich set of resources for understanding bureaucracy's formal, document‐mediated front door. Most especially, I draw upon the anthropology of gifts to illuminate the anxieties and vulnerabilities that shape and are shaped by bureaucratic practice. This approach can help us to understand Chinese bureaucracy in an era of increasing wariness towards informal social connections (guanxi). It can also help us to explore what might be at stake for the non‐faculty colleagues who – despite their indispensable roles – we seldom consider in conversations about academic audit cultures.
Race, risk, and American religious groups' views of Nazi Germany in 1935
Authors: Garrity Meghan , Wilde Melissa
Published: July 2023

What explains American religious groups' views of Nazi Germany before the U.S. entered the Second World War? Using a comparative‐historical approach, we employ a novel set of data on 25 of America's most prominent religious denominations to answer this question. We find that two factors were crucial in explaining religious elite discourse about Hitler in the U.S. in 1935: whether leaders believed in white supremacy and whether their denominations were incumbents or challengers in the American religious field. Our findings underscore the growing theoretical consensus that racial resentment is key to support for authoritarianism and call attention to religious groups' complicity in its growth, both active and passive.
The role of organizations in shaping physician use of electronic health records
Authors: Cross Dori A. , Holmgren A Jay , Apathy Nate C.
Published: July 2023

Objective

The aim of the study was to (1) characterize organizational differences in primary care physicians' electronic health record (EHR) behavior; (2) assess within‐organization consistency in EHR behaviors; and (3) identify whether organizational consistency is associated with physician‐level efficiency.

Data Sources

EHR metadata capturing averaged weekly measures of EHR time and documentation composition from 75,124 US primary care physicians across 299 organizations between September 2020 and May 2021 were taken. EHR time measures include active time in orders, chart review, notes, messaging, time spent outside of scheduled hours, and total EHR time. Documentation composition measures include note length and percentage use of templated text or copy/paste. Efficiency is measured as the percent of visits with same‐day note completion.

Study Design

All analyses are cross‐sectional. Across‐organization differences in EHR use and documentation composition are presented via 90th‐to‐10th percentile ratios of means and SDs. Multilevel modeling with post‐estimation variance partitioning assesses the extent of an organizational signature—the proportion of variation in our measures attributable to organizations (versus specialty and individual behaviors). We measured organizational internal consistency for each measure via organization‐level SD, which we grouped into quartiles for regression. Association between internally consistent (i.e., low SD) organizational EHR use and physician‐level efficiency was assessed with multi‐variable OLS models.

Data Collection

Extraction from Epic's Signal platform used for measuring provider EHR efficiency.

Principal Findings

EHR time per visit for physicians at a 90th percentile organization is 1.94 times the average EHR time at a 10th percentile organization. There is little evidence, on average, of an organizational signature. However, physicians in organizations with high internal consistency in EHR use demonstrate increased efficiency. Physicians in organizations with the highest internal consistency (top quartile) have a 3.77 percentage point higher same‐day visit closure rates compared with peers in bottom quartile organizations (95% confidence interval: 0.0142–0.0612).

Conclusions

Results suggest unrealized opportunities for organizations and policymakers to support consistency in how physicians engage in EHR‐supported work.
An exercise in scientific problem‐solving: Illustrating the utility of the principles of the Sydney Declaration
Authors: Miranda Michelle D. , Buzzini Patrick , De Forest Peter R. , Willis Sheila
Published: July 2023

In forensic science, scientific problem‐solving is characterized by the recognition of traces as part of iterative reasoning processes to assign meaning to those traces in order to interpret and reconstruct events. Through a set of fundamental principles, the Sydney Declaration presents a foundation of forensic science through the lens of a scientist. The distinction between a scientist and a technician may require clarification—where a prototypical technician follows a prescribed set of ‘standard operating procedures’ and may be limited in the interpretation of the resultant data, the scientist utilizes knowledge, skills, experience and imagination to identify the issue at hand and develop lines of inquiry for testing and interpretation. This case report draws on the Sydney Declaration in order to highlight the importance of learning about events from careful consideration of both obvious and less obvious traces. A case involving the assault of a police officer is examined to illustrate the use of the Principles: the problem originally defined by investigators at the scene and later by prosecutors resulted in incorrect analysis and interpretation of traces, hampering efforts at an accurate reconstruction of events. This exercise serves to demonstrate that in order to engage in scientific problem‐solving, it is necessary to apply observation and reasoning in forensic investigations in order to yield an outcome that can be clearly articulated. The overarching goal is to support the drive to improve forensic science practice, education, and research through a case illustrating the value of the principles of the Sydney Declaration.
Interpreting contrast imaging to plan breast surgery
Authors: Taylor Donna B. , Hobbs Max M. , Ronald Maxine Mariri , Burrows Sally , Ives Angela , Parizel Paul M. , Saunders Christobel M.
Published: July 2023

