bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A comprehensive analysis of 30-day readmissions after emergency general surgery procedures: Are risk factors modifiable?
Authors: Coimbra Raul , Allison-Aipa Timothy , Zachary Bishoy , Firek Matthew , Edwards Sara
Published: October 2022

BACKGROUND

Modifiable risk factors associated with procedure-related 30-day readmission after emergency general surgery (EGS) have not been comprehensively studied. We set out to determine risk factors associated with EGS procedure-related 30-day unplanned readmissions.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database (2013–2019). It included nine surgical procedures encompassing 80% of the burden of EGS diseases, performed on an urgent/emergent basis. The procedures were classified as low risk (open and laparoscopic appendectomy and laparoscopic cholecystectomy) and high risk (open cholecystectomy, laparoscopic and open colectomy, lysis of adhesions, perforated ulcer repair, small bowel resection, and exploratory laparotomy). Data on patient characteristics, admission status, procedure risk, hospital length of stay, and discharge disposition were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 312,862 patients were included (16,306 procedure-related 30-day readmissions [5.2%]). Thirty-day readmission patients were older, had higher American Association of Anesthesiology scores, were more often underweighted or markedly obese, and were more frequently presented with sepsis. Risk factors associated with EGS procedure-related 30-day unplanned readmissions included age older than 40 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.15), American Association of Anesthesiology ≥3 (AOR, 1.41), sepsis present at the time of surgery (AOR, 1.84), body mass index <18 kg/m2 (AOR, 1.16), body mass index ≥40 kg/m2 (AOR, 1.12), high-risk procedures (AOR, 1.51), LOS ≥4 d (AOR, 2.04), and discharge except to home (AOR, 1.33). Thirty-day readmissions following low-risk procedures occurred at a median of 5 days (interquartile range, 2–11 days) and 6 days (interquartile range, 3–11 days) after high-risk procedures. Surgical site infections, postoperative sepsis, wound disruption, and thromboembolic events were more prevalent in the 30-day readmission group. Mortality rate was fourfold higher in the 30-day readmission group (2.4% vs. 0.6%).

CONCLUSION

We identified several unmodifiable patients and EGS disease-related factors associated with 30-day unplanned readmissions. Readmissions could be potentially reduced by the implementation of a postdischarge surveillance systems between hospitals and postdischarge destination facilities, leveraging telehealth and outpatient care.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level IV.
Blood Banking Considerations in Pediatric Trauma
Authors: Wong Trisha E. , Wiggins-Dohlvik Katie , Josephson Cassandra D. , Nicol Kathleen K.
Published: October 2022

Transfusion of blood products to a hemorrhaging pediatric trauma patient requires seamless partnership and communication between trauma, emergency department, critical care, and transfusion team members. To avoid confusion and delays, understanding of blood banking principles and mutually agreed upon procedures and policies must be regularly updated as knowledge evolves. As pediatric patients require specialized considerations distinct from those in adults, this brief review covers transfusion principles, policies, and procedures specific to the resuscitation of pediatric trauma patients.

Level of Evidence

N/A
Learning anisotropic interaction rules from individual trajectories in a heterogeneous cellular population
Authors: Messenger Daniel A. , Wheeler Graycen E. , Liu Xuedong , Bortz David M.
Published: October 2022

Interacting particle system (IPS) models have proven to be highly successful for describing the spatial movement of organisms. However, it is challenging to infer the interaction rules directly from data. In the field of equation discovery, the weak-form sparse identification of nonlinear dynamics (WSINDy) methodology has been shown to be computationally efficient for identifying the governing equations of complex systems from noisy data. Motivated by the success of IPS models to describe the spatial movement of organisms, we develop WSINDy for the second-order IPS to learn equations for communities of cells. Our approach learns the directional interaction rules for each individual cell that in aggregate govern the dynamics of a heterogeneous population of migrating cells. To sort a cell according to the active classes present in its model, we also develop a novel ad hoc classification scheme (which accounts for the fact that some cells do not have enough evidence to accurately infer a model). Aggregated models are then constructed hierarchically to simultaneously identify different species of cells present in the population and determine best-fit models for each species. We demonstrate the efficiency and proficiency of the method on several test scenarios, motivated by common cell migration experiments.
Classifying organisms and artefacts by their outline shapes
Authors: Salili-James Arianna , Mackay Anne , Rodriguez-Alvarez Emilio , Rodriguez-Perez Diana , Mannack Thomas , Rawlings Timothy A. , Palmer A. Richard , Todd Jonathan , Riutta Terhi E. , Macinnis-Ng Cate , Han Zhitong , Davies Megan , Thorpe Zinnia , Marsland Stephen , Leroi Armand M.
Published: October 2022

