bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A functional neuroimaging biomarker of mild cognitive impairment using TD-fNIRS
Authors: Dubois Julien , Duffy John Gregory , Field Ryan M. , Koch Erin M. , M. Aghajan Zahra , Miller Naomi , Perdue Katherine L. , Sahagian Gregory , Taylor Moriah
Published: November 2024

INTRODUCTION

Diagnostic assessments of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are lengthy and burdensome, highlighting the need for new tools to detect MCI. Time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS) can measure brain function in clinical settings and may address this need.

METHODS

MCI patients (n=50) and age-matched healthy controls (HC; n=51) underwent TD-fNIRS recordings during cognitive tasks (verbal fluency, N-back). Machine learning models were trained to distinguish MCI from HC using neural activity, cognitive task behavior, and self-reported impairment as input features.

RESULTS

Significant group-level differences (MCI vs HC) were demonstrated in self-report, N-back and verbal fluency behavior, and task-related brain activation. Classifier performance was similar when using self-report (AUC=0.76) and self-report plus behavior (AUC=0.79) as input features, but was strongest when neural metrics were included (AUC=0.92).

DISCUSSION

This study demonstrates the potential of TD-fNIRS to assess MCI with short brain scans in clinical settings.
Changing patterns of nicotine product use and nicotine dependence among US high school students: the National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2014-2023
Authors: Jackson Sarah E. , Brown Jamie , Tattan-Birch Harry , Jarvis Martin J.
Published: November 2024

Background

Concerns have been raised that e-cigarettes have created a new generation of people addicted to nicotine. This study aimed to examine changes in the proportion of US high-school students reporting symptoms of nicotine dependence over the past decade, in the context of changing patterns of nicotine product use.

Methods

Repeat cross-sectional analyses of a nationally-representative sample of 107,968 US high-school students (14-18y) participating in the 2014-2023 National Youth Tobacco Surveys. Nicotine product use was categorised based on self-reported past-30-day use of cigarettes, other combustible tobacco, smokeless/non-combustible products, and e-cigarettes. Nicotine dependence was operationalised as (i) strong past-30-day cravings to use tobacco and (ii) wanting to use nicotine products within 30 minutes of waking.

Results

Past-30-day use of any nicotine product decreased from 24.5% [22.5-26.6%] to 19.6% [16.8-22.4%] between 2014 and 2017, increased sharply reaching 31.4% [29.0-33.7%] in 2019, then fell to the lowest level at 12.5% [10.9-14.1%] by 2023. The proportion who reported symptoms of nicotine dependence was substantially lower, but followed a similar pattern of changes over time. For example, the proportion reporting strong cravings decreased from 7.8% [6.6-9.0%] to 5.5% [4.3-6.7%] between 2014 and 2017, increased to 7.9% [6.8-9.0%] between 2017 and 2018 and remained stable up to 2020, then fell to the lowest level at 2.5% [1.9-3.1%] by 2023. Use of cigarettes fell considerably across the period (from 9.0% [7.9-10.3%] to 1.8% [1.4-2.4%]); this was the product category consistently associated with the highest levels of dependence. The proportion using only e-cigarettes increased rapidly between 2017 and 2019 (from 5.4% [4.2-6.8%] to 17.0% [15.3-18.7%]) then fell to 6.7% [5.6-7.9%] by 2023; symptoms of nicotine dependence within this group increased non-linearly over time with increases through to 2022 before possible declines in 2023.

Conclusions

The sharp rise in the prevalence of nicotine product use (in particular, e-cigarettes) among US high-school students in the late 2010s was short-lived and was not accompanied by a sustained increase in the overall population burden of nicotine dependence. By 2023, both nicotine product use and nicotine dependence had reached historic lows.
Spatial Patterns of Dengue Incidence in Nepal During Record Outbreaks in 2022 and 2023: Implications for Public Health Interventions
Authors: Bhandari Simrik , Blackburn Jason K , Ryan Sadie Jane
Published: November 2024

Dengue, first reported as a travel case in Nepal in 2004, was initially confined to the lower plains, but has spread to higher elevations. It occurred as large outbreaks in 2022 and 2023 (54,784 and 51,243 cases, respectively), reaching every district (n=77). We calculated dengue incidence in each district in 2022 and 2023, via digitizing case data from Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population, and 2021 census data from the National Statistics Office. Incidence and peak dengue months in each year were mapped, and spatial clusters (hotspots and cold spots) and spatial outliers of incidence rates for the two years were identified using Local Moran's I. In 2022, district-wise peak cases occurred in August - October. One hotspot (High-High) including six districts around Kathmandu, and one cold spot (Low-Low) comprising eight high elevation districts in Nepal's northwest region were identified. In 2023, cases peaked March-November, indicating more distributed peaks, starting earlier; hotspots shifted to north-central and eastern regions, and a Low-High outlier district in the central region was identified. Identifying timing of peaks, and spatial clusters of dengue incidence can inform targeted management, improving effectiveness and cost-efficiency. This study provides a baseline examination of recent dengue in Nepal, highlighting timing and spatial clustering in incidence. The mountainous northwest cold spots align with expectations of fewer mosquitoes due to geography and climate. However, dengue peaked in all 77 districts over three months in 2022, suggesting ecological and climatic factors may no longer be effective barriers.
MEDiCINe: Motion Correction for Neural Electrophysiology Recordings
Authors: Watters Nicholas , Buccino Alessio , Jazayeri Mehrdad
Published: November 2024

