bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health and well-being for all: an approach to accelerating progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in countries in the WHO European Region
Authors: Menne Bettina , Aragon de Leon Emilia , Bekker Marleen , Mirzikashvili Nino , Morton Stephen , Shriwise Amanda , Tomson Göran , Vracko Pia , Wippel Christoph
Published: March 2020

Background

Forty-three out of 53 of the WHO European Member States have set up political and institutional mechanisms to implement the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This includes governance and institutional mechanisms, engaging stakeholders, identifying targets and indicators, setting governmental and sectoral priorities for action and reporting progress regularly. Still, growing evidence suggests that there is room for advancing implementation of some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets at a higher pace in the WHO European Region. This article proposes the E4A approach to support WHO European Member States in their efforts to achieve the health-related SDG targets.

Methods

The E4A approach was developed through a 2-year, multi-stage process, starting with the endorsement of the SDG Roadmap by all WHO European Member States in 2017. This approach resulted from a mix of qualitative methods: a semi-structured desk review of existing committal documents and tools; in-country policy dialogs, interviews and reports; joint UN missions and discussion among multi-lateral organizations; consultation with an advisory group of academics and health policy experts across countries.

Results

The E—engage—functions as the driver and pace-maker; the 4 As—assess, align, accelerate and account—serve as building blocks composed of policies, processes, activities and interventions operating in continuous and synchronized action. Each of the building blocks is an essential part of the approach that can be applied across geographic and institutional levels.

Conclusion

While the E4A approach is being finalized, this article aims to generate debate and input to further refine and test this approach from a public health and user perspective.
System 1 Is Not Scope Insensitive: A New, Dual-Process Account of Subjective Value
Authors: Schley Dan R , de Langhe Bart , Long Andrew R
Published: March 2020

Companies can create value by differentiating their products and services along quantitative attributes. Existing research suggests that consumers’ tendency to rely on relatively effortless and affect-based processes reduces their sensitivity to the scope of quantitative attributes and that this explains why increments along quantitative attributes often have diminishing marginal value. The current article sheds new light on how “system 1” processes moderate the effect of quantitative product attributes on subjective value. Seven studies provide evidence that system 1 processes can produce diminishing marginal value, but also increasing marginal value, or any combination of the two, depending on the composition of the choice set. This is because system 1 processes facilitate ordinal comparisons (e.g., 256 GB is more than 128 GB, which is more than 64 GB) while system 2 processes, which are relatively more effortful and calculation based, facilitate cardinal comparisons (e.g., the difference between 256 and 128 GB is twice as large as between 128 and 64 GB).
Cancer-associated adipocyte-derived G-CSF promotes breast cancer malignancy via Stat3 signaling
Authors: Liu Li , Wu Yudong , Zhang Cheng , Zhou Chong , Li Yining , Zeng Yi , Zhang Chunbo , Li Rong , Luo Daya , Wang Lieliang , Zhang Long , Tu Shuo , Deng Huan , Luo Shiwen , Chen Ye-Guang , Xiong Xiangyang , Yan Xiaohua
Published: March 2020

Adipocyte is the most predominant cell type in the tumor microenvironment of breast cancer and plays a pivotal role in cancer progression, yet the underlying mechanisms and functional mediators remain elusive. We isolated primary preadipocytes from mammary fat pads of human breast cancer patients and generated mature adipocytes and cancer-associated adipocytes (CAAs) in vitro. The CAAs exhibited significantly different gene expression profiles as assessed by transcriptome sequencing. One of the highly expressed genes in CAAs is granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Treatment with recombinant human G-CSF protein or stable expression of human G-CSF in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines enhanced epithelial–mesenchymal transition, migration, and invasion of cancer cells, by activating Stat3. Accordantly, targeting G-CSF/Stat3 signaling with G-CSF-neutralizing antibody, a chemical inhibitor, or siRNAs for Stat3 could all abrogate CAA- or G-CSF-induced migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. The pro-invasive genes MMP2 and MMP9 were identified as target genes of G-CSF in TNBC cells. Furthermore, in human breast cancer tissues, elevated G-CSF expression in adipocytes is well correlated with activated Stat3 signal in cancer cells. Together, our results suggest a novel strategy to intervene with invasive breast cancers by targeting CAA-derived G-CSF.
“El Único Problema Aquí”: A Cristero Family and Workin Los Angeles, 1927–1932
Authors: Stalls Clay
Published: March 2020

The Venegas family letters at Loyola Marymount University present an unusual opportunity to document the work trajectories of their authors, Dolores Dávalos de Venegas and Miguel Venegas, after their exile to Los Angeles in 1927 because of the Cristero conflict in their home state of Jalisco, Mexico. Like many Mexican migrants to Los Angeles, Miguel began work in a blue-collar job, but within six months he had acquired a modest grocery store in central Los Angeles. Miguel’s middle-class business background in Jalisco provided him with the skills, worldview, and probable capital to move into business in Los Angeles.
Green when seen? No support for an effect of observability on environmental conservation in the laboratory: a registered report
Authors: Lange Florian , Brick Cameron , Dewitte Siegfried
Published: March 2020

