bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Essential roles of plexin-B3+oligodendrocyte precursor cells in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Nihonmatsu-Kikuchi Naomi , Yu Xiu-Jun , Matsuda Yoshiki , Ozawa Nobuyuki , Ito Taeko , Satou Kazuhito , Kaname Tadashi , Takashima Akihiko , Toru Shuta , Hirokawa Katsuiku , Hasegawa Masato , Uchihara Toshiki , Tatebayashi Yoshitaka
Published: March 2020

The roles played by oligodendrocyte (OL) lineage cells, the largest glial population in the adult CNS, in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remain elusive. Here, we show a newly developed culture method for adult OL progenitor cells (aOPCs) and identify novel plexin-B3-expressing (plexin-B3+) aOPCs as potential amyloid β peptides (Aβ)-secreting cells. Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) promotes the survival and proliferation of aOPCs in a serum-free defined medium. Although the whole expression profiles of the expanded aOPCs closely resemble those of in vivo OPCs, we found a subpopulation (up to 5%) of plexin-B3+/olig2+aOPCs in the cultures growing in FGF2. FGF2 withdrawal decreased NG2+, but increased plexin-B3+aOPCs with increased APP expression, Aβ1-40, −42 secretions and Aβ1-42/total Aβ ratios in association with cored senile plaque-like morphological changes. In vivo, plexin-B3+aOPCs are distributed throughout the adult brain, although less densely so than NG2+aOPCs. Spreading depolarization, a type of brain injury, induced unique delayed cortical plexin-B3+aOPC gliosis in the ipsilateral, but not in the contralateral, remote cortex. In AD brains, virtually all senile plaques in the cortex were immunostained with plexin-B3 antibodies and the levels of cortical plexin-B3 expression increased significantly in the Salcosyl-soluble fractions. These findings suggest that plexin-B3+aOPCs play important roles in the pathogenesis of AD most likely as a natural Aβ source.
Characterization of dynamic age-dependent changes and driver microbes in primate gut microbiota during host’s development and healthy aging via captive crab-eating macaque model
Authors: Wei Zhi-Yuan , Rao Jun-Hua , Tang Ming-Tian , Zhao Guo-An , Li Qi-Chun , Wu Li-Ming , Liu Shao-Qiang , Li Bi-Hai , Xiao Bai-Quan , Liu Xing-Yin , Chen Jian-Huan
Published: March 2020

Recent population studies have significantly advanced our understanding of how age shapes the gut microbiota. However, the actual role of age could be inevitably confounded due to varying environmental factors in human populations. A well-controlled environment is thus necessary to reduce undesirable cofounding effects, and recapitulate age-dependent taxonomic and functional changes in the healthy primate gut microbiota. Herein we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing, characterized age-associated gut microbial profiles from infant to elderly crab-eating macaques reared in captivity, and systemically revealed lifelong dynamic changes of primate gut microbiota in the model. While the most significantly age-associated gut microbial taxa were mainly found in commensals such asFaecalibacterium, a set of suspicious pathogens such asHelicobacterwere exclusively enriched in infants, pointing to their potential role in host development. Importantly, topology analysis indicated that the connectivity of gut microbial network was even more age-dependent than taxonomic diversity, with its tremendous decline probably linked to the host’s healthy aging. NetShift analysis identifiedPrevotella 9, Rikenellaceae RC9 gut groupandMegasphaeraas key drivers during gut microbiota maturation and development, actively involved in age-dependent changes in phenotypes and functions of the gut microbial community. The current study demonstrates lifelong age-dependent changes in healthy primate gut microbiota. Our findings indicate potential importance of appropriate exposure to suspicious pathogens in infant development. The age-associated baseline profiles and driver microbes of primate gut microbiota in the current study could provide new insight into its role in the host’s development and healthy aging.
Eye movements modulate neural activity in the human anterior thalamus during visual active sensing
Authors: Leszczynski Marcin , Staudigl Tobias , Chaieb Leila , Enkirch Simon Jonas , Fell Juergen , Schroeder Charles E.
Published: March 2020

Humans and other primates explore visual scenes byactive sensing, using saccadic eye movements to relocate the fovea and sample different bits of information multiple times per second. Saccades induce a phase reset of ongoing neuronal oscillations in primary and higher-order visual cortices and medial temporal lobe. As a result, neuron ensembles are shifted to a common state at the time visual input propagates through the system (i.e., just after fixation). The extent of the brain’s circuitry modulated by saccades is not yet known. Here, we evaluate the possibility that saccadic phase reset impacts the anterior nuclei of the thalamus (ANT). Using rare recordings in the human thalamus of three surgical patients, we found saccade-related phase concentration, peaking at 3-4 Hz, coincident with suppression of Broadband High-frequency Activity (BHA; 80-180 Hz). Our results provide evidence for saccade-related modulation of neuronal excitability dynamics in the ANT, consistent with the idea that these nuclei are engaged during visual active sensing. These findings show that during real-world active visual exploration neural dynamics in the human ANT, a part of extended hippocampal–diencephalic system for episodic memory, exhibit modulations that might be underestimated in typical passive viewing.
Coordinate genomic association of transcription factors controlled by an imported quorum sensing peptide inCryptococcus neoformans
Authors: Summers Diana K. , Perry Daniela S. , Rao Beiduo , Madhani Hiten D.
Published: March 2020

