bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CRISPRmap: Sequencing-free optical pooled screens mapping multi-omic phenotypes in cells and tissue
Authors: Gu Jiacheng , Iyer Abhishek , Wesley Ben , Taglialatela Angelo , Leuzzi Giuseppe , Hangai Sho , Decker Aubrianna , Gu Ruoyu , Klickstein Naomi , Shuai Yuanlong , Jankovic Kristina , Parker-Burns Lucy , Jin Yinuo , Zhang Jia Yi , Hong Justin , Niu Steve , Chou Jacqueline , Landau Dan A. , Azizi Elham , Chan Edmond M. , Ciccia Alberto , Gaublomme Jellert T.
Published: December 2023

Pooled genetic screens are powerful tools to study gene function in a high-throughput manner. Typically, sequencing-based screens require cell lysis, which limits the examination of critical phenotypes such as cell morphology, protein subcellular localization, and cell-cell/tissue interactions. In contrast, emerging optical pooled screening methods enable the investigation of these spatial phenotypes in response to targeted CRISPR perturbations. In this study, we report a multi-omic optical pooled CRISPR screening method, which we have named CRISPRmap. Our method combines a novel in situ CRISPR guide identifying barcode readout approach with concurrent multiplexed immunofluorescence and in situ RNA detection. CRISPRmap barcodes are detected and read out through combinatorial hybridization of DNA oligos, enhancing barcode detection efficiency, while reducing both dependency on third party proprietary sequencing reagents and assay cost. Notably, we conducted a multi-omic base-editing screen in a breast cancer cell line on core DNA damage repair genes involved in the homologous recombination and Fanconi anemia pathways investigating how nucleotide variants in those genes influence DNA damage signaling and cell cycle regulation following treatment with ionizing radiation or DNA damaging agents commonly used for cancer therapy. Approximately a million cells were profiled with our multi-omic approach, providing a comprehensive phenotypic assessment of the functional consequences of the studied variants. CRISPRmap enabled us to pinpoint likely-pathogenic patient-derived mutations that were previously classified as variants of unknown clinical significance. Furthermore, our approach effectively distinguished barcodes of a pooled library in tumor tissue, and we coupled it with cell-type and molecular phenotyping by cyclic immunofluorescence. Multi-omic spatial analysis of how CRISPR-perturbed cells respond to various environmental cues in the tissue context offers the potential to significantly expand our understanding of tissue biology in both health and disease.
Ribosome Quality Control Mechanism Mitigates the Cytotoxic Impacts of Ribosome Collisions Induced by 5-Fluorouracil
Authors: Chatterjee Susanta , Naeli Parisa , Simms Nicole , Garzia Aitor , Hackett Angela , Coyle Kelsey , Snell Patric Harris , McGirr Tom , Sawant Tanvi Nitin , Dang Kexin , Stoichkova Zornitsa V. , Alain Tommy , Tuschl Thomas , McDade Simon S. , Longley Daniel B. , Gkogkas Christos G. , Adrain Colin , Knight John R.P. , Jafarnejad Seyed Mehdi
Published: December 2023

Translation of aberrant or damaged mRNAs results in ribosome stalling and collisions. The Ribosome Quality Control (RQC) mechanism detects collided ribosomes and removes aberrant mRNAs and nascent peptides, thus preventing their cytotoxic effects. Conversely, excessive or unresolved ribosome collisions can induce apoptosis. 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) forms the backbone of standard-of-care chemotherapeutic regimens for several types of cancer. Although best known for its incorporation into DNA and inhibition of thymidylate synthase, a major determinant of 5FU’s anticancer activity is its incorporation into RNAs. Nevertheless, the mechanism(s) underlying RNA-dependent 5FU cytotoxicity and the cellular response to its impact on RNA metabolism remain unclear. Here, we report a key role for RQC in mitigating the cytotoxic effects of 5FU-induced dysregulation of mRNA translation. We show that acute 5FU treatment results in the rapid induction of the mTOR signalling pathway, an enhanced rate of mRNA translation initiation, and increased ribosome collisions that trigger RQC. We also found that RQC deficiency, caused by the depletion of ZNF598, results in increased 5FU-induced cell death, a phenotype that is reversed by inhibition of mTOR or repression of mRNA translation initiation. Importantly, 5FU treatment enhances the expression of key RQC factors, including ZNF598 and GIGYF2, via an mTOR-dependent post-translational regulation mechanism. This acute adaptation likely mitigates the cytotoxic consequences of increased ribosome collisions upon 5FU treatment. Overall, our data indicate a heretofore unknown mTOR-dependent mechanism that augments the RQC process, mitigating the cytotoxicity of 5FU and undermining its anticancer efficacy.
C. elegansHedgehog-related proteins are tissue- and substructure-specific components of the cuticle and pre-cuticle
Authors: Serra Nicholas D. , Darwin Chelsea B. , Sundaram Meera V.
Published: December 2023

