bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lack of Ameliorative Effect of Chronic Oral Nicotine on Olfactory Dysfunction in Young Adult Presenilin-1/2 Double Knockout Mice of a Dementia Model
Authors: Si Youwen , Qiu Shuai , Jia Jingyan , Duan Jiale , Feng Wenbo , Meng Bo , Qi Feiyan
Published: November 2024

Olfactory dysfunction is a prevalent and early feature of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease while the features and underlying mechanisms remain inadequately understood. This investigation aimed to elucidate the olfactory function characteristics of presenilin-1/2 double knockout (DKO) mice, an established mouse model of dementia. Through a series of behavioral tests on DKO and wildtype (WT) mice at 2 and 6 months of age, we assessed their abilities in odor detection, discrimination, and olfactory memory. The findings revealed a substantial deficit in odor detection in 2-month-old DKO mice compared to WT mice, with a noteworthy age-related deterioration observed from 2 to 6 months. Although DKO mice exhibited normal odor discrimination and olfactory memory capabilities at 2 months, these functions declined with age, falling significantly lower levels than observed in WT mice by the age of 6 months. Subsequently, 2-month-old DKO and WT mice underwent a 4-month chronic nicotine treatment through drinking water. This intervention failed to ameliorate olfactory dysfunctions in DKO mice and exhibited no significant impact on WT mice, despite a discernible trend of a potential negative effect. In summary, this behavioral study elucidates that Presenilin-1/2 double knockout impairs odor detection in young adult mice and accelerates declines of olfactory discrimination and memory. The chronic administration of nicotine did not effectively mitigate olfactory function deficiencies in young adult DKO mice, and the results also highlight age as an important contributing factor.
The glycosomal ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase ofTrypanosoma bruceioperates in the gluconeogenic directionin cellulounderin vivo-like conditions
Authors: Plazolles Nicolas , Kulyk Hanna , Cahoreau Edern , Biran Marc , Wargnies Marion , Pineda Erika , Kadri Mohammad El , Rimoldi Aline , Hervé Perrine , Asencio Corinne , Rivière Loïc , Michels Paul , Inaoka Daniel , Tétaud Emmanuel , Portais Jean-Charles , Bringaud Frédéric
Published: November 2024

In the glucose-free environment of the midgut of the tsetse fly vector, the procyclic forms ofTrypanosoma bruceiprimarily consume proline to feed its central carbon and energy metabolism. In this context, the parasite produces through gluconeogenesis glucose 6- phosphate (G6P), the precursor of essential metabolic pathways, from proline catabolism. We showed here that the parasite uses three different enzymes to perform the key gluconeogenic reaction producing fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) from fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, (i) fructose-1,6- bisphosphatase (FBPase), the canonical enzyme performing this reaction, (ii) sedoheptulose- 1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase) and (iii) more surprisingly ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase (PFK), an enzyme considered to irreversibly catalyse the opposite reaction involved in glycolysis. These three enzymes, as well as six other glycolytic/gluconeogenic enzymes, are located in peroxisome-related organelles, named glycosomes. Incorporation of13C-enriched glycerol (a more effective alternative to proline for monitoring gluconeogenic activity) into F6P and G6P was more affected in the PFK null mutant than in the FBPase null mutant, suggesting the PFK contributes at least as much as FBPase to gluconeogenesis. We also showed that glucose deprivation did not affect the quantities of PFK substrates and products, whereas a 500-fold increase in the substrate/product ratio was expected for PFK to carry out the gluconeogenic reaction. In conclusion, we showed for the first time that ATP-dependent PFK can functionin vivoin the gluconeogenic direction, even in the presence of FBPase activity. This particular feature, which precludes loss of ATP through a futile cycle involving PFK and FBPase working simultaneously in the glycolytic and gluconeogenic directions, respectively, is probably due to the supramolecular organisation of the metabolic pathway within glycosomes to overcome thermodynamic barriers through metabolic channelling.
CPSM: R-package of an Automated Machine Learning Pipeline for Predicting the Survival Probability of Single Cancer Patient
Authors: Kaur Harpreet , Das Pijush , Camphausen Kevin , Shankavaram Uma
Published: November 2024

Accurate survival prediction is vital for optimizing treatment strategies in clinical practice. The advent of high-throughput multi-omics data and computational methods has enabled machine learning (ML) models for survival analysis. However, handling high-dimensional omics data remains challenging.

This study introduces the Cancer Patient Survival Model (CPSM), an R package developed to provide individualized survival predictions through a fully integrated and reproducible computational pipeline. The CPSM package encompasses nine modules that streamline the survival modeling workflow, organized into four key stages: (1) Data Preprocessing and Normalization, (2) Feature Selection, (3) Survival Prediction Model Development, and (4) Visualization. The visual tools facilitate the interpretation of survival predictions, enhancing clinical decision-making. By providing an end-to-end solution for multi-omics data integration and analysis, CPSM not only enhances the precision of survival predictions but also aids in discovering clinically relevant biomarkers.

