bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Big fish, little fish: N-terminal acetyltransferase Naa40p proteoforms caught in the act
Authors: Jonckheere Veronique , Van Damme Petra
Published: February 2021

NatD consist of the evolutionary conserved N-alpha acetyltransferase catalytic subunit Naa40p and is among the most selective N-terminal acetyltransferase (NAT) complexes identified to date. Here we identified a conserved 22 amino acid N-terminally truncated Naa40 proteoform named Naa40p25 or short Naa40 (Naa40S). Intriguingly, while upon ectopic expression in yeast, both Naa40p proteoforms were capable of restoring N-terminal acetylation of the well characterized yeast histone H2A Naa40p substrate, the Naa40p histone H4 substrate remained N-terminally free in human haploid cells specifically deleted for canonical Naa40p27 or 237 amino acid long Naa40 (Naa40L), but expressing Naa40S. Interestingly, human Naa40Land Naa40Sdisplayed differential expression and subcellular localization patterns by exhibiting a principal nuclear and cytoplasmic localization, respectively. Further, since Naa40Lwas identified as being N-terminally myristoylated and shown to interact with N-myristoyltransferase 1 (NMT1), NMT1 may steer Naa40Lnuclear import. Differential interactomics data obtained by biotin-dependent proximity labeling (BioID) further hints to context dependent roles of Naa40p proteoforms. More specifically, with Naa40Srepresenting the main co-translationally acting actor, the interactome of Naa40Lwas enriched for nucleolar proteins implicated in ribosome biogenesis and the assembly of ribonucleoprotein particles, overall indicating a proteoform-specific segregation of previously reported Naa40p activities. Finally, the yeast histone variant H2A.Z and the transcriptionally regulatory protein Lge1 were identified as novel Naa40p substrates, expanding the restricted substrate repertoire of Naa40p with two additional members and further confirming Lge1 as being the first redundant yNatA and yNatD substrate identified to date.
PI3K Signaling Specifies Proximal-Distal Fate by Driving a Developmental Gene Regulatory Network in Sox9+ Lung Progenitors
Authors: Khattar Divya , Fernandes Sharlene , Snowball John , Guo Minzhe , Gillen Matthew C. , Sinner Deborah , Zacharias William , Swarr Daniel T.
Published: February 2021

The tips of the developing respiratory buds are home to important progenitor cells marked by the expression of SOX9 and ID2. Early in embryonic development (prior to E13.5), SOX9+ progenitors are multipotent, generating both airway and alveolar epithelium, but are selective progenitors of alveolar epithelial cells later in development. Transcription factors, includingSox9, Etv5,Irx,Mycn, andFoxp1/2interact in complex gene regulatory networks to control proliferation and differentiation of SOX9+ progenitors. Molecular mechanisms by which these transcription factors and other signaling pathways control chromatin state to establish and maintain cell-type identity are not well-defined. Herein, we analyze paired gene expression (RNA-Seq) and chromatin accessibility (ATAC-Seq) data from SOX9+ epithelial progenitor cells (EPCs) during embryonic development. Widespread changes in chromatin accessibility were observed between E11.5 and E16.5, particularly at distal cis-regulatory elements (e.g. enhancers). Gene regulatory network (GRN) inference identified a common SOX9+ progenitor GRN, implicating phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling in the developmental regulation of SOX9+ progenitor cells. Consistent with this model, conditional ablation of PI3K signaling in the developing lung epitheliumin vivoand in lung explantsin vitroresulted in an expansion of the SOX9+ EPC population and impaired epithelial cell differentiation. These data demonstrate that PI3K signaling is required for epithelial patterning during lung organogenesis, and emphasize the combinatorial power of paired RNA-Seq and ATAC-Seq in defining regulatory networks in development.
Microtubule-based Transport is Essential to Distribute RNA and Nascent Protein in Skeletal Muscle
Authors: Denes Lance T. , Kelley Chase P. , Wang Eric T.
Published: February 2021

While the importance of RNA localization in highly differentiated cells is well appreciated, basic principles of RNA localization in skeletal muscle remain poorly characterized. Here, we develop a method to detect single RNA molecules and quantify localization patterns in skeletal myofibers, and we uncover a critical and general role for directed transport of RNPs in muscle. We find that RNAs are localized and translated along cytoskeletal filaments, and we identify the Z-disk as a biological hub for RNA localization and protein synthesis. We show that muscle development triggers complete reliance on the lattice-like microtubule network to transport RNAs and that disruption of microtubules leads to striking accumulation of RNPs and nascent protein around myonuclei. Our observations suggest that active transport may be globally required to distribute RNAs in highly differentiated cells and reveal fundamental mechanisms relevant to myopathies caused by perturbations to RNPs, microtubules, and the nuclear envelope.

