bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Limited partners’ contribution to venture capital fund returns: newbies versus experienced
Authors: Abdou Khaled , Gupta Paramita 
Published: April 2024

PurposeThis study aims to investigate limited partners’ (LPs) influence on venture capital (VC) fund returns.Design/methodology/approachWe merge data from Preqin and SDC’s VentureXpert spanning from 1993 to 2014 and conduct multiple regression analysis to examine the influence of LPs on VC fund performance. Additionally, we conduct three distinct robustness tests to verify the credibility of our findings.FindingsOur empirical analysis demonstrates that newbie LPs consistently exert a significant positive influence on VC fund returns.Research limitations/implicationsVC and LP data is self-reported, and there is no comprehensive dataset as some LPs prefer to maintain anonymity.Originality/valueExtant literature on LPs’ contribution to VC fund performance is limited. The general assumption is that the role of LPs in VC fund performance is confined to funding. We introduce a new variable, LP track record, as a proxy for LP experience to examine if this variable influences VC performance.
Simplifying finite elements analysis of four-point bending tests for flip chip microcomponents
Authors: Mecellem Amer , Belhenini Soufyane , Khelladi Douaa , Richard Caroline 
Published: April 2024

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to propose a simplifying approach for modelling a reliability test. Modelling the reliability tests of printed circuit board (PCB)/microelectronic component assemblies requires the adoption of several simplifying assumptions. This study introduces and validates simplified assumptions for modeling a four-point bend test on a PCB/wafer-level chip scale packaging assembly.

Design/methodology/approach
In this study, simplifying assumptions were used. These involved substituting dynamic imposed displacement loading with an equivalent static loading, replacing the spherical shape of the interconnections with simplified shapes (cylindrical and cubic) and transitioning from a three-dimensional modelling approach to an equivalent two-dimensional model. The validity of these simplifications was confirmed through both quantitative and qualitative comparisons of the numerical results obtained. The maximum principal plastic strain in the solder balls and copper pads served as the criteria for comparison.

Findings
The simplified hypotheses were validated through quantitative and qualitative comparisons of the results from various models. Consequently, it was determined that the replacement of dynamic loading with equivalent static loading had no significant impact on the results. Similarly, substituting the spherical shape of interconnections with an equivalent shape and transitioning from a three-dimensional approach to a two-dimensional one did not substantially affect the precision of the obtained results.

Originality/value
This study serves as a valuable resource for researchers seeking to model accelerated reliability tests, particularly in the context of four-point bending tests. The results obtained in this study will assist other researchers in streamlining their numerical models, thereby reducing calculation costs through the utilization of the simplified hypotheses introduced and validated herein.
The effects of the Russia–Ukraine war and the Wagner Group coup on defense stocks in Europe: an event study analysis
Authors: Covachev Svetoslav , Fazakas Gergely 
Published: April 2024

Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of the beginning of the Russia–Ukraine war and the Wagner Group’s attempted military coup against Putin’s regime on the European defense sector, consisting of weapons manufacturers.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors use the event study methodology to quantify the impact. That is, the authors assume that markets are efficient, and abnormal stock returns around the event dates capture the magnitudes of the impacts of the two events studied on European defense sector companies. The authors use the capital asset pricing model and two different multifactor models to estimate expected stock returns, which serve as the benchmark necessary to obtain abnormal returns.

