bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How do life history traits influence the environment’s effect on population synchrony? Insights from European birds and insects
Authors: Martin Ellen C. , Hansen Brage Bremset , Lee Aline Magdalena , Herfindal Ivar
Published: September 2023

Populations closer together in space are more likely to experience shared environmental fluctuations. This correlation in experienced environmental conditions is the main driver of spatial population synchrony, defined as the tendency for geographically separate populations of the same species to exhibit parallel fluctuations in abundance over time. Moran’s theorem states that spatially distinct populations are expected to show the same synchrony in their population dynamics as the synchrony in their environment. However, this is rarely the case in the wild, and the population synchrony of different species inhabiting the same area is rarely similar. These species-specific differences in how the environment synchronizes populations can be due to life history traits that make some species more susceptible to environmental stochasticity, such as reduced mobility or faster pace of life. In this study, we compiled long-term annual abundance datasets on European birds and insects (Lepidopterasp. andBombussp.) to identify how environmental synchrony (i.e., positively spatially correlated fluctuations in the environment, also called the Moran effect) affects species population synchrony. As expected, the environment synchronized populations of both birds and insects. Populations experiencing correlated fluctuations in precipitation or temperature had higher synchrony in annual population growth rates. Birds were more strongly synchronized by temperature, while precipitation was a stronger driver of synchrony in insects. In birds, species with short generation times had a stronger synchronizing effect of the environment compared to species with long generation times. Moreover, in birds the effects of synchrony in the environment also depended on movement propensity, with a positive impact for resident and short-distance migration species. In insects, annual population synchrony was affected by species movement propensity and dietary niche breadth, but these traits did not modify the effects of environmental synchrony. Our study provides empirical support for the prediction that spatial correlation in population dynamics is more influenced by environmental stochasticity for life histories with lower mobility and faster pace of life, but only in birds. By quantifying spatial population synchrony across different levels of environmental synchrony and life history traits, our study improves the understanding of the Moran effect as well as factors that drive population persistence in the face of environmental change.
The Bacterial Replicative Helicase Loader DciA is a DNA Condenser
Authors: Marsin Stéphanie , Jeannin Sylvain , Baconnais Sonia , Walbott Hélène , Pehau-Arnaudet Gérard , Noiray Magali , Aumont-Nicaise Magali , Stender Emil GP , Cargemel Claire , Bars Romain Le , Cam Eric Le , Quevillon-Cheruel Sophie
Published: September 2023

The loading of the bacterial replicative helicase is an essential step for genome replication and depends on the assistance of accessory proteins. Several of these proteins have been identified across the bacterial phyla. DciA is the most common loading protein in bacteria, yet the one whose mechanism is the least understood. We have previously shown thatVcDciA fromVibrio cholerae,composed of a globular KH-like domain followed by an unfolded extension, has a strong affinity for DNA. Here, we characterized the droplets formed byVcDciA upon interaction with a short single-stranded substrate. We demonstrate the fluidity of these droplets using light microscopy and address their network organization through electron microscopy, thereby bridging events to conclude on a liquid-liquid phase separation behavior. Additionally, we observe the recruitment ofVcDnaB inside theVcDciA-DNA droplets. We show that DnaC fromEscherichia coliis also competent to form these condensate structures in the presence of ssDNA. Our data open up possibilities for the involvement of DciA in the formation of non-membrane compartments within the bacterium, facilitating the assembly of replication players with the chromosomal DNA.
Multivariate comparison of taxonomic, chemical and technical data from 80 full-scale an-aerobic digester-related systems
Authors: Otto Pascal , Puchol-Royo Roser , Ortega-Legarreta Asier , Tanner Kristie , Tideman Jeroen , de Vries Sjoerd-Jan , Pascual Javier , Porcar Manuel , Latorre-Perez Adriel , Abendroth Christian
Published: September 2023

This study represents one of the most comprehensive characterisations of the anaerobic digestion (AD) microbiome with 80 samples from 45 different large-scale reactors in three coun-tries. Technical, chemical and taxonomic data was thoroughly collected, analyzed and correlated to identify the main drivers of AD processes. Our results showed that MBA03,Proteiniphilum, a member ofDethiobacteraceae, andCaldicoprobacterwere present in all the samples, whileMeth-anosarcinawas the most abundant and prevalent archaea. Two distinct bacterial clusters were iden-tified by correlating microbial abundances. One was correlated with hydrogenotrophic and the other with acetoclastic methanogenesis. Organic acids, ammonia, nitrogen, COD and the trace el-ements Fe, Mo, and the macro nutrient P had the greatest impact on AD microbiomes. Temperature, reactor type and substrate also influenced the formation of a specialized microbial community. Overall, this work sheds light on the microbial key players involved in AD and evaluates how they are affected by technical and chemical parameters.

Highlights

Generation of a holistic dataset of chemical, taxonomic and technical parameters of 80 large-scale anaerobic digestion systems.