Availability and Implementation

The CPSM Package is freely available at the GitHub URL:https://github.com/hks5august/CPSM
Nuclear DNA replication inLeishmania majorrelies on a single constitutive origin per chromosome supplemented by thousands of stochastic initiation events
Authors: Damasceno Jeziel D. , Silva Gabriel L. A. , Marques Catarina A. , Krasilnikova Marija , Lapsley Craig , Beraldi Dario , McCulloch Richard
Published: November 2024

Understanding genome duplication requires characterisation of the locations where DNA replication initiates, termed origins. Genome-wide mapping of DNA replication origins has mainly been derived from population-based techniques, with only a few studies examining origin location and usage at the single-cell or single-molecule level.Leishmaniaare protozoan parasites where the first attempt to map DNA replication suggested the unprecedented use, for a eukaryote, of just a single origin per chromosome, while a subsequent approach suggested around 200-fold more origins. To reconcile these data and understand DNA replication dynamics inLeishmania major, we have applied DNAscent, a deep learning assay that uses long-read Nanopore sequencing to detect patterns of BrdU incorporation in individual DNA molecules, allowing the description of DNA replication fork movement and prediction of initiation and termination sites across the parasite genome. Our findings confirm the pre-eminence of a single locus of DNA replication initiation in each chromosome and reveal that this locus alone is constitutively activated in S-phase, with bidirectional forks emerging from discrete sites at the ends of multigene transcription units. DNAscent also reveals a much larger number of DNA replication initiation events that have not been detected in any previous mapping and are used stochastically, but whose abundance is greater as chromosome size increases. We show that each of these stochastic initiation sites localise to regions with high AT content, increased G-quadruplex levels and lower chromatin occupancy. In addition, we find markedly increased stochastic DNA replication initiation at sites with lower levels of nascent RNA transcripts. Finally, we show that all DNA replication initiation events result in mutagenesis. This work reveals a novel, bimodal strategy for DNA replication programming inLeishmaniathat drives genome transmission, replication timing and variation.
Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of macaque LGN neurons reveals novel subpopulations
Authors: Sun Shi Hai , Renshaw Kai , Pezaris John S.
Published: November 2024

Neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) provide a pivotal role in the visual system by modulating and relaying signals from the retina to the visual cortex. Although the primate LGN, with its distinct divisions (magnocellular, M; parvocellular, P; and koniocellular, K), has been extensively characterized, the intrinsic heterogeneity of LGN neurons has remained unexplained. With the development of high-throughput single-cell transcriptomics, researchers can rapidly isolate and profile large sets of neuronal nuclei, revealing a surprising diversity of genetic expression within the nervous systems. Here, we analyzed the transcriptomes of individual cells belonging to macaque LGN using raw data from a public database to explore the heterogeneity of LGN neurons. Using statistical analyses, we found additional subpopulations within the LGN transcriptomic population, whose gene expressions imply functional differences. Our results suggest the existence of a more nuanced complexity in LGN processing beyond the classic view of the three cell types and highlight a need to combine transcriptomic and functional assessments. A complete account of the cell type diversity of the primate LGN is critical to understanding how vision works.
Calcium-based input timing learning
Authors: Shafiee Shirin , Schmitt Sebastian , Tetzlaff Christian
Published: November 2024

Stimulus-triggered synaptic long-term plasticity is the foundation of learning and other cognitive abilities of the brain. In general, long-term synaptic plasticity is subdivided into two different forms: homosynaptic plasticity describes synaptic changes at stimulated synapses, while heterosynaptic plasticity summarizes synaptic changes at non-stimulated synapses. For homosy-naptic plasticity, the Ca2+-hypothesis pinpoints the calcium concentration within a stimulated dendritic spine as key mediator or controller of underlying biochemical and -physical processes. On the other hand, for heterosynaptic plasticity, although the-oretical studies attribute important functional roles to it, such as synaptic competition and cooperation, experimental results remain ambiguous regarding its manifestation and biological basis. By integrating insights from Ca2+-dependent homosynaptic plasticity with experimental data of dendritic Ca2+-dynamics, we developed a mathematical model that describes the complex temporal and spatial dynamics of calcium in the dendritic shaft and respective dendritic spines. We show that the increased influx of calcium into a stimulated spine can lead to its diffusion through the shaft to neighboring spines, triggering heterosy-naptic effects such as synaptic competition or cooperation. By considering different input strengths, our model explains the ambiguity of reported experimental results of heterosynaptic plasticity, suggesting that the Ca2+-hypothesis of homosynaptic plasticity can be extended to also model heterosynaptic plasticity. Furthermore, our model predicts that, via diffusion of calcium, a synapse can modulate the expression of homosynaptic plasticity at a neighboring synapse in an input-timing-dependent manner, without the need of postsynaptic spiking. The resulting sensitivity of synaptic plasticity on input-spike-timing can be influenced by the distance between involved spines as well as the local diffusion properties of the connecting dendritic shaft, providing a new way of dendritic computation.
Descending locus coeruleus noradrenergic signaling to spinal astrocyte subset is required for stress-induced pain facilitation
Authors: Kawanabe-Kobayashi Riku , Uchiyama Sawako , Yoshihara Kohei , Kojima Daiki , McHugh Thomas , Hatada Izuho , Matsui Ko , Tanaka Kenji F. , Tsuda Makoto
Published: November 2024

