bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of training needs assessment in enhancing employees’ skills and firm performance
Authors: Robert Neema , Mori Neema 
Published: May 2024

PurposeWork-based learning is critical for enhancing employees’ skills and contributing to the firm’s performance. This paper aims to establish the effects of needs assessment on the relationship between training intensity as part of learning and how employees’ skills are reflected in firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThe paper used the World Bank Tanzania Employees Skills Survey (TESS) dataset, which contains 424 firms. This paper estimated the moderated mediation model through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and employed the index of moderated mediation to determine if the model was correctly specified.FindingsThe results show that among three skills, i.e. technical, interpersonal/communication and work ethic skills, only the level of technical skills mediated the relationship between training and the firm’s performance. The index of moderated mediation suggests a threshold point for the firm’s training needs, above which the indirect effect of training on performance through technical skills starts to decrease. The negative correlation between the firm’s training needs and the indirect effect suggests that employees’ essential human capital qualities, viewed from the angle of their training needs, are among the key factors for executing effective training.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper’s conceptual model is limited because it does not incorporate an education variable for the trained employees. In addition, it only conceptualized the perceived most important skills of interpersonal communication, technical skills and work ethic, despite there being other skills that could have been considered. Moreover, the data only measured the present skill level at three on the Likert scale, providing limited room for skill level variance.Practical implicationsThose who decide which training programme deserves priority given limited resources and the firm’s goals need to understand that training is an addition to what their employees already have and, thus, should make extra efforts to equip them with more knowledge relating to their assignments. Moreover, this understanding should extend to the employees themselves.Originality/valueThe paper introduced and showed the necessity of training needs assessment to increase the value of training in enhancing the firm’s performance. We propose a model for assessing training intensity through process analysis. The respective model depicts a threshold point for the firm’s training needs, below which the training will work.
Biofilm‐derived membrane vesicles exhibit potent immunomodulatory activity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1
Authors: Takahara Minato , Hirayama Satoru , Futamata Hiroyuki , Nakao Ryoma , Tashiro Yosuke 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPathogenic bacteria form biofilms on epithelial cells, and most bacterial biofilms show increased production of membrane vesicles (MVs), also known as outer membrane vesicles in Gram‐negative bacteria. Numerous studies have investigated the MVs released under planktonic conditions; however, the impact of MVs released from biofilms on immune responses remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and immunomodulatory activity of MVs obtained from both planktonic and biofilm cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. The innate immune responses of macrophages to planktonic‐derived MVs (p‐MVs) and biofilm‐derived MVs (b‐MVs) were investigated by measuring the mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Our results showed that b‐MVs induced a higher expression of inflammatory cytokines, including Il1b, Il6, and Il12p40, than p‐MVs. The mRNA expression levels of Toll‐like receptor 4 (Tlr4) differed between the two types of MVs, but not Tlr2. Polymyxin B significantly neutralized b‐MV‐mediated cytokine induction, suggesting that lipopolysaccharide of native b‐MVs is the origin of the immune response. In addition, heat‐treated or homogenized b‐MVs induced the mRNA expression of cytokines, including Tnfa, Il1b, Il6, and Il12p40. Heat treatment of MVs led to increased expression of Tlr2 but not Tlr4, suggesting that TLR2 ligands play a role in detecting the pathogen‐associated molecular patterns in lysed MVs. Taken together, our data indicate that potent immunomodulatory MVs are produced in P. aeruginosa biofilms and that this behavior could be a strategy for the bacteria to infect host cells. Furthermore, our findings would contribute to developing novel vaccines using MVs.
The two environmental drivers of thermoregulatory costs: Interactions between thermal mean and heterogeneity influence thermoregulation
Authors: Chan Rachel L. , Hodgson Mitchell , Schwanz Lisa E. 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Ectotherms often thermoregulate behaviourally within variable thermal environments in their attempts to acquire optimal body temperatures. Thermoregulation accrues benefits but incurs costs, which are crucial for understanding thermoregulatory behaviour. Costs of thermoregulating are influenced by two key attributes of the thermal environment—heterogeneity of thermal microhabitats and the deviation of the mean temperature from an animal's preferred temperature. However, empirical research has rarely distinguished between these two drivers of thermoregulatory costs or examined them concurrently.

