bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Covid-19 and stock markets’ response in MENA countries
Authors: Almarayeh Taha
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Motivated by the rapid spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in the world, this study aims to explore the stock markets’ response toward it in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were used to analyze the association between the COVID-19 outbreak and stock market returns. The author made use of a panel data set, including 4,195 observations from 13 countries in MENA for the period January 29, 2020, to April 30, 2021. The dependent variable was stock market returns. The explanatory variable, i.e. COVID-19, was proxied by daily growing confirmed infected cases and daily growing confirmed death cases caused by the outbreak.

Findings

The author finds that stock markets have responded negatively to the growth in COVID-19 deaths. Meanwhile, stock markets show no reaction to the daily growth of confirmed infected COVID-19 cases.

Practical implications

This study presents worthy information to regulators and policymakers in MENA countries, whose responsibility is to govern regulations at the macro and micro levels based on a comprehensive route that leaves no one behind. This study also offers significant insights to policymakers, managers, investors and society by showing how the stock markets quickly react to outbreaks.

Originality/value

This study is, to the best of the author’s knowledge, among those exploring the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on stock market returns in the MENA countries.
The nexus between the WTO fisheries subsidies rules and food security in Indonesia
Authors: Soeparna Intan Innayatun
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS) requires all members to avoid subsidy policies and financial measures that weaken sustainability in fishing and instead divert public spending in such a way that it is more beneficial to fisheries sectors. This paper aims to argue that the WTO fisheries subsidies rules can be considered as a mechanism not only for achieving fisheries sustainability but also for supporting food security in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of this study consists of descriptive and analytical legal research that identifies the relation between fisheries subsidies and food security policies in Indonesia.

Findings

Fisheries subsidies policies in Indonesia focus on government support for small-scale fishers not only to promote fishing sustainability and marine resource protection but also to improve their ability to participate in food security strategies.

Practical implications

The elimination of harmful fisheries subsidies could be regarded as a mechanism for not only preserving and sustaining marine resources but also achieving food security in other developing countries.

Originality/value

The author’s knowledge of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is valuable in elaborating a new paradigm on how the WTO is achieving SDG 14 (Life below Water) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) in parallel by analysing Indonesia’s efforts to implement the AFS while also allocating public spending to fisheries sectors to accommodate food security.
Research on the knowledge transfer mechanism of digital platform in the digital innovation ecosystem: an improved model of SIR embedded in symbiosis theory
Authors: Liu Jingtao , Ning Lianju , Gao Qifang
Published: October 2023

Purpose

In the digital economy era, digital platforms are vital infrastructure for innovation subjects to perform digital innovation activities. Achieving efficient and smooth knowledge transfer between innovation subjects through digital platforms has become a novel research subject. This study aims to examine the knowledge transfer mechanism of digital platforms in the digital innovation ecosystem through modeling and simulation to offer a theoretical basis for digital innovation subjects to acquire digital value through knowledge-sharing and thus augment their competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

This study explores the optimal symbiotic interaction rate between different users based on the classic susceptible-infected-removed (SIR) model. Additionally, it constructs a knowledge transfer mechanism model for digital platforms in the digital innovation ecosystem by combining the theories of communication dynamics and symbiosis. Finally, Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) software is used for the model and numerical simulation.

Findings

The results demonstrate that (1) the evolutionary path of the symbiotic model is key to digital platforms' knowledge transfer in the digital innovation ecosystem. In the symbiotic model, the knowledge transfer path of digital platforms is “independent symbiosis—biased symbiosis (user benefit)—reciprocal symbiosis,” aligning with the overall interests of the digital innovation ecosystem. (2) Digital platforms' knowledge transfer effects within the digital innovation ecosystem show significant differences. The most effective knowledge transfer model for digital platforms is reciprocal symbiosis, whereas the least effective is parochial symbiosis (platform benefit). (3) The symbiotic rate has a significant positive impact on the evolutionary dynamics of knowledge transfer on digital platforms, especially in the reciprocal symbiosis model.

Originality/value

This study's results aid digital innovators in achieving efficient knowledge transfer through digital platforms and identify how symbiotic relationships affect the knowledge transfer process across the ecosystem. Accordingly, the authors propose targeted recommendations to promote the efficiency of knowledge transfer on digital platforms.
What drives environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance? The role of institutional quality
Authors: Pinheiro Alan Bandeira , dos Santos Joina Ijuniclair Arruda Silva , Cherobim Ana Paula Mussi Szabo , Segatto Andréa Paula
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the role of the country's institutional quality on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of its companies.

Design/methodology/approach

Over a four-year period (2016–2019), the study examined the ESG performance of 412 organizations situated in 19 countries. ESG performance was the dependent variable, and the independent variables were rule of law, economic freedom, education index and international trade freedom. These factors described the institutional quality of countries in the authors’ study.

