bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clustering of home delivery in Bangladesh and its predictors: evidence from the linked household and health facility level survey data
Authors: Fatima Kaniz , Khanam Shimlin Jahan , Rahman Md Mostafizur , Kabir Md Iqbal , Khan Md Nuruzzaman
Published: October 2023

Background

Around half of births in Bangladesh occur at home without skilled birth personnel. This study aims to identify the geographical hot spots and cold spots of home delivery in Bangladesh and associated factors.

Methods

We analyzed data from the 2017/2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey and the 2017 Bangladesh Health Facility Survey. The outcome variable was home delivery without skilled personnel supervision (yes, no). Explanatory variables included individual, household, community, and healthcare facility factors. Moran’s I was used to determine hot spots and cold spots of home delivery. Geographically weighted regression models were used to identify cluster-specific predictors of home delivery.

Results

The prevalence of non-supervised and unskilled supervised home delivery was 53.18%. Hot spots of non-supervised and unskilled supervised home delivery were primarily in Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Rangpur divisions. Cold spots of home delivery were mainly in Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions. Predictors of higher home births in hot spot areas included women’s illiteracy, lack of formal job engagement, higher number of children ever born, partner’s agriculture occupation, higher community-level illiteracy, and greater distance to the nearest healthcare facility from women’s homes.

Conclusions

Unskilled supervised home delivery is prevalent in Bangladesh, and the distance between women’s homes and healthcare facilities plays a significant role. Awareness-building programs should emphasize the importance of skilled and supervised hospital deliveries, particularly among the poor and disadvantaged groups.
Associations of arterial thickness, stiffness and blood pressure with brain morphology in early adolescence: A prospective population-based study
Authors: Defina Serena , Silva Carolina C.V. , Cecil Charlotte A.M. , Tiemeier Henning , Felix Janine F. , Mutzel Ryan L. , Jaddoe Vincent W.V.
Published: October 2023

Background

Arterial wall thickness and stiffness and high blood pressure have been repeatedly associated with poorer brain health. However, previous studies largely focused on mid- or late-life stages. It is unknown whether any arterial health-related brain changes may be observable already in adolescence.

Methods

We examined whether(i)carotid intima-media thickness,(ii)carotid distensibility and(iii)systolic and diastolic blood pressure, measured at age 10, were associated with brain volumes and/or white matter microstructure (i.e., fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity) at age 14. In addition to cross-sectional analyses, we explored associations with longitudinal change in each brain outcome from 10 to 14 years. Analyses were based on 5341 children from the Generation R Study.

Results

Higher diastolic blood pressure was associated with lower total brain (β[95%CI] = -0.04 [- 0.07;-0.01]) and grey matter volumes (β[95%CI] = -0.04 [-0.07;-0.01]) at age 14 years, with stronger associations in higher diastolic blood pressure ranges. Similar associations emerged between systolic blood pressure and brain volumes but these were no longer significant after adjusting for birthweight. No associations were observed between blood pressure and white matter microstructure, nor between carotid intima-media thickness or distensibility and brain morphology.

Conclusions

Arterial blood pressure, but not intima-media thickness and distensibility, is associated with structural neuroimaging markers in early adolescence. Volumetric measures may be more sensitive to these early arterial health differences compared to microstructural properties of the white matter, but further studies are needed to confirm these results and assess potential causal mechanisms.

Graphic Abstract
VIPERA: Viral Intra-Patient Evolution Reporting and Analysis
Authors: Álvarez-Herrera Miguel , Sevilla Jordi , Ruiz-Rodriguez Paula , Vergara Andrea , Vila Jordi , Cano-Jiménez Pablo , González-Candelas Fernando , Comas Iñaki , Coscollá Mireia
Published: October 2023

Viral mutations within patients nurture the adaptive potential of SARS-CoV-2 during chronic infections, which are a potential source of variants of concern. However, there is no integrated framework for the evolutionary analysis of intra-patient SARS-CoV-2 serial samples. Herein we describe VIPERA (Viral Intra-Patient Evolution Reporting and Analysis), a new software that integrates the evaluation of the intra-patient ancestry of SARS-CoV-2 sequences with the analysis of evolutionary trajectories of serial sequences from the same viral infection. We have validated it using positive and negative control datasets and have successfully applied it to a new case, thus enabling an easy and automatic analysis of intra-patient SARS-CoV-2 sequences.
Visual statistical learning alters low-dimensional cortical architecture
Authors: Rowchan Keanna , Gale Daniel J , Nick Qasem , Gallivan Jason , Wammes Jeffrey D.
Published: October 2023

