bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advanced X-ray polarimeter design for nuclear resonant scattering
Authors: Marx-Glowna Berit , Uschmann Ingo , Schulze Kai S. , Marschner Heike , Wille Hans-Christian , Schlage Kai , Stöhlker Thomas , Röhlsberger Ralf , Paulus Gerhard G.
Published: December 2020

This work presents the improvements in the design and testing of polarimeters based on channel-cut crystals for nuclear resonant scattering experiments at the 14.4 keV resonance of 57Fe. By using four asymmetric reflections at asymmetry angles of α1 = −28°, α2 = 28°, α3 = −28° and α4 = 28°, the degree of polarization purity could be improved to 2.2 × 10−9. For users, an advanced polarimeter without beam offset is now available at beamline P01 of the storage ring PETRA III.
Precise and parallel segmentation model (PPSM) via MCET using hybrid distributions
Authors: Rawas Soha , El-Zaart Ali
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Image segmentation is one of the most essential tasks in image processing applications. It is a valuable tool in many oriented applications such as health-care systems, pattern recognition, traffic control, surveillance systems, etc. However, an accurate segmentation is a critical task since finding a correct model that fits a different type of image processing application is a persistent problem. This paper develops a novel segmentation model that aims to be a unified model using any kind of image processing application. The proposed precise and parallel segmentation model (PPSM) combines the three benchmark distribution thresholding techniques to estimate an optimum threshold value that leads to optimum extraction of the segmented region: Gaussian, lognormal and gamma distributions. Moreover, a parallel boosting algorithm is proposed to improve the performance of the developed segmentation algorithm and minimize its computational cost. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed PPSM, different benchmark data sets for image segmentation are used such as Planet Hunters 2 (PH2), the International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC), Microsoft Research in Cambridge (MSRC), the Berkley Segmentation Benchmark Data set (BSDS) and Common Objects in COntext (COCO). The obtained results indicate the efficacy of the proposed model in achieving high accuracy with significant processing time reduction compared to other segmentation models and using different types and fields of benchmarking data sets.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed PPSM combines the three benchmark distribution thresholding techniques to estimate an optimum threshold value that leads to optimum extraction of the segmented region: Gaussian, lognormal and gamma distributions.

Findings

On the basis of the achieved results, it can be observed that the proposed PPSM–minimum cross-entropy thresholding (PPSM–MCET)-based segmentation model is a robust, accurate and highly consistent method with high-performance ability.

Originality/value

A novel hybrid segmentation model is constructed exploiting a combination of Gaussian, gamma and lognormal distributions using MCET. Moreover, and to provide an accurate and high-performance thresholding with minimum computational cost, the proposed PPSM uses a parallel processing method to minimize the computational effort in MCET computing. The proposed model might be used as a valuable tool in many oriented applications such as health-care systems, pattern recognition, traffic control, surveillance systems, etc.
Exploring the barriers to upscaling the production capacity of the edible insect sector in the United Kingdom
Authors: Yang Ying , Cooke Christopher
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study aims to explore the barriers to upscaling the production capacity of the edible insect sector in the UK and to identify the impact of current regulation on the sector's development.

Design/methodology/approach

A significant proportion of edible insect-producing companies within the UK were identified through an online market research database and contacted via email to invite them to participate in this study. Phone interviews were conducted with ten companies. Thematic analysis was adopted for data analysis.

Findings

There were five themes identified as barriers to the upscaling of the production for the edible insect sector in the UK: insect feeding materials, production capacity, expertise and knowledge, new product development and regulatory uncertainty.

Research limitations/implications

This research was based on a qualitative study. Further quantitative research is needed to test the extent of the impact of these five themes on upscaling production capacity. In addition to production capacity, marketing and consumers' acceptance, culture and behaviour can also be considered in future studies.

Originality/value

This study makes a significant contribution to the literature by providing insight on the barriers to upscaling production capacity in the edible insect sector.
Does an MBA degree advance business management skill or in fact create horizontal and vertical mismatches?
Authors: Alam Gazi Mahabubul , Parvin Morsheda , Ayub Ahmad Fauzi Bin Mohd , Kader Romana , Rahman Md. Mahfuzur
Published: December 2020

Purpose

An old saying –“Jack of all trades, master of none”– deliberately asserts that the purpose of a master’s degree program is to generate high level job skills in order to improve a nation's economy, while a bachelor degree produces economically productive graduates. Employment of such graduates is fundamentally important for personal and economic development. There is a link between a bachelor’s and master's degree and how these qualifications are linked to the job market. Both horizontal and vertical mismatches are developed which is the central focus of this research.

