bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal properties of glutamate input support direction selectivity in the dendrites of retinal starburst amacrine cells
Authors: Srivastava Prerna , deRosenroll Geoff , Murphy-Baum Benjamin , Michaels Tracy , Matsumoto Akihiro , Yonehara Keisuke , Awatramani Gautam B.
Published: July 2022

Abstract

The asymmetric summation of kinetically distinct glutamate inputs across the dendrites of retinal “starburst” amacrine cells is proposed to underlie their direction selective properties, but experimentally verifying input kinetics has been a challenge. Here, we used two-photon glutamate sensor (iGluSnFR) imaging to directly measure the input kinetics across individual starburst dendrites. We found that signals measured from proximal dendrites were relatively sustained compared to those measured from distal dendrites. These differences were observed across a range of stimulus sizes and appeared to be shaped mainly by excitatory rather than inhibitory network interactions. Temporal deconvolution analysis suggests that the steady-state vesicle release rate was ∼ 3 times larger at proximal sites compared to distal sites. Using a connectomics-inspired computational model, we demonstrate that input kinetics play an important role in shaping direction selectivity at low stimulus velocities. Together, these results provide direct support for the ‘space-time wiring’ model for direction selectivity.
Bacterial pattern recognition in C. elegans by a nuclear hormone receptor
Authors: Peterson Nicholas D. , Tse Samantha Y. , Huang Qiuyu Judy , Schiffer Celia A. , Pukkila-Worley Read
Published: July 2022

Pattern recognition of bacterial products by host receptors is essential for innate immunity in many metazoans. Curiously, the nematode lineage lost canonical mechanisms of bacterial pattern recognition. Whether other immune receptors evolved in their place is not known. Here, we characterize the first bacterial pattern recognition receptor and its natural ligand in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We show that the C. elegans nuclear hormone receptor NHR-86/HNF4 senses phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN), a metabolite produced by pathogenic strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. PCN binds to the ligand-binding domain of NHR-86/HNF4, a ligand-gated transcription factor, and activates an anti-pathogen transcriptional program in intestinal epithelial cells that provides protection against P. aeruginosa. These data de-orphan a nuclear hormone receptor and demonstrate that surveillance of metabolite signals from bacteria allows nematodes to identify virulent pathogens in their environment that are poised to cause disease.
The CoQ biosynthetic di-iron carboxylate hydroxylase COQ7 is inhibited by in vivo metalation with manganese but remains function by metalation with cobalt
Authors: Wang Ying , Hekimi Siegfried
Published: July 2022

COQ7 is a mitochondrial hydroxylase that catalyzes the penultimate step of the biosynthesis of coenzyme Q (CoQ; ubiquinone). CoQ is an obligate component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain and an antioxidant. CoQ deficiencies due to mutations in CoQ biosynthetic enzymes are severe genetic disorders often manifesting as mitochondrial disease syndrome. COQ7 is part of the relatively rare class of di-iron carboxylate enzymes, which carry out a wide range of reactions. In a previous study we described how COQ7 activity is inhibited in mammalian cells after treatment with iron chelating agents. Here, we report that manganese exposure of mouse cells leads to decreased COQ7 activity and resulting CoQ deficiency, which might participate in manganese toxicity. We find that the presence of cobalt can interfere with the inhibition of COQ7 by manganese. We present evidence that both manganese inhibition and cobalt interference are the result of metal exchange at the di-iron active site of COQ7. We present findings that suggest that 1) cobalt has greater affinity for the active site of COQ7 than both iron and manganese and, 2) that iron replacement by cobalt at the active site preserves catalytic activity.
Intense light unleashes male-male courtship behavior in wild-typeDrosophila
Authors: Ueda Atsushi , Berg Abigayle , Khan Tashmit , Ruzicka Madeleine , Li Shuwen , Cramer Ellyn , Iyengar Atulya , Wu Chun-Fang
Published: July 2022

Drosophilacourtship studies have elucidated several principles of the neurogenetic organization of complex behavior. Through an integration across sensory modalities, males perform stereotypic patterns of chasing, courtship song production, and copulation attempts. Here we report a serendipitous finding that intense light not only enhances courtship toward female targets but also triggers unexpected courtship behaviors among male flies. Strikingly, in wild-type male-only chambers, we observed extreme behavioral manifestations, such as “chaining” and “wheeling”, resembling previously reported male-male courtship behaviors infruitlessmutants and in transformants with ectopicmini-white+overexpression. This male-male courtship was greatly diminished in a variety of visual system mutants, including disrupted phototransduction (norpA), eliminated eye-color screening pigments (white), or deletion of the R7 photoreceptor cells (sevenless). However, light-induced courtship was unhampered in wing-cut flies, despite their inability to produce courtship song, a major acoustic signal during courtship. Unexpectedly the olfactory mutantsorcoandsbldisplayed unrestrained male-male courtship. Particularly,orcomales attained maximum courtship scores under either dim or intense light conditions. Together, our observations support the notion that the innate male courtship behavior is restrained by olfactory cues under normal conditions but can be unleashed by strong visual stimulation inDrosophila.
Evolution of the regulation of developmental gene expression in blind Mexican cavefish
Authors: Leclercq Julien , Torres-Paz Jorge , Policarpo Maxime , Agnès François , Rétaux Sylvie
Published: July 2022

