bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical and economic inpatient burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in children < 2 years of age in Germany, 2014-2019: a retrospective health claims analysis
Authors: Lade Caroline , Bayer Lea , Huebbe Bennet , Riedel Jennifer , Melnik Sima , Brestrich Gordon , von Eiff Christof , Tenenbaum Tobias
Published: February 2024

Background

Respiratory syntactical virus (RSV) is a common cause for severe lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in children <2 years of age in Germany – though little is known about the clinical and economic burden of RSV in children with and without risk factors per month of life.

Methods

In a retrospective health claims analysis, we identified RSV inpatient cases between 2014 and 2019. We assessed incidence rates, mortality rate, health resource utilization, associated direct costs per case and excess costs for 30, 90 and 365 days after hospital admission matched to a control group. The outcomes are reported separately for the first and second year of life (i.e., for infants and toddlers) and were stratified by month of life, preterm and risk status (i.e., presence of underlying disease: chronic respiratory or cardiac disease, immunosuppression, neurological diseases, diabetes, conditions originating in the perinatal period).

Results

RSV-attributable hospital incidence rate was higher in infants (30.25/1,000) than toddlers (14.52/1,000), highest in the first three months of life (44.21/1,000), in infants born preterm (64.76/1,000) or with any underlying disease (54.85/1,000). Mortality rate was also higher for infants (0.08/1,000) than toddlers (0.04/1,000). Mean 30-day excess costs ranged from 2,953 € for infants born full-term at no risk, hospitalized for 5 days, to 6,694 € for infants born extremely premature, hospitalized for 7 days.

Conclusion

In Germany, the clinical and economic burden of RSV is substantial, especially in the most vulnerable population, that is, very young infants, those born premature and/or those with an underlying disease.
EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY FOR TIMELY DEMENTIA DIAGNOSIS (EQUATED): A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF HOW PEOPLE FROM MINORITIZED ETHNIC GROUPS EXPERIENCE THE EARLY SYMPTOMS OF DEMENTIA AND SEEK HELP
Authors: Carter Christine , Roche Moïse , Whitfield Elenyd , Budgett Jessica , Morgan-Trimmer Sarah , Zabihi Sedigheh , Birks Yvonne , Walter Fiona , Wilberforce Mark , Jiang Jessica , Ahmed Refah Z , Dowridge Wesley , Marshall Charles R , Cooper Claudia
Published: February 2024

Introduction

People from minoritized ethnic groups are diagnosed with dementia later in the disease. We explored pathways that may determine the timing of diagnoses in an ethnically diverse, urban area.

Methods

We conducted 61 semi-structured interviews: 10 community-dwelling older people from minoritized ethnic backgrounds with diagnosed and undiagnosed dementia (mean age = 72 years; males = 5/10), 30 family members (51, 10/30), 16 health or social care professionals (42; 3/15) three paid carers and two interpreters for people with dementia. We used reflexive thematic analysis, and the Model of Pathways to Treatment to consider diagnostic delay.

Findings

We identified three themes: (1)Cultural identity and practices shape responses: gendered expectations that families relieve elders of household roles reduce awareness or concern when functioning declines; expectations that religious practices are maintained mean problems doing so triggers help-seeking. Second generation family members often held insider and outsider identities, balancing traditional and Western perspectives. (2)Becoming like a tourist:daily experiences became unfamiliar for people developing dementia in an adopted country, sometimes engendering a need to reconnect with a home country. For professionals and interpreters, translating meanings faithfully, and balancing relatives’ and clients’ voices, were challenging. (3)Naming and conceptualising dementia:the term dementia was stigmatised, with cultural nuances in how it was understood; initial presentations often included physical symptoms with cognitive concerns.

Conclusion

Greater understanding of dilemmas faced by minoritized ethnic communities, closer collaboration with interpreters and workforce diversity could reduce time from symptom appraisal to diagnosis, and support culturally competent diagnostic assessments.
Body mass index changes and their association with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a real-world analysis
Authors: Varghese Jithin Sam , Guo Yi , Ali Mohammed K. , Donahoo W. Troy , Chakkalakal Rosette J.
Published: February 2024

Objective

To study body mass index (BMI) changes among individuals aged 18-99 years with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Subjects/Methods

Using real-world data from the One Florida+ Clinical Research Network of the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, we compared changes over time in BMI in an Exposed cohort (positive SARS-CoV-2 test between March 2020 – January 2022), to a contemporary Unexposed cohort (negative SARS-CoV-2 tests), and an age/sex-matched Historical control cohort (March 2018 – January 2020). Body mass index (kg/m2) was retrieved from objective measures of height and weight in electronic health records. We used target trial approaches to estimate BMI at baseline and change per 100 days of follow-up for Unexposed and Historical cohorts relative to the Exposed cohort by categories of sex, race-ethnicity, age, and hospitalization status.