It is known that stress powerfully alters pain, but its underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we identified a circuit, locus coeruleus descending noradrenergic neurons projecting to the spinal dorsal horn (LC→SDH-NA neurons), that is activated by acute exposure to restraint stress and is required for stress-induced mechanical pain hypersensitivity in mice. Interestingly, the primary target of spinal NA released from descending LC→SDH-NAergic terminals causing the stress-induced pain hypersensitivity was α1A-adrenaline receptors (α1ARs) in Hes5-positive (Hes5+) astrocytes located in the SDH, an astrocyte subset that has an ability to induce pain sensitization. Furthermore, activation of Hes5+astrocytes reduced activity of SDH-inhibitory neurons (SDH-INs) that have an inhibitory role in pain processing. This astrocytic reduction of IN activity was canceled by an A1-adenosine receptor (A1R)-knockdown in SDH-INs, and the A1R-knockdown suppressed pain hypersensitivity caused by acute restraint stress. Therefore, our findings suggest that LC→SDH-NA neuronal signaling to Hes5+SDH astrocytes and subsequent astrocytic reduction of SDH-IN activity are essential for pain facilitation caused by stress.
Humans anticipate the consequences of motor control demands when making perceptual decisions between actions
Authors: Leroy Élise , Koun Éric , Thura David
Published: November 2024

Animals, including humans, are often faced with situations where they must decide between potential actions to perform based on various sources of information, including movement parameters that incur time and energy costs. Consistent with this fact, many behavioral studies indicate that decisions and actions show a high level of integration during goal-directed behavior. In particular, motor costs very often bias the choice process of human and non-human subjects facing successive decisions between actions. However, it appears as well that depending on the design in which the experiment occurs, the effect of motor costs on decisions can vary or even vanish. This suggests a contextual dependence of the influence of motor costs on decision-making. Moreover, it is not currently known whether or not the impact of motor costs on perceptual decisions depend on the difficulty of the decision. We addressed these two important issues by studying the behavior of healthy human subjects engaged in a new perceptual decision-making paradigm in which the constraint level associated with the movement executed to report a choice was volitionally chosen by the participants, and in which the difficulty of the perceptual decision to make continuously evolved depending on their motor performance. The results indicate that the level of constraint associated with a movement executed to express a perceptual decision strongly impacts the duration of these decisions, with a shortening of decisions when these are expressed by demanding movements. This influence appears most important when the decisions are difficult, but it is also present for easy decisions. We interpret this strategy as an adaptive way to optimize the participants’ overall rate of success at the session level.
Nrf2 controls homeostatic transcriptional signatures and inflammatory responses in a cell-type specific manner in the adult mouse brain
Authors: He Xin , Dando Owen , Qiu Jing
Published: November 2024

Nrf2 is an attractive potential therapeutic target for various neurological disorders including neurodegenerative diseases. The mechanisms behind Nrf2-mediated cytoprotection are incompletely understood, however, an anti-inflammatory effect is a popular hypothesis, based primarily on studies where the prior pharmacological activation of Nrf2 has suppressed subsequent responses to inflammatory insults. In the adult brain, Nrf2 is highly expressed in microglia, astrocytes and brain endothelial cells, with minimal expression in neurons. As yet, the brain cell type-specific role of Nrf2 in regulating the basal transcriptome and controlling neuroinflammation is unknown. To address this, we employed three inducible conditional Nrf2 knockout mice in which Nrf2 is deleted in microglia, astrocytes, and brain endothelial cells respectively in a tamoxifen-inducible manner. We discovered that in the healthy brain Nrf2 controls distinct transcriptional signatures in the three brain cell types under study. Surprisingly, following a systemic inflammatory challenge, we found that Nrf2-deficient microglia and astrocytes (but not endothelial cells) both mount a suppressed inflammatory response compared to wild type cells. Moreover, comparison of Nrf2-deficient with wild-type microglia revealed that even in the absence of any insult, microglial Nrf2 supports basal activity of inflammation response genes. Thus, our study uncovers a novel cell type-specific role for endogenous Nrf2 activity in supporting inflammatory responses in the brain.
The impact of wild-boar derived microbiota transplantation on piglet microbiota, metabolite profile and gut proinflammatory cytokine production differs from sow-derived microbiota
Authors: Willing Benjamin P. , Rahman Rajibur , Fouhse Janelle , Ju Tingting , Fan Yi , Bhardwaj Tulika , Brook Ryan K. , Nosach Roman , Harding John
Published: November 2024

