bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simulation of the nodal flow of mutant embryos with a small number of cilia: comparison of mechanosensing and vesicle transport hypotheses
Authors: Omori Toshihiro , Winter Katja , Shinohara Kyosuke , Hamada Hiroshi , Ishikawa Takuji
Published: August 2018

Left–right (L-R) asymmetry in the body plan is determined by nodal flow in vertebrate embryos. Shinohara
et al.
(Shinohara K
et al.
2012
Nat. Commun.
3
, 622 (
doi:10.1038/ncomms1624
)) used
Dpcd
and
Rfx3
mutant mouse embryos and showed that only a few cilia were sufficient to achieve L-R asymmetry. However, the mechanism underlying the breaking of symmetry by such weak ciliary flow is unclear. Flow-mediated signals associated with the L-R asymmetric organogenesis have not been clarified, and two different hypotheses—vesicle transport and mechanosensing—are now debated in the research field of developmental biology. In this study, we developed a computational model of the node system reported by Shinohara
et al.
and examined the feasibilities of the two hypotheses with a small number of cilia. With the small number of rotating cilia, flow was induced locally and global strong flow was not observed in the node. Particles were then effectively transported only when they were close to the cilia, and particle transport was strongly dependent on the ciliary positions. Although the maximum wall shear rate was also influenced by ciliary position, the mean wall shear rate at the perinodal wall increased monotonically with the number of cilia. We also investigated the membrane tension of immotile cilia, which is relevant to the regulation of mechanotransduction. The results indicated that tension of about 0.1 μN m
−1
was exerted at the base even when the fluid shear rate was applied at about 0.1 s
−1
. The area of high tension was also localized at the upstream side, and negative tension appeared at the downstream side. Such localization may be useful to sense the flow direction at the periphery, as time-averaged anticlockwise circulation was induced in the node by rotation of a few cilia. Our numerical results support the mechanosensing hypothesis, and we expect that our study will stimulate further experimental investigations of mechanotransduction in the near future.
Strain energy analysis of floor heave in longwall gateroads
Authors: Wang Meng , Zheng Dongjie , Wang Kewei , Li Wenfeng
Published: August 2018

Floor heave in longwall gateroads is a severe issue that affects mining safety and efficiency. Researchers, however, have limited understanding on the floor heave mechanism because the deformation of post-failure rocks in the floor was seldom considered previously. In this study, we developed a theoretical model using the strain energy theory to investigate the post-failure deformation of rocks. This model was validated before being implemented into a numerical modelling package, FLAC
3D
, for floor heave analysis. Based on a case study of a longwall entry employing a stiff–yield pillar configuration, we observe that massive floor heave occurs at the entry rib that takes less loads (yield pillar) and eventually propagates towards the other rib bearing a significant amount of loads (stiff pillar). This observation sheds light on the floor heave mechanism in longwall gateroads and has major implications for coal mine ground control.
Morphological variation under domestication: how variable are chickens?
Authors: Stange Madlen , Núñez-León Daniel , Sánchez-Villagra Marcelo R. , Jensen Per , Wilson Laura A. B.
Published: August 2018

The process of domestication has long fascinated evolutionary biologists, yielding insights into the rapidity with which selection can alter behaviour and morphology. Previous studies on dogs, cattle and pigeons have demonstrated that domesticated forms show greater magnitudes of morphological variation than their wild ancestors. Here, we quantify variation in skull morphology, modularity and integration in chickens and compare those to the wild fowl using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and multivariate statistics. Similar to other domesticated species, chickens exhibit a greater magnitude of variation in shape compared with their ancestors. The most variable part of the chicken skull is the cranial vault, being formed by dermal and neural crest-derived bones, its form possibly related to brain shape variation in chickens, especially in crested breeds. Neural crest-derived portions of the skull exhibit a higher amount of variation. Further, we find that the chicken skull is strongly integrated, confirming previous studies in birds, in contrast to the presence of modularity and decreased integration in mammals.
Interfacial load transfer mechanisms in carbon nanotube-polymer nanocomposites
Authors: Bagchi Soumendu , Harpale Abhilash , Chew Huck Beng
Published: August 2018

