bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Severe COVID-19 is associated with fungal colonization of the nasopharynx and potent induction of IL-17 responses in the nasal epithelium
Authors: Ziegler Carly G. K. , Owings Anna H. , Miao Vincent N. , Navia Andrew W. , Tang Ying , Bromley Joshua D. , Lotfy Peter , Sloan Meredith , Laird Hannah , Williams Haley B. , George Micayla , Drake Riley S. , Pride Yilianys , Abraham George E. , Senitko Michal , Robinson Tanya O. , Lionakis Michail S. , Shalek Alex K. , Ordovas-Montanes Jose , Horwitz Bruce H. , Glover Sarah C.
Published: October 2022

Recent case reports and epidemiological data suggest fungal infections represent an under-appreciated complication among people with severe COVID-19. However, the frequency of fungal colonization in patients with COVID-19 and associations with specific immune responses in the airways remain incompletely defined. We previously generated a single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) dataset characterizing the upper respiratory microenvironment during COVID-19, and mapped the relationship between disease severity and the local behavior of nasal epithelial cells and infiltrating immune cells. Our study, in agreement with findings from related human cohorts, demonstrated that a profound deficiency in host immunity, particularly in type I and type III interferon signaling in the upper respiratory tract, is associated with rapid progression to severe disease and worse clinical outcomes. We have now performed further analysis of this cohort and identified a subset of participants with severe COVID-19 and concurrent detection ofCandidaspecies-derived transcripts within samples collected from the nasopharynx and trachea. Here, we present the clinical characteristics of these individuals, including confirmatory diagnostic testing demonstrating elevated serum (1, 3)-β-D-glucan and/or confirmed fungal culture of the predicted pathogen. Using matched single-cell transcriptomic profiles of these individuals’ respiratory mucosa, we identify epithelial immune signatures suggestive of IL-17 stimulation and anti-fungal immunity. Further, we observe significant expression of anti-fungal inflammatory cascades in the nasal and tracheal epithelium of all participants who went on to develop severe COVID-19, even among participants without detectable genetic material from fungal pathogens. Together, our data suggests that IL-17 stimulation – in part driven byCandidacolonization – and blunted type I/III interferon signaling represents a common feature of severe COVID-19 infection.
SARS-CoV-2 S1 Subunit Booster Vaccination Elicits Robust Humoral Immune Responses in Aged Mice
Authors: Kim Eun , Khan Muhammad S. , Ferrari Alessandro , Huang Shaohua , Sammartino Josè C. , Percivalle Elena , Kenniston Thomas W. , Cassaniti Irene , Baldanti Fausto , Gambotto Andrea
Published: October 2022

Currently approved COVID-19 vaccines prevent symptomatic infection, hospitalization, and death of the disease. However, the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants raises concerns of reduced vaccine effectiveness and increased risk of infection. Repeated homologous booster in elderly individuals and immunocompromised patients is considered to solve severe form of disease caused by new SARS-CoV-2 variants but cannot protect completely against breakthrough infection. In our previous study we assessed the immunogenicity of an adenovirus-based vaccine expressing SARS-CoV-2-S1 (Ad5.S1) in mice, resulting in that a single immunization with Ad5.S1, via subcutaneously injection or intranasal delivery, induced robust humoral and cellular immune responses [1]. As a follow up study, here we showed that vaccinated mice had high titers of anti-S1 antibodies at one year after vaccination compared to PBS immunized mice. Furthermore, one booster dose of non-adjuvanted recombinant S1Beta (rS1Beta) subunit vaccine was effective in stimulating strong long-lived S1-specific immune responses and inducing significantly high neutralizing antibodies against the Wuhan, Beta, and Delta strain with 3.6- to 19.5-fold change increases. Importantly, the booster dose elicits cross-reactive antibody responses resulting in ACE2 binding inhibition against spike of SARS-CoV-2 variants (Wuhan, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Zeta, Kappa, New York, India) as early as two-week post-boost injection, persisting over 28 weeks after a booster vaccination. Interestingly, levels of neutralizing antibodies were correlated with not only level of S1-binding IgG but also level of ACE2 inhibition in the before- and after-booster serum samples. Our findings show that S1 recombinant protein subunit vaccine candidate as a booster has potential to offer cross-neutralization against broad variants, and has important implications for vaccine control of new emerging breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 variants in elderly individuals primed with adenovirus-based vaccine like AZD1222 and Ad26.COV2.S.
Temporal integration is a robust feature of perceptual decisions
Authors: Hyafil Alexandre , de la Rocha Jaime , Pericas Cristina , Katz Leor N. , Huk Alexander C. , Pillow Jonathan W.
Published: October 2022