Changes in gene expression regulation during development are considered the main drivers of morphological evolution and diversification. Here, we analysed the embryonic transcriptomes of surface-dwelling and blind cave-adapted morphs of the species Astyanax mexicanus and their reciprocal F1 hybrids at tailbud stage. Comparing gene expression in parents and allelic expression ratios in hybrids, we found that ∼20% of the transcriptome is differentially expressed and that cis-regulatory changes are the main contributors to variations in early developmental gene expression in the two morphs. We provide a list of 108 cis-regulated genes that could contribute to cavefish developmental evolution, and further explore the regulatory mechanisms controlling the cellular and regional expression of rx3, a “master eye gene”. Using quantitative embryology approaches after fluorescent in situ hybridisation, cell transplantations and interference with signalling pathways, we show that rx3 cellular levels -controlling optic cell fates-are regulated in cis and in a cell-autonomous manner, whereas the size of rx3 domain -controlling eye size-depends on non-autonomous Wnt signalling. Altogether, we reveal how distinct mechanisms and regulatory modules can regulate developmental gene expression and shape developmental evolution, with negligible contribution of coding mutations.
NudC regulated Lis1 stability is essential for maintenance of dynamic microtubule ends in the axon terminal
Authors: Kawano Dane , Pinter Katherine , Chlebowski Madison , Petralia Ronald S. , Wang Ya-Xian , Nechiporuk Alex V. , Drerup Catherine M
Published: July 2022

Axon terminal structure is critical for neuronal function. This cellular compartment houses synaptic terminals and is a site of high metabolic and functional demand. Axon terminals are also the site of a change in microtubule structure within the neuron. Microtubule stability is decreased relative to the axon shaft due to an enrichment of microtubule plus ends and increase in microtubule dynamics. These dynamic microtubule plus ends have many functions including serving as a docking site for the microtubule motor protein complex Cytoplasmic dynein. Here, we report an unexplored function of the dynein motor in axon terminals: regulation of microtubule stability. Using a forward genetic screen, we identified a mutant with abnormal axon terminal structure due to a loss of function mutation in the dynein interacting protein NudC. We show that the primary function of NudC in the axon terminal is as a chaperone for the protein Lis1. Loss of NudC results in decreased Lis1 protein in this neuronal compartment. Decreased Lis1 in nudc mutants causes dynein/dynactin accumulation and increased microtubule stability in axon terminals. Microtubules in the proximal axon are unaffected. Abnormal microtubule stability and structure can be suppressed by pharmacologically inhibiting dynein, implicating excess dynein motor activity as causal in the enhanced axon terminal microtubule stability. Together, our data support a model in which local NudC-Lis1 modulation of dynein motor activity is critical for regulation of microtubule stability in the axon terminal.
Emergence and influence of sequence bias in evolutionarily malleable, mammalian tandem arrays
Authors: Brovkina Margarita V , Chapman Margaret A. , Holding Matthew L. , Clowney E. Josephine
Published: July 2022

The radiation of mammals at the extinction of the dinosaurs produced a plethora of new forms—as diverse as bats, dolphins, and elephants—in only 10-20 million years. Behind the scenes, adaptation to new niches is accompanied by extensive innovation in large families of genes that allow animals to contact the environment, including chemosensors, xenobiotic enzymes, and immune and barrier proteins. Genes in these “outward-looking” families are allelically diverse among humans and exhibit tissue-specific and sometimes stochastic expression. Here, we show that outward-looking genes are clustered in tandem arrays, enriched in AT-biased isochores, and lack CpG islands in their promoters. Models of mammalian genome evolution have not incorporated the sharply different functions and transcriptional patterns of genes in AT-versus GC-biased regions. To examine the relationship between gene family expansion, sequence content, and functional diversification, we use population genetic data and comparative analysis. First, we find that AT bias can emerge with gene family expansionin cis. Second, human genes in AT-biased isochores or with GC-poor promoters experience relatively low rates ofde novopoint mutation today but are enriched for functional variants. Finally, we find that isochores containing gene clusters exhibit low rates of recombination. We hypothesize that the depletion of GC bases in outward-facing gene clusters results from tolerance of sequence variation and low recombination. In turn, high AT content exerts a profound effect on their chromatin organization and transcriptional regulation.
A Sterol-PI(4)P exchanger controls the Tel1/ATM axis of the DNA Damage Response
Authors: Ovejero Sara , Kumanski Sylvain , Soulet Caroline , Azarli Julie , Pardo Benjamin , Santt Olivier , Constantinou Angelos , Pasero Philippe , Moriel-Carretero María
Published: July 2022