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are highly promising for strength reinforcement in polymer nanocomposites, but conflicting interfacial properties have been reported by single nanotube pull-out experiments. Here, we report the interfacial load transfer mechanisms during pull-out of CNTs from PMMA matrices, using massively- parallel molecular dynamics simulations. We show that the pull-out forces associated with non-bonded interactions between CNT and PMMA are generally small, and are weakly-dependent on the embedment length of the nanotube. These pull-out forces do not significantly increase with the presence of Stone Wales or vacancy defects along the nanotube. In contrast, low-density distribution of cross-links along the CNT-PMMA interface increases the pull-out forces by an order of magnitude. At each cross-linked site, mechanical unfolding and pull-out of single or pair polymer chain(s) attached to the individual cross-link bonds result in substantial interfacial strengthening and toughening, while contributing to interfacial slip between CNT and PMMA. Our interfacial shear-slip model shows that the interfacial loads are evenly-distributed among the finite number of cross-link bonds at low cross-link densities or for nanotubes with short embedment lengths. At higher cross-link densities or for nanotubes with longer embedment lengths, a no-slip zone now develops where shear-lag effects become important. Implications of these results, in the context of recent nanotube pull-out experiments, are discussed.
On the geometrically exact low-order modelling of a flexible beam: formulation and numerical tests
Authors: Howcroft C. , Cook R. G. , Neild S. A. , Lowenberg M. H. , Cooper J. E. , Coetzee E. B.
Published: August 2018

This paper proposes a low-order geometrically exact flexible beam formulation based on the utilization of generic beam shape functions to approximate distributed kinematic properties of the deformed structure. The proposed
nonlinear beam shapes
approach is in contrast to the majority of geometrically nonlinear treatments in the literature in which element-based—and hence high-order—discretizations are adopted. The kinematic quantities approximated specifically pertain to shear and extensional gradients as well as local orientation parameters based on an arbitrary set of globally referenced attitude parameters. In developing the dynamic equations of motion, an Euler angle parametrization is selected as it is found to yield fast computational performance. The resulting dynamic formulation is closed using an example shape function set satisfying the single generic kinematic constraint. The formulation is demonstrated via its application to the modelling of a series of static and dynamic test cases of both simple and non-prismatic structures; the simulated results are verified using MSC Nastran and an element-based intrinsic beam formulation. Through these examples, it is shown that the nonlinear beam shapes approach is able to accurately capture the beam behaviour with a very minimal number of system states.
Perceptual teleology: expectations of action efficiency bias social perception
Authors: Hudson Matthew , McDonough Katrina L. , Edwards Rhys , Bach Patric
Published: August 2018

Primates interpret conspecific behaviour as goal-directed and expect others to achieve goals by the most efficient means possible. While this teleological stance is prominent in evolutionary and developmental theories of social cognition, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. In predictive models of social cognition, a perceptual prediction of an ideal efficient trajectory would be generated from prior knowledge against which the observed action is evaluated, distorting the perception of unexpected inefficient actions. To test this, participants observed an actor reach for an object with a straight or arched trajectory on a touch screen. The actions were made efficient or inefficient by adding or removing an obstructing object. The action disappeared mid-trajectory and participants touched the last seen screen position of the hand. Judgements of inefficient actions were biased towards the efficient prediction (straight trajectories upward to avoid the obstruction, arched trajectories downward towards the target). These corrections increased when the obstruction's presence/absence was explicitly acknowledged, and when the efficient trajectory was explicitly predicted. Additional supplementary experiments demonstrated that these biases occur during ongoing visual perception and/or immediately after motion offset. The teleological stance is at least partly perceptual, providing an ideal reference trajectory against which actual behaviour is evaluated.
Ancient DNA reveals the chronology of walrus ivory trade from Norse Greenland
Authors: Star Bastiaan , Barrett James H. , Gondek Agata T. , Boessenkool Sanne
Published: August 2018

The importance of the Atlantic walrus ivory trade for the colonization, peak, and collapse of the medieval Norse colonies on Greenland has been extensively debated. Nevertheless, no studies have directly traced medieval European ivory back to distinct Arctic populations of walrus. Analysing the entire mitogenomes of 37 archaeological specimens from Europe, Svalbard, and Greenland, we here discover that Atlantic walrus comprises two monophyletic mitochondrial (MT) clades, which diverged between 23 400 and 251 120 years ago. Our improved genomic resolution allows us to reinterpret the geographical distribution of partial MT data from 306 modern and nineteenth-century specimens, finding that one of these clades was exclusively accessible to Greenlanders. With this discovery, we ascertain the biological origin of 23 archaeological specimens from Europe (most dated between 900 and 1400 CE). These results reveal a significant shift in trade from an early, predominantly eastern source towards a near exclusive representation of Greenland ivory. Our study provides empirical evidence for how this remote Arctic resource was progressively integrated into a medieval pan-European trade network, contributing to both the resilience and vulnerability of Norse Greenland society.
In Vitro Expansion of Keratinocytes on Human Dermal Fibroblast-Derived Matrix Retains Their Stem-Like Characteristics
Authors: Wong Chee-Wai , Kinnear Beverley F. , Sobota Radoslaw M. , Ramalingam Rajkumar , LeGrand Catherine F. , Dye Danielle E. , Raghunath Michael , Lane E. Birgitte , Coombe Deirdre R.
Published: August 2018