Abstract Figure
A novel reticular oscillator in the brainstem synchronizes neonatal crying with breathing
Authors: Wei Xin Paul , Collie Matthew , Dempsey Bowen , Fortin Gilles , Yackle Kevin
Published: February 2021

Human speech can be divided into short, rhythmically-timed elements, similar to syllables within words. Even our cries and laughs, as well as the vocalizations of other species, are periodic. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the tempo of mammalian vocalizations remain unknown. Here we describe rhythmically-timed neonatal mouse vocalizations that occur within single breaths, and identify a brainstem node that structures these cries, which we name the intermediate reticular oscillator (iRO). We show that the iRO acts autonomously and sends direct inputs to key muscles in order to coordinate neonatal vocalizations with breathing, as well as paces and patterns these cries. These results reveal that a novel mammalian brainstem oscillator embedded within the conserved breathing circuitry plays a central role in the production of neonatal vocalizations.
Improved correspondence of fMRI visual field localizer data after cortex-based macroanatomical alignment
Authors: Qubad Mishal , Barnes-Scheufler Catherine V. , Schaum Michael , Raspor Eva , Rösler Lara , Peters Benjamin , Schiweck Carmen , Goebel Rainer , Reif Andreas , Bittner Robert A.
Published: February 2021

Studying the visual system with fMRI often requires using localizer paradigms to define regions of interest (ROIs). However, the considerable interindividual variability of the cerebral cortex represents a crucial confound for group-level analyses. Cortex-based alignment (CBA) techniques reliably reduce interindividual macroanatomical variability. Yet, their utility has not been assessed for visual field localizer paradigms, which map specific parts of the visual field within retinotopically organized visual areas. We evaluated CBA for an attention-enhanced visual field localizer mapping homologous parts of each visual quadrant in 50 participants. We compared CBA with volume-based alignment and a surface-based analysis, which did not include macroanatomical alignment. CBA led to the strongest increase in the probability of activation overlap (up to 40 percent). On the group level, CBA led to the most consistent increase in ROI size while preserving vertical ROI symmetry. Overall, our results indicate, that in addition to the increased signal-to-noise ratio of a surface-based analysis macroanatomical alignment considerably improves statistical power. These findings confirm and extend the utility of CBA for the study of the visual system in the context of group analyses. CBA should be particularly relevant when studying neuropsychiatric disorders with abnormally increased interindividual macroanatomical variability.
Transcriptional regulation ofHSFA7and post-transcriptional modulation ofHSFB4aby miRNA4200 govern general and varietal thermotolerance in tomato
Authors: Rao Sombir , Balyan Sonia , Das Jaishri Rubina , Verma Radhika , Mathur Saloni
Published: February 2021

Heat shock factors (HSFs) are at the core of heat stress (HS) response in plants. However, the contribution of HSFs governing the inherent thermotolerance mechanism in tomato from sub-tropical hot climates is poorly understood. With the above aim, comparative expression profiles of theHSFfamily in a HS tolerant (CLN1621L) and a sensitive cultivar (CA4) of tomato under HS revealed cultivar-biased regulation of an activator (HSFA7a) and repressor (HSFB4a) class HSF. Functional characterization ofHSFA7athat was strongly up-regulated in the tolerant cultivar by VIGS-based silencing and overexpression established it as a positive regulator of HS-tolerance. While knock-down and overexpression analyses ofHSFB4athat was down-regulated in CLN1621L in HS, showed it as a negative regulator of thermotolerance. Promoter:GUSreporter assays and promoter sequence analyses suggest heat-mediated transcriptional control of both theHSFgenes in the contrasting cultivars. Moreover, we showHSFB4ais also regulated post-transcriptionally by microRNA Sly-miR4200 using degradome, short-tandem-target-mimic of Sly-miR4200 and transientin-plantaSly-miR4200-effector:HSFB4a-reporter assays. This miRNA is induced several folds upon HS in the tolerant variety thereby reducingHSFB4alevels. We thus propose that the alleviation of HSFB4a repressor governs thermotolerance in the tolerant cultivar by regulating downstream heat stress responsive genes.
Discovering differential genome sequence activity with interpretable and efficient deep learning
Authors: Hammelman Jennifer , Gifford David K.
Published: February 2021

Discovering sequence features that differentially direct cells to alternate fates is key to understanding both cellular development and the consequences of disease related mutations. We introduce Expected Pattern Effect and Differential Expected Pattern Effect, two black-box methods that can interpret genome regulatory sequences for cell type-specific or condition specific patterns. We show that these methods identify relevant transcription factor motifs and spacings that are predictive of cell state-specific chromatin accessibility. Finally, we integrate these methods into framework that is readily accessible to non-experts and available for download as a binary or installed via PyPI or bioconda athttps://cgs.csail.mit.edu/deepaccess-package/.

