bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TheShigella flexnerieffector IpaH1.4 facilitates RNF213 degradation and protects cytosolic bacteria against interferon-induced ubiquitylation
Authors: Saavedra-Sanchez Luz , Dickinson Mary S. , Apte Shruti , Zhang Yifeng , de Jong Maarten , Skavicus Samantha , Heaton Nicholas S. , Alto Neal M. , Coers Jörn
Published: September 2024

A central signal that marshals host defense against many infections is the lymphocyte-derived cytokine interferon-gamma (IFNγ). The IFNγ receptor is expressed on most human cells and its activation leads to the expression of antimicrobial proteins that execute diverse cell-autonomous immune programs. One such immune program consists of the sequential detection, ubiquitylation, and destruction of intracellular pathogens. Recently, the IFNγ-inducible ubiquitin E3 ligase RNF213 was identified as a pivotal mediator of such a defense axis. RNF213 provides host protection against viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens. To establish infections, potentially susceptible intracellular pathogens must have evolved mechanisms that subdue RNF213-controlled cell-autonomous immunity. In support of this hypothesis, we demonstrate here that a causative agent of bacillary dysentery,Shigella flexneri,uses the type III secretion system (T3SS) effector IpaH1.4 to induce the degradation of RNF213.S. flexnerimutants lacking IpaH1.4 expression are bound and ubiquitylated by RNF213 in the cytosol of IFNγ-primed host cells. Linear (M1-) and lysine-linked ubiquitin is conjugated to bacteria by RNF213 independent of the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC). We find that ubiquitylation ofS. flexneriis insufficient to kill intracellular bacteria, suggesting thatS. flexneriemploys additional virulence factors to escape from host defenses that operate downstream from RNF213-driven ubiquitylation. In brief, this study identified the bacterial IpaH1.4 protein as a direct inhibitor of mammalian RNF213 and highlights evasion of RNF213-driven immunity as a characteristic of the human-tropic pathogenShigella.
Image-Based Quantitative Single-Cell Method Showed Increase of Global Chromatin Accessibility in Tumor Compared to Normal Cells
Authors: Commane Mairead , Jadhav Vidula , Leonova Katerina , Buckley Brian , Withers Henry , Gurova Katerina
Published: September 2024

The phenotypic plasticity of cancer cells has recently emerged as an important factor of treatment failure. The mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity are not fully understood. One of the hypotheses is that the degree of chromatin accessibility defines the easiness of cell transitions between different phenotypes. To test this, a method to compare overall chromatin accessibility between cells in a population or between cell populations is needed. We propose to measure chromatin accessibility by fluorescence signal from nuclei of cells stained with DNA binding fluorescent molecules. This method is based on the observations that small molecules bind nucleosome-free DNA more easily than nucleosomal DNA. Thus, nuclear fluorescence is proportional to the amount of nucleosome-free DNA, serving as a measure of chromatin accessibility. We optimized the method using several DNA intercalators and minor groove binders and known chromatin-modulating agents and demonstrated that chromatin accessibility is increased upon oncogene-induced transformation and further in tumor cells.
Assessing the Antimicrobial potentials of selected Plant Extracts against Post Harvest White Yam Rot
Authors: Ibuot Aniefon A , James Iniobong I
Published: September 2024

Antimicrobial potentials of selected aqueous and ethanolic plant extracts against post-harvest white yam rot was studied. Different concentrations (0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 5.0% and 10%) of the selected plant extractAzadirachta indica, Chromolaena odorata, Cymbopogan citratus, Ocimum gratissimum, Zingiber officinaleandAllium sativumwere prepared. Fungi associated with post-harvest yam rot isolated and their percentage occurrence were;F oxysporum (23.7%),Penicillium oxalicum(27.55%),Botryodiploidia theobromae(10.98%),Aspergillus niger(17.89%),Sclerotium rolfsii(19.82%). The effect of selected plant extract on the growth of fungal isolates revealed ethanolic extract ofAllium sativumhaving a very high growth inhibitory effect on all the fungal isolates which ranged from 71.8±0.98% to 100±0.00% at between 1.0% and 10% concentration of the plants extract. The aqueous plant extract ofAllium sativumshowed high inhibitory effect on all the fungal isolates but slightly lower than the ethanolic extract. Other plants extracts varied in their fungal inhibitory effect depending on the fungi. The phytochemical analysis of selected plants extracts showed the presence of most phytochemicals except for very few exceptions.
CryptKeeper: a negative design tool for reducing unintentional gene expression in bacteria
Authors: Roots Cameron T. , Barrick Jeffrey E.
Published: September 2024

