bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Political uncertainty moderates neural evaluation of incongruent policy positions
Authors: Haas Ingrid J. , Baker Melissa N. , Gonzalez Frank J.
Published: February 2021

Uncertainty has been shown to impact political evaluation, yet the exact mechanisms by which uncertainty affects the minds of citizens remain unclear. This experiment examines the neural underpinnings of uncertainty in political evaluation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). During fMRI, participants completed an experimental task where they evaluated policy positions attributed to hypothetical political candidates. Policy positions were either congruent or incongruent with candidates' political party affiliation and presented with varying levels of certainty. Neural activity was modelled as a function of uncertainty and incongruence. Analyses suggest that neural activity in brain regions previously implicated in affective and evaluative processing (anterior cingulate cortex, insular cortex) differed as a function of the interaction between uncertainty and incongruence, such that activation in these areas was greatest when information was both certain and incongruent, and uncertainty influenced processing differently as a function of the valence of the attached information. These findings suggest that individuals are attuned to uncertainty in the stated issue positions of politicians, and that the neural processing of this uncertainty is dependent on congruence of these positions with expectations based on political party identification. Implications for the study of emotion and politics and political cognition are discussed.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘The political brain: neurocognitive and computational mechanisms’.
Variation in the HA antigenicity of A(H1N1)pdm09-related swine influenza viruses
Authors: Khalil Ahmed Magdy , Yoshida Reiko , Masatani Tatsunori , Takada Ayato , Ozawa Makoto
Published: February 2021

Since the influenza pandemic in 2009, the causative agent ‘A(H1N1)pdm09 virus’, has been circulating in both human and swine populations. Although phylogenetic analyses of the haemagglutinin (HA) gene segment have revealed broader genetic diversity of A(H1N1)pdm09-related swine influenza A viruses (swIAVs) compared with human A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses, it remains unclear whether the genetic diversity reflects the antigenic differences in HA. To assess the impact of the diversity of the HA gene of A(H1N1)pdm09-related swIAVs on HA antigenicity, we characterized 12 swIAVs isolated in Japan from 2013 to 2018. We used a ferret antiserum and a panel of anti-HA mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) raised against an early A(H1N1)pdm09 isolate. The neutralization assay with the ferret antiserum revealed that five of the 12 swIAVs were significantly different in their HA antigenicity from the early A(H1N1)pdm09 isolate. The mAbs also showed differential neutralization patterns depending on the swIAV strains. In addition, the single amino acid substitution at position 190 of HA, which was found in one of the five antigenically different swIAVs but not in human isolates, was shown to be one of the critical determinants for the antigenic difference of swIAV HAs. Two potential N-glycosylation sites at amino acid positions 185 and 276 of the HA molecule were identified in two antigenically different swIAVs. These results indicated that the genetic diversity of HA in the A(H1N1)pdm09-related swIAVs is associated with their HA antigenic variation. Our findings highlighted the need for surveillance to monitor the emergence of swIAV antigenic variants with public health importance.
Genetic relatedness of Streptococcus dysgalactiae isolates causing recurrent bacteraemia
Authors: Senneby Erik , Hallström Björn , Rasmussen Magnus
Published: February 2021

Introduction.

Streptococcus dysgalactiae

subspecies

equisimilis

(SDSE) is becoming increasingly recognized as an important human pathogen. Recurrent bacteremia with SDSE has been described previously.

Aim. The aims of the study were to establish the genetic relatedness of SDSE isolates with emm-type stG643 that had caused recurrent bacteraemia in three patients and to search for signs of horizontal gene transfer of the emm gene in a collection of SDSE stG643 genomes.

Hypothesis. Recurring SDSE bacteremia is caused by the same clone in one patient.

Methodology. Whole genome sequencing of 22 clinical SDSE stG643 isolates was performed, including three paired blood culture isolates and sixteen isolates from various sites. All assemblies were aligned to a reference assembly and SNPs were extracted. A total of 53 SDSE genomes were downloaded from GenBank. Two phylogenetic trees, including all 75 SDSE isolates, were created. One tree was based on the emm gene only and one tree was based on all variable positions in the genomes.

Results. The genomes from the three pairs of SDSE isolates showed high sequence similarity (1–17 SNPs difference between the pairs), whereas the median SNP difference between the 22 isolates in our collection was 1694 (range 1–11257). The paired isolates were retrieved with 7–53 months between episodes. The 22 SDSE isolates from our collection formed a cluster in the phylogenetic tree based on the emm gene, while they were more scattered in the tree based on all variable positions.

