bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patterns of genetic variation in a prairie wildflower,Silphium integrifolium, suggest a non-prairie origin and locally adaptive variation
Authors: Raduski Andrew R. , Herman Adam , Pogoda Cloe , Dorn Kevin M. , Van Tassel David L. , Kane Nolan , Brandvain Yaniv
Published: June 2020

Abstract

Premise

Understanding the relationship between genetic structure and geography provides information about a species’ evolutionary history and can be useful to breeders interested in de novo domestication. The North American prairie is especially interesting because of its relatively recent origin and subsequent dramatic fragmentation and degradation.Silphium integrifoliumis an iconic perennial American prairie wildflower targeted for domestication as an oilseed crop. Germplasm in the existing breeding program is derived from accessions collected in restricted geographic regions. We present the first application of population genetic data in this species to address the following goals (1) improve breeding programs by characterizing genetic structure and (2) identify the species geographic origin and potential targets and drivers of selection during range expansion.

Methods

We developed a reference transcriptome as a genotyping reference for samples from throughout the species range. Population genetic analyses were used to describe the distribution of genetic variation and demographic modeling was used to characterize potential processes that shaped variation. Outlier scans for selection and associations with environmental variables were used to identify loci linked to putative targets and drivers of selection.

Key results

Genetic variation partitions samples into three geographic clusters. Patterns of variation and demographic modeling suggest that the species origin is in the American southeast. Breeding program accessions are from the region with lowest observed genetic variation.

Conclusions

This iconic prairie species did not originate within the modern prairie. Breeding programs can be improved by including accessions from outside of the germplasm founding region, which has relatively little variation. The geographic structuring coupled with the identified targets and drivers of adaptation can guide collecting efforts towards populations with beneficial agronomic traits.
Adult Stem Cells and Niche Cells segregate gradually from common precursors that build the adult Drosophila ovary during pupal development
Authors: Reilein Amy , Kogan Helen V. , Misner Rachel , Park Karen Sophia , Kalderon Daniel
Published: June 2020

Adult stem cell function relies on the prior development of appropriate numbers and spatial organization of stem cells and supportive niche cells. Drosophila Follicle Stem Cells (FSCs) present a favorable paradigm for understanding those developmental processes. About sixteen FSCs in an adult germarium produce transit-amplifying Follicle Cells (FCs) from their posterior face and quiescent Escort Cells (ECs) to their anterior. Both ECs and FCs also act as niche cells. Here we show that adult ECs, FSCs and FCs derive from common precursors intermingled with germline cells during pupal development, with progeny of a single precursor commonly including ECs and FSCs, FSCs and FCs, or all three adult cell types. Precursors posterior to germline cells become the first FCs and engulf a largely naked germline cyst projected out of the germarium to form the first egg chamber and set up a key posterior signaling center for regulating adult FSC behavior.
Photoperiodic Effects on Monoamine Signaling & Gene Expression Throughout Development in the Serotonin & Dopamine Systems
Authors: Siemann Justin K. , Williams Piper , Malik Turnee N. , Jackson Chad , Green Noah H. , Emeson Ronald , Levitt Pat , McMahon Douglas G.
Published: June 2020

Photoperiod or the duration of daylight has been implicated as a risk factor in the development of mood disorders. The dopamine and serotonin systems are impacted by photoperiod and are consistently associated with affective disorders. Hence, we evaluated, at multiple stages of postnatal development, the expression of key dopaminergic (TH) and serotonergic (Tph2, SERT,andPet-1) genes, and midbrain monoamine content in mice raised under control Equinox (LD 12:12), Short winter-like (LD 8:16), or Long summerlike (LD 16:8) photoperiods. Focusing in early adulthood, we evaluated the midbrain levels of these serotonergic genes, and also assayed these gene levels in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) with RNAScope. Mice that developed under Short photoperiods demonstrated elevated midbrainTHexpression levels, specifically during perinatal development compared to mice raised under Long photoperiods, and significantly decreased serotonin and dopamine content throughout the course of development. In adulthood, Long photoperiod mice demonstrated decreased midbrainTph2andSERTexpression levels and reducedTph2levels in the DRN compared Short photoperiod mice. Thus, evaluating gene x environment interactions in the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems during multiple stages of development may lead to novel insights into the underlying mechanisms in the development of affective disorders.
Intestinal transkingdom analysis on the impact of antibiotic perturbation in health and critical illness
Authors: Haak Bastiaan W. , Argelaguet Ricard , Kinsella Cormac M. , Kullberg Robert F.J. , Lankelma Jacqueline M. , Hakvoort Theodorus B.M. , Hugenholtz Floor , Kostidis Sarantos , Giera Martin , de Jonge Wouter J. , Schultz Marcus J. , van Gool Tom , van der Poll Tom , de Vos Willem M. , van den Hoek Lia , Wiersinga W. Joost
Published: June 2020