We often wish to classify objects by their shapes. Indeed, the study of shapes is an important part of many scientific fields, such as evolutionary biology, structural biology, image processing and archaeology. However, mathematical shape spaces are rather complicated and nonlinear. The most widely used methods of shape analysis, geometric morphometrics, treat the shapes as sets of points. Diffeomorphic methods consider the underlying curve rather than points, but have rarely been applied to real-world problems. Using a machine classifier, we tested the ability of several of these methods to describe and classify the shapes of a variety of organic and man-made objects. We find that one method, based on square-root velocity functions (SRVFs), outperforms all others, including a standard geometric morphometric method (eigenshapes), and that it is also superior to human experts using shape alone. When the SRVF approach is constrained to take account of homologous landmarks it can accurately classify objects of very different shapes. The SRVF method identifies a shortest path between shapes, and we show that this can be used to estimate the shapes of intermediate steps in evolutionary series. Diffeomorphic shape analysis methods, we conclude, now provide practical and effective solutions to many shape description and classification problems in the natural and human sciences.
Assessing the asymptomatic proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infection with age in China before mass vaccination
Authors: Wang Zengmiao , Wu Peiyi , Wang Jingyuan , Lourenço José , Li Bingying , Rader Benjamin , Laine Marko , Miao Hui , Wang Ligui , Song Hongbin , Bharti Nita , Brownstein John S. , Bjornstad Ottar N. , Dye Christopher , Tian Huaiyu
Published: October 2022

Some asymptomatic individuals carrying SARS-CoV-2 can transmit the virus and contribute to outbreaks of COVID-19. Here, we use detailed surveillance data gathered during COVID-19 resurgences in six cities of China at the beginning of 2021 to investigate the relationship between asymptomatic proportion and age. Epidemiological data obtained before mass vaccination provide valuable insights into the nature of pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2. The data were collected by multiple rounds of city-wide PCR testing with contact tracing, where each patient was monitored for symptoms through the whole course of infection. The clinical endpoint (asymptomatic or symptomatic) for each patient was recorded (the pre-symptomatic patients were classified as symptomatic). We find that the proportion of infections that are asymptomatic declines with age (coefficient = −0.006, 95% CI: −0.008 to −0.003,p< 0.01), falling from 42% (95% CI: 6–78%) in age group 0–9 years to 11% (95% CI: 0–25%) in age group greater than 60 years. Using an age-stratified compartment model, we show that this age-dependent asymptomatic pattern, together with the distribution of cases by age, can explain most of the reported variation in asymptomatic proportions among cities. Our analysis suggests that SARS-CoV-2 surveillance strategies should take account of the variation in asymptomatic proportion with age.
Echo chambers and opinion dynamics explain the occurrence of vaccination hesitancy
Authors: Müller Johannes , Tellier Aurélien , Kurschilgen Michael
Published: October 2022

Vaccination hesitancy is a major obstacle to achieving and maintaining herd immunity. Therefore, public health authorities need to understand the dynamics of an anti-vaccine opinion in the population. We introduce a spatially structured mathematical model of opinion dynamics with reinforcement. The model allows as an emergent property for the occurrence of echo chambers, i.e. opinion bubbles in which information that is incompatible with one’s entrenched worldview, is probably disregarded. We scale the model both to a deterministic limit and to a weak-effects limit, and obtain bifurcations, phase transitions and the invariant measure. Fitting the model to measles and meningococci vaccination coverage across Germany, reveals that the emergence of echo chambers dynamics explains the occurrence and persistence of the anti-vaccination opinion in allowing anti-vaxxers to isolate and to ignore pro-vaccination facts. We predict and compare the effectiveness of different policies aimed at influencing opinion dynamics in order to increase vaccination uptake. According to our model, measures aiming at reducing the salience of partisan anti-vaccine information sources would have the largest effect on enhancing vaccination uptake. By contrast, measures aiming at reducing the reinforcement of vaccination deniers are predicted to have the smallest impact.
Nano-laponite/polymer composite as filtration reducer on water-based drilling fluid and mechanism study
Authors: Dong Xiaodong , Sun Jinsheng , Huang Xianbin , Lv Kaihe , Zhou Zhishi , Gao Chongyang
Published: October 2022

In drilling deep complex formations, most drilling fluid additives have insufficient temperature and salt tolerance, resulting in the decline of drilling fluid performance. This study used 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, acrylamide, dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride and modified nano-laponite to synthesize a nanocomposite filtrate reducer (ANDP) with excellent temperature and salt resistance, which can maintain the performance of drilling fluid. The structure of ANDP was analysed by a transmission electron microscope and an infrared spectrometer. The thermal stability of ANDP was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. The performance of ANDP was evaluated in a water-based drilling fluid. The mechanism was analysed per clay particle size distribution, Zeta potential, filter cake permeability and scanning electron microscopy imaging. The results show that ANDP has good thermal stability and the expected molecular structure. The filtration of freshwater drilling fluid after ageing at 200°C is 10.4 ml and that of saturated brine drilling fluid is 6.4 ml after ageing at 150°C. Mechanism analysis suggests that the ANDP increases the thickness of clay particle hydration layer and maintains the colloidal stability of the drilling fluid. ANDP inhibits the agglomeration of clay particles and significantly reduces the filtration by forming dense mud cake.
Theoretical calculations of formation and reactivity of
o
-quinomethide derivatives of resorcin[4]arene with reference to empirical data
Authors: Iwanek Waldemar
Published: October 2022