Colonization of co-evolved, species-specific microbes in early life plays a crucial role in gastrointestinal development and immune function. This study hypothesized modern pig production practices have resulted in the loss of co-evolved species and critical symbiotic host-microbe interactions. To test this, we reintroduced microbes from wild boars (WB) into conventional piglets to explore their colonization dynamics and effects on gut microbial communities, metabolite profiles, and immune responses. At postnatal day (PND) 21, 48 piglets were assigned to four treatment groups: 1) WB-derived mixed microbial community (MMC), 2) sow-derived MMC, 3) a combination of WB and sow MMC (Mix), or 4) Control (PBS). Post-transplantation analyses at PND 48 revealed distinct microbial communities in WB-inoculated piglets compared to Controls, with trends toward differentiation from Sow but not Mix groups. WB-derived microbes were more successful in colonizing piglets, particularly in the Mix group, where they competed with sow-derived microbes. WB group cecal digesta enriched with Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus mucosae, and Lactobacillus pontis. Cecal metabolite analysis showed that WB piglets were enriched in histamine, acetyl-ornithine, ornithine, citrulline, and other metabolites, with higher histamine levels linked to Lactobacillus abundance. WB piglets exhibited lower cecal IL-1β and IL-6 levels compared to Controls and Sow groups, while the Mix group showed reduced IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-6 compared to the Sow group. No differences in weight gain, fecal scores, or plasma cytokines were observed, indicating no adverse effects. These findings support that missing WB microbes effectively colonize domestic piglets and may positively impact metabolite production and immune responses.
Categorical and semantic perception of the meaning of call-types in zebra finches
Authors: Elie Julie E. , de Witasse-Thézy Aude , Thomas Logan , Malit Ben , Theunissen Frédéric E.
Published: November 2024

Vocal communication in social animals involves the production and perception of various calls that ethologists categorize into call-types, based on their acoustical structure and the behavioral context of production. Whether animals perceive these categories and associate distinct meanings to them remains unknown. The zebra finch, a gregarious songbird, uses approximately 11 call-types to communicate hunger, danger, social conflict, and establish social contact and bonding. Using auditory discrimination tasks, we show that the birds discriminate and categorize all the call-types in their vocal repertoire. In addition, systematic errors were more frequent between call-types used in similar behavioral contexts than could be expected from their acoustic similarity. Thus, zebra finches organize their calls into categories and create a mental representation of the meaning of these sounds.
Filling-in of the Blindspot is Multisensory
Authors: Chan Ailene Y. C. , Stiles Noelle R. B. , Levitan Carmel A. , Tanguay Armand R. , Shimojo Shinsuke
Published: November 2024

The blind spot is an area on the retina that lacks photoreceptors, thus no visual information is encoded. Yet, we can maintain the sense of a seamless visual field owing to perceptual filling-in. Traditionally viewed as a surface interpolation mechanism, filling-in has been studied predominantly under unimodal conditions. However, there are limits to this process; the brain cannot always reconstruct all surfaces. Multi-sensory processing may bolster the process of perceptual filling-in to occur even with complex and dynamic perceptual stimuli. In this study, we employed the Audiovisual (AV) Rabbit Illusion to investigate how auditory stimuli influence visual filling-in at the blind spot. Our findings confirmed that auditory cues can induce the perception of an illusory flash within the blind spot, indicating that the brain leverages multimodal information to enrich visual scenes. This suggests that perceptual filling-in is not merely unimodal surface interpolation but a cross-modally integrated spatial representation and therefore more similar to other visual field locations than previously hypothesized. Furthermore, for blind spot filling-in to occur, visual stimuli do not need to be spatially contiguous, they simply need to be crossmodally associated (or grouped), which supports a higher-level sensory processing in filling-in than previously understood.
Insects evolved a monomeric histone-fold domain in the CENP-T protein family
Authors: Sankaranarayanan Sundar Ram , Ulmer Jonathan , Mørch Anna , Ali-Ahmad Ahmad , Sekulić Nikolina , Drinnenberg Ines Anna
Published: November 2024

The histone fold domain (HFD) is a conserved protein interaction module that requires stabilization through a handshake interaction with an HFD partner. All HFD proteins known to date form obligate dimers to shield the extensive hydrophobic residues along the HFD. Here, we find that the lepidopteran kinetochore protein CENP-T is soluble as a monomer. We attribute this stability to a structural rearrangement, which leads to the repositioning of the HFD helix α3. This brings a conserved two-helical extension closer to the histone fold, where it takes over the position and function of the CENP-T partner CENP-W. This change has no effect on the DNA binding ability of the lepidopteran CENP-T. Our analysis suggests that the monomeric HFD originated in the last common ancestor of insects, with a possible second independent origin in acariformes, both of which lack CENP-W. Our study highlights an unexpected structural variation in a protein module as conserved and optimized as the HFD providing a unique perspective on the evolution of protein structure and the forces driving it.
Examining the nexus between carbon dioxide emissions, economic growth, fossil fuel energy use, urbanization and renewable energy towards achieving environmental sustainability in India
Authors: Kumari Diksha , Shashwat Srijan , Verma Prashant Kumar , Giri Arun Kumar
Published: November 2024

