bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A pragmatic reevaluation of the efficacy of nonhuman primate optogenetics for psychiatry
Authors: Bliss-Moreau Eliza , Costa Vincent D. , Baxter Mark G.
Published: December 2020

Translational neuroscience is committed to generating discoveries in the laboratory that ultimately can improve human lives. Optogenetics has received considerable attention because of its demonstrated promise in rodent brains to manipulate cells and circuits. In a recent report, Tremblay and colleagues (2020) introduce an open resource detailing optogenetic studies of the nonhuman primate (NHP) brain and make robust claims about the translatability of the technology. We propose that their quantitative (e.g., a 91% success rate) and theoretical claims are questionable because the data were analyzed at a level relevant to the rodent but not NHP brain, injections were clustered within a few monkeys in a few studies in a few brain regions, and their definitions of success was not clearly relevant to human neuropsychiatric disease. A reanalysis of the data with a modified definition of success that included a behavioralandbiological effect revealed an 62.5% success rate that was lower when considering only strong outcomes (53.1%). This calls into question the current efficacy of optogenetic techniques in the NHP brain and suggests that we are a long way from being able to leverage them in “the service of patients with neurological or psychiatric conditions” as the Tremblay report claims.
A traditional medicine, Respiratory Detox Shot (RDS), inhibits the infection of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and the Influenza A virusin vitro
Authors: Hetrick Brian , Yu Dongyang , Olanrewaju Adeyemi A. , Chilin Linda D. , He Sijia , Debbagh Deemah , Ma Yuan-Chun , Hofmann Lewis A. , Hakami Ramin M. , Wu Yuntao
Published: December 2020

The ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in the infection of over 60 million people and has caused over 1.4 million deaths as of December 2020 in more than 220 countries and territories. Currently, there is no effective treatment for COVID-19 to reduce mortality. We investigated the potential anti-coronavirus activities from an oral liquid of traditional medicine, Respiratory Detox Shot (RDS), which contains mostly herbal ingredients traditionally used to manage lung diseases. Here we report that RDS inhibited the infection of target cells by SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses, and by infectious wild-type SARS-CoV-2. We further demonstrated that RDS inhibits viral early infection steps. In addition, we found that RDS can also block the infection of target cells by Influenza A virus. These results suggest that RDS may broadly inhibit the infection of respiratory viruses.
Identification of a family of Vibrio type III secretion system effectors that contain a conserved serine/threonine kinase domain
Authors: Plaza N , Urrutia IM , Garcia K , Waldor MK , Blondel CJ
Published: December 2020

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a marine Gram-negative bacterium that is a leading cause of seafood-borne gastroenteritis. Pandemic strains of V. parahaemolyticus rely on a specialized protein secretion machinery known as the type III secretion system 2 (T3SS2) to cause disease. The T3SS2 mediates the delivery of effector proteins into the cytosol of infected cells, where they subvert multiple cellular pathways. Here, we identify a new T3SS2 effector protein encoded by VPA1328 (VP_RS21530) in V. parahaemolyticus RIMD2210633. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that VPA1328 is part of a larger family of uncharacterized T3SS effector proteins with homology to the VopG effector protein in V. cholerae AM-19226. These VopG-like proteins are found in many but not all T3SS2 gene clusters and are distributed among diverse Vibrio species including V. parahaemolyticus, V. cholerae, V. mimicus, and V. diabolicus and also in Shewanella baltica. Structure-based prediction analyses uncovered the presence of a conserved C-terminal kinase domain in VopG orthologs, similar to the serine/threonine kinase domain found in the NleH family of T3SS effector proteins. However, in contrast to NleH effector proteins, in tissue culture-based infections, VopG did not impede host cell death or suppress IL-8 secretion, suggesting a yet undefined role for VopG during V. parahaemolyticus infection. Collectively, our work reveals that VopG effector proteins, a new family of likely serine/threonine kinases, is widely distributed in the T3SS2 effector armamentarium among marine bacteria.

IMPORTANCE

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the leading bacterial cause of seafood-borne gastroenteritis worldwide. The pathogen relies on a type III secretion system to deliver a variety of effector proteins into the cytosol of infected cells to subvert cellular function. In this study, we identified a novel Vibrio parahaemolyticus effector protein that is similar to the VopG effector of Vibrio cholerae. VopG-like effectors were found in diverse Vibrio species and contain a conserved serine/threonine kinase domain that bears similarity to the kinase domain in the EHEC and Shigella NleH effectors that manipulate host cell survival pathways and host immune responses. Together our findings identify a new family of Vibrio effector proteins and highlight the role of horizontal gene transfer events among marine bacteria in shaping T3SS gene clusters.
Inverse mechanistic modeling of transdermal drug delivery for fast identification of optimal model parameters
Authors: Defraeye Thijs , Bahrami Flora , Rossi René M.
Published: December 2020

