bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of debt on sustainability reporting: a meta-analysis of the moderating role of country characteristics
Authors: Singhania Monica , Chadha Gurmani 
Published: November 2023

PurposeAs of 2022, the scope of the engagement and interest of debt capital providers in ESG reporting is mainly untapped. However, a vast amount of literature has produced conflicting findings about the importance of debt capital (leverage) as a factor in sustainability reporting (SR). This is the first meta-analysis reconciling the mixed results of 85 single country studies containing 131 effect sizes across 24,482 firms conducted over past three decades (1999–2022) investigating the influence of leverage on SR. The study emphasizes the significance of contextualizing research by identifying the macro-environmental elements modifying debt's impact on SR, through the use of the institutional theory. Eleven country variables were tested on the collected dataset, spread across 36 countries.Design/methodology/approachMeta-analysis technique for aggregation of existing extant empirical work. Continuous and categorical variable-based moderator analysis to demystify the influence of country characteristics affecting the leverage–SR relationship.FindingsResults show positive significant impact of debt capital providers on SR. Country's level of development, GDP, extent of capital constraints in a country, financial sector development within a nation, country governance factors and corruption levels, country's culture, number of sustainability reporting instruments operational in a country and geographical location proved to be significant moderators.Research limitations/implicationsThe study details relevant meaningful research gaps, worthy of uptake by researchers to produce targeted research.Practical implicationsGovernments must increasingly go beyond their mandated disclosure role and acknowledge the important institutional factors that have contributed to the expansion of ESG reporting through the creation of nation-specific tools, incentive structures and disclosure-encouraging regulations. To secure a steady flow of funding and prevent negative effects on company value and cost of capital in the midst of prolonged global economic upheaval, businesses must address the information requirements of lenders. The limited total effect size emphasizes the necessity for debt providers to step up their ESG activism and exercise their maximum power and potential in stimulating extensive SR firm-level practices.Originality/valueThe present study is the first meta-analysis reconciling the mixed results of 85 single-country studies containing 131 effect sizes across 24,482 firms conducted over the past three decades (1999–2022) investigating the influence of leverage on SR and demystifying the macro-environmental factors affecting the leverage–SR association.
Historical prevalence of infectious diseases and entrepreneurship: evidence from 125 countries
Authors: Messono Omang Ombolo , Asongu Simplice 
Published: November 2023

Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effects of the historical prevalence of infectious diseases on contemporary entrepreneurship. Previous studies reveal numerous proximate causes of entrepreneurship, but little is known about the fundamental determinants of this widespread economic concern.

Design/methodology/approach
The central hypothesis is that historical pathogens exert persistent impacts on present-day entrepreneurship. The authors provide support for the underlying hypothesis using ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares with cross-sectional data from 125 countries consisting of the averages between 2006 and 2018.

Findings
Past diseases reduce entrepreneurship both directly and indirectly. The strongest indirect effects occur through GDP per capita, property rights, innovation, entrepreneurial attitudes, entrepreneurial abilities, entrepreneurial aspirations and skills. This result is robust to many sensitivity tests. Policymakers may take these findings into account and incorporate disease pathogens into the design of entrepreneurship.

Originality/value
The novelty of this paper lies in the adoption of a historical approach that sheds light on the deep historical roots of cross-country differences in entrepreneurship.
Animal abuse recidivism: a narrative review
Authors: Reid Olivia , Alleyne Emma 
Published: November 2023

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consolidate and evaluate the available research on animal abuse recidivism.

Design/methodology/approach
A narrative review of the animal abuse literature was conducted. Articles were included if they provided data/estimates of the rates of recidivism, findings regarding the static, dynamic and/or protective factors associated with animal abuse recidivism and available risk assessment tools, specifically for use with individuals who have a history of animal abuse.

Findings
The literature review highlighted high rates of reoffending amongst those who have harmed animals. Many risk and protective factors associated with animal abuse were common to the wider offending behaviour literature (e.g. antisocial attitudes, relationship issues), but more robust research is needed to highlight any distinct characteristics. Lastly, the review reports two risk assessment tools designed specifically for this offending group.

Practical implications
Clinicians and criminal justice personnel base their sentencing, detention and treatment decisions, at least in part, on the recidivism literature. This review provides a consolidation of the evidence base as an aide memoire for practitioners.

Originality/value
History of animal abuse is a risk factor for future animal harm specifically, and interpersonal violence more broadly. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first literature review that presents the key research evidence on risk/protective factors and relevant risk assessment tools that can inform intervention planning to reduce risk of reoffending towards animals and humans alike when practitioners encounter clients who have a history of harming animals.
Association of cesarean section delivery with childhood behavior: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Grisbrook Marie-Andrée , Letourneau Nicole , Hayden K. Alix , Ronksley Paul 
Published: November 2023

Objective:
This review will evaluate the association between cesarean section delivery and child behavior problems.