Conclusions. Our results show that the paired isolates were of the same clonal origin, which in turn supports carriage between bacteraemia episodes. The phylogenetic analysis indicates that horizontal gene transfer of the emm-gene between some of the SDSE isolates has occurred.
Demographic benchmarks for equitable coverage of the COVID-19 vaccination program among priority populations
Authors: Vashist Kushagra , Akintobi Tabia , Bednarczyk Robert A. , Narayan KM Venkat , Patel Shivani A.
Published: February 2021

We report the demographic distribution of non-institutionalized populations in the US who are prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination by ethnicity, age and sex and region. The composition of non-institutionalized priority populations was estimated using a nationally representative sample of 25,417 adults interviewed in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in 2018. A relatively large fraction of individuals prioritized for the earliest distribution of the vaccine are women, non-Hispanic Black, and young to middle aged adults. Overall, the study provides a platform to track equity in vaccine coverage and to better tailor health communication strategies.
Diagnostic accuracy of RT-PCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2 compared to a “composite reference standard” in hospitalized patients
Authors: Reich Noah , Lowe Christopher F. , Puddicombe David , Matic Nancy , Greiner Jesse , Simons Janet , Leung Victor , Chu Terry , Naik Hiten , Myles Nick , Burns Laura , Romney Marc G. , Ritchie Gordon , Champagne Sylvie , Dooley Kent , Sekirov Inna , Stefanovic Aleksandra
Published: February 2021

Background

COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has caused the greatest public health emergency of our time. Accurate laboratory detection of the virus is critical in order to contain the spread. Although real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been the cornerstone of laboratory diagnosis, there have been conflicting reports on the diagnostic accuracy of this method.

Methods

A retrospective review was performed on all hospitalized patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 (at St. Pauls Hospital in Vancouver, BC) from March 13 – April 12, 2020. Diagnostic accuracy of initial PCR on nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs was determined against a composite reference standard which included a clinical assessment of the likelihood of COVID-19 by medical experts, initial and repeat PCR, and post-hoc serological testing.

Results

A total of 323 patients were included in the study, 33 (10.2%) tested positive and 290 (89.8%) tested negative by initial PCR. Patients testing positive were more likely to exhibit features of cough (66.7% vs 39.3%), shortness of breath (63.6% vs 35.9%), fever (72.7% vs 27.6%), radiographic findings (83.3% vs 39.6%) and severe outcomes including ICU admission (24.2% vs 9.7%) and mortality (21.2% vs 6.2%) compared to patients testing negative. Serology was performed on 90 patients and correlation between serology and PCR was 98.9%. There were 90 patients included in the composite reference standard. Compared to the composite reference standard, initial PCR had sensitivity of 94.7% (95% CI 74.0 to 99.9%), specificity of 100% (95% CI 94.9 to 100%), positive predictive value of 100% (95% CI 81.5 to 100%) and a negative predictive value of 98.6% (95% CI 92.5 to 100%).

Discussion

Our study showed high sensitivity of PCR on NP swab specimens when compared to composite reference standard in hospitalized patients. High correlation of PCR with serological testing further increased confidence in the diagnostic reliability of properly collected NP swabs.
Central diabetes insipidus induced by temozolomide: A literature Review
Authors: Hossain Mohammad D. , Siddik Abu Bakar , Pinky Susmita Dey , Sauda Tonazzina Hossain , Nasreen Fahtiha , Sarker Pallab , Rahman Masum
Published: February 2021

Temozolomide has been the most used chemotherapeutic drug for glioblastoma and various CNS malignancies. Although myelosuppression has the most severe adverse effect, central diabetes insipidus (CDI) has been found as an infrequent side effect. CDI is characterized by decreased antidiuretic hormone secretion from posterior pituitary, thereby the inability to concentrate the urine with variable degrees of polyuria and compensatory polydipsia. Following a comprehensive literature search of several databases from 1990 to October 2020, which were limited to the English language, patient data were analyzed to demonstrate the risk factors, severity, reversibility of the disease, and overall survival. Total nine cases found who developed CDI following TMZ treatment. All patients manifest hyperosmolar symptoms like polyuria and polydipsia within 3 to 12 weeks following temozolomide initiation. Clinical and laboratory features, therapeutic response to exogenous desmopressin, and clinical course have been summarized.
Comprehensive Assessment of Somatic Copy Number Variation Calling Using Next-Generation Sequencing Data
Authors: Chen Yun-Ching , Seifuddin Fayaz , Nguyen Cu , Yang Zhaowei , Chen Wanqiu , Yan Chunhua , Chen Qingrong , Wang Charles , Xiao Wenming , Pirooznia Mehdi , Meerzaman Daoud ,   The Somatic Mutation Working Group of the SEQC-II Consortium
Published: February 2021