This paper describes theoretical reaction pathways of alkoxybenzyl derivatives of resorcin[4]arene leading to the formation of
o
-quinomethide derivatives of resorcin[4]arene (
o-
QMR[4]A). For each case, the activation energies for the formation of one
o
-QMR[4]A unit and the activation energies for the backward reaction were calculated. Based on the calculated reaction pathways, the reaction mechanism of
o
-QMR[4]A formation was proposed. Using the example of
o
-QMR[4]A generated from a methoxy derivative of resorcin[4]arene, the activation energies with selected nucleophiles were calculated and the reaction mechanisms discussed. Reaction path calculations were performed using the nudged elastic band method and semiempirical extended tight-binding method (GFN2-xTB). Using hydroxybenzyl derivatives of resorcin[4]arene as an example, a comparison of calculated activation energies by selected density-functional theory methods with GFN2-xTB and B97-3c geometries was performed. B97-3c and wB97XD methods were used to calculate the energies of the reactants (R), transition states (TS) and products (P) of the analysed reactions. Theoretical reaction mechanisms were discussed with respect to the orbital-weighted Fukui dual descriptor (Δ

f
w

) and experimental data.
Symbiont specificity differs among green hydra strains
Authors: Miyokawa Ryo , Hanada Maki , Togawa Yumiko , Itoh Taichi Q. , Kobayakawa Yoshitaka , Kusumi Junko
Published: October 2022

The symbiotic hydra
Hydra viridissima
has a stable symbiotic relationship with the green alga
Chlorella
. This hydra appears to cospeciate with the symbiotic alga, and some strains are known to have strain-specific host/symbiont combinations. To investigate the mechanism of the specificity between host and symbiont, we explored the effect of the removal or exchange of symbionts in two distantly related
H. viridissima
strains (K10 and M9). In the K10 strain, severe morphological and behavioural changes were found in symbiont-removed and symbiont-exchanged polyps. Interestingly, both polyps showed a similar gene expression pattern. The gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that the removal or exchange of symbionts caused the downregulation of genes involved in the electron transport chain and the upregulation of genes involved in translation in the K10 strain. On the other hand, symbiont-removed and symbiont-exchanged M9 polyps showed modest changes in their morphology and behaviour compared with the K10 strain. Furthermore, the patterns of the gene expression changes in the M9 strain were quite different between the symbiont-removed and symbiont-exchanged polyps. Our results suggested that the regulation of energy balance is one of the crucial mechanisms for maintaining symbiotic relationships in green hydra, and this mechanism differs between the strains.
Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia
Authors: Fleming Patricia A. , Stobo-Wilson Alyson M. , Crawford Heather M. , Dawson Stuart J. , Dickman Chris R. , Doherty Tim S. , Fleming Peter J. S. , Newsome Thomas M. , Palmer Russell , Thompson Jim A. , Woinarski John C. Z.
Published: October 2022

Introduction of the domestic cat and red fox has devastated Australian native fauna. We synthesized Australian diet analyses to identify traits of prey species in cat, fox and dingo diets, which prey were more frequent or distinctive to the diet of each predator, and quantified dietary overlap. Nearly half (45%) of all Australian terrestrial mammal, bird and reptile species occurred in the diets of one or more predators. Cat and dingo diets overlapped least (0.64 ± 0.27,n= 24 location/time points) and cat diet changed little over 55 years of study. Cats were more likely to have eaten birds, reptiles and small mammals than foxes or dingoes. Dingo diet remained constant over 53 years and constituted the largest mammal, bird and reptile prey species, including more macropods/potoroids, wombats, monotremes and bandicoots/bilbies than cats or foxes. Fox diet had greater overlap with both cats (0.79 ± 0.20,n= 37) and dingoes (0.73 ± 0.21,n= 42), fewer distinctive items (plant material, possums/gliders) and significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity over 69 years, suggesting the opportunity for prey switching (especially of mammal prey) to mitigate competition. Our study reinforced concerns about mesopredator impacts upon scarce/threatened species and the need to control foxes and cats for fauna conservation. However, extensive dietary overlap and opportunism, as well as low incidence of mesopredators in dingo diets, precluded resolution of the debate about possible dingo suppression of foxes and cats.
Integrative taxonomy of a new cocculinid limpet dominating the Aurora Vent Field in the central Arctic ocean
Authors: Chen Chong , Hilário Ana , Rodrigues Clara F. , Ramirez-Llodra Eva
Published: October 2022

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents host lush chemosynthetic communities, dominated by endemic fauna that cannot live in other ecosystems. Despite over 500 active vents found worldwide, the Arctic has remained a little-studied piece of vent biogeography. Though located as early as 2001, the faunal communities of the Aurora Vent Field on the ultra-slow spreading Gakkel Ridge remained unsampled until recently, owing to difficulties with sampling on complex topography below permanent ice. Here, we report an unusual cocculinid limpet abundant on inactive chimneys in Aurora (3883–3884 m depth), describing it as
Cocculina aurora
n. sp. using an integrative approach combining traditional dissection, electron microscopy, molecular phylogeny, and three-dimensional anatomical reconstruction. Gross anatomy of the new species was typical for
Cocculina
, but it has a unique radula with broad, multi-cuspid rachidian where the outermost lateral is reduced compared to typical cocculinids. A phylogenetic reconstruction using the mitochondrial COI gene also confirmed its placement in
Cocculina
. Only the second cocculinid found at vents following the description of the Antarctic
Cocculina enigmadonta
, this is currently the sole cocculinid restricted to vents. Our discovery adds to the evidence that Arctic vents host animal communities closely associated with wood falls and distinct from other parts of the world.
Inductive biases for deep learning of higher-level cognition
Authors: Goyal Anirudh , Bengio Yoshua
Published: October 2022

