bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Chinese lesson study: critical aspects of transfer from China to Italy
Authors: Ramploud Alessandro , Funghi Silvia , Bartolini Maria Giuseppina 
Published: May 2022

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to explore the rationale and findings of the implementation of a Chinese lesson study (CLS)-informed model of mathematics teacher education in Italian schools. The study focuses on the modifications and invariance when introducing CLS in a different culture.Design/methodology/approachIn a previous work (Bartolini Bussi et al., 2017), the authors focused on a single case of activity inspired by the CLS in Italy, and identified some conflicts emerging between the cultures of teaching in China and Italy and explored the way to overcome the conflicts. In the following years, the authors implemented lesson study (LS) experimentations with dozens of in-service primary school teachers and pre-service teachers who were gradually introduced to the model of CLS. The tensions/constraints occurred prominently when extending the experiments with many dozens of other in-service teachers and pre-service teachers.FindingsThe authors highlighted how the process of deconstruction allowed the participants in the study to either appropriate or reject some features of the CLS, linking this process to the cultural differences.Practical implicationsThe authors believe and argue that LS, and CLS in particular, must be modified in the transfer from one culture to another, considering the cultural beliefs of the involved teachers.Originality/valueThe authors claim that the features of CLS compels the Western researchers to adopt local and culturally determined choices and to be aware of the rationale of these choices.
Green Lean Six Sigma sustainability – oriented project selection and implementation framework for manufacturing industry
Authors: Kaswan Mahender Singh , Rathi Rajeev , Garza-Reyes Jose Arturo , Antony Jiju 
Published: May 2022

Purpose
This paper aims to deal with the selection of the sustainability-oriented Green Lean Six Sigma (GLS) project for the manufacturing industry in the complex decision-making environment. Moreover, the study also proposes a GLS implementation framework for improved organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach
GLS project selection has been done based on the six sustainability-oriented criteria formed from 17 sub-criteria (found from the literature and developed by authors). The weights of the criteria have been determined through the entropy method. The projects have been ranked based on the criteria through the advanced decision-making approach: grey relation analysis (GRA). The results of the study were validated using best worst method and sensitivity analysis.

Findings
It has been found that the productivity-related criterion is the most significant among other criteria with entropy weight of 0.2721. GRA has been used in this research work to rank the potential GLS projects in a manufacturing industry based on six sustainability criteria, to select a project that exhibits the maximum potential for sustainable improvement. The machine shop has been found as the most significant GLS project with grey relation grade of 0.4742.

Practical implications
The present study facilitates practitioners and industrial managers to implement an inclusive GLS approach for improved sustainability dynamics through effective GLS project selection and implementation framework.

Originality/value
With increased globalized competition in recent times, new projects are being considered as the foundation stone for organizational success. The decision-making becomes quite complex to select an effective project due to the intriguing nature of various criteria, sub-criteria and different aspects of sustainability. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first of its kind that provides ways for the selection of sustainability-oriented GLS projects.
The effect of institutions on R&D investment: the case of four mediterranean euro area states
Authors: Vlachos Vasileios 
Published: May 2022

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of institutional factors on firms investing in R&D.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses data from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys for the Republic of Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Portugal. A model with institutional factors as explanatory variables and firm performance factors as control variables is estimated with weighted least squares heteroscedasticity corrected regression. The reverse causality problem is addressed by using a two-stage least squares regression approach.FindingsThe findings indicate that institutional quality has a significant influence on firms' R&D expenditure. The results have several implications in relation to findings of previous research.Research limitations/implicationsThe inclusion of more countries that were affected by the European economic crisis will probably give more insights about the effect of institutional factors on R&D.Practical implicationsPolicy makers have to address short-comings in institutional quality, particularly in terms of the labor regulation burden. Policy makers should prioritize anti-corruption measures to foster an environment that would attract more R&D in the Republic of Cyprus and Greece.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the growing body of literature investigating the impact of institutional factors on R&D. It focuses on four developed European countries that bore the brunt of the European economic crisis and have to implement their recovery and resilience plans successfully, in order to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their economic activity.
Digitalization in B2B marketing: omnichannel management from a PLS-SEM approach
Authors: Alonso-Garcia Javier , Pablo-Marti Federico , Núñez-Barriopedro Estela , Cuesta-Valiño Pedro 
Published: May 2022

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to establish a reference model that will allow us to understand the factors that influence the omnichannel management of an organization in a business-to-business (B2B) context.

