bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of heuristic-driven biases in entrepreneurial strategic decision-making: evidence from an emerging economy
Authors: Ahmad Maqsood , Shah Syed Zulfiqar Ali , Abbass Yasar
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This article aims to clarify the mechanism by which heuristic-driven biases influence the entrepreneurial strategic decision-making in an emerging economy.

Design/methodology/approach

Entrepreneurs' heuristic-driven biases have been measured using a questionnaire, comprising numerous items, including indicators of entrepreneurial strategic decision-making. To examine the relationship between heuristic-driven biases and entrepreneurial strategic decision-making process, a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire has been used to collect data from the sample of 169 entrepreneurs who operate in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and Amos graphics software. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) technique.

Findings

The article provides empirical insights into the relationship between heuristic-driven biases and entrepreneurial strategic decision-making. The results suggest that heuristic-driven biases (anchoring and adjustment, representativeness, availability and overconfidence) have a markedly negative influence on the strategic decisions made by entrepreneurs in emerging markets. It means that heuristic-driven biases can impair the quality of the entrepreneurial strategic decision-making process.

Practical implications

The article encourages entrepreneurs to avoid relying on cognitive heuristics or their feelings when making strategic decisions. It provides awareness and understanding of heuristic-driven biases in entrepreneurial strategic decisions, which could be very useful for business actors such as entrepreneurs, managers and entire organizations. Understanding regarding the role of heuristic-driven biases in entrepreneurial strategic decisions may help entrepreneurs to improve the quality of their decision-making. They can improve the quality of their decision-making by recognizing their behavioral biases and errors of judgment, to which we are all prone, resulting in a more appropriate selection of entrepreneurial opportunities.

Originality/value

The current study is the first to focus on links between heuristic-driven bias and the entrepreneurial strategic decision-making in Pakistan—an emerging economy. This article enhanced the understanding of the role that heuristic-driven bias plays in the entrepreneurial strategic decisions and more importantly, it went some way toward enhancing understanding of behavioral aspects and their influence on entrepreneurial strategic decision-making in an emerging market. It also adds to the literature in the area of entrepreneurial management specifically the role of heuristics in entrepreneurial strategic decision-making; this field is in its initial stage, even in developed countries, while, in developing countries, little work has been done.
Job choice decisions: understanding the role of nonnegotiable attributes and trade-offs in effective segmentation
Authors: Ronda Lorena , Abril Carmen , Valor Carmen
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This research draws upon decision-making theory to study job choice decisions. Past studies measured job choice as a single-stage, compositional process addressing the weights and part-worth utilities of a selected number of job and organizational attributes. However, the presence of noncompensatory attributes and whether the utilities and weights attached to the attributes vary among applicants have not been addressed. The authors posit that a conjoint analysis is an accurate methodological technique to explain job choice and overcome these limitations.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a random sample of 571 participants, we conducted an adaptive choice-based conjoint analysis to estimate the weighted utilities of eight employer attributes and a cluster analysis to identify differences in preferences among employee profiles.

Findings

The results reveal that the use of the conjoint technique contributes to the literature in two ways. First, the results demonstrate the relevance of nonnegotiable attributes in the design of job offers. The results show that Salary, Flexibility and Ethics serve as cutoff points. Second, the results highlight the importance of considering the latent preferences of applicants in crafting effective job offers and adequately segmenting job applicants. More specifically, the following three groups are identified: Career-seeking applicants, Sustainability-oriented applicants and Pragmatic applicants.

Practical implications

The managerial implications of this study are relevant for HR and employer brand managers since a better understanding of the job-choice process and implementing a decompositional method to understand applicants' preferences could allow firms to provide more customized and relevant job offers to employees of interest.

Originality/value

This study concludes that to implement efficient employer-attraction branding strategies, employers should understand the attributes considered noncompensatory by their employee target audience, promote the most valued/important attributes to ensure that job offers are customized to fit employees' underlying preferences, and devise trade-off strategies among compensatory attributes.
Investigation of customer churn insights and intelligence from social media: a netnographic research
Authors: Bhattacharyya Jishnu , Dash Manoj Kumar
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the distinct reasons and more common reasons that reduce customer satisfaction and are antecedents to customer churn behavior in the telecommunication industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted the netnography approach to investigate churn behavior by utilizing online user-generated content in qualified social media communities.

Findings

The investigation revealed that “data speed issue”, “ineffective relationship building”, “service area coverage issues” and “billing issues” are some of the most important attributes that influence a consumers' decision to churn. Further, the churn consequence influencers model summarizes the attributes that contribute to overall dissatisfaction and finally results in churn behavior. The study found out the application of the netnography approach in a quantitatively dominant research area and stands out with its insights from a rich qualitative data.

Practical implications

Proper clarification of customer expectations and pain points can help reduce customer churn. The study will serve as the basis for developing future churn prediction models that will contribute to the informed decision-making process.

