bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting future use intention of fitness apps among fitness app users in the United Kingdom: the role of health consciousness
Authors: Damberg Svenja
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study replicates and extends the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) to explain the drivers of future use intention of fitness apps among users. It extends existing theory by investigating continuance usage and adding health consciousness as a driver; an extension, which has implications for future studies on emerging technologies in the health care sector and beyond.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on the UTAUT2, the author built a path model of future app-use intention. A survey involving 591 respondents from the United Kingdom was conducted, and the data was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results of this study confirm that five drivers explain future use intention, namely habit, perceived playfulness, health consciousness, perceived performance and price value. These findings have implications for sports marketing theory and practice, as well as for policymakers, in that health consciousness is important for fitness app adoption, which in turn has repercussions for entire health care systems.

Originality/value

This study makes two main contributions. It extends technology acceptance theory by using a sample of users to explain future use intention of fitness apps and adds the construct health consciousness as a nontechnological element of the continuance usage of fitness apps to the model. The result is a path model that confirms the importance of personal health consciousness and potential generalizability to future health industry technologies with further implications for sports marketing management theory and practice.
Transaction costs and inter-organizational relations between farmers and farm product buyers in Ghana
Authors: Adaku Abigail Ampomah , Amanor-Boadu Vincent
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of what motivates farmers to participate in inter-organizational relationships with farm product buyers. Interest in inter-organizational relationships in the Ghanaian agri-food sector has been stimulated in recent years by policies seeking to reduce farmers’ market risks while improving buyers’ access to commodity inputs. The decision of how to sell farm produce is an economic imperative for the farmer; therefore, the coexistence of spot markets and inter-organizational relationships suggests that the farmers who use them must be having some gains from them.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed binary logit regression using both qualitative and quantitative data and the transactions cost theory to understand the Ghanaian farmers’ motivation for participating in inter-organizational relationships.

Findings

This study found that a farmer having better information regarding product buyers’ needs was an important motivator for participation. The farmers’ certainty about the price they would get and the quantity they would sell were also major factors that motivated farmers’ participation. Again, the motivation to engage in inter-organizational relationships with processors was also influenced by the nature of the crop. Fruit farmers, for example, were 3.7 times more likely to participate in these relationships than non-fruit farmers.

Research limitations/implications

This study considered analysis at the farmer level. However, some farmers produced multiple crops. This means that the farmers who participate in inter-organizational relations with buyers for one crop enterprise may be nonparticipant with the other crop(s). Future studies could target analysis at the crop level while accounting for the associated transactions costs.

Originality/value

This study explores how a combination of transaction costs theory and the different crops that farmers produce explains farmers’ decision to participate in inter-organizational relationships.
Is precise description in advertising always better than vague ones? – From an accessibility-diagnosability theoretical perspective
Authors: Huang Minxue , Hu Xiu , Zheng Shiyong
Published: August 2021

Purpose

There is always a matching effect in advertising persuasion – the information that matches product characteristics or target consumer characteristics is considered to be relatively more persuasive. Based on the accessibility-diagnosability theory, this paper discusses the influence of the matching degree between the information presentation (vague description and precise description) and product attribute (vertical attribute and horizontal attribute) on people's attitudes toward advertising.

Design/methodology/approach

Study 1 aims to explore the impact of the matching effect of different information presentation methods (precise presentation vs vague presentation) and product attribute (horizontal attribute vs vertical attribute) on consumers' attitudes toward advertising; secondary data was used to support this research. Study 2 mainly used the situational simulated experiment to examine the results of study 1, and further explored the mediating mechanism of its matching effect.

Findings

The authors found that the matching degree between the information presentation method and product attribute will positively affect the fluency of advertising information processing, that is, the use of vague description of product vertical attribute can positively affect consumers' extraction fluency; while the use of precise description of product horizontal attribute can positively affect consumers' processing fluency, and both extraction fluency and processing fluency will positively affect consumers' attitude toward the advertisement.

Originality/value

An essential enlightenment of the research is that it sheds light on the interaction between product attribute (vertical attribute vs horizontal attribute) with the information presentation method (vague description vs precise description) from the perspective of accessibility-diagnosability theory, which explains consumers' information processing mechanisms in dealing with different advertising information.
Stress resilience: researching a key competence for professionals in communication management
Authors: Ziegele Daniel , Zerfass Ansgar
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Nowadays, communication practitioners are well-equipped with all kinds of skills and competencies. Nevertheless, those capabilities seem not to prevent professionals from stress and burnout. Stress resilience, i.e. the ability to deal with high demands at work, to cope with and recover from stress, seems to be a missing competence. This study sheds light on this important, but barely discussed aspect of communication management.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach was applied to understand sources of stress and to identify opportunities to build stress resilience competence. Therefore, 40 in-depth interviews with senior leaders and young professionals in 30 agencies in the largest countries on two continents were conducted (United States vs Germany).

