bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Twisting to freedom: The evolution of copulation termination techniques across 48 species of sepsids (Diptera, Sepsidae)
Authors: Tuan Mindy Jia Min , Araujo Diego Pitta , Puniamoorthy Nalini , Woodford Jeremy M , Meier Rudolf
Published: July 2021

Studies of insect mating behaviour usually focus on what happens before and during copulation. Few pay close attention to the actions needed to end copulation. However, genital separation after copulation is likely to be an important cause of mechanical stress and injuries because it often involves the withdrawal of heavily armoured male intromittent organs from membranous female reproductive tracts. Difficult and/or slow separations can also reduce male and female fitness by increasing their exposure to predation. We here report the results of a comparative study of separation behaviour in 48 species of Sepsidae (Diptera) and one outgroup. We find a surprising amount of qualitative and quantitative behavioural variability within and between species. We characterize and reconstruct three types of behaviours: 1) The sepsid ancestor likely used ‘back-off; a gentle separation technique that does not involve any pulling or twisting (https://youtu.be/EbkJvOaubZ0). 2) This potentially gave rise to the most common ‘pull’ technique where the male turns 180 degrees and pulls in an opposite direction from the female (https://youtu.be/oLf4xGpkk1s). This separation can be quick and straightforward, but in some species the ‘pull’ is slow and protracted and we routinely find dead males and/or females attached to their living partners in the latter (difficult: https://youtu.be/MbYPbXN6jr0; failure: https://youtu.be/leTiXefFzCc). 3) Finally, several species use ‘twist’, a new technique where the male rotates >360 degrees from the initial mounting position (https://youtu.be/WMUXbIPyLbk). We document that species capable of using ‘twist’ have shorter and less variable separation times than those using “pull”. However, many species capable of ‘twist’ also retain the ability to use ‘pull’ (‘back-off’/’pull’= 8%; ‘pull’ only= 41%; ‘twist’/ ‘pull’= 24%; ‘twist’ only = 27%). Overall, our study suggests that separation behaviour can vary among closely related species and highlights the significance of studying variable behavioural traits in a phylogenetic context.
Individually Unique Dynamics of Cortical Connectivity Reflect the Ongoing Intensity of Chronic Pain
Authors: Mayr Astrid , Jahn Pauline , Deak Bettina , Stankewitz Anne , Devulapally Vasudev , Witkovsky Viktor , Dietrich Olaf , Schulz Enrico
Published: July 2021

Background

Chronic pain diseases are characterised by an ongoing and fluctuating endogenous pain, yet it remains to be elucidated how this is reflected by the dynamics of ongoing functional cortical connections. The present study addresses this disparity by taking the individual perspective of pain patients into account, which is the varying intensity of endogenous pain.

Methods

To this end, we investigated the cortical encoding of 20 chronic back pain patients and 20 chronic migraineurs in four repeated fMRI sessions. During the recording, the patients were asked to continuously rate their pain intensity. A brain parcellation approach subdivided the whole brain into 408 regions. A 10 s sliding-window connectivity analysis computed the pair-wise and time-varying connectivity between all brain regions across the entire recording period. Linear mixed effects models were fitted for each pair of brain regions to explore the relationship between cortical connectivity and the observed trajectory of the patients’ fluctuating endogenous pain.

Results

Two pain processing entities were taken into account: pain intensity (high, middle, low pain) and the direction of pain intensity changes (rising vs. falling pain). Overall, we found that periods of high and increasing pain were predominantly related to low cortical connectivity. For chronic back pain this applies to the pain intensity-related connectivity for limbic and cingulate areas, and for the precuneus. The change of pain intensity was subserved by connections in left parietal opercular regions, right insular regions, as well as large parts of the parietal, cingular and motor cortices. The change of pain intensity direction in chronic migraine was reflected by decreasing connectivity between the anterior insular cortex and orbitofrontal areas, as well as between the PCC and frontal and ACC regions.

Conclusions

Interestingly, the group results were not mirrored by the individual patterns of pain-related connectivity, which is suggested to deny the idea of a common neuronal core problem for chronic pain diseases. In a similar vein, our findings are supported by the experience of clinicians, who encounter patients with a unique composition of characteristics: personality traits, various combinations of symptoms, and a wide range of individual responses to treatment. The diversity of the individual cortical signatures of chronic pain encoding results adds to the understanding of chronic pain as a complex and multifaceted disease. The present findings support recent developments for more personalised medicine.
Rethinking habitat occupancy modeling and the role of diel activity in an anthropogenic world
Authors: Rivera Kimberly , Fidino Mason , Farris Zach J. , Magle Seth B. , Murphy Asia , Gerber Brian D.
Published: July 2021

