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Associations of long-term cumulative C-reactive protein and glycoprotein acetyls concentrations in childhood, adolescence and adulthood with adulthood retinal microvascular structure
Get PDFBACKGROUNG AND AIMS: Inflammation is associated with cardiovascular disease development and microvascular dysfunction. The aim of the present study is to test the hypothesis that long-term exposure to chronic inflammation in childhood and adulthood is associated with adverse retinal microvascular structure in young and mid-adulthood.METHODS: We analyzed data derived from the Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project (STRIP) and longitudinal Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS). In STRIP, fundus photos were taken in young adulthood (aged 26 years), and in YFS in mid-adulthood (aged 34-49 years). Retinal microvascular measures were derived in both cohorts (arteriolar and venular diameters and tortuosity; additionally, fractal dimensions in STRIP). Cumulative exposure as the area under the curve for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA), and other conventional cardiovascular risk factors was determined over a 15- and 17-year period in STRIP, and a 10-year period in YFS. Overall, retinal microvascular and cumulative hsCRP and/or GlycA were available for 344 STRIP and 1211 YFS participants, thus forming the cohort of the present study.RESULTS: In both cohorts, cumulative hsCRP was associated with wider venules when adjusted for sex (and age in YFS), and further for related cardiovascular risk factors. In young adulthood (STRIP), higher exposure to cumulative hsCRP was associated with decreased venular tortuosity, whereas in mid-adulthood (YFS), the association was inverse. Cumulative hsCRP was not associated with arteriolar measures whereas cumulative GlycA showed no significant association with any retinal microvascular measures.CONCLUSIONS: Long-term cumulative hsCRP exposure was associated with wider venules in young and mid-adulthood, whereas the associations with venular tortuosity were inconsistent. Wider retinal venules might act as a marker for cumulative inflammatory burden.</p
Does shared tenure between board of directors and CEO affect R&D investment?
No full textPsychology literature suggests that shared tenure between individuals affects how they communicate and share information. Given that the relationship between board of directors and CEO involves extensive interactions and information-sharing to maintain shareholders’ interests, this study seeks an answer as to whether that shared tenure between directors and CEO affectsR&D investments. Using a sample of firms listed in the UK FTSE350 index between 2010 and 2019, we find that directors–CEO shared tenure positively affects R&D intensity. The study has implications for corporate governance and strategic management literature by highlighting Board–CEO shared tenure as a new factor affecting R&D investments. This study has implications for practice and policy-makers. In particular, companies that are eager to strengthen corporate governance and maintain sustained innovation might consider the shared tenure between directors and CEO
“What are we looking at?”: The development and implementation of a performance analysis framework for netball umpires
Get PDFTechnology is progressively being used in sports development, with video feedback playing a central role in performance analysis (PA). However, the impact of PA on learning remains unclear. This study aimed to create, validate, and implement a self-controlled PA framework, targeting sports officials who must balance high-performance demands with personal life. The framework was tested as an intervention with two umpires in the 2023 Netball Super League. Results showed improvements in performance scores, suggesting enhanced identification and understanding of umpiring-related factors. Interviews revealed that developmental processes, video feedback, and external life factors significantly influence PA effectiveness. This research highlights the potential of structured PA frameworks to optimise learning and performance in sports officiating
The interaction effect of board characteristics and ESG reporting on the financial performance of multinational enterprises:a quantile regression approach
No full textThis study employs a quantile regression approach to investigate the moderating role of board characteristics in the relationship between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting and the financial performance of multinational enterprises (MNEs). The study utilizes panel data from the largest listed MNEs between 2009 and 2019. The findings suggest that the impact of ESG reporting on financial performance varies significantly across different quantile levels of firm performance. Specifically, the positive effect of board characteristics, as measured by the Board Organization and Characteristics Index (BOCI), on the relationship between ESG reporting and financial performance is observed at the median and higher quantiles. However, the study also reveals a negative moderating effect of BOCI on the relationship between ESG disclosure and market-based measures at the lower and median quantiles, but not at the upper quantile level. The study highlights the importance of board characteristics in the complex interplay between ESG reporting and financial performance for MNEs
Nutritional Self-management of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Co-created Qualitative Synthesis
No full textRationale & Objective Effective nutritional self-management is essential to reducing the risk of morbidity and mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the most effective approach for delivering dietary interventions and supporting behavioural change remains uncertain. To inform future service delivery, a systematic qualitative evidence synthesis was conducted to understand patients’ experiences of their nutritional self-management of CKD. Study Design Systematic review. Setting & Study Populations Adults with CKD stages 1-5. Search Strategy & Sources MEDLINE, PsychInfo, and CINALH were searched from inception to 3 July 2023. Google Scholar and Web of Science were used for citation searching. Data Extraction All qualitative results from primary qualitative and mixed-method studies. Analytical Approach Thematic synthesis. Results Ninety-two studies involving 2,924 adults met the inclusion criteria across all stages. Studies reported experiences of multiple stages and modalities of treatment of CKD in 23 countries. Three themes and 8 sub-themes were identified related to nutritional self-management: navigating dietary advice (receiving advice, quality of advice, tailoring of advice), living a new life (mourning an old life, trial and error, enough is enough (re)gaining control) and diet as a social construct (social influences over management, stigma and isolation). Nutritional self-management in CKD is complex and multifaceted. Patients face significant problems in navigating dietary advice, adjusting to lifestyle changes, and managing social influences. Limitations Non-English language studies were excluded. Conclusions Adults living with CKD commonly face considerable challenges around dietary self-management across all stages of CKD and all modalities in stage 5. Incorporating dietary advice is highly complex, and current dietary service delivery often does not adequately meet patients' needs, regardless of their geographical location, stage of CKD, or treatment modality