InC. elegans, divergent Hedgehog-related (Hh-r) and Patched-related (PTR) proteins promote numerous processes ranging from epithelial and sense organ development to pathogen responses to cuticle shedding during the molt cycle. Here we show that Hh-r proteins are actual components of the cuticle and pre-cuticle apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) that coat, shape, and protect external epithelia. Different Hh-r proteins stably associate with the aECMs of specific tissues and with specific substructures such as furrows and alae. Hh-r mutations can disrupt matrix structure. These results provide a unifying model for the function of nematode Hh-r proteins and highlight ancient connections between Hh proteins and the extracellular matrix.
A comprehensive alignment-filtering methodology improves phylogeny particularly by filtering overly divergent segments
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Qin Xinmei , Lu Yongbin , Li Pengwei , Huang Xiyang
Published: December 2023

​Alignment problems may be complicated and diverse and the performance of the existing alignment-filtering tools, particularly their potential effect on phylogenetic reconstruction, have remained debated or limitedly explored.

​In the present study, we developed a new R package named alignmentFilter to treat the diverse alignment problems, especially masking ambiguously-aligned or overly divergent segments using a newly devised grouping-regrouping algorithms acting on sequence divergence in each of sliding windows throughout alignment. Then we tested and compared the power and accuracy of the prevalent alignment-filtering tools, particularly the effect on phylogeny based on Angiospermae genome-scale data and simulated data.

​The results indicate the alignment-filtering methods alone may affect the phylogeny decisively, producing (strongly-supported) phylogenetic conflicts. In most cases, alignmentFilter most efficiently improves phylogeny, yielding more congruent phylogeny regardless of phylogeny-reconstruction methods, producing phylogeny more concordant to the priori tree regarding to both topology and branch length in simulation, and most efficiently decreasing the root-to-tip length heterogeneity that is implied to be negatively correlated with topological accuracy.

​The concepts and algorithms of alignmentFilter are quite distinct from existing alignment-filtering methods. It is not susceptible to specific types of alignment errors that usually baffle other methods and can reach the optimal solution frequently with lowest computation complexity. The biological or statistical sense of the key optional stringency-controlling parameter is more straightforward and the setting and outcome may be more adjustable or predictable. A better and more comprehensive solution of alignment problems in this study will benefit tremendous downstream analyses sourced from alignment and phylogeny.
Histone deacetylase inhibitor RG2833 has therapeutic potential for Alzheimer’s disease in females
Authors: Ndukwe Kelechi , Serrano Peter A , Rockwell Patricia , Xie Lei , Figueiredo-Pereira Maria
Published: December 2023

Nearly two-thirds of patients with Alzheimer’s are women. Identifying therapeutics specific for women is critical to lowering their elevated risk for developing this major cause of adult dementia. Moreover, targeting epigenetic processes that regulate multiple cellular pathways is advantageous given Alzheimer’s multifactorial nature. Histone acetylation is an epigenetic process heavily involved in memory consolidation. Its disruption is linked to Alzheimer’s.

Through our computational studies, we predicted that the investigational drug RG2833 (N-[6-(2-aminoanilino)-6-oxohexyl]-4-methylbenzamide) has repurposing potential for Alzheimer’s. RG2833 is a histone deacetylase HDAC1/3 inhibitor that is orally bioavailable and permeates the blood-brain-barrier. We investigated the RG2833 therapeutic potential in TgF344-AD rats, which are a model of Alzheimer’s that exhibits age-dependent progression, thus mimicking this aspect of Alzheimer’s patients that is difficult to establish in animal models. We investigated the RG2833 effects on cognitive performance, gene expression, and AD-like pathology in 11-month TgF344-AD female and male rats. A total of 89 rats were used: wild typen= 45 (17 females, 28 males), and TgF344-ADn= 44 (24 females, 20 males)] across multiple cohorts.

No obvious toxicity was detected in the TgF344-AD rats up to 6 months of RG2833-treatment starting at 5 months of age administering the drug in rodent chow at ∼30mg/kg of body weight. We started treatment early in the course of pathology when therapeutic intervention is predicted to be more effective than in later stages of the disease. The drug-treatment significantly mitigated hippocampal-dependent spatial memory deficits in 11-month TgF344-AD females but not in males, compared to wild type littermates. This female sex-specific drug effect has not been previously reported. RG2833-treatment failed to ameliorate amyloid beta accumulation and microgliosis in female and male TgF344-AD rats. However, RNAseq analysis of hippocampal tissue from TgF344-AD rats showed that drug-treatment in females upregulated the expression of immediate early genes, such as Arc, Egr1 and c-Fos, and other genes involved in synaptic plasticity and memory consolidation. Remarkably, out of 17,168 genes analyzed for each sex, no significant changes in gene expression were detected in males atP< 0.05, false discovery rate < 0.05, and fold-change ≥ 1.5.