Upon DNA damage, cells activate the DNA Damage Response (DDR) to coordinate proliferation and DNA repair. Dietary, metabolic, and environmental inputs are emerging as modulators of how DNA surveillance and repair take place. Lipids hold potential to convey these cues, although little is known about how. We observed that lipid droplet (LD) number specifically increased in response to DNA breaks. We show that the selective storage of sterols into these LD concomitantly stabilizes phosphatidyl-4-inositol (PI(4)P) at the Golgi, where it binds the DDR kinase ATM. In turn, this titration attenuates the initial nuclear ATM-driven response to DNA breaks, thus allowing processive repair. Further, manipulating this loop impacts the kinetics of DNA damage signaling and repair in a predictable manner. Thus, our findings have major implications for tackling genetic instability pathologies through dietary and pharmacological interventions.
Size-dependent transition from steady contraction to waves in actomyosin networks with turnover
Authors: Krishna Ashwini , Savinov Mariya , Ierushalmi Niv , Mogilner Alex , Keren Kinneret
Published: July 2022

Actomyosin networks play essential roles in many cellular processes including intracellular transport, cell division, and cell motility, exhibiting a myriad of spatiotemporal patterns. Despite extensive research, how the interplay between network mechanics, turnover and geometry leads to these different patterns is not well understood. We focus on the size-dependent behavior of contracting actomyosin networks in the presence of turnover, using a reconstituted system based on cell extracts encapsulated in water-in-oil droplets. We find that the system can self-organize into different global contraction patterns, exhibiting persistent contractile flows in smaller droplets and periodic contractions in the form of waves or spirals in larger droplets. The transition between continuous and periodic contraction occurs at a characteristic length scale that is inversely dependent on the network contraction rate. These dynamics are recapitulated by a theoretical model, which considers the coexistence of different local density-dependent mechanical states with distinct rheological properties. The model shows how large-scale contractile behaviors emerge from the interplay between network percolation essential for long-range force transmission and rearrangements due to advection and turnover. Our findings thus demonstrate how varied contraction patterns can arise from the same microscopic constituents, without invoking specific biochemical regulation, merely by changing the system’s geometry.
Molecular evolution of the ependymin-related geneepdl2in African weakly electric fish
Authors: Losilla Mauricio , Gallant Jason R.
Published: July 2022

Gene duplication and subsequent molecular evolution can give rise to taxon-specific gene specializations. In a previous study, we found evidence that African weakly electric fish (Mormyridae) may have as many as three copies of theepdl2gene, and the expression of twoepdl2genes is correlated with electric signal divergence.Epdl2belongs to the ependymin-related family (EPDR), a functionally diverse family of secretory glycoproteins. In this study, we first describe vertebrate EPDR evolution and then present a detailed evolutionary history ofepdl2in Mormyridae with emphasis on the speciose genusParamormyrops. Using Sanger sequencing, we confirm three apparently functionalepdl2genes inP. kingsleyae. Next, we developed a nanopore-based amplicon sequencing strategy and bioinformatics pipeline to obtain and classify full-lengthepdl2gene sequences (N = 34) across Mormyridae. Our phylogenetic analysis proposes three or fourepdl2paralogs dating from earlyParamormyropsevolution. Finally, we conducted selection tests which detected positive selection around the duplication events and identified ten sites likely targeted by selection in the resulting paralogs. These sites’ locations in our modeled 3D protein structure involve four sites in ligand binding and six sites in homodimer formation. Together, these findings strongly imply thatepdl2genes display signatures of selection-driven functional specialization after tandem duplications in the rapidly speciatingParamormyrops. Considering previous evidence, we propose thatepdl2may contribute to electric signal diversification in mormyrids, an important aspect of species recognition during mating.
Molecular and Anatomical Characterization of Parabrachial Neurons and Their Axonal Projections
Authors: Pauli Jordan L. , Chen Jane Y. , Basiri Marcus L. , Park Sekun , Carter Matthew E. , Sanz Elisendra , McKnight G. Stanley , Stuber Garret D. , Palmiter Richard D.
Published: July 2022