Current methods to model species habitat use through space and diel time are limited. Development of such models is critical when considering rapidly changing habitats where species are forced to adapt to anthropogenic change, often by shifting their diel activity across space. We use an occupancy modeling framework to develop a new model, the multi-state diel occupancy model (MSDOM), which can evaluate species diel activity against continuous response variables which may impact diel activity within and across seasons or years. We used two case studies, fosa in Madagascar and coyote in Chicago, USA, to conceptualize the application of this model and to quantify the impacts of human activity on species spatial use in diel time. We found support that both species varied their habitat use by diel states—in and across years, and by human disturbance. Our results exemplify the importance of understanding animal diel activity patterns and how human disturbance can lead to temporal habitat loss. The MSDOM will allow more focused attention in ecology and evolution studies on the importance of the short temporal scale of diel time in animal-habitat relationships and lead to improved habitat conservation and management.
Genome of the parasitoid wasp Dinocampus coccinellae reveals extensive duplications, accelerated evolution, and independent origins of thelytokous parthenogeny and solitary behavior
Authors: Sethuraman Arun , Tovar Alicia , Welch Walker , Dettmers Ryan , Arce Camila , Skaggs Timothy , Rothenberg Alexander , Saisho Roxane , Summerhays Bryce , Cartmill Ryan , Grenier Christy , Vasquez Yumary , Vansant Hannah , Obrycki John
Published: July 2021

Dinocampus coccinellae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a generalist parasitoid wasp that parasitizes >50 species of predatory lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), with thelytokous parthenogeny as its primary mode of reproduction. Here we present the first high quality genome of D. coccinellae using a combination of short and long read sequencing technologies, followed by assembly and scaffolding of chromosomal segments using Chicago+ HiC technologies. We also present a first-pass ab initio genome annotation, and resolve timings of divergence and evolution of (1) solitary behavior vs eusociality, (2) arrhenotokous vs thelytokous parthenogenesis, and (3) rates of gene loss and gain among Hymenopteran lineages. Our study finds (1) at least two independent origins of eusociality and solitary behavior among Hymenoptera, (2) two independent origins of thelytokous parthenogenesis from ancestral arrhenotoky, and (3) accelerated rates of gene duplications, loss, and gain along the lineages leading to D. coccinellae. Our work both affirms the ancient divergence of Braconid wasps from ancestral Hymenopterans and accelerated rates of evolution in response to adaptations to novel hosts, including polyDNA viral co-evolution.
A transferable IncC-IncX3 hybrid plasmid co-carrying blaNDM-4, tet(X4), and tmexCD3-toprJ3 confers resistance to carbapenem and tigecycline
Authors: Hirabayashi Aki , Dao Trung Duc , Takemura Taichiro , Hasebe Futoshi , Trang Le Thi , Thanh Nguyen Ha , Tran Hoang Huy , Shibayama Keigo , Kasuga Ikuro , Suzuki Masato
Published: July 2021

Tigecycline is a last-resort antimicrobial that exhibits promising activity against carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE). However, mobile tigecycline resistance genes, tet(X) and tmexCD-toprJ, have emerged in China and have spread possibly worldwide. Tet(X) family proteins, Tet(X3) to Tet(X14), function as tigecycline-inactivating enzymes, and TMexCD-TOprJ complexes function as efflux pumps for tigecycline. Here, we report a CPE isolate co-harboring both emerging tigecycline resistance factors for the first time. A carbapenem- and tigecycline-resistant Klebsiella aerogenes NUITM-VK5 was isolated from an urban drainage in Vietnam in 2021 and a plasmid pNUITM-VK5_mdr co-carrying tet(X4) and tmexCD3-toprJ3 along with the carbapenemase gene blaNDM-4 was identified in NUITM-VK5. pNUITM-VK5_mdr was transferred to Escherichia coli by conjugation and simultaneously conferred high-level resistance against multiple antimicrobials, including carbapenems and tigecycline. An efflux pump inhibitor canceled TMexCD3-TOprJ3-mediated tigecycline resistance, suggesting that both tigecycline resistance factors independently and additively contribute to the high-level resistance. The plasmid had the IncX3 and IncC replicons and was estimated to be a hybrid of plasmids with different origins. Unlike IncX3 plasmids, IncC plasmids are stably maintained in an extremely broad range of bacterial hosts in humans, animals, and environment. Thus, future global spread of multidrug-resistance plasmids such as pNUITM-VK5_mdr poses a public health crisis.
Ridding Hybridoma Cell Lines of Contaminating Microorganisms
Authors: Greenfield Edward A.
Published: July 2021