Qsp1 is a secreted quorum sensing peptide required for virulence of the fungal meningitis pathogenCryptococcus neoformans.Qsp1 functions to control cell wall integrity in vegetatively growing cells and also functions in mating. Rather than acting on a cell surface receptor, Qsp1 is imported to act intracellularly via the predicted oligopeptide transporter Opt1. Here, we identify a transcription factor network as a target of Qsp1. Using whole-genome chromatin immunoprecipitation, we find Qsp1 controls the genomic associations of three transcription factors to genes whose outputs are regulated by Qsp1. One of these transcription factors, Cqs2, is also required for the action of Qsp1 during mating, indicating that it might be a shared proximal target of Qsp1. Consistent with this hypothesis, deletion ofCQS2impacts the binding of other network transcription factors specifically to Qsp1-regulated genes. These genetic and genomic studies illuminate mechanisms by which an imported peptide acts to modulate eukaryotic gene expression.

AUTHOR SUMMARY

For many fungal pathogens, the ability to adapt to changing and diverse environments forms the basis for their ability to infect and survive inside macrophages and other niches in the human body, and these changes are accomplished by transcription factors. Many pathogenic microbes coordinate their gene expression as a function of cell density in a process known as quorum sensing. Here, in the human fungal meningitis pathogenCryptococcusneoformans, we find that an imported eukaryotic quorum sensing peptide that is important for virulence, Qsp1, controls the binding of three different transcription factors to promoters, thereby modulating the expression of Qsp1-regulated genes. This discovery reveals the mechanism for how an imported peptide affects gene expression.
A Flexible, Interpretable, and Accurate Approach for Imputing the Expression of Unmeasured Genes
Authors: Mancuso Christopher A , Canfield Jacob L , Singla Deepak , Krishnan Arjun
Published: March 2020

While there are >2 million publicly-available human microarray gene-expression profiles, these profiles were measured using a variety of platforms that each cover a pre-defined, limited set of genes. Therefore, key to reanalyzing and integrating this massive data collection are methods that can computationally reconstitute the complete transcriptome in partially-measured microarray samples by imputing the expression of unmeasured genes. Current state-of-the-art imputation methods are tailored to samples from a specific platform and rely on gene-gene relationships regardless of the biological context of the target sample. We show that sparse regression models that capture sample-sample relationships (termedSampleLASSO), built on-the-fly for each new target sample to be imputed, outperform models based on fixed gene relationships. Extensive evaluation involving three machine learning algorithms (LASSO, k-nearest-neighbors, and deep-neural-networks), two gene subsets (GPL96-570 and LINCS), and three imputation tasks (within and across microarray/RNA-seq) establishes thatSampleLASSOis the most accurate model. Additionally, we demonstrate the biological interpretability of this method by showing that, for imputing a target sample from a certain tissue,SampleLASSOautomatically leverages training samples from the same tissue. Thus,SampleLASSOis a simple, yet powerful and flexible approach for harmonizing large-scale gene-expression data.
A forward genetic approach to mapping aP-element second site mutation identifiesDCP2as a novel tumor suppressor inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Kunar Rohit , Mishra Rakesh , Mandal Lolitika , Alone Debasmita P. , Chandrasekharan Shanti , Roy Jagat Kumar
Published: March 2020

The use of transposons to create mutants has been the cornerstone ofDrosophilagenetics in the past few decades. Transpositions often create second-site mutations, devoid of transposon insertion and thereby affect subsequent phenotype analyses. In aP-element mutagenesis screen, a second site mutant was discovered on chromosome 3 wherein the homozygous mutant individuals show the classic hallmarks of mutations in tumor suppressor genes including brain tumour and lethality, hence the mutant line was initially named aslethal (3) tumorous brain[l(3)tb]. Classical genetic approaches relying on meiotic recombination and subsequent complementation with chromosomal deletions and gene mutations mapped the mutation to CG6169, the mRNA decapping protein 2 (DCP2), on the left arm of the third chromosome (3L), and thus the mutation was renamed asDCP2l(3)tb. Fine mapping of the mutation further identified the presence of aGypsy-LTR like sequence in the 5’UTR coding region ofDCP2, alongwith expansion of the adjacent upstream intergenic AT-rich sequence. The mutant phenotypes are rescued by Introduction of a functional copy ofDCP2in the mutant background, thereby establishing the causal role of the mutation and providing a genetic validation of the allelism. With the increasing repertoire of genes being associated with tumor biology this is the first instance that the mRNA decapping protein is being implicated inDrosophilatumourigenesis. Our findings therefore imply a plausible role for mRNA degradation pathway in tumorigenesis and identifyDCP2as a potential candidate for future explorations of cell cycle regulatory mechanisms.
Hsp70 inhibits aggregation of Islet amyloid polypeptide by binding to the heterogeneous prenucleation oligomers
Authors: Chilukoti Neeraja , Sahoo Bankanidhi , Deepa S , Cherakara Sreelakshmi , Maddheshiya Mithun , Garai Kanchan
Published: March 2020