Background

Contrast enhanced mammography (CEM) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are more accurate than conventional imaging (CI) for breast cancer staging. How adding CEM and MRI to CI might change the surgical plan is understudied.

Methods

Surgical plans (breast conserving surgery (BCS), wider BCS, BCS with diagnostic excision (>1BCS), mastectomy) were devised by mock‐MDT (radiologist, surgeon and pathology reports) according to disease extent on CI, CI + CEM and CI + MRI. Differences in the mock‐MDT's surgical plans following the addition of CEM or MRI were investigated. Using pre‐defined criteria, the appropriateness of the modified plans was assessed by comparing estimated disease extent on imaging with final pathology. Surgery performed was recorded from patient records.

Results

Contrast imaging modified mock‐MDT plans for 20 of 61(32.8%) breasts. The addition of CEM changed the plan in 16/20 (80%) and MRI in 17/20 breasts (85%). Identical changes were proposed by both CEM and MRI in 13/20 (65%) breasts. The modified surgical plan based on CI + CEM was possibly appropriate for 6/16 (37.5%), and CI + MRI in 9/17, (52.9%) breasts. The surgery performed was concordant with the mock‐MDT plan for all 10 patients where the plans could be compared (BCS 1, >1 BCS 2 and mastectomy 7).

Conclusion

Adding CEM or MRI to CI changed mock‐MDT plans in up to one third of women, but not all were appropriate. Changing surgical plans following addition of contrast imaging to CI without biopsy confirmation could lead to over or under‐treatment.
Label‐free proteomic analysis reveals an estrous cycle transition between the follicular phase and the luteal phase in yak ovary
Authors: Chen Hong , Yu Sijiu , Cui Yan
Published: July 2023

In order to further study the physiological mechanism about yak reproduction for the improvement of its fertility, differentially expressed proteins (DEGs) of the ovary were screened during the follicular and luteal phases of yak based on label‐free quantitative proteomics. The main research results were as follows: it discovered 2867 proteins during the follicular phase and 2180 proteins during the luteal phase, among which there were 2011 proteins of expression during both phases, 856 during the follicular phase, and 169 during the luteal phase. According to the bioinformatics and Gene Ontology analysis, the screened differentially expressed proteins were mostly located in the cell membrane and extracellular region and primarily acted on the activity of laminin. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated that the main involvement of differentially expressed proteins included steroid biosynthesis, chemokine signaling pathway, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, glycerol phospholipid metabolism, carbon metabolism, PI3K‐Akt signaling pathways, PPAR signaling pathways, nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD) receptor signaling pathways, and purine metabolic pathways. Screened proteins related to reproductive function, so as to lay a theoretical foundation for the in‐depth study of the regulation mechanism of yak reproduction and improve its fertility.
Variations in Holocene fire activity and its controls in the Ningshao Plain, eastern China
Authors: Shao Konglan , Zhang Jianping , Zheng Hongbo , Gu Zhaoyan , Xu Bing , Yang Qing , He Keyang , Lu Huayu
Published: July 2023

