bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced preference for delayed rewards requires the basolateral amygdala and retrosplenial cortex
Authors: Lefner Merridee J. , Magnon Alexa P. , Gutierrez James M. , Lopez Matthew R. , Wanat Matthew J.
Published: January 2021

‘Sunk’ or irrecoverable costs imposed on a subject can impact reward-based decisions. However, it is not known if these incurred costs elicit a sustained change in reward value. To address this, we examined if sunk temporal costs subsequently alter reward consumption and reward preference in rats. We first identified the relative preference between different flavored food pellets during a free-feeding consumption test. Animals were then trained to experience the initial less preferred reward after long delays and the initial preferred reward after short delays. This training regimen enhanced the consumption and preference for the initial less desirable food reward. We probed whether this change in reward preference involved neural systems that contribute to reward valuation. Pharmacological manipulations and site-specific lesions were performed to examine the potential involvement of the dopamine system, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the basolateral amygdala (BLA), and the retrosplenial cortex (RSC). The change in reward preference was unaffected by systemic dopamine receptor antagonism or OFC lesions. In contrast, lesions of the BLA or the RSC prevented the enhanced consumption and preference for the initial less desirable reward. These findings demonstrate that both the BLA and RSC participate in how sunk temporal costs alter reward value and reward preference.

Significance Statement

From an economic standpoint, only future costs should factor into one’s decisions. However, behavioral evidence across species illustrates thatpastcosts can alter decisions. The goal of this study was to identify the neural systems responsible for past costs influencing subsequent actions. We demonstrate that delivering an initially less desirable reward after long delays (high temporal costs) subsequently increases the consumption and preference for that reward. Furthermore, we identified the basolateral amygdala and the retrosplenial cortex as essential nuclei for mediating change in reward preference elicited by past temporal costs.
20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) signaling regulates amnioserosa morphogenesis duringDrosophiladorsal closure: Ecdysone receptor modulates gene expression in a complex with the AP-1 component, Jun
Authors: Yoo Byoungjoo , Kim Hae-yoon , Chen Xi , Shen Weiping , Jang Ji Sun , Cormier Olga , Krieger Charles , Reed Bruce , Harden Nicholas , Wang Simon Ji Hau
Published: January 2021

Steroid hormones influence diverse biological processes throughout the animal life cycle, including metabolism, stress resistance, reproduction, and lifespan. In insects, the steroid hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), is the central regulator of molting and metamorphosis, and has been shown to play roles in tissue morphogenesis. For example, amnioserosa contraction, which is a major driving force inDrosophiladorsal closure (DC), is defective in embryos mutant for 20E biosynthesis. Here, we show that 20E signaling modulates the transcription of several DC participants in the amnioserosa and other dorsal tissues during late embryonic development, including thezipperlocus, which encodes for non-muscle myosin II heavy chain. Canonical 20E signaling typically involves the binding of Ecdysone receptor (EcR) and Ultraspiracle heterodimers to ecdysone-response elements (EcREs) within the promoters of ecdysone-responsive genes to drive their expression. During DC, we provide evidence that 20E signaling instead acts in parallel to the JNK cascade via a direct interaction between EcR and the AP-1 component, Jun, which together binds to genomic regions containing AP-1 binding sites but no EcREs to control gene expression. Our work demonstrates a novel mode of action for 20E signaling inDrosophilathat likely functions beyond DC, and may provide further insights into mammalian steroid hormone receptor interactions with AP-1.
A global overview of genetically interpretable comorbidities among common diseases in UK Biobank
Authors: Dong Guiying , Feng Jianfeng , Sun Fengzhu , Chen Jingqi , Zhao Xing-Ming
Published: January 2021

Background

Comorbidities greatly increase global health burdens, but the landscapes of their genetic factors have not been systematically investigated.

Methods

We used the hospital inpatient data of 385,335 patients in UK Biobank to investigate the comorbid relations among 439 common diseases. Post-GWAS analyses were performed to identify comorbidity shared genetic risks at the genomic loci, network, as well as overall genetic architecture levels. We conducted network decomposition for interpretable comorbidity networks to detect the hub diseases and the involved molecules in comorbidity modules.

Results

11,285 comorbidities among 439 common diseases were identified, and 46% of them were genetically interpretable at the loci, network, or overall genetic architecture level. The comorbidities affecting the same and different physiological systems showed different patterns at the shared genetic components, with the former more likely to share loci-level genetic components while the latter more likely to share network-level genetic components. Moreover, both the loci- and network-level genetic components shared by comorbidities mainly converged on cell immunity, protein metabolism, and gene silencing. Furthermore, we found that the genetically interpretable comorbidities tend to form network modules, mediated by hub diseases and featuring physiological categories. Finally, we showcased how hub diseases mediating the comorbidity modules could help provide useful insights into the genetic contributors for comorbiditities.