A fascinating hypothesis is that human and animal intelligence could be explained by a few principles (rather than an encyclopaedic list of heuristics). If that hypothesis was correct, we could more easily both understand our own intelligence and build intelligent machines. Just like in physics, the principles themselves would not be sufficient to predict the behaviour of complex systems like brains, and substantial computation might be needed to simulate human-like intelligence. This hypothesis would suggest that studying the kind of inductive biases that humans and animals exploit could help both clarify these principles and provide inspiration for AI research and neuroscience theories. Deep learning already exploits several key inductive biases, and this work considers a larger list, focusing on those which concern mostly higher-level and sequential conscious processing. The objective of clarifying these particular principles is that they could potentially help us build AI systems benefiting from humans’ abilities in terms of flexible out-of-distribution and systematic generalization, which is currently an area where a large gap exists between state-of-the-art machine learning and human intelligence.
Coupling cell proliferation rates to the duration of recruitment controls final size of the
Drosophila
wing
Authors: Diaz-Torres Elizabeth , Muñoz-Nava Luis Manuel , Nahmad Marcos
Published: October 2022

Organ growth driven by cell proliferation is an exponential process. As a result, even small variations in proliferation rates, when integrated over a relatively long developmental time, will lead to large differences in size. How organs robustly control their final size despite perturbations in cell proliferation rates throughout development is a long-standing question in biology. Using a mathematical model, we show that in the developing wing of the fruit fly,
Drosophila melanogaster
, variations in proliferation rates of wing-committed cells are inversely proportional to the duration of cell recruitment, a differentiation process in which a population of undifferentiated cells adopt the wing fate by expressing the selector gene,
vestigial
. A time-course experiment shows that vestigial-expressing cells increase exponentially while recruitment takes place, but slows down when recruitable cells start to vanish, suggesting that undifferentiated cells may be driving proliferation of wing-committed cells. When this observation is incorporated in our model, we show that the duration of cell recruitment robustly determines a final wing size even when cell proliferation rates of wing-committed cells are perturbed. Finally, we show that this control mechanism fails when perturbations in proliferation rates affect both wing-committed and recruitable cells, providing an experimentally testable hypothesis of our model.
Distance estimation in the goldfish (
Carassius auratus
)
Authors: Sibeaux Adelaide , Karlsson Cecilia , Newport Cait , Burt de Perera Theresa
Published: October 2022

Neurophysiological advances have given us exciting insights into the systems responsible for spatial mapping in mammals. However, we are still lacking information on the evolution of these systems and whether the underlying mechanisms identified are universal across phyla, or specific to the species studied. Here we address these questions by exploring whether a species that is evolutionarily distant from mammals can perform a task central to mammalian spatial mapping–distance estimation. We developed a behavioural paradigm allowing us to test whether goldfish (
Carassius auratus
) can estimate distance and explored the behavioural mechanisms that underpin this ability. Fish were trained to swim a set distance within a narrow tank covered with a striped pattern. After changing the background pattern, we found that goldfish use the spatial frequency of their visual environment to estimate distance, doubling the spatial frequency of the background pattern resulted in a large overestimation of the swimming distance. We present robust evidence that goldfish can accurately estimate distance and show that they use local optic flow to do so. These results provide a compelling basis to use goldfish as a model system to interrogate the evolution of the mechanisms that underpin spatial cognition, from brain to behaviour.
Oestradiol reduces female bill colour in a mutually ornamented bird
Authors: Romero-Diaz Cristina , Silva Paulo A. , Soares Marta C. , Cardoso Gonçalo C. , Trigo Sandra
Published: October 2022

Carotenoid-based colour signals can be costly to produce and maintain, and trade-offs between signalling and other fitness traits are expected. In mutually ornamented species, trade-offs with reproduction may be stronger for females than males, because females often dedicate more resources to offspring production, which may lead to plastic investment in colour signals and plastic sexual dichromatism. Oestradiol is a candidate mediator of this trade-off because it regulates reproductive physiology and may also influence the expression of coloration. We tested this hypothesis by giving female common waxbills (
Estrilda astrild
) either oestradiol (17β-oestradiol) or empty implants during the early breeding season and measured spectral reflectance of carotenoid-based bill coloration weekly for two months. Using a model of avian vision, we found that bill colour in oestradiol-implanted females became less saturated, less red in hue and brighter, compared with control females and with unimplanted males. This resulted in a change in bill sexual dichromatism from imperceptible to perceptible. Results support the hypothesis that female reproductive physiology influences investment in coloration through changes in oestradiol and show a form of female-driven plastic sexual dichromatism. Greater sensitivity of female colour to physiological and/or environmental conditions helps explain why differences in sexual dichromatism among species differing in ecology often evolve owing to changes in female rather than male phenotype.
Predicting maternal social loneliness by passive sensing with wearable devices
Authors: Sarhaddi Fatemeh , Azimi Iman , Niela-Vilén Hannakaisa , Axelin Anna , Liljeberg Pasi , Rahmani Amir M.
Published: October 2022

Background

Maternal loneliness is associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes for both the mother and her child. Detecting maternal loneliness non-invasively through wearable devices and passive sensing provides opportunities to prevent or reduce the impact of loneliness on the health and well-being of the mother and her child.

