bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does power distance orientation really matter? A human resource flexibility – firm performance link: a moderated-mediation model
Authors: Rasheed Muhammad Athar , Mohsin Muhammad , Farid Mehar Tahir , Abid Muhammad Adeel 
Published: June 2024

PurposeThe present study aimed at analyzing the hypothesized relationship between human resource (HR) flexibility and firm performance with the mediating effect of firm innovation and the moderating role of firm-level power distance orientation.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed hypotheses were tested with the two-wave data collected from 209 registered information technology (IT) firms operating in Pakistan. The SMART-PLS examined the model’s hypothesized moderated, mediated and moderated-mediation relationships.FindingsThe results confirmed significant relationships between HR flexibility, firm innovation and performance while showing that the link between HR flexibility and firm performance is mediated by firm innovation. The results demonstrated that the firm-level power distance orientation negatively affected the HR flexibility–firm innovation link. These findings provide implications on how HR flexibility leverages firm innovation and performance. However, a power distance orientation in firms may diminish the positive effect of HR flexibility.Practical implicationsHR practitioners and top management can leverage these findings to design and implement policies that promote HR flexibility within IT firms for superior innovation and performance.Originality/valueOur study offers valuable insights into the contribution of HR flexibility to firm innovation and performance. Specifically, the findings indicate that power distance orientation negatively affects the relationships between HR flexibility, firm innovation and performance. Therefore, HR practitioners and top management can leverage these findings to design and implement policies that promote HR flexibility within IT firms for superior innovation and performance.
Creating a capital-efficient organization: Accele BioPharma
Authors: Brown Jesse Lee , Paul Tyechia Veronica 
Published: June 2024

Research methodology
Case information was mainly acquired through interviews with Richard Gammans, chief operating officer. Dr Gammans was a visiting professor at Fayetteville State University for a year, and two of the case authors developed personal friendships with Richard. Interviews were conducted over a two-year period as the accelerator got started. In addition, one author conducted a team-building session with the management team and one of the bio-startup researchers. An interview was also conducted with Clayton Duncan, chief executive officer, to gain his agreement with developing the case.
The Accele website included a write-up on each of the pharmaceutical startup companies. The write-up included a company summary, description of the science (disease and cure), the size of the market, results from testing, regulatory considerations and intellectual property. A literature review was conducted as the basis for the information on the pharmaceutical industry.

Case overview/synopsis
This case is about a biopharmaceutical accelerator founded in 2011 by two senior executives with experience in both large pharmaceutical companies and running biotech startup companies. The founders were successful in raising capital to start their first venture capital fund which they used to invest in four biotech startups. All four startups were working in very different disease areas. For example, one developed a drug to help with hearing loss that the department of defense was funding. Another of the startups discovered drug candidates that attack antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Biopharmaceutical accelerators were relatively new. They differed from business incubators because they invest in the startups and provide operational support, but the degree of support provided varies across accelerators. The Accele BioPharma accelerator operated in virtual, network type of organization, and Accele BioPharma provided primary strategic and operational management for the startups. The challenge in this case is to identify how the leaders managed the virtual network, and what additional resources were needed so that the management team could expand their ability to assist startups to get drugs approved by the food and drug administration.

Complexity academic level
This case is suitable recommended for undergraduate/graduate strategy, undergraduate/graduate organizational behavior, entrepreneurship and health-care management courses.
Social media, artificial intelligence (AI), and one burning question: How to balance problems and progress?
Authors: Furnelli Anthony , Hart Phil , Sherman Kimberly 
Published: June 2024

Research methodology
This compact case study was developed from secondary sources readily available in the public domain. These secondary sources included websites, videos and articles.

Case overview/synopsis
Throughout 2023, social media companies faced a wide range of criticism on several fronts. Critics claimed that the companies were not doing enough to manage content and the algorithms were influencing American public opinion in the Israel-–Hamas war. Others argued that social media was negatively impacting the mental health of American youth. In response, the platforms reiterated their neutrality and emphasized the features, functions and policies that were designed to address the issues and encourage a positive user experience. As generative artificial intelligence (AI) grew in popularity, the impact on social media was inevitable. Was the convergence of social media and AI inspiring progress or exacerbating problems? How would society balance the opposing forces in a rapidly evolving environment?