Findings
The start of the war on February 24, 2022, when the Russian forces invaded Ukraine, was followed by high positive abnormal returns of up to 12% in the next few days. The results are particularly strong if multiple factors are used to control for the risk of the defense stocks. Conversely, the authors find a negative impact of the rebellion initiated by the mercenary Wagner Group’s chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on June 23, 2023, on the abnormal returns of defense industry stocks on the first trading day after the event.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of the impact of the Russia–Ukraine war on the defense sector. Furthermore, this is the first study to measure the financial implications of the military coup initiated by the Wagner Group. The findings contribute to a rapidly growing literature on the financial implications of military conflicts around the world.
Supporting PK-12 continuous school improvement efforts in a school–university partnership network
Authors: Savick Stephanie L. , Watson Lauren 
Published: April 2024

PurposeThis paper will discuss one university’s efforts to initiate a process to better support PK-12 continuous school improvement goals for all 13 schools in their PDS network as a way to broaden the university’s mission and respond more formally to the individual school communities with which they partner.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is conceptual in that it presents an innovative idea to stimulate discussion, generate new ideas and advance thinking about cross-institutional collaboration between universities and professional development schools.FindingsThe paper provides insights and ideas for bringing about change and growth in a seasoned PDS partnership network by connecting PK-12 continuous school improvement efforts to PDS partnership work.Originality/valueThis paper fulfills an identified need to study how seasoned partnerships can participate in simultaneous renewal by offering ideas that school–university partnership leaders can build upon as they make efforts to participate in the process of growth and change.
Cutaneous adverse events following COVID‐19 vaccination: A case series of 30 Japanese patients and a review of 93 Japanese studies
Authors: Baba Atsunori , Yamada Kiyoko , Kanekura Takuro 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIn Japan, cutaneous adverse events (AEs) following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccination have been frequently described; however, a larger case series and literature review are lacking. There is an urgent need for an extensive investigation of new cases and previous reports to provide a thorough body of information about post‐COVID‐19 immunization cutaneous AEs. We aimed to analyze patients with cutaneous AEs after COVID‐19 vaccination in our hospital and review previous studies of cutaneous AEs. We analyzed post‐COVID‐19 vaccination cutaneous AEs in our department, the Japanese Registry, and previous literature. We enrolled 30 patients with cutaneous post‐vaccination AEs in our department over 2 years (April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2023). We also confirmed cases registered in the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare COVID‐19 vaccine side effect reporting system (February 17, 2021–March 12, 2023). A total of 587 records were retrieved and 93 articles were included for data extraction. A total of 28 non‐injection‐site cutaneous AEs and two injection‐site AEs were identified. Six (20.0%) patients developed new‐onset erythematous eruptions, and five (16.7%) patients developed urticaria. Pruritic eruption, eczema, shingles, and sweating symptoms have also been reported. In previous studies on non‐injection‐site cutaneous AEs, individuals who received the BNT162b2 vaccine were older than those who received mRNA‐1273 (P < 0.01). Cutaneous AEs were mostly nonsignificant and self‐limiting reactions; however, rare, severe, or life‐threatening AEs were also reported. Physicians should be aware of the various possible cutaneous AEs associated with the COVID‐19 vaccination.
Toxic epidermal necrolysis complicated with primary cutaneous aspergillosis: A report of four cases
Authors: Liu Qianru , Su Huilin , Hong Chunli , Han Jiande , Chen Xiaohong , Tang Xuhua 
Published: April 2024

AbstractPrimary cutaneous aspergillosis (PCA) is a rare opportunistic infection caused by Aspergillus that can be life‐threatening. PCA is mainly reported in immunocompromised hosts such as patients with AIDS, those with hematologic malignancy, or infants with occlusive dressings. However, no study has previously reported PCA associated with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). This study reports four cases of TEN complicated with PCA, presenting with discrete gray or black spots over newly formed epithelia. Risk factors of PCA in patients with TEN include host factors, iatrogenic factors, indoor environment, and wound care. Two of the four cases eventually died, highlighting the importance of further exploring PCA in patients with TEN.
Strategic postponement of coalition policymaking in European Parliamentary democracies
Authors: LU XIAO 
Published: April 2024

