bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prepronociceptin expressing neurons in the extended amygdala encode and promote rapid arousal responses to motivationally salient stimuli
Authors: Rodriguez-Romaguera Jose , Ung Randall L , Nomura Hiroshi , Otis James M , Basiri Marcus L , Namboodiri Vijay MK , Zhu Xueqi , Robinson J Elliott , McHenry Jenna A , Kosyk Oksana , Jhou Thomas C , Kash Thomas L , Bruchas Michael R , Stuber Garret D
Published: January 2020

Motivational states are complex and consist of cognitive, emotional, and physiological components controlled by a network across multiple brain regions. An integral component of this neural circuitry is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Here, we identified a subpopulation of neurons within BNST expressing the gene prepronociceptin (PnocBNST), that can modulate the rapid changes in physiological arousal that occur upon exposure to stimuli with motivational salience. Usingin vivotwo-photon calcium imaging we found that excitatory responses from individualPnocBNSTneurons directly corresponded with rapid increases in pupillary size and occurred upon exposure to both aversive and rewarding odors. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of these neurons increased pupillary size, but did not alter approach/avoidance or locomotor behaviors. These findings suggest that excitatory responses inPnocBNSTneurons encode rapid arousal responses irrespective of tested behaviors. Further histological, electrophysiological, and single-cell RNA sequencing data revealed thatPnocBNSTneurons are composed of genetically and anatomically identifiable subpopulations that can be further investigated. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a key role for aPnocBNSTneuronal ensemble in encoding the rapid arousal responses that are triggered by motivational stimuli.
Structures of three actinobacteriophage capsids: Roles of symmetry and accessory proteins
Authors: Podgorski Jennifer , Calabrese Joshua , Alexandrescu Lauren , Jacobs-Sera Deborah , Pope Welkin , Hatfull Graham , White Simon
Published: January 2020

Mycobacterium tuberculosisandabscessusare major human pathogens that are part of theActinobacteriaphylum. Increasing multiple drug resistance in these bacteria has led to a renewed interest in using viruses that infect these bacteria for therapy. In order to understand these viruses, a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) program run by SEA-PHAGES at the University of Pittsburgh and HHMI has isolated, sequenced, and annotated over 3000 actinobacteriophages (viruses that infectActinobacteria). Little work has been done to investigate the structural diversity of these phage, all of which are thought to use a common protein fold, the HK97-fold, in their major capsid protein. Here we describe the structure of three actinobacteriophage capsids isolated by students that infectMycobacterium smegmatis. The capsid structures were resolved to approximately 6 angstroms, which allowed confirmation that each phage uses the HK97-fold to form their capsid. One phage, Rosebush, has a novel variation of the HK97-fold. Four novel accessory proteins, that form the capsid head along with the major capsid protein, were identified that show limited or no homology to known proteins. The genes that encode the proteins were identified using SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry. Bioinformatic analysis of the accessory proteins suggest they are used in many actinobacteriophage capsids.
Investigating the causal effect of maternal vitamin B12 and folate levels on offspring birthweight
Authors: Moen Gunn-Helen , Beaumont Robin N , Sommer Christine , Shields Beverley M. , Lawlor Deborah A , Freathy Rachel M , Evans David M , Warrington Nicole M
Published: January 2020

Lower maternal serum vitamin B12 (B12) and folate levels have been associated with lower offspring birthweight in observational studies. The aim of this study was to investigate whether this relationship is causal.

We performed two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) using summary data on associations between genotype-B12 (10 genetic variants) or genotype-folate (4 genetic variants) levels from a genome-wide association study of 45,576 individuals (sample 1) and maternal-specific genetic effects on offspring birthweight from the latest EGG consortium meta-analysis with 297,356 individuals reporting their own birthweight and 210,248 women reporting their offspring’s birthweight (sample 2). To investigate the effect of offspring’s own B12 or folate levels on their own birthweight, we performed two-sample MR using the fetal-specific genetic effects from the latest EGG consortium meta-analysis. We used the inverse variance weighted method, and sensitivity analyses to account for pleiotropy, in addition to sensitivity analyses excluding a potentially pleiotropic variant in theFUT2gene for B12.

We did not find evidence for a causal effect of maternal B12 on offspring birthweight, nor evidence for an effect of offspring B12 on their own birthweight using the fetal-specific genetic effect. The results were consistent across the different methods and in sensitivity analyses excluding theFUT2variant. We found a positive effect of maternal folate on offspring birthweight (0.146 [0.065, 0.227], which corresponds to an increase in birthweight of 71g per 1SD higher folate). We found some evidence for a small inverse effect of fetal folate on their own birthweight (−0.051 [−0.100, −0.003]).

