bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accurate, high-coverage assignment of in vivo protein kinases to phosphosites from in vitro phosphoproteomic specificity data
Authors: Invergo Brandon M.
Published: September 2021

Phosphoproteomic experiments routinely observe thousands of phosphorylation sites. To understand the intracellular signaling processes that generated this data, one or more causal protein kinases must be assigned to each phosphosite. However, limited knowledge of kinase specificity typically restricts assignments to a small subset of a kinome. Starting from a statistical model of a high-throughput, in vitro kinase-substrate assay, I have developed an approach to high-coverage, multi-label kinase-substrate assignment called IV-KAPhE (“In vivo-Kinase Assignment for Phosphorylation Evidence”). Tested on human data, IV-KAPhE outperforms other methods of similar scope. Such computational methods generally predict a densely connected kinase-substrate network, with most sites targeted by multiple kinases, pointing either to unaccounted-for biochemical constraints or significant cross-talk and signaling redundancy. I show that such predictions can potentially identify biased kinase-site misannotations within families of closely related kinase isoforms and they provide a robust basis for kinase activity analysis.
Cell size matters: nano- and micro-plastics preferentially drive declines of large marine phytoplankton due to co-aggregation
Authors: Dedman Craig J. , Christie-Oleza Joseph A. , Fernández-Juárez Víctor , Echeveste Pedro
Published: September 2021

Marine plastic pollution represents a key environmental concern. Whilst ecotoxicological data for plastic is increasingly available, its impact upon marine phytoplankton remains unclear. Owing to their predicted abundance in the marine environment and likely interactions with phytoplankton, here we focus on the smaller fraction of plastic particles (∼50 nm and ∼2 µm polystyrene spheres). Exposure of natural phytoplankton communities and laboratory cultures revealed that plastic exposure does not follow traditional trends in ecotoxicological research, since large phytoplankton appear particularly susceptible towards plastics exposure despite their higher surface-to-volume ratios. Cell declines appear driven by hetero-aggregation and co-sedimentation of cells with plastic particles, recorded visually and demonstrated using confocal microscopy. As a consequence, plastic exposure also caused disruption to photosynthetic functioning, as determined by both photosynthetic efficiency and high throughput proteomics. Negative effects upon phytoplankton are recorded at concentrations orders of magnitude above those estimated in the environment. Hence, it is likely that impacts of NPs and MPs are exacerbated at the high concentrations typically used in ecotoxicological research (i.e., mg L-1).
Strain-dependent selective antimicrobial action of cationic polyelectrolytes on Gram-negative bacteria
Authors: Rybkin Iaroslav , Mirtič Janja , Majaron Hana , Hreščak Jitka , Čeh Miran , Štrancar Janez , Kristl Julijana , Rijavec Tomaž , Lapanje Aleš
Published: September 2021

Although electrostatic modification of bacterial surfaces using polyelectrolytes (PEs) is a convenient and versatile tool for biotechnological processes, the ambiguities in toxicity of PEs between various bacteria and the insufficient understanding of the mechanism of action of cationic PEs and their nano-thick shells formed around the bacteria create a bottleneck of the approach. Here, we show how the viability of two bacterial strains, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas stutzeri, both from the Gram-negative group differs, when the cells are exposed to cationic PEs under different conditions. Although the cell wall architecture of the strains should be structurally similar, we found that the viability of E. coli was not affected by the electrostatic deposition of polyethyleneimine (PEI) or poly(allylamine) hydrochloride (PAH), whereas for P. stutzeri the deposition resulted in high death rates. The cells of E. coli proved to be suitable templates for Layer-by-Layer (LbL) modification, while in P. stutzeri a modified protocol with mild conditions had to be used to ensure the viability of the cells. Super resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy allowed us to clearly visualize that after PE deposition onto the surface of the cells, the PEs could penetrate inside the cells of P. stutzeri, while forming a capsule around E. coli as expected. Therefore, this knowledge will help us select the most appropriate combinations of strains and PEs, for biotechnological processes or biomedical application, preventing unwanted toxicity.
Integration of genome-wide association studies and gene coexpression networks unveils promising soybean resistance genes against five common fungal pathogens
Authors: Almeida-Silva Fabricio , Venancio Thiago M.
Published: September 2021