Findings

The findings reveal that institutional quality has a major impact on ESG performance. Companies engage in more ESG practices when they operate in countries with greater economic freedom and international trade freedom. The authors corroborated the core assumption of institutional theory (IT), which argues that organizational behavior is determined by the country's institutional setting.

Research limitations/implications

The findings, like all research, should be interpreted with caution. The authors’ research focused solely on large energy corporations. As a result, the conclusions cannot be applied to small companies or other industries. ESG performance can also be measured using different datasets.

Practical implications

If managers want their companies to perform better in terms of ESG, the authors recommend that they form a CSR committee and sign the Global Compact. This study may be valuable to international policymakers because they can underline that greater economic freedom, better education and greater international trade freedom all promote higher ESG performance.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, nearly all of research explores the relationship between ESG and financial performance. As a result, this study built on past research by investigating how national aspects affect corporate ESG performance.
The complex information needs of Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Han Zhengbiao , Zhong Huan , Hansen Preben
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to explore the information needs of Chinese parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how these needs evolve as their children develop.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collated 17,122 questions regarding raising children with ASD via the Yi Lin website until November 2021.

Findings

The information needs of parents of children with ASD were classified into two categories: 1) Cognition-motivation: related to children with ASD; and 2) Affection-motivation: related to their parents. Child development causes the adaptation of information needs of these parents. Within the first three years, nine different topics of these parents' information needs were identified. Major information needs at this stage are as follows: intervention content, intervention methods and pre-diagnosis questions. During the ages of three to six years, there were 13 topics of information needs for parents, focusing on three areas: intervention content, intervention methods and diagnosis and examination. There are eight topics of information needs post six years. Parents are more concerned with the three topics of intervention content, life planning and intervention methods.

Originality/value

This novel study indicates the complex and changing information needs of parents of children with ASD in China. It may enhance the understanding of the information needs of these parents at theoretical and practical levels, provide support for them to understand their own information needs and provide a reference for relevant government and social organisations to provide targeted information services for them.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-04-2022-0247
DNA metabarcoding focused on difficult‐to‐culture protists: An effective approach to clarify biological interactions
Authors: Nakamura Yasuhide , Itagaki Hiryori , Tuji Akihiro , Shimode Shinji , Yamaguchi Atsushi , Hidaka Kiyotaka , Ogiso‐Tanaka Eri
Published: October 2023

DNA metabarcoding on a single organism is a promising approach to clarify the biological interactions (e.g., predator–prey relationships and symbiosis, including parasitism) of difficult‐to‐culture protists. To evaluate the effectiveness of this method, Radiolaria and Phaeodaria, which are ecologically important protistan groups, were chosen as target taxa. DNA metabarcoding on a single organism focused on the V9 region of the 18S rRNA gene revealed potential symbionts, parasites and food sources of Radiolaria and Phaeodaria. Previously reported hosts and symbionts (parasites) were detected, and newly recognized combinations were also identified. The contained organisms largely differed between Radiolaria and Phaeodaria. In Radiolaria, members of the same order tended to contain similar organisms, and the taxonomic composition of possible symbionts, parasites, and food sources was fixed at the species level. Members of the same phaeodarian family, however, did not contain similar organisms, and body part (i.e., the central capsule or the phaeodium) was the most important factor that divided the taxonomic composition of detected organisms, implying that the selection of appropriate body part is important when trying to ascertain contained organisms, even for unicellular zooplankton. Our results show that DNA metabarcoding on a single organism is effective in revealing the biological interactions of difficult‐to‐culture protists.
Using the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test to predict substance‐related hospitalisation after release from prison: A cohort study
Authors: Cumming Craig , Kinner Stuart A. , McKetin Rebecca , Young Jesse T. , Li Ian , Preen David B.
Published: October 2023

Background and Aims

Poor substance use‐related health outcomes after release from prison are common. Identifying people at greatest risk of substance use and related harms post‐release would help to target support at those most in need. The Alcohol Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) is a validated substance use screener, but its utility in predicting substance‐related hospitalisation post‐release is unestablished. We measured whether screening for moderate/high‐risk substance use on the ASSIST was associated with increased risk of substance‐related hospitalisation.

Design

A prospective cohort study.

Setting

Prisons in Queensland and Western Australia.

Participants

Participants were incarcerated and within 6 weeks of expected release when recruited. A total of 2585 participants were followed up for a median of 873 days.