Findings

This study revealed common and threat drivers of stress. Overall, the work environment can be summarised as highly demanding and multifaceted, where stress resilience might be a useful competence to have to be successful and to be protected against negative stress outcomes such as burnout. The study identifies several reasons why resilient professionals are more successful in coping with stress. It is further shown that most communication agencies in the sample have already implemented programmes to increase employees' resilience.

Originality/value

This study offers an alternative view on the much-debated future of work by using an interdisciplinary approach and large-scale, qualitative insights from the agency environment. A novel concept is introduced that can stimulate further research.
Formal and informal sustainability reporting: an insight from a mining company’s subsidiary in Ghana
Authors: Amoako Kwame Oduro , Amoako Isaac Oduro , Tuffour James , Marfo Emmanuel Opoku
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Using a subsidiary of a multinational mining company in Ghana as a case, the purpose of this study is to examine the formal and informal forms and channels of sustainability reporting in the emerging economy’s context.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted amongst managers and employees of the mining company and members of their host community. Based on the interview themes, archival data were extracted from the 2020 Integrated Annual Report of the case company to corroborate the results from the interviews.

Findings

The authors found that most of the stakeholders from the host community interviewed were not aware and, to an extent, not interested in formal sustainability reports. In place of that, the management of the mining subsidiary uses informal channels of communication, including meetings and durbars, to verbally engage the local community and their representatives on sustainability matters. Whilst the formal sustainability reports met the internal requirements set by the parent company, the informal engagements were critical for gaining external legitimacy from the host community and other interest groups. Hence, the authors argue that mining companies and their subsidiaries, particularly in developing economies, need to consider informal forms of sustainability reporting alongside the formal channels to engage local communities to address sustainability issues and avert disruptions to their operations.

Originality/value

Sustainability reporting studies have focussed mainly on annual reports published in print or corporate websites, ignoring informal forms of sustainability reporting. This study sheds light on the informal forms of sustainability reporting. This is important as formal forms of sustainability reporting may be less useful for engaging local mining communities in developing economy contexts.
Effectiveness of an oral hygiene promoting program for elementary school students using a smartphone endomicroscope in Thailand
Authors: Sarayuthpitak Jintana , Rodpipat Sarinya , Ekgasit Sanong , Ravizza Dean M.
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of oral hygiene promoting program (OHPP) using a smartphone endomicroscope among students in elementary schools in Bangkok, Thailand, to enable their oral hygiene maintenance and to compare oral health outcomes in the intervention program between the experimental and control groups.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a quasi-experimental research study consisting of two groups, a pretest, a posttest and a follow-up design. The student sample consisted of 59 fifth graders who matched the study criteria on medium and low levels of teeth brushing skills. There were 29 experimental group participants who completed the six-week OHPP using a smartphone endomicroscope. Another 30 participants formed the control group involved in the ordinary oral health education program. The comparison data for oral health behaviors (knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP)) and oral hygiene were statistically analyzed by using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).

Findings

Results indicated that the experimental group exhibited higher oral health behaviors regarding KAPs and oral hygiene related to teeth cleanliness and gum health than the control group in the postexperimental and follow-up phases. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups with regard to tongue cleanliness.

Originality/value

The students maintain their own oral hygiene due to a provision of activities related to KAP concerns. The instrument helped the students to find tooth decay and dental plaque associated with teeth cleanliness after brushing their teeth.
Care transition for complex patients: a framework to analyse and develop the Operating Centres for Transition
Authors: Zazzera Angelica , Ferrara Lucia , Tozzi Valeria Domenica
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Transitional care (TC) models emerged to ensure healthcare coordination and continuity, as at-risk patients transfer between different settings or different levels of care within the same setting. TC models have been developed in many countries as well as within different healthcare service delivery models and organizations. This paper aims to focus on a TC model developed in Italy called Operating Centre for Transition (OCT), in order to (1) explore its distinctive features by establishing a framework of analysis, (2) apply the framework to study two OCTs and (3) provide recommendations on how to use the framework to evaluate and develop new OCTs in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopted a grounded theory method to develop and validate the framework of analysis. The authors employed several qualitative methods following four iterative and recursive steps: (1) desk analysis of relevant documents, (2) in-depth interviews to key informants, (3) three meetings of an expert working group and (4) application of the framework to two case studies.