Author Summary

Within the genome are the instructions to build all the cell types that make up the human body. However, understanding these instructions and how and when these instructions go wrong in cancer or genetically inherited disease is an open problem. Deep neural networks provide powerful models to learn the relationship between DNA sequence and functional consequence across many different cell types, such as whether a particular stretch of DNA is accessible and genes in that region can be expressed or is inaccessible and therefore genes are inactive. Despite these advances, a major setback in deep learning is that it is challenging to understand what patterns of DNA sequences a deep learning model has learned to associate with a particular genomic function, whether these patterns are significant, and how to determine whether these patterns are specific to a particular cell type or are general “housekeeping” patterns that function across many cell types. We introduce Expected Pattern Effect and Differential Expected Pattern Effect, two methods which allow us to evaluate the significance of particular patterns of DNA sequence features on models trained to predict function across multiple cell types, and apply this to problems of transcription factor binding and DNA accessibility across multiple cell types.
Brief report: Attentional Bias towards Social Interactions during Viewing of Naturalistic Scenes
Authors: Skripkauskaite Simona , Mihai Ioana , Koldewyn Kami
Published: February 2021

Human visual attention is readily captured by the social information in scenes. Multiple studies have shown that social areas of interest (AOIs) such as faces and bodies attract more attention than non-social AOIs (e.g. objects or background). However, whether this attentional bias is moderated by the presence (or absence) of a social interaction remains unclear. Here, the gaze of 70 young adults was tracked during the free viewing of 60 naturalistic scenes. All photographs depicted two people, who were either interacting or not. Analyses of dwell time revealed that more attention was spent on human than background AOIs in the interactive pictures. In non-interactive pictures, however, dwell time did not differ between AOI type. In the time-to-first-fixation analysis, humans always captured attention before other elements of the scene, although this difference was slightly larger in interactive than non-interactive scenes. These findings confirm the existence of a bias towards social information in attentional capture, and suggest that the presence of social interaction may be important in inducing a similar social bias in attentional engagement. Together with previous research using less naturalistic stimuli, these findings suggest that social interactions carry additional social value that guides one’s perceptual system.
Gene regulatory networks for compatible versus incompatible grafts identify a role for SlWOX4 during junction formation
Authors: Thomas Hannah , Van den Broeck Lisa , Spurney Ryan , Sozzani Rosangela , Frank Margaret
Published: February 2021

Graft incompatibility is a poorly understood phenomenon that presents a serious agricultural challenge. Unlike immediate incompatibility that results in rapid death, delayed incompatibility can take months or even years to manifest, creating a significant economic burden for perennial crop production. To gain insight into the genetic mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, we developed a model system withSolanum lycopersicum‘tomato’ andCapsicum annuum‘pepper’ heterografting, which expresses signs of anatomical junction failure within the first week of grafting. By generating a detailed timeline for junction formation we were able to pinpoint the cellular basis for this delayed incompatibility. Furthermore, we infer gene regulatory networks for compatible self-grafts versus incompatible heterografts based on these key anatomical events, which predict core regulators for grafting. Finally, we delve into the role of vascular development in graft formation and validate SlWOX4 as a regulator for grafting in tomato. Notably, SlWOX4 is the first gene to be functionally implicated in vegetable crop grafting.
Dual targeting of salt inducible kinases and CSF1R uncouples bone formation and bone resorption
Authors: Tang Cheng-Chia , Castro Andrade Christian D. , Omeara Maureen J. , Yoon Sung-Hee , Brooks Daniel J. , Bouxsein Mary L. , da Silva Martins Janaina , Wang Jinhua , Gray Nathanael S. , Misof Barbara M. , Roschger Paul , Blouin Stéphane , Klaushofer Klaus , Veldhuis-Vlug Annegreet , Vegting Yosta , Rosen Clifford J. , O’Connell Daniel J. , Sundberg Thomas B. , Xavier Ramnik J. , Ung Peter M.U. , Schlessinger Avner , Kronenberg Henry M. , Berdeaux Rebecca , Foretz Marc , Wein Marc N.
Published: February 2021

Bone formation and resorption are typically coupled, such that the efficacy of anabolic osteoporosis treatments may be limited by bone destruction. The multi-kinase inhibitor YKL-05-099 potently inhibits salt inducible kinases (SIKs) and may represent a promising new class of bone anabolic agents. Here we report that YKL-05-099 increases bone formation in hypogonadal female mice without increasing bone resorption. Postnatal mice with inducible, global deletion of SIK2 and SIK3 show increased bone mass, increased bone formation, and, distinct from the effects of YKL-05-099, increased bone resorption. No cell-intrinsic role of SIKs in osteoclasts was noted. In addition to blocking SIKs, YKL-05-099 also binds and inhibits CSF1R, the receptor for the osteoclastogenic cytokine M-CSF. Modeling reveals that YKL-05-099 binds to SIK2 and CSF1R in a similar manner. Dual targeting of SIK2/3 and CSF1R induces bone formation without concomitantly increasing bone resorption and thereby may overcome limitations of most current anabolic osteoporosis therapies.
High-throughput functional analysis of natural variants in yeast
Authors: Yeh Chiann-Ling C. , Tsouris Andreas , Schacherer Joseph , Dunham Maitreya J.
Published: February 2021