Molecular chaperone Hsp70 plays important roles in the pathology of amyloid diseases by inhibiting aberrant aggregation of proteins. However, mechanism of the interactions of Hsp70 with the amyloidogenic intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is not clear. Here, we use Hsp70 from different organisms to show that it inhibits aggregation of Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) at substoichiometric concentrations even in absence of ATP. The effect is found to be the strongest if Hsp70 is added in the beginning of aggregation but progressively less if added later, indicating role of Hsp70 in preventing primary nucleation possiblyviainteractions with the prefibrillar oligomers of IAPP. Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) measurements of the solutions containing fluorescently labelled Hsp70 and IAPP exhibit fluorescence bursts suggesting formation of heterogeneous complexes of oligomeric IAPP binding to multiple molecules of Hsp70. Size exclusion chromatography and field flow fractionation are then used to fractionate the smaller complexes. Multiangle light scattering and FCS measurements suggest that these complexes comprise of monomers of Hsp70 and small oligomers of IAPP. However, concentration of the complexes is measured to be a few nanomolar amidst several μmolar of free Hsp70 and IAPP. Hence, our results indicate that Hsp70 interacts poorly with the monomers but strongly with oligomers of IAPP. This is likely a common feature of the interactions between the chaperones and the amyloidogenic IDPs. While strong interactions with the oligomers prevent aberrant aggregation, poor interaction with the monomers avert interference with the functions of the IDPs.
Pandemic Politics: Timing State-Level Social Distancing Responses to COVID-19
Authors: Adolph Christopher , Amano Kenya , Bang-Jensen Bree , Fullman Nancy , Wilkerson John
Published: March 2020

Social distancing policies are critical but economically painful measures to flatten the curve against emergent infectious diseases. As the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 spread throughout the United States in early 2020, the federal government issued social distancing recommendations but left to the states the most difficult and consequential decisions restricting behavior, such as canceling events, closing schools and businesses, and issuing stay-at-home orders. We present an original dataset of state-level social distancing policy responses to the epidemic and explore how political partisanship, COVID-19 caseload, and policy diffusion explain the timing of governors’ decisions to mandate social distancing. An event history analysis of five social distancing policies across all fifty states reveals the most important predictors are political: all else equal, Republican governors and governors from states with more Trump supporters were slower to adopt social distancing policies. These delays are likely to produce significant, on-going harm to public health.
Overexpression of the chloroplastic 2-oxoglutarate/malate transporter in rice disturbs carbon and nitrogen homeostasis
Authors: Zamani-Nour Shirin , Lin Hsiang-Chun , Walker Berkley J. , Mettler-Altmann Tabea , Khoshravesh Roxana , Karki Shanta , Bagunu Efren , Sage Tammy L. , Quick W. Paul , Weber Andreas P.M.
Published: March 2020

The chloroplastic oxaloacetate/malate transporter (OMT1 or DiT1) takes part in the malate valve that protects chloroplasts from excessive redox poise through export of malate and import of oxaloacetate (OAA). Together with the glutamate/malate transporter (DCT1 or DiT2), it connects carbon with nitrogen assimilation, by providing α-ketoglutarate for the GS/GOGAT reaction and exporting glutamate to the cytoplasm. OMT1 further plays a prominent role in C4photosynthesis. OAA resulting from PEP-carboxylation is imported into the chloroplast, reduced to malate by plastidic NADP-MDH, and then exported for transport to bundle sheath cells. Both transport steps are catalyzed by OMT1, at the rate of net carbon assimilation. Therefore, to engineer C4photosynthesis into C3crops, OMT1 must be expressed in high amounts on top of core C4metabolic enzymes. We report here high-level expression ofZmOMT1from maize in rice (Oryza sativassp.indicaIR64). Increased activity of the transporter in transgenic rice was confirmed by reconstitution of transporter activity into proteoliposomes. Unexpectedly, over-expression ofZmOMT1in rice negatively affected growth, CO2assimilation rate, total free amino acid contents, TCA cycle metabolites, as well as sucrose and starch contents. Accumulation of high amounts of aspartate and the impaired growth phenotype of OMT1 rice lines could be suppressed by simultaneous over-expression ofZmDiT2. Implications for engineering C4-rice are discussed.
A single-crystal diamond X-ray pixel detector with embedded graphitic electrodes
Authors: Bloomer C. , Newton M. E. , Rehm G. , Salter P. S.
Published: March 2020