Understanding how humans navigate the tension between selfish and prosocial behaviour is central to addressing social dilemmas and several environmental issues. Many accounts predict that human prosociality would increase in the presence of observing individuals. Previous studies on this observability effect predominantly relied on artificial observability manipulations and low-cost measures of prosociality. In the present Registered Report, we used a recently validated laboratory procedure of repeated dilemmas to test whether the presence of actual observers affects costly prosocial behaviour in the domain of environmental conservation. When completing this dilemma task, participants repeatedly chose between minimizing the length of the laboratory session and minimising wasted energy from a bank of LED lights. Their choices were made either in private or in the presence of actual observers. Contrary to our expectation, we did not observe higher rates of energy-conserving behaviour when participants' choices were being observed. Manipulation and robustness checks indicate that this lack of a finding is unlikely to be owing to arbitrary methodological choices. In view of these findings, we argue that a more comprehensive analysis of situation- and behaviour-specific consequences might be necessary to predict how particular behaviours are affected by observability.
Does repeatedly viewing overweight versus underweight images change perception of and satisfaction with own body size?
Authors: Bould Helen , Noonan Katharine , Penton-Voak Ian , Skinner Andy , Munafò Marcus R. , Park Rebecca J. , Broome Matthew R. , Harmer Catherine J.
Published: March 2020

Body dissatisfaction is associated with subsequent eating disorders and weight gain. One-off exposure to bodies of different sizes changes perception of others' bodies, and perception of and satisfaction with own body size. The effect of repeated exposure to bodies of different sizes has not been assessed. We randomized women into three groups, and they spent 5 min twice a day for a week completing a one-back task using images of women modified to appear either under, over, or neither over- nor underweight. We tested the effects on their perception of their own and others' body size, and satisfaction with own size. Measures at follow-up were compared between groups, adjusted for baseline measurements. In 93 women aged 18–30 years, images of other women were perceived as larger following exposure to underweight women (and vice versa) (p< 0.001). There was no evidence for a difference in our primary outcome measure (visual analogue scale own size) or in satisfaction with own size. Avatar-constructed ideal (p= 0.03) and avatar-constructed perceived own body size (p= 0.007) both decreased following exposure to underweight women, possibly due to adaptation affecting how the avatar was perceived. Repeated exposure to different sized bodies changes perception of the size of others' bodies, but we did not find evidence that it changes perceived own size.
Mere presence of co-eater automatically shifts foraging tactics toward ‘Fast and Easy' food in humans
Authors: Ogura Yukiko , Masamoto Taku , Kameda Tatsuya
Published: March 2020

Competition for food resources is widespread in nature. The foraging behaviour of social animals should thus be adapted to potential food competition. We conjectured that in the presence of co-foragers, animals would shift their tactics to forage more frequently for smaller food. Because smaller foods are more abundant in nature and allow faster consumption, such tactics should allow animals to consume food more securely against scrounging. We experimentally tested whether such a shift would be triggered automatically in human eating behaviour, even when there was no rivalry about food consumption. To prevent subjects from having rivalry, they were instructed to engage in a ‘taste test' in a laboratory, alone or in pairs. Even though the other subject was merely present and there was no real competition for food, subjects in pairs immediately exhibited a systematic behavioural shift to reaching for smaller food amounts more frequently, which was clearly distinct from their reaching patterns both when eating alone and when simply weighing the same food without eating any. These patterns suggest that behavioural shifts in the presence of others may be built-in tactics in humans (and possibly in other gregarious animals as well) to adapt to potential food competition in social foraging.
Phylogenetic clustering and rarity imply risk of local species extinction in prospective deep-sea mining areas of the Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone
Authors: Macheriotou Lara , Rigaux Annelien , Derycke Sofie , Vanreusel Ann
Published: March 2020

An understanding of the forces controlling community structure in the deep sea is essential at a time when its pristineness is threatened by polymetallic nodule mining. Because abiotically defined communities are more sensitive to environmental change, we applied occurrence- and phylogeny-based metrics to determine the importance of biotic versus abiotic structuring processes in nematodes, the most abundant invertebrate taxon of the Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ), an area targeted for mining. We investigated the prevalence of rarity and the explanatory power of environmental parameters with respect to phylogenetic diversity (PD). We found evidence for aggregation and phylogenetic clustering in nematode amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and the dominant genus
Acantholaimus
, indicating the influence of environmental filtering, sympatric speciation, affinity for overlapping habitats and facilitation for community structure. PD was associated with abiotic variables such as total organic carbon, chloroplastic pigments equivalents and/or mud content, explaining up to 57% of the observed variability and providing further support of the prominence of environmental structuring forces. Rarity was high throughout, ranging from 64 to 75% unique ASVs. Communities defined by environmental filtering with a prevalence of rarity in the CCFZ suggest taxa of these nodule-bearing abyssal plains will be especially vulnerable to the risk of extinction brought about by the efforts to extract them.
Vulcaniibacterium gelatinicum sp. nov., a moderately thermophilic bacterium isolated from a hot spring
Authors: Niu Xue-Ke , Narsing Rao Manik Prabhu , Dong Zhou-Yan , Kan Yu , Li Qi-Rui , Huang Jin , Zhao Liang , Wang Mei-Zhu , Shen Zhi-Ping , Kang Ying-Qian , Li Wen-Jun
Published: March 2020

