bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hands-on sustainability: designing an engaging undergraduate sustainable business course
Authors: Abdou Yasmin , Ammar Nesma
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This paper outlines the active learning methods used to develop and deliver a sustainable business course to undergraduate students. Moreover, the paper aims to investigate the effect of the sustainable business course on the students’ engagement in sustainable consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

From a pedagogical perspective, the paper describes the active learning methods applied in a newly introduced sustainable business course via numerous distinctive assessment techniques. On the empirical front, the research investigates the impact of the sustainable business course on the students’ engagement in sustainable consumption. To test such impact, an online survey was distributed among students who completed the sustainable business course, and as a control group for comparison, students who did not take the course.

Findings

The research results indicate a positive relationship between completion of the sustainable business course and engagement in sustainable consumption. Furthermore, the data revealed that female students exhibited more engagement in sustainable consumption than male students.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to the literature on student-centered pedagogy, active learning techniques and the relationship between sustainable business education and engagement with sustainable consumption.

Practical implications

The study contributes to the literature on student-centered pedagogy, active learning techniques and the relationship between sustainable business education and engagement with sustainable consumption. Pedagogically, the nonconventional course curricula and assessment methods described in this study can be used as a reference by instructors aiming to integrate active and experiential teaching methods into their sustainable business curricula. For decision makers in higher education who are working in line with the global direction to achieve sustainability, this research provides preliminary evidence that students’ engagement with sustainability is influenced by their course curricula.

Originality/value

By depicting innovative approaches to teaching sustainability in business, the research enriches the field of sustainable business pedagogy which remains under-researched in many countries. Furthermore, the research goes further by investigating the effect of the course on students’ sustainable consumption. This acts as evidence of the effectiveness of teaching sustainable business in changing future leaders’ perspectives and priorities to include environmental and social aspects, which has become a global goal. Accordingly, the research has the potential to encourage more business schools to make sustainable business education mandatory.
Strategy for sustainable supply chain transformation: a resource orchestration perspective
Authors: Yan Xiaoyu , Chen Xiaohong , Lu Chunfang , Liu Weihua , Shi Xiaoran , Gong Yu
Published: July 2024

Purpose

With the popularization of sustainable concepts, how to transform into a sustainable supply chain has received widespread attention in practice. Under this circumstance, this paper aims to propose a theoretical framework of sustainable supply chain transformation (SSCT) from a perspective of resource identification and utilization, investigates resources/capabilities that can be used to promote SSCT and explores how to use resources/capabilities to achieve SSCT effectively.

Design/methodology/approach

An inductive multi-case analysis is applied to this paper. Four state-owned/non-state-owned enterprises from the manufacturing sector are selected as the research objectives, which are all leaders in the industry based on the 2022 China TOP 500 Enterprises Ranking. Meanwhile, to guarantee the diversities of enterprises, the four selected enterprises are respectively positioned in upstream and downstream of the supply chain.

Findings

A theoretical framework of SSCT is proposed with following research findings: (1) Technology resources, facilities and equipment resources, and business process reengineering capability are the key resources/capabilities to promote SSCT. (2) From the supply chain structure perspective, there exists a leader-participant structure in SSCT. The enterprise with dominant resources/capabilities should actively transfer to a SSCT leader. From the supply chain function perspective, specific sustainability assessment indicators and special teams are two necessary settings for SSCT. From the supply chain lifecycle perspective, SSCT should be promoted in a phased manner and dynamically adjusted in each stage. (3) Digital transformation degree and enterprise ownership play a moderating role in the implementation of strategies.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a conceptual framework of SSCT based on the resource orchestration perspective, which provides decision support for enterprises in practice.
Healthcare professionals’ well-being at work: a professional and organizational identity perspective
Authors: Nunes Francisco Guilherme , Oliveira Vanessa Duarte Correia de , Nascimento Generosa do
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to test a model of healthcare professionals’ well-being seen as a consequence of a process of motivated professional identity construction, a variable that mediates the influence of the organizational identity (utilitarian or normative) and the perceived reputation of the profession on well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional design, based on a survey of 384 healthcare professionals. Structural equation modeling with latent variables was used to test the model.

Findings

The data provide empirical evidence supporting the proposed model. We find that organizational identity (utilitarian and normative) and perceived professional reputation positively relate to professional identity, a variable that positively relates to well-being. Professional identity mediates the relationship between organizational identity (normative and utilitarian) and perceived professional reputation and well-being. Utilitarian organizational identity and perceived professional reputation are also directly related to well-being.