Purpose

Global urbanization has accelerated due to the persistent trend of rural-to-urban migration in search of better prospects and livelihoods, which has had serious negative effects on the environment, especially in rapidly developing economies. Hence, the purpose of the study is to analyse the relationship between urbanization, economic growth, consumption of renewable energy and carbon emissions with careful examination, particularly in the context of India, where urban population growth has skyrocketed.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses econometric methods like Granger causality analysis and the ARDL bound tests, to analyse the intricate relationships between the selected time series variables for India from 1970 to 2022.

Findings

This research highlights the difficult task of striking a balance between economic development and environmental preservation by emphasizing the crucial role that urbanization and economic expansion play in causing carbon emissions. India’s urbanization trajectory presents a significant policy problem that calls for a move towards renewable energy sources to successfully decrease carbon emissions. Moreover, this research indicates a two-way causal relationship between economic growth, urbanization and carbon emissions, pointing to the intricate interactions between these variables during the developmental stage.

Research limitations/implications

Despite India’s per capita emissions remaining below the global average, this study highlights the mounting policy challenge of balancing economic development with environmental sustainability as urbanization persists. The paper emphasizes the need for India to invest in renewable energy capacity to replace non-renewable sources and mitigate the carbon footprint of its growing energy demands. Collaborative efforts between India and the developed world to facilitate access to clean energy technologies are crucial for India to achieve sustainable growth in the long run.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, existing literature predominantly focuses on investigating the relationship between renewable energy and economic growth, with only a limited number of studies exploring the impact on sustainable development to attain carbon neutrality. Furthermore, these studies have not considered the role of urbanization and non-renewable energy in addressing the challenge of sustainability issues in an emerging country like India. Hence, this study is a comprehensive study that addresses the research gap in these directions.
Exploring the influence of environmental, social and individual factors on the entrepreneurial intentions of Emirati university students
Authors: Smail Linda , AlAwad Mouawiya , Abaza Wasseem
Published: November 2024

Purpose

This study aims to understand the factors influencing university students’ entrepreneurial intentions in a rapidly developing entrepreneurial country.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey of 324 Emirati students was conducted. Using a structural equation analysis, the study identified strong associations between positive attitudes, self-efficacy, perceived university and country-level support for entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intention. However, the relationship between social norms and intention was not direct, but an indirect relationship was found when coupled with self-efficacy and attitudes.

Findings

The findings suggest that increasing public awareness and promoting entrepreneurship as a viable career option will significantly impact students’ entrepreneurial intentions in the UAE. Furthermore, providing practical educational and resource opportunities can facilitate the process of starting a business.

Originality/value

This study contributes to entrepreneurship research by providing a unique perspective on the interrelationships among social, government and economic influences in an entrepreneurial context.
Gang membership and rehabilitation: an exploration of narrative accounts from violent gang offenders in an English prison
Authors: Tonks Sarah , Stephenson Zoe
Published: November 2024

Purpose

The majority of gang research has focussed primarily on American samples, with the rehabilitative field being no exception. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to expand the knowledge base regarding the psychology of gang membership by exploring the narrative accounts of convicted street gang members within an English and Welsh prison sample.

Design/methodology/approach

Using semi-structured interviews with nine convicted male prisoners, data were analysed, systematically coded and themes generated in line with the principles of thematic analysis.

Findings

Three major themes emerged which depicted how members viewed gang membership. The first theme was around what being a gang member meant to them and the organisation within the gang (e.g. hierarchy and criminal activities). The second theme reflected their motivations for joining a gang with reference to their identity and survival. Lastly, within the third theme, participants spoke about what had motivated them to disengage from the gang, difficulties they faced because of disengagement, and what they felt had helped them in the process of disengagement.

Practical implications

The study emphasises the importance of avoiding labels and promoting choice as to how individuals refer to themselves, which can help remove stigma and strengthen professional relationships as part of their risk management planning. Policymakers, practitioners and programme developers are advised to reflect on the word “gang” and how this may influence perception of risk and contribute to bias in judgement. The study also provides insight into individuals experiences with rehabilitation initiatives and the logistical challenges of being open with their peer group. Also supports ideas on considering how to create opportunities to ensure those who wish to exit gangs can do so in a safe, legitimate and durable way. Findings could assist in the design of early preventative measures for those identified as being at risk of joining a gang. Offering training to professionals in the community on how to identify and communicate with those vulnerable to joining a gang may support this process.

