bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flavobacterium adhaerens sp. nov. and Flavobacterium maritimum sp. nov., two novel flavobacteria isolated from the Pearl River Estuary
Authors: Peng Zi-Qi , Li Jia-Ling , Yang Zi-Wen , Wang Pan-Deng , Guo Dan-Yuan , Luo Xiao-Qing , Deng Qi-Qi , Li Qi , She Ting-Ting , Li Wen-Jun
Published: July 2024

Two strains, designated as SYSU M80004T and SYSU M80005T, were isolated from water sampled in the Pearl River Estuary, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China. The strains were Gram-stain-negative and aerobic. Strain SYSU M80004T could grow at pH 6.0–8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0), 22–30 °C (optimum, 28 °C) and in the presence of 0–1 % NaCl (w/v; optimum 0 %). Strain SYSU M80005T could grow at pH 6.0–8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0), 4–37 °C (optimum, 28 °C) and in the presence of 0–1 % NaCl (w/v; optimum 0%). Both strains contained MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone. C16 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0 were identified as the major fatty acids (>10 %) of strain SYSU M80004T while strain SYSU M80005T contained iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH as major fatty acids. Phosphatidylethanolamine was present as the major polar lipid in both strains. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between these two strains and their closest relatives were 73.5–79.3 % and 19.6–23.2 %, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene and genomic sequences indicated they belonged to the genus Flavobacterium. Therefore, on the basis of phenotypic, physiological, chemotaxonomic and genomic evidence, two novel species, Flavobacterium adhaerens sp. nov. (type strain=SYSU M80004T=CDMCC 1.4522T=KCTC 102268T) and Flavobacterium maritimum sp. nov. (type strain=SYSU M80005T=CGMCC 1.4523T= KCTC 102269T) are proposed.
Dynamic photosynthetic labelling and carbon-positional mass spectrometry monitorin vivocarbon assimilation rates by ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase
Authors: Rajarathinam Yogeswari , Wittemeier Luisa , Gutekunst Kirstin , Hagemann Martin , Kopka Joachim
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RUBISCO) is the most abundant enzyme and CO2bio-sequestration system on earth. Itsin vivoactivity is usually determined by14CO2incorporation into 3-phosphoglycerate (3PGA). The radiometric analysis of 3PGA does not distinguish carbon positions. Hence, RUBISCO activity that fixes carbon into 1-C position of 3PGA and Calvin–Benson–Bassham (CBB) cycle activities that redistribute carbon into its 2-C and 3-C positions are not resolved. This study aims to provide technology that differentiates between these activities.In sourcefragmentation of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC- MS) enables paired isotopologue distribution analyses of fragmented substructures and the complete metabolite structure. GC-MS measurements after dynamic photosynthetic13CO2labelling allowed quantification of the13C fractional enrichment (E13C) and molar carbon assimilation rates (A13C) at carbon position 1-C of 3PGA by combination of E13Cfrom carbon positions 2,3-C2and 1,2,3-C3with quantification of 3PGA concentrations. We validated the procedure using two GC-time of flight (TOF)-MS instruments, operated at nominal or high mass resolution and tested expected positional labelling of 3PGA byin vivoglycolysis of positional labelled glucose isotopomers. Application toΔgapdh1andΔgapdh2mutants of the highly divergent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases (GAPDH) fromSynechocystissp. PCC 6803 revealed full inactivation of the CBB cycle with maintained RUBISCO activity in theΔgapdh2mutant and a CBB cycle modulating role of GAPDH1 under fluctuating CO2supply. RUBISCO activity in the CBB-deficientΔgapdh2mutant can re-assimilate CO2released by catabolic pathways. We suggest that RUBISCO activity inSynechocystiscan scavenge carbon loss through the pentose phosphate pathway or other cellular decarboxylation reactions.
A Mendelian randomization study of insulin therapy for type 1 diabetes increasing the potential risk of ovarian cancer
Authors: Bai Xue , Zhang Ling
Published: July 2024

Background

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) has been associated with a higher risk of Ovarian cancer (OC), albeit the mechanisms underlying this association remain elusive. A better understanding of the relationship between T1D and OC may contribute to improved primary prevention of OC. We aimed to investigate the putative causal role of T1D on OC, and to identify the potentially mediatory effects of the usage of insulin product underlying this relationship.

Methods

We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genetic variants associated with T1D and OC from genome-wide association studies. Then, a multivariable MR analysis was conducted to investigate whether T1DM has an independent effect on OC after adjusting for potential confounders. Finally, the mediating role of insulin product was subsequently explored using mediation analysis via two-step MR.