Extensive fires pose catastrophic threats to both human and natural ecosystems. Understanding the history of fire, particularly Holocene palaeofire activity in densely populated areas, is essential for predicting future fire risks and developing effective fire management policies. The complexity of fire activity is influenced by various factors, including climate and anthropogenic activities. In this study, we analysed microcharcoal from the top 35.36 m of a well‐dated sediment core HMD1401 in Ningshao Plain, eastern China. We combined our findings with phytolith and diatom evidence to obtain a comprehensive understanding of variations in Holocene fire activity and its controls. The results showed that there was higher fire activity during the early and late Holocene and less fire activity during the mid‐Holocene. More frequent fire occurred from c. 10 000–7000 cal. a BP and was primarily caused by abundant biomass and high seasonal flammability due to increased annual temperature and precipitation and warm but dry winter climate. Fire occurrences between c. 7000–2000 cal. a BP remained at a low level, except for the periods c. 5900–5600 cal. a BP and c. 5300 cal. a BP, which may have been caused by extreme climate events. The impact of fire caused by human activity was significantly enhanced during the last two millennia.
Debate: Neurodiversity, autism and healthcare
Authors: Green Jonathan
Published: July 2023

We are at a time of unparalleled flux in our understanding of what autism is and now to respond to it, including our understanding of the role of clinical services. For any clinician working in the context of child development and child mental health services, the majority experience is probably of overwhelming demand, and then perhaps confusion. Referrals for neurodevelopmental conditions, and particularly autism, have become an increasing proportion of UK CAMHS referrals in recent years—with the consequent lengthening of wait times extending to years, sometimes equivalent to the whole length of a child's life up until that point. Services are struggling to develop response strategies to meet user frustration, a task not helped by the fact that most interventions in current use have no good evidence of effectiveness. Consequently, a plethora of local approaches and initiatives have developed. In this article I address these clinical and related issues. I discuss current different uses of the term autism, the relation to intellectual disability, and introduce a conceptualisation of autism as emergent and transactional, which is consistent with current developmental and intervention science. This could bridge between neurodiversity and clinical perspectives and implies a framing of early intervention support that has strong clinical trials evidence and provides the basis for a rational and pre‐emptive evidenced care pathway, which I describe.
Why Do Chinese Private Enterprises Seek Outward Foreign Direct Investment?
Authors: Wang Kui , Tao Shuang
Published: July 2023

China is currently in a period of economic transformation and the reform of the factor market still lags behind that of the product market. This study explores the reasons causing China's private enterprise to expand abroad from the perspective of domestic factor market imperfection. Using data for Chinese listed firms between 2002 and 2020, it examines whether outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) has been undertaken by private enterprises as a response to domestic factor market imperfection. It finds that private enterprises located in regions with greater factor market imperfection have had a greater tendency to engage in OFDI. This effect has been more pronounced among firms with high productivity or high innovation capability, and among medium and small private enterprises.
A systematic review of quality of life and health‐related quality of life as outcomes in substance and behavioural addictions
Authors: Dyer Andrew , Böhnke Jan R. , Curran David , McGrath Katie , Toner Paul
Published: July 2023

Issues

Consideration of an individual's quality of life (QoL) can benefit assessment and treatment of addictive disorders, however, uncertainty remains over operationalisation of the construct as an outcome and the appropriateness of existing measures for these populations. This systematic review aimed to identify and evaluate QoL and health‐related QoL outcome instruments used in addiction‐related risk and harm research and map their conceptualised domains.

Approach

Three electronic databases and a specialised assessment library were searched on 1 February 2022 for QoL or health‐related QoL outcome instruments used with addiction‐related risk and harm populations. PRISMA reporting guidance was followed and included outcome instruments were appraised using mixed methods. Psychometric evidence supporting their use was summarised. The COSMIN risk of bias tool was used to assess validation studies.

Key Findings

A total of 298 articles (330 studies) used 53 outcome instruments and 41 unique domains of QoL. Eleven instruments' psychometric properties were evaluated. No instrument was assessed for any parameter in at least five studies for meta‐analytic pooling. Cronbach's alpha (α) internal consistency was the most widely assessed parameter with the AQoLS, WHOQOL‐BREF, ALQoL‐9, Q‐LES‐Q‐SF, SF‐12, DUQoL, QLI and SF‐36 displaying promising statistics (α > 0.70).