The first experimental results from a new transmissive diagnostic instrument for synchrotron X-ray beamlines are presented. The instrument utilizes a single-crystal chemical-vapour-deposition diamond plate as the detector material, with graphitic wires embedded within the bulk diamond acting as electrodes. The resulting instrument is an all-carbon transmissive X-ray imaging detector. Within the instrument's transmissive aperture there is no surface metallization that could absorb X-rays, and no surface structures that could be damaged by exposure to synchrotron X-ray beams. The graphitic electrodes are fabricated in situ within the bulk diamond using a laser-writing technique. Two separate arrays of parallel graphitic wires are fabricated, running parallel to the diamond surface and perpendicular to each other, at two different depths within the diamond. One array of wires has a modulated bias voltage applied; the perpendicular array is a series of readout electrodes. X-rays passing through the detector generate charge carriers within the bulk diamond through photoionization, and these charge carriers travel to the nearest readout electrode under the influence of the modulated electrical bias. Each of the crossing points between perpendicular wires acts as an individual pixel. The simultaneous read-out of all pixels is achieved using a lock-in technique. The parallel wires within each array are separated by 50 µm, determining the pixel pitch. Readout is obtained at 100 Hz, and the resolution of the X-ray beam position measurement is 600 nm for a 180 µm size beam.
Laser-induced metastable mixed phase of AuNi nanoparticles: a coherent X-ray diffraction imaging study
Authors: Kim Yoonhee , Kim Chan , Ahn Kangwoo , Choi Jungwon , Lee Su Yong , Kang Hyon Chol , Noh Do Young
Published: March 2020

The laser annealing process for AuNi nanoparticles has been visualized using coherent X-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI). AuNi bimetallic alloy nanoparticles, originally phase separated due to the miscibility gap, transform to metastable mixed alloy particles with rounded surface as they are irradiated by laser pulses. A three-dimensional CXDI shows that the internal part of the AuNi particles is in the mixed phase with preferred compositions at ∼29 at% of Au and ∼90 at% of Au.
Solution scattering at the Life Science X-ray Scattering (LiX) beamline
Authors: Yang Lin , Antonelli Stephen , Chodankar Shirish , Byrnes James , Lazo Edwin , Qian Kun
Published: March 2020

This work reports the instrumentation and software implementation at the Life Science X-ray Scattering (LiX) beamline at NSLS-II in support of biomolecular solution scattering. For automated static measurements, samples are stored in PCR tubes and grouped in 18-position sample holders. Unattended operations are enabled using a six-axis robot that exchanges sample holders between a storage box and a sample handler, transporting samples from the PCR tubes to the X-ray beam for scattering measurements. The storage box has a capacity of 20 sample holders. At full capacity, the measurements on all samples last for ∼9 h. For in-line size-exclusion chromatography, the beamline-control software coordinates with a commercial high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system to measure multiple samples in batch mode. The beamline can switch between static and HPLC measurements instantaneously. In all measurements, the scattering data span a wide q-range of typically 0.006–3.2 Å−1. Functionalities in the Python package py4xs have been developed to support automated data processing, including azimuthal averaging, merging data from multiple detectors, buffer scattering subtraction, data storage in HDF5 format and exporting the final data in a three-column text format that is acceptable by most data analysis tools. These functionalities have been integrated into graphical user interfaces that run in Jupyter notebooks, with hooks for external data analysis software.
The TELL automatic sample changer for macromolecular crystallography
Authors: Martiel Isabelle , Buntschu Dominik , Meier Nathalie , Gobbo Alexandre , Panepucci Ezequiel , Schneider Roman , Heimgartner Peter , Müller David , Bühlmann Kevin , Birri Mario , Kaminski Jakub W. , Leuenberger James , Oliéric Vincent , Glettig Wayne , Wang Meitian
Published: March 2020

In this paper, the design and functionalities of the high-throughput TELL sample exchange system for macromolecular crystallography is presented. TELL was developed at the Paul Scherrer Institute with a focus on speed, storage capacity and reliability to serve the three macromolecular crystallography beamlines of the Swiss Light Source, as well as the SwissMX instrument at SwissFEL.
Brexit-related food issues in the UK print media: setting the agenda for post-Brexit food policy
Authors: Strong Helen , Wells Rebecca
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how Brexit-related food issues are being presented in the UK print media.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the news database Nexis UK, relevant articles were identified based on key search terms, “Brexit” and “Food” or “Farm!” or “Agriculture!”. The search criteria were set to include articles with three or more mentions of these terms. The search period was 6 April to 5 July 2018.

Findings

The quality newspaper genre, and remain-supporting newspaper, The Guardian, in particular, dominated food Brexit coverage. In total, 17 distinct food Brexit issues were covered, with food security and subsidies receiving the most coverage in leave-supporting publications and agriculture, trade and labour receiving the most coverage in remain-supporting publications. Dominant narratives and frames can be identified in the reporting, illustrating newspapers' tendency to promote certain viewpoints in support of their own standpoint on Brexit. In all publication types, political voices feature far more prominently than any other stakeholder group, highlighting the significant potential for this group to influence public opinion and the post-Brexit food policy agenda.

