bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EEG responses to auditory cues predict fluency variability and stuttering intervention outcome
Authors: Rocha Monica Filipa , Carmona Jaqueline , Correia João Mendonça
Published: February 2025

Stuttering is a variable speech disorder whose brain mechanisms remain unknown. Sensorimotor brain circuits, critical for motor-speech control, including auditory processing necessary for speech prediction and monitoring, have been linked to the disorder. Despite considerable advances, it remains unclear whether auditory circuits relate to stuttering variability, and whether the panoply of interventions for persons who stutter can lead to brain changes within these circuits. We employed electroencephalography (EEG), in a group of persons who stutter, in combination with auditory probes to tap onto the importance of auditory cortical regions in stuttering variability. Participantsproduced flexible speech (i.e., describing visual scenes) and non-flexible speech (i.e., reading syllables), following an auditory cue. More pronounced P200 auditory evoked potentials were observed in participants with higher dysfluency rates, mainly in the spontaneous speech task. Interestingly, speech therapy intervention led to a reduction of the P200 potential, which was in turn significantly related to fluency improvements. Furthermore, EEG response patterns discriminative of cue frequency (400 or 800 Hz tones) were also predictive of dysfluency scores. Our study highlights the involvement of auditory cortical processing and that of auditory attention in stuttering variability. We support that a higher state of auditory alertness may be implicated in the sensorimotor mechanisms of stuttering, and that speech therapy interventions promoting more self-confident communication can restraint auditory alertness, and potentially reduce speech dysfluencies.

Highlights

Auditory probes can assess the auditory cortex in speech production and stuttering.

Stuttering severity correlates to EEG auditory responses during speech preparation.

Higher states of auditory alertness in stuttering may be reduced by speech therapy.

Graphical abstract

Speaking requires orchestrating several brain processes at a time. The auditory system assumes a central role, not only in waiting for the right moment to initiate speech, listening to self-produced speech, predicting the consequence of future speech, but also adjusting these processes to the intermittent nature of stuttering.
Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents in Nigeria since 2010: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Ogunlade Samuel Busayo , Abioye Ajibola Ibraheem , Kuyebi Moshood Abiodun , Musa Jolaade , Abubakar Aminu Kende , Yisa Mohammed Nakodi , Olukorode Sarah Oreoluwa , Oyadiran Oluwafemi Temitayo , Okusanya Temitayo Rebecca , Olofin Daniel Oluwafemi , Igho-Osagie Ebuwa , Omotayo Moshood Olanrewaju , Adewuya Abiodun
Published: February 2025

Background

Psychiatric disorders significantly impact pediatric populations globally, affecting individual development, education and societal integration. In Nigeria, where nearly half of the population is under the age of 15, there remains a substantial gap in our understanding of the burden of these disorders within this demographic. This systematic review was conducted to quantify the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among Nigerian children and adolescents in clinical and community settings.

Methods

We identified and examined original research articles available in PUBMED/Medline, EMBASE, and AJOL from January 2010 to August 2024, and selected studies that evaluated the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents (<18 y) in Nigeria. We pooled the prevalence estimates across different study settings using random effects models We assessed the risk of bias using the NIH Quality Assessment Tool and the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE framework.

Results

The meta-analysis included data from 27 studies with a total population of 47,451 participants. The best evidence of the prevalence was 12% for major depression (95% CI: 5.3, 25.0; I2= 99.5%; seven studies; 14,534 children and adolescents; very low certainty), and 9.2% for generalized anxiety disorder (95% CI: 4.5, 17.9; I2= 95.9%; five studies among 2,395 individuals; very low certainty). Meta-regression indicated that the prevalence of major depression was related to age among children (p-heterogeneity = 0.0004). The pooled prevalence of ADHD among primary school pupils was 2.8% (95% CI: 2.0, 3.8%; I² = 0%; two studies; 1,374 individuals). Overall, the pooled prevalence estimates of psychiatric disorders among Nigerian pediatric populations indicated considerable heterogeneity across most studies (I² > 75%). The most common psychiatric disorders across the different settings were major depression among children and adolescents attending primary care (prevalence = 7.6%; 95% CI: 1.0; 40.5; three studies; 1,278 individuals), separation anxiety disorder among primary school children (prevalence = 14%; 95% CI: 9.5, 19.6; one study; 200 pupils), and behavioral disorders among secondary school students (prevalence = 15.1%; 95% CI: 14.4, 15.8; one study; 9,450 adolescents).

