bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of mitochondrial response to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain in human lung microvascular, coronary artery endothelial and bronchial epithelial cells
Authors: Kulkovienė Gabrielė , Narauskaitė Deimantė , Tunaitytė Agilė , Volkevičiūtė Augusta , Balion Zbigniev , Kutakh Olena , Gečys Dovydas , Kairytė Milda , Uldukytė Martyna , Stankevičius Edgaras , Jekabsone Aistė
Published: December 2023

Recent evidence indicate that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein affects mitochondria with a cell type-dependent outcome. We elucidate the effect of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) on the mitochondrial network and cristae morphology, oxygen consumption, mitoROS production, and inflammatory cytokine expression in cultured human lung microvascular (HLMVEC) and coronary artery endothelial (HCAEC) and bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC). Live Mito Orange staining, STED microscopy and Fiji MiNa analysis were used for mitochondrial cristae and network morphometry, Agilent XFp analyser for mitochondrial/glycolytic activity, MitoSOX fluorescence for mitochondrial ROS, and qRT-PCR plus Luminex for cytokines. In HLMVEC, SARS-CoV-2 RBD fragmented the mitochondrial network, decreased cristae density, mitochondrial oxygen consumption and glycolysis and induced mitoROS-mediated GM-CSF and IL-1β expression in all three investigated cell types and IL-8 - in both endothelial cell types. Mitochondrial ROS control SARS-CoV-2 RBD-induced inflammation in HLMVEC, HCAEC and HBEC, with the mitochondria of HLMVEC being more sensitive to SARS-CoV-2 RBD.
Dynamic Multiplexed Control and Modeling of Optogenetic Systems Using the High-Throughput Optogenetic Platform, Lustro
Authors: Harmer Zachary P. , Thompson Jaron C. , Cole David L. , Zavala Victor M. , McClean Megan N.
Published: December 2023

The ability to control cellular processes using optogenetics is inducer-limited, with most optogenetic systems responding to blue light. To address this limitation we leverage an integrated framework combining Lustro, a powerful high-throughput optogenetics platform, and machine learning tools to enable multiplexed control over blue light-sensitive optogenetic systems. Specifically, we identify light induction conditions for sequential activation as well as preferential activation and switching between pairs of light-sensitive spit transcription factors in the budding yeast,Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We use the high-throughput data generated from Lustro to build a Bayesian optimization framework that incorporates data-driven learning, uncertainty quantification, and experimental design to enable the prediction of system behavior and the identification of optimal conditions for multiplexed control. This work lays the foundation for designing more advanced synthetic biological circuits incorporating optogenetics, where multiple circuit components can be controlled using designer light induction programs, with broad implications for biotechnology and bioengineering.

Graphical abstract
Lactose blocks intercellular spreading of Galectin-1 from cancer cells to T-cells and activates tumor immunological control
Authors: Hong Yu , Si Xiaofang , Liu Wenjing , Mai Xueying , Zhang Yu
Published: December 2023

Understanding the mechanisms by which the immune system surveils cancer is the key to developing better tumor immunotherapy strategies. By CRISPR/Cas9 screenings, we identified that inactivation of beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase-1 (B4GALT1), a key enzyme in glycoconjugate biosynthesis, leads to enhanced T-cell receptor (TCR) activation and functions of CD8+T-cells. Via proximity-dependent-intercellular-protein-spreading (PDICPS), cancer cells transfer surface-bound galectin-1 (Gal-1) proteins, which recognize and bind galactosylated membrane proteins, to CD8+T-cells, thereby suppressing T-cell-mediated cytolysis. B4GALT1-deficiency leads to reduced cell-surface galactosylation and Gal-1 binding of CD8+T-cells. Proteomic analysis revealed reduced binding of Gal-1 with TCR and its coreceptor CD8 on B4GALT1-deficient CD8+T-cells, leading to enhanced TCR-CD8 colocalization and T-cell activation. Lactose, a structure-mimicking competitive inhibitor of N-glycan galactosylation, enhances the functions of CD8+T-cells and tumor immunosurveillance. Results from various preclinical tumor models demonstrate that lactose and its derivatives are a new class of immune checkpoint inhibitors for tumor immunotherapy.
Heitt Mjölnir: a heated miniature triaxial apparatus for 4D synchrotron microtomography
Authors: Freitas Damien , Butler Ian B. , Elphick Stephen C. , Gilgannon James , Rizzo Roberto E. , Plümper Oliver , Wheeler John , Schlepütz Christian M. , Marone Federica , Fusseis Florian
Published: December 2023

