bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Individual risk-taking behaviour in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) does not predict annual survival
Authors: Mathot Kimberley J. , Arteaga-Torres Josue D. , Wijmenga Jan J.
Published: July 2022

Within species, individuals often show repeatable differences in behaviours, called ‘animal personality’. One behaviour that has been widely studied is how quickly an individual resumes feeding after a disturbance, referred to as boldness or risk-taking. Depending on the mechanism(s) shaping risk-taking behaviour, risk-taking could be positively, negatively, or not associated with differences in overall survival. We studied risk-taking and survival in a population of free-living black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in which we previously showed repeatable among-individual differences in risk-taking over the course of several months. We found no evidence that variation in risk-taking is associated with differences in annual survival. We suggest that variation in risk-taking is likely shaped by multiple mechanisms simultaneously, such that the net effect on survival is small or null. For example, among-individual differences in energy demand may favour greater risk-taking without imposing an overall mortality cost if higher energy demand covaries with escape flight performance. We propose directions for future work, including using a multi-trait, multi-year approach to study risk-taking, to allow for stronger inferences regarding the mechanisms shaping these behavioural decisions.
Time spent playing video games is unlikely to impact well-being
Authors: Vuorre Matti , Johannes Niklas , Magnusson Kristoffer , Przybylski Andrew K.
Published: July 2022

Video games are a massively popular form of entertainment, socializing, cooperation and competition. Games' ubiquity fuels fears that they cause poor mental health, and major health bodies and national governments have made far-reaching policy decisions to address games’ potential risks, despite lacking adequate supporting data. The concern–evidence mismatch underscores that we know too little about games' impacts on well-being. We addressed this disconnect by linking six weeks of 38 935 players’ objective game-behaviour data, provided by seven global game publishers, with three waves of their self-reported well-being that we collected. We found little to no evidence for a causal connection between game play and well-being. However, results suggested that motivations play a role in players' well-being. For good or ill, the average effects of time spent playing video games on players’ well-being are probably very small, and further industry data are required to determine potential risks and supportive factors to health.
Failure and deformation characteristics of shale subject to true triaxial stress loading and unloading under water retention and seepage
Authors: Li Shujian , Wang Chongyang , zhang Dongming , Yu Beichen , Ren Kangde
Published: July 2022

A multi-functional true triaxial fluid-structure coupling system was used to conduct water retention and seepage tests of shale under true triaxial loading and unloading stress paths. The stress–strain evolution of shale specimens under different experimental conditions was obtained, and the corresponding deformation and strength were analysed. The evolution and failure characteristics of cracks in shale were obtained by CT scanning images before and after the experiment. The results show that the volumetric strain of shale specimen increases first, then decreases and finally continues to increase with an increase in deviatoric stress under water retention, indicating that the volumetric change has experienced a compaction-expansion-compacting. The
σ
-
ε
1
curve of the sample increases first and then decreases, while the deformation in the
σ
2
direction shows the repeated compression and expansion. In the seepage test, the permeability–strain curve can be divided into two parts before and after fracture according to the
σ
-
ε
1
curve. Before fracture, the compression velocity of the specimen in the loading direction exceeds the expansion velocity in the unloading direction, resulting in a decrease in volume and a decrease in permeability. With an increase in deviatoric stress, fractures occur inside the particles and continue to spread from the tip until the fractures break through the shale specimen. The pore fissure area increases and the permeability of the sample increases rapidly. In terms of fracture evolution, for the water retention test, dense tensile and shear cracks appear on the failure plane perpendicular to the
σ
1
and
σ
3
directions, and complex shear fracture network appears on the failure plane perpendicular to the
σ
2
direction. For the seepage test, heavy shear failure occurs throughout the original fracture of the sample. With an increase in the penetration depth, the fracture shape on the failure surface perpendicular to the
σ
2
direction gradually changes from single to complex.
The changing nature of Earth's reflected sunlight
Authors: Stephens Graeme L. , Hakuba Maria Z. , Kato Seiji , Gettelman Andrew , Dufresne Jean-Louis , Andrews Timothy , Cole Jason N. S. , Willen Ulrika , Mauritsen Thorsten
Published: July 2022

The increased rate of sea-level rise suggests that Earth's energy imbalance is also increasing over time. This study assesses whether 20 years of direct observations of this energy imbalance from Earth-orbiting satellites support the existence of a real trend in this imbalance and the components of it and finds. Changes to the imbalance observed are found to be consistent across multiple sources of observations. The majority of recent studies now clearly point to this energy imbalance being positive, while forced by increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, being amplified significantly by decreases to the amount of sunlight reflected by Earth to space. Here, we show that the global changes observed appear largely from reductions in the amount of sunlight scattered by Earth's atmosphere. These reductions, in turn, are found to be almost equally split between reduced reflection from the cloudy and clear regions of the atmosphere, with the latter being suggestive of reduced scattering by aerosol particles over the observational period. Climate models, however, show an almost exclusive response from clouds, and a slightly exaggerated darkening of the surface. Thus, models that match the global shortwave change do so for the wrong reasons.
Indirect exclusion can promote cooperation in repeated group interactions
Authors: Liu Linjie , Chen Xiaojie
Published: July 2022