Identification of a core microbiome comprising MBA03,Proteiniphilum, an uncultured or-ganism from theDethiobacteraceaefamily, and theCaldicoprobacterfamily.

Identification of the main influencing parameters that determine the occurrence and non-occurrence of specific genera.

Correlation of bacterial taxa with hydrogenotrophic and/or acetoclastic archaea.
The threats to reptiles at global and regional scales
Authors: Farooq Harith , Harfoot Mike , Rahbek Carsten , Geldmann Jonas
Published: September 2023

At least 20% of reptiles are currently threatened with extinction. Due to the lack of comprehensive global assessments of the group, they have been omitted from spatial studies, especially the ones addressing conservation or spatial prioritization. With the recent release of global assessments for reptiles, in this study, we calculate the probability of seven biodiversity threats – logging, pollution, agriculture, invasive species, hunting, climate change and urbanization occurring at a global scale on a 50×50km grid and their impact measured as the probability of finding a threatened species. Despite the global nature of our approach, we compartmented the terrestrial land into 12 regions and conducted separate analyses on each region. We find that despite globally low levels of intensity, climate change and invasive species have the highest impact on reptiles. But when looked at the regional level, various threats have a high impact on biodiversity, even surpassing climate change and invasives. Our study highlights the importance of going beyond measuring the intensity of threats to measure impact and also the importance of subdividing the world into smaller units and testing the impacts separately.
miR-137 conferred robustness to the territorial restriction of the neural plate border
Authors: Scatturice Luciana A. , Vázquez Nicolás , Strobl-Mazzulla Pablo H.
Published: September 2023

The neural plate border (NPB) of vertebrate embryos segregated from the neural plate (NP) and epidermal regions, and comprised an intermingled group of progenitors with multiple fate potential. Recent studies have shown that during the gastrula stage, TFAP2A acts as a pioneer factor in remodeling the epigenetic landscape required to activate components of the NPB induction program. Here we show thatTfap2ahas two highly conserved binding sites for miR-137 and both display a reciprocal expression pattern at the NPB and NP respectively. In addition, ectopic miR-137 expression reduced TFAP2A, whereas its functional inhibition expanded their territorial distribution overlapping with PAX7. Furthermore, we demonstrated that loss of thede novoDNA methyltransferase DNMT3A expanded miR-137 expression to the NPB. Bisulfite sequencing showed a significantly higher level of non-canonical CpH methylation at the promoter of miR-137 when we compared NPB and NP samples. Our finding shows that miR-137 contributes to the robustness of NPB territorial restriction in vertebrate development.
Conformational changes in the Niemann-Pick Type C1 protein NCR1 drive sterol translocation
Authors: Frain Kelly M. , Dedic Emil , Nel Lynette , Bohush Anastasiia , Olesen Esben , Stokes David L. , Pedersen Bjørn Panyella
Published: September 2023

The membrane protein Niemann-Pick Type C1 protein (NPC1, named NCR1 in yeast) is central to sterol homeostasis in eukaryotes.Saccharomyces cerevisiaeNCR1 is localized to the vacuolar membrane, where it is suggested to carry sterols across the protective glycocalyx and deposit them into the vacuolar membrane. However, documentation of a vacuolar glycocalyx in fungi is lacking and the mechanism for sterol translocation has remained unclear. Here we provide evidence that a glycocalyx is indeed present inside isolatedSaccharomyces cerevisiaevacuoles, and report four cryo-EM structures of NCR1 in two distinct conformations that elucidate how it moves sterol through the glycocalyx. The two conformations, named “tense” and “relaxed”, illustrate movement of sterol through a tunnel formed by the luminal domains. Based on these structures and on comparison with other members of the Resistance-Nodulation-Division (RND) superfamily we propose a transport model that links changes in the luminal domains with a cycle of protonation and deprotonation within the transmembrane region of the protein. Our model suggests that NPC proteins work by a generalized RND mechanism where the transmembrane domains form a ’motor-unit’ that sequentially adopts a tense and relaxed conformation to drive changes in luminal/extracellular domains.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Niemann-Pick Type C1 (NPC1, named NCR1 in yeast) proteins play a critical role in sterol homeostasis by facilitating the integration of sterols into membranes of acidic organelles like lysosomes and vacuoles. The inner surface of these organelles’ membranes is shielded by the glycocalyx. Here, we provide evidence that a glycocalyx is present in vacuoles fromSaccharomyces cerevisiaeand demonstrate that NCR1 transports sterols across it by undergoing conformational changes. Our structures suggest a transport model where sterol transport is linked to proton-driven changes in the transmembrane region. This work sheds light on the mechanism of NPC1 protein function and has broad implications for understanding lysosomal storage disorders and for mechanisms employed by members of the Resistance-Nodulation-Division (RND) superfamily.
Neural correlates of future volitional action inDrosophila
Authors: Brezovec Luke E. , Berger Andrew B. , Druckmann Shaul , Clandinin Thomas R.
Published: September 2023