Research limitations/implications

The authors only examined newspapers over a limited period. Reporting in other media and at different stages in the Brexit negotiation process may differ.

Practical implications

Media reporting on food Brexit issues has the potential to influence post-Brexit food policy.

Originality/value

This is the first study to look at reporting on food Brexit in the UK media.
Innovations and firm-level efficiency: a comparative analysis between China and India
Authors: Islam Mohammad Monirul , Fatema Farha
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study examines the innovation-efficiency linkage for Indian and Chinese manufacturing and service firms.

Design/methodology/approach

We applied the stochastic production and cost frontier approach to determine the output and cost efficiency of the firms surveyed in World Bank enterprise surveys. We then used both unconditional and conditional propensity score matching (PSM) estimation techniques to examine the effects of innovation as well as R&D on output and cost efficiency of the firms surveyed.

Findings

The study results suggest that innovation-efficiency linkage varies between countries and sectors. Innovations significantly raise output and cost efficiency of Indian manufacturing firms, whereas innovations in Chinese manufacturing firms are cost-oriented and negatively affect output efficiency. For the service firms of both countries, innovations are significantly positively linked with output and cost efficiency. The study also suggests that R&D acts as a crucial moderator for innovation-efficiency linkage for Chinese manufacturing firms but not for Indian firms, and the interaction effects of innovations are not substantially higher in magnitude than their individual effects. Finally, conditional PSM results suggest knowledge spillover for effective innovations of Indian firms, whereas R&D is a must for substantial innovation-efficiency linkage in Chinese firms.

Originality/value

This study offers quite a few crucial policy decisions concerning the relationship between innovation and efficiency as well as the moderation effect of R&D on innovation-efficiency linkage. It concludes that the effects of innovation on firms' efficiency and the role of R&D as a moderator of the innovation-efficiency relationship differ between India and China across the manufacturing and service sectors.
Testing Malthusian's and Kremer's population theories in developing economy
Authors: Azam Muhammad , Khan Haider Nawaz , Khan Farah
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study aims to test the Malthusian and Kremer theories by exploring the relationship between population and economic growth in a low middle-income economy of India.

Design/methodology/approach

The autoregressive distributed lag approach is employed based on the nature of time-series data to achieve the study objectives. In this study, regressand is economic growth measured by real GDP, and the regressors are population growth rate, investment, life expectancy and inflation rate from 1980 to 2018.

Findings

Empirical results confirm the applicability of Kremer’s theory. In this theory, population growth has a significant and positive impact on economic growth in the short and long run. Moreover, investment and life expectancy variables have a positive and significant impact on economic growth, whereas inflation rate has a negative association with economic growth. Empirical results support the population-growth-driven economic growth hypothesis, which indicates that population growth stimulates economic growth and development.

Practical implications

Empirical findings in this study provide guides for management authorities in formulating the right and relatable policies on population growth whilst promoting economic growth and social welfare.

Originality/value

Achieving a desirable level of economic growth is the prime objective of every country. The role of the population in the process of economic growth and development cannot be overlooked. Malthus' and Kremer's views are opposite. Extant literature exhibits that scant research has been carried out on this significant topic in developing countries. Therefore, empirically investigating the effect of population on the growth performance of India as a developing country is necessary and will significantly contribute to the literature.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at:https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-08-2019-0496
Fracture mechanics testing and crack propagation modelling in polypropylene pipes
Authors: Barsoum Imad , Almansoori Hamda , Almazrouei Aaesha Ahmed , Gunister Ebru
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The main aim of this study is to determine the fracture toughness and accordingly to predict the fracture initiation, crack propagation and mode of crack extension accurately in polypropylene subsea pipes subjected to internal pressure.

Design/methodology/approach

Tensile test was performed following the ISO 527–1 standard. An elastic-plastic constitutive model was developed based on the tensile test results, and it is implemented in the FEA model to describe the constitutive behaviour of the polypropylene material. Three-point bend tests with linear-elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) approach were conducted following ISO-13586 standard, from which the average fracture toughness of the polypropylene pipe material in crack-opening mode was found as KIc = 3.3 MPa√m. A numerical model of the experiments is developed based on the extended finite element method (XFEM), which showed markedly good agreement with the experimental results.

Findings

The validated XFEM modelling approach is utilised to illustrate its capabilities in predicting fracture initiation and crack propagation in a polypropylene subsea pipe subjected to an internal pressure containing a semi-elliptical surface crack, which agrees well with existing analytical solutions. The XFEM model is capable of predicting the crack initiation and propagation in the polypropylene pipe up to the event of leakage.

