bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changes in ATP Sulfurylase activity in response to altered cyanobacteria growth conditions
Authors: Gastoldi Lucia , Ward Lewis M. , Nakagawa Mayuko , Giordano Mario , McGlynn Shawn E.
Published: November 2020

Here we investigated variations in cell growth and ATP sulfurylase activity when two cyanobacterial strains –Synechocystissp. PCC6803 andSynechococcussp. WH7803 – were grown comparatively between conventional media and media with low ammonium, low sulfate and a controlled high CO2/low O2atmosphere, which might resemble some Precambrian environments. In both organisms, a transition and adaptation to the reconstructed environmental media resulted in a decrease in ATPS specific activity. This decrease in activity appears to be decoupled from growth rate, suggesting the enzyme is not rate-limiting in S assimilation and raising questions about the role of ATPS redox regulation in cell physiology and thorughout history.
Interactions between two QTLs for time to anthesis on spike development and fertility in wheat
Authors: Basavaraddi Priyanka A. , Savin Roxana , Wingen Luzie U , Bencivenga Stefano , Przewieslik-Allen Alexandra M. , Griffiths Simon , Slafer Gustavo A.
Published: November 2020

Earliness per se (Eps) genes are reported to be important in fine-tuning flowering time in wheat independently of photoperiod (Ppd) and vernalisation (Vrn). UnlikePpdandVrngenes,Epshave relatively small effects and their physiological effect along with chromosomal position are not well defined. We evaluated eight lines derived from crossing Paragon and Baj (late and early flowering respectively), vernalisation insensitive, to study the detailed effects of two newly identified QTLs,Eps-7DandEps-2Band their interactions under field conditions. The effect of both QTLs were minor but their effect was modulated by the allelic status of the other. While the magnitude of effect of these QTLs on anthesis was similar, they are associated with very different profiles of pre-anthesis development which also depends on their interaction.Eps-7Daffected both duration before and after terminal spikelet while not affecting final leaf number (FLN) soEps-7D-earlyhad a faster rate of leaf appearance.Eps-2Bacted more specifically in the early reproductive phase and slightly altered FLN without affecting the leaf appearance rate. BothEps-7Dand2Baffected the spike fertility by altering the rate of floret development and mortality. The effect of the latter was very small but consistent in that the -lateallele tended to produced more fertile florets.
Seafloor incubation experiment with deep-sea hydrothermal vent fluid reveals effect of pressure and lag time on autotrophic microbial communities
Authors: Fortunato Caroline S. , Butterfield David A. , Larson Benjamin , Lawrence-Slavas Noah , Algar Christopher K. , Allen Lisa Zeigler , Holden James F. , Proskurowski Giora , Reddington Emily , Stewart Lucy C. , Topçuoğlu Begüm D. , Vallino Joseph J. , Huber Julie A.
Published: November 2020

Depressurization and sample processing delays may impact the outcome of shipboard microbial incubations of samples collected from the deep sea. To address this knowledge gap, we developed an ROV-powered incubator instrument to carry out and compare results fromin situand shipboard RNA Stable Isotope Probing (RNA-SIP) experiments to identify the key chemolithoautotrophic microbes and metabolisms in diffuse, low-temperature venting fluids from Axial Seamount. All the incubations showed microbial uptake of labelled bicarbonate primarily by thermophilic autotrophic Epsilonbacteraeota that oxidized hydrogen coupled with nitrate reduction. However, thein situseafloor incubations showed higher abundances of transcripts annotated for aerobic processes suggesting that oxygen was lost from the hydrothermal fluid samples prior to shipboard analysis. Furthermore, transcripts for thermal stress proteins such as heat shock chaperones and proteases were significantly more abundant in the shipboard incubations suggesting that hydrostatic pressure ameliorated thermal stress in the metabolically active microbes in the seafloor incubations. Together, results indicate that while the autotrophic microbial communities in the shipboard and seafloor experiments behaved similarly, there were distinct differences that provide new insight into the activities of natural microbial assemblages under near-native conditions in the ocean.
Zona Incerta subpopulations differentially encode and modulate anxiety
Authors: Li Zhuoliang , Rizzi Giorgio , Tan Kelly R.
Published: November 2020

Despite recent clinical observations linking the Zona Incerta (ZI) to anxiety, little is known about whether and how the ZI processes anxiety. Here, we subject mice to anxious experiences and observe an increase in ZI cfos-labelled neurons and single-cell calcium activity as well as an efficient effect of ZI infusion of diazepam a classical anxiolytic drug. We further identify that somatostatin-(SOM), calretinin-(CR), and vesicular glutamate transporter-2 (Vglut2)-expressing cells display unique electrophysiological profiles; yet they similarly respond to anxiety-provoking stimuli and to diazepam. Interestingly, optogenetic manipulations reveals that each of these ZI neuronal population triggers specific anxiety-related behavioral phenotypes. Activation of SOM-expressing neurons induced anxiety while in stark contrast, photo-activation of CR-positive cells and photo-inhibition of Vglut2-expressing neurons produce anxiolysis. Furthermore, activation of CR- and Vglut2-positive cells provokes rearing and jumps; respectively. Our findings provide the first experimental evidence that ZI subpopulations encode and modulate different components of anxiety.
Cortical network underlying speech production during delayed auditory feedback
Authors: Ozker Muge , Doyle Werner , Devinsky Orrin , Flinker Adeen
Published: November 2020

