bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization ofNEBmutations in patients reveals novel nemaline myopathy disease mechanisms and omecamtiv mecarbil force effects
Authors: Karimi Esmat , van der Borgh Mila , Lindqvist Johan , Gohlke Jochen , Hourani Zaynab , Kolb Justin , Cossette Stacy , Lawlor Michael W. , Ottenheijm Coen , Granzier Henk
Published: December 2023

Nebulin, a critical protein of the skeletal muscle thin filament, plays important roles in physiological processes such as regulating thin filament length (TFL), cross-bridge cycling, and myofibril alignment. Mutations in the nebulin gene (NEB) cause NEB-based nemaline myopathy (NEM2), a genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by hypotonia and muscle weakness, currently lacking therapies targeting the underlying pathological mechanisms. In this study, we examined a cohort of ten NEM2 patients, each with unique mutations, aiming to understand their impact on mRNA, protein, and functional levels. Results show that truncation mutations affectNEBmRNA stability and lead to nonsense-mediated decay of the mutated transcript. Moreover, a high incidence of cryptic splice site activation was found in patients with splicing mutations which is expected to disrupt the actin-binding sites of nebulin. Determination of protein levels revealed patients with relatively normal nebulin levels and others with markedly reduced nebulin. We observed a positive relation between the reduction in nebulin and a reduction in TFL, and a positive relation between the reduction in nebulin level and the reduction in tension (both maximal and submaximal tension). Interestingly, our study revealed a duplication mutation in nebulin that resulted in a larger nebulin protein and longer TFL. Additionally, we investigated the effect of Omecamtiv mecarbil (OM), a small-molecule activator of cardiac myosin, on force production of type I muscle fibers of NEM2 patients. OM treatment substantially increased submaximal tension across all NEM2 patients ranging from 87-318%, with the largest effects in patients with the lowest level of nebulin. In summary, this study indicates that post-transcriptional or post-translational mechanisms regulate nebulin expression. Moreover, we propose that the pathomechanism of NEM2 involves not only shortened but also elongated thin filaments, along with the disruption of actin-binding sites resulting from splicing mutations. Significantly, our findings highlight the potential of OM treatment to improve skeletal muscle function in NEM2 patients, especially those with large reductions in nebulin levels.
TipN’s involvement with centromere segregation in Caulobacter crescentus
Authors: Letzkus Morgan , Trela Corey , Mera Paola E.
Published: December 2023

Bacteria’s ability to maintain chromosomal integrity throughout their life cycle is crucial for their survival. InCaulobacter crescentus, the polar factor TipN has been proposed to be involved with the partitioning system ParABS. However, cells withtipNknocked out display subtleparSsegregation defects. We hypothesized that TipN’s role withparSsegregation is obscured by other forces that are ParABS-independent. To test our hypothesis, we removed one of those forces – chromosome replication – and analyzed the role of TipN with ParA. We first demonstrate that ParA retains its ability to transport the centromeric regionparSfrom the stalked pole to the opposite pole in the absence of chromosome replication. Our data revealed that in the absence of chromosome replication, TipN becomes essential for ParA’s ability to transportparS. Furthermore, we identify a potential connection between the replication initiator DnaA and TipN. Although TipN is not essential for viability,tipNknockout cells lose viability when the regulation of DnaA levels is altered. Our data suggest that the DnaA-dependent susceptibility oftipNknockout cells is connected toparSsegregation. Collectively, this work provides insights into the complex regulation involved in the coordination of chromosome replication and segregation in bacteria.
A community-curated, global atlas ofBacillus cereus sensu latogenomes for epidemiological surveillance
Authors: Ramnath Vignesh , Larralde Martin , Menchik Pedro , Buehler Ariel J. , Harrand Anna Sophia , Chung Taejung , Wei Xiaoyuan , Raghuram Vishnu , Gourlé Hadrien , Pierneef Rian , Matle Itumeleng , Aspholm Marina , Andersson Magnus , Cheng Rachel A. , Kovac Jasna , Henriksson Johan , Carroll Laura M.
Published: December 2023

The ability to cause foodborne illness, anthrax, and other infections has been attributed to numerous lineages withinBacillus cereus sensu lato(s.l.). However, existing pathogen surveillance databases facilitate dangerous pathogen misidentifications when applied toB. cereus s.l., potentially hindering outbreak or bioterrorism attack response efforts. To address this, we developed BTyperDB (www.btyper.app), an atlas ofB. cereus s.l.genomes with standardized, community-curated metadata. BTyperDB aggregates all publicly availableB. cereus s.l.genomes (including >2,600 previously unassembled genomes) with novel genomes donated by laboratories around the world, nearly doubling the number of publicly availableB. cereus s.l.genomes. To showcase its utility for pathogen surveillance, we use BTyperDB to identify emerging anthrax toxin- and capsule-harboring lineages. Overall, our study provides insight into the epidemiology of an under-studied group of emerging pathogens and highlights the benefits of inclusive, community-driven metadata FAIRification efforts.
Effects of oscillation phase on discrimination performance in a visual tilt illusion
Authors: Williams Jessica G. , Harrison William J. , Beale Henry A. , Mattingley Jason B. , Harris Anthony M.
Published: December 2023