Conclusion

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among Nigerian children and adolescents is substantial, underscoring the critical need for enhanced mental health services.
Examining the associations between the food environment and dietary intake in British Columbia: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Zhao Bill , Cohen Tamara R. , Sutherland Jason , Meza Rafael , Bhatti Parveen , Murphy Rachel A
Published: February 2025

This study aimed to characterize neighbourhood food environments in British Columbia (BC) and to determine if food environment characteristics were associated with fruits and vegetables (FV) intake. A cross-sectional study was conducted using geospatial food environment (Can-FED) and neighbourhood environment measures from the BC Generations Project, a cohort of males and females aged 35-69. Food environment measures (chain grocery stores, fast food outlets, convenience stores, and two relative measures of food outlets) were categorized according to density: class 0 (no presence) to class 4 (highest density). Multivariable mixed-effect models adjusted for sociodemographics and neighbourhood characteristics were constructed to assess the associations between food environments and FV intakes as a continuous variable and as <5 or ≥ 5 servings of FV/day. Approximately 50% of participants lived in neighbourhoods without chain grocery stores, fast food outlets or convenience stores within walking distance. An inverse association between neighbourhoods with the highest density of fast-food restaurants and FV consumption was observed (Odds ratio (OR) =0.89, 95% CI: 0.80, 0.98). Associations between chain grocery stores, convenience stores and FV consumption were attenuated with adjustment for neighbourhood characteristics: walkability, material and social deprivation. The findings suggest the presence of food deserts across urban areas in BC. Participants living in neighbourhoods with greater density of fast-food restaurants were less likely to consume ≥5 servings of FV per day. Further studies are needed to understand the lack of associations between other characteristics of the food environment and dietary intake.
Cell size regulation in bacteria: a tale of old regulators with new mechanisms
Authors: Khan Ezza , Mera Paola E.
Published: February 2025

Proper function in a bacterial cell relies on intrinsic cell size regulation. The molecular mechanisms underlying how bacteria maintain their cell size remain unclear. The conserved regulator DnaA, the initiator of chromosome replication, is associated to size regulation by controlling the number of origins of replication (oriC) per cell. In this study, we identify and characterize a new mechanism in which DnaA modulates cell size independently oforiC-copy number. By altering the levels of DnaA without impacting chromosome replication, we demonstrate that DnaA’s activity as a transcription factor can slow down cell elongation rate resulting in cells that are ∼20% smaller. We identify the peptidoglycan biosynthetic enzyme MurD as a key player of cell size regulation inCaulobacter crescentusand in the evolutionarily distant bacteriumEscherichia coli. Collectively, our findings provide mechanistic insights to the complex regulation of cell size in bacteria.
An updated catalogue of split-GAL4 driver lines for descending neurons inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Zung Jessica L. , Namiki Shigehiro , Meissner Geoffrey W. , Costa Marta , Eichler Katharina , Stürner Tomke , Jefferis Gregory S.X.E. , Managan Claire ,   FlyLight Project Team, Korff Wyatt , Card Gwyneth M.
Published: February 2025

Descending neurons (DNs) occupy a key position in the sensorimotor hierarchy, conveying signals from the brain to the rest of the body below the neck. InDrosophila melanogasterflies, approximately 480 DN cell types have been described from electron-microscopy image datasets. Genetic access to these cell types is crucial for further investigation of their role in generating behaviour. We previously conducted the first large-scale survey ofDrosophila melanogasterDNs, describing 98 unique cell types from light microscopy and generating cell-type-specific split-Gal4 driver lines for 65 of them. Here, we extend our previous work, describing the morphology of 137 additional DN types from light microscopy, bringing the total number DN types identified in light microscopy datasets to 235, or nearly 50%. In addition, we produced 500 new sparse split-Gal4 driver lines and compiled a list of previously published DN lines from the literature for a combined list of 738 split-Gal4 driver lines targeting 171 DN types.
Grounded large language models for diagnostic prediction in real-world emergency department settings
Authors: Niset Alexandre , Melot Ines , Pireau Margaux , Englebert Alexandre , Scius Nathan , Flament Julien , El Hadwe Salim , Al Barajraji Mejdeddine , Thonon Henri , Barrit Sami
Published: February 2025

Background

Emergency departments face increasing pressures from staff shortages, patient surges, and administrative burdens. While large language models (LLMs) show promise in clinical support, their deployment in emergency medicine presents technical and regulatory challenges. Previous studies often relied on simplistic evaluations using public datasets, overlooking real-world complexities and data privacy concerns.

Methods

At a tertiary emergency department, we retrieved 79 consecutive cases during a peak 24-hour period constituting a siloed dataset. We evaluated six pipelines combining open- and closed-source embedding models (text-embedding- ada-002 and MXBAI) with foundational models (GPT-4, Llama3, and Qwen2), grounded through retrieval-augmented generation with emergency medicine textbooks. The models’ top-five diagnostic predictions on early clinical data were compared against reference diagnoses established through expert consensus based on complete clinical data. Outcomes included diagnostic inclusion rate, ranking performance, and citation sourcing capabilities.