Electrophysiology recordings from the brain using laminar multielectrode arrays allow researchers to measure the activity of many neurons simultaneously. However, laminar microelectrode arrays move relative to their surrounding neural tissue for a variety of reasons, such as pulsation, changes in intracranial pressure, and decompression of neural tissue after insertion. Inferring and correcting for this motion stabilizes the recording and is critical to identify and track single neurons across time. Such motion correction is a preprocessing step of standard spike sorting methods. However, estimating motion robustly and accurately in electrophysiology recordings is challenging due to the stochasticity of the neural data. To tackle this problem, we introduce MEDiCINe (Motion Estimation by Distributional Contrastive Inference for Neurophysiology), a novel motion estimation method. We show that MEDiCINe outperforms existing motion estimation methods on an extensive suite of simulated neurophysiology recordings and leads to more accurate spike sorting. We also show that MEDiCINe correctly estimates the motion in primate electrophysiology recordings with a variety of motion and stability statistics. We open-source MEDiCINe, usage instructions, examples integrating MEDiCINe with common tools for spike-sorting, and data and code for reproducing our results. This open software will enable other researchers to use MEDiCINe to improve spike sorting results and get the most out of their electrophysiology datasets.
C-C bond cleavage and generation in TCA cycle driven by radicals and peroxo-bridge like interaction
Authors: Yang Lin , Fang Yijun , Gong Weimin
Published: November 2024

Tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is one of the most important and common metabolic pathways in different kingdoms of life, in which citrate synthase catalyzes the first irreversible reaction and the rate-limiting step. Reversed oxidative tricarboxylic acid (roTCA) cycle is a newly discovered autotrophic CO2fixation pathway based on the reversal of TCA cycle, in which citrate synthase catalyzes the thermodynamically unfavorable citrate cleavage reaction. In this work, we proposed that radicals promote C-C bond cleavage of citrate in roTCA cycle based on series intermediate catalytic state of citrate synthases fromDesulfurella acetivoran(DaCS) andThermosulfidibacter takaii(TtCS) obtained by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and X-ray crystallography. We also proposed that the peroxo-bridge like interaction promotes C-C bond generation between acetyl group and oxaloacetate in citrate synthesis reaction based on intermediate state of human citrate synthase by time-resolved characteristic Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. Results also indicate these mechanisms would be widespread among conserved citrate synthases.
When Little Means a Lot: Impact of a Brief Early-life Motor Training on Mouse Neuromuscular Development
Authors: Quilgars Camille , Boué-Grabot Eric , de Deurwaerdère Philipe , Cazalets Jean-René , Perrin Florence E. , Bertrand Sandrine S.
Published: November 2024

In this study, we aimed to determine the impact of an increase in motor activity during the highly plastic period of development of the motor spinal cord and hindlimb muscles in newborn mice. A swim training regimen, consisting of two sessions per day for two days, was conducted in 1 and 2-day-old (P1, P2) pups. P3-trained pups showed a faster acquisition of a four-limb swimming pattern, accompanied by dysregulated gene expression in the lateral motor column, alterations in the intrinsic membrane properties of motoneurons (MNs) and synaptic plasticity, as well as increased axonal myelination in motor regions of the spinal cord. Network-level changes were also observed, as synaptic events in MNs and spinal noradrenaline and serotonin contents were modified by training. At the muscular level, slight changes in neuromuscular junction morphology and myosin subtype expression in hindlimb muscles were observed in trained animals. Furthermore, the temporal sequence of acquiring the adult-like swimming pattern and postural development in trained pups showed differences persisting until almost the second postnatal week. A very short motor training performed just after birth is thus able to induce functional adaptation in the developing neuromuscular system that could persist several days. This highlights the vulnerability of the neuromuscular apparatus during development and the need to evaluate carefully the impact of any given sensorimotor procedure when considering its application to improve motor development or in rehabilitation strategies.
Lifetime brain atrophy estimated from a single MRI: measurement characteristics and genome-wide correlates
Authors: Fürtjes Anna E. , Foote Isabelle F. , Xia Charley , Davies Gail , Moodie Joanna , Taylor Adele , Liewald David C. , Redmond Paul , Corley Janie , McIntosh Andrew M. , Whalley Heather C. , Maniega Susana Muñoz , Hernández Maria Valdés , Backhouse Ellen , Ferguson Karen , Bastin Mark E. , Wardlaw Joanna , de la Fuente Javier , Grotzinger Andrew D. , Luciano Michelle , Hill W. David , Deary Ian J. , Tucker-Drob Elliot M. , Cox Simon R.
Published: November 2024