Soybean is one of the most important legume crops worldwide. However, soybean yield is dramatically affected by fungal diseases, leading to economic losses of billions of dollars yearly. Here, we integrated publicly available genome-wide association studies and transcriptomic data to prioritize candidate genes associated with resistance to Cadophora gregata, Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium virguliforme, Macrophomina phaseolina, and Phakopsora pachyrhizi. We identified 188, 56, 11, 8, and 3 high-confidence candidates for resistance to F. virguliforme, F. graminearum, C. gregata, M. phaseolina and P. pachyrhizi, respectively. The prioritized candidate genes are highly conserved in the pangenome of cultivated soybeans and are heavily biased towards fungal species-specific defense response. The vast majority of the prioritized candidate resistance genes are related to plant immunity processes, such as recognition, signaling, oxidative stress, systemic acquired resistance, and physical defense. Based on the number of resistance alleles, we selected the five most resistant accessions against each fungal species in the soybean USDA germplasm. Interestingly, the most resistant accessions do not reach the maximum theoretical resistance potential. Hence, they can be further improved to increase resistance in breeding programs or through genetic engineering. Finally, the coexpression network generated here is available in a user-friendly web application (https://soyfungigcn.venanciogroup.uenf.br/) and an R/Shiny package (https://github.com/almeidasilvaf/SoyFungiGCN) that serve as a public resource to explore soybean-pathogenic fungi interactions at the transcriptional level.
ER-localized phosphatidylethanolamine synthase plays a conserved role in lipid droplet formation
Authors: Gok Mehmet Oguz , Speer Natalie Ortiz , Henne W. Mike , Friedman Jonathan R.
Published: September 2021

The asymmetric distribution of phospholipids in membranes is a fundamental principle of cellular compartmentalization and organization. Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), a nonbilayer phospholipid that contributes to organelle shape and function, is synthesized at several subcellular localizations via semi-redundant pathways. Previously, we demonstrated in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that the PE synthase Psd1, which primarily operates on the mitochondrial inner membrane, is additionally targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). While ER-localized Psd1 is required to support cellular growth in the absence of redundant pathways, its physiological function at the ER is unclear. We now demonstrate that ER-localized Psd1 sub-localizes on the ER to lipid droplet (LD) attachment sites and further show it is specifically required for normal LD formation. We also find that the role of PSD enzymes in LD formation is conserved in other organisms. Thus, we have identified PSD enzymes as novel regulators of LDs and demonstrate that both mitochondria and LDs in yeast are organized and shaped by the spatial positioning of a single PE synthesis enzyme.
Movement is governed by rotational population dynamics in spinal motor networks
Authors: Lindén Henrik , Petersen Peter C. , Vestergaard Mikkel , Berg Rune W.
Published: September 2021

Although the generation of movements is a fundamental function of the nervous system, the underlying neural principles remain unclear. Since flexor- and extensor-muscles alternate during rhythmic movements like walking, it is often assumed that the responsible neural circuitry is similarly displaying alternating activity. Here, we present ensemble-recordings of neurons in the lumbar spinal cord that indicate that, rather than alternating, the population is performing a low-dimensional “rotation” in neural space, in which the neural activity is cycling through all phases continuously during the rhythmic behavior. The radius of rotation correlates with the intended muscle force and a perturbation of the low-dimensional trajectory can modify the motor behavior. Since existing models of spinal motor control offer an inadequate explanation of rotation, we propose a new theory of neural generation of movements from which this and other unresolved issues, such as speed regulation, force control, and multi-functionalism, are readily explained.
Spermidine dampens inflammation by directly inhibiting Th17 cytokine production through a PRDX1 associated antioxidant pathway
Authors: Luo Jiadi , Kim Yong Joon , An Xiaojing , Fan Li , Erb Carla , Lou Dequan , Yao Yong , Ferguson Annabel A. , Pan Yinghong , Chen Kong
Published: September 2021

The activation of IL-17 signaling has been linked to the pathogenesis of many chronic, inflammatory lung diseases including Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Through unbiased single-cell RNAseq screening, we found that IL-17+ T cells highly express Srm and Smox, which encode two key enzymes for spermidine synthesis. Spermidine has been shown to reduce inflammation by regulating macrophage activation and balancing Th17/Treg differentiation, but its direct effects on Th17 cytokine production has not been carefully investigated. Here, using already differentiated Th17 cells from cultured mouse splenocytes, we found that exogenous spermidine directly inhibits IL-1β/IL-23 induced IL-17 production. Blockade of endogenous spermidine synthesis enhanced IL-17 production above native levels, further supporting that spermidine is a direct regulator of cytokine secretion independent of differentiation. In vivo, spermidine alleviates lung inflammation in both PA infection and LPS induced acute lung injury models. Further RNA-seq analysis suggests spermidine suppression of Th17 cytokine production is mediated through its PRDX1 dependent antioxidant activity. Our data establishes that spermidine is a direct regulator of Type-17 T cell cytokine production and has potent anti-inflammatory effects against lung inflammation.
Mevastatin in colon cancer by spectroscopic and microscopic methods - Raman imaging and AFM studies
Authors: Beton K. , Wysocki P. , Brozek-Pluska B.
Published: September 2021