AbstractCoalition policymaking concerns not only who decides what in which jurisdiction but also when, how speedy and in what rhythm. Due to the limited time budget and shadow of future elections, parties in charge of respective ministerial portfolios have to strategically organize their policy agendas to trade off between policy and electoral incentives in the face of coalition partners who monitor and control ministerial autonomy. However, despite the burgeoning literature on coalition governance, the temporal dimension of ministerial agenda control is less well understood. I advance this research by proposing a model to directly account for the influence of time budgets on timing decisions of ministers in policy initiation. In this model, I distinguish between different timing strategies of policy initiation a ministerial party may possibly adopt and identify in equilibrium a conditional postponing strategy by which ministers facing high scrutiny of coalition partners will postpone bill initiation till the end of the term. The empirical examination lends support to my argument and further demonstrates that the timing strategy of ministers can also be influenced by coalition conflict and policy saliency of bills.
Toward sustainable climate action in advanced economies: Linking information communication technology, technological innovation, economic complexity, and ecological footprint
Authors: Onwe Joshua Chukwuma , Nathaniel Solomon Prince , Ansari Mohd Arshad 
Published: April 2024

AbstractInformation and communication technology (ICT), technological innovation, and renewable energy (REN) consumption have been proffered as solutions to the recent environmental tragedies in developed countries. In recent times, ICT diffusion and technological innovation have improved in G7 countries, but the same cannot be said of REN consumption. As such, this study examines the link between ICT, economic complexity, technological innovation, REN, and ecological footprint (EF) for G7 countries over the period 1990–2020. We use three variables (fixed telephone subscriptions [FTS], mobile cellular subscriptions [MCS], and individuals using the internet [IUI]) to represent ICT. The presence of cross‐sectional dependence guides the use of second‐generation econometric methods for slope heterogeneity, unit root, cointegration, and parameter estimation. The augment mean group (AMG) estimator and panel OLS techniques are applied to complement the method of moment quantile regression (MM‐QR) approach. The MM‐QR results suggest that REN consumption and technological innovation impede the EF across all quantile levels (0.1–0.9), whereas economic growth and economic complexity augment the EF in G7 countries. The ICT variables have heterogeneous effects on the EF, suggesting that the impact of ICT on the EF depends on the estimation techniques and proxy for the variable. In line with these outcomes, public policies directed toward funding technological innovation projects are recommended. The funding should specifically focus on environmentally friendly technologies that can guarantee complementarity between reduced environmental damage and increased economic growth.
Modeling the influence of mineral rents and low‐carbon energy on environmental quality: New insights from a sustainability perspective
Authors: Caglar Abdullah Emre , Daştan Muhammet , Avci Salih Bortecine , Ahmed Zahoor , Gönenç Senem 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIn recent decades, the detrimental impacts of climate change have been increasingly felt worldwide. This is due to the extreme consumption of natural resources to fuel economic activity. Confronting a widening ecological deficit, humanity must urgently accelerate its journey toward sustainable development goals (SDGs). This demands active efforts to curb environmental pollution and protect natural resources, safeguarding the planet for future generations. Since Brazil has high biocapacity and ecological areas, the impact of energy resources on ecological sustainability policies cannot be excluded. Moreover, Brazil holds a vital position in the world for global foreign direct investment flows. In this regard, this paper considers the asymmetric impact of mineral rents and foreign direct investments when investigating Brazil's environmental sustainability. In addition, it evaluates elements like economic growth and low‐carbon energy consumption from 1970 to 2021. To this end, the research applies the Fourier nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model and draws three significant conclusions. First, resource extraction undermines environmental sustainability. Second, the inflow of foreign direct investment reduces the load capacity factor, implying that the pollution haven hypothesis holds for Brazil. Third, low‐carbon energy consumption contributes to environmental sustainability. Our findings highlight the critical role of regulating mineral resource rents in achieving SDGs in Brazil. Moreover, increasing investment in clean energy sources and transitioning toward low‐carbon energy can promote sustainable development in Brazil. The Brazilian government should abandon mineral extraction, focus on low‐carbon energy consumption, and prevent companies from destroying nature by introducing strict environmental regulations for foreign investment flows.
Probiotic properties and the ameliorative effect on DSS‐induced colitis of human milk–derived Lactobacillus gasseri SHMB 0001
Authors: Wang Xufei , Dong Fang , Liu Gaojie , Ye Lin , Xiao Fangfei , Li Xiaolu , Zhang Ting , Wang Yizhong 
Published: April 2024