Design/methodology/approach

Given the differentiated nature of research questions, multiple techniques are used to collect the data. However, this research bears the norms of the qualitative method. Both secondary and primary data are used, and meanwhile secondary data are collected by the banks, Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), University Grants Commission (UGC) and by the institutions sampled. Primary data are gathered from interviews with key people. Data were collected from three institutions of higher education and from six commercial banks and from the Central Bank. The academic results of 21,325 MBA graduates and education backgrounds of 750 executives working in banks served as the basis for establishing our arguments.

Findings

This study discovers that MBA graduates who have studied science subjects achieved much better grades in the MBA compared to their counterparts who studied business from secondary provision to first degree. The market-driven MBA programme has become a “business product”. The major revenue of higher education institutions comes from enrolment in MBA courses. For this reason, a science-friendly MBA program is developed to generate more business. If this continues, the philosophy of the master's program would either be lost or will have to be redefined in the 21st century.

Originality/value

While a few studies have investigated the area of HE in Bangladesh, none covers the impact of MBA degrees on the job market and its contribution to enhancing job skills.
The impact of audit committee attributes on the quality and quantity of environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosures
Authors: Arif Muhammad , Sajjad Aymen , Farooq Sanaullah , Abrar Maira , Joyo Ahmed Shafique
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to ascertain the impact of audit committee (AC) activism and independence on the quality and quantity of environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosures for energy sector firms in Australia. This paper aims to understand how AC attributes such as meeting frequency, and the number of independent directors influence the compliance with the global reporting initiative (GRI) guidelines and quantity of ESG disclosures.

Design/methodology/approach

Bloomberg ESG disclosure scores and company reported AC attributes are collected and analysed using the pooled ordinary least square (OLS) regression framework with Petersen’s (2009) technique by using a two-dimensional cluster at the firm and year level. Further, this paper uses a lagged independent variable and two-stage least square approach to address endogeneity concerns.

Findings

The results show a significant positive effect of AC activism and independence on the level of compliance with the GRI guidelines, indicating the favourable effect of AC attributes on ESG reporting quality. Likewise, AC attributes positively affect the quantity of ESG disclosures. Notably, the impact of AC attributes is more pronounced on environmental disclosures.

Originality/value

This paper validates the significance of the management control mechanism in improving the quality and quantity of ESG disclosures for an environmentally sensitive sector, hence offering a potential answer to reduce agency and legitimacy issues for the sensitive industry firms.
Multilevel theorizing in international business: the case of research on strategy implementation in MNCs
Authors: Šilenskytė Aušrinė , Smale Adam
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to illustrate why an understanding of how levels of analysis interact is an essential part of multilevel research in the field of international business (IB). Using research on strategy implementation (SI) in multinational corporations (MNCs) as an example, this paper develops a taxonomy and research agenda that demonstrates the key role critical scholars can play in advancing multilevel theorization.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the assumptions of methodological collectivism and individualism, the paper presents a four-step framework: defining the theoretical boundaries of the selected subject; juxtaposing theoretical arguments with empirical work; identifying single- and multi-level theories; and developing a research agenda.

Findings

Research on SI in MNCs has been dominated by one type of theorizing that focuses on the designs of organizational systems or the power of institutions. Multilevel theorization grounded in methodological individualism would offer new knowledge by including the views of under-represented stakeholders, questioning the justice of established systems and overall implications of MNC operations.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed four-step framework encourages scholars to adopt a systematic approach to multilevel theorizing and draw upon the untapped potential of IB theories.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the IB field by introducing an approach to assessing IB research from a multilevel theorizing perspective. The actionable research agenda on SI and the taxonomy of SI research can assist scholars in making aligned choices on study design and envisioning research questions that yield meaningful contributions to theory and practice.
The proximity between Latin countries regarding customer's expectations about the hotel service
Authors: Franco Mara , Meneses Raquel
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The main purpose of this research is to understand if customers from countries with alleged similar culture expect services dimensions equally and to understand the level of proximity among those countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative methodology was used to test the level of proximity in customers' expectations about a service among different countries with alleged similar cultural patterns and if these customers share similar expectations about a set of service dimensions. This transnational research regarded the hotel service and data were collected from ten Latin countries: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Romania, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Bolivia and Chile. About 1262 customers answered a questionnaire about their expectations about service dimensions of the hotel service.

Findings

Findings show that Latin customers' expectations about services are not equal and that there is a low level of proximity or similarity of customers' expectations about service among Latin countries.