The ability to act voluntarily is fundamental to animal behavior1,2,3,4,5. For example, self-directed movements are critical to exploration, particularly in the absence of external sensory signals that could shape a trajectory. However, how neural networks might plan future changes in direction in the absence of salient sensory cues is unknown. Here we use volumetric two-photon imaging to map neural activity associated with walking across the entire brain of the fruit flyDrosophila, register these signals across animals with micron precision, and generate a dataset of ∼20 billion neural measurements across thousands of bouts of voluntary movements. We define spatially clustered neural signals selectively associated with changes in forward and angular velocity, and reveal that turning is associated with widespread asymmetric activity between brain hemispheres. Strikingly, this asymmetry in interhemispheric dynamics emerges more than 10 seconds before a turn within a specific brain region associated with motor control, the Inferior Posterior Slope (IPS). This early, local difference in neural activity predicts the direction of future turns on a trial-by-trial basis, revealing long-term motor planning. As the direction of each turn is neither trained, nor guided by external sensory cues, it must be internally determined. We therefore propose that this pre-motor center contains a neural substrate of volitional action.
Brain-wide functional connectivity artifactually inflates throughout fMRI scans: a problem and solution
Authors: Korponay Cole , Janes Amy C. , Frederick Blaise B.
Published: September 2023

The fMRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal is a mainstay of neuroimaging assessment of neuronal activity and functional connectivityin vivo. Thus, a chief priority is maximizing this signal’s reliability and validity. To this end, the fMRI community has invested considerable effort into optimizing both experimental designs and physiological denoising procedures to improve the accuracy, across-scan reproducibility, and subject discriminability of BOLD-derived metrics like functional connectivity. Despite these advances, we discover that a substantial and ubiquitous defect remains in fMRI datasets: functional connectivity throughout the brain artifactually inflates during the course of fMRI scans – by an average of more than 70% in 15 minutes of scan time - at spatially heterogeneous rates, producing both spatial and temporal distortion of brain connectivity maps. We provide evidence that this inflation is driven by a previously unrecognized time-dependent increase of non-neuronal, systemic low-frequency oscillation (sLFO) blood flow signal during fMRI scanning. This signal is not removed by standard denoising procedures such as independent component analysis (ICA). However, we demonstrate that a specialized sLFO denoising procedure - Regressor Interpolation at Progressive Time Delays (RIPTiDe) - can be added to standard denoising pipelines to significantly attenuate functional connectivity inflation. We confirm the presence of sLFO-driven functional connectivity inflation in multiple independent fMRI datasets – including the Human Connectome Project – as well as across resting-state, task, and sleep-state conditions, and demonstrate its potential to produce false positive findings. Collectively, we present evidence for a previously unknown physiological phenomenon that spatiotemporally distorts estimates of brain connectivity in human fMRI datasets, and present a solution for mitigating this artifact.
Learning when to learn: hummingbirds adjust their exploration behaviour to match the value of information
Authors: Donkersteeg C. , Peters H. , Jerome C. , Menzies C. , Welch K. C. , Guillette L. M. , Dakin R.
Published: September 2023

Exploration is a key part of an animal’s ability to learn. The exploration-exploitation dilemma predicts that individuals should adjust their exploration behaviour according to changes in the value of information. Here, we test this prediction by tracking ruby-throated hummingbirds as they foraged repeatedly from a large array of artificial flowers, wherein 25% of the flowers contained a sucrose reward. Similar to real-world floral dynamics, the reward locations were consistent in the short-term, but varied from day to day. Thus, the value of information about the flower contents would be greatest at the beginning of a daily foraging session, and decay toward the end of each session. We tracked five individual hummingbirds in repeated foraging sessions, comprising more than 3,400 floral probes. We analyzed two metrics of their exploration behaviour: (1) the probability that a bird would shift from probing one flower to another, and (2) the Shannon information entropy of a sequence of flowers probed. We show that initially, the hummingbirds increased their exploration behaviour as time elapsed within a session. As they performed more sessions and learned the rules of the environment, the hummingbirds switched to explore more diverse choices at the beginning of a foraging session, when the value of information was high, and less diverse choices toward the end of a session. Our results suggest that foraging hummingbirds can learn when to learn, highlighting the importance of plasticity in exploration behaviour.