Measurements

Baseline survey data were combined with linked unit record administrative hospital data. We used the ASSIST to assess participants for moderate/high‐risk cannabis, methamphetamine and heroin use in the 3 months prior to incarceration. We used International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes to identify substance‐related hospitalisations during follow‐up. We compared rates of substance‐related hospitalisation between those classified as low/no‐risk and moderate/high‐risk on the ASSIST for each substance. We estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) by ASSIST risk group for each substance using Weibull regression survival analysis allowing for multiple failures.

Findings

During follow‐up, 158 (6%) participants had cannabis‐related, 178 (7%) had opioid‐related and 266 (10%) had methamphetamine‐related hospitalisation. The hazard rates of substance‐related hospitalisation after prison were significantly higher among those who screened moderate/high‐risk compared with those screening low risk on the ASSIST for cannabis (aHR 2.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.74, 3.24), methamphetamine (aHR 2.23, 95%CI 1.75, 2.84) and heroin (aHR 5.79, 95%CI 4.41, 7.60).

Conclusions

Incarcerated people with an Alcohol Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) screening of moderate/high‐risk substance use appear to have a significantly higher risk of post‐release substance‐related hospitalisation than those with low risk. Administering the ASSIST during incarceration may inform who has the greatest need for substance use treatment and harm reduction services in prison and after release from prison.
Striving to revive pulses in India with extension, input subsidies, and output price supports†
Authors: Lybbert Travis J. , Shenoy Ashish , Bourdier Tomoé , Kieran Caitlin
Published: October 2023

Pulse production in India has stagnated relative to staple grains and cash crops, raising concerns about rural protein consumption. We experimentally evaluate an effort to increase local pulse production in Bihar. This intervention consisted of 2 years of input subsidies and extension to facilitate learning, followed by the creation of marketing organizations and a year of output price support to raise profitability. Farmers respond to price signals by expanding inputs when subsidized and increasing pulse sales under price supports. However, we see no evidence that the program shifted equilibrium production portfolios as pulses return to pre‐intervention levels after the support ends. Results indicate that short‐term learning by doing cannot overcome long‐run barriers to local pulse production, even when farmers have a viable outlet to sell their surplus output.
Recombinant PreS‐fusion protein vaccine for birch pollen and apple allergy
Authors: Khaitov Musa , Shilovskiy Igor , Valenta Rudolf , Weber Milena , Korneev Artem , Tulaeva Inna , Gattinger Pia , van Hage Marianne , Hofer Gerhard , Konradsen Jon R. , Keller Walter , Akinfenwa Oluwatoyin , Poroshina Alina , Ilina Nataliya , Fedenko Elena , Elisyutina Olga , Litovkina Alla , Smolnikov Evgenii , Nikonova Aleksandra , Rybalkin Sergei , Aldobaev Vladimir , Smirnov Valeriy , Shershakova Nadezhda , Petukhova Olga , Kudlay Dmitriy , Shatilov Artem , Timofeeva Anastasiya , Campana Raffaela , Udin Sergei , Skvortsova Veronica
Published: October 2023

Background

IgE cross‐sensitization to major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 and pathogenesis‐related (PR10) plant food allergens is responsible for the pollen‐food allergy syndrome.

Methods

We designed a recombinant protein, AB‐PreS, consisting of non‐allergenic peptides derived from the IgE‐binding sites of Bet v 1 and the cross‐reactive apple allergen, Mal d 1, fused to the PreS domain of HBV surface protein as immunological carrier. AB‐PreS was expressed in E. coli and purified by chromatography. The allergenic and inflammatory activity of AB‐PreS was tested using basophils and PBMCs from birch pollen allergic patients. The ability of antibodies induced by immunization of rabbits with AB‐PreS and birch pollen extract‐based vaccines to inhibit allergic patients IgE binding to Bet v 1 and Mal d 1 was assessed by ELISA.

Results

IgE‐binding experiments and basophil activation test revealed the hypoallergenic nature of AB‐PreS. AB‐PreS induced lower T‐cell activation and inflammatory cytokine production in cultured PBMCs from allergic patients. IgG antibodies induced by five injections with AB‐PreS inhibited allergic patients' IgE binding to Bet v 1 and Mal d 1 better than did IgG induced by up to 30 injections of six licensed birch pollen allergen extract‐based vaccines. Additionally, immunization with AB‐PreS induced HBV‐specific antibodies potentially protecting from infection with HBV.