Originality/value

Findings add to the limited yet growing evidence base in understanding the psychology of gang membership and helping to support the work undertaken with this cohort.
Exploring the open-source impact on Bangladesh academic library service sustainability
Authors: Ahammad Nur , Saiful Bahri Farrah Diana , Husaini Haslinda
Published: November 2024

Purpose

This study investigates the impact of open-source software (OSS) on the sustainability of academic library services in Bangladesh. It aims to understand how OSS can address budget constraints, technological demands and the need for enhanced service delivery in these libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

An in-depth qualitative research approach was used, involving semi-structured interviews with library administrators, IT staff and librarians from various academic institutions across Bangladesh.

Findings

The study reveals that OSS adoption is primarily driven by financial imperatives and the need for flexible, customizable solutions tailored to specific institutional needs. Key benefits identified include significant cost savings, improved customization and flexibility of services and enhanced community support and collaboration. However, challenges such as a lack of in-house technical expertise, resistance to change among staff and stakeholders and inadequate IT infrastructure impede successful OSS implementation.

Practical implications

To harness the full potential of OSS, academic libraries must invest in capacity building through targeted training programs, improve IT infrastructure and foster a culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the library community. These strategies are essential to overcoming existing barriers and ensuring long-term sustainability.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the understanding of OSS’s role in enhancing the sustainability of academic library services. It provides practical recommendations for academic libraries seeking to leverage OSS for improved service delivery and operational efficiency.
Unleashing cultural diversity knowledge for improved knowledge sharing and integration: an in-depth qualitative analysis
Authors: Latif Yasir , Harrison Neil , Chu Hye-Eun , Malik Ashish , Nguyen Mai
Published: November 2024

Purpose

This study aims to investigate international students’ experiences through a lens of knowledge management perspective, emphasizing their strategies for knowledge management in tandem with cultural adaptation. The primary objective is to elucidate how international students navigate cultural differences and use knowledge management strategies to augment their learning and integration, thereby supporting their academic progress in a new academic environment.

Design/methodology/approach

An in-depth qualitative research strategy was used, using semistructured interviews with Pakistani doctoral students who were studying in Australia. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring themes and patterns in the data.

Findings

The findings reveal that international students adeptly adopt various knowledge management strategies to facilitate cultural adaptation. These strategies encompass embracing otherness through a sense of belonging, engaging in both personal and shared learning experiences, achieving individual success, and using critical inquiry as a guiding framework for observations. Notably, this study underscores the pivotal role played by cultural competence in conjunction with social networks, influencing cultural intelligence and, subsequently, impacting knowledge sharing and integration for academic progress.

Practical implications

This study’s findings provide practical insights for higher education institutions and policymakers, emphasizing the importance of supporting international students in their cultural adaptation and knowledge management endeavors. These practical implications encompass fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment, supporting intercultural engagement, using technology for enhanced learning and communication and promoting the development of cultural intelligence among international students.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on international student experiences and knowledge management by providing insights into the strategies used by international students to navigate knowledge of cultural differences to enhance their learning experiences and advance academic progress. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the intersection between cultural adaptation and core knowledge management concepts of knowledge sharing and integration in the context of higher education.
Servant leadership and innovative work behavior: the role of innovation climate using evidence from the Ugandan local government sector
Authors: Musenze Ibrahim Abaasi , Mayende Thomas Sifuna , Wanyana Mercy , Kasango Joseph
Published: November 2024

Purpose

Drawing from the social exchange theory and leadership-making model, this study aimed to develop a research model where innovation climate (IC) mediates the servant leadership (SL) influence on innovative work behavior (IWB).

Design/methodology/approach

Through structural equation modeling, we evaluated the aforementioned links using data gathered from 324 employees drawn from Uganda’s local government (LG) employees.

Findings

The findings show that the impact of SL on IWB is mediated by IC. An IC within the organization is made possible by effective SL ethos; moreover, this climate promotes IWB. Also, the innovative nature of LG employees promotes IWB.

Research limitations/implications

LG leadership ought to be committed to the SL philosophy since it fosters an environment that encourages IWB. To spark IWB, it should also take advantage of the innovative environment. Management must make sure that in such a setting, supervisors are construed as servant leaders and low cadre staff have the capacity to be servant leaders. Employees will be more motivated to contribute to the organization by engaging in high IWB once they have received the training, empowerment and rewards they deserve in a setting that emphasizes effective SL principles.

Originality/value

Despite the existence of numerous studies, there is little empirical evidence that SL influences IWB within the setting of the LG sector. Evidence for the underlying mechanism by which SL promotes IWB is still lacking. Third, we explicitly test the IWB model developed based on euro-leaning theories using the LG context. Finally, there is a dearth of data relevant to how IC affects IWB. The research addresses these gaps.
Analysis of the global marine biodiversity security assessment
Authors: Chen Suisui , Li Jiakai
Published: November 2024

Purpose

The study aims to assess marine biodiversity security, which is closely linked to a healthy planet and societal well-being. It defines marine biodiversity security, identifies threats such as climate change, marine debris and invasive species and explores mechanisms impacting this security to aid in achieving Aichi Targets and enhancing ecological sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

Using spatial statistical methods, the research analyzes the temporal and spatial distribution of marine biodiversity. It provides a comprehensive multi-layered perspective on the current state of global marine biodiversity, facilitating the identification of threats and the understanding of their mechanisms.