Research limitations/implications

Research was applied in one group of Latin countries that revealed a low level of proximity of customer's expectations about the hotel service. Further attempts should be made to expand research to additional Latin countries in order to allow understanding if the proximity level rises, decreases or maintains.

Originality/value

The major contribution was to use a cross-cultural approach to understand the level of proximity between the Latin countries in terms of customer's expectations about service dimensions, as these countries are frequently clustered into one group and customer's expectations are presumed to also be similar.
Whose books? The Harvard-Yenching Institute's library and the question of academic imperialism
Authors: Qing Liu
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This essay focuses on the Chinese-Japanese Library of the Harvard-Yenching Institute and examines how the Library collected and transported Chinese rare books to the United States during the 1930 and 1940s. It considers Harvard's rationale for its collection of Chinese books and tensions between Chinese scholars and the Harvard-Yenching Institute leaders and librarians over the purchase and “export” of Chinese books.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is a historical study based on archival research at Harvard-Yenching Institute and the Harvard-Yenching Library, as well as careful readings of published primary and secondary sources.

Findings

By examining the debates that surrounded the ownership of Chinese books, and the historical circumstances that enabled or hindered the cross-national movement of books, this essay uncovers a complex and interwoven historical discourse of academic nationalism, internationalism and imperialism.

Originality/value

Drawing upon the unexamined primary sources and published second sources, this essay uncovers a complex and interwoven historical discourse of academic nationalism, internationalism and imperialism.
Financial Citizenship Perception (FCP) Scale: proposition and validation of a measure
Authors: Vieira Kelmara Mendes , Delanoy Marcelo Matzenbacher , Potrich Ani Caroline Grigion , Bressan Aureliano Angel
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to propose and validate a Financial Citizenship Perception Scale from the perspective of the citizen.

Design/methodology/approach

An instrument was applied in Brazil, whose dimensions and items were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques and hierarchical cluster analysis.

Findings

The scale proposed in the study allows for the development of an indicator that defines whether an individual has a high or low level of financial citizenship, being represented by the dimensions of financial inclusion, financial protection and financial literacy.

Practical implications

The methodology for standardizing the application of the Financial Citizenship Perception Scale is presented to allow researchers, managers and public policy makers to use the indicator to assess citizens' perception of financial citizenship.

Originality/value

Financial citizenship is a recurring theme in the formulation of recommendations, standards and instructions by international organizations and central banks in different countries. However, the literature on the topic still focuses on proposing indicators of financial citizenship obtained from secondary data.
Growth threshold-effect on renewable energy consumption in major oil-producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa: a dynamic panel threshold regression estimation
Authors: Abdulqadir I.A.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study aims to explore the relationship between the growth threshold effect on renewable energy consumption (REC) in the major oil-producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the period 1990–2018.

Design/methodology/approach

This article used a dynamic panel threshold regression model introduced by Hansen (1996, 1999 and 2000) threshold (TR) models. The procedure is achieved using 5,000 bootstrapping replications and the grid search to obtain the asymptotic distribution and p-values. For the long-run relationship among our variables, the author followed the process in Pesaran et al. (1999) pooled mean group (PMG) for heterogeneous panels. Furthermore, for the robustness of our empirical results due to the sensitivity of the results to outliers, the author used the approach by Cook (1979) distance measure. The author applied quantile (QR) regression to explore the distribution of dependent variables following Bassett and Koenker (1982) and Koenker and Bassett (1978) approaches.

Findings

The results from the threshold effect test and threshold regression revealed a significant single threshold effect of growth level on REC. Furthermore, the result from the PMG estimation showed the growth of the variable, energy intensity, consumer prices and CO2 emissions play a significant role in REC in major oil-producing countries in SSA. The growth threshold estimation results indicated one significant threshold value of 1.013% at one period lagged of real growth. The outlier’s sensitivity detention greatly influenced our empirical results.

Originality/value

The article filled the literature gap by applying a combined measure that is robustness to detect outliers in the data, which none of the studies in the literature addresses hitherto. Further, the article extends the quantile regression to growth – REC literature.
Initiation of capital projects in industries having an operational focus: an Australian stevedoring case example
Authors: Aldaghlas Haya , Hui Felix Kin Peng , Duffield Colin Fraser
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The initiation phase of capital projects is critical as this is where the highest number of options exist for modifying the project with minimal expenditure. Government and large organisations frequently involved in major capital projects have extensive procedures for this phase, yet organisations having an operational focus (like major container terminal stevedores), that only occasionally undertake capital projects face the dilemma of the trade-off between project planning and the management of operations. This research reported in this paper investigated the impact of industry operational considerations on the initiation of capital projects.