One of the most important areas of medical science is oncology, which is responsible for both the diagnostics and treatment of cancer diseases. Simultaneously one of the main challenges of oncology is the development of modern drugs effective in the fight against cancer. Statins are a group of biologically active compounds with the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors, an enzyme catalyzing the reduction of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) to mevalonic acid. By acting on this enzyme, statins inhibit the endogenous cholesterol synthesis which in turn causes the reduction of its systemic concentrations. However, in vitro and in vivo studies confirm also the cytostatic and cytotoxic effects of statins against various types of cancer cells including colon cancer. In the presented studies the influence of mevastatin on cancerous colon cells CaCo-2 by Raman spectroscopy and imaging is discussed and compared with biochemistry characteristic for normal colon cells CCD-18Co. Based on vibrational features of colon cells: normal cells CCD-18Co, cancerous cells CaCo-2 and cancerous cells CaCo-2 treated by mevastatin in different concentrations and incubation times we have confirm the influence of this statin on biochemistry composition of cancerous human colon cells. Moreover, the spectroscopic results for colon normal cells and cancerous cells based on data typical for nucleic acids, proteins, lipids have been compared. The cytotoxisity of mevastatin was determined by using XTT tests.
RNA secondary structure regulates fragments’ adsorption onto flat substrates
Authors: Poblete Simón , Božič Anže , Kanduč Matej , Podgornik Rudolf , Guzman Horacio V.
Published: September 2021

RNA is a functionally rich molecule with multilevel, hierarchical structures whose role in the adsorption to molecular substrates is only beginning to be elucidated. Here, we introduce a multiscale simulation approach that combines a tractable coarse-grained RNA structural model with an interaction potential of a structureless flat adsorbing substrate. Within this approach, we study the specific role of stem-hairpin and multibranch RNA secondary structure motifs on its adsorption phenomenology. Our findings identify a dual regime of adsorption for short RNA fragments with and without secondary structure, and underline the adsorption efficiency in both cases as a function of the surface interaction strength. The observed behavior results from an interplay between the number of contacts formed at the surface and the conformational entropy of the RNA molecule. The adsorption phenomenology of RNA seems to persist also for much longer RNAs as qualitatively observed by comparing the trends of our simulations with a theoretical approach based on an ideal semiflexible polymer chain.
Spatial and Texture Analysis of Root System Distribution with Earth Mover’s Distance (STARSEED)
Authors: Peeples Joshua , Xu Weihuang , Gloaguen Romain , Rowland Diane , Zare Alina , Brym Zachary
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Root system architectures are complex and challenging to characterize effectively for agronomic and ecological discovery.

Methods

We propose a new method, Spatial and Texture Analysis of Root SystEm distribution with Earth mover’s Distance (STARSEED), for comparing root system distributions that incorporates spatial information through a novel application of the Earth Mover’s Distance (EMD).

Results

We illustrate that the approach captures the response of sesame root systems for different genotypes and soil moisture levels. STARSEED provides quantitative and visual insights into changes that occur in root architectures across experimental treatments.

Conclusion

STARSEED can be generalized to other plants and provides insight into root system architecture development and response to varying growth conditions not captured by existing root architecture metrics and models. The code and data for our experiments are publicly available:https://github.com/GatorSense/STARSEED.
Programming isotype specific plasma cell differentiation
Authors: Higgins Brett W. , Shuparski Andrew G. , Miller Karen B. , Robinson Amanda M. , McHeyzer-Williams Louise J. , McHeyzer-Williams Michael G.
Published: September 2021

Antibodies are produced across multiple isotypes with distinct properties that coordinate initial antigen clearance and confer long-term antigen-specific immune protection. Here, we interrogate the molecular programs of isotype-specific murine plasma cells (PC) following helper T cell dependent immunization and within established steady-state immunity. Using integrated single cell strategies, we reveal conserved and divergent components of the rapid effector phase of antigen-specific IgM+versus inflammation modulating programs dictated by IgG2a/b+PC differentiation. During antibody affinity maturation, the germinal center (GC) cycle imparts separable programs for post-GC inhibitory IgG1+and inflammatory IgG2a/b+PC to direct long-term cellular function. In the steady-state, two subsets of IgM+and separate IgG2b+PC programs clearly segregate from splenic IgA+PC programs that emphasize mucosal barrier protection. These diverse isotype-specific molecular pathways of PC differentiation control complementary modules of antigen clearance and immune protection that could be selectively targeted for immunotherapeutic applications and vaccine design.
Co-aggregation and secondary nucleation in the life cycle of human prolactin/galanin functional amyloids
Authors: Chatterjee D. , Jacob R.S. , Ray S. , Navalkar A. , Singh N. , Sengupta S. , Gadhe L. , Kadu P. , Datta D. , Paul A. , Pindi C. , Kumar S. , Singru P. S. , Senapati S. , Maji S. K.
Published: September 2021