A measure of lifetime brain atrophy (LBA) obtained from a single magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan could be an attractive candidate to boost statistical power in uncovering novel genetic signals and mechanisms of neurodegeneration. We analysed data from five young and old adult cohorts (MRi-Share, Human Connectome Project, UK Biobank, Generation Scotland Subsample, and Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 [LBC1936]) to test the validity and utility of LBA inferred from cross-sectional MRI data, i.e., a single MRI scan per participant. LBA was simply calculated based on the relationship between total brain volume (TBV) and intracranial volume (ICV), using three computationally distinct approaches: the difference (ICV-TBV), ratio (TBV/ICV), and regression-residual method (TBV∼ICV). LBA derived with all three methods were substantially correlated with well-validated neuroradiological atrophy rating scales (r= 0.37-0.44). Compared with the difference or ratio method, LBA computed with the residual method most strongly captured phenotypic variance associated with cognitive decline (r= 0.36), frailty (r= 0.24), age-moderated brain shrinkage (r= 0.45), and longitudinally-measured atrophic changes (r= 0.36). LBA computed using a difference score was strongly correlated with baseline (i.e., ICV;r= 0.81) and yielded GWAS signal similar to ICV (rg= 0.75). We performed the largest genetic study of LBA to date (N= 43,110), which was highly heritable (h2SNP GCTA= 41% [95% CI = 38-43%]) and had strong polygenic signal (LDSCh2= 26%; meanχ2= 1.23). The strongest association in our genome-wide association study (GWAS) implicatedWNT16, a gene previously linked with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer, and Parkinson disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This study is the first side-by-side evaluation of different computational approaches to estimate lifetime brain changes and their measurement characteristics. Careful assessment of methods for LBA computation had important implications for the interpretation of existing phenotypic and genetic results, and showed that relying on the residual method to estimate LBA from a single MRI scan captured brain shrinkage rather than current brain size. This makes this computationally-simple definition of LBA a strong candidate for more powerful analyses, promising accelerated genetic discoveries by maximising the use of available cross-sectional data.
Details matter! Multimodal personalization increases the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation for modulation of sensorimotor integration
Authors: Radecke Jan-Ole , Kühn Alexander , Erdbrügger Tim , Buschermöhle Yvonne , Rashidi Sogand , Stöckler Hannah , Sack Benjamin , Borgwardt Stefan , Schneider Till R. , Gross Joachim , Wolters Carsten H. , Sprenger Andreas , Lencer Rebekka
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Neural networks subserving smooth pursuit eye movements provide an ideal model for investigating the modulation of sensorimotor integration during ongoing movements by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Within these networks, visual motion area V5 is a core hub to integrate visual motion information with oculomotor control. Here, we applied personalized tDCS explicitly targeting individual V5 in healthy human participants using algorithmic optimization informed by functional MRI and combined EEG/MEG. We hypothesized subtle impairment or facilitation of sensorimotor integration during pursuit and assessed the gain by personalized, compared to conventional normative tDCS. Indeed, pursuit initiation was specifically delayed during personalized cathodal tDCS targeting right V5 pointing towards the involvement of distinct functional subareas of V5. The results were well- controlled by anodal and sham tDCS, different pursuit tasks, and by two additional control experiments, one that applied personalized tDCS targeting FEF and another that applied normative tDCS over V5, for all of which no pursuit modulation was observed. Importantly, in contrast to normative tDCS, personalized tDCS effectively modulated pursuit by adapting electric fields to individual anatomical and functional V5 properties. Our results indicate the huge potential of personalized tDCS and transcranial electric stimulation in general to alter behavior as the main aspect of interest in human neuromodulation.
Measuring Stimulus Information Transfer Between Neural Populations through the Communication Subspace
Authors: Weiss Oren , Coen-Cagli Ruben
Published: November 2024

Sensory processing arises from the communication between neural populations across multiple brain areas. While the widespread presence of neural response variability shared throughout a neural population limits the amount of stimulus-related information those populations can accurately represent, how this variability affects the interareal communication of sensory information is unknown. We propose a mathematical framework to understand the impact of neural population response variability on sensory information transmission. We combine linear Fisher information, a metric connecting stimulus representation and variability, with the framework of communication subspaces, which suggests that functional mappings between cortical populations are low-dimensional relative to the space of population activity patterns. From this, we partition Fisher information depending on the alignment between the population covariance and the mean tuning direction projected onto the communication subspace or its orthogonal complement. We provide mathematical and numerical analyses of our proposed decomposition of Fisher information and examine theoretical scenarios that demonstrate how to leverage communication subspaces for flexible routing and gating of stimulus information. This work will provide researchers investigating interareal communication with a theoretical lens through which to understand sensory information transmission and guide experimental design.
Deaminase-assisted single-molecule and single-cell chromatin fiber sequencing
Authors: Swanson Elliott G. , Mao Yizi , Mallory Benjamin J. , Vollger Mitchell R. , Ranchalis Jane , Bohaczuk Stephanie C. , Parmalee Nancy L. , Bennett James T. , Stergachis Andrew B.
Published: November 2024

