bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A spatiotemporal complexity architecture of human brain activity
Authors: Krohn Stephan , von Schwanenflug Nina , Waschke Leonhard , Romanello Amy , Gell Martin , Garrett Douglas D. , Finke Carsten
Published: June 2021

The human brain operates in large-scale functional networks. These networks are thought to arise from neural variability, yet the principles behind this link remain unknown. Here we report a mechanism by which the brain’s network architecture is tightly linked to critical episodes of neural regularity, visible as spontaneous ‘complexity drops’ in functional MRI signals. These episodes support the formation of functional connections between brain regions, subserve the propagation of neural activity, and reflect inter-individual differences in age and behavior. Furthermore, complexity drops define neural states that dynamically shape the coupling strength, topological structure, and hierarchy of brain networks and comprehensively explain known structure-function relationships within the brain. These findings delineate a unifying complexity architecture of neural activity – a human ‘complexome’ that underpins the brain’s functional network organization.
Rapid and Visible RPA-Cas12a fluorescence Assay for Accurate Detection of Zoonotic Dermatophytes
Authors: Wang Liyang , Fu Jinyu , Cai Guang , Zhang Di , Shi Shuobo , Zhang Yueping
Published: June 2021

Background

Dermatophytosis is an infectious disease of global significance caused by several fungal species, which affects the hair, nails, or superficial layers of the skin. The most common zoonotic dermatophytes are Microsporum canis, Nannizzia gypsea and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Wood’s lamp examination, microscopic identification and fungal culture are the main conventional diagnostic methods used in clinics. Less common methods are dermatophyte PCR and biopsy/histopathology. However, these methods also have limitations for providing both accuracy and timely on-site detection. The recent development of CRISPR-based diagnostic platform provides the possibility of a rapid, accurate, and portable diagnostic tool, which has huge potential for clinical applications.

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to establish a molecular method for rapid and accurate diagnosis of clinical dermatophytes, which can accelerate clinical diagnostic testing and help timely treatment.

Methods

In this paper, we design a Cas12a-based assay combined with recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) to differentiate three main zoonotic dermatophytes. The limit of detection (LOD) is determined by using standard strains. A total of 25 clinical samples (hair and scurf) are identified to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of this assay.

Results

The RPA-Cas12a method showed high sensitivity and specificity (100% and 100%, respectively). The results could be observed directly by naked-eyes, and all tested samples were consistent with fungal culture and sequencing results.

Conclusions

Compared with other methods, the RPA-Cas12a-fluorescence assay requires less time (30 minutes) and less complicated equipment, and visible changes can be clearly observed, which is suitable for on-site clinical diagnosis.
DNA-PKcs kinase activity stabilizes the transcription factor Egr1 in activated immune cells
Authors: Waldrip Zachary J , Burdine Lyle , Harrison David K , Azevedo-Pouly Ana Clara , Storey Aaron J. , Moffett Olivia G. , Mackintosh Samuel G. , Burdine Marie Schluterman
Published: June 2021

DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) is known primarily for its function in DNA double-stranded break repair and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). However, DNA-PKcs also has a critical yet undefined role in immunity impacting both myeloid and lymphoid cell lineages spurring interest in targeting DNA-PKcs for therapeutic strategies in immune-related diseases. To gain insight into the function of DNA-PKcs within immune cells, we performed a quantitative phosphoproteomic screen in T cells to identify first order phosphorylation targets of DNA-PKcs. Results indicate that DNA-PKcs phosphorylates the transcription factor Egr1 (early growth response protein 1) at S301. Expression of Egr1 is induced early upon T cell activation and dictates T cell response by modulating expression of cytokines and key costimulatory molecules. Mutation of serine 301 to alanine via CRISPR-Cas9 resulted in increased proteasomal degradation of Egr1 and a decrease in Egr1-dependent transcription of IL2 (interleukin-2) in activated T cells. Our findings identify DNA-PKcs as a critical intermediary link between T cell activation and T cell fate and a novel phosphosite involved in regulating Egr1 activity.
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron uses a widespread extracellular DNase to promote bile-dependent biofilm formation
Authors: Bechon Nathalie , Mihajlovic Jovana , Lopes Anne-Aurélie , Vendrell-Fernández Sol , Deschamps Julien , Briandet Romain , Sismeiro Odile , Martin-Verstraete Isabelle , Dupuy Bruno , Ghigo Jean-Marc
Published: June 2021

Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron is a gut symbiont that inhabits the mucus layer and adheres to and metabolizes food particles, contributing to gut physiology and maturation. Whereas adhesion and biofilm formation could be key features for B. thetaiotaomicron stress resistance and gut colonization, little is known about the determinants of B. thetaiotaomicron biofilm formation. We previously showed that the B. thetaiotaomicron reference strain VPI-5482 is a poor in vitro biofilm former. Here we demonstrated that bile, a gut-relevant environmental cue, triggers the formation of biofilm in many B. thetaiotaomicron isolates and common gut Bacteroidales species. We identified the genetic determinants of this bile-dependent biofilm formation and showed that it involves the production of the DNase BT3563, degrading extracellular DNA, in biofilms formed in the presence of bile. Our study therefore identifies a physiologically relevant condition inducing B. thetaiotaomicron biofilm and shows that, in contrast to the biofilm-promoting role played by bacterial eDNA scaffold in Firmicutes and Proteobacteria models, degradation of eDNA by BT3563 DNAse and its widespread homologs is required to achieve B. thetaiotaomicron bile-dependent biofilm formation.
The Rab GTPase activating protein TBC-2 regulates endosomal localization of DAF-16 FOXO and lifespan
Authors: Meraş İçten , Chotard Laëtitia , Liontis Thomas , Ratemi Zakaria , Wiles Benjamin , Seo Jung Hwa , Van Raamsdonk Jeremy M. , Rocheleau Christian E.
Published: June 2021

FOXO transcription factors have been shown to regulate longevity in model organisms and are associated with longevity in humans. To gain insight into how FOXO functions to increase lifespan, we examined the subcellular localization of DAF-16 in C. elegans. We show that DAF-16 is localized to endosomes and that this endosomal localization is increased by the insulin-IGF signaling (IIS) pathway. Endosomal localization of DAF-16 is modulated by endosomal trafficking proteins. Disruption of the Rab GTPase activating protein TBC-2 increases endosomal localization of DAF-16, while inhibition of TBC-2 targets, RAB-5 or RAB-7 GTPases, decreases endosomal localization of DAF-16. Importantly, the amount of DAF-16 that is localized to endosomes has functional consequences as increasing endosomal localization through mutations in tbc-2 reduced the lifespan of long-lived daf-2 IGFR mutants, depleted their fat stores, and DAF-16 target gene expression. Overall, this work identifies endosomal localization as a mechanism regulating DAF-16 FOXO, which is important for its functions in metabolism and aging.
Systems-wide analysis of glycoprotein conformational changes by limited deglycosylation assay
Authors: Mule Simon Ngao , Rosa-Fernandes Livia , Coutinho João V. P. , De Morais Vinícius , Macedo da Silva Janaina , Santiago Verônica Feijoli , Quina Daniel , Santos de Oliveira Gilberto , Thaysen-Andersen Morten , Larsen Martin R. , Labriola Letícia , Palmisano Giuseppe
Published: June 2021

A new method to probe the conformational changes of glycoproteins on a systems-wide scale, termed limited deglycosylation assay (LDA), is described. The method measures the differential rate of deglycosylation of N-glycans on natively folded proteins by the common peptide:N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) enzyme which in turn informs on their spatial presentation and solvent exposure on the protein surface hence ultimately the glycoprotein conformation. LDA involves 1) protein-level N-deglycosylation under native conditions, 2) trypsin digestion under denaturing conditions, 3) glycopeptide enrichment, 4) peptide-level N-deglycosylation and 5) quantitative MS-based analysis of the formerly N-glycosylated peptides. LDA was initially developed and the experimental conditions optimized using bovine RNase B and fetuin. The method was then applied to glycoprotein extracts from LLC-MK2 epithelial cells upon treatment with dithiothreitol to induce endoplasmic reticulum stress and promote protein misfolding. Data from the LDA and 3D structure analysis showed that glycoproteins predominantly undergo structural changes in loops/turns upon ER stress as exemplified with detailed analysis of ephrin-A5, GALNT10, PVR and BCAM. These results show that LDA accurately reports on systems-wide conformational changes of glycoproteins induced under controlled treatment regimes. Thus, LDA opens avenues to study glycoprotein structural changes in a range of other physiological and pathophysiological conditions relevant to acute and chronic diseases.
The enteric pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum exports proteins into the cytoplasm of the infected host cell
Authors: Dumaine Jennifer E. , Sateriale Adam , Gibson Alexis R. , Reddy Amita G. , Gullicksrud Jodi A. , Hunter Emma N. , Clark Joseph T. , Striepen Boris
Published: June 2021

The parasite Cryptosporidium is responsible for diarrheal disease in young children causing death, malnutrition, and growth delay. Cryptosporidium invades enterocytes where it develops in a unique intracellular niche. Infected cells exhibit profound changes in morphology, physiology and transcriptional activity. How the parasite effects these changes is poorly understood. We explored the localization of highly polymorphic proteins and found members of the C. parvum MEDLE protein family to be translocated into the cytoplasm of infected cells. All intracellular life stages engage in this export, which occurs after completion of invasion. Mutational studies defined an N-terminal host-targeting motif and demonstrated proteolytic processing at a specific leucine residue. Direct expression of MEDLE2 in mammalian cells triggered an ER stress response that was also observed during infection. Taken together, our studies reveal the presence of a Cryptosporidium secretion system capable of delivering pathogenesis factors into the infected enterocyte.
A tumor suppressive long noncoding RNA, DRAIC, inhibits protein translation and induces autophagy by activating AMPK
Authors: Saha Shekhar , Zhang Ying , Wilson Briana , Abounader Roger , Dutta Anindya
Published: June 2021