Results

All pipelines showed comparable diagnostic inclusion rates (62.03-72.15%) without significant differences in pairwise comparisons. Case characteristics, rather than model combinations, significantly influenced predictive diagnostic performance. Cases with specific diagnoses were significantly more diagnosed versus unspecific ones (85.53% vs. 31.41%, p<0.001), as did surgical versus medical cases (79.49% vs. 56.25%, p<0.001). Open-source foundational models demonstrated superior sourcing capabilities compared to GPT-4-based combinations (OR: 33.92 to ∞, p<1.4e-12), with MBXAI/Qwen2 achieving perfect sourcing.

Conclusion

Open and closed-source LLMs showed promising and comparable predictive diagnostic performance in a real-world emergency setting when evaluated on siloed data. Case characteristics emerged as the primary determinant of performance, suggesting that current limitations reflect AI alignment fundamental challenges in medical reasoning rather than model-specific constraints. Open-source models’ demonstrated superior sourcing capabilities—a critical advantage for interpretability. Continued research exploring larger-scale, multi-centric efforts, including real-time applications and human-computer interactions, as well as real- world clinical benchmarking and sourcing verification, will be key to delineating the full potential of grounded LLM-driven diagnostic assistance in emergency medicine.
The Role of Interleukin-6 in Predicting Adverse Cardiac Outcomes in Asian Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Le Thu-Thao , Pua Chee Jian , Aw Tar-Choon , Lim Shiqi , Yang Chengxi , Bryant Jennifer Ann , Han Yiying , Tang Hak Chiaw , Kong Siew Ching , Phua Soon Kieng , Cook Stuart Alexander , Chin Calvin Woon-Loong
Published: February 2025

Background

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in adverse cardiac remodeling and outcomes in various cardiovascular diseases. Its role in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), particularly in risk stratification and prognosis, remains underexplored. This study evaluates serum IL-6 levels alongside cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging parameters as predictors of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with apical HCM (ApHCM) and non-apical HCM (Non-ApHCM).

Method

A cohort of 255 patients was recruited between 2013 and 2023, with blood samples collected for genetic analysis and biomarker testing. A subset of 196 patients underwent CMR imaging to assess left ventricular morphology, function, and myocardial fibrosis. MACE was defined as the composite occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, or all-cause mortality.

Results

Patients with elevated IL-6 levels (above the median) demonstrated significantly higher MACE rates compared to those with lower levels (7.5 vs. 3.3 events/100 patient-years; pairwise log-rank P < 0.001). IL-6 levels correlated with adverse CMR markers, including myocardial fibrosis, increased left atrial volume, and impaired strain, regardless of HCM subtype. Combining IL-6 levels with morphological classification revealed stepwise risk stratification, with MACE rates escalating from 0.9 (ApHCM with low IL-6) to 8.8 events/100 patient-years (Non-ApHCM with high IL-6) (pairwise log-rank P < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study highlights IL-6 as a critical biomarker associated with adverse outcomes in HCM. When integrated with morphological assessment, IL-6 enhances risk stratification and provides a novel approach to assessing disease severity. These findings underscore the potential for IL-6 to guide clinical decision-making and inform therapeutic strategies in HCM.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Clade 2.3.2.1a virus infection in domestic cats, India, 2025
Authors: Raut Ashwin Ashok , Aasdev Ashutosh , Kumar Naveen , Pathak Anubha , Mishra Adhiraj , Sehgal Prakriti , Pateriya Atul K , Pandey Megha , Bhatia Sandeep , Mishra Anamika
Published: February 2025

In January 2025, the highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus clade 2.3.2.1a infection was detected in domestic cats and whole-genome sequencing of two cat H5N1 isolates was performed using the Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing platform. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the circulation of triple reassortant viruses in cats. Although cat viruses lacked classic mammalian adaptation markers they carried mutations associated with enhanced polymerase activity in mammalian cells and increased affinity for α2–6 sialic acid receptor suggesting their potential role in facilitating infection in cats. The identification of reassortant HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.2.1a viruses in domestic cats in India highlights the urgent need for enhanced surveillance in domestic poultry, wild birds, and mammals, including humans, to track genomic diversity and molecular evolution of circulating strains.
Hematopoietic stem cells undergo bidirectional fate transitionsin vivo
Authors: Fukushima Tsuyoshi , Kristiansen Trine Ahn , Wong Lai Ping , Keyes Samuel , Tanaka Yosuke , Mazzola Michael , Zhao Ting , He Lingli , Yagi Masaki , Hochedlinger Konrad , Yamazaki Satoshi , Sadreyev Ruslan I. , Scadden David T
Published: February 2025

