bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The EEG spectral fingerprints of meditation and mind wandering differ between experienced meditators and novices
Authors: Rodriguez-Larios Julio , Bracho Montes de Oca Eduardo A. , Alaerts Kaat
Published: July 2021

Previous literature suggests that meditation training is associated with changes in participants’ experience during meditation practice. In this study, we assess whether putative differences in the experience of meditation between meditators and non-meditators are reflected in EEG spectral modulations. For this purpose, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) during rest and two breath focus meditations (with and without experience sampling) in a group of 29 adult participants with more than 3 years of meditation experience and a control group of 29 participants without any meditation experience. Experience sampling in one of the meditation conditions allowed us to disentangle periods of breath focus from mind wandering (i.e. moments of distraction driven by task-irrelevant thoughts) during meditation practice. Overall, meditators reported a greater level of focus and reduced mind wandering during meditation practice than controls. In line with these reports, EEG spectral modulations associated to meditation and mind wandering also differed significantly between meditators and controls. While meditators (but not controls) showed a significant decrease in individual alpha frequency and amplitude and a steeper 1/f slope during meditation relative to rest, controls (but not meditators) showed a relative increase in individual alpha amplitude during mind wandering relative to breath focus periods. Together, our results show that the experience of meditation changes with training and that this is reflected in oscillatory and non-oscillatory components of brain activity.
Cdt1 inhibits CMG helicase in early S phase to separate origin licensing from DNA synthesis
Authors: Ratnayeke Nalin , Chung Mingyu , Meyer Tobias
Published: July 2021

A fundamental concept in eukaryotic DNA replication is the temporal separation of G1 origin licensing from S phase origin firing. Re-replication and genome instability ensue if licensing occurs after DNA synthesis has started. In humans and other vertebrates, the E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL4Cdt2 starts to degrade the licensing factor Cdt1 after origins fire, raising the question of how cells prevent re-replication in early S phase. Here, using quantitative microscopy, we show that Cdt1 inhibits DNA synthesis during an overlap period when cells fire origins while Cdt1 is still present. Cdt1 inhibits DNA synthesis by suppressing CMG helicase progression at replication forks through the MCM-binding domain of Cdt1, and DNA synthesis commences once Cdt1 is degraded. Thus, instead of separating licensing from firing to prevent re-replication in early S phase, cells separate licensing from DNA synthesis through Cdt1-mediated inhibition of CMG helicase after firing.

Highlights

– Cdt1 is present together with fired origins of replication at the start of S phase

– Cdt1 delays DNA synthesis by inhibiting CMG helicase progression after origins fire

– Cdt1 inhibits CMG helicase progression through the MCM-binding domain of Cdt1
The fruit flyAnastrepha obliquaharbors three kingdoms of life in its intestinal tract
Authors: Amores GR , Zepeda-Ramos G , García-Fajardo LV , Emilio Hernández , Karina Guillén-Navarro
Published: July 2021

The fruit flyAnastrepha obliquais an economically important pest for mango fruits in Mexico. The sterile insect technique is used to control this pest; it involves mass production and release of sterile flies to reduce reproduction of the wild population. As noted in different tephritidae, the performance of sterile males may be affected by the assimilation of nutrients under mass-rearing conditions. In the wild, the fly’s life cycle suggests the acquisition of different organisms that could modulate fitness and physiology of the fly. Therefore, the microorganisms lodged in the gut may be determinative. ForA. obliqua, there is no information regarding microorganisms other than bacteria. This study analyzed bacteria, fungi, and archaea communities in theA. obliquagut through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profile of 16S and 18S ribosomal DNA markers. Besides, 16S sequencing and phylogenetic analysis provided a better description of bacteria, and archaea communities. We found that wild flies presented higher microbial diversity than laboratory samples. Phylogeny analyses of wild samples suggest the presence of microbial species related to fructose assimilation while laboratory microbial species suggest the presence of microorganisms leading to a specialized metabolism to process yeast as result of the consumption of an artificial diet. Here, the archaea kingdom is suggested as an important player in fly metabolism. This is the first report of the intestinal microbial (bacteria, archaea and fungi) composition ofA. obliqua, which will aid in our understanding of the role of microorganisms in the development and physiology of the flies.
Disentangling Age and Schooling Effects on Inhibitory Control Development: An fNIRS Investigation
Authors: McKay Courtney , Wijeakumar Sobanawartiny , Rafetseder Eva , Shing Yee Lee
Published: July 2021