Hearing one’s own voice is critical for fluent speech production as it allows for the detection and correction of vocalization errors in real-time. This behavior known as the auditory feedback control of speech is impaired in various neurological disorders ranging from stuttering to aphasia, however the underlying neural mechanisms are still poorly understood. Computational models of speech motor control suggest that, during speech production, the brain uses an efference copy of the motor command to generate an internal estimate of the speech output. When actual feedback differs from this internal estimate, an error signal is generated to correct the estimate and subsequent motor commands to produce intended speech. We were able to localize these neural markers using electrocorticographic recordings from neurosurgical subjects during a delayed auditory feedback (DAF) paradigm. In this task, subjects hear their voice with a time delay as they produced words and sentences (similar to an echo on a conference call), which is well known to disrupt fluency by causing slow and stutter-like speech in humans. We observed a significant response enhancement in auditory cortex that scaled with the duration of feedback delay indicating an auditory speech error signal. Immediately following auditory cortex, dorsal precentral gyrus (dPreCG), a region that has not been implicated in auditory feedback processing before, exhibited a markedly similar response enhancement suggesting a tight coupling between the two regions. Critically, response enhancement in dPreCG occurred only when subjects profoundly slowed down their speech during articulation of long utterances due to a continuous mismatch between produced speech and reafferent feedback. These results suggest that dPreCG plays an essential role in updating the internal speech estimates to maintain fluency as well as coordinating the efference copy and auditory error signals during speech production.
The regulation of liver gene expression by carbohydrates is mouse strain specific
Authors: Chi Yuling , Youn Dou Yeon , Xiaoli Alus M. , Liu Li , Pessin Jacob B. , Yang Fajun , Pessin Jeffrey E.
Published: November 2020

C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mouse strains were analyzed by deep mRNA sequencing of the liver in the fasted state and following ingestion of standard laboratory mouse chow supplemented with plain drinking water or water containing 20% glucose, sucrose or fructose. Supplementation with these carbohydrates induced unique extents and temporal changes in gene expressions in a strain specific manner. Fructose and sucrose stimulated gene changes peaked at 3 h postprandial, whereas glucose effects peaked at 12 h postprandial in C57BL/6J mice and at 6 h postprandial in BABL/cJ mice. Network analyses revealed that fructose changed genes were primarily involved in lipid metabolism and were more complex in C57BL/6J than in BALB/cJ mice. These data demonstrate that there are qualitative and quantitative differences in the normal physiological responses of the liver between these two strains of mice and C57BL/6J is more sensitive to sugar intake than BALB/cJ.
The structural basis of fatty acid elongation by the ELOVL elongases
Authors: Nie Laiyin , Pike Ashley C. W. , Pascoa Tomas C. , Bushell Simon R. , Quigley Andrew , Ruda Gian Filippo , Chu Amy , Cole Victoria , Speedman David , Moreira Tiago , Shrestha Leela , Mukhopadhyay Shubhashish M.M. , Burgess-Brown Nicola A. , Love James D. , Brennan Paul E. , Carpenter Elisabeth P.
Published: November 2020

Very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) are essential building blocks for synthesis of the ceramides and sphingolipids required for nerve, skin and retina function and 3-keto acyl-CoA synthases (ELOVL elongases) perform the first step in the FA elongation cycle. Although ELOVLs are implicated in common diseases including insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis and Parkinson’s, their underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. Here we report the structure of the human ELOVL7 elongase, which includes an inverted transmembrane barrel structure surrounding a 35 Å long tunnel containing a covalently-attached product analogue. The structure reveals the substrate binding sites in the tunnel and an active site deep in the membrane including the canonical ELOVL HxxHH sequence. This indicates a ping-pong mechanism for catalysis, involving unexpected covalent histidine adducts. The unusual substrate-binding arrangement and chemistry suggest mechanisms for selective ELOVL inhibition, relevant for diseases where VLCFAs accumulate such as X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy.
Common rules underlying optogenetic and behavioral modulation of responses in multi-cell-type V1 circuits
Authors: Palmigiano Agostina , Fumarola Francesco , Mossing Daniel P. , Kraynyukova Nataliya , Adesnik Hillel , Miller Kenneth D.
Published: November 2020