Transitions between subsets of differentiating hematopoietic cells are widely regarded as unidirectionalin vivo. Here, we introduce clonal phylogenetic tracer (CP-tracer) that sequentially introduces genetic barcodes, enabling high-resolution analysis of ∼100,000 subclones derived from ∼500 individual hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). This revealed previously uncharacterized HSC functional subsets and identified bidirectional fate transitions between myeloid-biased and lineage-balanced HSC. Contrary to the prevailing view that the more self-renewing My-HSCs unidirectionally transition to balanced-HSCs, phylogenetic tracing revealed durable lineage bidirectionality with the transition favoring My-HSC accumulation over time1,2. Further, balanced-HSCs mature through distinct intermediates—My-HSCs and lymphoid-biased-HSCs—with lymphoid competence here shown by CRISPR/Cas9 screening to be dependent on the homeobox gene,Hhex. Hhex enables Ly-HSC differentiation, but its expression declines with age. These findings establish HSC plasticity andHhexas a determinant of myeloid-lymphoid balance with each changing over time to favor the age-related myeloid bias of the elderly.

Highlights

Sequenctial introduction of DNA barcodes in vivo was developed to assess time dependent changes in cell fate.

Clonal phylogenetic tracer (CP-tracer) enabled high-resolution phylogenetic analysis of ∼100,000 subclones derived from ∼500 individual hematopoietic stem cells (HSC).

Bidirectional fate transitions between myeloid-biased haematopoietic stem cells (My-HSCs) and lineage-balanced haematopoietic stem cells (balanced-HSCs) were observed.

Hhex was identified as a molecular driver of HSC lymphoid competence.
Canonical Hedgehog Signaling Controls Astral Microtubules and Mitotic Spindle Orientation in Neural Progenitors and iPSCs
Authors: Liu Fengming , Medyukhina Anna , Olesen Kris M , Shirinifard Abbas , Jin Hongjian , Li Lei , Mapelli Marina , Khairy Khaled , Han Young-Goo
Published: February 2025

Mitotic spindle orientation is crucial for cell fate determination and tissue organization. Although the intracellular machinery governing spindle orientation is well characterized, whether and how secreted factors, such as morphogens, regulate this process remains poorly understood. This study investigated the role of Hedgehog (HH) signaling in modulating mitotic spindle orientation in neural progenitor cells and in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Time-lapse microscopy of cerebral organoids and iPSCs revealed that HH signaling increases the angle of the mitotic spindle relative to the apical surface, prolongs mitosis, and enhances spindle rotation. Mechanistically, HH signaling reduces both the number and the length of astral microtubules, key regulators of spindle orientation. This reduction correlates with increased spindle angle in iPSCs. Furthermore, we show that canonical HH signaling, involving GLI-dependent transcriptional regulation, contributes to these effects. RNA sequencing and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that HH signaling upregulates genes associated with microtubule depolymerization, suggesting a transcriptional mechanism by which HH signaling influences astral microtubule dynamics and, consequently, mitotic spindle orientation. These findings highlight a novel link between a morphogen, transcriptional regulation, and the control of mitotic spindle orientation, with implications for development and tissue homeostasis.
The Role of Regional and Practice Trial Sites in Distorted Randomized Cancer Trial Enrollment
Authors: Shah Sachin J. , Manz Christopher R. , Balthis Brendan , Raman Hari S. , Abaluck Jason , Keating Nancy L , Agha Leila
Published: February 2025

Representative trials are critical to advancing cancer treatment, yet little is known about how geographic siting contributes to non-representative enrollment. Using patient-level data, we determined how the choice of trial-enrolling regions and practices impacts representativeness. We created a SEER-Medicare cohort of people ≥65 years old with lung, breast, pancreatic, or renal cancer (2014-2019). We identified randomized cancer drug trial participants and determined the prevalence of age ≥75, sex, race, ethnicity, and rural residence in the full cohort, trial-enrolling regions, trial-enrolling practices, and trials. The choice of region and practice contributed to >50% of the under-enrollment of Black, Hispanic, and rural patients. Cancer trials enrolled 45% fewer Black patients than expected with proportional representation. Trial recruitment in regions and practices with proportionately fewer Black patients accounted for 27% and 35% of this disparity, respectively. These findings suggest that diversifying cancer trials requires changing the regions and practices referring and enrolling patients.
Exponential Change of Relaxation Rate by Quenched Disorder
Authors: Meibohm Jan , Klapp Sabine H. L.
Published: February 2025

We determine the asymptotic relaxation rate of a Brownian particle in a harmonic potential perturbed by quenched Gaussian disorder, a simplified model for rugged energy landscapes in complex systems. Depending on the properties of the disorder, we show that the mean and variance of the asymptotic relaxation rate are nonmonotonous functions of the parameters for a broad class of disorders. In particular, the rate of relaxation may either increase or decrease exponentially compared to the unperturbed case. This implies that disorder may, depending on its properties, both significantly speed up slow down relaxation. In the limit of weak disorder, we derive the probability distribution of the asymptotic relaxation rate and show that it is Gaussian, with analytic expressions for the mean and variance that feature universal limits. Our findings indicate that controlled disorder may serve to tune the relaxation speed in complex systems.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Exploring frustration effects of strongly interacting bosons via the Hall response
Authors: Halati Catalin-Mihai , Giamarchi Thierry
Published: February 2025