Social exclusion has been regarded as one of the most effective measures to promote the evolution of cooperation. In real society, the way in which social exclusion works can be direct or indirect. However, thus far there is no related work to explore how indirect exclusion influences the evolution of cooperation from a theoretical perspective. Here, we introduce indirect exclusion into the repeated public goods game where the game organizer probabilistically selects cooperators after the first game round to participate in the following possible game interactions. We then investigate the evolutionary dynamics of cooperation both in infinite and finite well-mixed populations. Through theoretical analysis and numerical calculations, we find that the introduction of indirect exclusion can induce the stable coexistence of cooperators and defectors or the dominance of cooperators, which thus effectively promotes the evolution of cooperation. Besides, we show that the identifying probability of the organizer has a nonlinear effect on public cooperation when its value is lower than an intermediate value, while the higher identifying probability can maintain a high level of cooperation. Furthermore, our results show that increasing the average rounds of game interactions can effectively promote the evolution of cooperation.
Exploitation of an ancestral pheromone biosynthetic pathway contributes to diversification in
Heliconius
butterflies
Authors: Cama Bruna , Ehlers Stephanie , Szczerbowski Daiane , Thomas-Oates Jane , Jiggins Chris D. , Schulz Stefan , McMillan W. Owen , Dasmahapatra Kanchon K.
Published: July 2022

During courtship, male butterflies of many species produce androconial secretions containing male sex pheromones (MSPs) that communicate species identity and affect female choice. MSPs are thus likely candidates as reproductive barriers, yet their role in speciation remains poorly studied. Although
Heliconius
butterflies are a model system in speciation, their MSPs have not been investigated from a macroevolutionary perspective. We use GC/MS to characterize male androconial secretions in 33 of the 69 species in the Heliconiini tribe. We found these blends to be species-specific, consistent with a role in reproductive isolation. We detected a burst in blend diversification rate at the most speciose genus,
Heliconius
; a consequence of
Heliconius
and
Eueides
species using a fatty acid (FA) metabolic pathway to unlock more complex blends than basal Heliconiini species, whose secretions are dominated by plant-like metabolites. A comparison of 10 sister species pairs demonstrates a striking positive correlation between blend dissimilarity and range overlap, consistent with character displacement or reinforcement in sympatry. These results demonstrate for the first time that MSP diversification can promote reproductive isolation across this group of butterflies, showcasing how implementation of an ancestral trait, the co-option of the FA metabolic pathway for pheromone production, can facilitate rapid speciation.
The acclimatory response of the mayfly
Neocloeon triangulifer
to dilute conditions is linked to the plasticity of sodium transport
Authors: Cochran Jamie K. , Buchwalter David B.
Published: July 2022

Relative to a growing body of knowledge about the negative consequences of freshwater salinization, little is known about how aquatic insects respond to progressively ion-poor conditions. Here, we examined life-history and physiological acclimation in
Neocloeon triangulifer
by rearing nymphs from 1-day post-egg hatch to adulthood across a gradient of decreasing Na concentrations (15, 8, 4, 2 and 1 mg l
−1
Na). We found no significant changes in survival, growth, development time and whole-body Na content across these treatments. Radiotracer data revealed that nymphs acclimated to their dilute exposures by increasing their rates of Na uptake and were able to maintain a relatively narrow range of uptake rates (±s.e.m.) of 38.5 ± 4.2 µg Na g
−1
h
−1
across all treatments. By contrast, the Na uptake rates observed in naive nymphs were much more concentration dependent. This acclimatory response is partially explained by differences in ionocyte counts on the gills of nymphs reared under different salinities. Acclimated nymphs were surprisingly less retentive of their sodium composition when subjected to deionized water challenge. By contrasting our findings with a previous
N. triangulifer
salinity acclimation study, we show a physiological affinity for dilute conditions in this emerging mayfly model.
α-SAS: an integrative approach for structural modeling of biological macromolecules in solution
Authors: Anitas Eugen Mircea
Published: July 2022