Bacterial microbiota play a critical role in mediating local and systemic immunity, and shifts in these microbial communities have been linked to impaired outcomes in critical illness. Emerging data indicate that other intestinal organisms, including bacteriophages, viruses of eukaryotes, fungi, and protozoa, are closely interlinked with the bacterial microbiota and their host, yet their collective role during antibiotic perturbation and critical illness remains to be elucidated. Here, multi-omics factor analysis (MOFA), a novel computational strategy to systematically integrate viral, fungal and bacterial sequence data, we describe the functional impact of exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics in healthy volunteers and critically ill patients. We observe that a loss of the anaerobic intestinal environment is directly correlated with an overgrowth of aerobic pathobionts and their corresponding bacteriophages, as well as an absolute enrichment of opportunistic yeasts capable of causing invasive disease. These findings further illustrate the complexity of transkingdom interactions within the intestinal environment, and show that modulation of the bacterial component of the microbiome has implications extending beyond this kingdom alone.
Chasing the origin of SARS-CoV-2 in Canada’s COVID-19 cases: A genomics study
Authors: Sjaarda Calvin P , Rustom Nazneen , Huang David , Perez-Patrigeon Santiago , Hudson Melissa L , Wong Henry , Guan T Hugh , Ayub Muhammad , Soares Claudio N , Colautti Robert I , Evans Gerald A , Sheth Prameet M
Published: June 2020

The emergence and global spread of SARS-CoV-2 has had profound social and economic consequences and has shed light on the importance of continued and additional investment in global health and infectious disease surveillance. Identifying changes in viral genomes provides key insights into viral diversity, how viruses spread within populations, and viral strategies for evasion of host immune systems. Here we report twenty-five SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences collected from some of the first COVID-19 cases in eastern Ontario, Canada (March 18-30, 2020). The reported genomes belong to the S-clade (n=2) and G-clade (n=23) of SARS-CoV-2 and contain 45 polymorphic sites including one shared missense and three unique synonymous variants in the gene encoding the spike protein. A phylogenetic analysis enabled the tracing of viral origin and potential transmission into and within Canada. There may be as many as sixteen unique infection events represented in these samples, including at least three that were likely introduced from Europe and seven from the USA. In addition, four separate genomes are each shared by multiple patients, suggesting a common origin or community spread even during this early stage of infection. These results demonstrate how molecular epidemiology and evolutionary phylogenetics can help local health units track origins and vectors of spread for emerging diseases like SARS-CoV-2. Earlier detection and screening in this way could improve the effectiveness of regional public health interventions to prevent future pandemics.
The neural dynamics underlying prioritisation of task-relevant information
Authors: Grootswagers Tijl , Robinson Amanda K. , Shatek Sophia M. , Carlson Thomas A.
Published: June 2020

The human brain prioritises relevant sensory information to perform different tasks. Enhancement of task-relevant information requires flexible allocation of attentional resources, but it is still a mystery how this is operationalised in the brain. We investigated how attentional mechanisms operate in situations where multiple stimuli are presented in the same location and at the same time. In two experiments, participants performed a challenging two-back task on different types of visual stimuli that were presented simultaneously and superimposed over each other. Using electroencephalography and multivariate decoding, we analysed the effect of attention on the neural responses to each individual stimulus. Whole brain neural responses contained considerable information about both the attended and unattended stimuli, even though they were presented simultaneously and represented in overlapping receptive fields. As expected, attention increased the decodability of stimulus-related information contained in the neural responses, but this effect was evident earlier for stimuli that were presented at smaller sizes. Our results show that early neural responses to stimuli in fast-changing displays contain remarkable information about the sensory environment but are also modulated by attention in a manner dependent on perceptual characteristics of the relevant stimuli. Stimuli, code, and data for this study can be found athttps://osf.io/7zhwp/.
Factors Associated with Hospitalization and Disease Severity in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Population of COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Mendy Angelico , Apewokin Senu , Wells Anjanette A. , Morrow Ardythe L.
Published: June 2020

Background

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) first identified in Wuhan in December 2019 became a pandemic within a few months of its discovery. The impact of COVID-19 is due to both its rapid spread and its severity, but the determinants of severity have not been fully delineated.

Objective

Identify factors associated with hospitalization and disease severity in a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of COVID-19 patients.

Methods

We analyzed data from COVID-19 patients diagnosed at the University of Cincinnati health system from March 13, 2020 to May 31, 2020. Severe COVID-19 was defined as admission to intensive care unit or death. Logistic regression modeling adjusted for covariates was used to identify the factors associated with hospitalization and severe COVID-19.