LncRNAs are long RNA transcripts that do not code for proteins and that have been shown to play a major role in cellular processes through diverse mechanisms. DRAIC, a lncRNA which is downregulated in castration-resistant advanced prostate cancer, inhibits the NF-kB pathway by inhibiting the IκBα kinase. Decreased DRAIC expression predicted poor patient outcome in gliomas and seven other cancers. We now report that DRAIC suppresses invasion, migration, colony formation and xenograft growth of glioblastoma derived cell lines. DRAIC activates AMPK by downregulating the NF-κB target gene GLUT1, and thus represses mTOR, leading to downstream effects such as decrease in protein translation and increase in autophagy. DRAIC, therefore, has an effect on multiple signal transduction pathways that are important for oncogenesis: the NF-κB pathway and AMPK-mTOR-S6K/ULK1 pathway. The regulation of NF-κB, protein translation and autophagy by the same lncRNA explains the tumor suppressive role of DRAIC in different cancers and reinforces the importance of lncRNAs as emerging regulators of signal transduction pathways.
Learning ‘The Knowledge’: How London Taxi Drivers Build Their Cognitive Map of London
Authors: Griesbauer Eva-Maria , Manley Ed , Wiener Jan M. , Spiers Hugo J.
Published: June 2021

Licenced London taxi drivers have been found to show changes in the grey matter density of their hippocampus over the course of training and decades of navigation in London (UK). This has been linked to their learning and using of the ‘Knowledge of London’, the names and layout of over 26,000 streets and thousands of points of interest in London. Here we examined the process of how this knowledge is acquired and we detail key steps that include: systematic study of maps, travel on selected overlapping routes, the mental visualisation of places and the optimal use of subgoals. We provide the first map of the street network covered by the routes used to learn, allowing insight into where gaps in the network exist. The methods could be widely applied to aid spatial learning in the general population and may provide insights for artificial intelligence (AI) systems to efficiently learn new environments.
Functional Recovery of the Germ Line Following Splicing Collapse
Authors: Cao Wei , Tran Christopher , Archer Stuart K. , Gopal Sandeep , Pocock Roger
Published: June 2021

Splicing introns from precursor-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) transcripts is essential for translating functional proteins. Here, we report that the previously uncharacterized Caenorhabditis elegans protein MOG-7, acts as a pre-mRNA splicing factor. Depleting MOG-7 from the C. elegans germ line causes intron retention in the majority of germline-expressed genes, impeding the germ cell cycle, and causing defects in nuclear morphology, germ cell identity and sterility. Despite the deleterious consequences caused by MOG-7 loss, the adult germ line can functionally recover to produce viable and fertile progeny when MOG-7 is restored. Germline recovery is dependent on a burst of apoptosis that likely clears defective germ cells, and viable gametes generated from the proliferation of germ cells in the progenitor zone. Together, these findings reveal that MOG-7 is essential for germ cell development, and that the germ line is able to functionally recover after a collapse in RNA splicing.
LITE SABR M1: a Phase I Trial of Lattice Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Large Tumors
Authors: Duriseti Sai , Kavanaugh James , Szymanski Jeff , Huang Yi , Basarabescu Franco , Chaudhuri Aadel , Henke Lauren , Samson Pamela , Lin Alexander , Robinson Clifford , Spraker Matthew B
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is an attractive treatment option for patients with metastatic and/or unresectable tumors, however its use is limited to smaller tumors. Lattice is a form of spatially fractionated radiotherapy that may offer safe delivery of SBRT for bulky tumors. We previously described Lattice SBRT, which delivers 20 Gy in 5 fractions with a simultaneous Lattice boost to 66.7 Gy. The goal of this study was to prospectively evaluate the acute toxicity and quality of life (QoL) of patients with large tumors (> 5 cm) treated with Lattice SBRT.

Methods

This was a single-arm phase I trial conducted between October 2019 and August 2020. Patients with tumors >4.5 cm were eligible. Lattice SBRT was delivered every other day.. The primary outcome was the rate of 90-day treatment-associated (probably or definitely attributable) grade 3+ acute toxicity by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0 criteria. Other outcomes included changes in patient reported toxicity and QoL inventories, GTV, and peripheral blood cytokines.

Results

Twenty patients (22 tumors) were enrolled. Median GTV was 783 cc (range: 64-3713 cc). Fifty percent of tumors were in the thorax, 45% abdomen/pelvis, and 5% extremity. There was no treatment-associated grade 3+ toxicity.. There was one case of grade 4 toxicity possibly associated with Lattice SBRT.