The long-term expansion of keratinocytes under serum- and feeder free conditions generally results in diminished proliferation and an increased commitment to terminal differentiation. Here we present a serum and xenogeneic feeder free culture system that retains the self-renewal capacity of primary human keratinocytes.In vivo, the tissue microenvironment is a major contributor to determining cell fate and a key component of the microenvironment is the extracellular matrix (ECM). Accordingly, acellular ECMs derived from human dermal fibroblasts, cultured under macromolecular crowding conditions to facilitate matrix deposition and organisation, were used as the basis for a xenogeneic-free keratinocyte expansion protocol. A phospholipase A2decellularisation procedure produced matrices which, by proteomics analysis, resembled in composition the core matrix proteins of skin dermis. On these ECMs keratinocytes proliferated rapidly, retained their small size, expressed p63, did not express keratin 10 and rarely expressed keratin 16. Moreover, the colony forming efficiency of keratinocytes cultured on these acellular matrices was markedly enhanced. Collectively these data indicate that the dermal fibroblast-derived matrices support thein vitroexpansion of keratinocytes that maintained stem-like characteristics under serum free conditions.
Exploring the effect of microdosing psychedelics on creativity in an open-label natural setting
Authors: Prochazkova Luisa , Lippelt Dominique P. , Colzato Lorenza S. , Kuchar Martin , Sjoerds Zsuzsika , Hommel Bernhard
Published: August 2018

Introduction

Recently popular sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic substances such as truffles, referred to as microdosing, allegedly have multiple beneficial effects including creativity and problem solving performance, potentially through targeting serotonergic 5-HT2Areceptors and promoting cognitive flexibility, crucial to creative thinking. Nevertheless, enhancing effects of microdosing remain anecdotal, and in the absence of quantitative research on microdosing psychedelics it is impossible to draw definitive conclusions on that matter. Here, our main aim was to quantitatively explore the cognitive-enhancing potential of microdosing psychedelics in healthy adults.

Methods

During a microdosing event organized by the Dutch Psychedelic Society, we examined the effects of psychedelic truffles (which were later analyzed to quantify active psychedelic alkaloids) on two creativity-related problem-solving tasks: the Picture Concept Task assessing convergent thinking, and the Alternative Uses Task assessing divergent thinking. A short version of the Ravens Progressive Matrices task assessed potential changes in fluid intelligence. We tested once before taking a microdose and once while the effects were manifested.

Results

We found that both convergent and divergent thinking performance was improved after a non-blinded microdose, whereas fluid intelligence was unaffected.

Conclusion

While this study provides quantitative support for the cognitive enhancing properties of microdosing psychedelics, future research has to confirm these preliminary findings in more rigorous placebo-controlled study designs. Based on these preliminary results we speculate that psychedelics might affect cognitive metacontrol policies by optimizing the balance between cognitive persistence and flexibility. We hope this study will motivate future microdosing studies with more controlled designs to test this hypothesis.
Pathway and network analysis of more than 2,500 whole cancer genomes
Authors: Reyna Matthew A. , Haan David , Paczkowska Marta , Verbeke Lieven P.C. , Vazquez Miguel , Kahraman Abdullah , Pulido-Tamayo Sergio , Barenboim Jonathan , Wadi Lina , Dhingra Priyanka , Shrestha Raunak , Getz Gad , Lawrence Michael S. , Pedersen Jakob Skou , Rubin Mark A. , Wheeler David A. , Brunak Søren , Izarzugaza Jose MG , Khurana Ekta , Marchal Kathleen , Mering Christian von , Sahinalp S. Cenk , Valencia Alfonso , Reimand Jüri , Stuart Joshua M. , Raphael Benjamin J. ,   on behalf of the PCAWG Drivers and Functional Interpretation Group and the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genome Network
Published: August 2018

The catalog of cancer driver mutations in protein-coding genes has greatly expanded in the past decade. However, non-coding cancer driver mutations are less well-characterized and only a handful of recurrent non-coding mutations, most notablyTERTpromoter mutations, have been reported. Motivated by the success of pathway and network analyses in prioritizing rare mutations in protein-coding genes, we performed multi-faceted pathway and network analyses of non-coding mutations across 2,583 whole cancer genomes from 27 tumor types compiled by the ICGC/TCGA PCAWG project. While few non-coding genomic elements were recurrently mutated in this cohort, we identified 93 genes harboring non-coding mutations that cluster into several modules of interacting proteins. Among these are promoter mutations associated with reduced mRNA expression inTP53, TLE4, andTCF4. We found that biological processes had variable proportions of coding and non-coding mutations, with chromatin remodeling and proliferation pathways altered primarily by coding mutations, while developmental pathways, including Wnt and Notch, altered by both coding and non-coding mutations. RNA splicing was primarily targeted by non-coding mutations in this cohort, with samples containing non-coding mutations exhibiting similar gene expression signatures as coding mutations in well-known RNA splicing factors. These analyses contribute a new repertoire of possible cancer genes and mechanisms that are altered by non-coding mutations and offer insights into additional cancer vulnerabilities that can be investigated for potential therapeutic treatments.
Mechanical heterogeneity and roles of parallel microtubule arrays in governing meiotic spindle length
Authors: Takagi Jun , Shimamoto Yuta
Published: August 2018