Originality/value

This research significantly departs from the current focus of explaining the well-being of healthcare professionals by resorting mainly to individual factors and introduces organizational and institutional determinants.
What characterizes strategy research in Latin America? A bibliometric analysis for the 1990–2023 period
Authors: Rivera-Rodríguez Hugo-Alberto , Beltrán Duque Alejandro , Sánchez-López Juan Camilo
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This article examines strategic management research across Latin America from 1990 to 2023, addressing four critical inquiries: the themes prevalent in strategic discussions, the leading countries in strategic management (SM) publications, the defining characteristics of strategic research in major Latin American economies and the reflection on whether Latin America is a region that generates or follows the knowledge of the Global North.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilizing co-occurrence analysis, this study maps the terrain of SM research in the region, analyzing 4,963 articles indexed in the Scopus database. The authors employed a co-occurrence analysis to map SM research in Latin America, analyzing 4,963 articles from the Scopus database.

Findings

Predominant themes include the theoretical underpinnings of strategy, sustainable development, innovation, tourism and international trade. Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Chile have emerged as leaders in research volume and thematic diversity, particularly in sustainable development and innovation.

Practical implications

By identifying patterns, behaviors and trends in SM research, the authors uncover methods and tools that, once contextualized for the region, can significantly enhance organizational performance.

Originality/value

This investigation is a pioneering effort, providing a focused analysis on SM research within Latin America. It highlights significant contributions since 1990 across the region's main economies. This study represents one of the first comprehensive mappings of this academic field within Latin America. This is the first article, to the authors’ knowledge, developed to map the intellectual structure of the SM field in Latin America through an analysis of co-occurrences, with emphasis on the region's main economies.
Love of life as a measure of quality of life
Authors: Abdel-Khalek Ahmed M.
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Love of life (LOL) is a new construct in positive psychology. LOL is defined by a generally positive evaluation of one’s own life, positive regard towards life and a pleasurable attachment to life. The purpose of this study is that LOL is associated with quality of life (QOL) and could be predicted by some of its subscales.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of Alexandria University undergraduates took part in this study (n = 298). They responded to the WHOQOL Brief and LOL scales.

Findings

Men obtained significantly higher mean total scores than did women for general health, and the physical and psychological domains of QOL. All the Pearson correlations between LOL and QOL were significant except for two correlations for women. The strongest correlation with LOL is for the psychological QOL domain. Principal components analysis extracted one component for men which was labeled “QOL and LOL.” For women, two components were extracted, which were labeled “QOL and LOL” and “General and physical health.” Predictors of LOL were psychological and social QOL domains (men), and psychological, social and environmental QOL domains (women). It was concluded that LOL is associated with QOL, in particular, the psychological subscale. Furthermore, LOL can predict QOL, in particular, the psychological and social domains.

Research limitations/implications

This study used nonprobability sampling with a sample of students drawn from only one university. So, it may be difficult to generalize the findings.

Originality/value

LOL is a comparatively new concept in the field of positive psychology.
“The urge to tell and its consequences”: women’s memoirs of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder
Authors: Austin Rosalind
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the efforts of four American women living with psychosis to chart their recovery process in published memoirs.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper looks at the different types of stigma that the patient-authors claim to encounter.

Findings

The author discusses the impact that the patient-authors see stigma as having on their recovery, and why they need artistic spaces to express themselves.

Originality/value

The memoirs offer a space for the women to revisit their memories of psychosis, and to achieve at least a partial acceptance of these experiences.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and terrorism: a rapid evidence assessment of risk and vulnerability factors, and implications for intervention
Authors: Milburn Paige , Galvin Carol , Bryan Amanda Louise , Kennedy Patrick John
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Factors that may influence risk and/or vulnerability to radicalisation or involvement in terrorism by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are currently undetermined. The purpose of this rapid evidence assessment (REA) was to identify and review studies which consider the association between ASD and terrorism to explore potential risk or vulnerability factors and the implications for intervention.

Design/methodology/approach

The REA method was used to review the literature, with 16 papers meeting inclusion criteria.

Findings

Ten factors were identified as relevant to ASD and terrorism which were combined into four overarching themes: cognitive, social, psychological and ASD traits.

Originality/value

This REA presents a novel review of literature relating to ASD and terrorism. The findings are valuable to practitioners working with individuals with ASD who may present with the identified risk and/or vulnerability factors. The implications of these factors for intervention are discussed, along with directions for future research.
Text, time, and travel: temporal pathways of postsocialism and Islam
Authors: Yolaçan Serkan
Published: July 2024