We investigate the Hall response of hardcore bosonic atoms on a triangular ladder in a magnetic field. To access the dynamical properties of this many-body quantum system, we employ matrix product states numerical methods. We show that the behavior of the Hall polarization, both in its saturation value and in the short-time dynamics, correlates with the features of the underlying phase diagram, which stem from the interplay of interactions and geometric frustration. This paves the way to employ the Hall response as a sensitive probe of many-body chiral quantum phases in strongly correlated materials.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Dilution of Error in Digital Hamiltonian Simulation
Authors: Granet Etienne , Dreyer Henrik
Published: February 2025

We provide analytic, numerical, and experimental evidence that the amount of noise in digital quantum simulation of local observables can be independent of system size in a number of situations. We provide a microscopic explanation of this based on the “relevant string length” of operators, which is the length of Pauli strings in the operator at time s that belong to the exponentially small subspace of strings that can give a nonzero expectation value at time t. We show that this explanation can predict when dilution of errors occurs and when it does not. We propose an error-mitigation method the efficiency of which relies on this mechanism. Our findings imply that digital quantum simulation with noisy devices is in appropriate cases scalable in the sense that gate errors do not need to be reduced linearly to simulate larger systems.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Understanding Ethiopian farmers' intention to adopt biofortified orange-flesh sweet potatoes
Authors: Samuel Lidya , Dutra de Barcellos Marcia , Watabaji Mulugeta D. , De Steur Hans
Published: February 2025

Purpose

Biofortification is a promising strategy for addressing malnutrition and food insecurity by enriching staple crops with nutrients. However, farmers’ adoption is crucial for their success. This study aims to shed light on Ethiopian farmers' intentions to adopt biofortified orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) using the motivation, opportunity and ability (MOA) framework.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used data from a cross-sectional survey of 370 sweet potato farmers in Ethiopia. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the factors influencing farmers' intention to adopt OFSP.

Findings

Ability-, motivation- and opportunity-related factors significantly influenced adoption intention. Specifically, knowledge of OFSP benefits, production skills, crop characteristics and access to institutional services positively influences adoption. However, farming experience has a negative effect.

Practical implications

These findings emphasize the importance of educating farmers about OFSP’s high vitamin A content and favourable agronomic features. Additionally, understanding farmers' experiences and enhancing their production skills are crucial for increasing adoption rates. Targeted educational programs and support services can address these gaps and deficiencies.

Originality/value

This study is the first to analyse Ethiopian farmers' adoption of OFSP using an MOA framework. It offers a novel approach to understanding the complex interplay of psychological factors that influence adoption intentions. Furthermore, this study provides valuable insights into the Ethiopian context, filling a gap in the literature. These findings contribute to the development of targeted strategies for promoting biofortified crops in Ethiopia and other similar global contexts.
Risk prioritization in manufacturing processes: a hybrid approach to group decision-making under hesitation
Authors: Magalhães Wauires Ribeiro de , Lima Junior Francisco Rodrigues
Published: February 2025

Purpose

This article aims to propose a model to support the assessment and prioritization of risk in manufacturing processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The model integrates the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) criteria with the evaluation procedures of a new hesitant fuzzy linguistic-technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (HFL-TOPSIS) variation. A case study evaluating failure risk in a wiring harness assembly process demonstrated the model's applicability. A sensitivity analysis was performed to verify the effect of the variation in the weights assigned to the decision-makers (DMs).

Findings

The failure mode (FM) ranking was FM4 > FM9 > FM17 > FM2>FM8>FM12 > FM16 > FM19 > FM11 > FM3>FM18 > FM15 > FM13 > FM10 > FM14 > FM7 > FM1 > FM5 > FM6. These outcomes suggest that “stripping length less than specified” was the top priority among the 19 FMs evaluated. Sensitivity tests demonstrated the effect of the DMs’ weights on the ranking of FMs. A comparison with FMEA and HFL-TOPSIS demonstrates the model's greater capacity to discriminate levels of risk priority, as it identifies a total of 19 risk levels compared with 9 levels in the other approaches.

Practical implications

The adoption of the proposed model can drive substantial improvements in risk management practices across industries, provided that the organization has a decision-making team experienced with FMEA. Therefore, this approach promotes the continuous improvement of operations and ensures that mitigation actions effectively address critical FMs.