Results

The study sample consisted of 44,436 (Exposed cohort), 164,118 (Unexposed cohort), and 41,189 (Historical cohort). Cumulatively, 62% were women, 21.5% Non-Hispanic Black, 21.4% Hispanic and 5.6% Non-Hispanic Other. Patients had an average age of 51.9 years (SD: 18.9). At baseline, relative to the Exposed cohort (mean BMI: 29.3 kg/m2[95%CI: 29.0, 29.7]), the Unexposed (–0.07 kg/m2[95%CI; –0.12, –0.01]) and Historical controls (–0.27 kg/m2[95%CI; – 0.34, –0.20]) had lower BMI. Relative to no change in the Exposed over 100 days (0.00 kg/m2[95%CI; –0.03,0.03]), the BMI of those Unexposed decreased (–0.04 kg/m2[95%CI; –0.06, – 0.01]) while the Historical cohort’s BMI increased (+0.03 kg/m2[95%CI;0.00,0.06]). BMI changes were consistent between Exposed and Unexposed cohorts for most population groups, except at start of follow-up period among Males and those 65 years or older, and in changes over 100 days among Males and Hispanics.

Conclusions

In a diverse real-world cohort of adults, mean BMI of those with and without SARS-CoV2 infection varied in their trajectories. The mechanisms and implications of weight retention following SARS-CoV-2 infection remain unclear.
To weight or not to weight? Studying the effect of selection bias in three large EHR-linked biobanks
Authors: Salvatore Maxwell , Kundu Ritoban , Shi Xu , Friese Christopher R , Lee Seunggeun , Fritsche Lars G , Mondul Alison M , Hanauer David , Pearce Celeste Leigh , Mukherjee Bhramar
Published: February 2024

Objective

To explore the role of selection bias adjustment by weighting electronic health record (EHR)-linked biobank data for commonly performed analyses.

Materials and methods

We mapped diagnosis (ICD code) data to standardized phecodes from three EHR-linked biobanks with varying recruitment strategies: All of Us (AOU; n=244,071), Michigan Genomics Initiative (MGI; n=81,243), and UK Biobank (UKB; n=401,167). Using 2019 National Health Interview Survey data, we constructed selection weights for AOU and MGI to be more representative of the US adult population. We used weights previously developed for UKB to represent the UKB-eligible population. We conducted four common descriptive and analytic tasks comparing unweighted and weighted results.

Results

For AOU and MGI, estimated phecode prevalences decreased after weighting (weighted-unweighted median phecode prevalence ratio [MPR]: 0.82 and 0.61), while UKB’s estimates increased (MPR: 1.06). Weighting minimally impacted latent phenome dimensionality estimation. Comparing weighted versus unweighted PheWAS for colorectal cancer, the strongest associations remained unaltered and there was large overlap in significant hits. Weighting affected the estimated log-odds ratio for sex and colorectal cancer to align more closely with national registry-based estimates.

Discussion

Weighting had limited impact on dimensionality estimation and large-scale hypothesis testing but impacted prevalence and association estimation more. Results from untargeted association analyses should be followed by weighted analysis when effect size estimation is of interest for specific signals.

Conclusion

EHR-linked biobanks should report recruitment and selection mechanisms and provide selection weights with defined target populations. Researchers should consider their intended estimands, specify source and target populations, and weight EHR-linked biobank analyses accordingly.
Analysis of signs and symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection considering different waves using Machine Learning
Authors: Ulrichsen Felipe C. , Sena Alexandre C. , Porto Luís Cristóvao , Figueiredo Karla
Published: February 2024