Modern small-angle scattering (SAS) experiments with neutrons (SANS) or X-rays (SAXS) combined with contrast variation provide comprehensive information about the structure of large multicomponent macromolecules in solution and allow the size, shape and relative arrangement of each component to be mapped out. To obtain such information, it is essential to perform well designed experiments, in which all necessary steps, from assessing sample suitability to structure modeling, are properly executed. This paper describes α-SAS, an integrative approach that is useful for effectively planning a biological contrast-variation SAS experiment. The accurate generation of expected experimental intensities using α-SAS allows the substantial acceleratation of research into the structure and function of biomacromolecules by minimizing the time and costs associated with performing a SAS experiment. The method is validated using a few basic structures with known analytical expressions for scattering intensity and using experimental SAXS data from Arabidopsis β-amylase 1 protein and SANS data from the histidine kinase–Sda complex and from human dystrophin without and with a membrane-mimicking nanodisk. Simulation of a SANS contrast-variation experiment is performed for synthetic nanobodies that effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2.
Room-temperature serial synchrotron crystallography of Drosophila cryptochrome
Authors: Schneps Connor M. , Ganguly Abir , Crane Brian R.
Published: July 2022

Fixed-target serial crystallography allows the high-throughput collection of diffraction data from small crystals at room temperature. This methodology is particularly useful for difficult samples that have sensitivity to radiation damage or intolerance to cryoprotection measures; fixed-target methods also have the added benefit of low sample consumption. Here, this method is applied to the structure determination of the circadian photoreceptor cryptochrome (CRY), previous structures of which have been determined at cryogenic temperature. In determining the structure, several data-filtering strategies were tested for combining observations from the hundreds of crystals that contributed to the final data set. Removing data sets based on the average correlation coefficient among equivalent reflection intensities between a given data set and all others was most effective at improving the data quality and maintaining overall completeness. CRYs are light sensors that undergo conformational photoactivation. Comparisons between the cryogenic and room-temperature CRY structures reveal regions of enhanced mobility at room temperature in loops that have functional importance within the CRY family of proteins. The B factors of the room-temperature structure correlate well with those predicted from molecular-dynamics simulations.
Variable pitch control of a quadrotor using adaptive sliding mode controller
Authors: Mosalsal Maryam , Khodabandeh Mahdi
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the characteristics and modeling of the variable pitch quadrotor. In a variable pitch quadrotor, unlike ordinary quadrotors that the force is generated by the rotors, the speed of the rotors is constant, and the force is generated by varying the pitch angle of blades.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a sliding mode controller and an adaptive sliding mode controller are used to control the variable pitch quadrotor to have better performance.

Findings

The variable pitch mechanism has a wider control bandwidth, and it is able to produce a negative thrust that facilitates trajectory tracking and aggressive maneuvers. The simulation results indicate high performance of the proposed control scheme in presence of disturbance and changes in mass of the quadrotor.

Originality/value

The performance of the controllers for the variable pitch quadrotor is investigated through computer simulation with MATLAB software.
Circular economy in pharmaceutical industry through the lens of stimulus organism response theory
Authors: Sabat Kali Charan , Bhattacharyya Som Sekhar , Krishnamoorthy Bala
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore circular economy (CE) initiatives and apply the stimulus-organism-response theory to find the socio-political drivers and enablers of CE in the pharmaceutical industry. CE as a concept was relatively not studied much with respect to socio-political interests from operations management perspectives. This was especially so in the pharmaceutical industry.

Design/methodology/approach

This research study was anchored in the theoretical conversation of stimulus-organism-response theory to find the socio-political interests and enablers of the regenerative CE principles. These were the functions of remanufacturing, reuse and recycle. For this research study, data was collected in two steps. First, eight industry practitioners were interviewed to understand the CE practices in the pharmaceutical industry. Then 166 chiefs of production and operations functions from 124 pharmaceutical companies were surveyed. The quantitative data was empirically analyzed using SmartPLS3 software.

Findings

This research study revealed that pressure from suppliers and other public stakeholders were driving regenerative CE practices in the pharmaceutical industry. The results further stated that CE enablers such as green information technology systems and internal environmental management were critical for making pharmaceutical manufacturing operations circular.

Research limitations/implications

This research study measured the constructs on a formative scale. Studies measuring socio-political interests, CE enablers and sustainability practices constructs on a formative scale were much required for the development of the CE theory. This research study output could be applied across geographies and industries to measure the indicators of CE.

Practical implications

This research study indicated that in the context of the pharmaceutical industry, there was an overemphasis on the remanufacture and reuse principles. However, the focus on recycling principles was mostly subdued. For managers and regulators in the pharmaceutical sector, this research study provided clear insights that for more effective CE implementation. This was based on an effective application of recycling practices in the critical functions in pharmaceutical industry.

