bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Market power and income disparities: How can firms influence the gap between capital and labor earnings
Authors: Amountzias Chrysovalantis 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThis paper investigates the effects of market power on income disparities when firm‐specific parameters are considered to test how they shape the gap between capital and labor earnings through their pricing decisions. The dataset consists of 2895 UK manufacturing and services firms over 2010–2019. The results provide the following insights: (a) There is a strong positive association between market power and income disparities across the market, (b) liquidity constraints exert a positive effect on the asset‐based disparities ratio, but a negative effect on the profit‐based ratio. The robustness of the results is also checked when market‐specific characteristics are included in the process.
Immigration and Physical Discipline of Children: The Influence of Generational Status and Culture
Authors: Muniz Caitlyn N. , Curry Theodore R. 
Published: May 2024

ABSTRACTThis research examines whether physical punishment towards children in Méxican immigrant and native‐born Latinx families of Mexican heritage households varies across immigrant generational status and if physical punishment is associated with important measures of culture: familismo, traditional machismo, acculturation to the United States and enculturation to México. Data from a sample of households in El Paso County, Texas, are analysed using Firth logistic regression. Findings show that physical punishment is lowest in first‐generation immigrant households but, in sharp contrast, highest in 1.5‐generation immigrant households, suggesting the need for more precise measurement of immigration status as such differentiation can be masked with a more general approach to measuring immigrant generation. Findings also indicate that enculturation to México is protective towards physical punishment, while measures of acculturation, familismo and traditional machismo are not associated with this behaviour in multivariate models.
A city of newcomers: Migration and solidarity in the former East Germany
Authors: Fox Samantha Maurer 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThis article examines how urban temporalities have come to alternately foster and hinder migrants' incorporation into the larger social body. It draws on ethnographic and archival research conducted in Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany, and focuses on the so‐called “migrant crisis” of 2015, which resonated with earlier migration histories in the region. When Eisenhüttenstadt was founded in 1950, nearly one‐third of its residents were naturalized East German citizens. Yet under the socialist regime, any acknowledgment of their migration background was expressly forbidden and perceived as a threat to Eastern Bloc geopolitical alliances. Around 2015, however, this history reemerged, first at the local cultural history museum and later, in public discourse. This article attends to the shifting positionality of migration histories within the context of the former East Germany, which was perceived as European in a global context but post‐socialist in a German context. In doing so, it reveals how tensions between individual and urban futurities influence solidarity, integration, and national belonging.
The causal relationship between sarcopenia‐related traits and ischemic stroke: Insights from univariable and multivariable Mendelian randomization analyses
Authors: Song Jiahao , Zhou Da , Li Jingrun , Wang Mengqi , Jia Lina , Lan Duo , Song Haiqing , Ji Xunming , Meng Ran 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAimsThe causal relationship between sarcopenia‐related traits and ischemic stroke (IS) remains poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the causal impact of sarcopenia‐related traits on IS and to identify key mediators of this association.MethodsWe conducted univariable, multivariable two‐sample, and two‐step Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses using genome‐wide association study (GWAS) data. This included data for appendicular lean mass (ALM), hand grip strength (HGS), and usual walking pace (UWP) from the UK Biobank, and IS data from the MEGASTROKE consortium. Additionally, 21 candidate mediators were analyzed based on their respective GWAS data sets.ResultsEach 1‐SD increase in genetically proxied ALM was associated with a 7.5% reduction in the risk of IS (95% CI: 0.879–0.974), and this correlation remained after controlling for levels of physical activity and adiposity‐related indices. Two‐step MR identified that six mediators partially mediated the protective effect of higher ALM on IS, with the most significant being coronary heart disease (CHD, mediating proportion: 39.94%), followed by systolic blood pressure (36.51%), hypertension (23.87%), diastolic blood pressure (15.39%), type‐2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, 12.71%), and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (7.97%).ConclusionOur study revealed a causal protective effect of higher ALM on IS, independent of physical activity and adiposity‐related indices. Moreover, we found that higher ALM could reduce susceptibility to IS partially by lowering the risk of vascular risk factors, including CHD, hypertension, T2DM, and hyperlipidemia. In brief, we elucidated another modifiable factor for IS and implied that maintaining sufficient muscle mass may reduce the risk of such disease.