Gene regulation is mediated by the co-occupancy of numerous proteins along individual chromatin fibers. However, our tools for deeply profiling how proteins co-occupy individual fibers, especially at the single-cell level, remain limited. We present Deaminase-Assisted single-molecule chromatin Fiber sequencing (DAF-seq), which leverages a non-specific double-stranded DNA deaminase toxin A (SsDddA) to efficiently stencil protein occupancy along DNA molecules via selective deamination of accessible cytidines, which are preserved via C-to-T transitions upon DNA amplification. We demonstrate that DAF-seq enables ~200,000-fold enrichment of target loci for single-molecule footprinting at near single-nucleotide resolution, enabling the precise delineation of the regulatory logic guiding neighboring proteins to cooperatively occupy chromatin fibers. Furthermore, DAF-seq enables the synchronous identification of single-molecule chromatin and genetic architectures - resolving the functional impact of rare somatic variants, as well as transitional chromatin states guiding haplotype-selective promoter actuation. Finally, we demonstrate that single-cell DAF-seq enables the accurate reconstruction of the diploid genome and epigenome from a single cell, revealing that a cell's accessible regulatory landscape can diverge by as much as 63% while still retaining the cell's identity. Overall, DAF-seq enables the comprehensive characterization of protein occupancy and chromatin accessibility across entire chromosomes with single-nucleotide, single-molecule, single-haplotype, and single-cell precision.
Effects of Aging on the Immune and Periosteal Response to Fracture in Mice
Authors: King Justin S , Wan Matthew , Kim Adam , Novak Sanja , Prabhu Shagun , Kalajzic Ivo , Delany Anne M , Sanjay Archana
Published: November 2024

Aging predisposes individuals to reduced bone mass and fragility fractures, which are costly and linked to high mortality. Understanding how aging affects fracture healing is essential for developing therapies to enhance bone regeneration in older adults. During the inflammatory phase of fracture healing, immune cells are recruited to the injury site as periosteal skeletal stem/progenitor cells (pSSPCs) rapidly proliferate and differentiate into osteochondral lineages, allowing for fibrocartilaginous callus formation and complete bone healing. Irrespective of age, how periosteal mesenchymal and immune cells interact during early fracture healing is incompletely understood, limiting our ability to potentially modulate these processes. To address this, we directly analyzed, in parallel, at a single-cell level, isolated murine CD45(+) and CD45(-) periosteal cells dissected from intact and fractured bones, collected three days after injury. Through comprehensive analysis, corroborated by bulk RNA-sequencing, flow cytometry, and histology, we found aging decreases pSSPCs proliferative, marked by a reduced expression of genes required for callus formation and an increased senescence signature. We found that the chemokineCxcl9was highly upregulated in aged intact Prrx1+ pSSPCs, predicted to interact with other pSSPCs directly, and associated with increased recruitment of CD8+ T cells at the fracture site three days after injury. Cell-to-cell communication analysis provided insight into the complexity of interactions among the many cell types regulating fracture healing and the impact of aging on these processes. Together, these results provide insight into age-induced alterations in fracture healing, informing the development of improved therapeutic approaches for fragility fractures.
Olfactory bulb tracks breathing rhythms and place in freely behaving mice
Authors: Sterrett Scott C. , Findley Teresa M. , Rafilson Sidney E. , Brown Morgan A. , Weible Aldis P , Marsden Rebecca , Tarvin Takisha , Wehr Michael , Murray James M. , Fairhall Adrienne L. , Smear Matthew C.
Published: November 2024

Vertebrates sniff to control the odor samples that enter their nose. These samples can not only help identify odorous objects, but also locations and events. However, there is no receptor for place or time. Therefore, to take full advantage of olfactory information, an animal’s brain must contextualize odor-driven activity with information about when, where, and how they sniffed. To better understand contextual information in the olfactory system, we captured the breathing and movements of mice while recording from their olfactory bulb. In stimulus- and task-free experiments, mice structure their breathing into persistent rhythmic states which are synchronous with statelike structure in ongoing neuronal population activity. These population states reflect a strong dependence of individual neuron activity on variation in sniff frequency, which we display using “sniff fields” and quantify using generalized linear models. In addition, many olfactory bulb neurons have “place fields” that display significant dependence of firing on allocentric location, which were comparable with hippocampal neurons recorded under the same conditions. At the population level, a mouse’s location can be decoded from olfactory bulb with similar accuracy to hippocampus. Olfactory bulb place sensitivity cannot be explained by breathing rhythms or scent marks. Taken together, we show that the mouse olfactory bulb tracks breathing rhythms and self-location, which may help unite internal models of self and environment with olfactory information as soon as that information enters the brain.
Transcriptome-wide mapping of small ribosomal subunits elucidates scanning mechanisms of translation initiation in the mammalian brain
Authors: Kute Preeti M , Pauzin Francois P , Labun Kornel , Bramham Clive R , Valen Eivind
Published: November 2024

