bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efference copy is necessary for the attenuation of self-generated touch
Authors: Kilteni Konstantina , Engeler Patrick , Ehrsson H. Henrik
Published: October 2019

A self-generated touch feels less intense than an external touch of the exact same intensity. According to a prevalent computational theory of motor control, this attenuation occurs because the brain uses internal forward models to predict the somatosensory consequences of our movements using a copy of the motor command, i.e., the efference copy. These tactile predictions are then used to suppress the perceived intensity of the actual tactile feedback. Despite being highly influential, the core assumption of theory has never been tested; that is, whether the efference copy is necessary for somatosensory attenuation. A possible alternative hypothesis is that a predictable contact of two of one’s own body parts is sufficient. Using a psychophysical task, we quantified the attenuation of touch applied on the participants’ left index finger when the touch was triggered by the active or passive movement of the participants’ right index finger and when it was externally generated in the absence of any movement. We observed somatosensory attenuation only when the touch was triggered by the voluntary movement of the participants’ finger. In contrast, during the passive movement, the intensity of the touch was perceived to be as strong as when the touch was externally triggered. In both active and passive movement conditions, the participants showed the same discrimination capacity. Electromyographic recordings confirmed minimal activity of the right hand during the passive movement. Together, our results suggest that the efference copy is necessary for computing the somatosensory predictions that produce the attenuation of self-generated touch.
Mitochondrial pyruvate carrier is required for optimal brown fat thermogenesis
Authors: Panic Vanja , Pearson Stephanie , Banks James , Tippetts Trevor S. , Lee Sanghoon , Simcox Judith , Geoghegan Gisela , Bensard Claire , van Ry Tyler , Holland Will L. , Summers Scott , Cox James , Ducker Greg , Rutter Jared , Villanueva Claudio J.
Published: October 2019

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is composed of thermogenic cells that convert chemical energy into heat to help maintain a constant body temperature and counteract metabolic disease in mammals. The metabolic adaptations required for thermogenesis are not fully understood. Here we explore how steady state levels of metabolic intermediates are altered in brown adipose tissue in response to cold exposure. Transcriptome and metabolome analysis revealed changes in pathways involved in amino acid, glucose, and TCA cycle metabolism. Using isotopic labeling experiments, we found that activated brown adipocytes increased labeling of pyruvate and TCA cycle intermediates from U13C-glucose. Although glucose oxidation has been implicated as being essential for thermogenesis, its requirement for efficient thermogenesis has not been directly tested. Here we show that mitochondrial pyruvate uptake is essential for optimal thermogenesis, as conditional deletion ofMpc1in brown adipocytes leads to impaired cold adaptation. Isotopic labeling experiments using U13C-glucose showed that loss of MPC1 led to impaired labeling of TCA cycle intermediates, while labeling of glycolytic intermediates was unchanged. Loss of MPC1 in BAT increased 3-hydroxybutyrate levels in blood and BAT in response to the cold, suggesting that ketogenesis provides an alternative fuel source that partially compensates for impaired mitochondrial oxidation of cytosolic pyruvate. Collectively, these studies highlight that complete glucose oxidation is essential for optimal brown fat thermogenesis.
HDAC6 promotes self-renewal and migration/invasion of rhabdomyosarcoma
Authors: Pham Thao Q. , Robinson Kristin , Xu Lin , Skapek Stephen X. , Chen Eleanor Y.
Published: October 2019

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a devastating pediatric sarcoma. The survival outcomes remain poor for patients with relapsed or metastatic disease. Effective targeted therapy is lacking due to our limited knowledge of the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to disease progression. In this study, we used functional assays in vitro and in vivo (zebrafish and xenograft mouse models) to demonstrate the crucial role of HDAC6, a cytoplasmic histone deacetylase, in driving RMS tumor growth, self-renewal and migration/invasion. Treatment with the HDAC6-selective inhibitor, Tubastatin A, recapitulates the HDAC6 loss-of-function phenotypes. HDAC6 regulates cytoskeletal dynamics to promote tumor cell migration and invasion. RAC1, a Rho family GTPase, is an essential mediator of HDAC6 function, and is necessary and sufficient for RMS cell migration and invasion. High expression of RAC1 correlates with poor clinical prognosis in RMS patients. Targeting the HDAC6-RAC1 axis represents a promising therapeutic option for improving survival outcomes of RMS patients.
Cytokine and Growth Factor Response in a Rat Model of Radiation Induced Injury to the Submental Muscles
Authors: King Suzanne N. , Al-Quran Zakariyya , Hurley Justin , Wang Brian , Dunlap Neal
Published: October 2019