Local State Capacity and Uneven Taxation across Industrial Firms
Authors: Hou Linke , Liu Zhikuo , Zhang Qi , Zhao Xiaolu 
Published: May 2024

AbstractIn this research we investigate the association between local state capacity (LSC) and effective tax burdens (ETBs) on industrial firms within counties between 1998 and 2013. The LSC measures a state's capacity for policy implementation and specifically its ability to acquire low‐cost agricultural land for nonagricultural (industrial or commercial) purposes. Based on China's government‐led development experience since the 1990s, we draw on two unique household survey datasets to capture LSC at county level. We find robust evidence that greater LSC was associated with much lower ETBs on large industrial firms. This taxation pattern implies local government's primary reliance on larger manufacturing firms, while the ETBs for small‐and‐medium enterprises are not as prominently addressed. This research highlights that LSC can affect both the amount of revenue a local government can generate and the methods it uses to collect these revenues.
Total and H‐specific growth/differentiation factor 15 levels are unaffected by liraglutide or naltrexone/bupropion administration
Authors: Konstantinidou Sofia K. , Argyrakopoulou Georgia , Simati Stamatia , Stefanakis Konstantinos , Kokkinos Alexander , Analitis Antonis , Mantzoros Christos S. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAimTo investigate growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF‐15) levels in response to antiobesity medications, namely, liraglutide (Lira) and naltrexone/bupropion (N/B), in individuals with overweight or obesity.Materials and MethodsThis was a prospective, non‐randomized clinical trial with a two‐arm, parallel design. A total of 42 individuals with overweight or obesity without type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled. The participants received either Lira 3 mg or N/B 32/360 mg, along with diet and exercise, according to comorbidities, cost and method of administration. Participants underwent clinical and laboratory measurements at baseline, as well as at the 3‐ and 6‐month time points. Anthropometric measurements and body composition analysis via bioelectrical impendence analysis were performed. Total blood samples for GDF‐15 and H‐specific GDF‐15 were collected in the fasting state and every 30 min for 3 h after the consumption of a standardized mixed meal.ResultsOverall, participants' weight was reduced by 9.29 ± 5.34 kg at Month 3 and 11.52 ± 7.52 kg at Month 6. Total and H‐specific GDF‐15 levels did not show significant changes during the mixed meal compared to values before the meal when all participants were examined at baseline, and at 3 and 6 month follow‐ups. No statistical significance was found when participants were examined by subgroup (Lira vs. N/B). No significant differences between treatment groups in postprandial area under the curve (AUC) or incremental AUC values were found at baseline or in the follow‐up months with regard to total and H‐specific GDF‐15 levels.ConclusionNeither total nor H‐specific GDF‐15 levels are affected by Lira or N/B treatment in patients with overweight or obesity.
Efficacy of revascularization in CTO patients based on hibernating myocardium therapy
Authors: Chen Wenjie , Du Zhiyong , Qin Yanwen , Zheng Ze , Liu Jinghua , Shi Yuchen 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe effectiveness of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO) is still uncertain, especially for patients with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction. This study aimed to assess hibernating myocardium (HM), as determined by single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and 18F‐FDG positron emission tomography (PET), and to compare the benefits of PCI and optimal medical therapy (OMT).MethodsA retrospective study collected data from 332 patients with CTO and ischemic left ventricular dysfunction. The study compared patients who underwent PCI or OMT via propensity score matching (PSM) analysis which was performed with a 1:2 matching protocol using the nearest neighbour matching algorithm. The primary endpoint of the study was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiac death, readmission for worsening heart failure (WHF), revascularization and myocardial infarction (MI).ResultsAfter PSM, there were a total of 246 individuals in the PCI and OMT groups. Following Cox regression, hibernating myocardium/total perfusion defect (HM/TPD) was identified as an independent risk factor (hazard ratio (HR): 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.008–1.052, p = .007). The cut‐off value of HM/TPD was 38%. The results of the subgroup analysis suggest that for patients with HM/TPD >38%, the OMT group had a greater risk of MACE (p = .035). A sensitivity analysis restricting patients with single‐vessel CTO lesions, HM/TPD remained an independent predictor (HR 1.025, 95% CI 1.008–1.043, p = .005).ConclusionHM/TPD is an independent predictor of MACE, and for patients with HM/TPD > 38%, CTO‐PCI had a lower risk of MACE compared with OMT. However, further validation is still needed through large‐scale studies.