The long tissue culture manipulations involved in hybridoma production and maintenance sometimes can lead to contamination. If uncontaminated frozen stocks are not available, then it may be possible to rescue these cultures. Three potential methods for rescuing the lines and their success rates are provided here. If the contamination has been detected early, then the use of drugs (antibiotics) to halt the growth of the contaminating organism may succeed. For 96-well plates that have mild to moderate infections, macrophages may help clear infection. If the contamination is gross, passing the cell line through a mouse and recovering the hybridoma cells through subcloning may be the only method that may succeed.
Analysis of DNA by Southern Blotting
Authors: Green Michael R. , Sambrook Joseph
Published: July 2021

Southern transfer and hybridization are used to study how genes are organized within genomes by mapping restriction sites in and around segments of genomic DNA for which specific probes are available. Genomic DNA is first digested with one or more restriction enzymes, and the resulting fragments are separated according to size by electrophoresis through a standard agarose gel. The DNA is then denatured in situ and transferred from the gel to a solid support (usually a nylon or nitrocellulose membrane). The DNA attached to the membrane is hybridized to a labeled DNA, RNA, or oligonucleotide probe, and bands complementary to the probe are located by an appropriate detection system (e.g., by autoradiography). By estimating the size and number of the bands generated after digestion of the genomic DNA with different restriction enzymes, singly or in combination, it is possible to place the target DNA within a context of restriction sites.
Can a technology firm desire too much of a good thing? The double-edged sword effects of technology orientation on performance
Authors: Zhani Najlae , Mouri Nacef , Hamdi Ahmed
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the underlying mechanisms that come into play in the relationship between technology orientation (TO) and performance in technology firms. In doing so, this paper explores how different levels of TO affect firm innovativeness, how different levels of firm innovativeness affect performance and the moderating role of risk-taking propensity in the relationship between innovativeness and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 112 information technology firms. Control variables include firm size and age and industry effects. The model was tested using PLS-based SEM.

Findings

Results show that in technology firms, innovativeness plays a mediating role in the relationship between TO and firm performance, the relationship between TO and firm innovativeness is curvilinear, the relationship between innovativeness and performance is curvilinear and risk-taking propensity moderates the curvilinear relationship between innovativeness and performance.

Originality/value

The shape of the relationships in the mediating paths between TO, innovativeness and performance, is curvilinear (inverted U-shaped). Managers in technology firms focused on bolstering the TO and/or innovativeness should be cognizant of the fact that beyond a certain level, they might actually be doing more harm than good. Additionally, managers seeking to reinforce the relationship between innovativeness and performance need to be sensitive to the role that risk-taking propensity plays in this relationship.
Offering a preventive solution to defects in commercial building facility system using BIM
Authors: Eskandari Narges , Noorzai Esmatullah
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Commercial building facility systems are costly, and due to the complexity of operation and maintenance (O&M), some failures can cause irreversible expensive damage. Currently, few capabilities of building information modeling (BIM) have been used in the facility maintenance operation. The purpose of this paper is to use a tool for making it easier to predict preventable defects in commercial building facility systems by examining a complete BIM.

Design/methodology/approach

To this end, a list of frequent defects in the facility system was achieved by a review of commercial building literature. Then, by examining a complete BIM model, the available methods and tools for O&M facilities during the operation period are identified and analyzed.

Findings

The results of the paper show that the solution presented based on total productive maintenance (TPM) subsets can effectively prevent facility system defects during the operation and maintenance period. An expert team assesses the validation of results.

Originality/value

The findings can help facility managers to adopt measures using TPM methods to prevent defects through an integrated BIM platform. The examination is based on case studies, surveys, expert experience and a thorough literature review.
Do creditors value corporate social responsibility disclosure? Evidence from Ghana
Authors: Boachie Christopher , Tetteh Joseph Emmanuel
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Drawing on risk mitigation theory, this study aims to examine the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and the cost of debt financing (CDF). In particular, this paper seeks to determine whether firms with higher CSR disclosure scores have a lower CDF.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a panel data analysis of non-financial Ghanaian firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange from 2006 to 2019. The CSR index constructed from firms’ annual reports and sustainability reports is used as a proxy for the extent of CSR information disclosures by Ghanaian companies.

Findings

The empirical results demonstrate that CDF is positively related to CSR disclosure scores. Besides, the results show that the levels of long-term debt increase with CSR disclosure in a highly risky industry. However, the finding does not meet the lenders’ expectations in terms of CSR attracting favourable debt financing sources.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based only on the quantity of the CSR information disclosed by Ghanaian companies and does not account for the quality of the CSR disclosures. The empirical model omits some control variables such as the age of the firm and external business conditions. The results should not be generalized, as the sample was based on three listed industries in Ghana for 2006–2019.