Findings

The findings indicate significant threats to marine biodiversity, with an emphasis on climate change, marine debris and invasive species. The report reveals the spatial distribution of endangered species and underscores the need for urgent actions to address these threats and improve marine biodiversity security globally.

Originality/value

This report serves as a critical reference for promoting healthy, productive marine biodiversity that supports societal welfare. It underscores the importance of establishing a protective framework for marine biodiversity, contributing to the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14.
Development of homemade oral nutrition supplements for individuals with kidney failure on hemodialysis: physicochemical properties, nutrient composition, and sensory evaluation
Authors: Yeap Ching Yee , Tan Benjamin Wei Wang , Chan Fei Sia , Wong Koh Wei , Koh Wee Yin , Khor Ban-Hock
Published: November 2024

Purpose

Protein-energy wasting is a common complication among patients with kidney failure undergoing dialysis. This study aims to develop a homemade oral nutrition supplement (ONS) to fulfill the energy and protein requirements of these patients.

Design/methodology/approach

Three formulations of homemade ONS were developed using soybean milk, whey protein isolates and canola oil. Two of these formulations were flavored with pineapple and honeydew juices, respectively. The energy and macronutrient contents were determined using proximate analyses, and mineral contents were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The acceptance of homemade ONS for five attributes, namely color, taste, odor, consistency and overall acceptability, was assessed using the nine-point hedonic scale.

Findings

The homemade ONS provided 198–212 kcal and 8.4–9.6 g protein per 100 mL, which were comparable to commercial products. Similarly, the sodium (45–65 mg/100 mL) and phosphorus (56–66 mg/100 mL) contents were on par with commercial products. However, the potassium content of homemade ONS was higher, ranging from 141 to 155 mg per 100 mL. The sensory evaluation indicated that the formulation added with honeydew juice had a similar degree of acceptance as the commercial ONS, while formulations containing pineapple juice and without added fruit juice were less favored.

Originality/value

A few studies have investigated the development of food products for individuals with kidney failure on dialysis. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to focus on developing a homemade ONS specifically tailored to meet the unique nutritional needs of hemodialysis patients. In addition, this research included a comprehensive assessment of the beverage’s nutritional content and sensory attributes.
An improved pedestrian dead reckoning method based on gait pattern recognition
Authors: Liu Ermao , Cui Lizhen , Du Yongxing
Published: November 2024

Purpose

The pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) based on smartphones has been widely applied in continuous indoor positioning. However, when the position of the mobile phone and the walking patterns of the pedestrian are mixed, traditional PDR tends to become confused and thus degrade performance. To address this issue, this paper aims to propose an improved PDR scheme by focusing on gait pattern recognition and the impact of short-period but negative transitions on tracking.

Design/methodology/approach

The overall solution uses the inertial sensor integrated within the phone for positioning. A binary classifier-based change point detection algorithm is used to identify the transition points in pedestrian gait. Additionally, to enhance the accuracy of gait recognition, this paper presents a combined CNN-attention-based bi-directional long short-term memory(ABiLSTM) model, integrating convolutional neural networks (CNN), bi-directional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) and an attention mechanism, to recognize the current gait pattern. The outcomes of this gait pattern recognition are then applied to PDR. Based on distinct gait patterns, corresponding PDR strategies are devised to enable continuous tracking and positioning of pedestrians.

Findings

Through experimental verification, the CNN-ABiLSTM model achieves a gait recognition accuracy of 99.52% on the self-constructed data set. The pedestrian navigation estimation method proposed in this paper, which is based on gait recognition assistance, demonstrates a 32.56% improvement in accuracy over traditional positioning algorithms in multi-gait scenarios.

Originality/value

The improved PDR scheme algorithm significantly enhances the robustness and smoothness of pedestrian tracking, particularly during multiple gait transitions. This, in turn, provides strong support for the utilization of low-cost inertial sensors integrated within mobile phones for indoor positioning applications.
Aggregative responses of marine predators to a pulsed resource
Authors: Davoren Gail K. , Maynard Laurie D. , Johnson Kelsey F. , Carvalho Paloma C. , Gulka Julia , Jenkins Edward , Lescure Lauren M. , Runnells Emily , Tripp Ashley
Published: November 2024

Pulsed resources resulting from animal migrations represent important, transient influxes of high resource availability into recipient communities. The ability of predators to respond and exploit these large increases in background resource availability, however, may be constrained when the timing and magnitude of the resource pulse vary across years.

In coastal Newfoundland, Canada, we studied aggregative responses of multiple seabird predators to the annual inshore pulse of a key forage fish species, capelin (Mallotus villosus).