The present study aimed to determine the taxonomic positions of strains designated R-5-52-3T, R-5-33-5-1-2, R-5-48-2 and R-5-51-4 isolated from hot spring water samples. Cells of these strains were Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and rod-shaped. The strains shared highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with

Vulcaniibacterium thermophilum

KCTC 32020T (95.1%). Growth occurred at 28–55 °C, at pH 6–8 and with up to 3 % (w/v) NaCl. DNA fingerprinting, biochemical, phylogenetic and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses suggested that R-5-52-3T, R-5-33-5-1-2, R-5-48-2 and R-5-51-4 were different strains but belonged to the same species. Hence, R-5-52-3T was chosen for further analysis and R-5-33-5-1-2, R-5-48-2 and R-5-51-4 were considered as additional strains of this species. R-5-52-3T possessed Q-8 as the only quinone and iso-C15:0, iso-C11:0, C16 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 as major fatty acids. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, unidentified polar lipids and two unidentified phospholipids. The genomic G+C content was 71.6 mol%. Heat shock proteins (e.g. Hsp20, GroEL, DnaK and Clp ATPases) were noted in the R-5-52-3T genome, which could suggest its protection in the hot spring environment. Pan-genome analysis showed the number of singleton gene clusters among

Vulcaniibacterium

members varied. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between R-5-52-3T,

Vulcaniibacterium tengchongense

YIM 77520T and

V. thermophilum

KCTC 32020T were 80.1–85.8 %, which were below the cut-off level (95–96 %) recommended as the ANI criterion for interspecies identity. Thus, based on the above results, strain R-5-52-3T represents a novel species of the genus

Vulcaniibacterium

, for which the name Vulcaniibacterium gelatinicum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is R-5-52-3T (=KCTC 72061T=CGMCC 1.16678T).
Elevated serum IgM levels indicate poor outcome in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia: A retrospective case-control study
Authors: Wang Zhihua , Li Huijun , Li Jingjing , Yang Chunguang , Guo Xiaolin , Hu Zhiquan , Chen Zhiqiang , Wang Shaogang , Liu Jihong
Published: March 2020

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia outbreak began in Wuhan and pandemics tend to occur. Although SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulins have been detected in serum of COVID-19 patients, their dynamics and association with outcomes have not been characterized.

Methods

A total of 116 hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia and SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulins tested in Tongji hospital were retrospectively investigated. Clinical, laboratory, radiological characteristics and outcomes data were compared between mild-moderate group and died group. Further, a paired case-control study was conducted where each deceased case was matched to three mild-moderate patients of similar age.

Findings

Among 116 subjects included, 101 mild-moderate patients survived and 15 cases died. SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM levels peaked in forth week after onset of COVID-19 pneumonia, while serum IgG levels increased over 8 weeks. Serum IgM levels were higher in deceased patients than mild-moderate patients (P = 0.024), but not IgG. Serum IgM levels were negatively correlated with clinical outcome, eosinophil count and albumin levels (r = −0.269, P = 0.003; r = −0.188, P = 0.043; and r = −0.198, P = 0.033, resp.). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for IgM antibody was 0.681 (95% CI: 0.517-0.845, P = 0.024). In case-control study paired by age, serum IgM was higher in deceased patients than mild-moderate patients (P = 0.019), positively correlated with leucocyte count (r = 0.260, P = 0.045), while negatively correlated with clinical outcome and albumin levels (r = −0.337, P = 0.008; r = −0.265, P = 0.041). AUC for IgM levels was 0.704 (95% CI: 0.534-0.873, P = 0.019).

Interpretation

These results indicate that dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgM and IgG antibodies was similar with that of SARS-CoV, while elevated serum IgM levels indicate poor outcome in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.
Deficient ER Acetyl-CoA Import in Acinar Cells Leads to Chronic Pancreatitis
Authors: Cooley M. M. , Thomas D. D. H. , Deans K. , Peng Y. , Lugea A. , Pandol S. J. , Puglielli L. , Groblewski G. E.
Published: March 2020