Implications and Conclusion

Many instruments have been utilised. However, a significant proportion of studies applied a small number of instruments with minimal high‐quality validation evidence supporting their use within addiction‐related risk and harm. Promising instruments are recommended, however, the paucity of supporting evidence limits confidence in the reliability and validity of QoL measurement in these populations.
Next steps in the abortion debate: It is time to consider some overlooked and new data
Authors: Ellingsen Mark
Published: July 2023

As the abortion debate moves into its next stage since The Supreme Court struck down the Roe v. Wade decision, little has changed, except for the dire circumstances in which many pregnant women find themselves. Both sides in the debate continue talking past each other in nasty ways, using the same tired, old arguments. We need more and fresh data really to advance the discussion. This article provides fresh historical, neurobiological, and theological data for the debate. From history we learn that the debate on abortion has not always been about feminism versus conservatives (though the Pro‐Life side has been associated with white nationalism) and that Protestants have not always been divided on the issue. Theologically the author directs us to his previous research indicating that disagreements today among the denominations on the issue have not been theologically related. This has important implications for rendering the debate more civil, since it is not about faith and Biblical fidelity. From Neurobiology, we receive fresh insights about when in the course of a pregnancy the fetus/embryo actually begins to function with a human‐like brain, when it is truly a homo sapiens. In addition to offering reflections on the implications of these insights for the abortion debate, we are reminded that the inputs of history and science are most appropriate inputs for Lutherans committed to using the Two‐Kingdom Ethic in social ethics and politics.
U.S. shale oil production and trend estimation: Forecasting a Hubbert model
Authors: Reynolds Douglas B.
Published: July 2023

Scarcity and growth analyses about energy include forecasting extraction rates of non‐renewable resources while taking into account technological progression. One mechanism, Moore's (1965) Law of technological improvement, encompasses experience enhanced steady cost reductions. Alternatively, synthesis technological change refers to unforeseen innovative breakthroughs. These trends relate to the Hubbert (1956, 1962) Curve of U.S shale oil extraction in the U.S. Lower 48 contiguous states. Price effects, drilling rigs and the price‐to‐drilling rig relationship are analyzed. Results show we are at peak U.S. shale oil, and could experience comprehensive decline. This implies Catton's (1982) “Age of Exuberance,” and “Carrying Capacity” drawdown.
Height and the disease environment of children: The association between mortality and height in the Netherlands 1850–1940
Authors: Quanjer Björn
Published: July 2023

Height and infant mortality are both considered health indicators of a population, yet they tend to be much more strongly correlated in high‐income, low‐mortality populations. This article shows that infant deaths are not representative of the health of survivors as it relates to height because breastfeeding practices shield them from part of the disease environment. Instead, child mortality rates, especially from food and waterborne diseases, capture the disease load that is associated with lower heights better. The period of this study is 1850–1940, with a focus on 1875–1900, as the Netherlands underwent major health and wealth transitions. Individual conscription heights from the Historical Sample of the Netherlands as well as municipal conscription statistics are used. The article takes a diachronic approach to examine how various health indicators have developed over time. The start of the upward trend in heights and the improvement of child mortality rates coincided in four Dutch regions, whereas infant mortality rates followed a different trajectory. Bivariate maps are used to identify municipalities in which infant and child mortality did not correlate. This study adds to both the understanding of heights as a health indicator and local breastfeeding practices in the nineteenth‐century Netherlands.
Simoctocog alfa (Nuwiq®) in previously untreated patients with severe haemophilia A—Final efficacy and safety results from the NuProtect study
Authors: Mathias Mary , Abraham Aby , Belletrutti Mark J. , Carcao Manuel , Carvalho Manuela , Chambost Hervé , Chan Anthony K. C. , Dubey Leonid , Ducore Jonathan , Gattens Michael , Gresele Paolo , Gruel Yves , Guillet Benoit , Jiménez‐Yuste Victor , Kitanovski Lidija , Klukowska Anna , Lohade Sunil , Mancuso Maria Elisa , Oldenburg Johannes , Pollio Berardino , Sigaud Marianne , Vilchevska Kateryna , Wu John K. M. , Jansen Martina , Belyanskaya Larisa , Walter Olaf , Knaub Sigurd , Neufeld Ellis J.
Published: July 2023

Introduction

Simoctocog alfa (Nuwiq®) is a 4th generation recombinant FVIII with proven efficacy for the prevention and treatment of bleeding episodes (BEs) in previously treated patients with severe haemophilia A. The NuProtect study assessed the immunogenicity, efficacy and safety of simoctocog alfa in 108 previously untreated patients (PUPs). The incidence of high‐titre inhibitors was 16.2% and no patients with non‐null F8 mutations developed inhibitors.