Making informed decisions in noisy environments requires integrating sensory information over time. However, recent work has suggested that it may be difficult to determine whether an animal’s decision-making strategy relies on evidence integration or not. In particular, strategies based on extrema-detection or random snapshots of the evidence stream may be difficult or even impossible to distinguish from classic evidence integration. Moreover, such non-integration strategies might be surprisingly common in experiments that aimed to study decisions based on integration. To determine whether temporal integration is central to perceptual decision making, we developed a new model-based approach for comparing temporal integration against alternative “non-integration” strategies for tasks in which the sensory signal is composed of discrete stimulus samples. We applied these methods to behavioral data from monkeys, rats, and humans performing a variety of sensory decision-making tasks. In all species and tasks, we found converging evidence in favor of temporal integration. First, in all observers across studies, the integration model better accounted for standard behavioral statistics such as psychometric curves and psychophysical kernels. Second, we found that sensory samples with large evidence do not contribute disproportionately to subject choices, as predicted by an extrema-detection strategy. Finally, we provide a direct confirmation of temporal integration by showing that the sum of both early and late evidence contributed to observer decisions. Overall, our results provide experimental evidence suggesting that temporal integration is an ubiquitous feature in mammalian perceptual decision-making. Our study also highlights the benefits of using experimental paradigms where the temporal stream of sensory evidence is controlled explicitly by the experimenter, and known precisely by the analyst, to characterize the temporal properties of the decision process.
Presence and Perceived Body Orientation Affect the Recall of Out-of-Sight Places in an Immersive Sketching Experiment
Authors: Grochulla Banafsheh , Mallot Hanspeter A.
Published: October 2022

The orientation of sketch maps of remote but familiar city squares produced from memory has been shown to depend on the distance and airline direction from the production site to the remembered square (position dependent recall, Röhrich, Hardiess, & Mallot, 2014). Here, we present a virtual reality version of the original experiment and additionaly study the role of body orientation. Three main points can be made: First, “immersive sketching” is a novel and useful paradigm in which subjects sketch maps live on paper while being immersed in virtual reality. Second, the original effect of position dependent recall was confirmed, indicating that the sense of presence generated in a virtual environment suffices to bias the imagery of distant places. Finally, the orientation of the produced sketch maps depended also on the body orientation of the subjects. At each production site, body orientation was controlled by varying the position of the life feed in the virtual environment such that subjects had to turn towards the prescribed direction. Position dependent recall is strongest if subjects are aligned with the airline direction to the target and virtually goes away if they turn in the opposite direction.
A Bayesian model for human directional localization of broadband static sound sources
Authors: Barumerli Roberto , Majdak Piotr , Geronazzo Michele , Avanzini Federico , Meijer David , Baumgartner Robert
Published: October 2022

Humans estimate sound-source directions by combining prior beliefs with sensory evidence. Prior beliefs represent statistical knowledge about the environment while sensory evidence is acquired from auditory features such as interaural disparities and monaural spectral shapes. Models of directional sound localization often impose constraints on the contribution of these features to either the horizontal or vertical dimension. Instead, we propose a Bayesian model that more flexibly incorporates each feature according to its spatial precision and integrates prior beliefs in the inference process. We applied the model to directional localization of a single, broadband, stationary sound source presented to a static human listener in an anechoic environment. We simplified interaural features to be broadband and compared two model variants, each considering a different type of monaural spectral features: magnitude profiles and gradient profiles. Both model variants were fitted to the baseline performance of five listeners and evaluated on the effects of localizing with non-individual head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and sounds with rippled spectrum. The model variant with spectral gradient profiles outperformed other localization models. This model variant appears particularly useful for the evaluation of HRTFs and may serve as a basis for future extensions towards modeling dynamic listening conditions.
iPSC Motor Neurons with Familial ALS Mutations Capture Gene Expression Changes in Postmortem Sporadic ALS Motor Neurons
Authors: Held Aaron , Adler Michelle , Marques Christine , Kavuturu Amey S. , Quadros Ana R.A.A. , Ndayambaje I. Sandra , Lara Erika , Ward Michael , Lagier-Tourenne Clotilde , Wainger Brian J.
Published: October 2022

Motor neuron degeneration, the defining feature of ALS, is a primary example of cell-type specificity in neurodegenerative diseases. Using isogenic pairs of iPSCs harboring different familial ALS mutations, we assess the capacity of iPSC-derived spinal motor neurons, sensory neurons, astrocytes, and superficial cortical neurons to capture disease features including transcriptional and splicing dysregulation observed in human post-mortem neurons. At surprisingly early time points, differentially regulated genes in iPSC-derived spinal motor neurons, but not other cell types, overlap with one-third of the differentially regulated genes in laser-dissected motor neurons from postmortem spinal cords. The extent of dysregulation correlates well between iPSC-derived andbona fidespinal motor neurons. In iPSC-derived spinal motor neurons, but not other derived cell types, we detect downregulation of genes affected by TDP-43-dependent aberrant splicing. This reduction takes place exclusively within genotypes known to involve TDP-43 pathology and occurs without evidence of TDP-43 mislocalization or protein level alteration.
A SOD1-dependent mitotic DNA damage checkpoint
Authors: Gatenby Rachel , Li Nan , Lata Priya , Walne Thomas , Tufail Afzaal , Breitweiser Alexander , Thompson Ruth
Published: October 2022