Design/methodology/approach

In addition to an extensive literature review, a living research investigation of real projects initiated by a stevedoring company operating in Australia has been observed; the primary author of this paper spent six months as a participant/observer and witnessed the initiation of 12 capital projects. The collected data was qualitatively analysed using a four-step coding method.

Findings

The findings confirm that project initiation is a challenge for organisations who only spasmodically undertake capital projects and available project management frameworks do not necessarily consider the impact of such an organisation's culture. Issues identified that may have a negative impact on the initiation phase include lack of workplace trust, high individualism, ineffective interdepartmental communication, lack of resources and engineering and safety complexity.

Originality/value

The study investigated an underexplored industry within the context of project initiation, using the Australian stevedoring as a case study. This initial investigation suggests that a tailored project management framework is needed for the initiation phase of projects to reflect the unique nature of the stevedoring industry and by inference other industries that have a strong operational focus.
Social capital as a source of happiness: evidence from a cross-country analysis
Authors: Majeed Muhammad Tariq , Samreen Isma
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of social capital on happiness. The previous literature generally measures social capital using “generalized trust”, which is a narrow dimension of social capital. In this study, social capital is measured as a multidimensional concept consisting of generalized trust, institutional trust and trust on family, neighborhood and strangers.

Design/methodology/approach

This study explores the relationship between social capital and average happiness using a panel data of 89 countries from 1980 to 2017. The empirical analysis is done by employing pooled OLS (POLS), fixed effects method (FEM), random effects method (REM) and system generalized method of moments.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that all measures of social capital are positively associated with happiness while comparatively institutional trust and generalized trust appear more significant for happiness. The findings are robust to different robustness checks. The findings document the importance of social capital for average happiness.

Research limitations/implications

The research has certain limitations. First, the objective of study was to cover global sample of countries, however, the data series were not available for all countries. Second, the empirical is restricted to global evidence instead of exploring separate estimates for developed and developing world.

Originality/value

The findings document the importance of social capital for average happiness. The awareness of the importance of social capital needs to be increased. Government can develop such organizations or institutions that are conducive for social capital development.
Dynamic categorization of 3D objects for mobile service robots
Authors: Rios-Cabrera Reyes , Lopez-Juarez Ismael , Maldonado-Ramirez Alejandro , Alvarez-Hernandez Arturo , Maldonado-Ramirez Alan de Jesus
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to present an object detection methodology to categorize 3D object models in an efficient manner. The authors propose a dynamically generated hierarchical architecture to compute very fast objects’ 3D pose for mobile service robots to grasp them.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology used in this study is based on a dynamic pyramid search and fast template representation, metadata and context-free grammars. In the experiments, the authors use an omnidirectional KUKA mobile manipulator equipped with an RGBD camera, to localize objects requested by humans. The proposed architecture is based on efficient object detection and visual servoing. In the experiments, the robot successfully finds 3D poses. The present proposal is not restricted to specific robots or objects and can grow as much as needed.

Findings

The authors present the dynamic categorization using context-free grammars and 3D object detection, and through several experiments, the authors perform a proof of concept. The authors obtained promising results, showing that their methods can scale to more complex scenes and they can be used in future applications in real-world scenarios where mobile robot are needed in areas such as service robots or industry in general.

Research limitations/implications

The experiments were carried out using a mobile KUKA youBot. Scalability and more robust algorithms will improve the present proposal. In the first stage, the authors carried out an experimental validation.

Practical implications

The current proposal describes a scalable architecture, where more agents can be added or reprogrammed to handle more complicated tasks.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this study resides in the dynamic categorization scheme for fast detection of 3D objects, and the issues and experiments carried out to test the viability of the methods. Usually, state-of-the-art treats categories as rigid and make static queries to datasets. In the present approach, there are no fixed categories and they are created and combined on the fly to speed up detection.
Knowledge search breadth and depth and OI projects performance: a moderated mediation model of control mechanism
Authors: Wang Changfeng , Brunswicker Sabine , Majchrzak Ann
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effects of project-level external knowledge search breadth and search depth on the innovation performance of open innovation (OI) projects in large firms; it further considers these effects mediated by two forms of control mechanisms (process and outcome control) when the level of project complexity and the two stages of a project – early (problem definition) and late (solution development) – are taken into account.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a survey of 187 managers responsible for an OI project, the authors use theory on behavioral-based control mechanisms to explore whether the effect of external knowledge search breadth and depth on OI performance is contingent on having the right levels of control mechanisms in place.