Findings

The framework of analysis identifies three core dimensions that are always present in any OCT: the service model, the functions and the organizational features. Moreover, for every dimension several variables that capture and understand OCTs’ nature, role and development level are identified.

Originality/value

The results of the study highlight the key elements of the OCT model in Italy and show that the proposed framework can be useful both to analyse existing OCTs and to support health managers and policy makers to create new OCTs or develop those already active.
Debunking Ford’s relation to the past: history as “Bunk” in Emersonian perspective
Authors: Watt Peter
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to reconsider the significance of Henry Ford’s claim that “History is more or less bunk”. It argues that this seemingly philistine remark can be understood as a specific historiographical position which informed Ford’s wider worldview, management approach and philosophy of industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on primary philosophical works, secondary criticism and archival evidence. These sources detail the context in which the claim was made, the ideas underpinning its articulation and the conceptual basis on which Ford’s wider perspectives and contributions to historical experience can be interpreted.

Findings

This paper interprets Ford’s claim as a gesture of allegiance to a deeper cultural sensibility that was informed by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s transcendental view of history.

Practical implications

In addition to offering a rereading of Ford’s historiographical position, Emerson’s thought is discussed in relation to Ford’s subsequent “living history” project (Greenfield Village), which is considered the materialisation of his historical and industrial worldview.

Originality/value

This interpretation reveals how a specific historiographical position held by one of the twentieth century’s leading industrialists offers new insights into his wider worldview and philosophy of industry. It contributes to recent studies that challenge taken-for-granted narratives in management history and recent work that has highlighted the influence of transcendental principles on Ford’s philosophy of industry.
“It’s real life, isn’t it?” Integrated simulation teaching in undergraduate psychiatry education – a qualitative study
Authors: Greenstone Harriet , Wooding Katie
Published: August 2021

Purpose

High-fidelity simulation has well-established educational value. However, its use in psychiatry remains underexplored. This study explores medical students’ experiences of high-fidelity simulation teaching during their psychiatry placements. A session was delivered on “psychiatric emergencies”, set in a simulated emergency department, with equal emphasis on the management of physical and psychiatric aspects of patient care. This paper aims to report on student attitudes to high-fidelity simulation teaching in psychiatry, as well as student attitudes to “integrated” teaching (i.e. covering both physical and psychiatric knowledge).

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with medical students at a UK university. This exploratory approach generated rich qualitative data. Thematic analysis was used.

Findings

High-fidelity simulation teaching in psychiatry is well regarded by medical students, and helps students recognise that psychiatric problems can present in any clinical setting. This study has demonstrated that students value this type of “integrated” teaching, and there is potential for this approach to be more widely adopted in undergraduate health-care professional education. High-fidelity simulation could also be considered for incorporation in undergraduate examinations.

Originality/value

To the best of their knowledge, the authors are the first to conduct an in-depth exploration of attitudes to simulation teaching specifically in psychiatry. The authors are also the first to directly explore student attitudes to “integrated” teaching of psychiatry and physical health topics. The results will support the effective planning and delivery of simulation teaching in psychiatry, the planning of undergraduate summative assessments and will likely be of interest to health-care professionals, educational leads, simulation practitioners and students.
Religion and mental health among older adults in Thailand: a national survey study
Authors: Klangrit Suriya , Perrodin David D. , Siripaprapakon Yasotara , Choudhry Fahad Riaz , Intaranggkul Thittayawadee , Pratoomkaew Suthat , Khemsiri Khunthong , Saengrung Kan , Vachirayano Watchara
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the association between mental health and religion among Thailand’s elderly population. The role of religion and culture remains limited despite the significant number of devout followers of religions in Thailand. Thai cultural and religious contexts have a dominant and persuasive influence on the lives of Thai older adults.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected in 2018 via face-to-face interaction using a structured questionnaire by the Thailand National Statistical Office. The sample consisted of 67,454 individuals, with 13,800 elderly Thai people aged 60 years or older selected for the study.

Findings

The results showed logistic regression with the association between religious activities and mental health in the understudied context of Buddhist elderly in Thailand. The variables were significantly associated with mental health at a 95% confidence level.