How natural variation affects phenotype is difficult to determine given our incomplete ability to deduce the functional impact of the polymorphisms detected in a population. Although current computational and experimental tools can predict and measure allele function, there has previously been no assay that does so in a high-throughput manner while also representing haplotypes derived from wild populations. Here, we present such an assay that measures the fitness of hundreds of natural alleles of a given gene without site-directed mutagenesis or DNA synthesis. With a large collection of diverseSaccharomyces cerevisiaenatural isolates, we piloted this technique using the geneSUL1, which encodes a high-affinity sulfate permease that, at increased copy number, can improve the fitness of cells grown in sulfate-limited media. We cloned and barcoded all alleles from a collection of over 1000 natural isolatesen masseand matched barcodes with their respective variants using PacBio long-read sequencing and a novel error-correction algorithm. We then transformed the reference S288C strain with this library and used barcode sequencing to track growth ability in sulfate limitation of lineages carrying each allele. We show that this approach allows us to measure the fitness conferred by each allele and stratify functional and nonfunctional alleles. Additionally, we pinpoint which polymorphisms in both coding and noncoding regions are detrimental to fitness or are of small effect and result in intermediate phenotypes. Integrating these results with a phylogenetic tree, we observe how often loss-of-function occurs and whether or not there is an evolutionary pattern to our observable phenotypic results. This approach is easily applicable to other genes. Our results complement classic genotype-phenotype mapping strategies and demonstrate a high-throughput approach for understanding the effects of polymorphisms across an entire species which can greatly propel future investigations into quantitative traits.
VCFCons: a versatile VCF-based consensus sequence generator for small genomes
Authors: Tseng Elizabeth , Zeng Qiandong , Iyer Lax
Published: February 2021

We had developed VCFCons to address urgent need for a robust consensus sequence generator for SARS-CoV-2 viral surveillance, which presented several unique requirements, including: (a) low coverage areas should be noted with ‘N’s, (b) low frequency or suspicious variant calls need to be filtered. We have found that, while some existing tools such as bcftools can generate the desired consensus sequence, it required multiple filtering steps and additional scripting. VCFCons can generate consensus sequences based on variant calls in a VCF format with versatile filtering criteria based on coverage and estimated variant frequency. We applied VCFCons to the Labcorp SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data and showed that it generated correct consensus sequences that were successfully submitted to GISAID and NCBI. We hope the community will find value in this tool and aim to continue developing VCFCons to handle more complex viral data in the future.
High and low expression of the hyperpolarization activated current (Ih) in mouse CA1 stratum oriens interneurons
Authors: Hewitt Lauren T. , Ordemann Gregory J. , Brager Darrin H.
Published: February 2021

Inhibitory interneurons are among the most diverse cell types in the brain; the hippocampus itself contains more than 28 different inhibitory interneurons. Interneurons are typically classified using a combination of physiological, morphological and biochemical observations. One broad separator is action potential firing: low threshold, regular spiking vs. higher threshold, fast spiking. We found that spike frequency adaptation (SFA) was highly heterogeneous in low threshold interneurons in the mouse stratum oriens region of area CA1. Analysis with a k-means clustering algorithm parsed the data set into two distinct clusters based on a constellation of physiological parameters and reliably sorted strong and weak SFA cells into different groups. Interneurons with strong SFA fired fewer action potentials across a range of current inputs and had lower input resistance compared to cells with weak SFA. Strong SFA cells also had higher sag and rebound in response to hyperpolarizing current injections. Morphological analysis shows no difference between the two cell types and the cell types did not segregate along the dorsal-ventral axis of the hippocampus. Strong and weak SFA cells were labeled in hippocampal slices from SST:cre Ai14 mice suggesting both cells express somatostatin. Voltage-clamp recordings showed hyperpolarization activated current Ihwas significantly larger in strong SFA cells compared to weak SFA cells. We suggest that the strong SFA cell represents a previously uncharacterized type of CA1 stratum oriens interneuron. Due to the combination of physiological parameters of these cells, we will refer to them asLowThresholdHigh Ih(LTH) cells.