Conclusion

The recombinant AB‐PreS‐based vaccine is hypoallergenic and superior over currently registered allergen extract‐based vaccines regarding the induction of blocking antibodies to Bet v 1 and Mal d 1 in animals.
Daily stigma and daily emotional well‐being among people living with HIV: Testing a buffering hypothesis of social support during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Gruszczyńska Ewa , Rzeszutek Marcin
Published: October 2023

This study examined the relationship between daily perceived stigma and daily emotional well‐being among people living with HIV/AIDS during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Additionally, a buffering effect of perceived emotional support on this relationship was verified. The participants were 133 patients with a medically confirmed diagnosis of HIV infection. Data were collected using online diaries completed every evening for five consecutive weekdays in three bursts separated by 6 months. Dynamic multilevel analyses showed a significant positive autoregressive effect for daily stigma in each burst. Additionally, increased stigma predicts increased negative affect and decreased positive affect the next day. However, these effects differed across bursts. Thus, to some extent, daily HIV/AIDS stigma was found to predict a decrease in affective well‐being the next day. The buffering effect of perceived emotional support reduced this decline but was also time‐limited, probably because of the later established direction in these relationships at the individual level and/or because of changes in the course of the pandemic. The results provide insights on the role of daily stigma in shaping affective well‐being, suggesting that it may be a significant source of short‐term negative emotional consequences for PWLH.
Baseline circulating tumour DNA and interim PET predict response in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: Calabretta Eleonora , di Trani Martina , Corrado Francesco , Sollini Martina , Cristaldi Vanessa , Marino Fabrizio , Terzi di Bergamo Lodovico , Bruscaggin Alessio , Pirosa Maria Cristina , Bramanti Stefania , Chiti Arturo , Rossi Davide , Carlo‐Stella Carmelo
Published: October 2023

Reliable biomarkers for early identification of treatment failure in relapsed/refractory (r/r) classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) are lacking. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) profiling has emerged as a powerful predictive and prognostic tool in several haemopoietic and non‐haemopoietic malignancies and may guide rational treatment choices in r/r cHL. To assess the predictive and prognostic value of ctDNA, we performed a retrospective analysis on 55 r/r cHL patients treated with the bendamustine, gemcitabine and vinorelbine (BEGEV) regimen and additionally evaluated the potential utility of integrating ctDNA with interim [18F]‐FDG positron emission tomography (iPET). Baseline ctDNA genotyping in r/r cHL mirrored gene mutations and pathways involved in newly diagnosed cHL. We found that baseline ctDNA quantification and serial ctDNA monitoring have prognostic value in r/r cHL receiving salvage chemotherapy. Lastly, integrating ctDNA quantification with iPET evaluation may improve the early identification of patients at high risk of failing standard salvage therapy, who may benefit from an early switch to immunotherapeutic agents. Collectively, our results support the implementation of non‐invasive methods to detect minimal residual disease in recurrent cHL and justify its prospective evaluation in appropriately designed clinical trials.
PhylogeneticGraph (PhyG) a new phylogenetic graph search and optimization program
Authors: Wheeler Ward C. , Washburn Alexander , Crowley Louise M.
Published: October 2023

We present Phylogenetic Graph (PhyG), an open‐source, phylogenetic search tool for diverse data types and graphs, including softwired and hardwired networks, in addition to trees. This allows for analysis of horizontal transfer and hybridization scenarios, as well as the necessary vertical inheritance of trees. PhyG is the successor to POY5 in performing combined data tree‐alignment with enhancements in heuristic optimality (up to 7% in example data) and execution time (up to a factor of 200). Input data may exhibit a practically unlimited number of character states in qualitative or sequence (aligned and unaligned) types. Novel graph construction and refinement algorithms have been implemented and integrated into a variety of search procedures. Currently, PhyG implements parsimony and No‐Common‐Mechanism Likelihood optimization.
The BMDC model, a performant cell‐based test to assess the sensitizing potential and potency of chemicals including pre/pro‐haptens
Authors: Battais Fabrice , Langonné Isabelle , Muller Samuel , Mathiot Julianne , Coiscaud Amélie , Audry Adrien , Remy Aurélie Martin , Sponne Isabelle , Mourot‐Bousquenaud Mélanie
Published: October 2023

Background

Chemical‐induced allergies at workplace represent a significant occupational health issue. These substances must be properly identified as sensitizers. In previous studies, an original model using mouse bone marrow‐derived dendritic cells (BMDC) was developed for this purpose.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive capacity of the BMDC model with a large panel of sensitizers (including pre‐ and pro‐haptens) and non‐sensitizers.

Methods

The readout from the BMDC model is based on expression levels of six phenotypic markers measured by flow cytometry.

Results

The results indicate that 29 of the 37 non‐sensitizers, and 81 of the 86 sensitizers were correctly classified compared to the Local Lymph Node Assay (LLNA). Statistical analysis revealed the BMDC model to have a sensitivity of 94%, a specificity of 78%, and an accuracy of 89%. The EC2 (Effective Concentration) values calculated with this model allow sensitizers to be categorized into four classes: extreme, strong, moderate and weak.