Originality/value

Earlier research studies on green and environmental manufacturing were focused on linear production models. To provide clear and robust foundations for CE theory, this research study considered operations management from the perspective of the value chain. This comprised the entire circular production model. Earlier research studies had treated socio-political interests, CE enablers and sustainability practices as reflective constructs. This study was one of the foremost to measure these constructs on a formative scale.
The impact of psychosocial working conditions on information security behaviour in the nuclear industry
Authors: Gyllensten Kristina , Törner Marianne , Pousette Anders
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relations among job resources, value conflicts, information security climate and information security behaviour in the nuclear industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Longitudinal questionnaire data on information security climate and psychosocial working conditions were collected from two organisations in Sweden (response rate 62% and 59%, respectively).

Findings

A high occurrence of value conflicts decreased the participative information security behaviour, while psychosocial job resources and high job demands had positive effects on such behaviour. High rule-compliant information security behaviour led to fewer perceived value conflicts. When job resources were high, high job demands had a positive effect on rule compliance. Information security climate had a strong and positive cross-sectional relationship with information security behaviour but no longitudinal influence on behaviour. This suggests that the time interval, one year between measurements, may have been too long and events between measurements may have masked the causal process.

Originality/value

As one of very few longitudinal studies of information security, this study illuminated causal relationships regarding information security behaviour that have not been possible to identify in previous cross-sectional research. This enables better understanding of psychosocial phenomena and processes of importance for information security. This study does not provide conclusive results but indicates new important directions for research.
Talent management: the way out of poor task performance
Authors: Jimoh Lukman Adams , Kee Daisy Mui Hung
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The paper investigates how talent management influences employee performance in the banking industry in Nigeria. Despite various economic policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria aimed at reshaping the banking industry, talent management and development for the digital age is the concern of the most bank. Rapid digital transformation has been affecting the banking industry, which requires the banking industry to rethink a strategic way to achieve inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth.

Design/methodology/approach

The questionnaires were used to obtain information from 302 full-time employees of the top five banks in the Nigerian banking industry. The collected data were analyzed using the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM).

Findings

This study shows that talent attraction and development significantly and positively influence task performance. In comparison, talent retention was found to have no significant effect on task performance. This study found that work engagement positively mediates talent attraction, development and task performance. Work engagement did not mediate the relationship between talent retention and task performance.

Originality/value

For the industry to motivate high-performing employees in this digital economy, talent management will need to be carefully designed to create the most enduring competitive advantage. In conclusion, this study will benefit the Nigerian banking industry by apprehending the predictors of task performance so that the prevalence of poor task performance among the employees is well managed.
Distributed load-balancing for account-based sharded blockchains
Authors: Toulouse Michel , Dai H.K. , Le Truong Giang
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Sharding of blockchains consists of partitioning a blockchain network into several sub-networks called “shards,” each shard processing and storing disjoint sets of transactions in parallel. Sharding has recently been applied to public blockchains to improve scalability through parallelism. The throughput of sharded blockchain is optimized when the workload among the shards is approximately the same. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the problem of balancing workload of account-based blockchains such as Ethereum.

Design/methodology/approach

Two known consensus-based distributed load-balancing algorithms have been adapted to sharded blockchains. These algorithms migrate accounts across shards to balance transaction processing times. Two methods to predict transaction processing times are proposed.

Findings

The authors identify some challenging aspects for solving the load-balancing problem in sharded blockchains. Experiments conducted with Ethereum transactions show that the two load-balancing algorithms are challenged by accounts often created to process a single transaction to optimize anonymity, while existing accounts sparsely generate transactions.

Originality/value

Tests in this work have been conducted on transactions originating from a blockchain platform rather than using artificially generated data distributions. They show the specificity of the load-balancing problem for sharded blockchains, which were hidden in artificial data sets.
Innovation-based diversification strategies and the survival of emerging economy village-owned enterprises (VOEs) in the COVID-19 recession
Authors: Yaya Rizal , Suryanto Rudy , Abubakar Yazid Abdullahi , Kasim Nawal , Raimi Lukman , Irfana Siti Syifa
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The global recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure of thousands of village-owned enterprises (VOEs), which are community-managed enterprises that operate in the hostile rural areas in emerging economies. Thus, considering that a Schumpeterian view of economic downturn sees recessions as times where old products/services decline while new products/services emerge, this paper aims to explore the specific innovation-based diversification strategies that matter for the survival of emerging economy VOEs in recession periods to develop new theoretical insights.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on multiple-case studies of 13 leading VOEs operating in the rural areas of Java Island in Indonesia, an emerging economy. The data was analysed using within-case and cross-case analyses.