Seabird aggregative responses to fish biomass were quantified from weekly hydroacoustic and seabird surveys during July–August within an annually persistent foraging area (10 km2) associated with a cluster of capelin spawning sites across 10 years (2009–2010, 2012, 2014–2020). Seabird predators included breeding members of the families Alcidae (Common Murres Uria aalge, Razorbills Alca torda, Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica) and Laridae (Great Black‐backed Gulls Larus marinus, American Herring Gulls L. argentatus smithsonianus) and Northern Gannets Morus bassanus, along with non‐breeding, moulting members of the Family Procellariidae (Sooty Shearwaters Ardenna griseus, Great Shearwaters A. gravis).

The inshore migration of spawning capelin resulted in 5–619 times (mean ± SE, 146 ± 59 times) increase in coastal fish biomass along with a shift towards more, larger and denser fish shoals. Within years, seabird abundance did not increase with inshore fish biomass but rather peaked near the first day of spawning, suggesting that seabirds primarily respond to the seasonal resource influx rather than short‐term variation in fish biomass. Across years, the magnitude of the seabird aggregative response was lower during low‐magnitude resource pulse years, suggesting that predators are unable to perceive low‐magnitude pulses, avoid foraging under high competitor densities, and/or shift dietary reliance away from capelin under these conditions. The seabird response magnitude, however, was higher when the resource pulse was delayed relative to the long‐term average, suggesting that predators increase exploitation during years of minimal overlap between the resource pulse and energetically demanding periods (e.g. breeding, moulting).

This long‐term study quantifying responses of multiple predators to a pulsed resource illustrates the ability of natural systems to tolerate natural and human‐induced disturbance events.
Rhizosphere as a hotspot for microbial necromass deposition into the soil carbon pool
Authors: Wang Qitong , Ding Junxiang , Zhang Ziliang , Liang Chao , Lambers Hans , Zhu Biao , Wang Dungang , Wang Jipeng , Zhang Peipei , Li Na , Yin Huajun
Published: November 2024

Microbial leftovers, known as necromass, are key players in storing carbon in the soil around plant roots (i.e. rhizosphere), a zone characterized by high‐efficiency microbial anabolism. Yet, the extent and mechanisms through which the rhizosphere contributes to soil organic carbon (SOC) via microbial necromass, especially under changing environments remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the contributions of microbial necromass to SOC and influencing factors from the rhizosphere perspective.

We collected the rhizosphere and bulk soil from 39 alpine coniferous forest sites on the eastern Tibetan Plateau to assess the extent of microbial necromass contribution to SOC in the rhizosphere from a dynamic perspective by calculating the ratio of increased amino sugars (AS) to increased SOC in the rhizosphere relative to that in bulk soil (RAS/SOC). We also collected climate data and determined nutrient concentrations and microbial physiological traits in rhizosphere soil to elucidate the factors affecting RAS/SOC.

The results showed that across all sampling sites, the average concentrations of SOC‐normalized AS in the rhizosphere were significantly higher than those in the bulk soil. Furthermore, the average RAS/SOC was greater than 1, indicating a faster microbial necromass accumulation than SOC accumulation in the rhizosphere. These results implied that the rhizosphere sustains a greater capacity for microbial necromass contribution to the SOC pool than the bulk soil does. Soil nutrient availability was the primary factor affecting RAS/SOC, and precipitation indirectly affected microbial anabolism and RAS/SOC by changing soil nutrient status. Additionally, with increasing rhizosphere soil nutrient availability, microbial carbon‐use efficiency and growth rate increased but the biomass‐specific enzyme activity declined, indicating that microorganisms tended to exhibit high‐yield strategies with increasing soil nutrient availability.

Synthesis. Our findings underpin the vital effect of microbial necromass in SOC accumulation from the rhizosphere perspective and offer valuable insights into mechanisms underlying microbial C metabolic processes in rhizosphere SOC accumulation under changing environments.
A Career Ecosystem Perspective on Societal and Organizational Characteristics and Careers to the Top in Higher Education
Authors: Dlouhy Katja , Biemann Torsten , Baruch Yehuda
Published: November 2024

The context in which careers develop is attracting increasing scholarly attention. Building on career ecosystem theory, we examine how societal and organizational actors within career ecosystems influence the development of careers. In our study of university leaders in 60 countries, we find that career trajectories are more similar within than across countries and that the overall organizational context relates to the similarity of career trajectories within the career ecosystem. We identify six distinct career patterns to the top of organizations within the ecosystem of higher education (e.g., ‘university president’ or ‘rector’). Furthermore, we identify several societal and organizational characteristics that are related to the prevalence of specific career patterns. Key findings include that academic leaders' careers tend to follow career patterns within the same organization in countries with low power distance, low labour market flexibility and low meritocracy, as well as in universities with less research focus. Our findings add to the literature on career ecosystems and advance the understanding of career paths to the top of organizations, using the case of academic careers.