Conclusions

These excellent predictive performances show that the BMDC model discriminates between sensitizers and non‐sensitizers with outstanding precision equal to or better than existing validated alternative models. Moreover, this model allows to predict sensitization potency of chemicals. The BMDC test could therefore be proposed as an additional tool to assess the sensitizing potential and potency of chemicals.
The Return of Debt Crisis in Developing Countries: Shifting or Maintaining Dominant Development Paradigms?
Authors: Fischer Andrew M. , Storm Servaas
Published: October 2023

In the aftermath of the COVID‐19 pandemic, much of the global South has been immersed in a debt crisis of a breadth and depth not seen since the early 1980s. The debt distress was apparent before the pandemic and the situation over the last decade is best described as a slow burn, which the pandemic and war in Ukraine ignited in often sudden and dramatic ways. However, what remains a surprising feature of the ongoing situation has been the avoidance so far of a generalized domino effect, unlike previous systemic Southern debt crises. This fact does not diminish the severity of the consequences given that the containment of crisis has been achieved by regular and persistent applications of austerity and adjustment programmes with deleterious impacts on development in poor countries. This article frames the Debate by exploring these aspects of the current Southern debt crisis, focusing on its deeper structural drivers versus the role of more proximate triggers of the crisis; the similarities or differences with past crises of recent decades; and the degree to which anything has in fact changed in orthodox responses to crisis management. A theme that emerges from the more heterodox scholarship profiled by this Debate is that the current crisis and its responses are maintaining the dominant development paradigm of the last 40 years, rather than eliciting a shift away from it. There is a continued adherence to neoliberal ideology in macroeconomic policy making and to the punitive subordination of developing countries in debt distress, through crisis responses, to the Northern and especially US‐centred international financial system. Ignoring the very strong similarities to the past, especially the 1982 debt crisis that ushered in this paradigm, risks repeating the lost decades to development that followed.
Effects of enamel moistening and repositioning guide color on tooth whitening outcomes: A clinical trial
Authors: Santana Tauan Rosa , Silva Paula Fernanda Damasceno , Santana Márcia Luciana Carregosa , de Mattos Clara Lemos Leal Barata , Faria‐e‐Silva André Luis
Published: October 2023

This clinical trial investigated the effects of pre‐application enamel moistening on the impact of a 37% carbamide peroxide whitener on tooth color changes and the influence of repositioning guide colors. Forty participants were randomly assigned to in‐office tooth bleaching with either moistened enamel (experimental) or dry enamel (control). The whitener was applied for 45 min over two sessions. Tooth color was visually measured or assessed using a spectrophotometer with purple or green silicone guides. Tooth bleaching was assessed using CIE76 (ΔEab) and CIEDE2000 (ΔE00) formulas and by whitening and bleaching index score changes. Moistening the enamel did not significantly affect tooth color. However, the guide color choice only impacted tooth color when measured instrumentally. At baseline, the green guide resulted in statistically significantly whiter teeth than the purple guide. Less pronounced differences in the b* coordinate between baseline and final measurements were found using the green guide. The green guide also produced lower ΔEab values and less change in indexes. In conclusion, moistening the enamel did not significantly impact tooth color changes. However, the repositioning guide color influenced the tooth bleaching measured instrumentally, except for ΔE00.
Expression of the GCG gene and secretion of active glucagon‐like peptide‐1 varies along the length of intestinal tract in horses
Authors: Fitzgerald Danielle M. , Cash Christina M. , Dudley Kevin J. , Sibthorpe Poppy E. M. , Sillence Martin N. , de Laat Melody A.
Published: October 2023

Background

Active glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (aGLP‐1) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of equine insulin dysregulation (ID), but its role is unclear. Cleavage of proglucagon (coded by the GCG gene) produces aGLP‐1 in enteral L cells.

Objectives

The aim in vivo was to examine the sequence of the exons of GCG in horses with and without ID, where aGLP‐1 was higher in the group with ID. The aims in vitro were to identify and quantify the expression of GCG in the equine intestine (as a marker of L cells) and determine intestinal secretion of aGLP‐1.

Study design

Genomic studies were case–control studies. Expression and secretion studies in vitro were cross‐sectional.

Methods

The GCG gene sequence of the exons was determined using a hybridisation capture protocol. Expression and quantification of GCG in samples of stomach duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum and ascending and descending colon was achieved with droplet digital PCR. For secretory studies tissue explants were incubated with 12 mM glucose and aGLP‐1 secretion was measured with an ELISA.

Results

Although the median [IQR] post‐prandial aGLP‐1 concentrations were higher (p = 0.03) in animals with ID (10.2 [8.79–15.5]), compared with healthy animals (8.47 [6.12–11.7]), there was 100% pairwise identity of the exons of the GCG sequence for the cohort. The mRNA concentrations of GCG and secretion of aGLP‐1 differed (p < 0.001) throughout the intestine.