Children show marked improvements in executive functioning (EF) between 4 and 7 years of age. In many societies, this time period coincides with the start of formal school education, in which children are required to follow rules in a structured environment, drawing heavily on EF processes such as inhibitory control. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal development of two aspects of inhibitory control, namely response inhibition and response monitoring and their neural correlates. Specifically, we examined how their longitudinal development may differ by schooling experience, and their potential significance in predicting academic outcomes. Longitudinal data was collected in two groups of children at their homes. At T1, all children were roughly 4.5 years of age and neither group had attended formal schooling. One year later at T2, one group (P1, n = 40) had completed one full year of schooling while the other group (KG, n = 40) had stayed in kindergarten. Behavioural and brain activation data (measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy, fNIRS) in response to a Go/No-Go task and measures of academic achievement were collected. We found that P1 children, compared to KG children, showed a greater change over time in activation related to response monitoring in the bilateral frontal cortex. The change in left frontal activation difference showed a small positive association with mathematical ability, suggesting certain functional relevance of response monitoring for academic performance. Overall, the school environment is important in shaping the development of the neural network underlying monitoring of one own’s performance.

Research Highlights

Using a school cut-off design, we collected longitudinal home assessments of two aspects of inhibitory control, namely response inhibition and response monitoring, and their neural correlates.

For response monitoring, P1 children showed a greater difference over time in activation between correct and incorrect responses in the bilateral frontal cortex.

The left frontal activation difference in P1 children showed a small association with mathematical ability, suggesting some functional relevance of response monitoring for academic performance.

The school environment plays an important role in shaping the development of the neural network underlying monitoring of one own’s performance.
SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing with Oxford Nanopore Technology and Rapid PCR Barcoding in Bolivia
Authors: Rollano-Peñaloza Oscar M. , Barrera Carmen Delgado , Michel Aneth Vasquez
Published: July 2021

SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance has Illumina technology as the golden standard. However, Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) provides significant improvements in accessibility, turnaround time and portability. Characteristics that gives developing countries the opportunity to perform genome surveillance. The most used protocol to sequence SARS-CoV-2 with ONT is an amplicon-sequencing protocol provided by the ARTIC Network which requires DNA ligation. Ligation reagents can be difficult to obtain in countries like Bolivia. Thus, here we provide an alternative for library preparation using the rapid PCR barcoding kit (ONT). We mapped more than 3.9 million sequence reads that allowed us to sequence twelve SARS-CoV-2 genomes from three different Bolivian cities. The average sequencing depth was 324X and the average genome length was 29527 bp. Thus, we could cover in average a 98,7% of the reference genome. The twelve genomes were successfully assigned to four different nextstrain clades (20A, 20B, 20E and 20G) and we could observe two main lineages of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in Bolivia. Therefore, this alternative library preparation for SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing is effective to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants with high accuracy and without the need of DNA ligation. Hence, providing another tool to perform SARS-CoV-2 genome surveillance in developing countries.
Alkane-priming ofBeauveria bassianastrains to improve biocontrol of the redbanded stink bugPiezodorus guildiniiand the bronze bugThaumastocoris peregrinus
Authors: Sessa Lucía , Pedrini Nicolas , Altier Nora , Abreo Eduardo
Published: July 2021

Insect Epicuticle hydrocarbons (CHC) are known to be important determinants in the susceptibility degree of insects to fungal entomopathogens. FiveBeauveria bassianaisolates were phenotypically analyzed regarding their response to CHC nutrition and their pathogenicity and virulence towards high fungal-susceptibleThaumastocoris peregrinusand low fungal-susceptiblePiezodorus guildinii, which are important hemipteran pests in eucalyptus and soybean plantations, respectively. Two of these isolates, resulting the most (ILBB308) and the least (ILBB299) virulent toP. guildinii, were also evaluated at gene expression level after growth on n-pentadecane.B. bassianamost virulent isolate ILBB308 showed the lowest growth on most evaluated CHC media. However, this isolate distinctively induced most of the analyzed genes involved in CHC assimilation, cuticle degradation and stress tolerance. Virulence towards low susceptibilityP. guildiniiwas enhanced in both hypervirulent ILB308 and hypovirulent ILBB299 isolates after growth onn-pentadecane as the sole carbon source, whereas virulence enhancement towards high susceptibilityT. peregrinuswas not observed in alkane-grown fungi. Virulence enhancement towardsP. guildiniicould be mostly explained by a priming effect produced by CHC on the induction of some genes related to hydrocarbon assimilation in ILB 205 and ILB 308, such as hydrophobin (Bbhyd2) and cytochrome P450 genes (BbCyp52g11 and BbCyp52×1), and partially by the induction of genes related to cuticle degradation (Bbchit and Bbcdep1) and stress tolerance (Bbsod1) observed only in ILB308.
ZomB is essential for chemotaxis of Vibrio alginolyticus by the rotational direction control of the polar flagellar motor
Authors: Takekawa Norihiro , Nishikino Tatsuro , Hori Kiyoshiro , Kojima Seiji , Imada Katsumi , Homma Michio
Published: July 2021