AbstractHuman milk contains a variety of microorganisms that exert benefit for human health. In the current study, we isolated a novel Lactobacillus gasseri strain named Lactobacillus gasseri (L. gasseri) SHMB 0001 from human milk and aimed to evaluate the probiotic characteristics and protective effects on murine colitis of the strain. The results showed that L. gasseri SHMB 0001 possessed promising potential probiotic characteristics, including good tolerance against artificial gastric and intestinal fluids, adhesion to Caco‐2 cells, susceptibility to antibiotic, no hemolytic activity, and without signs of toxicity or infection in mice. Administration of L. gasseri SHMB 0001 (1 × 108 CFU per gram of mouse weight per day) reduced weight loss, the disease activity index, and colon shortening in mice during murine colitis conditions. Histopathological analysis revealed that L. gasseri SHMB 0001 treatment attenuated epithelial damage and inflammatory infiltration in the colon. L. gasseri SHMB 0001 treatment increased the expression of colonic occludin and claudin‐1 while decreasing the expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokine genes. L. gasseri SHMB 0001 modified the composition and structure of the gut microbiota community and partially recovered the Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathways altered by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Overall, our results indicated that the human breast milk–derived L. gasseri SHMB 0001 exhibited promising probiotic properties and ameliorative effect on DSS‐induced colitis in mice. L. gasseri SHMB 0001 may be applied as a promising probiotic against intestinal inflammation in the future.Practical ApplicationL. gasseri SHMB 0001 isolated from human breast milk showed good tolerance to gastrointestinal environment, safety, and protective effect against DSS‐induced mice colitis via enforcing gut barrier, downregulating pro‐inflammatory cytokines, and modulating gut microbiota. L. gasseri SHMB 0001 may be a promising probiotic candidate for the treatment of intestinal inflammation.
Surgical outcomes for non‐small cell lung cancer in younger adults: A population‐based study
Authors: Zhang Zhirong , Huo Huandong , Li Feng , Miao Jinbai , Hu Bin , Chen Shuo 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe surgical outcomes for younger patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features long‐term survival outcomes in younger individuals with NSCLC following surgery.MethodsWe queried the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2010 to 2017, selecting all pathologically confirmed NSCLC cases that underwent cancer‐directed surgery. Younger patients were defined as those aged 18–50 years, while older patients were 51–80 years. Propensity score matching (PSM) was implemented to mitigate selection bias. Overall survival (OS) and lung cancer‐specific survival (LCSS) were compared using the Kaplan–Meier method.ResultsAmong the 33 586 treated surgically patients, 2223 (6.6%) were young. Compared to the older group, younger patients had a higher frequency of female gender, non‐white ethnicity, carcinoid tumors, stage IV disease, pneumonectomy, and postoperative adjuvant therapies. The 5‐year OS rates were significantly higher for younger patients (79.3% vs. 62.0%; p < 0.001), as were the 5‐year LCSS rates (82.4% vs. 71.8%; p < 0.001). Post‐PSM, younger patients consistently demonstrated significantly better OS and LCSS. Further stage‐specific analysis revealed significantly improved 5‐year OS rates at each stage and superior 5‐year LCSS for stages I–II among younger patients. However, there was no statistically significant difference in LCSS for stages III–IV.ConclusionsOverall, younger patients with NSCLC treated surgically exhibit superior OS and LCSS compared to their older counterparts, although no statistically significant difference in LCSS for stages III–IV was observed between the two age groups.
Using camera traps and N‐mixture models to estimate population abundance: Model selection really matters
Authors: Koetke Lisa Jeanne , Hodder Dexter P. , Johnson Chris J. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Estimating the abundance or density of wildlife populations is a critical part of species conservation and management, but estimates can vary greatly in precision and accuracy according to the sampling and statistical methods, sampling and ecological variation, and sample size.