Findings

The results showed that the control mechanism mediates the relationship between external knowledge search breadth and depth and OI project performance. Furthermore, project complexity is an important moderator of these effects, especially for outcome control.

Originality/value

A better OI project’s performance is not achieved by external knowledge search breadth and depth alone, but by building process and outcome control mechanism on it to balance knowledge sharing and protecting tension. Furthermore, Outcome control is only helpful with less complex OI projects.
Analysis on the research progress of library and information science since the new century
Authors: Song Yanhui , Wei Kaiyang , Yang Siluo , Shu Fei , Qiu Junping
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Library science and information science, two subdisciplines of library and information science (LIS), are developed independently but interconnectedly. In this information age, LIS is in a special period of transformation and development, which has caused some changes in both library science and information science. By accurately capturing these changes and analyzing them, the authors can effectively map the development of LIS in the new century, thus providing a reference for the evolution and development of the field. The purposes of this paper are to explore the mainstream research fields and frontiers of library science and information science, respectively, since the new century, and to make a comparative analysis of the two subdisciplines.

Design/methodology/approach

By using CiteSpace to visualize LIS journals, this study draws knowledge maps of the two subdisciplines of LIS through the co-occurrence descriptors network. Using burst detection algorithm, this study detects words of high frequency variation by investigating the time frequency distribution.

Findings

The results show that the research focus of library science has experienced a change from traditional to digital library while information science has moved from information to data focus. This study also finds the similarities and differences between mainstream areas of library science and information science.

Originality/value

This study focuses on the evolution of library science and information science, and explores their mainstream research fields and frontiers in the 21st century. These findings will promote the transformation and development of LIS as well as provide research directions for scholars in the field.
Uncovered pathways: Modelling dispersal dynamics of ship‐mediated marine introduced species
Authors: Letschert Jonas , Wolff Matthias , Kluger Lotta Clara , Freudinger Christian , Ronquillo John , Keith Inti
Published: December 2020

Marine traffic is the main vector for marine non‐indigenous species (NIS) that may hitchhike in ballast water tanks or attached to vessel hulls. Understanding marine traffic dynamics and estimating the associated risk of NIS dispersal reveals points of leverage for preventive NIS management. This study presents a method to quantify the risk of ship hull fouling‐mediated NIS dispersal and identifies main dispersal hubs in marine traffic networks. We use the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) as a case study to test the applicability of this method.

Ship position data derived from the automatic identification system (AIS) served as a basis for a network consisting of nodes (moorings and anchorages) and edges (ship routes). Wetted surface areas (WSA) describe the parts of vessel hulls submerged by water and were used to parameterize dispersal risks of individual vessels. We combined the constructed network with a numeric dispersal model and sequentially removed network elements to test their effectiveness on decreasing the overall dispersal capacity.

Marine traffic hotspots, such as ports and popular marine visitor sites, represented the main dispersal hubs and incoming edges into the GMR crucial links for the overall dispersal capacity. The removal of passenger vessels had the strongest effect on the overall dispersal capacity, reducing it to 1%.

Based on our findings, we suggest management recommendations to curb the spread of marine NIS in the GMR, including the implementations of (a) vessel hull controls at main dispersal hubs (ports); (b) species monitoring programmes at popular marine visitor sites and (c) hull husbandry regulations for passenger vessels.

Synthesis and application. In an increasingly connected world, the development of risk assessments for marine non‐indigenous species (NIS) dispersal is a crucial step towards the sustainable use and protection of marine ecosystems in Galapagos and other places. The presented methodology is solely based on the pathway component and thus applicable to any place with available ship position data. Therefore, it may provide useful baseline information for preventive measurements especially in places where ecological data about NIS are scarce.
Evolutionary trait‐based approaches for predicting future global impacts of plant pathogens in the genus Phytophthora
Authors: Barwell Louise J. , Perez‐Sierra Ana , Henricot Beatrice , Harris Anna , Burgess Treena I. , Hardy Giles , Scott Peter , Williams Nari , Cooke David E. L. , Green Sarah , Chapman Daniel S. , Purse Bethan V.
Published: December 2020

Plant pathogens are introduced to new geographical regions ever more frequently as global connectivity increases. Predicting the threat they pose to plant health can be difficult without in‐depth knowledge of behaviour, distribution and spread. Here, we evaluate the potential for using biological traits and phylogeny to predict global threats from emerging pathogens.