Results

Among the 689 COVID-19 patients included in our study, 29.2% were non-Hispanic White, 25.5% were non-Hispanic Black, 32.5% were Hispanic, and 12.8% were of ‘Other’ race/ethnicity. About 31.3% of patients were hospitalized and 13.2% had severe disease. In adjusted analyses, the sociodemographic factors associated with hospitalization and/or disease severity included older age, non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic race/ethnicity (compared non-Hispanic White), and smoking. The following comorbidities: diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis, and vitamin D deficiency, were associated with hospitalization and/or disease severity. Hematological disorders such as anemia, coagulation disorders, and thrombocytopenia were associated with higher odds of both hospitalization and disease severity.

Conclusion

This study confirms race and ethnicity as predictors of severe COVID-19 and identifies clinical risk factors not previously reported such a vitamin D deficiency, hypercholesterolemia, osteoarthritis, and anemia.
Ultra-fast one-step RT-PCR protocol for the detection of SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Asghari Ehsan , Höving Anna , van Heijningen Paula , Kiel Annika , Krahlemann-Köhler Angela , Lütkemeyer Melanie , Storm Jonathan , Vollmer Tanja , Knabbe Cornelius , Kaltschmidt Barbara , de Vos Gert , Kaltschmidt Christian
Published: June 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lockdowns all over the world thus affecting nearly all aspects of social life and also had a huge impact on global economies. Since vaccines and therapies are still not available for the population, prevention becomes desperately needed. One important aspect for prevention is the identification and subsequent isolation of contagious specimens. The currently used methods for diagnostics are time consuming and also hindered by the limited availability of reagents and reaction costs, thus presenting a bottle neck for prevention of COVID-19 spread. Here, we present a new ultra-fast test method which is ten times faster than conventional diagnostic tests using real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). In addition, this ultra-fast method is easy to handle as well as cost effective. We translated published SARS-CoV-2 testing protocols from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) and the Charité Berlin (Germany) to the NEXTGENPCR (NGPCR) machine and combined it with a fluorescence-based endpoint measurement. Fluorescence was measured with a commercial blue light scanner. We confirmed the NEXTGENPCR results with commercially available positive controls. In addition, we isolated RNA from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and achieved similar results to clinical RT-qPCR assays. Here, we could show correlation between the results obtained by NEXTGENPCR and conventional RT-qPCR.
The effect of reopening policy on COVID-19 related cases and deaths
Authors: Zhou Qiyao
Published: June 2020

By May 29, 2020, all 50 states in the United States had reopened their economies to some extent after the coronavirus lockdown. Although there are many debates about whether states reopened their economies too early, no study has examined this effect quantitatively. This paper takes advantage of the daily cases, deaths, and test data at the state level, and uses the synthetic control method to address this question. I find that reopening the economy caused an additional 2000 deaths in the 6 states (Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas) that reopened before May 1stby three weeks after reopening. It also increased daily confirmed cases by 40%, 52%, and 53% after the first, second, and third week of reopening, respectively. Moreover, contrary to scientists’ prescription that expanding tests is a necessary condition for reopening, these states witnessed a decline in daily tests by 17%, 47%, and 31% after the first, second, and third week of reopening, respectively.
Crystal and geometry-optimized structure of an anthracene-based Diels–Alder adduct
Authors: Hillman Zachary E. , Tanski Joseph M. , Roberts Andrea
Published: June 2020

Computational calculations of an anthracene-based Diels–Alder adduct, namely, 17-ethyl-1-hydroxymethyl-17-azapentacyclo[6.6.5.02,7.09,14.015,19]nonadeca-2,4,6,9,11,13-hexaene-16,18-dione, C21H19NO3, predicting density functional theory (DFT) optimized geometries in the gas phase are compared in terms of accuracy relative to the solid-state crystal structure and computational cost. Crystal structure determination and Hirshfeld surface analysis of the racemic product reveal that the molecules are linked by O—H...O=C hydrogen bonds between the hydroxy and carbonyl groups, accounting for 9.5% of the intermolecular contacts, while H...H contacts represent 56.9% of the total. Boltzmann population analysis of computed relative rotamer abundances in the gas phase are based on lower-level geometry optimization and thermochemical corrections coupled with higher-level electronic energy calculations using the B2PLYP double-hybrid functional. As expected, the choice of density functional has a greater effect than the basis set on accuracy for all levels of theory. For any given functional, increasing the basis set size did not always correlate with increasingly accurate structures. The hybrid functional B3LYP without dispersion correction routinely gave the closest approximations to the crystal structure where the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ combination afforded the best structure (r.m.s. deviation = 0.1314 Å). However, the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory represents the best compromise between accuracy (r.m.s. deviation = 0.1388 Å) and cost as it yielded appreciably accurate results in a fraction of the time compared to other method combinations.
Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 2-{[(4-iodophenyl)imino]methyl}-4-nitrophenol
Authors: Faizi Md. Serajul Haque , Alagöz Tenzile , Ahmed Ruby , Cinar Emine Berrin , Agar Erbil , Dege Necmi , Mashrai Ashraf
Published: June 2020

