bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The climate wins! – How a gamification approach can foster sustainable consumption on university campuses and beyond
Authors: Berger Verena , Koch David 
Published: February 2024

Purpose
Educational institutions have a special social responsibility to initiate processes of sustainability transformation in society, nevertheless, activities that effectively address students as well as employees are rather moderate. To initiate change alongside strategic and political decisions, this paper aims to present findings of a gamification intervention (hereafter referred to as climate duel), which was implemented in a field study and tested to assess its potential as a supporting and transformative approach in a university context.

Design/methodology/approach
A three-month field study was conducted with two universities of applied sciences. The study included an environmental impact analysis of the two participating university departments, the conception and testing of the intervention and associated surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in order to and to obtain feedback that would allow the duel to be scaled up at other universities or institutions.

Findings
Three hundred seventy-five people took part and saved 2.6 tons of greenhouse gas emissions through their participation in the climate duel and their corresponding behavioural changes. In addition, feedback from the participants yielded positive results in terms of behavioural changes and generated valuable evidence for future implementations. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement, especially in terms of supporting communication activities that promote social relatedness to motivate each other, share experiences or deal with implementation difficulties in everyday life.

Originality/value
Building on the promising effects of gamification, the study is a showcase for applied science. With the possibility of testing a theory-based intervention in practice, an implementable, effective and scalable measure for universities that helps to accelerate the transformation process is available.
Formation mechanism of user stickiness in live e-commerce: the hybrid PLS-SEM and ANN approach
Authors: Wang Lin , Zhu Huiyu , Li Xia , Zhao Yang 
Published: February 2024

PurposeAlthough user stickiness has been studied for several years in the field of live e-commerce, little attention has been paid to the effects of streamer attributes on user stickiness in this field. Rooted in the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory, this study investigated how streamer attributes influence user stickiness.Design/methodology/approachThe authors obtained 496 valid samples from Chinese live e-commerce users and explored the formation of user stickiness using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Artificial neural network (ANN) was used to capture linear and non-linear relationships and analyze the normalized importance ranking of significant variables, supplementing the PLS-SEM results.FindingsThe authors found that attractiveness and similarity positively impacted parasocial interaction (PSI). Expertise and trustworthiness positively impacted perceived information quality. Moreover, streamer-brand preference mediated the relationship between PSI and user stickiness, as well as the relationship between perceived information quality and user stickiness. Compared to PLS-SEM, the predictive ability of ANN was more robust. Further, the results of PLS-SEM and ANN both showed that attractiveness was the strongest predictor of user stickiness.Originality/valueThis study explained how streamer attributes affect user stickiness and provided a reference value for future research on user behavior in live e-commerce. The exploration of the linear and non-linear relationships between variables based on ANN supplements existing research. Moreover, the results of this study have implications for practitioners on how to improve user stickiness and contribute to the development of the livestreaming industry.
Analysis and future projections of the electricity demands of the Jordanian household sector using artificial neural networks
Authors: Gharaibeh Mohammad A , Alkhatatbeh Ayman 
Published: February 2024

Purpose
The continuous increase of energy demands is a critical worldwide matter. Jordan’s household sector accounts for 44% of overall electricity usage annually. This study aims to use artificial neural networks (ANNs) to assess and forecast electricity usage and demands in Jordan’s residential sector.

Design/methodology/approach
Four parameters are evaluated throughout the analysis, namely, population (P), income level (IL), electricity unit price (E$) and fuel unit price (F$). Data on electricity usage and independent factors are gathered from government and literature sources from 1985 to 2020. Several networks are analyzed and optimized for the ANN in terms of root mean square error, mean absolute percentage error and coefficient of determination (R2).

Findings
The predictions of this model are validated and compared with literature-reported models. The results of this investigation showed that the electricity demand of the Jordanian household sector is mainly driven by the population and the fuel price. Finally, time series analysis approach is incorporated to forecast the electricity demands in Jordan’s residential sector for the next decade.

Originality/value
The paper provides useful recommendations and suggestions for the decision-makers in the country for dynamic planning for future resource policies in the household sector.
Micro understanding of the macro: employee perception, corporate social responsibility and job performance
Authors: Wang Chenxiao , Zhang Qingpu , Lu Lu , Tang Fangcheng 
Published: February 2024