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a world pandemic of COVID-19, which can manifest in humans as a consequence of virus infection of SARS-CoV-2. On this context, this work uses Data Mining and Machine Learning techniques for the infection diagnosis. A methodology was created to facilitate this task and can be applied in any outbreak or pandemic wave. Besides generating diagnosis models based only on signals and symptoms, the method can evaluate if there are differences in signals and symptoms between waves (or outbreaks) through explainable techniques of the machine learning models. Another aspect is identifying possible quality differences between exams, for example, Rapid Test (RT) and Reverse Transcription–Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). The case study in this work is based on data from patients who sought care at Piquet Carneiro Polyclinic of the State University of Rio de Janeiro. In this work, the results obtained with the tests were used to diagnose symptomatic infection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, based on related signals and symptoms, and the date of the initial of these signals and symptoms. Using the Random Forrest model, it was possible to achieve the result of up to 76% sensitivity, 86% specificity, and 79% accuracy in the results of tests in one contagion wave of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Moreover, differences were found in signals and symptoms between contagion waves, in addition to the observation that examsRT-PCRandRT Antigen testsare more reliable thanRT antibody test.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices towards COVID-19 Infection and Prevention Measures among Medical Students
Authors: Ruyeras Jade Monica Marie J. , Basi Priya Kaur V. , Cañete Louise Anne C. , Capoy Neal Abram M. , Castillo Mary Ysabelle S. , Colonia Cristine Jayne T. , Gantuangco Bea Lou Marie E. , Jumamil Primo Andrio V. , Mantilla Hubert Paul S. , Talili Giovanni Sergius C. , Untal Riana Camille G.
Published: February 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly led to an unprecedented health threat worldwide. During this time, disease prevention is considered to be the best way for general health protection. This is achieved through public health education by extending proper knowledge, promoting an optimistic attitude, and keeping the public compliant with preventive measures. As components of the healthcare system, medical students should also play a role in disease prevention more so in the Philippines where the Department of Health has called upon medical graduates to render services in response to the national emergency. In this study, the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of medical students from Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM) towards COVID-19 infection and preventive measures were assessed. Demographic factors, their respective effect size on KAP, as well as the relationship between KAP variables were determined. The revised questionnaire, drafted based on qualitative and quantitative validity tests, was then used for the pilot study to generate the final questionnaire. Responses from participants underwent descriptive and correlational analysis. The results showed that the majority of the medical students of CIM have adequate knowledge (78.24%), positive attitude (80.68%), and good practices (94.38%) towards COVID-19 infection and prevention measures. Females have a significant association (p-value = 0.03) with better practices than male counterparts. Knowledge (p-value = 0.004) and attitude (p-value = 0.003) also showed significant correlation with practices, implying that knowledge and attitude play a role in shaping compliance to health practices. Therefore, health interventions should aim to disseminate accurate, evidence-based information and improve attitude towards the implemented precautionary measures in order to increase effectiveness of policies.
KDM6A Regulates Immune Response Genes in Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Dupéré-Richer Daphne , Riva Alberto , Maji Sayantan , Barwick Benjamin G. , Román Heidi Casellas , Sobh Amin , Quickstad Gabrielle , Li Jianping , De Umasankar , Piper Crissandra , Kulis Marta , Ezponda Teresa , Martin-Subero José Ignacio , Tonon Giovanni , Zhang Weizhou , Mitsiades Constantine S , Boise Lawrence H , Bennett Richard L. , Licht Jonathan D.
Published: February 2024

The histone H3K27 demethylase KDM6A is a tumor suppressor in multiple cancers, including multiple myeloma (MM). We created isogenic MM cells disrupted for KDM6A and tagged the endogenous protein to facilitate genome wide studies. KDM6A binds genes associated with immune recognition and cytokine signaling. Most importantly, KDM6A binds and activatesNLRC5andCIITAencoding regulators of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes. Patient data indicate that NLRC5 and CIITA, are downregulated in MM with low KDM6A expression. Chromatin analysis shows that KDM6A binds poised and active enhancers and KDM6A loss led to decreased H3K27ac at enhancers, increased H3K27me3 levels in body of genes bound by KDM6A and decreased gene expression. Reestablishing histone acetylation with an HDAC3 inhibitor leads to upregulation of MHC expression, offering a strategy to restore immunogenicity of KDM6A deficient tumors. Loss ofKdm6ain murine RAS-transformed fibroblasts led to increased growthin vivoassociated with decreased T cell infiltration.

Statement of significance

We show that KDM6A participates in immune recognition of myeloma tumor cells by directly regulating the expression of the master regulators of MHC-I and II, NLRC5 and CIITA. The expression of these regulators can by rescued by the HDAC3 inhibitors in KDM6A-null cell lines.
A new archaeal virus that suppresses the transcription of host immunity genes
Authors: Turgeman-Grott Israela , Golan Noam , Neri Uri , Naki Doron , Altman-Price Neta , Eizenshtein Kim , Choudhary Deepak K. , Levy Rachel , Shalev Yarden , Himani Himani , Reshef Leah , Gophna Uri
Published: February 2024

In some extreme environments, archaeal cells have been shown to have chronic viral infections, and such infections are well-tolerated by the hosts and may potentially protect against more lethal infections by lytic viruses. We have discovered that a naturalHaloferaxstrain (48N), which is closely related to the model organismHaloferax volcanii,is chronically-infected by a lemon-shaped virus, which we could purify from the medium. The chronic infection by this virus, which we named LSV-48N, is never cleared, despite the multiple defense systems of the host that include CRISPR-Cas, and two CBASS systems. Curing 48N of its virus by genetic engineering, led to radical changes in the gene expression profile of 48N and a dramatic improvement in its growth rate. Remarkably, the cured 48N is the fastest-growing haloarchaeon reported to date, with a generation time of approximately 1 hour at 45°C compared to the typical 2.5 hours ofH. volcaniior its infected isogen, and faster than any known haloarchaeon. The virus subverts host defenses by reducing their transcription and interfering with the CRISPR spacer acquisition machinery. Our results suggest that the slow growth of many halophilic archaea could be due to the effects of proviruses within their genomes that consume resources and alter the gene expression of their hosts.
Surface tension-driven sorting of human perilipins on lipid droplets
Authors: Araujo Ana Rita Dias , Bello Abdoul Akim , Bigay Joëlle , Franckhauser Céline , Gautier Romain , Cazareth Julie , Kovacs David , Brau Frédéric , Fuggetta Nicolas , Copic Alenka , Antonny Bruno
Published: February 2024