Originality/value

This study extends the scope of previous studies by examining the importance of CSR disclosures in financing decisions. More precisely, it focuses on the relatively little explored relationship between the extent of CSR disclosures and access to debt financing. Moreover, this study focuses on the rather interesting empirical setting of Ghana, which is characterized by its low level of CSR awareness. Achieving a better understanding of the effects of CSR information is useful for corporate managers desiring to meet lenders’ expectations and attract debt financing sources.
How social presence influences impulse buying behavior in live streaming commerce? The role of S-O-R theory
Authors: Ming Junlan , Jianqiu Zeng , Bilal Muhammad , Akram Umair , Fan Mingyue
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how presence (the social presence of live streaming platforms, of viewers, of live streamers and telepresence) affects consumer trust and flow state, thus inducing impulsive buying behaviors, personal sense of power as moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, the conceptual model covers social presence, telepresence, consumer trust, flow state, personal sense of power and impulsive buying behavior. An online survey was conducted from 405 consumers with the experience of live streaming shopping in China; structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for data analysis.

Findings

Results find that three dimensions of social presence (the social presence of live streaming platforms, of viewers, of live streamers) and telepresence have a positive and significant influence on consumer trust and flow state, thus triggering consumers’ impulsive buying behavior. Furthermore, consumers’ sense of power moderates the process from consumer trust, flow state to impulsive buying behavior.

Practical implications

This study will help live streamers and e-retailers to have a further understand on how to stimulate consumers’ buying behavior. Furthermore, it also provides reference for the development of live streaming commerce in other countries.

Originality/value

This research examines the effect of social presence and telepresence on impulsive buying behavior in live streaming commerce, which is inadequately examined in extant literature.
Does economic growth affect the relationship between banks' capital, liquidity and profitability: empirical evidence from emerging economies
Authors: Abbas Faisal , Ali Shoaib , Ahmad Maqsood
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This research explores the role of economic growth to influence the inter-relationship between capital, liquidity and profitability of commercial banks in selected asian emerging economies.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the research purpose, an empirical model was constructed to examine the role of economic growth in the inter-relationship between banks' capital, liquidity and profitability. The empirical model was tested through two stage lease square (2SLS) regression analysis using annual data of Asian commercial banks ranges from 2011 to 2019.

Findings

The findings indicate that bank capital and liquidity are interdependent and determined simultaneously. The outcome demonstrates that the strength of the inter-relationship between banks' capital, liquidity, and profitability improves when economic growth is taken into account in the analysis. The results report that market funding, loan ratio, credit risk, bank size and bank efficiency are significant indicators to influence commercial banks' liquidity, profitability and capital in Asian emerging economies. The findings are heterogeneous across large, medium and small-sized banks in emerging economies of Asia.

Practical implications

The results highlight that the model provides robust results with respect to sign and significance. However, the coefficient remains underestimated without incorporating economic growth, which has important implications for decision-makers and bankers.

Originality/value

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines the role of economic growth to influence the inter-relationship between capital, liquidity and bank profitability in the emerging economies of Asia.
Does governance quality matter for the development of financial institutions in Pakistan?
Authors: Ahad Muhammad , Imran Zulfiqar Ali
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Governance quality has been a dominant factor to formulate policies for the development of financial institutions in the world. Therefore, this study aims to explore the impact of governance quality on financial institutions along with globalization in the case of Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

Time series data from 1996 to 2018 are considered for analysis. The NG-Perron is applied to check the order of integration. In addition, Kim and Perron (2009) structural break unit root test is used to identify break years. The autoregressive distributive lags (ARDL) bound testing approach is used to detect the long-run association among governance quality, financial institutions and globalization.

Findings

The results of unit root analysis show that all series are stationary at a different level of integration, I(0)/I(1). However, the long-run association is detected in the presence of break years. The authors find a positive impact of governance quality to determine financial institutions in the long-short-run. Similarly, globalization also enhances financial institutions but only in long run.

Originality/value

This study fills the gap in the economic literature by exploring the linkages between the financial institution and disaggregated governance indicators in the case of Pakistan. Moreover, a role of structural break is also captured during analysis. This study also opens some new insights for policymaking.
The role of conflict in the adoption of governance practices in family businesses
Authors: Islas-Moreno Asael , Muñoz-Rodríguez Manrrubio , Santoyo-Cortés Vinicio Horacio , Martínez-González Enrique Genaro , Aguilar-Gallegos Norman , Morris Wyn
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Little is known regarding triggers in the adoption of governance practices within family businesses. Enterprises can implement governance practices to avoid re-arising conflicts lived in the past. Moreover, the type of conflicts experienced can determine the order in which different types of governance practices are adopted, another issue that requires further investigation. To address these knowledge gaps, this study gathers evidence into how the adoption of governance practices is linked to the conflicts experienced in family businesses and how this adoption evolves.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiple case study was conducted with 15 family businesses in the agricultural sector. The conflicts experienced throughout the enterprises' trajectories and the governance practices adopted were analysed and classified according to their relationship with the family, business and ownership subsystems.