Protein synthesis in neurons is highly compartmentalised and regulated, with key roles for translation initiation and elongation factors. The most widely used transcriptome-wide method for measuring translation, ribosome profiling, characterises the elongation phase of translation but does not provide insight into the initiation phase with scanning of the small ribosomal subunit (SSU). Here, we adapted and optimised ribosome complex profiling (RCP-seq) for brain tissue, that captures SSUs and allows analysis of translation initiation dynamics in the adult murine dentate gyrus (DG) region of the hippocampus. We show an accumulation of SSUs upstream of the start codon specifically enriched on synaptically localised RNAs and extensive translation of 5’ upstream open reading frames (uORFs), suggesting regulation both during scanning and transition to the elongation phase. We further demonstrate that neuron-specific transcripts are more expressed, scanned, and translated than glia-specific transcripts. Of the neuronal mRNAs, monosome-preferring mRNAs exhibited reduced scanning and elongation relative to polysome-preferring transcripts implying reduced recruitment of ribosomes. In sum, RCP-seq elucidates translation initiation dynamics in the mammalian brain and uncovers cell-type-and transcript-specific regulation.
Rapid fluctuations in histamine associated with intake of nutritive and non-nutritive solutions
Authors: Volcko KL , Gresch A , Benowitz B , Taghipourbibalan H , Visser M , Stuber GD , Gordon-Fennell AG , Patriarchi T , McCutcheon JE
Published: November 2024

The neurotransmitter histamine is involved in control of food intake, yet its dynamics during individual feeding episodes remain unexplored. Therefore, we used the novel genetically-encoded histamine sensor, HisLightG, combined with fiber photometry to measure histamine release in two hypothalamic regions critical in the food-suppressive effects of histamine, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH), and the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). Male mice were tested under different conditions to assess whether hunger, time of day, or the caloric content of the solution they were given affected histamine fluctuations. We found that histamine levels changed rapidly in response to eating, with reductions in histamine release occurring towards the end of licking bouts. These histamine fluctuations were independent of the experimental conditions. Notable regional differences were identified, however, such that in the PVH histamine rebounded to baseline levels, whereas in the VMH histamine remained lower than baseline for at least 10 seconds after licking ceased. In a separate cohort of male and female mice, enhancing histamine tone via administration of a histamine precursor (L-histidine) reduced the number of licks across multiple sucrose concentrations. Together, these findings indicate that histaminergic activity is modulated rapidly during ingestive episodes, and that understanding these release patterns may give insight into histamine’s role in appetite suppression.

Significance statement

The findings from these experiments are important because, for the first time histamine has been recorded using a novel sensor, HisLightG, via fiber photometry during food intake. We now know that the neurotransmitter fluctuates on a timescale of seconds and is closely linked to licking behavior. This, combined with the multispout data demonstrating a pronounced effect of histamine precursor on licking, set the stage for future experiments to elucidate precisely what role histamine in particular nuclei has in eating behavior.
Muon
g−2
and lepton flavor violation in supersymmetric GUTs
Authors: Gómez Mario E. , Lola Smaragda , Shafi Qaisar , Ün Cem Salih
Published: November 2024

We present a class of supersymmetric (SUSY) GUT models that can explain the apparent discrepancy between the SM predictions and experimental values of muon g−2 while providing testable signals for lepton flavor violation in charged lepton decays. Moreover, these models predict LSP neutralino abundance that is compatible with the Planck dark matter bounds. We find that scenarios in the framework of SU(4)c×SU(2)L×SU(2)R unification, with additional symmetries to explain fermion masses and neutrino oscillations, provide interesting benchmarks for the search of SUSY by correlating a possible manifestation of it in dark matter, rare lepton decays, and LHC signals.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Constraining P and T violating forces with chiral molecules
Authors: Baruch Chaja , Changala P. Bryan , Shagam Yuval , Soreq Yotam
Published: November 2024

New sources of parity and time-reversal violation are predicted by well motivated extensions of the Standard Model and can be effectively probed by precision spectroscopy of atoms and molecules. Chiral molecules have distinguished enantiomers which are related by parity transformation. Thus they are promising candidates to search for parity violation at molecular scales, which has yet to be observed. In this work, we show that precision spectroscopy of the hyperfine structure of chiral molecules is sensitive to new physics sources of parity and time-reversal violation. In particular, such a study can be sensitive to regions unexplored by terrestrial experiments of a new chiral spin-1 particle that couples to nucleons. We explore the potential to hunt for time-reversal violation in chiral molecules and show that it can be a complementary measurement to other probes. We assess the feasibility of such hyperfine metrology and project the sensitivity in CHDBrI+.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
The incommensurate composite Y
x
Os4B4 (x = 1.161)
Authors: Stöger Berthold , Sologub Oksana , Salamakha Leonid
Published: November 2024