Objective

The aim of this study is to use objective health data collected passively by a wearable device to predict maternal (social) loneliness during pregnancy and the postpartum period based on and to identify the important objective physiological parameters in loneliness detection.

Methods

We conducted a longitudinal study using smartwatches to continuously collect physiological data from 31 women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The participants completed the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness questionnaire in gestational week 36 and again at 12 weeks postpartum. Responses to this questionnaire and the background information of the participants were collected via our customized cross-platform mobile application. We leveraged participants’ smartwatch data from the 7 days before and the day of their completion of the UCLA questionnaire for loneliness prediction. We categorized the loneliness scores from the UCLA questionnaire as loneliness (scores ≥ 12) and non-loneliness (scores<12). We developed decision tree and gradient boosting models to predict loneliness. We evaluated the models by using a leave-one-participant-out cross validation. Moreover, we discussed the importance of extracted health parameters in our models for loneliness prediction.

Results

The gradient boosting and decision tree models predicted maternal social loneliness with weighted F1 scores of 0.871 and 0.897, respectively. Our results also show that loneliness is highly associated with activity intensity, activity distribution during the day, resting heart rate (HR), and resting heart rate variability (HRV).

Conclusion

Our results show the potential benefit and feasibility of using passive sensing with a smartwatch to predict maternal loneliness. Our developed machine learning models achieved a high F1 score for loneliness prediction. We also show that intensity of activity, activity pattern, and resting HR and HRV are good predictors of loneliness. These results indicate the intervention opportunities made available by wearable devices and predictive models to improve maternal well-being by early detection of loneliness.
Z-REX uncovers a bifurcation in function of Keap1 paralogs
Authors: Van Hall-Beauvais Alexandra , Poganik Jesse R. , Huang Kuang-Ting , Parvez Saba , Zhao Yi , Lin Hong-Yu , Liu Xuyu , Long Marcus J. C. , Aye Yimon
Published: October 2022

Studying electrophile signaling is marred by difficulties in parsing changes in pathway flux attributable to on-target, vis-à-vis off-target, modifications. By combining bolus dosing, knockdown, and Z-REX—a tool investigating on-target/on-pathway electrophile signaling, we document that electrophile labeling of one zebrafish-Keap1-paralog (zKeap1b) stimulates Nrf2-driven antioxidant response (AR) signaling (like the human-ortholog). Conversely, zKeap1a is a dominant-negative regulator of electrophile-promoted Nrf2-signaling, and itself is nonpermissive for electrophile-induced Nrf2-upregulation. This behavior is recapitulated in human cells, wherein following electrophile treatment: (1) zKeap1b-transfected cells are permissive for augmented AR-signaling through reduced zKeap1b–Nrf2 binding; (2) zKeap1a-transfected cells are non-permissive for AR-upregulation, as zKeap1a–Nrf2 binding capacity remains unaltered; (3) 1:1 ZKeap1a:zKeap1b-transfected cells show no Nrf2-release from the Keap1-complex, rendering these cells unable to upregulate AR. We identified a zKeap1a-specific point-mutation (C273I) responsible for zKeap1a’s behavior. Human-Keap1(C273I), of known diminished Nrf2-regulatory capacity, dominantly muted electrophile-induced Nrf2-signaling. These studies highlight divergent and interdependentelectrophile signalingbehaviors, despite conservedelectrophile sensing.

Impact statement

How electrophile-sensing versus -signaling marshal stress responses: two zebrafish Keap1-paralogs are equally adept at electrophile-sensing but manifest divergent and co-regulatory electrophile-signaling behaviors.
A CREBZF/Zhangfei isoform activates CHOP during prolonged cellular stress
Authors: Li Yu , Yip Wan Kong , Penney Jenna , Taylor Tiegh , Zhang Yani , Zeng Minghua , Audas Timothy E. , Lu Ray
Published: October 2022

The basic leucine zipper transcription factor CREBZF (Zhangfei or ZF) was identified through its interaction with Herpes Simplex Virus-1 related cellular protein HCF-1. CREBZF has been implicated in cellular stress responses through its interaction with other proteins, such as CREB3/Luman and ATF4. Here we investigated the production of four CREBZF isoforms, which arise from translational initiation of a downstream AUG at codon 83, and mRNA alternative splicing that adds an IFFFR pentapeptidyl tail to the C-terminus. We found that in addition to transcriptional activation, the short-tailed CREBZF (stZF) isoform was specifically induced by prolonged ER stress treatment. This stZF isoform is a potent transcriptional activator of the pro-apoptotic protein CHOP. Overexpression of stZF activates transcription of CHOP through a CCAAT enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)-ATF site, and promotes apoptosis. We propose that 1) CREBZF is a key component of the Integrated Stress Response (ISR); 2) stZF is essential for the role of CREBZF in inducing CHOP and promoting cell death upon prolonged cellular stress.
The oomycete MAMP, arachidonic acid, and anAscophyllum nodosum-derived plant biostimulant induce defense metabolome remodeling in tomato
Authors: Lewis Domonique C. , van der Zwan Timo , Richards Andrew , Little Holly , Coaker Gitta L. , Bostock Richard M.
Published: October 2022