Synergistic-aggregation and cross-seeding by two different amyloid proteins/peptides are well evident in various neurological disorders. However, this phenomenon is not well studied in functional amyloid aggregation. Here, we show Prolactin (PRL) is associated with lactation in mammals and neuropeptide galanin (GAL), which are co-stored in the lactotrophs facilitates the synergic aggregation in the absence of secretory granules helper molecules glycosaminoglycans (GAGS). Interestingly, although each partner possesses homotypic seeding ability, a unidirectional cross-seeding of GAL aggregation can be mediated by PRL seeds. The specificity of co-aggregation by PRL and GAL along with unidirectional cross-seeding suggests tight regulation of functional amyloid formation during co-storage of these hormones in secretory granule biogenesis of female rat lactotrophs. Further mixed fibrils release the constituent functional hormone much faster than the corresponding individual amyloid formed in presence of GAGs, suggesting that co-aggregation of functionally distant hormones might have evolved for efficient storage, synergistic and rapid release of both hormones upon stimulation. The co-aggregation and cross seeding by two different hormones of completely different structures and sequences (PRL and GAL) suggest a novel mechanism of heterologous amyloid formation both in disease and functional amyloids.
BWA-MEME: BWA-MEM emulated with a machine learning approach
Authors: Jung Youngmok , Han Dongsu
Published: September 2021

Motivation

The growing use of next-generation sequencing and enlarged sequencing throughput require efficient short-read alignment, where seeding is one of the major performance bottlenecks. The key challenge in the seeding phase is searching for exact matches of substrings of short reads in the reference DNA sequence. Existing algorithms, however, present limitations in performance due to their frequent memory accesses.

Results

This paper presents BWA-MEME, the first full-fledged short read alignment software that leverages learned indices for solving the exact match search problem for efficient seeding. BWA-MEME is a practical and efficient seeding algorithm based on a suffix array search algorithm that solves the challenges in utilizing learned indices for SMEM search which is extensively used in the seeding phase. Our evaluation shows that BWA-MEME achieves up to 3.45x speedup in seeding throughput over BWA-MEM2 by reducing the number of instructions by 4.60x, memory accesses by 8.77x, and LLC misses by 2.21x, while ensuring the identical SAM output to BWA-MEM2.

Availability

The source code and test scripts are available for academic use at https://github.com/kaist-ina/BWA-MEME/.

Contact

tom418@kaist.ac.kr, dhan.ee@kaist.ac.kr
Amino acid transporter SLC38A5 regulates developmental and pathological retinal angiogenesis
Authors: Wang Zhongxiao , Yemanyi Felix , Huang Shuo , Liu Chi-Hsiu , Britton William R. , Cho Steve S. , Blomfield Alexandra K. , Tomita Yohei , Fu Zhongjie , Ma Jian-Xing , Li Wen-Hong , Chen Jing
Published: September 2021

Amino acid metabolism in vascular endothelium is important for sprouting angiogenesis. SLC38A5 (solute carrier family 38 member 5), an amino acid (AA) transporter, shuttles neutral AAs across cell membrane, including glutamine, which may serve as metabolic fuel for proliferating endothelial cells (ECs) to promote angiogenesis. Here we found thatSlc38a5is highly enriched in normal retinal vascular endothelium, and more specifically in pathological sprouting neovessels.Slc38a5is suppressed in retinal blood vessels fromLrp5-/-andNdpy/-mice, both genetic models of defective retinal vascular development with Wnt signaling mutations. Additionally,Slc38a5transcription is directly regulated by Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Genetic deficiency ofSlc38a5in mice substantially delays retinal vascular development and suppresses pathological neovascularization in oxygen-induced retinopathy modeling ischemic proliferative retinopathies. Inhibition ofSLC38A5in retinal vascular ECs impairs EC proliferation and angiogenic function, suppresses glutamine uptake, and dampens vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2). Together these findings suggest that SLC38A5 is a new metabolic regulator of retinal angiogenesis by controlling AA nutrient uptake and homeostasis in ECs.

Significance Statement

Amino acid metabolism in vascular endothelium is important for angiogenesis. SLC38A5 (solute carrier family 38 member 5) is an amino acid (AA) transporter for shuttling neutral AAs such as glutamine across cell membrane. Our work demonstrate thatSlc38a5is highly enriched in retinal vascular endothelium. SLC38A5 regulates endothelial cell glutamine uptake and vascular growth factor receptors to impact blood vessels growth in retinal development and in retinopathies. This work uncovered a novel role of SLC38A5 as a metabolic regulator of retinal angiogenesis by controlling AA nutrient uptake and homeostasis in blood vessel endothelium. Findings from this study also suggest that targeting SLC38A5 or relevant AAs can be a new way to protect against retinopathy.
Nuclease deficiencies alter plasma cell-free DNA methylation profiles
Authors: Han Diana S.C. , Ni Meng , Chan Rebecca W.Y. , Wong Danny K.L. , Hiraki Linda T. , Volpi Stefano , Jiang Peiyong , Lui Kathy O. , Chan K.C. Allen , Chiu Rossa W.K. , Lo Y.M. Dennis
Published: September 2021