Transdermal drug delivery systems are a key technology to administer drugs with a high first-pass effect in a non-invasive and controlled way. Physics-based modeling and simulation are on their way to become a cornerstone in the engineering of these healthcare devices since it provides a unique complementarity to experimental data and insights. Simulations enable to virtually probe the drug transport inside the skin at each point in time and space. However, the tedious experimental or numerical determination of material properties currently forms a bottleneck in the modeling workflow. We show that multiparameter inverse modeling to determine the drug diffusion and partition coefficients is a fast and reliable alternative. We demonstrate this strategy for transdermal delivery of fentanyl. We found that inverse modeling reduced the normalized root mean square deviation of the measured drug uptake flux from 26 to 9%, when compared to the experimental measurement of all skin properties. We found that this improved agreement with experiments was only possible if the diffusion in the reservoir holding the drug was smaller than the experimentally-measured diffusion coefficients suggested. For indirect inverse modeling, which systematically explores the entire parametric space, 30 000 simulations were required. By relying on direct inverse modeling, we reduced the number of simulations to be performed to only 300, so a factor 100 difference. The modeling approach’s added value is that it can be calibrated once in-silico for all model parameters simultaneously by solely relying on a single measurement of the drug uptake flux evolution over time. We showed that this calibrated model could accurately be used to simulate transdermal patches with other drug doses. We showed that inverse modeling is a fast way to build up an accurate mechanistic model for drug delivery. This strategy opens the door to clinically-ready therapy that is tailored to patients.
Multidisciplinary Interrogation of a Crucial Protein Interface in the Type II Secretion System
Authors: Escobar Cristian A. , Douzi Badreddine , Ball Geneviève , Barbat Brice , Alphonse Sebastien , Quinton Loïc , Voulhoux Romé , Forest Katrina T.
Published: December 2020

The type IV filament superfamily comprises widespread membrane-associated polymers in prokaryotes. The Type II secretion system (T2SS), a significant virulence pathway in many pathogens, belongs to this superfamily. A knowledge gap in the understanding of the T2SS is the molecular role of a small ‘pseudopilin’ protein. Using multiple biophysical techniques, we have deciphered how this missing component of the Xcp T2SS architecture is structurally integrated, and thereby also unlocked its function. We demonstrate that the low abundance XcpH is the adapter that bridges a trimeric initiating tip complex XcpIJK with a periplasmic filament of XcpG subunits. Our model reveals that each pseudopilin protein caps an XcpG protofilament in an overall pseudopilus compatible with the dimensions of the periplasm and the outer membrane-spanning secretin through which substrates of the T2SS pass. Unexpectedly, to fulfill its adapter function, the XcpH N-terminal helix must be unwound, a property shared with the XcpG subunits. We provide the first complete structural model of a type IV filament, a result immediately transferable to understanding of other T2SS and the type IV pili.
Kaposi’s Sarcoma Herpesvirus Is Associated with Osteosarcoma in Xinjiang Uyghur Population
Authors: Chen Qian , Chen Jiangtao , Li Yuqing , Liu Dawei , Zeng Yan , Tian Zheng , Yunus Akbar , Yang Yong , Lu Jie , Song Xinghua , Yuan Yan
Published: December 2020

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant tumor of bone predominately affecting adolescents and young adults. Viral etiology of osteosarcoma has been proposed more than a half-century ago but never been proven by identifying any virus authentically associated with human osteosarcoma. The Uyghur ethnic population in Xinjiang China has an unusually high prevalence of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection and elevated incidence of osteosarcoma. In the current study, we explored the possible association of KSHV infection and osteosarcoma occurrence. Our seroepidemiological study revealed that KSHV prevalence was significantly elevated in osteosarcoma patients versus the general population in the Xinjiang Uyghur population (OR, 10.23; 95%CI, 4.25, 18.89). The KSHV DNA genome and viral latent nuclear antigen LANA were detected in most osteosarcoma tumor cells. Gene expression profiling analysis showed that KSHV positive osteosarcoma represents a distinct subtype of osteosarcomas with viral gene-driven signaling pathways that are important for osteosarcoma development. We conclude that KSHV infection is a risk factor for osteosarcoma and KSHV is associated with some osteosarcomas, representing a newly identified viral-associated endemic cancer.