Bacteria exhibit chemotaxis by controlling flagellar rotation to move toward preferred places or away from non-preferred places. The change in rotation is triggered by the binding of the chemotaxis signaling protein CheY to the C-ring in the flagellar motor. Some specific bacteria, including Vibrio spp. and Shewanella spp. have a single transmembrane protein called ZomB. ZomB is essential for controlling the flagellar rotational direction in Shewanella putrefaciens and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In this study, we confirmed that the zomB deletion results only in the counterclockwise (CCW) rotation of the motor in Vibrio alginolyticus as previously reported in other bacteria. We found that ZomB is not required for the clockwise (CW) rotation-fixing phenotype caused by mutations in fliG and fliM, and that ZomB is essential for CW rotation induced by overproduction of CheY. Purified ZomB proteins form multimers, indicating that ZomB functions as a complex. ZomB may interact with a protein involved in the flagellar rotation, stator proteins or rotor proteins. We found that ZomB is a new player in chemotaxis and is required for the rotational control in addition to CheY in Vibrio alginolyticus.

Importance

Bacterial chemotaxis is performed by the control of the flagellar rotation. CheY and ZomB control the rotational direction of the flagellar motor in Vibrio spp. and Shewanella spp. In this study, we characterized ZomB in Vibrio alginolyticus, which is essential for the clockwise rotation of the motor.
Ultrastructural readout of in vivo synaptic activity for functional connectomics
Authors: Simon Anna , Roth Arnd , Sheridan Arlo , Fişek Mehmet , Marra Vincenzo , Racca Claudia , Funke Jan , Staras Kevin , Häusser Michael
Published: July 2021

Large-volume ultrastructural mapping approaches yield detailed circuit wiring diagrams but lack an integrated synaptic activity readout which is essential for functional interpretation of the connectome. Here we resolve this limitation by combining functional synaptic labelling in vivo with focused ion-beam scanning electron microscopy (FIBSEM) and machine learning-based segmentation. Our approach generates high-resolution near-isotropic three-dimensional readouts of activated vesicle pools across large populations of individual synapses in a volume of tissue, opening the way for detailed functional connectomics studies. We apply this method to measure presynaptic activity in an ultrastructural context in synapses activated by sensory input in primary visual cortex in awake head-fixed mice, showing that the numbers of recycling and non-recycling vesicles approximate to a lognormal distribution across a large number of synapses. We also demonstrate that neighbouring boutons of the same axon, which share the same spiking activity, can differ greatly in their presynaptic release probability.
Biomechanical study of cellulose scaffolds for bone tissue engineering in vivo and in vitro
Authors: Latour Maxime Leblanc , Tarar Maryam , Hickey Ryan J. , Cuerrier Charles M. , Catelas Isabelle , Pelling Andrew E.
Published: July 2021

Plant-derived cellulose biomaterials have recently been utilized in several tissue engineering applications. These naturally-derived cellulose scaffolds have been shown to be highly biocompatible in vivo, possess structural features of relevance to several tissues, and support mammalian cell invasion and proliferation. Recent work utilizing decellularized apple hypanthium tissue has shown that it possesses a pore size similar to trabecular bone and can successfully host osteogenic differentiation. In the present study, we further examined the potential of apple-derived cellulose scaffolds for bone tissue engineering (BTE) and analyzed their mechanical properties in vitro and in vivo. MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts were seeded in cellulose scaffolds. Following chemically-induced osteogenic differentiation, scaffolds were evaluated for mineralization and for their mechanical properties. Alkaline phosphatase and Alizarin Red staining confirmed the osteogenic potential of the scaffolds. Histological analysis of the constructs revealed cell invasion and mineralization throughout the constructs. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the presence of mineral aggregates on the scaffolds after culture in differentiation medium, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy confirmed the presence of phosphate and calcium. However, although the Young’s modulus significantly increased after cell differentiation, it remained lower than that of healthy bone tissue. Interestingly, mechanical assessment of acellular scaffolds implanted in rat calvaria defects for 8 weeks revealed that the force required to push out the scaffolds from the surrounding bone was similar to that of native calvarial bone. In addition, cell infiltration and extracellular matrix deposition were visible within the implanted scaffolds. Overall, our results confirm that plant-derived cellulose is a promising candidate for BTE applications. However, the discrepancy in mechanical properties between the mineralized scaffolds and healthy bone tissue may limit their use to low load-bearing applications. Further structural re-engineering and optimization to improve the mechanical properties may be required for load-bearing applications.
Dynamics in Fip1 regulate eukaryotic mRNA 3'-end processing
Authors: Kumar Ananthanarayanan , Yu Conny W.H. , Rodríguez-Molina Juan B. , Li Xiao-Han , Freund Stefan MV , Passmore Lori A
Published: July 2021