Arachidonic acid (AA) is an oomycete-derived MAMP capable of eliciting robust defense responses and inducing resistance in plants. Similarly, extract (ANE) from the brown seaweedAscophylum nodosum, a plant biostimulant that contains AA, can also prime plants for defense against pathogen challenge. A previous parallel study comparing the transcriptomes of AA and ANE root-treated tomato demonstrated significant overlap in transcriptional profiles, a shared induced resistance phenotype, and changes in accumulation of various defense-related phytohormones. In this work, untargeted metabolomic analysis via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was conducted to investigate the local and systemic metabolome-wide remodeling events elicited by AA- and ANE-root treatment in tomato. Our study demonstrated AA and ANE’s capacity to locally and systemically alter the metabolome of tomato with enrichment of chemical classes and accumulation of metabolites associated with defense-related secondary metabolism. AA and ANE root-treated plants showed enrichment of fatty acyl-glycosides and strong modulation of hydroxycinnamic acids and derivatives. Identification of specific metabolites whose accumulation was affected by AA and ANE treatment revealed shared metabolic changes related to ligno-suberin biosynthesis and the synthesis of phenolic compounds. This study highlights the extensive local and systemic metabolic changes in tomato induced by treatment with a fatty acid MAMP and a seaweed-derived plant biostimulant with implications for induced resistance and crop improvement.
University e-learning methodologies and their financial implications: evidence from Uganda
Authors: Eton Marus , Chance Rest
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the financial implications associated with Ugandan universities employing e-learning techniques and to suggest sound policy solutions to the problems the investigation found.

Design/methodology/approach

To illustrate how e-learning is used in Uganda, the study used a descriptive research design. The study used a quantitative methodology to highlight the various experiences associated with utilizing e-learning platforms from various universities. A questionnaire survey was distributed to university students, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in order to understand the usage of e-learning and Persons correlation to understand the degree of the relationship between the study variables.

Findings

The study findings reveal that e-learning approaches in universities are favorably correlated with their financial implications (r = 0.598; p-value 0.05). It was excruciatingly difficult to access online learning resources and platforms, and there was a severe lack of power. Some academic staff members lacked adequate e-learning platform training, and students noted that e-learning eased communication between students and lecturers, whereas Internet subscription and acquisition of mobile devices were expensive.

Research limitations/implications

The research was limited to three districts in western Uganda, and thus, it may not be possible to extrapolate the results to the entire nation.

Practical implications

Universities are open to these changes since the digital world is moving more quickly, overall, and this trend has crept into education as well. Policymakers and other universities may utilize the study's findings to inform their decisions.

Originality/value

The study offers useful insights into how e-learning systems have altered university teaching methods.
Money laundering as a transnational business phenomenon: a systematic review and future agenda
Authors: Isolauri Emilia A. , Ameer Irfan
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Money laundering continues to emerge as a transnational phenomenon that has harmful consequences for the global economy and society. Despite the theoretical and practical magnitude of money laundering, international business (IB) research on the topic is scarce and scattered across multiple disciplines. Accordingly, this study aims to advance an integrated understanding of money laundering from the IB perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conduct a systematic review of relevant literature and qualitatively analyze the content of 57 studies published on the topic during the past two decades.

Findings

The authors identify five streams (5Cs) of research on money laundering in the IB context: the concept, characteristics, causes, consequences and controls. The analysis further indicates six theoretical approaches used in the past research. Notably, normative standards and business and economics theories are dominant in the extant research.

Research limitations/implications

The authors review the literature on an under-researched but practically significant phenomenon and found potential for advancing its theoretical foundations. Hence, the authors propose a 5Cs framework and a future agenda for research and practice by introducing 21 future research questions and two plausible theories to help study the phenomenon more effectively in the future.

Practical implications

In practical terms, the study extends the understanding of the money laundering phenomenon and subsequently helps mitigating the problem of money laundering in the IB environment, along with its harmful economic and societal impacts.

Originality/value

The authors offer an integrative view on money laundering in the IB context. Additionally, the authors emphasize wider discussions on money laundering as a form of mega-corruption.
An empirical examination on the links of cross-functional integration of production-marketing, BTO competitiveness and performance
Authors: Chen Zhixiang
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This paper is to explore how cross-functional integration (CFI) of production-marketing can impact the firm's build-to-order (BTO) competitiveness, marketing performance (MP) and financial performance (FP).

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical study with the structural equation modeling approach is applied. Six hypotheses are constructed and tested based on survey data collected from Chinese manufacturing firms.