The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) is a major hub that receives sensory information from both internal and external environments. Specific populations of PBN neurons are involved in behaviors including food and water intake, pain sensation, breathing regulation, as well as learning and responding appropriately to threatening stimuli. However, it is unclear how many PBN neuron populations exist and how different behaviors may be encoded by unique signaling molecules or receptors. Here we provide a repository of data on the molecular identity, spatial location, and projection patterns on dozens of PBN neuron subclusters. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we identified 21 subclusters of neurons in the PBN and neighboring regions. Multiplexed in situ hybridization showed many of these subclusters are localized to distinct PBN subregions. We also describe two major ascending pathways that innervate distinct brain regions by analyzing axonal projections in 21 Cre-driver lines of mice. These results are all publicly available for download and provide a foundation for further interrogation of PBN functions and connections.
Loop stacking organizes genome folding from TADs to chromosomes
Authors: Hafner Antonina , Park Minhee , Berger Scott E. , Nora Elphège P. , Boettiger Alistair N.
Published: July 2022

While population level analyses reveal significant roles for CTCF and cohesin in mammalian genome organization, their contribution to chromatin structure and gene regulation at the single-cell level remain incompletely understood 1–4. Here, we use a super-resolution microscopy approach, Optical Reconstruction of Chromatin Architecture (ORCA) 5 to measure the effects of removal of CTCF or cohesin on genome folding across genomic scales. In untreated embryonic stem cells, we observe intricate, frequently stacked loops of chromatin which are largely dissolved upon cohesin removal. The loops compact chromatin at the < 3 Mb scale, increasing proximity between sequences not only within but also between TADs. We find multi-way contacts among loop anchors, preferentially at TAD borders, and these hubs largely dissolve upon CTCF degradation. CTCF-hubs bridge intervening TAD boundaries while keeping border distal regions from neighboring TADs apart outside the hub. Cohesin dependent loops at the < 3 Mb scale impede mixing at larger chromosomal scales through steric effects of loop stacking, dramatically reducing genomic cross-talk. Disruption of this ordered chromosomal structure led to increased cell-cell variability in gene expression, exceeding changes to average expression. Together our data revise the TAD-centric understanding of CTCF and cohesin, and provide a multi-scale, structural picture of how they organize the genome on the single-cell level through distinct contributions to loop stacking.
Senescence in yeast is associated with chromosome XII fragments rather than ribosomal DNA circle accumulation
Authors: Zylstra Andre , Hadj-Moussa Hanane , Horkai Dorottya , Whale Alex , Piguet Baptiste , Houseley Jonathan
Published: July 2022

The massive accumulation of extrachromosomal ribosomal DNA circles (ERCs) in yeast mother cells has been long cited as the primary driver of replicative ageing. ERCs arise through ribosomal DNA (rDNA) recombination and a wealth of genetic data connects rDNA instability events giving rise to ERCs with shortened lifespan and other ageing pathologies. However, we understand little about the molecular effects of ERC accumulation. Here we studied ageing in the presence and absence of ERCs, and unexpectedly found no evidence of gene expression differences that might indicate stress responses or metabolic feedback caused by ERCs. Neither did we observe any global change in the widespread disruption of gene expression that accompanies yeast ageing, altogether suggesting that ERCs are largely inert. Much of the differential gene expression that accompanies ageing in yeast was actually associated with markers of the Senescence Entry Point (SEP), showing that senescence rather than age underlies these changes. Cells passed the SEP irrespective of ERCs, but we found the SEP to be associated with copy number amplification of a region of chromosome XII between the rDNA and the telomere (ChrXIIr), which arises in aged cells due to rDNA instability but through a different mechanism to ERCs. Therefore, although rDNA copy number increases dramatically with age due to ERC accumulation, our findings implicate ChrXIIr, rather than ERCs, as the primary driver of senescence during budding yeast ageing.
Balancing the scales: fine-tuning Polo-like kinase 4 to ensure proper centriole duplication
Authors: Ryniawec John M. , Rogers Gregory C.
Published: July 2022

Polo-like kinase 4 (Plk4) is the master regulator of centriole assembly. Several evolutionarily conserved mechanisms strictly regulate Plk4 abundance and activity to ensure cells maintain a proper number of centrioles. In this issue of Genes & Development, Phan et al. (pp. 718–736) add to this growing list by describing a new mechanism of control that restricts Plk4 translation through competitive ribosome binding at upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in the mature Plk4 mRNA. Fascinatingly, this mechanism is especially critical in the development of primordial germ cells in mice that are transcriptionally hyperactive and thus exquisitely sensitive to Plk4 mRNA regulation.
Synthesis, characterization, crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of a hexahydroquinoline derivative: tert-butyl 4-([1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)-2,6,6-trimethyl-5-oxo-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydroquinoline-3-carboxylate
Authors: Yıldırım Sema Öztürk , Akkurt Mehmet , Çetin Gökalp , Şimşek Rahime , Butcher Ray J. , Bhattarai Ajaya
Published: July 2022