Cleavage and polyadenylation factor (CPF/CPSF) is a multiprotein complex essential for mRNA 3’-end processing in eukaryotes. It contains an endonuclease that cleaves pre-mRNAs, and a polymerase that adds a poly(A) tail onto the cleaved 3’-end. Several CPF subunits, including Fip1, contain intrinsically-disordered regions (IDRs). IDRs within multiprotein complexes can be flexible, or can become ordered upon interaction with binding partners. Here, we show that yeast Fip1 anchors the poly(A) polymerase Pap1 onto CPF via an interaction with zinc finger 4 of another CPF subunit, Yth1. We also reconstitute a fully recombinant 850-kDa CPF. By incorporating selectively-labelled Fip1 into recombinant CPF, we could study the dynamics of this single protein within the megadalton complex using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). This reveals that a Fip1 IDR that connects the Yth1- and Pap1-binding sites remains highly dynamic within CPF. Together, our data suggest that Fip1 dynamics mediate conformational transitions within the 3’-end processing machinery to coordinate cleavage and polyadenylation.
Morphology control of laser-induced dandelion-like crystals of sodium acetate through the addition of acidic polymers
Authors: Liu Yao , He Huilin , Liu Yanjun
Published: July 2021

Crystal growth speeds, crystal sizes and the morphology of sodium acetate (CH3COONa) crystals in the presence of polymaleic acid and polyacrylic acid with different concentrations were investigated in supersaturated solutions of sodium acetate. The technique of non-photochemical laser-induced nucleation (NPLIN) was used to produce initial crystallites of anhydrous CH3COONa. The anhydrous CH3COONa crystal growth in solution after laser irradiation resembled the formation of dandelion seed heads. Even though NPLIN could offer temporal–spatial control of crystal nucleation without the addition of acidic polymers, the crystal growth rates were heterogeneous for crystallites along the laser pathway, which led to irregular crystalline sizes and morphologies. Here, a controllable approach from crystal nucleation to crystal growth has been designed through the addition of acidic polymers in the laser-induced growth of anhydrous CH3COONa crystals. In the presence of an acidic polymer, both the crystal growth and the morphological modification were controlled from tuft-shaped crystals to dandelion-like crystals. As bulk solid thicknesses and crystal growth speeds can be modified by different mass fractions of acidic polymer, a mathematical model was established to analyse the dynamics of crystal growth under the effect of acidic polymers. The model reproduces remarkably well the experimental trend and predicts experimental results. The changes in supersaturation and the number of nuclei through the addition of acidic polymers were analysed to investigate the underlying mechanism of morphological difference.
Ionic cocrystals of dithiobispyridines: the role of I...I halogen bonds in the building of iodine frameworks and the stabilization of crystal structures
Authors: Wzgarda-Raj Kinga , Nawrot Martyna , Rybarczyk-Pirek Agnieszka J. , Palusiak Marcin
Published: July 2021

It has been confirmed that mercaptopyridines undergo spontaneous condensation in redox reaction with iodine-forming dithiopyridines. In the solid state, these compounds are protonated at the N atoms and cocrystallize with iodine forming salt structures, namely, 2-[(pyridin-2-yl)disulfanyl]pyridinium triiodide sesquiiodine, C10H9N2S2
+·I3
−·1.5I2, and 4,4′-(disulfanediyl)dipyridinium pentaiodide triiodide, C10H10N2S2
2+·I5
−·I3
−. Dithiopyridine cations are packed among three-dimensional frameworks built from iodide anions and neutral iodine molecules, and are linked by hydrogen, halogen and chalcogen interactions. Quantum chemical computations indicated that dithiopyridines exhibit anomalously high nitrogen basicity which qualify them as potential proton sponges.
Induction of Λ-helicity in a zinc complex with an alanine-appended aminopyridine ligand
Authors: Perić Berislav , Kokan Zoran , Kirin Srećko I.
Published: July 2021