The effects of DNASE1L3 or DNASE1 deficiency on cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation were explored in plasma of mice deficient in these nucleases and in DNASE1L3-deficient humans. Compared to wild-type cfDNA, cfDNA in DNASE1L3-deficient mice was significantly hypomethylated, while cfDNA in DNASE1-deficient mice was hypermethylated. The cfDNA hypomethylation in DNASE1L3-deficient mice was due to increased fragmentation and representation from open chromatin regions (OCRs) and CpG islands (CGIs). These findings were absent in DNASE1-deficient mice, demonstrating the preference of DNASE1 to cleave in hypomethylated OCRs and CGIs. We also observed a substantial decrease of fragment ends at methylated CpGs in the absence of DNASE1L3, thereby demonstrating that DNASE1L3 prefers to cleave at methylated CpGs. Furthermore, we found that methylation levels of cfDNA varied by fragment size in a periodic pattern, with cfDNA of specific sizes being more hypomethylated and enriched for OCRs and CGIs. These findings were confirmed in DNASE1L3-deficient human cfDNA. Thus, we have found that nuclease-mediated cfDNA fragmentation markedly affects cfDNA methylation level on a genome-wide scale. This work provides a foundational understanding of the relationship between methylation, nuclease biology, and cfDNA fragmentation.
Cloning Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Products: TOPO TA Cloning
Authors: Green Michael R. , Sambrook Joseph
Published: September 2021

This protocol describes the use of TOPO-activated TA vectors for cloning. Manufacturers of cloning kits provide excellent manuals that explain in detail what to do and why to do it. This makes TOPO cloning easy, but not foolproof. When setting up TOPO cloning for the first time, set up a trial experiment as described here.
Change processes within team formulations in intellectual disabilities services: what do multi-disciplinary staff find helpful?
Authors: Hymers Gemma , Dagnan Dave , Ingham Barry
Published: September 2021

Purpose

A biopsychosocial case formulation is an important tool for understanding complexity and guiding treatment for people with intellectual disabilities. It has been suggested that formulation meetings develop staff understanding of individuals they support. This study aims to explore the change processes that occur as a result of professional team formulation meetings, and the mechanisms that facilitate and hinder these events.

Design/methodology/approach

Eight clinicians who took part in multi-disciplinary team-based formulations in an inpatient mental health service for adults with intellectual disabilities were interviewed. Interviews were examined using thematic analysis.

Findings

The key themes identified were: “gaining information”, “altered thoughts” and “focused goals”. These themes were supported by “collaborative working” and “time for reflection” and were hindered by “poor communication and interaction” and inconsistent “staff attendance”.

Originality/value

Multi-disciplinary team formulation meetings may have a number of change processes that affect staff knowledge and perception of the people that they support. The facilitation of these processes should be a focus for further development.
The impact of gasoline shortages on public bike-sharing systems
Authors: Barriola Xabier
Published: September 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the effect of a recent disruption of Mexico's gasoline supply chain on the usage of public bike-sharing systems in Mexico City and Guadalajara.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a detailed data set to understand the usage patterns of Ecobici and Mibici. The authors assess both systems with a differences-in-differences econometric model using the least popular stations as a control group.

Findings

The authors find that the number of rides increased significantly shortly after the event because less popular stations became more utilized.

Social implications

The authors show that when the effects of gasoline shortages were noticeable, usage rates increased in Guadalajara and Mexico City, but the rise primarily came from the users selecting more bikes from the less popular stations. Therefore, the authors show that citizens in both cities regarded bike-sharing as an adequate means of transportation, maximizing system usage during a disruptive time. This finding suggests that cities should invest in improving public bike-sharing systems to reduce carbon emissions and increase their population's well-being.

Originality/value

The authors use a publicly available data set to understand how citizens answered to a major disruption. Furthermore, this is one of the first papers that align supply chain risk management with sustainable transportation and analyzes its effects on citizen behavior in a Latin American setting.
PLM support for design platforms in industrialized house-building
Authors: Lennartsson Martin , André Samuel , Elgh Fredrik
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to support the customization ability for industrial house building companies striving to offer individualized products but with a strategy which includes a production facility. This is accomplished by analyzing the as-is state in terms of existing engineering assets and by proposing a to-be state using the design platform and product lifecycle management (PLM) support.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on design research methodology and collected data are in-depth interviews, document reviews and workshops and method development. The theoretical baseline is product platforms and the design platform.

Findings

The analysis showed that despite use of a platform, inherent assets are disorganized. Still, the identified object-based engineering assets were possible to include in a conceptual proposal for better management, both in the process and product view, using an asset relationship matrix and a PLM system.

Practical implications

The results should be applicable for industrial house building and off-site construction companies and offers an approach to identify and manage their assets and platforms which are crucial to stay competitive.