Foundational techniques in molecular biology—such as cloning genes, tagging biomolecules for purification or identification, and overexpressing recombinant proteins—rely on introducing non-native or synthetic DNA sequences into organisms. These sequences may be recognized by the transcription and translation machinery in their new context in unintended ways. The cryptic gene expression that sometimes results has been shown to produce genetic instability and mask experimental signals. Computational tools have been developed to predict individual types of gene expression elements, but it can be difficult for researchers to contextualize their collective output. Here, we introduce CryptKeeper, a software pipeline that visualizes predictions of bacterial gene expression signals and estimates the translational burden possible from a DNA sequence. We investigate several published examples where cryptic gene expression inE. coliinterfered with experiments. CryptKeeper accurately postdicts unwanted gene expression from both eukaryotic virus infectious clones and individual proteins that led to genetic instability. It also identifies off-target gene expression elements that resulted in truncations that confounded protein purification. Incorporating negative design using CryptKeeper into reverse genetics and synthetic biology workflows can help to mitigate cloning challenges and avoid unexplained failures and complications that arise from unintentional gene expression.
Targeting Specific Kinase Substrates Rescues Increased Colitis Severity Induced by the Crohn’s Disease-Linked LRRK2-N2081D Variant
Authors: Heaton George R. , Li Xianting , Zhou Xiaoting , Zhang Yuanxi , Vu Duc Tung , Oeller Marc , Karayel Ozge , Hoang Quyen Q. , Kars Meltem Ece , Wang Minghui , Tarassishin Leonid , Mann Matthias , Peter Inga , Yue Zhenyu
Published: September 2024

LRRK2 contains a kinase domain where both the N2081D Crohn’s disease (CD) risk and the G2019S Parkinson’s disease (PD)-pathogenic variants are located. The mechanisms by which the N2081D variant increase CD risk, and how these adjacent mutations result in distinct diseases, remain unclear. To investigate the pathophysiology of the CD-linked LRRK2 N2081D variant, we generated a knock-in (KI) mouse model and compared its effects to those of the LRRK2-G2019S mutation. We find thatLrrk2N2081DKI mice demonstrate heightened sensitivity to induced colitis, resulting in more severe inflammation and intestinal damage thanLrrk2G2019SKI and wild-type mice. Analysis of Colon tissue revealed distinct mutation-dependent LRRK2 RAB substrate phosphorylation, with significantly elevated phosphorylated RAB10 levels inLrrk2N2081Dmice. In cells, we demonstrate that the N2081D mutation activates LRRK2 through a mechanism distinct from that of LRRK2-G2019S. We further find that proinflammatory stimulation enhances LRRK2 kinase activity, leading to mutation-dependent differences in RAB phosphorylation and inflammatory responses in dendritic cells. Finally, we show that genetic knockout ofRab12, but not pharmacological LRRK2 kinase inhibition, significantly reduced colitis severity inLrrk2N2081Dmice. Our study characterizes the pathogenic mechanisms of LRRK2-linked CD, highlights important structural and functional differences between disease-associated LRRK2 variants, and suggests RAB proteins as promising therapeutic targets for modulating LRRK2 activity in CD treatment.
Dark matter scattering off
H2
and
He4
nuclei within chiral effective field theory
Authors: Filandri Elena , Viviani Michele
Published: September 2024

We study dark matter, assumed to be composed of weak interacting massive particles (WIMPs), scattering off H2 and He4 nuclei. In order to parametrize the WIMP-nucleon interaction, the chiral effective field theory approach is used. Considering only interactions invariant under parity, charge conjugation, and time reversal, we examine five interaction types: scalar, pseudoscalar, vector, axial, and tensor. Scattering amplitudes between two nucleons and a WIMP are determined up to second order of chiral perturbation theory. We apply this program to calculate the interaction rate as a function of the WIMP mass and of the magnitude of the WIMP-quark coupling constants. From our study, we conclude that the scalar nuclear response functions is much greater than the others due to their large combination of low energy constants. We verify that the leading order contributions are dominant in these low energy processes. We also provide an estimate for the background due to atmospheric neutrinos.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Heavy-to-light form factors to three loops
Authors: Fael Matteo , Huber Tobias , Lange Fabian , Müller Jakob , Schönwald Kay , Steinhauser Matthias
Published: September 2024

We compute three-loop corrections of O(αs3) to form factors with one massive and one massless quark coupling to an external vector, axialvector, scalar, pseudoscalar, or tensor current. We obtain analytic results for the color-planar contributions, for the contributions of light-quark loops, and the contributions with two heavy-quark loops. For the computation of the remaining master integrals we use the “expand and match” approach which leads to semianalytic results for the form factors. We implement our results in a and a ortran code which allows for fast and precise numerical evaluations in the physically relevant phase space. The form factors are used to compute the hard matching coefficients in Soft-Collinear Effective Theory for all currents. The tensor coefficients at lightlike momentum transfer are used to extract the hard function in B¯→Xsγ to three loops.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Spectral wall in collisions of excited Abelian Higgs vortices
Authors: Alonso Izquierdo A. , Mateos Guilarte J. , Rees M. , Wereszczyński A.
Published: September 2024