Y
x
Os4B4 (x = 1.161) crystallizes as a tetragonal incommensurate composite of columns of Y atoms extending along [001] in an Os4B4 framework. The structure was refined using the superspace approach. The basic structure of the Y subsystem can be idealized as having I4/mmm symmetry, with a crystallographically unique Y atom located on the 4/mmm position. The actual superspace symmetry is P42/nmc(00σ3)s0s0. The Y atoms feature only subtle positional modulation in the [001] direction. The Os4B4 subsystem [P42/ncm(00σ3)00ss superspace symmetry] is built of columns of edge-sharing Os4 tetrahedra extending along [001] and B2 dumbbells. The Os4 tetrahedra feature pronounced positional modulation with a distinct variation of the Os—Os bond lengths. Modulation of the B2 dumbbells is best described as a rotation about the [001] axis.
Development and validation of the leader–member exchange scale in the Indian context
Authors: Srivastava Urmila Rani , Mohaley Shefali , Jaiswal Aishwarya , Singh Meena
Published: November 2024

Purpose

The primary objective of the present study was to develop an appropriate scale for evaluating LMX by investigating how individuals personally perceive and encounter distinct relationships (both high quality and low quality) with their supervisors, with a specific focus on the Indian context.

Design/methodology/approach

The scale was administered on a sample of 290 middle-level managers from two large manufacturing organizations located in North India.

Findings

The factors identified as important for the construct of leader-member exchange were affect, loyalty, and contribution.

Research limitations/implications

The internal consistency reliability of the LMX contribution dimension is very low. Future researchers should add a few additional items to increase the reliability of the contribution scale of LMX scale so that it fulfills adequate criteria of reliability. Further, the supervisor–subordinate relationship from both supervisor and subordinate perspectives should also be examined.

Practical implications

This study has made significant advancements in the field of LMX. The findings will also be utilized by the authorities of the organization in focusing future training for its managers.

Social implications

The findings of this research will help not only advancement in the field of LMX but will also help the manager using LMX to influence subordinates to have better knowledge on which factors to focus on to get better results.

Originality/value

Overall, the results of the current study provide evidence for the sound reliability and validity of the leader-member exchange scale with employees of Indian manufacturing organizations, supporting its use with these populations. Further, this scale is suitable not only in Indian culture but also in the Western cultural context, as the results corroborate the findings of Western scholars, indicating a fair level of cross-cultural validity. However, future research should also address the cross-validation of the factor structure of LMX on other samples and occupations.
Leveraging players' goal-setting and cognitive gaming elements to create flow
Authors: Pham Thi Tuan Linh , Huang Guan-Ling , Huang Tzu-Ling , Liao Gen-Yih , Cheng T.C.E. , Teng Ching-I
Published: November 2024

Purpose

Online games are widely adopted electronic applications that facilitate flow experiences, which is a highly enjoyable experience for players, thus motivating further engagement in online gameplay. During gameplay, players set gaming goals, and they must make cognitive efforts to achieve these goals. However, we do not know how goal-setting and cognitive gaming elements (game complexity and game familiarity) create flow, indicating a research gap. To fill this gap, we use the cognitive gaming elements in the literature and the theoretical elements of goal-setting theory to build a model.

Design/methodology/approach

Conducting a large-scale online survey, we collect 3,491 responses from online game players and use structural equation modeling for data analysis.

Findings

We find that challenging goals, game complexity, game familiarity and telepresence are positively linked to player-perceived flow, explaining 45% of the variance. The new finding is that challenging goals can strengthen the link between game complexity and flow. We also find that telepresence can strengthen the link between game familiarity and flow.

Originality/value

Our study provides the novel insight that gaming goals and cognitive gaming elements can generate player-perceived flow. This insight can help game makers design gaming elements to accommodate players' cognitive efforts to achieve in-game goals, thus creating flow and effectively increasing players' game engagement.
Factors affecting artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in the talent acquisition process: the case of Vietnam’s medium-sized firms
Authors: Cao Tri Minh , Nguyen Loc Thi Vy
Published: November 2024

Purpose

This study aims to assess the factors that impact the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the human resource (HR) recruitment procedure in Vietnam’s medium-sized firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a quantitative approach, this paper collected data of 297 hiring managers, HR directors and top-level executives from Vietnam’s medium-sized firms with a structured questionnaire. The partial least squares structural equation model was used to analyze the data and evaluate the hypothesis model (on platform Smart PLS 3.0).

Findings

The results show that in Vietnam’s medium-sized companies, both perceived benefits and perceived sacrifices directly impact on perceived value, which leads to organizations’ adoption of AI. HR readiness also has a moderating effect between perceived value and AI adoption.