The title compound, C29H33NO3, crystallizes with three molecules (A, B and C) in the asymmetric unit. They differ in the twist of the phenyl and benzene rings of the 1,1′-biphenyl ring with respect to the plane of the 1,4-dihydropyridine ring. In all three molecules, the 1,4-dihydropyridine ring adopts a distorted boat conformation. The cyclohexene ring has an envelope conformation in molecules A and B, while it exhibits a distorted half-chair conformation for both the major and minor components in the disordered molecule C. In the crystal, molecules are linked by C—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming layers parallel to (100) defining R
1
4(6) and C(7) graph-set motifs. Additional C—H...π interactions consolidate the layered structure. Between the layers, van der Waals interactions stabilize the packing, as revealed by Hirshfeld surface analysis. The greatest contributions to the crystal packing are from H...H (69.6% in A, 69.9% in B, 70.1% in C), C...H/H...C (20.3% in A, 20.6% in B, 20.3% in C) and O...H/H...O (8.6% in A, 8.6% in B, 8.4% in C) interactions.
Training undergraduate research assistants with an outcome-oriented and skill-based mentoring strategy
Authors: Della Corte Dennis , Morris Connor J. , Billings Wendy M. , Stern Jacob , Jarrett Austin J. , Hedelius Bryce , Bennion Adam
Published: July 2022

Effective mentoring of undergraduate students is a growing requirement for the promotion of faculty at many universities. It is often challenging for young investigators to define a successful mentoring strategy, partially due to the absence of a broadly accepted definition of what mentoring should entail. To overcome this, an outcome-oriented mentoring framework was developed and used with more than 25 students over three years. It was found that a systematic mentoring approach can help students quickly realize their scientific potential and result in meaningful contributions to science. This report especially shows how the Critical Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction (CASP14) challenge was used to amplify student research efforts. As a result of this challenge, multiple publications, presentations and scholarships were awarded to the participating students. The mentoring framework continues to see much success in allowing undergraduate students, including students from underrepresented groups, to foster scientific talent and make meaningful contributions to the scientific community.
A knowledge graph completion model integrating entity description and network structure
Authors: Yu Chuanming , Zhang Zhengang , An Lu , Li Gang
Published: July 2022

Purpose

In recent years, knowledge graph completion has gained increasing research focus and shown significant improvements. However, most existing models only use the structures of knowledge graph triples when obtaining the entity and relationship representations. In contrast, the integration of the entity description and the knowledge graph network structure has been ignored. This paper aims to investigate how to leverage both the entity description and the network structure to enhance the knowledge graph completion with a high generalization ability among different datasets.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose an entity-description augmented knowledge graph completion model (EDA-KGC), which incorporates the entity description and network structure. It consists of three modules, i.e. representation initialization, deep interaction and reasoning. The representation initialization module utilizes entity descriptions to obtain the pre-trained representation of entities. The deep interaction module acquires the features of the deep interaction between entities and relationships. The reasoning component performs matrix manipulations with the deep interaction feature vector and entity representation matrix, thus obtaining the probability distribution of target entities. The authors conduct intensive experiments on the FB15K, WN18, FB15K-237 and WN18RR data sets to validate the effect of the proposed model.

Findings

The experiments demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms the traditional structure-based knowledge graph completion model and the entity-description-enhanced knowledge graph completion model. The experiments also suggest that the model has greater feasibility in different scenarios such as sparse data, dynamic entities and limited training epochs. The study shows that the integration of entity description and network structure can significantly increase the effect of the knowledge graph completion task.

Originality/value

The research has a significant reference for completing the missing information in the knowledge graph and improving the application effect of the knowledge graph in information retrieval, question answering and other fields.
The impact of regional economic incentives on underwriters' market share in China
Authors: Gong Stephen , Shan Liwei , Yu Li
Published: July 2022

Purpose

To examine whether and how the different levels of regional economic incentives would have an effect on underwriters' market share in general.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on Chinese IPO firms during the period 2006-2016, this study examines the impact of different levels of regional economic incentives on underwriters' market share.

Findings

The authors find that regional economic incentives have a positive impact on underwriters' market share and that local economic incentives have a significantly stronger impact than central economic incentives. Furthermore, the authors find that IPO firms with underwriters driven by regional economic incentives experience worse post-IPO performance than firms with underwriters driven by central economic incentives, which do not experience a significant decline in post-IPO performance.