Design/methodology/approach
In building the model, a partial least squares structural equation modeling approach was followed. More than 1,000 executives with a C-level profile (chief executive officer, chief marketing officer or chief digital officer), from manufacturers and wholesalers, in various industries worldwide were contacted. The final sample consisted of 124 C-level executives in multinational B2B companies from 35 countries worldwide.

Findings
The principal finding is that optimal omnichannel management must involve a customer-centric proposition forming the basis for individualized marketing that tailors the company’s portfolio of solutions to suit each client. To ensure this, customer knowledge at each touchpoint is essential. The results show that the main predictor of B2B omnichannel management is sales and marketing, even above channels. The principal conclusions are that the model shows that good omnichannel performance is measured by the performance of the industrial buyer. Loyalty and experience are primary measures of this customer’s performance.

Originality/value
Research into omnichannel management in the B2B field is scarce, especially concerning the creation of models for decision-making.
What influences news learning and sharing on mobile platforms? An analysis of multi-level informational factors
Authors: Wang Jianmei , Zareapoor Masoumeh , Chen Yeh-Cheng , Shamsolmoali Pourya , Xie Jinwen 
Published: May 2022

PurposeThe purpose of the study is threefold: first, to identify what factors influence mobile users' willingness of news learning and sharing, second, to find out whether users' learning in the news platforms will affect their sharing behavior and third, to access the impact of sharing intention on actual sharing behavior on the mobile platform.Design/methodology/approachThis study proposes an influence mechanism model for examining the relationship among the factors, news learning and news sharing. The proposed mechanism includes factors at three levels: personal, interpersonal and social level. To achieve this, researchers collected data from 474 mobile news users in China to test the hypotheses. The tools SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 23.0 were used to analysis the reliability, validity, model fits and structural equation modeling (SEM), respectively.FindingsThe findings indicate that news learning on the mobile platforms is affected by self-efficacy and self-enhancement. And news sharing intention is influenced by self-efficacy, interpersonal trust, interpersonal reciprocity, online community identity and social norms positively. News sharing intention has a significant effect on news sharing behavior, but news learning has an insignificant relationship with new sharing.Originality/valueThis study provides practical guidelines for mobile platform operators and news media managers by explicating the various factors of users' engagement on the news platforms. This paper also enriches the literature of news learning and news sharing on mobile by the integration of two theories: the social ecology theory and the interpersonal behavior theory.
Empirical examination of the direct and moderating role of corporate social responsibility in top executive compensation
Authors: Malik Mahfuja , Shim Eunsup Daniel 
Published: May 2022