Beyond workplace‐related issues: How Global Unions use digital activism to engage in social agenda‐setting
Authors: Ford Michele , Sinpeng Aim 
Published: May 2024

AbstractDigital information and communications technologies like social media are critical for trade union renewal. Yet, although many unions now use social media, there remain ongoing debates as to what effective digital activism looks like. This question is even more pressing for the Global Unions, as international labour movement organizations without grassroots members. Drawing on social movement and networked communication theories, this article interrogates Global Unions’ social media practices through a mixed‐method analysis of 19,009 Facebook posts created between 2017 and 2022. Based on this analysis, we find that Global Unions that adopt crowd‐focused communication styles and post on broader social issues have more success in engaging with online crowds than those that emphasize workplace or organizational issues and adopt top‐down communication styles. At the same time, our findings challenge assumptions in the literature that crowd‐led, connective communication styles associated with engagement are necessarily the most effective in today's digital society.
‘Connecting’ with the Health Libraries Group conference
Authors: Ghumra Imrana 
Published: May 2024

AbstractImrana Ghumra, Past Health Libraries Group (HLG) Co‐Chair and now HLG Conference Lead, revisits recent HLG conferences before sharing details of the exciting programme for 2024. Hosted at the Royal College of Physicians, London, 19–21 June 2024, the conference embraces the benefits of a hybrid event, offering both in‐person and online opportunities to networking and to catch up with colleagues from across the country, across sectors and the profession, and embracing ideas and best practice.
Exploring hotness and pungent odour thresholds among three groups of Thai chilli users
Authors: Toontom Nitchara , Meenune Mutita , Aguiar Luis Kluwe , Posri Wilatsana 
Published: May 2024

SummarySensory thresholds of hotness and pungent odour were determined from 120 chilli users. Three groups of Light (L), Moderate (M), and Heavy (H) chilli users were categorised based on their chilli consumption habits and sensitivity to hotness standard solutions. After the screening test, the users participated in 12 Alternative Forced Choice (AFC)‐sets, for each of three stimuli (capsaicin and 1‐Penten‐3‐One (1P3O) odour and dried chilli powder). The dried chilli 3‐AFC sample's concentration range was calculated to equate the same range of standard capsaicin stimuli for hotness sensation measurements. Concentrations of the three stimuli tested were in a range of (0.08–16.80 dry basis g L−1) for standardised dried chilli powder, (0.10–20.16 mg L−1) for capsaicin, and (0.01–2.04 μL L−1) for 1P3O. Heavy chilli users group threshold, as anticipated, indicated the highest average recognition level of stimuli in terms of pungency odour perceived from dried chilli (5.88 g L−1) and 1P3O (1.34 μL L−1), as well as for hotness sensation from dried chilli (7.19 g L−1) and capsaicin (12.79 mg L−1) samples. The magnitudes of heavy user's thresholds were exponentially higher than that of light users. At the recognition thresholds of oral hotness perception, the level of capsaicin presented in dried chilli sample was found to be much lower than the concentration of standard capsaicin sample. It was concluded that pungent odours and other flavours in dried chilli, increase hotness perception as compared with capsaicin stimulus. We also confirmed that 1P3O contributes to chilli pungent odour.