Conclusions

Our results provide a systematic resource for understanding the genetic predispositions of comorbidity, and indicate that hub diseases and converged molecules and functions may be the key for treating comorbidity. We have created an online database to facilitate researchers and physicians to browse, search or download these comorbidities (https://comorbidity.comp-sysbio.org).
SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in a cohort of 43,000 antibody-positive individuals followed for up to 35 weeks
Authors: Abu-Raddad Laith J. , Chemaitelly Hiam , Coyle Peter , Malek Joel A. , Ahmed Ayeda A. , Mohamoud Yasmin A. , Younuskunju Shameem , Ayoub Houssein H. , Kanaani Zaina Al , Kuwari Einas Al , Butt Adeel A. , Jeremijenko Andrew , Kaleeckal Anvar Hassan , Latif Ali Nizar , Shaik Riyazuddin Mohammad , Rahim Hanan F. Abdul , Nasrallah Gheyath K. , Yassine Hadi M. , Al Kuwari Mohamed G. , Romaihi Hamad Eid Al , Al-Thani Mohamed H. , Khal Abdullatif Al , Bertollini Roberto
Published: January 2021

Background

Reinfection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been documented, raising public health concerns. Risk and incidence rate of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection were assessed in a large cohort of antibody-positive persons in Qatar.

Methods

All SARS-CoV-2 antibody-positive persons with a PCR-positive swab ≥14 days after the first-positive antibody test were individually investigated for evidence of reinfection. Viral genome sequencing was conducted for paired viral specimens to confirm reinfection. Incidence of reinfection was compared to incidence of infection in the complement cohort of those antibody-negative.

Results

Among 43,044 anti-SARS-CoV-2 positive persons who were followed for a median of 16.3 weeks (range: 0-34.6), 314 individuals (0.7%) had at least one PCR positive swab ≥14 days after the first-positive antibody test. Of these individuals, 129 (41.1%) had supporting epidemiological evidence for reinfection. Reinfection was next investigated using viral genome sequencing. Applying the viral-genome-sequencing confirmation rate, the risk of reinfection was estimated at 0.10% (95% CI: 0.08-0.11%). The incidence rate of reinfection was estimated at 0.66 per 10,000 person-weeks (95% CI: 0.56-0.78). Incidence rate of reinfection versus month of follow-up did not show any evidence of waning of immunity for over seven months of follow-up. Meanwhile, in the complement cohort of 149,923 antibody-negative persons followed for a median of 17.0 weeks (range: 0-45.6), risk of infection was estimated at 2.15% (95% CI: 2.08-2.22%) and incidence rate of infection was estimated at 13.69 per 10,000 person-weeks (95% CI: 13.22-14.14). Efficacy of natural infection against reinfection was estimated at 95.2% (95% CI: 94.1-96.0%). Reinfections were less severe than primary infections. Only one reinfection was severe, two were moderate, and none were critical or fatal. Most reinfections (66.7%) were diagnosed incidentally through random or routine testing, or through contact tracing.

Conclusions

Reinfection is rare. Natural infection appears to elicit strong protection against reinfection with an efficacy ∼95% for at least seven months.
Variability of Individual Infectiousness Derived from Aggregate Statistics of COVID-19
Authors: Kirkegaard Julius B. , Sneppen Kim
Published: January 2021

The quantification of spreading heterogeneity in the COVID-19 epidemic is crucial as it affects the choice of efficient mitigating strategies irrespective of whether its origin is biological or social. We present a method to deduce temporal and individual variations in the basic reproduction number R directly from epidemic trajectories at a community level. Using epidemic data from the 98 districts in Denmark we estimate an overdispersion factor k for COVID-19 to be about 0.11 (95% confidence interval 0.08 – 0.18), implying that 10 % of the infected cause between 70 % to 87 % of all infections.
Identification of Paired-related Homeobox Protein 1 as a key mesenchymal transcription factor in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Marchal-Duval E. , Homps-Legrand M. , Froidure A. , Jaillet M. , Ghanem M. , Deneuville L. , Justet A. , Maurac A. , Vadel A. , Fortas E. , Cazes A. , Joannes A. , Giersch L. , Mal H. , Mordant P. , Mounier C.M. , Schirduan K. , Korfei M. , Gunther A. , Mari B. , Jaschinski F. , Crestani B. , Mailleux A.A.
Published: January 2021

Matrix remodeling is a salient feature of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Targeting cells driving matrix remodeling could be a promising avenue for IPF treatment. Analysis of transcriptomic database identified the mesenchymal transcription factor PRRX1 as upregulated in IPF.

PRRX1, strongly expressed by lung fibroblasts, was regulated by a TGF-β/PGE2 balance in vitro in control and IPF fibroblasts, while IPF fibroblast-derived matrix increasedPRRX1expression in a PDGFR dependent manner in control ones.

PRRX1 inhibition decreased fibroblast proliferation by downregulating the expression of S phase cyclins. PRRX1 inhibition also impacted TGF-β driven myofibroblastic differentiation by inhibiting SMAD2/3 phosphorylation through phosphatase PPM1A upregulation and TGFBR2 downregulation, leading to TGF-β response global decrease.