The visual cortex receives non-sensory inputs containing behavioral and brain state information. Here we propose a parallel between optogenetic and behavioral modulations of activity and characterize their impact on cell-type-specific V1 processing under a common theoretical framework. We infer cell-type-specific circuitry from large-scale V1 recordings and demonstrate that, given strong recurrent excitation, the cell-type-specific responses imply key aspects of the known connectivity. In the inferred models, parvalbumin-expressing (PV), but not other, interneurons have responses to perturbations that we show theoretically imply that their activity stabilizes the circuit. We infer inputs that explain locomotion-induced changes in firing rates and find that, contrary to hypotheses of simple disinhibition, locomotory drive to VIP cells and to SOM cells largely cancel, with enhancement of excitatory-cell visual responses likely due to direct locomotory drive to them. We show that this SOM/VIP cancellation is a property emerging from V1 connectivity structure.
Chromosome-length genome assembly and structural variations of the primal Basenji dog (Canis lupus familiaris) genome
Authors: Edwards Richard J. , Field Matt A. , Ferguson James M. , Dudchenko Olga , Keilwagen Jens , Rosen Benjamin D. , Johnson Gary S. , Rice Edward S. , Hillier LaDeanna , Hammond Jillian M. , Towarnicki Samuel G. , Omer Arina , Khan Ruqayya , Skvortsova Ksenia , Bogdanovic Ozren , Zammit Robert A. , Aiden Erez Lieberman , Warren Wesley C. , Ballard J. William O.
Published: November 2020

Background

Basenjis are considered an ancient dog breed of central African origins that still live and hunt with tribesmen in the African Congo. Nicknamed the barkless dog, Basenjis possess unique phylogeny, geographical origins and traits, making their genome structure of great interest. The increasing number of available canid reference genomes allows us to examine the impact the choice of reference genome makes with regard to reference genome quality and breed relatedness.

Results

Here, we report two high qualityde novoBasenji genome assemblies: a female, China (CanFam_Bas), and a male, Wags. We conduct pairwise comparisons and report structural variations between assembled genomes of three dog breeds: Basenji (CanFam_Bas), Boxer (CanFam3.1) and German Shepherd Dog (GSD) (CanFam_GSD). CanFam_Bas is superior to CanFam3.1 in terms of genome contiguity and comparable overall to the high quality CanFam_GSD assembly. By aligning short read data from 58 representative dog breeds to three reference genomes, we demonstrate how the choice of reference genome significantly impacts both read mapping and variant detection.

Conclusions

The growing number of high-quality canid reference genomes means the choice of reference genome is an increasingly critical decision in subsequent canid variant analyses. The basal position of the Basenji makes it suitable for variant analysis for targeted applications of specific dog breeds. However, we believe more comprehensive analyses across the entire family of canids is more suited to a pangenome approach. Collectively this work highlights the importance the choice of reference genome makes in all variation studies.
A validation study of the Korean version of the thriving at work measurement
Authors: Lee Jae Young , Lee Yunsoo
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to validate the Korean version of the thriving at work measurement by Porath et al. (2012).

Design/methodology/approach

After translating the thriving at work measurement into Korean, the researchers assessed the validity and reliability of the measurement in a Korean working context using two different samples. In Study 1, the study validated the translated measurement using Rasch’s (1960) model, exploratory factor analysis and a reliability test with a sample of 322 employees. In Study 2, the study conducted a confirmatory factor analysis, a reliability test and a convergent and discriminant validity test using a sample of 187 employees.

Findings

Based on the analyses, this paper concluded that thriving at work has a two-factor construct and eight-item thriving at work measurement was better than the original 10-item measurement. The eight-item measurement demonstrated good discriminant and convergent validity.

Originality/value

This study validated the thriving at work measurement in a Korean context using Rasch’s (1960) model from the item response theory perspective.
Adapting CTF challenges into virtual cybersecurity learning environments
Authors: Karagiannis Stylianos , Magkos Emmanouil
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to highlight the potential of using capture the flag (CTF) challenges, as part of an engaging cybersecurity learning experience for enhancing skills and knowledge acquirement of undergraduate students in academic programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach involves integrating interactivity, gamification, self-directed and collaborative learning attributes using a CTF hosting platform for cybersecurity education. The proposed methodology includes the deployment of a pre-engagement survey for selecting the appropriate CTF challenges in accordance with the skills and preferences of the participants. During the learning phase, storytelling elements were presented, while a behavior rubric was constructed to observe the participants’ behavior and responses during a five-week lab. Finally, a survey was created for getting feedback from the students and for extracting quantitative results based on the attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction (ARCS) model of motivational design.

Findings

Students felt more confident about their skills and were highly engaged to the learning process. The outcomes in terms of technical skills and knowledge acquisition were shown to be positive.

Research limitations/implications

As the number of participants was small, the results and information retrieved from applying the ARCS model only have an indicative value; however, specific challenges to overcome are highlighted which are important for the future deployments.