We use a species‐level trait database and phylogeny for 179 Phytophthora species: oomycete pathogens impacting natural, agricultural, horticultural and forestry settings. We compile host and distribution reports for Phytophthora species across 178 countries and evaluate the power of traits, phylogeny and time since description (reflecting species‐level knowledge) to explain and predict their international transport, maximum latitude and host breadth using Bayesian phylogenetic generalised linear mixed models.

In the best‐performing models, traits, phylogeny and time since description together explained up to 90%, 97% and 87% of variance in number of countries reached, latitudinal limits and host range, respectively. Traits and phylogeny together explained up to 26%, 41% and 34% of variance in the number of countries reached, maximum latitude and host plant families affected, respectively, but time since description had the strongest effect.

Root‐attacking species were reported in more countries, and on more host plant families than foliar‐attacking species. Host generalist pathogens had thicker‐walled resting structures (stress‐tolerant oospores) and faster growth rates at their optima. Cold‐tolerant species are reported in more countries and at higher latitudes, though more accurate interspecific empirical data are needed to confirm this finding.

Policy implications. We evaluate the potential of an evolutionary trait‐based framework to support horizon‐scanning approaches for identifying pathogens with greater potential for global‐scale impacts. Potential future threats from Phytophthora include Phytophthora x heterohybrida, P. lactucae, P. glovera, P. x incrassata, P. amnicola and P. aquimorbida, which are recently described, possibly under‐reported species, with similar traits and/or phylogenetic proximity to other high‐impact species. Priority traits to measure for emerging species may be thermal minima, oospore wall index and growth rate at optimum temperature. Trait‐based horizon‐scanning approaches would benefit from the development of international and cross‐sectoral collaborations to deliver centralised databases incorporating pathogen distributions, traits and phylogeny.
Comprehensive genomic profiling of Brazilian non‐small cell lung cancer patients (GBOT 0118/LACOG0418)
Authors: Mascarenhas Eldsamira , Gelatti Ana Caroline , Araújo Luiz Henrique , Baldotto Clarissa , Mathias Clarissa , Zukin Mauro , Werutsky Gustavo , Pacheco Patricia , Gomes Rafaela , de Castro Gilberto , Cordeiro de Lima Vladmir Cláudio
Published: December 2020

Background

The aim of this study was to carry out a descriptive analysis of the somatic genetic profile and co‐occurring mutations of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples from patients tested with comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP).

Methods

This was a retrospective cross‐sectional study of patients diagnosed with NSCLC from 2013 to 2018 in Brazil and whose samples were submitted to CGP (FoundationOne or FoundationACT) using either tumor or circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from plasma.

Results

We recovered 513 CGP results from patients, 457 (89.1%) of which were from tumors and 56 (10.9%) from plasma. The median age of patients was 64 years old, of which 51.6% were males. TP53 mutations were identified in 53.6% of tumor samples, KRAS mutations in 24.2%, EGFR activating mutations were detected in 22.5%, STK11 mutations in 11.6%, PIK3CA mutations in 8.8%, ALK rearrangements in 5.4%, BRAF mutations in 5.2%, and ERBB2 alterations in 4.9%. The most commonly comutated gene was TP53. TP53 p.R337H was observed in 4.3% of samples and was associated with somatic mutations in EGFR and ERBB2 (P < 0.00001). Tumor mutational burden (TMB) analysis was available for 80.5% of samples tested, and 5.5% of samples had high TMB (≥ 20 mutations/Mb).

In conclusion, this retrospective analysis of genomic data from NSCLC patients obtained by CGP showed that common abnormalities such as EGFR mutations and ALK rearrangements had similar frequency to those previously described by other groups using others strategies. Additionally, our data confirm an association between TP53 p.R337H, supposedly germline in nature, and somatic mutations in genes of the HER family.

Key points

Significant findings of the study

This is the first report of the prevalence of driver mutations in Brazilian NSCLC patients using comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP).

The frequency of the most common driver mutations in this population was similar to that previously described in Brazil.

What this study adds

TP53 was the most commonly comutated gene across samples. TP53 p.R337H was associated with somatic mutations in EGFR and ERBB2.

Most samples had low TMB; only 5.5% of samples had high TMB.
Inferring extinction date of a species using non‐homogeneous Poisson processes with a change‐point
Authors: Kodikara Saritha , Demirhan Haydar , Wang Yan , Stone Lewi
Published: December 2020

Bayesian methods have been developed for inferring the true year of extinction of a species from sighting records that have both certain and uncertain sightings. These methods typically make the restrictive assumption that all sighting types (i.e. certain, valid uncertain, invalid uncertain) derive from constant rate Poisson processes.