The title compound, C13H9IN2O3, was synthesized by a condensation reaction between 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzaldehyde and 4-iodoaniline, and crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pna21. The 4-iodobenzene ring is inclined to the phenol ring by a dihedral angle of 39.1 (2)°. The configuration about the C=N double bond is E. The crystal structure features C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions. A Hirshfeld surface analysis of the crystal structure indicates that the most important contributions for the packing arrangement are O...H/H...O (26.9%) and H...H (22.0%) interactions.
Parents' responses to toys representing physical impairment
Authors: Jones Sian , Ali Leanne , Bhuyan Mohona , Dalnoki Laura , Kaliff Alicia , Muir William , Uusitalo Kiia , Uytman Clare
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This study aimed to look at parents' perceptions of a number of different toy prototypes that represented physical impairments and predictors of these perceptions.

Design/methodology/approach

A correlational survey design was used. Parents of children aged 4–10 years who identified their child as having a disability (n = 160) and not as having a disability (n = 166) took part. They rated a number of prototypes for likelihood that their child would enjoy playing with them and completed measures of their responses toward children with disabilities and of their own and their child's direct contact with people with disabilities.

Findings

It was found that, among parents of children who did not declare that their child had a disability, the more open the parents were toward disability, the more contact the children had with other children with disabilities and the more likely they were to consider that their child would like to play with a toy prototype representing a physical impairment. This pattern of results was not found among parents who identified their child as having a disability, where instead positive friendship intentions of parents mediated this association.

Research limitations/implications

These findings have implications for theories informing the positive benefits of disability representation.

Practical implications

These findings indicate different paths through which parents might be moved to purchase toys that represent physical impairments for their children.

Social implications

These findings suggest that representative toys might be associated with an open dialogue around the topic of disability.

Originality/value

This is the first study of the responses of parents to toys that represent physical impairments known to the authors.
Implementing standardised flow: navigating operational and professional dependencies
Authors: Frangeskou Marianna , Lewis Michael A. , Vasilakis Christos
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study had two aims: (1) to extend insight regarding the challenges of implementing standardised work, via care pathways, in a healthcare setting by considering interactions with other operational (i.e. resource sharing, portfolio alignment) and professional (i.e. autonomous expertise) dependencies and (2) to develop novel insights regarding a specific flow mechanism, the stroke nurse practitioner, a form of flow “pilo” or guide.

Design/methodology/approach

This was a longitudinal case study of implementing the acute stroke care pathway in a National Health Service hospital in England based on 185 hours of non-participant observations and 68 semi-structured interviews. Archival documents were also analysed.

Findings

The combined flow, operational and professional dependency lens extends operations management understanding of the challenge of implementing standardised work in healthcare. One observed practice, the process pilot role, may be particularly valuable in dealing with these dependencies but it requires specific design and continuous support, for which the authors provide some initial guidance.

Research limitations/implications

The research was a single case study and was focussed on a single care pathway. The findings require replication and extension but offer a novel set of insights into the implications of standardised work in healthcare.

Originality/value

In addition to confirming that a multidependency lens adds conceptual and practical insight to the challenges of implementing standardised work in a healthcare setting, the findings and recommendations regarding flow “pilots” are novel. The authors' analysis of this role reveals new insights regarding the need for continued improvisation in standardised work.
Enhancing environmentally friendly practices in SME agri-food upstream chains
Authors: Namagembe Sheila
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The study examined the influence of environmental standards set by the SME agro-based processing firms and farmers' environmental empowerment on farmers' adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices; and the mediating role of empowerment on the relationship between SME agro-based processing firm environmental standards and farmers' adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected from purchasing managers of the agro-based processing firms. The SPSS software, SMART PLS and CB-SEM software were used to obtain results on the influence of environmental standards set by the SME agro-based processing firms on adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices; the influence of farmers' environmental empowerment on adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices and the mediating role of farmers' environmental empowerment on the relationship between SME agro-based processing firm environmental standards and farmers' adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

Findings

Findings indicated that SME agro-processing environmental standards have an influence on farmers' adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices. Empowering farmers in environmental issues influenced their adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices. A partial mediation effect was observed on testing the mediating role of farmers' environmental empowerment on the relationship between SME agro-based processing firm environmental standards and farmers' adoption of environmentally friendly practices.

Research limitations/implications

The study mainly focused on the upstream part of agricultural supply chains. The research has implications to decision-makers in government concerned with enhancing environmentally friendly practices among farmers in general.