Findings

The study shows that there is no direct link between the conflicts experienced and the governance practices adopted in family businesses. The most recurrent conflicts have to do with the relationship between family and ownership; however, the adoption of governance practices is centred on the relationship between business and ownership. The practices that mediate the relationship between family and business are adopted second, and the practices that mediate the relationship between family and ownership are adopted last.

Originality/value

The study applies a classification of conflicts and governance practices that adjusts to the complexity of the family business. The research contributes to the field by providing an understanding of the integration of knowledge about the family business, governance systems and conflict.
Suspicious minds and suspicioning: constructing suspicion during policework
Authors: Hendy Ross
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This article explores officer use of suspicion before informal police-citizen encounters as a method to further understand police officer decision-making. There is a body of research focused on officer decision-making before formal “stop and search” encounters, yet, while the more informal “stop and chat” encounters are ubiquitous, they are a comparatively under-researched part of policework.

Design/methodology/approach

The research takes an ethnographic approach to explore police decision-making. It used participant observation (800 h over 93 patrol shifts) of front-line first response officers from New Zealand (n = 45) and South Australia (n = 48). Field observations were complemented with informal discussion in the field and 27 semi-structured interviews.

Findings

It reveals that officers applied three situational “tests” to assess the circumstances or actions observed before initiating an informal encounter. Officers then weighed up whether the circumstances were harmful, contrary to law, or socially acceptable to determine the necessity of initiating a police-citizen encounter. This process is conceived as suspicioning: deciding whether circumstances appear prima facie suspicious, how an officer goes about collecting more information to corroborate suspicion to ultimately inform a course of action.

Originality/value

The findings present a new perspective to understanding how and why police officers decide to initiate encounters with members of the public. Moreover, as the first ethnographic cross-national research of officers from New Zealand and South Australia, it provides a rare comparative glimpse of Antipodean policing.
Run or hide: changes in acquisition behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Bauer Florian , Friesl Martin , Dao Mai Anh
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are an important strategic tool for continuous adaptation, sustainable corporate development and external growth. At the same time, M&As involve high levels of risk with mixed performance results even under normal circumstances. Even though the M&A market was continuously growing for the last decade, it was abruptly ended by the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as executives were more concerned about liquidity than with long-term growth strategies. This raises the question how M&A behaviour is affected by the economic fall-out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The mixed method research design was employed in this study.

Findings

The authors particularly investigate how target selection as well as synergy management are affected by the pandemic. The study analysis reveals four archetypical responses to the COVID-19 crisis. The authors describe those responses in detail and analyse antecedents that seem to influence firms' acquisition behaviour during the pandemic.

Originality/value

The paper draws on survey and interview data of M&A practitioners.
The future past of travel: adventure tourism supporting humans living on the edge of existence
Authors: Wright Daniel William Mackenzie
Published: July 2021

Purpose

By drawing on current reports, this paper positions that Homo sapiens could in the near future be faced with an increasingly uninhabitable planet. It emphasises the importance of adventure tourism and its associated activities as a means of supporting individuals to develop more outdoor survival skills.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applies a scenario narrative approach in exploring and presenting potential future ideas. The significance of narratives lies at the essential examination of current trends and drivers that could be shaping future scenarios. This paper, through the exploration of past and current trends supports the researcher in presenting future views. The scenario narratives in this research are established via desk-based research and inspection of academic journals, industry reports, ideas and knowledge.

Findings

If society is pushed to the brink of extinction due to a catastrophic event(s), people will require survival skills, similar to those shared by our hunter-gather nomad ancestor. Thus, this paper highlights the value and importance of the industry in encouraging soft and hard outdoor adventure in the coming years. It recognises how different adventure travel activities can support people in rekindling with our more basic instincts and ultimately, surviving in different natural environments.

Originality/value

This paper offers original theoretical knowledge within the adventure tourism literature. Offering original consideration to the value of exploring the past as a method of understanding the future, the paper presents an original spectrum of soft and hard skills-based adventure tourism activities.
Additive manufacturing techniques for the fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds: a review
Authors: Kumar Mohit , Sharma Varun
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Additive manufacturing (AM) or solid freeform fabrication (SFF) technique is extensively used to produce intrinsic 3D structures with high accuracy. Its significant contributions in the field of tissue engineering (TE) have significantly increased in the recent years. TE is used to regenerate or repair impaired tissues which are caused by trauma, disease and injury in human body. There are a number of novel materials such as polymers, ceramics and composites, which possess immense potential for production of scaffolds. However, the major challenge is in developing those bioactive and patient-specific scaffolds, which have a required controlled design like pore architecture with good interconnectivity, optimized porosity and microstructure. Such design not only supports cell proliferation but also promotes good adhesion and differentiation. However, the traditional techniques fail to fulfill all the required specific properties in tissue scaffold. The purpose of this study is to report the review on AM techniques for the fabrication of TE scaffolds.