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the direct association between firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) scores, CSR disclosures and executive compensation. This study further investigates the moderating role of CSR in the association between executive compensation and firms’ stock market and accounting performances.Design/methodology/approachThis study collects CEO compensation information from the Execucomp database and CSR performance information from the MSCI ESG database. The final sample consists of 4,193 firm-year observations for 1,318 US public firms for the period 2009–2013. This study uses lagged regression analysis to test the direct and moderating roles of CSR in executive compensation.FindingsRegarding the direct role of CSR, this study finds that CEO compensation is positively related to CSR performance but not to firms’ issuance of CSR reports. This study also finds a positive moderating role of CSR in the relationship between CEO compensation and firms’ stock performance. However, the authors do not identify any role for CSR in the relationship between CEO compensation and accounting performance. The results also show a negative association of CSR in the relationship between CEO compensation and firm size.Originality/valueThis study fills a gap in the literature by providing empirical evidence on the direct association between CSR and CEO compensation and how the association between CEO compensation and firm performance is moderated by CSR scores. The novel findings of this study will benefit managers, boards of directors, shareholders and other stakeholders, including regulators and policymakers.
The expansion of invasive mite Raoiella indica can be improved by coexistence with Oligonychus pratensis
Authors: Calvet Érica C. , Lima Debora B. , Melo José W. S. , Gondim Manoel G. C. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractEvery year exotic species are introduced into the environment worldwide; some species succeed, and others do not manage to establish themselves in the new environment. The introduction of exotic organisms affects ecological relationships, mainly by acting as potential competitors with native species. In 2004, an exotic mite from America, Raoiella indica, was detected and has consequently experienced rapid territorial expansion having a high population density. To understand the effects of the introduction of R. indica on the native mites, we selected the native mite web producing mite Oligonychus pratensis and evaluated the competition between exotic (R. indica) and native mites (O. pratensis). Four experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of competition on oviposition rate, intrinsic growth rate, behavioural choice of colonisation site and distributional behaviour on plants. The presence of the heterospecific mites had a negative effect on both species, reducing the oviposition rate. R. indica preferred sites previously colonised by O. pratensis, but O. pratensis did not prefer sites with or without R. indica colonisation. R. indica exhibited a higher growth rate with some interactions with O. pratensis. The species altered its distribution pattern on plants when in the presence of the heterospecific mite. In our study, R. indica appeared to benefit from previous colonisation by O. pratensis, which could contribute to its territorial expansion.
Central tolerance is impaired in the middle‐aged thymic environment
Authors: Lancaster Jessica N. , Keatinge‐Clay Damaris E. , Srinivasan Jayashree , Li Yu , Selden Hilary J. , Nam Seohee , Richie Ellen R. , Ehrlich Lauren I. R. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractOne of the earliest hallmarks of immune aging is thymus involution, which not only reduces the number of newly generated and exported T cells, but also alters the composition and organization of the thymus microenvironment. Thymic T‐cell export continues into adulthood, yet the impact of thymus involution on the quality of newly generated T‐cell clones is not well established. Notably, the number and proportion of medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and expression of tissue‐restricted antigens (TRAs) decline with age, suggesting the involuting thymus may not promote efficient central tolerance. Here, we demonstrate that the middle‐aged thymic environment does not support rapid motility of medullary thymocytes, potentially diminishing their ability to scan antigen presenting cells (APCs) that display the diverse self‐antigens that induce central tolerance. Consistent with this possibility, thymic slice assays reveal that the middle‐aged thymic environment does not support efficient negative selection or regulatory T‐cell (Treg) induction of thymocytes responsive to either TRAs or ubiquitous self‐antigens. This decline in central tolerance is not universal, but instead impacts lower‐avidity self‐antigens that are either less abundant or bind to TCRs with moderate affinities. Additionally, the decline in thymic tolerance by middle age is accompanied by both a reduction in mTECs and hematopoietic APC subsets that cooperate to drive central tolerance. Thus, age‐associated changes in the thymic environment result in impaired central tolerance against moderate‐avidity self‐antigens, potentially resulting in export of increasingly autoreactive naive T cells, with a deficit of Treg counterparts by middle age.
Cucurbitacin E ameliorates airway remodelling by inhibiting nerve growth factor expression in nicotine‐treated bronchial epithelial cells and mice: The key role of let‐7c‐5p up‐regulated expression
Authors: Liu Huimin , Yu Lu , Shao Biao , Yin Na , Li Lina , Tang Rui 
Published: May 2022