Metaphase spindles are arrays of microtubules whose architecture provides the mechanism for regulated force generation required for proper segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Whereas long-standing models are based on continuous antiparallel microtubule arrays connecting two spindle poles and overlapping at the equator, spindles typically possess a more complex architecture with randomly arranged short filaments. How these heterogeneous multifilament arrays generate and respond to forces has been mysterious, as it has not been possible to directly measure and perturb spindle force while observing relevant filament motility. Here, we combined microneedle-based quantitative micromanipulation with high-resolution microtubule tracking of Xenopus egg extract spindles to simultaneously examine the force and individual filament motility in situ. We found that the microtubule arrays at the middle of the spindle half are considerably weak and fluid-like, being more adaptable to perturbing forces as compared to those near the pole and the equator. We also found that a force altering spindle length induces filament translocation nearer the spindle pole, where parallel microtubules predominate, while maintaining equatorial antiparallel filaments. Molecular perturbations suggested that the distinct mechanical heterogeneity of the spindle emerges from activities of kinesin-5 and dynein, two key spindle motor proteins. Together, our data establish a link between spindle architecture and mechanics, and highlight the importance of parallel microtubule arrays in maintaining its structural and functional stability.
Normalization of generalized transcript degradation improves accuracy in RNA-seq analysis
Authors: Xiong Bin , Yang Yiben , Fineis Frank R. , Wang Ji-Ping
Published: August 2018

RNA-seq is a high-throughput assay to profile transcriptional activities in cells. Here we show that transcript degradation is gene-/sample-specific and presents a common and major source that may substantially bias the results in RNA-seq analysis. Most existing global normalization approaches are ineffective to correct for the degradation bias. We propose a novel pipeline named DegNorm (stands for degradation normalization) to adjust read counts for transcript degradation heterogeneity on a gene-by-gene basis while simultaneously controlling the sequencing depth. The robust and effective performance of this method is demonstrated in an extensive set of real RNA-seq data and simulated data.
Model neuron response statistics to natural images
Authors: Iyer Arvind , Burge Johannes
Published: August 2018

To model the responses of neurons in the early visual system, at least three basic components are required: a receptive field, a normalization term, and a specification of encoding noise. Here, we examine how the receptive field, the normalization factor, and the encoding noise impact the model neuron responses to natural images and the signal-to-noise ratio for natural image discrimination. We show that when these components are modeled appropriately, the model neuron responses to natural stimuli are Gaussian distributed, scale-invariant, and very nearly maximize the signal-to-noise ratio for stimulus discrimination. We discuss the statistical models of natural stimuli that can account for these response statistics, and we show how some commonly used modeling practices may distort these results. Finally, we show that normalization can equalize important properties of neural response across different stimulus types. Specifically, narrowband (stimulus- and feature-specific) normalization causes model neurons to yield Gaussian-distributed responses to natural stimuli, 1/f noise stimuli, and white noise stimuli. The current work makes recommendations for best practices and it lays a foundation, grounded in the response statistics to natural stimuli, upon which principled models of more complex visual tasks can be built.
The Tritryps comparative repeatome: insights on repetitive element evolution in Trypanosomatid pathogens
Authors: Pita Sebastián , Díaz-Viraqué Florencia , Iraola Gregorio , Robello Carlos
Published: August 2018

The major human pathogens Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania major are collectively known as the Tritryps. The initial comparative analysis of their genomes has uncovered that Tritryps share a great number of genes, but repetitive DNA seems to be extremely variable between them. However, the in-depth characterization of repetitive DNA in these pathogens has been in part neglected, mainly due to the well-known technical challenges of studying repetitive sequences from de novo assemblies using short reads. Here, we compared the repetitive DNA repertories between the Tritryps genomes using genome-wide, low-coverage Illumina sequencing coupled to RepeatExplorer analysis. Our work demonstrates that this extensively implemented approach for studying higher eukaryote repeatomes is also useful for protozoan parasites like trypanosomatids, as we recovered previously observed differences in the presence and amount of repetitive DNA families. Additionally, our estimations of repetitive DNA abundance were comparable to those obtained from enhanced-quality assemblies using longer reads. Importantly, our methodology allowed us to describe a previously unknown transposable element in Leishmania major (TATE family), highlighting its potential to accurately recover distinctive features from poorly characterized repeatomes. Together, our results support the application of this low-cost, low-coverage sequencing approach for the extensive characterization of repetitive DNA evolutionary dynamics in trypanosomatid and other protozooan genomes.
Motor Cortex Excitability Reflects the Subjective Value of Reward and Mediates its Effects on Incentive Motivated Performance
Authors: Galaro Joseph , Celink Pablo , Chib Vikram S.
Published: August 2018