Originality/value

Contributing to research on customer churn behavior, the study offers a novel attempt to study customer satisfaction and customer churn behavior jointly. The paper is the first attempt that contributes to the extant literature by adopting the unique qualitative approach to understand the reasons for telecommunication churn behavior in the emerging Indian market. Another contribution of this research is that the paper shifts the focus of the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) literature to the telecommunications industry, thus adding another block to ongoing research in eWOM communication.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ OIR-02-2020-0048
Decoupling stock price momentum from accounting fundamentals
Authors: Safdar Irfan
Published: November 2020

Purpose

What explains patterns in stock prices is an important question. One such pattern, price momentum, is a well-known capital markets anomaly where recent stock price performance appears to continue into the future. This momentum is frequently thought to reflect delayed reaction by investors to unspecified information (i.e. underreaction). This study aims to provide a useful insight regarding momentum: potential mispricing related to accounting fundamentals appears to conceal longer-term reversals in price momentum. Controlling for these fundamentals reveals that price momentum reverses, indicating that investor overreaction is a potentially important source of stock price momentum. The evidence presented in this study emphasizes the importance of decoupling momentum and accounting fundamentals to achieve a more complete understanding of what explains stock price momentum.

Design/methodology/approach

This study explores this question by examining the longer-term performance of momentum stocks in the US market after decoupling it from performance related to accounting fundamentals using returns to fundamentals-based factors as controls in time series regressions.

Findings

This study finds evidence of clear reversals in the remaining price momentum. These reversals provide a new insight into the momentum effect because they imply that the component of price momentum not traceable to accounting fundamentals reflects investor overreaction rather than underreaction.

Originality/value

The findings indicate that the underlying nature of the information driving price movements is important to achieving a complete understanding of what explains price momentum. To the best of the author’s knowledge, no other study has examined the behavior of stock price momentum while controlling for accounting fundamentals.
How far are the public university libraries in Bangladesh meeting students' expectations? – An analysis of service quality through LibQUAL+ core items
Authors: Shoeb Md. Zahid Hossain , Ahmed S.M. Zabed
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The main aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which the major public university libraries in Bangladesh are meeting students' service expectations through analyzing LibQUAL+ core items.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey data were obtained from students using a paper version of the questionnaire consisting of LibQUAL+ core 22 service items at four top-ranked public universities in Bangladesh. Students rated the items on three service levels each using a nine-point scale: Minimum level, Desired level and Perceived Level. Descriptive statistics, i.e. mean and SD were obtained and service adequacy gap (SAG) scores between perceived and minimum levels were computed to see whether the libraries are meeting students' minimum expectation. Non-parametric Wilcoxon sign rank test was conducted to examine the differences between minimum and perceived scores. Finally, Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests were conducted to see the effect of students' demographic variables on their ratings on minimum and perceived scores.

Findings

The findings revealed that the service performances of major university libraries are lagging far behind from students' minimum expectation (minimum > perceived). There are significant differences between minimum and perceived scores. Significant differences are also found in students' gender, age and enrolment level concerning their ratings on minimum and perceived service levels.

Practical implications

The result of this study analyzes the service quality of major university libraries in Bangladesh. These findings can be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the library services.

Originality/value

LibQUAL+ has been used mostly in academic libraries in developed countries but this is for the first time a paper-version of the instrument was used in university libraries in Bangladesh.
21st century HR: a competency model for the emerging role of HR Analysts
Authors: McCartney Steven , Murphy Caroline , Mccarthy Jean
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Drawing on human capital theory and the human capital resources framework, this study explores the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs) required by the emerging role of human resource (HR) analysts. This study aims to systematically identify the key KSAOs and develop a competency model for HR Analysts amid the growing digitalization of work.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting best practices for competency modeling set out by Campion et al. (2011), this study first analyzes 110 HR analyst job advertisements collected from five countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the USA. Second a thematic analysis of 12 in-depth semistructured interviews with HR analytics professionals from Canada and Ireland is then conducted to develop a novel competency model for HR Analysts.

Findings

This study adds to the developing and fast-growing field of HR analytics literature by offering evidence supporting a set of six distinct competencies required by HR Analysts including: consulting, technical knowledge, data fluency and data analysis, HR and business acumen, research and discovery and storytelling and communication.

Practical implications

The research findings have several practical implications, specifically in recruitment and selection, HR development and HR system alignment.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the evolving HR analytics literature in two ways. First, the study links the role of HR Analysts to human capital theory and the human capital resource framework. Second, it offers a timely and empirically driven competency model for the emerging role of HR Analysts.
Adapting new strategies in dental care to help geriatric and special needs patients during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Sen Madhura , D’Souza Violet , Sharma Shambhavi , Shenoy Ramya
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss and urge further deliberation on possible strategies to help geriatric and special needs patients to receive dental care during the pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper contains literature review of published research articles related to past epidemics, COVID-19 and older persons.