Practical implications

Educators could use the proposed approach for deploying an engaging cybersecurity learning experience in an academic program, emphasizing on providing hands-on practice labs and featuring topics from real-world cybersecurity cases. Using the proposed approach, an educator could also monitor the progress of the participants and get qualitative and quantitative statistics regarding the learning impact for each exercise.

Social implications

Educators could demonstrate modern cybersecurity topics in the classroom, closing further the gap between theory and practice. As a result, students from academia will benefit from the proposed approach by acquiring technical skills, knowledge and experience through hands-on practice in real-world cases.

Originality/value

This paper intends to bridge the existing gap between theory and practice in the topics of cybersecurity by using CTF challenges for learning purposes and not only for testing the participants’ skills. This paper offers important knowledge for enhancing cybersecurity education programs and for educators to use CTF challenges for conducting cybersecurity exercises in academia, extracting meaningful statistics regarding the learning impact.
A meta-analytic model on the role of organizational support in work-family conflict and employee satisfaction
Authors: Zhao Xinyuan (Roy) , Wang Jiale , Law Rob , Fan Xinping
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This study aims to illustrate how organizational support can reduce work-family conflict (WFC) and improve job/life satisfaction by synthesizing the empirical findings among hospitality employees.

Design/methodology/approach

Previous empirical papers were searched through tourism and hospitality journals and 54 studies were ultimately selected. The correlation coefficients were coded and examined through meta-analysis, after which they were used to test the hypothesized model via meta-analytic structural equation modeling.

Findings

Findings demonstrated that organizational support plays a critical role in helping employees release WFC and improve life satisfaction but not job satisfaction. The number of children is a salient factor at the individual level on predicting WFC, whereas gender relates only to life satisfaction. The asymmetric permeable roles of WFC dimensions among work, family and life domains were also shown.

Practical implications

The findings can help hospitality managers be aware of the critical roles of organizational support in assisting employees to handle WFC and improve job and life satisfaction.

Originality/value

The relationships among organizational support, WFC and job/life satisfaction of frontline employees have been examined for the first time via meta-analytic SEM. In this manner, previous consistent and inconsistent findings can be synthesized for future theoretical development.
Legal risk management: Can the COVID-19 pandemic be included as a force majeure clause in a contract?
Authors: Januarita Ratna , Sumiyati Yeti
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the legal consequences of the use of force majeure (FM) clause in a contract related to the prospect of business sustainability. In addition, this paper also examines the legal risk perspective toward the interpretation of FM clauses in contracts that incorporate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic situation.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design in this paper uses the normative juridical method, which means that it is carried out with library research on secondary data in the field of law, in the form of primary and secondary legal materials and tertiary legal materials. Primary legal materials are in the form of regulations relating to the variable topics of this paper, namely, FM, COVID-19, contracts and legal risk management (LRM).

Findings

The study found that studies of FM are still limited in terms of the aspects of contract sustainability, and none has reviewed them using the LRM paradigm.

Research limitations/implications

Given the fact that this pandemic is still ongoing and uncertain, the extent to which the broadening of the interpretation of FM in the contract by the parties and how much the designs offered above can help the parties, will greatly depend on the commitment of the parties. However, if the orientation is to maintain a long-term business relationship, it still fulfills the essence of a win–win solution that will greatly assist the parties in determining the continuity of the contract.

Practical implications

The results of this study are expected to provide benefit to the parties in an agreement affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and by regulators who wish to provide a legal basis in contract law.

Social implications

Long-term business relationships will create sound, peaceful and conducive environment for modern business. This kind of situation will sustain the business as expected.

Originality/value

This study concludes that the interpretation of FM can be extended to accommodate the interests of the parties to the contract by considering several principles in contract law and other relevant clauses. In addition, this study also produced four essential designs for LRM oriented to long-term business relationships in a win–win solution.
Researching navigation of project complexity using action design research
Authors: Mikkelsen Mogens Frank , Venable John , Aaltonen Kirsi
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Project complexity is becoming increasingly challenging for project managers. Much valuable research has been done on the concept of project complexity. The research reported in this paper aims to provide a new means (the “Complexity Navigation Window”) and guiding principles for the navigation of project complexity in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applied action design research (a methodology for design science research) to design and evaluate the Complexity Navigation Window (CNW), which will serve as a representation of project complexity as a key component of the user interface for a decision support system (DSS) for managing project complexity.

Findings

Formative evaluations of the CNW by 16 project management practitioners indicated that the artefact is relevant, comprehensible and heading in a promising direction to guide decision-making. The evaluation also highlighted project managers' difficulty in using the (conceptual) representation by itself to assess a project's current situation accurately, which in turn limits their ability to understand a project's current complexity and decide an appropriate course of strategy. A conceptual framework by itself is insufficient. This finding motivates further research to develop and evaluate a DSS that would partially automate the assessment process (by surveying stakeholders and automatically assessing and representing project complexity according to the CNW), which should aid in increasing the accuracy (and timeliness) of project complexity assessments and contribute to appropriate strategy formulation and timely revision.