Results

the MR estimated based on IVW method indicated a causal association between genetically determined T1D and Ovarian cancer (OC) (OR: 1.0006, 95% CI 1.0001–1.0011;P= 0.0164). After adjusting for body mass index, Smoking, physical activity, age at menopause and age at menarche, respectively, we found that a causal relationship between T1DM and OC was still statistically significant (OR>1,P<0.05). The two-step MR analysis revealed that insulin product acted as a mediating moderator between the T1D and OC (mediated proportion, 1.07%).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that T1D may confer a risk effect to OC, mediated in part by therapeutic insulin product. Therefore, precise dosage of insulin product or an alternative to insulin in T1D patients have a profound significance in terms of the prevention of OC.
Keeping common species common: the role of future climate refugia in species conservation
Authors: Serafini Chiara , Santostasi Nina Luisa , Canestrelli Daniele , Ficetola Gentile Francesco , Maiorano Luigi
Published: July 2024

Climate change is one of the most important challenges for biodiversity conservation. Species may respond to changing climates by moving, adapting, and/or adjusting. The move response is the easiest and quickest as it does not imply any evolutionary and/or physiological response.

However, moving in space to track changing climate is not an option for species with restricted movement capacities (e.g., many amphibians) or species endemic to islands. Therefore, the impact of climate change on these species is potentially dramatic, even when they are currently widespread and least concern. Planning for the conservation of these species in a global change context requires a proactive approach, with the identification of climatic refugia, i.e., areas climatically suitable for a given species under both current climate and future scenarios.

Here, we demonstrated our approach considering theHyla sarda, an amphibian endemic of the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, currently widespread in its range, and Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List. We calibrated an SDM for the species focusing on Sardinia and projected it into the future, identifying all areas that can act as future climatic refugia. We also evaluated the coverage of the refugia by the existing protected areas.

According to our results,Hyla sardawill experience a significant restriction of its distribution range due to projected climate changes, with small and highly fragmented climatic refugia mostly located outside of existing protected areas. Our findings highlight the importance of considering common species in global change studies. All our conservation strategies should be more proactive if we want to conserve common species before they become rare.
Empowering Integrative and Collaborative Exploration of Single-Cell and Spatial Multimodal Data with SGS
Authors: Xia Tingting , Sun Jiahe , Lu Fang , Luo Yongjiang , Mao Yudi , Xu Ling , Wang Yi
Published: July 2024

Recent advancements in single-cell and spatial omics technologies have revolutionized our ability to capture multiple modalities data at a genome-wide scale within individual cells. However, visualizing these large-scale, high-dimensional, and complex datasets poses significant challenges. Here, we present SGS, a user-friendly, collaborative and versatile browser for visualizing single-cell and spatial multiomics data. SGS incorporates a novel genome browser framework, flexible visualization modules and a multi-panel adaptive communication mechanism to enable the synchronous visualization of diverse datasets. Notably, SGS empowers users with advanced capabilities for comparative visualization, through features like scCompare, scMultiView, and dual-chromosome module. Additionally, by adopting the “workstation concept”, SGS enables data fast visualization and collaborative exploration. We showcase the potential of SGS in the comparative visualization and coordinated exploration of mutlimodal data with two examples. SGS is publicly available athttps://sgs.bioinfotoolkits.net/home.
Ferritin-mediated iron homeostasis and bacterial shifts underpin drought adaptation in sorghum
Authors: Kabir Ahmad H. , Brailey-Crane Philip , Abdelrahman Mostafa , Legeay Jean , Ahmed Bulbul , Tran Lam-Son Phan , Bennetzen Jeffrey L.
Published: July 2024

Drought stress significantly impairs growth, and microbial interactions in sorghum. This study explores the transcriptional and microbial shifts in sorghum under drought, revealing key adaptations to water deficit. LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) analyses revealed that drought stress induced abscisic acid while significantly reducing jasmonic acid levels in sorghum roots, likely due to resource conservation strategies during drought. Transcriptional reprogramming highlighted the upregulation of genes in the roots involved in mineral homeostasis (Ferritin 1,Iron dehydrogenase,Nitrate transporter 1), hormone signaling (Ethylene-insensitive protein 3,Gibberellin 2-oxidase), and osmotic regulation (Aquaporin,Dehydrin), underlining key adaptive responses to maintain nutrient uptake, redox status, and cellular turgor. In Fe-supplemented plants, increased Fe in roots correlated with increasedFerritin 1expression, improved plant health, and reduced Fenton reaction rate and H O levels. This suggests that ferritin helps minimize oxidative stress under drought in sorghum. Drought reduced root-associated bacterial diversity and richness while enriching drought tolerance-associated genera, such asBurkholderia, CaballeroniaandParaburkholderia, known for promoting plant growth through auxin production, phosphate solubilization, and siderophore-mediated iron acquisition. In contrast, fungal diversity and richness remained unchanged, dominated byTalaromyces, which showed a statistically non-significant increase under drought. Random forest models could not identify functional predictors for fungi but revealed a shift in bacterial functional groups under drought, with enrichment in phototrophy, methylotrophy, and nitrate reduction, traits emphasizing microbial roles in nutrient cycling and drought adaptation of sorghum. This study provides insights into the role of ferritin and potential bacterial bioinoculants that could enhance sorghum resilience to drought. Future research should validate these findings to integrate them into breeding programs and biofertilizer formulation for drought-tolerant sorghum and climate-resilient agriculture.
Dopaminergic amacrine cells express HCN channels in the developing and adult mouse retina
Authors: Romano Emilio J , Zhang Dao-Qi
Published: July 2024

Purpose

To determine the molecular and functional expression of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels in developing and mature dopaminergic amacrine cells (DACs), the sole source of ocular dopamine that plays a vital role in visual function and eye development.