Maintaining endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteostasis is essential for pancreatic acinar cell function. Under conditions of severe ER stress, activation of pathogenic unfolded protein response pathways play a central role in the development and progression of pancreatitis. A key event in this pathogenic response is a loss of the transcription factor spliced XBP1 (XBP1s) and activation of the PERK pathway. Less is known of the consequence of perturbing ER-associated post-translational protein modification during pancreatitis. Here we show that expression of the ER acetyl-CoA transporter AT-1, necessary for ER protein acetylation, lies downstream of XBP1s and is significantly downregulated during the onset of pancreatitis. Genetic deletion of AT-1 in acinar cells of adult pancreas induces chronic ER stress marked by activation of both the XBP1s and PERK pathways, leading to mild/moderate chronic pancreatitis evidenced by accumulation of intracellular trypsin, immune cell infiltration, and fibrosis, but little pancreatic degeneration. Two-day induction of acute on chronic pancreatitis in AT-1 acinar specific knockout mice results in a severe CP phenotype with pronounced pancreatic atrophy. These findings uncover a new layer of complexity of the pathological ER stress response and its impact on pancreatic disease.
The efficacy of different preprocessing steps in reducing motion-related confounds in diffusion MRI connectomics
Authors: Oldham Stuart , Arnatkevic̆iūtė Aurina , Smith Robert E. , Tiego Jeggan , Bellgrove Mark A. , Fornito Alex
Published: March 2020

Head motion is a major confounding factor in neuroimaging studies. While numerous studies have investigated how motion impacts estimates of functional connectivity, the effects of motion on structural connectivity measured using diffusion MRI have not received the same level of attention, despite the fact that, like functional MRI, diffusion MRI relies on elaborate preprocessing pipelines that require multiple choices at each step. Here, we report a comprehensive analysis of how these choices influence motion-related contamination of structural connectivity estimates. Using a healthy adult sample (N= 252), we evaluated 240 different preprocessing pipelines, devised using plausible combinations of different choices related to explicit head motion correction, tractography propagation algorithms, track seeding methods, track termination constraints, quantitative metrics derived for each connectome edge, and parcellations. We found that an approach to motion correction that includes outlier replacement and within-slice volume correction led to a dramatic reduction in cross-subject correlations between head motion and structural connectivity strength, and that motion contamination is more severe when quantifying connectivity strength using mean tract fractional anisotropy rather than streamline count. We also show that the choice of preprocessing strategy can significantly influence subsequent inferences about network organization, with the location of network hubs varying considerably depending on the specific preprocessing steps applied. Our findings indicate that the impact of motion on structural connectivity can be successfully mitigated using recent motion-correction algorithms that include outlier replacement and within-slice motion correction.

Highlights

We assess how motion affects structural connectivity in 240 preprocessing pipelines

Motion contamination of structural connectivity depends on preprocessing choices

Advanced motion correction tools reduce motion confounds

FA edge weighting is more susceptible to motion effects than streamline count
Evaluation of the awareness level of Healthcare workers toward NCOVID-2019 in Pakistan
Authors: Imdad Bushra , Abbas Uzair , Qureshi Ambrina , Mohsin Sehrish , Shireen Amna , Hussain Altaf , Baloch Ramsha Ali , Hussain Niaz , Imdad Nazia
Published: March 2020

Background

Novel Coronavirus infection disease 2019 (NCOVID-19), caused by the corona virus, was first spotted in Wuhan, city of China, December 2019. The NCOVID-19 virus is spread among individuals through close communication in the form of droplets, not via airborne. Those individuals are at risk of infection who are in close contact with a NCOVID-19 patient or who take care of NCOVID-19 patients. Infection prevention and control measures are critical to prevent the possible spread of any infection in healthcare facilities. Therefore, healthcare workers should be aware of basic knowledge and all procedures concerning prevention and protection from NCOVID-19.

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate the awareness level of healthcare workers toward NCOVID-2019 in Pakistan.

Material and Methods

A questionnaire was generated according to WHO information that was circulated among the healthcare workers of different hospitals and medical institutes of Pakistan. Calculated sample size was 650.

Conclusion

Healthcare workers have insufficient knowledge of preventive measures and infection control. The authorities must take initiatives on urgent basis to increase the awareness among the healthcare workers and general public also so that the drastic circumstances can be avoided in the developing country like Pakistan.
In-cell destabilization of a homo-dimeric protein complex detected by DEER spectroscopy
Authors: Yang Yin , Chen Shen-Na , Yang Feng , Li Xia-Yan , Feintuch Akiva , Su Xun-Cheng , Goldfarb Daniella
Published: March 2020

The complexity of the cellular medium can affect proteins’ properties and therefore in-cell characterization of proteins is essential. We explored the stability and conformation of BIR1, the first baculoviral IAP repeat domain of X-chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), as a model for a homo-dimer protein in human HeLa cells. We employed double electron-electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy and labeling with redox stable and rigid Gd3+spin labels at three protein residues, C12 (flexible region), E22C and N28C (part of helical residues 26–31) in the N-terminal region. In contrast to predictions by excluded volume crowding theory, the dimer-monomer dissociation constantKDwas markedly higher in cells than in solution and dilute cell lysate. As expected, this increase was recapitulated under conditions of high salt concentrations given that a conserved salt bridge at the dimer interface is critically required for association. Unexpectedly, however, also the addition of a crowding agent such as Ficoll destabilized the dimer, suggesting that Ficoll forms specific interactions with the monomeric protein. Changes in DEER distance distributions were observed for the E22C site, which displayed reduced conformational freedom in cells. Although overall DEER behaviors at E22C and N28C were compatible with a predicted compaction of disordered protein regions by excluded volume effects, we were unable to reproduce E22C properties in artificially crowded solutions. These results highlight the importance of in-cell DEER measurements to appreciate the complexities of cellularin vivoeffects on protein structures and functions.
Molecular phylogeny of historical micro-invertebrate specimens usingde novosequence assembly
Authors: Orr R.J.S , Sannum M. M. , Boessenkool S. , Di Martino E. , Gordon D.P. , Mello H. , Obst M. , Ramsfjell M.H. , Smith A.M. , Liow L.H.
Published: March 2020