In the event of DNA damage, the cell cycle can be slowed or halted to allow for DNA repair. The mechanisms by which this occurs are well-characterised in interphase, although the mechanisms underpinning mitosis slowing in response to damage are unclear. Canonical checkpoints and DNA repair pathways are largely repressed in mitosis, and whilst there is some level of mitotic DNA synthesis and repair, the bulk of DNA damage is processed for post-mitotic repair. How the decision is made between mitotic DNA repair and post-mitotic DNA repair is not known. We have identified the antioxidant enzyme Superoxide Dismutase 1 (SOD1) as an essential factor mediating delayed mitotic progression in response to DNA damage and replication stress. Cells depleted of SOD1 no longer exhibit DNA damage dependent mitotic delay, and display increased levels of damaged centromeres and mitotic defects. Whilst reactive oxygen species (ROS)-inducing agents also lead to SOD1-dependent mitotic delay, intracellular ROS levels do not correlate with mitotic arrest. SOD1 appears to play an important role in DNA repair in interphase and is recruited to the nucleus in response to DNA damage. In addition to control of mitotic progression in response to genotoxic stress, SOD1 also plays a major role in mitotic DNA synthesis. SOD- depleted cells show reduced levels of mitotic EdU incorporation in response to either replication stress or DNA breaks, seemingly in tandem with Rad51 andSOD1-depletion induced mitotic progression in the presence of DNA breaks is Rad52-dependent. We suggest that there are two responses to DNA breaks in mitosis; either arrest and mitotic repair or progression and post-mitotic repair; and these two pathways exist in a fine balance, controlled by a signaling cascade involving SOD1.
Reinforcement learning control for a flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle with output constraint
Authors: Huang Haifeng , Wu Xiaoyang , Wang Tingting , Sun Yongbin , Fu Qiang
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to study the application of reinforcement learning (RL) in the control of an output-constrained flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle (FWMAV) with system uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

A six-degrees-of-freedom hummingbird model is used without consideration of the inertial effects of the wings. A RL algorithm based on actor–critic framework is applied, which consists of an actor network with unknown policy gradient and a critic network with unknown value function. Considering the good performance of neural network (NN) in fitting nonlinearity and its optimum characteristics, an actor–critic NN optimization algorithm is designed, in which the actor and critic NNs are used to generate a policy and approximate the cost functions, respectively. In addition, to ensure the safe and stable flight of the FWMAV, a barrier Lyapunov function is used to make the flight states constrained in predefined regions. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory, the stability of the system is analyzed, and finally, the feasibility of RL in the control of a FWMAV is verified through simulation.

Findings

The proposed RL control scheme works well in ensuring the trajectory tracking of the FWMAV in the presence of output constraint and system uncertainty.

Originality/value

A novel RL algorithm based on actor–critic framework is applied to the control of a FWMAV with system uncertainty. For the stable and safe flight of the FWMAV, the output constraint problem is considered and solved by barrier Lyapunov function-based control.
Interorganisational citizenship behaviours: development and validation of a measurement scale in South African craft breweries
Authors: Brits Emmica , Czakon Wojciech , Volschenk Jako , Kraus Sascha
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Citizenship behaviours are used in organisation studies to explain their effectiveness and to capture the role of unsolicited, extra-role behaviours. Recent extensions towards the interorganisational context provide evidence that Interorganisational Citizenship Behaviours (ICBs) are important in facilitating supply chain operations and cluster innovation activities. This study took stock of citizenship behaviours literature within and among organisations, in order to develop and validate a measurement scale for ICBs useful in the food industry and beyond.

Design/methodology/approach

Departing from a literature driven 10-dimensional construct, Th authors proceeded with validating our scale in the South African craft brewing industry. The authors ran a face validation, followed by confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses on a sample of 108 expert informants. The authors ran nomological tests through correlation and regression analysis. Finally, logical analysis was done to ensure the theoretical integrity of the mathematical indications.

Findings

The authors found support that the model consisting of interorganisational magnanimity, interorganisational advancement and interorganisational constructiveness, is relevant for value creation within coopetitive networks. The purified scale included three psychometrically distinct ICBs dimensions, measured by 31 items.

Practical implications

Managers can benefit from adequately identifying ICB in their environment, and among their competitors in particular. The study’s measurement scale offers a useful tool for an initial monitoring of firms in their competitive environment.