Assessing nutritional probing and storage stability of functional Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) based guava jam: a machine learning approach for predictive modelling
Authors: Ibraheem Hafiza Hina , Tariq Muhammad Rizwan , Ali Shinawar Waseem , Umer Zujaja , Basharat Zunaira , Intisar Azeem , Mahmood Tariq , Nayik Gulzar Ahmad , Ramniwas Seema , Alfarraj Saleh , Ansari Mohammad Javed 
Published: May 2024

SummaryThis research aimed to explore the influence of nutritional adjustments and storage stability on a functional, reduced‐calorie guava jam incorporating Aloe vera. Over two months, comprehensive analysis assessed physicochemical properties, sensory traits, microbial stability, and shelf‐life. The addition of Aloe vera gel resulted in significant improvements in pH (3.00 to 3.65), total soluble solids (40.10 to 42.20°Brix), antioxidant activity (36.85% to 81.09%), moisture content (29.48% to 38.82%), water activity (0.78 to 0.84), ash content (0.29% to 0.45%), fat content (0.14% to 0.19%), fibre content (1.05% to 1.86%), and the colour values. Moreover, b* scores for colour indication improved from 15.09 to 18.86. Texture attributes of cohesiveness and firmness improved significantly. Sensory evaluation favoured the T2 variant (20% Aloe vera gel), suggesting it as the optimal formulation. Furthermore, artificial neural networks (ANNs), a technique of machine learning, were utilised to predict guava jam behaviour, with 99% accuracy. The study discovered substantial changes in pH, total soluble solids, antioxidant activity, moisture content, and textural qualities, indicating that Aloe vera supplementation could improve guava jam quality and shelf‐life. The results of ANN predictions about antioxidants and cohesiveness provide information about the product's performance during storage.
Fostering students' AI literacy development through educational games: AI knowledge, affective and cognitive engagement
Authors: Ng Davy Tsz Kit , Xinyu Chen , Leung Jac Ka Lok , Chu Samuel Kai Wah 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBackgroundAs the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to increase, there is a need for effective scaffolding and support for novice learners. Educators have encountered challenges in effectively scaffolding novice learners AI concepts, and providing appropriate motivational support. Research evidence has shown the potential of game‐based approaches to fostering secondary school students' AI literacy and motivation to learn AI.ObjectivesThis study developed an online platform TreasureIsland to gamify ebooks and investigated whether and how students playing with it can effectively enhance their AI literacy. This study aims to contribute an empirical and theoretical basis for AI literacy education and promote the use of gamification that would be broadly applied in other schools.MethodsA quasi‐experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of the proposed gamified approach, which included a control group using an ebook with playful resources. To triangulate the quantitative results obtained from the pre and post‐test, focus group interviews were also conducted.ResultsThe platform was effective in improving students' motivation, self‐efficacy, career interest, and understanding of AI concepts and ethics, but did not enhance their confidence of using AI, and high cognition of applying, evaluating and creating AI. TreasureIsland players demonstrated significant improvement in all affective and cognitive domains, except for the ability to apply, evaluate, and create AI. Interviews revealed that the gamified approach could promote students' AI literacy by adhering to guidelines, including (1) creating a competitive and motivating learning environment through game mechanics, (2) providing scaffolding modules and feedback, and (3) visualising complex AI concepts via simulations. Feedback collected from the study suggested adding pedagogical elements such as flipped classrooms and project‐based learning in future research to improve the instructional design, and enable students to reach a higher level of cognition.ConclusionsThis study concludes that the use of gamification can provide affective and cognitive support and an enjoyable experience for fostering learners' AI literacy. It helps instructional designers and teachers enrich the pedagogical knowledge related to gamified platform and AI literacy.