Highlights

Exploration is a necessary part of learning

Foragers must balance sampling for information with the use of known rewards

Hummingbirds learned to explore more when the value of new information was high

Apparent mistakes may actually represent an information-seeking strategy
Shorter self-reported sleep duration in men is associated with worse virtual spatial navigation performance
Authors: Yavuz Emre , Lazar Alpar S , Gahnstrom Christoffer J. , Goodroe Sarah , Coutrot Antoine , Hornberger Michael , Spiers Hugo J.
Published: September 2023

Sleep has been shown to impact navigation ability. However, it remains unclear how different sleep-related variables may be independently associated with spatial navigation performance, and as to whether gender may play a role in these associations. We used a mobile video game app, Sea Hero Quest (SHQ), to measure wayfinding ability in US-based participants. Wayfinding performance on SHQ has been shown to correlate with real-world wayfinding. Participants were asked to report their sleep duration, quality, daytime sleepiness and nap frequency and duration on a typical night (n = 737, 409 men, 328 women, mean age = 27.1 years, range = 18-59 years). A multivariate linear regression was used to identify which self-reported sleep variables were independently associated with wayfinding performance. For men, longer self-reported sleep durations were associated with better wayfinding performance. For women, no such association was found. While other self-reported sleep variables showed trends of association with wayfinding performance, none of these were significantly associated with wayfinding performance in our regression model. These findings from younger U.S.-based participants suggest that a longer self-reported sleep duration may be an important contributor to successful navigation ability in men.
A structural comparison of salt forms of dopamine with the structures of other phenylethylamines
Authors: Kennedy Alan R. , Cruickshank Laura , Maher Pamela , McKinnon Zoe
Published: September 2023

The structures of four salt forms of dopamine are reported. These are dopamine [2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethan-1-aminium] benzoate, C8H12NO2
+·C7H5O2
−, I, dopamine 4-nitrobenzoate, C8H12NO2
+·C7H4NO4
−, II, dopamine ethanedisulfonate, 2C8H12NO2
+·C2H4O6S2
2−, III, and dopamine 4-hydroxybenzenesulfonate monohydrate, C8H12NO2
+·C6H5O4S−·H2O, IV. In all four structures, the dopamine cation adopts an extended conformation. Intermolecular interaction motifs that are common in the salt forms of tyramine can be found in related dopamine structures, but hydrogen bonding in the dopamine structures appear to be more variable and less predictable than for tyramine. Packing analysis discovered three dopamine-containing groups of structures that can be described as isostructural with regards to the cation positions. Two of these groups contain both dopamine and tyramine species, and one of these is also highly variable in other ways too, containing anhydrous and hydrated forms, different anion types and ionized and neutral phenylethylamine species. As such, the group illustrates that packing behaviour can be robust and similar even where intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonds are very different.
Construction and application of knowledge graph for construction accidents based on deep learning
Authors: Wu Wenjing , Wen Caifeng , Yuan Qi , Chen Qiulan , Cao Yunzhong
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Learning from safety accidents and sharing safety knowledge has become an important part of accident prevention and improving construction safety management. Considering the difficulty of reusing unstructured data in the construction industry, the knowledge in it is difficult to be used directly for safety analysis. The purpose of this paper is to explore the construction of construction safety knowledge representation model and safety accident graph through deep learning methods, extract construction safety knowledge entities through BERT-BiLSTM-CRF model and propose a data management model of data–knowledge–services.

Design/methodology/approach

The ontology model of knowledge representation of construction safety accidents is constructed by integrating entity relation and logic evolution. Then, the database of safety incidents in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry is established based on the collected construction safety incident reports and related dispute cases. The construction method of construction safety accident knowledge graph is studied, and the precision of BERT-BiLSTM-CRF algorithm in information extraction is verified through comparative experiments. Finally, a safety accident report is used as an example to construct the AEC domain construction safety accident knowledge graph (AEC-KG), which provides visual query knowledge service and verifies the operability of knowledge management.

Findings

The experimental results show that the combined BERT-BiLSTM-CRF algorithm has a precision of 84.52%, a recall of 92.35%, and an F1 value of 88.26% in named entity recognition from the AEC domain database. The construction safety knowledge representation model and safety incident knowledge graph realize knowledge visualization.

Originality/value

The proposed framework provides a new knowledge management approach to improve the safety management of practitioners and also enriches the application scenarios of knowledge graph. On the one hand, it innovatively proposes a data application method and knowledge management method of safety accident report that integrates entity relationship and matter evolution logic. On the other hand, the legal adjudication dimension is innovatively added to the knowledge graph in the construction safety field as the basis for the postincident disposal measures of safety accidents, which provides reference for safety managers' decision-making in all aspects.
Understanding the effects of service innovation capability on firm performance in AEC industry: mediating role of business model
Authors: Tang Xiaoying , Wang Mengjun , Li Hui
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine whether service innovation capability can affect firm performance in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) context, and, if so, how.

Design/methodology/approach

This study developed a theoretical framework illustrating the performance impacts of service innovation capability through the business model in the AEC sector. An empirical study was conducted to test the hypotheses using 374 valid questionnaires using structure equation model (SEM).

Findings

The results verify that service innovation capability positively influences firm performance mediated by the business model. As to the direct effect, service innovation capability is positively associated with firm performance.