The crystal structure of tris[dimethyl 5-({1-[(pyridin-2-yl-κN)carbamoyl-κO]ethyl}carbamoyl)benzene-1,3-dicarboxylate]zinc(II) dinitrate acetonitrile trisolvate, [Zn(C19H19N3O6)3](NO3)2·3CH3CN or [Zn(L)3](NO3)2·3CH3CN, (1), has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The neutral ligand L coordinates to the Zn2+ cation in a bidentate fashion via the pyridine N atom and an amide O atom, forming a six-membered chelate ring. The Λ-helical chirality of the Zn2+ coordination sphere is induced by pendant L-alanine residues through stacking interactions between the arene groups of two coordinated ligands, assisted by a hydrogen bond between amide groups bonded to the stacked arene rings. The third ligand is coordinated to the Zn2+ cation by the same six-membered chelate ring, but in the opposite direction with respect to the analogous chelate rings of the first two coordinated ligands. Besides ionic interactions between [ZnL
3]2+ complexes and NO3
− anions, several types of hydrogen bonds and intermolecular stacking interactions contribute to the stability of the solid-state phase.
Toward a mechanistic understanding of the magnetic field effect on N-80 carbon steel corrosion in aqueous HCl solution
Authors: Hashemizadeh Abbas , Ameri Mohammad Javad
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to describe the effect of magnetic field (MF) on the corrosion rate of N-80 carbon steel [N-80 carbon steel (CS)] in concentrated (12.5 Wt.%, 3.8 M) hydrochloric acid (HCl) using gravimetric weight loss (WL) measurements and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) in various conditions at ambient temperature.

Design/methodology/approach

The effects of MF intensity, magnetization time and elapsed time on corrosion rate (CR) reduction (η) were studied.

Findings

The experimental results show that pre-magnetization of HCl sharply decreases the corrosion rate of N-80 carbon steel (CS) in acid. The maximumηwas found to be 94%. The surface of CS was analyzed with scanning electron microscope in normal and magnetized acid.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no studies have delved into the effects of magnetization on the corrosion rate of CS in concentrated HCl solutions. All of the previous research studies deal with an external MF that is applied on the reaction cell, but the magnetization of fluid before coming in contact with CS is investigated for the first time. In the present work, the influence of MF on the corrosion rate of CS in HCl is illustrated using gravimetric WL and PDP methods. The effects of MF intensity as well as period of magnetization and elapsed time were verified in more than 35 tests.
Simulation of a passenger aircraft flight with the wing tip cut
Authors: Goraj Zdobyslaw Jan , Kowalski Mariusz , Kiszkowiak Łukasz , Olejnik Aleksander
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the result of simulations that were performed to assess the uncontrolled motion of the passenger aircraft following its wing tip was suddenly cut. Such a simulation can help to understand the tendencies of aircraft behaviour after wing tip cut, assess how fast this phenomenon is going on and estimate the values of angles of attack, sideslip and pitch angle basing on given aerodynamic characteristics. Also, answer the question if pilot can counteract high deviations from flight path initially planned during the final phase of approach to landing.

Design/methodology/approach

Simulation is based on the full non-linear equations of motion derived from generalised equations of change of momentum and moment of momentum of rigid body. Dynamic equations of motion in the so-called normal mode are solved in the so-called stability frame of reference.

Findings

It was found that asymmetric rolling moment must be compensated by essential increase of pitching moment. Moreover, it appeared that aircraft goes into high angles of attack and high pitch angle and, therefore, for reliable simulation, the available aerodynamic characteristics must include angles of attack till 90 degrees when total flow separation occurs.

Practical implications

For accurate simulation, it is strongly recommended to perform to perform first the wind tunnel testing in the range of +20o ÷ 120o and use it in flight simulation.

Originality/value

The presented methodology is an original for numerical simulation of flight trajectory during the final phase of approach to landing in a hazardous state of flight. For reliable simulation, the available aerodynamic characteristics must include angles of attack till 90 degrees when total flow separation occurs, whereas usually maximum angles of attack used in wind tunnel experiments for passenger aircraft are not higher than 25 degrees. The influence of limited range of experimental data on results of simulation is another value which can be adopted in the future investigations of hazardous states of flight.
Investigating the role of electric vehicle knowledge in consumer adoption: evidence from an emerging market
Authors: Jaiswal Deepak , Kant Rishi , Singh Pankaj Kumar , Yadav Rambalak
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The use of electric vehicles has received popularity as alternative fuel vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy cost, which are expected to perform a crucial role in the near future of emerging mobility markets. The purpose of this empirical study is to analyse the role of electric vehicle knowledge in predicting consumer adoption intention directly and indirectly in the backdrop of an emerging market.

Design/methodology/approach

The study approached an extended version of “Technology acceptance model” (TAM) based on the integrated framework of “knowledge-beliefs-intention”. The model was tested via direct and indirect path analyses with the data collected from Indian respondents using an online survey.

Findings

The results indicate the robustness of the present research model, which shows that consumer adoption is significantly driven by electric vehicle knowledge, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived risk. Electric vehicle knowledge has emerged as the most powerful cognitive measure, which directly affects the adoption intention along with the measures of “TAM”. Additionally, this also poses a higher indirect effect on adoption intention in the integrated model.