Copy number variation (CNV) is a common type of mutation that often drives cancer progression. With advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS), CNVs can be detected in a detailed manner via newly developed computational tools but quality of such CNV calls has not been carefully evaluated. We analyzed CNV calls reported by 6 cutting-edge callers for 91 samples which were derived from the same cancer cell line, prepared and sequenced by varying the following factors: type of tissue sample (Fresh vs. Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE)), library DNA amount, tumor purity, sequencing platform (Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS) versus Whole-Exome Sequencing (WES)), and sequencing coverage. We found that callers greatly determined the pattern of CNV calls. Calling quality was drastically impaired by low purity (<50%) and became variable when WES, FFPE, and medium purity (50%-75%) were applied. Effects of low DNA amount and low coverage were relatively minor. Our analysis demonstrates the limitation of benchmarking somatic CNV callers when the real ground truth is not available. Our comprehensive analysis has further characterized each caller with respect to confounding factors and examined the consistency of CNV calls, thereby providing guidelines for conducting somatic CNV analysis.
Face-to-face interventions to encourage enrolment in cardiac rehabilitation; a scoping review protocol
Authors: Rasmussen Birgit , Håkonsen Sasja Jul , Toft Bente Skovsby
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Cardiac rehabilitation has become an integral part of secondary treatment of cardiovascular heart disease. Despite evidence demonstrating that cardiac rehabilitation improves prognoses, reduces disease progression, and helps patients to find a new foothold in life, many patients do not enrol. Face-to-face interventions can encourage patients to enrol, however, it is unclear which strategies have been developed, how they are structured in a hospital context, and whether they target the life-world of the patients. The objective of this scoping review is to map and evaluate the nature and characteristics of studies that have reported on face-to-face interventions to encourage patients to enrol in cardiac rehabilitation.

Methods and analysis

This review will be guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute Methodology for Scoping Reviews. A search strategy developed in cooperation with a research secretary will be applied in six databases including studies published from 2000 in English, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and German with no restriction on publication type or study design. Studies involving adult patients with ischemic heart disease or heart failure will be included. Studies providing the intervention after enrolment in cardiac rehabilitation will be excluded. Study selection will be performed independently by two reviewers. Data will be extracted by two reviewers using predefined data charting forms. The presentation of data will be a narrative summary of the characteristics and key findings to facilitate the integration of diverse evidence, and as we deem appropriate will be supported by a diagrammatic or tabular presentation.

Ethics and dissemination

This scoping review will use data from existing publications and does not require ethical approval. Results will be reported through publication in a scientific journal and presented on relevant conferences and disseminated as part of future workshops with professionals involved in communication with patients about enrolment in cardiac rehabilitation.

ARTICLE SUMMARY

Strength and Limitations of this study

This protocol outlines a rigorous design that includes the use of an established scoping review methodology and a search strategy developed in cooperation with a research librarian

The search strategy has no restrictions to study design, includes five different languages, and will cover six different databases

As this review is inclusive to all study types and aims to provide an overview of the landscape of interventions to encourage enrolment in cardiac rehabilitation a quality assessment will not be performed

While the review will be non-discriminant towards article study types and methodologies, a limitation of the study is that books and grey literature will not be included
The Antiviral Enzyme, Viperin, Activates Protein Ubiquitination by the E3 Ubiquitin Ligase, TRAF6
Authors: Patel Ayesha M. , Marsh E. Neil G.
Published: February 2021

Viperin is a broadly conserved radical SAM enzyme that synthesizes the antiviral nucleotide ddhCTP. In higher animals viperin expression also accelerates the degradation of various cellular and viral proteins necessary for viral replication; however, the details of this process remain largely unknown. Here we show that viperin activates a component of the protein ubiquitination machinery, which plays an important role in both protein degradation and immune signaling pathways. We demonstrate that viperin binds the E3 ubiquitin ligase, TRAF6, which catalyzes K63-linked ubiquitination associated with immune signaling pathways. Viperin activates ubiquitin transfer by TRAF6 ~2.5-fold and causes a significant increase in polyubiquitinated forms of TRAF6 that are important for mediating signal transduction. Our observations both imply a role for viperin as an agonist of immune signaling and suggest that viperin may activate other K48-linked E3-ligases involved in targeting proteins for proteasomal degradation.
Environmental control of Pub1 (NEDD4 family E3 ligase) inS. pombeis regulated by TORC2 and Gsk3
Authors: Wang Tingting , Woodman Philip , Humphrey Sean J. , Petersen Janni
Published: February 2021

Cells respond to changing nutrient environments by adjusting the abundance of surface nutrient transporters and receptors. This can be achieved by modulating ubiquitin-dependent endocytosis, which in part is regulated by the NEDD4 family of E3 ligases. Here we report novel regulation of Pub1, a fission yeastSchizosaccharomyces pombemember of the NEDD4-family of E3 ligases. We show that nitrogen stress inhibits Pub1 function, thereby increasing the abundance of the amino acid transporter Aat1 at the plasma membrane and enhancing sensitivity to the toxic arginine analogue canavanine. We show that TOR complex 2 (TORC2) signalling negatively regulates Pub1, thus TORC2 mutants under nutrient stress have decreased Aat1 at the plasma membrane and are resistant to canavanine. Inhibition of TORC2 signalling increases Pub1 phosphorylation, and this is dependent on Gsk3 activity. Addition of the Tor inhibitor Torin1 increases phosphorylation of Pub1 at serine 199 (S199) by 2.5-fold, and Pub1 protein levels in S199A phospho-ablated mutants are reduced. S199 is conserved in NEDD4 and is located immediately upstream of a WW domain required for protein interaction. Together, we describe how the major TORC2 nutrient-sensing signalling network regulates environmental control of Pub1 to modulate the abundance of nutrient transporters.
GAT-FD: An Integrated MATLAB Toolbox for Graph Theoretical Analysis of Task-Related Functional Dynamics
Authors: Cao Meng , Wu Ziyan , Li Xiaobo
Published: February 2021