Findings

Accurate prediction of adverse outcomes, detection of unidentified problems, improved estimation of residual life expectancy and appropriate use of geriatric interventions is required to understand the necessity of the treatment and effect of possible COVID-19 contraction during the treatment.

Research limitations/implications

The authors reviewed the only published literature and collated the lessons learnt from past epidemics, as the natural history of the COVID-19 is not known.

Practical implications

Future dentists must be trained in crisis management to deal with pandemics more effectively. The dental fraternity should be equipped to provide some sort of “psychological counseling and reassurance” prior to dental care to vulnerable individuals with comorbidities and special needs.

Originality/value

There are very few published articles focused on unique dental care plans for geriatric and special needs patients.
Citrus flavonoids and the intestinal barrier: Interactions and effects
Authors: Wang Meiyan , Zhao Hui , Wen Xiang , Ho Chi‐Tang , Li Shiming
Published: November 2020

The intestinal barrier plays a central role in sustaining gut homeostasis and, when dysfunctional, may contribute to diseases. Dietary flavonoids derived from Citrus genus represent one of the main naturally occurring phytochemicals with multiple potential benefits for the intestinal barrier function. In the intestine, citrus flavonoids (CFs) undergo ingestion from the lumen, biotransformation in the epithelial cells and/or crosstalk with luminal microbiota to afford various metabolites that may in turn exert protective actions on gut barrier along with their parental compounds. Specifically, the health‐promoting properties of CFs and their metabolic bioactives for the intestinal barrier include their capacity to (a) modulate barrier permeability; (b) protect mucus layer; (c) regulate intestinal immune system; (d) fight against oxidative stress; and (e) positively shape microbiome and metabolome. Notably, local effects of CFs can also generate systemic benefits, for instance, improvement of gut microbial dysbiosis helpful to orchestrate gut homeostasis and leading to alleviation of systemic dysmetabolism. Given the important role of the intestinal barrier in overall health, further understanding of underlying action mechanisms and ultimate health effects of CFs as well as their metabolites on the intestine is of great significance to future application of citrus plants and their bioactives as dietary supplements and/or functional ingredients in medical foods.
Covid‐19 and Global Food Security
Authors: Swinnen Johan , McDermott John
Published: November 2020

Covid‐19 has major implications for global food security. The virus itself and the policy reactions have triggered a massive recession and major disruptions in food value chains. The combination of both has been dramatic for the food and nutrition security of billions of poor people around the world. The impacts are heterogeneous, depending on the nature of the commodity, the resource‐intensity of the food systems, and the level of economic development. Covid‐19 affects the food security and nutrition of poor people more strongly than that of richer people. Women, children and migrants are particularly affected. It is important to balance movement control and other social distancing measures with policy initiatives to improve the food and nutrition security and livelihoods of vulnerable groups. A crucial issue moving forward is to make food supply chains, and food systems generally, more resilient for the future. While many food systems have been significantly disrupted, others have been more resilient, with food supplies relatively unaffected. Innovations are helping to overcome obstacles and make food supply chains more resilient for the future. Overall, the insights and lessons from Covid‐19 should help to design better policies and build more resilient and inclusive food systems for the future.
Individual effects of enzymes and vital wheat gluten on whole wheat dough and bread properties
Authors: Tebben Lauren , Chen Gengjun , Tilley Michael , Li Yonghui
Published: November 2020

The objective of this research was to determine effects of five enzymes on whole wheat bread properties, particularly loaf volume, bread texture, and staling. Enzymes containing conventional α‐amylase (α‐amyl), cellulase (cel), glucose oxidase, maltogenic α‐amylase (m amyl), and xylanase (xyl) were added at three levels. Vital wheat gluten (VWG) was added as an additional, separate treatment at 2.5% (flour weight basis). Enzymes had minimal effect on water absorption and mixing time. Each enzyme increased specific loaf volume for at least one of the usage levels tested (P < 0.01). Among the enzyme treatments, the greatest loaf volume was seen for xyl at the medium and high levels. No enzyme was as effective as VWG at increasing loaf volume. Overall, enzymes did not significantly change cell structure. The greatest reduction in fresh bread hardness was obtained for the high level of xyl. VWG, m amyl, and xyl reduced the rate of bread firming over 7 days. α‐Amyl, cel, and m amyl decreased starch retrogradation at day 7 as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (P < 0.01). M amyl nearly eliminated the endothermic peak for recrystallized amylopectin. This study demonstrated the specific application of enzymes in whole wheat bread to increase loaf volume and decrease initial crumb hardness and bread staling.