Neural oscillations reflect fluctuations in the relative excitation/inhibition of neural systems1–5and are theorised to play a critical role in several canonical neural computations6–9and cognitive processes10–14. These theories have been supported by findings that detection of visual stimuli fluctuates with the phase of oscillations at the time of stimulus onset15–23. However, null results have emerged in studies seeking to demonstrate these effects in visual discrimination tasks24–27, raising questions about the generalisability of these phenomena to wider neural processes. Recently, we suggested that methodological limitations may mask effects of oscillation phase in higher-level sensory processing28. Thus, to test the generality of phasic influences requires a task that requires stimulus discrimination but depends on early sensory processing. Here, we examined the influence of oscillation phase in the visual tilt illusion, in which an oriented centre grating is perceived titled away from the orientation of a surround grating29. This illusion is produced by lateral inhibitory interactions in early visual processing30–32. We presented centre gratings at participants’ titrated subjective vertical angle and had participants report whether the grating appeared tilted leftward or rightward of vertical on each trial while measuring their brain activity with EEG. We observed a robust fluctuation in orientation perception across different phases of posterior alpha and theta oscillations, consistent with fluctuating illusion magnitude across the oscillatory cycle. These results confirm that oscillation phase affects complex processing involved in stimulus discrimination, consistent with their purported role in canonical computations that underpin cognition.
Flagellar beat state switching in microswimmers to select between positive and negative phototaxis
Authors: Tsang Alan C. H. , Riedel-Kruse Ingmar H.
Published: December 2023

Microorganisms have evolved various sensor-actuator circuits to respond to environmental stimuli. However, how a given circuit can select efficiently between positive vs. negative taxis under desired vs. undesired stimuli is poorly understood. Here, we investigate how the cellular mechanism by which the chiral microswimmerEuglena graciliscan select between positive vs. negative phototaxis under low vs. high light intensity conditions, respectively. We propose three general selection mechanisms for microswimmer phototaxis. A generic biophysical model demonstrates the effectiveness of all mechanisms, but which varies for each depending on specific conditions. Experiments reveal that only a ‘photoresponse in-version’ mechanism is compatible withE. gracilisphototaxis. Specifically, a light-intensity dependent transition on the sub-second time scale between two flagellar beat states responsible for forward swimming vs. sideway turning ultimately generates positive phototaxis at low light intensity via a run-and-tumble strategy and negative phototaxis at high light intensity via a helical klinotaxis strategy. More generally, a picture emerges where a variety ofE. gracilisbehaviors over a wide range of light intensities as reported in the literature can be explained by the coordinated switching between just these two flagellar beating states over time. These results provide design principles for simple two-state switching mechanisms in natural and synthetic microswimmers to operate under both noisy and saturated stimulus conditions.

LAY ABSTRACT

Our experimental and theoretical results explain how the single cellEuglena gracilisachieves both positive and negative phototaxis. Our insights are then able to synthesise a larger number of previously described observations onE. gracilisphotoresponses and photobehaviors due to a concise two-state model of flagellar beating. These insight will likely inform the behaviors of other natural microswimmers as well as the design of synthetic ones.
DNA sensor ABCF1 phase separates with cccDNA to inhibit HBV replication
Authors: Ren Caiyue , Zhang Zhaoying , Dou Yutong , Sun Yang , Wang Liyuan , Fu Zhendong , Wang Kai , Gao Chengjiang , Fan Yuchen , Sun Shuguo , Yue Xuetian , Li Chunyang , Gao Lifen , Liang Xiaohong , Wu Zhuanchang , Ma Chunhong
Published: December 2023

Objectives: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) contributes to viral persistence and recurrence. However, it is still less known how the host immune system responds to cccDNA and suppresses HBV replication. Therefore, it is essential to explore host proteins that interact with cccDNA and efficiently suppress HBV replication. Design: The interaction of cccDNA and ABCF1 was assessed by ChIP and pull-down assay. HBV replication was assessed in different cell models, including cccDNA surrogate-transfected and HBV-infected hepatocytes models. Phase separation of recombinant ABCF1 fusion proteins with cccDNA was observed by fluorescence microscopy. Results: Our data found that ABCF1 interacts with cccDNA to form phase-separated condensates via the poly-glutamine (PolyQ) of N-terminal intrinsically disordered low-complexity domain (LCD). Subsequently, ABCF1-cccDNA phase separation not only activates the type I/III interferon (IFN-I/III) pathway but also prevents Pol II accumulation on cccDNA to inhibit HBV transcription. Conclusions: Taken together, our study showed that ABCF1 acts as an antiviral restriction factor of HBV cccDNA by phase-separation-driven innate immune signaling and transcription inhibition. These findings shed new light on the understanding of host defense against cccDNA and provide a novel promising therapeutic strategy for HBV infection.
Daily dynamics of resting-state EEG theta and gamma fluctuations are associated with cognitive performance in healthy aging
Authors: Bennis Kenza , Eustache Francis , Collette Fabienne , Vandewalle Gilles , Hinault Thomas
Published: December 2023

