bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Asset specificity, inter-firm ecosystem, firm adaptability and supply chain integration
Authors: Nakayima Farida , Namagembe Sheila , Kabagambe Levi , Ntayi Joseph , Muhwezi Moses 
Published: December 2024

PurposeThis study investigates the effect of asset specificity, inter-firm ecosystem and firm adaptability on supply chain integration. The study also investigates the mediation effect of firm adaptability on the relationship between asset specificity and supply chain integration and inter-firm ecosystem and supply chain integration.Design/methodology/approachThis research applied a quantitative research methodology to investigate the interdependencies between study variables. A disproportionate stratified simple random sampling technique was used to select the firms that participated in the study. As a result, 103 food processing firms were selected from a total population of 345 firms located in Kampala district.FindingsThe findings reveal that the direct relationship between asset specificity and supply chain integration and inter-firm ecosystem and supply chain integration was found positive but insignificant. Both asset specificity and inter-firm ecosystem are associated positively with firm adaptability. A partial mediation was established between asset specificity and SCI while a full mediation effect was found in inter-firm ecosystem and SCI.Research limitations/implicationsThe study used perceptual measures to obtain responses on the various constructs investigated and how these constructs relate. To avoid biasing the results, key suppliers and customers were not involved due to multi-level relationships that they maintain with various firms.Originality/valueThis study contributes to existing studies by applying two theories. First, the study applies the Transaction Cost Theory to study the effect of asset specificity on supply chain integration. Secondly, the Complexity Adaptive System Theory was applied to examine the influence of firm adaptability and inter-firm ecosystem on supply chain integration. Few studies have focused on the effect of inter-firm ecosystem in the supply chain; yet, SCI involves network of various player making supply chains complex This study is among the few studies that have focused on adaptability in the food processing sector in a developing country like Uganda.
The Role of Boundary Spanning in Building Trust: A Place‐Based Study on Engaging Hardly Reached Groups in Community Healthcare Settings
Authors: Bianchi Lara , Kelemen Mihaela , Shivji Alysha Kate , Tallant Jonathan , Timmons Stephen 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the impact of boundary spanning activities on building trust as a means of tackling health inequalities in hardly reached communities. Lack of trust has been identified as a barrier to engagement with healthcare services, resulting in poorer health outcomes. Engaging with hardly reached communities is challenging due to the social and symbolic boundaries prevalent in community healthcare settings. Drawing on empirical data from a recent year‐long collaborative research project with communities from seven economically deprived areas in the City of Nottingham, we identify two boundary spanning activities that facilitate the development of trust: communication across boundaries and intergroup relationship building. By cross fertilising sociological accounts on trust with insights derived from philosophy, the study finds that for hardly reached communities, trusting relevant individuals is more potent and widespread than the trust they have in healthcare institutions. By developing individual trust, hardly reached communities are more likely to consequently perceive the existence of institutional goodwill and competence. This counter‐intuitive finding invites us to regard trust as context specific and relational rather than as a binary choice between trusting individuals or institutions and to situate cross boundary activities focused on trust development within the power asymmetries in which they unfold.
Conjoining Bion’s Reading of C. G. Jung’s Memories, Dreams, Reflections with his Clinical Seminars in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo
Authors: Aguayo Joseph 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThis author read W. R. Bion’s (1974) unpublished, personally annotated copy of C. G. Jung’s Memories, Dreams, Reflections (MDR). The interest here is to conjoin Bion’s reading of Jung with his own contemporaneous work. After setting out a context for Jung and Bion’s meeting one another in 1935, we look at Bion’s subsequent psychoanalytic development over the decades until 1974, particularly in the area of clinical intuition. The author takes up Bion’s clinical seminars in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in 1974. He maintains that direct correlations can be made between Bion’s marginal comments in MDR and material that he directly lectured on in his 1974 clinical seminars. Bion’s interest here centred on the development of clinical intuition, dreams and precocious intellectual development. Even though he never mentioned Jung by name in 1974, it seems that Jung was clearly to the back of his mind as he lectured to his Brazilian colleagues in 1974. The fields of psychoanalysis and analytical psychology can be further enhanced by exploring how Bion and Jung’s ideas converge as well as diverge.