Design/methodology/approach

The present review paper provides a detailed analysis of the widely used AM techniques to construct tissue scaffolds using stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modeling (FDM), binder jetting (BJ) and advanced or hybrid additive manufacturing methods.

Findings

Subsequently, this study also focuses on understanding the concepts of TE scaffolds and their characteristics, working principle of scaffolds fabrication process. Besides this, mechanical properties, characteristics of microstructure, in vitro and in vivo analysis of the fabricated scaffolds have also been discussed in detail.

Originality/value

The review paper highlights the way forward in the area of additive manufacturing applications in TE field by following a systematic review methodology.
For the sustainability of the forests, the tigers and the tribals: Royal Bank of Scotland in the Kanha-Pench corridor, India
Authors: Dutta Roy Vineeta
Published: July 2021

Theoretical basis

Poverty, business strategy and sustainable development. International development planning and poverty alleviation strategies have moved beyond centralised, top-down approaches and now emphasise decentralised, community-based approaches that incorporate actors from the community, government, non-governmental agencies and business. Collective action by Bottom of the Pyramid residents gives them greater control in self-managing environmental commons and addressing the problems of environmental degradation. Co-creation and engaging in deep dialogue with stakeholders offer significant potential for launching new businesses and generating mutual value. The case study rests on the tenets of corporate social responsibility. It serves as an example of corporate best practices towards ensuring environmental sustainability and community engagement for providing livelihood support and well-being. It illustrates the tool kit for building community-based adaptive capacities against climate change.

Research methodology

The field-based case study was prepared from inputs received from detailed interviews of company functionaries. Company documents were shared by the company and used with their permission. Secondary data was accessed from newspapers, journal articles available online and information from the company website.

Case overview/synopsis

The case study is about the coming together of several vital agencies working in forest and wildlife conservation, climate change adaptation planning for ecosystems and communities, social upliftment and corporate social responsibility in the Kanha Pench landscape of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. The case traces several challenges. First, the landscape is degrading rapidly; it requires urgent intervention to revive it. Second, the human inhabitants are strained with debilitating poverty. Third, the long-term sustainability of the species of tigers living in the protected tiger reserves of Kanha and Pench needs attention as human-animal conflicts rise.

Complexity academic level

The case would help undergraduate and postgraduate students studying sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
Endothermy makes fishes faster but does not expand their thermal niche
Authors: Harding Lucy , Jackson Andrew , Barnett Adam , Donohue Ian , Halsey Lewis , Huveneers Charles , Meyer Carl , Papastamatiou Yannis , Semmens Jayson M. , Spencer Erin , Watanabe Yuuki , Payne Nicholas
Published: July 2021

Regional endothermy has evolved several times in marine fishes, and two competing hypotheses are generally proposed to explain the evolutionary drivers behind this trait: thermal niche expansion and elevated cruising speeds. Evidence to support either hypothesis is equivocal, and the ecological advantages conferred by endothermy in fishes remain debated.

By compiling published biologging data and collecting precise speed measurements from free‐swimming fishes in the wild, we directly test whether endothermic fishes encounter broader temperature ranges, swim faster or both. Our analyses avoid several complications associated with earlier tests of these hypotheses, as we use precise measurements of the thermal experience and speed of individual fish.

Phylogenetically‐informed analyses of 89 studies reporting temperature ranges encountered by tagged fishes reveal that endotherms do not encounter broader temperature ranges than their ectothermic counterparts. In contrast, speed measurements from 45 individuals (16 species, of which four were regional endotherms) show that endothermic fishes cruise ~1.6 times faster than ectotherms, after accounting for the influence of body temperature and body mass on speed.

Our study shows that regionally endothermic fishes—those with the ability to conserve metabolically derived heat through vascular countercurrent heat exchangers and elevate the temperature of internal tissues—swim at elevated cruising speeds, although not as fast as previously thought. Contrary to previous studies of endothermy's role in thermal niche expansion, our results suggest the significance of endothermy in fishes lies in the advantages it confers to swimming performance rather than facilitating the occupation of broader thermal niches. Given speed's major influence on metabolic rate, our updated speed estimates imply endotherms have lower routine energy requirements than current estimates.