Originality/value

This study highlights how service innovation capability affects performance and reveals the underlying mechanism.
Pollution control bonds and environmental performance in energy utility firms: is there an incantation effect?
Authors: Khanchel Imen , Lassoued Naima , Bargaoui Ines
Published: September 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effects of green financing through pollution control bonds (PCBs) on environmental performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a panel of 189 US energy utility firms observed over the period, 2011–2021 ; this study applies Generalized Method of Moments regressions.

Findings

This study found that PCBs positively affect environmental performance (aggregate measure, greenhouse emissions, waste landfill, waste incineration and waste recycling). These findings remain robust when this study considers alternative measures of PCBs and environmental performance, the quantile regression method and some firms’ attributes such as financial performance and firm age.

Practical implications

The results indicate that US energy utility firms have to adopt more PCBs. This study helps researchers, practitioners, shareholders, bondholders, equity analysts and local authorities such as the California Pollution Control Financing Authority, municipalities and investors understand PCBs issuance, usefulness and relevance.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the effectiveness of PCBs in reducing pollution.
Wine consumer typologies based on level of involvement: a case of Turkey
Authors: Koksal Haluk , Seyedimany Arian
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to segment Turkish wine customers based on their level of involvement. This study profiles them based on their wine drinking motivations, wine attributes, information sources, wine purchasing and consumption behaviour and socio-demographic characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

For this study, a structured online questionnaire was used to collect data from the listed email addresses of institutes, universities and commercial websites. The sample size was 708 people. After splitting consumers into three groups based on their involvement levels in wine (high, moderate and low), the study profiles them by implementing ANOVA, principal component and chi-square analyses.

Findings

The study identifies the differences between groups with different involvement levels in wine regarding drinking motivations, wine attributes, information sources, consumption and purchasing behaviour as well as socio-demographic characteristics.

Originality/value

Although there are a few studies in the literature evaluating wine consumers from various nations, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study investigating wine consumers based on involvement levels in Turkey, where alcoholic beverages are excessively taxed, and advertising is banned and promoting them is limited.
Beliefs in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia from a cross-cultural lens
Authors: Otgaar Henry , Zhang Yikang , Li Chunlin , Wang Jianqin
Published: September 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to examine beliefs in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia from a cross-cultural perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Chinese (n = 123) and Belgian student participants (n = 270) received several statements tapping into various dimensions of repressed memory and dissociative amnesia. Participants provided belief ratings for each of these statements. Because the field of psychoanalysis is less well developed in China, it was expected that Chinese participants would believe less in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia than their Belgian counterparts.

Findings

Overall, beliefs in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia were high among all participants. Although confirmatory analyses revealed that most belief ratings concerning statements did not statistically significantly differ between the two samples, Chinese participants did statistically believe less that therapy can recover lost traumatic memories than Belgian participants. Also, exploratory analyses showed that Chinese participants were more critical towards the idea that traumatic memories can be unconsciously repressed and that these memories can be accurately retrieved in therapy than Belgian participants. Many participants also confused repressed memory with plausible memory mechanisms such as ordinary forgetting.

Originality/value

The current study extends previous surveys on repressed memory and dissociative amnesia by comparing their beliefs in different cultures.
Income smoothing through R&D management and credit ratings
Authors: Park Sang Hyun , Jung Sean
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Prior studies generally focus on income smoothing through discretionary accruals and document that managers have incentives to smooth earnings due to various reasons. This paper aims to focus on income smoothing through research and development (R&D) management and examine whether and how income smoothing through R&D management affects credit rating agencies’ perception of firm risk.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use financial statement data from the CRSP/Compustat Merged data set universe for the period from 1992 to 2019 after excluding financial and utility industries. The authors follow the model for credit ratings used in previous literature to test the hypothesis. Specifically, the authors use an ordered probit model to express credit ratings as a function of income smoothing attributes.

Findings

The authors find that R&D-based income smoothing improves a firm’s credit rating. However, the positive effect of R&D-based income smoothing on credit ratings is less than that of accruals-based income smoothing. This study also shows that the positive effect of R&D-based income smoothing is more pronounced for firms less subject to opportunistic incentives, further strengthening the notion that managers smooth earnings through R&D management to provide more informative earnings.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the income smoothing literature in several ways. First, the authors contribute to the research by showing that managers’ income smoothing activity through R&D management positively affects firms’ credit rating. Second, the authors also document the relative benefits of the two different income smoothing techniques in terms of improving credit agencies’ perception of firms’ creditworthiness.
Quantifying the impact of COVID-19 on Chinese ports
Authors: Shang Fulin , Teng Xiyue , Park Minyoung
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to quantify port efficiency assessment indicators to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on Chinese One Belt One Road (OBOR) ports.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilized a grey prediction model GM(1,1) to forecast five relevant indicators for each of the 17 OBOR ports both with and without COVID-19 background conditions. Additionally, the data envelopment analysis (DEA) efficiency assessment approach was used to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on port efficiency.