Third- and fourth-generation synchrotron light sources with high fluxes and beam energies enable the use of innovative X-ray translucent experimental apparatus. These experimental devices access geologically relevant conditions whilst enablingin situcharacterization using the spatial and temporal resolutions accessible at imaging beamlines. Here, Heitt Mjölnir is introduced, a heated miniature triaxial rig based on the design of Mjölnir, but covering a wider temperature range and larger sample volume at similar pressure capacities. This device is designed to investigate coupled thermal, chemical, hydraulic and mechanical processes from grain to centimetre scales using cylindrical samples of 10 mm × 20 mm (diameter × length). Heitt Mjölnir can simultaneously reach confining (hydraulic) pressures of 30 MPa and 500 MPa of axial stress with independently controlled sample pore fluid pressure < 30 MPa. This internally heated apparatus operates to temperatures up to 573 K with a minimal vertical thermal gradient in the sample of <0.3 K mm−1. This new apparatus has been deployed inoperandostudies at the TOMCAT (Swiss Light Source), I12 JEEP (Diamond Light Source) and PSICHÉ (Synchrotron SOLEIL) beamlines for 4D X-ray microtomography with scan intervals of a few minutes. Heitt Mjölnir is portable and modular, allowing a wide range of 4D characterizations of low-grade metamorphism and deformational processes. It enables spatially and temporally resolved fluid–rock interaction studies at conditions of crustal reservoirs and is suitable for characterization of material properties in geothermal, carbonation or subsurface gas storage applications. Technical drawings and an operation guide are included in this publication.
Brain tumor classification using ResNet50-convolutional block attention module
Authors: Oladimeji Oladosu Oyebisi , Ibitoye Ayodeji Olusegun J.
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Diagnosing brain tumors is a process that demands a significant amount of time and is heavily dependent on the proficiency and accumulated knowledge of radiologists. Over the traditional methods, deep learning approaches have gained popularity in automating the diagnosis of brain tumors, offering the potential for more accurate and efficient results. Notably, attention-based models have emerged as an advanced, dynamically refining and amplifying model feature to further elevate diagnostic capabilities. However, the specific impact of using channel, spatial or combined attention methods of the convolutional block attention module (CBAM) for brain tumor classification has not been fully investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

To selectively emphasize relevant features while suppressing noise, ResNet50 coupled with the CBAM (ResNet50-CBAM) was used for the classification of brain tumors in this research.

Findings

The ResNet50-CBAM outperformed existing deep learning classification methods like convolutional neural network (CNN), ResNet-CBAM achieved a superior performance of 99.43%, 99.01%, 98.7% and 99.25% in accuracy, recall, precision and AUC, respectively, when compared to the existing classification methods using the same dataset.

Practical implications

Since ResNet-CBAM fusion can capture the spatial context while enhancing feature representation, it can be integrated into the brain classification software platforms for physicians toward enhanced clinical decision-making and improved brain tumor classification.

Originality/value

This research has not been published anywhere else.
Elucidating the presentation and identification of PTSD in autistic adults: a modified Delphi study
Authors: Rumball Freya , Parker Rachel , Madigan Ailbhe Elizabeth , Happe Francesca , Spain Debbie
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Autistic individuals are at increased risk of trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Diagnostic overshadowing, however, often results in PTSD symptoms being mislabelled as autistic traits. This study aims to develop professional consensus on the identification and assessment of co-occurring PTSD in autistic adults.

Design/methodology/approach

An online modified Delphi design was used to gather professionals’ perspectives on key aspects of the identification and assessment of PTSD in autistic adults. Data were gathered qualitatively in Round 1 and then synthesised using content analysis into a list of statements that were rated in Round 2. Statements reaching 60–79% consensus and additional suggestions were sent out for rating in Round 3. Consensus for the final statement list was set at 80% agreement.

Findings

Overall, 108 statements reached consensus. These form the basis of professional-informed recommendations to facilitate the identification and assessment of PTSD symptoms in autistic adults.

Practical implications

The final Delphi statements provide a framework to assist with the assessment and recognition of traumatic stress reactions in autistic adults presenting to mental health, diagnostic or social services.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the presentation and identification of PTSD in autistic adults (with and without intellectual disability), using a bottom-up approach informed by professional consensus.
Motivation & stimulus as drivers of leisure travel: an empirical study of Indian female executives
Authors: Dasgupta Devashish , Singh Isha
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study aims to understand how female executive travellers should be characterized by inter-winning socio-economic segmentation and leisure travel motivation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study identifies push factors as a motivation for leisure travel among female executives in India. Quantitative research methodology was applied based on 892 online responses to a questionnaire. Principal component analysis was applied to identify the underlying dimensions of push motivational items.

Findings

The findings disclose five-factor dimensions of self-esteem; knowledge- and novelty-seeking; stimulus; escape; and self-recognition. Among the five identified dimensions, stimulus was the most important factor for motivating female executives to travel for leisure, followed by knowledge and novelty-seeking.