Originality/value

The authors extended and advanced prior research on the ICB construct by providing a rigorously validated, parsimonious measurement scale of ICBs. The authors bridged the ICB and coopetition literature to better understand spontaneous extra-role coopetitive network facilitating behaviours.
Measuring the perceptual, physiological and environmental factors that impact stress in the construction industry
Authors: Newton Sidney
Published: October 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to highlight and demonstrate how the study of stress and related responses in construction can best be measured and benchmarked effectively.

Design/methodology/approach

A range of perceptual and physiological measures are obtained across different time periods and during different activities in a fieldwork setting. Differences in the empirical results are analysed and implications for future studies of stress discussed.

Findings

The results of this study strongly support the use of multiple psychometrics and biosensors whenever biometrics are included in the study of stress. Perceptual, physiological and environmental factors are all shown to act in concert to impact stress. Strong conclusions on the potential drivers of stress should then only be considered when consistent results apply across multiple metrics, time periods and activities.

Research limitations/implications

Stress is an incredibly complex condition. This study demonstrates why many current applications of biosensors to study stress in construction are not up to the task and provides empirical evidence on how future studies can be significantly improved.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to focus explicitly on demonstrating the need for multiple research instruments and settings when studying stress or related conditions in construction.
Feasible versus desirable market offerings: the role of choice set size
Authors: Thai Nguyen T. , Yuksel Ulku
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to find out what product features become salient when consumers are exposed to many market offerings, demonstrating how choice set size influences construal mindset, which then affects the type of product consumers choose.

Design/methodology/approach

Experiment 1 provides preliminary evidence that being exposed to a large (vs small) choice set may drive people to focus more on the feasibility (i.e. a secondary feature) of a product and less on the desirability (i.e. a primary feature) when making a choice. Experiment 2 unveils the serial mediating roles of construal level and importance of price/design.

Findings

Consumers are more likely to select feasible (i.e. affordable) market offerings and not desirable (i.e. well-designed) ones when choosing from a large (vs small) choice set. This effect is serially mediated by mental construals and by the importance of price or design. Choosing from a large (vs small) choice set leads to low-level mental construals, which increase the importance of price (a feasibility attribute) while decreasing the importance of design (a desirability attribute), resulting in choice of feasible (affordable) market offerings over well-designed ones.

Research limitations/implications

Although consumers generally focus on the desirability of a choice or an action, choosing from large choice sets makes them focus more on the feasibility of market offerings because of low-level mental construals.

Practical implications

In today’s era of e-commerce, as consumers are exposed to too many product offerings, retailers should emphasize the feasibility of their market offerings (e.g. affordability) to increase the chance that consumers purchase their products. This research shows that people rely very much on product price to make selections when provided with a large choice set.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to show that large choice sets make consumers choose affordable products over well-designed ones and introduces the serial mediation effect of construal level and importance of price/design. Accordingly, this research establishes that large choice sets activate low-level mental construals, which associate with a feasibility mindset that ultimately makes consumers choose an affordable product instead of a well-designed one. It adds to the literature on choice overload by showing that the importance of price overshadows the importance of design (aesthetics) when people are exposed to large choice sets.
Coffee and gastronomy: a potential ‘marriage’? The case of Vietnam
Authors: Vu Oanh Thi Kim , Duarte Alonso Abel , Martens Wil , Do Lan , Tran Luong Ngoc , Tran Thanh Duc , Nguyen Trung Thanh
Published: October 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to gain a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between a national product (coffee) and gastronomy. Moreover, incorporating the resource-based view of the firm framework, the importance of coffee is examined, as is the extent and potential to “marry” coffee and gastronomy into a tourism activity, and the need to develop such potential.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured, face-to-face and online interviews were used to gather the viewpoints of 79 chefs and coffee shop owners/managers operating in Vietnam, the world’s second-largest coffee producer and home to a vibrant coffee shop industry.

Findings

The selected inductive analysis identified 11 dimensions, including “coffee infrastructure”, “coffee-based innovation”, “coffee-trigger” and “coffee resources”, emerged. These dimensions reveal a strong potential for a coffee and local gastronomy “marriage”. Furthermore, nine of the 11 dimensions provide direct guidance concerning the importance, the potential for “marriage”, coffee tourism development and what is needed to fulfil this potential.

Practical implications

The study affords understanding of Vietnam’s coffee industry, in particular its resources, and how these can be leveraged to combine with the nation’s gastronomy and produce more fulfilling food and beverage experiences.