Functional connectivity (FC) has been demonstrated to be varying over time during sensory and cognitive processes. Quantitative examinations of such variations can significantly advance our understanding on large-scale functional organizations and their topological dynamics that support normal brain functional connectome and can be altered in individuals with brain disorders. However, toolboxes that integrate the complete functions for analyzing task-related brain FC, functional network topological properties, and their dynamics, are still lacking. The current study has developed a MATLAB toolbox, the Graph Theoretical Analysis of Task-Related Functional Dynamics (GAT-FD), which consists of four modules for sliding-window analyses, temporal mask generation, estimations of network properties and dynamics, and result display, respectively. All the involved functions have been tested and validated using fMRI data collected from human subjects when performing a block-designed task. The results demonstrated that the GAT-FD allows for effective and quantitative evaluations of the functional network properties and their dynamics during the task period. As an open-source and user-friendly package, the GAT-FD and its detailed user manual are freely available athttps://www.nitrc.org/projects/gat_fdandhttps://centers.njit.edu/cnnl/gat_fd/.
De novo homology assessment from landmark data: A workflow to identify and track segmented structures in plant time series images
Authors: Hodge John G. , Li Qing , Doust Andrew N.
Published: February 2021

Assessing the phenotypes underlying plant growth and development is integral to exploring the development, genetics, and evolution of morphology and plays an essential role in agronomic and basic research studies. Although various automated or semi-automated phenomic approaches have recently been developed, tools assessing differential growth of plant organs remains a key topic of interest, but one which is often difficult to analyze due to the requirements of segmenting and annotating specific structures or positions in the plant body in time-series data. To address this gap, we have developed a generalized workflow linking our previously published function,acute, with a companion function,homology, in the PlantCV environment. Thehomologyfunction uses a generalized strategy of dimensionality reduction viastarscapefollowed by hierarchical clustering throughconstellato identify ‘constellations’ of segments in eigenspace that represent the same landmark in consecutive images of a time-series. We devised a quality control function,constellaQC, that can test the accuracy of the clustering approach, and we use it to show that the approach accurately clustered the pseudo-landmarks derived fromacute, although with several sources of error. We discuss the reasons for and consequences of these errors in automated workflows, and suggest how to develop these functions so that they can easily be repurposed for other phenomics datasets that may vary in dimensional complexity.
Comparative Perturbation-Based Modeling of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Binding with Host Receptor and Neutralizing Antibodies : Structurally Adaptable Allosteric Communication Hotspots Define Spike Sites Targeted by Global Circulating Mutations
Authors: Verkhivker Gennady M. , Agajanian Steve , Oztas Deniz Yazar , Gupta Grace
Published: February 2021

In this study, we used an integrative computational approach focused on comparative perturbation-based modeling to examine molecular mechanisms and determine functional signatures underlying role of functional residues in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that are targeted by novel mutational variants and antibody-escaping mutations. Atomistic simulations and functional dynamics analysis are combined with alanine scanning and mutational sensitivity profiling for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein complexes with the ACE2 host receptor are REGN-COV2 antibody cocktail (REG10987+REG10933). Using alanine scanning and mutational sensitivity analysis, we have shown that K417, E484 and N501 residues correspond to key interacting centers with a significant degree of structural and energetic plasticity that allow mutants in these positions to afford the improved binding affinity with ACE2. Through perturbation-based network modeling and community analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein complexes with ACE2 we demonstrate that E406, N439, K417 and N501 residues serve as effector centers of allosteric interactions and anchor major inter-molecular communities that mediate long-range communication in the complexes. The results provide support to a model according to which mutational variants and antibody-escaping mutations constrained by the requirements for host receptor binding and preservation of stability may preferentially select structurally plastic and energetically adaptable allosteric centers to differentially modulate collective motions and allosteric interactions in the complexes with the ACE2 enzyme and REGN-COV2 antibody combination. This study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein may function as a versatile and functionally adaptable allosteric machine that exploits plasticity of allosteric regulatory centers to fine-tune response to antibody binding without compromising activity of the spike protein.
Nano Pom-poms Prepared Highly Specific Extracellular Vesicles Expand the Detectable Cancer Biomarkers
Authors: He Nan , Thippabhotla Sirisha , Zhong Cuncong , Greenberg Zachary , Xu Liang , Pessetto Ziyan , Godwin Andrew K. , Zeng Yong , He Mei
Published: February 2021