A Study on Gastrointestinal Tract of Bardhoka Autochthonous Sheep Breed in Kosovo
Authors: Duro Sokol , Jashari Tefik , Gündemir Ozan , Pérez William 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTThe Bardhoka sheep breed, also known as Dukagjini white sheep (Ovis aries), is considered to be a medium‐sized sheep that is a typical grazing ruminant. The aim of this study was to investigate and measure the parameters of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of Bardhoka sheep to determine the morphometry, volume, ratio and surface areas of its different parts. The GIT of eight adult healthy Bardhoka sheep with an average body mass (BM) of 57.63 kg, aged from one to three years, was evaluated immediately after slaughter. Descriptive statistics, including mean values, standard deviations, coefficients of variation and correlations, were calculated using SPSS (version 22). Detailed measurements of the forestomach and intestines were described. The full and empty average weight of the GIT was approximately 23.92% and 5.64% of BM, respectively. The weight of the rumenoreticulum tissue, after removing the content, was about 2.02% of BM. The percentages of the small and large intestines, full and empty, were about 12.28% and 21.55%, and 14.25% and 24.31% of the GIT, respectively. These percentages were 2.94%, 1.24%, 3.45% and 1.37% of the BM, respectively. The allometry ratio of the total intestinal length, small intestine and large intestine to the average BM was 0.68, 0.53 and 0.15, respectively. The length ratio between the small and large intestines was 1:3.54, while the full weight ratio between the two segments of the intestine was 1:1.15 in favour of the large intestine. In conclusion, this study detailed the morphometry parameters of all GIT parts of Bardhoka sheep. This study can serve as a basis for comparative studies and as a database for other similar research.
Breaking down barriers: A qualitative study of the influence of clinical space design on teamwork
Authors: Allen Kara Jane , De Luca Lauren , Purdy Eve , Barrios Nova , Purdy Spencer , Szabo Rebecca A. 
Published: December 2024

BackgroundDelivery of safe maternity care requires not only individual competence but collective team work, influenced by knowledge, team culture and physical working spaces. The ideal layout for a birthing unit is not known, but deliberate changes to the built environment can influence patient care.AimsTo explore the impact of creation of an open ‘hub’ on maternity team culture in a tertiary birthing unit and how physical changes to the environment shape values and practice.Materials and MethodsSemi‐structured interviews of members of the interprofessional team in a tertiary birth suite were performed and analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsSeventeen healthcare workers participated in interviews. Themes included: (i) enhanced psychological safety; (ii) impacts on teamwork; (iii) unintended consequences; and (iv) future directions for team cohesion and collaboration.ConclusionsChanges to the built environment can impact team work. This qualitative study identified benefits and unintended consequences to removing a wall, creating a maternity hub. Individuals, departmental leadership, and hospital executives should consider how changes to the built environment can be an effective and efficient way to shape teamwork and organisational culture.
Institutionalizing Spending and Strategic Reviews: Supporting Effective Public Management
Authors: Shepherd Robert P. , Lindquist Evert A. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractCanada has long been a leader in conducting episodic spending reviews to check public spending. However, it has fallen behind many other countries that have taken a more consistent approach relying to a much larger extent on strategic reviews that not only check spending, but also examine the links between spending and policy priorities. To bring greater coherence to review processes, we argue that an embedded system would greatly enhance decision‐makers' ability to make more informed budgetary choices that draw on reliable longitudinal data. There are many ways to organize reviews, and this article provides comparative international experience that could inform discussion on the rationale and benefits of an embedded review system that could be led by the Treasury Board Secretariat. We suggest that there may be a pathway to such implementation that must take into certain preconditions for success.