Conclusions

This phase I study met its primary endpoint of physician reported safety. An ongoing phase II clinical trial of Lattice SBRT will evaluate late safety and efficacy of this novel technique.
Teachers' digital technology access to motivation, skills and use: a structural equation modeling study
Authors: Habibi Akhmad , Yaakob Mohd Faiz Mohd , Mukminin Amirul , Muhaimin Muhaimin , Prasojo Lantip Diat , Yusop Farrah Dina , Muzakkir Muzakkir
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The current study aimed to develop and validate a scale to model factors affecting digital technology access for instructional use. The scale was mainly used to assess the structural model. Besides, tests of difference were addressed regarding digital technology access for instructional use based on gender, teaching experience and school location.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors implemented a survey design in this study. A scale based on prior studies was developed, validated and piloted. The pilot study data were computed for an exploratory factor analysis. Further, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and t-test procedures were used for the main data analysis (n.2677). The authors also included the importance-performance map analysis to extend of the results of the PLS-SEM.

Findings

The findings of the study successfully assessed the validity and reliability of the scale. All hypothetical relationships in the structural model were positively significant. The t-test results show that teaching experience and school location were significantly different regarding instructional use access; however, an insignificant difference emerged based on gender.

Practical implications

Failure in technology integration is possible if policies have not been carefully prepared. Therefore, users' perception is an essential factor in determining technology integration, including access to digital technology.

Originality/value

This research has the potential to enhance the understanding of access to digital technology in the context of developing countries by the elaboration of the proposed model's instrument development and validation, path analysis assessment and difference test examination with a large sample size. Also, the current study emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about digital technology access that the model can facilitate a valid and reliable foundation for future researchers interested in conducting similar types of research.
Links of socio-emotional context on performance in categorization task of adults with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities
Authors: Igier Suzanne , Pennequin Valérie
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Studies on intellectual disabilities describe difficulties at the cognitive level but little about the other factors that can impact the individual’s performance. The aim of this research was thus to assess the effects of the socio-emotional context on the performance of adults with intellectual disabilities in a cognitive task. The main hypothesis was that people with intellectual disabilities will not have the cognitive ability to see the socioemotional environment as a potential resource, and that they could not use it to mobilize their cognitive resources to try and improve their performance and adopt more positive behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 32 people with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities were recruited. They performed a categorization task and were then given their results. Throughout the test, the psychologist observed the participants’ behavior and, more specifically, their emotional expressions, their pro-social behavior and their respect for social rules.

Findings

The results support the hypotheses, with better performance among participants who adopted pro-social behaviors, respected the rules and displayed positive emotional expressions. These results highlight the central role played by others in the ability of adults with intellectual disabilities to adapt to a given situation.

Research limitations/implications

This study was conducted by a psychologist, which could have biased the relationship with the participants. A complementary study is in progress to measure the effects.

Practical implications

These findings have implications for cognitive remediation tasks aimed at mobilizing the cognitive resources of adults with intellectual disabilities.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the only study to evaluate the role of the socio-emotional environment on the performance of adults with intellectual disabilities.
Determination of soil water hydraulic parameters from infiltration data
Authors: Gao Yan , Chang Kai , Xing Xuguang , Liang Jiaping , He Nian , Ma Xiaoyi
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Traditional laboratory measurements of soil water diffusivity (D) and soil water retention curve (SWRC) are always time-consuming and labor-intensive. Therefore, this paper aims to present a simple and robust test method for determiningDand SWRC without reducing accuracy.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, aDmodel of unsaturated soil was established based on Gardner–Russo model and then a combination of Gardner–Russo model with one-dimensional horizontal absorption method to obtainnand a parameters of Gardner–Russo model. One-dimensional horizontal absorption experiments on loam, silt loam and sandy clay loam were conducted to obtain the relationships between measured infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration with wetting front distance. Based on the obtained relationships, the measured infiltration data from the one-dimensional horizontal absorption tests were used to calculatenand a parameters and further constructingDand SWRC.

Findings

Both the calculatedDand SWRC inversed from the infiltration data were in good agreement with the measured ones that obtained from the traditional horizontal absorption method and the centrifuge method, respectively. Error analysis indicated that only the infiltration data are enough to reliably synchronously determineDand SWRC.

Originality/value

A simple and robust method is proposed for synchronous determination of soil water diffusivity and water retention curve.
Analysis of supply chain’s resilience in crowd networks
Authors: Meng Shihan , Dong Wenxiang , Hu Hong , Li Yuejiang
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the supply chain's resilience in crowd networks from both static and dynamic perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper first defines the supply chain’s resilience, then proposes a graphical and game-theoretic framework to evaluate the resilience.