In conclusion, our results are consistent with evidence from randomized controlled trials that increased maternal folate levels increase offspring birthweight. We did not find evidence for a causal effect of B12 on offspring birthweight, suggesting previous observational studies may have been due to confounding.
Are Maize Stalks Efficiently Tapered to Withstand Wind Induced Bending Stresses?
Authors: Stubbs Christopher J , Seegmiller Kate , Sekhon Rajandeep S. , Robertson Daniel J.
Published: January 2020

Stalk lodging (breaking of agricultural plant stalks prior to harvest) results in millions of dollars in lost revenue each year. Despite a growing body of literature on the topic of stalk lodging, the structural efficiency of maize stalks has not been investigated previously. In this study, we investigate the morphology of mature maize stalks to determine if rind tissues, which are the major load bearing component of corn stalks, are efficiently organized to withstand wind induced bending stresses that cause stalk lodging.

945 fully mature, dried commercial hybrid maize stem specimens (48 hybrids, ∼2 replicates, ∼10 samples per plot) were subjected to: (1) three-point-bending tests to measure their bending strength and (2) rind penetration tests to measure the cross-sectional morphology at each internode. The data were analyzed through an engineering optimization algorithm to determine the structural efficiency of the specimens.

Hybrids with higher average bending strengths were found to allocate rind tissue more efficiently than weaker hybrids. However, even strong hybrids were structurally suboptimal. There remains significant room for improving the structural efficiency of maize stalks. Results also indicated that stalks are morphologically organized to resist wind loading that occurs primarily above the ear. Results are applicable to selective breeding and crop management studies seeking to reduce stalk lodging rates.

Highlight

Maize stem morphology was investigated through an optimization algorithm to determine how efficiently their structural tissues are allocated to withstand wind induced bending stresses that cause stalk lodging.
Phylogenomics of expanding uncultured environmental Tenericutes provides insights into their pathogenicity and evolutionary relationship with Bacilli
Authors: Wang Yong , Huang Jiao-Mei , Zhou Ying-Li , Almeida Alexandre , Finn Robert D. , Danchin Antoine , He Li-Sheng
Published: January 2020

The metabolic capacity, stress response and evolution of uncultured environmental Tenericutes have remained elusive, since previous studies have been largely focused on pathogenic species. In this study, we expanded analyses on Tenericutes lineages that inhabit various environments using a collection of 840 genomes. Several novel environmental lineages were discovered inhabiting the human gut, ground water, bioreactors and hypersaline lake and spanning the Haloplasmatales and Mycoplasmatales orders. A phylogenomics analysis of Bacilli and Tenericutes genomes revealed that some uncultured Tenericutes are affiliated with novel clades in Bacilli, such as RF39, RFN20 and ML615. Erysipelotrichales and two major gut lineages, RF39 and RFN20, were found to be neighboring clades of Mycoplasmatales. We detected habitat-specific functional patterns between the pathogenic, gut and the environmental Tenericutes, where genes involved in carbohydrate storage, carbon fixation, mutation repair, environmental response and amino acid cleavage are overrepresented in the genomes of environmental lineages. We hypothesize that the two major gut lineages, namely RF39 and RFN20, are probably acetate and hydrogen producers. Furthermore, deteriorating capacity of bactoprenol synthesis for cell wall peptidoglycan precursors secretion is a potential adaptive strategy employed by these lineages in response to the gut environment. This study uncovers the characteristic functions of environmental Tenericutes and their relationships with Bacilli, which sheds new light onto the pathogenicity and evolutionary processes of Mycoplasmatales.

IMPORTANCE

Environmental Tenericutes bacteria were recently discovered in numerous environments. However, our current collection of Tenericutes genomes was overrepresented by those for pathogens. Our phylogenomics study displays the relationships between all the available Tenericutes, as well as those between Tenericutes and the clades in Bacilli, which casts lights into the uncertain boundary between the environmental lineages of Tenericutes and Bacilli. By comparing the genomes of the environmental and pathogenic Tenericutes, we revealed the metabolic pathways and adaptive strategies of the Tenericutes in the different environments and hosts. We also predicted the metabolism of the two major gut lineages RF39 and RFN20 of Tenericutes, indicating their potential importance in stabilization of the gut microbiome and contribution to human health.
CryoEM structures of human CMG - ATPγS - DNA and CMG - AND-1 complexes
Authors: Rzechorzek Neil J , Hardwick Steven W , Jatikusumo Vincentius A , Chirgadze Dimitri Y , Pellegrini Luca
Published: January 2020