We used images of moose (Alces americanus) from camera traps to parameterize N‐mixture models and tested the effect of ecological conditions, the spatial scale of measurement, and the criteria used to define independent detections on estimates of population abundance. We compared the model estimates to those generated empirically with aerial survey data, the standard method for many species of ungulate. We explored the sensitivity of estimates to model choice based on the common statistical criterion of parsimony.

The two most parsimonious N‐mixture models (i.e. AICc) were considerably biased, producing implausibly large and considerably imprecise estimates of abundance. Most of the other models produced estimates of moose abundance that were ecologically realistic and relatively accurate. The accuracy of population estimates produced by N‐mixture models was not overly sensitive to the formulation of models, the scale at which ecological conditions were measured, or the criteria used to define independent detection and by extension sample size.

Our results suggested that parsimony was a poor measure of the predictive accuracy of the population estimates produced with the N‐mixture model. We recommend using a suite of models to generate predictions of abundance instead of the single top‐ranked model. Collecting and processing data from the aerial survey was less expensive and took less time, but data from camera traps provided a broader set of insights into the behaviour of moose and the co‐occurrence of competitors and predators.
Paternal peri‐conceptional physical activity and the risk of congenital heart disease in offspring: A case–control study
Authors: Atieh Ornina , Azzi Nohad Maria J. , Lteif Georges J. , Atieh Ninar A. , Germanos Nadim Y. , Grandjean Valérie , Yarkiner Zalihe , Saliba Zakhia , Khalife Marie‐Claude Fadous , Raad Georges 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackgroundGenetic and environmental factors have been shown to contribute to the development of congenital heart disease (CHD). To date, the focus of scientific articles has primarily centered on genetics and maternal environmental factors, with comparatively less attention given to paternal risk factors.ObjectivesThis study aims to investigate the potential association between paternal pre‐conceptional physical activity levels (PA), along with paternal peri‐conceptional smoking and alcohol consumption, and the risk of CHD in offspring.Materials and methodsAn observational case–control study was conducted in Lebanon, with 279 participants, aiming to investigate potential risk factors for CHD. We included children with confirmed CHD, born between 2012 and 2022. Controls born in the same timeframe were selected randomly from the general population using online questionnaire forms. Mean age of children included was 6 years old (0–10). The pre‐conceptional PA was assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire validated in Arabic. In addition, paternal smoking, alcohol consumption, and maternal risk factors were collected.ResultsThe study included 128 CHD cases (45.9%) and their parents, as well as 151 healthy infants (54.1%) and their parents. There were no statistically significant variations in the alcohol consumption noted between the fathers in the case and control groups (p = 0.18). The paternal involvement in recreational‐related PA during the peri‐conception period was associated with a reduced risk of the CHD development in offspring by 46.9% (OR = 0.531, 95% CI: 0.301–0.936, p = 0.029). Additionally, increasing paternal total sitting time by 1 h above the average, which was approximately 260 min (4 h), increased the risk of CHD in offspring by 0.4% (p = 0.001). Moreover, paternal smoking exhibited an apparent association with a 56% increased risk of offspring developing CHD, notwithstanding that the confidence intervals included the null (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 0.86–2.8, p = 0.136).Discussion and conclusionThis observational study is the first to report a potential association between paternal PA, and CHD in offspring. This study aligns with previous reports, advocating for the paternal engagement in PA and the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits, especially during the critical stages of conception. Such practices are strongly recommended to enhance fertility and promote optimal health for offspring. However, due to the subjectivity in reporting PA and lack of molecular proof, additional prospective and molecular studies are required to validate these findings.