Our findings shed light on the evolutionary drivers of regional endothermy in fishes and question the view that the trait confers resilience to climate change through broader thermal tolerance than that of ectotherms.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Demographic differentiation among pioneer tree species during secondary succession of a Neotropical rainforest
Authors: Martínez‐Ramos Miguel , Gallego‐Mahecha María del Mar , Valverde Teresa , Vega Ernesto , Bongers Frans
Published: July 2021

Early pioneer species share life histories enabling them to colonize disturbed sites, but how much they differ demographically and how such differentiation determines pioneer species turnover during succession are still open questions. Here, we approached these issues by comparing the demography of dominant pioneer tree species during the secondary succession of tropical rainforest in Southeast Mexico.

We assessed changes in population density, population structure, vital rates and intrinsic population growth rate (r) of the pioneer species Trema micrantha, Cecropia peltata and Trichospermum mexicanum during the first 35 years of succession. For this, we combined chronosequence and long‐term (from 2000 to 2018) data from 14 abandoned cornfields with 0.5–35 years fallow age.

Trema colonized and disappeared first during succession (<15 years), followed by Cecropia (<28) and Trichospermum (>31). All species exhibited hump‐shaped successional trajectories of population density and biomass with Trema reaching a peak first, followed by Cecropia and later Trichospermum. Species exhibited a fast reduction in r with fallow age, with Trema reaching negative growth rates (r < 0) in the third, Cecropia in the fourth, and Trichospermum in the seventh year of succession. Recruitment, growth and mortality rates of seedlings and juveniles defined the period of population increase and the age of succession at which each species reached maximum density and biomass. The mortality rate in mature stages determined how long each species persisted during succession. An important variation in species replacement occurred among study sites. In some sites, one species was abundant and the others were almost absent, while it was the opposite in other sites. We inferred that priority inhibitory effects operated among species during the field colonization.

Synthesis. Although Trema, Cecropia and Trichospermum are considered typical pioneer trees, these species differed importantly in their demographic attributes during succession. The speed at which r declined with age of succession indicated the moment at which each species reached its maximum density and species replacement sequence during succession. However, inter‐specific priority inhibitory effects during field colonization may also be involved in the chance of colonization and replacement between species with similar regeneration strategies.
Function is a better predictor of plant rhizosphere community membership than16Sphylogeny
Authors: Matthews Andrew , Majeed Afshan , Barraclough Timothy G. , Raymond Ben
Published: July 2021

Rhizobacterial communities are important for plant health but we still have limited understanding of how they are constructed or how they can be manipulated. High‐throughput 16S rRNA sequencing provides good information on taxonomic composition but remains an unreliable proxy for phenotypes. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that experimentally observed functional traits would be better predictors of community membership than phylogenetic origin. To test this hypothesis, we sampled communities on four plant species grown in two soil types and characterized 593 bacterial isolates in terms of antibiotic susceptibility, carbon metabolism, resource use and plant growth‐promoting traits. In support of our hypothesis we found that three of the four plant species had phylogenetically diverse, but functionally constrained communities. Notably, communities did not grow best on complex media mimicking their host of origin but were distinguished by variation in overall growth characteristics (copiotrophy/oligotrophy) and antibiotic susceptibility. These data, combined with variation in phylogenetic structure, suggest that different classes of traits (antagonistic competition or resource‐based) are more important in different communities. This culture‐based approach supports and complements the findings of a previous high‐throughput 16S rRNA analysis of this experiment and provides functional insights into the patterns observed with culture‐independent methods.
POSTCOLONIZING PLANETARY URBANIZATION: Aníbal Quijano and an Alternative Genealogy of the Urban
Authors: Vegliò Simone
Published: July 2021

The success of the ‘planetary urbanization’ approach is built upon the work of Henri Lefebvre and his understanding of the achievement of a world that is fully articulated through urban relations. However, scholars inspired by this view have normally considered his work and the Euro‐American space as presumed starting points from which to observe the progression of planetary urban processes. This article proposes an alternative genealogy of planetary urbanization by looking at—both theoretically and empirically—the global ‘periphery’ of Latin America. Specifically, the article explores the early work of the Peruvian sociologist Aníbal Quijano at CELAC between 1966 and 1971. Framed within Dependency Theory, Quijano's reflections share strong similarities and consonances with some of the critical insights that Lefebvre would elaborate only a few years later. The article thus aims to ‘postcolonize’ the planetary urbanization approach by shifting its Euro‐American theoretical and empirical centres, opening it up to contributions that—due to geo‐cultural hierarchies—have traditionally been overlooked within the main Anglophone debates. In so doing, the article proposes to engage in a plural dialogue in urban studies that combines planetary urbanization with the postcolonial critique.
Nonlinear association of nurse staffing and readmissions uncovered in machine learning analysis
Authors: Yakusheva Olga , Bang James T. , Hughes Ronda G. , Bobay Kathleen L. , Costa Linda , Weiss Marianne E.
Published: July 2021

Objective

Several studies of nurse staffing and patient outcomes found a curvilinear or U‐shaped relationship, with benefits from additional nurse staffing diminishing or reversing at high staffing levels. This study examined potential diminishing returns to nurse staffing and the existence of a “tipping point” or the level of staffing after which higher nurse staffing no longer improves and may worsen readmissions.