Significance

Viral etiology of osteosarcoma was proposed previously but has never been proven by identifying any virus that is authentically associated with human osteosarcoma. The current study revealed an association of human osteosarcoma with KSHV infection in Uyghur osteosarcoma patients. First, this study provides the first evidence that supports the possible viral etiology of human osteosarcoma. The gene expression profiling study showed that KSHV-positive osteosarcoma represents a distinct subtype of osteosarcomas, which is of diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic significance. Second, KSHV-associated osteosarcomas preferentially occur in children and young adults, predicting that KSHV-positive children in KSHV endemic region may be at great risk for osteosarcoma. Third, the finding extended the range of human cancers associated with viruses.
Automatic Assessment of Human Gastric Motility and Emptying from Dynamic 3D Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Lu Kun-Han , Liu Zhongming , Jaffey Deborah , Wo John , Mosier Kristine , Cao Jiayue , Wang Xiaokai , Powley Terry L
Published: December 2020

Background

Time-sequenced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the stomach is an emerging technique for non-invasive assessment of gastric emptying and motility. However, an automated and systematic image processing pipeline for analyzing dynamic 3D (i.e., 4D) gastric MRI data is not yet available. This study introduces an MRI protocol for imaging the stomach with high spatiotemporal isotropic resolution and provides an integrated pipeline for assessing gastric emptying and motility simultaneously.

Methods

Diet contrast-enhanced MRI images were acquired from seventeen healthy humans after they consumed a naturalistic contrast meal. An automated image processing pipeline was developed to correct for respiratory motion, to segment and compartmentalize the lumen-enhanced stomach, to quantify total gastric and compartmental emptying, and to compute and visualize gastric motility on the surface of the stomach.

Key Results

The gastric segmentation reached an accuracy of 91.10±0.43% with the Type-I error and Type-II error being 0.11±0.01% and 0.22±0.01%, respectively. Gastric volume decreased 34.64±2.8% over 1 hour where the emptying followed a linear-exponential pattern. The gastric motility showed peristaltic patterns with a median = 4 wave-fronts (range 3 - 6) and a mean frequency of 3.09±0.07 cycles per minute (CPM). Further, the contractile amplitude was stronger in the antrum than in the corpus (antrum vs. corpus: 5.18±0.24 vs. 3.30±0.16 mm; p < .001).

Conclusions & Inferences

The automated, streamlined software can process dynamic 3D MRI images and produce comprehensive and personalized profiles of gastric motility and emptying. This software will facilitate the application of MRI for monitoring gastric dynamics in research and clinical settings.
Unbiased integration of single cell multi-omics data
Authors: Dou Jinzhuang , Liang Shaoheng , Mohanty Vakul , Cheng Xuesen , Kim Sangbae , Choi Jongsu , Li Yumei , Rezvani Katayoun , Chen Rui , Chen Ken
Published: December 2020

Acquiring accurate single-cell multiomics profiles often requires performing unbiasedin silicointegration of data matrices generated by different single-cell technologies from the same biological sample. However, both the rows and the columns can represent different entities in different data matrices, making such integration a computational challenge that has only been solved approximately by existing approaches. Here, we present bindSC, a single-cell data integration tool that realizes simultaneous alignment of the rows and the columns between data matrices without making approximations. Using datasets produced by multiomics technologies as gold standard, we show that bindSC generates accurate multimodal co-embeddings that are substantially more accurate than those generated by existing approaches. Particularly, bindSC effectively integrated single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single cell chromatin accessibility sequencing (scATAC-seq) data towards discovering key regulatory elements in cancer cell-lines and mouse cells. It achieved accurate integration of both common and rare cell types (<0.25% abundance) in a novel mouse retina cell atlas generated using the 10x Genomics Multiome ATAC+RNA kit. Further, it achieves unbiased integration of scRNA-seq and 10x Visium spatial transcriptomics data derived from mouse brain cortex samples. Lastly, it demonstrated efficacy in delineating immune cell types via integrating single-cell RNA and protein data. Thus, bindSC, available athttps://github.com/KChen-lab/bindSC, can be applied in a broad variety of context to accelerate discovery of complex cellular and biological identities and associated molecular underpinnings in diseases and developing organisms.
HiddenVis: a Hidden State Visualization Toolkit to Visualize and Interpret Deep Learning Models for Time Series Data
Authors: Yan Jingquan , Rong Ruichen , Xiao Guanghua , Zhan Xiaowei
Published: December 2020

Accelerometers provide continuous measurements of human movements. Utilizing their data exhibits great potential for monitoring or predicting human health outcomes. In this direction, researchers are active in developing machine-learning algorithms. However, compared to understanding deep learning models, visualizing and interpreting such models is equally important but has been less well-developed. To address these limitations, we constructed an online software tool to visualize the hidden states inferred from the deep learning models and to compare different cohorts based on outcome-associated temporal profiles. We demonstrated the utility of the model using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset. Using this tool, we discovered that two time periods of daily activity contribute to significant differences in 5-year mortalities. To disseminate the software to the broader community for the analysis of accelerometer data, we provide the work as open-source code athttps://github.com/jyan97/HiddenVis.
Linking functional traits with tree growth and forest productivity inQuercus ilexforests along a climatic gradient
Authors: Zarzosa Pablo Salazar , Herraiz Aurelio Diaz , Olmo Manuel , Ruiz-Benito Paloma , Barrón Vidal , Bastias Cristina C. , de la Riva Enrique G. , Villar Rafael
Published: December 2020