As the concept of postsocialism faces increased scrutiny, there is a call to expand its spatiotemporal scope beyond socialist contexts in order to reclaim its analytical capacity. In Azerbaijan, the quiet resurgence of tezkirahs – biographical anthologies rooted in both the Islamic and Soviet traditions – presents an opportunity to explore how former Soviet citizens can bridge different histories, countries, and cultural traditions to nurture an expansive sense of collective presence and moral dignity after seventy years of communist rule and disconnect. These texts help Azerbaijanis chart their diverse roots in the former imperial domains of Persians, Turks, and Russians and absorb them into their vision of who they once were and could be again. Writers and readers of tezkirahs establish connections to non‐socialist pasts and places through what I refer to as temporal pathways, where traversing time becomes a journey to another place, and vice versa. By exploring this spatialized historical sensibility through the capacious ethnographic‐textual lens of an Islamic genre, this article sheds fresh light on postsocialist possibilities.
Age‐ and disease‐related autophagy impairment in Huntington disease: New insights from direct neuronal reprogramming
Authors: Luo Chuyang , Yang Junsheng
Published: July 2024

Autophagy impairment in Huntington disease (HD) has been reported for almost two decades. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are still unclear. This is partially because it is challenging to model the impact of the disease‐causing mutation, aging, as well as the selective vulnerability of neurons in a single model. Recently developed direct neuronal reprogramming that allows researchers to induce neurons‐of‐interest retaining biological aging information made it possible to establish HD cellular models to study more relevant age‐ and disease‐related molecular changes in neurons. We here summarized the findings from a few latest studies utilizing directly reprogrammed HD neurons and discussed the new insights they brought to the understanding of the age‐ and disease‐related autophagy impairment in HD.
Who benefits from digital interventions for bipolar disorder? Stage of illness characteristics as predictors of changes in quality of life
Authors: Tremain Hailey , Fletcher Kathryn , Meyer Denny , Murray Greg
Published: July 2024

Objectives

This study explored the potential role of stage‐related variables in intervention outcomes in bipolar disorder (BD). Specifically, we aimed to identify which subgroups of individuals were most likely to experience improved quality of life following digitally delivered psychosocial interventions for BD.

Methods

The study involved a secondary analysis of combined data from two randomised control trials (RCTs). Each trial assessed the effectiveness of digitally delivered interventions for improving quality of life, in late‐stage (ORBIT RCT) or early‐stage (BETTER RCT) BD. Three iterations of cluster analyses were performed, identifying subgroups of individuals based on (i) current phenomenology, (ii) course of illness and (iii) medication response. The resultant subgroups were compared with regard to changes in quality of life pre‐post intervention, via repeated measures ANOVAs.

Results

In each cluster analysis, two clusters were found. The current phenomenology clusters reflected two impairment levels, ‘moderate impairment’ and ‘low impairment’. The course of illness clusters reflected ‘more chronicity’ and ‘less chronicity’ and the medication response clusters reflected ‘good medication response’ and ‘poor medication response’. Differences in changes in quality of life over time were observed between the two current phenomenology clusters and between the medication response clusters, while the course of illness subgroups did not respond differently.

Conclusions

There are at least two distinct groups of treatment‐seeking individuals with established BD, based on illness features with previously established links to different illness stages. Clusters within the current phenomenology and medication response domains demonstrated significantly different trajectories of QoL change over time in the context of our interventions, highlighting potential implications for treatment selection aligned with precision psychiatry.
How does work during pregnancy affect maternal and infant health and development?
Authors: Pilarz Alejandra Ros , Pac Jessica
Published: July 2024

In the United States, most mothers work during pregnancy. Yet, until the passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in 2022, pregnant employees did not have a right to reasonable accommodations to work under safe conditions. This law is expected to increase employment among pregnant women, making it critical to understand the effects of work during pregnancy on health and the potential benefits of the law. Because the prenatal period has long‐lasting consequences for health, employment during pregnancy can affect children's health and development in childhood and beyond. In this article, we review theory and empirical evidence on the effects of work during pregnancy on maternal and infant health. We propose a conceptual framework that outlines the pathways through which work during pregnancy affects health, discuss policies that are expected to affect work during pregnancy and health and conclude with priorities for future research.
Learning to Rasterize Differentiably
Authors: Wu C. , Mailee H. , Montazeri Z. , Ritschel T.
Published: July 2024

Differentiable rasterization changes the standard formulation of primitive rasterization — by enabling gradient flow from a pixel to its underlying triangles — using distribution functions in different stages of rendering, creating a “soft” version of the original rasterizer. However, choosing the optimal softening function that ensures the best performance and convergence to a desired goal requires trial and error. Previous work has analyzed and compared several combinations of softening. In this work, we take it a step further and, instead of making a combinatorial choice of softening operations, parameterize the continuous space of common softening operations. We study meta‐learning tunable softness functions over a set of inverse rendering tasks (2D and 3D shape, pose and occlusion) so it generalizes to new and unseen differentiable rendering tasks with optimal softness.
Realistic Facial Age Transformation with 3D Uplifting
Authors: Li X. , Guarnera G. C. , Lin A. , Ghosh A.
Published: July 2024