Our data suggest that histone modifying therapeutics such as RG2833 improve cognitive behavior by modulating the expression of immediate early, neuroprotective and synaptic plasticity genes. Our preclinical study supports that RG2833 has therapeutic potential specifically for female Alzheimer’s patients. RG2833 evaluations using other AD-related models is necessary to confirm our findings.
Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy blockade contribute to renal osteodystrophy in chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder
Authors: Hsu Shun-Neng , Stephen Louise A , Phadwal Kanchan , Dillon Scott , Carter Roderick , Morton Nicholas M , Luijten Ineke , Emelianova Katie , Amin Anish K , Macrae Vicky E , Freeman Tom C. , Staines Katherine A , Farquharson Colin
Published: December 2023

Chronic kidney disease–mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) presents with extra-skeletal calcification and renal osteodystrophy (ROD). The origins of ROD likely lie with elevated uremic toxins and/or an altered hormonal profile but the cellular events responsible remain unclear. Here, we report that stalled mitophagy contributes to mitochondrial dysfunction in bones of a CKD-MBD mouse model, and also human CKD-MBD patients. RNA-seq analysis exposed an altered expression of genes associated with mitophagy and mitochondrial function in tibia of CKD-MBD mice. The accumulation of damaged osteocyte mitochondria and the expression of mitophagy regulators, p62/SQSTM1, ATG7 and LC3 was inconsistent with functional mitophagy, and inmito-QC reporter mice with CKD-MBD, there was a 2.3-fold increase in osteocyte mitolysosomes. Altered expression of mitophagy regulators in human CKD-MBD bones was also observed. To determine if uremic toxins were possibly responsible for these observations, indoxyl sulfate treatment of osteoblasts revealed mitochondria with distorted morphology and whose membrane potential and oxidative phosphorylation were decreased, and oxygen-free radical production increased. The altered p62/SQSTM1 and LC3-II expression was consistent with impaired mitophagy machinery and the effects of indoxyl sulfate were reversible by rapamycin. In conclusion, mitolysosome accumulation from impaired clearance of damaged mitochondria may contribute to the skeletal complications, characteristic of ROD. Targeting mitochondria and the mitophagy process may therefore offer novel routes for intervention to preserve bone health in patients with ROD. Such approaches would be timely as our current armamentarium of anti-fracture medications has not been developed for, or adequately studied in, patients with severe CKD-MBD.

Graphical Abstract

TRANSLATIONAL STATEMENT

Renal osteodystrophy (ROD) remains the major skeletal complication of chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD). As a disease characterised by biochemical and hormone abnormalities, ROD is exacerbated by osteocyte mitochondrial dysfunction. Advances in our understanding of the mitophagy pathway are vital to improving the clinical management of ROD. The dysregulation of mitophagy in murine and human CKD-MBD bone provided evidence of delayed clearance of damaged mitochondria, which was also observed in uremic toxin-treated-osteoblasts but reversible upon rapamycin treatment. This study reveals the therapeutic potential of managing ROD by restoring defective mitophagy in osteocytes.
The neuroimmune CGRP-RAMP1 axis tunes cutaneous adaptive immunity to the microbiota
Authors: Kulalert Warakorn , Wells Alexandria C. , Link Verena M. , Lim Ai Ing , Bouladoux Nicolas , Nagai Motoyoshi , Harrison Oliver J. , Kamenyeva Olena , Kabat Juraj , Enamorado Michel , Chiu Isaac M. , Belkaid Yasmine
Published: December 2023

The somatosensory nervous system surveils external stimuli at barrier tissues, regulating innate immune cells under infection and inflammation. The roles of sensory neurons in controlling the adaptive immune system, and more specifically immunity to the microbiota, however, remain elusive. Here, we identified a novel mechanism for direct neuroimmune communication between commensal-specific T lymphocytes and somatosensory neurons mediated by the neuropeptide Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) in the skin. Intravital imaging revealed that commensal-specific T cells are in close proximity to cutaneous nerve fibersin vivo. Correspondingly, we observed upregulation of the receptor for the neuropeptide CGRP, RAMP1, in CD8+T lymphocytes induced by skin commensal colonization. Neuroimmune CGRP-RAMP1 signaling axis functions in commensal-specific T cells to constrain Type 17 responses and moderate the activation status of microbiota-reactive lymphocytes at homeostasis. As such, modulation of neuroimmune CGRP-RAMP1 signaling in commensal-specific T cells shapes the overall activation status of the skin epithelium, thereby impacting the outcome of responses to insults such as wounding. The ability of somatosensory neurons to control adaptive immunity to the microbiota via the CGRP-RAMP1 axis underscores the various layers of regulation and multisystem coordination required for optimal microbiota-reactive T cell functions under steady state and pathology.