Practical implications

The formative evaluation of the CNW indicates relevance for practitioners and the further features of the DSS may still yield even higher perceived utility from the full artefact.

Originality/value

The paper provides improved understanding of practitioners' perceptions of project complexity and ability to assess it for a given project. The paper describes the design of a new visualisation for navigating and managing complexity. The paper further presents four strategies for managing project complexity. Finally, the paper also provides a methodological discussion on the potential of ADR in advancing project management research.
Remanufacturing supply chain: an analysis of performance indicator areas
Authors: Ansari Zulfiquar N. , Kant Ravi , Shankar Ravi
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Re-use of products in the supply chain has become a significant consideration in the last decade. It has resulted in the development of several product recovery alternatives. Remanufacturing in the supply chain is one such product recovery option that yields social, economic and environmental benefits. This study aims is to identify and evaluate the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the remanufacturing supply chain (RSC).

Design/methodology/approach

The KPIs of RSC are classified along with the five primary management processes (plan, source, make, deliver and return) of the supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model. A grey decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique is applied to investigate the complex interrelationships amongst the identified KPIs and categorize them into cause and effect group. The applicability of the proposed framework is demonstrated through a case organization involved in remanufacturing business.

Findings

The KPIs are identified based on literature analysis and subsequent discussion with decision panel experts. The present research work results reveal that “consumer awareness program”, “technological compatibility” and skilled workforce' are the most influential indicators.

Originality/value

This research work provides a framework to evaluate the causal relationship between the RSC KPIs. The framework proposed in this study is empirically applied to a case organization. Based on the study findings some important recommendations are presented to the decision-makers/policy planners to help them develop an action plan. This would help the case organization reduce resource consumption, increase market share and enable sustainable development.
Informality and structural change: evidences from microenterprises in India's unorganised manufacturing sector
Authors: Ganguly Shromona
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This article analyses the structural change in microenterprises located at India's unorganised manufacturing sector in terms of output mix, choice of technique and productivity during the last few decades.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on data collected from a quinquennial survey of unorganised firms, this study attempts productivity analysis by using the growth accounting technique.

Findings

The paper finds that there is a significant structural change which has occurred in the small firm sector in Indian manufacturing. The share of capital-intensive industries has increased substantially in recent years. Further, though small firms are more labour intensive, the labour productivity and total productivity of these firms are very low. The falling labour productivity and rising capital intensity indicates replacement of labour with capital in Indian small firm sector.

Practical implications

Low productivity of the sector is a cause for concern and this needs to be addressed by making the sector more competitive in the world market. To achieve this, policies should be designed so that small firms reach the efficient scale of production.

Originality/value

This is the first paper which examines structural changes in the Indian MSME sector. The findings have strong implications for creation of a viable ecosystem of entrepreneurship in the country.
Convenience store locations prioritization: a fuzzy TOPSIS-GRA hybrid approach
Authors: Singh Jyotdeep , Tyagi Parnika , Kumar Girish , Agrawal Saurabh
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The objective of the study is to develop a methodology to strategically rank store locations using criteria such as population, store site characteristics, economic considerations, competition and so on to select the most optimal retail convenience store location.

Design/methodology/approach

A case of National Capital Region, India, for a 24-h convenience store was considered for the study and the major criteria that affect the performance of a convenience store are identified, such as population characteristics, economic criteria, competition, consumer accessibility, store size, total cost, site attractiveness and security. Fuzzy AHP is utilized to find the weightage for each criteria and a combination of fuzzy TOPSIS and grey relational analysis (GRA) is applied to rank the alternative using these criteria weight. Further, results obtained are compared with results from fuzzy TOPSIS and fuzzy VIKOR methods. Sensitivity analysis is also performed for ensuring the robustness of the framework.

Findings

It is observed that outcomes do not change under various settling coefficient values, demonstrating that the methodology is very robust. The developed framework will be quite useful to diverse retailers looking to expand and generate substantial profits.