Research limitations/implications

Future research can compare AI adoption between large and medium companies, as well as other criteria in Asian countries. Other organizational constructs can be considered moderators between perceived value and AI adoption.

Practical implications

This study offers a context-specific understanding of the practice of using AI to acquire talent in Vietnam. Both of AI technology’s perceived benefits and perceived sacrifices directly impact its perceived value, therefore indirectly impacting its adoption. In this study, HR readiness serves as an inhibitor to adoption. Some essential managerial implications are suggested.

Originality/value

This study provides valuable insights into applying AI to Vietnam’s medium-sized companies, especially in the recruitment process. It adds to a substantial body of work on applying AI to HR management.
Theoretical study of the solution of the diffusion equation under effect of the magnetic field on the silicon solar cell
Authors: Khalis M. , Masrour R.
Published: November 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the behavior of a silicon solar cell when subjected to a magnetic field. Specifically, the study aims to understand how the presence of the magnetic field influences the distribution of excess minority carriers within the base region of the solar cell. By solving the one-dimensional continuity equation under these conditions, the study seeks to elucidate the transient dynamics of carrier generation, recombination and transport processes. This research contributes to the broader understanding of how external magnetic fields can impact the performance and efficiency of silicon solar cells, potentially informing future optimizations or applications in photovoltaic technology.

Design/methodology/approach

The solar cell is assumed to be uniformly illuminated, which simplifies the analysis of carrier generation to a function of depth (x). The emitter and space charge region contributions are considered while neglecting the diffusion region. The injection level remains constant throughout the analysis, focusing specifically on the base thickness region, H = 200 µm.

Findings

The findings of this study reveal significant insights into the behavior of a silicon solar cell under the influence of a magnetic field. Key findings include Impact on carrier distribution: the magnetic field affects the distribution of excess minority carriers within the base region of the solar cell. This distribution is crucial for understanding the efficiency of carrier collection and overall cell performance. Transient dynamics: the transient behavior of carrier generation, recombination and transport processes in the base region is influenced by the magnetic field. This understanding helps in predicting the response time and effectiveness of the solar cell under varying magnetic field strengths. Optimization potential: insights gained from this study suggest potential strategies for optimizing the design and operation of silicon solar cells to enhance their performance in environments where magnetic fields are present. Theoretical framework: the study provides a theoretical framework based on the one-dimensional continuity equation, offering a systematic approach to analyzing and predicting the behavior of solar cells under magnetic field conditions. These findings contribute to advancing the understanding of how external factors such as magnetic fields can impact the operation and efficiency of silicon solar cells, thereby guiding future research and development efforts in photovoltaic technology.

Originality/value

The originality and value of this study lie in its contribution to advancing the understanding of how magnetic fields influence silicon solar cell performance, providing both theoretical insights and potential practical applications in diverse technological contexts.
Sustainable warehouse management: a literature review and future research agenda
Authors: Kumar Vishwajit , Adil Gajendra Kumar
Published: November 2024

Purpose

Warehouses, essential nodes in the supply chain, significantly contribute to sustainability issues, accounting for about 11% of emissions related to logistics activities. The purpose of this study is to review articles on sustainable warehouse management (SWM) from the Scopus database to analyze trends, synthesize existing knowledge, and identify research gaps for future studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The review uses text mining of initial relevant documents to create a search string for paper retrieval. Text mining is further used to generate a dendrogram of the most frequently used words in the research papers, which is then analyzed to identify themes and sub-themes in SWM.

Findings

The dendrogram reveals four major themes and their sub-themes within SWM, including two novel themes: sustainable warehouse in green logistics and sustainable warehouse location. In addition, 12 research recommendations are identified through content analysis and are subsequently linked to specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Research limitations/implications

The methodological innovation in keyword selection for searching relevant papers and identifying themes serves as a structured template for researchers to explore further.

Practical implications

The research recommendations, aligned with the SDGs, aim to assist managers in making informed decisions and operational strategies to enhance factors associated with the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method and the sustainable performance of warehouses.

Originality/value

This study is novel in its application of text-mining techniques to generate a search string for identifying relevant papers and discerning themes by analyzing the dendrogram.
Who’s in? Variance in top management team definition effect on corporate political activity
Authors: Johnson Andrew F. , McDonald Aaron T.
Published: November 2024

Purpose

Causal relationships between top management team (TMT) characteristics and corporate political activity (CPA) are well established in management literature. Yet, recent research has uncovered that there is little consistency in how researchers operationalize the TMT. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to empirically demonstrate how variation in TMT operationalization can affect causal relationships between TMT characteristics and CPA. Theoretical implications for these findings are discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines how varying the operationalization of the TMT affects the statistical outcomes of random-effects negative binomial regression models that examine how the state-level CPA of the largest 100 firms headquartered in Texas (from 2000 to 2010) is influenced by TMT characteristics.