Originality/value

Taken together, the authors’ findings are consistent with the notion that performance assessment motivates officials at various levels of government to bring companies in their jurisdiction to the IPO market prematurely. In addition, the results indicate that central economic incentives play a significant role in driving China's macroeconomic development and market-oriented system reforms. As such, they are one of the major driving forces behind China's market-oriented system reforms.
Participant or spectator? Comprehending the sport sponsorship process from different perspectives
Authors: Koronios Konstantinos , Thrassou Alkis , Ntasis Lazaros , Sakka Georgia
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Despite the fact this is already known over how sports spectators interpret sponsorship content, less is known about participants’ sentiments toward sponsors, which are sometimes crucial to the survival of participation sporting events. Various researchers have examined at how spectators recognize or recall sponsors, but very few have explored it from the viewpoint of sport participants. This research portrays a shift in focus from spectator-based to participant-based marketing by studying the differences over how participants and spectators perceive sport sponsorship, recognizing the current knowledge gap regarding the process of sponsorship in participant-based sports. Sponsorship previous research has focused on the effectiveness of sport sponsorships utilizing variables such sponsor recognition, desire to sponsors’ products and anticipated sponsorship advantages (Koronios and Dimitropoulos, 2020). The examination of sport sponsorship from the standpoint of the sport spectator is something that many of the past studies have in common. The application of past research analysing sport sponsorship from a distinct perspective: that of the sport participant, distinguishes the present study. In addition, the present study explores the distinctions in sponsorship effectiveness between spectators and participants, a topic which hasn't been addressed at before in sponsorship literature.

Design/methodology/approach

This study depicts a move away from spectator-based to participant-based marketing, utilizing contemporary implicit physiological variables to measure participants’ and spectators’ awareness of and attitude toward sponsors, and it proposes a model of their purchase intentions toward real sponsors of a martial event. A total of 1,332 questionnaires were collected and analysed.

Findings

Factors such as sport involvement, social media use, sincerity and beliefs of sponsorship were found to have a significant effect on purchase intention of spectators and participants. And crucial differences in the significance of various antecedent factors between spectators and participants were detected in the formation of positive purchase and word-of-mouth intentions.

Originality/value

This paper gives prominence to contemporary methodological advances in the field of implicit social cognition and their relevance to sponsorship. This is the first sponsorship research which examines the effectiveness of sponsorship variables under the implicit–explicit variables dichotomy.
Post-pandemic assessment of online teaching and learning in higher business education
Authors: Chen Cindy , Landa Sabrina , Padilla Aivanna , Yur-Austin Jasmine
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Academic institutions with sufficient resources rapidly deployed virtual teaching technologies and training to minimize disruption following the Spring 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. This paper shares a College of Business experience to provide insights for administrators tasked with future online course scheduling decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire was administered in Fall (2020) to measure student perceptions of online learning using Likert-style questioning. The researchers used the results to build a structural equation model to differentiate perceptions between online course modalities and curriculum rigor (graduate/undergraduate, upper/lower divisions) and field of study (quantitative/qualitative, MBA/MS) factors.

Findings

The empirical findings support the notation that graduate and undergraduate learners exhibit different preferences of online modalities. The findings further demonstrate that curriculum rigor factors and field of study influence student satisfaction of online courses. The evidence also suggests varying dependence on instructor competency and technology effectiveness across asynchronous, hybrid, and synchronous modalities.

Practical implications

While this study is limited to the results of one higher education institution during a tumultuous period, as online education trends increase, the authors' methodology can be adapted and scaled to support post-pandemic administrative decision-making.

Originality/value

The research provides a new dimension on the perspectives of online learners through gathering perceptions in a timely student-centered survey administered during the emergency alternative modes of instruction. The research explores certain predictive factors to better align online modalities with learner satisfaction.
Emergency responders’ moral sensemaking: the influence of compartmentalization
Authors: Kalkman Jori Pascal , Kramer Eric-Hans
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Emergency organizations allocate specific tasks to responders in an attempt to resolve increasingly complex incidents. Many studies take a pragmatic perspective by studying how emergency organizations can more effectively compartmentalize response tasks. Yet, the effects of compartmentalization on responders' sensemaking of moral issues (i.e. moral sensemaking) has received almost no attention.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on existing research, the authors bring together different insights on the relation between compartmentalization and emergency responders’ sensemaking of moral issues.

Findings

The authors demonstrate that emergency organizations may undermine the moral sensemaking of responders through introducing moral blind spots and moral dissociation or, instead, enable moral sensemaking through enhancing moral agency and awareness. The authors argue that emergency organizations need to induce moral sense-discrediting among responders to enhance their moral sensemaking. Finally, the authors conclude with discussing two types of compartmentalizing tasks, functional concentration and the holographic metaphor, to show that the latter is most likely to enhance moral sensemaking among emergency responders.

Originality/value

This study introduces moral sensemaking to the emergency management literature and investigates how organizational design influences it.
Value stream mapping from the customer's perspective: expanding concepts, representations and key performance indicators based on a typical real case study
Authors: Guimarães Leonardo de Aragão , Jardim Eduardo Galvão Moura , Guimarães Marujo Lino
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This study aims to improve the buying experience for both customers and providers by presenting a conceptual basis which seeks to expand the usual understanding, representation, mapping and measurements of the different value and non-value stages of a customer purchase journey (CPJ).