Research limitations/implications

A large sample size of number of locations encourages generalization of results. Strategic ranking of the selected locations is carried out on a few selected criteria. The study was limited by the designated geographical area.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the few available articles on convenience store selection using combination of fuzzy AHP, fuzzy TOPSIS and GRA for a developing country.
Exploring the facet of elderly care centre in multiethnic Malaysia
Authors: Md Isa Filzah , Noor Shaista , Wei Wei Goh , Syed Hussain Sharifah Diyana Binti , Mohamad Ibrahim Hairunnisa , Ahmdon Muhd Afiq Syazwan
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Malaysia is considered to be a relatively young country as compared to other older countries such as Japan, China and Australia in terms of the ageing population. However, until 2035, Malaysia will be in the ageing group countries as 15% of the entire population will be above 60 years of age. This situation is quite alarming as more and more ageing care centres will be required to fulfill the ongoing demands of the ageing population. The elderly care centres in Malaysia are categorised as public (sponsored by the government), private, and charity based that comes under religious centres. Currently, there are about 365 registered elderly care centres working in the main states of Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak, two states of the East Malaysia. Due to the importance of ageing population issues, the present study is conducted to explore the demographics facet of Malaysian’s elderly care centres. The main reason behind that lies on the fact that many of these centres are still labelled as being not well equipped and lacking behind in trained staff, equipment and also suffering from severe financial constraints but some still capable of working on a sustainability basis.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative Research Strategy has been adopted, and 28 centres throughout Malaysia are included in this study. About 18 Operators from different centres and 15 caregivers were interviewed to get the holistic view of ageing care and facilities in their respective centres.

Findings

The results highlight that the majority of centres are not receiving any financial help from the government, and few centres are doing small business such as supplying consumable medical and non-medical items and providing renting and rehabilitation centres facilities to sustain. The caregivers are facing issues such as excess workload, less salary, peer conflicts and non-cooperative centre leadership.

Originality/value

The present study may help to provide useful information to the policymakers, which enables them to formulate the strategies for ageing care centres in Malaysia. As this study provides insight of components that have an impact on the overall wellbeing of elderly care centres, hence, it could help the care services providers to act as a rising star for Malaysian’s social life comfort.
Eigenrays in 3D heterogeneous anisotropic media, Part I: Kinematics
Authors: Koren Zvi , Ravve Igor
Published: November 2020

We present a new ray bending approach, referred to as the Eigenray method, for solving two‐point boundary‐value kinematic and dynamic ray tracing problems in 3D smooth heterogeneous general anisotropic elastic media. The proposed Eigenray method is aimed to provide reliable stationary ray path solutions and their dynamic characteristics, in cases where conventional initial‐value ray shooting methods, followed by numerical convergence techniques, become challenging. The kinematic ray bending solution corresponds to the vanishing first traveltime variation, leading to a stationary path between two fixed endpoints (Fermat's principle), and is governed by the nonlinear second‐order Euler–Lagrange equation. The solution is based on a finite‐element approach, applying the weak formulation that reduces the Euler–Lagrange second‐order ordinary differential equation to the first‐order weighted‐residual nonlinear algebraic equation set. For the kinematic finite‐element problem, the degrees of freedom are discretized nodal locations and directions along the ray trajectory, where the values between the nodes are accurately and naturally defined with the Hermite polynomial interpolation. The target function to be minimized includes two essential penalty (constraint) terms, related to the distribution of the nodes along the path and to the normalization of the ray direction. We distinguish between two target functions triggered by the two possible types of stationary rays: a minimum traveltime and a saddle‐point solution (due to caustics). The minimization process involves the computation of the global (all‐node) traveltime gradient vector and the traveltime Hessian matrix. The traveltime Hessian is used for the minimization process, analysing the type of the stationary ray, and for computing the geometric spreading of the entire resolved stationary ray path. The latter, however, is not a replacement for the dynamic ray tracing solution, since it does not deliver the geometric spreading for intermediate points along the ray, nor the analysis of caustics. Finally, we demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method along three canonical examples.
Invasive species influence macroinvertebrate biomonitoring tools and functional diversity in British rivers
Authors: Guareschi Simone , Laini Alex , England Judy , Johns Tim , Winter Martin , Wood Paul J.
Published: November 2020

Biological invasions could have major implications for the management and conservation of freshwater systems if they lead to a misclassification of waterbodies. However, there is limited understanding of the sensitivity of existing biomonitoring tools to invasive species in rivers; and even less known regarding how they influence community taxonomic and functional measures.

This research explores the response of freshwater macroinvertebrate communities to biological invasion using taxonomic and functional indices. Utilising a long‐term dataset (spanning 2000–2019, 5,988 samples) from rivers in England, the performance of four biomonitoring tools (WHPT, WHPT‐ASPT, LIFE and PSI) and two community functional indices (functional richness and redundancy) was examined before and after the colonisation of the invasive species, Dikerogammarus haemobaphes (Eichwald, 1841; Crustacea: Gammaridae). This species represents a recent (first record 2012) and highly successful invader, allowing its range expansion within waterbodies to be examined in detail. Spatial (national and basin level) and seasonal (spring and autumn) effects were investigated using a before–after control–impact (BACI) experimental framework and linear mixed effects models.

Results indicated that invasion by D. haemobaphes resulted in significant reductions to the WHPT index and functional diversity metrics (richness and redundancy) while more subtle patterns were observed for other metrics. Analysis of seasonal and individual river basins (River Trent and R. Thames) identified largely consistent responses. The establishment of D. haemobaphes also resulted in some modifications to the functional composition of aquatic communities primarily associated with voltinism and resistance features.