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly exosomes, are emerging biomarker sources. However, due to heterogeneous populations secreted from diverse cell types, mapping EV multi-omic molecular information specifically to their pathogenesis origin for cancer biomarker identification is still extraordinary challenging. Herein, we introduced a novel 3D-structured nanographene immunomagnetic particles (NanoPoms) with unique flower pom-poms morphology and photo-click chemistry for specific marker-defined capture and release of intact small EVs. This specific EV isolation approach leads to the expanded identification of targetable cancer biomarkers with enhanced specificity and sensitivity, as demonstrated by multi-omic EV analysis of bladder cancer patient tissue fluids using the next generation sequencing of somatic DNA mutations, miRNAs, and the global proteome. The NanoPoms prepared sEVs also exhibit distinctive in vivo biodistribution patterns, highlighting the highly viable and integral quality. The developed method is simple and straightforward, and is applicable to nearly all types of biological fluids and amenable for scale up and high-throughput EV isolation.
Cardiac Atrial Compartmentalisation Proteomics: A Modified Density Gradient Method to Analyse Endo-lysosomal Proteins
Authors: Ayagama Thamali , Bose Samuel J , Capel Rebecca A , Priestman David A , Berridge Georgina , Fisher Roman , Galione Antony , Platt Frances M , Kramer Holger , Burton Rebecca A B
Published: February 2021

The importance of lysosomes in cardiac physiology and pathology are well established, and evidence for roles in calcium signalling are emerging. We describe a label-free proteomics method suitable for small cardiac tissue biopsies based on density-separated fractionation, which allows study of endo-lysosomal (EL) proteins.

Density gradient fractions corresponding to tissue lysate; sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), mitochondria (Mito) (1.3 g/ml); and EL with negligible contamination from SR or Mito (1.04 g/ml), were analysed using Western Blot, enzyme activity assay and LC-MS/MS analysis (adapted discontinuous Percoll, and sucrose differential density gradient).

Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Reactome, Panther and Gene Ontology pathway analysis showed good coverage of RAB proteins and lysosomal cathepsins (including cardiac-specific cathepsin D) in the purified EL fraction. Significant EL proteins recovered included catalytic activity proteins. We thus present a comprehensive protocol and dataset of guinea-pig atrial EL organelle proteomics using techniques also applicable for non-cardiac tissue.
EPIGENETIC MODULATION VIA THE C-TERMINAL TAIL OF H2A.Z
Authors: Imre László , Nánási Péter , Benhamza Ibtissem , Enyedi Kata Nóra , Mocsár Gábor , Bosire Rosevalentine , Hegedüs Éva , Niaki Erfaneh Firouzi , Csóti Ágota , Darula Zsuzsanna , Csősz Éva , Póliska Szilárd , Scholtz Beáta , Mező Gábor , Bacsó Zsolt , Timmers H. T. Marc , Kusakabe Masayuki , Balázs Margit , Vámosi György , Ausio Juan , Cheung Peter , Tóth Katalin , Tremethick David , Harata Masahiko , Szabó Gábor
Published: February 2021

H2A.Z-nucleosomes are present in both euchromatin and heterochromatin and it has proven difficult to interpret their disparate roles in the context of their stability features. Using anin situassay of nucleosome stability and DT40 cells expressing engineered forms of the histone variant we show that native H2A.Z, but not C-terminally truncated H2A.Z (H2A.ZΔC), is released from nucleosomes of peripheral heterochromatin at unusually high salt concentrations. H2A.Z and H3K9me3 landscapes are reorganized in H2A.ZΔC-nuclei and overall sensitivity of chromatin to nucleases is increased. These tail-dependent differences are recapitulated upon treatment of HeLa nuclei with the H2A.Z-tail-peptide (C9), with MNase sensitivity being increased at specific regions including promoters. Introduced into live cells C9 elicits down-regulation of ∼560 genes with nonrandom chromosomal band-localization and pathway-spectrum. Thus, tail-dependent heterogeneity of H2A.Z-nucleosomes is revealed at all organization levels of chromatin and epigenetic modulation can be achieved by targeting molecular interactions involving its C-terminal tail.
Cooperative language learning elements to enhance social skills in English classrooms: a case study
Authors: Camacho-Minuche Gina , Espinoza-Celi Verónica , Ulehlova Eva
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The aim was to prove the efficacy of the five cooperative learning elements applied in English classrooms and to demonstrate how effective they were to develop social skills in students.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative approach allowed to analyse the data in order to determine the benefits of using these elements which help students to create a good rapport among them and do more productive activities to retain the knowledge. The instruments were Cooperative Learning Activity Planning Template that included 20 major steps in designing and assessing a cooperative learning activity designed by Susan Johnston. Additionally, rubrics that included the cooperative learning elements: face-to-face (promotive) interaction, positive interdependence, individual accountability, group processing and collaborative skills were necessary to assess students' accomplished tasks.