Findings

In this framework, an equilibrium with high resilience will be achieved after the iterated prisoner's dilemma in the supply chain. The two-stage update mechanism contributes to higher profits, higher stability and stronger risk resistance capability. The reputation-based tit-for-tat strategy in the second stage helps to realize society cooperation.

Originality/value

This work pays more attention to the dynamic evolution of interactions between organizations in the supply chain. It provides an important theoretical basis for future work such as how to effectively control and guide the evolution of events in the intelligence network and how to stand sudden changes and avoid collapse.
Opening the black box of employee entrepreneurship decision-making
Authors: Ye Qingyan , Wang Duanxu , Zeng Kai
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Employee entrepreneurship has recently become an emerging area of investigation. However, due to the fragmentation of the turnover and entrepreneurship literature, no coherent theoretical framework has been developed to provide an adequate description of the employee entrepreneurial process. The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of why and how an employee in an established organization progresses toward starting a new venture by exploring the key decision-making processes during the initial stages of employee entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

This study addresses the following research questions: What are the key decision-making processes during the initial stages of employee entrepreneurship? How are these decisions made, and how do they interact? This study employed a multiple case study approach, which enabled the authors to gain valuable insight into these “what” and “how” questions. The data consist of 28 in-depth employee entrepreneurship cases.

Findings

Based on an in-depth study of 28 cases, this study constructs a comprehensive model of the dynamic and interactive decision-making processes that lead to employee entrepreneurship. In particular, the findings reveal that rather than being a linear staged activity, employee entrepreneurship is an inherently iterative process that involves a set of interrelated subdecision-making processes related to turnover, team entrepreneurship and partner recruitment that entail multiple iterations and feedback loops based on an individual's cognitive judgment.

Originality/value

By illustrating and clarifying the importance of the effects of different initial motivations and the attributes of the network in the course of the employee entrepreneurship decision-making process, this study integrates the turnover and entrepreneurship literature and makes significant contributions to the current literature on employee entrepreneurship. Moreover, this study complements research investigating entrepreneurial team formation by providing a detailed understanding of how the lead entrepreneur and the prospective partner make mutual choices during the entrepreneurial team formation process.
Sleep habits among overweight and obese school-aged children and the right to health
Authors: El Khayat Hamed , El Deeb Marwa , Elhabiby Mahmoud , Ahmad Mourad Amira Mohammed Ibrahim , Elnemais Fawzy Michael
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to assess the relationship between sleep habits and obesity in children.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an observational cross-sectional case–control study conducted on 100 children aged 6–12 years, selected randomly from the OPC of the Pediatric Hospital, Ain-Shams University. The subjects were subdivided into two groups: the control group of 50 and the target group of children who are classed overweight or obese. Subjects were excluded where the obesity could be explained owing to an endocrinal and/or any identified disease, those who have a medical or psychiatric illness, and those whose parents refused to give consent. All patients had a full history taken, and each child’s parent fulfilled one questionnaire on sleep behaviors.

Findings

This study found that 72% with bedtime resistance compared to only 14% among the control subjects, 68% of children experienced a delay with sleep onset compared to 14% among controls, 68% experienced sleep duration abnormalities compared to 12% in the control group, 60% of children stated they needed their parents while going to sleep, compared to 12% among controls, 64% of cases suffered from walking during the night compared to 12% among controls, 64% of cases had a Parasomnia compared to 12% among controls, 66% of cases snoring loudly compared to 12% among controls, and 66% suffering from Apnea, compared to 6% in the control group, and 50% of cases had daytime sleepiness compared to 14% among controls.

Research limitations/implications

It is hoped that this research will be remedied through the adoption of a child-centered approach inspired by the rights to health and play, and the general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Practical implications

The results showed a strong association between excessive weight and increased risk of sleep problems, which were broadly diffused in the population childhood.

Originality/value

This current study has given us a base for the overwhelming fact that these children are directly affected by obesity. A chronic medical condition has enormous implications on health and can lead to many associated disease processes.
The challenges of aligning aggregation schemes with equitable fruit and vegetable delivery: lessons from Bihar, India
Authors: Cooper Gregory S. , Rich Karl M. , Shankar Bhavani , Rana Vinay
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Agricultural aggregation schemes provide numerous farmer-facing benefits, including reduced transportation costs and improved access to higher-demand urban markets. However, whether aggregation schemes also have positive food security dimensions for consumers dependent on peri-urban and local markets in developing country contexts is currently unknown. This paper aims to narrow this knowledge gap by exploring the actors, governance structures and physical infrastructures of the horticultural value chain of Bihar, India, to identify barriers to using aggregation to improve the distribution of fruits and vegetables to more local market environments.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses mixed methods. Quantitative analysis of market transaction data explores the development of aggregation supply pathways over space and time. In turn, semi-structured interviews with value chain actors uncover the interactions and decision-making processes with implications for equitable fruit and vegetable delivery.