Findings

Overall, a number of major novel findings have emerged from the analysis, based on which the authors developed several new propositions. First, from the perspectives of both new product and new service diversification, “unrelated diversification” is the primary resilience strategy that seems to be associated with the survival of VOEs in the COVID-19 recession, over and above “related diversification”. Second, from an industrial sector diversification perspective, the most dominant resilient strategy for surviving the recession is “unrelated diversification into tertiary sectors (service sector)”, over and above diversification into the primary sector (agriculture, fisheries and mining) and secondary sector (manufacturing and construction).

Originality/value

The authors contribute to the literature on entrepreneurship in emerging economies by identifying the resilience diversification strategies that matter for the survival of VOEs in recession.
Stakeholders’ perspectives on “miracle examination centres” in Nigeria
Authors: Agwu Prince , Odii Aloysius , Orjiakor Tochukwu , Roy Pallavi , Nzeadibe Chidi , Onalu Chinyere , Okoye Uzoma Odera , Onwujekwe Obinna
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to describe the nature and operations of schools commonly regarded as “Miracle Examination Centres (MECs)” in Nigeria, through the lens of stakeholders in education. This study also assessed stakeholders’ perspectives on the possible solutions to the problem of MECs.

Design/methodology/approach

The study design was a stakeholders’ approach involving 39 key actors within the examination system from northern and southern Nigeria. The stakeholders comprised people from the Ministries of Education (MoE), Examination Councils (EC), school owners and teachers, security agencies and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) who were invited to interact, interrogate and debate the subject of MECs in Nigeria. Using thematic analysis, recurrent themes were identified from the data and used for a narrative synthesis of the findings.

Findings

MECs may attempt to circumvent quality assurance and regulatory requirements and may find support from prominent leaders and members of the communities through a wider informal economy. Interventions against MECs might only yield incremental results and must involve various groups like CSOs, anti-corruption agencies, EC and faith- and community-based groups. These interventions will be even more effective if the MoE will strengthen its integrity and improve its monitoring and regulatory functions without political interference.

Originality/value

This paper revealed that improving examination integrity and building a solid and reliable secondary educational level in Nigeria will be achieved through the combination of horizontal and vertical approaches that involve local actors and those in authority.
A comparison of investment behavior, attitudes, and demographics of socially responsible and conventional investors in India
Authors: Jonwall Renu , Gupta Seema , Pahuja Shuchi
Published: July 2022

Purpose

India is an emerging economy and one of the preferred investment destinations for environmental, social and governance (ESG) fund issuers. Institutional investors invest retail investors’ money, and hence, it becomes imperative for ESG fund managers to understand the social investment preferences of retail investors. This study aims to compare the Indian socially responsible (SR) investors and conventional investors in terms of their socially responsible investment (SRI) awareness level, opinions about broad and specific ESG issues, investment behavior and demographics. In addition, this paper makes an attempt to have a deeper insight into Indian investors’ behavior toward SRI by segmenting the Indian retail investors based on their SRI awareness level, attitude toward ESG issues and intention to accept lower financial returns, and choices made by them as consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

After collecting the data through the survey method an independentt-test is used to compare SR investors with conventional investors. Chi-square has been used to analyze the data related to demographics, and cluster analysis is used to identify segments among Indian retail investors.

Findings

The results indicated that Indian SR investors’ SRI awareness level is more, they are more concerned about broad and specific ESG issues, they are more into faith-based investing, and are responsible consumers vis-à-vis conventional investors. As per demographic, SR investors are in the middle age group of 30–40 years, male, hold a postgraduate degree and have an annual income of 10–20 lakhs in comparison to conventional investors. The results of cluster analysis indicated that Indian retail investors can be classified into three groups based on their SRI awareness, intention to sacrifice financial return, attitude toward ESG issues and choices made by them as consumers.

Research limitations/implications

Results have implications for national and international fund managers, policymakers, regulators and society. These results will help mutual fund companies to provide curated SR mutual funds as per the behavior and choice of retail investors and penetrate the Indian investment market more deeply.

Originality/value

This research study contributes to the literature on SRI by identifying the differentiating characteristics of Indian SR and conventional investors and segmenting Indian retail investors on the basis of their SRI awareness, the importance of ESG issues and choices made by them as investors and consumers.
Impact of comprehensive distance on inbound tourist satisfaction
Authors: Yang Yang , Qiu Yiqi , Wang Ying , Zheng Qingyan
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Distance is the core concept in tourism. However, previous studies focused on single distance dimensions and generated contradictory findings due to omitted variable biases. This paper aims to introduce the well-established CAGE (cultural, administrative, geographical, and economic) distance framework into international tourism research to measure the comprehensive distance and explore its impact on inbound tourist satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The comprehensive distance was calculated based on the Mahalanobis formula. Combining tourist review data from TripAdvisor, this study used ordinary least square regressions to explore the influence of the comprehensive distance on inbound tourist satisfaction and the mediating role of inbound tourist emotion.