While current facial re‐ageing methods can produce realistic results, they purely focus on the 2D age transformation. In this work, we present an approach to transform the age of a person in both facial appearance and shape across different ages while preserving their identity. We employ an α‐(de)blending diffusion network with an age‐to‐α transformation to generate coarse structure changes, such as wrinkles. Additionally, we edit biophysical skin properties, including melanin and hemoglobin, to simulate skin color changes, producing realistic re‐ageing results from ages 10 to 80 years. We also propose a geometric neural network that alters the coarse scale facial geometry according to age, followed by a lightweight and efficient network that adds appropriate skin displacement on top of the coarse geometry. Both qualitative and quantitative comparisons show that our method outperforms current state‐of‐the‐art approaches.
Practical Appearance Model for Foundation Cosmetics
Authors: Lanza Dario , Padrón‐Griffe Juan Raúl , Pranovich Alina , Muñoz Adolfo , Frisvad Jeppe Revall , Jarabo Adrián
Published: July 2024

Cosmetic products have found their place in various aspects of human life, yet their digital appearance reproduction has received little attention. We present an appearance model for cosmetics, in particular for foundation layers, that reproduces a range of existing appearances of foundation cosmetics: from a glossy to a matte to an almost velvety look. Our model is a multilayered BSDF that reproduces the stacking of multiple layers of cosmetics. Inspired by the microscopic particulates used in cosmetics, we model each individual layer as a stochastic participating medium with two types of scatterers that mimic the most prominent visual features of cosmetics: spherical diffusers, resulting in a uniform distribution of radiance; and platelets, responsible for the glossy look of certain cosmetics. We implement our model on top of the position‐free Monte Carlo framework, that allows us to include multiple scattering. We validate our model against measured reflectance data, and demonstrate the versatility and expressiveness of our model by thoroughly exploring the range of appearances that it can produce.
Lossless Basis Expansion for Gradient‐Domain Rendering
Authors: Fang Q. , Hachisuka T.
Published: July 2024

Gradient‐domain rendering utilizes difference estimates with shift mapping to reduce variance in Monte Carlo rendering. Such difference estimates are effective under the assumption that pixels for difference estimates have similar integrands. This assumption is often violated because it is common to have spatially varying BSDFs with material maps, which potentially result in a very different integrand per pixel. We introduce an extension of gradient‐domain rendering that effectively supports such per‐pixel variation in BSDFs based on basis expansion. Basis expansion for BSDFs has been used extensively in other problems in rendering, where the goal is to approximate a given BSDF by a weighted sum of predefined basis functions. We instead utilize lossless basis expansion, representing a BSDF without any approximation by adding the remaining difference in the original basis expansion. This lossless basis expansion allows us to cancel more terms via shift mapping, resulting in low variance difference estimates even with per‐pixel BSDF variation. We also extend the Poisson reconstruction process to support this basis expansion. Regular gradient‐domain rendering can be expressed as a special case of our extension, where the basis is simply the BSDF per pixel (i.e., no basis expansion). We provide proof‐of‐concept experiments and showcase the effectiveness of our method for scenes with highly varying material maps. Our results show noticeable improvement over regular gradient‐domain rendering under both L1 and L2 reconstructions. The resulting formulation via basis expansion essentially serves as a new way of path reuse among pixels in the presence of per‐pixel variation.
Patch Decomposition for Efficient Mesh Contours Extraction
Authors: Tsiapkolis P. , Bénard P.
Published: July 2024

Object‐space occluding contours of triangular meshes (a.k.a. mesh contours) are at the core of many methods in computer graphics and computational geometry. A number of hierarchical data‐structures have been proposed to accelerate their computation on the CPU, but they do not map well to the GPU for real‐time applications, such as video games. We show that a simple, flat data‐structure composed of patches bounded by a normal cone and a bounding sphere may reach this goal, provided it is constructed to maximize the probability for a patch to be culled over all viewpoints. We derive a heuristic metric to efficiently estimate this probability, and present a greedy, bottom‐up algorithm that constructs patches by grouping mesh edges according to this metric. In addition, we propose an effective way of computing their bounding sphere. We demonstrate through extensive experiments that this data‐structure achieves similar performance as the state‐of‐the‐art on the CPU but is also perfectly adapted to the GPU, leading to up to ×5 speedups.
Neural SSS: Lightweight Object Appearance Representation
Authors: TG T. , Tran D. M. , Jensen H. W. , Ramamoorthi R. , Frisvad J. R.
Published: July 2024