Originality/value

This is the first study to propose a risk evaluation model that accounts for DMs' hesitation in defining criteria weights through linguistic expressions. Additionally, it addresses uncertainty when assessing weights for the DMs’ opinions and considers multiple factors that affect these weights in decision-making for risk prioritization.
The impact of ethical logos on purchase intention: the mediating role of product social responsibility
Authors: Collange Véronique , Bernard Yohan , Ingarao Aurore , Zarrouk-Karoui Sarra
Published: February 2025

Purpose

This paper aims to better understand an increasingly prevalent practice whereby firms affix certified ethical logos (e.g. Fairtrade, 100% organic, Ecolab, etc.) to their products, leveraging perceived product social responsibility (PSR) to enhance purchase intention.

Design/methodology/approach

A between-subjects experiment was conducted among 484 French consumers, focusing on two brands of chocolate bars.

Findings

The study reveals a significant increase in purchase intentions when products feature an ethical logo, with PSR acting as a mediator. Additionally, three variables – logo equity, brand equity and the attribution of altruistic motivations to the brand – emerge as significant predictors of PSR in the presence of an ethical logo. Surprisingly, neither the fit between the brand and the logo nor the attribution of strategic motivations influence PSR. Moreover, the impact of PSR on purchase intention is found to be moderated by consumers’ moral identity.

Research limitations/implications

The research continues and deepens the work of Brown and Dacin (1997) by precisely defining and measuring PSR. In addition, its antecedents are identified, and it is shown that PSR is almost a complete mediator of the identified variables on purchase intention. This result demonstrates that the PSR construct provides both greater explanatory and predictive power than similar concepts and is therefore very useful. The research also contributes to a better understanding of ethical logos as a special kind of brand and sheds light on the complex mechanism of consumers’ attribution.

Practical implications

From a managerial perspective, this work contributes to explaining why, how and for which target it is relevant to certify consumer goods with ethical logos. Some guidelines on labeling strategy are thus provided.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the literature on labeling and social responsibility by delineating the concept of PSR, assessing its measurement and identifying its antecedents and consequences for purchase intention.
Navigating ethical complexities in social entrepreneurship: insights from Portuguese social entrepreneurs
Authors: Paswan Raju Ranjan Kumar
Published: February 2025

Purpose

Social entrepreneurship is increasingly recognised for addressing complex social issues, yet its definition remains vague. Although social entrepreneurs are often celebrated as virtuous agents of positive change, they experience complex challenges and ethical dilemmas in their daily work. This paper aims to explore the lived experiences of social entrepreneurs in Portugal and to identify the ethical issues influencing their work.

Design/methodology/approach

By using a phenomenological research approach, this study conducted 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Portuguese social entrepreneurs. The interviews examine their life experiences to uncover the challenges and ethical issues they face.

Findings

This study identifies key areas where ethical tensions arise influencing the emergence of challenges for social entrepreneurs. These areas include the absence of a specific legal framework for social enterprises, complexities in human resource management, partnership dynamics, financial sustainability pressures, issues of transparency and accountability and the risk of mission drift.

Practical implications

This study offers valuable insights into the ethical dimensions of social entrepreneurship, emphasising that social entrepreneurs, like those in non-profit sectors, face significant ethical dilemmas. These findings offer valuable insights for researchers and practitioners to expand their understanding of social entrepreneurship. By recognising these challenges scholars and policymakers can foster a more informed and nuanced discourse on the field.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the underexplored intersection of ethics and social entrepreneurship, providing new insights into the ethical realities faced by social entrepreneurs in Portugal.
An empirical study of truck driver detention time: a shipper’s perspective
Authors: Cheng Feng , Han Chaodong , Tomasi Stella
Published: February 2025

Purpose

This study aims to conduct a regression analysis of factors contributing to truck driver detention time, including shipper, carrier and customer facility characteristics. Specifically, we examine how the impact of private fleets versus for-hire carriers on detention time varies with customer facilities that have different operating hours and cargo processing efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on time-stamped shipment data collected from a large US fresh producer, this study assesses the impacts of contributing factors on detention time through a regression analysis of a large dataset consisting of 16,227 shipment records over a three-month period.

Findings

Results show that private fleets are associated with less detention time than for-hire carriers. The advantage of private fleets over for-hire carriers is more pronounced at customer facilities with 24-h shifts or fast processing speeds. The impact differences between private fleets and for-hire carriers are not statistically significant at slow-processing customer facilities or those without 24-h shifts. There appears to be an inverted U-shaped relationship between carrier size and detention time.

Practical implications

This study offers evidence-based recommendations to shippers, carriers, receivers and policymakers on the reduction of detention time.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical study to examine detention time using a comprehensive shipment-level dataset collected from a major US fresh producer. The findings offer managerial insights and policy recommendations to address detention, a significant challenge facing the US trucking industry.
Process mapping for laser hot wire additive manufacturing of Ti­6Al­4V
Authors: Abranovic Brandon , Chang-Davidson Elizabeth , Beuth Jack L.
Published: February 2025

Purpose

Laser hot wire additive manufacturing (LHWAM) is a newer technology within the space of large-scale directed energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing (AM) processes. This study aims to map known AM flaw types such as lack of fusion and keyholing, as well as a dripping flaw unique to hot wire processes, across process parameter space using a small number of single-track experiments.