Findings

Whilst aggregation successfully generates multiple producer-facing benefits, the supply pathways tend to cluster around urban export-oriented hubs, owing to the presence of high-capacity traders, large consumer bases and traditional power dynamics. Various barriers across the wider enabling environment must be overcome to unlock the potential for aggregation to increase local fruit and vegetable delivery, including informal governance structures, cold storage gaps and underdeveloped transport infrastructures.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first critical analysis of horticultural aggregation through a consumer-sensitive lens. The policy-relevant lessons are pertinent to the equitable and sustainable development of horticultural systems both in Bihar and in similar low- and middle-income settings.
School leaders' preferences for teacher applicant characteristics in a large urban school district
Authors: Ingle W. Kyle , Choi Namok , Munoz Marco A.
Published: June 2021

Purpose

We surveyed educational leaders in a large, urban school district in the southeastern United States, examining: (1) the factor structure of scores from a new measure of administrators' preferred teacher applicant characteristics, and (2) the relationships between administrator demographics and their preferences.

Design/methodology/approach

We implemented a non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design using the Preferred Teacher Applicant Characteristics Survey (PTACS). We undertook descriptive and exploratory factor analyses in order to examine dimensions and underlying patterns among the 31 survey items. The retained factors served as the dependent variables in our multiple regression analyses.

Findings

We identified a four-factor structure: (1) personal, (2) professional, (3) student outcomes, and (4) demographics. Our analyses suggest that there was not meaningful variability in administrators' preferred characteristics of applicants across racial and gender variables, but revealed a significant difference between principals and assistant principals for applicant demographics.

Research limitations/implications

Our findings are limited in their generalizability to the respondents from a single urban district who completed our survey in spring 2018. Although we cannot establish causation, the significant difference between principals and assistant principals for demographics may result from principals feeling greater pressure from district targets to hire diverse staff than their assistant principal counterparts. It is important to note that preferences for teacher applicant characteristics are different from actual hiring decisions and the availability of preferred characteristics.

Originality/value

Our study is the first large-scale use of the instrument in a large US urban school district, a context, which poses significant challenges to the education of youth as well as the hiring and retention of educators.
Liquidity and asset pricing: evidence from a new free-float-adjusted price impact ratio
Authors: Le Huong , Gregoriou Andros
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to empirically examine the relationship between stock liquidity and asset pricing, using a new price impact ratio adjusted for free float as the approximation of liquidity. The free-float-adjusted ratio is free from size bias and encapsulates the impact of trading frequency. It is more comprehensive than alternative price impact ratios because it incorporates the shares available to the public for trading.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors are using univariate and multivariate econometric methods to test the significance of a newly created price impact ratio. The authors are using secondary data and asset pricing models in their analysis. The authors use a data sample of all US listed companies over the period of 1997–2017.

Findings

The authors provide evidence that the free-float-adjusted price impact ratio is superior to all price impact ratios used in the previous academic literature. The authors also discover that their findings are robust to the financial crises between 2007 and 2009.

Originality/value

This is the first comprehensive study on a newly established price impact ratio. The authors show the significance of this ratio and explain why it is superior to all previous price impact ratios, established in prior research.
Research on the impact of green bond issuance on the stock price of listed companies
Authors: Xi Bin , Jing Huimin
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Considering that listed companies are the main body of natural resource consumption and pollutant emission, this study aims to explore the stock price effect and source channels of green bond issuance of listed companies. This is extremely necessary to promote listed companies to actively fulfill their environmental responsibilities so as to achieve sustainable economic and social development.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the companies that issued green bonds in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets in China from 2016 to 2018 are used as samples. First of all, the authors adopt the event study method and match the two models to prove that there is a stock price effect in green bond issuance. Then, the authors introduce the general regression model to analyze the sources of the stock price effect of green bond issuance in detail through three channels: “financing cost,” “investor attention” and “fundamental.”

Findings

In the above three channels, the “investor attention” channel can well explain the stock price effect of green bond issuance. Meanwhile, the authors also find that the stock price effect of the subsequent issuance of green bonds is more significant than that of the first time, non-financial companies are more pronounced than financial companies, public issuance are more obvious than private issuance, state-owned companies are more notable than non-state-owned companies, small-scale companies are more evident than large-scale companies and companies with high equity concentration are clearer than those with low equity concentration.