Originality/value

Previous research on design platforms has focused on engineer-to-order companies within the mechanical industry. The contribution of this paper lies in the application and support of the design platform for industrial house building and the introduction of PLM system support.
Scenario-based economic and societal risk assessment of storm flooding in Shanghai
Authors: Tang Jin , Li Weijiang , Fang Jiayi , Zhang Zhonghao , Du Shiqiang , Wu Yanjuan , Wen Jiahong
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Quantitative and spatial-explicit flood risk information is of great importance for strengthening climate change adaptation and flood resilience. Shanghai is a coastal megacity at large estuary delta with rising flood risks. This study aims to quantify the overall economic-societal risks of storm flooding and their spatial patterns in Shanghai.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on multiple storm flood scenarios at different return periods, as well as fine-scale data sets including gridded GDP, gridded population and vector land-use, a probabilistic risk model incorporating geographic information system is used to assess the economic-societal risks of flooding and their spatial distributions.

Findings

Our results show that, from 1/200 to 1/5,000-year floods, the exposed assets will increase from USD 85.4bn to USD 657.6bn, and the direct economic losses will increase from USD 3.06bn to USD 52bn. The expected annual damage (EAD) of assets is around USD 84.36m. Hotpots of EAD are mainly distributed in the city center, the depressions along the upper Huangpu River in the southwest, the north coast of Hangzhou Bay, and the confluence of the Huangpu River and Yangtze River in the northeast. From 1/200 to 1/5,000-year floods, the exposed population will rise from 280 thousand to 2,420 thousand, and the estimated casualties will rise from 299 to 1,045. The expected annual casualties (EAC) are around 2.28. Hotspots of casualties are generally consistent with those of EAD.

Originality/value

In contrast to previous studies that focus on a single flood scenario or a particular type of flood exposure/risk in Shanghai, the findings contribute to an understanding of overall flood risks and their spatial patterns, which have significant implications for cost-benefit analysis of flood resilience strategies.
Creativity in the hospitality and tourism industry: a meta-analysis
Authors: Ouyang Xi , Liu Zhiqiang , Gui Chenglin
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Underpinned by the ability–motivation–opportunity framework, this paper aims to establish a framework of employee creativity antecedents in the hospitality and tourism industries and meta-analytically examine the magnitude of effect sizes as well as the moderating effects of cultural factors.

Design/methodology/approach

A meta-analysis using data from 82 independent studies was conducted to explore the hypothesized relationships and verify how they were contingent on uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation.

Findings

The results supported the majority of hypotheses about the relationships between antecedents and creativity. Furthermore, they showed that the effects of intrinsic motivation, positive affect and climate for innovation on creativity in the hospitality and tourism industries were significantly larger than those reported in previous meta-analyses. It also showed that uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation could buffer or strengthen some associations.

Practical implications

This study generates some essential managerial suggestions for organizations in need of innovation. Managers can learn from the results so as to effectively promote the ability, motivation and opportunity for creativity and merge cultural elements with innovation strategy when they operate globally.

Originality/value

This study provides a theory-based explanation for how employee creativity can be activated. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is a first attempt to meta-analytically test the underlying determinants of employee creativity in the hospitality and tourism industries. Additionally, the search for boundary conditions of the proposed relationships is likely to reconcile existing conflicts and inspire future studies.
Development and psychometric properties of fear of rejection scale (FRS): measuring social and interpersonal rejection among young adults in Pakistan
Authors: Yawar Rowaida , Aqeel Muhammad , Rafiq Maryam , Navid Saher , Taufiq Nabiha , Touqir Areesha , Imran Moazma
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Fear of rejection is a feeling experienced by every human, which influences everyday life. It impacts an individual’s physical and mental health. But still there is no valid and reliable measure to assess prevalence of fear of rejection because of interpersonal relationships and social factors. This paper aims to serve the purpose of the establishment of psychometric properties of a scale that measures the fear of rejection.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was gathered from focus groups to establish item pool and construct the instrument. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on the data collected by administering fear of rejection scale (FRS) and it uncovered the structure of the developed scale. Principal component analysis method was conducted by using direct oblimin rotation.

Findings

A two-factor structure, which includes interpersonal relationships and social factors, was obtained as a result of EFA. The internal consistency of the scale is highly acceptable with a = 0.93, which indicated that the scale is highly reliable. High reliability of subscales was attained as a = 0.90 and 0.86, respectively.

Originality/value

This research paper is original, which aims to assess the fear of rejection in terms of social and interpersonal rejection. The data collected is valid and authentic. The FRS is constructed with highly reliable results and is a psychometrically sound instrument.
Is self-mockery in advertising copywriting an efficient strategy to build brand closeness and purchase intention?
Authors: Sabri Ouidade
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Brands have increasingly used self-mockery in advertisements. Although previous insights from the social science literature assert that self-mockery is an effective strategy to boost brand closeness, the paper aims to show a more contigent view of self-mockery efficiency in an advertising context.

Design/methodology/approach

Two experiments were conducted.

Findings

This study shows that self-mockery helps build brand purchase intention through brand closeness only when self-mockery is based on a weak negative claim rather than a strong negative claim and that this influence occurs only for consumers with prior positive brand attitudes.

Practical implications

Marketing managers should consider self-mockery as a valuable brand-building strategy, especially if the main goal of the brand is to develop brand closeness among consumers with prior positive brand attitudes.