Practical Application

This study will provide guidance for practical uses of enzymes in improving whole wheat dough and bread quality.
Complete response of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung following treatment with pembrolizumab in an elderly patient: A case report
Authors: Takeuchi Eiji , Okamoto Yuri , Takahashi Naoki , Morizumi Shun , Toyoda Yuko , Kuroda Naoto , Yorita Kenji
Published: November 2020

Complete response of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy is rare. Here, we encountered an elderly patient who showed complete response of NSCLC following treatment with pembrolizumab. An 84‐year‐old man with a history of bloody sputum for several weeks visited a general physician. At that time, a chest X‐ray revealed a tumor shadow in the left middle lung field, and the patient was referred to our hospital. Following transbronchial biopsy, he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. Expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) in tumor cells was 80% or more by immunostaining. Based on the above, immunotherapy with pembrolizumab was performed as first‐line therapy. The cancer cells completely disappeared at the end of the fifth cycle. There were no side effects during the therapeutic course. Treatment with pembrolizumab continued for two years and was then discontinued at the patient's request. Since then, no tumor recurrence has been detected for about one and a half years without treatment. There have been few reports of lung cancer disappearing after treatment with pembrolizumab. In conclusion, in elderly NSCLC patients with PD‐L1 expression of 50% or more, pembrolizumab should be considered as first‐line treatment with the treatment period, and mechanism suggested in this report.
Health care use before and after intensive care unit admission—A nationwide register‐based study
Authors: Estrup Stine , Thygesen Lau C , Poulsen Lone M , Gøgenur Ismail , Mathiesen Ole
Published: November 2020

Background

The aim of this study was to describe healthcare utilization of patients admitted to ICU before and after ICU admission.

Methods

Register‐based study including adult patients discharged from ICU between January 1st, 2011 and December 31st, 2014. Reference group was a sex‐ and age‐matched population not admitted to an ICU in the study period. Outcomes were hospital admissions, contacts to general practitioner or emergency services and municipality services from 1 year before ICU admission and up to 3 years after.

Results

The study included 82 384 patients and an equal number of reference persons. Of patients with ICU admission, 48% were married (reference group 57%), 48% had elementary school education (reference group 38%) and 18% had a Charlson co‐morbidity score of 5+ (4% in reference group). We found that 51% of patients with an ICU admission had been admitted to hospital in the year before ICU admission (reference group 15%) and 97% had a contact to a general practitioner (reference group 89%) in the same period.

Conclusions

Patients admitted to an ICU had increased use of both primary and secondary health care both before and for years after ICU treatment, even after adjustment for comorbidities and socio‐economic factors.
Rectum versus colon: should malignant polyps be treated differently?
Authors: Solon J. Gemma , Oliva Karen , Farmer K. Chip , Wang Wei , Wilkins Simon , McMurrick Paul J.
Published: November 2020

Background

The management of malignant colorectal polyps removed at endoscopy remains controversial with patients either undergoing surgical resection or regular endoscopic surveillance. Lymph node (LN) metastases occur in 6–16% of patients with malignant polyps. This study assessed the rate of LN metastases in patients undergoing surgical resection for malignant polyps removed endoscopically to determine if there is a difference in the rate of LN metastases between colonic and rectal polyps.

Methods

A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was performed from 2010 to 2018. All patients who underwent surgical resection following endoscopic removal of a malignant colorectal polyp were reviewed. Clinical data including patient demographics and tumour characteristics were examined.

Results

A total of 177 patients underwent surgical resection in the study period. The median age at diagnosis was 65 years (range 22–88 years) with females comprising 52% of the patient cohort (n = 92/177). Polyps were located in the colon in 60.5% of cases with the remainder located in the rectum. The median number of LN harvested was 14 (range 0–44) with malignant LN (including a mesenteric tumour deposit) identified in 8.5% of resection specimens (n = 15/177). Malignant LNs were retrieved in 5.5% of right‐sided tumours, 5.6% of left‐sided tumours and 12.9% of rectal tumours (P = 0.090).

Conclusion

A small proportion of patients with malignant polyps removed endoscopically will have LN metastases. The results of this study suggest that the tumour location might be a useful predictive marker; however, a further study with increased patient numbers is required to properly establish this finding.
Genotype FBN1/phenotype relationship in a cohort of patients with Marfan syndrome
Authors: Hernándiz Amparo , Zúñiga Angel , Valera Francisco , Domingo Diana , Ontoria‐Oviedo Imelda , Marí Jose F. , Román Jose A. , Calvo Inmaculada , Insa Beatriz , Gómez Rosa , Cervera José V. , Miralles Manuel , Montero Jose A. , Martínez‐Dolz Luis , Sepúlveda Pilar
Published: November 2020