Our experiment used a novel thermoregulatory arena to examine the independent and interactive effects of the two environmental drivers of costs of thermoregulation on the thermoregulatory behaviour of a small ectotherm, the jacky dragon (Amphibolurus muricatus).

Following previous theory, we predicted that (i) thermoregulation would be higher in environments with greater thermal heterogeneity (body temperatures closer to preferred temperatures, higher thermoregulatory accuracy and higher effectiveness of thermoregulation) and (ii) changes in thermoregulation as a function of mean environmental temperatures would differ depending on thermal heterogeneity.

We found support for our prediction that these two environmental attributes had an interactive effect on thermoregulation but not for our prediction that thermal heterogeneity would impact thermoregulation independently. Individuals in highly heterogeneous environments maintained greater thermoregulatory accuracy compared with those in less heterogeneous environments as the mean environment increasingly deviated from the preferred temperature range.

The results emphasise the crucial conceptual distinction between thermal mean and heterogeneity as drivers of thermoregulatory costs and how this distinction underpins variation in the thermal behaviour of ectotherms.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Rising inequality and public support for redistribution
Authors: HILLEN SVEN , STEINER NILS D. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractSeminal models in political economy imply that rising economic inequality should lead to growing public demand for redistribution. Yet, existing empirical evidence on this link is both limited and inconclusive – and scholars regularly doubt it exists at all. In this research note, we turn to data from the International Social Survey Programme's (ISSP) Social Inequality surveys, now spanning the period from 1987 to 2019, to reassess the effect of rising inequality on support for redistribution. Covering a longer time series than previous studies, we obtain robust evidence that when income inequality rises in a country, public support for income redistribution tends to go up. Examining the reaction across income groups to adjudicate between different models of how rising inequality matters in a second step, we find that rising inequality increases support for redistribution within all income groups, with a marginally stronger effect among the well‐off. Our results imply that insufficient policy responses to rising inequality may be less about absent demand and more about a failure to turn demand into policy, and that scholars should devote more attention to the latter.
Assessment of artificial intelligence to detect gasoline in fire debris using HS‐SPME‐GC/MS and transfer learning
Authors: Huang Ting‐Yu , Chung Yu Jorn Chi 
Published: May 2024

AbstractDue to the complex nature of the chemical compositions of ignitable liquids (IL) and the interferences from fire debris matrices, interpreting chromatographic data poses challenges to analysts. In this work, artificial intelligence (AI) was developed by transfer learning in a convolutional neural network (CNN), GoogLeNet. The image classification AI was fine‐tuned to create intelligent classification systems to discriminate samples containing gasoline residues from burned substrates. All ground truth samples were analyzed by headspace solid‐phase microextraction (HS‐SPME) coupled with a gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer (GC/MS). The HS‐SPME‐GC/MS data were transformed into three types of image presentations, that is, heatmaps, extracted ion heatmaps, and total ion chromatograms. The abundance and mass‐to‐charge ratios of each scan were converted into image patterns that are characteristic of the chemical profiles of gasoline. The transfer learning data were labeled as “gasoline present” and “gasoline absent” classes. The assessment results demonstrated that all AI models achieved 100 ± 0% accuracy in identifying neat gasoline. When the models were assessed using the spiked samples, the AI model developed using the extracted ion heatmap obtained the highest accuracy rate (95.9 ± 0.4%), which was greater than those obtained by other machine learning models, ranging from 17.3 ± 0.7% to 78.7 ± 0.7%. The proposed work demonstrated that the heatmaps created from GC/MS data can represent chemical features from the samples. Additionally, the pretrained CNN models are readily available in the transfer learning workflow to develop AI for GC/MS data interpretation in fire debris analysis.