Finally, targeted inhibition ofPrrx1attenuated fibrotic remodeling in vivo with intra-tracheal antisense oligonucleotides in bleomycin mouse model of lung fibrosis and ex vivo using precision-cut lung slices.

Our results identified PRRX1 as a mesenchymal transcription factor driving lung fibrogenesis.

Brief Summary

Inhibition of a single fibroblast-associated transcription factor, namely paired-related homeobox protein 1, is sufficient to dampen lung fibrogenesis.
Longitudinal quantitative whole-brain microscopy reveals distinct temporal and spatial efficacies of anti-Aβ therapies
Authors: Kirschenbaum Daniel , Dadgar-Kiani Ehsan , Catto Francesca , Voigt Fabian F. , Trevisan Chiara , Bichsel Oliver , Shirani Hamid , Nilsson K. Peter R. , Frontzek Karl Joachim , Paganetti Paolo , Helmchen Fritjof , Lee Jin Hyung , Aguzzi Adriano
Published: January 2021

Many efforts targeting amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease thus far have resulted in failures during clinical trials. Regional and temporal heterogeneity of efficacy and dependence on plaque maturity may have contributed to these disappointing outcomes. In this study, we mapped the regional and temporal specificity of various anti-Aβ treatments through high-resolution light-sheet imaging of electrophoretically-cleared brains. We assessed the effect on amyloid plaque formation and growth in Thy1-APP/PS1 mice subjected to β-secretase inhibitors, polythiophenes, or anti-Aβ antibodies. Each treatment showed unique spatiotemporal Aβ clearance, with polythiophenes emerging as a potent anti-Aβ compound. Furthermore, aligning with a spatial-transcriptomic atlas revealed transcripts that correlate with the efficacy of each Aβ therapy. As observed in this study, there is a striking dependence of specific treatments on the location and maturity of Aβ plaques. This may also contribute to the clinical trial failures of Aβ-therapies, suggesting that combinatorial regimens may be significantly more effective in clearing amyloid deposition.
Parallel functional testing identifies enhancers active in early postnatal mouse brain
Authors: Lambert Jason T. , Su-Feher Linda , Cichewicz Karol , Warren Tracy L. , Zdilar Iva , Wang Yurong , Lim Kenneth J. , Haigh Jessica , Morse Sarah J. , Canales Cesar P. , Stradleigh Tyler W. , Castillo Erika , Haghani Viktoria , Moss Spencer , Parolini Hannah , Quintero Diana , Shrestha Diwash , Vogt Daniel , Byrne Leah C. , Nord Alex S.
Published: January 2021

Enhancers are cis-regulatory elements that play critical regulatory roles in modulating developmental transcription programs and driving cell-type specific and context-dependent gene expression in the brain. The development of massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs) has enabled high-throughput functional screening of candidate DNA sequences for enhancer activity. Tissue-specific screening ofin vivoenhancer function at scale has the potential to greatly expand our understanding of the role of non-coding sequences in development, evolution, and disease. Here, we adapted a self-transcribing regulatory element MPRA strategy for delivery to early postnatal mouse brain via recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV). We identified and validated putative enhancers capable of driving reporter gene expression in mouse forebrain, including regulatory elements within an intronicCACNA1Clinkage disequilibrium block associated with risk in neuropsychiatric disorder genetic studies. Paired screening and single enhancerin vivofunctional testing, as we show here, represents a powerful approach towards characterizing regulatory activity of enhancers and understanding how enhancer sequences organize gene expression in normal and pathogenic brain development.
Structure of Cystathionine β-Synthase from Toxoplasma gondii, a key enzyme in its H2S production machinery
Authors:   In memory of Jan P. Kraus, Fernández-Rodríguez Carmen , Oyenarte Iker , Conter Carolina , González-Recio Irene , Nuñez-Franco Reyes , Gil-Pitarch Claudia , Quintana Iban , Jiménez-Osés Gonzalo , Dominici Paola , Martinez-Chantar Maria Luz , Astegno Alessandra , Martínez-Cruz Luis Alfonso
Published: January 2021

Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), the pivotal enzyme of the reverse transsulfuration pathway, catalyzes the pyridoxal-5’-phosphate-dependent condensation of serine with homocysteine to form cystathionine. Additionally, CBS performs alternative reactions that use homocysteine and cysteine as substrates leading to the endogenous biosynthesis of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), an important signal transducer in many physiological and pathological processes. Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, encodes a functional CBS (TgCBS) that contrary to human CBS, is not allosterically regulated by S-adenosylmethionine and can use both, Ser and O-acetylserine (OAS) as substrates. TgCBS is also strongly implicated in the production of H2S, and thus involved in redox homeostasis of the parasite. Here, we report its crystal structure, the first CBS from a protozoan described so far. Our data reveals a basal-like fold that unexpectedly differs from the active conformations found in other organisms, but structurally similar to the pathogenic activated mutant D444N of the human enzyme.
Establishment and characterization of mammary organoids from non-traditional model organisms
Authors: Bartlett Arianna P. , Van de Walle Gerlinde R.
Published: January 2021