We find a spectral wall in collisions of two vortices in the Abelian Higgs model at the critical coupling. It occurs if the out-of-phase mode of initially separated vortices is excited.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Universal hyperuniformity in active field theories
Authors: Zheng Yuanjian , Klatt Michael A. , Löwen Hartmut
Published: September 2024

We show that dry scalar-order active field theories (AFTs) are universally hyperuniform, i.e., density fluctuations are anomalously suppressed in the long-time limit regardless of the integrability or functional form of the active contributions up to third order in gradient terms. These AFTs include active model B, active model B+, and effective Cahn-Hilliard models. Moreover, density variances and spectral densities are virtually indistinguishable from that of passive phase-separated hyperuniform fields. Higher moments of the density fluctuations, however, reveal activity-dependent higher-order correlations that are not captured by conventional two-point measures that characterize hyperuniformity.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Bis[2-(isoquinolin-1-yl)phenyl-κ2
N,C
1](2-phenyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline-κ2
N,N′)iridium(III) hexafluoridophosphate methanol monosolvate
Authors: Martin Silas , Brennessel William W. , Hasan Ammar , Reed Carly R.
Published: September 2024

The title compound, [Ir(C15H10N)2(C19H12N4)]PF6·CH3OH, crystallizes in the C2/c space group with one monocationic iridium complex, one hexafluoridophosphate anion, and one methanol solvent molecule of crystallization in the asymmetric unit, all in general positions. The anion and solvent are linked to the iridium complex cation via hydrogen bonding. All bond lengths and angles fall into expected ranges compared to similar compounds.
The impact of CEO overconfidence on digital transformation in specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative enterprises: evidence from China
Authors: Cui Wen Jing , Meng Sheng Fan
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to reveal the mechanism of CEO overconfidence in the digital transformation of specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative (SRDI) enterprises, thereby enriching research related to upper echelons theory and corporate digital transformation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses listed SRDI companies in China from 2017 to 2022 as a sample and adopts a fixed-effects regression model to analyze the direct, mediating, and moderating effects of CEO overconfidence on corporate digital transformation.

Findings

First, CEO overconfidence significantly promotes SRDI enterprises' digital transformation. Second, according to the “cognition-behavior-outcome” model, we found that entrepreneurial orientation plays a mediating role. Third, based on the principle of procedural rationality and the interaction perspective between the CEO and the executive team, we introduce the heterogeneity of the executive team as a moderating variable. Our findings indicate that age heterogeneity within the executive team has a negative moderating effect, whereas educational and occupational heterogeneities have positive moderating effects.

Originality/value

This study expands on earlier research that focuses primarily on CEO demographic characteristics. It enriches the analytical perspective of upper echelons theory on corporate digital transformation by analyzing the psychological characteristics of CEOs, that is, overconfidence and its mediating pathways. Moreover, this study goes beyond the previous literature that does not differentiate between CEOs and executive teams by introducing the concept of CEOs' interactions with the executive team and including the heterogeneity of the executive team as a moderating variable in the literature. Thus, continuing to deepen the application of upper echelons theory to corporate digital transformation. Additionally, this study contributes to the literature on the positive consequences of overconfidence.
Understanding customer behavior by mapping complaints to personality based on social media textual data
Authors: Alamsyah Andry , Nadhila Fadiah , Izumi Nabila Kalvina
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Technology serves as a key catalyst in shaping society and the economy, significantly altering customer dynamics. Through a deep understanding of these evolving behaviors, a service can be tailored to address each customer's unique needs and personality. We introduce a strategy to integrate customer complaints with their personality traits, enabling responses that resonate with the customer’s unique personality.

Design/methodology/approach

We propose a strategy to incorporate customer complaints with their personality traits, enabling responses that reflect the customer’s unique personality. Our approach is twofold: firstly, we employ the customer complaints ontology (CCOntology) framework enforced with multi-class classification based on a machine learning algorithm, to classify complaints. Secondly, we leverage the personality measurement platform (PMP), powered by the big five personality model to predict customer’s personalities. We develop the framework for the Indonesian language by extracting tweets containing customer complaints directed towards Indonesia's three biggest e-commerce services.

Findings

By mapping customer complaints and their personality type, we can identify specific personality traits associated with customer dissatisfaction. Thus, personalizing how we offer the solution based on specific characteristics.

Originality/value

The research enriches the state-of-the-art personalizing service research based on captured customer behavior. Thus, our research fills the research gap in considering customer personalities. We provide comprehensive insights by aligning customer feedback with corresponding personality traits extracted from social media data. The result is a highly customized response mechanism attuned to individual customer preferences and requirements.
PESTEL analysis of corporate social responsibility performance in construction organizations
Authors: Nguyen Minh Van , Thuc Le Dinh , Nguyen Tu Thanh
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the influence of external factors identified by the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) framework on corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance in Vietnamese construction firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The snowball sampling method was employed to gather 182 validated responses. Employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the research analyzed how these factors correlate with CSR practices under institutional theory.