Performance-based incentives tend to increase an individual’s motivation, resulting in enhancements in behavioral output. While much work has focused on understanding how the brain’s reward circuitry influences incentive motivated performance, fewer studies have investigated how such reward representations act on the motor system. Here we measured motor cortical excitability with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) while female and male human participants performed a motoric incentive motivation task for prospective monetary gains and losses. We found that individuals’ performance increased for increasing prospective gains and losses. While motor cortical excitability appeared insensitive to prospective loss, temporal features of motor cortical excitability for prospective gains were modulated by an independent measure of an individual’s subjective preferences for incentive (i.e., loss aversion). Those individuals that were more loss averse had a greater motor cortical sensitivity to prospective gain, closer to movement onset. Critically, behavioral sensitivity to incentive and motor cortical sensitivity to prospective gains were both predicted by loss aversion. Furthermore, causal modeling indicated that motor cortical sensitivity to incentive mediated the relationship between subjective preferences for incentive and behavioral sensitivity to incentive. Together our findings suggest that motor cortical activity integrates information about the subjective value of reward to invigorate incentive motivated performance.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Increasing incentives tend to increase motivation and effort. Using a motoric incentive motivation task and transcranial magnetic stimulation, we studied the motor cortical mechanisms responsible for incentive motivated motor performance. We provide experimental evidence that motor cortical sensitivity to incentive mediates the relationship between subjective preferences for incentive and incentive motivated performance. These results indicate that, rather than simply being a reflection of motor output, motor cortical physiology integrates information about reward value to motivate performance.
Dub-seq: dual-barcoded shotgun expression library sequencing for high-throughput characterization of functional traits
Authors: Mutalik Vivek K. , Novichkov Pavel S. , Price Morgan N. , Owens Trenton K. , Callaghan Mark , Carim Sean , Deutschbauer Adam M. , Arkin Adam P.
Published: August 2018

A major challenge in genomics is the knowledge gap between sequence and its encoded function. Gain-of-function methods based on gene overexpression are attractive avenues for phenotype-based functional screens, but are not easily applied in high-throughput across many experimental conditions. Here, we present Dual Barcoded Shotgun Expression Library Sequencing (Dub-seq), a method that greatly increases the throughput of genome-wide overexpression assays. In Dub-seq, a shotgun expression library is cloned between dual random DNA barcodes and the precise breakpoints of DNA fragments are associated to the barcode sequences prior to performing assays. To assess the fitness of individual strains carrying these plasmids, we use DNA barcode sequencing (BarSeq), which is amenable to large-scale sample multiplexing. As a demonstration of this approach, we constructed a Dub-seq library with total Escherichia coli genomic DNA, performed 155 genome-wide fitness assays in 52 experimental conditions, and identified 813 genes with high-confidence overexpression phenotypes across 4,151 genes assayed. We show that Dub-seq data is reproducible, accurately recapitulates known biology, and identifies hundreds of novel gain-of-function phenotypes for E. coli genes, a subset of which we verified with assays of individual strains. Dub-seq provides complementary information to loss-of-function approaches such as transposon site sequencing or CRISPRi and will facilitate rapid and systematic functional characterization of microbial genomes.

Importance

Measuring the phenotypic consequences of overexpressing genes is a classic genetic approach for understanding protein function; for identifying drug targets, antibiotic and metal resistance mechanisms; and for optimizing strains for metabolic engineering. In microorganisms, these gain-of-function assays are typically done using laborious protocols with individually archived strains or in low-throughput following qualitative selection for a phenotype of interest, such as antibiotic resistance. However, many microbial genes are poorly characterized and the importance of a given gene may only be apparent under certain conditions. Therefore, more scalable approaches for gain-of-function assays are needed. Here, we present Dual Barcoded Shotgun Expression Library Sequencing (Dub-seq), a strategy that couples systematic gene overexpression with DNA barcode sequencing for large-scale interrogation of gene fitness under many experimental conditions at low cost. Dub-seq can be applied to many microorganisms and is a valuable new tool for large-scale gene function characterization.
ULK-mediated phosphorylation of ATG16L1 promotes xenophagy, but destabilizes the ATG16L1 Crohn’s mutant
Authors: Alsaadi Reham M. , Losier Truc T. , Tian Wensheng , Guo Zhihao , Russell Ryan C.
Published: August 2018

Autophagy is a highly regulated catabolic pathway that is potently induced by stressors including starvation and infection. An essential component of the autophagy pathway is an ATG16L1-containing E3-like enzyme, which is responsible for lipidating LC3B and driving autophagosome formation.