Healthy age-related cognitive changes are highly heterogeneous across individuals. This variability is increasingly explained through the lens of spontaneous fluctuations of brain activity, now considered as powerful index of age-related changes. However, brain activity is a biological process modulated by circadian rhythms, and how these fluctuations evolve throughout the day is under investigated. Assessing the daily dynamics of brain fluctuations involves the use of techniques measuring the temporal dynamics of synchronized communications between brain regions, such as electroencephalography. We found that theta and gamma daily fluctuations in the salience-control executive inter-network (SN-CEN) are associated with distinct mechanisms underlying cognitive heterogeneity in aging. Higher levels of SN-CEN theta daily fluctuations appear to be deleterious for memory performance and were associated with higher tau/neuroinflammation rates. In contrast, higher levels of gamma daily fluctuations are positively associated with executive performance, and were associated with lower rate of β-amyloid deposition. Thus, accounting for daily EEG fluctuations of brain activity contributes to better understand subtle brain changes underlying individuals’ cognitive performance in healthy aging.
Exploring serial crystallography for drug discovery
Authors: Dunge A. , Phan C. , Uwangue O , Bjelcic M. , Gunnarsson J. , Wehlander G. , Käck H. , Brändén G.
Published: December 2023

Structure-based drug design is highly dependent on the availability of structures of the protein of interest in complex with lead compounds. Ideally, this information can be used to guide the chemical optimization of a compound into a pharmaceutical drug candidate. A limitation of the main structural method used today, rotational cryo-crystallography, is that it only provides structural information of the protein-complex in its frozen state. Serial crystallography is a relatively new approach that offers the possibility to study protein structures at room-temperature. Here, we explore the use of serial crystallography to determine structures of the pharmaceutical target soluble epoxide hydrolase. We introduce a new method to screen for optimal microcrystallization conditions suitable for use in serial crystallography and present a number of room-temperature ligand-bound structures of our target protein. From a comparison between the room-temperature structural data and previously published cryo-temperature structures, we describe an example of a temperature-dependent difference in ligand-binding mode and observe that flexible loops are better resolved at ambient temperature. Finally, we discuss current limitations and potential future advances of serial crystallography for use within pharmaceutical drug discovery.
Faecalibacterium and Others may be able to Predict the Response of Infliximab in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Zhu Yuan Fang , Luo Ting Yi , Wu Jin , Chen Ya Jie , Liu Chao Ying
Published: December 2023

Objective: To explore the impact of IFX on intestinal ecological imbalance in UC and the role of gut microbiota in predicting the response of IFX. Result: The clinical study included 14 patients with moderate to severe active UC who received IFX intervention. Fecal samples of UC patients who reached early clinical remission status during the active phase, after the first IFX intervention, and at 14 weeks were collected for 16S rDNA gene testing and microbial community analysis. Animal research will establish a UC rat model using TNBS, inject it intraperitoneally with IFX, and collect fecal samples from rats for 16S rDNA gene detection and microbial community analysis. IFX can improve the ecological imbalance environment in the intestine, including Trichospira, Roseburia, Faecalis, Coprococcus, Veillonella, Dialister, Streptococcus in the Firmicutes phylum, Fusobacterium, a member of the Fusobacterium phylum, and Akkermansia, a member of the Akkermansia phylum, may be biomarkers for predicting the response of biological agents. Conclusion: The presence of certain bacterial communities, such as Faecalibacterium, can be regarded as markers of ecological imbalance and can predict the response of biological agents.
Reward Expectation Reduces Representational Drift in the Hippocampus
Authors: Krishnan Seetha , Sheffield Mark E.J.
Published: December 2023

Spatial memory in the hippocampus involves dynamic neural patterns that change over days, termed representational drift. While drift may aid memory updating, excessive drift could impede retrieval. Memory retrieval is influenced by reward expectation during encoding, so we hypothesized that diminished reward expectation would exacerbate representational drift. We found that high reward expectation limited drift, with CA1 representations on one day gradually re-emerging over successive trials the following day. Conversely, the absence of reward expectation resulted in increased drift, as the gradual re-emergence of the previous day’s representation did not occur. At the single cell level, lowering reward expectation caused an immediate increase in the proportion of place-fields with low trial-to-trial reliability. These place fields were less likely to be reinstated the following day, underlying increased drift in this condition. In conclusion, heightened reward expectation improves memory encoding and retrieval by maintaining reliable place fields that are gradually reinstated across days, thereby minimizing representational drift.
Nuclear membrane protein Bqt4 maintains nuclear envelope integrity by recruiting phosphatidic acid
Authors: Hirano Yasuhiro , Sato Tsukino , Miura Ayane , Kubota Yoshino , Shindo Tomoko , Fukase Koichi , Fukagawa Tatsuo , Kabayama Kazuya , Haraguchi Tokuko , Hiraoka Yasushi
Published: December 2023