Findings

Results indicated that social, economic, environmental, legal and technological factors positively impacted CSR performance. Among these, social factors had the most significant effect, followed sequentially by economic, environmental, legal and technological influences. Intriguingly, political factors demonstrated no significant association with CSR performance.

Research limitations/implications

The strong impact of social factors confirms that societal norms and cultural values are critical in shaping corporate behavior in Vietnam. Firms can leverage this insight by intensifying their community engagement and social investment. Additionally, the negligible role of political factors in shaping CSR suggests that firms might not need to focus heavily on political engagement in Vietnam. However, firms should remain aware of legal changes as legal factors influence CSR outcomes.

Originality/value

Despite CSR’s growing importance, there remains a notable research gap regarding how external macro-environmental factors influence CSR performance, particularly within the construction industry. The findings emphasize the importance of aligning business strategies with socioeconomic and environmental aspects.
Medow Brite Enterprises: a growth strategy dilemma
Authors: Chatterjee Joyee , Sawant Sandeep
Published: September 2024

Learning outcomes

After completion of this case study, students will be able to understand about characteristics of urban poor in the city of Mumbai which will aid in understanding about other emerging markets as well, to apply Health Belief Model to help students analyse behaviour change model, to apply social marketing strategies to popularize a social marketing cause, to learn about non-traditional intermediaries and apply to promote a social marketing cause, to apply Ansoff matrix and evaluate various strategies for growth and to analyse various challenges faced by social entrepreneurs and enable learners to arrive at solutions (applicable for social entrepreneurs and marketing executives).

Case overview/synopsis

This case study looked at a Mumbai-based organization, Medow Brite Enterprises, which sold sanitary napkins under the brand FeelOn to women particularly from urban poor background. The protagonist Mrs Ameeta Neel Ramesh was at the helm of the organization and was stuck with a dilemma – whether to enter rural markets or focus on selling incinerators and aid in disposing used sanitary napkins which was adding to the volume of non-biodegradable waste in the city. In 2019, Ameeta made her first investment in Medow Brite. The organization had seen turbulent times during COVID-19 outbreak. However, Ameeta with her astute strategy, helped the company get back on its feet. Medow Brite instead of manufacturing started procuring quality sanitary napkins from specific vendors. In contrast to many other sanitary napkins available in the market, FeelOn had cotton sanitary napkin variant without presence of plastic in the pads. Ameeta had taken a different route for sale of her sanitary napkin, she conducted awareness sessions with the help of non-governmental organizations in various locations of Mumbai as well as Maharashtra. Post these sessions she sold her sanitary napkins among the attendees of the awareness sessions.

Complexity academic level

The case study can be included in marketing management course, consumer behaviour as well as social marketing courses in both undergraduate level and postgraduate level. In addition, the case study is also suitable for social entrepreneurs and marketing executives to discuss about non-traditional sales and marketing approaches, identifying unique segments and understanding behaviour change theories.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 8: Marketing.
Pay information and employees’ perception of organizational support: the mediating role of pay satisfaction
Authors: de la Torre-Ruiz José Manuel , Cordón-Pozo Eulogio , Vidal Salazar María Dolores , Ortiz-Perez Alejandro
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Pay communication policies continue to garner attention in human resource management. This article draws on social exchange theory to examine the consequences of different types of pay information on employees' perceived organizational support (POS). Similarly, it draws on the relational model to examine whether pay level satisfaction and satisfaction with variable pay and pay raise procedures mediate the relationships between the different types of pay information and employee POS.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling in a sample of 695 employees of Spanish firms.

Findings

The five types of pay information considered in this study did not have a direct effect on employee POS. Furthermore, distributive base pay information and distributive base pay information on other employees in the firm and in the industry had an indirect influence on POS through the multiple mediating effect of pay comparison and pay level satisfaction. Finally, procedural variable pay and procedural pay raise information were indirectly related to employee POS through satisfaction with pay procedures.

Originality/value

This study highlights the importance of considering the type of pay information provided to employees and the need to understand the mediating variables that explain how each type of pay information can influence employees’ POS.
The mediating role of e-trust and e-satisfaction in the relationship between e-service quality and e-loyalty toward e-government services
Authors: Qatawneh Nour , Al-Okaily Manaf , Alkhasawneh Raghed , Althonayan Abraham , Tarawneh Abeer
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of e-trust and e-satisfaction in the relationship between e-service quality and e-loyalty in the context of e-government services.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected via an online questionnaire of Jordanian citizens. The structural equation model based on partial least squares was used to test hypotheses.