Significance statement

Multisystem coordination at barrier surfaces is critical for optimal tissue functions and integrity, in response to microbial and environmental cues. In this study, we identified a novel neuroimmune crosstalk mechanism between the sensory nervous system and the adaptive immune response to the microbiota, mediated by the neuropeptide CGRP and its receptor RAMP1 on skin microbiota-induced T lymphocytes. The neuroimmune CGPR-RAMP1 axis constrains adaptive immunity to the microbiota and overall limits the activation status of the skin epithelium, impacting tissue responses to wounding. Our study opens the door to a new avenue to modulate adaptive immunity to the microbiota utilizing neuromodulators, allowing for a more integrative and tailored approach to harnessing microbiota-induced T cells to promote barrier tissue protection and repair.
Orphan nuclear receptorNR2E3and its small-molecule agonist induce cancer cell apoptosis through regulating p53, IFNα and MYC pathways
Authors: Wang Yidan , Kroll Todd , Hao Linhui , Sharma Ansul , Zhou Vivian , Moat Luke , Mayer John , Shukla Sanjay S. , Hebbring Scott , Guo Song , Iden Marissa , Bissonnette Adam , Ananiev Gene , Parashar Deepak , Rader Janet S. , Janz Siegfried , Wen Zhi
Published: December 2023

Orphan nuclear receptor NR2E3 activates p53 and induces cancer cell apoptosis. Further studies on p53-dependent and -independent functions of wild-type and mutatedNR2E3are needed. Herein, we showed that NR2E3 enhanced p53-DNA interactions in diverse cancer cells and up-regulated p53 and IFNα pathways while down-regulating MYC pathway in cervical cancer cells. Studies of “AllofUs” and TCGA databases showedNR2E3nonsynonymous mutations’ associating with four cancers. We stratifiedNR2E3SNVs for their cancer implications with the p53 reporter. A cancer-associatedNR2E3R97Hmutation not only lost the wild-type’s tumor-suppressing functions but also prohibited the wild-type from enhancing p53 acetylation. These observations implicated the potential for pharmaceutically activating NR2E3 to suppress cancer. Indeed, NR2E3’s small-molecule agonist 11a repressed 2-D and 3-D cultures of primary cells and cell lines of cervical cancer, in which screening FDA-approved anti-cancer drugs identified HDAC-1/2 inhibitor Romidepsin operating synergistically with 11a. The underlying molecular mechanisms included 11a’s down-regulating the transcription of Multidrug Resistance ProteinABCB1that Romidepsin up-regulated. Transcriptomics studies revealed three synergy modes: (1) “sum-up” mode that the p53 pathway activated individually by 11a and Romidepsin got stronger by the combo; (2) “antagonism” mode that Romidepsin counteracted the activation of the Kras pathway by 11a; and (3) “de novo” mode that the combo instead of each individual drug repressed the MYC pathway. Conclusively, our experiments provide new data supporting tumor-suppressor like functions for wild-typeNR2E3, reveal roles of mutatedNR2E3in cancer, and address values of NR2E3’s agonist 11a in cancer therapy alone and combined.
Participation unpacked: participants' perceptions of its meaning and scope
Authors: Källström Lisa , Smith Elin
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The concept of “participation” has become a buzzword in contemporary public governance models. However, despite the broad and significant interest, defining participation remains a debated topic. The aim of the current study was to explore how participants perceived and interpreted the meaning and scope of participation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is part of a four-year (2019–2022) longitudinal research project investigating stakeholder participation in the context of developing and establishing a strategic regional plan in Region Skåne in southern Sweden. The research project has a qualitative approach and uses interviews with different stakeholder groups such as municipal politicians and public officials and a survey as empirical material.

Findings

The authors developed a participation spectrum including eight types of participation: to be open, to be informed, to be listened to, to discuss, to be consulted, to give and take, to collaborate and to co-create. The authors also identified four different purposes of participation: creating a joint network, creating a joint understanding, creating a joint effort and creating a joint vision. The spectrum and the purposes were related through four characteristics of participation, i.e. involvement, interaction, influence and empowerment.

Research limitations/implications

The study rests on a single case, and so the results have limited transferatibility.

Originality/value

Researching participation in terms of the participants' perceptions contributes a new perspective to the existing literature, which has commonly focussed on the organizers' perceptions of participation. Moreover, in order to clarify what participation meant to the participants, the study puts emphasis on untangling this from the why question of participation.
Work–family conflict and behavioral outcomes of Chinese female leaders: the mechanisms of work–family guilt and family centrality
Authors: Chen Yuling , Yuan Zihan , Chen Charles Weizheng
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of work-to-family conflict (WFC) on unethical pro-family behavior (UPFB) and work engagement (WE) among Chinese female leaders. In addition, this study investigates the mediating role of work-to-family guilt (WFG) and the moderating role of family centrality (FC) in these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach was adopted, involving the collection of data through online questionnaires administered at three time points. These data were analyzed using hierarchical regression and the bootstrapping method to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

WFC exhibited a significant positive correlation with UPFB and a negative correlation with WE; WFG played a mediating role in the relationships between WFC and both UPFB and WE; and FC had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between WFC and WE.