Research limitations/implications

The study has focused on potential young and educated consumers, which may not be warranted to generalise the research findings, while youth or millennials are more receptive to adopt innovative and clean technology products like electric vehicle. Based on the findings, implications are offered for encouraging electric vehicles in the backdrop of emerging automobile markets.

Originality/value

Concerning this cognitive phenomenon of knowledge, scant literature has been explored the role of subjective knowledge in consumer adoption for electric vehicles, particularly in the emerging markets like India. Thus, the present study analyses how consumers' knowledge about electric vehicle affects their decision to adopt this in the near future of Indian zero-emission mobility market.
Assessing off-site readiness in construction organisations: cases from India
Authors: Bendi Deepthi , Rana Muhammad Qasim , Arif Mohammed , Lamb Steve Michael , Sawhney Anil , Kaushik Amit Kant
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to present factors affecting the Indian construction organisations in adopting off-site construction (OSC) methods.

Design/methodology/approach

An existing readiness maturity model has been used to assess three large organisations in different parts of India. A case study methodology has been adopted in this paper to highlight critical issues in OSC adoption in India.

Findings

This paper presents three case studies and concludes the Indian construction sectors readiness to adopt the OSC methods. Through the case studies, different issues related to the adoption of OSC have been identified and highlighted for the Indian construction sector. Although the three companies are large, there are several small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) operating in India's construction sector, and future research shall be needed to review these SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

This research study is broadly focused on developing and assessing an OSC readiness framework for Indian construction organisations. The research scope and the population for data collection are limited to large construction organisations in India only.

Practical implications

The proposed OSC readiness maturity model guides construction practitioners in India through a structured process to assess their OSC readiness in the market. This assessment enables them to evaluate and benchmark their processes through the strategic and operational phases. This research will add to the existing knowledge of OSC in India by mapping issues relevant to India's construction industry. The research has provided background on the status of OSC, the drivers and barriers affecting the implementation of OSC techniques in the Indian construction industry.

Originality/value

Through the three case studies, several factors related to the implementation of OSC methods have been identified and highlighted within the Indian construction sector. Although the model has been applied to the Indian construction sector, it can easily be modified to fit into other areas and similar dynamics and business conditions.
Transformation of construction project management toward situational awareness
Authors: Lappalainen Eelon Mikael , Seppänen Olli , Peltokorpi Antti , Singh Vishal
Published: July 2021

Purpose

With the ongoing digitalization of the construction industry (CI), situational awareness (SA) is becoming increasingly important in construction management. The purpose of this article is to identify the requirements of SA system development in the CI and to provide recommendations for the future development of SA systems.

Design/methodology/approach

In this exploratory multi-case research study, a literature review and five Finnish cases were used to gather the evidence on how system developers have planned SA systems and what motives and objectives were behind their development efforts. An analysis of the cases, along with a review of SA models and concepts from other sectors, was used to identify requirements and deficiencies of the SA systems developed by CI actors.

Findings

This study reveals deficiencies in the recent SA systems. The systems seemed to be based on traditional project models, in which the role of the individual as the creator and interpreter of an SA system is still significant. Major requirements and future development of the systems are related to better SA levels of perception and projection and data quality.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to an understudied area of SA in the construction context and provides new insights into how construction companies develop their SA systems. The main study limitations are its geographically limited case selection and the limited generalizability of the results.

Practical implications

The research (1) shows what requirements and systemic weaknesses SA developers in the CI must consider in future development work and (2) shows developers the requirements to obtain holistic SA.

Originality/value

The study provides insights into the content of newly developed SA models and integrates developers' requirements into the SA theory.
Adoption and implementation of automation technologies in organizations and community job-loss; corporate social responsibility managers justification mechanism among social actors
Authors: Bhattacharyya Som Sekhar
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to ascertain how corporate social responsibility (CSR) managers are justifying the adoption of automation technologies in India, which is simultaneously creating job loss.

Design/methodology/approach

Indian firms to become and maintain superior levels of competitiveness in the marketplace had initiated the adoption, as well as usage of automation technologies such as robotics, additive manufacturing, machine learning and others. Such firm initiatives led to job loss in communities where the firm had a presence with its plants and offices. CSR managers primarily engaged with communities to undertake firm CSR initiatives. Job creation and its continuance have been a sacred component in this narrative. The adoption of automation technologies had altered this point of conversation. CSR managers had to justify both organizational actions from a firm perspective and reconcile the same to the community leaders. In this research, an exploratory study was conducted with a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire with 28 CSR experts. Data was collected through personal interviews and the data was content analysed based upon thematic content analysis.

Findings

The results indicated that CSR managers rationalized the adoption of automation technologies from a push-pull-mooring (PPM) perspective from a firm centric point of view. While for justification from a community (social) centric perspective, dominantly system thinking with fair market ideology than normative justification, utilitarian rather than deontological thinking (DT) and organizational economic egoism (OEE) rather than reputational egoism was applied.

