bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting dividends of knowledge intensive firms
Authors: Gupta Devendra Kumar Shivshankar , Jayswal Mitesh , Puliparambil Priyan Kumaran 
Published: November 2024

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the factors affecting the dividend policy of knowledge intensive firms (KIFs).Design/methodology/approachThe study collects data for 86 KIFs listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India. The Hausman test is applied to choose an appropriate model. Based on the results of the Hausman test, the random effects panel regression method is applied to investigate the determinants of the dividend policy of sampled firms.FindingsThe authors test the effects of six factors on the dividend policy of KIFs, namely, profitability, leverage, free cash flows, firm size, investment and growth opportunities and liquidity. The study found that profitability, free cash flows, liquidity and firm size are significant determinants of the dividend policy of KIFs, while growth and investment opportunities as well as leverage have insignificant effects on the dividend policy of KIFs.Originality/valueFindings of previous studies on factors affecting dividend policy across various industries cannot be generalized to other industries because of the industry influence on dividend policy. Considering this industry effect on dividends, the present research investigates the dividend policy of KIFs. The KIFs have emerged relatively recently owing to technological advances and remain relatively less explored industry in the context of dividends. Therefore, the paper presents new evidence on the dividend policy of Indian KIFs.
The interleukin‐1α stimulated expression of the wrinkle‐inducing elastase neprilysin in adult human dermal fibroblasts is mediated via the intracellular signaling axis of ERK/JNK/c‐Jun/c‐Fos/AP‐1
Authors: Takada Mariko , Pinnawala Uma Chandula , Hirano Shinichi , Imokawa Genji 
Published: November 2024

AbstractNeprilysin is a skin wrinkle‐inducing membrane bound elastase that is expressed abundantly in UV‐exposed and in aged dermal fibroblasts. The overexpression of neprilysin is closely associated with enhanced epithelial‐mesenchymal cytokine interactions mainly via interleukin (IL)‐1α, which has the distinct potential to stimulate the expression of neprilysin by human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). The over‐expression of neprilysin also accelerates the formation of wrinkles, accompanied by disruptions of the three‐dimensional architecture of dermal elastic fibers that are responsible for the loss of skin elasticity. Because the signaling pathway(s) that lead to the IL‐1α‐stimulated expression of neprilysin in HDFs remain unclear, we characterized the signaling pathway involved, including their related transcription factors, in IL‐1α‐treated HDFs. Since qRT‐PCR analysis revealed that the mRNA expression level of neprilysin is stimulated to a stronger extent in adult HDFs (aHDFs) by IL‐1α than in neonatal HDFs, we used aHDFs for the signaling analysis. Western blotting analysis of the phosphorylation of signaling factors revealed that IL‐1α significantly stimulated the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, RSK, JNK, p38, MSK1, NFkB, c‐Jun, ATF‐2, CREB, and STAT3. Analysis using various signaling inhibitors demonstrated that inhibiting ERK and JNK but not p38, MSK1, NFkB, or STAT3 significantly abrogated the IL‐1α stimulated expression of neprilysin at the mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity levels. Furthermore, silencing c‐Fos significantly down‐regulated the IL‐1α‐increased expression of neprilysin at the protein and enzyme activity levels. These findings strongly suggest that the IL‐1α‐stimulated expression of neprilysin in aHDFs is mediated via the intracellular signaling axis of ERK/JNK/c‐Jun/c‐Fos/AP‐1.
Online interventions for the mental health and well‐being of parents of children with additional needs: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Leo Monica , Bourke‐Taylor Helen , Odgers Sorcha , Tirlea Loredana 
Published: November 2024