Main limitations

Only the exons of the GCG gene were sequenced and breeds were not compared. The horses used for the study in vitro were not assessed for ID and different horses were used for the small, and large, intestinal studies.

Conclusions

Differences in post‐prandial aGLP‐1 concentration were not due to a variant in the exons of the GCG gene sequence in this cohort. Both the large and small intestine are sites of GLP‐1 secretion.
The role of calcitonin gene‐related peptide and substance P in the pathogenesis of dialysis headache
Authors: Gürsoy Gizem , Karadağ Serhat , Köse Şennur , Şakacı Tamer , Koçak Sibel Yücel , Döventaş Yasemin Erdoğan , Oktar Ayla Çulha , Bayar Muhammet Duran
Published: October 2023

Aim

The present study aims to establish the role of serum CGRP and SP levels in the disease pathophysiology in patients with dialysis headache not accompanied by primary or secondary headaches, and also whether there is a correlation between these vasoactive peptides and the severity of headache.

Method

This study was designed as prospective and multicenter. A total of 30 dialysis headache patients and 30 patients without headache as the control group in the Nephrology outpatient clinics which implement similar dialysis procedures were included in the study. Blood samples were taken from all the patients before hemodialysis, and post‐hemodialysis samples were collected. CGRP and SP contents in serum samples were measured using the ELISA method with detection kits.

Results

A total of 60 patients were included in the study with 17 female and 13 male patients in the dialysis headache group and 18 female and 12 male patients in the control group, and there were no significant differences in sex and age between the groups. CGRP levels in the headache group were found to be significantly higher compared with the control group both before and after hemodialysis. Furthermore, pre‐hemodialysis CGRP levels were significantly higher than post‐hemodialysis CGRP levels in both the headache and control groups. Serum SP levels in the headache group were found to be higher compared with the control group both before and after hemodialysis, there was no significant difference between the groups. Even though SP levels in both groups decreased after hemodialysis, there was again no significant difference between the groups. No correlation was found between the patients' severity of headache and serum CGRP and SP levels.

Conclusion

This study concludes that CGRP and SP, even though the latter is not statistically significant, play a role in the pathophysiology of the dialysis headache, and further studies with a larger and more specific patient population may reveal the relationship between the neuropeptides and dialysis headache more clearly.
CD45 limits early Natural Killer cell development
Authors: Meza Guzman Lizeth G , Hyland Craig D , Bidgood Grace M , Leong Evelyn , Shen Zihan , Goh Wilford , Rautela Jai , Vince James E , Nicholson Sandra E , Huntington Nicholas D
Published: October 2023