Findings

Results show that CAGE distance effectively describes the dynamic change in distance. The comprehensive distance also positively impacts tourist satisfaction, and tourist emotion plays a mediating role in this impact.

Originality/value

This paper advances knowledge about distance in international tourism by introducing the CAGE distance framework and addresses the contradictory findings with specific distance dimensions by the comprehensive distance.
Puzzle
Authors: Fletcher Michael
Published: July 2022

Choosing a husband
Japanese self‐initiated expatriates' adjustment to Indian assignments: the role of traditional values
Authors: Ashta Ashok , Stokes Peter
Published: July 2022

The purpose of the study was to enhance understanding of how self‐initiated expatriates (SIE) adjust to new cultural contexts in the under‐explored Indo‐Japanese inter‐Asian context. A literature review identified that Asian focal case studies are under‐developed, especially regarding the important interactions between major advanced Asian economy and emerging Asian economy settings. Therefore, the study developed an illustrative case of advanced economy Japanese SIE managers’ lived experience in Indian emerging economy cross‐cultural management situations. Deploying a social constructivist epistemology using interpretive analysis, the current study found clear evidence of an interplay of hitherto under‐recognized common Indo‐Japanese spiritual values with roots in Buddhism surfacing in the Japanese SIE's adjustment. The paper offers important insights to complement extant theory on the individual‐level factors influencing SIE adjustment in an inter‐Asian context. The study contributes to international human resource management literature by surfacing contextualized understanding of the role of traditional spiritual values in SIE adjustment.
Causality and the fate of climate litigation: The role of the social superstructure narrative
Authors: Otto Friederike E. L. , Minnerop Petra , Raju Emmanuel , Harrington Luke J. , Stuart‐Smith Rupert F. , Boyd Emily , James Rachel , Jones Richard , Lauta Kristian C.
Published: July 2022

Climate litigation has become a strategic tool to push for climate justice, including compensation for losses caused by climate change. Many cases rely on the establishment of a causal relationship between the defendants' emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) and the plaintiffs' losses. All decided cases seeking compensation for a concrete climate related impact have been unsuccessful (thus far). Legal scholars as well as social and natural scientists have looked at individual cases and evidence of these unsuccessful claims, aiming to identify legal and scientific hurdles. Based on previous research where we analysed specific cases, we step back from a case‐specific analysis in this article and identify the social context in which law and science operate and intersect. We assert that without a general understanding of the urgency of climate change and the scientifically proven fact that climate change impacts the present, and that it is possible to attribute individual losses to human‐caused climate change, the fate and future of climate litigation focusing on losses and damages will continue to encounter major obstacles in courts. This is despite the increasingly sophisticated strategies of litigants; the positive outcome of some strategic litigation and improvements in the field of climate science, all of which would be expected to sway for a successful future of the fight against climate change.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation missed by bystanders: Collateral damage of coronavirus disease 2019
Authors: Stirparo Giuseppe , Fagoni Nazzareno , Bellini Lorenzo , Oradini‐Alacreu Aurea , Migliari Maurizio , Villa Guido Francesco , Botteri Marco , Signorelli Carlo , Sechi Giuseppe Maria , Zoli Alberto
Published: July 2022

Objective

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic changed the time‐dependent cardiac arrest network. This study aims to understand whether the rescue standards of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) were handled differently during pandemic compared to the previous year.

Methods

Data for the years 2019 and 2020 were provided by the records of the Lombardy office of the Regional Agency for Emergency and Urgency. We analysed where the cardiac arrest occurred, when CPR started and whether the bystanders used public access to defibrillation (PAD).

Results

During 2020, there was a reduction in CPRs performed by bystanders (odds ratio [OR] = 0.936 [95% confidence interval (CI95%) 0.882–0.993], p = .029) and in the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) (OR = 0.621 [CI95% 0.563–0.685], p < .0001), while there was no significant reduction in the use of PAD. Analysing only March, the period of the first wave in Lombardy, the comparison shows a reduction in bystanders CPRs (OR = 0.727 [CI95% 0.602–0.877], p = .0008), use of PAD (OR = 0.441 [CI95% 0.272–0.716], p = .0009) and in ROSC (OR = 0.179 [CI95% 0.124–0.257], p < .0001). These phenomena could be influenced by the different settings in which the OHCAs occurred; in fact, those that occurred in public places with a mandatory PAD were strongly reduced (OR = 0.49 [CI95%, 0.44–0.55], p < .0001).