Introduction:
Cesarean section (C-section) deliveries account for over 30% of deliveries in Canada and 21% of all births globally. Mode of delivery via C-section has been associated with altered maternal mental health in the postpartum period, and postpartum depression is linked to an increased risk of internalizing and externalizing behaviors in children. Given the high rates of C-section deliveries worldwide, it is important to determine how mode of delivery impacts child behavior.

Inclusion criteria:
The review will examine child behavior outcomes among preschool and school-aged children as determined by medical diagnosis or a standardized assessment tool. Multiple gestation pregnancies and pre-term delivery will be excluded.

Methods:
A search will be conducted using APA PsycINFO (Ovid), MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and Scopus. This review will evaluate peer-reviewed primary observational research studies specifically looking at examining C-section delivery. Two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts, and full-text studies to determine alignment with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data will be recorded using the standardized JBI data extraction tool and be presented using figures, tables, and a summary. Where feasible, we will conduct a meta-analysis and subgroup analysis of suitable populations. Critical appraisal of studies will be performed for included studies. The certainty of the evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.

Review registration:
PROSPERO CRD42022371294
Optimal Design of Thermal Cycling Reliability for Plastic Ball Grid Array Assembly Via Finite Element Method and Taguchi Method
Authors: Gao Chao , Huang Chunyue , Ying Liang 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
A finite element simulation analysis model was developed for a plastic ball grid array (PBGA) assembly to analyze its behavior under thermal cyclic loading conditions. The stress distribution in the SAC305 solder joints at different locations within the array was investigated by using ANAND constitutive equations. Subsequently, the thermal fatigue life of the key solder joints was quantified. The study also examined the influence of the solder joint diameter, substrate thickness, solder joint height, printed circuit board (PCB) thickness, and mold compound height on solder joint stress. Optimization of assembly parameters was achieved through the application of the Taguchi method. An extensive analysis was conducted using different assembly parameter combinations, employing the L9(34) orthogonal array design to explore the thermal cycling effects. The computed average Von Mises stress Δσ for the critical thin-layer elements of solder joints located in hazardous positions within the assembly was notably affected by variations in the solder joint height, substrate thickness, solder joint diameter, and mold compound height. This impact ranked in descending order of significance as solder joint height, substrate thickness, solder joint diameter, and mold compound height. The optimal parameter combination determined was a solder joint height of 0.70 mm, a solder joint diameter of 0.85 mm, a substrate thickness of 0.51 mm, and a mold compound height of 1.12 mm. Implementing this optimized configuration led to a significant 4.07% reduction in average stress Δσ for the critical thin-layer elements within hazardous solder joints. Moreover, the extension of the thermal fatigue life was notably improved, achieving an impressive 51.72% increase.
Model Verification and Experimental Study of the Turbomachinery Wake Flow Field Reconstruction
Authors: Gao Hanting , Dong Xu , Xu Ruize , Gao Lei , Sun Dakun , Sun Xiaofeng 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
A clear understanding of the turbomachinery wake flow field is one of the key problems in developing turbomachinery aerodynamics. The theoretical model of helical vortices is established in cylindrical coordinates (r,θ,z), and the model corresponds to the experimental scheme, which verifies the feasibility of reconstructing flow field by interpolation in r–z plane under different θ. This model shows that theta should not exceed 20 deg in order to reconstruct the flow field more accurately. Taking rotors as the representative of the turbomachinery, particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used to measure the velocity field in the rotor wake. Interpolating reconstruction of spacing between different measurement planes, the reconstruction results are relative to the theory, in which plane spacing should be less than 20 deg. Using the vorticity-weighted average method to calculate the central position of the vortex core, the wandering motion of the tip vortex is obtained. Through the analysis method of the circulation, it is proved that the point where the second derivative of the circulation with respect to the radius is 0 corresponds to the radius of the vortex core, and the evolution trend of the growth of the vortex core radius is proportional to the square root of the vortex ages. The results provide a reliable experimental method for the quantitative study of the spatio-temporal evolution of complex vortex structures in the three-dimensional flow of turbomachinery wakes.
Analytical and Numerical Models of a New Hybrid System of Earth Air Tunnel Integrated Solar Air Heater With Sensible Storage
Authors: Verma Sunirmit , Das Ranjan 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
A novel combination of an earth air tunnel (EAT) and a sensible thermal storage-aided solar air heater has been proposed when the sensible storage medium is taken to be rocks filled within the air flow passage. Both time-dependent and steady-state models are reported. The former describes the exact thermal performance of the system for a two-month wintertime for the city of Baghdad, Iraq. The latter describes average performance of the system. The implicit finite difference method and method of separation of variables have been used to solve the pertinent equations in the respective models. Acceptable level of accuracy was obtained between the steady-state numerical and analytical solutions as well as between the numerical and the published data. It is revealed that preheating by a sufficiently long EAT module improves the effective power as well as the output temperature from the rock bed solar air heater by about 35% and 9% respectively for the present set of parameters considered. It is also observed that for the present set of parameters considered, the temperature gradients in the direction normal to air flow in the solar air heater are insignificant and may be ignored. A parametric study is also carried out that assesses the impact of system parameters on the quality as well as quantity of the energy extracted from the system. This work is hence the first to couple an EAT with a sensible thermal storage equipped solar air heater and may pave the way for future studies.
Real-time RT-PCR for Venezuelan equine encephalitis complex, Madariaga, and Eastern equine encephalitis viruses: application in human and mosquito public health surveillance in Panama
Authors: Carrera Jean-Paul , Araúz Dimelza , Rojas Alejandra , Cardozo Fátima , Stittleburg Victoria , Morales Claro Ingra , Galue Josefrancisco , Lezcano-Coba Carlos , Romero Rebello Moreira Filipe , -Rivera Luis Felipe , Chen-Germán Maria , Moreno Brechla , Capitan-Barrios Zeuz , López-Vergès Sandra , Pascale Juan Miguel , Sabino Ester C. , Valderrama Anayansi , Hanley Kathryn A. , Donnelly Christl A. , Vasilakis Nikos , Faria Nuno R. , Waggoner Jesse J. 
Published: November 2023