Research limitations/implications

The study applies the theories of the PPM perspective from a firm centric point of view. While for community-based theoretical justification – system thinking with fair market ideology than normative justification, utilitarian rather than DT and OEE rather than reputational egoism was used.

Practical implications

This study finding would help CSR managers to undertake community activities while their firms are adopting and implementing automation technologies that are creating job loss in the very community their firms are serving. Mangers would get insights regarding the steps they should undertake to create harmony.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies that delve regarding how CSR managers are justifying the adoption of automation technologies in India, which is simultaneously creating job loss. Theoretically, this study is novel because the study question is answered based upon the adoption of automation technologies from a PPM perspective from a firm centric point of view. While, for justification from a community (social) centric perspective, dominantly system thinking with fair market ideology than normative justification, utilitarian rather than DT and OEE rather than reputational egoism was applied.
Exploring potential gender differences in information security and privacy
Authors: McGill Tanya , Thompson Nik
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Information technology users often fail to adopt necessary security and privacy measures, leading to increased risk of cybercrimes. There has been limited research on how demographic differences influence information security behaviour and understanding this could be important in identifying users who may be more likely to have poor information security behaviour. This study aims to investigate whether there are any gender differences in security and privacy behaviours and perceptions, to identify potential differences that may have implications for protecting users’ privacy and securing their devices, software and data.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper addresses this research gap by investigating security behaviours and perceptions in the following two studies: one focussing on information security and one on information privacy. Data was collected in both studies using anonymous online surveys.

Findings

This study finds significant differences between men and women in over 40% of the security and privacy behaviours considered, suggesting that overall levels of both are significantly lower for women than for men, with behaviours that require more technical skill being adopted less by female users. Furthermore, individual perceptions exhibited some gender differences.

Originality/value

This research suggests that potential gender differences in some security and privacy behaviours and perceptions should be taken into account when designing information security education, training and awareness initiatives for both organisations and the broader community. This study also provides a strong foundation to explore information security individual differences more deeply.
An anomaly detection approach based on hybrid differential evolution and K-means clustering in crowd intelligence
Authors: Liu Jianran , Liang Bing , Ji Wen
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Artificial intelligence is gradually penetrating into human society. In the network era, the interaction between human and artificial intelligence, even between artificial intelligence, becomes more and more complex. Therefore, it is necessary to describe and intervene the evolution of crowd intelligence network dynamically. This paper aims to detect the abnormal agents at the early stage of intelligent evolution.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, differential evolution (DE) and K-means clustering are used to detect the crowd intelligence with abnormal evolutionary trend.

Findings

This study abstracts the evolution process of crowd intelligence into the solution process of DE and use K-means clustering to identify individuals who are not conducive to evolution in the early stage of intelligent evolution.

Practical implications

Experiments show that the method we proposed are able to find out individual intelligence without evolutionary trend as early as possible, even in the complex crowd intelligent interactive environment of practical application. As a result, it can avoid the waste of time and computing resources.

Originality/value

In this paper, DE and K-means clustering are combined to analyze the evolution of crowd intelligent interaction.
Using the lens of science capital to capture and explore children’s attitudes toward science in an informal making-based space
Authors: Christidou Dimitra , Papavlasopoulou Sofia , Giannakos Michail
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Governments and organizations worldwide are concerned over the declining number of young people choosing to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), especially after the age of 16. Research has foregrounded that students with positive attitudes toward science are more likely to find it relevant and aspire to a science career. This study aims to understand the factors shaping students’ attitudes as these are pivotal in promoting science learning.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the framework of science capital to understand what shapes young people’s engagement with or resistance to science. The authors conducted four Computational Thinking making-based workshops with 106 children aged 15–16 years, of which 58 filled in a questionnaire and 22 were interviewed. Statistical and content analyses were performed respectively.

Findings

The results indicate that children who are more exposed to science-related activities and contexts are more likely to have higher self-efficacy, and that those with higher prior coding experience scored higher in their self-efficacy and science capital. Six themes emerged from the content analysis, highlighting the diverse factors shaping students’ attitudes, such as teaching methods, stereotypes and the degree of difficulty encountered while engaging with science in and out of school.

Originality/value

By combining qualitative and quantitative methods with the use of science capital, the authors found a number of aspects of the school experience that shape students’ attitudes to science learning in and out of school, as well as their science career aspirations.
Corporate governance and IFSB standard-4: evidence from Islamic banks in Bangladesh
Authors: Rashid Md. Harun Ur , Khanam Ruma , Ullah Md. Hafij
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the compliance status of Islamic banks in Bangladesh with Shari’ah-based accounting standards named Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) standard-4 and its association with corporate governance.