The nuclear envelope (NE) is a permeable barrier that maintains nuclear-cytoplasmic compartmentalization and ensures nuclear function; however, it ruptures in various situations such as mechanical stress and mitosis. Although the protein components for sealing a ruptured NE have been identified, the mechanism by which lipid components are involved in this process remains to be elucidated. Here, we found that an inner nuclear membrane (INM) protein Bqt4 directly interacts with phosphatidic acid (PA) and serves as a platform for NE maintenance in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of Bqt4 proximal to the transmembrane domain binds to PA and forms a solid-phase aggregate in vitro. Excessive accumulation of Bqt4 IDR in INM results in membrane overproliferation and lipid droplet formation in the nucleus, leading to centromere dissociation from the NE and chromosome missegregation. Our findings suggest that Bqt4 IDR controls nuclear membrane homeostasis by recruiting PA to the INM, thereby maintaining the structural integrity of the NE.
Phylogeny not mimicry drives chemical variation in tropical aposematic butterflies
Authors: Blow Rachel , Ehlers Stephanie , Warren Ian , Szczerbowski Daiane , Schulz Stefan , Jiggins Chris
Published: December 2023

Chemical signals serve a vast array of functions for both intra- and interspecific communication and defence. Chemically defended, aposematic insects will advertise their noxiousness to predators with warning signals and it has been suggested that volatile compounds shared between species could send a common signal to deter avian predators, similar to colour pattern mimicry. This is exemplified in the bright, mimetic warning colours of toxic heliconiine and ithomiine butterflies. Besides defence, males in these groups also use chemicals to communicate with potential female mates and male competitors. Here, we characterise chemical profiles of male Heliconiini and Ithomiini species from a range of mimicry rings. We find that chemical distances between species are not associated with mimicry and instead show a strong phylogenetic signal. In addition, we show that the distribution of specific shared compounds does not correlate with mimicry. We propose chemical signals in these groups are primarily used for intraspecific communication and highlight the potential selective mechanisms driving chemical profile evolution, such as selection for species-specific pheromone concentrations and collective male deterrent compounds. Our findings imply that chemical profile variation among butterfly species is the product of shared ancestry. However, more research is required on the behavioural significance of compounds among butterflies and predator perception of olfactory warning signals to identify which selective pressures are exerted on specific chemical traits.
An electropneumatic cleaning device for piezo-actuator-driven picolitre-droplet dispensers
Authors: Berkes Alexander , Kleine-Doepke Stephan , Leimkohl Jan-Philipp , Schikora Hendrik , Mehrabi Pedram , Tellkamp Friedjof , Schulz Eike C.
Published: December 2023

Recently, we introduced the liquid application method for time-resolved analyses (LAMA). The time-consuming cleaning cycles required for the substrate solution exchange and storage of the sensitive droplet-dispenser nozzles present practical challenges. In this work, a dispenser cleaning system for the semi-automated cleaning of the piezo-actuator-driven picolitre-droplet dispensers required for LAMA is introduced to streamline typical workflows.
High-resolution double vision of the allosteric phosphatase PTP1B
Authors: Sharma Shivani , Skaist Mehlman Tamar , Sagabala Reddy Sudheer , Boivin Benoit , Keedy Daniel A.
Published: December 2023

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) plays important roles in cellular homeostasis and is a highly validated therapeutic target for multiple human ailments, including diabetes, obesity and breast cancer. However, much remains to be learned about how conformational changes may convey information through the structure of PTP1B to enable allosteric regulation by ligands or functional responses to mutations. High-resolution X-ray crystallography can offer unique windows into protein conformational ensembles, but comparison of even high-resolution structures is often complicated by differences between data sets, including non-isomorphism. Here, the highest resolution crystal structure of apo wild-type (WT) PTP1B to date is presented out of a total of ∼350 PTP1B structures in the PDB. This structure is in a crystal form that is rare for PTP1B, with two unique copies of the protein that exhibit distinct patterns of conformational heterogeneity, allowing a controlled comparison of local disorder across the two chains within the same asymmetric unit. The conformational differences between these chains are interrogated in the apo structure and between several recently reported high-resolution ligand-bound structures. Electron-density maps in a high-resolution structure of a recently reported activating double mutant are also examined, and unmodeled alternate conformations in the mutant structure are discovered that coincide with regions of enhanced conformational heterogeneity in the new WT structure. These results validate the notion that these mutations operate by enhancing local dynamics, and suggest a latent susceptibility to such changes in the WT enzyme. Together, these new data and analysis provide a detailed view of the conformational ensemble of PTP1B and highlight the utility of high-resolution crystallography for elucidating conformational heterogeneity with potential relevance for function.
Temperature-dependent solid-state phase transition with twinning in the crystal structure of 4-methoxyanilinium chloride
Authors: Uppu Rao M. , Babu Sainath , Fronczek Frank R.
Published: December 2023