Synthesis and applications. Our findings indicate that Dikerogammarus haemobaphes should be considered a significant pressure to riverine communities. These results have implications for biomonitoring, which informs managerial actions as effects may not be detected using a single taxonomic index. Community functional measures are useful in characterising the effects of invasive species and may form a valuable part of the ‘toolbox’ used for studying biological invasions in rivers. The research illustrates the need to consider the wider threats posed by invasive species on the long‐term integrity of freshwaters and the efficacy of freshwater biomonitoring tools.
Genome‐scale target capture of mitochondrial and nuclear environmental DNA from water samples
Authors: Jensen Mads Reinholdt , Sigsgaard Eva Egelyng , Liu Shenglin , Manica Andrea , Bach Steffen Sanvig , Hansen Michael Møller , Møller Peter Rask , Thomsen Philip Francis
Published: November 2020

Environmental DNA (eDNA) provides a promising supplement to traditional sampling methods for population genetic inferences, but current studies have almost entirely focused on short mitochondrial markers. Here, we develop one mitochondrial and one nuclear set of target capture probes for the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) and test them on seawater samples collected in Qatar to investigate the potential of target capture for eDNA‐based population studies. The mitochondrial target capture successfully retrieved ~235× (90× − 352× per base position) coverage of the whale shark mitogenome. Using a minor allele frequency of 5%, we find 29 variable sites throughout the mitogenome, indicative of at least five contributing individuals. We also retrieved numerous mitochondrial reads from an abundant nontarget species, mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis), showing a clear relationship between sequence similarity to the capture probes and the number of captured reads. The nuclear target capture probes retrieved only a few reads and polymorphic variants from the whale shark, but we successfully obtained millions of reads and thousands of polymorphic variants with different allele frequencies from E. affinis. We demonstrate that target capture of complete mitochondrial genomes and thousands of nuclear loci is possible from aquatic eDNA samples. Our results highlight that careful probe design, taking into account the range of divergence between target and nontarget sequences as well as presence of nontarget species at the sampling site, is crucial to consider. eDNA sampling coupled with target capture approaches provide an efficient means with which to retrieve population genomic data from aggregating and spawning aquatic species.
Petrology, Geochronology and Geochemistry of the Xar Moron River Ophiolite: Implications for the Tectonic Evolution of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean
Authors: LIU Jianfeng , LI Jinyi , ZHANG Wenlong , YIN Dongfang
Published: November 2020

As the largest accretionary orogen, the crustal tectonic framework and evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) have always been one of the hot topics among geologists (Sengör et al., 1993, 1996; Jahn et al., 2000a; Badarch et al., 2002; Windley et al., 2007; Li et al., 2009). The formation of the main part of the crust in the CAOB involved continuous lateral accretion of island arcs and accretionary complexes along the margins of the Siberian, Sino‐Korean and Tarim paleo‐continents and the final collision between these continental margins because of the subduction of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean plate since Mesoproterozoic. The ophiolites, which represent the fragments of ancient oceanic lithosphere, are the direct evidence for the study of the evolution of orogenic belts. Based on field geological survey, the mantle peridotite (serpentinite), gabbro, basalt and radiolarian bedded chert, which were deemed as the “ophiolite trinity”, were identified as isolated blocks in the matrix of pelitic siltstone and silty mudstone in the Kedanshan, Xingshuwa and Jiujingzi areas along the Xar Monron River in southeast Inner Mongolia of China. Besides, there were plenty of other exotic blocks, such as limestone and sandstone, in the matrix. Both of the matrix and blocks underwent strong foliated deformation. All of these rocks above constitute a tectonic mélange. Zircon U‐Pb dating for the gabbro blocks in the Xingshuwa and Jiujingzi ophiolites reveals that they were formed in early Permian (275–280 Ma). The ages of the gabbros, together with the middle Permian radiolaria fossils in the chert reported by Wang and Fan (1997), indicate that the oceanic basin was not closed in early‐middle Permian. The geochemical compositions of the basaltic blocks distributed in different locations in the Xingshuwa tectonic mélange display different genetic types of normal mid‐ocean ridge basalt (N‐MORB), enriched mid‐ocean ridge basalts (E‐MORB), oceanic island basalt (OIB), island arc basalt and continental marginal arc basalt, which indicates what they represented is a complex oceanic basin. Combining with the studies on regional magmatism, strata and structure data, it is suggested that the Xar Moron River Ophiolite belt represented the final suture zone of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean in the southeast Inner Mongolia, and the ocean did not close before late Permian.
Remnants of a Middle Triassic Oceanic Lithosphere in the Western Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone, Southern Tibet
Authors: LIU Qiang , LIU Feng , LI Hualiang , ZONG Keqing , XIANG Shuyuan
Published: November 2020