Plant functional traits are highly adaptable to changes in climatic factors and nutrient availability. However, the intraspecific plant response to abiotic factors and the overall effect on plant growth and productivity is still under debate. We studied forest productivity for 30Quercus ilexsubspballotaforests in Spain along a broad climatic gradient of aridity (mean annual precipitation from 321 to 1582 mm). We used linear mixed models to quantify the effect of climatic and edaphic factors on functional traits, and to study the effect of functional traits and abiotic factors on the relative growth rate (RGR) of adult trees. Then we used piecewise structural equation models (SEMs) to determine the causal effect of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on forest productivity. Our results showed that forest productivity is positively affected by forest biomass and RGR, which are mainly affected by functional traits and tree biomass, respectively. In conclusion, intraspecific variability of functional traits have a significant effect on plant biomass and growth, which ultimately explain forest productivity inQuercus ilex.
Lkb1 is a master regulator of VSMC fate and function in mice
Authors: Cai Zhaohua , Song Ping , You Shaojin , Liu Zhixue , Zhao Fujie , Mu Jing , Zheng Xiaoxu , Ding Ye , Xiao Lei , Ramprasath Tharmarajan , Qiu Yu , He Ben , Zou Ming-Hui
Published: December 2020

Acquisition and maintenance of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) fate are important for vascular development and homeostasis; however, little is known about the key determinant for VSMC fate and vascular homeostasis. We found that VSMC-specificLkb1ablation inLkb1flox/flox;Tagln-Cremice caused severe vascular abnormalities and embryonic lethality. VSMC-specific deletion ofLkb1in tamoxifen-inducibleLkb1flox/flox;Myh11-Cre/ERT2mice progressively induced aortic/arterial dilation, aneurysm, rupture, and premature death. Single-cell RNA sequencing and imaging-based lineage tracing showed thatLkb1-deficient VSMCs underwent dynamic transcriptional reprogramming and transformed gradually from early modulated VSMCs to fibroblast-like, chondrocyte-like, and even osteocyte-like cells. VSMC transformation followed by extracellular matrix remodeling and inflammatory cell infiltration contributed to the arterial aneurysm formation in tamoxifen-inducedLkb1flox/flox;Myh11-Cre/ERT2mice. Finally, we found that VSMC-specificLkb1ablation resulted in decreased vascular contractility, hypotension, and impaired responses to angiotensin II and vessel injuryin vivo. Lkb1is therefore a key determinant of mouse VSMC fate that prevents VSMC reprogramming and sustains vascular homeostasis. Our findings have important implications for understanding the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysm.
Access to credit and maize productivity in Mali
Authors: Diamoutene Abdoul Karim , Jatoe John Baptist D.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to analyze the effects of access to credit on maize productivity in Mali, by identifying the determinants of credit market participation and maize yield, and then estimating the impact of credit on maize yield.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzes the impact of credit on maize productivity using data from the World Bank 2014 Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) on Mali, and the endogenous switching regression (ESR) model.

Findings

The results suggest a positive effect of credit on maize yield in Mali. Farm size, production shocks and the female gender exert negative effects on credit market participation, unlike education, intercropping with cotton, male family labor and fertilizer use which show positive effects. Farm size has a negative effect on maize yield, but both male family labor, and fertilizer use exert positive effects. Although the use of credit improves agricultural yields, the results show a greater potential effect for rationed producers, than credit users.

Research limitations/implications

These results suggest that implementing a credit strategy that allows those currently excluded from the credit market, to participate, could substantially increase productivity and maize production output in furtherance of the country's food security strategy. Gender-based targeting is needed to bridge the gender gap in access to credit.

Originality/value

As far as the authors are aware, this study is the first to explore the credit-farm productivity links in Mali, while addressing selection bias.
Corruption and corporate risk-taking: evidence from emerging markets
Authors: Tran Quoc Trung
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper investigates the relationship between corruption and corporate risk-taking in emerging markets where corruption is considered as “public enemy number one.”

Design/methodology/approach

The study measures corruption based on Corruption Control Index annually published by World Bank and examines how corruption affects corporate risk-taking in emerging markets covered in MSCI Emerging Market Index.