Originality/value

The model revealed that particular demographic and socioeconomic factors (age, education and marital status) were related to mental health for older adults. Regression analysis also revealed Buddhist religious activities (giving food to monks, mediation, monkhood, New Year praying, learning Dhamma for solving life’s problems, belief in Buddhism and practicing Buddhist principles) were significantly associated with the mental health of the older adult population in Thailand.
Survival mode: how Latin American family firms are coping with the pandemic
Authors: Ramírez-Solís Edgar Rogelio , Fonseca Maria , Sandoval-Arzaga Fernando , Amoros Ernesto
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The main objective of this manuscript is to describe the current situation of a sample of family business and their response to COVID-19 pandemic. This exploratory study analyzes a series of challenges faced by this type of firm in Latin America. This study puts special focus on how the pandemic is impacting transgenerational and family entrepreneurship and the sense of legacy in family businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors performed an online survey during June–July 2020. The survey includes 20 questions to owners or executives of family businesses about how they had been facing the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic in their companies. The authors received 194 valid respondents from firms that have their headquarters in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Chile and other Latin American countries.

Findings

The empirical analysis shows that family firms in Latin America have managed to survive and stay current through family entrepreneurship, protecting their heritage and relying on legacy. Out of four main competencies, “family entrepreneurship” was the most important on which business families relied to face this crisis.

Research limitations/implications

The authors were able to gather information from just under 300 participants. However, the authors decided to take into account only those complete responses in the survey, so the present analysis was carried out on the valid sample of 194 respondents.

Practical implications

The results of this study show that business families have managed to survive and stay current through family entrepreneurship, protecting their heritage and relying on legacy. Strategic leadership and intergenerational dynamics alone are not enough to face this crisis.

Social implications

Family firms, like other companies, have shifted their mindset over the last months from “how can we grow” to “how can we survive”. Consequently, what competencies are necessary to develop so that family businesses can cope with this and the following crises? How are Mexico and Latin America’s family-owned businesses navigating the economic disruptions resulting from COVID-19? This paper explores the role of family firms in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Originality/value

This study provides an overview of the coping mechanisms that some family businesses are implementing to overcome the challenges during the pandemic, putting focus on the specific context of Latin America. Family businesses represent approximately 60% of the region’s GDP, so their survival is completely relevant in terms of not only economic impact but also social development. Future research and implications are discussed.
More invisible and vulnerable: the impact of COVID-19 on older persons in displacement in Durumi IDP camp Abuja, Nigeria
Authors: Ekoh Prince Chiagozie , Agbawodikeizu Patricia Uju , George Elizabeth Onyedikachi , Ezulike Chigozie Donatus , Okoye Uzoma Odera
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has further intensified the vulnerability of older persons in displacement and rendered them more unseen. This study aims at exploring the impact of COVID-19 on older people in displacement.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained using semi-structured interviews from 12 older persons at Durumi IDP camp Abuja, while observing strict infection control measures. The data were inductively coded with Nvivo and analysed thematically.

Findings

Findings revealed that the economic and psychosocial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased older persons in displacement poverty, psychological stress and placed them at risk of ageism, social isolation and may subsequently lead to secondary displacement, thereby losing all progress, development and resilience built after initial displacement.

Social implications

This paper concluded by encouraging the need for all stakeholders to pay more attention to this invisible yet vulnerable group to ensure no one is left behind as people fight through this pandemic and its social implications.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the impact of COVID-19 on older people in displacement in Nigeria. This is because they have been relatively invisible to research endeavours.
Creating environmental sustainability: determining factors of water resources information disclosure among Chinese enterprises
Authors: Yu Hui-Cheng
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to use stakeholder theory and the guanxi perspective to examine the determining factors of water resources information disclosure among Chinese enterprises in the context of authoritarian and normative pressures.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis is first applied to analyze the environmental sustainability reports of the sample enterprises from 2010 to 2017. Afterward, logistic regression analysis is used to analyze the coded data and examine the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The empirical evidence shows that having the state as the largest shareholder is positively, but not significantly, related to disclosure of water resources information. Water-sensitive industries are positively and significantly related to the disclosure of water resources information. Guanxi is negatively related to disclosure of water resources information, but not to the level of significance. The effect of the interaction term (Guanxi × Large) on disclosure is negative and also significant.

Practical implications

It is necessary for enterprises to build environmental awareness, increase information transparency for better communication with stakeholders and also establish accountability mechanisms. For effective disclosure and higher information transparency, the Chinese Government should take measures to avoid the disruption of guanxi and ensure effective enforcement of laws.