We present a method for capturing the BSSRDF (bidirectional scattering‐surface reflectance distribution function) of arbitrary geometry with a neural network. We demonstrate how a compact neural network can represent the full 8‐dimensional light transport within an object including heterogeneous scattering. We develop an efficient rendering method using importance sampling that is able to render complex translucent objects under arbitrary lighting. Our method can also leverage the common planar half‐space assumption, which allows it to represent one BSSRDF model that can be used across a variety of geometries. Our results demonstrate that we can render heterogeneous translucent objects under arbitrary lighting and obtain results that match the reference rendered using volumetric path tracing.
METTL14‐mediated upregulation of lncRNA HOTAIR represses PP1α expression by promoting H3K4me1 demethylation in oxycodone‐treated mice
Authors: Liu Tian‐Cong , Li Hong‐Xi , Wan Yu‐Xiao , Shi Guang , Zhao Yun‐Peng , Liu Yi‐Fei , Fan Xin‐Yu
Published: July 2024

N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is a vital epigenetic mechanism associated with drug addiction. However, the relationship between m6A modification and oxycodone rewarding is less well explored. Based on an open field test, the present study evaluated oxycodone rewarding using chromatin immunoprecipitation PCR, immunofluorescence, and RNA sequencing. A marked increase in METTL14 protein and a decrease in PP1α protein due to oxycodone abundance in the striatal neurons were observed in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. Oxycodone markedly increased LSD1 expression, and decreased H3K4me1 expression in the striatum. In the open field test, intra‐striatal injection of METTL14 siRNA, HOTAIR siRNA, or LSD1 shRNA blocked oxycodone‐induced increase in locomotor activity. The downregulation of PP1α was also inhibited after treatment with METTL14/HOTAIR siRNA and LSD1 shRNA. Enhanced binding of LSD1 with CoRest and of CoRest with the PP1α gene induced by oxycodone was also reversed by LSD1 shRNA. In addition, H3K4me1 demethylation was also blocked by the treatment. In summary, the investigation confirmed that METTL14‐mediated upregulation of HOTAIR resulted in the repression of PP1α, which in turn facilitated the recruitment of LSD1, thus catalyzing H3K4me1 demethylation and promoting oxycodone addiction.
Application of artificial intelligence‐based magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosis of cerebral small vessel disease
Authors: Hu Xiaofei , Liu Li , Xiong Ming , Lu Jie
Published: July 2024

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is an important cause of stroke, cognitive impairment, and other diseases, and its early quantitative evaluation can significantly improve patient prognosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important method to evaluate the occurrence, development, and severity of CSVD. However, the diagnostic process lacks quantitative evaluation criteria and is limited by experience, which may easily lead to missed diagnoses and misdiagnoses. With the development of artificial intelligence technology based on deep learning, the extraction of high‐dimensional features in imaging can assist doctors in clinical decision‐making, and it has been widely used in brain function and mental disorders, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. This paper summarizes the global research results in recent years and briefly describes the application of deep learning in evaluating CSVD signs in MRI imaging, including recent small subcortical infarcts, lacunes of presumed vascular origin, vascular white matter hyperintensity, enlarged perivascular spaces, cerebral microbleeds, brain atrophy, cortical superficial siderosis, and cortical cerebral microinfarct.
Stimulating the capacity to govern the commons
Authors: McClanahan T. R. , Oddenyo R. M.
Published: July 2024

The ability to strengthen governance institutions and fisheries restrictions and laws is needed to improve conservation and management of common‐pool resources. We evaluated the potential for stimulating change with modest interventions by studying fishing village households before and after a 27‐month intervention period in a high‐priority coral reef conservation area. Interventions included training in catch monitoring, stock assessment, mapping fishing grounds, microcredit, gender inclusion, theatrical skills, fuel efficient stoves, and participation in the planning of a conservation proposal. There was a background increase in reported formal education, household size, group membership, and household wealth but a decrease in fish consumption and public services. Of conservation importance, the perceived strength of 13 governance institutions and benefits of 6 fisheries restrictions increased over the intervention period. Finally, correspondence between knowledge of and agreement with recent national fisheries laws was moderate to high and positively correlated. The intervention period was stronger than demographic factors that often influence perceptions, such as village, government services, gender, household size, membership in community groups, and age responses. In general, perceptions of strengths of governance and benefits of restrictions increased more among women and youth than adult men respondents. The largest changes in perceptions of increased benefits were among strict restrictions initially ranked low, specifically fisheries closures, parks, and species restrictions. Consequently, capacity building overrode demographic factors common to poor people with limited employment capacity that can have negative perceptions of strict conservation.
Inflammation unites diverse acute and chronic diseases
Authors: Libby Peter , Smith Robin , Rubin Eric J. , Glassberg Marilyn K. , Farkouh Michael E. , Rosenson Robert S.
Published: July 2024

Background

Inflammation and immunity contribute pivotally to diverse acute and chronic diseases. Inflammatory pathways have become increasingly targets for therapy. Yet, despite substantial similarity in mechanisms and pathways, the scientific, medical, pharma and biotechnology sectors have generally focused programs finely on a single disease entity or organ system. This insularity may impede progress in innovation and the harnessing of powerful new insights into inflammation biology ripe for clinical translation.