Originality/value

This study sheds light on a model of WFC and its related effects, reveals how WFC affects UPFB and WE and uncovers the mediating role of WFG and the moderating role of FC; pays attention to a unique organizational behavior, UPFB, which enriches research on the antecedents influencing such behaviors; and examines Chinese female leaders in organizations, their current experience of WFC and the resulting psychological and behavioral outcomes.
Investing in a leveraged world
Authors: Ahn Keunbae , Hambusch Gerhard , Hong Kihoon , Navone Marco
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Throughout the 21st century, US households have experienced unprecedented levels of leverage. This dynamic has been exacerbated by income shortfalls during the COVID-19 crisis. Leveraging and deleveraging decisions affect household consumption. This study investigates the effect of the dynamics of household leverage and consumption on the stock market.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors explore the relation between household leverage and consumption in the context of the consumption capital asset pricing model (CCAPM). The authors test the model's implication that leverage has a negative risk premium by transforming the asset pricing restriction into an unconditional linear factor model and estimate the model using the general method of moments procedure. The authors run time-series regressions to estimate individual stocks' exposures to leverage, and cross-sectional regressions to investigate the leverage risk premium.

Findings

The authors show that shocks to household debt have strong and lasting effects on consumption growth. The authors extend the CCAPM to accommodate this effect and find, using various test assets, a negative risk premium associated with household deleveraging. Looking at individual stocks the authors show that the deleveraging risk premium is not explained by well-known risk factors.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on the role of leverage in economics and finance by establishing a relation between household leverage and spending decisions. The authors provide novel evidence that households' leveraging and deleveraging decisions can be a fundamental and influential force in determining asset prices. Further, this paper argues that household leverage might explain the small, persistent, and predictable component in consumption growth hypothesised in the long-run risk asset pricing literature.
Work-related computing at home and nonwork-related computing at work: a self-determination perspective
Authors: Wang Tingxi , Lin Qianyu , Zong Zhaobiao , Zhou Yue
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study investigates why employees' cyber-loafing is affected by work-related computing at home. Based on the self-determination theory, the authors propose the mediating role of sense of control and the moderating role of work/family segmentation preference.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the authors' hypotheses, the authors conducted a multi-wave, multi-source field study with 224 paired employee-leader dyads at three time points. The hypotheses were tested by the SPSS macro application in Hayes (2018) with a bootstrap approach to obtain confidence intervals.

Findings

The work-related computing at home promotes employee cyber-loafing as compensation for their impaired sense of control. Moreover, such a relationship is stronger for employees with a stronger desire for self-control (i.e. high work/family segmentation preference).

Originality/value

This study reveals the underlying mechanism linking the work-related computing at home and employee cyber-loafing, as well as the boundary condition of this relationship. Specifically, sense of control serves as a vital mechanism and work/family segmentation preference as a key boundary condition. In addition, the authors enrich the application of self-determination theory in management research.
Information sharing format preferences under different supply chain power structures
Authors: Sun Haining , Cai Jianhu
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to study the preferences of the supply chain (SC) members on various power structures under demand information asymmetry considering competing retailers.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-level SC with one manufacturer and two retailers is designed. The retailers are in Bertrand competition. The manufacturer who holds the confidential demand information chooses the appropriate information sharing (IS) format. Three IS formats are provided, i.e. no IS (the manufacturer never shares with the retailers), partial IS (the manufacturer shares with one retailer), full IS (the manufacturer shares with all retailers). In addition, the authors model two power structures based on the decision sequences in the SC, i.e. retailers or manufacturer-dominant SC. The authors characterize the equilibrium solutions and payoffs and then investigate the members’ preferences for IS formats.

Findings

It is shown that in retailers (manufacturer)-dominant SC, the retailers prefer full (no) IS, but the manufacturer prefers no (full) IS. Moreover, the authors analyze the members’ preferences on power structures under demand information asymmetry, which has a relationship with the degrees of demand uncertainty and competition intensity.

Originality/value

The analysis regarding the preferences of the SC members on power structure under demand information asymmetry provides valuable managerial insights to enhance cooperation and achieve a win-win result.
“They act like we are going to heaven”: pre-arrival information experiences, information crafting and settlement of immigrants in Canada
Authors: Shuva Nafiz Zaman
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Although there is a growing body of work on immigrants' information behavior, little is known about the pre-arrival information experiences of immigrants who consult formal information sources such as immigration agents. Drawn from a larger study on the information behavior of immigrants, this paper mainly reports the semi-structured interview findings on the pre-arrival information experiences of Bangladeshi immigrants who used formal information sources with discussion on how that affected their post-arrival settlement into Canada.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a mixed method approach with semi-structured interviews (n = 60) and surveys (n = 205) with participants who arrived in Canada between the years of 1971 and 2017. Data were collected from May 2017 to February 2018.