Findings

The results indicate that cargo and container throughput growth rates during the COVID-19 pandemic are reduced by 1.7 and 2.1%, respectively. There was also a noticeable reduction in technological efficiency (TE) as well as pure technological efficiency (PTE), while scale efficiency (SE) remained largely unaffected. Furthermore, the dynamic efficiency MI was mainly negatively impacted by changes in overall efficiency change (EFFCH), where pure efficiency change (PECH) less than one contributed significantly towards overall regression of port efficiencies during this period.

Originality/value

This paper is unique in its use of a combination of the grey prediction model and DEA efficiency assessment to quantify changes in important indicators during pandemic periods. This approach not only provides a quantitative understanding of the impact on port-level efficiency through numerical quantification but also offers readers an intuitive understanding.
Examining themes of social media users' opinion on remote work during COVID-19 pandemic: a justice theory perspective
Authors: Xing Yunfei , He Yuming , Zhang Justin Z.
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused significant disruption to the global labor market, resulting in a rapid transition toward remote work, e-commerce and workforce automation. This shift has sparked a considerable amount of public discussion. This study aims to explore the online public's sentiment toward remote work amid the pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on justice theory, this paper examines user-generated content on social media platforms, particularly Twitter, to gain insight into public opinion and discourse surrounding remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing content analysis techniques such as sentiment analysis, text clustering and evolutionary analysis, this study aims to identify prevalent topics, temporal patterns and instances of sentiment polarization in tweets.

Findings

Results show that people with positive opinions focus mainly on personal interests, while others focus on the interests of the company and society; people's subjectivities are higher when they express extremely negative or extremely positive emotions. Distributive justice and interactional justice are distinguishable with a high degree of differentiation in the cluster map.

Originality/value

Previous research has inadequately addressed public apprehensions about remote work during emergencies, particularly from a justice-based perspective. This study seeks to fill this gap by examining how justice theory can shed light on the public's views regarding corporate policy-making during emergencies. The results of this study provide valuable insights and guidance for managing public opinion during such events.
A parallel ring-ring capacitive proximity sensor for detection of approaching conductor
Authors: Shi Yanyan , Huang Fenglan , Wang Meng , Li Yongheng
Published: September 2023

Purpose

To solve the problem of low sensitivity of traditional capacitive proximity sensor, this paper aims to propose a novel capacitive sensor for detection of an approaching conductor.

Design/methodology/approach

Five capacitive proximity sensors with different structures are designed and the performance is compared with the traditional capacitive sensor. The impacts of geometrical parameters on the performance of the proposed capacitive sensor are studied. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the proposed capacitive sensor to an approaching conductor with different sizes is discussed. Also, how the designed capacitive sensor is sensitive to the lateral placement of the approaching object is analyzed.

Findings

Several capacitive proximity sensor structures have been designed and analyzed. It is found that the capacitive sensor with the top small ring-bottom large ring structure shows stronger electric field distribution around the top electrode and higher sensitivity to the approaching conductor than other sensors. Through further analysis of the proposed sensor, the results demonstrate that proposed capacitive sensor is effective for proximity object detection.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a novel capacitive proximity sensor with top small ring-bottom large ring structure. Compared with the traditional capacitive sensor, the proposed capacitive sensor is more sensitive to the approaching object. This would be helpful for the accurate detection of the approaching object. Also, the top and bottom electrodes are much smaller.
Microbial dynamics in soils of the Damma glacier forefield show succession in the functional genetic potential
Authors: Feng Maomao , Varliero Gilda , Qi Weihong , Stierli Beat , Edwards Arwyn , Robinson Serina , van der Heijden Marcel G. A. , Frey Beat
Published: September 2023

Glacier retreat is a visible consequence of climate change worldwide. Although taxonomic change of the soil microbiomes in glacier forefields have been widely documented, how microbial genetic potential changes along succession is little known. Here, we used shotgun metagenomics to analyse whether the soil microbial genetic potential differed between four stages of soil development (SSD) sampled along three transects in the Damma glacier forefield (Switzerland). The SSDs were characterized by an increasing vegetation cover, from barren soil, to biological soil crust, to sparsely vegetated soil and finally to vegetated soil. Results suggested that SSD significantly influenced microbial genetic potential, with the lowest functional diversity surprisingly occurring in the vegetated soils. Overall, carbohydrate metabolism and secondary metabolite biosynthesis genes overrepresented in vegetated soils, which could be partly attributed to plant–soil feedbacks. For C degradation, glycoside hydrolase genes enriched in vegetated soils, while auxiliary activity and carbohydrate esterases genes overrepresented in barren soils, suggested high labile C degradation potential in vegetated, and high recalcitrant C degradation potential in barren soils. For N‐cycling, organic N degradation and synthesis genes dominated along succession, and gene families involved in nitrification were overrepresented in barren soils. Our study provides new insights into how the microbial genetic potential changes during soil formation along the Damma glacier forefield.
The relative importance of information events: An ex ante perspective
Authors: Iselin Michael , Van Buskirk Andrew
Published: September 2023