Submental muscles (i.e. mylohyoid and geniohyoid) play a vital role during swallowing, protecting the airway from ingested material. To design therapies to reduce the functional deficits associated with radiation treatment relies in part on our understanding of the changes in the cytokine and growth factor response that can impact muscle function. The purpose of this study is to quantify changes in the inflammatory, pro-fibrotic, and pro-angiogenic factors following 48Gy of fractionated radiation to the mylohyoid muscle. We hypothesized that (1) irradiation will provoke increases in TGF-1β and MMP-2 mRNA in the mylohyoid muscle; and (2) muscles surrounding the target location (i.e. geniohyoid and digastric muscles) will exhibit similar alterations in their gene expression profiles. Rats were exposed to 6 fractions of 8Gy using a 6MeV electron beam on a clinical linear accelerator. The highest dose curve was focused at the mylohyoid muscle. After 2-and 4-weeks post-radiation, the mylohyoid, geniohyoid, and digastric muscles were harvested. Expression of TNF-α, IFNγ, IL-1β, IL-6, TGF-1β, VEGF, MMP-2, and MMP-9 mRNA was analyzed via PCR and/or RT-PCR. TGF-1β, MMP-2, and IL-6 expression was upregulated in the irradiated mylohyoid compared to nonirradiated controls. No notable changes in TNF-α, IFNγ, and IL-1β mRNA expression was observed in irradiated muscles. Differing expression profiles were found in the surrounding muscles post-radiation. Results demonstrated that irradiation provokes molecular signals involved in the regulation of the extracellular matrix, which could lead to fibrosis or atrophy in the swallowing muscle after radiation.
CreLite: An Optogenetically Controlled Cre/loxP System Using Red Light
Authors: Yen Shuo-Ting , Trimmer Kenneth A. , Aboul Nader , Mullen Rachel D. , Culver James C. , Dickinson Mary E. , Behringer Richard R. , Eisenhoffer George T.
Published: October 2019

Precise manipulation of gene expression with temporal and spatial control is essential for functional studies and the determination of cell lineage relationships in complex biological systems. The Cre-loxP system is commonly used for gene manipulation at desired times and places. However, specificity is dependent on the availability of tissue- or cell-specific regulatory elements used in combination with Cre or CreER (tamoxifen-inducible). Here we present CreLite, an optogenetically-controlled Cre system using red light in developing zebrafish embryos. Cre activity is disabled by splitting Cre and fusing the inactive halves with the Arabidopsis thaliana red light-inducible binding partners, PhyB and PIF6. In addition, PhyB-PIF6 binding requires phycocyanobilin (PCB), providing an additional layer of control. Upon exposure to red light (660 nm) illumination, the PhyB-CreC and PIF6-CreN fusion proteins come together in the presence of PCB to restore Cre activity. Red-light exposure of transgenic zebrafish embryos harboring a Cre-dependent multi-color fluorescent protein reporter (ubi:zebrabow) injected with CreLite mRNAs and PCB, resulted in Cre activity as measured by the generation of multi-spectral cell labeling in various tissues, including heart, skeletal muscle and epithelium. We show that CreLite can be used for gene manipulations in whole embryos or small groups of cells at different stages of development. CreLite provides a novel optogenetic tool for precise temporal and spatial control of gene expression in zebrafish embryos that may also be useful in cell culture, ex vivo organ culture, and other animal models for developmental biology studies.
Inference and effects of barcode multiplets in droplet-based single-cell assays
Authors: Lareau Caleb A. , Ma Sai , Duarte Fabiana M. , Buenrostro Jason D.
Published: October 2019

A widespread assumption for single-cell analyses specifies that one cell’s nucleic acids are predominantly captured by one oligonucleotide barcode. However, we show that ∼13-21% of cell barcodes from the 10x Chromium scATAC-seq assay may have been derived from a droplet with more than one oligonucleotide sequence, which we call “barcode multiplets”. We demonstrate that barcode multiplets can be derived from at least two different sources. First, we confirm that ∼4% of droplets from the 10x platform may contain multiple beads. Additionally, we find that ∼5-7% of beads may contain multiple oligonucleotide barcodes. We show that this artifact can confound single-cell analyses, including the interpretation of clonal diversity and proliferation of intra-tumor lymphocytes. Overall, our work provides a conceptual and computational framework to identify and assess the impacts of barcode multiplets in single-cell data.
More than DNA methylation: does pleiotropy drive the complex pattern of evolution ofDnmt1?
Authors: Amukamara Ashley U. , Washington Joshua T. , Sanchez Zachary , McKinney Elizabeth C. , Moore Allen J. , Schmitz Robert J. , Moore Patricia J.
Published: October 2019