Findings

Although the overall scope of the original study is much larger, this paper features findings on the pre-arrival information experiences derived mainly from an analysis of interview data. This study provides insights into the pre-arrival information experiences of Bangladeshi immigrants consulting formal information sources such as immigration firms, individual immigration consultants and more formal government agencies. The author introduces a new concept of “information crafting” by exploring the negative consequences of selective information sharing by immigration consultants/agents in newcomers' settlements in Canada, primarily positive information about life in Canada, sometimes with exaggeration and falsification. The interview participants shared story after the story of the settlement challenges they faced after arriving in Canada and how the expectations they built through the information received from immigration consultants and government agencies did not match after arrival. This study emphasizes the importance of providing comprehensive information about life in Canada to potential newcomers so that they can make informed decisions even before they apply.

Originality/value

The findings of this study have theoretical and practical implications for policy and research. This study provides insights into the complicated culturally situated pre-arrival information experiences of Bangladeshi immigrants. Moreover, the study findings encourage researchers in various disciplines, including psychology, migration studies and geography, to delve more deeply into newcomers' information experiences using an informational lens to examine the information newcomers receive from diverse sources and their effects on their post-arrival settlement in a new country. The study challenges the general assumptions that formal information sources are always reputable, useful, and comprehensive, and it provides some future directions for research that seeks to understand the culturally situated information behavior of diverse immigrant groups.
In search of a coherent theoretical foundation for LIS ethical principles: an appraisal of Floridi's Information Ethics
Authors: Yu Liangzhi , Zhang Yao
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the potential of Information Ethics (IE) to serve as a coherent ethical foundation for the library and information science profession (LIS profession).

Design/methodology/approach

This study consists of two parts: the first part present IE’s central theses and the main critiques it has received; the second part offers the authors' own evaluation of the theory from the LIS perspective in two steps: (1) assessing its internal consistency by testing its major theses against each other; (2) assessing its utility for resolving frequently debated LIS ethical dilemmas by comparing its solutions with solutions from other ethical theories.

Findings

This study finds that IE, consisting of an informational ontology, a fundamental ethical assertion and a series of moral laws, forms a coherent ethical framework and holds promising potential to serve as a theoretical foundation for LIS ethical issues; its inclusion of nonhuman objects as moral patients and its levels of abstraction mechanism proved to be particularly relevant for the LIS profession. This study also shows that, to become more solid an ethical theory, IE needs to resolve some of its internal contradictions and ambiguities, particularly its conceptual conflations between internal correctness, rightness and goodness; between destruction, entropy and evil; and the discrepancy between its deontological ethical assertion and its utilitarian moral laws.

Practical implications

This study alerts LIS professionals to the possibility of having a coherent ethical foundation and the potential of IE in this regard.

Originality/value

This study provides a systemic explication, evaluation and field test of IE from the LIS perspective.
Do teacher beliefs mediate leadership and teacher behaviors? Testing teacher self-efficacy's mediation role between leadership for learning and teacher outcomes
Authors: Ahn Joonkil , Bowers Alex J.
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Leadership for learning emerged as an integrated leadership framework; however, attempts to establish an empirical measurement model have been limited. Critically, not much is known about how much teachers' beliefs (e.g. self-efficacy) can mediate leadership for learning impact on teacher behaviors. This study establishes a leadership for learning measurement model and examines whether teacher self-efficacy mediates the effect of leadership for learning tasks on teacher collaboration, instructional quality, intention to leave current schools and their confidence in equitable teaching practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the most recent 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the study employed a structural equation modeling mediation approach.

Findings

Results suggested that teacher self-efficacy statistically significantly mediated 16 out of 20 of the relationships between leadership for learning task domains and teacher outcomes. Especially, in explaining the variance in instructional quality and teacher confidence in implementing equitable teaching practices, considerable proportions of the predictive power of leadership for learning tasks were accounted for (i.e. mediated) by teacher self-efficacy.

Research limitations/implications

School-wide efforts to craft the school vision for learning must be coupled with enhancing teacher self-efficacy. Critically, leadership efforts may fall short of implementing equitable teaching practice and quality instruction without addressing teacher confidence in their ability in instruction, classroom management and student engagement.

Originality/value

This study is the first of its kind to evidence teacher self-efficacy mediates leadership for learning practice impact on teacher behaviors.
A perspective of international performance improvement concentrating on innovation and digital resilience of SMEs: the case of an emerging economy
Authors: Razavi Hajiagha Seyed Hossein , Alaei Saeed , Sadraee Arian , Nazmi Paria
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Despite the wide research and discussion on international performance, innovation and digital resilience dimensions of enterprises, the investigation and understanding of their interrelations seem to be limited. The purpose of this study is to identify the influential factors affecting the mentioned dimensions, determine the causal relationships among these identified factors and finally evaluate their importance in an aggregated framework from the viewpoint of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

A hybrid methodology is used to achieve the objectives. First, the main factors of international performance, innovation and digital resilience are extracted by an in-depth review of the literature. These factors are then screened by expert opinions to localize them in accordance with the conditions of an emerging economy. Finally, the relationship and the importance of the factors are determined using an uncertain multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach.