Originality/value

Taking China as the research object for the first time, this paper comprehensively employs the capital asset pricing model and Fama–French five-factor model to discuss the stock price effect of green bond issuance of listed companies. Secondly, this paper also studies whether the way of green bond issuance, the type and size of the company, as well as the degree of ownership concentration will have different effects on the stock prices of listed companies. The research results provide new ideas and methods for the stock price effect of green bond issuance.
Organisations adapting to dual aspirations of individualisation and collaboration in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) market
Authors: Foster Michele , Hummell Eloise , Fisher Karen , Borg Samantha J. , Needham Catherine , Venning Alyssa
Published: June 2021

Disability support is often provided at the interface with other human services such as health, education, and employment agencies. This can present many organisational problems for people receiving support and the organisations that provide it. Individualised funding is one attempt to ease problems of fragmentation and unmet needs, but perversely, it introduces further interface complexities as organisations consider how to manage their service provision and financial structures. Drawing on interviews with 28 managers, the focus in this paper is on organisational and interface changes and challenges following the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia, and the adaptive strategies of organisations to provide individualised and coordinated supports. The three themes derived from the thematic analysis, adopting a commercial mindset, finding a business niche, and working across complex interfaces, epitomise the benefits, constraints, and consequences of new market mechanisms for the delivery of supports, and how organisations are adjusting to a more commercial‐orientated sector while also creatively negotiating multiple funding and governance systems. The findings contribute to understandings of how individualisation is creating new dynamics of local disability support governance and collaboration in service provision.
Performance Shortfall, Feedback Interpretation and R&D Search: The Differential Effects of Peers’ Performance Below Historical and Social Aspirations
Authors: Goyal Lakshmi , Goyal Vikas
Published: June 2021

A firm's interpretation of its performance feedback has vital implications for R&D search. Advancing this developing stream of research within the problemistic search theory, we theorize and empirically examine the interpretive effects of performance‐based cues from peer firms on the focal firm's R&D search intensity. Specifically, we study the impact of two cues, that is (1) shared performance shortfall – focal firm's performance shortfall that is shared with industry peers and (2) relative performance shortfall – number of firms with performance shortfall of greater intensity than the focal firm. We theorize that these cues determine if the firm assesses its performance shortfall as shared with the industry peers (or unique to the firm) and non‐controllable (or controllable). Based on this interpretive assessment, firms differentially trigger either self‐enhancement or problem‐solving modes, which deters or motivates them to pursue R&D search. Furthermore, we theorize the divergent influences of these cues based on whether firm performance is below historical (own past performance) or social (industry peers’ performance) aspiration levels. We find empirical support for our theoretical predictions on 2,691 firm‐year observations belonging to 872 Indian manufacturing firms from 2010 to 2017. This study contributes to the literature on problemistic search and offers managerial implications.
Short‐term microbialite resurgence as indicator of ecological resilience against crises (Catamarca, Argentine Puna)
Authors: Villafañe Patricio Guillermo , Cónsole‐Gonella Carlos , Cury Leonardo Fadel , Farías María Eugenia
Published: June 2021

Microbialite‐producing microorganisms that inhabit the Puna lakes are traditionally considered constituents of fragile microsystems, unable to resist important environmental variations. Nevertheless, this region has experienced significant climatic fluctuations during the Holocene, raising the unsolved issue on how microbialite‐forming systems have been able to resist these changes. Turquesa lake, located within Quaternary Peinado lake‐basin (Puna), faces a hydric crisis in the last decades, which modified their physicochemical conditions. However, there has been a rapid re‐establishment of the microbialite systems once the main parameters were stabilized, which allowed the establishment of three new microbialite levels in the coast and paleo‐coastline. The aim of this contribution is to report for the first time microbialite levels in Turquesa lake, providing a multiscale analysis, besides an accurate study of the physico‐chemical context of the lake. This new record provided us the opportunity to demonstrate the short‐term resilience capacity of these microbialite‐producing microorganisms to climatic changes, offering a key approach to understand analogue processes throughout Earth history.
Concept analysis of perceived health from the perspective of rural adults in China
Authors: Tang Yafen , Ye Jing , Yang Lili , Ran Lulu , Wu Jingjie
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to clarify the concept of perceived health from the perspective of rural adults in China.

Methods

Walker and Avant's concept analysis was applied.

Findings

Perceived health from rural adults in China is a subjective assessment of their health status, which is deeply affected by Chinese traditional culture and being in a rural environment.

Conclusions

Most rural adults in China could perceive their health as good or poor, however, rural areas have disadvantages in health care, geographical location, and educational resources compared with urban counterparts, which may lead to some unscientific health attitudes and lifestyles and hinder their healthcare‐seeking behaviors.