DNA unwinding in eukaryotic replication is performed by the Cdc45-MCM-GINS (CMG) helicase. Although the CMG architecture has been elucidated, its mechanism of DNA unwinding and replisome interactions remain poorly understood. Here we report the cryoEM structure at 3.3 Å of human CMG bound to fork DNA and the ATP-analogue ATPγS. Eleven nucleotides of single-stranded (ss) DNA are bound within the C-tier of MCM2-7 AAA+ ATPase domains. All MCM subunits contact DNA, from MCM2 at the 5′-end to MCM5 at the 3′-end of the DNA spiral, but only MCM6, 4, 7 and 3 make a full set of interactions. DNA binding correlates with nucleotide occupancy: five MCM subunits are bound to either ATPγS or ADP, whereas the apo MCM2-5 interface remains open. We further report the cryoEM structure of human CMG bound to the replisome hub AND-1 (CMGA). The AND-1 trimer uses one β-propeller domain of its trimerisation region to dock onto the side of the helicase assembly formed by Cdc45 and GINS. In the resulting CMGA architecture, the AND-1 trimer is closely positioned to the fork DNA while its CIP (Ctf4-interacting peptide)-binding helical domains remain available to recruit partner proteins.
Phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase IIα licenses phagosomes for TLR4 signaling and MHC-II presentation in dendritic cells
Authors: López-Haber C , Levin-Konigsberg R , Zhu Y , Bi-Karchin J , Balla T , Grinstein S , Marks MS , Mantegazza AR
Published: January 2020

Toll like receptor (TLR) recruitment to phagosomes in dendritic cells (DCs) and downstream TLR signaling are essential to initiate antimicrobial immune responses. However, the mechanisms underlying TLR localization to phagosomes are poorly characterized. We show herein that phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase IIα (PI4KIIα) plays a key role in initiating phagosomal TLR4 responses in murine DCs by generating a phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) platform conducive to the binding of the TLR sorting adaptor TIRAP. PI4KIIα is recruited to LPS-containing phagosomes in an adaptor protein AP-3 dependent manner, and both PI4KIIα and PtdIns4P are also detected on phagosomal membrane tubules. Knockdown of PI4KIIα – but not of the related PI4KIIβ – impairs TIRAP and TLR4 localization to phagosomes, reduces proinflammatory cytokine secretion, and impairs phagosomal tubule formation and MHC-II presentation. Phagosomal TLR responses in PI4KIIα-deficient DCs are restored by re-expression of wild-type PI4KIIα, but not of variants lacking kinase activity or AP-3 binding. Our data indicate that PI4KIIα is an essential regulator of phagosomal TLR signaling in DCs by ensuring optimal TIRAP recruitment to phagosomes.
Human immune system variation during one year
Authors: Lakshmikanth Tadepally , Muhammad Sayyed Auwn , Olin Axel , Chen Yang , Mikes Jaromir , Fagerberg Linn , Gummesson Anders , Bergström Göran , Uhlen Mathias , Brodin Petter
Published: January 2020

The human immune system varies extensively between individuals, but variation within individuals over time has not been well characterized. Systems-level analyses allow for simultaneous quantification of many interacting immune system components, and the inference of global regulatory principles. Here we present a longitudinal, systems-level analysis in 99 healthy adults, 50 to 65 years of age and sampled every 3rdmonth during one year. We describe the structure of inter-individual variation and characterize extreme phenotypes along a principal curve. From coordinated measurement fluctuations, we infer relationships between 115 immune cell populations and 750 plasma proteins constituting the blood immune system. While most individuals have stable immune systems, the degree of longitudinal variability is an individual feature. The most variable individuals, in the absence of overt infections, exhibited markers of poor metabolic health suggestive of a functional link between metabolic and immunologic homeostatic regulation.

HIGHLIGHTS

Longitudinal variation in immune cell composition during one year

Inter-individual variation can be described along a principal curve

Immune cell and protein relationships are inferred

Variability over time is an individual feature correlating with markers of poor metabolic health
Medical data and machine learning improve power of stroke genome-wide association studies
Authors: Thangaraj Phyllis M. , Gisladottir Undina , Tatonetti Nicholas P.
Published: January 2020

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) may require enrollment of up to millions of participants to power variant discovery. This requires manual curation of cases and controls with large-scale collaborations. Biobanks connected to electronic health records (EHR) can facilitate these studies by using data from clinical care systems, like billing diagnosis codes, as phenotypes. These systems, however, do not define adjudicated cases and controls. We developed QTPhenProxy, a machine learning model that adds nuance to cohort classification by assigning everyone in a cohort a probability of having the study disease. We then ran a GWAS using the probabilities as a quantitative trait. With an order of magnitude fewer cases than the largest stroke GWAS, our method outperformed previous methods at replicating known variants in stroke and discovered a novel variant inABCG8associated with intracerebral hemorrhage in the UK Biobank that replicated in the MEGASTROKE GWA meta-analysis. QTPhenProxy expands traditional phenotyping to improve the power of GWAS.
Improved computational analysis of ribosome dynamics from 5’P degradome data using fivepeseq
Authors: Nersisyan Lilit , Ropat Maria , Pelechano Vicent
Published: January 2020