Methods

HCN channels are encoded by isoforms 1-4. HCN1, HCN2, and HCN4 were immunostained in retinal slices obtained from mice at postnatal day 4 (P4), P8, and P12 as well as in adults. Each HCN channel isoform was also immunostained with tyrosine hydroxylase, a marker for DACs, at P12 and adult retinas. Genetically-marked DACs were recorded in flat-mount retina preparation using a whole-cell current-clamp technique.

Results

HCN1 was expressed in rods/cones, amacrine cells, and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) at P4, along with bipolar cells by P12. Different from HCN1, HCN2 and HCN4 were each expressed in amacrine cells and RGCs at P4, along with bipolar cells by P8, and in rods/cones by P12. Double immunostaining shows that each of the three isoforms was expressed in approximately half of DACs at P12 but in almost all DACs in adults. Electrophysiology results demonstrate that HCN channel isoforms form functional HCN channels, and the pharmacological blockade of HCN channels reduced the spontaneous firing frequency in most DACs.

Conclusions

Each class of retinal neurons may use different isoforms of HCN channels to function during development. HCN1, HCN2, and HCN4 form functional HCN channels in DACs, which appears to modulate their spontaneous firing activity.
Velocities of Hippocampal Traveling Waves Proportional to Their Coherence Frequency
Authors: Goelman Gadi , Benoliel Tal , Israel Zvi , Heymann Sami , Leon Juan , Ekstein Dana
Published: July 2024

Cortical traveling waves, characterized by their spatial, temporal, and frequency attributes, offer insights into active regions, timing, frequency, and the direction of activity propagation. Recent evidence suggests that these waves’ directionality and spatiotemporal extent encode cognitive processes, yet the encoding mechanism related to their frequency remains unclear.

We explore the hypothesis that coherence frequency dictates the velocity of wave propagation. Using nonlinear coherence analysis to compute propagation pathways among four local-field-potential signals collected along the human hippocampus’s long axis, we present evidence that the coherence frequency of traveling waves encodes temporal communication aspects. Unlike linear analyses, which may overestimate velocities due to bidirectional flow when considering multiple pair coherences, nonlinear analysis treats pathways as holistic units with affectively unidirectional flow, making it more suitable for calculating wave velocities. Our findings reveal that propagation velocities along the hippocampus at low frequencies (<∼35Hz) demonstrate a linear dependency on frequency, with an increased slope at higher frequencies, suggesting different underlying mechanisms. Although observed within the hippocampus, these findings capture a dependency between frequency and velocity of traveling waves which may be applicable to other cortical areas as well.
GRATCR: epitope-specific T cell receptor sequence generation with data-efficient pre-trained models
Authors: Zhou Zhenghong , Chen Junwei , Lin Shenggeng , Hong Liang , Wei Dong-Qing , Xiong Yi
Published: July 2024

T cell receptors (TCRs) play a crucial role in numerous immunotherapies targeting tumor cells. However, their acquisition and optimization present significant challenges, involving laborious and time-consuming wet lab experimental resource. Deep generative model has demonstrated remarkable capabilities in functional protein sequence generation, offering a promising solution for enhancing the acquisition of specific TCR sequences. Here, we propose GRATCR, a framework incorporates two pre-trained modules through a novel "grafting" strategy, to de-novo generate TCR sequences targeting specific epitopes. Experimental results demonstrate that TCRs generated by GRATCR exhibit higher specificity toward desired epitopes and are more biologically functional compared with state-of-the-art model, by using significantly fewer training data. Additionally, the generated sequences display novelty compared to natural sequences, and the interpretability evaluation further confirmed that the model is capable of capturing important binding patterns. GRATCR is freely available at https://github.com/zhzhou23/GRATCR.
Enhancing Precision Drug Therapy and build pharmacokinetic model in Pregnant Women: PBPK Modeling of Antiviral drugs
Authors: Abdulsamed Mohamed , Naass Ashraf. A. , AEswani Mohamed. S. , Bashir Sedigh
Published: July 2024