Originality/value

First, the current research is the first to provide empirical support for the mediating role of brand closeness to explain how self-mockery influences brand purchase intention. Second, this study qualify previous results and the popular idea that self-mockery may systematically help build brand closeness. This study demonstrates that this effect is conditional on the strength of the negative attribute claim disclosed and consumers’ prior brand attitudes.
Responding to organizational identity change: ethnographic insights from multinational hotel subsidiaries
Authors: Ponting Sandra Sun-Ah
Published: September 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to use an organizational ethnography perspective to explore how subsidiary hotel properties of a multinational hotel corporation experience planned organizational identity (OI) change instituted by headquarters.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a multi-site approach to collect ethnographic data on organizational change from six hotel subsidiaries in California, USA. Over three years, multiple sources of data were collected including: 31 interviews with hotel subsidiary leaders; more than 100 participant observation hours including job shadows, conferences and meetings; and photographs and internal communication materials.

Findings

Multinational hospitality companies face struggles between corporate standardization and subsidiary localization. This paper reveals that when headquarters plan changes focused on employees at their subsidiaries, the ways the latter initially accept and resist change are significantly impacted by the organizational memory and history of subsidiary leaders. However, as time progressed, properties with strong financial performance continued to operationalize new identity initiatives while properties with poorer profit margins played a balancing act between headquarters’ visionary identity and subsidiary ownership’s revenue expectations. Additionally, the situational realities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to all properties which amplified practical and emotional challenges of organizational ethnography in hospitality research.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to hospitality literature by introducing an under-researched concept, OI change and advances understanding of the struggles in managing multinational company change. More importantly, this paper is a stepping stone for future hospitality management to embark on organizational ethnography.
Developing a trauma-informed workforce for the opioid crisis in a rural community in the United States: a case study
Authors: Chowdhury Dalia
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Workforce development in rural communities to address a surge in opioid addiction and overdose related hospitalizations has been an unaddressed issue in the USA. This study aims to present an integrated, trauma-informed, behavioral workforce development initiative in a midwestern rural setting in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a mixed method, two-phased study: the first phase tracked and analyzed two focus group conferences involving experts (n = 6) and professionals (n = 8) to develop a training protocol; the second phase provided a training (n = 101), based on the protocol to future professionals and compared competencies before and after the implementation of the training.

Findings

There is a need of a trauma integrated approach in providing interprofessional training connecting health-care workers in rural communities to address the current opioid crisis to bring about cohesion among integrated and interdisciplinary teams. Workforce building will need to implement best practices not only among medical providers but among community mental health practitioners in rural areas.

Originality/value

This is a unique trauma-informed workforce development initiative in a rural community. Such studies are extremely limited and almost non-existent. Further initiatives need to be taken in this field to identify unique differences within communities that may hinder implementation.
The effect of firm-specific litigation risk on independent director conservatism
Authors: Liu Guoping , Sun Jerry
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine whether firm-specific litigation risk affects independent director conservatism in the oversight of financial reporting.

Design/methodology/approach

This study considers the enactment of Sarbanes–Oxley Act and the main US stock exchanges' corresponding corporate governance regulations in 2002–2003 as an exogenous shock event to increase board independence. OLS regressions with fixed effects are conducted to test the hypothesis.

Findings

Changes in discretionary accruals from the pre-event year (2001) to the post-event year (2004) are more negatively associated with an exogenous increase in board independence for firms with high litigation risk than for firms with low litigation risk.

Originality/value

The results suggest that independent directors are more conservative in overseeing financial reporting when they face higher litigation risk, consistent with the notion that they are still concerned about liability risk although they seldom have to pay damages or legal fees out of their own pockets.
Capital structure puzzle and banks: need for a unique approach?
Authors: Pandey Ashish
Published: September 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine some of the commonly proposed deviants associated with the banking industry in the context of the capital structure puzzle. The paper considers the role of guarantees, information asymmetry and other frictional factors in the context of modern financial markets and examines whether these factors deserve special consideration in solving the capital structure puzzle for banks.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopt the argumentation theory model proposed by Toulmin (1958) as the methodological approach in this paper.

Findings

The findings from this paper demonstrate that any solution to the capital structure puzzle, whenever available, will also solve the capital structure puzzle for banks without additional efforts. The focus of future research should be on solving the generic capital structure puzzle for a universal set of firms rather than focusing on the banking industry as a subset with unique features.