AbstractIntroductionParents of children with additional needs experience compromised physical and mental health and higher stress, and their ability to engage in meaningful occupations is impacted by their additional caregiving tasks. Online interventions targeting mental health, stress, and well‐being for parents of children with additional needs have potential to increase supports alongside occupational therapy direct services. The aims of this review are to systematically identify and synthesise evidence of effectiveness of online interventions aimed at improving mental health, stress, and well‐being of parents of children with additional needs.MethodEight databases were searched up to July 2024 to identify online interventions for parents of children with additional needs. Studies were appraised for methodological quality. Standardised effect sizes were calculated, and meta‐analyses of randomised control trials (RCTs) were conducted on outcomes of mental health, well‐being, and stress.Consumer and Community InvolvementThere was no consumer or community involvement.ResultsSystematic screening identified 30 papers that met inclusion criteria. Most were RCTs or controlled clinical trials (CCTs) with ‘moderate’ quality ratings: Three were designed by occupational therapists. There was substantial variation in intervention types, methods of delivery, outcomes, and outcome measures used. The pooled standardised effect size estimates (ES) and the lower and upper confidence intervals (CI) of online interventions from RCTs post‐interventions were significant for mental health ES = 0.47, 95% CI (0.18, 0.77), p = 0.002; stress ES = 1.27, 95% CI (0.56, 1.98), p = 0.000; and well‐being ES = 0.65, 95% CI (1.2, 0.06), p = 0.03, respectively.ConclusionThe online interventions that aimed to improve mental health, stress, and well‐being included in this meta‐analysis were effective. Occupational therapists supporting families play an important role in guiding parents of children with additional needs to evidence‐based interventions to support them with addressing their own mental health and well‐being needs.
Differences in within‐plant oviposition preferences and immature survival between Orius predators and the importance of spatial availability of prey
Authors: Mouratidis Angelos , Bootsma Christiaan , Dicke Marcel , Messelink Gerben J. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractOviposition preferences of plant‐feeding predators remain a complex topic, as such omnivores choose oviposition sites by assessing both plant characteristics and the quality and quantity of nearby animal food sources. Orius predators are omnivores that oviposit endophytically, thus plant characteristics play an important role in their oviposition choices. In this study, we assessed the oviposition and foraging preferences of O. laevigatus and O. majusculus on vegetative and flowering chrysanthemum plants, and assessed the survival of their offspring on differently aged tissues. Our results show a preference of O. laevigatus for young and tender chrysanthemum tissues, where the survival of the nymphs was longer on a plant diet. In contrast, O. majusculus selected older plant parts when laying its eggs, and nymphs did not survive long on any of the plant tissues offered. The foraging activity of Orius females for animal prey (Ephestia kuehniella eggs) did not reveal any specific pattern for either of the two predators. Furthermore, we tested the plasticity of the within‐plant oviposition preferences of O. laevigatus, by offering sentinel prey (E. kuehniella eggs) on distinct plant parts. We found that more eggs were laid in older plant tissue when animal prey was offered lower on the plant. Overall, our findings show that oviposition choices of Orius predators are based on a dynamic interplay between plant characteristics, presence of animal and/or floral food sources among other factors, and that differences may well occur between closely related species based on the importance of plant resources in their diet.
Hybrid platform model: monopolistic competition and a dominant firm
Authors: Anderson Simon , Bedre Defolie Özlem 
Published: November 2024

AbstractWe model a platform controlling the variety and prices of the products it hosts via a percentage fee on sellers and choosing whether to sell its own products (hybrid mode). We derive a mixed market demand system for differentiated products with monopolistically competitive sellers and a sizeable platform product range. The hybrid platform steers consumers toward its products by charging higher seller fees than pure marketplace. This “insidious steering” intensifies the larger the platform's product footprint. Hybrid mode harms consumers compared to pure marketplace unless fringe entry is sufficiently inelastic.
A comprehensive framework to assess multi‐species landscape connectivity
Authors: Prima Marie‐Caroline , Renaud Julien , Witté Isabelle , Suarez Léa , Rouveyrol Paul , Fernando Martina , Sacchi Andrea , Cosentino Francesca , Santini Luca , Maiorano Luigi , Moreira Francisco , Dertien Jeremy , Fernández Néstor , Thuiller Wilfried 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Due to the central role of landscape connectivity in many ecological processes, evaluating and accounting for it has gained attention in both theoretical and applied ecological sciences. To address this challenge, researchers often use generic species to simplify multi‐species connectivity assessments. Yet, this approach tends to oversimplify movement behaviour, likely reducing realism and precision of connectivity model outputs. Also, the most widely used methods and theories for assessing landscape connectivity, namely circuit and network theories, have strong limitations. Finally, uncertainty or robustness estimates are rarely integrated in connectivity assessments.

Here, we propose a versatile framework, which, instead of using arbitrary defined generic species, first identifies species groups based on species' environmental niches and morphological, biological, and ecological traits. Second, it combines circuit and network theories to take the best of the two methods to assess landscape connectivity for those groups, while integrating uncertainties in modelling choices. Specifically, ecological continuities (i.e. landscape elements contributing to connectivity) are calculated for these groups and used together with group dispersal capacities to derive network‐based connectivity metrics for conservation areas. We detailed our framework through a case study where we assess the connectivity of 1619 protected areas in metropolitan France for 193 vertebrate species.

Our study revealed that both the protection of ecological continuities and the connectivity of protected areas for 11 mammal and 19 bird groups, respectively, were quite low, with variations among groups. Different protection types (i.e. national parks, reserves or prefectural orders) contributed unequally to the overall connectivity of group‐specific suitable habitats. Considering uncertainty propagation was crucial, as many connectivity metrics varied among repetitions.