Originality/value

The influence of SME agro-based processing firm environmental standards on farmers' adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices; the influence of farmers' environmental empowerment on farmers' adoption of environmentally friendly practices; and the mediating role of farmers' environmental empowerment on the relationship between SME agro-based processing firm environmental standards and farmers' adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices are aspects that have not been given significant attention.
Statistical software fault management based on bootstrap confidence intervals
Authors: Dohi Tadashi , Okamura Hiroyuki , Qian Cun Hua
Published: June 2020

Purpose

In this paper, the authors propose two construction methods to estimate confidence intervals of the time-based optimal software rejuvenation policy and its associated maximum system availability via a parametric bootstrap method. Through simulation experiments the authors investigate their asymptotic behaviors and statistical properties.

Design/methodology/approach

The present paper is the first challenge to derive the confidence intervals of the optimal software rejuvenation schedule, which maximizes the system availability in the sense of long run. In other words, the authors concern the statistical software fault management by employing an idea of process control in quality engineering and a parametric bootstrap.

Findings

As a remarkably different point from the existing work, the authors carefully take account of a special case where the two-sided confidence interval of the optimal software rejuvenation time does not exist due to that fact that the estimator distribution of the optimal software rejuvenation time is defective. Here the authors propose two useful construction methods of the two-sided confidence interval: conditional confidence interval and heuristic confidence interval.

Research limitations/implications

Although the authors applied a simulation-based bootstrap confidence method in this paper, another re-sampling-based approach can be also applied to the same problem. In addition, the authors just focused on a parametric bootstrap, but a non-parametric bootstrap method can be also applied to the confidence interval estimation of the optimal software rejuvenation time interval, when the complete knowledge on the distribution form is not available.

Practical implications

The statistical software fault management techniques proposed in this paper are useful to control the system availability of operational software systems, by means of the control chart.

Social implications

Through the online monitoring in operational software systems, it would be possible to estimate the optimal software rejuvenation time and its associated system availability, without applying any approximation. By implementing this function on application programming interface (API), it is possible to realize the low-cost fault-tolerance for software systems with aging.

Originality/value

In the past literature, almost all authors employed parametric and non-parametric inference techniques to estimate the optimal software rejuvenation time but just focused on the point estimation. This may often lead to the miss-judgment based on over-estimation or under-estimation under uncertainty. The authors overcome the problem by introducing the two-sided confidence interval approach.
Consumers’ decision to boycott “unethical” products: the role of materialism/post materialism
Authors: Delistavrou Antonia , Krystallis Athanasios , Tilikidou Irene
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Although boycotting campaigns have been increasing, a limited amount of academic research has been focussed on the antecedents of consumers’ participation in the retail field. This paper presents an examination of consumers’ intentions to boycott the “unethical” supermarket products by a Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) application. Materialism/Post-materialism was incorporated in the research as a moderating variable.

Design/methodology/approach

Personal interviews were taken in a sample (420) selected by a probability sampling method. Structural equation modelling was performed to analyse the data.

Findings

TPB was found powerful to explain boycotting intentions. Consumers, who more strongly intent to boycott, are affected more by social norms than by attitudes and perceived behavioural control. Those consumers believe more strongly that boycotting “unethical” retail products will generate valuable outcomes, will comply with their referents’ expectations and will not be obstructed by any barriers. Post-materialists were found to hold stronger intentions than materialists. Materialists are mostly influenced by their attitudes and their perceived control over participation in boycotting. On the contrary, post-materialists are solely influenced by their feelings regarding social pressure to boycott.

Research limitations/implications

Control for social desirability should be included in future research. National or multinational samples more effective for generalization. The ability of other psychographics or demographics to moderate TPB relationships could be further investigated.

Practical implications

Retailers, who try to avoid potential boycotts, should primarily aim to diminish the social influence towards boycotting. Secondarily, they should aim to decrease the consumers’ positive attitudes and perceived controllability over participation in boycotting. On the other side, consumers’ groups or associations when designing a boycott campaign should address their call targeting to post-materialist consumers. Messages for a boycotting call should enhance the important referents’ pressure towards a friendlier society in which people’s action is able to ethics in the market.

Originality/value

In this study, TPB was expanded by the incorporation of values, namely Materialism/Post-materialism, as a moderating factor.
Motivations of enterprise social media feature set usage
Authors: Sun Yuan , Zhu Mengjie , Jeyaraj Anand
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Enterprise social media (ESM) are widely adopted in the organizations with the aim of improving employees' work performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating effects of work context characteristics on the relationships between proactive motivations and usage behaviors of ESM communication and task collaboration feature sets.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire surveys were used to gather data from 307 randomly chosen Chinese employees, who were also ESM users. The research model was examined using linear regression methods with the SPSS 24 software package.

Findings

The results indicate that work context characteristics (i.e. task interdependence and perceived organizational support) had significant moderating effects on the relationships between proactive motivations and usage behaviors.