Social implications

Industrial organizations or supervisory institutions are advised to encourage firms to build awareness of water-related risks and environmental sustainability and to improve how they disclose water resources information to stakeholders.

Originality/value

This study offers evidence of the determining factors of water resources information disclosure, a topic that has been rarely studied before. The evidence sheds light on how firms, especially those in China, have dealt with disclosure of water resources information in the context of authoritarian and normative pressures.
Thermal performance of retrofitted secondary glazed windows in residential buildings – two cases from Australia
Authors: Bulut Mehmet Börühan , Wilkinson Sara , Khan Aila , Jin Xiao-Hua , Lee Chyi Lin
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study presents the results of empirical measurements of the thermal performance of retrofitted secondary glazed windows, involving installation of an additional windowpane, in a residential context in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

In situ temperature measurements were collected from the surfaces of retrofitted secondary glazed windows in two residential buildings in the Australian Capital Territory. The heat loss savings and subsequently the electricity savings were calculated based on these temperature measurements.

Findings

Heat loss reductions of up to 60.8% and electricity savings of up to 9.96% could be achieved by retrofitting single glazed windows with secondary glazing. The findings suggest that the thermal performance of retrofitted secondary glazed windows is comparable to double glazed windows.

Practical implications

Multiple glazed windows provide better energy efficiency, thermal and acoustic performance compared to single glazed windows. It is estimated, however, that 85% Australian buildings still have single glazed windows. Secondary glazing has emerged as a cost-efficient and easier-to-install alternative to double glazed windows. The results of this research can contribute to a wider market uptake of secondary glazed windows in Australia by showing that they have similar thermal performance to double glazed windows.

Originality/value

This research is a first attempt to empirically measure the thermal performance of retrofitted secondary glazed windows with an additional windowpane in a residential setting in Australia. Secondary glazing is the provision of an additional windowpane to the original single glazed window. Previous studies in Australia have focused on performance of double glazed windows.
Moral capital of CSR and firm performance: Does a shift from voluntary to mandatory policy matter in an Indian context?
Authors: Oware Kofi Mintah , Iddrisu Abdul-Aziz
Published: August 2021

Purpose

There is a current agitation by community leaders, global leaders and society on the morality aspect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of firms. The change in policy raises the question of whether moral capital is affected. Therefore, this study aims to examine whether the shift from voluntary to mandatory reporting increases the moral capital of CSR and also whether moral capital affects the firm performance of listed firms in India.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines 800 firm-year observations on the Bombay Stock Exchange (split into 320 firm-year observations for the voluntary period and 480 firm-year observations for the mandatory period). This study uses panel regression with random effect assumptions for data interpretation.

Findings

The first findings show that a shift from voluntary to mandatory policy on CSR increases the moral capital value of listed firms in India. The second and third findings show that voluntary reporting of moral capital has no significant association with market performance (stock price returns [SPR]) or firm value (Tobin’sq). The fourth findings show a negative and statistically significant association between mandatory reporting of moral capital and SPR but an insignificant association with Tobin’sq. This study conducted a robustness test, and results show that the previous year 1 and 2 moral capital for voluntary and mandatory periods has no association with SPR and Tobin’sq.

Originality/value

Although prior research has examined the effect of change in policy from voluntary to mandatory reporting on firm performance, little is known about the impact of moral capital on firm performance for the emerging economies, including India.
Factors influencing the acceptance of private and public blockchain-based collaboration among supply chain practitioners: a parallel mediation model
Authors: Giri Gayathri , Manohar Hansa Lysander
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Drawing inspiration from the organizational information processing theory, the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of motivation, this study aims to examine the acceptance of private and public blockchain technology-based collaboration among supply chain practitioners.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 257 samples were collected through a survey from supply chain practitioners. The study used parallel mediators of perceived usefulness (extrinsic motivation) and perceived ease of use (intrinsic motivation) to measure behavioral intention to use.

Findings

The results reveal that partial mediation exists between blockchain-based collaboration (private and public) and behavioral intention to use. For perceived usefulness, a stronger mediating effect was found between private blockchain-based collaboration and behavioral intention to use. For perceived ease of use, a stronger mediating effect was found between public blockchain-based collaboration and behavioral intention to use.

