Amelioration of histological changes and associated metabolic abnormalities by a combination of Morinda lucida and metformin in diabetic rats

This work investigates the ability of Morinda lucida and co-administration of Morinda lucida/metformin in the control of biochemical and histological changes in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Alloxan diabetic rats were treated with 200 mg/Kg body weight of Morinda lucida leaves extract, 1 mg/Kg BW of metformin or a combination of the two treatments for 28 days. Results of the studies revealed that Morinda lucida leaves extract significantly improved lipid profile and kidney function in diabetic rats. These positive outcomes were enhanced by combined treated with Morinda lucida leaves extract and metformin. Furthermore, the calculated atherogenic index of treated animals were close to those of normal rats as opposed to diabetic rats. Similarly, histological studies showed that Morinda lucida leaves extract and metformin administered together or singly, ameliorated damages in pancreas and kidneys from alloxan diabetic rats. It can therefore be inferred that combined treatment with Morinda lucida leaves extract and merformin could improve the potency of Morinda lucida leaves used in the management of diabetic complications

Education and Interpretation on Public Lands: Lessons from Research and New Directions

Decades of research confirm that interpretation and environmental education on public lands can accomplish a wide variety of positive outcomes for participants, ranging from personal learning and growth to stewardship behaviors both onand off-site. This research note offers a brief summary of the state-of-the-field of interpretation and environmental education research as applied to public lands. It highlights the general state of knowledge and identifies opportunities for researchers to further enhance our understanding about education on public lands to maximize benefits for visitors and managers alike. In particular, we emphasize the value of large-scale comparative studies as well as collaborative approaches to adaptive management, in which researchers support active experimentation through iterative data collection and analysis within a learning network of multiple program providers. This latter approach promotes evidenced-based learning within a larger community practice in which participants can benefit from the diverse knowledge, experiences, and data that each brings into the network.

What Is the Impact of Mass Timber Utilization on Climate and Forests?

As the need to address climate change grows more urgent, policymakers, businesses, and others are seeking innovative approaches to remove carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere and decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors. Forests can play a role in reducing atmospheric carbon. However, there is disagreement over whether forests are most effective in reducing carbon emissions when left alone versus managed for sustainable harvesting and wood product production. Cross-laminated timber is at the forefront of the mass timber movement, which is enabling designers, engineers, and other stakeholders to build taller wood buildings. Several recent studies have shown that substituting mass timber for steel and concrete in mid-rise buildings can reduce the emissions associated with manufacturing, transporting, and installing building materials by 13%-26.5%. However, the prospect of increased utilization of wood products as a climate solution also raises questions about the impact of increased demand for wood on forest carbon stocks, on forest condition, and on the provision of the many other critical social and environmental benefits that healthy forests can provide. A holistic assessment of the total climate impact of forest product demand across product substitution, carbon storage in materials, current and future forest carbon stock, and forest area and condition is challenging, but it is important to understand the impact of increased mass timber utilization on forests and climate, and therefore also on which safeguards might be necessary to ensure positive outcomes. To thus assess the potential impacts, both positive and negative, of greater mass timber utilization on forests ecosystems and emissions associated with the built environment, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) initiated a global mass timber impact assessment (GMTIA), a five-part, highly collaborative research program focused on understanding the potential benefits and risks of increased demand for mass timber products on forests and identifying appropriate safeguards to ensure positive outcomes.

Purpose in Life among First-Generation College Students: Friends Make a Difference

Purpose in life is linked with numerous positive outcomes among adolescents and emerging adults. Peer relationships may play an important role in the cultivation of purpose, especially among first-generation college (FGC) students. The present study examined the association between the quality of peer relationships and commitment to purpose among students from three universities (N = 195). Analyses also examined whether FGC student status moderated this association. The results indicated that the quality of peer relationships significantly predicted commitment to purpose. FGC status moderated this association; high-quality relationships with peers helped close the gap in purpose commitment between FGC students and their counterparts.

EXPRESS: The Upside of Negative: Social Distance in Online Reviews of Identity-Relevant Brands

Conventional wisdom in marketing emphasizes the detrimental effects of negative online reviews for brands. An important question is whether some firms could more effectively manage negative reviews to improve brand preference and outcomes. To address this question, our research examines how customers respond to online reviews of identity-relevant brands in particular, which have been overlooked in the online reviews literature. Eight studies (field data and experiments featuring consequential and hypothetical behaviors) show that negative online reviews may not be so detrimental for identity-relevant brands, especially when those reviews originate from socially distant (but not socially close) reviewers. This occurs because a negative review of an identity-relevant brand can pose a threat to a customer’s identity, prompting the customer to strengthen their relationship with the identity-relevant brand. To document the underlying process, we show that this effect does not emerge when the review is positive or the brand is identity-irrelevant. Importantly, we identify circumstances when negative reviews can actually produce positive outcomes (higher preference) for identity-relevant brands over no reviews or even positive reviews. By demonstrating the upside of negative reviews for identity-relevant brands, our findings have important implications for marketing theory and practice.