Conclusions

COVID‐19 had a profound impact on the time‐dependant OHCA network. During the first pandemic wave, CPR and PAD used by bystanders decreased. The different contexts in which OHCAs occurred may partially explain these differences.
The metabolic adverse effects of antipsychotic use in individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disability: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Smith Emily , Stogios Nicolette , Au Emily , Maksyutynska Kateryna , De Riddhita , Ji Andrew , Erlang Sørensen Mikkel , St. John Laura , Lin Hsiang‐Yuan , Desarkar Pushpal , Lunsky Yona , Remington Gary , Hahn Margaret , Agarwal Sri Mahavir
Published: July 2022

Objective

Individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disability (IDD) are often prescribed antipsychotics (APs). However, despite their known propensity to cause metabolic adverse effects, including weight gain, diabetes, and increased risk of cardiovascular events, there is currently a limited body of literature describing the metabolic consequences of AP use in this population.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CENTRAL, and CINAHL databases to identify all randomized trials that reported on the metabolic effects of APs in individuals with IDD. Random effects meta‐analyses were used to examine weight gain as both a continuous and dichotomous outcome.

Results

Eighteen randomized trials met our inclusion criteria with a total of 1376 patients across a variety of IDDs. AP use was associated with significantly greater weight gain compared with placebo (Continuous: mean difference = 1.10 kg, [0.79, 1.40], p < 0.00001, I2 = 54%; Dichotomous: odds ratio = 3.94, [2.15, 7.23], p < 0.00001, I2 = 0). Sub‐group analysis revealed no significant effect of AP type. Data regarding the effects of APs on other metabolic outcomes were limited.

Conclusion

This review (PROSPERO # CRD42021255558) demonstrates that AP use is associated with significant weight gain among patients with IDD. Concerningly, most reported studies were in children and adolescents, which sets up an already vulnerable population for adverse medical sequalae at an early age. There was also a lack of long‐term studies in adults with IDD. Further studies are required to better understand how AP use affects metabolic parameters in this group of individuals.
Neonatal outcomes following antenatal corticosteroid administration prior to elective caesarean delivery in women with pre‐gestational diabetes: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Thevathasan Iniyaval , Karahalios Amalia , Unterscheider Julia , Leung Laura , Walker Sofia , Said Joanne M.
Published: July 2022

Background

The benefit of antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) administration for the prevention of neonatal morbidity and mortality has been well described for preterm infants. Some studies have demonstrated a benefit for infants born by elective caesarean section (CS) at late preterm or term gestations. However, the neonatal benefits of ACS are not well described when given to pregnant women with diabetes.

Aims

The aim of this study was to evaluate the neonatal outcomes following ACS administration in women with pre‐gestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) when administered prior to elective CS after 36 weeks gestation.

Methods

This retrospective observational study included all women with PGDM who gave birth by elective CS between 36+0 and 38+6 weeks gestation. Neonatal outcomes for exposed participants were compared to outcomes for non‐exposed participants.

Results

Of the 306 women identified, 65 (21.2%) were exposed to ACS within seven days prior to birth and 241 (78.8%) were not. Although not statistically significant, ACS‐exposed infants born prior to 38+0 weeks were less likely to require respiratory support or neonatal nursery admission compared to those who were not exposed; however, exposed infants born after 37+0 weeks were more likely to require parenteral treatment for neonatal hypoglycaemia.

Conclusion

This study did not demonstrate any statistically significant beneficial or harmful effects of ACS in neonates of women with PGDM who are born by elective CS. While it is plausible that ACS could reduce neonatal respiratory morbidity in this population, further prospective studies evaluating the benefits and harms are required before recommending this practice.
Incidence and factors impacting PTSD following the 2005 Eyre Peninsula bushfires in South Australia – A 7 year follow up study
Authors: Watts Richard , Liu Wai‐Man , Hooff Miranda Van , McFarlane Alexander , Sekhar Vimal , Kathiravan Tharun , Thiruvenkatarajan Venkatesan
Published: July 2022

Objectives

To identify the incidence and factors impacting post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 6 months, 2 and 7 years following the 2005 Eyre Peninsula bushfires in South Australia.

Methods

A questionnaire was used to assess symptoms.

Design and Setting

A longitudinal follow‐up study with responses collected from a self‐report booklet.

Participants

179 respondents were present at 6 months post bushfires, with 103 and 87 participants at 2 and 7 years, respectively.

Main Outcome Measures

PTSD rates and its precipitating factors.

Results

The proportion of PTSD cases at times 1, 2 and 3 were 13.4% (24/179), 10.7% (11/103), and 4.8% (4/87), respectively. At 6 months, terrifying experience of fire reduced odds of developing PTSD (Odds Ratio [OR]: 0.45; 95% CI 0.21–0.96) while relocation increased odds (OR: 2.93; 95% CI 1.06–8.08). At 2 years, relocation (OR: 6.81; 95% CI 1.07–43.41) was a positive predictor. At 7 years, personal loss from the fires (OR: 2.82; 95% CI 1.17–6.77) positively predicted PTSD.