Findings

Furthermore, when students played different roles, they attained their goal and did cooperative tasks more productively. All mentioned above enables Ecuadorian educational institutions to include better teaching methods and provokes consciousness of students' accomplishment towards their goals.

Research limitations/implications

In the beginning, some constraints were presented; students did not have a clear idea about the main difference between group work and cooperative work. However, once they were aware of cooperative learning elements, they did incorporate them appropriately in each assigned activity which allowed them to obtain better results. Another limitation referred to master students who did not always provide learners with constant monitoring when they were working on cooperative activities; they simply believed that strong students could help the rest in the group if there was any inconvenience with the task, taking this situation for granted.

Originality/value

The originality of this study is reflected in the results obtained in the final product students presented since they used the elements in a more effective way to build social skills and achieve higher grades.
Are top executives important for earning management and firm risk? Empirical evidence from selected Chinese firms
Authors: Bhatti Khurram Iftikhar , Husnain Muhammad Iftikhar Ul , Saeed Abubakr , Naz Iram , Hashmi Syed Danial
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This study examines the role of the observable and unobservable characteristics of top management on earning management and firm risk in China.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used manager-firm matched panel for 104 non-financial firms listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange between 2010 and 2018. The authors also trace the persistence of managerial financial styles and their active role across two different firms between which managers switched during the sample period.

Findings

The results show that managers' financial styles indeed influence earning management and firm risk and that this influence differs across different managers. These findings are robust when tested for the persistence and active role of managers. Furthermore, individual characteristics such as age, gender, qualification and experience influence managers' financial styles.

Practical implications

Given their findings, the authors propose that financial analysts and potential investors should not only depend on quantitative data but also consider the individual characteristics of managers when evaluating firms.

Social implications

The findings of this study carry serious implications for managers, policymakers and potential investors. The findings assist the external auditors in measuring the risk of material misstatement, the various regulatory bodies to assess the quality of financial reporting and the users of financial statements to evaluate the earnings and make further investment decisions considering not only the quantitative data but also the individual characteristics of top managers.

Originality/value

The current study examines the observable and unobservable characteristics of top management on firm risk and earnings management in Chinese context.
Predicting consumers' digital piracy behaviour: does past experience matter?
Authors: Koay Kian Yeik , Tjiptono Fandy , Sandhu Manjit Singh
Published: February 2021

Purpose

Despite increasing anti-piracy legislation, digital piracy remains widespread and presents a huge barrier to the growth of creative industries globally. Hence, this study aims to examine predictors of digital piracy through the lens of an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Furthermore, the authors also examine the moderating effects of past experience (non-experienced versus experienced) on the relationships between the common four TPB dimensions on intention to engage in digital piracy.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a survey method, the authors collected 832 student respondents in Semarang, Indonesia. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was performed to analyse the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The results showed that the influence of attitude, subjective norm and moral obligation on intention is significantly different between experienced and non-experienced consumers. The positive influence of attitude on intention to engage in digital piracy is stronger for non-experienced than experienced consumers. The influence of subjective norm on intention is significant and positive for non-experienced consumers but is not significant for experienced consumers. The influence of moral obligation on intention is significant and positive for non-experienced consumers but turns negative and significant for experienced consumers.

Originality/value

This research contributed to the body of knowledge by investigating the role of past experience as a moderator in the TPB model which renders the authors to have a better understanding of the differences in the thinking process between experienced and non-experienced consumers.
Are universal welfare policies really more popular than selective ones? A critical discussion of empirical research
Authors: Laenen Tijs , Gugushvili Dimitri
Published: February 2021

Purpose

In the social policy literature, it is often assumed that universal policies are more popular than selective ones among the public, because they supposedly generate broader self-interested coalitions and are considered morally superior. The present article revisits and challenges this assumption.

Design/methodology/approach

The article critically reviews the existing empirical literature on public support for universal and means-tested welfare schemes.

Findings

The main conclusion is that the popularity of universal vis-à-vis selective welfare remains very much an open question. First, the studies that are typically cited to support the claim that universalism is indeed more popular are inconclusive because they conflate the institutional design of welfare programs with their respective target groups. Second, there is considerable variation in public support for universal and selective welfare across countries, time and policy domains.

Research limitations/implications

The findings suggest that future research should focus on scrutinizing under which circumstances – when, where and why – universal social policies are more popular than selective ones.