Resolution of relationships at lower taxonomic levels is crucial for answering many evolutionary questions, and as such, sufficiently varied species representation is vital. This latter goal is not always achievable with relatively fresh samples. To alleviate the difficulties in procuring rarer taxa, we have seen increasing utilization of historical specimens in building molecular phylogenies using high throughput sequencing. This effort, however, has mainly focused on large-bodied or well-studied groups, with small-bodied and under-studied taxa under-prioritized. Here, we present a pipeline that utilizes both historical and contemporary specimens, to increase the resolution of phylogenetic relationships among understudied and small-bodied metazoans, namely, cheilostome bryozoans. In this study, we pioneer sequencing of air-dried bryozoans, utilizing a recent library preparation method for low DNA input. We use thede novomitogenome assembly from the target specimen itself as reference for iterative mapping, and the comparison thereof. In doing so, we present mitochondrial and ribosomal RNA sequences of 43 cheilostomes representing 37 species, including 14 from historical samples ranging from 50 to 149 years old. The inferred phylogenetic relationships of these samples, analyzed together with publicly available sequence data, are shown in a statistically well-supported 65 taxa and 17 genes cheilostome tree. Finally, the methodological success is emphasized by circularizing a total of 27 mitogenomes, seven from historical cheilostome samples. Our study highlights the potential of utilizing DNA from micro-invertebrate specimens stored in natural history collections for resolving phylogenetic relationships between species.
Congenital disorder of glycosylation caused by starting site-specific variant in syntaxin-5
Authors: Linders Peter T.A. , Gerretsen Eveline C.F. , Ashikov Angel , Vals Mari-Anne , de Boer Rinse , Revelo Natalia H. , Arts Richard , Baerenfaenger Melissa , Zijlstra Fokje , Huijben Karin , Raymond Kimiyo , Muru Kai , Fjodorova Olga , Pajusalu Sander , Õunap Katrin , Beest Martin ter , Lefeber Dirk , van den Bogaart Geert
Published: March 2020

The SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) protein syntaxin-5 (Stx5) is essential for Golgi transport. In humans, theSTX5mRNA encodes two protein isoforms, Stx5 Long (Stx5L) from the first starting methionine and Stx5 Short (Stx5S) from an alternative starting methionine at position 55. In this study, we identify a human disorder caused by a single missense substitution in the second starting methionine (p.M55V), resulting in complete loss of the short isoform. Patients suffer from an early fatal multisystem disease, including severe liver disease, skeletal abnormalities and abnormal glycosylation. Primary human dermal fibroblasts isolated from these patients show defective glycosylation, altered Golgi morphology as measured by electron microscopy, mislocalization of glycosyltransferases, and compromised ER-Golgi trafficking. Measurements of cognate binding SNAREs, based on biotin-synchronizable forms of Stx5 (the RUSH system) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), revealed that the short isoform of Stx5 is essential for intra-Golgi transport. Alternative starting codons of Stx5 are thus linked to human disease, demonstrating that the site of translation initiation is an important new layer of regulating protein trafficking.
Forecasting the dynamics of COVID-19 Pandemic in Top 15 countries in April 2020: ARIMA Model with Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Kumar Pavan , Kalita Himangshu , Patairiya Shashikanta , Sharma Yagya Datt , Nanda Chintan , Rani Meenu , Rahmani Jamal , Bhagavathula Akshaya Srikanth
Published: March 2020

We here predicted some trajectories of COVID-19 in the coming days (until April 30, 2020) using the most advanced Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average Model (ARIMA). Our analysis predicted very frightening outcomes, which defines to worsen the conditions in Iran, entire Europe, especially Italy, Spain, and France. While South Korea, after the initial blast, has come to stability, the same goes for the COVID-19 origin country China with more positive recovery cases and confirm to remain stable. The United States of America (USA) will come as a surprise and going to become the epicenter for new cases during the mid-April 2020. Based on our predictions, public health officials should tailor aggressive interventions to grasp the power exponential growth, and rapid infection control measures at hospital levels are urgently needed to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic.
A novel three-dimensional zinc(II) coordination polymer based on 3,3′-{[1,3-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(oxy)}dibenzoic acid and 1,4-bis(pyridin-4-yl)benzene: synthesis, crystal structure and photocatalytic properties
Authors: Xue Yun-Shan , Cheng Wei-Wei , Chen Zhuo-Lin , Kong Weili , Zhang Jun
Published: March 2020