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a systemic connective tissue disorder caused by mutations in the fibrillin‐1 (FBN1) gene, and cardiovascular involvement is the leading cause of mortality. We sought to examine the genotype/phenotype realtionship in 61 consecutive patients with a phenotype and genotype compatible with MFS. The FBN1 gene was analyzed by massive sequencing using a hybridization capture‐based target enrichment custom panel. Forty‐three different variants of FBN1 were identified, of which 17 have not been previously reported. The causal variants of MFS were grouped into mutations resulting in haploinsufficiency (HI group; 23 patients) and mutations producing a dominant‐negative effect (DN group; 38 patients). Patient information was collected from electronic medical records and clinical evaluation. While no significant differences were found between the two groups, the HI group included more cases with aortic dissection and occurring at a younger age that the DN group (34.7% vs. 15.8%; p = 0.160). Irrespective of the mutation group, males presented with a higher probability of aortic involvement (4‐fold higher risk than females) and aortic dissections events occurred at younger ages. Patients with DN variants carrying a cysteine substitution had a higher incidence of ectopia lentis.
Combining transdermal and breath alcohol assessments, real‐time drink logs and retrospective self‐reports to measure alcohol consumption and intoxication across a multi‐day music festival
Authors: Norman Thomas , Peacock Amy , Ferguson Stuart G. , Kuntsche Emmanuel , Bruno Raimondo
Published: November 2020

Introduction and Aims

Comprehensively investigating alcohol‐related behaviours in the context of a dynamic multi‐day alcohol‐licensed event is important for understanding and minimising patron risk. We aimed to assess the measurement utility of implementing a multi‐dimensional alcohol assessment battery using biometric data collection, real‐time drink logs and retrospective self‐report measures over the course of a 4‐day music festival.

Methods

Fourteen adults participated (n = 7 male, mean age 21.9 years). Breath and transdermal alcohol concentration (BrAC and TAC, respectively) were measured using breathalysers and transdermal alcohol bracelets. A real‐time drink log was completed via smartphones on initiating each drink, and a retrospective questionnaire was administered up to twice daily throughout the event (6 timepoints total).

Results

While almost all participants (92.9%) logged significantly fewer drinks in real‐time than they retrospectively reported via the twice‐daily questionnaires, logs provided important contextual information including the types of drinks consumed and drinking intensity. Compared to BrAC, TAC provided a better understanding of the time course of intoxication, indicating highest alcohol consumption outside of static BrAC assessment windows. However, BrAC provided a better assessment of present state: all participants were 0.00% BrAC at departure despite over two‐fifths (42.9%) of the sample's last TAC reading exceeding 0.00%.

Conclusions

As standalone assessments, each method possessed limitations. As a combined battery, they were successfully administered simultaneously, resulting in a more comprehensive overview of alcohol consumption/intoxication over the prolonged drinking session. However, the marked burden of simultaneous administration should be considered, and measures should be chosen judiciously based on research needs.
Homogeneous selection shapes free‐living and particle‐associated bacterial communities in subtropical coastal waters
Authors: Wu Wenxue , Xu Zhimeng , Dai Minhan , Gan Jianping , Liu Hongbin
Published: November 2020

Aim

In microbial biogeography, it is crucial to link spatial patterns with underlying drivers in natural ecosystems. Bacterial communities driving key biogeochemical processes in coastal zones, which are important interfaces between terrestrial and marine ecosystems, are affected by perturbations due to both natural and anthropogenic factors. However, the assembly of bacterioplankton communities, either free‐living (FL) or particle‐associated, in coastal ecosystems is still poorly understood.

Location

Coastal South China Sea influenced by the Pearl River (SCSPR).

Methods

In this study, we investigated FL, nanoparticle‐associated (NA) and microparticle‐associated (MA) bacterial communities in the SCSPR, using environmental DNA metabarcoding based on the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. We assessed the relative importance of ecological processes using null model analyses based on a two‐step framework.

Results

We found that the observed amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) increased from FL, NA to MA communities, and a remarkably pervasive core set of ASVs closely belonged to potential hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria with wide habitat niche breadths. Analyses of similarity tests revealed that FL, NA and MA communities differed significantly but weakly, based on unweighted (R = 0.27, p < .001) and weighted (R = 0.18, p < .001) dissimilarities. Fundamental regulation of bacterial communities via homogeneous selection was most prominent in FL (90%), followed by NA (86.8%) and MA (73.3%), whereas the relative importance of dispersal limitation was most pronounced in MA (13.2%), followed by NA (11.7%) and FL (8.6%).