Perilipins (PLINs), the most abundant proteins on lipid droplets (LDs), display similar domain organization including amphipathic helices (AH). However, the five human PLINs bind different LDs suggesting different modes of interaction. We established a minimal system whereby artificial LDs covered with defined polar lipids were transiently deformed to promote surface tension. Binding of purified PLIN3 and PLIN4 AH was dependent on tension, even with polar lipids favoring packing defects, and showed an inverse correlation between protein and phospholipid densities on LDs. In contrast, PLIN1 bound readily to LDs fully covered by phospholipids; PLIN2 showed an intermediate behavior. In human adipocytes, PLIN3/4 were found in a soluble pool and relocated to LDs upon stimulation of triglyceride synthesis, whereas PLIN1 and PLIN2 localized to pre-existing LDs, consistent with the huge difference in LD avidity observedin vitro. We conclude that the PLIN repertoire is adapted to handling LDs with different surface properties.

Significance statement

Lipid droplets (LDs) are highly dynamic organelles, whose size and surface properties vary during their life-time and also differ between different tissues. Here, we analyze the mode of binding of human perilipins (PLINs), the most abundant LD proteins, to LDs. We have developed a new reconstitution method, which shows that the purified PLIN family members have very different affinities for LDs, which might explain how they handle LDs of different dynamics in the cell.
Direct, bisulfite-free 5mC and 5hmC sequencing at single-cell resolution
Authors: Chen Xiufei , Cheng Jingfei , Kong Linzhen , Shu Xiao , Xu Haiqi , Inoue Masato , Berrocal Marion Silvana Fernández , Døskeland Dagny Sanden , Sivakumar Shivan , Liu Yibin , Ye Jing , Song Chun-Xiao
Published: February 2024

We report the first direct sequencing methodologies for quantitative detection of 5mC and 5hmC at single-base resolution and single-cell level, termed scTAPS (for 5mC + 5hmC) and scCAPS+ (for 5hmC specifically). With ∼90% mapping efficiency, our methods accurately benchmark 5mC and 5hmC profiles in CD8+ T and mES cells, respectively. Notably, scCAPS+ revealed a global increase in 5hmC within the hippocampus of aging mice, both in neurons and in non-neurons.
Rapid growth and the evolution of complete metamorphosis in insects
Authors: Manthey Christin , E Metcalf C Jessica , Monaghan Michael T , Steiner Ulrich Karl , Rolff Jens
Published: February 2024

More than 60% of all animal species are insects that undergo complete metamorphosis. The key innovation of these holometabolous insects is a pupal stage between the larva and adult when most structures are completely rebuilt. Why this extreme lifestyle evolved is unclear. Here we test the hypothesis that a trade-off between growth and differentiation explains the evolution of this novelty. Using a comparative approach, we find that holometabolous insects grow much faster than hemimetabolous insects. Using a theoretical model, we then show how holometaboly evolves under a growth-differentiation trade-off and identify conditions under which such temporal decoupling of growth and differentiation is favored. Our work supports the notion that the holometabolous life history evolved to remove developmental constraints on fast growth, primarily under high mortality.
Genetic insertion of mouse Myxovirus-resistance gene 1 increases innate resistance against both high and low pathogenic avian influenza virus by significantly decreasing replication in chicken DF1 cell line
Authors: Briggs Kelsey , Chrzastek Klaudia , Segovia Karen , Mo Jongsuk , Kapczynski Darrell R.
Published: February 2024

Avian influenza virus (AIV) is a constant threat to animal health with recent global outbreaks resulting in the death of hundreds of millions of birds with spillover into mammals. Myxovirus-resistance (Mx) proteins are key mediators of the antiviral response that block virus replication. Mouse (Mu) Mx (Mx1) is a strong antiviral protein that interacts with the viral nucleoprotein to inhibit polymerase function. The ability of avian Mx1 to inhibit AIV is unclear. In these studies, Mu Mx1 was stably introduced into chicken DF1 cells to enhance the immune response against AIV. Following infection, titers of AIV were significantly decreased in cells expressing Mu Mx1. In addition, considerably less cytopathic effect (CPE) and matrix protein staining was observed in gene-edited cells expressing Mu Mx1, suggesting Mu Mx1 is broadly effective against multiple AIV subtypes. This work provides foundational studies for use of gene-editing to enhance innate disease resistance against AIV.
Most axonal mitochondria in cortical pyramidal neurons lack mitochondrial DNA and consume ATP
Authors: Hirabayashi Yusuke , Lewis Tommy L. , Du Yudan , Virga Daniel M. , Decker Aubrianna M. , Coceano Giovanna , Alvelid Jonatan , Paul Maëla A. , Hamilton Stevie , Kneis Parker , Takahashi Yasufumi , Gaublomme Jellert T. , Testa Ilaria , Polleux Franck
Published: February 2024