Originality/value

The methodology proposed herein can be utilised to assess the structural integrity and resistance to fracture of subsea plastic pipes subjected to operational loads (e.g. internal pressure).
Online shopping cart abandonment: a consumer mindset perspective
Authors: Rubin Daniel , Martins Chrissy , Ilyuk Veronika , Hildebrand Diogo
Published: March 2020

Purpose

While the popularity of online shopping has increased in recent years, surprisingly little research has examined the factors affecting consumers’ behavior in this context. Furthermore, though a widespread problem for companies, the phenomenon of online shopping cart abandonment has garnered even less attention. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of consumers’ mindsets in online shopping cart abandonment.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experimental studies were conducted to examine the effect of consumer mindsets (i.e. abstract vs concrete) on purchase intentions.

Findings

Results indicate that consumers who have an abstract (as opposed to concrete) mindset when shopping online rate the products they include in their shopping carts to be more important, and consequently are more likely to purchase them, reducing shopping cart abandonment.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that online retailers can reduce shopping cart abandonment by implementing strategies that allow consumers to think abstractly.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the literature by identifying an important underlying mechanism affecting online shopping cart abandonment.
Securing intellectual capital: an exploratory study in Australian universities
Authors: Bongiovanni Ivano , Renaud Karen , Cairns George
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To investigate the links between IC and the protection of data, information and knowledge in universities, as organizations with unique knowledge-relatedfociand challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors gathered insights from existing IC-related research publications to delineate key foundational aspects of IC, identify and propose links to traditional information security that impact the protection of IC. They conducted interviews with key stakeholders in Australian universities in order to validate these links.

Findings

The authors’ investigation revealed two kinds of embeddedness characterizing the organizational fabric of universities: (1) vertical and (2) horizontal, with an emphasis on the connection between these and IC-related knowledge protection within these institutions.

Research limitations/implications

There is a need to acknowledge the different roles played by actors within the university and the relevance of information security to IC-related preservation.

Practical implications

Framing information security as an IC-related issue can help IT security managers communicate the need for knowledge security with executives in higher education, and secure funding to preserve and secure such IC-related knowledge, once its value is recognized.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to explore the connections between data and information security and the three core components of IC's knowledge security in the university context.
Revamping the academic library use data capabilities: the Greek library science postgraduates’ perspective
Authors: Sant-Geronikolou Stavroula , Kouis Dimitris
Published: March 2020

Purpose

As universities advance towards a new data-informed, intra-institutional collaboration paradigm, new roles and services are continuously added to academic library routines. This changing context that exerts considerable stress upon library organizations to prove their value and contributions to student progress is leading the community to start questioning the utility, scope and prospects of patron data collection practices. The study sought library science postgraduate students’ viewpoints about the adequacy and utility of current library use data collection practices in Greek academic libraries. It also aimed to investigate the value, relevance and priority of the integration of library usage data with the rest of university information systems (e.g. learning analytics) along with associated practical and ethical considerations, and advocacy aspects.

Design/methodology/approach

Mixed-methods, Web-based survey distributed to postgraduate students during a seminar designed to familiarize them with trends in academic library use data capabilities.

Findings

Participants acknowledged that neither policies nor procedures are currently adequate to expand and interconnect their data pools to campus information systems. They were opposed to disclosing personally identifiable patron activity data to faculty, while their opinions were divided as to the use of student activity monitoring technology. Nevertheless, they made several comments on how to mitigate the community's considerations around the implementation of this new data management philosophy in the library and were optimistic about the benefits this development could entail for library visibility and student progress.

Originality/value

Results of this first-time research in the Greek higher education context, revelatory of potential road blockers to upgrading the library use data collection practices, can be of significant value to both curricula developers and university decision-makers who seek ways to prepare the ground for the successful implementation of new operations.
The cross-market efficiency of the Italian derivatives market
Authors: El Kalak Izidin , Hudson Robert
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study aims to examine the cross-market efficiency of the FTSE/MIB index options contracts traded on the Italian derivatives market (IDEM) during a period including the financial crisis between 1st October 2007 and 31st December 2012 using daily option prices.

Design/methodology/approach

Two fundamental no-arbitrage conditions were tested: the lower boundary condition (LBC) and the put–call parity (PCP) condition while taking into account the role of transaction costs in mitigating the number of violations reported. Ex post tests of LBC and PCP revealed a low incidence of mispricing in this market. Furthermore, to check the robustness of the results obtained by the ex post tests, ex ante tests were applied to PCP violations occurring within a one-day lag.

Findings

The results showed a significant drop in the number of profitable arbitrage strategies. The findings obtained from all these tests generally support the cross-market efficiency of the Italian index options market during the sample period, though some violations were occasionally reported. Overall, the number and monetary value of the violations reported declined during the post-financial crisis period compared to those during the financial crisis period.

Research limitations/implications

This study can be extended to test the relationships between arbitrage profitability and other factors such as the moneyness (in the money, out of the money, at the money) of options and the maturity of options. Options market efficiency tests can be conducted such as call and put spreads, box spreads and put/call convexities (butterfly spreads).