Aim

To report the efficacy and safety results from the NuProtect study.

Methods

PUPs received simoctocog alfa for prophylaxis, treatment of BEs, or as surgical prophylaxis. The efficacy of prophylaxis (during inhibitor‐free periods) was assessed using annualised bleeding rates (ABRs). The efficacy in treating BEs and in surgical prophylaxis was assessed using a 4‐point scale. Adverse events were recorded throughout the study.

Results

Of 108 PUPs treated with simoctocog alfa, 103 received at least one prophylactic dose and 50 received continuous prophylaxis for at least 24 weeks. In patients on continuous prophylaxis, the median ABR was 0 (mean 0.5) for spontaneous BEs and 2.5 (mean 3.6) for all BEs. In 85 patients who had BEs, efficacy of BE treatment was excellent or good for 92.9% (747/804) of rated BEs; 92.3% of BEs were treated with 1 or 2 infusions. The efficacy of surgical prophylaxis was excellent or good for 94.7% (18/19) of rated procedures. There were no safety concerns and no thromboembolic events.

Conclusion

Simoctocog alfa was efficacious and well tolerated as prophylaxis, surgical prophylaxis and for the treatment of BEs in PUPs with severe haemophilia A.
Can cryptic female choice prevent invasive hybridization in external fertilizing fish?
Authors: Lantiegne Tyler H. , Purchase Craig F.
Published: July 2023

Polyandrous mating systems result in females mating with multiple males, generating opportunities for strong pre‐mating and post‐mating sexual selection. Polyandry also creates the potential for unintended matings and subsequent sperm competition with hybridizing species. Cryptic female choice allows females to bias paternity towards preferred males under sperm competition and may include conspecific sperm preference when under hybridization risk. The potential for hybridization becomes particularly important in context of invasive species that can novelly hybridize with natives, and by definition, have evolved allopatrically. We provide the first examination of conspecific sperm preference in a system of three species with the potential to hybridize: North American native Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brook char (Salvelinus fontinalis), and invasive brown trout (Salmo trutta) from Europe. Using naturalized populations on the island of Newfoundland, we measured changes in sperm swimming performance, a known predictor of paternity, to determine the degree of modification in sperm swimming to female cues related to conspecific sperm preference. Compared to water alone, female ovarian fluid in general had a pronounced effect and changed sperm motility (by a mean of 53%) and swimming velocity (mean 30%), but not linearity (mean 6%). However, patterns in the degree of modification suggest there is no conspecific sperm preference in the North American populations. Furthermore, female cues from both native species tended to boost the sperm of invasive males more than their own. We conclude that cryptic female choice via ovarian fluid mediated sperm swimming modification is too weak in this system to prevent invasive hybridization and is likely insufficient to promote or maintain reproductive isolation between the native North American species.
Boys rule!: Purim and the holy innocents in early modern Worms
Authors: von Bernuth Ruth
Published: July 2023

The role of boys and young men in premodern societies was both precarious and promising. Being in a liminal space between childhood and adulthood, they needed to practice their future roles in society. This article discusses Jewish and Christian annual celebrations involving groups of boys and young men in late medieval and early modern Worms that show similar features and an effort across different religious groups to provide a space for them. Jewish youth took leading roles in the liturgy and in festivities outside the synagogue on and afterShabbat ha‐baḥurim(the boys’ Sabbath), observed on the first Sabbath after Purim. Cathedral choristers and other Christian schoolboys in Worms, led by boy kings and boy bishops, celebrated in connection with the Feast of the Holy Innocents. These festivities were structured similarly in both communities and consisted of the selection of leaders, processions, liturgical inversions, and festive meals. With these celebrations, both communities offered an occasion for young men to practice masculine behaviors and internalize masculine norms.
The influence of situational strength on the relation of personality and situational judgment test performance
Authors: Freudenstein Jan‐Philipp , Schäpers Philipp , Reznik Nomi , Stolte Talea , Krumm Stefan
Published: July 2023