Findings

How the TMT is operationalized greatly affects the level and significance of study results. These findings inform TMT and CPA research theoretically and statistically.

Research limitations/implications

This study underscores the importance of definition of TMT in studies where it is a variable.

Originality/value

This study provides novel insights into how TMT operationalization can greatly affect TMT research and theory.
Market transparency and consumer search—Evidence from the German retail gasoline market
Authors: Martin Simon
Published: November 2024

We estimate a model of incomplete information price competition where consumers endogenously choose whether to use a price search website. We examine how consumer search and prices would change under different transparency regimes. We find that aggregate consumer welfare is maximized when the price search website lists the lowest 20% of prices (i.e., one station in markets with less than five stations, and two stations in markets with more than five stations), with consumer expenditures falling by 1.5% relative to a regime where all are listed.
Biased bureaucrats and the policies of international organizations
Authors: Lang Valentin , Wellner Lukas , Kentikelenis Alexandros
Published: November 2024

This article advances a novel argument about the policy output of international organizations (IOs) by highlighting the role of individual staffers. We approach them as purposive actors carrying heterogeneous ideological biases that materially shape their policy choices on the job. Pursuing this argument with an empirical focus on the International Monetary Fund (IMF), we collected individual‐level information on the careers of 835 IMF “mission chiefs”—staffers with primary responsibility for a particular member state—and matched them to newly coded data on more than 15,000 IMF‐mandated policy conditions over the 1980–2016 period. Leveraging the appointment of the same mission chief to different countries throughout their career, we find that individual staffers influence the number, scope, and content of IMF conditions according to their personal ideological biases. These results contribute to our understanding of the microfoundations behind IO output and have implications for the accountability and legitimacy of IOs.
Clinical analysis of supraciliary effusion development following gonioscopy‐assisted transluminal trabeculotomy surgery for pseudoexfoliation glaucoma
Authors: Gunay Murat , Uzun Burak , Turk Adem , Kose Busra , Uzlu Dilek
Published: November 2024

Purpose

To investigate clinical characteristics of postoperative supraciliary effusion (SCE) development following gonioscopy‐assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) in patients with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PEXG).

Methods

In this prospective and observational study, 64 eyes (64 patients) with PEXG were examined with spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) after GATT over a 12‐month follow‐up. Outcomes were surgical success, intraocular pressure (IOP), best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA), number of antiglaucoma medications (AGM) and complications of the SCE (+) group with those of SCE (−) group.

Results

SCE was observed in 39 eyes (60.9%) within the first postoperative week. Probability of complete success was significantly higher in the SCE (+) group than in the SCE (−) group (25.6% vs. 16.0%, p = 0.009). IOP was significantly lower at postoperative first day in the SCE (+) group than in the SCE (−) group (p = 0.04), but it was similar thereafter during follow‐up (p > 0.05). Postoperative BCVA did not show significant difference at the end of the follow‐up (p > 0.05). Postoperative number of AGM was found to be significantly lower in the SCE (+) group compared to the SCE (−) group (p < 0.05). A significant IOP rise was observed after SCE resolution (p = 0.002).

Conclusion

Presence of SCE accompanied with significantly lower IOP during the early postoperative period after GATT surgery for PEXG. SCE might have a favourable impact on postoperative AGM use. SCE can easily be examined by SD‐OCT, and be used as a prognostic indicator.
Dating an ancient spring tunnel using archaeological artefacts functioning as nuclei of cave pearls
Authors: Yechezkel Azriel , Vaknin Yoav , Cooper‐Frumkin Shlomit , Ryb Uri , Shaar Ron , Gadot Yuval , Frumkin Amos
Published: November 2024

Cave pearls are spherical concentric speleothems growing radially around nuclei in shallow pools saturated with calcite. They are very rare in the Southern Levant. We present a unique assemblage of 50 cave pearls found in the Iron Age Joweizeh artificial spring tunnel in the Jerusalem Hills of Israel. Some of these deposits represent the first global evidence of formation on archaeological artefacts: pottery sherds and ancient plaster. Multi‐analyses were conducted to date and characterize the different nuclei and pearls. Charcoal samples extracted from the plaster nuclei of two pearls were 14C dated to the Hellenistic period. Two pearls were formed on sherds of Hellenistic lamps. XPS found Co colour remains, suggesting both had been imported. The Hellenistic date is also supported by archaeomagnetic dates of seven other pottery nuclei. Most Hellenistic remains are probably the outcome of a renovation campaign in the tunnel. Four pearls were sampled for stable isotopes (δ13C and δ18O). The range of δ18O values from the Joweizeh pearls is compatible with the Holocene Soreq and Jerusalem caves’ records. The δ13C differences between Joweizeh and Soreq indicate local changes in the overlying vegetation throughout history. The various lines of evidence enabled us to characterize the pearls’ formation process, reconstruct the Joweizeh spring tunnel's hydraulic environment and detect changes that occurred in its water flow regime throughout history.