At room temperature, the title salt, C7H10NO+·Cl−, is orthorhombic, space group Pbca with Z′ = 1, as previously reported [Zhao (2009). Acta Cryst. E65, o2378]. Between 250 and 200 K, there is a solid-state phase transition to a twinned monoclinic P21/c structure with Z′ = 2. We report the high temperature structure at 250 K and the low-temperature structure at 100 K. In the low-temperature structure, the –NH3 hydrogen atoms are ordered and this group has a different orientation in each independent molecule, in keeping with optimizing N—H...Cl hydrogen bonding, some of which are bifurcated: these hydrogen bonds have N...Cl distances in the range 3.1201 (8)–3.4047 (8) Å. In the single cation of the high-temperature structure, the NH hydrogen atoms are disordered into the average of the two low-temperature positions and the N...Cl hydrogen bond distances are in the range 3.1570 (15)–3.3323 (18) Å. At both temperatures, the methoxy group is nearly coplanar with the rest of the molecule, with the C—C—O—C torsion angles being −7.0 (2)° at 250 K and −6.94 (12) and −9.35 (12)° at 100 K. In the extended orthorhombic structure, (001) hydrogen-bonded sheets occur; in the monoclinic structure, the sheets propagate in the (010) plane.
Crystal structures of two formamidinium hexafluoridophosphate salts, one with batch-dependent disorder
Authors: Neary Michelle C. , Corfield Peter W. R. , Parkin Sean R. , Saba Shahrokh
Published: December 2023

Syntheses of the acyclic amidinium salts, morpholinoformamidinium hexafluoridophosphate [OC4H8N—CH=NH2]PF6 or C5H11N2O+·PF6
−, 1, and pyrrolidinoformamidinium hexafluoridophosphate [C4H8N—CH= NH2]PF6 or C5H11N2
+·PF6
−, 2, were carried out by heating either morpholine or pyrrolidine with triethyl orthoformate and ammonium hexafluoridophosphate. Crystals of 1 obtained directly from the reaction mixture contain one cation and one anion in the asymmetric unit. The structure involves cations linked in chains parallel to the b axis by N—H...O hydrogen bonds in space group Pbca, with glide-related chains pointing in opposite directions. Crystals of 1 obtained by recrystallization from ethanol, however, showed a similar unit cell and the same basic structure, but unexpectedly, there was positional disorder [occupancy ratio 0.639 (4):0.361 (4)] in one of the cation chains, which lowered the crystal symmetry to the non-centrosymmetric space group Pca21
, with two cations and anions in the asymmetric unit. In the pyrrolidino compound, 2, cations and anions are ordered and are stacked separately, with zigzag N—H...F hydrogen-bonding between stacks, forming ribbons parallel to (101), extended along the b-axis direction. Slight differences in the delocalized C=N distances between the two cations may reflect the inductive effect of the oxygen atom in the morpholino compound.
What effect do the ResearchGate writers’ altmetric scores have on scientometric indicators related to Qur’an in Scopus?
Authors: Biranvand Ali , Shojaeofard Ali , Cheraghi Zohreh
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of ResearchGate (RG) scores on the scientific indicators of Qur’anic productions in Scopus.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is fundamental in method, created in a descriptive method and a scientometric approach. The statistical society includes 4,105 records produced by writers in the field of Qur’an during the time period of 2011–2020 indexed in the Scopus database. In this study, Pearson correlation coefficient test is used with aid of Excel and SPSS software.

Findings

Countries such as Malaysia, the USA and Indonesia, respectively, hold the highest number of scientific productions in the field of Qur’an. Iran holds the fourth place with a 544 record difference in comparison to Malaysia (866 documents). There is a positive and meaningful relation between measures of RG, readers, followers, citations and the H-index score regarding writers with received citations and the H-index score of scientific productions in the field of Qur’an in Scopus. However, no relation can be observed between the mentioned measures and indicators of the number of documents with cowriting.

Research limitations/implications

Because of some authors not using the same name in their articles, it was not possible to access their profile in RG. For this reason, the information of these authors was not accessible in RG.

Practical implications

The activity of researchers in social networks will receive feedback from readers. This will result in more citations. Contrary to expectations, the research results showed that Iran does not have a good position in publishing Qur’anic works. Therefore, researchers should publish their findings in international journals.

Social implications

Iranian writers should try to publish their scientific productions in international publications and also widely spread their content and research results across social networks to increase feedback and gain the attention of readers. This process leads to receiving reader feedback and publication of the Islamic teachings.