Conclusion

PTSD rates declined over time. Relocation may be a proxy measure of high levels of emotional trauma. Those most traumatised probably decided to relocate, and hence, relocation should be considered a trigger for PTSD in the aftermath of bushfire.
A Bayesian Multivariate Mixture Model for High Throughput Spatial Transcriptomics
Authors: Allen Carter , Chang Yuzhou , Neelon Brian , Chang Won , Kim Hang J. , Li Zihai , Ma Qin , Chung Dongjun
Published: July 2022

High throughput spatial transcriptomics (HST) is a rapidly emerging class of experimental technologies that allow for profiling gene expression in tissue samples at or near single-cell resolution while retaining the spatial location of each sequencing unit within the tissue sample. Through analyzing HST data, we seek to identify sub-populations of cells within a tissue sample that may inform biological phenomena. Existing computational methods either ignore the spatial heterogeneity in gene expression profiles, fail to account for important statistical features such as skewness, or are heuristic-based network clustering methods that lack the inferential benefits of statistical modeling. To address this gap, we develop SPRUCE: a Bayesian spatial multivariate finite mixture model based on multivariate skew-normal distributions, which is capable of identifying distinct cellular sub-populations in HST data. We further implement a novel combination of Pólya–Gamma data augmentation and spatial random effects to infer spatially correlated mixture component membership probabilities without relying on approximate inference techniques. Via a simulation study, we demonstrate the detrimental inferential effects of ignoring skewness or spatial correlation in HST data. Using publicly available human brain HST data, SPRUCE outperforms existing methods in recovering expertly annotated brain layers. Finally, our application of SPRUCE to human breast cancer HST data indicates that SPRUCE can distinguish distinct cell populations within the tumor microenvironment. An R package spruce for fitting the proposed models is available through The Comprehensive R Archive Network.
Pyrimidine derivatives as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors in non‐small‐cell lung cancer: A comprehensive review
Authors: Kizhakkedath Ratheesh Anandu , Pottankottu Jayan Ajay , Presanna Aneesh Thankappan , Nirmala Saiprabha Vijayakumar
Published: July 2022

EGFR‐positive non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) due to primary mutation (EGFR DEL19 & L858R) has been recognized as a crucial mediator of tumor progression. This led to the development and approval of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which addresses EGFR‐mediated NSCLC but fail to show potency after initial months of therapy due to acquired resistance (EGFR T790M, EGFR C797S). Extensive research allowed identification of drugs for EGFR‐positive NSCLC, wherein the majority of compounds have a pyrimidine substructure offering marked therapeutic benefits compared with chemotherapy. This current review outlines the diverse pyrimidine derivatives with amino‐linked and fused pyrimidine scaffolds such as furo‐pyrimidine, pyrimido‐pyrimidine, thieno‐pyrimidine, highlighting pyrimidine EGFR TK inhibitors reported in research emphasizing structural aspects, design approaches, inhibition potential, selectivity profile toward mutant EGFR conveyed through biological evaluation studies. Furthermore, mentioning the in‐silico interaction profile of synthesized compounds for evaluating the binding affinity with key amino acids. The epilogue of review focuses on the recent research that drives forward to aid in the discovery and development of substituted amino and fused scaffolds of pyrimidine that can counteract the mutations and effectively manage EGFR‐positive NSCLC.
Pandemic Effects: COVID‐19 and the Crisis of Development in the Middle East
Authors: Hanieh Adam , Ziadah Rafeef
Published: July 2022

This article explores the effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on socio‐economic development and political mobilization in the Middle East. It argues that beyond its direct public health implications, the pandemic is serving to intensify the extreme differences in wealth and power that have characterized the region for many years. The article gives an overview of the region's political economy prior to the pandemic, examining the legacies of the 2011 uprisings and the ways in which notions of ‘crisis’ were mobilized to re‐embed market‐led development models over the last decade. Within this broader context, it maps the generalized deterioration in living conditions that has occurred since mid‐2020. Following this, it discusses the pandemic's exacerbation of regional unevenness, exploring the strengthened position of more powerful states, notably Israel and the Gulf states, within the political and economic hierarchies of the Middle East. Finally, the article takes a closer look at Lebanon, Tunisia and Sudan, three countries that have been sharply hit by the pandemic, but that were also marked by substantial mass protests and political mobilization immediately prior to 2020. These countries illustrate the political complexities involved in situations where a profound socio‐economic crisis intersects with a long‐standing erosion of political hegemony.