In neurons of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), axonal mitochondria are thought to be indispensable for supplying ATP during energy-consuming processes such as neurotransmitter release. Here, we demonstrate using multiple, independent,in vitroandin vivoapproaches that the majority (∼80-90%) of axonal mitochondria in cortical pyramidal neurons (CPNs), lack mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Using dynamic, optical imaging analysis of genetically encoded sensors for mitochondrial matrix ATP and pH, we demonstrate that in axons of CPNs, but not in their dendrites, mitochondrial complex V (ATP synthase) functions in a reverse way, consuming ATP and protruding H+out of the matrix to maintain mitochondrial membrane potential. Our results demonstrate that in mammalian CPNs, axonal mitochondria do not play a major role in ATP supply, despite playing other functions critical to regulating neurotransmission such as Ca2+buffering.
Myopia and hyperopia are associated with opposite chronotypes in a sample of 71,016 individuals
Authors: Palumaa Teele , Taba Nele , Teder-Laving Maris , Kivi Kadi-Liis , Reis Kadri , Võsa Urmo ,   Estonian Biobank Research Team, Esko Tõnu , Abner Erik
Published: February 2024

Myopia, projected to affect half of the global population by 2050, is a growing healthcare concern. Chronotype, an output of the human biological clock, and sleep parameters have been associated with several diseases, including myopia. We explored the connection between refractive errors and sleep and circadian rhythm parameters by employing a sample of 71,016 adults who completed the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire in the Estonian Biobank. After accounting for possible confounders, such as age, sex, education level, and duration of daylight exposure, we observed that individuals with late chronotype, characterised by a delayed sleep-wake pattern on free days, had higher odds for myopia. In contrast, early chronotype was associated with hyperopia. Furthermore, increased social jet lag and reduced sleep duration were associated with both myopia and hyperopia. These results emphasise the complex interplay between circadian rhythms and sleep in refractive development, with potential implications for public health and clinical practice.
Eigenvector continuation for the pairing Hamiltonian
Authors: Companys Franzke M. , Tichai A. , Hebeler K. , Schwenk A.
Published: February 2024

The development of emulators for the evaluation of many-body observables has gained increasing attention over the last years. In particular the framework of eigenvector continuation (EC) has been identified as a powerful tool when the Hamiltonian admits for a parametric dependence. By training the emulator on a set of training data the many-body solution for arbitrary parameter values can be robustly predicted in many cases. Furthermore, it can be used to resum perturbative expansions that otherwise diverge. In this work, we apply EC to the pairing Hamiltonian and show that EC-resummed perturbation theory is in qualitative agreement with the exact solution and that EC-based emulators robustly predict the ground-state energy once the training data are chosen appropriately. In particular the phase transition from the normal to the superfluid regime is quantitatively predicted using a very low number of training points.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Defect turbulence in a dense suspension of polar, active swimmers
Authors: Rana Navdeep , Chatterjee Rayan , Ro Sunghan , Levine Dov , Ramaswamy Sriram , Perlekar Prasad
Published: February 2024

We study the effects of inertia in dense suspensions of polar swimmers. The hydrodynamic velocity field and the polar order parameter field describe the dynamics of the suspension. We show that a dimensionless parameter R (ratio of the swimmer self-advection speed to the active stress invasion speed []) controls the stability of an ordered swimmer suspension. For R smaller than a threshold R1, perturbations grow at a rate proportional to their wave number q. Beyond R1 we show that the growth rate is O(q2) until a second threshold R=R2 is reached. The suspension is stable for R>R2. We perform direct numerical simulations to characterize the steady-state properties and observe defect turbulence for R<R2. An investigation of the spatial organization of defects unravels a hidden transition: for small R≈0 defects are uniformly distributed and cluster as R→R1. Beyond R1, clustering saturates and defects are arranged in nearly stringlike structures.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Hosing of a Long Relativistic Particle Bunch in Plasma
Authors: Nechaeva T. , Verra L. , Pucek J. , Ranc L. , Bergamaschi M. , Zevi Della Porta G. , Muggli P. , Agnello R. , Ahdida C. C. , Amoedo C. , Andrebe Y. , Apsimon O. , Apsimon R. , Arnesano J. M. , Bencini V. , Blanchard P. , Burrows P. N. , Buttenschön B. , Caldwell A. , Chung M. , Cooke D. A. , Davut C. , Demeter G. , Dexter A. C. , Doebert S. , Farmer J. , Fasoli A. , Fonseca R. , Furno I. , Granados E. , Granetzny M. , Graubner T. , Grulke O. , Gschwendtner E. , Guran E. , Henderson J. , Kedves M. Á. , Kim S.-Y. , Kraus F. , Krupa M. , Lefevre T. , Liang L. , Liu S. , Lopes N. , Lotov K. , Martinez Calderon M. , Mazzoni S. , Moon K. , Morales Guzmán P. I. , Moreira M. , Okhotnikov N. , Pakuza C. , Pannell F. , Pardons A. , Pepitone K. , Poimenidou E. , Pukhov A. , Rey S. , Rossel R. , Saberi H. , Schmitz O. , Senes E. , Silva F. , Silva L. , Spear B. , Stollberg C. , Sublet A. , Swain C. , Topaloudis A. , Torrado N. , Turner M. , Velotti F. , Verzilov V. , Vieira J. , Welsch C. , Wendt M. , Wing M. , Wolfenden J. , Woolley B. , Xia G. , Yarygova V. , Zepp M. ,   AWAKE Collaboration
Published: February 2024