ABSTRACT

Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), Madariaga virus (MADV), and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus complex (VEEV) are New World alphaviruses transmitted by mosquitoes. They cause febrile and sometimes severe neurological diseases in human and equine hosts. Detecting them during the acute phase is hindered by non-specific symptoms and limited diagnostic tools. We designed and clinically assessed real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays (rRT-PCRs) for VEEV complex, MADV, and EEEV using whole-genome sequences. Validation involved 15 retrospective serum samples from 2015 to 2017 outbreaks, 150 mosquito pools from 2015, and 118 prospective samples from 2021 to 2022 surveillance in Panama. The rRT-PCRs detected VEEV complex RNA in 10 samples (66.7%) from outbreaks, with one having both VEEV complex and MADV RNAs. VEEV complex RNA was found in five suspected dengue cases from disease surveillance. The rRT-PCR assays identified VEEV complex RNA in three
Culex
(
Melanoconion
)
vomerifer
pools, leading to VEEV isolates in two. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the VEEV ID subtype in positive samples. Notably, 11.9% of dengue-like disease patients showed VEEV infections. Together, our rRT-PCR validation in human and mosquito samples suggests that this method can be incorporated into mosquito and human encephalitic alphavirus surveillance programs in endemic regions.
PspA-mediated aggregation protects
Streptococcus pneumoniae
against desiccation on fomites
Authors: Lane Jessica R. , Tata Muralidhar , Yasmin Rahena , Im Hansol , Briles David E. , Orihuela Carlos J. 
Published: November 2023

ABSTRACT

Streptococcus pneumoniae
(
Spn
) resides in the nasopharynx, where it can disseminate to cause disease. One key
Spn
virulence factor is pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), which promotes survival by blocking the antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin. PspA has also been shown to mediate attachment to dying epithelial cells in the lower airway due to its binding of cell surface-bound mammalian (m)GAPDH. Importantly, the role of PspA during colonization is not well understood. Wild-type
Spn
was present in nasal lavage elutes collected from asymptomatically colonized mice at levels ~10-fold higher than its isogenic PspA-deficient mutant (∆
pspA
). Wild-type
Spn
also formed aggregates in mucosal secretions composed of sloughed epithelial cells and hundreds of pneumococci, whereas ∆
pspA
did not.
Spn
within the center of these aggregates better survived prolonged desiccation on fomites than individual pneumococci and were capable of infecting naïve mice, indicating PspA-mediated aggregation conferred a survival/transmission advantage. Incubation of
Spn
in saline containing mGAPDH also enhanced tolerance to desiccation, but only for wild-type
Spn
. mGAPDH was sufficient to cause low-level aggregation of wild-type
Spn
but not ∆
pspA
. In strain WU2, the subdomain of PspA responsible for binding GAPDH (aa230–281) is ensconced within the lactoferrin (LF)-binding domain (aa167-288). We observed that LF inhibited GAPDH-mediated aggregation and desiccation tolerance. Using surface plasmon resonance, we determined that
Spn
forms multimeric complexes of PspA-GAPDH-LF on its surface and that LF dislodges GAPDH. Our findings have important implications regarding pneumococcal colonization/transmission processes and ongoing PspA-focused immunization efforts for this deadly pathogen.