ATG16L1 polymorphisms have been linked to the development of Crohn’s disease (CD) and phosphorylation of CD-associated ATG16L1 (caATG16L1) has been hypothesized to contribute to cleavage and autophagy dysfunction. Here we show that ULK1 kinase directly phosphorylates ATG16L1 in response to infection and starvation. Moreover, we show that ULK-mediated phosphorylation drives the destabilization of caATG16L1 in response to stress. Additionally, we found that phosphorylated ATG16L1 was specifically localized to the site of internalized bacteria indicating a role for ATG16L1 in the promotion of anti-bacterial autophagy. Lastly, we show that stable cell lines harbouring a phospho-dead mutant of ATG16L1 have impaired xenophagy. In summary, our results show that ATG16L1 is a novel target of ULK1 kinase and that ULK-signalling to ATG16L1 is a double-edged sword, enhancing function of the wildtype ATG16L1, but promoting degradation of caATG16L1.
The challenges of addressing stakeholders’ expectations through corporate non-market strategies in emergent countries
Authors: Saïd Karim , Sevic Zeljko , Phillips Ian Llewelyn
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the tensions between global and local corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives developed by multinationals managing subsidiaries in different emergent countries. Multinationals carry out a wide array of political activities (Boddewyn and Brewer, 1994; Hillman and Hitt, 1999; Rehbein and Schuler, 1995) supporting their economic objectives, even though the political landscape and the institutional environment may vary significantly in the different countries in which they are located (Luo, 2006). This can raise issues related to the management of cross-border political imperatives as well as the coordination of political activities among multinational companies and their subsidiaries.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a documentary research, this paper analyses the key challenges facing the non-market and CSR strategies of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) a world leading, research-based pharmaceutical and health-care company.

Findings

The paper further looks at the way in which GSK deploys its global non-market strategies and manages their alignment with local CSR initiatives in emerging markets, particularly in China.

Research limitations/implications

Further research is required to address the question of international CSR mediation and moderation of this imbalance between pressures for global consistency and local responsiveness. More specifically, in-depth case studies designed to target local managers, as well as their counterparts from the MNE headquarters, should allow us to more effectively analyse and capture the perceived biases with regard to the way the CSR agenda is set at the central level, in light of its global strategy and to the needs and demands of their local host countries’ stakeholders.

Originality/value

This exploratory research based on secondary data allows an interesting base for analysis of the synergies between CSR, non-market strategies and international strategic management which provide a promising base for continuing research.
Generational differences in work quality characteristics and job satisfaction
Authors: Andrade Maureen Snow , Westover Jonathan H.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to determine if job satisfaction increases with age, and if this is consistent across countries; and second, if individuals belonging to the same age cohort, who experience similar life conditions and events and have been posited to share common attitudes and behaviors, differ in terms of job satisfaction, and if this difference is comparable across countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The study provides a comparative analysis of the impact of age and generational differences on job satisfaction globally, based on non-panel longitudinal data from the most recent wave of the International Social Survey Program (Work Orientations IV, 2015).

Findings

Age has a positive statistically significant impact on job satisfaction (e.g. the older you get, the more satisfied you are with your job). However, the same analysis with each specific age cohort indicates that age is only statistically significant with the baby boomers. Statistically significant cross-generational differences exist in the levels of job satisfaction across generations and cross-generational differences in the determinants of job satisfaction. Most differences are seen between the silent generation and the other three age cohorts.

Originality/value

Previous comparative studies have found that job satisfaction across generations, even within the same or similar countries, shows little variation. Research measuring the relationship between age and job satisfaction indicates three key contradictory findings – satisfaction increases with age, decreases with age, or no relationship exists. The current large-scale, global study updates and extends previous research by exploring similarities and differences in job satisfaction and work quality characteristics by age cohort, with a global sample.
Does work engagement enhance general well-being and control at work? Mediating role of psychological capital
Authors: Gupta Manish , Shaheen Musarrat
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) between work engagement (WE) and general well-being (GWB) as well as between WE and control at work (CAW).

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 200 medical employees involved in rendering healthcare services. Structural equation modeling was done to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Analyses of the data revealed that PsyCap mediates fully between WE and CAW and partially between WE and GWB.

Research limitations/implications

The results show that PsyCap plays a positive role in transferring the impact of engagement levels to GWB and CAW. The results augment the broaden-and-build theory by explaining how positivity at the workplace can help the engaged employees improve well-being and CAW.

Practical implications

Hospitals in India are encouraged to recruit psychologically capable (high in PsyCap) employees. Such psychologically capable and engaged employees have greater CAW and have higher general well-being.