Mammary organoid (MaO) models are only available for a few traditional model organisms, limiting our ability to investigate mammary gland development and cancer across the diverse taxa of mammals. For example, horses are mammals with a similar mammary anatomy and function as humans, but they have a remarkably low incidence of mammary cancer, making the development of MaOs in non-traditional model organisms attractive, particularly in comparative cancer research. This study established equine mammary organoids (EqMaOs) from mammary gland tissue fragments and evaluated parameters including diameter, budding, and growth stage in non-budding EqMaOs, in cultures with increasing concentrations of epidermal growth factor (EGF), a key growth factor implicated in mammary gland development. Our findings showed that EqMaO diameter is not influenced by EGF concentration, whereas number of EqMaOs with budding and stage in non-budding EqMaOs are positively influenced by increasing EGF concentration. EqMaOs also formed protrusions with putative functions, including organoid fusion and sensory functions. We further characterized EqMaOs by the presence of myoepithelial and luminal cells using immunohistochemistry and used the hormone prolactin to stimulate milk secretion, as illustrated by β-lactoglobulin expression, in these EqMaOs. Additionally, we showed that our method to establish MaOs is widely applicable to additional non-traditional mammalian model organisms such as cat, pig, deer, rabbit, and prairie vole. Collectively, MaO models across species will be a useful tool for comparative developmental and cancer studies.

Summary statement

Mammary organoids can be established from various mammals by embedding mammary tissue fragments into a 3D matrix, providing a high-throughput, physiologically accurate model for comparative studies centered on mammary gland development and cancer.
Substrate-dependent effects of quaternary structure on RNase E activity
Authors: Moore Christopher J. , Go Hayoung , Shin Eunkyoung , Ha Hye-Jeong , Song Saemee , Ha Nam-Chul , Kim Yong-Hak , Cohen Stanley N. , Lee Kangseok
Published: January 2021

RNase E is an essential, multifunctional ribonuclease encoded in E. coli by the rne gene. Structural analysis indicates that the ribonucleolytic activity of this enzyme is conferred by rne-encoded polypeptide chains that (1) dimerize to form a catalytic site at the protein-protein interface, and (2) multimerize further to generate a tetrameric quaternary structure consisting of two dimerized Rne-peptide chains. We identify here a mutation in the Rne protein's catalytic region (E429G), as well as a bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan hydrolase (Amidase C [AmiC]), that selectively affect the specific activity of the RNase E enzyme on long RNA substrates, but not on short synthetic oligonucleotides, by enhancing enzyme multimerization. Unlike the increase in specific activity that accompanies concentration-induced multimerization, enhanced multimerization associated with either the E429G mutation or interaction of the Rne protein with AmiC is independent of the substrate's 5′ terminus phosphorylation state. Our findings reveal a previously unsuspected substrate length-dependent regulatory role for RNase E quaternary structure and identify cis-acting and trans-acting factors that mediate such regulation.
SIX2 and SIX3 coordinately regulate functional maturity and fate of human pancreatic β cells
Authors: Bevacqua Romina J. , Lam Jonathan Y. , Peiris Heshan , Whitener Robert L. , Kim Seokho , Gu Xueying , Friedlander Mollie S.H. , Kim Seung K.
Published: January 2021

The physiological functions of many vital tissues and organs continue to mature after birth, but the genetic mechanisms governing this postnatal maturation remain an unsolved mystery. Human pancreatic β cells produce and secrete insulin in response to physiological cues like glucose, and these hallmark functions improve in the years after birth. This coincides with expression of the transcription factors SIX2 and SIX3, whose functions in native human β cells remain unknown. Here, we show that shRNA-mediated SIX2 or SIX3 suppression in human pancreatic adult islets impairs insulin secretion. However, transcriptome studies revealed that SIX2 and SIX3 regulate distinct targets. Loss of SIX2 markedly impaired expression of genes governing β-cell insulin processing and output, glucose sensing, and electrophysiology, while SIX3 loss led to inappropriate expression of genes normally expressed in fetal β cells, adult α cells, and other non-β cells. Chromatin accessibility studies identified genes directly regulated by SIX2. Moreover, β cells from diabetic humans with impaired insulin secretion also had reduced SIX2 transcript levels. Revealing how SIX2 and SIX3 govern functional maturation and maintain developmental fate in native human β cells should advance β-cell replacement and other therapeutic strategies for diabetes.
Systematic detection of brain protein-coding genes under positive selection during primate evolution and their roles in cognition
Authors: Dumas Guillaume , Malesys Simon , Bourgeron Thomas
Published: January 2021