Originality/value

The article makes an original case for considering perceived welfare deservingness of social policies' target groups alongside the policy design when studying popular support for differently targeted welfare schemes.
Organizational problem-solving and school discipline: comparing the roles of schoolwide behavior management technologies
Authors: Cho Vincent , Borowiec Katrina , Tuthill Kaitlyn F.
Published: February 2021

Purpose

Applications for tracking and managing classroom behavior have become increasingly commonplace, thus making it possible to incorporate nonacademic data into collaborative problem-solving and school improvement. Whether or how these platforms might support such aims, however, is not known. Accordingly, this study explores practices involving these applications, focusing especially on problem-solving among educators and with students' families.

Design/methodology/approach

This comparative case study took place in three schools. In total, 34 semistructured interviews were conducted with teachers and school leaders. Analysis included qualitative coding as well as the development of within- and cross-case summaries.

Findings

Schools varied greatly when it came to using behavior management platforms as a part of problem-solving. At a basic level, it was not uncommon for educators to use behavioral data for classroom troubleshooting or check-ins with students and transactional communications with families. However, only two schools attempted to use behavioral data for more systemic, “big picture” problem-solving, such as to make discipline policies more equitable or to improve teacher practices. The richness of collaboration with families seemed especially shaped by how and how frequently data were shared (e.g. automated notifications and paper printouts).

Originality/value

Empirical research about behavior management applications has been limited and focused only at the classroom level. The present study contributes new knowledge about the school-level implications of these platforms, while also expanding conversations about how behavioral data may be incorporated into data-informed problem-solving. Implications for leadership and theory are also discussed.
Effects of ethical leadership, job satisfaction and affective commitment on the turnover intentions of accountants
Authors: Torlak Nuri Gökhan , Kuzey Cemil , Dinç Muhammet Sait , Güngörmüş Ali Haydar
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The paper aims to analyze the relationships between ethical leadership (EL), job satisfaction (JS), affective commitment (AC) and turnover intention (TI) that might make accountants quit withdrawal and become productive and useful in private organizations operating in Istanbul.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through an online survey using a simple random sampling methodology, obtained from 153 accountants working in companies in Istanbul. The methodology included descriptive statistics, factor analysis, structural equation modeling and mediation analysis.

Findings

Concerning direct relationships between EL, JS, AC and TI, EL has significant positive associations with JS and AC, whereas EL has a significant negative association with TI. JS has a significant positive association with AC, whereas JS has a significant negative association with TI. Also, AC has a weak significant negative association with TI. Given indirect relationships among EL, JS, AC and TI, JS and AC mediate the relationship between EL and TI. Finally, a similarity is found when comparing Generation X and Generation Y in terms of overall JS, AC and TI.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited solely to companies functioning in Istanbul and incorporates a low number of respondents. Therefore, the results cannot be considered to be accurate for the whole country. The study might guide both private and public organizations in which owners/managers develop strategic plans.

Originality/value

The study fills the gap in research on organizational behavior where little has existed until now that probes the EL–JS–AC–TI links in Turkey. A few studies measure the TIs of accountants. Furthermore, EL and AC are rarely evaluated in the field of accounting in Turkey.
A novel structure to model the distribution of relief items in a post-disaster situation
Authors: Sakiani Reza , Seifi Abbas , Ramezani Khorshiddost Reza
Published: February 2021

Purpose

There is usually a considerable shortage of resources and a lack of accurate data about the demand amount in a post-disaster situation. This paper aims to model the distribution and redistribution of relief items. When the new data on demand and resources become available the redistribution of previously delivered items may be necessary due to severe shortages in some locations and surplus inventory in other areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The presented model includes a vehicle routing problem in the first period and some network flow structures for succeeding periods of each run. Thereby, it can produce itineraries and loading plans for each vehicle in all periods when it is run in a rolling horizon manner. The fairness in distribution is sought by minimizing the maximum shortage of commodities among the affected areas while considering operational costs. Besides, equity of welfare in different periods is taken into account.

Findings

The proposed model is evaluated by a realistic case study. The results show that redistribution and multi-period planning can improve efficiency and fairness in supply after the occurrence of a disaster.

Originality/value

This paper proposes an operational model for distribution and redistribution of relief items considering the differences of items characteristics. The model integrates two well-known structures, vehicle routing problem with pickup and delivery and network flow problem to take their advantages. To get more practical results, the model relaxes some simplifying assumptions commonly used in disaster relief studies. Furthermore, the model is used in a realistic case study.
Exploring consumers’ attitude formation toward their own brands when in crisis: cross-national comparisons between USA and China
Authors: Kim Sojung , Yim Mark Yi-Cheon
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine how culture influences consumer attitudes toward the brands of products they own during a product-harm crisis. To this end, average consumers from two countries - the USA, representing a highly individualistic society and China, a less individualistic (i.e. collectivist) society – are compared.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducts an invariance test of the measurement model for a more rigorous comparison of the two countries. Structural equation modeling is performed to identify how average consumers respond to a product-harm crisis (e.g. iPhone explosion) based on survey results of 188 American and 197 Chinese consumers.