Originality/value

This study is among the few preliminary studies which have focused on the mechanism through which well-being and CAW of employees involved in healthcare services in India get affected.
Solution of jamming transition problem using adomian decomposition method
Authors: Şentürk Erman , Coşkun Safa Bozkurt , Atay Mehmet Tarık
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to obtain an analytical approximate solution for jamming transition problem (JTP) using Adomian decomposition method (ADM).

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the jamming transition is presented as a result of spontaneous deviations of headway and velocity that is caused by the acceleration/breaking rate to be higher than the critical value. Dissipative dynamics of traffic flow can be represented within the framework of the Lorenz scheme based on the car-following model in the one-lane highway. Through this paper, an analytical approximation for the solution is calculated via ADM that leads to a solution for headway deviation as a function of time.

Findings

A highly nonlinear differential equation having no exact solution due to JTP is considered and headway deviation is obtained implementing a number of different initial conditions. The results are discussed and compared with the available data in the literature and numerical solutions obtained from a built-in numerical function of the mathematical software used in the study. The advantage of using ADM for the problem is presented in the study and discussed on the basis of the results produced by the applied method.

Originality/value

This is the first study to apply ADM to JTP.
Rejecting options from large and small choice sets: the mediating role of confidence
Authors: Chan Eugene , Wang Yitong
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Literature on choice has predominantly focused on selection decisions rather than rejection decisions. Research on rejection decisions has also only studied rejecting one option from two alternatives. This research aims to study the differences in decision confidence and satisfaction in rejection decisions between choice sets of small and large sizes.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted three behavioral experiments in which they first tested the overall effect (Experiment 1) and then found out whether regulatory focus (Experiment 2) and the attractiveness of options (Experiment 3) moderated it.

Findings

The authors observed that decision satisfaction increased when rejecting larger (vs smaller) choice sets. Decision confidence mediated it (Experiment 1). The effect was strongest when participants had a prevention focus (Experiment 2) and when they were rejecting relatively unattractive options (Experiment 3).

Research limitations/implications

This research expands the understanding of how individuals make rejection-based decisions and in particular how individuals make choices for one option out of many as in the selection-based choice overload literature.

Practical implications

The authors show how choice sets of varying sizes affect rejection decisions commonly faced by managers and consumers. This research provides implications for improving confidence and satisfaction, both of which are important elements of everyday decision-making, by suggesting that choice outcomes may differ depending on whether one is making a selection or a rejection decision and whether the choice set size is small or large.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine rejection decisions with more than two alternatives. The findings complement the large body of work on the choice overload effect that focuses on selection decisions.
Getting a “sweet” deal: does healthfulness of a sub-brand influence consumer loyalty?
Authors: Anesbury Zachary , Nguyen Yolanda , Bogomolova Svetlana
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Increasing and maintaining the population’s consumption of healthful food may hinder the global obesity pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to empirically test whether it is possible for healthful sub-brands to achieve higher consumer behavioural loyalty than their less healthful counterparts.

Design/methodology/approach

The study analysed three years of consumer panel data detailing all purchases from five consumer goods categories for 15,000 UK households. The analysis uses best-practice techniques for measuring behavioural loyalty: double jeopardy, polarisation index, duplication of purchase and user profile comparisons. Each sub-brand’s healthfulness was objectively coded.

Findings

Despite the level of healthfulness, all sub-brands have predictable repeat purchase patterns, share customers as expected and have similar user profiles as each other. The size of the customer base, not nutrition content, is, by far, the biggest determinant of loyalty levels.

Research limitations/implications

Consumers do not show higher levels of loyalty to healthful sub-brands, or groups of healthful sub-brands. Nor do they buy less healthful sub-brands less often (as a “treat”). There are also no sub-groups of (health conscious) consumers who would only purchase healthful options.

Practical implications

Sub-brands do not have extraordinarily loyal or disloyal customers because of their healthfulness. Marketers need to focus on growing sub-brands by increasing their customer base, which will then naturally grow consumer loyalty towards them.

Originality/value

This research brings novel evidence-based knowledge to an emerging cross-disciplinary area of health marketing. This is the first study comparing behavioural loyalty and user profiles towards objectively defined healthful/less healthful sub-brands.
LARPnography: an embodied embedded cognition method to probe the future
Authors: Orazi Davide C. , Cruz Angela Gracia B.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to propose LARPnography as a more holistic method to probe the emergence of plausible futures, drawing on embodied embedded cognition literature and the emerging consumer practice of live-action role-playing (LARP). Current research methods for probing the future of markets and society rely mainly on expert judgment (i.e. Delphi), imagery or simulation of possible futures (i.e. scenario and simulation) and perspective taking (i.e. role-playing). The predominant focus on cognitive abstraction limits the insights researchers can extract from more embodied, sensorial and experiential approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

LARPnography is a qualitative method seeking to immerse participants within a plausible future to better understand the social and market dynamics that may unfold therein. Through careful planning, design, casting and fieldwork, researchers create the preconditions to let participants experience what the future may be and gather critical insights from naturalistic observations and post-event interviews.