PBPK/PD modeling is essential in modern drug development. Traditional drug development methods frequently rely on trial and error, which can be time-consuming, costly, and could be risky. Predicting pharmacokinetics (PK) of drugs in pregnant women, encompassing the intricate aspect of placental drug transfer, remains a complex task. This study was to compare of simulated or predicted and observed (previously published approaches) pharmacokinetic parameters among the four antiviral drugs in pregnant and non-pregnant women. In addition, this investigation endeavors to construct and assess physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models specific to maternal-fetal interactions for four antiviral drugs, Acyclovir, Emtricitabine, Dolutegravir (DTG) and Raltegravir (RAL). PBPK models were built with the Open Systems Pharmacology software suite (PK-Sim/MoBi). Different approaches to inform placental drug transfer were applied and compared. Model performance was evaluated using in vivo all 4 a forementioned antiviral maternal plasma concentrations during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and umbilical vein concentrations at delivery. All clinical in vivo data were obtained from the International Maternal paediatric and Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) Network P1026s study. The PBPK models successfully predicted plasma concentration-time profiles of four antiviral drugs in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and most predicted PK parameters fell within a 1.33-fold error range. Predicted umbilical vein concentrations of DTG among others were in reasonable agreement with in vivo data but were sensitive to changes in the placental partition coefficient and transplacental clearance. Maternal-fetal PBPK modeling reliably predicted maternal PK of previously mentioned antiviral during pregnancy. For the fetal PK, data on the unbound fraction of highly protein-bound DTG has proven to be important to adequately capture changes in total clearance in silico. More research efforts, along with clinical data, are needed to verify the predictions of fetal PK of antiviral. In conclusion, the findings suggest the feasibility of employing physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models to assess the disposition of antiviral drugs in pregnant women and their fetuses.
A novel bifunctional peptide VAMP mined from hemp seed protein hydrolysates improves glucose homeostasis by inhibiting intestinal DPP-IV and increasing the abundance ofAkkermansia muciniphila
Authors: Chen Haihong , Li Wei , Hu Wei , Xu Bing , Wang Yi , Liu Junyu , Zhang Chong , Zhang Canyang , Zhang Xizhen , Nie Qixing , Xing Xinhui
Published: July 2024

Discovery of new dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory peptides from natural protein resources capable of regulating glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetic populations has been a significant challenge. In this study, we constructed a molecular docking- and machine learning-aided DPP-IV inhibitory peptide library and combined a functional screening approach based on intestinal organoids to discover efficient and new DPP-IV-inhibiting peptides from hemp seed protein hydrolysates. A novel tetrapeptide, VAMP, was then identified to strongly inhibit DPP-IV (IC50=1.00 μMin vitro), which competitively binds to DPP-IV and improves glucose metabolismin vivowith high safety by increasing active glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels in obese mouse models. Interestingly, VAMP specifically promoted the growth and abundance of intestinalAkkermansia muciniphila in vivo, at the same time, which was responsible for the improved intestinal barrier function and insulin resistance. Our study demonstrated that the novel bifunctional VAMP can effectively target the DPP-IV-GLP-1 axis and simultaneously regulate the abundance of the gut microbialA. muciniphila, to regulate glucose homeostasis, providing a promising nutraceutical and therapeutic tetrapeptide for hyperglycaemia treatment by targeting the gut-microbiata axis.

Teaser

VAMP improves glucose metabolism by increasing the active GLP-1 level and promoting the growth ofA. muciniphilato improve intestinal barrier function.
Patterns of Ongoing Thought in the Real World and Their Links to Mental Health and Well-Being
Authors: Mulholland Bridget , Chitiz Louis , Wallace Raven , Mckeown Brontë , Milham Michael , Klein Arno , Leech Robert , Jefferies Elizabeth , Poerio Giulia , Wammes Jeffery , Stewart Jeremy , Hardikar Samyogita , Smallwood Jonathan
Published: July 2024

The thoughts we experience in daily life have implications for our mental health and well-being. However, it is often difficult to measure thought patterns outside of laboratory conditions due to concerns about the voracity of measurements taken in daily life. To address this gap in the literature, our study set out to measure patterns of thought as they occur in daily life and assess the robustness of these measures and their associations with trait measurements of mental health and well-being. A sample of undergraduate participants completed multi-dimensional experience sampling surveys eight times per day for five days as they went around their normal lives. Principal component analysis reduced these data to identify the dimensions that explained the patterns of thought reported by our participants. We used linear modelling to map how these thought patterns related to the activities taking place at the time of the probe, highlighting good consistency within the sample, as well as substantial overlap with prior work. Multiple regression was used to examine associations between patterns of ongoing thought and aspects of mental health and well-being, highlighting a pattern of “Intrusive Distraction” that had a positive association with anxiety, and a negative association with social well-being. Notably, this thought pattern tended to be most prevalent in solo activities and was relatively suppressed when interacting with other people (either in person or virtually). Our study, therefore, highlights the use of multi-dimensional experience sampling as a tool to understand how ongoing thoughts in daily life impact on our mental health and well-being, and establishes the important role social connectedness plays in the etiology of intrusive thinking.
How does green trust mediate the relationship between environmental concern and green brand knowledge during green purchases?
Authors: S. Vinoth , Srivastava Nidhi , Mittal Amit
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the influence of environmental concerns and consumers’ knowledge of green brands on their purchasing decisions of green products, utilising green trust as a mediator.