PurposeThis study was aimed at obtaining a micro understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by investigating the effect of perceived CSR on job performance. Especially, an attempt is made to explore the mediating role of perceived organizational support and the moderating role of collectivism on the relationship between perceived CSR and job performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study collected questionnaire data from 219 employees of Chinese manufacturing firms, then used hierarchical multiple regression analysis to test our theoretical model.FindingsOur empirical results demonstrate that perceived internal and perceived external CSR are positively associated with job performance. In addition, perceived organizational support mediates the relationship between perceived CSR and job performance, and collectivism positively moderates the relationship between perceived external CSR and perceived organizational support.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the importance of adopting various strategies to conduct CSR practices, enhancing perceived organizational support and leveraging employee collectivism, which would be beneficial to improve job performance.Originality/valueThis study reveals employees’ underlying attitudes and behaviors responses to perceived CSR, thereby deepening the micro understanding of CSR. In addition, it extends the literature on social exchange theory by dividing perceived CSR into perceived internal and perceived external CSR and exploring their separate effects on job performance. Moreover, the study reveals the mediating role of perceived organizational support and the moderating role of collectivism, enriching the knowledge based on social exchange theory.
HR excellence enablers and results: developing a scale for assessing key internal and external HR stakeholders’ perceptions
Authors: Ghlichlee Behrooz 
Published: February 2024

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a multistakeholder scale for assessing an excellent human resource (HR) function to demonstrate the extent to which it is focused on creating value from the perspective of its key internal and external stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach
At the first stage, an in-depth literature review was conducted to extract the best practices for an excellent HR function. Then, to test the validation of the developed framework, it was sent to HR academics and practitioners in different countries. The survey responses were analyzed using the methods of the structural equation modeling (SEM) and confirmatory factorial analysis.

Findings
This study proposes an excellent HR multistakeholder assessment scale consisting of ten criteria based on the perceptions of internal and external HR stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications
This study suggests a framework for assessing overall HR excellence based on the perceptions of key internal and external HR stakeholders. In addition, it is recommended that future researchers empirically test the developed scale across various industries and firm sizes.

Practical implications
HR managers, by using this framework, could continuously assess their HR excellence and compare their HR excellence with other companies’ HR excellence in the industry and then plan for continuous improvement in different HR areas to improve their stakeholders’ experiences.

Originality/value
This paper identifies the enablers and results of an excellent HR department and designs a multistakeholder feedback scale to better understand key internal and external HR stakeholders’ perceptions.
Ontological transformations: the Kawaiwete's shifting relations with spirits as seen through changing ideas of conception
Authors: Brusco Rodrigo , Oakdale Suzanne 
Published: February 2024

AbstractDrawing on the insights of the ontological turn, this article explores how human and nonhuman social relations have changed over a thirty‐year period for a community of Tupian Kawaiwete people in Brazil's Xingu Indigenous Territory. Changes in human‐spirit relations are discussed through a focus on people's changing understandings of human conception and the relative importance and roles of maternal and paternal substances, shamanic practitioners, and spirit beings. While changes in relations with nonhuman others are usually understood in lowland literature in terms of the impact of outside forces, such as conversion to Christianity, in this article, we look at the agency of one particular shaman in restructuring humans’ relations with spirits, bringing these entities much closer than they used to be three decades ago. We argue that this shaman is responding to his historical context, and look at how his agency is entangled with the agency of nonhumans. Ultimately, we suggest that cosmology and ideas of conception are more variable and transformable than they are often portrayed.
Building the new architecture of crisis management: Global experts' insights on best and worst practices for securing external funding
Authors: Liu Brooke Fisher , Jin Yan , Zhao Wenqing , Schwarz Andreas , Truban Olivia , Seeger Matthew 
Published: February 2024