Loss of SMARCA4 induces sarcomatogenesis through epithelial–mesenchymal transition in ovarian carcinosarcoma
Authors: Katayama Yoshihiro , Iwasaki Takeshi , Yamamoto Takeo , Shimada Naomi , Nakashima Miya , Toya Masato , Narutomi Fumiya , Tomonaga Takumi , Kato Kiyoko , Oda Yoshinao 
Published: December 2024

AbstractOvarian carcinosarcoma (OCS) is a rare and aggressive tumor, and the development of its sarcomatous component is believed to be due to epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). The SWIch/sucrose nonfermentable chromatin remodeling factor (CRF) is closely related to EMT; however, the relationship between CRF and EMT in OCS remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the protein expression of CRFs, including ARID1A and SMARCA4, and their downstream mRNA expression in 28 OCS cases, two fallopian tube CS cases, and one peritoneal CS case. ARID1A and SMARCA4 exhibited a histological type‐specific loss of protein expression in 5 of 11 (45%) endometrioid cases and all 5 serous/homologous OCS cases, respectively. The mRNA analysis suggested that sarcomatogenesis is induced by the transforming growth factor‐β and Hippo signaling pathways, both of which regulate YAP1. Immunostaining for YAP1 suggested YAP1‐associated sarcomatogenesis in the CRF‐retained group, whereas YAP1‐unassociated sarcomatogenesis was suggested in the CRF‐reduced group. High‐grade serous carcinoma cell line experiments showed that the transcriptome of the SMARCA4‐knockdown group showed lower expression of the epithelial gene CDH1 and higher expression of mesenchymal genes such as VIM, ZEB1, and SNAI1 than the control group. Moreover, cell adhesion disappeared and cell morphology changed to a spindle shape, indicating sarcomatogenesis. In conclusion, this study reveals a mechanism for sarcoma development in OCS and provides novel therapeutic possibilities.
Prediction of Optimal Positive Airway Pressure in Chinese Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Pang Feng , Deng Wenmin , Huang Jingyan , Guo Yu , Lin Minmin , Zhang Xiangmin , Liu Jie 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTPurposePositive airway pressure (PAP) is the primary treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study aims to predict the optimal PAP pressure in Chinese OSA patients by their polysomnography (PSG) variables and demographic characteristics.MethodsPatients with an apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 15 times/h who received PAP therapy (residual AHI < 5 times/h) and underwent PSG were included in this study. Sex, age, body mass index (BMI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), AHI, supine AHI, lowest oxygen saturation (LSaO2), percentage of total sleep time spent with SaO2 < 90% (CT90), and PAP pressure were recorded. PAP pressure and other variables were analyzed using univariate correlation and multivariate linear stepwise regression analysis.ResultsA total of 167 patients were enrolled, with 122 in the study group and 45 in the validation group. Univariate correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between PAP pressure and age, BMI, ESS, AHI, supine AHI, LSaO2, and CT90. The multivariate linear regression analysis showed that PAP pressure was correlated with gender (b = 1.142, p = 0.032), age (b = −0.039, p = 0.005), AHI (b = 0.047, p = 0.000), and CT90 (b = 0.037, p = 0.000). The final PAP pressure prediction equation was PAPpre (cmH2O) = 8.548 + 1.142 × sex −0.039 × age + 0.047 × AHI + 0.037 × CT90 (R2 = 0.553) (male is defined as 0 and female as 1). This model accounts for 55.3% of the optimal pressure variance, and the area under the ROC curve of PAP prediction pressure is 0.7419.ConclusionPSG variables can be used to predict PAP pressure in Chinese OSA patients, but for some individuals, the prediction model is not very good. PAP is correlated with age, BMI, ESS, AHI, supine AHI, LSaO2, and percentage of total sleep time spent with SaO2 < 90% (CT90), which can be used to predict the optimal PAP pressure.