Our brains are in a near constant state of generating predictions, extracting regularities from seemingly random sensory inputs to support later cognition and behavior, a process called statistical learning (SL). Yet, the activity patterns across cortex and subcortex that support this form of associative learning remain unresolved. Here we use human fMRI and a visual SL task to investigate changes in neural activity patterns as participants implicitly learn visual associations from a sequence. By projecting functional connectivity patterns onto a low-dimensional manifold, we reveal that learning is selectively supported by changes along a single neural dimension spanning visual-parietal and perirhinal cortex (PRC). During learning, visual cortex expanded along this dimension, segregating from other networks, while dorsal attention network (DAN) regions contracted, integrating with higher-order transmodal cortex. When we later violated the learned associations, PRC and entorhinal cortex, which initially showed no evidence of learning-related effects, now contracted along this dimension, integrating with the default mode and DAN, while decreasing covariance with visual cortex. Whereas previous studies have linked SL to either broad cortical or medial temporal lobe changes, our findings suggest an integrative view, whereby cortical regions reorganize during association formation, while medial temporal lobe regions respond to their violation.
Stage-Specific Modulation of Multinucleation, Fusion and Resorption by the Long Non-coding RNA DLEU1 and miR-16 in Human Primary Osteoclasts
Authors: Moura Sara Reis , Sousa Ana Beatriz , Olesen Jacob Bastholm , Barbosa Mário Adolfo , Søe Kent , Almeida Maria Inês
Published: October 2023

Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells formed through fusion of mononucleated precursors of the myeloid lineage and are the only cells that can resorb all the constituents of the bone matrix. Our goal was to investigate the role of long non-coding RNADLEU1and miR-16-5p in the fusion of human primary osteoclasts and their resorptive capacity. We foundDLEU1to be markedly upregulated, whereas miR-16 was significantly suppressed, during osteoclast differentiation, suggesting a potential involvement in the multinucleation process. The knockdown ofDLEU1or the overexpression of miR-16 in human primary pre-osteoclasts from male human donors (50 years or older) impaired fusion at both early and late time-points, each in distinct ways, without affecting cell viability. Time-lapse recordings confirmed the impairment of the fusion process and showed an abrogation of the phagocytic cup fusion modality, as well as a reduction of the fusion between mononucleated precursors and multinucleated osteoclasts duringDLEU1silencing. Furthermore, mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics revealed that the effects ofDLEU1and miR-16 on osteoclast fusion were mediated by distinct proteins and processes. Thus, bothDLEU1inhibition and/or miR-16 overexpression hinder osteoclast fusion through modulation of different mechanisms. Moreover, decreased levels ofDLEU1specifically affected the resorption speed of pit-making osteoclasts, while increased levels of miR-16 promoted bone resorption mainly through pit-formation, impairing the resorption speed of the osteoclasts making trenches and affecting their resorbed area. Taken together, these findings identifyDLEU1and miR-16 as mediators of osteoclast fusion and activity, offering potential new therapeutic targets to ameliorate bone destruction in skeletal diseases with accentuated bone deterioration.
Representing context and priority in working memory
Authors: Wan Quan , Ardalan Adel , Fulvio Jacqueline M. , Postle Bradley R.
Published: October 2023

The ability to prioritize among contents in working memory (WM) is critical for successful control of thought and behavior. Recent work has demonstrated that prioritization in WM can be implemented by representing different states of priority in different representational formats. Here, we explored the mechanisms underlying WM prioritization by simulating the double serial retrocuing (DSR) task with recurrent neural networks (RNNs). Visualization of stimulus representational dynamics using principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the network represented trial context (order of presentation) and priority via different mechanisms. Ordinal context, a stable property lasting the duration of the trial, was accomplished bysegregatingrepresentations into orthogonal subspaces. Priority, which changed multiple times during a trial, was accomplished byseparatingrepresentations into different manifolds within each subspace. We assessed the generality of these mechanism by applying dimensionality reduction and multiclass decoding to fMRI and EEG datasets and found that priority and context are represented differently along the dorsal visual stream, and that behavioral performance is sensitive to trial-by-trial efficacy of priority coding, but not context coding.
An ancient subcortical circuit decides when to orient to threat in humans
Authors: Trier Hailey A , Khalighinejad Nima , Hamilton Sorcha , Harbison Caroline , Priestley Luke , Laubach Mark , Scholl Jacqueline , Rushworth Matthew FS
Published: October 2023