Findings

The findings showed that e-service quality has a positive and significant effect on e-loyalty. E-service quality has a positive and significant effect on both e-trust and e-satisfaction. E-trust and e-satisfaction have a positive and significant effect on e-loyalty. E-trust has a positive effect on e-satisfaction. Finally, regarding the mediating effect of e-trust and e-satisfaction, e-trust and e-satisfaction partially mediate the relationship between e-service quality and e-loyalty in the context of e-government services, and hence all hypotheses were accepted.

Originality/value

The results of this research aid governmental policymakers in implementing information and communication technology strategies that streamline citizens’ transactions and promote their active engagement in e-government initiatives. Additionally, the government has suggested improving awareness campaigns and providing training for employees to enhance the quality of e-services provided to citizens.
A directed grey incidence model based on panel data
Authors: Zhai Yanli , Luo Gege , Luo Dang
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to construct a grey incidence model for panel data that can reflect the incidence direction and degree between indicators.

Design/methodology/approach

Firstly, this paper introduces the concept of a negative matrix and preprocesses the data of each indicator matrix to eliminate differences in dimensions and magnitudes between indicators. Then a model is constructed to measure the incidence direction and degree between indicators, and the properties of the model are studied. Finally, the model is applied to a practical problem.

Findings

The grey-directed incidence degree is 1 if and only if corresponding elements between the feature indicator matrix and the factor indicator matrix have a positive linear relationship. This degree is −1 if and only if corresponding elements between the feature indicator matrix and the factor indicator matrix have a negative linear relationship.

Practical implications

The example shows the number of days with good air quality is negatively correlated with the annual average concentration of each pollutant index. PM2.5, PM10 and O3 are the main pollutants affecting air quality in northern Henan.

Originality/value

This paper introduces the negative matrix and constructs a model from the holistic perspective to measure the incidence direction and level between indicators. This model can effectively measure the incidence between the feature indicator and factor indicator by integrating information from the point, row, column and matrix.
When Japanese ‘omotenashi’ care fails in intercultural situations: an autoethnographic account of dynamics of thorny disharmony
Authors: Ashta Ashok , Stokes Peter
Published: September 2024

Purpose

“Omotenashi” has become a buzzword denoting the Japanese ethic for excellence in customer care. However, while there is an emerging body of research on the spirit of the provider side, nevertheless, the customer care experiences from the beneficiary perspective – especially the dynamics that manifest when such care fails – remain undercommented. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify critical dynamics of how unexpected thorny disharmony might manifest in instances of customer care failure, with a focus on customer service and intercultural lived experiences. In doing so it challenges a prevailing and dominant view of flawless Japanese customer care – Omotenashi.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on a multi-disciplinary approach the current research proposes a conceptual model and uses autoethnography to offer insights at the individual level unit of analysis.

Findings

The findings break ground towards innovative understanding of customer care failure dynamics, by considering intercultural situations.

Research limitations/implications

By express design and paradigm, the research is limited to subjective interpretivism. The paper offers important implications for understanding customer beneficiary experience, especially to nuance and challenge the current hegemonic view of the positive nature of Japanese “Omotenashi” customer care in extant literature.

Practical implications

The findings have important practical implications for customer care managers. The paper aims to prompt a pause for thought, a warning of a drift towards organizational self-satisfaction and back slapping in relation to customer care and makes a call for a return to consider the holistic customer experience in the Japanese and inter-cultural contexts.

Social implications

It can be argued that there appears to be a tendency in some quarters to massage and manipulate broader society by pointing to the positive. However, marketing scholars are aware that raising customer expectations in this way can magnify backlash when disconfirmation occurs. This study lends support to the notion that there may be a need to temper expectations and hype in customer relation contexts. This is predicated on the observation that individual – and, therefore, beneficiary – experience is unique, that uniqueness may be accentuated in intercultural situations.

Originality/value

The paper nuances the general positively portrayed aspects of Omotenashi by curating insights into when care fails. It addresses the paucity of lived experience accounts of the beneficiary experience of Japanese Omotenashi care in intercultural situations.
Buyer-seller interaction dynamics: a multidimensional assessment of seller reputation and perceived freedom in curbing opportunism in online platforms
Authors: Yuan Jingbo , Ahmad Bilal , Yang Zhilin , Ye Qing
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Drawing on the principal-agent theoretical perspective, we assert that sellers’ opportunism is acknowledged as an essential component that could determine the quality of the relationship between buyers (principals) and sellers (agents). The primary aim of this research is to investigate the influence of seller behavior vs outcome-based reputation and seller’s perceived freedom on opportunistic behavior in the Chinese e-commerce platform context.