Experimental results show that hosing of a long particle bunch in plasma can be induced by wakefields driven by a short, misaligned preceding bunch. Hosing develops in the plane of misalignment, self-modulation in the perpendicular plane, at frequencies close to the plasma electron frequency, and are reproducible. Development of hosing depends on misalignment direction, its growth on misalignment extent and on proton bunch charge. Results have the main characteristics of a theoretical model, are relevant to other plasma-based accelerators and represent the first characterization of hosing.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Nexus between profitability, firm size and leverage and tax avoidance: evidence from an emerging economy
Authors: Hossain Md Shamim , Ali Md.Sobhan , Islam Md Zahidul , Ling Chui Ching , Fung Chorng Yuan
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This study examines the impact of profitability, firm size and leverage on corporate tax avoidance in Bangladesh, an emerging South Asian economy.

Design/methodology/approach

A balanced panel data of 62 firms from Dhaka and Chittagong stock exchanges in Bangladesh from 2009 to 2020 were used to run the regression. This study employed the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) to examine the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings show that large firms positively impact corporate tax avoidance. Similarly, profitability and leverage are positively associated with tax avoidance, and the results are significant. Furthermore, the study conducts robustness tests that confirm the findings.

Research limitations/implications

The use of cash effective tax rate (ETR) to investigate firms’ tax avoidance practices poses some limitations, and the results should be interpreted cautiously.

Practical implications

The current study may help policymakers better enhance tax collection from business firms. The findings could serve as a valuable input for effectively monitoring tax collection from large profit-earning firms.

Originality/value

To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first historical attempt in Bangladesh to use panel data to examine the relationship between the firm’s level characteristics and corporate tax avoidance. Panel data often provides greater flexibility with large data, simplifying calculation and statistical analysis.
Significant risks that trigger cost overruns and delays in urban rail projects: a typical case study of Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Tiep , Chileshe Nicholas , Ho Duc Ty , Nguyen Viet Thanh , Tran Quang Phu
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Urban rail projects are typically large-scale transport infrastructure projects (megaprojects) which have many potential risks that can influence the strategic goals of owners. However, there is a paucity of studies which explore the impact of risks on both “urban rail” project time and cost together considering quantitative assessments. Therefore, this paper focuses on investigating critical risks and quantifying such risk impacts on urban railway project schedule and cost in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

A combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods comprising semi-interviews with five experts and a questionnaire survey of 132 professional respondents is used. The data were modeled using Monte Carlo Simulation to predict the probability of project schedule and cost.

Findings

The results show that 30 risk variables are categorized into seven main groups which have significant impacts on both project time and cost. Outstanding five risk variables were highlighted as follows: (1) project site clearance and land compensation; (2) design changes; (3) physical project resources; (4) contractors’ competencies and (5) project finance. Such findings were supported by Monte Carlo simulation which predicted in the worst case that the project may suffer 11.03 months’ delays and have cost overrun with a contingency of US$287.68 million.

Originality/value

This study expands our knowledge about time and cost contingency of urban metro railway implementation across developing economies and particularly within the context of Vietnam. Policymakers will not only gain an understanding about risk structure but will also recognize the significant impacts of critical risk through risk impact modeling and simulation. Such an approach provides insights into risk treatment priorities for planners so that they can proactively establish suitable strategies for risk mitigation in practice.
The effects of shaping employee work engagement and job satisfaction on company performance results: the mediating role of HRM outcomes in Central European MNCs
Authors: Stor Marzena
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The main goal of the article is to determine the mediating role of human resources management (HRM) outcomes in the relationships between shaping employee work engagement and job satisfaction (SEWE&JS) and company performance results and to establish whether there are any identifiable regularities in this scope in the pre-pandemic and pandemic period in the headquarters (HQs) and foreign subsidiaries of multinational companies (MNCs).

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical research included 200 MNCs headquartered in Central Europe. The raw data in the variables were adjusted with the efficiency index (EI) to capture the actual relations between the variables under study. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to verify the research hypotheses and assess the mediating effects.

Findings

The research findings show that the HRM outcomes positively mediate the relationships between SEWE&JS and the company performance results. HRM outcomes turned out to be a stronger mediator between SEWE&JS and company performance results in finance and quality in the HQs during the pandemic. By contrast, in the local subsidiaries, they were a stronger mediator of the relationships between the results in innovativeness and quality during the pandemic.