In this study, the constant rate assumption in the homogeneous Poisson process is relaxed by allowing certain and uncertain sightings to follow independent non‐homogeneous Poisson processes. The model can thus identify whether any of the sighting rates were increasing, decreasing or constant. In addition, a change‐point is introduced to model the uncertain sightings, where the sighting rates before and after the change‐point vary.

We have used Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling to generate the posterior distributions for model parameters including species extinction time. The proposed method was applied to the sighting records of the black‐footed ferret Mustela nigripes and the ivory‐billed woodpecker Campephilus principalis (IBW) species.

Based on a hypothesis test, the results of the model indicate that the species both went extinct in the years 1988 and 1956 respectively. Moreover, a decline in the certain sighting rate was also inferred for both these species, possibly indicating the decrease in the species abundance as it converges to extinction. Thus, earlier models that assume a constant sighting rate may well be biased. Uncertain sighting rates for the IBW were found to increase before extinction (indicating possibly some additional ecological attention received near extinction) and remained constant after extinction.
Agricultural modification to vegetation drives presence and abundance of a threatened fossorial legless lizard
Authors: Wong David T. Y. , Gruber Bernd , Sarre Stephen D. , Osborne William S.
Published: December 2020

Agricultural modification is one of the main drivers of global biodiversity decline. Vegetation clearance, tillage, grazing, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides have significantly affected native plants and animals. Reptiles can be vulnerable to agricultural practices, and localised declines in reptile biodiversity have been detected. However, the causes of these declines are likely to be many and will vary among reptiles with different life histories. Fossorial reptiles (those that mainly live below ground) are likely to be particularly vulnerable to soil and ground cover disturbance and yet are little studied in the context of agricultural practices. Here, we test the proposition that habitat disturbance caused by agricultural modification is a good predictor of decline or absence of a fossorial lizard. Specifically, we used boosted regression trees to model the relationship between five habitat factors and site abundance of the threatened Pink‐tailed Worm‐lizard (Aprasia parapulchella; Pygopodidae). We found that vegetation characteristics were the best predictors of A. parapulchella abundance. In particular, the relative contributions to our model of percentage cover of native large tussock‐forming grasses and site floristic score were 46% and 33%, respectively. Other variables that contributed to the explanation of abundance were percentage cover of rocks (10%), number of turnable rocks (5%) and relative density of rocks occupied by ants of the size class known to occur with A. parapulchella (5%). Our findings suggest that agricultural management or restoration strategies that promote ground‐layer vegetation characteristic of low levels of modification are likely to be most beneficial for the conservation of this species. Our findings and methods may be applicable to understand and study the presence and abundance of other fossorial or semi‐fossorial reptiles with specialised habitat preferences. Further research is required to establish the generality of our findings with respect to other such species around the world.
Histology of corpuscles of Stannius in Lake Van fish (Alburnus tarichi Güldenstädt, 1814) (Cyprinidae)
Authors: Kaptaner Burak , Ünal Güler , Doğan Emine , Aykut Handan
Published: December 2020

In the present study, the location, histology and number of corpuscles of Stannius (Sc), which are endocrine glands associated with the kidneys of teleost fish, were investigated for the first time in Lake Van fish (Alburnus tarichi), an anadromous and endemic inhabiting Turkey's Lake Van Basin. The Sc, which were ovoid or spheroid and white or cream in colour, were found to vary in number between three and five among the examined fish. The glands were located in the caudal part of the kidney, and either partially or completely embedded, and found to be present on both the ventral and dorsal surface of either side of the caudal part of the kidney. The Sc were surrounded by a connective tissue capsule that penetrated and divided the gland into incomplete lobules. Two types of cells were determined in the parenchyma of the gland. Type‐I cells were predominant throughout the parenchyma and larger than the second (type‐II). In the type‐I cells, the cytoplasm was observed as weakly or moderately eosinophilic with haematoxylin and eosin staining and weakly or moderately acidophilic with Mallory's triple staining. In the type‐I cells, the cytoplasm exhibited weak to moderate periodic acid‐Schiff staining and slight or uniform staining with aldehyde fuchsin. The type‐II cells were round, had a darkly stained spherical nucleus and were dispersed among the type‐I cells. They displayed no cytoplasmic staining with the abovementioned stains.
Is There a Rainbow after the Rain? How Do Agricultural Shocks Affect Non‐Farm Enterprises? Evidence from Thailand
Authors: Grabrucker Katharina , Grimm Michael
Published: December 2020