Design/methodology/approach

Responses from 383 Indian consumers were collected, which was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The causal relationships between latent variables and mediating effect of green trust were investigated by performing Structural Equation modelling.

Findings

Green trust served as a crucial factor in mediating the relationship between environmental concern and green purchase decision. Trust in eco-friendly products significantly influenced the consumers’ decisions to make green purchases. The study further validated that environmental concern significantly influences individuals’ decisions to make green purchases.

Research limitations/implications

The study employed a cross-sectional research design to elucidate the relationship among the factors. However, a longitudinal research design is recommended for further study to ascertain the actual purchase decision and evaluate the reliability of the results.

Practical implications

Marketers can use the study findings to understand consumer knowledge better and trust in green and sustainable products. The proposed model will support marketers and policymakers in developing appropriate marketing strategies as well as facilitate educating consumers about the nuances of green products and the habit of buying eco-friendly products.

Originality/value

Study’s novel contribution is mediation between environmental concern and green purchase decision through green trust.
Impact of organizational politics on organizational performance: the mediating role of individual performance
Authors: Al-Okaily Manaf , Tarhini Ali , Albloush Ahmad , Alharafsheh Malek
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine mediating role of individual performance between the association of organizational politics and organizational performance in Jordanian public sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The partial least squares–structural equation modeling was conducted to test the suggested hypotheses.

Findings

The findings revealed that organizational performance is significantly and negatively influenced by organizational politics and positively influenced by individual performance. In addition, the results also revealed that individual performance is significantly and negatively influenced by organizational politics. Finally, the results show that individual performance has mediated the association between organizational politics and organizational performance, and hence last hypothesis was accepted.

Originality/value

The current study provides several recommendations to the decision-makers in the Jordanian public sector, including enhancing transparency and publishing policies and regulations in a general and easily accessible manner.
The push and pull between culture and integrity in the workplace: an ethical decision-making context
Authors: Ellestad Andrew I. , Winton Bradley Gene
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Multinational corporations encounter numerous challenges in making ethical decisions as they navigate diverse factors in every country where they conduct business. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research has been committed to investigating the effects of one’s cultural perspectives and moral virtue. Building on a theoretical foundation recently laid out in the literature (i.e. the culture-influenced value-specific model), this study aims to investigate the relationship between components of national culture (i.e. power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity) and the moral virtue of integrity.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a quantitative analysis methodology conducted among 160 US-based workers to test a direct effect model of the relationship between national culture and integrity. The hypothesized relationships are examined using linear regression. Additional analysis includes reliability and representativeness analyses.

Findings

Direct effects support the hypotheses that a worker’s cultural perspectives affect integrity. Specifically, this study found that a worker’s cultural aspects of power distance, individualism and masculinity are negatively and significantly related to an individual’s level of integrity. Additionally, an individual’s level of uncertainty avoidance is positively related to integrity.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature and practice by demonstrating how the culture in which one resides has an impact on the level of integrity one holds and potentially exhibits in the workplace. These findings are significant in that they are among the first to consider culture and moral virtue in an ethical decision-making model. Furthermore, these findings open an additional pathway for research concerning ethical behavior in the workplace.
ESG performance and analyst recommendations: evidence from sustainability analysts in the Chinese market
Authors: Chen Shiqiang , Cheng Mian , Luo Yonggen , Tsang Albert
Published: July 2024

Purpose

In this study, we examine the influence of a firm’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance on analysts’ stock recommendations and earnings forecast accuracy in the Chinese context.

Design/methodology/approach

We take a textual analysis approach to analyst research reports issued between 2010 and 2019, and differentiate between two distinct analyst categories: “sustainability analysts,” which refer to those more inclined to incorporate ESG information into their analyses, and “other analysts.”

Findings

Our evidence indicates that sustainability analysts tend to be significantly more likely than others to provide positive stock recommendations and demonstrate enhanced accuracy in forecasting earnings for companies with superior ESG performance. Our additional analyses reveal that this finding is particularly prominent for analysts who graduated from institutions emphasizing the protection of the environment, those recognized as star analysts, those affiliated with ESG-oriented brokerages, and forecasts made by analysts in the later part of the sample period. Our findings further indicate that sustainability analysts exhibit a more pronounced negative response when confronted with a negative ESG event.