Key Points

Spike frequency adaptation (SFA) was highly variable among stratum oriens interneurons

Adapting stratum oriens interneurons were separated into two cell groups using multiple subthreshold and action potential parameters by cluster analysis

Cells with strong SFA fired fewer action potentials for a given current injection, had lower input resistance and more sag and rebound compared to weak SFA cells

The physiological differences were not correlated with neuron morphology, location in stratum oriens, or anatomical location along the dorsal-ventral axis of the hippocampus

Voltage-clamp recordings revealed that strong SFA cells had higher density of the hyperpolarization activated current Ihcompared to weak SFA cells
NiftyTorch: A Deep Learning framework for NeuroImaging
Authors: Subramanian Adithya , Lan Haoyu , Govindarajan Sankareswari , Viswanathan Lavanya , Choupan Jeiran , Sepehrband Farshid
Published: February 2021

We present NiftyTorch a Deep Learning Framework for NeuroImaging. The motivation behind the development of such a library is that there are scant amount of centralized tool for deploying 3D deep learning for NeuroImaging. In addition, most of the existing tools require expert technical knowledge in Deep Learning or programming, creating a barrier for entry. The goal is to provide a one stop package using which the users can perform classification tasks, Segmentation tasks and Image Transformation tasks. The intended audience are the members of NeuroImaging who would like to explore deep learning but have no background in coding. In this article we explore the capabilities of the framework, the performance of the framework and the future work for the framework.
Amplicon sequence variants artificially split bacterial genomes into separate clusters
Authors: Schloss Patrick D.
Published: February 2021

Amplicon sequencing variants (ASVs) have been proposed as an alternative to operational taxonomic units (OTUs) for analyzing microbial communities. ASVs have grown in popularity, in part, because of a desire to reflect a more refined level of taxonomy since they do not cluster sequences based on a distance-based threshold. However, ASVs and the use of overly narrow thresholds to identify OTUs increase the risk of splitting a single genome into separate clusters. To assess this risk, I analyzed the intragenomic variation of 16S rRNA genes from the bacterial genomes represented in arrncopy number database, which contained 20,427 genomes from 5,972 species. As the number of copies of the 16S rRNA gene increased in a genome, the number of ASVs also increased. There was an average of 0.58 ASVs per copy of the 16S rRNA gene for full length 16S rRNA genes. It was necessary to use a distance threshold of 5.25% to cluster full length ASVs from the same genome into a single OTU with 95% confidence for genomes with 7 copies of the 16S rRNA, such asE. coli. This research highlights the risk of splitting a single bacterial genome into separate clusters when ASVs are used to analyze 16S rRNA gene sequence data. Although there is also a risk of clustering ASVs from different species into the same OTU when using broad distance thresholds, those risks are of less concern than artificially splitting a genome into separate ASVs and OTUs.
Downsizing in plants - UV induces pronounced morphological changes in cucumber in the absence of stress
Authors: Qian Minjie , Rosenqvist Eva , Prinsen Els , Pescheck Frauke , Flygare Ann-Marie , Kalbina Irina , Jansen Marcel A.K. , Strid Åke
Published: February 2021

Ultraviolet (UV)-A- or UV-B-enrichment of growth light resulted in a stocky cucumber (Cucumis sativusL.) phenotype exhibiting decreased stem and petiole lengths and leaf area. Effects were larger in plants grown in UV-B- than in UV-A-enriched light. In plants grown in UV-A-enriched light, decreases in stem and petiole lengths were similar independently of tissue age. In the presence of UV-B radiation, stems and petioles were progressively shorter the younger the tissue. Also, plants grown under UV-A-enriched light significantly reallocated photosynthate from shoot to root and also had thicker leaves with decreased specific leaf area. Our data therefore imply different morphological plant regulatory mechanisms under UV-A and UV-B radiation. There was no evidence of stress in the UV-exposed plants, neither in photosynthetic parameters, total chlorophyll content, nor in accumulation of damaged DNA (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers). The ABA content of the plants also was consistent with non-stress conditions. Parameters such as total leaf antioxidant activity, leaf adaxial epidermal flavonol content and foliar total UV-absorbing pigment levels revealed successful UV acclimation of the plants. Thus, the stocky UV-phenotype was displayed by healthy cucumber plants, implying a strong morphological response and regulatory adjustment as part of UV acclimation processes involving UV-A and/or UV-B photoreceptors.
Structural basis of substrate recognition and translocation by human ABCA4
Authors: Xie Tian , Zhang Zike , Du Bowen , Fang Qi , Gong Xin
Published: February 2021

Human ATP-binding cassette (ABC) subfamily A (ABCA) transporters mediate the transport of various lipid compounds across the membrane. Mutations in human ABCA transporters have been described to cause severe hereditary disorders associated with impaired lipid transport. However, little is known about the mechanistic details of substrate recognition and translocation by ABCA transporters. Here, we present three cryo-EM structures of human ABCA4, a retinal-specific ABCA transporter, in distinct functional states at resolutions of 3.3-3.4 Å. In the nucleotide-free state, the two transmembrane domains (TMDs) exhibited a lateral-opening conformation, allowing the lateral entry of substrate from the lipid bilayer. N-retinylidene-phosphatidylethanolamine (NRPE), the physiological lipid substrate of ABCA4, is sandwiched between the two TMDs in the luminal leaflet and is further stabilized by an extended loop from extracellular domain 1. In the ATP-bound state, the two TMDs displayed an unprecedented closed conformation, which precludes the substrate binding. Our study provides a molecular basis to understand the mechanism of ABCA4-mediated NRPE recognition and translocation, and suggests a common ‘lateral access and extrusion’ mechanism for ABCA-mediated lipid transport.
Co-design in the architectural process
Authors: Combrinck Carin , Porter Caitlin Jane
Published: February 2021