Situational strength theory has been used as a theoretical underpinning of person–situation processes that are linked to job performance. Accordingly, the link between personality traits and job performance increases in weak situations. Building on this research, similar mechanisms have been proposed for simulation‐based selection tools, such as Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs), to explain how these measures work as predictors of job performance. However, underlying processes of SJT performance are subject to debate with some scholars arguing in favor of context‐independent processes while others maintain that situations play an essential role. This study (N = 707) examined whether the strength of situations in SJT items moderated the relation between personality and SJT performance. Results did not support the notion that personality is more strongly related to SJT performance when situations are weak. In fact, for some traits, the opposite may be true as more situational constraints led to an increase in the relation of extraversion, emotional stability, and SJT performance. The results add to an increasing body of research about psychological processes in SJTs. Limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.
Political advantage? Considering the Political Skill of raters
Authors: Kaplan David M. , Berkley Robyn A.
Published: July 2023

One of the ways that organizations can improve the selection process is by identifying good judges who can more accurately assess applicants. With this goal in mind, the present study proposed that politically skilled individuals would make good judges. The study focuses on two antecedents of Political Skill, perceptiveness, and control, which have corollaries in the Realistic Accuracy Model. In the present study, these are referenced as perceptiveness and self‐assuredness. The study found support for the proposition that a rater's level of Political Skill is related to selection decisions. Further, the study supports in some circumstances that Political Skill mediates the relationship between sources of knowledge and contextual factors with rater selection decisions. Suppression effects were also found indicating further research on the role of Political Skill in selection decisions is needed.
All That Glitters Is Not Gold? Civil Society Organisations and the (non‐)Mobilisation of European Union Law
Authors: van der Pas Kris
Published: July 2023

Increasingly, collective actors in Europe, such as in the Netherlands and Italy, turn to litigation as the preferred strategy to attain their goals. Both at the national level and at the European level, civil society organisations (CSOs) are active in high‐profile cases, for example, in the field of asylum law. These CSOs operate in a different national political and legal system but do have similar European‐level opportunities. However, the extent to which European Union (EU) law is mobilised differs per CSO. This begs the following key question: Why do some CSOs mobilise EU law more frequently than others? Using empirical data, this article attempts to uncover what factors are relevant for four CSOs from Italy and the Netherlands whether to mobilise EU law or not. Most importantly, the article concludes that the framing of EU legal opportunities by the CSOs is considered to be relevant in (non‐)mobilisation of EU law.
Effect of pulsed electric field on physicochemical properties of rice and black gram fermented batter
Authors: Dubey Praveen Kumar , Kumar K. Suresh , Rawson Ashish , Anandakumar Sugumar , Baskaran N. , Thamburaj Suman
Published: July 2023

This study aimed to investigate the effect of PEF treatment (5, 20, and 35 kV/cm) on functional, physicochemical, and microbiological properties of rice and black gram fermented batter. The PEF treatment efficaciously inhibited the total bacterial, yeast, and mold count from 1 × 107 to 1.8 × 105 CFU/gm and 3.7 × 103 to 4.1 × 102 CFU/gm, respectively at 35 kV/cm. PEF treatment significantly improved protein solubility, reducing sugar, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity in the fermented batter. Herschel–Bulkley model best described the change in apparent viscosity which significantly decreased in PEF treated samples. Further, FTIR analysis of the PEF treated sample exhibited an increase in the area of percentage in each functional group. The results of the study suggest that the potential of PEF treatment at 20 kV/cm enhanced bioactivity and bioavailability of protein, and carbohydrate content as well as impeded the microorganisms to avoid over‐fermentation.