Originality/value

Gastronomy, hospitality and tourism represent a well-defined partnership that can result in memorable consumer experiences. While the strength of this partnership is recognised, little is known about the potential to “marry” a national product such as coffee and local gastronomy. The study breaks new ground in this area and concludes with various theoretical and practical implications that contribute to more understanding of the coffee–gastronomy relationship.
The dynamics of entrepreneurial networking logics: evidence from United Kingdom high-tech start-ups
Authors: Jin Zhang Joanne , Baden-Fuller Charles , Zhang Jing
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study aims to explore how entrepreneurial firms' networking logics may change under different types of perceived uncertainty. The arrival of new knowledge from the entrepreneurial firm's network may alter the perceived technology and market uncertainty that in turn determines how the firm adopts or combines the two opposing logics of causation and effectuation. Focusing on the roles of external advisors recruited by the firms, the study probes the details of the cyclical process and the mechanism through which networking logics are altered.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study the authors conducted a 3-year longitudinal multiple case study of 12 United Kingdom (UK) high-tech start-ups from prefounding to A-round funding with 54 semistructured interviews and meeting observations.

Findings

The knowledge of external advisors with distinct experience often reshapes the entrepreneurial firm's perceptions of uncertainty, leading to logics change in network development. The authors identify two types of knowledge brought by external advisors and discover how these can influence three networking logic pathways under different levels of technology and market uncertainty.

Originality/value

The study is one of the first to map the paths of changing logics along with different types of uncertainty in the context of entrepreneurial network development. The study unpacks one of the key mechanisms of networking logic changes: the knowledge and expertise of those advisors recruited by the entrepreneurial firms. The process model of changing logics contributes to the effectuation literature and entrepreneurial network research.
Financial fragility and financial stress during the COVID-19 crisis: evidence from Colombian households
Authors: Cardona-Montoya Raúl Armando , Cruz Vivian , Mongrut Samuel Arturo
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Our findings indicate that workers with more financial education were more prepared to face the negative effects on their finances from COVID. This ability reduces the probability of becoming financially fragile and experiencing financial stress.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors applied a survey questionnaire to 856 Colombian adults and used principal component analysis to build an index for each factor. Then, the authors used a linear regression model with the indexes to test our hypotheses and verify our results using a structural equation model.

Findings

Our findings indicate that workers who have more financial education are more prepared to face the negative effects on their finances, which reduces the probability of becoming financially fragile and having financial stress.

Research limitations/implications

The authors found that there is no significant relationship between financial literacy and financial fragility, neither between financial literacy and financial stress, so a better financial education will not lower financial fragility and stress unless it is being applied by households through better financial preparedness.

Practical implications

It is important to highlight that the pandemic not only taught us to improve biosecurity measures but also that financial strength, ability to work remotely and income diversification were key factors in facing this adverse shock, the authors show that high levels of financial education have a positively relationship with the ability of individuals to manage their resources, so private and public institutions  have to  promote better financial education.

Originality/value

This is the first study that applies the four different indexes to an emerging country (i.e. Colombia), and the first one to create and use a financial stress index.
Countering cybercrimes as the strategy of enhancing sustainable digital economy in Nigeria
Authors: Sule Babayo , Sambo Usman , Yusuf Muhammad
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the threats posed by cybercrimes toward the quest for achieving a reliable digital economy and to identify practical strategies for countering the crime.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative phenomenological paradigm was used as the methodology. Both primary and secondary sources were consulted for data collection. A thematic analytical interpretation was used for data analysis.

Findings

This study discovered that Nigeria is a leverage environment for using digital economy as a means of diversifying the economy owing to population bulge, and an increase patronage of internet and digital space but the threats of cyberfraudsters is ostracising a substantial number from using it which is decreasing the performance of the digital economy.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited by the scarcity of resources to widen the horizon of the study particularly the fieldwork and the rampant incidences of cybercrime in Nigeria which poses a difficult task for studying the phenomenon. In addition, this study is constrained by the confidentiality in releasing data owing to the sensitivity of the subject of study and its relationship to national security.

Practical implications

This study presents some suggestions that are plausible in countering the crimes and enhancing the digital economy in Nigeria through effective surveillance, massive information and communication technology (ICT) awareness creation for users and severe penitent sanctions for cybercriminals will help in securing digital spaces.

Social implications

This study has social implications including the suggestion for simplifying digital transactions that will save time, increases economic activities and passive multiple stream income for Nigerians and ease of doing business with less risk of robbery and other cumbersome tasks.

Originality/value

This study has originality value because after the survey of the existing literature, a field work is conducted to have the views of experts on the subject of study which adds value to the subject and originality of the findings.
Open for antiracism: supporting educators to use open education for antiracist teaching
Authors: Daly Una T. , Glapa-Grossklag James , Nguyen Alyssa , Valenzuela Ireri
Published: October 2022

Purpose

The Open for Antiracism program supports faculty to change their teaching practices to be antiracist through the affordances of open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy. This study aims to raise questions about how professional development impacts student outcomes, and how faculty perceive the utility of OER and open pedagogy to support antiracist teaching and learning.