Design/methodology/approach

The data collected from 436 e-commerce platform sellers were analyzed and interpreted using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results indicate that both behavior-based and outcome-based reputations positively impact sellers’ perceived freedom but negatively impact their opportunism. Additionally, while perceived freedom of objectives reduces opportunism, freedom of action increases it. The study also highlights the significant moderating roles of prevention mechanisms and ethical ideology.

Originality/value

This study extends the principal-agent perspective by integrating the seller’s reputation as a potential source of preventing sellers from behaving opportunistically on e-commerce platforms.
Perspectives of health professionals on an in-home hearing and vision enhancement intervention for older adults in Norwegian municipalities
Authors: Haanes Gro Gade , Helvik Anne-Sofie , Johannessen Aud
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to characterize the experiences of health professionals participating in an exploratory randomized controlled trial designed to improve hearing and vision among older adults without dementia receiving the in-home health services provided by Norwegian municipalities.

Design/methodology/approach

Semistructured individual and paired interviews were conducted by nine health professionals from five municipalities to explore health professionals’ experiences with the intervention. The data were analyzed using content analysis.

Findings

Three main categories of experiences were identified: (1) participating in the intervention, (2) emerging new knowledge and (3) developing in-home health services. The mutual collaboration between health professionals and service recipients during the screening process led to a more-thorough understanding of the service recipients’ needs and resources, enabling personalized advice and guidance.

Research limitations/implications

In-home interventions have the potential to improve the quality of life of older adults with hearing and vision impairments. Given the promising outcomes of such interventions, future research should (1) investigate their effects on changes in behaviors and attitudes, (2) integrate technological advancements and (3) explore environmental modifications to further enhance the quality of life of older adults in various settings.

Practical implications

The health professionals in this study enjoyed assisting the service recipients in receiving in-home health services by screening their hearing, vision and indoor lighting conditions. The trial enabled the health professionals to provide personalized advice, and to motivate and guide the service recipients toward actions to remedy their impairments.

Social implications

The health professionals recommended hearing, vision and indoor lighting screening to be a routine municipal service because it would safeguard independence, prevent falling and maintain the quality of life of service recipients. However, additional resources are needed to implement these recommendations.

Originality/value

In-home interventions have the potential to improve the quality of life of older adults with hearing and vision impairments.
A systematic literature review and bibliometrics using visualization of similarities for patternless sand mold and core production
Authors: Patil Yogesh , Akarte Milind , Karunakaran K. P. , Patel Ashik Kumar , Mittal Yash G. , Gote Gopal Dnyanba , Mehta Avinash Kumar , Ely Ronald , Shinde Jitendra
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Integrating additive manufacturing (AM) tools in traditional mold-making provides complex yet affordable sand molds and cores. AM processes such as selective laser sintering (SLS) and Binder jetting three-dimensional printing (BJ3DP) are widely used for patternless sand mold and core production. This study aims to perform an in-depth literature review to understand the current status, determine research gaps and propose future research directions. In addition, obtain valuable insights into authors, organizations, countries, keywords, documents, sources and cited references, sources and authors.

Design/methodology/approach

This study followed the systematic literature review (SLR) to gather relevant rapid sand casting (RSC) documents via Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCO databases. Furthermore, bibliometrics was performed via the Visualization of Similarities (VOSviewer) software.

Findings

An evaluation of 116 documents focused primarily on commercial AM setups and process optimization of the SLS. Process optimization studies the effects of AM processes, their input parameters, scanning approaches, sand types and the integration of computer-aided design in AM on the properties of sample. The authors performed detailed bibliometrics of 80 out of 120 documents via VOSviewer software.

Research limitations/implications

This review focuses primarily on the SLS AM process.

Originality/value

A SLR and bibliometrics using VOSviewer software for patternless sand mold and core production via the AM process.
Soil biota modulate the effects of microplastics on biomass and diversity of plant communities
Authors: Fu Yanmei , Oduor Ayub M. O. , Jiang Ming , Liu Yanjie
Published: September 2024

The use of biodegradable plastics has been proposed as an alternative to mitigate the pollution problem caused by traditional non‐biodegradable plastics. However, the relative impacts of both types of microplastics on plant community productivity and diversity is not known. Moreover, it is unclear whether soil biota can differentially mediate the impacts of biodegradable and non‐biodegradable microplastics on plant communities.

In this study, we investigated the effects of biodegradable and non‐biodegradable microplastics on plant community biomass production and diversity, and whether soil biota mediate these effects. We employed a fully crossed factorial design, growing six plant communities in the presence or absence of 10 individual microplastics, and in live soil versus sterilized soil. We hypothesized that: (1) Biodegradable microplastics have a less negative effect on plant community biomass production and diversity compared to non‐biodegradable microplastics. (2) Soil biota differentially mediate the effects of biodegradable and non‐biodegradable microplastics on plant community biomass production and diversity.