Originality/value

The relationship between the number of citations of Qur’anic works in Scopus and altmetric indicators in RG has not been investigated in previous researches. Therefore, this research is innovative in this field.
Spiritual intelligence and teachers' intention to quit: the mechanism roles of sanctification of work and job satisfaction
Authors: Vem Linus Jonathan , Ng Imm Siew , Sambasivan Murali , Kok Tee Keng
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The main objective of this study is to analyze the impact of spiritual intelligence (SI) based on its four dimensions (critical existential thinking (CET), personal meaning production (PMP), transcendental awareness (TA) and conscious state expansion (CSE)) on teachers' turnover intention (TI) through sanctification of work (SoW) and job satisfaction (JS).

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from multiple intelligence theory, this study adopted a cross-sectional design to explore the hypothesized relationships. Copies of the questionnaire were distributed to 367 teachers working in public schools in Plateau State, Nigeria, and 290 out of the retrieved copies were useable. The data collected were analyzed using variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM), Smart-PLS 4.

Findings

The results suggest that SI does not significantly influence TI, while SoW and JS mediate the relationship between SI and TI.

Practical implications

The result suggests that SoW and JS are significant mechanisms through which SI predicts teachers' TI. This highlights the need for educational policymakers to integrate spiritual literature as well as imbibe spiritual practices such as prayers, meditations and yoga either at work or privately to enhance the development of SI among teachers.

Originality/value

The results offer an insightful understanding of SI and how it influences work outcomes. The mechanism roles of SoW and JS explain the process by which one's perceived numinous object, activity event and job experience influence a job decision.
Open innovation in hospitality and tourism services: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Robayo-Acuña Paula Viviana , Chams-Anturi Odette
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study aims to analyzed the development of open innovation research knowledge and its application in the tourism sector during the past 17 years, with the aim of understanding the scientific activity and impact of existing research. In addition, this research identifies trending thematic lines and provides recommendations for future research on this topic.

Design/methodology/approach

A bibliometric analysis was carried out from the Scopus database, in which 110 studies related to open innovation in tourism were identified. The analysis of the papers was done with the Bibliometrix and Vosviewer tools.

Findings

The results show that there is a recent and growing interest among academics, especially since 2017. Moreover, four main lines of work were identified: overtourism and sustainability, value cocreation, open innovation and competitive advantage and its impact on organizations belonging to the hotel sector and the relationship between external knowledge and internal sources in innovation management and open innovation performance.

Originality/value

The relationship with other stakeholders involved in the customer experience value creation in the tourism sector depends to a large extent on the joint offer that hotels, restaurants, tour operators and tourist offices, can provide in a tourist destination. Therefore, having external sources to innovate from will improve their innovative and organizational performance. However, there are no bibliometric analyses on the application of the open innovation paradigm in this sector. Thus, this research contributes to fill this gap, as well as to identify the most recurrent themes that show how open innovation is developing in tourism, providing academics and researchers with guidelines for future research.
Herd behavior in social commerce: understanding the interplay between self-awareness and environment-awareness
Authors: Chen Xiayu , Chen Renee Rui , Wei Shaobo , Davison Robert M.
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study investigates how individuals' self-awareness (specifically, private and public self-awareness) and environment-awareness (perceived expertise, similarity and familiarity) shape herd behavior, encompassing discounting one’s information and imitating others. Drawing from latent state-trait theory, this research aims to discern the impact of these factors on purchase intention and behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Longitudinal data from 231 users in Xiaohongshu, China’s leading social commerce platform, were collected to test the proposed model and hypotheses.

Findings

The findings from this study show that private self-awareness negatively influences discounting one’s own information and imitating others. Public self-awareness positively affects imitating others, while it does not affect discounting one’s own information. Perceived expertise diminishes discounting one’s own information but does not significantly affect imitating others. Perceived similarity and perceived familiarity are positively related to discounting one’s own information and imitating others. The results confirm different interaction effects between self-awareness and environment-awareness on herd behavior.

Originality/value

First, this contributes back to the latent state-trait theory by expanding the applicability of this theory to explain the phenomenon of herd behavior. Second, this study takes an important step toward theoretical advancement in the extant literature by qualifying that both self- and environment-awareness should be considered to trigger additional effects on herd behavior. Third, this study provides a more enlightened understanding of herd behavior by highlighting the significance of considering the interplay between self- and environment-awareness on herd behavior. Finally, this study also empirically confirms the validity of classifying self-awareness into private and public aspects.
Sustainable coworking: the member perspective
Authors: Magnusson Daniel , Raharjo Hendry , Bosch-Sijtsema Petra
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Sustainability is regarded as a core value that the coworking movement aspires to. However, most sustainability efforts focus on the providers’ perspective while neglecting the coworking members’ role. Therefore, this paper aims to explore sustainable coworking from the members perspective by focusing on sustainable behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a flexible pattern matching approach. Theoretical patterns are identified using literature on coworking space and sustainable behavior while matching them with the empirical data. Data were collected from three different coworking spaces in Sweden through interviews and observations.