Originality/value

In addition to confirming the results of some other researchers, the research findings also provide new knowledge. They determine the mediating role of HRM outcomes in the relationship between SEWE&JS and the three categories of company performance results, namely finance, innovativeness and quality. In addition, they identify certain regularities in the four studied contexts, which is a novelty in this type of research. A novelty is also the use of employee key performance indicators (KPIs) in the data analysis as the efficiency index in analyzing the effect of the variables under study. The value of the research is also the fact that it covers HRM in MNCs established in Central Europe, which, compared to MNCs from the Western world, is not a frequent subject of research.
COVID-induced virtual teams: A phenomenon-based framework and methodological advice for studying novel events
Authors: Mahadevan Jasmin , Reichert Tobias , Steinmann Jakob , Stärkle Annabelle , Metzler Sven , Bacher Lisa , Diehm Raphael , Goroll Frederik
Published: February 2024

Purpose

We conceptualized the novel phenomenon of COVID-induced virtual teams and its implications and provided researchers with the required information on how to conduct a phenomenon-based study for conceptualizing novel phenomena in relevant ways.

Design/methodology/approach

This article stems from phenomenon-based and, thus, theory-building and grounded qualitative research in the German industrial sector. We conducted 47 problem-centered interviews in two phases (February–July 2021 and February–July 2022) to understand how team members and team leaders experienced COVID-induced virtual teamwork and its subsequent developments.

Findings

Empirically, we found COVID-induced virtual teams to be characterized by a high relevance of shaping positive team dynamics via steering internal moderators; crisis is a novel external moderator and transformation becomes the key output factor to be leveraged. Work-from-home leads to specific configuration needs and interrelations between work-from-home and on-site introduce additional dynamics. Methodologically, the phenomenon-based approach is found to be highly suitable for studying the effects of such novel phenomena.

Research limitations/implications

This article is explorative. Thus, we advocate further research on related novel phenomena, such as post-COVID-hybrid and work-from-home teams. A model of how to encourage positive dynamics in post-COVID-hybrid teams is developed and lays the groundwork for further studies on post-COVID teamwork. Concerning methodology, researchers are provided with information on how to conduct phenomenon-based research on novel phenomena, such as the COVID-induced virtual teams that we studied.

Practical implications

Companies receive advice on how to encourage positive dynamics in post-COVID teamwork, e.g. on identifying best practices and resilient individuals.

Social implications

In a country such as Germany that faces labor shortages, our insights might facilitate better labor-market integration for those with care-work obligations and international workers.

Originality/value

We offer a first conceptualization of a relevant novel phenomenon, namely COVID-induced virtual teams. We exemplify the phenomenon-based approach as a suitable methodology that serves to build relevant theory using active categorization.
Correlation among components of the Indonesian industry readiness index 4.0 and its implementation on socioeconomic along with the demographic aspects
Authors: Prakosa Bayu Giri , Guritno Danur Condro , Anindita Theresia , Kurniawan Mahrus , Nugroho Ahmad Cahyo
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This study aims to analyze how ready a firm is to transform into Industry 4.0 using the Readiness Index (INDI 4.0) assessment. It also investigates the differences (before and after) of the program “Making Indonesia 4.0” in 2018 in socioeconomic and demographic aspects.

Design/methodology/approach

The INDI 4.0 assessment involved a self-evaluation by 622 companies across 13 industry sectors, subsequently verified by the Ministry of Industry. This study incorporates discussions with industry experts to enhance the interpretation of the analytical findings.

Findings

This study explores the interrelation among the components of INDI 4.0 across different levels, assessing the readiness of each sector for Industry 4.0. The findings reveal the diverse impact of implementing Industry 4.0 in Indonesia on socioeconomic and demographic aspects. Furthermore, the study proposes several policy recommendations for the Indonesian government’s consideration.

Research limitations/implications

This study’s scope is confined to the industrial context of Indonesia, as the assessment components are tailored to the specific characteristics and culture of the country’s industry. Subsequent research endeavors can leverage this study as a foundational reference, adapting the components to align with the particular interests of other nations.

Practical implications

Businesses, especially those in Indonesia, can employ these findings to evaluate their position in the context of Industry 4.0 transformation compared to their industry. Simultaneously, the Indonesian government can use these results as a starting point to evaluate and potentially enhance their policies related to Industry 4.0. We recommend five policy proposals for the Indonesian government: diversifying measurement models, shifting terminology, emphasizing soft skills, promoting continuous learning and implementing Center of Digital Industry Indonesia 4.0 (PIDI 4.0) initiatives.

Social implications

This study offers a broad impact of Industry 4.0 implementation in socioeconomic and demographic aspects in Indonesia, such as income, job-shifting, age, educational background and gender.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge, no prior research has explored the repercussions of industrial implementation on socioeconomic and demographic facets.
Advance selling strategy of fresh products under two contracts
Authors: Wu Shuang , Li Bo , Chen Weichun , Wang Minxue
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This paper analyzes the advance selling and pricing strategies of fresh products supply chain where the e-retailer provides wholesale contract or agency contract to the fresh products supplier.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper constructed a two-period sequential-move game of fresh products supply chain members.

Findings

This analysis showed that the supply chain members had different preferences for contracts under different market conditions. The advance selling of fresh products was not a decision of the seller, but also required the support of other supply chain members. And the advance selling strategy was not always beneficial to all supply chain parties. Under the two contracts, there were market conditions in which the profits of supply chain members were Pareto-improved through the implementation of advance selling.