Findings

The survey data supports that production-marketing integration (PMI) improves BTO competitiveness (BTOC) and MP and that BTOC also positively affects marketing outcome which, in turn, impacts a firm's FP. The results reveal that CFI of production-marketing is an effective approach for achieving the BTO manufacturing strategy and can improve organizational performance.

Originality/value

The paper uncovers the role of CFI of production-marketing in BTO manufacturing strategy and its impacts on a firm's MP and FP and provides important managerial implications for practitioners to improve organizational time-based competitiveness and performance in today's time-based competition era.
Uraia, Lugha na Haki za Kidijitali: umuhimu wa lugha katika harakati za kuondoa ukoloni katika teknolojia
Authors: Nyabola Nanjala
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Maneno mengi yanayohusu haki za binadamu na haki za kiteknolojia hayajatafsiriwa katika lugha ya Kiswahili. Kwa hivyo, wataalamu wa teknolojia na watetezi wa haki za kidijitali hutumia maneno ya Kiingereza – hata bila utohozi – wanapozungumzia haki za kiteknolojia. Hali hii ya mambo inachangia udhoofu fulani katika utetezi wa haki za kidijitali kwani wanaojaribu kueleza jamii umuhimu wa haki hizi hulazimishwa kutegemea msamiati wa Kiingereza usiyo na msingi au viungo na lugha ya Kiswahili Katika makala hii, tutazungumzia umuhimu wa kukaribisha watu kutumia lugha za Kiafrika kwenye mtandao.

Design/methodology/approach

Kiswahili ni lugha ya Kiafrika inayozungumzwa katika eneo zaidi sana duniani. Karibu watu milioni mia moja na arobaini Afrika mashariki wanazungumza Kiswahili kama lugha yao ya kwanza au ya pili, miongoni mwao Wakenya na Watanzania, wenyeji wa nchi ambamo Kiswahili ni lugha ya kitaifa. Tena kuna historia ndefu ya kutumiwa kwa lugha ya Kiswahili katika uandishi, uchapishaji na ubunifu wa utamaduni wa kisasa. Kiswahili pekee yake ndiyo lugha ya asili ya Kiafrika inayotumika kama lugha ya maalum ya Umoja wa Mataifa za Kiafrika. Hata hivyo, kwa upande wa matumizi ya Kiswahili, hasa kwenye mada ya teknolojia, Kiswahili imewachwa nyuma.

Findings

Zaidi ya maneno rasmi, uwepo wa lugha za Kiafrika ni muhimu kuimarisha jumuiya za Kiafrika mtandaoni kwani lugha inalenga sana haki na utambulisho wa watu. Miradi za kutafsiri maneno za kiteknolojia katika lugha ya Kiswahili inahimiza jumuiya za Afrika Mashariki kuunda jamii inayosimamia matakwa yao vyema. Makala hii basi inazingatia umuhimu wa lugha kwenye kuunda jamii na katika hatua za kuondoa mbinu za kikoloni mtandaoni ili wenyeji wa Afrika Mashariki wajione mtandaoni kwa ujumla wao wote. Makala pia itazingatia semiotiki ya lugha katika ubunifu wa teknolojia, na umuhimu wa kutafsiri jamii ya lugha ya Kiswahili katika harakati za kuondoa ukoloni katika ubunifu huu. Lakini sio tu kwamba lugha ya Kiswahili ndio pekee inayoweza kuondoa mbinu za kikoloni mtandaoni, kwani pia lugha hiyo ina ishara za kutawalwa kwa jamii fulani. Bali makala hii inatumia mfano wa Kiswahili kuhimiza utumiaji wa lugha za kiasili au za kimama mtandaoni ili kulinda mustakabali wa kidijitali wa umma.

Originality/value

Umuhimu wa makala hii ni kuashiria jipya umuhimu wa lugha katika harakati za kuendeleza haki za kidijitali na hasa kuondoa mbinu za kikoloni kwenye teknolojia, swala lisilowahijadiliwa katika lugha ya Kiswahili.
Public management strategies for improving satisfaction with pandemic-induced telework among public employees
Authors: Kim Jungin
Published: October 2022

Purpose

The author examined the association between public employees' satisfaction with pandemic-induced telework satisfaction and job autonomy, organizational goal clarity, organizational justice, and performance-based culture. In addition, the author analyzed the moderating effects of generation and gender on the relationships between job autonomy, organizational goal clarity, organizational justice, performance-based culture, and pandemic-induced telework satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used survey data collected from 4,339 Korean public employees, comprising 1,983 central government officials and 2,356 metropolitan government officials, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study conducted a structural equation model to test hypotheses.

Findings

The author found that job autonomy, organizational goal clarity, organizational justice, and performance-based culture were positively associated with pandemic-induced telework satisfaction. In addition, this research found the moderating effects of generation and gender on the relationships between job autonomy, organizational goal clarity, organizational justice, performance-based culture, and pandemic-induced telework satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study’s results can guide public organizations in developing public management strategies to improve pandemic-induced telework satisfaction. In particular, public organizations need to cope effectively with the broad prevalence of telework triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic by establishing high job autonomy, a performance-oriented culture, a fair evaluation system, and clear and measurable performance goals and adjusting telework according to the generational and gender characteristics.
A formula for estimating the buckling capacity of corroded tubular members
Authors: Øyasæter Fridtjof Holst , Aeran Ashish , Siriwardane Sudath C.
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Several experimental and numerical studies were performed in the past to estimate buckling capacity of corroded tubular members. However, the effect of initial imperfections has not been properly considered in most of these earlier proposed formulas. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to propose an accurate analytical formula to determine the buckling capacity of patched corroded tubular members.