Findings

The findings reveal that there is a correlation between digital resilience and innovation, and both factors have an impact on the international performance of SMEs. The cause-or-effect nature of the factors belonging to each dimension is also determined. Among the effect factors, business model innovation (BMI), agility, product and organizational innovation are known as the most important factors. International knowledge, personal drivers and digital transformation are also determined to be the most important cause factors.

Originality/value

This study extends the literature both in methodological and practical directions. Practically, the study aggregates the factors in the mentioned dimensions and provides insights into their cause-and-effect interrelations. Methodologically, the study proposes an uncertain MCDM approach that has been rarely used in previous studies in this field.
How perceived coolness and wow affect customer engagement: the role of self-image congruity
Authors: Liu Li-Ling , Teng Hsiu-Yu
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Customer engagement has key practical implications for hospitality management. However, little is known about how perceived coolness and wow affect customer engagement. The purpose of this research was to investigate the associations among perceived coolness, perceived wow and customer engagement and examine the mediator of self-image congruity (SIC).

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from 406 restaurant customers in Taiwan, and structural equation modeling was adopted to examine the hypotheses. Furthermore, a replica model was produced for another sample of 412 hotel customers.

Findings

The results indicate that perceived coolness positively affects customer engagement and SIC and that perceived wow positively affects SIC. SIC positively affects customer engagement. Moreover, SIC mediates the associations of perceived coolness and wow with customer engagement. The relationships between the variables did not significantly differ between restaurant customers and hotel customers.

Practical implications

Hospitality businesses can create environments in which customers interact with service providers through innovative technology, thereby encouraging engagement. Coolness and the wow factor must be prioritized in servicescapes, meal and room design, the service process and creative marketing.

Originality/value

The findings contribute knowledge on hospitality, factors affecting customer engagement and the mediating mechanism of SIC. Hospitality managers can use the results to formulate strategies for servicescape design, brand management and customer experience.
Learning efficacy of understanding by design-Internet of Things (UbD-IoT) education integrated with design thinking and computational thinking
Authors: Lai Ying Hsun
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The study integrated understanding by design-Internet of Things (UbD-IoT) education with design thinking and computational thinking to plan and design an IoT course. Cross-domain application examples were employed to train students in problem-understanding, deep thinking and logical design for IoT applications.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the UbD model was integrated with design thinking and computational thinking in the planning and design of an IoT course. The examples of cross-domain applications were used to train students to understand a problem by engaging themselves in deep thinking and helping them think and design logically for an IoT application.

Findings

The UbD-IoT learning design greatly decreased students' overall cognitive load. UbD-IoT learning has a significant impact on the performance of computational thinking in problem-solving and problem-understanding. The impact of UbD-IoT learning on logical thinking and program learning cognition in students needs to be verified.

Originality/value

The results of this study have shown that the UbD model is effective in reducing the cognitive load of a learning course and also strengthens T-competencies in the lateral skills of computational thinking, critical problem-solving, logical thinking and creative thinking.
Specifying and validating overconfidence bias among retail investors: a formative index
Authors: Nair Parvathy S. , Shiva Atul
Published: December 2023

Purpose

The study explored various dimensions of overconfidence bias (OB) among retail investors in Indian financial markets. Further, these dimensions were validated through formative assessments for OB.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applied exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to 764 respondents to explore dimensions of OB. These were validated with formative assessments on 489 respondents by the partial least square path modeling (PLS-PM) approach in SmartPLS 4.0 software.

Findings

The major findings of EFA explored four dimensions for OB, i.e. accuracy, perceived control, positive illusions and past investment success. The formative assessments revealed that positive illusions followed by past investment success among retail investors played an instrumental role in orchestrating the OBs that affect investment decisions in financial markets.

Practical implications

The formative index of OB has several practical implications for registered financial and investment advisors, bank advisors, business media companies and portfolio managers, besides individual investors in the domain of behavioral finance.

Originality/value

This research provides a novel approach to provide a formative index of OB with four dimensions. This formative index can acts as an overview for upcoming researchers to investigate the OB of retail individual investors.

Highlights

Overconfidence bias is an important predictor of retail investors' behavior

Formative dimensions of the overconfidence bias index.

Accuracy, perceived control, positive illusions and past investment success are important dimensions of overconfidence bias.

Modern portfolio theory and illusion of control theory support this study.
The optimisation of processing and storage conditions of lyophilised purslane‐fortified yoghurts by central composite design
Authors: Satkın Birsu , Aktas Ayse Burcu
Published: December 2023

The objectives of this study were to manufacture lyophilised purslane‐fortified yoghurts in order to improve the functional properties of yoghurt and to optimise processing and storage conditions of fortified yoghurts. A central composite design was created by considering the storage time (5–12 days), lyophilised purslane concentration (0.25–0.5%) and starter culture ratio (1–3%) as factors. The fortified yoghurts were supplemented by phenolics (up to 36.94 mg gallic acid equivalent per kg) and linoleic acid (3.15–11.31%). The optimal fortified yoghurt processing and storage parameters were determined to be 0.55% lyophilised purslane, 3.41% starter culture ratios and 5 days of storage at 4°C.
Unravelling the anti‐Staphylococcus aureus mechanisms of Lactiplantibacillus plantarumLP22541 in fermented milk through metabolites production and competitive exclusion
Authors: Shi Ce , Chen Yangyang , Zhu Yulin , Li Changzhu , Cui Haiying , Lin Lin
Published: December 2023