Practical implications

Owing to its interactive nature and processual focus, LARPnography is best suited to investigate the adoption and diffusion of innovation, market emergence phenomena and radical societal changes, including the rise of alternative societies.

Originality/value

Different from previous foresight methods, LARPnography creates immersive and perceptually stimulating replicas of plausible futures that research participants can inhabit. The creation of a fictional yet socio-material world ensures that socially constructed meaning is enriched by phenomenological and visceral insights.
Immediacy pandemic: consumer problem-solving styles and adaptation strategies
Authors: Zolfagharian Mohammadali , Yazdanparast Atefeh
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to delve into the complexity and multiplicity of consumer experiences in relation to mobile and virtual technology, and provides a lived-experience account of the Consumer Immediacy Pandemic (CIP) and related consumer experiences and responses.

Design/methodology/approach

Using open-ended, in-depth interviews, as well as personal essays, the research questions are addressed through the interpretive hermeneutic approach.

Findings

The CIP is an important, multifaceted consumer shift, whose ramifications are traceable in consumer behavior. It encompasses three consumer problem-solving styles (i.e. real-time, mobile and virtual problem-solving). Consumers adapt to the CIP through such strategies as unbundling of presence, temporal gain and synchronization, task continuity, work-fun integration and multi-tasking.

Research limitations/implications

With conventional theories ineffectively explaining consumer experiences with such products as smart phone, social media and selfie stick, this paper provides fruitful directions for studying consumer-technology relationships.

Practical implications

The findings point to untapped and novel needs rooted in consumer experience with mobile and virtual technology such as the needs for personal information management and/or professional counseling.

Social implications

The paper provides evidence as to a deep-seated shift in the role of technology in consumer life. Underestimating the ongoing and future success and power of mobile and virtual technology can be too costly for society at large.

Originality/value

This study exposes the dialogical interplay between consumer agency and structural influences that compels consumers to internalize immediacy as a taken-for-granted expectation. Such pandemic alters the ways consumers go about satisfying their needs and wants. The findings can help understand the twenty-first century consumer, theorize product agency and chart marketing and policy directions.
The impact of different supports on work-family conflict
Authors: Ferri Laura Maria , Pedrini Matteo , Riva Egidio
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether and how the actual use of supports available from the state, organisations and families helps workers reduce perceived work–family conflict (WFC), explored from both works interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a survey of 2,029 employees at six large Italian firms. To test hypotheses, a hierarchical regression analysis was performed.

Findings

WFC should be explored considering its bi-directionality, as supports have different impacts on WIF and FIW. Workplace instrumental support elicits mixed effects on WFC, whereas workplace emotional support and familiar support reduce both FIW and WIF.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to the Italian national context, and data were collected in a single moment of time, which did not allow for observing changes in employees’ lives.

Practical implications

Human resource managers, as well as policy makers, will find this study’s results useful in designing effective work–life balance policies and supports, in which attention is devoted mainly to promoting workplace emotional supports and facilitating familiar support.

Social implications

The study highlights that by reducing pressures from work and family responsibilities that generate WFC conditions, organisational and familiar supports elicit different effects, which should be considered carefully when defining policies and interventions.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few that compare the role of supports provided by actors in different sectors on FIW and WIF, thereby allowing for an understanding of whether the bi-directionality of the conflicts is a relevant perspective.
Lending a hand: perceptions of green credit cards
Authors: Huang Lei , Fitzpatrick Julie
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of donation amount and framing on financial products, this research investigates consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward cause-related credit cards with different donation sizes and framing types.

Design/methodology/approach

This research investigates consumers’ perceptions of green credit cards using two experiments with a between-subject design (n=297) and a mixed design (n=238), respectively. All the participants, recruited from a major state university in the USA, are undergraduate students who use credit cards.

Findings

A medium-size donation optimizes the outcome of a cause-related credit card offer. Moreover, a donation framed as cash rewards has stronger effects on a consumer’s perception and consequent reactions to the “green” credit cards than an annual percentage rate framing. Finally, consumers with high levels of environmental concern and propensity to volunteer have stronger intention to adopt and are more likely to recommend the proposed credit card.

Originality/value

Building upon the theories of social exchange and symbolic interaction, this research is the first to provide empirical evidence regarding the application of volunteerism and perceived consumer effectiveness for financial institutions and their cause-related marketing campaign partners in selecting suitable environmental causes.