In eukaryotes, 5’-3’ co-translation degradation machinery follows the last translating ribosome providing anin vivofootprint of its position. Thus 5’P degradome sequencing, in addition to informing about RNA decay, also provides valuable information regarding ribosome dynamics. Multiple experimental methods have been developed to investigate the mRNA degradome, however computational tools for their reproducible analysis are lacking. Here we present fivepseq: an easy-to-use application for analysis and interactive visualization of 5’P degradome data. This tool performs both metagene and gene specific analysis, and allows to easily investigate codon specific ribosome pauses. To demonstrate its ability to provide new biological information, we investigate gene specific ribosome pauses inS. cerevisiaeafter eIF5A depletion. In addition to identifying pauses at expected codon motifs, we identify multiple genes with strain-specific frameshifts. To show its wide applicability, we investigate more complex 5’P degradome fromA. thalianaand discover both motif-specific ribosome protection associated with particular developmental stages, as well as generally increased ribosome protection at termination level associated with age. Our work shows how the use of improved analysis tools for the study of 5’P degradome can significantly increase the biological information that can be derived from such datasets and facilitate its reproducible analysis.

KEY POINTS

Analysis of 5’P degradome data with fivepseq informs about global and gene-specific translational features.

Frameshifts in translation-related genes inS. cerevisiaemay be linked to ribosome stalling.

Ribosome protection at termination and codon motifs are linked to development inA. Thaliana.
The Degradation-promoting Roles of Deubiquitinases Ubp6 and Ubp3 in Cytosolic and ER Protein Quality Control
Authors: Wu Hongyi , Ng Davis T.W. , Cheong Ian , Matsudaira Paul
Published: January 2020

The quality control of intracellular proteins is achieved by degrading misfolded proteins which cannot be refolded by molecular chaperones. In eukaryotes, such degradation is handled primarily by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. However, it remains unclear whether and how protein quality control deploys various deubiquitinases. To address this question, we screened deletions or mutation of the 20 deubiquitinase genes inSaccharomyces cerevisiaeand discovered that almost half of the mutations slowed the removal of misfolded proteins whereas none of the remaining mutations accelerated this process significantly. Further characterization revealed that Ubp6 maintains the level of free ubiquitin to promote the elimination of misfolded cytosolic proteins, while Ubp3 supports the degradation of misfolded cytosolic and ER luminal proteins by different mechanisms.
Crystal engineering of an adenine–decavanadate molecular device towards label-free chemical sensing and biological screening
Authors: Sedghiniya Sima , Soleimannejad Janet , Jahani Zohreh , Davoodi Jamshid , Janczak Jan
Published: January 2020

Due to the inherent geometrical interdependencies of nucleic acid structures, the ability to engineer biosensors that rely on the specific interactions of these compounds is of considerable importance. Additionally, sensing or screening in a label-free fashion is a capability of these structures that can be readily achieved by exploiting the fluorescent component. In this work, the [AdH]6[V10O28].4(H2O) (1) supramolecular structure is introduced using adenine and decavanadate moieties that allow probing of selectivity to specific nucleic acid binding events by optical changes. The structure of (1) is an alternating organic–inorganic hybrid architecture of cationic adeninium (AdH+) ribbons and anionic decavanadate (DV)–water sheets. The luminescent screening and anticancer activity of compound (1) on the two human mammary carcinoma cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 were investigated using fluorescent microscopy and MTT assays, respectively. It was found that compound (1) is cell permeable with no toxicity below 12.5 µM concentration and moderate cytotoxicity at concentrations as high as 200 µM in human breast cancer cell lines, making it a useful tool to study the cell nucleus in real time.
Compositely modulated structures of phosphor materials Sr
x
Li2+x
Al2–x
O4:Eu2+
Authors: Ooishi Atsushi , Michiue Yuichi , Funahashi Shiro , Takeda Takashi , Hirosaki Naoto
Published: January 2020

Composite crystals Sr
x
Li2+

x
Al2−x
O4:Eu2+ were synthesized and their structures were determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The commensurate structure with a modulation wavevector q = 5c*/6 was analyzed in a conventional manner in 3D space, while a structure model in (3+1)-dimensional superspace was used for the other two crystals with modulation wavevectors slightly differing from 5c*/6. The superstructure of the commensurate phase was described using the space group P4/n and a common superspace group I4/m(00γ)00 was used for the (3+1)D structures of all three crystals. The whole structure of each crystal consists of two substructures. Basis vectors a and b are common, but c is different for the two substructures. The first substructure is a host framework constructed by (Li/Al)O4 tetrahedra sharing edges. A linear connection of cavities is seen to be channel-like, in which Sr ions locate as guest cations forming the second substructure. The crystal of q = 5c*/6 contains five Sr ions per six cavities in a channel. Sr ions are distributed at seven sites, some of which are partially occupied. Statistical disorder of local structure models for the location of Sr ions in the channel was assumed to explain the results. Such a partially disordered character was also seen in the incommensurate phases and properly embodied by a (3+1)D model containing an atomic domain of the Sr ion with occupational modulation. Plots of the occupation factor, interatomic distances and the bond valence sum at each metal site as functions of t (= x
4 − q·r) are roughly identical in the three crystals, which are considered as members of the same series of composite crystals.
Relying on second opinions for potentially racist encounters
Authors: Chapa Olga , Triana María del Carmen , Gu Pamela
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how employees’ perceptions and the perceptions of others close to them influence employee reactions to perceived racial discrimination at work.