Research limitations/implications

This study was conducted on 1,100 female executive travellers, meaning the results are only valid for this cultural context. All data was collected through a referral chain network survey among female executives via Google survey forms. While segmenting types of travellers amongst females, usage of push motivation framework as a variable remains pervasive in tourism research.

Originality/value

Although literature on female travel motivation is abundant, however, to the authors’ knowledge, empirical studies that focus on female executives leisure travel motivations are still rare. These findings are, therefore, valuable for illuminating tourism stakeholders to cater this potential segment more customisedly.
Technical efficiency measurement in insurance companies by using the slacks-based measure (SBM-DEA) with undesirable outputs: analysis case study
Authors: Tayebi Abdallah , Lila Ayad , Cheikh Saous , Lutfi Bishr
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to measure the technical efficiency of 20 Algerian insurance companies from 2016 to 2020, by using slacks-based measure (slacks-based measure [SBM] data envelopment analysis [DEA]) model. This research aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of this companies' efficiency, taking into account both the desirable and undesirable outputs.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a nonoriented, SBM model with the assumption of constant returns to scale to estimate the technical efficiency of commercial insurance companies over a five-year period. The inputs used are labor expense, agent expense and investments, while the outputs included are gross premiums and investment income as desirable outputs and gross claims as undesirable output.

Findings

Among 20 insurance companies evaluated, only 5 companies consistently achieved technical efficiency during the study period (Caisse Nationale de Mutualité Agricole [CNMA], MACIR, CARDIF, MUTUALISTE and AGLIC); so they represent the best practices in the Algerian insurance sector, with overall average of the technical efficiency is 81%. However, the reference sets analysis showed that CNMA and AGLIC had high robustness. Also, the results demonstrate the impact of ignoring the undesirable outputs on the accuracy of the assessment.

Research limitations/implications

The sample of the study consists of the active insurance companies in Algeria, based on the Annual Insurance Reports of Algeria; there are 20 companies as shown in the table. The data are taken from the annual reports of insurance companies during the 2020 period, issued by the Algerian Ministry of Finance.

Practical implications

The challenge for insurance company is how to find a balance between reducing claims paid and simultaneously improving the quality of insurance services. In fact, it is observed that studies evaluating their efficiency ignore claims in the analysis process. Therefore, the study highlights the importance of considering undesirable outputs within the DEA framework; this allows for a more accurate assessment of the company's performance and helps in improvement. Furthermore, although the insurance sector plays a crucial role, it has not received enough research attention compared to other financial sectors, especially in Arab and developing countries.

Originality/value

The literature on efficiency assessment in the insurance companies shows a lack of addressing undesirable outputs (such as claims) within the DEA framework; so this study aims at bridging this research gap. Also, the study provides an overview of the efficiency of Algerian insurance companies.
Is our scholarship elevating or hindering transformation and possibility? Conceptualizations of student organizations in higher education
Authors: Vue Rican , Arellano Jr Lucy , Jayakumar Uma Mazyck
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This review addresses how student organizations are conceptually framed in the scholarly literature—organizations the authors referred to as “ethnicized student organizations” or “ESOs,” which include both Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) student organizations and ethnically white student organizations such as mainstream fraternities/sororities and clubs that are normalized as not having a racial/ethnic affiliation.

Design/methodology/approach

Critical race theory informs the analysis of 175 articles that address ESOs from 2002 to 2016.

Findings

Analysis revealed that a majority of scholarship conceptualizes ESOs in ways that can minimize the role of institutional whiteness where they are positioned as either serving or hindering both individual students and institutional goals. Findings also reveal a smaller body of literature that emphasized institutionalized power dynamics and honors the transformative work of BIPOC students through ESOs.

Originality/value

Despite widespread public commitments to diversity among institutions, whiteness remains a core institutional presence. This study illustrates the relationships among student organizations, white supremacy and higher education transformation.
The next big thing: role of ChatGPT in personal knowledge management challenges and opportunities for knowledge workers across diverse disciplines
Authors: Nazeer Sumaira , Sumbal Muhammad Saleem , Liu Gang , Munir Hina , Tsui Eric
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to embark on evaluating the role of Chat Generative-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) in personal knowledge management (PKM) practices of individual knowledge workers across varied disciplines.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology involves four steps, i.e. literature search, screening and selection of relevant data, data analysis and data synthesis related to KM, PKM and generative artificial intelligence (AI) with a focus on ChatGPT. The findings are then synthesized to develop a viewpoint on the challenges and opportunities brought by ChatGPT for individual knowledge workers in enhancing their PKM capability.

Findings

This work highlights the prevailing challenges and opportunities experienced by knowledge workers while leveraging PKM through implying ChatGPT. It also encapsulates how some management theories back the cruciality of generative AI (specifically ChatGPT) for PKM.