The proposed framework combines different connectivity tools to provide a more relevant and comprehensive assessment of landscape connectivity. It can be used to inform the decision‐making process for spatial planning, particularly in the context of connectivity conservation and management, or support theoretical studies to better understand the ecological role of landscape connectivity. Its flexibility allows easy application under various environmental conditions, including future scenarios.
Neuroplasticity and neuroimmune interactions in fatal asthma
Authors: Dragunas Guilherme , Koster Carli S. , de Souza Xavier Costa Natalia , Melgert Barbro N. , Munhoz Carolina D. , Gosens Reinoud , Mauad Thais 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBackgroundAlteration of airway neuronal function and density and bidirectional interaction between immune cells and sensory peripheral nerves have been proposed to trigger and perpetuate inflammation that contribute to asthma severity. To date, few studies analysed neuroplasticity and neuroinflammation in tissue of asthmatic individuals. We hypothesized that the presence of these phenomena would be a pathological feature in fatal asthma.MethodsWe have quantified the expression of the pan‐neuronal marker PGP9.5 and the neuronal sensory‐derived neuropeptide calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) in the large airways of 12 individuals deceased due to an asthma attack and compared to 10 control lung samples. The proximity between nerve bundles to eosinophils, mast cells and CADM1+ cells was also quantified. We have additionally developed a hPSC‐derived sensory neuron/mast cell co‐culture model, from where mast cells were purified and differences in gene expression profile assessed.ResultsFatal asthma patients presented a higher PGP9.5 and CGRP positive area in the airways, indicating sensory neuroplasticity. Eosinophils, mast cells and CADM1+ cells were observed in close contact or touching the airway nerve bundles, and this was found to be statistically higher in fatal asthma samples. In vitro co‐culture model showed that human mast cells adhere to sensory neurons and develop a distinct gene expression profile characterized by upregulated expression of genes related to heterophilic adhesion, activation and differentiation markers, such as CADM4, PTGS2, C‐KIT, GATA2, HDC, CPA3, ATXN1 and VCAM1.ConclusionsOur results support a significant role for neuroplasticity and neuroimmune interactions in fatal asthma, that could be implicated in the severity of the fatal attack. Accordingly, the presence of physical neuron and mast cell interaction leads to differential gene expression profile in the later cell type.
PanIC: Consistent information criteria for general model selection problems
Authors: Nguyen Hien Duy 
Published: November 2024

SummaryModel selection is a ubiquitous problem that arises in the application of many statistical and machine learning methods. In the likelihood and related settings, it is typical to use the method of information criteria (ICs) to choose the most parsimonious among competing models by penalizing the likelihood‐based objective function. Theorems guaranteeing the consistency of ICs can often be difficult to verify and are often specific and bespoke. We present a set of results that guarantee consistency for a class of ICs, which we call PanIC (from the Greek root ‘pan’, meaning ‘of everything’), with easily verifiable regularity conditions. PanICs are applicable in any loss‐based learning problem and are not exclusive to likelihood problems. We illustrate the verification of regularity conditions for model selection problems regarding finite mixture models, least absolute deviation and support vector regression and principal component analysis, and demonstrate the effectiveness of PanICs for such problems via numerical simulations. Furthermore, we present new sufficient conditions for the consistency of BIC‐like estimators and provide comparisons of the BIC with PanIC.
The Victoria County History and participatory historical geography
Authors: Slatter Ruth 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThis article critically reflects on the Victoria County History's (VCH) relationship with participatory historical geography approaches. Telling a story of change, it argues that it is not only possible, but also extremely productive for long‐standing, well‐established academic research projects to embrace participatory approaches and engage in transformative research. The VCH is a national project to write the history of every parish‐sized area in England. Begun in 1899, the VCH's contemporary network of place‐based historians still actively pursues this goal. Overseen by a central editorial team, most of the network's activities are conceived, run and funded by independent county trusts. These trusts research and write the VCH's well‐known ‘Big Red Books’ and a range of shorter publications, but have also begun to cultivate participatory projects that embed local communities in the development of local histories and allow these communities to reflect on how their histories have shaped their collective identities. Focusing on the project's engagement with local knowledge and communities, this article traces the VCH's use of collaborative and participatory methodologies. Acknowledging the VCH's routes in Victorian encyclopaedic endeavours, it critically reflects on how it collaborated with local people during the early twentieth century. Shifting its attention to the early twenty‐first century, it then considers how the VCH has begun to develop frameworks for engaging in individually, socially and academically transformative research. While recognising the limitations of these approaches, it highlights the latent potential within the VCH's emerging engagement with participatory historical geography approaches and, emphasising how the project's future depends on continual integration of participatory methods within its activities and outputs, identifies several ways in which the VCH could continue to develop its participatory methods.
E‐Professionalism's Impact on Dental Professionalism: A Rapid Scoping Review
Authors: Nasseripour Melanie , Harkins Angela , Neville Patricia , Ranauta Amitha 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundDental regulators and educational institutions are increasingly concerned about the influence of digital platforms used by the profession for social, business, digital interaction with the public/patients and its impact on the professionalism in practice now and going forward. However, academic knowledge and research within dentistry are relevant to e‐professionalism at a level of engagement and approach in delivering guidance to students through the current dental curriculum. The question therefore asked was what breadth of academic material, research, debate and discourse is available to inform our understanding, guidance and teaching on this ever‐evolving topic.AimTo map how e‐professionalism has developed in academic dental literature as a topic within the study of professionalism in practice.MethodA rapid scoping review was conducted to identify published research that describes and tests the topic of professionalism from 2016 to 2023. Studies were synthesised narratively using thematic analysis to inform the understanding of what has been already researched in the field.ResultsThirteen articles were included in the review. After undertaking a thematic analysis, five themes were constructed. These included: curriculum, opportunities and safe professional use, reflections, personal and professional identity issues, and students as co‐creators.ConclusionsWithin dental research there is consensus that e‐professionalism could present a tangible threat to the identity of dental professionals their clinical practice and interaction with patients/public however, less is known about what educational strategies are most effective when teaching e‐professionalism.
CNS macrophage contributions to myelin health
Authors: Hoffmann Alana , Miron Veronique E. 
Published: November 2024