Purpose

Despite the proven importance of co-design as a way of improving the social relevance of architecture, there is a lack of opportunity for meaningful co-design processes in the current professional Master of Architecture programme in South Africa as it is largely modelled on the professional work stages of the South African Council for the Architecture Profession (SACAP), which are based on the assumption of primary authorship and authority of the architect.

Design/methodology/approach

This problem has been investigated by way of ten workshops with high school learners in the Mamelodi East township in South Africa, as part of a professional master’s degree in architecture.

Findings

The findings of the workshops indicate that the initial stages of design could benefit directly from the participation processes and could be critiqued constructively. However, increased resistance to the process by crit panels was experienced once the sketch design phase was completed and the expectation of primary authorship increased. Engagement of the learners in the latter part of the design decision-making process also diminished as levels of experience in spatial design became evidently further removed from the expected outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

In terms of co-design discourse and the evident value of participatory skills in practice, it is evident that the initial work stages of concept, brief and ideation are fairly easily assimilated into the pedagogical requirements of the degree programme and as such could enable a more socially relevant and responsive approach to professional practice.

Practical implications

The South African standard of practising architecture leaves little space for the process of co-design, even within the educational environment. The value of co-design within this context lies predominantly in the values and conversations generated rather than the aesthetics of the end product. The process of co-design opens up the opportunity for new dialogues to emerge and for relationships to form.

Social implications

Co-design illustrates how architectural intelligence can be exercised in a much broader spatial field that acknowledges more than just the building itself but social, global, ecological and virtual networks, thereby changing how the authors design, what the authors design and who designs it.

Originality/value

It is in the realm of co-design that the beauty of architecture oscillates between strangeness and the ordinary. If the authors embrace the power of the collective and collaborative thinking, the authors are able to conceive new ways in the making of architecture. In order to arrive at this, however, the straightjacketed approach of modelling the master’s programme on professional work stages and outcomes needs to be challenged so that true transformation of the profession can be enabled through its pedagogical instruments.
Contemporary academic library users in Kenya: their needs and preferences in access and use of information resources
Authors: Ombogo Tandy M. , Namande Ben W.
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of generations on information behavior and needs to access and use of library resources and how well academic libraries in Kenya are simultaneously serving both generations. From literature reviewed, a study on the Kenyan scenario on generational behavior and needs was not identified and this study sought to fill that gap.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected were done through mixed-methods research using observation, structured interviews and questionnaires. The sample included 143 students and faculty within different generations, and three library staffs at The United States International University-Africa’s Library. Quantitative data were analyzed through SPSS and Excel, while qualitative data were analyzed according to the theme of this study. Likert-scale responses were used to measure information behavior of users’ needs and preferences.

Findings

Findings showed that the library is serving two distinct generations with different needs: out of a mean score of 5.00 of sample surveyed; digital immigrants need information resources mainly for research at an aggregate 3.93 while digital natives need information resources mainly for examinations at an aggregate 4.01. Both generations need to use technology to access and use information resources at 94% of digital immigrants and an aggregate 81.5% of digital natives surveyed. The library is training both user groups accordingly. This answered the research problem this study sought to assess.

Research limitations/implications

The generation of users was known only after administering the questionnaires. Consequently, the researcher targeted them using the status of respondents, faculty or student, to maximize sampling for each generation. Undergraduate and master’s students were used to target digital natives, while the faculty was used to target digital immigrants. PhD students were used to target both digital immigrants and digital natives. This study was done only in one location, USIU-Africa’s Library.

Originality/value

This study assessed how different generations within academic libraries in Kenya could be guided to effectively and efficiently adapt to global changes. This study assessed generational influence on needs and preferences in access and use of information resources, and assessed how academic libraries are concurrently and successfully serving variant user needs in Kenya,
Knowledge sharing through WhatsApp: does it promote EFL teachers' reflective practice?
Authors: Farahian Majid , Parhamnia Farshad
Published: February 2021

Purpose

Reflective practice can greatly improve teachers' professional development, and various studies have demonstrated that teachers' knowledge sharing has a positive impact on their reflection. Accordingly, the present study was conducted to examine the effect of knowledge sharing in a popular online forum – WhatsApp – on English as foreign language (EFL) teachers' reflective practice. It was also aimed to probe the challenges the teachers faced to share information in their daily practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The experimental study was pretest and posttest. To do so, 60 available EFL teachers were chosen as the participants. They were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Both groups received the English language teaching (ELT) reflection inventory as the pretest and posttest. In addition, to find the difficulties EFL teachers encounter to share information in their daily practice, a week after the treatment, a semi-structured interview with 21 volunteer EFL teachers from the experimental group was carried out. As the treatment, the online discussion among the teachers regarding their daily practice took around 1 h and lasted two weeks.