Cranial trauma in handgun executions: Circumferential delamination defect and its relationship with contact/close‐range shooting
Authors: Parra Roberto C. , Baraybar Jose Pablo , Condori Lucio A. , Luna Leandro , Garizoain Gonzalo , Avalos‐Cordero Ernesto 
Published: May 2024

AbstractSkeletal evidence usually constitutes the only source of information to interpret lesion patterns that help to clarify the circumstances surrounding death. The examination and interpretation of bone trauma are essential to the application and utility of anthropology as a forensic science. When discussing the effect of gunshot wounds in bone, it becomes imperative to differentiate between short and long‐distance injuries based on clear, distinct, and observable signs. To contribute to the debate, our focus is directed toward the external analysis of the so‐called circumferential delamination defect (CDD) as an observable proxy for close‐range shooting (≤30 cm) and contact gunshot wounds in the skull. In the context of known extrajudicial killings, in which the perpetrators used short 9 × 19 FMJ ammunition in a close‐range shooting, instances of CDD have been documented. Empirical evidence reinforcing the causal relationship between CDD and close‐range shootings is presented. Elements’ characteristics of firearm residues were also found in remains buried for up to 30 years. Primarily, this work shows that the concentrations of gunshot residues (Pb, Ba, and Sb) resemble those observed in fresh corpses with the same gunshot wound (GSW). Moreover, the correlation observed between CDD and gunshot residues, where the likelihood of CDD increases the closer to the head and the more perpendicular the shot angle is, reinforces CDD as a pivotal discriminatory factor in the skeletal evidence of short‐range or contact shot. This research contributes to the field of forensic anthropology by providing fundamental insights into the etiology of CDD and its practical application.
Gender differences in female and male Australian football concussion injury: A prospective observational study of emergency department presentations
Authors: Stella Julian , Gill Stephen D , Lowry Nicole , Reade Tom , Baker Tim , Kloot Kate , Hayden Georgina , Ryan Matthew , Seward Hugh , Page Richard S 
Published: May 2024

AbstractObjectiveTo examine gender differences in Australian football (AF)‐related concussion presentations to EDs in regional Australia.MethodsA prospective observational study of patients presenting to 1 of the 10 EDs in Western Victoria, Australia, with an AF‐related concussion was conducted. Patients were part of a larger study investigating AF injuries over a complete AF season, including pre‐season training and practice matches. Information regarding concussion injuries was extracted from patient medical records, including clinical features, concurrent injuries, mechanism and context of injury. Female and male data were compared with chi‐squared and Fisher's exact tests. P < 0.05 was considered significant.ResultsFrom the original cohort of 1635 patients with AF‐related injuries (242 female and 1393 male), 231 (14.1%) patients were diagnosed with concussion. Thirty‐eight (15.7%) females had concussions versus 193 (13.9%) males (P > 0.05). Females over the age of 16 were more likely to be concussed than males in the same age range (females n = 26, 68.4% vs males n = 94, 48.7%; P = 0.026). Neurosurgically significant head injury was rare (one case). Similar rates of concurrent injury were found between females 15 (39.5%) and males 64 (33.2%), with neck injury the single most common in 24 (10.3%) concussions. Sixty‐nine patients (29%) were admitted for observation or to await the results of scans. The majority of concussions occurred in match play (87.9%). Females were more likely injured in contested ball situations (63.2% vs 37.3%; P < 0.05).ConclusionConcussion rates for community‐level AF presentations to regional EDs were similar between genders. Serious head injury was rare, although hospital admission for observation was common. Concurrent injuries were common, with associated neck injury most often identified. Match play accounted for the majority of head injuries.