The clinical development of Natural Killer (NK) cell‐mediated immunotherapy marks a milestone in the development of new cancer therapies and has gained traction due to the intrinsic ability of the NK cell to target and kill tumor cells. To fully harness the tumor killing ability of NK cells, we need to improve NK cell persistence and to overcome suppression of NK cell activation in the tumor microenvironment. The trans‐membrane, protein tyrosine phosphatase CD45, regulates NK cell homeostasis, with the genetic loss of CD45 in mice resulting in increased numbers of mature NK cells. This suggests that CD45‐deficient NK cells might display enhanced persistence following adoptive transfer. However, we demonstrate here that adoptive transfer of CD45‐deficiency did not enhance NK cell persistence in mice, and instead, the homeostatic disturbance of NK cells in CD45‐deficient mice stemmed from a developmental defect in the progenitor population. The enhanced maturation within the CD45‐deficient NK cell compartment was intrinsic to the NK cell lineage, and independent of the developmental defect. CD45 is not a conventional immune checkpoint candidate, as systemic loss is detrimental to T and B cell development, compromising the adaptive immune system. Nonetheless, this study suggests that inhibition of CD45 in progenitor or stem cell populations may improve the yield of in vitro generated NK cells for adoptive therapy.
Frequency of Suicidal Thought and Self‐Destructive Behavior among Females
Authors: Cantor Pamela
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: The focus of the present investigation was to examine the importance of a control group in suicide research and to develop an instrument to disguish between levels of suicidal thought among subjects who had a history of attempted suicide and among a comparison group of nonsuicidal individuals. The sample was comprised of female university students ranging in age from 18 to 25 years. A 31‐item questionnaire designed by the investigator was given to 199 students, 20 of whom were found to have histories of one or more previous suicide attempts. The remaining 179 nonsuicidal subjects were divided into two categories based on the frequency of expressed suicidal thought. Fifty individuals were randomly selected from each of these two groups. The three groups (individuals who had attempted suicide, individuals who had not attempted suicide but who thought about suicide on a frequent basis, and individuals who had not attempted suicide and who thought about suicide on an infrequent basis) were compared on the variables of motivation for suicidal thoughts, history of self‐destructive behaviors, probability of a future suicide attempt, and age of first suicidal considerations. A chi‐square analysis was performed on each of these items in order to assess the extent to which the items discriminated among the three comparison groups. The differences among the three groups on each of the items were found to be statistically significant at less than the .01 level. The results of the study have provided support for the necessity of a distinction between groups within a nonsuicidal comparison population and for the suggestion that there may be a quantitative relationship between the frequency of suicidal thought and the likelihood of attempted suicide.
Survey of the Use of Crisis Intervention Centers by the Black Population*
Authors: Dennis Ruth E. , Kirk Alton
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: In an attempt to determine the extent to which crisis centers meet the needs of black communities, questionnaires were sent to 12 centers. Responses were received from six. Only two centers, in Nashville and Washington, D.C., had statistics of callers identified by race. The findings from these two centers indicate that there are differences between the white and black callers with regard to age, marital status, and type of problem. As an example, the typical black male caller was older and more concerned about his job and financial problems than were white males. This kind of information suggests a need for expanded services within the crisis center framework, possibly for a more preventive approach. More data gathering concerning the black community using crisis centers is urged in order better to identify the needs of this population and the methods to be used for meeting those needs.
A Note on the Importance of Cultural Factors in Suicide Studies
Authors: Snyder Barbara J.
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: This paper proposes the adoption of a macro level analysis of cultural data by sociologists engaged in suicide studies. It is asserted that an examination of cultural factors contributing to individual stress and of cultural phenomena undergoing rapid change can lead to (1) a clearer understanding of the suicidal individual in his cultural context and (2) the development of suicide prevention programs aimed at alleviating the affects of societal stress. An analysis of the data relating to the correlation between the percentage of white women in the labor force and suicide rates is presented as an example of the application of the suggested approach.
Estimation of Suicide Risk by the Use of Clinical Models
Authors: Motto Jerome A.
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT:This report details some preliminary experience in the use of clinical models to develop scales for the estimation of suicide risk. A cohort was drawn for each of two models: Stable with Forced Change (N= 333) and Alienated (N= 566). A set of postulated discriminators regarding suicide was examined with negative results. Available data revealed 12 items for the Stable with Forced Change model and 20 items for the Alienated model that discriminated between the suicides and the nonsuicides at a .05 level of confidence. That only 4 items were common to both supports the idea that the models represent different populations in regard to vulnerability to suicide and thus require independent lethality scales.
Black Suicide in the Seventies: Current Trends
Authors: Davis Robert
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: In the most recent decade, the suicide rate among young blacks has risen to the point where it is nearly as high as that of their white peers. The data in this analysis reflect the striking contrast in age distribution in the suicide patterns of whites and blacks. Whereas white suicide increases in direct relation with advancing chronological age, suicide among blacks reaches its peak in the youthful years. Current statistics fail to reflect a “dramatic” or significant increase in the suicide rate of black women. Contrary to popular belief, black men in their twenties represent the most suicide‐prone group. Young black males have been committing suicide at a steadily increasing rate during the past six years. Regionally, black suicide rates are highest in the North and West and lowest in the South. White suicide rates reflect a slightly different regional distribution. The highest rates occur in the West and the lowest in the North.
Trust in information mediates the relationship between political orientation and perceptions of the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Dodd Bailey , Rife Sean
Published: October 2023

The past few decades have experienced a decline in the use of traditional news sources as an increasing number of individuals rely on social media for information. Although this change has made it easier to obtain information, individuals often selectively expose themselves to information that confirms their beliefs. The current study examined if this pattern could explain political perceptions during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Based on past research, it would be expected that liberals and conservatives would hold differing views of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Republicans downplayed the pandemic and were more likely to consider it a hoax, while Democrats exaggerated the pandemic and were more likely to advocate for excessive measures. In this study, we collected two samples at different points during the pandemic in which we asked participants to indicate their political ideology, their perception of the COVID‐19 pandemic, and the sources of information that they trusted. Our results indicated that trust in information sources mediated the relationship between political ideology and perceptions of the pandemic, suggesting that the informational sources that an individual trusted was a factor in determining perceptions of the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Listening to or looking at models: Learning about dynamic complex systems in science among learners who are blind and learners who are sighted
Authors: Peleg Ran , Lahav Orly , Hagab Noha , Talis Vadim , Levy Sharona T.
Published: October 2023

Background

Students who are blind are integrated into public schools in many countries, yet are often excluded from full participation in science since most learning materials are visual. To create a compensatory route, an existing model‐based inquiry‐learning environment was adapted by means of sonification (addition of non‐speech sounds that represent dynamic information). The learning environment uses agent‐based models and a complex systems approach to teach the Kinetic Molecular Theory (KMT) and Gas Laws. The models are accompanied by a workbook consisting of text (printed or auditory) and images (printed or tactile).