Originality/value

In general, the evidence from this study reveals the interplay between ESG factors and analyst behavior, offering valuable implications for both financial analysts and sustainable investment strategies.
Diversity’s (in)visibility at two Hispanic Serving Institutions: how the whiteness of higher education constrains racially diversifying the K-12 teaching force
Authors: Schwitzman-Gerst Tara
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Most research about combating the whiteness of teacher education neglects to analyze the whiteness of the higher education institutional contexts housing teacher preparation programs. This gap also holds true within research exploring Minority Serving Institutions’ potential to graduate large numbers of teachers of color. Consequently, this paper aims to argue that without strong institutional commitments to dismantle the whiteness of higher education, Hispanic Serving Institutions (a type of Minority Serving Institution) compromise their potential to robustly prepare and graduate K-12 teachers of color.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on an inductive qualitative analysis of interviews with teacher educators of color and students and a deductive qualitative analysis of publicly available data at two Hispanic Serving Institutions, this paper uses Critical Race Theory tenets of lived experience and intersectionality.

Findings

Both institutions enacted diversity commitments. However, findings demonstrated that institutional support neglected the multiple oppressive systems impacting students of color. Additionally, prioritizing (White) research norms invisibilized faculty of color in higher ranked professorial roles and compromised faculty pedagogy.

Originality/value

Findings address lesser known analyses of how the intersections between institutional climate, teacher education programs and the unique Hispanic Serving Institutional context impact student/preservice teacher and faculty/teacher educator racial diversity, demonstrate the necessity of using an intersectional lens when analyzing preservice teacher and teacher educator of color experiences, and demonstrate how racially diverse, multicultural higher education contexts can still invisibilize diversity.
EduChatbot: Implementing educational Chatbot for assisting the teaching-learning process by NLP-based hybrid heuristic adopted deep learning framework
Authors: Maheswari B. , Nagarajan Rajganesh
Published: July 2024

Purpose

A new Chatbot system is implemented to provide both voice-based and textual-based communication to address student queries without any delay. Initially, the input texts are gathered from the chat and then the gathered text is fed to pre-processing techniques like tokenization, stemming of words and removal of stop words. Then, the pre-processed data are given to the Natural Learning Process (NLP) for extracting the features, where the XLnet and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) are utilized to extract the features. From these extracted features, the target-based fused feature pools are obtained. Then, the intent detection is carried out to extract the answers related to the user queries via Enhanced 1D-Convolutional Neural Networks with Long Short Term Memory (E1DCNN-LSTM) where the parameters are optimized using Position Averaging of Binary Emperor Penguin Optimizer with Colony Predation Algorithm (PA-BEPOCPA). Finally, the answers are extracted based on the intent of a particular student’s teaching materials like video, image or text. The implementation results are analyzed through different recently developed Chatbot detection models to validate the effectiveness of the newly developed model.

Design/methodology/approach

A smart model for the NLP is developed to help education-related institutions for an easy way of interaction between students and teachers with high prediction of accurate data for the given query. This research work aims to design a new educational Chatbot to assist the teaching-learning process with the NLP. The input data are gathered from the user through chats and given to the pre-processing stage, where tokenization, steaming of words and removal of stop words are used. The output data from the pre-processing stage is given to the feature extraction phase where XLnet and BERT are used. In this feature extraction, the optimal features are extracted using hybrid PA-BEPOCPA to maximize the correlation coefficient. The features from XLnet and features from BERT were given to target-based features fused pool to produce optimal features. Here, the best features are optimally selected using developed PA-BEPOCPA for maximizing the correlation among coefficients. The output of selected features is given to E1DCNN-LSTM for implementation of educational Chatbot with high accuracy and precision.

Findings

The investigation result shows that the implemented model achieves maximum accuracy of 57% more than Bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM), 58% more than One Dimansional Convolutional Neural Network (1DCNN), 59% more than LSTM and 62% more than Ensemble for the given dataset.

Originality/value

The prediction accuracy was high in this proposed deep learning-based educational Chatbot system when compared with various baseline works.
Integrating social media technology for the awareness of ancient manuscript preservation
Authors: Rachman Yeni Budi
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to explore opportunities for using social media technology to support the awareness in the digital environment of ancient manuscript preservation, as well as to share Indonesian libraries’ experiences in leveraging those media.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper relies on a literature review to discuss the implementation of social media platforms for preserving and raising awareness of cultural heritage in the form of ancient manuscripts. This paper also observes how some Indonesian libraries use their social media accounts to preserve and raise awareness of ancient manuscript collections.