Statistical analyses that included all 10 microplastics yielded two main findings. First, live soil ameliorated the negative effects of biodegradable microplastics on community shoot biomass. Second, the presence of microplastics, rather than their biodegradability, significantly reduced community diversity. Separate analyses of individual microplastics suggest that these patterns were driven by specific microplastics. The biodegradable microplastic polybutylene succinate (PBS) was the main driver of the pattern observed in community shoot biomass. In contrast, the biodegradable microplastic polycaprolactone (PCL) and non‐biodegradable microplastics ethylene‐vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were the main drivers of the pattern observed in community diversity. Further analyses excluding PBS from the global models, but including the other nine microplastics, revealed no significant differences in community shoot biomass and diversity between biodegradable and non‐biodegradable microplastics in live versus sterilized soil.

Synthesis and applications. Our findings suggest that biodegradable microplastics, often considered environmentally friendly, are not necessarily less harmful than non‐biodegradable microplastics to the growth and diversity of plant communities. Some individual biodegradable microplastics, such as PBS, still pose significant ecological risks to plant community structure and productivity. However, the results also suggest that soil biota may mitigate the negative effects of some biodegradable microplastics.
Electricity contract design and wholesale market outcomes in Australia's National Electricity Market
Authors: Nelson Tim , Easton Stephanie , Wand Lewis , Gilmore Joel , Nolan Tahlia
Published: September 2024

The emergence of variable renewable energy (VRE) technologies has created a range of different energy contracting techniques. Within Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM), Run‐of‐Plant (RoP) Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) became the most common form of contract with purchasers of wind and solar energy agreeing to pay a fixed price for energy irrespective of when it is produced and, therefore, its actual value to the market. In November 2023, the Commonwealth Government adopted a 32 GW RoP PPA Contract‐for‐Difference (CfD) underwriting policy that aims to effectively shield the generator from market price risk. This article discusses different contract structures and their impact on participant behaviour during periods of material oversupply and negative prices. We find that embedded solar PV exports into the distribution network, which are not required to dynamically participate in the wholesale market, have increased wholesale energy supply, enabling profit maximising vertically integrated renewable firms to drive prices lower in a manner that partially strands the output of RoP PPA CfD generators with a $0/MWh price floor. A key conclusion from our analysis is that requiring embedded solar PV to effectively participate in the wholesale market appears to be a pre‐condition for the efficacy of government‐initiated RoP PPA CfDs.
The nexus of foreign aid, institutional quality, and climate‐related financial policies: Evidence from the global database
Authors: Ha Le Thanh
Published: September 2024

This article represents the first endeavor to establish a connection between foreign aid and climate‐related financial policies (CRFPs) within the European region. The findings are critical to suggest policy implications for governments in making capital flow effective, especially in mitigating environmental degradation. CRFPs represent the count of climate‐related financial policies implemented by 28 European countries annually from 2010 to 2021. We utilize four distinct indicators to capture foreign aid, namely net foreign aid, net Official Development Assistance (ODA) received development index, net ODA received share, and net ODA received per capita. Our research reveals that foreign aid has an adverse effect on CRFPs, as evidenced across all four measures of foreign aid. Notably, the net ODA received share demonstrates a nonlinear relationship with CRFPs. Additionally, we conducted a study to examine how institutional quality moderates the association between financial aid and the implementation of CRFPs. The findings suggest that good institutional quality amplifies the impact of foreign aid on CRFPs.
Spatial confounding in joint species distribution models
Authors: Hui Francis K. C. , Vu Quan , Hooten Mevin B.
Published: September 2024

Joint species distribution models (JSDMs) are a popular method for analysing multivariate abundance data, with important applications such as uncovering how species communities are driven by environmental processes, model‐based ordination to visualise community composition patterns across sites and variance partitioning to quantify the relative contributions of different processes in shaping a species community.

One issue that has received relatively little attention in the study of joint species distributions is that of spatial confounding: when one or more of the environmental predictors exhibit spatial correlation, and spatially structured random effects such as spatial factors are also included in the model, then these two components may be collinear with each other.

Through a combination of simulations and case studies, we show that if not managed properly, spatial confounding can result in misleading inference on covariate effects in a spatially structured JSDM, along with difficulties in interpreting ordination results and incorrect attribution of variation to environmental processes in a species community.