Many psychiatric symptoms have been linked to threat-related perception and learning processes. In addition, however, there may also be mechanisms for balancing effectively between threat- and reward-related behaviors and these may also vary between individuals. We investigated neural activity associated with spontaneous switching between foraging for rewards and vigilance for threats with 7T fMRI. In a virtual naturalistic environment, participants freely switched between the two modes of behavior. Switching was driven by estimates of likelihood of threat and reward. Both tracking of threat and switching to vigilance were associated with specific but distributed patterns of activity spanning habenula, dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), anterior cingulate cortex, and anterior insula cortex. Distinct distributed patterns heralded returns to reward-oriented behavior. Individual variation in DRN activity reflected individual variation in vigilance. All activity patterns were replicated in an initially held-out portion of data.
Inducible degradation-coupled phosphoproteomics identifies PP2ARts1as a novel eisosome regulator
Authors: DeMarco Andrew G. , Dibble Marcella G. , Hall Mark C.
Published: October 2023

Reversible protein phosphorylation is an abundant post-translational modification dynamically regulated by opposing kinases and phosphatases. Protein phosphorylation has been extensively studied in cell division, where waves of cyclin-dependent kinase activity, peaking in mitosis, drive the sequential stages of the cell cycle. Here we developed and employed a strategy to specifically probe kinase or phosphatase substrates at desired times or experimental conditions in the model organismSaccharomyces cerevisiae.We combined auxin- inducible degradation (AID) with mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomics, which allowed us to arrest physiologically normal cultures in mitosis prior to rapid phosphatase degradation and phosphoproteome analysis. Our results revealed that protein phosphatase 2A coupled with its B56 regulatory subunit, Rts1 (PP2ARts1), is involved in dephosphorylation of numerous proteins in mitosis, highlighting the need for phosphatases to selectively maintain certain proteins in a hypophosphorylated state in the face of high mitotic kinase activity. Unexpectedly, we observed elevated phosphorylation at many sites on several subunits of the fungal eisosome complex following rapid Rts1 degradation. Eisosomes are dynamic polymeric assemblies that create furrows in the plasma membrane important in regulating nutrient import, lipid metabolism, and stress responses, among other things. We found that PP2ARts1-mediated dephosphorylation of eisosomes promotes their plasma membrane association and we provide evidence that this regulation impacts eisosome roles in metabolic homeostasis. The combination of rapid, inducible protein degradation with proteomic profiling offers several advantages over common protein disruption methods for characterizing substrates of regulatory enzymes involved in dynamic biological processes.
A Self-Sufficient Lipid Transport Protein in Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Authors: Manger Sina , Arghittu Serena Maria , Sprankel Lasse , Meier-Credo Jakob , Wieland Konstantin , Bublak Daniela , Langer Julian , Covino Roberto , Frangakis Achilleas S
Published: October 2023

Lipid acquisition and transport are fundamental processes in all organisms, but many of the key players remain unidentified. In this study, we investigate the lipid-cycling mechanism of the minimal model organism Mycoplasma pneumoniae. We show that the essential protein P116 can extract lipids from the environment but also self-sufficiently deposit them into both eukaryotic cell membranes and liposomes. Our structures and molecular dynamics simulation reveal the mechanism by which the N-terminal region of P116, which resembles an SMP domain, perturbs the membrane, while a hydrophobic pocket exploits the chemical gradient to collect the lipids. Filling of P116 with cargo leads to a conformational change that modulates membrane affinity without consumption of ATP. We show that the Mycoplasmas have one integrated lipid acquisition and delivery machinery that shortcuts the complex multi-protein pathways used by higher developed organisms.
Structure and regulation of GSDMD pores at the plasma membrane of pyroptotic cells
Authors: Kappelhoff Shirin , Holtmannspötter Michael , Schaefer Stefan L. , Margheritis Eleonora G. , Veit Hannah , Danial John S.H. , Strauss Sebastian , Franzkoch Rico , Psathaki Olympia Ekaterini , Jungmann Ralf , Kurre Rainer , Hummer Gerhard , Piehler Jacob , Cosentino Katia
Published: October 2023