AbstractExternal funding is an important yet understudied area of inquiry in crisis communication research. With external funding being a keystone of assessing and broadening research impact in both academia and industry, it is important for scholarship to examine effective practices for funding proposals. This study explores the best and worst practices for funded research through an expert consultation survey of 36 global communication scholars with track records of funding success. Findings reveal motivating factors for seeking, securing and managing funding, as well as institutional factors. Findings also inform best and worst practices for securing external funding, including bridging theory and practice and establishing strong research partnerships.
Intersectional disparities in outpatient alcohol treatment completion by gender and race and ethnicity
Authors: Delk Joanne , Bensley Kara , Ye Yu , Subbaraman Meenakshi S. , Phillips Aryn Z. , Karriker‐Jaffe Katherine J. , Mulia Nina 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBackgroundUntreated alcohol use disorder (AUD) can have negative outcomes, including premature death. Completing specialty treatment for AUD can improve economic and educational outcomes. However, there are large racial and ethnic disparities in treatment completion, and how these disparities vary intersectionally (e.g., by gender and race and ethnicity) is unknown. Recent studies suggest that not using an intersectional approach can mask important disparities. We estimated disparities in AUD nonintensive outpatient treatment completion by gender alone, race and ethnicity alone, and intersectionally in a gender‐by‐race‐and‐ethnicity model. Accurately quantifying treatment completion disparities is critical not only for understanding healthcare disparities but reducing them to advance health equity.MethodsData are from SAMHSA's 2017 to 2019 Treatment Episode Dataset–Discharges for adults aged 18+ who entered nonintensive outpatient treatment primarily for alcohol (n = 559,447 episodes; 30.3% women; 63.7% White, 18.0% Black, 14.4% Hispanic/Latinx, 2.1% American Indian/Alaska Native [AIAN], 1.0% Asian/Pacific Islander). Using the rank‐and‐replace method, treatment completion disparities were estimated by gender, race and ethnicity, and gender‐by‐race‐and‐ethnicity due to any reason other than differences in need for treatment, consistent with the Institute of Medicine's definition of a healthcare disparity.ResultsThe intersectional gender‐by‐race‐and‐ethnicity model identified the widest range of disparities among all models tested. Using this model, the largest disparities were identified for minoritized women's treatment episodes. Compared to White men whose completion rate was 60.79% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 60.06, 60.98), Black, Hispanic/Latina, AIAN, and Asian‐American/Pacific Islander women had treatment episode completion rates that were 12.35 (CI: 12.33, 12.37), 9.08 (CI: 9.06, 9.11), 10.27 (CI: 10.22, 10.32), and 4.87 (CI: 4.78, 4.95) percentage points lower, respectively.ConclusionsIn the United States, treatment completion rates for non‐intensive outpatient alcohol treatment episodes are significantly lower for minoritized women than White men. The extent of the disparity is not apparent in univariate models, highlighting the importance of an intersectional approach to understanding disparities in the completion of non‐intensive outpatient treatment for AUD.
Vaginal candida infection is associated with host molecular signatures of neutrophil activation in the adjacent ectocervical mucosa in Kenyan sex workers
Authors: Hasselrot Tyra , Boger Mathias Franzén , Kaldhusdal Vilde , Åhlberg Alexandra , Omollo Kenneth , Lajoie Julie , Kimani Joshua , Tjernlund Annelie , Fowke Keith R. , Czarnewski Paulo , Broliden Kristina 
Published: February 2024

AbstractProblemOvergrowth of candida species in the human vaginal mucosa causes inflammation, which could render the mucosal barrier more susceptible to HIV infection. Here, we investigated whether this condition also affects the ectocervical mucosa, a potential site of HIV entry, in women at high risk of HIV infection.Method of studyRetrospective medical data and ectocervical tissue samples were obtained from a cohort of Kenyan sex workers. Among 108 women, seven had signs of vaginal candida infection by wet smear microscopy and/or the presence of characteristic discharge. Women lacking these two criteria served as controls. Host transcriptomic profiling and quantitative in situ image analysis of epithelial barrier markers and CD4+ cell distribution were performed.ResultsThe candida group had 162 differentially expressed genes out of 15 435 genes as compared with the control group. Among these 162 genes, 147 were upregulated and 15 were downregulated. Gene expression pathway analysis indicated associations with an upregulated inflammatory response, defined primarily by markers of neutrophil activation. Transcription factor analysis revealed upregulation of pathways related to RELA/REL/NFKB1, JUN and STAT1 in the candida group. In situ image analysis of ectocervical tissue samples showed no differences between groups in terms of epithelial height, expression of epithelial junction proteins (E‐cadherin, claudin‐1, zonula occludens 1, and desmoglein‐1), or epithelial CD4+ cell distribution.ConclusionsVaginal candida infection was associated with inflammation and neutrophil infiltration, but not with severe epithelial disruption or CD4+ cell infiltration, in the ectocervical mucosa.
Kisspeptin prevents pregnancy loss by modulating the immune microenvironment at the maternal‐fetal interface in recurrent spontaneous abortion
Authors: Yang Yanhong , Song Saizhe , Gu Shuting , Gu Yanzheng , Zhao Ping , Li Dongxiao , Cheng Wei , Liu Cuiping , Zhang Hong 
Published: February 2024