Ageing, microbes and health
Authors: O'Toole Paul W. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe human gut microbiome is a modifier of the risk for many non‐communicable diseases throughout the lifespan. In ageing, the effect of the microbiome appears to be more pronounced because of the lower physiological reserve. Microbial metabolites and other bioactive products act upon some of the key physiological processes involved in the Hallmarks of Ageing. Dietary interventions that delay age‐related change in the microbiome have also led to delayed onset of ageing‐related health loss, and improved levels of cognitive function, inflammatory status and frailty. Cross‐sectional analysis of thousands of gut microbiome datasets from around the world has identified key taxa that are depleted during accelerated health loss, and other taxa that become more abundant, but these signatures differ in some geographical regions. The key challenges for research in this area are to experimentally prove that particular species or strains directly contribute to health‐related ageing outcomes, and to develop practical ways of retaining or re‐administering them on a population basis. The promotion of a health‐associated gut microbiome in ageing mirrors the challenge of maintaining planetary microbial ecosystems in the face of anthropogenic effects and climate change. Lessons learned from acting at the individual level can inform microbiome‐targeting strategies for achieving Sustainable Development Goals at a global level.
Genomic and T cell repertoire biomarkers associated with malignant mesothelioma survival
Authors: Nie Muwen , Sun Zhao , Li Ningning , Zhou Liangrui , Wang Shuchun , Yuan Mingming , Chen Rongrong , Zhao Lin , Li Ji , Bai Chunmei 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBackgroundMalignant mesothelioma (MM) is an exceedingly rare tumor with poor prognosis due to the limited availability of effective treatment. Immunotherapy has emerged as a novel treatment approach for MM, but less than 40% of the patients benefit from it. Thus, it is necessary to identify accurate and effective biomarkers that can predict the overall survival (OS) and immunotherapy efficacy for MM.MethodsDNA sequencing was used to identify the genomic landscape based on the data from 86 Chinese patients. T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing was used to characterize MM TCR repertoires of 28 patients between October 2016 and April 2023.ResultsPatients with TP53, NF2, or CDKN2A variants at the genomic level, as well as those exhibiting lower Shannon index (<6.637), lower evenness (<0.028), or higher clonality (≥0.194) according to baseline tumor tissue TCR indexes, demonstrated poorer OS. Furthermore, patients with TP53, CDKN2A, or CDKN2B variants and those with a lower evenness (<0.030) in baseline tumor tissue showed worse immunotherapy efficacy. The present study is the first to identify five special TCR Vβ‐Jβ rearrangements associated with MM immunotherapy efficacy.ConclusionsThe present study reported the largest‐scale genomic landscape and TCR repertoire of MM in Chinese patients and identified genomic and TCR biomarkers for the prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy in MM. The study results might provide new insights for prospective MM trials using specific genes, TCR indexes, and TCR clones as biomarkers and offer a reference for future antitumor drugs based on TCR‐specific clones.
Real‐world study of lazertinib as second‐line or greater treatment in advanced non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Lim Jeong Uk , Kim Kyuhwan , Kim Kyu Yean , Kang Hye Seon , Shin Ah. Young , Yeo Chang Dong , Kim Sung Kyoung , Park Chan Kwon , Lee Sang Haak , Kim Seung Joon 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBackgroundLazertinib is an oral, third‐generation EGFR‐TKI, which specifically targets the EGFR T790M mutation along with activating mutations Ex19del and L858R. More real‐world data are needed to evaluate its efficacy and safety in treating locally advanced and metastatic non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following prior EGFR TKI treatment.MethodsThis multicenter retrospective study was conducted at seven university hospitals affiliated to the Catholic Medical Center (CMC) in Korea. A clinical data warehouse (CDW) platform was used to access and extract information.ResultsA total of 48 patients were assessed. The majority were female (75%) and diagnosed with adenocarcinoma (95.8%). All patients had the EGFR mutation at diagnosis, 27 (56.3%) had the exon 19 deletion, 20 (41.7%) had the L858R mutation, and one (2.0%) had the exon 18 mutation. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 15.4 months. At 6, 12, and 18 months, PFS rates were 79.1%, 53.6%, and 27.3%, respectively. When PFS was analyzed by prior TKI duration (<18 months vs. >18 months), significant differences were noted at the 6 and 9‐month mark (p = 0.013 and p = 0.010, respectively). In multivariate analysis for PFS, only prior TKI duration and ECOG score showed statistical significance (p = 0.026 and p = 0.049, respectively). In the multivariate analysis for OS, ECOG score showed statistical significance (p = 0.006). Among 48 patients, 34 (70.8%) experienced adverse events (AEs) related to lazertinib. The most frequent AEs were skin reaction (29.8%), diarrhea (21.3%), and peripheral neuropathy (20.8%).ConclusionsThe results suggest that lazertinib is effective in second or more line settings, with tolerable safety profile. More patient data are necessary to find possible prognostic markers associated with patient outcome.