Practical applications

PEF technology effectively inhibits or inactivates the microorganisms in rice and black gram fermented batter and is highly suitable to avoid over‐fermentation without major changes in the physicochemical properties of batter. Therefore, this study promotes inevitable scientific information that could further investigate the industrial production of fermented rice and black gram batter with targeted physicochemical properties through PEF treatment. This also creates new opportunities for food industries to strategically diversify microbial arrest aspects in the commercial fermented batter.
Induction and suppression of gene silencing in plants by nonviral microbes
Authors: Parperides Eric , El Mounadi Kaoutar , Garcia‐Ruiz Hernan
Published: July 2023

Gene silencing is a conserved mechanism in eukaryotes that dynamically regulates gene expression. In plants, gene silencing is critical for development and for maintenance of genome integrity. Additionally, it is a critical component of antiviral defence in plants, nematodes, insects, and fungi. To overcome gene silencing, viruses encode effectors that suppress gene silencing. A growing body of evidence shows that gene silencing and suppression of silencing are also used by plants during their interaction with nonviral pathogens such as fungi, oomycetes, and bacteria. Plant–pathogen interactions involve trans‐kingdom movement of small RNAs into the pathogens to alter the function of genes required for their development and virulence. In turn, plant‐associated pathogenic and nonpathogenic microbes also produce small RNAs that move trans‐kingdom into host plants to disrupt pathogen defence through silencing of plant genes. The mechanisms by which these small RNAs move from the microbe to the plant remain poorly understood. In this review, we examine the roles of trans‐kingdom small RNAs and silencing suppressors produced by nonviral microbes in inducing and suppressing gene silencing in plants. The emerging model is that gene silencing and suppression of silencing play critical roles in the interactions between plants and their associated nonviral microbes.
Discerning Parish Faith Through Testimony: Insights From Charismatic Renewal
Authors: Pullicino Jordan
Published: July 2023

The synodal way invites the Church to understand itself as the People of God journeying together in faith. Giving testimony is proposed here as a way of reflecting upon that journey. The Charismatic practice of giving testimony is examined as a form of reflexive faith experience. Examined in terms of witness, desire and story, the faith experience of the individual is explored for its communal, ecclesial context, and the theological contribution it makes. The discernment that links personal, spiritual experience to communal faith and practice is then investigated in the light of conciliar teaching to propose, in conclusion, how this might be undertaken in a parish setting.
Prediction of mortality in ICU patients: A comparison between the SOFA score and other indicators
Authors: Shafigh Navid , Hasheminik Morteza , Shafigh Elnaz , Alipour Haleh , Sayyadi Shahram , Kazeminia Neda , Khoundabi Batoul , Salarian Sara
Published: July 2023

The intensive care unit (ICU) is the most important department for critically ill patients. Different scoring systems are used to assess the severity of the disease and evaluate organ failure during the patient's stay in ICU. Our purpose was to evaluate the C‐reactive protein/Albumin (CRP/Alb) ratio and SOFA score as indicators of 28‐day mortality in ICU patients. A total of 55 patients were enrolled in this study. CRP and CRP/Alb rates, SOFA scores, and demographic data were used to evaluate 28‐day mortality in a referral hospital. Survived and dead patients were significantly different in the CRP, CRP/Alb rates, and SOFA scores. However, in the adjusted model, the SOFA score was the predictor of 28‐day mortality in ICU patients. SOFA score was also confirmed as a predictor of mortality in ICU patients. Besides, the role of CRP and CRP/Alb in the prediction of disease prognosis or mortality requires further studies.
Finding our place at the table: A more‐than‐human family reunion
Authors: McSherry Alice , McLellan Georgia
Published: July 2023

Indigenous worlds are and always have been sites of more‐than‐human (MTH) agency and relationship, despite their largely marginalised status within geographic scholarship to date. The return to cosmologically‐informed earth‐oriented Indigenous Lifeworlds holds transformative power for mobilising collective action toward life‐affirming MTH futures for all. In this commentary, we, as two Indigenous PhD students (Alice, Naxi Chinese and Georgia, Te Whakatōhea Māori), draw on our respective ancestral instructions of kinship to suggest that engaging in MTH geographies is less a ‘discovery’ of new epistemologies and more akin to a praxis of ‘recovery’, similar to showing up to a family reunion. Thinking‐with the metaphor of a reunion, we contend that planetary futurity is contingent on Indigenous futurity, and that epistemic freedom is contingent on epistemic justice.