Design/methodology/approach

Tubular members with initial geometrical imperfections can be regarded as beam-columns because of the combination of axial load and bending moment. The proposed formula is derived for a rectangular corrosion patch. The proposed formula is verified with results from finite element analysis of corroded tubular members and experimental results. The formula is also applied to an existing offshore jacket structure to highlight its significance and applicability. It is found that the buckling capacity of jacket members in splash zone reduces significantly with ageing. This reduction is around 29 and 14% for the selected brace and leg member respectively, during the design life. Finally, it is concluded that corrosion reduces the buckling capacity significantly and the proposed formula can be easily applied by practicing engineers to give an accurate and slightly conservative estimate the remaining buckling capacity.

Findings

The main finding is the new formula which accurately and conservatively estimate the buckling capacity of corroded tubular members. The proposed formula considers the secondary effect of both initial geometrical imperfections and shifting of centroid because of corrosion.

Originality/value

The proposed new formula is unique and original in that it considers both secondary effects from geometrical imperfections, reduction of cross-section from corrosion wastage and shifting of centroid because of corrosion. Finally, it is concluded that corrosion reduces the buckling capacity significantly and the proposed formula can be easily applied by practicing engineers to conservatively estimate the remaining buckling capacity and verify if further, more advanced estimations are needed.
Does AC effectiveness mediate the relationship between knowledge intensity and firm performance? Evidence from India
Authors: Singhania Abhisheck Kumar , Panda Nagari Mohan
Published: October 2022

Purpose

The study aims to investigate the mediation effect of the Audit Committee’s (AC) effectiveness on the relationship between knowledge intensity and firm performance (FP) by considering the disparate effect of each AC characteristic on its effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the partial least squares-structural equation model (PLS-SEM) to weigh the AC characteristics for its effectiveness and analyzes the relationships between the variables included in the models. Data was collected from authentic sources for 133 National Stock Exchange (NSE)-listed companies in six industries covering the period 2016 to 2020.

Findings

The results indicate that eight out of eleven AC characteristics, namely, nonexecutive directors, independence, expertise, AC-charter, multiple directorships, frequency of AC meetings, attendance of AC meetings and board meetings by AC directors, significantly influence the AC effectiveness while mediating the relationship between knowledge intensity and FP. Further, each characteristic of AC has a disparate effect on AC effectiveness depending on the measurement context.

Research limitations/implications

Apart from guiding the policymakers, management and stakeholders to effectively use AC characteristics in enhancing FP, this study further contributes to the literature by providing a new way to weight AC characteristics based on their individual contributions; and exploring new path models to analyze the multidimensional effect of various AC characteristics.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is the first to examine the mediation role of AC effectiveness on the relationship between the knowledge intensity of the firms and their performance. It demonstrates improvisation in measuring AC effectiveness using the disparate weights for each AC characteristic, computed based on their relative contribution to AC effectiveness.
Airbnb phenomenon: a review of literature and future research directions
Authors: Negi Garima , Tripathi Smita
Published: October 2022

Purpose

The paper intends to review academic research on peer to peer (P2P) accommodation sharing, notably Airbnb, for 2010–2022 and to identify the knowledge gaps for future research directions.

Design/methodology/approach

Numerous databases were searched using keywords. Based on the central theme of the research papers, the papers were divided into eight segments—consumer behavior, host behavior, host–guest relationship (HGR), trust in Airbnb, dominant theories in Airbnb, Airbnb regulation, Airbnb and hotels and macro impacts of Airbnb. In-depth content analysis resulted in the final 101 papers for inclusion.

Findings

The review advances comprehension of the Airbnb phenomenon by enriching the literature with new and most recent studies. Most existing Airbnb research has been conducted in Europe, USA/Canada, followed by Asian countries like China, Singapore, S. Korea and India. Future studies should include South America, Africa and other developing nations. More cross-cultural studies are required to understand consumer and host behavior in different cultural settings. Numerous proposals to fulfill the research gaps identified by the paper are discussed.

Practical implications

The study will give better insights into the spiraling P2P accommodation economy. The study will be useful to researchers, scholars, Airbnb, the hotel industry, vacation rental players and destination marketing organizations by relating the study findings to practical competition analysis. The study provides deeper insights into the decision-making process of both guests and hosts by examining the relevant motivators and constraints. It will also assist the Airbnb platform in identifying its strength over the traditional hotel industry and other vacation rentals. The findings will also assist policymakers in better controlling the Airbnb phenomena by providing a comprehensive view of the micro and macro environment.

Originality/value

The paper includes the most recent studies from Asian countries like India, Singapore, China, Korea and Taiwan, not covered by earlier reviews. Prior studies mainly focused on European and American countries. Also, the paper tried to cover the macro impacts of Airbnb in-depth and the effects of COVID-19.