Originality/value

By extending the model of proactive motivation to the ESM context, this study directly addresses how users can be energized to use ESM features.
Innovativeness and coopetition in tourism SMEs: comparing two coopetitive networks in Brazil
Authors: Dambiski Gomes de Carvalho Gustavo , Alisson Westarb Cruz June , Gomes de Carvalho Hélio , Carlos Duclós Luiz , Oliveira Corrêa Rúbia
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This research aims to analyze the relations between coopetition and innovation, by comparing two coopetitive tourism SMEs networks in Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

The first network comprises 23 SMEs in Honey Island, a natural reserve, and the second network comprises 21 out of 25 SMEs in the Campos Gerais region, recognized by its strong agribusiness. Innovativeness variables included innovation inputs, capabilities, and outputs; and four types of relations that foster innovation were considered, namely, commercial, informational, knowledge, and partnerships. Social network analysis was employed as well as statistical analyses such as Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Mann–Whitney, Spearman correlation and Fischer'sZtransformation.

Findings

Results show that coopetition is related to SMEs innovativeness. Commercial relations centralities correlated with many innovation outputs, information and knowledge centralities with some innovation inputs and outputs, and partnerships also with capabilities.

Research limitations/implications

Besides contributing to the literature of innovation in tourism, this paper also contributes to the literature on coopetition and innovation by investigating how different types of coopetition relationships foster innovation inputs, capabilities, and outputs.

Practical implications

Managers may benefit from these findings by fostering specific innovation inputs, capabilities, or outputs by means of different coopetition relations. Similarly, regional tourism policy planners may also improve the innovativeness of tourism small businesses by fostering coopetition networks.

Originality/value

This paper not only compares the innovativeness of two small business coopetition networks in the tourism industry but also analyses quantitively in detail how different types of coopetition relations are related to different innovativeness variables.
Terrorist organization “revolutionary organization November 17” and its links and relations with “Carlos the Jackal”
Authors: Repousis Spyridon
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to research for possible interconnection of the Greek terrorist organization “November 17” with the international terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez or “Carlos the Jackal.”

Design/methodology/approach

In this research are discussed documents, visits by Carlos and his team to Greece, operational support through training and supply of weapons to “ELA” and “November 17,” attacks on foreign service targets in Greek territory, reports of close people working with Greek terrorist organizations, terrorist proclamations and interrogation of Carlos.

Findings

Available data indicate their cooperation and their terrorist murderous activity in Greece, which of course needs deeper investigation. “Carlos the Jackal” acted and cooperated in Greece with the two major terrorist organizations, “ELA” and “November 17,” causing material damages and murders.

Practical implications

The research is useful for government authorities, law authorities and offices and the democratic society as a whole.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study examining the specific topic.
Leaders can facilitate creativity: the moderating roles of leader dialectical thinking and LMX on employee creative self-efficacy and creativity
Authors: Han Guohong Helen , Bai Yuntao
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Research has shown that creative self-efficacy is an important antecedent of workplace creativity, but recent research indicates that this relationship may be moderated by contextual factors. The current study investigates whether leader dialectical thinking and leader member exchange moderate the relationship between employee creative self-efficacy and employee creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey sample of 222 employees in 43 teams from Chinese high-tech companies was collected and HLM was used to test our research model.

Findings

The positive association between employee creative self-efficacy and employee creativity was strengthened when a leader displayed a dialectical thinking style. Additional analyses failed to find support for the moderating role of leader-member exchange (LMX).

Research limitations/implications

These findings establish leadership cognitive style as a potential boundary condition of the relationship between creative self-efficacy and employee creativity.

Practical implications

Companies can make an active effort in recruiting and training leaders who have a dialectical mindset as they can play significant roles in facilitating employee creativity.

Social implications

Technological advancement and innovation is important for social welfare. This paper helps to improve the efficiency of creativity processes and finally benefits the whole society.

Originality/value

This is the first introduction of the leader's dialectical thinking as a moderator of the relationship between creative self-efficacy and creativity.
Religions going nuts? Faith-based veganism and transformative learning in the context of sustainability transitions (case 1: The Hare Krishna movement)
Authors: Lestar Tamas
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper is based on several years of ethnographic and desk-based research studying the Hare Krishna movement. The work is the first in a series exploring how segments of specific faith communities embrace dietary veganism and how this relates to the concept of transformational learning/change in the context of sustainability transitions. The focus is on how these communities embrace a plant-based diet representing different rationales and attitudes of learning in the process of organisational change.

Design/methodology/approach

I investigated Krishna practices extensively by visiting and volunteering in several of its farm communities in Europe. I used the mixed method of qualitative observations, participation, in-depth interviews and email interviews during a period of ten weeks spent in the communities altogether. I had not been in contact with Hare Krishna believers before the fieldwork.