Design/methodology/approach

Inspired by the precepts of lean thinking, with emphasis on the value stream mapping method, the approach is based on an in-depth analysis of a real and typical e-commerce acquisition of an electronic customised product (a mobile phone) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

This study demonstrates different types of consumer stages, values and wastes for the CPJ. This allowed the development of a mathematical formulation – named customer journey engineering (CJE) – from which improvements of the different categories can be identified. Exemplifying with those whose implementations require no further efforts or costs, the following results could be readily obtained in the case studied: a reduction of 96 h of non-value activities, an improvement of approximately 15% of the established index for customer satisfaction and avoidance of loss worth US$50 for the analysed customer.

Research limitations/implications

The consistency and applicability of the qualitative and quantitative findings presented here should be examined further in other customer purchase scenarios, allowing enhancements of the CJE approach.

Originality/value

Regardless of the context in question, this investigation attempts to identify and precisely define any common universal elements, often overlooked, which constitute the structure of any CPJ and are crucial for its understanding and improvement.
Operational excellence through triple bottom line in emerging countries: a systematic review and conceptual model proposal in production research
Authors: Henriquez Rafael , Muñoz-Villamizar Andrés , Santos Javier
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This research has the following specific objectives: provide an overview of the literature addressing operational excellence (OE) and OE in emerging countries; propose an integrative framework of OE attributes; and propose future research directions for the OE literature.

Design/methodology/approach

To remain competitive in industry, many organizations are implementing OE initiatives. However, achieving OE in emerging markets has been a pressing challenge due to the scarce knowledge on how it works. Through a systematic review of the literature, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the concept of OE in emerging countries through the triple bottom line.

Findings

This study has found nine attributes of OE based on the three pillars of sustainability or triple bottom line (economic, environmental and social). Four of them were the most cited and served to build the proposed framework. The analysis concludes that most of the studies related to OE in emerging countries have been carried out in Asia. Finally, based on the results obtained from the literature review, six points of future research are proposed based on three research directions: OE in emerging countries, active participation by employees and culture generation and finally, research methods.

Originality/value

The gap that is filled in this study is that some authors have studied the application of OE in emerging countries, specifically on the Asian continent. In those cases, the literature is either oriented to describing OE from different perspectives or to its application in different companies, some of which are emerging countries. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no study that describes the specific and complete aspects that make up a model of OE and which can show how this model can be applied in emerging countries.
Intensive distribution and sales promotion for improving customer-based brand equity (CBBE), re-purchase intention and word-of-mouth (WOM)
Authors: Langga Ande , Kusumawati Andriani , Alhabsji Taher
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Investigating the influence of intensive distribution and sales promotion towards customer-based brand equity, repurchase intention and word-of-mouth (WOM) (study on Suzuki car owners in PT Surya Batara Mahkota Wilayah Nusa Tenggara Timur).

Design/methodology/approach

The research was conducted in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and the analysis unit was customers of PT. Surya Batara Mahkota NTT (PT SBM NTT) as the owner of the Suzuki car. The population is 1,782 Suzuki car owners who bought their cars from PT SBM NTT, based on data from 2015. The sampling technique is the multi-stage area sampling.

Findings

Incentives distribution had significant and positive influence towards brand equity and repurchase intention. Sales promotion had significant and positive influence towards word-of-mouth (WOM), but it did not have influence towards brand equity. Brand equity had significant influence towards repurchase intention and WOM. On the other hand, repurchase intention did not have influence towards WOM.

Originality/value

The originality of this study was that the researchers did not find a previous study that discussed the relationship between intensive distribution and repurchase intention, between sales promotion and WOM and between customer-based brand equity and WOM. Previous studies used different variables as determinants of positive WOM.
Generational cohorts and their predisposition toward entrepreneurship in an emerging economy
Authors: Arkorful Helen , Hilton Sam Kris , Awaah Fred
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The study investigates the predisposition of generational cohorts toward entrepreneurship in an emerging economy as entrepreneurship has arguably become a panacea for unemployment and sustainable economic development.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts descriptive and cross-sectional survey designs. The study also employs quantitative approach to collect the data from 1,000 workers in 20 selected private and public organizations in Ghana. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and hierarchical regression techniques.

Findings

The results reveal that baby boomers and Generation Z (Gen Z) have a higher predisposition toward entrepreneurship, while Generation X (Gen X) and Generation Y (Gen Y) have a lower predisposition toward entrepreneurship. However, the study found that baby boomers are more predisposed to entrepreneurship than all the generational cohorts. Furthermore, a generation may become entrepreneurs regardless of their gender. Finally, individuals with higher educational qualification (i.e. masters and doctorate) are more likely to become entrepreneurs in a given generation.