Findings

With a sample of 75,338 observations from 8,326 firms across 20 emerging stock markets during the period 2005–2016, the author finds that corruption negatively affects corporate risk-taking. Robustness checks with a reduced sample without China and India, alternatives of corruption measures, various measures of risk-taking and Generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator also show consistent results. Moreover, additional analysis shows that information disclosure mitigates the effect of corruption on risk-taking.

Originality/value

The extant literature implies that corruption may decrease corporate risk-taking behavior through two channels including operational cost and debt financing cost.
The role of power-addiction and maladaptive denial in the US federal COVID-19 response
Authors: Weidner II C. Ken , Nelson Lisa A.T.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Given the substantial resources of the United States, the failure of the American federal response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been both tragic and avoidable. The authors frame this response as an artifact of power-addiction among administration officials and examine the US federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of maladaptive denial by government officials, including President Trump.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use qualitative research methods for this study by analyzing key events, public statements by administration officials from multiple credible media reports and US federal government websites. The authors analyzed these data using Weidner and Purohit's (2009) model describing maladaptive denial in organizations and power-addiction among leaders.

Findings

The authors' analysis identifies maladaptive denial – and the concomitant power-addiction – as significantly contributing to the Trump administration's failed response to COVID-19. Maladaptive denial and power-addiction characterized Trump as a candidate and for the three years of his presidency preceding the COVID-19 crisis. Whatever normative “guardrails” or checks and balances existed in the American system to restrict the administration's behavior before the crisis were ill-equipped to significantly prevent or alter the failed federal response to the pandemic.

Originality/value

The article applies the model of maladaptive denial in organizations (Weidner and Purohit, 2009) to the public sector, and explores the lengths to which power-addicted leaders and regimes can violate the public's trust in institutions in a crisis, even in the US, a liberal democracy characterized by freedom of political expression. While organizations and change initiatives may fail for a variety of reasons, this case revealed the extent to which maladaptive denial can permeate a government – or any organization – and its response to a crisis.
RAM assessment of the repairable industrial structure with genuine human-mistake working conditions with generalized fuzzy numbers
Authors: Dhiman Pooja , Kumar Amit
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The present paper investigated a skim milk powder production plant with genuine human mistake for analyzing its performance in terms of its reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) indices along with mean time between failure (MTBF) and expected number of failure (ENOF).

Design/methodology/approach

In the proposed work, the generalized fuzzy lambda–tau methodology has been used to carry out the analysis of the repairable structure using the improved arithmetic operations for generalized fuzzy numbers by considering the degree of confidence levels.

Findings

RAM indices along with MTBF and ENOF are obtained to increase the quality of skim milk powder manufacturing structures of a dairy plant with genuine human-mistake working conditions.

Originality/value

In the present paper, a mathematical model for a complex industrial system based on fuzzy has been developed. Finally, the results are more realistic and comprehensive for the decision-maker for farther application.
The crisis of Neoliberal project of aging during the COVID-19 pandemic: from compulsory activity to mandatory isolation
Authors: Bogdanova Elena , Grigoryeva Irina
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to consider how the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic questions the neoliberal project of ageing, based on a notion of a healthy, active, working older person. A long-term struggle to include older people has been (temporarily) replaced with a struggle to exclude them. This seems to be one of the most sensitive sore spots of the coronavirus crisis and one of the most serious challenges to social policy and welfare systems the world over. The purpose of this paper is to consider where the concepts of ageing and the action on ageing were at right before the crisis and what their further development may look like.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides a critical overview of main conceptions based on the neoliberal project of ageing.

Findings

The main principle of the neoliberal project of ageing, which had been formed on the crossroad of social theory and policy through decades, became vulnerable in the face of COVID-19 pandemic. The new forced ageing reveals its repressive nature through ensuring seniors’ safety from exposure, their removal from work and isolation. The theory now faces new challenges of meshing a neoliberal actor – active, independent and productive – with an older person in isolation, who needs safeguarding, of re-conceptualizing social exclusion of seniors in a situation where exclusion is equated with safety, of resolving a dilemma between isolation and respect of human rights and of keeping progress in anti-ageism.

Research limitations/implications

This paper presents an overview of the main conceptions, underlying the neoliberal project of ageing. It aims to designate the vulnerabilities of the project, which were revealed under the situation of pandemic. Further development of the discussion needs detailed analysis of theoretical conceptions of ageing.

Practical implications

Theoretical debate reflects policy of ageing. Discussion of theoretical problems of ageism, social exclusion, safeguarding of the elderly and compulsion are necessary for improvement of social policy of ageing.

Social implications

When the neoliberal project of ageing comes into collision with the reality with the reality, the authors recognize it as a crisis. It moves the society, and especially the elderly, to the situation of uncertainty. This paper calls for discussion and search for a new balance among the generations in a society.