DNA methylation is an important chromatin modification that can stably alter gene expression in cells and maintain genome integrity in plants and vertebrates. The function of DNA methylation outside of these well-studied systems, however, is unclear. Insects, in particular, represent an understudied group. Variation in the level of DNA methylation and gains and losses in the maintenance methyltransferase, DNMT1, across the insect tree of life suggests that there is much we don’t understand about DMNT1 function and evolution. One constant across the studies examining patterns ofDnmt1expression in insects is that expression is consistently high in reproductive tissues compared to somatic tissue. The explanation for this has been that DNMT1 is required in tissues that have high levels of cell division. Our previous study found that downregulation ofDnmt1expression in the milkweed bugOncopeltus fasciatusresults in the expected reduction of DNA methylation, no global changes in gene expression reflecting changes in DNA methylation, and the loss of the ability to produce viable oocytes. Here, we show that females treated with ds-Dnmt1RNA during larval development have a more extreme phenotype; they lack oocytes entirely but develop a normal somatic ovary. Our results indicate a specific role for DNMT1 in the formation of gametes and are consistent with data from other systems, includingTribolium castaneum, a species does not have DNA methylation. We propose that DNMT1 has multiple functional roles in addition to methylating DNA, which explains its complex patterns of evolution, and suggests that previous inferences of causation from associations are premature.
Feedback control of morphogen gradient scale
Authors: Zhu Yilun , Qiu Yuchi , Chen Weitao , Nie Qing , Lander Arthur D.
Published: October 2019

Gradients of the morphogen decapentaplegic (Dpp) patternDrosophilawing imaginal discs, establishing gene expression boundaries at specific locations. As discs grow, Dpp gradients expand, keeping relative boundary positions approximately stationary. Such scaling fails in mutants forPentagone(pent), a gene repressed by Dpp that encodes a diffusible protein that expands Dpp gradients. Although these properties fit a recent mathematical model of automatic gradient scaling, we show here that Pent lacks a property essential to that model—the ability to spread with minimal loss throughout the morphogen field. Instead, Pent’s actions appear confined to within a few cell diameters of its site of synthesis, and can be phenocopied by manipulating non-diffusible targets of Pent strictly within the Pent expression domain. Through genetic manipulation and mathematical modeling we develop an alternative model of scaling, driven by feedback down-regulation of Dpp receptors and co-receptors. Among the model’s predictions is a size limit beyond which scaling fails—something we observe directly in wing discs.
Heterogeneity of satellite cells implicates DELTA1/NOTCH2 signaling in self-renewal
Authors: Yartseva Valeria , Goldstein Leonard D. , Rodman Julia , Kates Lance , Chen Mark Z. , Chen Ying-Jiun J. , Foreman Oded , Siebel Christopher W. , Modrusan Zora , Peterson Andrew S. , Jovičić Ana
Published: October 2019

How satellite cells and their progenitors balance differentiation and self-renewal to achieve sustainable tissue regeneration is not well understood. A major roadblock to understanding satellite cell fate decisions has been the difficulty to study this process in vivo. By visualizing expression dynamics of myogenic transcription factors during early regeneration in vivo, we identified the time point at which cells undergo decisions to differentiate or self-renew. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed heterogeneity of satellite cells during both muscle homeostasis and regeneration, including a subpopulation enriched in Notch2 receptor expression. Furthermore, we reveal that differentiating cells express the Dll1 ligand. Using antagonistic antibodies we demonstrate that the DLL1 and NOTCH2 signaling pair is required for satellite cell self-renewal. Thus, differentiating cells provide the self-renewing signal during regeneration, enabling proportional regeneration in response to injury while maintaining the satellite cell pool. These findings have implications for therapeutic control of muscle regeneration.
Comparative microbiomes of three species of laboratory-rearedPeriplanetacockroaches
Authors: Lee Seogwon , Kim Ju Yeong , Yi Myung-hee , Lee In-Yong , Yong Tai-Soon
Published: October 2019

Cockroaches are the most primitive insects, and are often used as the basic insect model in many studies. Three species ofPeriplanetacockroaches were raised in the laboratory for many generations under the same conditions. We conducted 16S rRNA-targeted high-throughput sequencing to evaluate the overall bacterial composition in the microbiomes of three species of cockroaches. The number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was not significantly different between the three cockroach species. With respect to the Shannon and Pielou indexes, the microbiome ofPeriplaneta americanapresented higher values than that of eitherP. japonicaorP. fulginosa. In terms of species composition, endosymbionts accounted for over half of all the bacterial species inP. japonicaandP. fulginosa. The beta diversity analysis showed thatP. japonicaandP. fulginosaexhibit a similar microbiome composition, which is different from that ofP. americana. However, we also identified thatP. japonicaandP. fulginosaare hosts to distinct bacterial species. Thus, although the composition of the microbiome may vary based on multiple conditions, it is possible to identify distinct compositions of the microbiome among the differentPeriplanetacockroach species even when individuals are reared under the same conditions.