Design/methodology/approach

Integrating the interactional model of cultural diversity (IMCD) with signaling theory, this study examines how others close to an employee can influence employee job satisfaction and turnover in response to potentially racist encounters. The research question is tested using a field study.

Findings

Results from a field study of paired participants (surveying the employee plus a paired participant who knew them well) showed that employees’ reactions to perceived racial discrimination are influenced by the perceptions of others close to them. For employees who perceive low discrimination, job satisfaction is lower when others close to them perceive high discrimination against the employee. While the probability of turnover for employees who perceive low discrimination is similar whether paired participants perceive low or high discrimination, their probability of turnover is highest when both they and the other person perceive high racial discrimination against the employee.

Research limitations/implications

Suggestions are provided to avoid the appearance and/or practice of discriminatory acts.

Originality/value

This paper integrates the influence of others close to employees in the IMCD diversity climate, individual career outcomes and organizational effectiveness.
Strength of concrete produced with different sources of aggregates from selected parts of Abia and Imo States of Nigeria
Authors: Eziefula Uchechi G. , Opara Hyginus E. , Eziefula Bennett I.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the 28-day compressive strength of concrete produced with aggregates from different sources.

Design/methodology/approach

Coarse aggregates were crushed granite and natural local stones mined from Umunneochi, Lokpa and Uturu, Isuakwato, respectively, in Abia State, Nigeria. Fine aggregate (river sand) and another coarse aggregate (river stone) were dredged from Otammiri River in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. The nominal mix ratios were 1:1:2, 1:2:4 and 1:3:6, whereas the respective water–cement ratios were 0.45, 0.5, 0.55 and 0.6.

Findings

The compressive strength of granite concrete, river stone concrete and local stone concrete ranged 17.79-38.13, 15.37-34.57 and 14.17-31.96 N/mm2, respectively. Compressive strength was found to increase with decreasing water–cement ratio and increasing cement content.

Practical implications

Granite concrete should be used in reinforced-concrete construction, especially when a cube compressive strength of 30 N/mm2 or higher is required.

Originality/value

Granite concrete exceeded the target compressive strength for all the concrete specimens, whereas river stone concrete and local stone concrete failed to achieve the target strength for some mix proportions and water–cement ratios.
Phillips curve and long-run inflation under commitment
Authors: Pontiggia Dario
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the optimal long-run rate of inflation in the presence of a hybrid Phillips curve, which nests a purely backward-looking Phillips curve and the purely forward-looking New Keynesian Phillips curve (NKPC) as special limiting cases.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper derives the long-run rate of inflation in a basic New Keynesian (NK) model, characterized by sticky prices and rule-of-thumb behavior by price setters. The monetary authority possesses commitment and its objective function stems from an approximation to the utility of the representative household.

Findings

Commitment solution for the monetary authority leads to steady-state outcomes in which inflation, albeit small, is positive. Rising from zero under the purely forward-looking NKPC, the optimal long-run rate of inflation reaches its maximum under the purely backward-looking Phillips curve. In this case, inflation bias arises, while, under the hybrid Phillips curve, positive long-run inflation is associated with an output gain.

Research limitations/implications

This paper serves as a clarification against the misperception that log-linearized models take as given the steady-state inflation rate rather than being capable of determining it. Analysis is sensitive to the basic NK setting, with the assumed rule-of-thumb behavior by price setters and price staggering.

Originality/value

The results are the first to quantify the optimal long-run rate of inflation in a fully microfounded model that nests different Phillips curves.
Fintech: research directions to explore the digital transformation of financial service systems
Authors: Breidbach Christoph F. , Keating Byron W. , Lim Chiehyeon
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to delineate a research agenda to guide future service research investigating the digital transformation of financial service systems through Fintech – disruptive innovations by new market entrants that challenge the position of mainstream financial institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

Rooted in the philosophical foundations of “use-inspired research,” this paper addresses the managerially and societally relevant phenomenon of Fintech by identifying, and responding to, the individual challenges and problems associated with the digital transformation of financial services. This is accomplished through a computational text-mining approach to analyze the corpus of 1,545 published practitioner articles associated with Fintech, identification of managerial challenges therein and subsequent delineation of a novel research agenda.