IMPORTANCE

Spn
is a dangerous human pathogen capable of causing pneumonia and invasive disease. The virulence factor PspA has been studied for nearly four decades with well-established roles in pneumococcal evasion of C-reactive protein and neutralization of lactoferricin. Herein, we show that mammalian (m)GAPDH in mucosal secretions promotes aggregation of pneumococci in a PspA-dependent fashion, whereas lactoferrin counters this effect. PspA-mediated GAPDH-dependent bacterial aggregation protected
Spn
in nasal lavage elutes and grown
in vitro
from desiccation on fomites. Furthermore, surviving pneumococci within these aggregates retained their ability to colonize naïve hosts after desiccation. We report that
Spn
binds to and forms protein complexes on its surface composed of PspA, mGAPDH, and lactoferrin. Changes in the levels of these proteins therefore most likely have critical implications on
Spn
colonization, survival on fomites, and transmission.
Complete genome sequence of
Bacillus subtilis
subsp.
natto
NARUSE using PacBio sequencing
Authors: Kubo Yukie , Tanizaki Yoshiyuki , Hira Daisuke , Nakayama Yasumune , Kadooka Chihiro , Oka Takuji 
Published: November 2023

ABSTRACT

We report the complete genome sequence of
Bacillus subtilis
subsp.
natto
NARUSE, which has been traditionally employed for fermenting soybeans in Japan. The genome was sequenced using the PacBio system, yielding a sequence, yielding a sequence length of 4,148,793 nucleotides for the circular chromosome and 62,770 nucleotides for the plasmid.
Whole-genome sequence of
Bacillus pseudomycoides
strain I32, a nitrous oxide-producing bacterium isolated from a woodchip bioreactor
Authors: Jang Jeonghwan , Ishii Satoshi 
Published: November 2023

ABSTRACT

We report here the draft whole-genome sequence of
Bacillus pseudomycoides
strain I32, a bacterium isolated from the denitrifying woodchip bioreactor and showing rhizoidal colony morphology with filamentous swirling pattern on the agar medium plate. The isolate produced nitrous oxide without known nitric oxide reductase genes on the genome.
Case study: 3D mobilized strength of compacted fill
Authors: Idries Abedalqader , Stark Timothy D. , Moya Lucia , Lin Jiale 
Published: November 2023

Water infiltration can cause softening of compacted structural fill and a reduction of the shear strength from the peak compacted strength to the fully softened strength (FSS) with an accompanying reduction in drained factor of safety (FoS). This study presents two-dimensional (2D) and 3D stability analyses of a compacted fill slope failure that occurred 6 years after construction due to water leaking from a connection between the main and lateral water pipes in the water supply system. The compacted fill material primarily consists of high plasticity fine-grained soil. The 3D FoS at the end of construction is 2.44 using the peak compacted strength envelope. However, the 3D FoS is close to unity (1.0) when the FSS is assigned to the compacted fill material with the appropriate piezometric surface, which means the 2 H:1 V compacted fill slope softened to the FSS within 6 years. This is an interesting FSS case because the failure surface is 4 m deep and semi-circular, which differs from infiltration cases that exhibit a shallower and more planar surface.
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for rapid and accurate qualitative analysis of elemental composition in fertilizers
Authors: Nisar Sobia , Alsalme Ali , Zulfiqar Rimsha , Rizwan Muhammad , Kim Deok-Kee , Dastgeer Ghulam , Shazad Zafar Muhammad 
Published: November 2023

Through elemental analysis, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), a quick and effective analytical method, has enormous potential to advance agriculture. In this context, our study intends to better the fertilizer sector by utilizing LIBS’s capabilities. The main objective is to make it possible to rapidly and accurately analyze the elements in frequently used fertilizers such as nitrophos (NP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), and single super phosphate (SSP). We identify all elements contained in the fertilizers using qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis utilizing a single LIBS shot by noting their matching spectral lines and peak positions. This identification is validated more thoroughly by matching peak positions to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) database. Phosphorus (P), potassium (K), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), nickel (Ni), and aluminum (Al) are effectively recognized due to their distinct spectral fingerprints. Our findings highlight the vital need to precisely characterize fertilizer content in order to maximize agricultural yield. Furthermore, our approach presents an efficient means for rapid and precise analysis of fertilizers, offering the advantage of minimal sample requirements.