Research limitations/implications

The model presented in this study focuses solely on the context of monopoly, overlooking the competition from alternative suppliers or retailers. Consequently, exploring the competitive landscape within the fresh products supply chain, particularly in relation to pre-sale pricing, emerges as a crucial avenue for further investigation. By employing empirical research methods, valuable insights are gleaned, thereby significantly augmenting the existing body of relevant theories.

Practical implications

The decision to pre-sell fresh products should be based on market conditions. Supply chain members can control production costs and fresh products circulation losses to maximize profits.

Originality/value

From the perspective of game theory, this study analyzed the optimal advance selling and pricing strategies of fresh products supply chain members under two kinds of contracts. These results can provide practical implications for fresh products suppliers and e-retailers.
How tie strength influences purchasing intention in social recommendation: evidence from behavioral model and brain activity
Authors: Jin Jia , He Yi , Lin Chenchen , Diao Liuting
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Social recommendation has been recognized as a kind of e-commerce with large potential, but how social recommendations influence consumer decisions is still unclear. This paper aims to investigate how recommendations from different social ties influence consumers’ purchase intentions through both behavior and brain activity.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilizing behavioral (N = 70) and electroencephalogram (EEG) (N = 49) experiments, this study explored participants’ behavior and brain responses after being recommended by different social ties. The data were analyzed using statistical inference and event-related potential (ERP) analysis.

Findings

Behavioral results show that social tie strength positively impacts purchase intention, which can be fitted by a logarithmic model. Moreover, recommender-to-customer similarity and product affect mediate the effect of tie strength on purchase intention serially. EEG findings show that recommendations from weak tie strength elicit larger N100, N200 and P300 amplitudes than those from strong tie strength. These results imply that weak tie strength may motivate individuals to recruit more mental resources in social recommendation, including unconscious processing of consumer attention and conscious processing of cognitive conflict and negative emotion.

Originality/value

This study considers the effects of continuous social ties on purchase intention and models them mathematically, exploring the intrinsic mechanisms by which strong and weak ties influence purchase intentions through recommender-to-customer similarity and product affect, contributing to the applications of the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model in the field of social recommendation. Furthermore, our study adopting EEG techniques bridges the gap of relying solely on self-report by providing an avenue to obtain relatively objective findings about the consumers’ early-occurred (unconscious) attentional responses and late-occurred (conscious) cognitive and emotional responses in purchase decisions.
Should I adopt AI during talent acquisition? Evidence from HR professionals of Indian IT organisations
Authors: Sattu Ramesh , Das Simanchala , Jena Lalatendu Kesari
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The purpose of our study was two-fold: (1) to examine the effect of perceived value derived from perceived benefits and sacrifices in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in talent acquisition and (2) to investigate the moderating role of human resource (HR) readiness in the association between perceived value and AI adoption intention.

Design/methodology/approach

A structured questionnaire was administered to 198 talent acquisition executives and HR professionals of Indian IT companies based on a purposive sampling technique. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used on the Smart PLS 2.0 platform to analyse the data and test the model.

Findings

Results revealed that perceived benefits and sacrifices significantly predict perceived value which significantly affects the HR professional’s AI adoption intention. The study further found that HR readiness moderates the link between perceived value and the intention of HR professionals to adopt AI in the talent acquisition process in the Indian IT industry.

Practical implications

IT companies are advised to continuously monitor and evaluate the performance of AI tools to ensure that they are meeting the recruitment process needs to leverage AI’s benefits in talent acquisition. This study seeks to provide the impetus for a planned AI adoption in talent acquisition.

Originality/value

This research provides ample evidence for the existing technology adoption theories. It explored the predictors of adoption by validating the value-based adoption model in the Indian context. It provides valuable insights into the practice of acquiring talents in the IT sector using artificial intelligence.
Servant leadership and knowledge employee performance: the mediating role of employee innovative behavior in knowledge-based firms
Authors: Ghlichlee Behrooz , Motaghed Larijani Mohsen
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between servant leadership, employee innovative behavior and knowledge employee performance in knowledge-based firms.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach was used to conduct the present study. The respondents were sampled from knowledge-based firms in Iran. Overall, 726 knowledge employees in 121 firms were selected using convenience sampling. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to ascertain the validity and reliability of the observed items, and a structural equation model was employed for testing the hypotheses.

Findings

In the studied firms, servant leadership has a significant effect on employee innovative behavior. Moreover, the findings of this study show that firms that enhance their employees’ innovative behavior have higher knowledge employee performance.

Research limitations/implications

The study was conducted in knowledge-based firms in Iran. Therefore, our conclusions may not be applicable to other countries. Future studies should be carried out with samples from other contexts.

Practical implications

We found that servant leadership is conducive to employee innovative behaviors, and this effect leads to high knowledge employee performance. Accordingly, knowledge-based firms’ leaders should encourage employees’ innovative behavior through stimulating employee thriving at work, supporting employees’ development and empowering them with decision-making discretion.

Originality/value

This study contributes to advance research on servant leadership literature by linking servant leadership to knowledge employee performance in knowledge-based firms through employee innovative behavior as a mediator.