Research limitations/implications

This study identifies the challenges and opportunities. from existing studies and does not imply empirical data/result. The authors believe that findings can be adjusted to diverse domains regarding knowledge workers’ PKM endeavors. This paper draws some conclusions and calls for further empirical research.

Originality/value

ChatGPT’s capability to accelerate organizational performance compelled scholars to focus in this domain. The linkage of ChatGPT to Knowledge Management is an under-explored area specifically the role of ChatGPT on PKM hasn't been given attention in the existing work. This is one of the earliest studies to explore this context.
Hiding operational problems that need to be revealed – a study linking environmental accidents and product recalls
Authors: Hardcopf Rick , Shah Rachna
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study investigates whether a firm that has experienced an environmental accident (EA) is less likely to conduct a product recall. If true, it would indicate that EAs tempt firms to hide operational problems that need to be revealed. The logic is that both events are operational failures that damage a firm's reputation and share price. Following an EA, a firm may avoid a discretionary product recall to avoid providing additional evidence of operational incapability and social irresponsibility and thereby triggering amplified reputational and market penalties.

Design/methodology/approach

The dataset is compiled from several public and private sources and includes 4,355 product recalls, 153 EAs and 120 firms from the industries that often recall products, including automotive, pharma, medical device, food and consumer products. The study timeframe is 2002–2013. Empirical models are evaluated using hazard modeling.

Findings

Results show that EAs reduce the probability of a product recall by 32%, on average. Effect sizes are larger when accidents are more frequent or more severe and when recalls are less severe. Through post hoc analyses, the study finds support for the proposed mechanism that firms avoid recalls due to reputational concerns, provides evidence that EAs can have a lengthy impact on recall behavior, and shows that firms are more likely to avoid recalls managed by the CPSC and NHTSA than recalls managed by the FDA.

Originality/value

Prior studies in operations management (OM) have not examined the impact of one negative event on another. This study finds that EAs tempt firms to hide operational problems that need to be revealed. While recalling fewer defective products is of concern to consumers and regulators, should EAs influence a broader set of discretionary operational decisions, such as closing/relocating a production facility, outsourcing production or conducting a layoff, study implications increase significantly.
Wealth effects of firm's strategic technology investments: evidence from Ethereum blockchain
Authors: Smith Kane , Gupta Manu , Prakash Puneet , Rangan Nanda
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Ethereum-based blockchain technology (EBT) affords members of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) a market advantage in deploying blockchain within their organizations, including cybersecurity and operational benefits, that leads firms to strategically invest in this nascent technology. However, the impact of such strategic investments in EBT has yet to be explored in the context of its relationship to firm value. Therefore, this study explores EBT-specific firm-level characteristics that result in a stock market reaction to announcements of strategic investments.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use the event study methodology, strategic investment literature and signaling theory as contextualizing frameworks for their study. Additionally, the authors explore a new method for examining technology investments as a strategic counter to cybersecurity threats.

Findings

Firms that signal to the market their strong commitment to their strategic investment by developing an EBT proof of concept see significantly higher market returns. Firms that have had prior cybersecurity incidents are rewarded by the market for strategically investing in EBT, and when firms with large undistributed free cash flows utilize this cash for strategic EBT investment, the market is more likely to reward these firms, indicating the market views EBT investment positively in these circumstances.

Originality/value

The results of this study provide new evidence of the value impact of EBT for firms that suffered cybersecurity events in the past. The authors provide empirical evidence of firm-level characteristics that investors use to discern whether a strategic investment in EBT will drive organizational value. Likewise, the authors demonstrate how signaling affects investor perceptions of strategic information technology (IT) investments in EBT.
Impact of gendered female space on the sustainability of the architectural and urban heritage: the case of the M'Zab Valley
Authors: Naili Khouloud , Dahmani Krimo
Published: December 2023

Purpose

In the M'Zab Valley, women have long remained confined to their domestic sphere and are invisible in outdoor spaces. This study aims to analyse the use of public and private spaces by the women of Ksar El Atteuf, particularly after the significant changes that society has undergone.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines the role of gender in the daily life of an urban community in the M'Zab Valley in Algeria through semi-structured interviews with relevant experts and a survey of 100 Mozabite women. It focuses on their roles and views regarding using spaces and maintaining Mozabite heritage.

Findings

Social and religious norms influence women's utilisation, behaviour and roles in gendered spaces. Most women consider their place to be within the house but refuse to live primitively. Education and work have enabled them to emerge outdoors. The results also showed that owing to the restrictions imposed on women, 60% of them emphasised the need to express their opinions and make decisions, and 26% asked for more opportunities and spaces.