Originality/value

This paper relies upon the current debate on neoliberal project of ageing and responds immediately to the situation of pandemic. Now conceptual problems in theories of ageing and policy projects became visible, and the authors suppose it is time to initiate this discussion.
An analysis of the representation of cultural content in English coursebooks
Authors: Dahmardeh Mahdi , Kim Sung-Do
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The aim of this article was to understand about cultural representation in these coursebooks and if it is reflected the status of English as a lingua franca.

Design/methodology/approach

This article is a report on a case study in the form of content analysis of different categories of culture represented in English language coursebooks used in schools of Iran. In order to do so, references to source, target, international and universal cultures were classified into four aspects: perspectives, products, practices and persons.

Findings

Generally, the findings suggested that despite the high frequency of cultural elements, the representation favoured the source culture, while the target, international and universal cultures were heavily under-represented.

Research limitations/implications

Apart from the valuable contributions of the study, the implications of the study are that despite the high frequency of cultural elements, the representation favoured the source culture, while the target, international and universal cultures were heavily under-represented. Therefore, the imbalance in the content of materials on different cultures needs to be redressed. While the main concern of this investigation is the frequency of appearance, which replicates the extent of source, target, international and universal cultures represented in the coursebooks, the impact of the materials, affected by how the cultural elements are used and perceived by teachers and pupils, is beyond the scope of the present study; hence, future studies in this area are deeply encouraged, and it is recommended for further research.

Practical implications

The implications for resolving the imbalance in cultural representation are also being explained.

Originality/value

Bearing in mind the importance of coursebooks as well as the role of culture in teaching the English language, this article aims at understanding about cultural representation within the newly developed Iranian English language coursebooks for schools, an issue that has never been studied by Iranian scholars with respect to the newly published materials.
Gender pay gap in Vietnam: a propensity score matching analysis
Authors: Obermann Gabriel , Hoang Oanh Nguyen , Hong Ngoc Nguyen
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper investigates the extent, the determinants and the change in the gender pay gap in Vietnam in the period 2010–2016 in order to provide suggestions for policy adjustment to narrow gender pay inequality more effectively.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs the propensity score matching (PSM) method to examine inequality in pay between female and male earners sharing identical characteristics. The analysis is conducted for both the full sample and various characteristic-based subsamples. This procedure is conducted for 2010 and 2016 separately to discover the change in gap and inequality during this period.

Findings

The matching results based on the data sets taken from the Vietnam Household Living Standards Survey (VHLSS) 2010 and 2016 affirm that gender income inequality in Vietnam, though persisted, decreased significantly in 2016 compared to 2010, and was insignificant in many subsamples in 2016. In addition to the observable determinants including educational level, occupation, economic sector and industry, unobservable factors are proved to also play an important role in creating the gender pay gap in Vietnam.

Practical implications

The research findings suggest that policies aimed at mitigating gender pay inequality should take into account both observable characteristics and unobservable factors such as unobservable gender differences that affect wages and gender discrimination in pay.

Originality/value

This is the first study using a matching technique to investigate gender wage gap in Vietnam. With up-to-date data, longer research period and the superiority of the method used in dealing with sample selection bias, the results obtained are more robust, more detailed and reliable.
Access to basic services during the transition from MDGs to SDGs: more rhetoric than reality in a Bangladesh slum
Authors: Haque Md. Nazmul , Saroar Mustafa , Fattah Md. Abdul , Morshed Syed Riad , Fatema Nuzhat
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the progress in the provision of basic services in urban slums in Bangladesh during the transition period of millennium development goals (MDGs) to sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a mixed method of research. The empirical part of the research was conducted in three Blocks of Rupsha slum in Khulna city. Randomly selected 120 households were interviewed through a structured questionnaire; three focus group discussion sessions (FGDs) were also conducted. Progress in the slum residents’ access to basic services during the transition from MDGs to SDGs is tacked based on primary data. The User Satisfaction Index (USI) and Network Analysis tools in ArcGIS are used to identify the gaps in service provision.

Findings

Findings show that a very significant proportion of families (56.67%) encounter an acute level of difficulties to gain smooth access to water services. About 89% of respondents have only access to a common or shared toilet facility where one common toilet is used by 20–25 persons. About 31% of families are unable to send their children to primary school even after four years of the adoption of SDGs. Achievements in most indicators of basic services in the slum are in general lower than the national level. Moreover, there exists spatial variability within the same slum. After four years of the transition from MDGs to SDGs, most of the services are poorly satisfying the residents of the Rupsha slum, and water service provision is in worse condition. The findings of this study have unveiled that while achievement in target areas is appreciable at the macro level, at the micro-level; however, good achievement in the provision of few basic services in the low-income settlement is more rhetoric than reality. Therefore, a lot more work needs to be done during the SDG phase to give the slum residents a decent quality of life as they have missed the MDGs’ train.