Methods

A multidisciplinary thinktank reviewed highlights how inflammation contributes to diverse diseases, disturbed homeostasis, ageing and impaired healthspan. We explored how common inflammatory and immune mechanisms that operate in key conditions in their respective domains. This consensus review highlights the high degree of commonality of inflammatory mechanisms in a diverse array of conditions that together contribute a major part of the global burden of morbidity and mortality and present an enormous challenge to public health and drain on resources.

Results

We demonstrate how that shared inflammatory mechanisms unite many seemingly disparate diseases, both acute and chronic. The examples of infection, cardiovascular conditions, pulmonary diseases, rheumatological disorders, dementia, cancer and ageing illustrate the overlapping pathogenesis. We outline opportunities to synergize, reduce duplication and consolidate efforts of the clinical, research and pharmaceutical communities. Enhanced recognition of these commonalties should promote cross‐fertilization and hasten progress in this rapidly moving domain.

Conclusions

Greater appreciation of the shared mechanisms should simplify understanding seemingly disparate diseases for clinicians and help them to recognize inflammation as a therapeutic target which the development of novel therapies is rendering actionable.
Does students' understanding of corporate governance in Ghanaian higher education relate to teacher knowledge and teaching methods?
Authors: Yeboah Solomon , Awaah Fred , Foli Jessie Yao , Tetteh Andrew , Ekwam Emmanuel Kyere
Published: July 2024

There is empirical evidence on the factors influencing students' understanding of various subjects in higher educational institutions. However, there is a deficit in studies about the link between teacher knowledge and teaching methods on students' understanding of corporate governance course. Thus, this study investigates whether students' understanding of corporate governance in Ghanaian universities is related to teacher knowledge and teaching methods. This study adopts quantitative approach and cross‐sectional design to collect from 1,050 sampled students from three public universities in Ghana. We use descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation techniques to analyse the data. The results show that there is a significant positive correlation between teacher knowledge and students' understanding of corporate governance. Furthermore, teaching methods have significant positive correlation with students' understanding of corporate governance. This study has provided a conceptual framework that indicates how teacher knowledge and teaching methods may relate to students' understanding of corporate governance in higher education from the perspective of a developing country. Additionally, this study shows that to promote students' comprehension of corporate governance, there must an understanding of how teacher knowledge and teaching methods can overlap to address the challenges confronting governance education in developing countries.
Linking team emergent states to achieve persistence with a business idea in student teams
Authors: Kolaković Marko , Petković Saša , Horvatinović Tin
Published: July 2024

The expanding research on team emergent states explains many facets of team dynamics in an entrepreneurial context. However, the interactions between team emergent states are still unknown. Detached from team emergent states, studies on student entrepreneurship have disclosed findings clustered around students' entrepreneurial intentions while neglecting the issue of persistence with a developed business idea. This study contributes to the literature by proposing an intersection between team emergent states and student entrepreneurial education research via a model where transactive memory systems mediate the effect of team efficacy on team persistence. The model is tested on a sample of student teams using a partial least‐square structural equation modelling approach. The findings support the proposed indirect effect. The study offers theoretical implications for team emergent states and policy implications for entrepreneurial education.
A comprehensive analysis of gender dynamics in organizations: Integrating social, structural and individual dimensions
Authors: Hundera M. , Mudde H. L. M.
Published: July 2024

This study delves into gender dynamics in 12 Technical Vocational and Education Training (TVET) organizations in Ethiopia, using qualitative methods. We conducted 96 face‐to‐face interviews and triangulated the data through observations, employee records and document reviews. Thematic analysis revealed that gender inequality in organizations persists due to the interplay of social, structural and individual factors. Emphasizing individual or societal aspects hinders transformative efforts. A holistic approach considering these dimensions is crucial for understanding and addressing gender inequality. Identifying and dismantling structural barriers is essential for gender transformation. Focusing solely on individual‐level issues, like female‐only mentoring, is insufficient for achieving gender equality. A combination of strategies is needed to tackle structural problems and societal assumptions, fostering organizational transformation.
New recognition of the heart–brain axis and its implication in the pathogenesis and treatment of PTSD
Authors: Li Hai‐peng , Cheng Hong‐liang , Ding Keke , Zhang Yang , Gao Fang , Zhu Guoqi , Zhang Zhengrong
Published: July 2024

Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex psychological disorder provoked by distressing experiences, and it remains without highly effective intervention strategies. The exploration of PTSD's underlying mechanisms is crucial for advancing diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Current studies primarily explore PTSD through the lens of the central nervous system, investigating concrete molecular alterations in the cerebral area and neural circuit irregularities. However, the body's response to external stressors, particularly the changes in cardiovascular function, is often pronounced, evidenced by notable cardiac dysfunction. Consequently, examining PTSD with a focus on cardiac function is vital for the early prevention and targeted management of the disorder. This review undertakes a comprehensive literature analysis to detail the alterations in brain and heart structures and functions associated with PTSD. It also synthesizes potential mechanisms of heart–brain axis interactions relevant to the development of PTSD. Ultimately, by considering cardiac function, this review proposes novel perspectives for PTSD's prophylaxis and therapy.
Decorin attenuates hypertrophic scar fibrosis via TGFβ/Smad signalling
Authors: Cui Jiangtao , Zhang Shiyi , Acharya Kiran , Xu Yan , Guo Heng , Li Tong , Fu Donghe , Yang Zizhen , Hou Lingnan , Xing Xiaotao , Hu Xiaoyi
Published: July 2024

The management of hypertrophic scars (HSs), characterized by excessive collagen production, involves various nonsurgical and surgical interventions. However, the absence of a well‐defined molecular mechanism governing hypertrophic scarring has led to less‐than‐ideal results in clinical antifibrotic treatments. Therefore, our study focused on the role of decorin (DCN) and its regulatory role in the TGF‐β/Smad signalling pathway in the development of HSs. In our research, we observed a decrease in DCN expression within hypertrophic scar tissue and its derived cells (HSFc) compared to that in normal tissue. Then, the inhibitory effect of DCN on collagen synthesis was confirmed in Fc and HSFc via the detection of fibrosis markers such as COL‐1 and COL‐3 after the overexpression and knockdown of DCN. Moreover, functional assessments revealed that DCN suppresses the proliferation, migration and invasion of HSFc. We discovered that DCN significantly inhibits the TGF‐β1/Smad3 pathway by suppressing TGF‐β1 expression, as well as the formation and phosphorylation of Smad3. This finding suggested that DCN regulates the synthesis of collagen‐based extracellular matrix and fibrosis through the TGF‐β1/Smad3 pathway.
Comparative transcriptome analysis of acne vulgaris, rosacea, and hidradenitis suppurativa supports high‐dose dietary zinc as a therapeutic agent
Authors: Li Li , Hajam Irshad , McGee Jean S. , Tang Zhengkuan , Zhang Ye , Badey Nikil , Mintzer Esther , Zhang Zhenrui , Liu George Y. , Church George M. , Wang Yu
Published: July 2024

Acne vulgaris, rosacea, and hidradenitis suppurativa are enduring inflammatory skin conditions that frequently manifest with akin clinical attributes, posing a considerable challenge for their distinctive diagnosis. While these conditions do exhibit certain resemblances, they also demonstrate distinct underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment modalities. Delving into both the molecular parallels and disparities among these three disorders can yield invaluable insights for refined diagnostics, effective management, and targeted therapeutic interventions. In this report, we present a comparative analysis of transcriptomic data across these three diseases, elucidating differentially expressed genes and enriched pathways specific to each ailment, as well as those shared among them. Specifically, we identified multiple zinc‐binding proteins (SERPINA1, S100A7, S100A8, S100A9 and KRT16) as consistently highly upregulated genes across all three diseases. Our hypothesis suggests that these proteins could bind and sequester zinc, potentially leading to localized zinc deficiency and heightened inflammation. We identified high‐dose dietary zinc as a promising therapeutic approach and confirmed its effectiveness through validation in an acne mouse model.
Limiting bureaucratic discretion? Analyzing the design and exercise of administrative judicial review in the welfare sector
Authors: Leijon Karin , Moberg Linda
Published: July 2024

This article develops a framework for understanding how the design of administrative judicial review can circumscribe the discretion of different bureaucratic actors. The framework proposes that bureaucratic discretion is limited to a great extent if courts can (i) overturn bureaucratic decisions on substantive grounds, (ii) review decisions associated with high economic costs, and (iii) issue detailed instructions for how rulings are to be implemented. Applying the framework to the Swedish case, we first show that the legislative design of the judicial review process allows administrative courts to greatly limit the discretion of senior officials and street‐level bureaucrats. Second, we show that Swedish courts defer to the expertise of bureaucratic actors in the welfare sector by sparingly overturning decisions. However, when courts actually overturn decisions, they frequently limit bureaucratic discretion by issuing detailed judgments in high‐cost cases, possibly undermining the conditions for good governance.
Aging‐associated reduction of chromosomal histones in mammalian oocytes
Authors: Mori Masashi , Koshiguchi Manami , Takenouchi Osamu , Mukose Mei A. , Takase Hinako M. , Mishina Tappei , Mei Hailiang , Kihara Miho , Abe Takaya , Inoue Azusa , Kitajima Tomoya S.
Published: July 2024