Originality/value

By integrating insights from the organizational information processing theory, the TAM and the theory of motivation, this study provides an in-depth understanding of how the distinct features of information processing in blockchain technology-based collaboration influence the supply chain practitioners’ to accept it. The novelty and results of the study expand the existing literature and pave the way for future research.
Investigation into rotary mode ultrasonic drilling of bioceramic: an experimental study with PSO-TLBO based evolutionary optimization
Authors: Singh Ravi Pratap , Kumar Narendra , Gupta Ashutosh Kumar , Painuly Madhusudan
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate experimentally the effect of several input process factors, namely, feed rate, spindle speed, ultrasonic power and coolant pressure, on hole quality measures (penetration rate [PR] and chipping diameter [CD]) in rotary mode ultrasonic drilling of macor bioceramic material.

Design/methodology/approach

The main experiments were planned using the response surface methodology (RSM). Scanning electron microscopy was also used to examine and study the microstructure of machined samples. This study revealed the existence of dominant brittle fracture and little plastic flow that resulted in a material loss from the base work surface. Experiment findings have shown the dependability and adequacy of the proposed mathematical model.

Findings

The percentage of brittle mode deformation rises as the penetration depth of abrasives increases (at increasing levels of feed rate). This was due to the fact that at greater depths of indentation, material loss begins in the form of bigger chunks and develops inter-granular fractures. These stated causes have provided an additional advantage to increasing the CD over the machined rod of bioceramic. The desirability method was also used to optimize multi-response measured responses (PR and CD). The mathematical model created using the RSM method will be very useful in industrial revelation. Furthermore, the investigated answers’ particle swarm optimization (PSO) and teacher-learner-based optimization (TLBO) make the parametric analysis more relevant and productive for real-life industrial practices.

Originality/value

Macor bioceramic has been widely recognized as one of the most highly demanded innovative dental ceramics, receiving expanded industry approval because of its outstanding and superior characteristics. However, effective and efficient processing remains a problem. Among the available contemporary machining methods introduced for processing typical and advanced materials, rotary mode ultrasonic machining has been identified as one of the best suitable candidates for precise processing of macor bioceramics, as this process produces thermal damage-free profiles, as well as high accuracy and an increased material removal rate. The optimized combined setting obtained using PSO is feed rate = 0.16 mm/s, spindle speed = 4,500 rpm, ultrasonic power = 60% and coolant pressure = 280 kPa with the value of fitness function is 0.0508. The optimized combined setting obtained using TLBO is feed rate = 0.06 mm/s, spindle speed = 2,500 rpm, ultrasonic power = 60% and coolant pressure = 280 kPa with the value of fitness function is 0.1703.
Clinical characteristics and health‐care resource utilization in patients with generalized pustular psoriasis using real‐world evidence from the Japanese Medical Data Center database
Authors: Okubo Yukari , Kotowsky Nirali , Gao Ran , Saito Kumiko , Morita Akimichi
Published: August 2021

Little is known about the disease burden, health‐care resource utilization (HCRU), or treatment of patients with generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) in Japan. This retrospective cohort study used data from the Japanese Medical Data Center database to compare the demographics, comorbidities, and medication use of patients with GPP and plaque psoriasis and estimate their all‐cause HCRU. The patient selection period was from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019, and patients must have had at least one confirmed inpatient claim or outpatient claim for GPP or plaque psoriasis. During the 12‐month follow‐up period, 110 patients with GPP and 20,254 patients with plaque psoriasis were identified. An age‐ and sex‐matched (4:1) comparator control cohort, including members of the general population without a diagnosis of psoriasis (but allowing for a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis), GPP, or palmoplantar pustulosis, was used. The most prevalent comorbidities in patients with GPP included allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, hypertension, and peptic ulcer disease. Patients with GPP were more likely to experience more comorbidities than those with plaque psoriasis, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial pneumonia, hyperuricemia and gout, tonsillitis, psoriatic arthritis, other psoriasis, and osteoporosis. Patients with GPP were more likely to be treated with a combination therapy than those with plaque psoriasis (65.5% vs 21.7%, respectively) and less likely to be treated with a topical medication alone (20.9% vs 50.8%). Patients with GPP had more outpatient visits than patients in the plaque psoriasis or matched control cohorts (mean [standard deviation], 14.8 [8.3] vs 11.0 [7.6] and 7.8 [7.2], respectively). They were also more likely to require inpatient hospitalization (24.5% vs 6.4% and 5.0%, respectively). Despite study limitations, patients with GPP in Japan were found to have a higher disease burden, including presence of comorbidities and medication use, than those with plaque psoriasis.
Pollinator behaviour and resource limitation maintain honest floral signalling
Authors: Knauer Anina C. , Kokko Hanna , Schiestl Florian P.
Published: August 2021

In many communication systems, signal receivers profit from honest signals that indicate the signaller's quality, whereas low‐quality signallers should profit from cheating. Under such a conflict of interests between signallers and signal receivers, the maintenance of honest signals presents a puzzle. In theory, honesty can represent an evolutionarily stable strategy, but the actual mechanisms have been studied in few systems only.