Originality/value

Study single-out works need to be done during the SDGs phase to give the slum residents a decent quality of life as they have missed the MDGs’ train.
The reverse transfer of knowledge in MNEs: the perspective of foreign subsidiaries in a post-transition country
Authors: Jankowska Barbara , Bartosik-Purgat Małgorzata , Olejnik Iwona
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The aim of the paper is to identify the determinants of the marketing and managerial knowledge transfer from a foreign subsidiary located in a post-transition country to its headquarters established in a developed country.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors combined the critical literature studies and empirical research, where the method of Computer-assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) was applied. The empirical data was gathered from 231 manufacturing foreign subsidiaries established in Poland (as one of the post-transition economy). To test the hypotheses logistic regression was applied.

Findings

The knowledge accumulated in the foreign subsidiary, the amount and level of novelty of innovation in the foreign subsidiary and its strategic autonomy is crucial for the occurrence of the reverse knowledge transfer. However, the more powerful the foreign subsidiary is, the less eager it is to transfer marketing and managerial knowledge to the headquarters.

Research limitations/implications

The study is concentrated just on the manufacturing sector in the Polish economy. The results are based on the opinions and perception of managers, but they represent the corporate perspective (not their individual ones).

Practical implications

The study provokes asking the question about the proper level of strategic autonomy of a foreign subsidiary. The implication related to the autonomy is much about the proper strategy for human resources management. The obtained results indicate that the intensity of innovation in a foreign subsidiary “translates” to the outflow of knowledge from a foreign subsidiary to its headquarters. Thus, encourages headquarters to let their subsidiaries innovate still monitoring their power.

Social implications

FSs are entities more or less embedded in the host markets, thus their strength and sustainable existence is important for their stakeholders, in particular – internal entities such as employees and external entities such as suppliers, and other cooperating organisations and institutions in the host market. The contribution of FSs to the innovation performance and knowledge pool of external partners is determined much by their absorptive capacity. Thus, the results obtained indirectly point to the importance of external agents ability to absorb and exploit the knowledge.

Originality/value

The originality of the paper concerns three issues. Firstly, the previous studies are mainly focused on either developed or emerging markets and as a result, the peculiarity of post-transition economies, like Poland has been neglected. Secondly, the determinants of reverse knowledge transfer are presented from the corporate perspective. Thirdly, authors focus on marketing and management knowledge distributed from a foreign subsidiary to its headquarter.
The role of viral marketing strategies in predicting purchasing intention of eco-labelled products
Authors: Hosseinikhah Choshaly Sahar , Mirabolghasemi Marva
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Viral marketing through the internet is an important and cost-effective way to promote products. This study aims to examine the impact of viral marketing strategies (level of information, level of entertainment, irritation level and source credibility) on the purchasing intention of eco-labelled products.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consists of a total of 200 shoppers in Hyperstar store in Tehran located in the Tehran Pars area. Data is analysed using descriptive analysis and structural equation modelling technique using Smart partial least squares 3.0.

Findings

Findings indicate that informativeness, entertainment and source credibility are positively related to the purchase intention of eco-labelled products, whereas, irritation is negatively related to the purchasing intention of eco-labelled products.

Practical implications

This study provides directions for green marketers to develop meaningful communication tools to make customers more knowledgeable about eco-labelled products and tries to promote some of the positive associations that consumers have through green viral communication behaviours.

Originality/value

This study offers empirical insights from the perspective of an emerging economy on the determinants of purchase intention of eco-labelled products.
Causality analysis in process control based on denoising and periodicity-removing CCM
Authors: Chen Qiming , Fei Xinyi , Xie Lie , Li Dongliu , Wang Qibing
Published: December 2020

Purpose

1. To improve the causality analysis performance, a novel causality detector based on time-delayed convergent cross mapping (TD-CCM) is proposed in this work. 2. Identify the root cause of plant-wide oscillations in process control system.

Design/methodology/approach

A novel causality analysis framework is proposed based on denoising and periodicity-removing TD-CCM (time-delayed convergent cross mapping). We first point out that noise and periodicity have adverse effects on causality detection. Then, the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and detrended fluctuation analysis (FDA) are combined to achieve denoising. The periodicities are effectively removed through singular spectrum analysis (SSA). Following, the TD-CCM can accurately capture the causalities and locate the root cause by analyzing the filtered signals.

Findings

1. A novel causality detector based on denoising and periodicity-removing time-delayed convergent cross mapping (TD-CCM) is proposed. 2. Simulation studies show that the proposed method is able to improve the causality analysis performance. 3. Industrial case study shows the proposed method can be used to analyze the root cause of plant-wide oscillations in process control system.

