19200 research outputs found
Sort by
Ethics Committees for Animal Shelters
No full textAnimal shelters face a host of ethical challenges and dilemmas in their work. The most pressing of these arguably arise from the competing interests of the shelter’s animal residents that cannot all be met in a severely resource-limited setting. In addition, many shelters must consider other relevant interests, such as those of free-roaming animals living in the surrounding community, individuals who interact with the shelters as they surrender or seek to adopt an animal companion, and existing or would-be donors who may have their own views about how the shelter should operate. Responding to these many challenges requires time, energy, and ethics expertise that staff do not always have, and may create tension and conflict among already overburdened employees. In this paper, we argue that in response to these ethical challenges, animal shelters should consider creating ethics committees. Hospital Ethics Committees (HECs) have become crucial for addressing ethical issues in clinical practice. They support healthcare professionals in navigating the ethical complexities of their work by providing ethical consultation on specific cases, reviewing and developing hospital policies, and offering ethics training to healthcare professionals and committee members. Indeed, HECs are now widely considered crucial for ensuring fairness and effectiveness within human healthcare institutions, and we believe that such committees can play the same valuable role in animal shelters.The aims of this paper are twofold. First, we explain why a permanent ethics committee is a valuable asset for an animal shelter. Second, we detail key steps in the design and creation of such a committee. Specifically, we explain the different roles such a committee could play, how it might be created and staffed, its relationship to the shelter and the status of its recommendations. While there can be no ‘one size fits all’ approach to establishing an ethics committee, our discussion can guide shelters wishing to explore this option. We finish with a brief discussion about the ways in which animal shelters differ from human healthcare institutions and the potential implications of those differences for ethics committee work.<br/
Do Modern Slavery Management Practices Enhance Business Performance? Exploring the Role of Inclusive Digital Culture
Full text linkMultiple GRAphs-oriented Random wAlk (MulGRA2) for Social Link Prediction
No full textCurrent link prediction methods in Location-Based Social Networks (LBSNs) fuse graphs derived from users’ check-in data and their social links to form a single graph or network. Then, they learn node representations and link probabilities from a fused graph that undermines the distinctive characteristics of each user’s spatiotemporal mobility and social links. Consequently, the input datasets are heavily contaminated with noise, which makes it challenging for these algorithms to make accurate predictions. Our study use the proposed Multiple GRAphs-oriented Random wAlk (MulGRA2) to model graphs while maintaining the distinctive characteristics of the data to address the issue of noisy data in the learning process. Specifically, we use three graphs: a social graph constructed from social links data, a user co-occurrence graph derived from users’ check-in data to capture spatiotemporal co-occurrence, and a user-location bipartite graph that links users to specific locations based on the same check-in data. After traversing all three graphs, it learns node representation and infers links effectively. Extensive experiments on both Foursquare and synthetic datasets demonstrate that our algorithm significantly improves.© 2024, Elsevier. The attached document (embargoed until 06/04/2026) is an author produced version of a paper published in Information Sciences uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it
Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Anxiety Disorders in Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
No full textAdolescence is a critical period for mental health, with anxiety disorders becoming increasingly prevalent. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have been identified as a potential dietary factor influencing mental health outcomes. This systematic review aims to critically appraise the literature around the association between SSB consumption and anxiety disorders among adolescents. A systematic search was conducted across electronic databases, including Medline Complete, CINAHL Complete, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect for studies published between 2000 and 2025. Data on SSB intake and anxiety outcomes were extracted, and the quality of the studies was evaluated using the Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies from the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews of Exposure. Meta-analysis was conducted using random-effect model to estimate the odds ratios to assess the relationship between SSB intake and anxiety disorders with 95% confidence interval (CI). Nine studies meeting the inclusion criteria were selected, including seven cross-sectional studies and two longitudinal studies. Of the nine studies, seven reported a significant positive association between SSB consumption and anxiety, while two found no significant relationship. The longitudinal studies showed small but persistent associations over 1 year. The studies using multiple linear regression demonstrated a consistent, small positive relationship between SSB intake and anxiety symptoms. The meta-analysis random effects model which is limited to studies reporting anxiety disorder as binary outcome revealed that higher sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was associated with increased odds of anxiety disorders (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.14-1.59). Given the predominance of observational designs, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than evidence of causality. Public health initiatives and clinical interventions aimed at reducing SSB intake may help mitigate the rising prevalence of anxiety disorders, specifically among adolescents. [Abstract copyright: © 2026 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.
Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Anxiety Disorders in Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
No full textAdolescence is a critical period for mental health, with anxiety disorders becoming increasingly prevalent. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have been identified as a potential dietary factor influencing mental health outcomes. This systematic review aims to critically appraise the literature around the association between SSB consumption and anxiety disorders among adolescents. A systematic search was conducted across electronic databases, including Medline Complete, CINAHL Complete, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect for studies published between 2000 and 2025. Data on SSB intake and anxiety outcomes were extracted, and the quality of the studies was evaluated using the Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies from the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews of Exposure. Meta-analysis was conducted using random-effect model to estimate the odds ratios to assess the relationship between SSB intake and anxiety disorders with 95% confidence interval (CI). Nine studies meeting the inclusion criteria were selected, including seven cross-sectional studies and two longitudinal studies. Of the nine studies, seven reported a significant positive association between SSB consumption and anxiety, while two found no significant relationship. The longitudinal studies showed small but persistent associations over 1 year. The studies using multiple linear regression demonstrated a consistent, small positive relationship between SSB intake and anxiety symptoms. The meta-analysis random effects model which is limited to studies reporting anxiety disorder as binary outcome revealed that higher sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was associated with increased odds of anxiety disorders (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.14-1.59). Given the predominance of observational designs, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than evidence of causality. Public health initiatives and clinical interventions aimed at reducing SSB intake may help mitigate the rising prevalence of anxiety disorders, specifically among adolescents. [Abstract copyright: © 2026 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.
Who should lead localized marketing in a cross-border e-commerce supply chain under demand uncertainty?
No full textPurpose This study aims to investigate a cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) supply chain in which a domestic brand manufacturer enters overseas markets through a CBEC platform. Given the coexistence of manufacturer-led and platform-led localized marketing strategies in practice, this study explores which member should lead localized marketing to maximize the profits of both supply chain members. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines a practical scenario where the platform possesses only the mean and variance of market demand. Robust game-theoretic models are developed to analyze the platform's robust order quantity and the profits of supply chain members under three strategies: no localized marketing (BM), manufacturer-led localized marketing (MM) and platform-led localized marketing (EM). Findings The results indicate that the platform's profit decreases with rising demand uncertainty. However, when the price markup coefficient is high and the tariff rate is low, the platform increases its order quantity in response to higher demand uncertainty, leading to higher profits for the manufacturer. The platform-led localized marketing strategy outperforms the manufacturer-led strategy, as the latter reduces the platform's profit. Moreover, when the manufacturer's support factor is low, the platform-led localized marketing strategy can achieve a win–win outcome for both members. Originality/value This study employs robust game-theoretic models to analyze localized marketing strategies, providing practical insights for global brand development and the operational management of CBEC platforms
Default-Triggered Acquisition (I): Pricing Risky Bond with Potential Buyers of the Distressed Firm
No full textThis paper develops a structural model of the defaultable bond, in which default-triggered acquisition opportunities are taken into account. In this model, post-default acquisition is treated as an event that is triggered when the alternative valuation of the f\mbox{}irm's assets exceeds the failing f\mbox{}irm's value, and covers the acquisition costs, which are essentially the conceded debt liability. Analytical results are derived for the cases where default time is assumed either to be f\mbox{}ixed (as in Merton (1974)), or random (as in Black and Cox (1976)), and where there are one or more alternative valuations. This paper contributes to the literature on debt recovery by suggesting an analytical structure on the recovery rate
Profiling Reasons for Non-Attendance in Psychological Assessments in adolescent suicide at-risk group using Natural Language Processing.
No full textMental health literacy: Knowledge of common adolescent mental disorders among adults in Romania.
No full textTheoretical Background: Mental health literacy plays a crucial role in the recognition, prevention, and management of mental disorders, influencing how individuals and communities respond to mental health challenges. In Romania, despite recent progress, the lack of adequate mental health education and professional resources continues to hinder the effective recognition and treatment of mental health problems. This gap in education and service availability also affects adults, particularly parents and caregivers, whose understanding of mental health is essential for supporting children and adolescents experiencing difficulties. Objective: This study explores mental health literacy (MHL) among adults in Romania regarding five mental illnesses. We included three variants of depression (depression alone, depression with suicidal ideation, and depression with alcohol misuse) to reflect differing clinical presentations and public perceptions of depressive disorders, which may influence recognition and help-seeking behaviors. We selected social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder because of their high prevalence in youth and often underrecognized symptom profiles. Method: A total of 251 adults participated. The data collection tools included the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire and a demographic information form. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics. Results: Almost a third correctly identified diagnoses. Counseling and physical activity were common preventive strategies, with parental migration being the most cited cause of mental illness. Discussion and conclusion: There is a need for MHL training among the Romanian population. The focus of such training should not only be on key symptoms of common mental disorders, but also on relevant, supportive evidence-based interventions