Design/methodology/approach

A semianalytical model was calibrated using a small initial set of experimental data. Lack of fusion and keyholing flaws were mapped across process space using existing models. The dripping flaw was modeled via analytical methods calibrated with experimental data, and then mapped across processing space. Further experimental data beyond the small initial set was used to evaluate the accuracy of the process maps developed. A website and executable were deployed to users of the process for convenient rapid process parameter selection.

Findings

With the process maps generated during this work, users can easily and rapidly generate desirable parameter sets for a range of conditions, enabling the intelligent utilization of the entire stable processing regime.

Practical implications

The methodology developed can be applied to other LHWAM machines or DED processes to rapidly and inexpensively generate a systematic understanding of processing space for build planning.

Originality/value

LHWAM shows advantages over other large-scale DED processes, but a systematic physically informed study of the key flaw regions across process space had not been conducted, limiting more widespread use of the process and creating a gap that this study fills.
Maximizing impact: optimizing teams through leader development in health-care settings
Authors: Linhardt Rylee M. , Woods Amanda , Cavanaugh Katelyn , Holladay Courtney L.
Published: February 2025

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to connect the effects of a leadership development intervention to team outcomes and show the leader is a conduit to improve teamwork behaviors of team members. The authors fulfill this purpose by describing and evaluating the effectiveness of a leadership development intervention in a health-care setting.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors describe and empirically evaluate a nine-month cohort-based leadership development initiative where leaders participate in multiple hands-on workshops and coaching sessions. During the intervention, leaders were provided opportunities to practice new skills and were encouraged to apply them to their team.

Findings

The findings suggest that through learning and practice, leadership behavior improved, and this behavior led to better follower and team outcomes. More specifically, leaders who were trained had followers who felt they had more guidance in developing their careers, and these leaders had teams who engaged in more teamwork behavior. Further, findings support that program engagement matters; participants must fully engage in the program for direct reports to experience benefits.

Originality/value

Connections between factors of leadership training and the effects on leader, follower and team outcomes are discussed further through teamwork theory. The authors describe the implications of the leadership development intervention from the perspective of both leaders and teams. In doing so, the authors connect the behaviors of leaders to teamwork outcomes by considering how the leader learned effective teamwork skills during the leadership development intervention.
Sequential Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in Taiwan: Real‐World Evidence From Regorafenib and Trifluridine/Tipiracil Use
Authors: Chang Ya‐Wen , Kuo Chun‐Nan , Chang Chia‐Lun , Hsu Jason C. , Ko Yu
Published: February 2025

Objective

This study aims to evaluate the real‐world effectiveness and safety of sequential treatment with regorafenib and trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD‐TPI) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in Taiwan.

Methods

Data were obtained from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to assess clinical outcomes in mCRC patients who were treated with both drugs in either sequential order from 2016 to 2019. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox's proportional hazard models, with adjustments made for age, gender, Quan‐CCI score, presence of liver metastases, number of metastatic sites, and the use of anti‐epidermal growth factor receptor medications. Additionally, age‐stratified subgroups and sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine the robustness of our findings.

Results

Five hundred and twenty‐eight patients receiving both study drugs were included. The regorafenib/FTD‐TPI group demonstrated a longer median OS of 14.1 months compared with 10.2 months in the FTD‐TPI/regorafenib group (p = 0.007). The survival benefit for the regorafenib/FTD‐TPI sequence remained significant after adjustment (adjusted HR, 1.49; p = 0.002). The mean treatment duration was also longer for regorafenib/FTD‐TPI than FTD‐TPI/regorafenib (337 vs. 214 days; p < 0.01). No significant difference between the sequential treatment groups was observed in any adverse event of interest. Both subgroup and sensitivity analyses yielded outcomes consistent with the main analysis.

Conclusion

The findings indicated that initiating treatment with regorafenib followed by FTD‐TPI had superior clinical outcomes compared with the reverse sequence among mCRC patients. This study offers real‐world evidence for clinical decision‐making and treatment optimization.
Recognizing Uptalk: False Memory and Metalinguistic Commentary for a Sociolinguistic Feature
Authors: Stecker Amelia , D'Onofrio Annette
Published: February 2025