We present one approach to treat spatial confounding called restricted spatial factor analysis, which is designed to ensure that the covariate effects retain their full explanatory power, and ordinations constructed using the spatial factors explain species covariation beyond that accounted for by the measured predictors. We encourage ecologists to consider the inferences they seek to make from spatially structured JSDMs and to ensure that the covariate effects and ordinations they estimate and interpret are aligned with their scientific questions of interest.
Where should I perch? The effects of body size, height, and leaf surface on the vertical perching position of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in an Amazonian area
Authors: de Cerqueira Leonardo Vilas‐Bôas M. P. , Cassiano Liara de Azevedo , Santos Lucas Liesak Sant’ Ana , Noriega Jorge Ari , Cupello Mario , Vaz‐de‐Mello Fernando , Salomão Renato Portela
Published: September 2024

Among dung beetles, ‘sit and wait’ comprise a common strategy, in which individuals perch on leaves. The goal of this study was to assess the spatial dynamics of dung beetle perching in a region of the Amazon. We analysed the intra‐ and interspecific relationships between individual body size, leaf area, leaf shape, and the height at which beetles perched. When analysing intraspecifically, the larger individuals of Canthidium bicolor perched higher than the small ones. When considering the three most abundant species, the smallest species (C. bicolor) perches lower, the intermediate species (Canthidium deyrollei) perches higher, and the largest species (Canthon triangularis) perches at an intermediate height. The leaf area also explained the vertical distribution, both when considering all individuals and intraspecific for C. bicolor, where there is a positive relationship between leaf area and perch height. Our results suggest that intra‐ and interspecific perching dynamics also depend on species life history, which could be further analysed under functional group approaches.
Of gods and men: The gift of bicameral mentality in Lake Atitlán's Mayan oral literature
Authors: Franco Rodríguez José M. , Montoya Daniel
Published: September 2024

This study investigates contemporary Mayan oral stories through the lens of Julian Jaynes's theory on the origin of consciousness, aiming to identify a potential connection between the literary elements of these narratives and traits of pre‐consciousness outlined by Jaynes. Jaynes's neuropsychological thesis argues that human consciousness emerged around 3000 years ago after a period of “bicameral mind,” characterized by auditory “hallucinations” that guided non‐habitual behavior. He claims that remnants of bicameral mentality linger to this day in all cultures. While his theoretical framework has been applied to cultures in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, this research uniquely surveys early Mayan texts and focuses on 78 oral narratives from Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. Our findings reveal traces of bicamerality, evident in the gradual fading of inner voices replaced by divination, anomalous mental states, encounters with the supernatural, and spiritual possession. Contrary to pathologizing these phenomena, the narratives often present them as abilities the Maya may not have felt culturally compelled to suppress to the extent presumed in other societies.
Backtracking childhood leukaemia to birth: A battle of addition
Authors: Spector Logan G. , de Smith Adam J.
Published: September 2024

Paediatric leukaemia has a long tail of driver mutations each of which must be ‘backtracked’ to samples taken at birth to identify the prenatal origin of a subtype. Presently, Bardini et al. describe the first successful backtracking of an NUTM1 rearrangement, which sheds light on the biology of this particular alteration. Continued backtracking of NUTM1 rearrangements, and all leukaemia‐typical somatic alterations, is necessary to fully understand the prenatal origin of these diseases.

Commentary on: Bardini et al. Prenatal origin of NUTM1 gene rearrangement in infant B‐cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Br J Haematol 2024; 205:1883‐1888.
Serotonergic transmission plays differentiated roles in the rapid and sustained antidepressant‐like effects of ketamine
Authors: Yin Yong‐Yu , Yan Jiao‐Zhao , Wei Qian‐Qian , Sun Si‐Rui , Ding Yu‐Qiang , Zhang Li‐Ming , Li Yun‐Feng
Published: September 2024

Background and Purpose

The emerging antidepressant effects of ketamine have inspired tremendous interest in its underlying neurobiological mechanisms, although the involvement of 5‐HT in the antidepressant effects of ketamine remains unclear.

Experimental approach

The chronic restraint stress procedure was performed to induce depression‐like behaviours in mice. OFT, FST, TST, and NSFT tests were used to evaluate the antidepressant‐like effects of ketamine. Tph2 knockout or depletion of 5‐HT by PCPA and 5,7‐DHT were used to manipulate the brain 5‐HT system. ELISA and fibre photometry recordings were used to measure extracellular 5‐HT levels in the brain.

Key Results

60 min after injection, ketamine (10 mg·kg−1, i.p.) produced rapid antidepressant‐like effects and increased brain 5‐HT levels. After 24 h, ketamine significantly reduced immobility time in TST and FST tests and increased brain 5‐HT levels, as measured by ELISA and fibre photometry recordings. The sustained (24 h) but not rapid (60 min) antidepressant‐like effects of ketamine were abrogated by PCPA and 5,7‐DHT, or by Tph2 knockout. Importantly, NBQX (10 mg·kg−1, i.p.), an AMPA receptor antagonist, significantly inhibited the effect of ketamine on brain 5‐HT levels and abolished the sustained antidepressant‐like effects of ketamine in naïve or CRS‐treated mice.

Conclusion and Implications

This study confirms the requirement of serotonergic neurotransmission for the sustained antidepressant‐like effects of ketamine, which appears to involve AMPA receptors, and provides avenues to search for antidepressant pharmacological targets.