Originality/value

This study broadens understanding of Mozabite society and its architectural and urban heritage. The empirical study surveyed women and conducted interviews with experts. This is valuable, particularly, given the challenges of studying gender in conservative cultural settings.
Does the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affect the poor? Evidence from a six-country survey
Authors: Dang Hai-Anh , Huynh Toan L.D. , Nguyen Manh-Hung
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on economies around the world. The purpose of this study is to learn about the distributional impacts of the pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors contribute new theoretical and empirical evidence on the distributional impacts of the pandemic on different income groups in a multicountry setting. The authors analyze rich individual-level survey data covering 6,082 respondents from China, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. The results are robust to various econometric models, including ordinary least squares (OLS), Tobit and ordered probit models with country-fixed effects.

Findings

The authors find that while the outbreak has no impact on household income losses, it results in a 63% reduction in the expected own labor income for the second-poorest income quintile. The pandemic impacts are most noticeable for savings, with all the four poorer income quintiles suffering reduced savings ranging between 5 and 7% compared to the richest income quintile. The poor are also less likely to change their behaviors regarding immediate prevention measures against COVID-19 and healthy activities. The authors also found countries to exhibit heterogeneous impacts.

Social implications

Designing tailor-made social protection and health policies to support the poorer income groups in richer and poorer countries can generate multiple positive impacts that help minimize the negative and inequality-enhancing pandemic consequences. These findings are relevant not only for COVID-19 but also for future pandemics.

Originality/value

The authors theoretically and empirically investigate the impacts of the pandemic on poorer income groups, while previous studies mostly offer empirical analyses and focus on other sociodemographic factors. The authors offer a new multicountry analysis of several prevention measures against COVID-19 and specific health activities.
How enterprise information systems strategies-enabled strategy-making influences organizational agility: mediated role of IT-enabled dynamic capabilities in two BRICS countries study
Authors: Yoshikuni Adilson Carlos , Dwivedi Rajeev , Favaretto José Eduardo Ricciardi , Zhou Duanning
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The study aims to investigate how enterprise information systems strategies-enabled strategy-making (ISS-SM) influences organizational agility (OA) via the mediated role of IT-enabled dynamic capabilities (ITDC) under environmental dynamism (ED). The study also investigates natural country moderation associated with the business context of the countries where the respondents are located might influence these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The study aims to investigate how enterprise ISS-SM influences OA via the mediated role of ITDC under ED. The study also investigates natural country moderation associated with the business context of the countries where the respondents are located that might influence these relationships.

Findings

The results demonstrate that ISS-SM influences ITDC to gain OA independent of the ED level. Indian and Brazilian firms show no different effects in the relationship of the research model. However, post hoc analysis revealed that strong ISS-SM on OA is fully mediated by ITDC under higher ED with a substantial coefficient of determination, more prominent for Indian firms characterized by young-age and middle-size firms, agribusiness and government sectors.

Research limitations/implications

The fundamental to enabling practice and praxis of the strategy-as-practice approach to OA gains mediated through ITDC in different business context conditions.

Originality/value

The research contributes to extending the literature on the enterprise information systems strategy and information technologies capabilities.
The turbulent future of expertise and training markets
Authors: Dickson Peter Reid
Published: December 2023

Purpose

To explain how technology will replace a great deal of human labor in knowledge markets using a theory of reasoned action applied to demand and theories of procedural rationality, cost structure and system dynamics applied to supply.

Design/methodology/approach

Two illustrative scenarios are presented. The first is a third-party Best Treatments site, and its effect on the expert advice pharmaceutical representatives provide doctors. The second scenario is an online higher education business course module with embedded AI.

Findings

Both scenarios demonstrate the advantages of online expertise and teaching platforms over the in-person alternative in variable and marginal cost, ease and convenience of use, quality conformance, scalability, knowledge reach and depth and most importantly, speed of evolutionary adaptability. Despite such overwhelming advantages, a number of reasons why the substitution might be slowed are presented, and some strategies firms might adopt are discussed. Opportunities for service scholars to confirm, challenge and extend the conclusions are presented throughout the paper.

Originality/value

Increasing cost structure and adaptability advantages of online technology and AI over in-person delivery of expertise and training services are demonstrated. It is also demonstrated that the innovation-imitation cycle is accelerating because of exogenous innovation in knowledge access and online influence networks and an endogenous effect where imitators accelerate their innovation that drives innovators to accelerate their innovation, which drives imitators to further accelerate their imitation.
Financial market shocks and portfolio rebalancing
Authors: Silver Steven D. , Raseta Marko
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The intention of the empirics is to contribute to the general understanding of investor responses to market price shocks. The authors review assumptions about investor behavior in response to price shocks and investigate alternative rebalancing heuristics.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use market data over 40 years to define market shocks. Portfolio rebalancing implements constrained Markowitz mean-variance (MV) heuristics.