Relatively little work has examined how metalinguistic awareness about sociolinguistic features can impact processes of sociolinguistic memory, which are crucial to the formation of cognitive sociolinguistic representations. This article explores how metalinguistic commentary can bias listeners’ memory of a linguistic feature, uptalk, that is ideologically linked with women in popular meta‐discourses. A novel contour‐recognition paradigm tests how listeners mis‐remember uptalk depending on the perceived gender of the speaker. We provided participants with top‐down metalinguistic information about which gendered speakers were most likely to use uptalk to induce metalinguistic bias toward associations between rising contours and speakers of particular genders. Results show a speaker's perceived gender, as well as metalinguistic information provided to a listener, can bias recognition of prosodic contours, but only when this information reinforces listeners’ pre‐existing beliefs. Overall, we suggest that linguistic ideologies can shape how listeners interpret and even remember both metalinguistic statements and sociolinguistic variants.
Sequential Monitoring for Changes in GARCH(1,1) Models Without Assuming Stationarity
Authors: Horváth Lajos , Trapani Lorenzo , Wang Shixuan
Published: February 2025

In this article, we develop two families of sequential monitoring procedure to (timely) detect changes in the parameters of a GARCH(1,1) model. Our statistics can be applied irrespective of whether the historical sample is stationary or not, and indeed without previous knowledge of the regime of the observations before and after the break. In particular, we construct our detectors as the CUSUM process of the quasi‐Fisher scores of the log likelihood function. To ensure timely detection, we then construct our boundary function (exceeding which would indicate a break) by including a weighting sequence which is designed to shorten the detection delay in the presence of a changepoint. We consider two types of weights: a lighter set of weights, which ensures timely detection in the presence of changes occurring “early, but not too early” after the end of the historical sample; and a heavier set of weights, called “Rényi weights” which is designed to ensure timely detection in the presence of changepoints occurring very early in the monitoring horizon. In both cases, we derive the limiting distribution of the detection delays, indicating the expected delay for each set of weights. Our methodologies can be applied for a general analysis of changepoints in GARCH(1,1) sequences; however, they can also be applied to detect changes from stationarity to explosivity or vice versa, thus allowing to check for “volatility bubbles”, upon applying tests for stationarity before and after the identified break. Our theoretical results are validated via a comprehensive set of simulations, and an empirical application to daily returns of individual stocks.
Evaluation of Salivary pH, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and Total Protein in 16 Dogs Before and After Supplementing Oral Buttermilk for 8 Weeks
Authors: Bailey Kelsey G. , Gaerig Annora M. S.
Published: February 2025

Objective

Determine if feeding two teaspoons per ten pounds of body weight per day of Saco powdered buttermilk (SPB) for 8 weeks affects salivary pH (SpH), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (Phos), calcium (Ca), or total protein (TP) in dogs.

Animals

Eighteen dogs were enrolled following owner consent. Dogs with severe dental disease or that had been administered antibiotics in the past 3 months were excluded.

Procedures

Fasted saliva samples were collected using Salivette tubes within the same hour on Days 0, 1, 30, 31, 60, 61, 90, and 91. pH was measured immediately upon collection, samples were then mailed for laboratory analysis. SPB was administered at a dose of two teaspoons per ten pounds of body weight per day on Days 1–60. Baseline complete blood counts and serum chemistries were run before saliva collection on Day 1.

Results

Sixteen dogs completed the study. Side effects included flatulence (2) and loose stool (1). Salivette cotton swab ingestion occurred twice prior to change in method of securing swab during collection. Weight remained stable. There was no significant change in SpH, TP, Ca, or Phos during the study. There was a statistically significant, linear increase in Mg (p = 0.0065).

Conclusions

Feeding two teaspoons per ten pounds of body weight per day for 8 weeks did not significantly affect salivary pH, total protein, calcium, or phosphorus. There was a small linear increase in salivary magnesium concentration over the study period that did not return to baseline within 30 days of discontinuation of buttermilk supplementation, significance of which is unknown.
Student perceptions of alternative grading strategies in the biology classroom
Authors: Adler Jacob J. , Stoczynski Lauren E.
Published: February 2025

There is a need to provide more case studies of alternative grading strategies in the biology education literature and report on student perceptions of these strategies. Student participants were instructed using alternative grading strategies and then completed course metacognitive self-reflections. Qualitative content analysis was performed on open responses. Students perceived opportunities for helpful instructor feedback, having a learning-focused environment, improved understanding, clarity of focus, reduced stress, improvement, enjoyment, practice, encouragement, and increased self-confidence. They also sometimes compared the logistics of their alternatively graded course to other courses or past experiences. Based upon previous literature and students mentioning opportunities for growth/improvement, a follow-up survey was performed examining the student’s growth mindset beliefs regarding biology and general intelligence using a verified survey. Qualitative content analysis was performed on open responses within this growth mindset survey. Students frequently reported growth mindset statements and discussed having to put in effort or utilize various learning factors that help frame their biology and general intelligence. Further, students reported that their alternatively graded course strengthened their growth mindset beliefs and improved their understanding of course content. This work adds to the growing base of case studies of alternative grading strategies in biology classrooms and some qualitative results on the perceived effects that these strategies are having on students.