Translatability of life‐extending pharmacological treatments between different species
Authors: Burdusel Daiana , Coman Cristin , Ancuta Diana–Larisa , Hermann Dirk M. , Doeppner Thorsten R. , Gresita Andrei , Popa‐Wagner Aurel 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAnti‐aging research has made significant strides in identifying treatments capable of extending lifespan across a range of organisms, from simple invertebrates to mammals. This review showcases the current state of anti‐aging interventions, highlighting the lifespan extensions observed in animal models through various treatments and the challenges encountered in translating these findings to humans. Despite promising results in lower organisms, the translation of anti‐aging treatments to human applications presents a considerable challenge. This discrepancy can be attributed to the increasing complexity of biological systems, species‐specific metabolic and genetic differences, and the redundancy of metabolic pathways linked to longevity. Our review focuses on analyzing these challenges, offering insights into the efficacy of anti‐aging mechanisms across species and identifying key barriers to their translation into human treatments. By synthesizing current knowledge and identifying gaps in translatability, this review aims to underscore the importance of advancing these therapies for human benefit. Bridging this gap is essential to assess the potential of such treatments in extending the human healthspan.
MicroRNA 29 modulates β‐cell mitochondrial metabolism and insulin secretion via underlying miR‐29‐OXPHOS complex pathways
Authors: Cowan E. , Sun J. , Hamilton A. , Ruhrmann S. , Karagiannopoulos A. , Westholm E. , Ofori J. K. , Luan C. , Zhang E. , Mulder H. , Eliasson L. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAimMicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate β‐cell function, and β‐cell mitochondria and insulin secretion are perturbed in diabetes. We aimed to identify key miRNAs regulating β‐cell mitochondrial metabolism and novel β‐cell miRNA‐mitochondrial pathways.MethodsTargetScan (http://www.targetscan.org/) was used to predict if 16 miRNAs implicated in β‐cell function target 27 cis‐eGenes implicated in mitochondrial activity. The expression of candidate miRNAs and insulin secretion after 24 and 1 h pre‐incubation in 2.8, 11.1‐ and 16.7‐mM glucose was measured in clonal INS‐1 832/13 β‐cells. MiR‐29 silenced INS‐1 832/13 cells were assessed for insulin secretion (glucose, pyruvate, and K+), target cis‐eGene expression (Ndufv3 and Ndufa10 components of mitochondrial complex I (CI)), OXPHOS (CI‐V) protein expression, and mitochondrial OXPHOS respiration/activity. The expression of differentially expressed miR‐29 miRNAs was evaluated in Goto‐Kakizaki (GK) rat, db/db mouse and type 2 diabetic (T2D) human islets, as well as NMRI mouse islets cultured under glucolipotoxic conditions.ResultsMiR‐29, miR‐15 and miR‐124 were predicted to regulate ~20 cis‐eGenes, while miR‐29 alone was predicted to regulate ≥12 of these in rat and human species. MiR‐29 expression and insulin secretion were reduced in INS‐1 832/13 cells after 24 h in elevated glucose. MiR‐29 knockdown increased all tested insulin secretory responses, Nudfv3, Ndufa10, complex I and II expression, and cellular mitochondrial OXPHOS. MiR‐29 expression was reduced in db/db islets but increased in GK rat and T2D human islets.ConclusionWe conclude miR‐29 is a key miRNA in regulating β‐cell mitochondrial metabolism and insulin secretion via underlying miR‐29‐OXPHOS complex pathways. Furthermore, we infer reduced miR‐29 expression compensatorily enhances insulin secretion under glucotoxicity.