Findings

The result of the posttest revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in their reflective practice. The results of the interview revealed that among other factors, the EFL teachers' lack of awareness regarding the importance of knowledge sharing, sticking to conventional methods of teaching and considering authorities' views as more trustworthy were the barriers which impede their knowledge sharing.

Social implications

The findings could inspire reconsideration of the role social media plays in Iranian EFL teacher education and its role in contributing to teachers' professional development as well as their social interaction with colleagues. The results also call for taking measures to eliminate barriers to EFL teachers' knowledge sharing, which are partly rooted in the socio-educational context.

Originality/value

Some studies have argued that knowledge sharing may contribute to the promotion of EFL teachers' reflectivity. There are also studies that have reported that teachers' involvement in sharing of knowledge does not have a significant effect on their reflective practice. Accordingly, contradictory results have been reported regarding the effectiveness of knowledge sharing in promoting teachers' reflection. In addition, exploring the impact of knowledge sharing on EFL teachers' reflectivity via WhatsApp deserves more attention.
Developing management policies and analyzing impact of change orders on labor productivity in construction projects
Authors: Kermanshachi Sharareh , Rouhanizadeh Behzad , Govan Paul
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The inevitable change orders in construction projects have either direct or indirect impacts on a project’s duration. Reduced productivity is one of the indirect consequences that lead to major delays in the completion of the project. The purpose of this study is to develop a model that could quantify the impact of change orders on labor productivity and result in the establishment of policies to lessen their effects.

Design/methodology/approach

A model was developed to analyze the effects of change orders on labor productivity, then policies for managing their impacts on productivity and project duration were established. A water treatment case study was selected to serve as the scenario in which to implement and evaluate the model and policies.

Findings

The results of this study indicated that pressure to adhere to a schedule initially leads to an increase in labor productivity, but it is often followed by a significant drop that is a result of employee frustration. It was concluded that the pressure can be positive if it is applied for a short period of time; however, it continues for a significant length of time, the duration of the project will increase appreciably.

Originality/value

The proposed model can be implemented to identify the factors that affect labor productivity in a construction project. Its utilization will also help project managers assess when change orders occur and determine, which policies will be most effective in optimizing labor productivity.
The ILVA disaster: a study of environmental liability in Italy
Authors: Marcatajo Gabriella
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a reflection on the importance of individual environmental protection, which recognizes the right of every citizen to take action to obtain compensation for environmental damage, as a damage to his or her existential condition. One of the most discussed environmental issues in Italy today is the lack of personal protection because the European legislator has provided for a public protection of environmental damage.

Design/methodology/approach

Design/methodology/approach based on the analysis of a well-known environmental disaster, the case of ex Ilva, the author shows how in Italy there is a dangerous lack of protection in environmental matters that contrasts with the consideration of the environment as a fundamental constitutional value of Italian and European law and the affirmation of the principle of sustainable development.

Findings

Findings the reconstruction of the environment as a common good aimed at realizing the fundamental needs of the person according to the theory of common goods and damage to the environment as an existential damage finds in the pronouncement of the European Court relevant confirmations. As a result of an individual legitimation alternative to the choice of the European legislator to confine the protection in the public sector.

Originality/value

This work will examine recent Italian cases concerning environmental disaster, the case of ex Ilva. This paper is the original work of the author and has not been submitted elsewhere for publication.
Consumer financial fraud in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Dempere Juan , Malik Sabir
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to study the explanatory power of demographics, financial behaviors and financial literacy on instances of consumer financial fraud (CFF) among Emirati households.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a survey applied to the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) largest federal higher education institution. The authors analyzed the data using generalized linear models, specifically generalized regressions based on both the logit and the probit models. Independent sample tests were also applied to compare the different subgroups considered in this study.

Findings

The authors found that the CFF victims seem to be older with more years of post-secondary education and high monthly credit card balances. When analyzing the probability of Emirati students becoming CFF victims, the authors found that only age, instances of lack of monthly income to cover living costs, and average monthly credit card balance, all have significant and positive explanatory power on the probability of becoming a CFF victim. However, when analyzing the aggregate subsample of all Emirati respondents, only the credit card balance has a positive and significant relationship with such a probability.

Research limitations/implications

The authors used a non-probability sampling method that produced some biases, including a gender bias and an age-related bias. These biases preclude us from making valid inferences and generalizations about the Emirati population.