Findings

Momentum rebalancing in portfolio management outperforms contrarian rebalancing in the study interval. Sensitivity analysis by decade, sector constraints and proportion of security holdings bought or sold continue to support momentum rebalancing.

Research limitations/implications

The results are consistent with under-responding to price shocks at consensus levels in financial markets. The theoretical background provides a basis for experimental lab studies of shocks of different magnitudes under conditions in which participants have information on the levels of other participants and a condition in which they can only observe their previous estimates.

Practical implications

Managing portfolios in the face of price disturbances of different magnitudes is informed by empirical studies and their implications for investor behavior.

Originality/value

This is the first study the authors can locate that uses market data with alternative rebalancing heuristics to estimate price returns from the respective heuristics over a time interval of 40 years. The authors support the results with sensitivity estimates and consider implications for the underlying agent heuristics in light of background studies.
On the ambiguity of psychedelic awe in China
Authors: Gearin Alex K.
Published: December 2023

Psychology research frequently portrays the epistemic emotion of wonder as an intrinsic good. However, anthropologists highlight that social contexts shape its ambiguous political and moral potential. This concise article explores the awe‐inspiring DMT experience of a Chinese psychedelic user, which involves a humiliating encounter with a cosmic surveillance state. Analogous to the mood of wonder, the ambiguity inherent to psychedelic states originates from an existential vulnerability. This openness facilitates a wide range of potential social, moral, and psychological projects.
Is there a role for hybrid service provision in place‐based initiatives within the human services sector? Findings from an Australian exploratory study
Authors: Drysdale Kerryn , Bates Shona , Ritter Alison , Smyth Ciara , Leeuw Evelyne de , Katz Ilan
Published: December 2023

The value of place‐based initiatives in the design and delivery of human services has long been recognised, but the need for hybrid service delivery to clients—that is any combination of online and in‐person modalities—has become more apparent in the wake of the COVID‐19 pandemic. At face value, there may be a perceived contradiction between the reliance on geographical place in place‐based initiatives and online service delivery. Yet, it is inevitable that human services will increasingly be delivered in a hybrid form—even in the context of place‐based initiatives. This exploratory study included a modified Delphi method and deliberative panels with policymakers, service providers, and academics with experience and/or knowledge of hybrid place‐based initiatives. A central finding was the lack of respondents’ shared understanding and ability to link the three central intersecting ideas being examined in this research: ‘hybrid’ and ‘place‐based’ and ‘human services’. The principles underpinning place‐based initiatives need to be retained when incorporating online service delivery within place‐based initiatives. This reflects the need to develop a shared lexicon on hybrid place‐based initiatives and more creative understandings and interpretations of the relationship between people and place.

Points for practitioners

Increasingly, human services are being designed, implemented, and delivered through place‐based initiatives, yet the success of place‐based initiatives often relies on more than just face‐to‐face service delivery.

The COVID‐19 pandemic shifted many human services online, but how this has impacted on place‐based initiatives and their defining features of co‐location, collaboration, and co‐design has not been explored to date.

Following the pandemic, both service providers and clients see the benefit in retaining and integrating face‐to‐face and online services, without understanding how best to achieve this with place‐based initiatives.

This study draws on practices developed during the pandemic to understand how to best provide hybrid services (integrating in‐person and online services) and shows the relevance of hybrid services to place‐based initiatives and considerations moving forward.
Coalition bargaining time and governments’ policy‐making productivity
Authors: BÄCK HANNA , BERGMAN MATTHEW E. , MÜLLER WOLFGANG C.
Published: December 2023

What is the purpose of lengthy negotiations when a coalition government forms? Do they make a difference in coalition policy‐making? Negotiations that produce policy agreements between coalition partners have been suggested to strengthen the capacity of coalition governments to make policy reforms. We argue that bargaining time, regardless if it results in a written policy agreement or not, is an investment in future government reform productivity. Longer negotiation periods indicate that the bargaining parties have negotiated deals over conflicting policy issues and have allowed parties to build trust between them and gain support for future policies within the party organization, promoting reform productivity. Further, we expect that longer negotiation periods can mitigate problems of policy conflict within cabinets, thereby resulting in higher reform productivity. We evaluate our theoretical expectations using a data set on economic reform measures introduced in 10 Western European countries (1978–2017), based on a coding of more than 1000 periodical country reports issued by the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development. The results show support for our expectations, demonstrating that economic reform productivity is higher in coalition governments that have bargained for a longer time when forming. We also find support for the claim that bargaining time mitigates the negative effect of intra‐cabinet ideological conflict on reform productivity.
Using farmers' ex ante preferences to design agri‐environmental contracts: A systematic review
Authors: Schulze Christoph , Zagórska Katarzyna , Häfner Kati , Markiewicz Olimpia , Czajkowski Mikołaj , Matzdorf Bettina
Published: December 2023