Importance

Cockroaches inhabit various habitats—which are known to be related to their microbiome—and exhibit different features depending on the species. It is expected that their microbiomes would vary according to species depending on these features. Cockroach microbiomes are known to vary based on the diet or environmental shifts. In this study, we compare the diversity of bacteria in the three cockroach species under conditions of reduced diet and environment shifts. This study can establish the basic microbiomes of threePeriplanetaspecies and can be the basic data for cockroach research.
A novel antiviral lncRNA EDAL shields a T309 O-GlcNAcylation site to promote EZH2 degradation
Authors: Sui Baokun , Chen Dong , Liu Wei , Wu Qiong , Tian Bin , Hou Jing , Li Yingying , Liu Shiyong , Xie Juan , Jiang Hao , Luo Zhaochen , Lv Lei , Huang Fei , Li Ruiming , Cui Min , Zhou Ming , Chen Huanchun , Fu Zhen F. , Zhang Yi , Zhao Ling
Published: October 2019

The central nervous system (CNS) is vulnerable for viral infection, yet few host factors in the CNS are known to defend invasion by neurotropic viruses. We report here that multiple neurotropic viruses, including rabies virus (RABV), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), Semliki Forest virus (SFV) and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), elicit the neuronal expression of a host-encoded lncRNA EDAL. EDAL inhibits the replication of these neurotropic viruses in neuronal cells and RABV infection in mouse brains. EDAL binds to the conserved histone methyltransferase enhancer of zest homolog 2 (EZH2) and specifically causes EZH2 degradation via lysosomes, reducing the cellular H3K27me3 level. The antiviral function of EDAL resides in a 56-nt antiviral substructure through which its 18-nt helix-loop intimately contacts multiple EZH2 sites surrounding T309, a known O-GlcNAcylation site. EDAL positively regulate the transcription of Pcp4l1 encoding a 10 kDa peptide, which inhibits the replication of mutiple neurotropic viruses. Our findings proposed a model in which a neuronal lncRNA can exert an effective antiviral function via blocking a specific O-GlcNAcylation that determines EZH2 lysosomal degradation.
Synchronized replication of genes encoding the same protein complex in fast-proliferating cells
Authors: Chen Ying , Li Ke , Chu Xiao , Carey Lucas B. , Qian Wenfeng
Published: October 2019

DNA replication perturbs the dosage balance among genes; at mid-S phase, early-replicating genes have doubled their copies while late-replicating ones have not. Dosage imbalance among genes, especially within members of a protein complex, is toxic to cells. However, the molecular mechanisms that cells use to deal with such imbalance remain not fully understood. Here, we validate at the genomic scale that the dosage between early- and late-replicating genes is imbalanced in HeLa cells. We propose the synchronized replication hypothesis that genes sensitive to stoichiometric relationships will be replicated simultaneously to maintain stoichiometry. In support of this hypothesis, we observe that genes encoding the same protein complex have similar replication timing but mainly in fast-proliferating cells such as embryonic stem cells and cancer cells. We find that the synchronized replication observed in cancer cells, but not in slow-proliferating differentiated cells, is due to convergent evolution during tumorigenesis that restores synchronized replication timing within protein complexes. Taken together, our study reveals that the demand for dosage balance during S phase plays an important role in the optimization of the replication-timing program; this selection is relaxed during differentiation as the cell cycle prolongs and is restored during tumorigenesis as the cell cycle shortens.
What prompts users to click on news headlines? Evidence from unobtrusive data analysis
Authors: Jiang Tingting , Guo Qian , Chen Shunchang , Yang Jiaqi
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The headlines of online news are created carefully to influence audience news selection today. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between news headline presentation and users’ clicking behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Two types of unobtrusive data were collected and analyzed jointly for this purpose. A two-month server log file containing 39,990,200 clickstream records was obtained from an institutional news site. A clickstream data analysis was conducted at the footprint and movement levels, which extracted 98,016 clicks received by 7,120 headlines ever displayed on the homepage. Meanwhile, the presentation of these headlines was characterized from seven dimensions, i.e. position, format, text length, use of numbers, use of punctuation marks, recency and popularity, based on the layout and content crawled from the homepage.

Findings

This study identified a series of presentation characteristics that prompted users to click on the headlines, including placing them in the central T-shaped zones, using images, increasing text length properly for greater clarity, using visually distinctive punctuation marks, and providing recency and popularity indicators.

Originality/value

The findings have valuable implications for news providers in attracting clicks to their headlines. Also, the successful application of nonreactive methods has significant implications for future user studies in both information science and journalism.
Consumer preference for wine from hand-harvested grapes
Authors: Dominici Andrea , Boncinelli Fabio , Gerini Francesca , Marone Enrico
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate preferences for wine made from hand-harvested grapes, and the interactive effect between this attribute and organic certification.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via an online choice experiment involving a sample of 408 Italian wine consumers. A random parameter logit was performed to estimate consumer preferences for wine attributes: harvest type, organic and the interaction between these. The experiment also includes geographical indications and price. Furthermore, a latent class model (LCM) is performed to investigate taste heterogeneity for the included wine attributes.

Findings

On average, consumers prefer the wine produced with hand-harvested grapes. The hypothesis of an interaction between organic and hand-harvested attributes is rejected. Using the LCM, the authors identify three segments with significant taste heterogeneity in terms of the magnitude and the sign of the parameters. Moreover, consumer attitudes towards food naturalness differ according to their belonging to the segments.