Findings

By connecting managerial challenges relating to Fintech with the service literature, this paper develops a use-inspired research agenda that provides scholarly and managerially relevant research directions (RDs). These pertain to the complexity of digital financial service systems (micro level), orchestration of value co-creation with Fintech (meso level), and the development of elastic infrastructures, models and markets (macro level).

Research limitations/implications

Fintech is an emerging phenomenon associated with the digital transformation of financial services. However, actual guidelines on how service research related to Fintech could be advanced from a theoretically as well as managerially relevant angle are unavailable to date. Here, the authors address this challenge and provide the field with 18 tangible RDs to advance service theory and practice.

Practical implications

The purpose of this paper is to guide future academic research addressing managerial challenges associated with Fintech and the digital transformation of financial service. Due to the explicit use-inspired nature of the work, the future research stemming from the agenda that the authors put forward here will be of benefit to decision makers and society more broadly.

Originality/value

This empirical research contributes to the discourse regarding the role of information and communication technologies in service in general, and the digital transformation on financial services in particular. The in-depth computational text-mining analysis is unbiased, replicable and provides the foundation for a use-inspired research agenda that is subsequently delineated.
Exploring knowledge dimensions for improving performance in organizations
Authors: Ibidunni Ayodotun Stephen
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of organizational knowledge on organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 66 managerial cadre employees of firms in Nigeria’s telecommunications industry made up the population for this study. The research study is descriptive in nature and it adopted a qualitative research design. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

The study revealed that organizational knowledge dimensions such as individual-tacit, individual-explicit, group-tacit and group-explicit knowledge are essential to achieving organizational objectives and higher levels of performance. However, it is obvious that telecommunication firms in Nigeria are still laid back in their efforts to become aware of specific knowledge management strategies, especially with the adoption of specific information technology facilities that could achieve this goal.

Originality/value

Although organizational knowledge has been argued as a vital means of enhancing organizational competitiveness, most discussions in existing literature have been limited by a technology-based perspective of organizational knowledge. As a result, human cognitive skills have largely been expunged in relation to organizational knowledge discourse. Based on a conceptualization of organizational knowledge from a perspective that combine people and technology, this research proposes four dimensions of organizational knowledge that can be linked to performance.
Practice-based learning and innovation in nursing homes
Authors: Anvik Cecilie , Vedeler Janikke Solstad , Wegener Charlotte , Slettebø Åshild , Ødegård Atle
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the conditions under which learning and innovation occur within nursing homes by focusing on how the dynamics of the distribution and transformation of ideas and knowledge may be viewed as a prerequisite for innovation in both formal, planned learning situations and informal, everyday practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was produced via fieldwork, which included participant observations, conversations and research interviews with staff and managers at a Norwegian nursing home. The paper is inspired by situated learning theories and communities of practice, as the social context emerges as the site where learning and innovation are cultivated.

Findings

The nursing home sustains learning at the centre of its enterprise through managers’ and staff’s participation in planned learning situations and thereby highlights a focus on learning in their everyday practices. The conditions for the interplay between planned learning situations and everyday learning workplace practices are identified as the effort to create a joint enterprise and reflexive practices.

Social implications

The Global North is ageing. Consequently, there is an increasing need for facilities and adequately trained professionals to support an ageing population. Addressing these challenges will require an increased focus on developing supportive learning environments and furthering our knowledge about the interconnections between learning processes and innovation.

Originality/value

This paper contributes knowledge regarding nursing homes as professionally exciting places to work alongside conditions that allow for learning and innovation to be cultivated and thereby increase the quality of elderly healthcare services provided.
The hybrid drive effects of green innovation in Chinese coal enterprises: an empirical study
Authors: Zhou Liqing , Cao Cuizhen
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the green innovation evolution in coal enterprises in China and the various driving mechanisms influenced by government regulations, enterprise resource capability and supply chain integration.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the innovation data of coal enterprises in China for constructing a model to infer how enterprises achieve green innovation (the “hybrid drive effect model”).

Findings

This paper shows that various driving modes of green innovation in an enterprise are influenced by government regulations, enterprise resource and capability, supply chain integration and the interaction effects between any two actors.

Originality/value

By examining the evolution process of green innovation in a specific industry from the perspectives of exploitative and exploratory innovation, the paper touches a relatively novel view on green innovation.
Personality traits and motivation of individual investors towards herding behaviour in Indian stock market
Authors: Kumari Sharda , Chandra Bibhas , Pattanayak J.K.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between personality, motivating factors and herding behaviour of individual investors. Investors’ personality has been classified consonant to the personality traits (compliant, aggressive and detached) encapsulated in Horney’s tripartite model.