Originality/value

There are several factors that influenced the decision to test the Italian index options market. First, the limited number of studies conducted on this market. Second, the fact that the two main studies on this market are relatively old, which makes it interesting to test the efficiency of this market with respect to a new set of data, taking into account the introduction of the Euro and the impact of the recent financial crisis on this market and whether the market efficiency hypothesis holds during the period of crisis. Third, it is important to consider the effect of the new rules applied to this market.
Impact of board characteristics on governance, environmental and ethical disclosure
Authors: Khaireddine Hanen , Salhi Bassem , Aljabr Jabr , Jarboui Anis
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate how board characteristics impact the governance, environmental and ethics disclosure. Board characteristics such as board size, gender diversity, board independence, CEO/chair duality and board meeting are included.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a sample of 82 companies listed in the SBF120 between 2012 and 2017. A number of econometric techniques are used such as generalized least squares to test the panel regressions.

Findings

Board independence, board gender diversity and board meetings have a positive and significant influence on governance, environmental and ethics disclosure. Board size is positively and significantly associated only with corporate environmental disclosure. The adoption of Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI, G4) has not affected or biased the corporate governance (CG), environmental and ethics disclosure.

Originality/value

This study adds to the literature on management reporting behavior and ethics and contributes to the extant CG literature by offering new evidence on the disclosure of good CG practices as well as environmental and ethics behavior. This study offers new insights about the potential influence of board characteristics on such specific disclosure practices focusing “during the optional period of GRI4 and after their mandatory adoption”.
A study on MEMS vector hydrophone and its orientation algorithm
Authors: Shang Zhenzhen , Zhang Wendong , Zhang Guojun , Zhang Xiaoyong , Zhang Lansheng , Wang Renxin
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The problem of port and starboard ambiguity will exist when only utilize the vector or scalar parameters. Meanwhile, the amplitude-phase error between the vector and scalar can also cause this problem. In this paper, a compound MEMS vector hydrophone which contains cilia vector microstructure and piezoelectric ceramic tube has been presented to solve the problem. Compared with traditional MEMS vector hydrophone, the compound MEMS vector hydrophone can realize the measurement of sound pressure and vibration velocity simultaneously.

Design/methodology/approach

A compound MEMS vector hydrophone has been presented. The unipolar directivity of the combined signal which combine the acoustic pressure and vibration velocity is used to achieve the direction of arrival (DOA). This paper introduced the working principle and the target detection mechanism of the compound vector hydrophone. The amplitude and phase error are analyzed and corrected in the standing wave tube. After that, the authors use beam-forming algorithm to estimate the DOA.

Findings

The experimental results in the standing wave tube and the external field verified the vector hydrophone's directional accuracy up to 1 and 5 degrees, respectively.

Practical implications

The research of compound vector hydrophone plays an important role in marine acoustic exploration and engineering applications.

Originality/value

This research provides a basis for MEMS hydrophone directivity theory. The compound vector hydrophone has been applied in the underwater location, with a huge market potential in underwater detection systems.
Knowledge transfer strategies and practices for higher education institutions
Authors: Cheng Eric C.K.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study aims to identify effective strategies and practices for higher education institutions (HEIs) to enhance their knowledge recipients’ knowledge absorptive capacity.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire surveys and interviews were conducted to examine the effectiveness of a knowledge transfer (KT) project and these were administered by HEIs in Hong Kong. Pre- and post-test questionnaire surveys with t-tests were used to evaluate changes in the knowledge absorptive capacity of 1,014 participants from 20 schools. Qualitative interviews were conducted to investigate school leaders’ perception of the effectiveness of the KT strategies.

Findings

Results revealed significant differences between the pre- and post-tests in all the elements of absorptive capacity. The processes of knowledge acquisition, contextualisation, internalisation and externalisation in a closed-loop mechanism were identified as effective KT strategies. Conducting training programmes, workshops, consultations, work-based studies and presentation seminars were found to be effective KT practices to support the recipients in acquiring, contextualising, internalising and externalising knowledge.

Practical implications

HEIs should provide consultative support to recipients by conducting work-based studies and presentations to enhance their knowledge absorptive capacities.

Originality/value

This study contributes empirical evidence to validate the application of Liyanage et al.’s (2009) KT model to HEIs’ KT model for the purpose of designing KT activities and enhancing the absorption capacities of the recipients. This research contributes an empirical closed-loop KT model, effective KT strategies and practices for HEIs to support their knowledge recipients so that they can internalise the acquired knowledge.
A meta‐analysis of contrast‐enhanced spectral mammography versus MRI in the diagnosis of breast cancer
Authors: Xiang Wanqing , Rao Haiying , Zhou Liyu
Published: March 2020

Background

To identify the performance of contrast‐enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for breast cancer diagnosis by pooling the open published data.

Methods

A systematic review of studies relevant to CESM and MRI in the diagnosis of breast cancer were screened in the electronic databases of Pubmed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Google scholar and CNKI. The methodical quality of the included publications was evaluated by the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies‐2 (QUADAS‐2). The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were pooled and the true positive (TP), false positive (FP), false negative (FN) and true negative (TN) of the original studies were calculated.