Originality/value

The novelty of this article is twofold. First, this study investigates, for the first time, the impact of the hand-harvested method on consumer wine preferences. Second, hand-harvesting and organic have independent values.
Intentions to adopt safe food storage practices in older adults
Authors: Thaivalappil Abhinand , Papadopoulos Andrew , Young Ian
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to determine which psychosocial factors are predictors of older adults’ safe food storage practices at home.

Design/methodology/approach

An online structured questionnaire was developed and administered to older adults (60+). Two behavioural intention outcomes were investigated: thawing meats safely and storing leftovers within recommended guidelines. The survey instrument measured socio-demographic and TPB variables: attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and intentions. A measure of self-reported habitual behaviour was also recorded and used to determine whether past practice influenced behavioural intentions.

Findings

Respondents (n=78) demonstrated good intentions to safely defrost meats and store leftovers. The models accounted for 41 and 48 per cent of the variance in intentions to perform safe storage behaviours. Attitudes and subjective norms were predictors of intentions to safely thaw meats. Habitual behaviour was a significant predictor of behavioural intentions to safely store leftovers. Perceived behavioural control was a significant predictor of intentions to thaw meats and store leftovers.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size was small, and results are to be interpreted with caution.

Practical implications

The results indicate that theory-based solutions to solving food safety among consumers may be a feasible strategy.

Originality/value

The study is the first of its kind to apply the TPB to this consumer group.
The global refugee crisis and the career ecosystem
Authors: Richardson Julia , Karam Charlotte M. , Afiouni Fida
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce this special issue about the “Impact of the Global Refugee Crisis on the Career Ecosystem” and summarise the key contributions of the included practitioner and scholarly papers which examine refugee business and labour market experiences. The paper also examines the impact of media reports to provide a broader understanding of the context within which the current refugee crisis is evolving.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors begin with a delineation of the concept of a career ecosystem in the context of refugee crises. The authors then employ this framing as a backdrop to engage in a basic analysis of business media coverage of the most recent Syrian refugee crisis, and a summary of the practitioner and scholarly papers.

Findings

The findings of the media analysis suggest major coverage differences between different groups of countries in the number of documents identified, the proposed aim of business engagement with refugees, and substance of the extracted statements generally.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis of business media coverage is rudimentary and intended only as a prompt for further conversations about how contemporary media commentary impacts on career opportunities for refugees and relevant stakeholder practices.

Practical implications

This paper demonstrates the importance of including broader considerations of refugee careers that explore the interaction and intersection with transnational and local ecosystem of labour markets while paying attention to the sociocultural and political refugee-host community dynamics.

Originality/value

This paper presents a more systems-oriented perspective and provides both practice and scholarly perspectives on the composite and dynamic nature of the refugee crisis on career ecosystems more broadly.
The effects of attractiveness, gender and self-esteem in service jobs
Authors: Xu Shi , Martinez Larry , Smith Nicholas A.
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of service providers’ attractiveness in service jobs and examine the underlying psychological mechanisms that may explain consumers’ different attitudes and potential behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

An experimental design was used in this paper. Study 1 used a scenario depicting a front-desk agent performing check-in procedures and Study 2 used a scenario depicting a restaurant server. Data were analyzed using Hayes’ (2013) PROCESS macro.

Findings

Study 1 demonstrated the mediating effect of perceived interpersonal skills in the relations between front desk agent attractiveness and participant positive word-of-mouth and service satisfaction. Study 2 reaffirmed this finding and showed that the attractiveness of servers positively impacted participants’ perceptions of the servers’ interpersonal skill and participants’ tipping behavior. Furthermore, the relation between attractiveness and interpersonal skills was moderated by servers’ genders and participants’ levels of self-esteem, such that the effect was stronger in response to female servers for participants with relatively low self-esteem. In addition, the effect of the three-way interaction among server gender, server’s level of attractiveness, and participant’s level of self-esteem on tipping was mediated by participant’s perceived interpersonal skills.

Originality/value

This paper investigated the under-researched constructs of participants’ self-esteem and service providers’ gender and their moderating roles within the service context. These results suggest that responses to service providers can be impacted by the attractiveness and gender of the provider and customers’ self-esteems, despite equivalent objective performance of the provider.
Hospitality career retention: the role of contextual factors and thriving at work
Authors: Chang Wen , Busser James A.
Published: October 2019

Purpose

This study aims to understand employee career retention in the hospitality industry. Building on the socially embedded model of thriving, signaling theory and social cognitive career theory (SCCT), the study examines a structural model of psychological contract fulfillment (PCF), perceived organizational support (POS), thriving, career satisfaction and career turnover intention.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed research model was tested using structural equation modeling with responses from 300 US hospitality employees. Data were collected using an online survey available through a panel service at Qualtrics.