AbstractProblemImmune factors are crucial in the development of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). This study aimed to investigate whether kisspeptin regulates immune cells at the maternal‐fetal interface and whether G protein‐coupled receptor 54 (GPR54) is involved in this process, through which it contributes to the pathogenesis of RSA.Method of studyNormal pregnancy (NP) (CBA/J × BALB/c) and RSA (CBA/J × DBA/2) mouse models were established. NP mice received tail vein injections of PBS and KP234 (blocker of kisspeptin receptor), whereas RSA mice received PBS and KP10 (active fragment of kisspeptin). The changes in immune cells in mouse spleen and uterus were assessed using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. The expression of critical cytokines was examined by flow cytometry, ELISA, Western blotting, and qPCR. Immunofluorescence was employed to detect the coexpression of FOXP3 and GPR54.ResultsThe findings revealed that the proportion of Treg cells, MDSCs, and M2 macrophages in RSA mice was lower than that in NP mice, but it increased following the tail vein injection of KP10. Conversely, the proportion of these cells was reduced in NP mice after the injection of KP234. However, the trend of γδT cell proportion change is contrary to these cells. Furthermore, FOXP3 and GPR54 were coexpressed in mouse spleen and uterus Treg cells as well as in the human decidua samples.ConclusionOur results suggest that kisspeptin potentially participates in the pathogenesis of RSA by influencing immune cell subsets at the maternal‐fetal interface, including Treg cells, MDSC cells, γδT cells, and M2 macrophages.
Qualitative longitudinal methodologies for crisis times: Against crisis exceptionalism and ‘helicopter’ research
Authors: Brickell Katherine , Lawreniuk Sabina , McCarthy Lauren 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn this introduction to the collection of papers ‘Qualitative Longitudinal Methodologies for Crisis Times’, we argue that two main characteristics or ‘qualities’ of qualitative longitudinal methodologies (QLMs) can be identified for researching crisis. The first is that QLMs can function to repudiate crisis exceptionalism. The papers denounce the discrete and time‐limited, instead impressing the ongoingness of crisis from the past, the present, and into the future. The second overarching point made in the introduction is that QLMs protect against ‘helicopter’ research, a heightened risk when studying crisis times. Together the papers offer a close and complex introspection on the use and outcome of QLMs in spaces and times of crisis from the perspective of researchers undertaking the research, and in multiple instances, research participants enrolled in them.
Neogene evolution of the margin adjacent to the La Plata River Delta (Pelotas Basin): Sedimentary pathways and the origins of the Rio Grande Cone
Authors: Tagliaro Gabriel , Britzke Adolfo , Gama Mateus A. C. , Bauli Pedro , Negrão André P. , Jovane Luigi 
Published: February 2024

AbstractContinental margins that exhibit high terrigenous input are generally located near deltas that are capable of transporting large quantities of sediments into the basin. However, in rare cases, high terrigenous sedimentation occurs in regions deprived of major riverine systems where the sedimentary pathway is enigmatic. One such case is the Neogene of the Pelotas Basin of Brazil and Uruguay, adjacent to the La Plata River mouth. Since the Miocene, anomalous sedimentation formed a giant progradational wedge, the Rio Grande Cone, one of the largest submarine fan‐like features on Earth. To understand the Neogene evolution of the margin and the origins of the Rio Grande Cone, here we present a seismic‐stratigraphic framework based on well‐logs and 2D seismic data. Three depositional environments are identified: (1) on the shelf, upper Miocene to Pliocene fluvial channels delivered sand deposits on the mud‐dominated shelf; (2) on the slope, sediment instability resulted in structural deformation and multiple phases of mass transport deposition and (3) on the lower slope and basin floor, large contourite drifts formed by sediment reworking. We classify the Rio Grande Cone as a megaslide complex, due to its depositional and structural setting. Local deltaic systems were active on the shelf in the Neogene, but the limited size of their paleo‐drainage systems in comparison to the volume of sedimentation in the margin suggests that an additional sedimentary pathway existed. In this sense, the demise of an epicontinental sea over the La Plata Basin during the Neogene likely enabled the input of large volumes of fine sediments into the margin, via the La Plata plume water. We suggest that the desiccation of this epicontinental sea and the intensification of ocean currents since the middle Miocene explains the anomalous Neogene terrigenous influx into the SW Atlantic margin.
Exploring the desires to become academics: Reflections of academic women in Chinese non‐elite public universities
Authors: Yuan Boya , Tang Li 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis study explores the dynamic journey of women as they become academics in non‐elite Chinese public universities. It focuses on their aspirations and the evolving subjectivity that accompanies this process. Ten participants from the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) fields, aged 28–57, were interviewed; the transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Adopting a Butlerian perspective, our findings identify two distinct subjectivities that shape Chinese women's decision to become academics: autonomous subjectivity driven by intrinsic desire and strategic subjectivity driven by instrumental desire. We argue that becoming an academic is a complex process influenced by regulatory power, including market forces, institutional and societal constraints, and gender norms, which shape the context in which the desire is pursued. It is essential to view this decision not only from the individual's perspective but also from the larger context within which it is made. This study contributes to the literature on gender equality in academia by interrogating the complexities of the decision‐making processes for Chinese women pursuing academic careers in non‐elite Chinese universities.