The human brain differs from that of other primates, but the genetic basis of these differences remains unclear. We investigated the evolutionary pressures acting on almost all human protein-coding genes (N= 11,667; 1:1 orthologs in primates) based on their divergence from those of early hominins, such as Neanderthals, and non-human primates. We confirm that genes encoding brain-related proteins are among the most strongly conserved protein-coding genes in the human genome. Combining our evolutionary pressure metrics for the protein-coding genome with recent data sets, we found that this conservation applied to genes functionally associated with the synapse and expressed in brain structures such as the prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum. Conversely, several genes presenting signatures commonly associated with positive selection appear as causing brain diseases or conditions, such as micro/macrocephaly, Joubert syndrome, dyslexia, and autism. Among those, a number of DNA damage response genes associated with microcephaly in humans such asBRCA1,NHEJ1,TOP3A, andRNF168show strong signs of positive selection and might have played a role in human brain size expansion during primate evolution. We also showed that cerebellum granule neurons express a set of genes also presenting signatures of positive selection and that may have contributed to the emergence of fine motor skills and social cognition in humans. This resource is available online and can be used to estimate evolutionary constraints acting on a set of genes and to explore their relative contributions to human traits.
Development of a novel microfluidic device to study metal geochemistry in situ using X-ray fluorescence microprobe spectroscopy
Authors: Chen Michael A. , Kocar Benjamin D.
Published: January 2021

The study of in situ microscale biogeochemical processes represents a major challenge in the environmental sciences. The combination of microfluidic devices with X-ray fluorescence microprobe spectroscopy may address this need, but typical materials used in these devices attenuate the X-rays needed to analyze key elements of interest, such as Fe or As. In this work, a method is presented for fabricating an etched silicon microfluidic device that is sealed with a 30 µm thin glass window that is sufficiently transparent for X-ray fluorescence microprobe spectroscopy. The capabilities of these devices for X-ray microprobe spectroscopy are demonstrated using an Fe (hydr)oxide solid that is loaded with As and then infused with sulfide, on beamline 4-BM at NSLS-II, resulting in time-variant Fe precipitation reactions and As sorption. Key results include in situ X-ray fluorescence time-series maps of Fe, As and a Br flow tracer, as well as spot XANES at both the Fe K edge and As K edge. Additionally, multiple energy mapping is used to examine the spatial speciation of As over time. The results of this work clearly demonstrate the capabilities of this novel microfluidic system that can be analyzed using X-ray fluorescence microprobe spectroscopy and can be made to study a wide range of complex microscale geochemical systems.
Crystallographic and spectroscopic characterization of 2-[(7-acetyl-4-cyano-6-hydroxy-1,6-dimethyl-8-phenyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinolin-3-yl)sulfanyl]-N-phenylacetamide
Authors: Al-Taifi Elham A. , Maraei Islam S. , Bakhite Etify A. , Demirtas Güneş , Mague Joel. T. , Mohamed Shaaban K. , Ramli Youssef
Published: January 2021

In the title molecule, C28H27N3O3S, the heterocyclic portion of the tetrahydroisoquinoline unit is planar and an intramolecular N—H...N hydrogen bond and a C—H...π(ring) interaction help to determine the overall conformation. In the crystal, a layer structure with the layers parallel to (10\overline{1}) is generated by O—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds.
Rank-dependent preferences, social network and crop insurance uptake: field experimental evidence from rural China
Authors: Zhang Ruojin , Fan Dan , Lai Gene , Wu Junqian , Li Jungong
Published: January 2021

Purpose

Agricultural insurance has become increasingly important to farmers' livelihood and production in rural China. Yet despite the enormous governmental subsidizing efforts, the insurance participation rate remains below expectations. This study revisits the linkage between farmers' risk attitudes and crop insurance utilization by providing a cross-cutting perspective such that the role of risk aversion is re-scrutinized in Chinese “kindred” village economies.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors administrated a lottery-based multiple price list (MPL) experiment by recruiting rice farmers from 12 villages in Sichuan province in southwestern China. Using the experimental data, farmers' risk attitudes are assessed and coefficients of risk aversion are estimated within the rank-dependent expected utility (RDEU) framework by maximizing a structured likelihood function.

Findings

This study provides substantiating evidence that rice farmers in southwestern China exhibit relatively high risk aversion. The authors also provide suggestive evidence of the positive relationship between farmers' risk aversion and crop insurance utilization. In addition, findings reveal that kinship network has a negative effect on crop insurance utilization, such that farmers who are connected in higher degree of kinship network have lower likelihood of crop insurance utilization, which suggests that kinship network may be substitute for formal crop insurance. Result also demonstrates that the incentive effect of risk aversion on farmers' crop insurance participation manifests differently depending on the degree of kinship network in rural China.