Ensuring that farmers' ex ante preferences are accounted for is crucial for the design of effective agri‐environmental contracts. We present a systematic review of 127 discrete choice experiment (DCE) studies of farmers' preferences with respect to agri‐environmental contracts. DCE studies evaluate two central features of farmers' behaviour: (1) their willingness to accept land use prescriptions, such as fertiliser use, application of pesticides, restrictions on cropping, livestock management, integration of silvopasture, maintaining soil health or water use restrictions; and (2) their responses to variations in incentive and commitment criteria, such as reward schemes, monitoring regimes, technical assistance, flexibility of agreements, administrative burden and collaborative implementation. Our analysis considers how these different elements are interlinked and applied in experiments to simulate farmers' decision‐making processes. We examine recent methodological improvements in explaining farmer behaviour, including the accommodation of preference heterogeneity, the combining of discrete (enrolment) and continuous decisions, and the incorporation of farmers' sense of identity. DCEs have been applied for the ex ante analysis of different policy instruments to inform the European Common Agricultural Policy and agri‐environmental schemes outside the EU. The results of this systematic review may be useful in informing the future design of such agri‐environmental programmes. The database underpinning this systematic literature review may help peer scientists to (a) compare, validate and triangulate their own findings with respect to other experimental approaches, (b) use previous willingness‐to‐accept (WTA) measures as priors for their own study design, and (c) identify research gaps regarding farmers' preferences for agri‐environmental measures.
Power and politics of leading change in emergency departments: A qualitative study of Australasian emergency physicians
Authors: Rixon Andrew , Judkins Simon , Wilson Samuel
Published: December 2023

Objective

The ability to lead change is well recognised as a core leadership competency for clinicians, including emergency physicians. However, little is known about how emergency physicians' think about change leadership. The present study explores Australasian emergency physicians' beliefs about the factors that help and hinder efforts to lead change in Australasian EDs.

Methods

An online modified Delphi study was conducted with 19 Fellows of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. To structure the process, participants were sorted into four panels. Using a three‐phase Delphi process, participants were guided through a process of brainstorming, narrowing down and ranking the factors that help and hinder attempts to lead change. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to code and interpret the qualitative data set emerging from participants' responses through the final ranking phase.

Results

A wide array of self‐, ED‐ and hospital‐related enablers and barriers of leading change were identified, the relative importance of which varied as a function of panel. Five core themes characterised emergency physicians' conceptions of change leadership in hospitals: challenging environments of competing interests and tribalism; need for trust and psychological safety to sustain collaboration; challenges of navigating complex hierarchies; need to garner executive leadership support and; need to maintain a growth mindset and motivation to practice change leadership.

Conclusion

The findings of our study provide new insight into emergency physicians' conceptions of the nature, barriers to and enablers of change and point to new directions in leadership development to support emergency physicians' aspirations in the context of quality, organisation and health systems improvement.
Prognostic, immunity, stemness, and anticancer drug sensitivity characterization of pyroptosis related genes in non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Xu Cong , Ma Hongming , Chen Jiawen , Li Xincheng , Wang Zhina , Hu Bin , Zhang Nan , Meng Fanjie
Published: December 2023

Background

Pyroptosis plays a pivotal role in the tumor immune microenvironment (TME) dynamics, particularly in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of our study was to explore its effects on tumor progression, TME patterns, and the efficacy of therapeutic interventions in NSCLC.

Methods

Our investigation encompassed a thorough analysis of pyroptosis‐related genes (PRGs), integrating immunohistochemistry (IHC) data, TME characteristics, stemness indices, and anticancer drug sensitivities. We aimed to analyze mRNA expression profiles across various cancers, constructing benchmark datasets to assess the clinical significance of PRGs in NSCLC. This included evaluating their association with clinical responses and efficacy. Notably, both our and HPA IHC data demonstrated significantly elevated GSDMD‐N protein levels in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) tissues.

Results

The expression of PRGs differed significantly between tumor and normal tissues across various cancers, as validated by IHC data, and was correlated with prognosis (p < 0.05). Moreover, our investigation revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the expression of the PRGs among distinct TME subtypes categorized as C1 (wound healing), C3 (inflammatory), C2 (IFN‐gamma dominant), C5 (immunological quiet), C4 (lymphocyte deficient), and C6 (TGF‐beta dominant). Additionally, our research on anticancer drug sensitivity uncovered compelling connections between specific anticancer medications and the expression of PRGs, including GSDMD, ELANE, IL18, and CHMP4A (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Our study provided valuable insights into the critical role of PRGs in TME modulation, tumor stemness, and anticancer drug sensitivity across diverse cancers. Our findings illuminate the intricate relationship between pyroptosis and the TME, offering new perspectives for enhancing NSCLC treatment and prognosis.
Phylogeography of the small grass yellow Eurema brigitta (Stoll, 1780) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) unveils the existence of distinct taxa within the Palaeotropics
Authors: Irungbam Meenakshi , Irungbam Jatishwor Singh , Rindos Michal , Maresova Jana Papp , Fric Zdenek Faltynek
Published: December 2023