Findings

Krishna veganism is analysed in the context of sustainability transitions by drawing on the concept of transformative (third-order) learning/change. Findings reveal an unexpected tendency to veganism despite the movement's worldview and radical commitment to dairy consumption. By calling into question their own collective dietary paradigm, the Hare Krishna community provides an exemplary case of third-order learning and change in an organisational context.

Originality/value

The paper invites scholars to include third-order learning into sustainability transitions frameworks while aiming to address the shortcomings of theorising levels of learning. The connection between Krishna veganism, third-order learning and sustainability transitions has not been put forward before.
Impact of bookshelf locations using eye-tracking methodology
Authors: Sato Sho , Eto Yukari , Iwaki Kotomi , Oyanagi Tadashi , Yasuma Yu
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This study aimed to understand better the user gaze behavior on bookshelves using eye-tracking technology.

Design/methodology/approach

An eye-tracking experiment in a public library with 11 participants was performed. The impact of vertical shelf location of books on the number of times the books are looked at, the impact of horizontal location and the relationship between user behavior and location impact were examined by the findings.

Findings

The results showed that the vertical location of books has a significant impact on the number of times the books are looked at. More than 80% of the time spent looking at bookshelves was spent on books on the top to fourth rows. It was also revealed that the horizontal location of books has a little impact. Books located on the left side of shelves will be looked at significantly more often than those on the right side. No significant relationships between type of user behaviors and location impact were observed.

Originality/value

The study explored the impact of the vertical location of books on time spent looking at bookshelves using eye-tracking methodology. Few published studies do such experiments to address user gaze behavior on bookshelves. The study explored that the vertical location of books has a great impact, and horizontal location has a little impact on user gaze behavior.
Evaluating the Use of Covariance‐Based Structural Equation Modelling with Reflective Measurement in Organizational and Management Research: A Review and Recommendations for Best Practice
Authors: Zhang Mary F. , Dawson Jeremy F. , Kline Rex B.
Published: June 2020

Covariance‐based structural equation modelling (CB‐SEM) with reflective measurement has been a popular data analysis tool in organizational and management research. Extensive studies and guidelines have been published on what constitutes its best practice. What is much less known is the extent to which CB‐SEM users in organizational and management research comprehend and adhere to the standards and principles behind this advanced analytical technique. In this study, we first devised an evaluation scheme to assess the quality of CB‐SEM performed in a study, and then utilized this scheme to examine 144 CB‐SEM studies published in 12 top organizational and management journals between 2011 and 2016. The evaluation of the published studies revealed a pressing need for more systematic and standardized approaches to planning, conducting and reporting CB‐SEM studies. We discussed the implication of the findings for future work.
Single‐fraction stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy for sternal metastases in oligometastatic breast cancer: Technique and single institution experience
Authors: Li Michelle P , Kelly Dianne , Tan Jennifer , Siva Shankar , Kron Tomas , David Steven
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Due to size and close proximity to skin, the sternum is a complicated target for stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR). This is a retrospective case series of single‐fraction SABR to sternal metastasis in patients with oligometastatic breast cancer.

Methods

Between June 2014 and June 2018, ten breast cancer patients received 20 Gy in 1 fraction to a solitary sternal metastasis. Eligible patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2, oligometastatic disease (defined as 1–5 metastases) and a controlled primary site. Patients were treated with 3‐dimensional conformal radiotherapy, each patient case comprising of> 6 coplanar beams and 2–6 non‐coplanar beams. Local control, pain response and adverse events were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

The median planned target volumes were 84.75cc (range, 14.4–197.8cc). The median conformity index was 1.29 (range, 1.2–1.49). At a median follow‐up of 32 months, nine patients achieved in‐field control. Two patients had triple negative disease, one of them developed marginal recurrence, and the other had in‐field recurrence. Seven patients had sternal pain prior to SABR, and within 3 months after SABR treatment, the pain improved (n = 3) or resolved (n = 2). Four patients developed acute grade 1 and 2 skin reactions, and two patients had late grade 1 skin reactions. There were no grade 3 or 4 toxicities.