Originality/value

This study provides a cross-cutting perspective by scrutinizing the effects of farmers' risk attitudes and kinship network on crop insurance participation in rural China, which has received relatively little attention in the literature. Conclusions on the effects of risk aversion on crop insurance participation have been mixed in previous studies. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, little has been done to explicitly examine the influence of social proximity and networks on farmers' insurance uptake. This study attempts to fill both gaps. This study provides new insights which might shed lights on the understanding of farmers' crop insurance participation in rural China.
How does convenience drive consumers' webrooming intention?
Authors: Shankar Amit
Published: January 2021

Purpose

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of convenience on banking consumers' webrooming intention. To fulfil this objective, this study empirically investigates how convenience impacts consumers' webrooming intention, using a comprehensive moderated–mediation framework. The study investigates the mediating effects of perceived hedonic values and perceived utilitarian values and how these mediating effects are moderated by consumers' perceived security concerns.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a questionnaire-based offline survey from 534 banking users in India, using systematic sampling. The covariance-based structural equation modelling and PROCESS macro were used to examine the hypotheses.

Findings

The results indicated that access convenience, search convenience, benefit convenience and post-benefit convenience have a crucial impact on consumers' webrooming intention. The perceived hedonic values and perceived utilitarian values mediate the effects of convenience dimensions on webrooming intention, and mediation effects varied between high and low levels of consumers' perceived security concern.

Research limitations/implications

This study was conducted in India using cross-sectional data. The proposed model can be replicated in other countries using longitudinal data for generalising the findings.

Practical implications

The study's findings will help banks identify how to enhance convenience to manage channel-switching behaviour.

Originality/value

“Webrooming”, a key channel-switching concern in a multichannel banking context is investigated by examining the impact of convenience dimensions.
ISO-9001 implementation and critical success factors of the Jordanian consulting engineering firms
Authors: Sweis Rateb , AL-Huthaifi Nasser , Alawneh Afnan , Albalkhy Wassim , Suifan Taghrid , Saa'da Raeda
Published: January 2021

Purpose

This paper aims at studying the level of implementation of ISO 9001 in Jordanian consulting engineering firms and to what extent does the implementation effectiveness affect the success of the construction projects. Moreover, the paper seeks to identify the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that directly influence the ISO 9001 effectiveness in Jordanian consulting engineering firms.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was constructed and distributed to a sample of 125 employees from six ISO 9001-consulting firms. After collecting the data, exploratory factor analysis was utilized to validate the latent constructs (CSFs, ISO 9001 Effectiveness, and Firm Performance).

Findings

The findings suggest that firms experience a high level of ISO 9001 effectiveness. Moreover, among the five identified CSFs; employee attributes, external environmental pressure and quality system attribute had a significant impact on the ISO 9001 effectiveness, while internal motivation and firm attributes were insignificant.

Originality/value

The significance of this study lies in exploring such topic in the developing countries, since most of current studies were focused on developed contexts such as the USA and UK. Therefore, this research acts as a response to calls in the current literature regarding considering different industries and contexts.
Stochastic comparisons of series and parallel systems with independent heterogeneous Gumbel and truncated Gumbel components
Authors: Kızılaslan Fatih
Published: January 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the stochastic comparisons of the parallel system with independent heterogeneous Gumbel components and series and parallel systems with independent heterogeneous truncated Gumbel components in terms of various stochastic orderings.

Design/methodology/approach

The obtained results in this paper are obtained by using the vector majorization methods and results. First, the components of series and parallel systems are heterogeneous and having Gumbel or truncated Gumbel distributions. Second, multiple-outlier truncated Gumbel models are discussed for these systems. Then, the relationship between the systems having Gumbel components and Weibull components are considered. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations are performed to illustrate some obtained results.

Findings

The reversed hazard rate and likelihood ratio orderings are obtained for the parallel system of Gumbel components. Using these results, similar new results are derived for the series system of Weibull components. Stochastic comparisons for the series and parallel systems having truncated Gumbel components are established in terms of hazard rate, likelihood ratio and reversed hazard rate orderings. Some new results are also derived for the series and parallel systems of upper-truncated Weibull components.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge thus far, stochastic comparisons of series and parallel systems with Gumbel or truncated Gumble components have not been considered in the literature. Moreover, new results for Weibull and upper-truncated Weibull components are presented based on Gumbel case results.
Directive 2014/95/EU: building a research agenda
Authors: Korca Blerita , Costa Ericka
Published: January 2021

Purpose

This paper discusses the current state of research into Directive 2014/95/EU and non-financial disclosure (NFD), with the aim of offering a future research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have conducted a systematic literature review of 78 studies spanning seven years (2014–2020) that address Directive 2014/95/EU.

Findings

The literature review revealed four main avenues for future research. First, future studies could focus on addressing issues related to the EU Directive's potential impacts, both in terms of NFD and companies' financial performance. Second, because context plays an important role in defining the regulation's impact, future research should consider these contextual factors in NFD. Third, further research should investigate the interplay between the binding requirements of the Directive and the non-binding guidelines suggested to implement it. Finally, future research would do well to employ additional theoretical approaches in order to interpret the Directive's diverse effects for various countries, organisations and timelines.