Findings

Based on the theoretical patterns, three constructs for sustainable coworking were identified, namely, productive behavior, prosocial behavior and responsible space sharing behavior. Through the empirical data, the constructs were further concretized to understand their different aspects. The findings uncovered a new layer of complexity where members can show the same behavior and be perceived differently.

Originality/value

This study offers a more holistic understanding of sustainable coworking by highlighting the members’ role and identifying different member perceptions on sustainable coworking behaviors.
Analysing volatility patterns in emerging markets: symmetric or asymmetric models?
Authors: Gupta Himani
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Investors aim for returns when investing in stocks, making return volatility a crucial concern. This study compares symmetric and asymmetric GARCH models to forecast volatility in emerging nations like the G4 countries. Accurate volatility forecasting is vital for investors to make well-informed investment decisions, forming the core purpose of this study.

Design/methodology/approach

From January 1993 to May 2021, the study spans four periods, focusing on the global economic crisis of 2008, the Russian crisis of 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Standard generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH), exponential GARCH (E-GARCH) and Glosten-Jagannathan-Runkle GARCH models were employed to analyse the data. Robustness was assessed using the Akaike information criterion, Schwarz information criterion and maximum log-likelihood criteria.

Findings

The study's findings show that the E-GARCH model is the best model for forecasting volatility in emerging nations. This is because the E-GARCH model is able to capture the asymmetric effects of positive and negative shocks on volatility.

Originality/value

This unique study compares symmetric and asymmetric GARCH models for forecasting volatility in emerging nations, a novel approach not explored in prior research. The insights gained can aid investors in constructing more effective risk-adjusted international portfolios, offering a better understanding of stock market volatility to inform strategic investment decisions.
Rise of blockchain technology in supply chain transformation in the post-pandemic era
Authors: Raj Rohit , Kumar Vimal , Verma Priyanka , Klangrit Suriya
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Though academic study on the subject is still in its early stages, there is growing interest in using blockchain technology for transforming the supply chain. The academic literature is divided and yet only includes studies evaluating how the supply chain has changed organizations. To comprehend the new phenomena, this study aims to investigate the factors of blockchain technology in driving supply chain transformation. To be more precise, the authors developed from the literature the most prevalent criteria for determining if supply chain transformations are ready to be scaled up.

Design/methodology/approach

This study followed a combination of two multi-criteria decision making methods evaluation based on distance from average solution and complex proportional assessment) methodology in this research: planning, investigating, executing out, establishing a rating of the criteria and evaluating it.

Findings

The study shows that the “organizational driver” and the “technology driver” are the factors most important to the transformation of the supply chain, whereas the “financial driver” and the “regulatory driver” are less important. This study also makes some managerial recommendations to address the factors impeding the supply chain’s transformation. Each factor’s significance was explored, and a proposed study agenda was also presented.

Research limitations/implications

Although the main forces behind the transformation of the supply chain have been recognized, further research into statistical correlation is required to confirm how the various elements interact.

Practical implications

This research aids decision-makers in comprehending the key forces behind supply chain transformation. Managers and decision-makers might better predict and allocate the necessary resources to start the road toward digitization and make well-informed choices once these aspects have been investigated and understood.

Originality/value

In light of the pandemic’s effects on the world and the increase in businesses embracing the digital economy, the supply chain transformation is more important than ever. Beyond blockchain deployment and the pilot studies on digital transformation, there is a gap. The topics and factors this study uncovered will operate as a framework and recommendations for more theoretical investigation and practical applications.
Institutional dynamics and road accidents in the road haulage sector: the moderating role of information communication technology
Authors: Kanyepe James , Kasambuwa Nyarai
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of institutional dynamics on road accidents and whether this relationship is moderated by information and communication technology (ICT).

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a quantitative approach with 133 respondents. Research hypotheses were tested in AMOS version 21. In addition, moderated regression analysis was used to test the moderating role of ICT on the relationship between institutional dynamics and road accidents.

Findings

The results show that vehicle maintenance, policy enforcement, safety culture, driver training and driver management positively influence road accidents. Moreover, the study established that ICT moderates the relationship between institutional dynamics and road accidents.

Practical implications

The results of this study serve as a practical guideline for policymakers in the road haulage sector. Managers may gain insights on how to design effective interventions to reduce road accidents.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by exploring previously unexplored moderating paths in the relationship between institutional dynamics and road accidents. By highlighting the moderating role of ICT, the study sheds new light on the institutional dynamics that influence road accidents in the context of road haulage companies.
Transformational leadership style and psychological safety to meaningful work: moderating role customer incivility
Authors: Rabiul Md karim , Rashed Karim , Rashid Harun O.R.
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study examines the role of psychological safety as an antecedent to meaningful work and as a mediator between transformational leadership (TFL) and meaningful work. Additionally, it explores customer incivility as a precursor to psychological safety and as a moderator in the relationship between psychological safety and meaningful work.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 368 hotel employees in Bangladesh were purposively sampled and analyzed using SmartPLS.