Design/methodology/approach

To carry out this study, the author surveyed 363 individual investors of the Indian stock market using a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modelling is used to empirically test the relationships between personality, three motivating factors (cognitive capability, emotional factors and social factors) and herding behaviour.

Findings

The result reveals that, expect compliant personality, none shows proclivity towards herding behaviour. Investors possessing compliant personality are more influenced by social motivating factors; however, cognitive factor motivates aggressive personality, inhibiting herding behaviour. Furthermore, investors having detached personality are not influenced by any motivating factors of herding.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation is the difficulty in generalizing the results to overall country populations as the Indian stock market has a huge turnover every day, and the author’s survey consisted of only small sample of individual investors.

Practical implications

The outcomes of this study could possibly unveil a new insight to discern the behaviour of individual investors in the Indian stock market.

Originality/value

The influences of personality on investment choices have been investigated before, but the influence of personality specifically on herding behaviour has not being adequately investigated in an emerging economy like India, as very scanty literature is available on the influence of personality on herding behaviour. The study addresses this gap and further explores the association of personality with different motivating factors that cause herding bias.
Low‐cost microplastic visualization in feeding experiments using an ultraviolet light‐emitting flashlight
Authors: Ehlers Sonja M. , Maxein Jan , Koop Jochen H. E.
Published: January 2020

Microplastics are pollutants threatening the health of marine, freshwater and terrestrial organisms. To analyze whether an organism is able to ingest microplastics, the organism is usually fed with expensive fluorescent microbeads and placed under a fluorescence microscope for microplastic detection. However, such equipment cannot be afforded by many laboratories. Therefore, we developed a low‐cost method to study the ingestion and egestion of low‐cost, fluorescent microplastic fragments and fibers by aquatic invertebrates. During our feeding experiments, we exposed the freshwater snail Radix balthica to artificial biofilms containing 15% microplastic fragments and fibers, respectively. We then used an ultraviolet (UV) flashlight to irradiate the microplastics. Hence, we could directly observe the microplastics in the food, during ingestion and egestion as well as in the snail feces. Our method, thereby, allowed us to analyze the snails' behavior (during ingestion and egestion), the microplastics' distribution in the snail feces and the microplastics' shape after the snails' digestion. Furthermore, we observed that the snails ceased to egest microplastics after 76 hr following microplastic ingestion. However, chemical digestion of the snails 6 days after microplastic exposure revealed that microplastics were still present in R. balthica, emphasizing the microplastics' persistence in the animals' bodies. This is the first study combining the usage of low‐cost fluorescent microplastics with an inexpensive UV flashlight for microplastic detection during microplastic ingestion and egestion by living organisms. Our new method is not only cost‐effective, but also fast and can be performed by a wide range of researchers without special previous training.
Interspecific differences in the recovery of rocky intertidal zonation after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake
Authors: Kanamori Yuki , Iwasaki Aiko , Oda Sayaka , Noda Takashi
Published: January 2020

Both natural and anthropogenic disturbances have significant impacts on populations in terrestrial and marine habitats. Despite evidence that population recovery after large‐scale disturbances in terrestrial habitats varies substantially among species depending on species traits and types of disturbance, little is known about interspecific differences in population recovery in marine habitats. In this study, we evaluated the course and status of recovery of the vertical distribution of nine intertidal sessile species over 6 years following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. First, we characterized temporal changes in the vertical position of zonation as the spatial distribution, and total coverage as the local population size after the 2011 earthquake. Then, we evaluated the differences in successional status that explain interspecific differences in zonation recovery speed. Finally, we revealed that temporal changes in the vertical position and abundance after the earthquake differed according to species. The interspecific differences in the speed of recovery of zonation after 2014 were correlated with successional status, with later successional species having a delayed recovery rate. These results indicated that intertidal sessile assemblages continued to change 6 years after the large earthquake, suggesting that evaluations of the impacts of disturbances on assemblages and the course of community recovery require long periods of time.
Chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.) effects and their molecular mechanisms on unbalanced diet experimental studies: A systematic review
Authors: Enes Bárbara N. , Moreira Luiza P. D. , Silva Bárbara P. , Grancieri Mariana , Lúcio Haira G. , Venâncio Vinícius P. , Mertens‐Talcott Susanne U. , Rosa Carla O. B. , Martino Hércia S. D.
Published: January 2020

The aim of this review was to compile evidence and understand chia seed effects on unbalanced diet animal studies and the molecular mechanisms on metabolic biomarker modulation. A systematic review was conducted in electronic databases, following PRISMA recommendations. Risk of bias and quality was assessed using SYRCLE toll and ARRIVE guidelines. Seventeen articles were included. Throughout the studies, chia's main effects are associated with AMPK modulation: improvement of glucose and insulin tolerance, lipogenesis, antioxidant activity, and inflammation. Details about randomization and allocation concealment were insufficient, as well as information about blind protocols. Sample size, chia dose, and number of animals evaluated for each parameter were found to be lacking information among the studies. Based on experimental study data, chia has bioactive potential, and its daily consumption may reduce the risk of chronic disease development, mainly due to the antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic effects of the seed.