A novel three-dimensional (3D) ZnII coordination polymer, namely, poly[[[1,4-bis(pyridin-4-yl)benzene](μ3-3,3′-{[1,3-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(oxy)}dibenzoato)zinc(II)] 1,4-bis(pyridin-4-yl)benzene], {[Zn(C22H16O6)(C16H12N2)]·C16H12N2}
n
or {[Zn(PMBD)(DPB)]·DPB}
n
, 1, where H2PMBD is 3,3′-{[1,3-phenylenebis(methylene)]bis(oxy)}dibenzoic acid and DPB is 1,4-bis(pyridin-4-yl)benzene, has been synthesized by self-assembly using zinc nitrate, a semi-rigid dicarboxylic acid and a nitrogen-containing ligand. The single-crystal X-ray structure determination indicates that 1 possesses an intriguing 3D architecture with a 4-connected uninodal cds topology, which is constructed from dinuclear {Zn2} clusters and V-shaped PMBD2− linkers. Compound 1 exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity on the degradation of the organic dyes Rhodamine B (RhB), Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) and Methyl Red (MR).
Bases, solvates and salts: new benzimidazole- and pyridine-scaffolded ligands
Authors: Bocian Aleksandra , Gorczyński Adam , Marcinkowski Dawid , Dutkiewicz Grzegorz , Patroniak Violetta , Kubicki Maciej
Published: March 2020

The intermolecular interactions in the structures of a series of Schiff base ligands have been thoroughly studied. These ligands can be obtained in different forms, namely, as the free base 2-[(2E)-2-(1H-imidazol-4-ylmethylidene)-1-methylhydrazinyl]pyridine, C10H11N5, 1, the hydrates 2-[(2E)-2-(1H-imidazol-2-ylmethylidene)-1-methylhydrazinyl]-1H-benzimidazole monohydrate, C12H12N6·H2O, 2, and 2-{(2E)-1-methyl-2-[(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)methylidene]hydrazinyl}-1H-benzimidazole 1.25-hydrate, C13H14N6·1.25H2O, 3, the monocationic hydrate 5-{(1E)-[2-(1H-1,3-benzodiazol-2-yl)-2-methylhydrazinylidene]methyl}-1H-imidazol-3-ium trifluoromethanesulfonate monohydrate, C12H13N6
+·CF3O3S−·H2O, 5, and the dicationic 2-{(2E)-1-methyl-2-[(1H-imidazol-3-ium-2-yl)methylidene]hydrazinyl}pyridinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonate), C10H13N5
2+·2CF3O3S−, 6. The connection between the forms and the preferred intermolecular interactions is described and further studied by means of the calculation of the interaction energies between the neutral and charged components of the crystal structures. These studies show that, in general, the most important contribution to the stabilization energy of the crystal is provided by π–π interactions, especially between charged ligands, while the details of the crystal architecture are influenced by directional interactions, especially relatively strong hydrogen bonds. In one of the structures, a very interesting example of the nontypical F...O interaction was found and its length, 2.859 (2) Å, is one of the shortest ever reported.
Development of basic building blocks for cryo-EM: the emcore and emvis software libraries
Authors: de la Rosa-Trevín José Miguel , Hernández Viga Pedro Alberto , Otón Joaquín , Lindahl Erik
Published: March 2020

Image-processing software has always been an integral part of structure determination by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Recent advances in hardware and software are recognized as one of the key factors in the so-called cryo-EM resolution revolution. Increasing computational power has opened many possibilities to consider more demanding algorithms, which in turn allow more complex biological problems to be tackled. Moreover, data processing has become more accessible to many experimental groups, with computations that used to last for many days at supercomputing facilities now being performed in hours on personal workstations. All of these advances, together with the rapid expansion of the community, continue to pose challenges and new demands on the software-development side. In this article, the development of emcore and emvis, two basic software libraries for image manipulation and data visualization in cryo-EM, is presented. The main goal is to provide basic functionality organized in modular components that other developers can reuse to implement new algorithms or build graphical applications. An additional aim is to showcase the importance of following established practices in software engineering, with the hope that this could be a first step towards a more standardized way of developing and distributing software in the field.
Trimethyl 4,4′,4′′-(ethene-1,1,2-triyl)tribenzoate
Authors: Lesley Melvin J. G. , Ozhan Koray , Sung Herman H.-Y. , Williams Ian D.
Published: March 2020

The title compound, C26H22O6, is formed as the major product from the reaction between syn-1,2-bis(pinacolatoboron)-1,2-bis(4-methylcarboxyphenyl)ethene and excess methyl 4-iodobenzoate in basic DMSO using a palladium catalyst at 80°C via Suzuki coupling followed by protodeboronation. Crystals were grown by slow evaporation of a hexanes solution at room temperature.
Elective affinities: exploring the matching between entrepreneurs and investors in equity crowdfunding
Authors: Giudici Giancarlo , Guerini Massimiliano , Rossi-Lamastra Cristina
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The authors investigate whether matchings in equity crowdfunding are more likely to happen if homophily exists between investors and investees. They focus on gender, age and geographical proximity as crucial dimensions of similarity among individuals and thus of homophily. Furthermore, they investigate whether the effect of homophily depends on the risk of opportunism, which investors allegedly attribute to proponents basing on their area of residence.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyze a hand-collected database of 13 equity crowdfunding campaigns launched by Italian innovative start-ups from January 2013 to June 2016, which includes information about 384 equity crowdfunding investments carried out by 361 different investors.