Results

A total of 13 diagnostic publications were identified and included in the meta‐analysis. Of those included, five were retrospective studies and the remaining eight were prospective work. The combined data indicating the pooled sensitivity and specificity of CESM and MRI were 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95–0.98), 0.66 (95% CI: 0.59–0.71), 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95–0.98),and 0.52 (95% CI: 0.46–0.58), respectively. The pooled +LR and –LR for CESM were 2.70 (95% CI: 1.57–4.65), 0.06 (95% CI: 0.04–0.09), and 2.01 (95% CI: 1.78–2.26), 0.08 (95% CI: 0.05–0.11) for MRI, respectively. For the diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), the pooled results of CESM and MRI were 60.15 (95% CI: 24.72–146.37) and 31.34 (95% CI: 19.61–50.08), respectively. The AUC of the symmetric receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) was 0.9794 and 0.9157 for CESM and MRI, respectively, calculated using the Moses model in the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Conclusions

Both CESM and MRI are effective methods for the detection of breast cancer with high diagnostic sensitivity. The diagnostic performance of CESM appears to be more effective than MRI.
Thousands of missing variants in the UK Biobank are recoverable by genome realignment
Authors: Jia Tongqiu , Munson Brenton , Lango Allen Hana , Ideker Trey , Majithia Amit R.
Published: March 2020

The UK Biobank is an unprecedented resource for human disease research. In March 2019, 49,997 exomes were made publicly available to investigators. Here we note that thousands of variant calls are unexpectedly absent from this dataset, with 641 genes showing zero variation. We show that the reason for this was an erroneous read alignment to the GRCh38 reference. The missing variants can be recovered by modifying read alignment parameters to correctly handle the expanded set of contigs available in the human genome reference. Given the size and complexity of such population scale datasets, we propose a simple heuristic that can uncover systematic errors using summary data accessible to most investigators.
Emergency surgery versus elective surgery after reduction for patients with incarcerated groin hernias
Authors: Kohga Atsushi , Kawabe Akihiro , Yajima Kiyoshige , Okumura Takuya , Yamashita Kimihiro , Isogaki Jun , Suzuki Kenji
Published: March 2020

Background

The feasibility and potential advantages of elective surgery after manual reduction of incarcerated hernia (IH) have not been investigated in detail. Therefore, the aim of this retrospective study was to compare perioperative outcomes of emergency surgery to those of elective surgery after reduction of IH.

Methods

A total of 112 patients were preoperatively diagnosed with IH between January 2010 and April 2019. Patients were divided into an emergency group (76 patients underwent emergency surgery: 21 patients received intestinal resection and 55 patients did not) and a reduction group (36 patients underwent elective surgery after reduction and none required intestinal resection). The outcomes between the groups were compared. A subgroup analysis was also performed on the patients who did not require intestinal resection.

Results

In patients who did not undergo intestinal resection, the post‐operative length of stay was significantly shorter in the reduction group than in the emergency group (8.0 versus 4.3 days, P < 0.001). The percentage of mesh prosthesis cases was significantly higher in the reduction group (74.4% versus 100%, P = 0.001). The incidence of post‐operative complications was significantly lower in the reduction group (45.4% versus 13.8%, P < 0.001). In all 112 patients, femoral hernia (P = 0.013, odds ratio = 4.76) and emergency surgery (P = 0.008, odds ratio = 4.49) were found to be independent risk factors for developing post‐operative complications.

Conclusions

Elective surgery after reduction showed more favourable outcomes in selected patients. Moreover, emergency surgery was an independent predictor for post‐operative complications.
Sexual dimorphism in size and shape in the viviparous lizard Abronia taeniata (Squamata: Anguidae) in central Mexico
Authors: Cruz‐Elizalde Raciel , Villamar‐Duque Tomás E. , Ramírez‐Bautista Aurelio
Published: March 2020

In the present study, we analyse sexual dimorphism in size and shape of morphological attributes in a population of Abronia taeniata in central Mexico. The variables analysed were snout–vent length (SVL), head length (HL), head width (HW), head height (HH), tibia length (TL) and femur length (FL). In the size attributes, males and females had similar SVL, and males were larger in the rest of the variables analysed (HL, HW, HH and FL), except TL. In the case of shape, the females had larger dimensions in the relative logSVL variable, and the males were larger in the relative logHL, relative logHW and relative logHH variables. The variables relative logFL and relative logTL showed no sexual shape dimorphism. The similarity in the sizes and the sexual dimorphism between sexes in attributes of the head and extremities are explained by the hypothesis of sexual selection directed to the structures of the head in males, and in the case of shape in females, to the fecundity hypothesis. Comparative studies that analyse a greater number of morphological variables are necessary to determine the factors that promote the different patterns of sexual dimorphism in the group.