Practical Application

The consumption of chia seeds may improve lipid profile, insulin and glucose tolerance, and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. Whole seed or its oil presents positive effect, but the effects of chia oil can act faster than the seed.
How Corporate Governance Mechanisms of Banks Have Changed After the 2007–08 Financial Crisis
Authors: Fernández Sánchez José L. , Odriozola Zamanillo María D. , Luna Manuel
Published: January 2020

Weak and ineffective corporate governance mechanisms in banks have been pointed out as the main factor that contributed to the 2007–08 financial crisis. The purpose of this study is to analyze empirically how the global financial crisis of 2007–08 has impacted on banks’ governance mechanisms, comparing the differences between the two most important models of corporate governance (the shareholder and stakeholder models), and if these changes are related to improvements in banks’ governance effectiveness. To carry out our analysis, we have used a sample with 46 of the largest commercial banks in the world and the period of analysis has covered from 2002 until 2015. Our findings show that Anglo‐American banks following the common law system (shareholder model) maintained their high level of governance effectiveness after the financial crises. On the other hand, Continental European banks following the civil law system (stakeholder model) increased their effectiveness after the crisis changing some practices in their corporate governance mechanisms (improvements in the structure and functioning of directors’ boards, improvements in the compensation policy for banks’ executives, as well as the implementation of CSR committees) what led to a convergence of both governance systems.
The Effect of Banks' IT Investments on the Digitalization of their Customers
Authors: Carbó‐Valverde Santiago , Cuadros‐Solas Pedro J. , Rodríguez‐Fernández Francisco ,   EY
Published: January 2020

Banks all over the world are investing in new banking technologies at a time when bank customers are progressively going digital in several dimensions of their economic and social interactions. Together with their existing perceptions of digital services, new banking technologies may path the way to accelerate the digitalization of bank customers, thereby achieving private and social efficiency gains. This paper exploits the fact that banks’ IT investments are mostly allocated to digital technologies to examine if such investments affect the digitalization of bank customers. The results show that banks’ IT investments have a significant positive impact on the adoption of financial digitalization by customers. Banks’ IT investments also increase the likelihood that bank customers undertake their financial transactions through digital channels rather than in the physical branch. This represents a change in the relationship banking channel. These findings shed light on the impact of banks’ IT investments on end‐users and not just on bank productivity and efficiency.
The Role of Capital and Liquidity in Bank Lending: Are Banks Safer?
Authors: Polizzi Salvatore , Scannella Enzo , Suárez Nuria
Published: January 2020

The aim of this paper is to examine whether and to what extent bank capital requirements and liquidity standards influence the level of bank stability. Our approach is that both capital and liquidity affect lending growth, which in turn affects bank stability. We construct a panel dataset on a sample of 2,054 commercial banks from 117 developed and developing countries during the 2000–16 period. By applying a two‐stage least squares (2SLS) empirical methodology, our findings show that capital and liquidity have a negative direct impact on the level of bank stability. However, this influence is counteracted by an indirect positive effect through the increased level of credit. Our results are not homogeneous across legal and institutional environments. In particular, we provide evidence on more relevant relationships in countries with higher level of protection of creditor rights and lower restrictions on non‐traditional banking activities. Our empirical findings are robust to different specifications of the empirical model and to potential endogeneity problems.
The European Financial Crisis and Firms' Cash Holding Policy: An Analysis of the Precautionary Motive
Authors: Lozano Maria Belén , Yaman Serhat
Published: January 2020

This paper analyzes the relation between the 2008 European financial crisis and firms' cash holding policies from a precautionary motive perspective. After considering how the European financial crisis affected the cash holding policy across different period times, we focus on whether these variations come from changes in precautionary motives. We find a positive effect for the short crisis period and a negative effect for long crisis period for the full sample. We also find evidence that for financially constrained firms, the relation between cash volatility and cash holding is positive for short crisis period but turns negative for the long crisis period.
Introduction to the Special Issue: ‘Contemporary Issues in Banking’
Authors: García‐Olalla Myriam , Vázquez-Ordás Camilo José
Published: January 2020

The recent financial crisis revealed limitations and deficiencies in the corporate governance of many financial institutions on both sides of the Atlantic that, to some extent, could have facilitated excessive risks. Specifically, it was observed that the composition of the board, its organization and functioning, its relation with risk management and its control, and even the way in which managers and directors were remunerated, could alter the risk profile of the credit institution and, consequently, its conduct.