Here, we investigate honest signalling in a plant species, Brassica rapa, that advertises nectar volumes to pollinators by two honest floral signals; corolla size and the floral volatile phenylacetaldehyde. In a series of experiments we tested for physiological constraints and pollinator behaviours related to honest floral signals and nectar volume, incorporated the result into a mathematical model, and verified its predictions experimentally.

While honest floral signals attracted pollinators, the bees’ flower visitation time depended on nectar volume and was associated with the number of seeds that flowers developed. Furthermore, honest floral signals and seed set without pollen limitation both increased after soil fertilisation, indicating nutrient limitation in these traits.

The mathematical model which incorporates these findings showed that honest signalling in B. rapa can be maintained by a combination of pollinator behaviour and resource limitation causing differential benefits of nectar production. The study demonstrates how honest floral signalling can evolve as a stable strategy in a plant species.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Revealing the community and metabolic potential of active methanotrophs by targeted metagenomics in the Zoige wetland of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Yun Juanli , Crombie Andrew T. , Ul Haque Muhammad Farhan , Cai Yuanfeng , Zheng Xiaowei , Wang Jian , Jia Zhongjun , Murrell J. Colin , Wang Yanfen , Du Wenbin
Published: August 2021

The Zoige wetland of the Tibetan Plateau is one of the largest alpine wetlands in the world and a major emission source of methane. Methane oxidation by methanotrophs can counteract the global warming effect of methane released in the wetlands. Understanding methanotroph activity, diversity and metabolism at the molecular level can guide the isolation of the uncultured microorganisms and inform strategy‐making decisions and policies to counteract global warming in this unique ecosystem. Here we applied DNA stable isotope probing using 13C‐labelled methane to label the genomes of active methanotrophs, examine the methane oxidation potential and recover metagenome‐assembled genomes (MAGs) of active methanotrophs. We found that gammaproteobacteria of type I methanotrophs are responsible for methane oxidation in the wetland. We recovered two phylogenetically novel methanotroph MAGs distantly related to extant Methylobacter and Methylovulum. They belong to type I methanotrophs of gammaproteobacteria, contain both mxaF and xoxF types of methanol dehydrogenase coding genes, and participate in methane oxidation via H4MPT and RuMP pathways. Overall, the community structure of active methanotrophs and their methanotrophic pathways revealed by DNA‐SIP metagenomics and retrieved methanotroph MAGs highlight the importance of methanotrophs in suppressing methane emission in the wetland under the scenario of global warming.
Microbial community composition controls carbon flux across litter types in early phase of litter decomposition
Authors: Kroeger Marie E. , Rae DeVan M. , Thompson Jaron , Johansen Renee , Gallegos‐Graves La Verne , Lopez Deanna , Runde Andreas , Yoshida Thomas , Munsky Brian , Sevanto Sanna , Albright Michaeline B. N. , Dunbar John
Published: August 2021

Leaf litter decomposition is a major carbon input to soil, making it a target for increasing soil carbon storage through microbiome engineering. We expand upon previous findings to show with multiple leaf litter types that microbial composition can drive variation in carbon flow from litter decomposition and specific microbial community features are associated with synonymous patterns of carbon flow among litter types. Although plant litter type selects for different decomposer communities, within a litter type, microbial composition drives variation in the quantity of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) measured at the end of the decomposition period. Bacterial richness was negatively correlated with DOC quantity, supporting our hypothesis that across multiple litter types there are common microbial traits linked to carbon flow patterns. Variation in DOC abundance (i.e. high versus low DOC) driven by microbial composition is tentatively due to differences in bacterial metabolism of labile compounds, rather than catabolism of non‐labile substrates such as lignin. The temporal asynchrony of metabolic processes across litter types may be a substantial impediment to discovering more microbial features common to synonymous patterns of carbon flow among litters. Overall, our findings support the concept that carbon flow may be programmed by manipulating microbial community composition.
Structural diversity of symbionts and related cellular mechanisms underlying vertical symbiont transmission in cicadas
Authors: Wang Dandan , Huang Zhi , Billen Johan , Zhang Guoyun , He Hong , Wei Cong
Published: August 2021