Design/methodology/approach

The six years of secondary data, including the annual reports of 2013–2018, were collected from the websites of all the seven listed Islamic banks, i.e. 100% of the population available during the period of study. The study used a content analysis approach for systematically categorizing and analysing the contents disclosed in the annual report. A total compliance score based on 133 reporting items of IFSB standard-4 were considered for content analysis. Furthermore, this study applied the ordinary least square to investigate the impact of corporate governance on IFSB standard-4.

Findings

This study found that the level of compliance with the IFSB standard by the Islamic banks in Bangladesh is poor, as the overall compliance status is 44.83%. Further, this study observed a significant and positive influence of the Shari’ah supervisory committee, the board size, accounting experts on the board, foreign ownership and institutional ownership on the level of compliance with IFSB standard-4. On the other hand, this study found a negative effect of directors’ ownership on the level of compliance with IFSB standard-4.

Practical implications

This study provides the management of Islamic banks an insight into developing their governance characteristics to comply with Islamic accounting and reporting standards. Moreover, this study expects to facilitate the management of Islamic banks in designing their accounting and reporting outlines to enhance the level of compliance with the IFSB standards.

Originality/value

This pioneering study on IFSB standards opens an avenue to the researchers exploring the accounting and reporting status of Islamic banks considering the requirements of the IFSB standards.
Teens' privacy management on video-sharing social media: the roles of perceived privacy risk and parental mediation
Authors: Kang Hyunjin , Shin Wonsun , Huang Junru
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study investigates how different parental mediation strategies (active versus restrictive) and teen Douyin users' privacy risk perceptions are associated with their privacy management behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey with teen Douyin users (N = 500) was administered in mainland China.

Findings

Perceived privacy risk leads teenagers to implement stricter privacy management strategies. However, different types of parental mediation have different impacts on teens' privacy management behaviors. Discussion-based active mediation is positively correlated with privacy disclosure and privacy boundary linkage, while rule-based restrictive mediation is positively associated with privacy boundary control. In addition, active mediation encourages teens to use their own judgment about privacy risks when deciding how much personal information to disclose and with whom they want to share their information. Conversely, restrictive mediation results in teens making decisions about disclosing private information without taking their own risk assessments into account.

Originality/value

Video-sharing social media platforms like TikTok and Douyin have become a cultural trend among teen social media users. However, loss of privacy is a potentially serious downside of using such platforms. Despite the platforms' popularity among this age group, little is known about the ways teens manage their privacy on such social media platforms. By examining how teens' privacy risk perception and parental intervention shape three different aspects of privacy boundary management (i.e. privacy disclosure, privacy boundary linkage, and privacy boundary control), this study provides a comprehensive understanding of teen Douyin users' privacy management.
On (not) learning from self-neglect safeguarding adult reviews
Authors: Preston-Shoot Michael
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to update the core data set of self-neglect safeguarding adult reviews (SARs) and accompanying thematic analysis. It also explores whether lessons are being learned from the findings and recommendations of an increasing number of reviews on self-neglect cases.

Design/methodology/approach

Further published reviews are added to the core data set, mainly drawn from the websites of safeguarding adults boards (SABs). Thematic analysis is updated using the domains used previously. The domains and the thematic analysis are grounded in the evidence-based model of good practice, reported in this journal previously.

Findings

Familiar findings emerge from the thematic analysis and reinforce the evidence-base of good practice with individuals who self-neglect and for policies and procedures with which to support those practitioners working with such cases. Multiple exclusion homelessness and alcohol misuse are prominent. Some SABs are having to return to further cases of self-neglect to review, inviting scrutiny of what is (not) being learned from earlier findings and recommendations.

Research limitations/implications

The national database of reviews commissioned by SABs remains incomplete. The Care Act 2014 does not require publication of reports but only a summary of findings and recommendations in SAB annual reports. National Health Service Digital annual data sets do not enable the identification of reviews by types of abuse and neglect. However, the first national analysis of SARs has found self-neglect to be the most prominent type of abuse and/or neglect reviewed. Drawing together the findings builds on what is known about the components of effective practice, and effective policy and organisational arrangements for practice.

Practical implications

Answering the question “why” remains a significant challenge for SARs. The findings confirm the relevance of the evidence-base for effective practice but SARs are limited in their analysis of what enables and what obstructs the components of best practice. Greater explicit use of research and other published SARs might assist with answering the “why” question. Greater scrutiny is needed of the impact of the national legal, policy and financial context within which adult safeguarding is situated.

Originality/value

The paper extends the thematic analysis of available reviews that focus on study with adults who self-neglect, further reinforcing the evidence base for practice. Propositions are explored, concerned with whether learning is being maximised from the process of case review.