Innovative Treatments Enhancing the Functionality of Gut Microbiota to Improve Quality and Microbiological Safety of Foods of Animal Origin

The gastrointestinal tract, or gut, microbiota is a microbial community containing a variety of microorganisms colonizing throughout the gut that plays a crucial role in animal health, growth performance, and welfare. The gut microbiota is closely associated with the quality and microbiological safety of foods and food products originating from animals. The gut microbiota of the host can be modulated and enhanced in ways that improve the quality and safety of foods of animal origin. Probiotics—also known as direct-fed microbials—competitive exclusion cultures, prebiotics, and synbiotics have been utilized to achieve this goal. Reducing foodborne pathogen colonization in the gut prior to slaughter and enhancing the chemical, nutritional, or sensory characteristics of foods (e.g., meat, milk, and eggs) are two of many positive outcomes derived from the use of these competitive enhancement–based treatments in food-producing animals. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, Volume 13 is March 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Extending the research agenda on (ethical) coaching and mentoring in education: embracing mutuality and prioritising well-being

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a review of the evidence base on coaching and mentoring in education, to provide a commentary on literature published in the first 10 volumes of the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education (IJMCE) in particular and to offer some directions for future research in the field.Design/methodology/approachThis review and position paper draws on the authors’ knowledge of the extant literature on coaching and mentoring in education, their own research in the field and their perspectives as editors of coaching and mentoring journals.FindingsAmong the outcomes of their review and commentary, the authors observe that coaching and mentoring research conducted to date largely occupies two separate fields, and studies published in one field frequently fail to draw on relevant literature from the other or recognise the overlap between them. The authors highlight a number of additional limitations of the evidence base on coaching and mentoring in education and offer some potential means of addressing these.Originality/valueThe paper offers an original reflection on current research into coaching and mentoring in education. It is intended that the paper will inform the design and publication of future studies in this area to strengthen the evidence base and, in turn, inform improvements to coaching and mentoring practice. In particular, the authors hope to encourage the ethical deployment of coaching and mentoring which enhances, rather than inhibits, the well-being of all participants, while realising other positive outcomes.

The influence of the positive affective trait on the willingness to act entrepreneurially: The mediating effect of opportunity evaluation

This article extends previous literature on opportunity evaluation by analysing how positive affect influences opportunity evaluation and the subsequent willingness to act entrepreneurially. We draw on two mediational channels (i.e., the affect-to-affect-to-outcome and affect-to-cognition routes) regarding the influence of affect on positive outcomes upon arguments that opportunity evaluation comprises of the cognitive representations of the focal opportunity and of oneself. Specifically, we analyse the mediating effects of the image of the opportunity and self-efficacy in the relationship between positive affect and the willingness to act entrepreneurially. We test our hypotheses on a sample of nascent entrepreneurs participating in training programmes in six Spanish incubators whom were asked to evaluate their own opportunities. Our findings show that positive affect exerts a positive indirect effect through the image of the opportunity, but do not indicate any mediating effect of self-efficacy. These findings may help entrepreneurs understand the affective subjectivity of their opportunity assessments.

Nurse-led projects for people experiencing homelessness and other inclusion health groups: a realist evaluation

Nursing service development or innovation projects, even small-scale ones, can be difficult to deliver and evaluate, due to a lack of resources and support. Results can also be difficult to disseminate, limiting transfer of learning. This paper presents findings from a realist evaluation of 10 small projects supported by the Queen's Nursing Institute Homeless and Inclusion Health Programme to deliver innovation in health care for people experiencing homelessness and other marginalised groups. These nurse-led projects were funded by the Queen's Nursing Institute and the Oak Foundation, and were largely successful in achieving outcomes to support the improved health of people experiencing homelessness and other marginalised groups. This realist evaluation explores the factors that contributed to the delivery of positive outcomes. All were impacted by the context and the response (mechanisms) of people experiencing homelessness and staff within these settings. It is hoped that the lessons learned will enable better support for nurse innovation projects in the future.