Findings

Social media technology provides opportunities for libraries to help perform their cultural heritage preservation function in various and interesting ways. Multiple Indonesian libraries rely on social media technology to preserve and raise awareness of their ancient manuscript collections. Some of those interesting strategies are uploading posts related to the libraries’ ancient manuscript collections; posting “snapshots” of sections of ancient manuscripts; documenting ancient manuscript conservation practices; documenting the involvement of communities in preserving ancient manuscripts; announcing upcoming events and activities related to ancient manuscript studies; and posting interesting news, information and updates about ancient manuscript collections.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the existing literature and empirical studies by providing insights into the adoption of social media technology to help preservation and raise awareness of ancient manuscripts in the digital environment. This paper can help those libraries wanting to use their social media accounts to increase and develop their preservation efforts, especially when it comes to ancient manuscript collections.
The multipurpose utilization of inorganic materials in adsorption treatment of wastewater and core-modification of color index pigment red 57:1
Authors: Fei Xuening , Li Yuanyuan , Li Shuai , Cao Lingyun , Xing Dajie , Cheng Bingyang , Li Meitong , Zhao Hongbin
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This study aims to realize the multipurpose use of inorganic materials in adsorption treatment of pigment wastewater and preparation of core-modified Color Index Pigment Red 57:1 (C.I. Pigment Red 57:1, PR 57:1).

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the inorganic materials (sepiolite and SiO2·nH2O) were used in both PR 57:1 production wastewater treatment and its core-modification. The inorganic material firstly adsorbed 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (bon acid) in the pigment wastewater to reduce chemical oxygen demand. Then, the inorganic material adsorbed with bon acid was reused to prepare core-modified PR 57:1.

Findings

In the pigment wastewater adsorption experiment, it was found that under pH = 3, the adsorption percentage of bon acid by inorganic material can reached up to 46.00%. The pigment characterization results showed that the core-modified PR 57:1 had a core-shell structure. Under UV light irradiation for 1 h, the core-modified PR 57:1 prepared with sepiolite and SiO2·nH2O showed total color difference ΔE value of 1.43 and 2.05, respectively, which was lower than that of unmodified PR 57:1 (ΔE = 2.89). In addition, the transmittance of pigment water suspension test results showed that the core-modified PR 57:1 showed better water dispersibility.

Originality/value

This paper attempts to develop a synergistic strategy based on the multipurpose use of inorganic materials in adsorption treatment of pigment wastewater and preparation of core-modified PR 57:1.
Effect of ultrafine grinding on the structure and physical properties of pregelatinized rice starch
Authors: Wu Jun‐Ying , Wu Ming , Wu Chenchen , Zhang Guang , Fu Yu , Liu Xiao‐Fei , Zhang Na
Published: July 2024

This study used a combination method of ultrafine grinding and pregelatinization to modify rice starch (RS) to delay its retrogradation and provide a rationale for prolonging rice product shelf life. The structure and physicochemical properties of the pregelatinized ultrafine grinding rice starch (PURS) were compared with those of RS, ultrafine grinding rice starch (URS), and pregelatinized rice starch (PRS). The microstructure, molecular weight, branched starch length distribution, short‐range order, crystal structure, and physical properties of RS, URS, PRS, and PURS were analyzed, respectively. Results showed that RS, URS, PRS, and PURS granules exhibited similar spherical or polygonal shapes, and the content of amylose and short‐branched starch in PURS increased compared with RS, URS, and PRS. Furthermore, the cross‐polarization of PRS and PURS disappeared. Long‐chain amylopectin and average molecular weight of PURS decreased significantly after ultrafine grinding. Our study suggested reduced breakdown value and setback value and improved gel stability, and PURS was beneficial for delaying retrogradation compared to RS, URS, and PRS. The ultrafine grinding method improved the water swelling capacity (WSC), solubility, pasting properties, and gelation properties of PRS. The hardness of PURS was reduced by ultrafine grinding. These suggest that the combination of ultrafine grinding and pregelatinization could improve the properties of RS. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that the structure of PURS significantly influenced the physicochemical properties. The present study was helpful in better understanding the importance of ultrafine grinding in improving the anti‐retrogradation of PURS and provided new insights into extending the shelf life of rice products by ultrafine grinding and pregelatinization.
Innovative plasma treatment of orange juice to improve bioactive concentration: The effects of various parameters using response surface analysis
Authors: Zhou Guiling , Shen Zhenxing , Fan Hao , Chang Tian , Yang Yiming , Yang Liu
Published: July 2024

Orange juice is a highly nutritious beverage. Traditional pasteurization methods cause nutrient loss and taste changes. Plasma treatment (PT) is an emerging method with a high sterilization rate. This study investigated the effects of corona discharge plasma on the sterilization of orange juice by changes in color difference, total phenol content, and pH value. Single‐factor experiments revealed that higher voltage (40 kV) and longer sterilization time (25 min) had better sterilization effects. Response surface analysis indicated that frequency had the greatest impact on sterilization rates, and the optimal sterilization conditions were a voltage of 44.75 kV, a frequency of 9.46 kHz, and a sterilization time of 25 min. Under these conditions, the sterilization rate reached 97.9%, meeting the national standard of 104 colony‐forming units/mL (GB7101‐2022). Compared to untreated juices, the color difference value was 16.32, the pH value decreased by 0.12, and the total phenol content increased by 0.669 mg/mL. However, the evaporation of water plays an important role in increasing the total phenol co. Moreover, the comparative analysis showed that PT was comparable to pasteurization in terms of sterilization effects, flavor preservation, and the concentration of bioactive components. This study provides a theoretical basis for industrial applications of PT.
Comparison between the sodium chloride content and labeled salt value of industrially prepared Japanese single dishes
Authors: Sato Yoko , Suzuki Kumiko , Inagaki Runa
Published: July 2024