Main conclusions

Bacterial communities in the SCSPR can be predominantly influenced by human activities, as indicated by the core ASVs closely related to hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria. Importantly, anthropogenic influences can temporally overwhelm the large environmental heterogeneities in coastal ecosystems. This study fills knowledge gaps in bacterial community assembly, which may facilitate future studies regarding anthropogenic influences on coastal ecosystems.
Latitudinal gradients in genetic diversity and natural selection at a highly adaptive gene in terrestrial mammals
Authors: Yiming Li , Siqi Wang , Chaoyuan Cheng , Jiaqi Zhang , Supen Wang , Xianglei Hou , Xuan Liu , Xuejiao Yang , Xianping Li
Published: November 2020

Identifying where high genetic diversity is located across our planet and what factors affect the geographical patterns of genetic variation not only provides important insights into distributions of biodiversity but is also crucial for human health, animal and plant breeding and biodiversity conservation. Recent studies show that genetic diversity at nearly neutral genes decreases from the tropics to the poles in different taxa, mirroring the oldest recognized latitudinal gradient of species richness, yet functional genetic diversity has received little attention at such broad spatial or taxonomic scales. Here, we investigated latitudinal gradients in genetic diversity at a polymorphic exon 2 (MHC II DRB gene, 1515 sequences) of the major histocompatibility complex that confers resistance to parasites in 93 terrestrial mammal species at the global scale. We also estimated the effects of species traits, positive selection and anthropogenic biomes on genetic diversity. We found clear latitudinal gradients in genetic diversity and the presence of positive selection at exon 2. Absolute latitude, the presence of positive selection and body mass are important predictors of within‐species genetic diversity. A higher occurrence of positive selection, faster evolutionary speed or slower drift at low latitudes may shape the latitudinal gradient in the within‐species genetic diversity of the gene. Our results contribute to a greater understanding of how species traits, selection and drift geographically shape functional genetic diversity, broadening the generality of latitudinal biodiversity gradient. The results highlight the importance of conservation at low latitudes.
Impact of landscape fragmentation and climate change on body size variation of bumblebees during the last century
Authors: Gérard Maxence , Marshall Leon , Martinet Baptiste , Michez Denis
Published: November 2020

Body size is a key parameter of organism fitness. While the impact of climate change on body size has received increasing attention, the long‐term consequences of landscape fragmentation are still poorly known. These two major global threats may potentially induce opposite trends: the decrease of body size in warmer environments (e.g. individuals developing faster) or the selection of larger individuals in fragmented habitats (e.g. large individuals more capable of reaching distant patches).

We assessed the relationship between temperature and landscape fragmentation with mean body size during the last century, within four European regions (Austria, Belgium, England and above the Arctic circle in Scandinavia) and among queens of five bumblebee species. At the regional scale, we first analysed the variation over time of body size and the two hypothesised drivers, temperature and landscape fragmentation. Then, at the local landscape scale, we tested whether body size varied according to these drivers irrespective of the region. At the regional level, we observed a statistically clear increase of queen body size corresponding to an increase of landscape fragmentation (i.e. in Belgium and England). There was no increase of size when fragmentation did not increase (i.e. in Austria and above the Arctic Circle). Temperature also increased through time in all regions. At the local landscape scale, we found that all species were impacted by changes in both climate and landscape fragmentation but show different trends. The body size of the two largest species significantly increased at landscape level with higher fragmentation while body size of the two smallest species decreased with higher fragmentation. We highlight that, in a context of global changes, landscape fragmentation can also be a major driver of body size clines. Depending on the dispersal abilities of species, larger species could be positively selected for and overcome landscape fragmentation.
Spatial scaling properties of coral reef benthic communities
Authors: Ford Helen V. , Gove Jamison M. , Davies Andrew J. , Graham Nicholas A. J. , Healey John R. , Conklin Eric J. , Williams Gareth J.
Published: November 2020

The spatial structure of ecological communities on tropical coral reefs across seascapes and geographies have historically been poorly understood. Here we addressed this for the first time using spatially expansive and thematically resolved benthic community data collected around five uninhabited central Pacific oceanic islands, spanning 6° latitude and 17° longitude. Using towed‐diver digital image surveys over ~140 linear km of shallow (8–20 m depth) tropical reef, we highlight the autocorrelated nature of coral reef seascapes. Benthic functional groups and hard coral morphologies displayed significant spatial clustering (positive autocorrelation) up to kilometre‐scales around all islands, in some instances dominating entire sections of coastline. The scale and strength of these autocorrelation patterns showed differences across geographies, but patterns were more similar between islands in closer proximity and of a similar size. For example, crustose coralline algae (CCA) were clustered up to scales of 0.3 km at neighbouring Howland and Baker Islands and macroalgae were spatially clustered at scales up to ~3 km at both neighbouring Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll. Of all the functional groups, macroalgae had the highest levels of spatial clustering across geographies at the finest resolution of our data (100 m). There were several cases where the upper scale at which benthic community members showed evidence of spatial clustering correlated highly with the upper scales at which concurrent gradients in physical environmental drivers were spatially clustered. These correlations were stronger for surface wave energy than subsurface temperature (regardless of benthic group) and turf algae and CCA had the closest alignments in scale with wave energy across functional groups and geographies. Our findings suggest such physical drivers not only limit or promote the abundance of various benthic competitors on coral reefs, but also play a key role in governing their spatial scaling properties across seascapes.
Mutational spectrum of GNAL, THAP1 and TOR1A genes in isolated dystonia: study in a population from Spain and systematic literature review
Authors: Gómez‐Garre Pilar , Jesús Silvia , Periñán María Teresa , Adarmes Astrid , Alonso‐Canovas Araceli , Blanco‐Ollero Alberto , Buiza‐Rueda Dolores , Carrillo Fátima , Catalán‐Alonso María José , del Val Javier , Escamilla‐Sevilla Francisco , Espinosa‐Rosso Raúl , Fernández‐Moreno María Carmen , García‐Moreno José Manuel , García‐Ruiz Pedro José , Giacometti‐Silveira Sandra , Gutiérrez‐García Javier , López‐Valdés Eva , Macías‐García Daniel , Martínez‐Castrillo Juan Carlos , Martínez‐Torres Irene , Medialdea‐Natera María Pilar , Mínguez‐Castellanos Adolfo , Moya Miguel Ángel , Ochoa‐Sepulveda Juan José , Ojea Tomás , Rodríguez Nuria , Sillero‐Sánchez Miriam , Tejera‐Parrado Cristina , Mir Pablo
Published: November 2020