Findings

These results reveal that in both countries, an individual’s susceptibility to a normative interpersonal influence determines their brand consciousness, which, in turn, enhances consumer attachment to well-known brands, resulting in favorable brand attitudes. During a brand crisis, an owned brand’s buffering effect is observed among consumers high in brand consciousness in collectivistic but not in individualistic societies. The moderating role of feelings of betrayal on the brand attachment-consumer attitude relationship is also reported.

Originality/value

Culture shapes consumer behavioral patterns. In today’s global market, a company’s decisions are no longer limited by borders and many companies experience product failures. Thus, findings that show consumers’ distinguishable psychological experiences between different cultures contribute to crisis management literature.
Long non‐coding RNA H19 promotes myoblast fibrogenesis via regulating the miR‐20a‐5p‐Tgfbr2 axis
Authors: Lin Jinrong , Luo Zhiwen , Liu Shaohua , Chen Qingyan , Liu Siyang , Chen Jiwu
Published: February 2021

Emerging evidence has indicated long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in diverse biological processes, including fibrosis. Here, we report that lncRNA H19 is able to promote skeletal muscle fibrosis. lnc‐H19 was identified to be highly expressed in skeletal muscle fibrosis in vivo and in vitro; while lnc‐H19 knockdown attenuated fibrosis in vitro. The knockdown of lnc‐H19 was proved to inhibit the activation of the TGFβ/Smad pathway in C2C12 myoblasts by sponging miR‐20a‐5p to regulate Tgfbr2 expression through the competing endogenous RNA function. Our study elucidates the roles of the lnc‐H19‐miR‐20a‐5p‐Tgfbr2 axis in regulating the TGFβ/Smad pathway of myoblast fibrogenesis, which might provide a promising therapeutic target for skeletal muscle fibrosis.
Development and evaluation of a core genome multilocus sequence typing scheme for Paenibacillus larvae, the deadly American foulbrood pathogen of honeybees
Authors: Bertolotti Alicia C. , Forsgren Eva , Schäfer Marc O. ,   EuroPLarva Consortium, Sircoulomb Fabrice , Gaïani Nicolas , Ribière‐Chabert Magali , Paris Laurianne , Lucas Pierrick , de Boisséson Claire , Skarin Joakim , Rivière Marie‐Pierre
Published: February 2021

Paenibacillus larvae is the causative agent of the fatal American foulbrood disease in honeybees (Apis mellifera). Strain identification is vital for preventing the spread of the disease. To date, the most accessible and robust scheme to identify strains is the multilocus sequence typing (MLST) method. However, this approach has limited resolution, especially for epidemiological studies. As the cost of whole‐genome sequencing has decreased and as it becomes increasingly available to most laboratories, an extended MLST based on the core genome (cgMLST) presents a valuable tool for high‐resolution investigations. In this study, we present a standardized, robust cgMLST scheme for P. larvae typing using whole‐genome sequencing. A total of 333 genomes were used to identify, validate and evaluate 2419 core genes. The cgMLST allowed fine‐scale differentiation between samples that had the same profile using traditional MLST and allowed for the characterization of strains impossible by MLST. The scheme was successfully used to trace a localized Swedish outbreak, where a cluster of 38 isolates was linked to a country‐wide beekeeping operation. cgMLST greatly enhances the power of a traditional typing scheme, while preserving the same stability and standardization for sharing results and methods across different laboratories.
The architecture of a mixed fungal–bacterial biofilm is modulated by quorum‐sensing signals
Authors: Ruiz Alberto , Herráez Marta , Costa‐Gutierrez Stefanie B. , Molina‐Henares María Antonia , Martínez María Jesús , Espinosa‐Urgel Manuel , Barriuso Jorge
Published: February 2021

Interkingdom communication is of particular relevance in polymicrobial biofilms. In this work, the ability of the fungus Ophiostoma piceae to form biofilms individually and in consortium with the bacterium Pseudomonas putida, as well as the effect of fungal and bacterial signal molecules on the architecture of the biofilms was evaluated. Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is able to form biofilms through the secretion of exopolysaccharides and two large extracellular adhesion proteins, LapA and LapF. It has two intercellular signalling systems, one mediated by dodecanoic acid and an orphan LuxR receptor that could participate in the response to AHL‐type quorum sensing molecules (QSMs). Furthermore, the dimorphic fungus O. piceae uses farnesol as QSM to control its yeast to hyphae morphological transition. Results show for the first time the ability of this fungus to form biofilms alone and in mixed cultures with the bacterium. Biofilms were induced by bacterial and fungal QSMs. The essential role of LapA‐LapF proteins in the architecture of biofilms was corroborated, LapA was induced by farnesol and dodecanol, while LapF by 3‐oxo‐C6‐HSL and 3‐oxo‐C12‐HSL. Our results indicate that fungal signals can induce a transient rise in the levels of the secondary messenger c‐di‐GMP, which control biofilm formation and architecture.