Findings

The authors find a significant effect of geographical proximity and age similarity in explaining the probability that an investor finances a campaign. Moreover, these effects are particularly relevant if the proponent is located in areas characterized by a high risk of opportunistic behavior. Interestingly enough, they do not detect any significant effect related to gender.

Originality/value

In this paper, the authors have the unique opportunity to analyze a whole market (the Italian market) during three years, from inception (2013–2016), and to collect the identities of the investors in all successful campaigns.
Understanding career advancement of newcomers from perspective of organizational socialization
Authors: He Hui , Gao Junguang , Yan Liumei
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how to facilitate newcomers’ career advancement within an organization and diminish their intention to quit from the perspective of socialization. In addition, the moderating role of the type of newcomers on the relationship between socialization tactics and career advancement, and consequently, on the mediating effect of newcomers’ proactive socialization behavior, will be examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Longitudinal survey research was conducted in the tertiary industry in four large cities of China. Regression analysis and bootstrapping method were used to verify the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

Organizational socialization tactics could have positive effects on newcomers’ proactive socialization behavior and promotion prospects. And newcomers’ proactive socialization behavior partly mediates the relationship between organizational socialization tactics and their promotion prospects. The type of newcomers moderates the relationship between proactive socialization behavior and promotion prospects and also the mediation effect of proactive behavior, which says a moderated mediating effect.

Practical implications

Employers should put more value on college recruitment, making good use of social media tools in particular. And they should also select applicants with proactive personality traits. Finally, a series of structured orientation programs should be implemented for all newcomers.

Originality/value

This study contributes evidence for career advancement as one of the distal socialization outcomes, the moderating role of the type of newcomers on the relationship between socialization and career advancement, and the classification as graduates from school and experienced newcomers from other organizations holds significance to examine newcomers’ socialization.
Mentoring is essential but not sufficient: sponsor women for leadership roles
Authors: Singh Swati , Vanka Sita
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of the article is to highlight the importance of sponsorship in the career advancement of women and how it can also promote diversity in leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the PwC’s Breakthrough program illustration to demonstrate how the potential of sponsorship can be leveraged to enhance diversity.

Findings

Research in leadership, diversity, and inclusion indicates that the leadership gender gap is a major challenge faced by organizations. Most of the organizations employ mentorship as a strategy for women’s career development. However, it is difficult to assess the measurable impact of this on the careers of women and how it could help in improving diversity in leadership roles. The findings suggest that sponsorship, which is an action-oriented strategy can complement mentoring and bring desired results.

Originality/value

The paper analyses the role of mentoring and sponsorship in the career development of women. The paper also highlights the differences between mentorship and sponsorship. Furthermore, it demonstrates the importance of sponsorship in promoting diversity with the help of PwC’s illustration.
A numerical method for solving optimal control problems via Legendre polynomials
Authors: Gu Yajing , Yan Hongyan , Zhu Yuanguo
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an iterative Legendre technique to deal with a continuous optimal control problem (OCP).

Design/methodology/approach

For the system in the considered problem, the control variable is a function of the state variables and their derivatives. State variables in the problem are approximated by Legendre expansions as functions of time t. A constant matrix is given to express the derivatives of state variables. Therefore, control variables can be described as functions of time t. After that, the OCP is converted to an unconstrained optimization problem whose decision variables are the unknown coefficients in the Legendre expansions.

Findings

The convergence of the proposed algorithm is proved. Experimental results, which contain the controlled Duffing oscillator problem demonstrate that the proposed technique is faster than existing methods.

Originality/value

Experimental results, which contained the controlled Duffing oscillator problem demonstrate that the proposed technique can be faster while securing exactness.
Finite element modeling of material removal rate in micro-EDM process with and without ultrasonic vibration
Authors: Choubey Mayank , Maity K.P. , Sharma Abhishek
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This research explores the finite element modeling of the crater and material removal rate (MRR) in micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) with and without vibration of the workpiece. The application of workpiece vibration in the micro-EDM process improved flushing efficiency and enhanced material removal rate (MRR).

Design/methodology/approach

In this work, the two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element method (FEM) has been developed to predict the shape of the crater with and without vibration. The temperature distribution on the workpiece surface with and without vibration has been obtained in the form of the contour plot.

Findings

The MRR obtained from the numerical model revealed that there was an enhancement in MRR in micro-EDM with vibration as compared to without vibration. The effect of process parameters on MRR in micro-EDM with and without is also presented in this work.