Discontinuous ophiolite suites along the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone (YZSZ) in southern Tibet representing remnants of the Neo‐Tethyan oceanic lithosphere are considered to be formed between Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Older ophiolite or ophiolitic mélange (e.g. Triassic) to reveal the initial evolution the Neo‐Tethyan ocean within the YZSZ have rarely been documented so far. The western YZSZ extending from the Saga to Ladakh area are composed of the northern ophiolitic sub‐belt, the Zhongba terrane and the southern ophiolitic sub‐belt. In this study, we document structural, petrological and geochronological data of mafic intrusions from the Mayoumu massif in the southern ophiolitic sub‐belt of the western YZSZ. Two lithos‐tectonic sub‐units, the southern ophiolitic complex and the northern ophiolitic mélange, are recognized in the Mayoumu massif in terms of structural pattern and petrology. LA‐ICP‐MS zircon U‐Pb dating of gabbro from the ophiolitic mélange yields an age of 243 ± 1 Ma with zircon ∊Hf(t) values of +7.9 to +13.2. Two samples of diabase samples from the ophiolite yield ages of 131±1 Ma and 124±1 Ma with zircon ∊Hf (t) values ranging from +10.8 to +15.0 and +12.3 to +15.4, respectively. Geochemically, rare earth elements (REEs) patterns show that these mafic intrusions are similar to those of the normal mid‐ocean‐ridge basalt (N‐MORB). Enrichment of fluid‐mobile elements (e.g. Rb and Ba) and depletion of Nb, and Ta suggest that these intrusions were possibly originated from melting of a depleted mantle source influenced by subducted slab. Our data strongly confirms that the Neo‐Tethyan ocean between the Lhasa terrane and Gondwana had been existed since the Middle Triassic at least. The ages of the two diabases from the ophiolitic complex reveal that mafic magma activities within the Neo‐Tethyan ocean could be as a continuing process during 120–130 Ma. Emplacement and preservation of older ophiolitic recorder during evolution of the Neo‐Tethyan Ocean may be closely related to the occurrence of the Zhongba micro‐terrane within the western YZSZ.
The Characteristics and Significance of Peng Co Peridotites in the Middle Segment of Bangong Co‐Nujiang Suture in Tibet
Authors: LU Yuxiao , YANG Jingsui , DONG Yufei , XIONG Fahui , CHEN Xiaojian , LI Guanlong , BO Rongzhong
Published: November 2020

The Peng Co ophiolite is located to the west of Peng lake in the area of lakes in north Tibet, which belongs to the Baila‐Yilashan sub‐belt of the the middle Bangong Co‐Nujiang ophiolitic belt. The Peng Co ophiolite is mainly composed of mantle peridotites, cumulates, diabase dikes. About 70 percent peridotites are harzburgites and 30 percent are lherzolites. Mineral chemistry of the Peng Co lherzolitesare characterized by low Fo contents (88.85–90.33) of olivine and high Al2O3 content (4.26%–7.25%) in pyroxenes. Compared to the primitive mantle, the Peng Co peridotites have relatively higher MgO contents, lower CaO, Al2O3 and TiO2 contents. The total rare‐earth element (REE) contents of the lherzolites are 1.11–1.53 ppm, which are lower than those of the primitive mantle. The chondrite‐normalized REE patterns of the Peng Co peridotites display slight loss in LREE. In the primitive mantle‐normalized spider diagram, the Peng Co peridotites exhibit negative Rb and Zr anomalies and intensively positive U, Ta, Sr anomalies. The PGE contents of Peng Co lherzolites are between 22.9–27 ppb. The chondrite‐normalized PGE patterns of the Peng Co lherzolites are consistent with that of the primitive mantle. Mineral and whole‐rock geochemistry characteristics of the Peng Co lherzolites show an affinity to abyssal peridotites, indicating that it may have formed in the mid‐ocean ridge setting. Through quantitative modeling, we conclude that the Peng Co lherzolites formed after 5%–10% degree of partial melting of the spinel‐phase lherzolite mantle source. The sharp increase of Cr# (56.74 –60.84) in Spinel of harzburgites and relatively high Pd/Ir and Rh/Ir ratios suggest that they have experienced melt‐rock reaction. The crystallization sequence of Peng Co cumulate is olivine‐clinopyroxene‐plagioclase. The Mg# value of clinopyroxene in cumulate peridotite ranges from 86.92 to 89.93, and the mean value of Fo is 84.45, which is obviously higher than that of MOR‐type ophiolite cumulates. The mineral composition, sequence of magmatic crystallization and mineral components of Peng Co cumulate are similar to those of the cumulate formed by the SSZ‐type ophiolite in the subduction zone. Therefore, we can draw a preliminary conclusion that Peng Co lherzolites were formed in an environment of mid oceanic ridge and were remnants of the spinel lherzolite zone which experienced a partial melting of no more than 10%. In the later period, due to the intra‐oceanic subduction, it experienced the rock‐meltinteraction, and thus formed the SSZ‐type cumulate and harzburgite of high Cr value.