Hypoglycaemic stimulation of macrophage cytokine release is suppressed by AMP‐activated protein kinase activation
Authors: Zhang Jiping , Pollard Alice E. , Pearson Eleanor F. , Carling David , Viollet Benoit , Ellacott Kate L. J. , Beall Craig 
Published: December 2024

AbstractAimsAcute hypoglycaemia promotes pro‐inflammatory cytokine production, increasing the risk for cardiovascular events in diabetes. AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) is regulated by and influences the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines. We sought to examine the mechanistic role of AMPK in low glucose‐induced changes in the pro‐inflammatory cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), which is elevated in people with diabetes.MethodsMacrophage cell line Raw264.7 cells, primary macrophage bone marrow‐derived macrophages obtained from wild‐type mice or AMPK γ1 gain‐of‐function mice, were used, as were AMPKα1/α2 knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Allosteric AMPK activators PF‐06409577 and BI‐9774 were used in conjunction with inhibitor SBI‐0206965. We examined changes in protein phosphorylation/expression using western blotting and protein localisation using immunofluorescence. Metabolic function was assessed using extracellular flux analyses and luciferase‐based ATP assay. Cytokine release was quantified by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Oxidative stress was detected using a fluorescence‐based reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay, and cell viability was examined using flow cytometry.ResultsMacrophages exposed to low glucose showed a transient and modest activation of AMPK and a metabolic shift towards increased oxidative phosphorylation. Moreover, low glucose increased oxidative stress and augmented the release of macrophage MIF. However, pharmacological activation of AMPK by PF‐06409577 and BI‐9774 attenuated low glucose‐induced MIF release, with a similar trend noted with genetic activation using AMPKγ1 gain‐of‐function (D316A) mice, which produced a mild effect on low glucose‐induced MIF release. Inhibition of NFĸB signalling diminished MIF release and AMPK activation modestly but significantly reduced low glucose‐induced nuclear translocation of NFĸB.ConclusionsTaken together, these data indicate that pharmacological AMPK activation suppresses the release of MIF from macrophages caused by energy stress, suggesting that AMPK activation could be a useful strategy for mitigating hypoglycaemia‐induced inflammation.
Pre‐arrest atrial fibrillation and neurological recovery after cardiac arrest among hospitalized patients: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Wang Chih‐Hung , Chen Yan‐Yu , Wu Meng‐Che , Ho Li‐Ting , Wu Cheng‐Yi , Tay Joyce , Lin Wei‐Han , Lin Jr‐Jiun , Yeh Huang‐Fu , Wu Yen‐Wen , Huang Chien‐Hua , Chen Wen‐Jone 
Published: December 2024

AbstractBackgroundNew‐onset atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of stroke in hospitalized patients with severe sepsis. Post‐cardiac arrest patients experience conditions similar to sepsis. This study investigated whether pre‐arrest AF is associated with poor neurological recovery following in‐hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA).MethodsThis single‐centre retrospective study included patients experiencing IHCA between 2005 and 2020. Pre‐arrest electrocardiograms (ECGs) were reviewed, including twelve‐lead ECGs and ECG strips. New‐onset AF was defined as AF absent on electronic health records (EHRs, including admission diagnosis, past medical history and hospitalization notes) but present on pre‐arrest ECG. Without considering EHRs, AF‐presence was defined as AF present on pre‐arrest ECG.ResultsA total of 2466 patients were included, including 93 (3.8%) with new‐onset AF and 131 (5.3%) with evidence of AF on pre‐arrest ECG. The median age was 67.6 (interquartile range [IQR]: 22.3) years and the median CHA₂DS₂‐VASc score was 3.0 (IQR: 3.0). A total of 405 (16.4%) patients survived to hospital discharge, with 228 (9.2%) patients achieving favourable neurological recovery. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that both new‐onset AF (odds ratio [OR]: .34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: .12–.94, p‐value: .04) and AF‐presence (OR: .35, 95% CI: .15–.85, p‐value: .02) were inversely associated with favourable neurological recovery in the primary and sensitivity analyses, respectively.ConclusionsPre‐arrest AF is a significant risk factor for poor neurological recovery following IHCA. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms, which could inform the development of strategies to improve outcomes in this patient subgroup.
Messages in the Medium: Modernism and Self‐Awareness in the Digital Age*
Authors: Schultz Annie R. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractIn this article, Annie Schultz argues that there are messages to be found in mediums. As an addition to media literacy education in the digital information era, Schultz joins in conversation with philosophers of education who have turned to aesthetics and visual culture studies as a way of interpreting digital misinformation. She suggests that themes in art and issues raised in art criticism provide tools for understanding critically how digital media impacts us aesthetically and affectively. Modernism, in particular, is a movement in art that offers interpretive tools for understanding how all the mediums of our information‐fueled world impinge on our lived experience. By attending to mediums, we can develop the self‐awareness necessary to understand critically how digital mediums influence how we make meaning.