Medicines for an aging population: The EMA perspective and policies
Authors: Cerreta Francesca , Iskra Ewa Balkowiec , Cupelli Amelia , Sepodes Bruno , Rönnemaa Elina , Rosa Mário Miguel , Mayrhofer Sabine , Trauffler Martine , Torre Carla , Berntgen Michael , Vucic Katarina , Bahri Priya , Koch Armin , Herdeiro Maria Teresa , Mirošević Skvrce Nikica , Pallos Julia , Laslop Andrea 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe European Medicines Agency adopted their Geriatric Medicines Strategy more than a decade ago. The strategy aims at elucidating the evidence basis for marketing authorization of new medicines which will be used in the older population, and at ensuring the appropriate communication of findings to the patient and healthcare provider. During the past decade new tools and data sources have emerged to support the strategy goals, and their use should be considered. Possible concrete actions are presented to improve the design of clinical trials, the data collection both pre‐ and post‐approval, the assessment of the findings, and the communication to assist informed prescription and safe medicine taking. Implementation and prioritization of these actions should be done from the perspective of addressing the needs of patients while maximizing efficient use of resources, with the aim of integrating geriatric aspects into routine medicines development and assessment.
Microbial‐ and host immune cell‐derived extracellular vesicles in the pathogenesis and therapy of periodontitis: A narrative review
Authors: Wang Jenny , Liu Chun , Cutler Jason , Ivanovski Sašo , Lee Ryan SB , Han Pingping 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPeriodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by dysbiotic biofilms and destructive host immune responses. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are circulating nanoparticles released by microbes and host cells involved in cell‐to‐cell communication, found in body biofluids, such as saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). EVs are mainly involved in cell‐to‐cell communication, and may hold promise for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Periodontal research has examined the potential involvement of bacterial‐ and host‐cell‐derived EVs in disease pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapy, but data remains scarce on immune cell‐ or microbial‐derived EVs. In this narrative review, we first provide an overview of the role of microbial and host‐derived EVs on disease pathogenesis. Recent studies reveal that Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans‐derived outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) can activate inflammatory cytokine release in host cells, while M1 macrophage EVs may contribute to bone loss. Additionally, we summarised current in vitro and pre‐clinical research on the utilisation of immune cell and microbial‐derived EVs as potential therapeutic tools in the context of periodontal treatment. Studies indicate that EVs from M2 macrophages and dendritic cells promote bone regeneration in animal models. While bacterial EVs remain underexplored for periodontal therapy, preliminary research suggests that P. gingivalis OMVs hold promise as vaccine candidates. Finally, we acknowledge the current limitations present in the field of translating immune cell derived EVs and microbial derived EVs in periodontology. It is concluded that microbial and host immune cell‐derived EVs have a role in periodontitis pathogenesis and hence may be useful for studying disease pathophysiology, and as diagnostic and treatment monitoring biomarkers.
The impact of sleep on factual memory retention over 24 hr
Authors: Gasparello Aurora , Baldassarri Angie , Degasperi Giorgia , Cellini Nicola 
Published: May 2024

SummaryAlthough a period of sleep seems to benefit the retention of declarative memories, recent studies have challenged both the size of this effect and its active influence on memory consolidation. This study aimed to further investigate the effect of sleep and its time dependency on the consolidation of factual information. In a within‐subjects design, 48 participants (Mage = 24.37 ± 4.18 years, 31F) were asked to learn several facts in a multi‐sensory “flashcard‐like” memory task at 21:00 hours (sleep first condition) or at 09:00 hours (wake first condition). Then, in each condition, participants performed an immediate recall test (T0), and two delayed tests 12 hr (T1) and 24 hr (T2) later. Participants' sleep was recorded at their homes with a portable device. Results revealed that memory retention was better after a night of sleep compared with wakefulness, regardless of the delay from encoding (a few hr versus 12+ hr), but the sleep effect was modest. The decline in memory during the wake period following sleep was smaller compared with the decline observed during the 12 hr of wakefulness after encoding. However, after 24 hr from the encoding, when all participants experienced a period of both sleep and wakefulness, memory performance in the two conditions was similar. Overall, our data suggest that sleep exerts a small, yet beneficial, influence on memory retention by likely reducing interference and actively stabilizing memory traces.