Practical implications

The findings imply that entrepreneurial opportunities (such as ease of doing business, favorable business regulations, access to credit facilities, low interest rate, ease of registering business, start-up capital, etc.) should be created by government and its stakeholders to serve as stimuli for members of these generations (particularly baby boomers and Gen Z) to participate fully in entrepreneurial activities. In addition, the culture of “go to college and graduate with the expectation of government employment” and “job for life” should be discouraged to allow members of Gen X and Gen Y build up entrepreneurial mindsets.

Originality/value

This study contributes to generational cohorts and entrepreneurship literature by providing a perspective from the cultural and socio-economic background of an emerging economy. Additionally, this study demonstrates that irrespective of gender, one may become an entrepreneur and highly educated individuals tend be entrepreneurs.
The barriers to adapting accounting practices to circular economy implementation: an evidence from Ghana
Authors: Kwarteng Amoako , Agyenim-Boateng Cletus , Simpson Samuel Nana Yaw
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The rapid development in the circular economy phenomenon raises the prospects of potential tension between the existing accounting practices and the principles of circular economy. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the barriers to adapting the current accounting practices to circular economy implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses exploratory qualitative study design, and semi-structured interviews were conducted among professional accountants in Ghana. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit respondents, and data saturation was achieved with 45 respondents. Data collection and analysis were undertaken concurrently and emerging themes were investigated as the study progressed.

Findings

The results indicate that there are several barriers to adapting the current accounting practices to circular economy implementation. The specific barriers as revealed in the data analysis are: accounting reporting barriers, financial/economic barriers, technological barriers, managerial/behavioral barriers, organizational barriers and institutional barriers.

Originality/value

The study responded to a global call by coalition circular accounting to identify and potentially over accounting related challenges that impedes the transition to circular economy. The study’s originality stems from the fact that it explores the issue from a developing country perspective, which has received limited attention in the extant literature.
Virtual team performance: E-leadership roles in the era of COVID-19
Authors: Kashive Neerja , Khanna Vandana Tandon , Powale Lina
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation has led to the emergence of virtual teams in all organizations, and the role of leadership has become more pertinent. The current research focuses on understanding the factors for better team performance in virtual teams. Based on the contingency perspective, the behavioral complexity in leadership (BCL) theory is the most appropriate as BCL requires the leader to demonstrate multiple contrasting leadership behaviors according to the situation. Both internal as well external roles were explored, which could facilitate better communication quality and role clarity to increase interpersonal trust and leadership effectiveness in the current crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from employees who have worked in virtual teams during the crisis and who have experience of working in a virtual team environment. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed, and 175 were received. A path model was built applying partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

Communication quality has come as a partial mediator for the relationship between internal and external leadership roles and trust. Role clarity fully mediated the relationship between external leadership roles and conflict. Internal and external leadership roles showed a significant effect on leadership effectiveness, which were further related to team performance in virtual teams. Additionally, synchronous technology was used more by virtual teams.

Research limitations/implications

The study did not examine cultural differences or cultural adaptation in virtual teams. Instead of the BCL theory, future research may apply attribute-based or relational-based theory to examine leadership roles in virtual team performance.

Originality/value

Using the BCL theory, the current study contributes to an understanding of virtual team performance and the internal as well as external role of leaders. This is relevant in an environment of extreme ambiguity such as COVID-19.
A typology of internationalisation patterns for SMEs in developing countries
Authors: Aghazadeh Hashem , Zandi Farzad
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is twofold. Firstly, it provides an inclusive categorical framework of internationalisation patterns for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and secondly, it presents unique evidence from a developing country and corroborates the proposed framework.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional convergent mixed-method design was applied to this research. A phenomenological design was used to develop the typology framework, and subsequently, practical evidence was collected through a cross-sectional survey using a self-reporting questionnaire. A two-step hierarchical clustering analysis was performed to test the framework’s robustness, and a set of characteristics was compared between the patterns via a one-way analysis of variance, F-test.

Findings

The robustness of the constructed categorical framework of 32 internationalisation patterns is substantiated, suggesting that this framework produces veracious discrimination between all patterns of internationalisation. Evidence revealed that the majority of firms showed regional and incremental internationalising behaviour. No true born globals were observed; however, several other early or fast patterns such as “born-international”, “global new venture” and “born-again regional” emerged.

Originality/value

This paper presents a categorical framework and provides evidence of the behaviour of internationalising SMEs from a Middle Eastern developing economy. The categorical framework constructed in this paper uses predefined thresholds, and it is of value because it is inclusive, rigid and incisive. This paper also provides essential insights into the sub-patterns of internationalisation, specifically the born-again and regional phenomenon of internationalisation.