Originality/value

To the best of authors’ knowledge, no previous research article has studied CFF in the UAE, which constitutes this study’s original contribution.
Understanding intentions and actual use of mobile wallets by millennial: an extended TAM model perspective
Authors: Sarmah Roktim , Dhiman Neeraj , Kanojia Honey
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The present study aims to probe into the determinants of mobile wallet adoption by millennials with the assistance of extended technology acceptance model.

Design/methodology/approach

The data was collected from the students studying professional courses in leading private universities in the north region of India. Keeping in view of the objective and hypotheses, the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS -SEM) technique was used to test the proposed model.

Findings

The tested model brings into notice the imperative observation, which clearly outlines that there are all significant relationships, which can be observed herein. To explicitly state: perceived ease of use (PEOU) has a significant positive relationship with the perceived usefulness followed by PEOU also shares a significant positive relationship with the behavioral intention, and lastly trust as a variable under study establishes a significant positive relationship with actual use (AU).

Research limitations/implications

Implications for the banking industry are to ensure the safety and privacy (financial information) confidential.

Originality/value

The present study contributes to the literature of mobile wallet in the developing nations.
Brand hate and retaliation in Muslim consumers: does offensive advertising matter?
Authors: Noor Uzma , Mansoor Mahnaz , Rabbani Sajeela
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the generation of negative emotions and behavior in Muslim consumers from their attitude toward offensive advertising. Mediation of brand hate between attitude toward offensive advertising and brand retaliation was examined. The conditional indirect impact of religiosity on attitude toward offensive advertising and brand retaliation through brand hate was also realized.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional research design was used using the mall intercept survey technique. Data were collected from 380 respondents visiting the malls in the areas of Pakistan’s twin cities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) after ensuring appropriateness for the study. Partial least square–structural equation modeling through SmartPLS software was used as a statistical technique to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings confirm that attitude toward offensive advertising affects brand hate and brand retaliation positively. The conditional indirect effect of religiosity on the relationship of attitude toward offensive advertising and brand retaliation has also proved significant.

Originality/value

The present study has filled a significant gap in the literature of brand hate by introducing brand hate as a mediator in the relationship of attitude toward offensive advertising and brand retaliation. It further added in the body of knowledge of brand hate by a moderated mediation mechanism of religiosity on the relationship of attitude toward offensive advertising and brand retaliation through brand hate. The present study has considered the non-offensive product being promoted through offensive advertising and explored the impact of attitude toward offensive advertising on brand hate and brand retaliation in Muslim consumers.
Banking technology and cashless economy in selected Sub-Saharan African countries: does education matter?
Authors: Urhie Ese , Amonu Ogechi Chiagozie , Mbah Chiderah , Ewetan Olabanji Olukayode , Matthew Oluwatoyin Augustina , Adediran Oluwasogo , Adesanya Oreoluwa , Adekeye Adeleke
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the effect of banking technology [automated teller machine (ATM) and mobile cellular devices (MOBs)] and other traditional factors on the level of currency in circulation for a sample of 21 selected sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. It also assessed the mitigating effect of education on the relationship between banking technology and the cashless economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a panel data approach to design a cashless economy model with banking technology – ATM and MOBs – as well as their interaction with education as regressors.

Findings

This study finds that MOB is significant for promoting a cashless economy, whereas ATM is insignificant in sample SSA countries. The level of education and the number of bank branches were also found to be significant in promoting a cashless economy. The interaction between education and ATM was insignificant but negatively signed, whereas that between education and MOB was significant but had a positive sign.

Research limitations/implications

Non-availability of data restricted this work to a panel study of selected SSA countries. Subsequent studies should consider single-country case studies.

Practical implications

Findings from the study imply that for banking technology to drive a cashless economy effectively, education has to be improved.

Originality/value

The ratio of cash in circulation to total money supply was used as a measure of the cashless economy. The study also evaluated the moderating effect of education on banking technology.
Investor reaction to the audit engagement partner disclosure rule
Authors: Park Hyungshin
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to examine whether investors perceive the adoption of Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Rule 3211, which mandates disclosure of the identity of audit engagement partners for the US-listed companies, as providing net benefits to the companies.

Design/methodology/approach

This study identifies 33 events leading up to the adoption of the PCAOB rule and examines the market reaction around these events.

Findings

The author finds positive abnormal market-wide returns in response to events that increase the likelihood of adopting the mandate. These positive returns are relatively stronger among companies with higher audit risk and companies with high-quality auditors.

Practical implications

The results of this study indicate that market participants expect that the overall benefits from the audit engagement partner disclosure rule outweigh the associated costs for average firms and in particular for firms with high audit risk and high-quality auditors.

Originality/value

Prior studies document mixed evidence on the net effects of PCAOB Rule 3211 on audit quality and audit fees, potentially because of the short post-rule adoption period and the weak effect of the rule on audit quality and audit fees during the transition period. The author complements these studies by providing the first evidence on the way that the stock market reacts to events that change the likelihood of the adoption of the audit engagement partner disclosure mandate.