AbstractCucurbitacin E (CuE) shows potential to handle airway remodelling. In the current study, the effects of CuE on nicotine‐induced airway remodelling were explored by focussing on its interaction with let‐7c‐5p/NGF axis. The potential microRNA (miR) as the therapeutic target for CuE treatment was determined using a microarray assay. Changes in viability, inflammation and let‐7c‐5p/NGF pathway in nicotine‐treated bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) were detected under CuE treatment (5 μM). The pathways were manipulated with let‐7c‐5p inhibitor. Mice were subjected to nicotine treatment and handled with CuE. Changes in pulmonary function and structure were detected. Based on the microarray data, let‐7c‐5p was selected as the therapeutic target. Viability and inflammation of BECs were induced by nicotine and then restored by CuE. At molecular level, nicotine suppressed let‐7c‐5p while induced NGF, FN1 and COLIA levels. The effects of CuE were counteracted by let‐7c‐5p inhibition. In a mouse model, nicotine impaired the function and structure of lung, which was attenuated by CuE and then re‐impaired by let‐7c‐5p antagomir. Collectively, CuE protected against nicotine‐induced airway remodelling and partially depended on the induction of let‐7c‐5p; our future work would pay more attention to other downstream effectors of the miR to promote the treatment of nicotine‐induced pulmonary disorders.
An examination of the risk of periodontitis for nonfatal cardiovascular diseases on the basis of a large insurance claims database
Authors: Beukers Nicky G. F. M. , van der Heijden Geert J. M. G. , Su Naichuan , van der Galiën Onno , Gerdes Victor E. A. , Loos Bruno G. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractObjectivesAlthough many studies have reported a higher risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ACVD) in people with periodontitis (PD), this has been tested in a few large‐scale population‐based studies with a longitudinal design. The aim of this study was to investigate whether people with PD status have an increased risk of a nonfatal ACVD event compared to people without PD status.MethodsA cohort of 1.2 million participants from a healthcare insurance claims database was studied longitudinally for a period of 8 years. PD status was derived from PD‐related insurance claims and ACVD status from ACVD‐related insurance claims. Person‐time at risk (PTAR) was calculated from the start of follow‐up (01 January 2007) for participants with and without PD status until ACVD or event‐free censoring (31 December 2014). Time‐dependent Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and to adjust for shared risk factors (age, sex, socioeconomic position and diabetes mellitus).ResultsThe prevalence of PD was 20.1%, and the cumulative incidence of nonfatal ACVD events was 7.5%. The univariable and multivariable analyses revealed a limited risk of ACVD for participants with PD status (HR: 1.12; 95% CI 1.10–1.14, HR: 1.06; 95% CI 1.04–1.08, respectively). A subgroup analysis of participants ≤35 and > 35 years of age showed that those ≤35 years of age with PD status had a higher ACVD risk (univariable HR: 1.20; 95% CI 1.05–1.37, multivariable HR: 1.21; 95% CI 1.05–1.39). ACVD risk was not increased in participants >35 years of age with PD status (univariable HR: 0.92; 95% CI 0.91–0.94, multivariable HR: 0.96; 95% CI 0.94–0.98).ConclusionsThis study based on a healthcare insurance cohort shows that PD can hardly be regarded as a risk factor for nonfatal ACVD. The increased risk is of minor size, and therefore, the proposed role of PD in the development of ACVD events should be reconsidered. Possibly PD plays a role as a risk factor in younger people due to overlapping genetic risk factors of ACVD and a more aggressive course of PD.
Quantifying the conservation status and abundance trends of wildlife communities with detection–nondetection data
Authors: Farr Matthew T. , O'Brien Timothy , Yackulic Charles B. , Zipkin Elise F. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractEffective conservation requires understanding species’ abundance patterns and demographic rates across space and time. Ideally, such knowledge should be available for whole communities because variation in species’ dynamics can elucidate factors leading to biodiversity losses. However, collecting data to simultaneously estimate abundance and demographic rates of communities of species is often prohibitively time intensive and expensive. We developed a multispecies dynamic N‐occupancy model to estimate unbiased, community‐wide relative abundance and demographic rates. In this model, detection–nondetection data (e.g., repeated presence–absence surveys) are used to estimate species‐ and community‐level parameters and the effects of environmental factors. To validate our model, we conducted a simulation study to determine how and when such an approach can be valuable and found that our multispecies model outperformed comparable single‐species models in estimating abundance and demographic rates in many cases. Using data from a network of camera traps across tropical equatorial Africa, we then used our model to evaluate the statuses and trends of a forest‐dwelling antelope community. We estimated relative abundance, rates of recruitment (i.e., reproduction and immigration), and apparent survival probabilities for each species’ local population. The antelope community was fairly stable (although 17% of populations [species–park combinations] declined over the study period). Variation in apparent survival was linked more closely to differences among national parks than to individual species’ life histories. The multispecies dynamic N‐occupancy model requires only detection–nondetection data to evaluate the population dynamics of multiple sympatric species and can thus be a valuable tool for examining the reasons behind recent biodiversity loss.
A systematic review of animal personality in conservation science
Authors: MacKinlay Regan D. , Shaw Rachael C. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractAlthough animal personality research may have applied uses, this suggestion has yet to be evaluated by assessing empirical studies examining animal personality and conservation. To address this knowledge gap, we performed a systematic review of the peer‐reviewed literature relating to conservation science and animal personality. Criteria for inclusion in our review included access to full text, primary research articles, and relevant animal conservation or personality focus (i.e., not human personality studies). Ninety‐two articles met these criteria. We summarized the conservation contexts, testing procedures (including species and sample size), analytical approach, claimed personality traits (activity, aggression, boldness, exploration, and sociability), and each report's key findings and conservation‐focused suggestions. Although providing evidence for repeatability in behavior is crucial for personality studies, repeatability quantification was implemented in only half of the reports. Nonetheless, each of the 5 personality traits were investigated to some extent in a range of conservations contexts. The most robust studies in the field showed variance in how personality relates to other ecologically important variables across species and contexts. Moreover, many studies were first attempts at using personality for conservation purposes in a given study system. Overall, it appears personality is not yet a fully realized tool for conservation. To apply personality research to conservation problems, we suggest researchers think about where individual differences in behavior may affect conservation outcomes in their system, assess where there are opportunities for repeated measures, and follow the most current methodological guides on quantifying personality.