Design/methodology/approach

An evaluation plan examined how faculty participants perceived the effectiveness of OER and open pedagogy to make their classes antiracist. Students compared their experiences in treated classes with those in other classes. Participating faculty completed pre- and post-surveys and a subset sat for interviews.

Findings

Faculty participants felt prepared to implement antiracist practices using OER and open pedagogy. Eighty-seven percent reported they were highly likely to recommend the program and 80% plan to continue using open pedagogy. Eighty percent of students reported they were more active or engaged than in other classes and that they examined biases of the discipline.

Originality/value

This study raises the question of how antiracist teaching approaches impact student outcomes over a longer term. Further, how can changes to teaching strategies impact institutions? Do teams of instructors offer support in ways that lead to a greater voice within an institution?
A tale of two pandemics: teachers’ disproportionate views on student engagement in remote learning
Authors: Wake Donna , Mills Michael
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study aims to use culturally responsive pedagogy as a model to examine teachers’ views of the equity implications found within virtual instruction.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers used a descriptive methods design based on survey research employing both fixed (quantitative) and open response (qualitative) options to curate teachers’ perceptions of their students’ abilities to engage in online learning.

Findings

Teachers articulated anxiety for student engagement based on access as well as concerns for student engagement and social emotional learning (SEL) connection. Data point to disparate views of students’ abilities to engage in remote learning based on demographic markers. Teachers also noted their own limitations in providing engaging online instruction that was culturally responsive and included social emotional learning (SEL) learning.

Originality/value

This study provided a unique opportunity to explore teachers’ perceptions of their students in online learning contexts as well as teachers’ perceptions of their own abilities to support diverse students in remote learning. Teachers’ responses indicated deficit views of their culturally and linguistically diverse students and signaled awareness of their own limitations in providing online instruction that was culturally responsive and student centered. Study findings point to a need to equip teachers with tools to mitigate systemic inequity in online contexts.
Relationship between meteorin-like peptide (Metrnl) serum levels and inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress biomarkers and body composition parameters in type 2 diabetes patients
Authors: Khajebishak Yaser , Madani Sadra , Faghfouri Amir Hossein , Soleimani Ali , Ilaei Sara , Peyrovi Said , Payahoo Laleh
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Meteorin like-peptide (Metrnl) modulates energy hemostasis and relieves inflammation and oxidative stress. This study aims to investigate the relationship between Metrnl levels and inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress biomarkers and body composition parameters in obese type 2 diabetic patients.

Design/methodology/approach

This analytical cross-sectional study was carried out between August 2020 and March 2021on 93 people (n = 32 obese type 2 diabetic patients, n = 31 healthy obese, n = 30 healthy normal weight). Serum Metrnl levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), malondialdehyde and total antioxidant capacity were measured using standard methods. Body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis. p-Value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Findings

Serum Metrnl levels were lower in obese diabetic patients than in healthy normal-weight subjects (82.5 [72.4–94.5] ng/mL compared to 154 [129–189] ng/mL). The difference in Metrnl levels between the two groups was significant (p < 0.001). The difference in Metrnl levels between the two groups was significant. Moreover, a significant correlation between Metrnl level and both TNF-a and hs-CRP was detected (p = 0.006 and p < 0.001, respectively) and the correlation between Metrnl and IL-6 was borderline (p = 0.051). A negative correlation was revealed between Metrnl level and anthropometric measurements and body composition (p < 0.05) with the exception of fat-free mass and skeletal muscle mass.

Originality/value

To discover sufficient evidence for the therapeutic function of Metrnl and its use as a prognostic biomarker in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus, future clinical studies are needed to highlight other factors influencing Metrnl serum levels.
Long-term alterations of ERP systems: lasting through relinquishment and regeneration
Authors: Dambrin Claire , Grall Bénédicte
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This paper highlights how technical devices last in organizations. Instead of focusing on the usual implementation or short-term post-implementation phases, this study aims to explore what happens to established technical devices.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors build on a 10-year in-depth longitudinal case study examining a CRM package, a type of Enterprise Resource Planning system specialized in customer relationship management, in a door-drop advertising company. This case is based mainly on 35 interviews and four weeks of non-participant observation, made over three different periods.

Findings

Drawing on the literature on drift and maintenance, this study investigates two tensions foregrounding lasting: one regarding the degree of human intervention on the technical device (object being maintained vs object maintaining itself) and one regarding the relationship to the initial expectations towards the technical device (relinquishment of certain hopes vs regeneration of interests). This case combines these tensions and allows to highlight four alterations in the CRM system to show how apparently stable devices keep on changing.

Social implications

In a time of resource exhaustion, it is important to reflect upon our relationships to information technology and their modalities of lasting. By stressing that uses emerge from relinquishment and reduction, the authors wish to help organizations move towards more sustainable engagement with their technical devices in the long run.