Research limitations/implications

This research agenda is intended to help scholars in this field to understand what has yet to be known in order to develop a complete understanding of the EU Directive on non-financial information disclosure.

Practical implications

Focussing on the Directive's implementation across countries and organisations with a longitudinal approach, this paper could indicate whether or not mandatory reporting enhances non-financial information disclosure and consequently, organisational actions. This work could inform both companies' and policymakers' approach to disclosure, whether mandatory or otherwise.

Originality/value

To date, many studies have focussed on specific issues regarding the EU Directive. This paper, however, presents the first systematic literature review considering the current state of research into the EU Directive, thus drawing a future research agenda.
Purchasing behaviour and supplier base evolution – a longitudinal case study
Authors: Dubois Anna , Gadde Lars-Erik , Mattsson Lars-Gunnar
Published: January 2021

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to describe and analyse the evolution of the supplier base of a buying firm and the reasons behind these changes.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a case study of the changes over 52 years in a sub-set of the supplier base of a firm manufacturing fork-lifts.

Findings

The study shows that some relationships feature substantial longevity. However, the duration of one-third of the total relationships is shorter than five years. There was considerable variation over time in the dynamics of the supplier base in terms of entries and exits of suppliers. Owing to this variation, research findings and conclusions in short-term studies are heavily dependent on the specific conditions at the time of the study. Finally, no less than one-fourth of the terminated supplier relationships were reactivated later.

Research limitations/implications

The study was designed in a time when purchasing was considered entirely from the perspective of the buying firm. Further studies, therefore, must increasingly emphasise the role of suppliers and the interaction in the buyer–supplier relationships, as well as the embeddedness in networks.

Originality/value

The findings of the study are unique in two ways. First, they are based on systematic observations over more than 50 years. Second, the study involves the purchases of 11 components representing different technical and economic features. The (few) previous studies are based on much shorter time periods and involves fewer suppliers/components. Moreover, the findings regarding re-activation of terminated relationships represent unique contributions.
Social responsibility approach among universities’ community
Authors: Thanasi-Boçe Marsela , Kurtishi-Kastrati Selma
Published: January 2021

Purpose

This study aims to explore the extent to which universities in developing countries have adopted social responsibility (SR) and track its implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

Through content analysis, the study examined the SR activities in 14 universities in Albania and North Macedonia. A framework for assessing SR in universities was developed based on the ISO 26000/2010 standard and the main SR domains relevant to the university context were identified and analysed. A comparison between public and private universities was made and best practices were highlighted.

Findings

The results showed that the highest scoring domain is organisational governance, while the environment domain scored lowest. No significant differences between public and private universities were identified in the disclosure of the university social responsibility (USR) domains.

Research limitations/implications

Domains were assessed based on the online content the universities disclosed and did not consider any unpublished content.

Social implications

The best SR practices are promoted to increase other universities’ level of engagement with the USR approach.

Originality/value

The study adds to the contributions in the USR literature by providing a better understanding of the application of USR in developing countries. The developed framework may be used to assess USR engagement in a practical way.
Individual energy dynamics reveal nonlinear interaction of stressors threatening migratory fish populations
Authors: Chaparro‐Pedraza Perla Catalina , de Roos André M.
Published: January 2021

Migratory fish populations, like salmon, have dramatically declined for decades. Because of their extensive and energetically costly breeding migration, anadromous fish are sensitive to a variety of environmental stressors, in particular infrastructure building in freshwater streams that increases the energetic requirements of the breeding migration and food declines in the ocean.

While the effects of these stressors separately are well documented, the cumulative and interactive impacts of them are poorly understood.

Here, we use a bioenergetics model recently developed for fish life history to investigate the individual life history and population responses to these stressors combined.

We find that food decline in the ocean can mitigate rather than exacerbate the negative effect of elevated migration costs imposed by infrastructure building in streams. This counterintuitive effect results from the highly nonlinear manner in which these stressors interact and affect the individual energetics. In particular, this effect arises from the fact that individuals growing in the ocean under higher food conditions reach larger sizes with concomitant larger migration costs but are leaner. As a consequence of their lower energy densities, they spend most of their energy reserves to transport their body upstream when migration costs are high, and little is left for reproduction, resulting in lower individual fitness.