Unarmed civilian protection and community self-protection in authoritarian contexts
No full textIn authoritarian and dictatorial regimes, where state control is pervasive and dissent is suppressed, the protection of civilians becomes highly complex. Governments in these contexts often use fear, surveillance, and repression to maintain power, leaving communities vulnerable to state violence, harassment, and human rights abuses, particularly in areas of armed conflict. Additionally, civilians can be subjected to violence from non-state armed groups or caught in the crossfire between state security forces and armed opposition groups. In these environments, traditional civilian protection forms, including the involvement of state security forces or international intervention, may be ineffective or actively dangerous. State security forces are often themselves responsible for violence against civilians, while international non-governmental organisations involved in civilian protection can be banned. Instead, alternative protection methods, notably community self-protection, emerge as crucial strategies. This chapter discusses the successes and obstacles encountered in the implementation of community self-protection within authoritarian contexts in Cameroon and Thailand. In Cameroon, an electoral autocracy, armed separatist groups in the English-speaking regions have waged a secessionist struggle against the Francophone-dominated state since September 2017, with civilian populations subjected to violence from both the military and the armed separatist groups. In Southern Thailand, the human rights crisis has worsened as the military junta has tightened its grip in the conflict zones in the southern border provinces. The dictatorship has increasingly persecuted critics and dissenters, banned peaceful protests, censored the media, suppressed free speech in the press and online, and been responsible for arbitrary arrest, torture, and extrajudicial killings. This has led to a sense of insecurity among the people, leading some to join separatist forces because they lack the knowledge to protect themselves without weapons. The research emphasizes the agency of local populations that have traditionally been marginalized in peacebuilding initiatives, especially in the realm of enhancing community security.<br/
Militant Animal Rights Activity:Terrorism, Extremism or Something Else?
Get PDFSince the early 1970s, the United Kingdom (UK) has experienced political violence undertaken by militant animal rights actors. This violence has included the use of car bombs and incendiary devices, which are more akin to the tactics of a terrorist campaign. Similar acts in the United States have been described as “eco-terrorism” yet this label has not gained traction in the UK. This article is concerned with the labelling of militant animal rights actions in the UK and explores the labels that have been applied by the print media, notably The Guardian to the actions of those animal rights actors who have utilised or espoused illegal and violent tactics in the pursuit of their cause. Moreover, the article takes a more in-depth look at the labelling of the group Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) in its campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences and its business partners. How actions are labelled can have repercussions in shaping the public debate and policy implications
Global minds, global funds:International top management and ICO fundraising in developing economies
Get PDFDrawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV), our study examines how C-level management team composition influences fundraising through Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) in the context of developing countries. Using a dataset of 458 ICOs and Probit regression analyses, we find that born-digital ventures led by internationally diverse management teams attract more capital, as investors associate diversity with superior entrepreneurial skills and valuable tacit knowledge. Moreover, having a foreign CEO with strong entrepreneurial experience further increases investor confidence by helping investors to distinguish credible, competent teams. Our findings contribute to the RBV by showing that managerial diversity and skillsets stand out during an investor's screening process. We discuss implications for policymakers, investors and local entrepreneurs in developing countries.</p
Unseen Modernities: Re-imagining the Visionary “Real” in the Art of Marianne Stokes, 1900-1910s
No full textCrushing analysis of novel bionic multi-cell double corrugated tube under axial loading
Get PDFMulti-cell structures and corrugated tubes illustrate excellent capacities. Besides, bamboo with continuously changing contours demonstrates superior impact-resisting capacities. As a result, a bionic multi-cell double corrugated (BMDC) tube inspired by bambusa bamboo can be an ideal energy absorber candidate. This study investigates the crashworthiness response of BMDC tubes. The basic numerical model was corrected using a physic experiment, followed by an investigation of BMDC tubes' energy absorption performance under axial loading, considering thickness and mass. Results indicate that te EA, MCF, SEA of BMDC-5 with 1.5 mm thickness are 2.13, 2.13, and 1.83 times higher than the BMDC-0, respectively. In addition, the BMDC-5 with 0.156 kg mass generates the highest EA, MCF, and SEA, which is 1.80 times higher than the corresponding BMDC-0, in the same mass scenario. Parametric analysis illustrates that amplitude and diameter desive influence the energy absorption characteristic. This study emphasized that BMDC tubes are innovative and practical, possessing excellent energy absorption performance