Conclusion

Our case series demonstrates safety of SABR with associated disease control and analgesic benefit in selected patients with oligometastatic breast cancer. The marginal recurrence observed in this cohort suggests wider margins could be beneficial to account for microscopic disease.
A virtue ethics critique of ethical dimensions of behavioral economics
Authors: Koehn Daryl
Published: June 2020

Behavioral economics is the latest trendy form of economics. Increasingly theorists are advocating using behavioral economics to do normative ethics or claiming that the behavioralists’ findings render normative claims otiose. I argue in this paper that we should be extremely wary when it comes to accepting any such normative pronouncements. I argue that behavioral economics: (a) minimizes and/or misunderstands the role that character and architectonic life goals play in accounting for the why of ethical behavior, (b) fundamentally misconceives human practical rationality, (c) often unduly narrows the range of human action and choice, (d) misleadingly assumes that options are merely given to us rather than generated by us in accordance with our character, (e) is parasitic upon normative ethics, (f) results in an unhelpful ad hoc approach to ethical thinking, which is unlikely to prove all that useful and may even dangerously mislead ordinary agents or those who operate corporate compliance programs and who seek to improve corporate cultures, and (g) ignores the key role played in ethical behavior by meso‐ and macro‐factors.
The loss or absence of minimal residual disease of <0·1% at any time after two cycles of consolidation chemotherapy in CBFB–MYH11‐positive acute myeloid leukaemia indicates poor prognosis
Authors: Duan Wenbing , Liu Xiaohong , Jia Jinsong , Wang Jing , Gong Lizhong , Jiang Qian , Zhao Ting , Wang Yu , Zhang Xiaohui , Xu Lanping , Zhao Xiaosu , Qin Yazhen , Shi Hongxia , Chang Yingjun , Huang Xiaojun , Jiang Hao
Published: June 2020

No consensus has been reached on the relationship between CBFB‐MYH11 copies and prognosis. Of 1525 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, 58 with CBFB‐MYH11‐positive AML (16/58 patients with c‐kit mutation) were retrospectively analyzed with a median follow‐up duration of 29.8 (range: 4.8–74.4) months. Of these, 25/58 (43.1%) patients underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT), 10 of whom had the c‐kit mutation. Of the 33 patients who did not undergo allo‐HSCT, recurrence in patients with CBFB‐MYH11/ABL level >0.1% at any time after two consolidation cycles was significantly higher than in patients with CBFB‐MYH11/ABL level <0.1% (61.9% vs. 0%, P = 0.001); further, the 3‐year relapse‐free survival (RFS; 31.4% vs. 100%, P = 0.004) and event‐free survival (EFS; 33.1% vs. 100%, P = 0.004) were significantly decreased in patients with CBFB‐MYH11/ABL level >0.1% at any time after two consolidation cycles. The 3‐year RFS and EFS rates were lower in patients who did not receive allo‐HSCT than in those who did (31.4% vs 84.6%, P = 0.000; 31.4% vs. 80.8%, P = 0.001). CBFB‐MYH11‐positive AML patients with CBFB‐MYH11/ABL level >0.1% at any time after two cycles of consolidation had poor prognoses, and allo‐HSCT could improve their survival.
The Disappearing “Advantage of Abstract Examples in Learning Math”
Authors: Trninic Dragan , Kapur Manu , Sinha Tanmay
Published: June 2020

When teaching a novel mathematical concept, should we present learners with abstract or concrete examples? In this experiment, we conduct a critical replication and extension of a well‐known study that argued for the general advantage of abstract examples (Kaminski, Sloutsky, & Heckler, 2008a). We demonstrate that theoretically motivated yet minor modifications of the learning design put this argument in question. A key finding from this study is that participants who trained with improved concrete examples performed as well as, or better than, participants who trained with abstract examples. We argue that the previously reported “advantage of abstract examples” manifested not because abstract examples are advantageous in general, but because the concrete condition employed suboptimal examples.
Narco‐Fish: Global fisheries and drug trafficking
Authors: Belhabib Dyhia , Le Billon Philippe , Wrathall David J.
Published: June 2020

This study analyses drug trafficking associated with fisheries around the globe. Records of vessel interdiction carried out between 2010 and 2017 suggest that the global trade of illicit drugs relies increasingly on fishing vessels. Fishery‐based trafficking is growing. A key obstacle to understanding the scope of this problem is the limited data on activities that are intentionally obscured, such as drug trafficking. Using a Fermi estimation technique for determining unknown values from limited data, we analyse 292 known cases of fishing boats engaged in drug shipment between 2010 and 2017. Results suggest that drug shipment sizes per vessel are becoming smaller over time, even as the total flow of drugs is increasing. Counter‐drug enforcement intensifies this effect, suggesting that drug trafficking networks adapt to interdiction efforts making use of smaller vessels to lower the risk of seizure. The use of fishing vessels in drug trans‐shipment has tripled over the past 8 years to about 15% of the global retail value of illicit drugs. Small‐scale fishers are at risk of turning to drug trade as an economic buffer against poverty, especially in contexts of mounting competition over declining fish stocks or strict marine conservation. At the same time, illicit capital flowing from the narcotics trade into fisheries may be driving over‐capitalization of fisheries and unsustainable resource use, ultimately to the detriment of resource‐dependent coastal communities and marine ecosystems. Future research is needed to better understand whether and how small‐scale fishermen turn to drug trade to counter livelihood risks of various kinds.