Originality/value

1. A novel causality detector based on denoising and periodicity-removing time-delayed convergent cross mapping (TD-CCM) is proposed. 2. The influences of noise and periodicity on causality analysis are investigated. 3. Simulations and industrial case shows that the proposed method can improve the causality analysis performance and can be used to identify the root cause of plant-wide oscillations in process control system.
Factors for metal additive manufacturing technology selection
Authors: Sobota Vladimir C.M. , van de Kaa Geerten , Luomaranta Toni , Martinsuo Miia , Ortt J. Roland
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper addresses the most important factors for the selection of additive manufacturing (AM) technology as a method of production of metal parts. AM creates objects by adding material layer by layer based on 3D models. At present, interest in AM is high as it is hoped that AM contributes to the competitiveness of Western manufacturing industries.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature study is conducted to identify the factors that affect the selection of AM technology. Expert interviews and the best–worst method are used to prioritize these factors based on relative factor weights.

Findings

Technology, demand, environment and supply-related factors are categorized and further mapped to offer a holistic picture of AM technology selection. According to expert assessments, market demand was ranked highest, although market demand is currently lacking.

Research limitations/implications

The composition and size of the expert panel and the framing of some of the factors in light of previous literature cause validity limitations. Further research is encouraged to differentiate the selection factors for different AM implementation projects.

Originality/value

The paper presents a more complete framework of factors for innovation selection in general and the selection of AM technology specifically. This framework can serve as a basis for future studies on technology selection in the (additive) manufacturing sector and beyond. In addition to AM-specific factor weights, the paper explains why specific factors are important, reducing uncertainty for managers that have to choose between alternative manufacturing technologies.
“Being on both sides: covert ethnography and partisanship with bouncers in the night‐time economy”
Authors: Calvey David
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study aims to critically expose and explore “taking sides” in the context of a covert ethnography of bouncers in the night-time economy of Manchester, UK.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology adopted is covert ethnography. The author reflects on the application and use of situated deception within an embedded and insider ethnography of bouncers, alongside other relevant covert ethnographies. Fieldwork vignettes are drawn upon to articulate the management of situated ethics and moral dilemmas.

Findings

The findings argue that bouncers are a deeply maligned occupational group, who perform a valuable regulatory role in the night-time economy. Moreover, a covert role ethnographic presents an interesting liminal stance of being on both sides, rather than a reductionist choosing of a single sides. Theoretically, phenomenological bracketing and ethnomethodological indifference are used to justify the position taken in the paper.

Research limitations/implications

Covert research has limitations around fieldwork time consumption, instigation tactics and “going native” distortion, alongside common fears of ethical belligerence and cavalier morals.

Practical implications

The lessons learnt, particularly for early career researchers, are about pursuing creative ethnographic methods.

Social implications

Occupationally, bouncers should be less demonized and more accessible to more women. This rather hyper-masculine domain should be disrupted and democratized.

Originality/value

The field is relatively niche, with a purist covert ethnographic approach being an innovative way to unpack it.
Vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress or burnout?: an exploratory study of the effects of investigating sexual assault cases on detectives
Authors: Morabito Melissa S. , Pattavina April , Williams Linda M.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Police officers are exposed to a wide variety of stressors – frequently interacting with people at their worst moments and sometimes absorbing the trauma that victims experience themselves. Investigating sexual assaults reported by adults presents significant challenges given the often high levels of distress experienced by victims paired with the likelihood that no arrest will be made and the low conviction rates. Little research explores the impact this investigatory work has on the detectives who are assigned to these cases.

Design/methodology/approach

Using interviews conducted with 42 sexual assault detectives across six jurisdictions designed to understand sexual assault case attrition, the study enhances understanding of the effects of investigating crimes of sexual violence on detectives. Specifically, the aurhors explore their experiences within the context of burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

Findings

The current study clearly identifies the incidence of emotional symptoms among sexual assault investigators. During the course of interviews about their decision-making, detectives, unprompted by researchers, manifested symptoms of trauma resulting from their assigned caseloads.

Research limitations/implications

Open-ended interviews offer a promising approach to exploring foundational questions.

Practical implications

Exposure to victims who have suffered the trauma of sexual assault can have a subsequent impact on the job performance and personal life of those who respond to victims in immediate crisis and to those who provide long-term assistance. A plan for future research is detailed to better pinpoint how and when these symptoms arise and interventions that may address their effects.

Originality/value

While there is a large literature detailing vicarious trauma for social workers, nurses and doctors, the topic is generally understudied among police officers and specifically detectives despite their repeated contacts with adult victims of violent crimes. This research builds upon the knowledge of burnout experienced by child maltreatment detectives to enhance understanding of sexual assault detectives.