SummaryMyelin is the membrane surrounding neuronal axons in the central nervous system (CNS), produced by oligodendrocytes to provide insulation for electrical impulse conduction and trophic/metabolic support. CNS dysfunction occurs following poor development of myelin in infancy, myelin damage in neurological diseases, and impaired regeneration of myelin with disease progression in aging. The lack of approved therapies aimed at supporting myelin health highlights the critical need to identify the cellular and molecular influences on oligodendrocytes. CNS macrophages have been shown to influence the development, maintenance, damage and regeneration of myelin, revealing critical interactions with oligodendrocyte lineage cells. CNS macrophages are comprised of distinct populations, including CNS‐resident microglia and cells associated with CNS border regions (the meninges, vasculature, and choroid plexus), in addition to macrophages derived from monocytes infiltrating from the blood. Importantly, the distinct contribution of these macrophage populations to oligodendrocyte lineage responses and myelin health are only just beginning to be uncovered, with the advent of new tools to specifically identify, track, and target macrophage subsets. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge on the roles of CNS macrophages in myelin health, and recent developments in distinguishing the roles of macrophage populations in development, homeostasis, and disease.
Debt financing, the pandemic, and Federal Reserve interventions
Authors: Arnold Grace E. , Nishikawa Takeshi , Rhodes Meredith E. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractUsing data on newly issued corporate bonds and syndicated loans, we investigate the effects of the Federal Reserve's interventions during the pandemic on corporate debt activity. We document heterogeneous effects for participation rates across firm credit ratings and debt maturity, consistent with a default risk channel of policy transmission. Investment‐grade firms disproportionately participate in debt markets following the Fed's announcements, which is driven by the riskiest firms (A and BBB ratings). We also find that BBB and BB‐rated firms drive increased participation in short‐term debt markets. These results provide evidence that the Fed's interventions improved credit market access to investment‐grade firms and the highest‐rated noninvestment‐grade firms.
Morphology and phylogenetic implications of the inclinatores dorsales for the galeomorph sharks (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii)
Authors: Medeiros Jade , Vaz Diego F. B. , Araújo Marcus V. G. , de Lima Arthur , da Silva João Paulo C. B. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractElasmobranchs have been studied in anatomical terms for nearly 200 years, but several elements of their anatomy, such as the dorsal fin musculature, have not been completely addressed and still lack detailed descriptions. In this context, the present study investigates the anatomical variation of the muscles inclinatores dorsales across galeomorph sharks, shedding new light on their evolution. We have observed that the inclinatores dorsales have two distinct components, being composed of a profundus and a superficialis component. Additionally, we have uncovered, through an anatomical comparative analysis, that the variation present in these muscles is considerably greater than previously considered, indicating some characteristics never described before, for instance the presence or absence of the inclinatores dorsales at the free rear tip of the first dorsal fin. Moreover, our findings for the inclinatores dorsales are different from their previous interpretation in the context of the hypnosqualean hypothesis, reinforcing the need for a reevaluation of previous morphological characters. Lastly, we discuss our findings in relation to the most recent interrelationships of elasmobranchs.