Complexity academic level
This case should be used in marketing and management classes at the undergraduate level. Applicable concepts include AI, social media, content and information.
Vivipary and light quality effects on seed germination of the columnar cactus, Cereus jamacaru
Authors: Santos Jessyca Adelle Silva , Meiado Marcos Vinicius , Garcia Queila Souza 
Published: June 2024

AbstractVivipary is a remarkable trait in the Cactaceae family. Here, we reported a case of vivipary in Cereus jamacaru and observed which season had the highest vivipary incidence by examining the types of fruits and seeds produced during two contrasting periods in a seasonally dry tropical forest in northeastern Brazil. Additionally, because seeds of this species are positively photoblastic, a germination experiment was conducted to confirm whether seeds inside viviparous fruits (VFs) exhibited changes in light sensitivity. Seeds from VFs were then subjected to different light quality treatments, and their germination was compared with that observed in seeds from non‐viviparous fruits (NVFs). Vivipary only occurred in fruits produced at the end of the rainy season. Viviparous fruits’ seeds had a higher germination percentage under far‐red light than NVFs’ seeds, suggesting that vivipary may favor seed germination under canopy‐shade light and therefore provide new avenues for survival in semiarid environments.
A polyethylene surrogate for microbial community enrichment and characterization
Authors: Camur Bilge Bahar , Mancipe Natalia Calixto , Barney Brett M. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractPlastic pollution is a vast and increasing problem that has permeated the environment, affecting all aspects of the global food web. Plastics and microplastics have spread to soil, water bodies, and even the atmosphere due to decades of use in a wide range of applications. Plastics include a variety of materials with different properties and chemical characteristics, with polyethylene being a dominant fraction. Polyethylene is also an extremely persistent compound with slow rates of photodegradation or biodegradation. In this study, we developed a method to isolate communities of microbes capable of biodegrading a polyethylene surrogate. This method allows us to study potential polyethylene degradation over much shorter time periods. Using this method, we enriched several communities of microbes that can degrade the polyethylene surrogate within weeks. We also identified specific bacterial strains with a higher propensity to degrade compounds similar to polyethylene. We provide a description of the method, the variability and efficacy of four different communities, and key strains from these communities. This method should serve as a straightforward and adaptable tool for studying polyethylene biodegradation.
Nationwide status of aeromedical pre‐hospital and retrieval medicine in Australia
Authors: Hollott John , Gelzinnis Scott , Morgan Mary , Garner Alan 
Published: June 2024

AbstractObjectiveTo survey the current structure, capability and operational scope of pre‐hospital and retrieval aeromedical teams across Australia.MethodsThe medical directors of all Australian civilian adult aeromedical retrieval organisations with pre‐hospital teams and/or doctors for inter‐hospital critical care patient transport were contacted in a survey to qualitatively assess capacity and team structure.ResultsAll 17 organisations contacted completed the survey. While there is diversity in team structure with the pairing of doctors, paramedics and nurses, capacity for patient care is generally homogenous. A doctor/paramedic model is the more common team structure for rotary‐wing missions, and doctor/nurse for fixed‐wing. Differences are mostly due to state government controlled aspects of their health services. An advanced degree of intensive patient care occurs outside of the hospital. Land and sea rescue is an important aspect of Australian aeromedical work.ConclusionAeromedicine in Australia has many consistent elements, but variable contexts have resulted in a diversity of operational models.
Death in Fleet Street: the demise of John Lowther, knight of the shire for Westmorland, in the parliament of January 1380*
Authors: Kleineke Hannes 
Published: June 2024

AbstractOn the second day of the Westminster Parliament of January 1380 John Lowther, one of the MPs for Westmorland, was stabbed to death by a fellow Member, Sir William Curwen, who sat for Cumberland. A case study of this homicide (the principal record of which is printed in the appendix) and its background offers new information on the arrangements for the housing of MPs during 14th‐century parliaments and demonstrates how the affair acquired a long parliamentary afterlife, before eventually being settled in 1394.
Optimizing an integrated biovigilance toolbox to study the spatial distribution and dynamic changes of airborne mycobiota, with a focus on cereal rust fungi in western Canada
Authors: Chen Wen , Newlands Nathaniel , Hambleton Sarah , Laroche André , Davoodi Seyyed Mohammadreza , Bakkeren Guus 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn the face of evolving agricultural practices and climate change, tools towards an integrated biovigilance platform to combat crop diseases, spore sampling, DNA diagnostics and predictive trajectory modelling were optimized. These tools revealed microbial dynamics and were validated by monitoring cereal rust fungal pathogens affecting wheat, oats, barley and rye across four growing seasons (2015–2018) in British Columbia and during the 2018 season in southern Alberta. ITS2 metabarcoding revealed disparity in aeromycobiota diversity and compositional structure across the Canadian Rocky Mountains, suggesting a barrier effect on air flow and pathogen dispersal. A novel bioinformatics classifier and curated cereal rust fungal ITS2 database, corroborated by real‐time PCR, enhanced the precision of cereal rust fungal species identification. Random Forest modelling identified crop and land‐use diversification as well as atmospheric pressure and moisture as key factors in rust distribution. As a valuable addition to explain observed differences and patterns in rust fungus distribution, trajectory HYSPLIT modelling tracked rust fungal urediniospores' northeastward dispersal from the Pacific Northwest towards southern British Columbia and Alberta, indicating multiple potential origins. Our Canadian case study exemplifies the power of an advanced biovigilance toolbox towards developing an early‐warning system for farmers to detect and mitigate impending disease outbreaks.
Pip5k1γ promotes anabolism of nucleus pulposus cells and intervertebral disc homeostasis by activating CaMKII‐Ampk pathway in aged mice
Authors: Chen Mingjue , Li Feiyun , Qu Minghao , Jin Xiaowan , He Tailin , He Shuangshuang , Chen Sheng , Yao Qing , Wang Lin , Chen Di , Wu Xiaohao , Xiao Guozhi 
Published: June 2024