Objective

We aimed to investigate the prevalence of TOR1A, GNAL and THAP1 variants as the cause of dystonia in a cohort of Spanish patients with isolated dystonia and in the literature.

Methods

A population of 2028 subjects (including 1053 patients with different subtypes of isolated dystonia and 975 healthy controls) from southern and central Spain was included. The genes TOR1A, THAP1 and GNAL were screened using a combination of high‐resolution melting analysis and direct DNA resequencing. In addition, an extensive literature search to identify original articles (published before 10 August 2020) reporting mutations in TOR1A, THAP1 or GNAL associated to dystonia was performed.

Results

Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in TOR1A, THAP1 and GNAL were identified in 0.48%, 0.57% and 0.29% of our patients, respectively. Five patients carried the variation p.Glu303del in TOR1A. A very rare variant in GNAL (p.Ser238Asn) was found as a putative risk factor for dystonia.

In the literature, variations in TOR1A, THAP1 and GNAL accounted for about 6%, 1.8% and 1.1% of published dystonia patients, respectively.

Conclusions

There is a different genetic contribution to dystonia of these three genes in our patients (about 1.3% of patients) and in the literature (about 3.6% of patients), probably due the high proportion of adult‐onset cases in our cohort. As regards age at onset, site of dystonia onset, and final distribution, in our population there is a clear differentiation between DYT‐TOR1A and DYT‐GNAL, with DYT‐THAP1 likely to be an intermediate phenotype.
Radiological prevalence of osteoarthritis of the cervical region in 104 performing Warmblood jumpers
Authors: Espinosa‐Mur Pablo , Phillips Kathryn L. , Galuppo Larry D. , DeRouen Anthony , Benoit Philippe , Anderson Eleanor , Shaw Karen , Puchalski Sarah , Peters Duncan , Kass Philip H. , Spriet Mathieu
Published: November 2020

Background

Cervical osteoarthritis (OA) has been documented as a potential source of pain and poor performance in sport horses.

Objectives

To assess the prevalence of cervical OA in a population of Warmblood jumpers and its correlation with age, level of performance, neck pain and mobility.

Study design

Descriptive observational study.

Methods

Warmblood jumpers free of lameness or neurological disorders were selected. Cervical pain and range of motion of the neck were subjectively assessed. Left to right lateral views were taken at C3‐C4, C4‐C5, C5‐C6 and C6‐C7. The presence of OA at the cervical articular process joints (APJs) was evaluated and graded as absent, mild or moderate to severe by three board‐certified radiologists. The agreement between radiologists and the potential associations between OA grades with age and other variables were statistically assessed (P < .05).

Results

One hundred and four horses were included [median age = 10 years (range 6‐18 years)]. Agreement between radiologists varied from fair to substantial (Kappa‐weighted 0.37‐0.61). The C6‐C7 APJ was most commonly affected by OA with only 32.7% of APJ considered free of radiographic abnormalities at this location versus 60.5% at C5‐C6, 81.7% at C4‐C5 and 84.6% at C3‐C4. Horses competing in higher level classes (peak of performance) had significantly higher OA grades at C6‐C7 (P = .013). There was no association between age, age when started jumping, neck pain and neck range of motion with the presence of OA on radiographs.

Main limitations

Open enrolment and lack of orthogonal views.