Originality/value

Lasting is not just a matter of being maintained in a context of threat but also builds upon the capacities of a technical device to maintain itself. The self-alteration dynamics that the authors come up with, shedding and ramification, offer a dedramatized interpretation of maintenance that complements studies on institutional maintenance. The results also contribute to studies on technological drift. The authors stress that drifts are triggered by ties that run out, in particular, discontinuation of maintenance in the system. The durability of technical devices in organizations thus does not consist in always more uses or functionalities, but is also made of reductions and relinquishment.
Exploring the triggers of psychological distress among Jordanian patients with heart failure: a phenomenological study
Authors: Abu Sumaqa Yasmeen , Hayajneh Ferial A. , Alnaeem Mohammad , Alhamory Sajeda , Ayasreh Ibrahim R. , Abu-Abbas Manar
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of triggers of psychological distress among Jordanian patients with heart failure (HF).

Design/methodology/approach

A phenomenological study was adopted. In-depth, semi-structured, audio-taped interviews were conducted for 25 patients with HF. The analysis was done using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Findings

The main theme of the findings can be expressed as “faced with stressors that are unable to cope with”, which encompasses circumstances and contexts associated with the psychological distress they faced. The following four sub-themes emerged from the data: being endorsed in significant life changes, feeling guilty about being a burden, financial burden aggravating stress and feeling overwhelmed by the fear of death.

Originality/value

The findings revealed that psychological distress is affected directly by many triggers. The findings indicate the need for informing health-care providers to support these patients and address the challenges and develop clinical guidelines to assess psychological distress among these patients.
Disease management during bloom affects the floral microbiome but not pollination in a mass‐flowering crop
Authors: Schaeffer Robert N. , Crowder David W. , Illán Javier Gutiérrez , Beck John J. , Fukami Tadashi , Williams Neal M. , Vannette Rachel L.
Published: October 2022

Flowering crops are heavily managed during bloom to both promote pollination and prevent disease. Disease management practices can alter the floral microbiome, including pathogens and nontarget microbes. However, whether agrochemical presence or altered microbiome composition affect pollinator foraging and pollination services is unclear.

We assessed effects of orchard management tactics and landscape context on the flower microbiome in almond,Prunus dulcis. Fourteen orchards (five conventional, four organic and five conventional with habitat augmentation) were sampled at early and peak bloom to characterize bacterial and fungal communities associated with floral tissues. The surveys were complemented by an artificial flower experiment to assess effects of fungicides and microbes on honey bee foraging. Finally, a field trial was conducted to test effects of fungicides and microbes on pollination.

As bloom progressed, bacterial and fungal abundance and diversity increased across all floral tissue types and management strategies. The magnitude by which microbial abundance and diversity were affected varied, with proximity to apiaries and orchard management having notable effects on bacteria and fungi respectively.

Experiments revealed that fungicides reduced nectar removal by honey bees; however, neither fungicide nor microbe treatments affected pollination, as measured through pollen tube initiation and growth.

Synthesis and applications. Our results reveal that microbiota associated with flowers of a pollinator‐dependent crop are temporally dynamic and sensitive to management practices. However, pollination services in almond may be resilient to both agrochemical disturbance and microbial augmentation of flowers, the latter of which may become more prominent as microbial solutions to disease management are embraced in agroecosystems.
Valorization of leftover green tea residues through conversion to bioactive peptides using probiotics‐aided anaerobic digestion
Authors: Lee Ji‐Young , Hong Hyein , Lee Jae‐Eun , Hong Yi‐Jee , Hwang Hye Won , Jin Hyeon‐Su , Shim Hyunkyou , Hong Yong‐deog , Park Won‐Seok , Chung Jin‐Oh , Lee Dong‐Woo
Published: October 2022

Bioactive peptides (BPs) are protein fragments that benefit human health. To assess whether leftover green tea residues (GTRs) can serve as a resource for new BPs, we performed in silico proteolysis of GTRs using the BIOPEP database, revealing a wide range of BPs embedded in GTRs. Comparative genomics and the percentage of conserved protein analyses enabled us to select a few probiotic strains for GTR hydrolysis. The selected probiotics digested GTRs anaerobically to yield GTR‐derived peptide fractions. To examine whether green tea (GT) peptide fractions could be potential mediators of host–microbe interactions, we comprehensively screened agonistic and antagonistic activities of 168 human G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs). NanoLC‐MS/MS analysis and thin‐layer chromatography allowed the identification of peptide sequences and the composition of glycan moieties in the GTRs. Remarkably, GT peptide fractions produced by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum APsulloc 331261, a strain isolated from GT, showed a potent‐binding activity for P2RY6, a GPCR involved in intestinal homeostasis. Therefore, this study suggests the potential use of probiotics‐aided GTR hydrolysates as postbiotic BPs, providing a biological process for recycling GTRs from agro‐waste into renewable resources as health‐promoting BPs.
Does Financial Statement Comparability Facilitate SEC Oversight?*
Authors: Nam Jonathan Sangwook , Thompson Rachel A.
Published: October 2022