Findings

Empirical results supported all proposed hypotheses and confirmed the critical mediation role of thriving for workplace contextual factors and employee career retention. As predicted, both PCF and POS positively influenced employee thriving, which positively influenced career satisfaction and negatively influenced career turnover intention.

Practical implications

Findings of this study yielded several recommendations for hospitality managers, including using the concept of thriving as an indicator and a remedy for employee career development and retention.

Originality/value

Given the increased need for qualified talent and reduced career satisfaction, this study sheds light on the further understanding of sustainable employment in the hospitality industry. Using signaling theory and SCCT as an overarching framework, this study extends the socially embedded model of thriving as well as SCCT and supports combining psychological contract theory and organizational support theory to better understand hospitality career retention.
Experimental research on compressive strength of UHPC spherical hinge
Authors: Jiawei Wang , Quansheng Sun
Published: October 2019

Purpose

In order to reduce the impact of bridge construction on traffic under the bridge, the construction of bridges for some important traffic nodes usually adopts the swivel construction method. The spherical hinge is a rotating mechanism located between the bottom of the pier and the bridge cap, and is subjected to tremendous vertical pressure. According to the mechanical characteristics of the spherical hinges, this paper applies the ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) material to the spherical hinge. The spherical hinge is subjected to a compression test to test its mechanical behavior. This paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to test the mechanical behavior of the UHPC spherical hinge, multiple sets of 100 mm UHPC spherical hinge specimens were prefabricated. Through the universal testing machine to measure the compressive strength of specimens, draw the force-displacement curve to analyze the failure mechanism and establish the stress calculation formula of the spherical hinge at each point along the radial direction.

Findings

Through the test, the compressive strength of UHPC spherical hinge is obtained, and the influencing factors of UHPC spherical hinge strength are found: reducing water–cement ratio, increasing steel fiber content and length and changing steel fiber arrangement direction can effectively improve the compression strength of UHPC spherical hinge.

Originality/value

For the first time, UHPC materials were applied to the spherical hinge structure, the UHPC spherical hinge diameter is 1/3 of the diameter of the reinforced concrete spherical hinge, which is equivalent to the diameter of the steel spherical hinge. By applying the UHPC spherical hinge, the manufacturing cost is reduced, the process is simple, and the construction difficulty is reduced.
Pseudo-static test research on EBIMFCW with different shear-span ratio
Authors: Li Sheng-cai , Lin Guo
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the seismic performance of the energy-saving block and invisible multi-ribbed frame composite walls (EBIMFCW), changing the shear-span ratio as the test parameter, the low-cycle reciprocating loading tests of six 1/2 scale wall models were carried out.

Design/methodology/approach

The test design method and analysis are used for the seismic performance of the EBIMFCW.

Findings

With the increase of shear-span ratio: the walls tend to occur bending failure even more, the initial stiffness of the wall decreases, the overall ductility of the wall is improved and the walls tend to occur bending failure.

Originality/value

The previous studies do not involve the seismic performance of EBIMFCW under different shear-span ratios. Therefore, the paper studies the hysteresis behavior, ductility, stiffness degradation and energy dissipation performance of EBIMFCW under different shear-span ratios.
Pricing of property valuation services in Lagos Nigeria
Authors: Oladokun Sunday Olarinre , Mooya Manya Mainza
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The pricing of professional service has been identified as one of the factors influencing the quality of service and willingness of clients to pay. However, the issue of service pricing is hardly seen as an object of discourse in real estate literature, especially among valuation studies, as it is obtainable in other fields. In Nigeria, it has become the practice for some sets of clients, especially financial institutions, to fix valuers’ remuneration based on the fact that these clients have market advantage. This practice and some other issues around pricing of valuers’ services have been going on for some years with little or no research insights from academics. The purpose of this paper is to examine the pricing system of valuation services within the Lagos property market with the aim of providing information to better valuation practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This study assumes an interpretive paradigm and adopts a qualitative research approach. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 registered valuers practising within the Lagos property market. Snowballing sampling technique was employed in selecting the registered valuers who were active in the practice of valuation in the study area. Data collected were analysed using thematic analysis with the aid of NVivo 12 software.

Findings

This study finds that the pricing system for valuation services in the study area can be broadly categorised under “negotiation” and “fixed rate” systems while the use of the “professional scale of charges” is more or less non-existent. The study also reveals various forms by which these systems are practised, and issues associated with them as well as the effects they have on valuation practice. The study further reveals the factors responsible for the continuous striving of the present pricing system which includes valuers’ inability to enforce the professional scale, competition in the market, buyers’ market syndrome, the game of numbers and the banks’ strategy to protect their customers. The authors also found that the low pricing of valuation service poses challenges to valuation practice and encourages unprofessional conducts that affect the quality of valuation output. The study also provides, albeit limited, an evidence of the relationship between valuation fee and quality of valuation.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited to Lagos property market and only the practising valuers. Insights from other major cities and stakeholders in service pricing like clients and regulatory authority may produce more insightful results.