Implication for Nursing Practice

To help nurses understand better the concept of perceived health with the rural background, which is different from urban areas. Perceived health provides rich information resources for nurses to carry out holistic care, and to lead rural adults in China to form a correct and positive attitude and lifestyle as possible.
Two inscribed wine amphoras from Thāj, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Højlund Flemming , Garnier Nicolas , Stein Peter
Published: June 2021

Two amphoras found at burials outside the ancient city of Thāj, Saudi Arabia, bear inscriptions mentioningwine. The chemical analysis of the content of one of them confirms the presence of wine and more precisely as red wine. Contextual information from one of the graves suggests that wine was consumed as part of burial rituals. One inscription is in Aramaic and the other is in South Arabian cursive orzabūr—in fact the first attestation for this particular script in the core region of the so‐called Hasaitic writing culture. Complementing the recent discoveries ofzabūrinscriptions from Mleiha (Sharjah, UAE), this inscription buttresses our idea of the emergence of writing in East Arabia in the Hellenistic period.
Patient‐important outcomes other than mortality in recent ICU trials: Protocol for a scoping review
Authors: Granholm Anders , Kaas‐Hansen Benjamin Skov , Kjær Maj‐Brit Nørregaard , Anthon Carl Thomas , Sivapalan Praleene , Schjørring Olav Lilleholt , Andersen Lars W. , Mathiesen Ole , Strøm Thomas , Jensen Aksel Karl Georg , Perner Anders , Møller Morten Hylander
Published: June 2021

Background

Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) conducted in intensive care units (ICUs) frequently focus on all‐cause mortality, but other patient‐important outcomes are increasingly used and recommended. Their use, however, is not straightforward: choices and definitions, operationalisation of death, handling of missing data, choice of effect measures, and statistical analyses for these outcomes vary greatly.

Methods

We will conduct a scoping review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. We will search 10 selected general and speciality journals for RCTs conducted in adult ICU patients from 2018 and onwards reporting at least 1 patient‐important outcome other than mortality (including days alive without life support/days alive and out of hospital‐type outcomes, health‐related quality of life, functional/cognitive/neurological outcomes, and other general patient‐important outcomes). We will summarise data on outcome measures and definitions, assessment time points, proportions and handling of death, proportions and handling of missing data, and effect measures and statistical methods used for analysis.

Discussion

The outlined scoping review will provide an overview of choices, definitions and handling of patient‐important outcomes other than mortality in contemporary RCTs conducted in adult ICU patients. This may guide discussions with patients and relatives, the design of future RCTs, and research on optimal outcome choices and handling.
A Rabbi of One's Own? Navigating Religious Authority and Ethical Freedom in Everyday Judaism
Authors: Taragin‐Zeller Lea
Published: June 2021

This article examines the varying ways religious devotees utilize, negotiate, embrace, and reject religious authorities in their everyday lives. Ethnographically exploring the ways that Orthodox Jews share reproductive decisions with rabbinic authorities, I demonstrate how some sanctify rabbinic rulings, while others dismiss them, or continue to “shop around” until they find a rabbinic opinion that resonates with their personal desires. These negotiations of religious authority and ethical freedom are worked out across a biographical trajectory, opening new possibilities to explore how religious authority fluctuates and changes over the life course. I argue that analysis of engagement with rabbis without attention to the inner diversity of interpretations and practices perpetuates a hegemonic and overly harmonious picture of religious authority. Highlighting these variations, I show how the process of consultation was more significant than mere submission to religious rulings. Religious consultation, in itself, then constitutes a significant node for making an ethical Jewish life. Attending to these aspects of religious authority has great potential to further develop and contextualize the field of ethical freedom while complicating binary models of submission versus resistance. My approach demonstrates the need to broaden our anthropological tools to better understand the ways individuals share everyday decisions with mediators of authoritative knowledge. [religious authority, ethics, reproduction, gender, Judaism]
Significance of ST‐Segment elevation in V4R lead in patients with anterior myocardial infarction
Authors: Dehghani Pooyan , Zahedi Ali , Hassanzadeh Mani , Alavi Seyed Hosein , Jannati Mansour , Mehdipour Namdar Zahra , Aslani Amir
Published: June 2021

Background

There is some evidence of the association between ST‐segment elevation in the V4R chest lead and the likelihood of anterior wall myocardial infarction; however, the link of this phenomenon with the location and the severity of the coronary involvements in such patients remains uncertain. We aimed to investigate the ST‐segment elevation in V4R leads in patients with anterior myocardial infarction and also its effect on prognosis as well as the detection and prediction of the location of arterial stenosis in coronary angiography.

Methods

Data collection was performed by reviewing the hospital recorded files of 195 patients’ suspicion of acute myocardial infarction who have been referred within 2 h of the onset of cardiac symptoms. The patients were then categorized into two groups with and without ST elevation in the V4R chest lead.

Results

Comparing two groups showed a significantly higher rate of concurrent ST‐segment elevation in V1 lead in those with ST‐segment elevation in V4R. Echocardiography on the day after anterior myocardial infarction showed LVEF <40% in 74% and 35.2% of patients with and without ST‐segment elevation in V4R, respectively, indicating a significant difference. The lesions on proximal LAD were more common in the group with ST‐segment elevation in V4R.

Conclusion

Our study emphasized a high likelihood of ST‐segment elevation in V4R lead concurrently with ST‐elevation in V1 lead. Also, the appearance of ST‐segment elevation in V4R lead can be accompanied with a lower LVEF, myocardial infarct size, involvement of proximal part of LAD, and Wrap around LAD.