Originality/value

In this work, the two-dimensional axisymmetric FEM model has been developed to predict the shape of the crater with and without vibration.
To follow others or be yourself? Social influence in online restaurant reviews
Authors: Li Hengyun , Meng Fang , Jeong Miyoung , Zhang Zili
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Online reviews are often likely to be socially influenced by prior reviews. This study aims to examine key review and reviewer characteristics which may influence the social influence process.

Design/methodology/approach

Restaurant review data from Yelp.com are analyzed using an ordered logit model and text mining approach.

Findings

This study reveals that prior average review rating exerts a positive influence on subsequent review ratings for the same restaurant, but the effect is attenuated by the variance in existing review ratings. Moreover, social influence is stronger for consumers who had a moderate dining experience or invested less cognitive effort in writing online reviews. Compared to reviewers classified by Yelp as “elite,” non-elite reviewers appear more susceptible to the social influence of prior average review rating.

Practical implications

This study provides guidelines for mitigating the social influence of prior reviews and improving the accuracy of online product/service ratings, which will eventually enhance business and the reputation of online review platforms.

Originality/value

The findings from this study contribute to the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) literature and social influence literature in terms of the bidirectional nature of social influence on eWOM.
Profitability of the Northern Sea Route for liquid bulk shipping under post 2020 sulphur regulations
Authors: Keltto Tuomo , Woo Su-Han
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the profitability of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as a shipping lane from the financial perspective of shipping companies under post 2020 sulphur regulations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study develops profit estimation model, and the profitability of the NSR is assessed for a Handymax Medium Range (MR) tanker vessel using scenarios in combination with spot market earning levels, the regulation compliance method and destination ports. The required freight rates are calculated to justify the decision of shipowners to transit a tanker from the Baltic spot market to the NSR navigation.

Findings

Results suggest that the required freight rates from the Arctic trade to justify the transit to the NSR are higher than the actual agreed rates in the past, which implies low viability of the NSR as a regular shipping lane. It was also found that the required freight rates are affected by the spot market earning levels, compliance method and duration of the voyage.

Research limitations/implications

This study takes a new approach on assessing the NSR viability by comprehensively assessing the annual profitability and including the spot market trade as an opportunity cost for the NSR shipping. Despite various scenarios used in this study, a sensitivity analysis would be useful for future research.

Practical implications

This study suggests how much freight rates a shipping company would need to charge if it were to offer tanker shipping services to four major Asian ports while simultaneously operating at the Baltic Sea during the remainder of the year.

Originality/value

This study adopts a market-oriented approach by incorporating both earnings and costs (including opportunity costs) in the profitability model rather than merely analyzing the total cost of shipping via the NSR. This study also analyzes impact of IMO 2020 Sulphur regulation on the NSR profitability.
A comparison of physical anxiety levels in adolescent and young women with polycystic ovary syndrome and in other healthy adolescent and young women in a university hospital, Turkey
Authors: Duman Mesude , Durgun Ozan Yeter
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study was conducted to investigate the Social Physique Anxiety (SPA) level in adolescent and young women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Design/methodology/approach

This is a descriptive study. It was conducted in Turkey. The study was conducted from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017. It was completed with a total of 150 young women – 75 of them had PCOS and 75 of them were healthy. Study data were collected using demographic information form and Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS).

Findings

The study was found that the adolescent and young women with PCOS had higher subscales and total scores for total SPAS at a statistically significant level than healthy adolescent and young women (p < 0.05).

Practice implication

The findings of this study may be used for planning and implementing interventions in health-care practice such as screening and early treatment of SPA of women with PCOS.

Originality/value

It was found that PCOS in adolescent and young women increased the SPA level. In line with these results, health professionals must be particularly aware of the potential psychosocial and health needs of adolescent and young women with PCOS.
Current developments in money laundering and terrorism financing
Authors: Teichmann Fabian Maximilian Johannes
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Whilst the existing literature focuses on developing prevention mechanisms for banks, this paper aims to demonstrate the ongoing feasibility of money laundering and financing terrorism undetected. This study thereby reveals that the current anti-money-laundering and anti-terrorism-financing mechanisms can easily be circumvented.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-stage research process was used, including both qualitative and quantitative methods. The empirical findings are based on a qualitative content analysis of 50 informal interviews with illegal financial services providers and 50 formal interviews with compliance experts and law enforcement officers.

Findings

During these interviews, specific methods of financing terrorism and limiting the risks of being prosecuted were discussed. Hence, specific methods of money laundering and terrorism financing have been analyzed.

Research limitations/implications

The findings thus convey only the perspectives of the 100 interviewees, such that generalizability is limited.

Practical implications

The practical implications include suggestions for financial regulators, financial institutions and compliance officers on how to more effectively combat money laundering and terrorism financing. Although the empirical findings are limited to Europe, the results could be applied globally.

Originality/value

This paper reveals new insights about criminals’ actions, which help to develop more effective compliance mechanisms.