We build on recent advances in options pricing research to propose a novel measure of the ex ante relative importance of information events. Our firm‐level measure captures the extent to which investors view an event as important, independent of its realized outcome. We first validate the measure and then demonstrate how it can be used to (1) study heterogeneity across firms in the relative importance of information events; (2) identify firms for which an event was important, even though the realized outcome did not result in a meaningful stock reaction; and (3) examine questions about how the importance of an event impacts firm decisions, where using realized return‐based measures of event importance would result in an endogeneity problem.
Intact mitochondrial function in the setting of telomere‐induced senescence
Authors: Sullivan Daniel I. , Bello Fiona M. , Silva Agustin Gil , Redding Kevin M. , Giordano Luca , Hinchie Angela M. , Loughridge Kelly E. , Mora Ana L. , Königshoff Melanie , Kaufman Brett A. , Jurczak Michael J. , Alder Jonathan K.
Published: September 2023

Mitochondria play essential roles in metabolic support and signaling within all cells. Congenital and acquired defects in mitochondria are responsible for several pathologies, including premature entrance to cellar senescence. Conversely, we examined the consequences of dysfunctional telomere‐driven cellular senescence on mitochondrial biogenesis and function. We drove senescence in vitro and in vivo by deleting the telomere‐binding protein TRF2 in fibroblasts and hepatocytes, respectively. Deletion of TRF2 led to a robust DNA damage response, global changes in transcription, and induction of cellular senescence. In vitro, senescent cells had significant increases in mitochondrial respiratory capacity driven by increased cellular and mitochondrial volume. Hepatocytes with dysfunctional telomeres maintained their mitochondrial respiratory capacity in vivo, whether measured in intact cells or purified mitochondria. Induction of senescence led to the upregulation of overlapping and distinct genes in fibroblasts and hepatocytes, but transcripts related to mitochondria were preserved. Our results support that mitochondrial function and activity are preserved in telomere dysfunction‐induced senescence, which may facilitate continued cellular functions.
Seed dispersal of a fleshy‐fruited invasive shrub is affected by changes in the frugivorous bird assemblage along an elevational gradient
Authors: Juncosa‐Polzella Agostina S. , Tecco Paula A. , Vergara‐Tabares David L.
Published: September 2023

Seed dispersal by birds constitutes an essential mechanism for ornithochorous exotic plants to successfully invade a new system. New biotic associations with native birds might facilitate the upward spread of exotic plants from the foothills into the high mountains. However, environmental changes associated with elevation are known to drive changes in bird assemblages, and it is not clear how elevation changes impact the seed dispersal service of ornithochorous invaders. We evaluated changes in frugivorous bird assemblages of one of the exotic shrubs (Cotoneaster franchetii, Rosaceae) with the broadest elevation range among woody invaders in the Córdoba Mountains (Argentina). We quantified frugivory interactions (including absolute and proportional fruit consumption by seed dispersers, pulp consumers, and seed predators) using 4‐h observations of focal C. franchetii shrubs distributed across low‐elevation, mid‐elevation, and high‐elevation sites (700, 1100, and 1800 m a.s.l., respectively; 15 individuals per elevational band and one site per elevation). Seed disperser richness was highest at the low‐ and mid‐elevation sites (three species vs. one at the high‐elevation site), but proportional and absolute fruit consumption of C. franchetii was highest at the high‐elevation site (39.1%, 88 seeds at high‐elevation and 7.7%, 20 seeds at low‐elevation). The Chiguanco Thrush (Turdus chiguanco, Turdidae) was the only seed disperser species found at the highest elevation site. Fruit consumption by seed dispersers was positively related to their abundance and elevation. In a high mountain system, a single abundant generalist seed disperser, rather than a high richness of seed disperser species, can uphold an effective dispersal service for an invasive ornithochorous shrub. This pattern may facilitate the spread of such plants across higher elevational ranges, thereby promoting the invasion of other exotic ornithochorous plants into upper elevations.
A comprehensive study on the arterial vasculature of the brain in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis): Clinical correlates
Authors: John Masuood Ahmad , Rashid Rakshan , Malik Abrar A. , Sasan Jasvinder Singh , Mir Abdul Qayoom , Choudhury Abdur Rezzaque , Dar Firdous Ahmad , Rafiq Andleeb , Mahdy Mohamed A. A.
Published: September 2023