Conclusions

This study showed that, although there is a range of interpretation of radiographic findings of the APJ, OA of the caudal cervical region is not rare in performing sound Warmblood jumpers. This suggests that OA in the caudal cervical region may be of low clinical significance.
The heterogeneity of agglomeration effect: Evidence from Chinese cities
Authors: Wang Wenwen
Published: November 2020

Using annual surveys of industrial firms in China from 1998 to 2007, this paper applies the non‐linear least squares (NLS) method based on a grid search to analyse the effect of city size on firm total factor productivity (TFP). The results show that overall, the agglomeration effects in large cities, but not selection effects, significantly promote improvement in firm TFP. The optimal agglomeration scales of different industries differ as follows: those of capital‐ and technology‐intensive industries are larger than those of labour‐intensive industries. The agglomeration effects are also robust to different spatial areas without considering administrative boundaries. An inverted U‐shaped relationship exists between firm size and agglomeration effects, while the relationship between firm age and agglomeration effects is U‐shaped. State‐owned firms experience weaker agglomeration effects than non‐state‐owned firms. Cities higher in the administrative hierarchy and those with special economic zones have stronger agglomeration effects. However, cities higher in the administrative hierarchy and those with a larger economic development zone index can provide more resources to increase the survival rate of low‐productivity firms; thus, selection effects are not significant in Chinese cities.
Effect of sourdough starter and fungal proteases on gluten content and sensory properties of tarhana
Authors: İçen Seda , Karakaş‐Budak Barçın , Certel Muharrem
Published: November 2020

In this study, gluten degradation during prolonged tarhana fermentation was monitored in a traditional dough as well as in dough containing sourdough starter, peptidase additives and combination of both. Gluten content, determined using the sandwich ELISA assay method, was reduced significantly in the first 5 days of fermentation for all formulations. After 30 days into fermentation, approximately 15% and 20% reduction of gluten was observed in the traditional dough and sourdough starter added dough, respectively. In enzyme supplemented formulations, the mean gluten levels were below 20 ppm by 20 days of fermentation. Results showed that proteolytic enzyme addition to the dough mix can potentially render long fermented tarhana a food which conforms to regulations set forth for gluten‐free foods, even though wheat flour is one of the main production ingredients. Sensory evaluation of the 30 day fermented tarhana samples revealed differences in sourness and odour properties of the products.
Effect of microencapsulation on morphology, physicochemical properties and flavour profiles of solid yoghurt‐flavoured bases
Authors: Huang Yan‐yan , Liang Ming‐hua , Sun Li‐na , Brennan Charles S. , Liu Dong‐mei
Published: November 2020

Yoghurt‐flavoured bases have many applications in food industry, but the poor stability in the volatile compounds limits their applications. In this study, the morphology and physicochemical properties of yoghurt‐flavoured base microcapsules were evaluated with four different wall materials including chitosan, β‐cyclodextrin, octenyl succinate anhydride and maltodextrin solution by spray drying. The encapsulation efficiencies of these four microcapsule formulations exceeded 93%. Microcapsules produced by chitosan possessed the best physical properties with improved encapsulation efficiency and smooth microstructure, so chitosan was selected as the encapsulating material of yoghurt‐flavoured bases. Compared with those without chitosan, the encapsulated yoghurt‐flavoured bases with chitosan had smaller particle size, better water solubility and moisture resistance as well as better stability. Furthermore, microencapsulation and spray drying technology can preserve many volatile compounds and the proportion of ketones, aldehydes, alcohols and other compounds increased. Hence, chitosan is a microcapsule material suitable for outputting solid yoghurt‐flavoured bases.
Standardization and harmonization in hematology: Instrument alignment, quality control materials, and commutability issue
Authors: Vidali Matteo , Carobene Anna , Apassiti Esposito Sara , Napolitano Gavino , Caracciolo Alessandra , Seghezzi Michela , Previtali Giulia , Lippi Giuseppe , Buoro Sabrina
Published: November 2020

Introduction

In the hub and spoke laboratory network, the number of hematology analyzers (HAs) within each core center has increased, and the control of HAs alignment is becoming necessary requirement to ensure analytical quality. In this scenario, HA alignment can be assessed by analyzing the same control material used for internal quality control on multiple HAs, assuming its commutability. The aim of the study was to verify the applicability of a protocol for the alignment of HAs based on control material rather than on fresh whole‐blood samples.

Methods

The alignment of five HAs was evaluated for red (RBC, Hb, MCV, RET), white (WBC, NE, LY, MO, EO, BA, IG), and platelet (PLT) series parameters, following a protocol by SIBioC, using human sample (HS) and quality control material (QC), after the verification of commutability, according to the IFCC protocol. Maximum bias was derived from biological variation data.

Results

A complete alignment between instruments was confirmed for the majority of the parameters investigated both for HS and QC material. Partial misalignments or inconcludent results were instead evident for MCV, MO, EO, BA, and IG. Interestingly, QC material was found to be not commutable for LY, MO, and BA.

Conclusion

The alignment of hematologic analyzers for main cell population parameters may be verified with both QC and HS, displaying consistent results and interpretation. The evaluation for some white series parameters (EO, BA, and IG) is critical, and particular attention must be paid to the values of the material used for the alignment.