Originality/value

This study provides important insights into valuers’ experience in the area of service pricing and how this affects the delivery of professional services. It also serves as the research blueprint in giving research attention to the service pricing in property valuation practice.
Zooming in on the workplace bullying and turnover intentions pathway
Authors: Ahmad Saima , Kaleem Ahmad
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Despite the well-established association between workplace bullying and turnover intentions, the mechanisms underlying this relationship and its boundary conditions remain understudied. The purpose of this paper is to examine employee affective well-being as a mediating mechanism by which exposure to workplace bullying may trigger employee intentions to leave the workplace. It also aims to explore the role of national culture in moderating the effects of workplace bullying on employee well-being and turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is conducted through a cross-cultural analysis of data obtained from 627 Australian and Pakistani employees.

Findings

The findings reveal that exposure to workplace bullying triggers turnover intentions through its negative effect on affective well-being in cross-cultural/national contexts. However, national culture moderates these effects such that the effects of workplace bullying on well-being and turnover intentions are weaker for Pakistanis than for Australians.

Originality/value

This paper reports original research that deepens the understanding of how, why and when exposure to workplace bullying will prompt employees to leave the workplace in a cross-national context. The research findings will assist international organisations in designing strategies tailored to the national culture in order to mitigate the adverse effects of workplace bullying on staff turnover.
Rock physics modelling of porous rocks with multiple pore types: a multiple‐porosity variable critical porosity model
Authors: Zhang Jiajia , Yin Yingyao , Zhang Guangzhi
Published: October 2019

A critical porosity model establishes the empirical relationship between a grain matrix and a dry rock by the concept of critical porosity. The model is simple and practical and widely used. But the critical porosity in the model is a fixed value that cannot relate to pore structure. The aim of this paper is to establish the theoretical relationship between critical porosity and pore structure by combining Kuster–Toksöz theory with the critical porosity model. Different from the traditional critical porosity model, critical porosity is not an empirical value but varied with pore shape and the ratio of bulk modulus versus shear modulus of the grain matrix. The substitution of the theoretical relationship into Kuster–Toksöz theory will generate the formulae for the bulk and shear moduli of multiple‐porosity dry rocks, which is named the multiple‐porosity variable critical porosity model. The new model has been used to predict elastic moduli for sandstone and carbonate rock. We compare the modelling results for P‐ and S‐wave velocities and elastic moduli with the experimental data. The comparison shows that the new model can be used to describe the elastic properties for the rocks with multiple pore types.
Sulfoxaflor exposure reduces egg laying in bumblebees Bombus terrestris
Authors: Siviter Harry , Horner Jacob , Brown Mark J. F. , Leadbeater Ellouise
Published: October 2019

Sulfoximine‐based insecticides, such as sulfoxaflor, are of increasing global importance and have been registered for use in 81 countries, offering a potential alternative to neonicotinoid insecticides.

Previous studies have demonstrated that sulfoxaflor exposure can have a negative impact on the reproductive output of bumblebee colonies, but the specific life‐history variables that underlie these effects remain unknown.

Here, we used a microcolony‐based protocol to assess the sub‐lethal effects of chronic sulfoxaflor exposure on egg laying, larval production, ovary development, sucrose consumption, and mortality in bumblebees. Following a pre‐registered design, we exposed colonies to sucrose solutions containing 0, 5, 10 and 250ppb of sulfoxaflor. Exposure at 5 ppb has been previously shown to negatively impact colony reproductive success.

Our results showed that sulfoxaflor exposure at 5 ppb (lowest exposure tested) reduced the number of eggs found within the microcolonies (Hedge's d = −0.37), with exposed microcolonies also less likely to produce larvae (Hedge's d = −0.36). Despite this, we found no effect of sulfoxaflor exposure on ovarian development. Sulfoxaflor‐exposed bumblebees consumed less sucrose solution, potentially driving the observed reduction in egg laying.

Policy implications. Regulatory bodies such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are under increasing pressure to consider the potential impact of insecticides on wild bees, such as bumblebees, but sublethal effects can go undetected at lower‐tier testing. In identifying just such an effect for bumblebees exposed to sulfoxaflor, this study highlights that microcolony‐based protocols are a useful tool that could be implemented within an ecotoxicology framework. Furthermore, the results provide evidence for potentially negative consequences of pollinator exposure to an insecticide that is currently undergoing the licensing process in several EU member states.
Predicting the effectiveness of community anti‐poaching patrols for conserving threatened wildlife in the Lao PDR
Authors: Kragt Marit E. , Hay Eric , Scheufele Gabriela , Bennett Jeff , Renton Michael
Published: October 2019

Worldwide, wildlife poaching results in significant losses to biodiversity, especially for species that are most vulnerable and at risk of extinction. While studies that assess the impact of poaching have been conducted, there is limited work that evaluates strategies to reduce poaching pressure, and their subsequent effects on wildlife.