This study examines the impact of cross‐firm financial statement comparability on regulatory oversight of accounting quality. Required to review each firm's periodic filings at least once every three years, the SEC learns about the degree to which a firm's accounting system is comparable to those of its peers. We posit that the SEC's ex ante knowledge about financial statement comparability, gleaned from prior‐year filing reviews, facilitates its evaluation of firms' accounting quality during the current‐year filing review. Consistent with the notion that comparable accounting systems enhance regulators' ability to identify discretionary accounting deviations, we find that the likelihood of the SEC issuing a comment letter for higher abnormal accruals increases with financial statement comparability. Further analysis reveals that the regulatory benefits from higher financial statement comparability are more salient when the SEC faces higher monitoring constraints in filing reviews. Moreover, our finding shows that comparable accounting numbers across firms help the SEC detect severe accounting violations that necessitate restatements. Overall, we provide novel evidence suggesting that higher financial statement comparability improves the efficacy of the SEC's oversight of accounting quality by reducing the information costs associated with cross‐firm comparisons.
Infectious clones of cotton leafroll dwarf virus strains used for genotype evaluation in cotton
Authors: Manenti Danielle Caroline , Araújo Jackson , Maeda Matheus Hideki Kihara , Tavares‐Esashika Moana Lima , Aguiar Paulo Hugo , Meda Anderson Rotter , Nagata Tatsuya , de Souto Eliezer Rodrigues
Published: October 2022

Cotton blue disease (CBD) and atypical‐CBD are the most important viral diseases of cotton plants in the southern region of South America. Common and atypical strains of cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV and CLRDV‐at, respectively) are thought to be causative agents of CBD and atypical‐CBD, respectively. Inoculation of test plants via aphid vectors is difficult, as is determining strains via molecular diagnosis; accordingly, it is difficult for breeders to evaluate the effects of blue disease‐associated virus infections in cotton lineages. In the present study, we attempted to circumvent these difficulties by producing six full‐length cDNA infectious clones from CLRDV and CLRDV‐at strains using the Gibson Assembly protocol. For inoculation of the infectious clones, a vacuum chamber‐mediated agroinfiltration protocol was adapted and applied. Using this protocol, 90%–100% of cotton plants became infected with the clones, which was not possible via syringe‐based agroinfiltration. A genotyping protocol based on RT‐qPCR targeting a specific region of the virus P0 protein was also developed, allowing rapid differentiation of CLRDV and CLRDV‐at. Applying this protocol to 68 field samples revealed that CLRDV‐at was dominant (50%) over CLRDV (5.8%) in single virus infections. These preliminary results imply that CLRDV‐at might occupy the ecological niche of CLRDV in the cotton fields of Brazil.
Treatment utilization and modality preference among veterans receiving outpatient substance use disorder treatment during a pandemic
Authors: Meshberg‐Cohen Sarah , Farook Minnah , Gross Georgina , Levina Victoria , DeViva Jason
Published: October 2022

Background and Objectives

This study examines substance use disorder (SUD) treatment utilization patterns in response to a pandemic.

Method

Retrospective electronic medical record data were collected during three time periods (N = 390): “Pre‐COVID‐19” (12/02/2019–03/14/2020), “COVID‐19” (03/15/2020–06/30/2020), and COVID‐19 “Re‐entry” (7/01/2020–10/01/2020). Number of visits in each time period, SUD diagnosis, treatment modality (video, telephone, none), demographic, and clinical variables were examined. One‐way analyses of variance (ANOVA) and chi‐square analyses tested the relationships between treatment modality, demographics, clinical variables, and psychiatric emergency room (PER) visits. Binary logistic regressions examined the effect of treatment modality on PER use during COVID‐19 and Re‐entry, controlling for alcohol, opioid, and cocaine use disorders, age, and past‐year (pre‐COVID‐19) PER use.

Results

Treatment modality was associated with SUD (alcohol, cocaine, opioids), age, and PER visits. Veterans who primarily attended telephone appointments were more likely to require PER services compared to those attending video appointments. In the full model, alcohol use disorder (AUD), past‐year PER visits, and treatment modality (telephone visits) continued to be significantly associated with COVID‐19 PER use, while past‐year PER visits correlated with Re‐entry PER use.

Conclusions and Scientific Significance:

During COVID‐19, veterans whose main treatment modality was telephone were more likely to require PER services than veterans who were seen by video, even after controlling for age, AUD, opioid use disorder, and past‐year PER visits. This study is the first to have examined SUD treatment modality utilization patterns in response to COVID‐19. Findings suggest that treatment modality during the initial phase of COVID‐19 correlated with PER presentation.