AbstractDegenerative disc disease (DDD) represents a significant global health challenge, yet its underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. This study aimed to investigate the role of type 1 phosphatidylinositol 4‐phosphate 5‐kinase (Pip5k1) in intervertebral disc (IVD) homeostasis and disease. All three Pip5k1 isoforms, namely Pip5k1α, Pip5k1β, and Pip5k1γ, were detectable in mouse and human IVD tissues, with Pip5k1γ displaying a highest expression in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. The expression of Pip5k1γ was significantly down‐regulated in the NP cells of aged mice and patients with severe DDD. To determine whether Pip5k1γ expression is required for disc homeostasis, we generated a Pip5k1γfl/fl; AggrecanCreERT2 mouse model for the conditional knockout of the Pip5k1γ gene in aggrecan‐expressing IVD cells. Our findings revealed that the conditional deletion of Pip5k1γ did not affect the disc structure or cellular composition in 5‐month‐old adult mice. However, in aged (15‐month‐old) mice, this deletion led to several severe degenerative disc defects, including decreased NP cellularity, spontaneous fibrosis and cleft formation, and a loss of the boundary between NP and annulus fibrosus. At the molecular level, the absence of Pip5k1γ reduced the anabolism of NP cells without markedly affecting their catabolic or anti‐catabolic activities. Moreover, the loss of Pip5k1γ significantly dampened the activation of the protective Ampk pathway in NP cells, thereby accelerating NP cell senescence. Notably, Pip5k1γ deficiency blunted the effectiveness of metformin, a potent Ampk activator, in activating the Ampk pathway and mitigating lumbar spine instability (LSI)‐induced disc lesions in mice. Overall, our study unveils a novel role for Pip5k1γ in promoting anabolism and maintaining disc homeostasis, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target for DDD.
Adolescent social gaming as a form of social media: A call for developmental science
Authors: Maheux Anne J. , Garrett Shedrick L. , Fox Kara A. , Field Nathan H. , Burnell Kaitlyn , Telzer Eva H. , Prinstein Mitchell J. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractSocial gaming—online gameplay involving digital interactions with others—is a common form of social media use among adolescents. Research on this topic has neglected the social aspect of gaming and the potential role of social gaming in adolescent development. In this article, we define social gaming, drawing on interdisciplinary theories to clarify how it is both similar to and distinct from the app‐based social media platforms that have received more research attention. We outline how social gaming may be uniquely rewarding and influential for adolescents, given three key features of adolescent development: peer relationships, identity development, and neurobiological development. We address how individual differences—including those related to social identities, neurobiology, and pre‐existing social skills—may shape social gaming experiences and related outcomes. We conclude with a call for more work on how social gaming influences adolescent development and an agenda for researchers.
How can agent‐based modelling provide new insights into the impact of minimum unit pricing in Scotland?
Authors: Boyd Jennifer , Holmes John , Gibbs Naomi , Buckley Charlotte , Purshouse Robin , Meier Petra 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn recent years we have gained insight into the impact of minimum unit pricing (MUP)—a legal floor price below which a given volume of alcohol cannot be sold—on population‐level reductions in alcohol sales, consumption and harm. However, several questions remain unanswered including how individual‐level purchasing changes impact the local economy (e.g., balance between on‐licence and off‐licence outlets), lead to long‐term population‐level trends (e.g., youth drinking) and social harms (e.g., violence). Agent‐based modelling captures heterogeneity, emergence, feedback loops and adaptive and dynamic features, which provides an opportunity to understand the nuanced effects of MUP. Agent‐based models (ABM) simulate heterogeneous agents (e.g., individuals, organisations) often situated in space and time that interact with other agents and/or with their environment, allowing us to identify the mechanisms underlying social phenomena. ABMs are particularly useful for theory development, and testing and simulating the impacts of policies and interventions. We illustrate how ABMs could be applied to generate novel insights and provide best estimates of social network effects, and changes in purchasing behaviour and social harms, due to the implementation of MUP. ABMs like other modelling approaches can simulate alternative implementations of MUP (e.g., policy intensity [£0.50, £0.60] or spatial scales [local, national]) but can also provide an understanding of the potential impact of MUP on different population groups (e.g., alcohol exposure of young people who are not yet drinking). Using ABMs to understand the impact of MUP would provide new insights to complement those from traditional epidemiological and other modelling methods.
Through the looking glass: An alcohol advertisement every 3 minutes
Authors: Rutherford Brienna N. , Leung Janni , Stjepanović Daniel , Chan Gary C. K. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIntroductionThere is growing concern over the lack of regulation of alcohol advertisements on social media platforms frequented by youths. This study aims to build upon existing literature by assessing the frequency with which young Australians (17–25) are shown advertisements promoting alcohol use and the themes utilised in these advertisements.MethodsA total of 125 Australian youths (mean age 18.74 years; 74.40% female) were recruited in exchange for course credit to participate in an online study. Participants scrolled through Facebook or Instagram for a period of 30 min and screenshotted any alcohol advertisements encountered. Participants then identified the advertisement qualities (or ‘themes’) present in the advertisements, based on pre‐identified categories. Demographic, social media usage and historical personal, peer or familial substance use behaviour data was also collected.ResultsSeventy‐one university students were exposed to 796 alcohol advertisements across both platforms, and they encountered an advertisement every 2 min and 43 s on average. Most advertisements included call to action features on both Facebook (78.80%) and Instagram (71.17%). Advertisements relating to ease of access (promoting subscription/home delivery; 41.72% and 42.56%) and sales incentives (special offers, promotions, samples or bonuses with purchase; 43.70% and 46.84%) were most common across both platforms.Discussion and ConclusionsAlcohol advertisements are highly prevalent online, particularly among Australian youth social media users. Future research should endeavour to identify whether temporal use of alcohol is a predictor of subsequent exposure to alcohol advertising on social media, and whether this exposure is likely to increase successive alcohol use behaviours.
Foresight for a better African future: Lessons from six decades of practice
Authors: Adesida Olugbenga , Gatune Julius , Eyakuze Aidan 
Published: June 2024