Salt intake reduction is a global concern. In particular, Japanese consume higher amounts of salt than those of other ethnicities. The sodium content is mentioned on the label of industrially prepared dishes with an intention of reducing salt intake. This study aimed to evaluate the difference between the actual sodium content and labeled salt value of industrially prepared Japanese single dishes. Samples labeled “estimated” were collected and classified as Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisines. The sodium content ranged from 180 to 1011 mg/100 g. The sodium content was higher than their reported values in other countries. Specifically, Chinese dishes contained high amounts of sodium, although the chloride content was similar across cuisine styles. Further, the molar ratio (i.e., sodium/chloride) had no significant effect on the difference between the actual content and labeled value. The measured salt contents were 20% higher than the labeled values. The results of decision tree analysis indicated that if the labeled salt value of stir‐fried foods is determined by calculation, the actual sodium content is much higher than the labeled salt value. These findings are crucial for customers, dietitian, and researchers as they refer to the labeled salt value to determine the sodium content of industrially prepared foods.
The Relationship Between Financial Education in Young Adults and Financial Literacy: A Review of the Literature in Canada and the United States*
Authors: Adesina Folasade , Carnaghan Carla , Smith James
Published: July 2024

Professional accounting bodies in Canada and the United States, and throughout the world, have funded programs to improve financial literacy for many years. This ongoing interest stems from the expected benefits of improved financial behavior for individuals, society, and financial markets. However, the fact that relatively little research on financial literacy has been published in accounting journals suggests that few accounting academics are aware of, interested in, or motivated to work on the topic. This review helps to identify what we know about the effectiveness of financial education programs intended specifically for young adults, who constitute the demographic group likely to gain the most from improved financial literacy. Our review identifies factors that impinge both on the effectiveness of financial education programs and the research examining these programs. Noteworthy factors include (1) a lack of theoretical frameworks to guide the programs and research on the programs, (2) a tendency for outcome measures to capture financial knowledge rather than financial behaviors, and (3) the need for stronger research designs. We also note some possible instructional design considerations in developing financial education programs and highlight financial literacy as a promising area of research for accounting academics. Our findings can help guide improvements to financial education programs and encourage further research to assess the effectiveness of financial literacy programs.
Seasonal optimisation of drone‐based photogrammetry in a heterogeneous boreal landscape
Authors: Brown Ian A. , Ghaly Mark , Greiser Caroline , Lam Norris , Lehmann Philipp
Published: July 2024

Aims

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV), or drones, have become more affordable and easier to use, resulting in increased UAV applications in ecology and conservation. However, solar illumination, vegetation phenology and prevailing weather conditions will impact the quality of the derived products to differing degrees. In this study, we investigate how seasonal differences in solar illumination, tree foliage and weather conditions impact the accuracy of digital elevation models (DEM) and canopy height models (CHM) in a heterogeneous boreal landscape.

Methods

We compared DEMs and CHMs derived from drone photogrammetry with DEMs and CHMs produced from a drone‐mounted laser scanner across three seasons with different solar illumination, tree foliage and weather conditions during leaf‐off and leaf‐on seasons. Photogrammetric height models were evaluated across three land‐cover classes consisting of open areas, sparse‐forest and forest. The most accurate CHM for sparse‐forest was produced during summer under overcast conditions, whereas for the forest class, summer under clear skies was best.

Results

Structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry performed well against the LiDAR survey in most cases with correlations between sampled points of up to R2 = 0.995. Root mean square errors (RMSEs) were <1.5 m in all DEMs and as low as 0.31 m in autumn clear‐sky data over open terrain. CHM RMSEs were somewhat higher in all cases except under winter overcast conditions when the RMSE for sparse‐forest reached 6.03 m.

Conclusions

We have shown that SfM photogrammetry is surprisingly robust to variations in vegetation type, tree phenology and weather, and performs well in comparison with a reference LiDAR data set. Our results show that, in boreal forests, autumn is the preferred season under clear‐sky conditions for DEM generation from SfM photogrammetry across all land‐cover classes, whereas summer is preferred for CHM modelling with a small trade‐off between overcast and clear‐sky conditions over different vegetation types. These results can help potential SfM users in ecology and forestry plan missions and review the quality of products derived from drone photogrammetry products.