The present study was designed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the anatomical aspects of arterial blood vasculature in the water buffalo brains. Fifty cranial cavities of adult water buffaloes were opened via both the dorsal and ventral approaches and the arteries were exposed and photographed. The buffalo rostral epidural rete mirabile generally resembled that of large ruminants. The oculomotor, abducent and trigeminal nerves were intimately associated with the rostral rete. Similar to the majority of ruminants, the arterial circle of the brain was heart‐shaped in buffalos and presented all collateral blood vessels as mentioned in the previous literature. The study further revealed that the cranial nerve roots were closely related to the arterial circle of the brain and could be used as indicators for differentiating various branches of the arterial circle of the brain. In addition to the usual variations of the arterial circle of the brain, a bihemispheric rostral cerebral artery along with an aplastic rostral cerebral artery were reported for the first time. The deviant behaviour of the rostral cerebral artery forms a baseline to study various clinical conditions of the blood vasculature in the buffalo brain. The rostral choroidal, middle cerebral and the caudal cerebral arteries constantly were emerged as single vessels without any variations. In conclusion, the anatomy of the arterial vasculature of the buffalo brain observed in the present study provided evidence of its morphological resemblance to other species of the Bovini tribe.
Bayesian modelling of effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on child cognition based on data from multiple cohorts
Authors: Dang Khue‐Dung , Ryan Louise M. , Akkaya Hocagil Tugba , Cook Richard J. , Richardson Gale A. , Day Nancy L. , Coles Claire D. , Carmichael Olson Heather , Jacobson Sandra W. , Jacobson Joseph L.
Published: September 2023

High levels of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) result in significant cognitive deficits in children, but the exact nature of the dose‐response relationship is less well understood. To investigate this relationship, data were assembled from six longitudinal birth cohort studies examining the effects of PAE on cognitive outcomes from early school age through adolescence. Structural equation models (SEMs) are a natural approach to consider, because of the way they conceptualise multiple observed outcomes as relating to an underlying latent variable of interest, which can then be modelled as a function of exposure and other predictors of interest. However, conventional SEMs could not be fitted in this context because slightly different outcome measures were used in the six studies. In this paper we propose a multi‐group Bayesian SEM that maps the unobserved cognition variable to a broad range of observed outcomes. The relation between these variables and PAE is then examined while controlling for potential confounders via propensity score adjustment. By examining different possible dose‐response functions, the proposed framework is used to investigate whether there is a threshold PAE level that results in minimal cognitive deficit.
Glomerular microcirculation: Implications for diabetes, preeclampsia, and kidney injury
Authors: Goligorsky Michael S.
Published: September 2023

This review outlines the features of tandem regulation of glomerular microcirculation by autoregulatory mechanisms and intraglomerular redistribution of blood flow. Multiple points of cooperation exist between autoregulatory and distributional mechanisms. Mutual interactions between myogenic and tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) mechanisms regulating the inflow are briefly discussed. In addition to this, TGF operation involving purinergic, autocoid, and NO signaling affects, however, not only afferent arteriolar tone, but mesangial cell tone as well. The latter reversibly reconfigures the distribution of blood flow between the shorter and longer pathways in the glomerular tuft. I advance a hypothesis that blood flow in these pathways spontaneously alternates, and mesangial cell tonicity serves as a rheostatic shift between them. Furthermore, humoral messengers from macula densa cells, themselves dependent on myogenic mechanisms, fine‐tune the secretion of renin and, subsequently, the local, intrarenal generation of angiotensin II, which, in turn, provides additional vasomotor signaling to glomerular capillaries through changing the tone of mesangial cells. This complex regulatory network may partially explain the phenomenon of renal functional reserve, as well as suggest implications for changes in renal function during pregnancy, early diabetes mellitus, and acute kidney injury.
Distinct functions between ferrous and ferric iron in lung cancer cell growth
Authors: Hinokuma Hironori , Kanamori Yohei , Ikeda Koei , Hao Li , Maruno Masataka , Yamane Taishi , Maeda Ayato , Nita Akihiro , Shimoda Mayuko , Niimura Mayumi , Takeshima Yuki , Li Shuran , Suzuki Makoto , Moroishi Toshiro
Published: September 2023

Accumulating evidence suggests an association between iron metabolism and lung cancer progression. In biological systems, iron is present in either reduced (Fe2+; ferrous) or oxidized (Fe3+; ferric) states. However, ferrous and ferric iron exhibit distinct chemical and biological properties, the role of ferrous and ferric iron in lung cancer cell growth has not been clearly distinguished. In this study, we manipulated the balance between cellular ferrous and ferric iron status by inducing gene mutations involving the FBXL5–IRP2 axis, a ubiquitin‐dependent regulatory system for cellular iron homeostasis, and determined its effects on lung cancer cell growth. FBXL5 depletion (ferrous iron accumulation) was found to suppress lung cancer cell growth, whereas IRP2 depletion (ferric iron accumulation) did not suppress such growth, suggesting that ferrous iron but not ferric iron plays a suppressive role in cell growth. Mechanistically, the depletion of FBXL5 impaired the degradation of the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor, p27, resulting in a delay in the cell cycle at the G1/S phase. FBXL5 depletion in lung cancer cells also improved the survival of tumor‐bearing mice. Overall, this study highlights the important function of ferrous iron in cell cycle progression and lung cancer cell growth.