What the Turtles Taught Us: Improving Migratory Outcomes for Eastern Long‐Necked Turtles Across Conservation Fences
Authors: Brewster Rob , Roncolato Francesca , Jameson Tom , Ferronato Bruno Oliveira , Dexter Nick , Macgregor Christopher , Maple Dion , Valentine Leonie E. 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTIn Australia, conservation fences are widely used to enclose threatened native species in an area while excluding European Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and Cats (Felis catus) that threaten them. However, conservation fences can have unintended negative consequences on other species within their vicinity, interrupting movement patterns and causing mortality via entrapment. A key component of conservation fence design should be the inclusion of structures to allow the transit of species negatively affected by fences, while maintaining an effective barrier to threats. In this study, we designed and tested a method to allow the movement of Eastern Long‐necked Turtles (Chelodina longicollis) through a ‘turtle tunnel’ under a conservation fence. This Australian freshwater turtle periodically migrates over land in response to changing weather conditions, wet‐dry cycles of wetlands, to nest, and to seek habitat and food resources. We tested the ability of wild‐caught Eastern Long‐necked Turtles to enter and traverse turtle tunnels in pen trials. We found that Turtles were able to navigate the turtle tunnels as intended, with 100% of individuals entering tunnels and 44% successfully traversing the tunnels during the timed trial. These results were used to inform the placement of nine turtle tunnels along a new conservation fence at Booderee National Park, Jervis Bay Territory, Australia. We monitored installed turtle tunnels at Jervis Bay for 6 months using a combination of camera traps and observational data collected during daily fence line checks. We found further evidence for the use of tunnels by Eastern Long‐necked Turtles and found that Foxes did not attempt to traverse tunnels. From our findings, we suggest that turtle tunnels be considered in the construction of conservation fences where they intersect with known areas of freshwater turtle migrations, but that further research is required to assess the long‐term effectiveness of the design as a wildlife transit device.
Neural substrates underlying distinct dual cognitive syndromes in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Yoshimura Kenji , Shima Atsushi , Kambe Daisuke , Furukawa Koji , Nishida Akira , Wada Ikko , Sakato Yusuke , Sakamaki‐Tsukita Haruhi , Terada Yuta , Yamakado Hodaka , Taruno Yosuke , Nakanishi Etsuro , Sawamura Masanori , Fujimoto Koji , Fushimi Yasutaka , Okada Tomohisa , Nakamoto Yuji , Hanakawa Takashi , Takahashi Ryosuke , Sawamoto Nobukatsu 
Published: December 2024

AbstractBackgroundA dual‐syndrome hypothesis, which states the cognitive impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) are attributable to frontostriatal dopaminergic dysregulation and cortical disturbance—each associated with attention/executive and memory/visuospatial dysfunction, respectively—has been widely accepted. This multisystem contribution also underlies highly heterogeneous progression rate to dementia.MethodsNondemented PD patients who underwent [123I]N‐ω‐fluoropropyl‐2β‐carbomethoxy‐3β‐(4‐iodophenyl) nortropane ([123I]FP‐CIT) SPECT and neuropsychological examinations were enrolled. Patients who agreed to participate and age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls (HCs) also underwent 7‐T MRI. Patients were classified as cognitively normal (PD‐CN) or mild cognitive impairment (PD‐MCI) following the level II criteria of Movement Disorder Society Guideline.ResultsA total of 155 patients (PD‐CN/PD‐MCI 74/81) were enrolled, whereas 76 patients (PD‐CN/PD‐MCI 35/41) and 56 HCs underwent 7 T‐MRI. The caudate [123I]FP‐CIT uptake in PD was correlated with the performance of attention/working memory (trail‐making test [TMT]‐A and symbol digit modality test) and executive (TMT‐B) domains. In contrast, the regional cortical thickness in the left frontotemporal and right frontal lobes in PD was correlated with performance of memory (Hopkins verbal learning test‐revised delayed recall) and visuospatial (judgment of line orientation) domains. Moreover, compared to 37 HCs with a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score of >25, PD‐CN patients showed broad occipitoparietal cortical thinning.ConclusionsWe demonstrated distinctive impairments of dopaminergic frontostriatal deficits and cortical degeneration as neural bases for the dual‐syndrome hypothesis. Our findings suggest that occipitoparietal lobe thinning occurs at a cognitively normal stage, and additional frontotemporal lobe thinning underlies impairments in the memory and visuospatial domains at the PD‐MCI stage.