Many insects depend on symbiont(s) for survival. This is particularly the case for sap‐feeding hemipteran insects. In this study, we revealed that symbionts harboured in cicadas are diverse and complex, and the yeast‐like fungal symbionts (YLS) are present in most cicada species, but Hodgkinia is absent. During vertical transmission, Sulcia became swollen with the outer membrane drastically changed, while Hodgkinia became shrunken and changed from irregular to roughly spherical. Sulcia and/or Hodgkinia were exocytosed from the bacteriocytes to the intercellular space of bacteriomes, where they gathered together and were extruded to haemolymph. YLS and associated facultative symbiont(s) in the fat bodies were released to the haemolymph based on bacteriocyte disintegration. The obligate symbiont(s) were endocytosed and exocytosed successively by the epithelial plug cells of the terminal oocyte, while associated facultative symbiont(s), and possibly also YLS, may take a ‘free ride’ on the transmission of obligate symbiont(s) to gain entry into the oocyte. Then, the intermixed symbionts formed a characteristic ‘symbiont ball’ in the oocyte. Our results suggest that YLS in cicadas represent a new example of a relatively early stage of symbiogenesis in insects and contribute to a better understanding of the diversity and transmission mechanisms of symbionts in insects.
Contribution of stochastic processes to the microbial community assembly on field‐collected microplastics
Authors: Sun Yuanze , Zhang Mengjun , Duan Chongxue , Cao Na , Jia Weiqian , Zhao Zelong , Ding Changfeng , Huang Yi , Wang Jie
Published: August 2021

A growing body of evidence suggests that microplastics may be colonized with a unique microbiome, termed ‘plastisphere’, in aquatic environments. However, the deep mechanisms (deterministic and/or stochastic processes) underlying the community assembly on microplastics are still poorly understood. Here, we took the estuary of Hangzhou Bay (Zhejiang, China) as an example and examined the assembly mechanisms of bacterial communities in water and microplastic samples. Results from high‐throughput sequencing showed that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla across all samples. Additionally, microorganisms from plastisphere and planktonic communities exhibited contrasting taxonomic compositions, with greater within‐group variation for microplastic samples. The null model analysis indicated the plastisphere bacterial communities were dominantly driven by the stochastic process of drift (58.34%) and dispersal limitation (23.41%). The normalized stochasticity ratio (NST) also showed that the community assembly on microplastics was more stochastic (NST > 50%). Based on the Sloan neutral community model, the migration rate for plastisphere communities (0.015) was significantly lower than that for planktonic communities (0.936), potentially suggesting that it is the stochastic balance between loss and gain of bacteria (e.g., stochastic births and deaths) critically shaping the community assembly on microplastics and generating the specific niches. This study greatly enhanced our understanding of the ecological patterns of microplastic‐associated microbial communities in aquatic environments.
Impact ofMtrAon phosphate metabolism genes and the response to altered phosphate conditions inStreptomyces
Authors: Zhu Yanping , Zhang Peipei , Lu Ting , Wang Xinyuan , Li Aiying , Lu Yinhua , Tao Meifeng , Pang Xiuhua
Published: August 2021

Phosphate metabolism is known to be regulated by the PhoPR regulatory system inStreptomycesand some other bacteria. In this study, we report that MtrA also regulates phosphate metabolism inStreptomyces. Our data showed that, inStreptomyces coelicolor, MtrA regulates not only phosphate metabolism genes such asphoAbut alsophoPunder different phosphate conditions, including growth on rich complex media without added inorganic phosphate and on defined media with low or high concentrations of inorganic phosphate. Cross‐regulation was also observed amongmtrA,phoPandglnRunder these conditions. We demonstrated bothin vitroandin vivobinding of MtrA to the promoter regions of genes associated with phosphate metabolism and to the intergenic region betweenphoRandphoU, indicating that these phosphate metabolism genes are targets of MtrA. We further showed that MtrA inS.lividansandS.venezuelaehas detectable regulatory effects on expression of phosphate metabolism genes. Additionally, the MtrA homologue fromCorynebacterium glutamicumbound predicted MtrA sites of multiple phosphate metabolism genes, implying its potential for regulating phosphate metabolism in this species. Overall, our findings support MtrA as a major regulator for phosphate metabolism inStreptomycesand also potentially in other actinobacteria.