Originality/value

The paper adopts a novel methodological approach offered by argumentation theory to pursue the enquiry. To the best of the knowledge, this paper is the first paper in the finance literature that uses argumentation theory to develop a theoretical construct. The finding from this study offers guidance for the proliferation of research paradigms in the capital structure puzzle.
The added value of joint PP–PS inversion for reservoir characterization: A case study using Jubarte PRM seismic data (offshore Brazil)
Authors: Damasceno Andrea , Tura Ali , Simmons James
Published: September 2021

The added value of the joint pre‐stack inversion of PP (incident P‐wave and reflected P‐wave) and PS (incident P‐wave and reflected S‐wave) seismic data for the time‐lapse application is shown. We focus on the application of this technique to the time‐lapse (four‐dimensional) multicomponent Jubarte field permanent reservoir monitoring seismic data. The joint inversion results are less sensitive to noise in the input data and show a better match with the rock physics models calibrated for the field. Further, joint inversion improves S‐impedance estimates and provides a more robust quantitative interpretation, allowing enhanced differentiation between pore pressure and fluid saturation changes, which will be extremely useful for reservoir management.

Small changes in reservoir properties are expected in the short time between the time‐lapse seismic acquisitions used in the Jubarte project (only 1 year apart). The attempt to recover subtle fourth‐dimensional effects via elastic inversion is recurrent in reservoir characterization projects, either due to the small sensitivity of the reservoirs to fluid and pressure changes or the short interval between the acquisitions. Therefore, looking for methodologies that minimize the uncertainty of fourth‐dimensional inversion outputs is of fundamental importance. Here, we also show the differences between PP only and joint PP–PS inversion workflows and parameterizations that can be applied in other projects. We show the impact of using multicomponent data as input for elastic seismic inversions in the analysis of the time‐lapse differences of the elastic properties. The larger investment in the acquisition and processing of multicomponent seismic data is shown to be justified by the improved results from the fourth‐dimensional joint inversion.
Identifying plant mixes for multiple ecosystem service provision in agricultural systems using ecological networks
Authors: Windsor Fredric M. , Tavella Julia , Rother Débora C. , Raimundo Rafael L. G. , Devoto Mariano , Guimarães Paulo R. , Evans Darren M.
Published: September 2021

Managing agricultural environments in a way that maximises the provision of multiple ecosystem services is a significant challenge in the development of sustainable and secure food systems. Advances in network ecology provide a way forward, particularly in arable landscapes, as they incorporate mutualistic and antagonistic interactions associated with crop production.

Here, we present an approach to identify mixes of non‐crop plant species that provide multiple ecosystem services while minimising disservices. Genetic algorithms were applied to the Norwood Farm ecological network—a comprehensive dataset of antagonistic and mutualistic species interactions on an organic farm in the United Kingdom. We aimed to show how network analyses can be used to select plants supporting a high diversity of insect pollinators and parasitoids of insect pests, but low diversity of herbivores. Further to this, we wanted to understand the trade‐offs in ecosystem service provision associated with conventional management practices that focus on individual ecosystem services.

We show that multilayer network analyses can be used to identify mixes of plant species that maximise the species richness of pollinators and parasitoids (natural enemies of insect pests), while minimising the species richness of herbivores.

Trade‐offs between ecosystem processes were apparent with several plant species associated with a high species richness of both positive (pollinators and parasitoids) and negative (herbivores) functional taxonomic groups. As a result, optimal plant species mixes for individual ecosystem services were different from the mix simultaneously maximising pollination and parasitism of pest insects, while minimising herbivory.

Synthesis and applications. Plant mixes designed solely for maximising pollinator species richness are not optimal for the provision of other ecosystem services and disservices (e.g. parasitism of insect pests and herbivory). The method presented here will allow for the design of management strategies that facilitate the provision of multiple ecosystem services. To this end, we provide a protocol for practitioners to develop their own plant mixes suitable for farm‐scale management. This avenue of predictive network ecology has the potential to enhance agricultural management, supporting high levels of biodiversity and food production by manipulating ecological networks in specific ways.
Health consequences of child removal among Indigenous and non‐Indigenous sex workers: Examining trajectories, mechanisms and resiliencies
Authors: Kenny Kathleen S. , Krüsi Andrea , Barrington Clare , Ranville Flo , Green Sherri L. , Bingham Brittany , Abrahams Ronald , Shannon Kate
Published: September 2021

The child protection system can be a highly consequential institution for mothers who are sex workers, yet scant attention has been paid to the health consequences of its policies on this population. Drawing on 31 in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with 19 Indigenous and 12 non‐Indigenous sex workers in Vancouver, Canada, and using the stress process model and the concept of slow violence, this study proposes a typology of four trajectories through which child removal by this system shaped sex workers' health. Results suggest that child removal has health consequences beyond the conventionally thought of mechanism of mental distress and related health sequelae, to additionally alter women's social conditions, which also carried risks for health. Notably, while trajectories of Indigenous and non‐Indigenous sex workers were similar, Indigenous participants, whose families are disproportionately impacted by long‐standing colonial policies of child removal, were more severely jeopardized. Findings highlight how child removal can enact violence in the form of reverberating harms to sex workers' health, further reinforcing their marginalized statuses. This study calls for greater attention to how the child protection system (CPS) may influence the health of marginalized mothers, including how health inequities may be both causes and consequences of interventions by this system.