Our results highlight the need of a mechanistic understanding integrating individual energetics, life history and population dynamics to accurately assess biological consequences of environmental change.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Multi‐problem families in intensive specialised multi‐family therapy: Theoretical description and case study report
Authors: Overbeek Mathilde M. , Gudde Liesbeth M. , Rijnberk Corine , Hempel Roelie , Beijer Daniëla , Maras Athanasios
Published: January 2021

Some families experience chronic, severe and intergenerational problems across multiple domains in their lives. These multi‐problem families do not seem to benefit from standard treatment. For them, Intensive Specialized Multi‐Family Therapy (ISMFT) was developed at the Department of Family Psychiatry (DFP) of a mental health organization in the Netherlands. ISMFT is an integrative treatment based on multiple family therapy with added elements of solution‐focused therapy and a focus on the working alliance between families and therapists. This kind of intensive treatment for multi‐problem families is rare across Europe, and is often seen as a ‘last resort’ before a decision on out‐of‐home placement of the children is made. This paper describes the theoretical principles used in ISMFT and uses a case study of an anonymized family to describe the course of treatment and illustrate treatment principles.

Practitioner points

Offering multi‐family therapy helps families overcome feelings of isolation, maximises their own resources and provides opportunities for support and constructive criticism.

Therapists have an important role in facilitating a safe group atmosphere, as well as challenging parents by voicing different perspectives and reflecting on parental behaviour.

By making parents the expert on their own families, good treatment results can be achieved in therapy‐resistant multi‐problem families.
Bridging form and meaning: support from derivational suffixes in word learning
Authors: Dawson Nicola , Rastle Kathleen , Ricketts Jessie
Published: January 2021

Background

Vocabulary development is closely associated with morphological knowledge, yet work is needed to understand the mechanisms underpinning this relationship. One possibility is that because morphological relationships entail systematic mappings between word form (phonology and orthography) and word meaning (semantics and grammar), children may take advantage of these links to form high‐quality lexical representations when learning novel words. This study examined whether developing readers show superior semantic, phonological and orthographic learning of novel words when those words contain an existing suffix that is congruent with the definition of that word.

Methods

Two groups of adolescents (younger: 12–13 years, n = 39, and older: 16–19 years, n = 39) learned definitions for 18 nonwords, each comprising a nonword stem and an existing suffix (e.g., clantist). Half the definitions were semantically and syntactically congruent with the suffix; the other half were incongruent. Training took place across two sessions, followed by a series of post‐tests measuring semantic learning (through a semantic recall task), phonological learning (through a shadowing task), lexicalisation of nonwords (through a lexical decision task) and orthographic learning (through a spelling task).

Results

Both age groups showed significantly stronger semantic recall for items taught in the congruent compared with the incongruent condition. However, this effect did not emerge in our measures of phonological and orthographic learning or in lexicalisation of nonwords.

Conclusions

These findings provide some evidence that the presence of familiar suffixes in unfamiliar words facilitates novel word learning in adolescents, but in the present study, this benefit was only observed in the mappings between word form and meaning and not in the learning of word forms.
Intersectionality on the go: The diffusion of Black feminist knowledge across disciplinary and geographical borders
Authors: Keuchenius Anna , Mügge Liza
Published: January 2021

Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectionality” in 1989 as a critique of feminist and critical race scholarship's neglect of—respectively—race and gender. Since then, the concept has been interpreted and reinterpreted to appeal to new disciplinary, geographical, and sociocultural audiences, generating heated debates over its appropriation and continued political significance. Drawing on all 3,807 publications in Scopus that contain the word “intersectionality” in the title, abstract, or keywords, we map the spread of intersectionality in academia through its citations. Network analysis reveals the contours of its diffusion among the 6,098 scholars in our data set, while automated text analysis, manual coding, and the close reading of publications reveal how the application and interpretation of intersectional thinking has evolved over time and space. We find that the diffusion network exhibits communities that are not well demarcated by either discipline or geography. Communities form around one or a few highly referenced scholars who introduce intersectionality to new audiences while reinterpreting it in a way that speaks to their research interests. By examining the microscopic interactions of publications and citations, our complex systems approach is able to identify the macroscopic patterns of a controversial concept's diffusion.
Organised interests in the media and policy congruence: The contingent impact of the status quo
Authors: RASMUSSEN ANNE , BINDERKRANTZ ANNE SKORKJÆR , KLÜVER HEIKE
Published: January 2021

While a multitude of studies have investigated the link between opinion and policy, we have little knowledge of how and when organised interests affect this linkage. We argue that the alignment of organised interests affects opinion–policy congruence by influencing the weight decision‐makers attach to citizen preferences. Moreover, we propose that alignment between majorities of groups and the public matters the most when status quo bias must be overcome for the public to obtain its preferred policy. We test our theoretical claims drawing on a comprehensive media content analysis of 160 policy issues in Germany and Denmark. Our results present a more sceptical picture of the ability of groups to suppress the opinion–policy linkage than the one frequently presented in the academic literature and public debate. We find that the capacity of groups to affect whether policy is congruent with the majority of the public is restricted to situations where the public supports a change in the status quo. In these cases, policy is less likely to end up reflecting public opinion if the majority of interest groups do not support the public position. In cases where the public is supportive of the policy status quo, the position of interest groups does not affect the likelihood that policy will eventually reflect the preferred position of the public. Our findings expand existing knowledge of organised interests in the study of policy representation and have important implications for understanding democratic governance.