We develop a model to predict the effectiveness of a unique community‐led anti‐poaching patrol programme for conserving local wildlife in a biodiversity hotspot in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Our model scenarios are based on local villagers’ proposals to undertake anti‐poaching patrols. To deal with limited data availability in this region, we develop a flexible modelling framework that can incorporate a range of data sources, including expert opinion. The model can be readily altered by the user if additional data becomes available.

The results predict that, without intervention, 14 out of the 19 endangered species investigated are likely to be poached to local extinction over the next 10 years. Implementing anti‐poaching patrols is predicted to protect individual animals and species in the area, although with diminishing marginal benefits as patrol‐efforts increase.

Synthesis and applications. We present the first model developed in the Southeast Asia region to examine the effectiveness of community anti‐poaching patrols on protecting wildlife populations. This work is directly linked to an innovative Payments for Environmental Services programme where villagers are being paid for community‐led anti‐poaching patrols. Our model results demonstrate how different patrolling strategies can help to protect vulnerable species, and are being used to determine the payment levels for different patrolling schemes.
A novel chemoprotective effect of tiopronin against diethylnitrosamine‐induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats: Role of ASK1/P38 MAPK‐P53 signalling cascade
Authors: Mo'men Yomna S. , Hussein Rasha M. , Kandeil Mohamed A.
Published: October 2019

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer‐related death worldwide. Oxidative stress contributes significantly to HCC pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated the possible chemoprotective effect of the thiol group‐containing compound, tiopronin, against HCC induced chemically by diethylnitrosamine (DENA) in rats. In addition, we elucidated the possible underlying molecular mechanism. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into: Control group, DENA‐treated group and tiopronin + DENA‐treated group. Liver function tests (ALT, AST, ALP, albumin, total and direct bilirubin) as well as alpha fetoprotein (AFP) concentration were measured in the sera of samples. Oxidative stress biomarkers such as malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were measured in the liver tissue homogenates. Determination of the phosphorylated apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 (phospho‐ASK1), phospho‐P38 and phospho‐P53 proteins by western blotting, caspase 3 by immunofluorescence in addition to histopathological examination of the liver tissues were performed. Our results showed that tiopronin prevented the DENA‐induced elevation of the liver function enzymes and AFP. It also preserved the activities of antioxidant enzymes as well as providing protection from the appearance of HCC histopathological features. Interestingly, tiopronin significantly decreased the expression level of phospho‐ASK1, phospho‐P38 and phospho‐P53, caspase 3 in the liver tissues. These novel findings suggested that tiopronin is an antioxidant drug with a chemoprotective effect against DENA‐induced HCC through maintaining the normal activity of ASK1/ P38 MAPK/ P53 signalling pathway.
DIY gerontechnology: circumventing mismatched technologies and bureaucratic procedure by creating care technologies of one's own
Authors: Bergschöld Jenny M. , Neven Louis , Peine Alexander
Published: October 2019

This study analyses ‘Do‐It‐Yourself’ (DIY) gerontechnologies and shows that they can be viable and valuable alternatives to ‘ready‐made’ gerontechnologies. Using the concept of innosumption, we analyze the work of care workers in gerontechnology showrooms in Norway. We show how and why care workers will sometimes advice older adults to assemble DIY‐gerontechnologies. Such DIY‐gerontechnologies are not high‐tech solutions made by technology producers, but creative solutions that older adults’ suit to their specific needs and assemble for themselves from mundane objects that are available in shops. So far, analyses of the design, implementation and use of gerontechnologies have almost exclusively focused on professionally designed and produced ‘ready‐made’ gerontechnologies. But for various reasons, ready‐made gerontechnologies often do not fit in well with the lives of older people. In such cases, care workers guide older people to the innosumption of DIY‐gerontechnologies that offer workable solutions that are useful, quickly implemented, easily understandable and often cheap. We show that and how the existence of DIY‐gerontechnologies questions the reasons behind the strong and widely accepted assumption that only high‐tech innovations are a proper solution to the needs of older people.
Transitions to adulthood: self‐governance and disciplining in the making of patient citizens
Authors: Renedo Alicia , Miles Sam , Marston Cicely
Published: October 2019

Young people develop new behaviours and redefine their identities during health transitions when they move from paediatric to adult healthcare environments. Their identities help to guide their health‐related actions in response to life changes. Young people's health is increasingly recognised as important, yet we lack understanding of how health transitions shape identities and how they relate to other transitions to adulthood. We conducted a longitudinal interview study with young people with sickle cell disease to explore how young people define new identities as they transition to adulthood. We show how ‘disciplining at a distance’ via healthcare self‐management discourses and neoliberal norms governing adolescence play out in the tensions participants encounter when they are crafting new identities. Health transitions involve struggles to negotiate competing demands for self‐discipline. It is crucial to create enabling spaces for young people to protect their health while still developing identities that help them achieve life goals.