Increasing weather volatility manifesting itself through extreme rainfall and drought poses a significant threat to the livelihood of rural households in poor countries. Although it is documented how rainfall shocks affect agricultural activities, there is not much evidence on the indirect effects on the rest of the rural economy. Merging household panel data with grid‐level precipitation data, we study the indirect effects of rainfall shocks on non‐farm enterprises in rural Thailand. We not only consider the effects on labor supply to non‐farm enterprises but also focus on the performance of non‐farm enterprises. We find that households increase their labor participation in non‐farm self‐employment in response to excessive rainfall shocks. We do not find such a response for deficit rainfall shocks, which we explain by the increased demand for agricultural labor needed to cope with rainfall shortages. We also find suggestive evidence that rainfall shocks lead to increased input costs for non‐farm enterprises in the food processing industry, to higher input costs for farms, to higher sales revenues for agriculture‐related non‐farm enterprises and to lower expenditures for farm households on food and other consumption items. Overall, our analysis suggests that the costs of agricultural shocks are higher than what much of the literature has suggested so far. Despite limited market integration in poor rural economies, the spillovers are sizable and are transmitted through various channels. One implication is that safety nets targeted at farms may need to consider non‐farm enterprises too.
Role of microRNAs in inflammatory upper airway diseases
Authors: Tubita Valeria , Callejas‐Díaz Borja , Roca‐Ferrer Jordi , Marin Concepció , Liu Zheng , Wang De Yun , Mullol Joaquim
Published: December 2020

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a conserved family of small endogenous noncoding RNA molecules that modulate post‐transcriptional gene expression in physiological and pathological processes. miRNAs can silence target mRNAs through degradation or inhibition of translation, showing their pivotal role in the pathogenesis of many human diseases. miRNAs play a role in regulating immune functions and inflammation and are implicated in controlling the development and activation of T and B cells. Inflammatory chronic upper airway diseases, such as rhinitis and rhinosinusitis, are spread all over the world and characterized by an exaggerated inflammation involving a complex interaction between immune and resident cells. Until now and despite allergy, little is known about their etiology and the processes implicated in the immune response and tuning inflammation of these diseases. This review highlights the knowledge of the current literature about miRNAs in inflammatory chronic upper airways diseases and how this may be exploited in the development of new clinical and therapeutic strategies.
Swedish survey of infant sleep practices showed increased bed‐sharing and positive associations with breastfeeding
Authors: Wennergren Göran , Strömberg Celind Frida , Goksör Emma , Alm Bernt
Published: December 2020

Aim

Many countries lack monitoring of infant sleep practices, despite associations with sudden infant death. We studied sleep positions, bed‐sharing and breastfeeding in a new birth cohort.

Methods

Data were obtained from a prospective, population‐based cohort study of children born in western Sweden in 2018. The parents of 9,465 six‐month‐old infants, via postal questionnaires, were asked about their infants’ sleeping positions at three and six months, including where they slept and any bed‐sharing arrangements. The data were compared with our earlier 2003–2004 birth cohort.

Results

Questionnaires were completed by the parents of 3,590 (38%) infants. At three months, 54% of the infants slept in a separate cot in their parents’ room. A further 43% slept in their parents’ bed: 42% in baby nests and 42% in close contact with their parents. At six months, 33% bed‐shared, compared with 20% in 2003–2004 (p < 0.001). Bed‐sharing was positively associated with breastfeeding (odds ratio at three months: 1.5–2.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.1–4.5).

Conclusion

Most infants slept in separate cots during the first three months. However, bed‐sharing showed an increasing trend and baby nests were popular. Bed‐sharing was positively associated with breastfeeding, but the association may not be causal.
Climate change denial and the jeopardised interest of the United States in the Freely Associated States of Micronesia
Authors: Cannon Sara E.
Published: December 2020

The Compacts of Free Association (COFA) are agreements between the United States of America and three Pacific Island countries: the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Palau, collectively the Freely Associated States (FAS). COFA provides the FAS financial assistance to build their economies and foster financial independence; in exchange, the United States has regional military control. The United States is the world's second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, while the FAS produce few emissions but are vulnerable to climate impacts. I highlight inconsistencies in U.S. policies from within its own paradigm by ‘seeing like an empire’ to show how contradicting priorities jeopardise American interests in the region. Aid provided by COFA has done little to build infrastructure supporting the FAS's economically independence, and climate change diverts economic resources to funding climate adaptation. The United States is currently battling China to maintain hegemony in the Pacific, making the FAS strategically important for national security. Meanwhile, climate change threatens U.S. military installations in the FAS. It is in the United States' best interests to limit emissions to protect its investments in the FAS, but this requires a policy change to prioritise its commitments in Micronesia over climate change denial.