AbstractMotivationBeing able to anticipate (foresight) and thus identify development pathways and make long‐term plans is crucial for the transformation of Africa. However, long‐term planning was abandoned as many African countries went into crisis, being mostly forced to adopt structural adjustment programmes in the 1980s. Although long‐term planning began to make a comeback in the 1990s, the resulting visions have tended to remain that— visions—not fully reflected in policy implementation.PurposeThe article explores the many cycles of foresight in Africa to gain insight into how foresight can become an opportunity to generate new development options and strategies for Africa. Various examples of foresight in Africa are examined to tease out the imperatives for African policy‐makers to embed foresight into development management.Approach and MethodsWe review foresight in Africa, starting by mapping foresight exercises in the continent since independence. We identify three categories of foresight exercises: development partner‐led, government‐led, and civil society‐led. Given the involvement of the authors in some of the exercises, assessments are largely derived from personal communications, recollections, and reflections.FindingsFour insights emerge. First, foresight exercises have had little impact on leaders and decision‐makers, in large part because they have not been intimately engaged in the exercises.Two, foresight narratives tend to be challenging, raising difficult issues that may require substantial and difficult reforms. Faced with everyday challenges of government, leaders have usually chosen to ignore and disbelieve foresight exercises.Three, foresight analysts have not been sufficiently empathetic to the highly constrained systems of public governance and the ministers and civil servants that operate them.Four, futures initiatives can present the factors that may shape the future as overwhelming; and thereby discounting and undervaluing individual and collective agency.Policy implicationsExploring the future is not new in Africa. In traditional African societies, the need to explore the future has been recognized, as captured in proverbs and mythologies. The challenge facing African countries today is how to domesticate and democratize “modern” foresight so it becomes a way of life for decision‐makers and institutions.
Angular deformation of the tail in a young foal
Authors: Rijkenhuizen Astrid , van der Harst Mark 
Published: June 2024

SummaryA 1‐week‐old Warmblood female foal was presented for evaluation of an angular deviation of the tail to the left. The foal was able to defaecate normally. Manual straightening of the tail was possible but not completely to its normal position. Radiology revealed a growth deformity of coccygeal vertebrae 6 and 7 (CoV). Spontaneous correction of the tail angle was not expected, and surgical correction was advised. At that moment, the owner decided to wait and the operation was postponed until further notice. After 10 weeks, surgical correction of the angular deviation was undertaken by transphyseal screw placement with hemicircumferential periosteal transection and elevation on the left side of both vertebrae as well as inserting a temporary external fixator in which the end was distracted. Three weeks after surgery, the pins were removed. At the follow‐up examination 12 months after initial surgery, the deviation was nearly corrected and reduced to ca. 10 degrees deviation, and the owner was satisfied with the obtained result. No loss of sensory or motor function had occurred.