Mammalian oocytes undergo a long‐term meiotic arrest that can last for almost the entire reproductive lifespan. This arrest occurs after DNA replication and is prolonged with age, which poses a challenge to oocytes in maintaining replication‐dependent chromosomal proteins required for the completion of meiosis. In this study, we show that chromosomal histones are reduced with age in mouse oocytes. Both types of histone H3 variants, replication‐dependent H3.1/H3.2 and replication‐independent H3.3, decrease with age. Aging‐associated histone reduction is associated with transcriptomic features that are caused by genetic depletion of histone H3.3. Neither the genetic reduction of chromosomal H3.1/H3.2 nor H3.3 accelerates the aging‐associated increase in premature chromosome separation that causes meiotic segregation errors. We suggest that aging‐associated reduction of chromosomal histones is linked to several transcriptomic abnormalities but does not significantly contribute to errors in meiotic chromosome segregation during the reproductive lifespan of mice.
Application‐based big data development framework for health sciences libraries
Authors: Chen Xinxin , Zhang Di , Wang Bo , Ahmad Khurshid
Published: July 2024

The study is a part of a student research project on performance‐based evaluation of big data application in health sciences libraries. It presents a theoretical framework of the performance‐based evaluation system for health institutes' libraries in the digital environment. The health sciences libraries' systematic approach was judged based on the five main components (data culture, organisational infrastructure, responsibilities, skills and technology competence) of big data analytics (BDA). A comprehensive literature review of the published studies was undertaken related to BDA, including the diffusion of innovation theory, and the theoretical background of the technology acceptance model to produce an application‐based big data development framework for the health sciences libraries. The application‐based evaluation model integrates BDA in health sciences libraries for improving library services and performance. The study proposed a need for skilled professionals with the knowledge and experience both professionally and technically. Finally, the study proposed a model that will help to measure the organisation's ability to analyse vast amounts of data to empirically validate the association concerning big data analysis and analytical practices in health libraries.
Seroprevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 Antibodies and Associated Factors in Bamako, Mali: A Population‐Based Cross‐Sectional Study in September 2022
Authors: Traoré Bourama , Guindo Merepen A. , Konaté Drissa , Kané Fousseyni , Incandela Nathan C. , Traore Abdouramane , Kanté Salimata , Sidibé Mariam , Keita Bourama , Kasse Fatoumata , Tangara Karamoko , Diallo Dramane , Maiga Issoufi Y. , Thiam Salif , Cisse Abdourhamane , Siby Khatry M. , Dicko Abdoul R. , Goita Mariam , Kone Diakaridia , Diallo Mamadou , Traore Modibo , Coulibaly Yaya I. , Diakité Mahamadou , Doumbia Seydou , Dolo Housseini , Balam Saidou
Published: July 2024

Background

The sero‐epidemiological characteristics of SARS‐CoV‐2 infections in Mali are not yet well understood. This study assessed SARS‐CoV‐2 antibody seroprevalence and factors associated with antibody responses in the general population of Bamako, the capital city and epicenter of COVID‐19, to assess the magnitude of the pandemic and contribute to control strategy improvements in Mali.

Methods

A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in September 2022 to collect sociodemographic information, clinical characteristics, comorbid factors, and blood samples. ELISA was performed to determine anti‐Spike (anti‐S) and anti‐RBD antibody levels. A total of 3601 participants were enrolled in REDCap. R‐Studio was used for the statistical analysis. The chi‐squared (χ2) test was used to compare the proportions across different groups. Logistic regression models were used to elucidate factors associated with antibody responses.

Result

The sex ratio for female‐to‐male was 3.6:1. The most representative groups were the 20–29‐year‐olds (28.9%, n = 1043) and the 30–39‐year‐olds (26.9%, n = 967). The COVID‐19 vaccine coverage among the participants was 35.8%, with vaccines from Covishield AstraZeneca (13.4%), Johnson & Johnson (16.7%), Sinovac (3.9%), and BioNTech Pfizer (1.8%). Overall, S protein and RBD antibody seroprevalences were remarkably high in the study population (98% and 97%, respectively). Factors such as youth (1–9 years old) and male sex were associated with lower SARS‐CoV‐2 antibody responses, whereas COVID‐19 vaccinations were associated with increased antibody responses.

Conclusion

This serosurvey demonstrated the high seroprevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies and highlighted the factors influencing antibody responses, while clearly underlining an underestimation of the pandemic in Mali.