Data Sources/Study Setting

The Readiness Evaluation And Discharge Interventions (READI) study database of over 130,000 adult (18+) inpatient discharges from 62 medical, surgical, and medical‐surgical (noncritical care) units from 31 United States (US) hospitals during October 2014–March 2017.

Study Design

Observational cross‐sectional study using a fully nonparametric random forest machine learning method. Primary exposure was nurse hours per patient day (HPPD) broken down by registered nurses (nonovertime and overtime) and nonlicensed nursing personnel. The outcome was 30‐day all‐cause same‐hospital readmission. Partial dependence plots were used to visualize the pattern of predicted patient readmission risk along a range of unit staffing levels, holding all other patient characteristics and hospital and unit structural variables constant.

Data Collection/Extraction methods

Secondary analysis of the READI data. Missing values were imputed using the missing forest algorithm in R.

Principal Findings

Partial dependence plots were U‐shaped, showing the readmission risk first declining and then rising with additional nurse staffing. The tipping points were at 6.95 and 0.21 HPPD for registered nurse staffing (nonovertime and overtime, respectively) and 2.91 HPPD of nonlicensed nursing personnel.

Conclusions

The U‐shaped association was consistent with diminishing returns to nurse staffing suggesting that incremental gains in readmission reduction from additional nurse staffing taper off and could reverse at high staffing levels. If confirmed in future causal analyses across multiple outcomes, accompanying investments in infrastructure and human resources may be needed to maximize nursing performance outcomes at higher levels of nurse staffing.
Maternal filicide and mental illness: A descriptive study of 17 women hospitalized in a French secure unit over a 24‐year period
Authors: Raymond Sophie , Ducasse Marie‐Victoire , Azoulay Marion , Gasman Ivan
Published: July 2021

Maternal filicide is defined as the murder of a child by its mother. Many classifications have been elaborated based on underlying motives such as altruism, mental pathology, fatal maltreatment, spousal revenge, or an unwanted child. Pathological filicide refers to cases in which the perpetrator has a major psychiatric illness. Related literature is sparse. The present work proposes to identify the main characteristics of mentally ill filicidal mothers. This study was based on data gathered through a retrospective chart review of all filicidal women admitted to the Henri Colin secure unit (France) between 1996 and 2019 (N = 17). Most filicidal mothers had a dysfunctional childhood marked by emotional neglect, intrafamilial violence, or social isolation. They were often married, on average about 32 years old. We found a history of attempted filicide in 3 cases, and abuse or neglect in 3 other cases. The victim's average age was 6.2 years old, and in several cases, multiple siblings were murdered. Half of the filicidal mothers had a history of psychiatric disorders. Three different diagnoses were found in our study: bipolar or depressive disorders (41.2%); schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders (41.2%); personality disorders (17.6%). We identified two subgroups, as having different motivational profiles. In the first group, filicide is a defensive reaction to a perceived threat: The murder is committed under the influence of hallucinations or delusions. In the second group, filicide is linked to a context of separation, real or imagined. Several forensic and psychopathologic features associated with each profile are detailed.
Development and evaluation of a synthetic cathinone targeted gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) method
Authors: Sisco Edward , Burns Amber , Moorthy Arun S.
Published: July 2021

To address challenges associated with the increased prevalence of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs), laboratories often adopt new techniques or new methods with the goal of obtaining more detailed chemical information with a higher level of confidence. To demonstrate how new methods applied to existing techniques can be a viable approach, a targeted gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) method for synthetic cathinones was developed. To create the method, a range of GC‐MS parameters were first investigated using a seven‐component test solution with the goal of minimizing compounds with overlapping acceptance windows by maximizing retention time differences within a reasonable runtime. Once developed, the targeted method was evaluated through several studies and was compared to a general GC‐MS confirmatory method. The method produced a twofold increase in retention time differences of the test solution compounds with a 3.83‐min shorter runtime than the general method. Limitations of the method were also studied by analyzing an additional forty‐eight cathinones to identify instances where definitive compound identification may not be possible due to overlapping acceptance windows and mass spectra. Thirty‐eight pairs of compounds had retention times differences of less than 2% and, of those thirty‐eight, one pair had indistinguishable mass spectra. A set of case samples were also analyzed using the method to evaluate suitability for casework. An increase in split ratio was required to obtain acceptable sensitivity. The development of this method is part of a larger project to measure benefits and drawbacks of different drug chemistry workflows.