Objectives

The current research examined whether such perceptual compensation creates a comparable learning environment for learners who are blind compared with learners who are sighted using the original learning environment. The aim of the study is to expand knowledge about how the auditory channel may compensate the visual channel among individuals who are blind.

Methods

Conceptual learning in science and reasoning about complex systems were assessed using pre‐ and post‐questionnaires. To explore learners' learning progression throughout the unit, four progression analysis ‘windows’ were selected. These were groups of adjacent or nearly adjacent items in the workbook that permitted a glimpse of learners' progression.

Results

The sonified environment not only supported the learning of learners who are blind compared with the learning of learners who are sighted using visual material, but even furthered their learning with respect to diffusion, one of the more challenging concepts in KMT. It seems the types of sonified representations used in this study increased listeners' sensitivity to the micro‐level interactions in a way less accessible in visual representations.

Takeaways

Sonified environments can be provide learners who are blind with equitable participation by compensating and complementing the visual channel. Sonification can have implications for students who are blind as well as students who are sighted.
Firms’ Response to Slacktivism: When and Why are E‐Petitions Effective?
Authors: Leonel Ronei , Rehbein Kathleen , Westermann‐Behaylo Michelle , Perrault Elise
Published: October 2023

E‐petitions have evoked an important debate about the potential for digital activism to pressure firms to change social policies and practices. One prevailing perspective is that slacktivism, a tendency of online supporters to provide only token support, undermines any possible impact. An alternative perspective is that social media dynamics underlying digital activism offer new pathways for social activists to pressure firms toward social change. To explore this debate, we combine insights from research on social movements, social media, and the logic of connective action to theorize the impact of social media mechanisms such as e‐petition connectivity and velocity. With a hand‐coded database of 1587 e‐petitions targeting Fortune 500 firms from 2012 to 2017 through the platform Change.org, we empirically evaluate whether these e‐petitions matter. Our empirical results strongly suggest that e‐petitions do matter, and we explain when digital activism has impact. The activation of social media mechanisms spreads negative information and directly intensifies the threat to the targeted firm's reputation, pressuring firms to concede to e‐petitioner demands. Furthermore, our findings indicate that firm visibility and resource availability can represent boundary conditions for the firm's vulnerability and ability to respond to digital activism.
Business model innovation: Integrative review, framework, and agenda for future innovation management research
Authors: Spieth Patrick , Breitenmoser Pascal , Röth Tobias
Published: October 2023

The business model innovation (BMI) concept has become a well‐established phenomenon of current academic research. While Foss and Saebi's (Journal of Management, 2017, 43, 200–227) seminal literature review on BMI revealed 349 articles on BMI published between 1972 and 2015, an additional number of 1727 articles on the topic have been published since 2016. In contrast to this overall interest in the BMI phenomenon, innovation‐focused journals include only a limited number of publications on BMI. Further, besides the valuable insights and fruitful research directions of extant literature reviews, they tend also to overlook the linkages between traditional innovation management and the majority of BMI research. Given this underrepresentation of BMI research in the innovation management literature, we conduct an integrative literature review to bring the disconnected literature closer together and offer directions for future research. Our literature review applies the review strategy of blending and merging the literature across domains. First, we blend the knowledge base of the BMI domain by applying the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) Body of Knowledge categories. Second, we merge the literature across domains by developing an integrative framework. As recent BMI literature increasingly converged to two lines of research, our framework differentiates between the relatedness of the BMI and BMI openness. Thereby, we offer new avenues for future research that can enrich the dialogue on BMI research in the innovation management community. These results demonstrate how the BMI domain covers aspects that fit, contribute to, and extend classical innovation‐focused research, how both research domains can be merged to enrich each other, and how future research can foster the dialogue across disconnected domains.
Theology and Economy ‘after’ Barth
Authors: Michelson Jared
Published: October 2023

The relation of theology and economy is a perennial theological challenge. Many contemporary theologians' understanding of this challenge is shaped by Karl Barth's attempt to resolve a set of tensions problematising this relation inherited from figures like Kant and Feuerbach. Barth ‘identified’ God's decision to be God with God's decision to be human. Further, he inconsistently but insistently claimed that the ‘form’ in which God reveals Godself in the person of Jesus somewhat isomorphically corresponds to God in Godself. The brilliance and yet instability of Barth's approach spawned a number of construals of theology and economy which depart from him in significant ways. I label these contemporary trajectories the post‐Barthian temptation, Barthian revisionism, Barthian Balthasarianism, and Barthian catholicism and critically evaluate them, suggesting that Barthian catholicism is the most promising.