The antibacterial activity and mechanisms of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP22541 against Staphylococcus aureus in fermented milk were determined here. Results showed L. plantarum inhibited S. aureus in UHT and fermented milk. Non‐volatiles and volatiles were identified to contribute to the overall antibacterial activity of L. plantarum. The addition of manganese to fermented milk restored S. aureus growth, demonstrating that manganese depletion played a key role in the anti‐S. aureus activity. Our findings developed a promising bioprotective culture and provided a strategy to suppress S. aureus in a non‐bactericidal manner in dairy products.
Bariatric surgery induces pancreatic cell transdifferentiation as indicated by single‐cell transcriptomics in Zucker diabetic rats
Authors: Liang Yongjun , Widjaja Jason , Sun Jiawei , Li Mengyi , Qiao Zhengdong , Cao Ting , Wang Yueqian , Zhang Xiong , Zhang Zhongtao , Gu Yan , Zhang Peng , Yang Jianjun
Published: December 2023

Aims

Bariatric surgery results in rapid recovery of glucose control in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. The present study aims to clarify how bariatric surgery modifies pancreatic cell subgroup differentiation and transformation in the single‐cell RNA level.

Methods

Male, 8‐week‐old Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats with obesity and diabetes phenotypes were randomized into sleeve gastrectomy (Sleeve, n = 9), Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB, n = 9), and Sham (n = 7) groups. Two weeks after surgery, the pancreas specimen was further analyzed using single‐cell RNA‐sequencing technique.

Results

Two weeks after surgery, compared to the Sham group, the metabolic parameters including fasting plasma glucose, plasma insulin, and oral glucose tolerance test values were dramatically improved after RYGB and Sleeve procedures (p < .05) as predicted. In addition, RYGB and Sleeve groups increased the proportion of pancreatic β cells and reduced the ratio of α cells. Two multiple hormone‐expressing cells were identified, the Gcg+/Ppy + and Ins+/Gcg+/Ppy + cells. The pancreatic Ins+/Gcg+/Ppy + cells were defined for the first time, and further investigation indicates similarities with α and β cells, with unique gene expression patterns, which implies that pancreatic cell transdifferentiation occurs following bariatric surgery.

Conclusions

For the first time, using the single‐cell transcriptome map of ZDF rats, we reported a comprehensive characterization of the heterogeneity and differentiation of pancreatic endocrinal cells after bariatric surgery, which may contribute to the underlying mechanisms. Further studies will be needed to elucidate these results.

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Parenting by individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and neurobehavioral outcomes in their offspring
Authors: Ritfeld Gaby J. , Wang Michael , Shapiro Zvi , Kable Julie A. , Coles Claire D.
Published: December 2023

Background

The neurobehavioral health impairments associated with prenatal alcohol exposure are now known to persist through adulthood. However, little is known about how these impairments affect individuals' parenting abilities and the neurobehavioral health of their offspring. This study compares parents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) with socioeconomically matched, nonexposed parents on measures of parenting and family support and assesses the neurobehavioral health of the children in both groups.

Methods

Forty‐nine parent–child dyads were recruited from a longitudinal cohort of low socioeconomic status. Measures included the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, Family Support Scale, an in‐depth psychosocial history, the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC; parent and child reports), the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), a screening psychiatric evaluation of the child, the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery for Children, The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales‐Third Edition caregiver rating form, and the Traumatic Events Screening Inventory (parent and child reports).

Results

Cognitive functioning was impaired for both offspring of parents with FASD ( = 81.1, SD = 13.0) and control parents ( = 79.9, SD = 16.1), but despite similar impairments, children of parents with FASD were less likely to have an Individualized Education Plan than controls. Adaptive functioning was adequate for both groups ( = 92.1, SD = 15.4 in exposed vs.  = 94.3, SD = 12.3 in controls) and CBCL and PSC scores in both groups were within normal limits. Parents in both groups showed a predominantly authoritative parenting style. Despite a similar frequency of adverse childhood experiences in both groups, parents with FASD were less likely to recognize their child's adverse experiences.

Conclusion

Parents with FASD display notable strengths including a predominantly authoritative parenting style. However, parents with FASD underrecognize child trauma and underutilize developmental services compared to socioeconomically matched controls, despite similar neurocognitive impairments. Impairments in adaptive functioning in parents with FASD may translate into difficulties with child–parent communication and limit both insight into neurobehavioral problems and advocacy skills. There is a need to identify and support parents with FASD to optimize their parenting abilities in the context of their individual strengths and difficulties.