Eurema brigitta (Stoll, 1780) is one of the few butterfly species distributed in most of the Old World tropics. In 2017, we documented its occurrence in Socotra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Now, we clarify the origin of this specimen and further describe a phylogeographic pattern of this species by comparing Afrotropical, Malagasy and Oriental‐Australian populations using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I marker. We found a deep split between the Afrotropical and Oriental‐Australian populations of this taxon, which are separated by the Indian Ocean and dry eremic habitats on the northern coasts. A less deep but significant split also exists between E. b. brigitta (Stoll, 1780) from mainland Africa and E. b. pulchella (Boisduval, 1833) from Madagascar and surrounding islands. The individual from Socotra clearly originates from Africa. In addition, in accordance with the genetic pattern and the known morphological evidence, we propose to transfer the Oriental‐Australian populations into a separate species, Eurema drona (Horsfield, 1829) reinst. stat.
Comparison of the success rate of tracheal intubation between stylet and bougie with a hyperangulated videolaryngoscope: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Eum D. , Ji Y. J. , Kim H. J.
Published: December 2023

Hyperangulated videolaryngoscopes are known to increase the success rate of tracheal intubation in the setting of difficult airway management when used with a stylet or bougie. However, there is controversy over which adjunct is more useful. This randomised study aimed to compare first attempt tracheal intubation success rate between a stylet and bougie when using a hyperangulated videolaryngoscope. We recruited patients aged > 20 years who were scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia and required tracheal intubation. We only included patients with factors predicting difficult tracheal intubation based on pre‐anaesthesia airway evaluation. Tracheal intubation was attempted using a Glidescope® with either a stylet or bougie as an adjunct according to group assignment. Primary outcome was the success rate of the first tracheal intubation attempt, and secondary outcomes were success of second and third attempts; tracheal intubation time; and occurrence of sore throat, dysphagia or hoarseness. A total of 166 patients were included. The success rate of the first tracheal intubation attempt was significantly higher in patients allocated to the bougie group compared with those allocated to the stylet group (81/83 (98%) vs. 73/83 (88%), respectively; p = 0.032). The number of patients who needed two attempts was significantly lower in those allocated to the bougie group compared with those allocated to the stylet group (1/83 (1%) vs. 9/83 (11%), respectively; p = 0.018). Each group had one patient (1%) where tracheal intubation was achieved after a third attempt. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of sore throat, dysphagia and hoarseness between the two groups. When difficult tracheal intubation is anticipated and a hyperangulated videolaryngoscope is used, the success rate of the first attempt is higher when a bougie is used compared with a stylet.
Transanal open haemorrhoidopexy: a well‐tolerated, minimally invasive surgical method for haemorrhoids grade II to IV
Authors: Ihle Christof , Zawadzki Antoni
Published: December 2023

Background

To determine 1‐year postoperative recurrence rates, postoperative pain and complication rates of transanal open haemorrhoidopexy applied also in grade IV haemorrhoids.

Methods

Single‐centre retrospective observational study without control group. The primary outcome was recurrence rate after 1 year postoperatively. Secondary outcomes were length of postoperative pain, use of opiates and postoperative complications. The recurrence rate was assessed with the Sodergren haemorrhoid symptom severity score questionnaire. For information on the early postoperative period, a retrospective chart review based on the routine 3‐month clinical follow‐up was done.

Results

135 consecutive patients with haemorrhoids Goligher grades II–IV were operated with transanal open haemorrhoidopexy. 88 patients (65%) consented to participate in the study when approached later via mail. 23% of patients had haemorrhoids Goligher grade IV. 15 patients (17%) needed a second transanal open haemorrhoidopexy for residual haemorrhoidal prolapse. The recurrence rate of prolapsing haemorrhoids was 15% (13 patients) 1 year postoperatively. 21% of patients reported no postoperative pain, 54% described pain for a duration of up to 1 week and 22% for up to 2 weeks. Two patients reported a longer duration of pain of 3 and 4 weeks, respectively. No complications grade Clavien‐Dindo III or higher were detected.

Conclusion

The results of our study indicate that transanal open haemorrhoidopexy has a recurrence rate comparable to traditional haemorrhoidectomy including grade IV haemorrhoids and is associated with less pain and tissue damage. A randomized controlled trial may provide further support for the routine application of this method, but may pose challenges.