Findings

Psychological safety positively predicted meaningful work and served as a mediator in the nexus between TFL and meaningful work. Additionally, customer incivility was identified as a negative predictor of safety and acted as a moderator, reversing the association between psychological safety and meaningful work.

Practical implications

TFL exhibits mixed correlations, being negatively associated with meaningful work but positively linked to psychological safety. Therefore, workplaces should prioritize cultivating a psychologically safe environment and minimizing customer incivility to increase meaningful work.

Originality/value

The results add value to the conservation of resources and self-concept theories by examining the mediating role of psychological safety and the moderating influence of customer incivility from the perspective of hotel employees.
Welcome to the Gemini era: Google DeepMind and the information industry
Authors: Saeidnia Hamid Reza
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivation behind Google’s development of Gemini and its potential impact on the information industry.

Design/methodology/approach

This viewpoint paper relies on a comprehensive analysis of the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, specifically in the field of chatbots.

Findings

The findings reveal that Gemini is designed to enhance user experiences by providing personalized and contextually relevant information. It aims to streamline information retrieval, improve customer service and offer tailored content recommendations. The competition among companies in building AI-powered chatbots is driving rapid advancements and innovation in the field.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lies in its analysis of Google DeepMind’s Gemini and its potential impact on the information industry. It highlights the significance of AI-powered chatbots in transforming how users access and interact with information. This paper contributes to the existing literature by examining the competition in building AI tools and its implications for the future of the information industry. It offers insights into the motivation behind Google’s development of Gemini and its potential value in enhancing user experiences and driving monetization opportunities.
Ano te mahara e reka, how sweet the memory: The changing remembrance of Bishop Jean‐Baptiste François Pompallier in the Twentieth Century*
Authors: Light Rowan
Published: December 2023

In 2001, Catholic pilgrims, led by Māori priest Henare Tate, travelled to France to exhume the remains of Jean‐Baptiste François Pompallier (1821–1872), the first Catholic Bishop of Aotearoa New Zealand. Placed in a lead‐lined coffin, the remains were taken back to New Zealand and laid to rest in Motuti, Hokianga. The interment — 131 years after Pompallier's death — marked the end of an extraordinary renovation of the Bishop as a historical figure, shaped by the tides of Māori and non‐Māori Catholic life, and fulfilling, it seemed, a sentiment expressed in this memorial song which Pompallier himself had composed as a parting gift to his Katorika (Catholic) faithful: “Ano te mahara e reka/a ki nga motu o Nuitireni i/sweet is the memory I hold/for the islands of New Zealand.” This article explores the shifting remembrance of Pompallier that underpinned the repatriation and its legacy for New Zealand Catholic communities, especially Hokianga Māori. Three interrelated themes emerge: locally, Hokianga as a foundational place of Māori Catholicism, and the institutional remembrance of Pompallier as the apostolic Bishop of Auckland; and, globally, the reshaping of collective memories in the theological and social changes of the Catholic Church.
Recent advances in the treatment strategy for AAV improved outcomes with intensive GC tapering
Authors: Ono Nobuyuki , Kai Tatsuya , Takeyama Yukiko , Inoue Yasushi , Ueda Naoyasu , Nagano Shuji , Ohta Shunichiro , Inoue Hisako , Sawabe Takuya , Chifu Yutaka , Yoshizawa Seiji , Oryoji Kensuke , Kimoto Yasutaka , Miyake Katsuhisa , Ayano Masahiro , Mitoma Hiroki , Arinobu Yojiro , Miyamura Tomoya , Horiuchi Takahiko , Akashi Koichi , Tada Yoshifumi , Niiro Hiroaki
Published: December 2023

Objective

To evaluate trends in results of care and management for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)‐associated vasculitis (AAV).

Methods

We employed multicenter cohort data collected during 2011–2021, recruiting 43 patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and 91 with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). According to the median registration date of September 2015, patients have split into two groups: an early group and a late group (both of them, n = 67). To prevent bias, a propensity score according to numerous baseline characteristics variables was calculated; 50 matching members of each group were statistically extracted. Their treatments and clinical outcomes were examined at 6, 12, and 24 months after initial remission therapy.

Results

Statistics demonstrated that the baseline characteristics were similar. The late group used rituximab (RTX) more often for both remission induction and maintenance therapy, compared with the early group. The mean daily PSL doses of the late group were significantly lower than those of early group at each time point. The late group discontinued PSL 14.0% at 12 months and 23.3% at 24 months. Despite their intensive glucocorticoids (GC) tapering, the remission rates and the relapse rates were significantly fairer in the late group. The Vasculitis Damage Index (VDI) and VDI due to GC at each time point were lower in the late group, and those differences had become wider over time.

Conclusion

Recent developments in AAV treatment have allowed efficient remission and prevention of relapses, which in turn enabled extensive GC tapering causing fewer sequelae.