Gasdermin D (GSDMD) executes inflammatory cell death pyroptosis by permeabilizing the plasma membrane (PM). We introduce polymer-supported PM (PSPM) to gain access to the cytoplasmic side of the PM with imaging techniques while preserving the native PM complexity and lipid microenvironment. By combining PSPM with DNA-PAINT super-resolution microscopy we visualized, for the first time, GSDMD nanostructures directly at the PM of pyroptotic cells. We resolved diverse macromolecular architectures with ring-and arc-shaped GSDMD oligomers that enable PM permeabilization. The pyroptotically-inactive mutant GSDMD-C192A (human C191A) still interacts with the PM however fails to form pores. GSDMD expression levels affect pore density but not permeabilization ability. Finally, we identified the local PI(3,4,5)P3concentration as a key regulatory element of PM permeabilization. Increase in PI(3,4,5)P3levels in the PM during pyroptosis facilitates growth into large ring-shaped pores. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we identified the mechanism by which PI(3,4,5)P3stabilizes the GSDMD assembly.
Fast-track adaptive laboratory evolution ofCupriavidus necatorH16 with divalent metal cations
Authors: Sitompul Sepwin Nosten , Price Joseph , Tee Kang Lan , Wong Tuck Seng
Published: October 2023

Microbial strain improvement through adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) has been a key strategy in biotechnology for enhancing desired phenotypic traits. Here, we present an accelerated ALE (aALE) workflow and its successful implementation in evolvingC. necatorH16 for enhanced tolerance towards elevated glycerol concentrations. The method involves the deliberate induction of genetic diversity through controlled exposure to divalent metal cations, enabling the rapid identification of improved variants. Through this approach, we observed the emergence of robust variants capable of growing in high glycerol concentration environments, demonstrating the efficacy of our aALE workflow. Our method offers several advantages over traditional ALE approaches, including its independence from genetically modified strains, specialized genetic tools, and potentially hazardous DNA-modifying agents. By utilizing divalent metal cations as mutagens, we offer a safer, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative for expansion of genetic diversity. With its ability to foster rapid microbial evolution, aALE serves as a valuable addition to the ALE toolbox, holding significant promise for the advancement of microbial strain engineering and bioprocess optimization.
Metataxonomic analysis of halophilic archaea community in two geothermal springs sources in southern Tunisian Sahara
Authors: Najjari Afef , Elmnasri Khaled , Cherif Hanene , Guesmi Amel , Mahjoubi Mouna , Linares-Pastén Javier A. , Cherif Ameur , Ouzari Hadda-Imene
Published: October 2023

In this study, we assess the phylogenetic diversity of the halophilic archaeal community of biotechnological interest that inhabit in geothermal water in southern Tunisia. These waters are usually used for farming purposes, particularly for irrigation of the oases and greenhouses, due to the limited availability of surface freshwater resources and the arid climate. The samples processed from two separated geothermal sources in southern Tunisia based on the Illumina Miseq sequencing approach. Three samples including water, sediment, and halite-soil crust, were collected from downstream of two geothermal springs of Ksar Ghilane (KGH) and Zaouet Al Aness (ZAN) oases. Results showed that several haloarchaea-related members were identified in geothermal springs. The average taxonomic composition showed that 20 genera out of 33 were shared between the two geothermal sources with uneven distribution, where theHalogranumgenus is the most represented genus with an abundance of 18.9% and 11.58% for ZAW and KGH, respectively. Several unique site-specific genera were also observed; the case ofHalonotius, Halopelagius, Natronorubrum, andHaloarculain ZAN, andHaloprofundus, Halomarina, Halovivax, Haloplanus, Natrinema, Halobium, Natronoarchaeum, Haloterrigenadetected in KGH pool. We noticed that the majority of genus members are usually found in low-salinity ecosystems. The finding of this study suggests that haloarchaea-related members could survive in downstream geothermal sources, which may have resulted from the leaching of salts and minerals through drilling waters creating chemically complex saline systems.
Structure of the yeast ceramide synthase
Authors: Schäfer Jan-Hannes , Clausmeyer Lena , Körner Carolin , Esch Bianca M. , Wolf Verena N. , Walter Stefan , Januliene Dovile , Moeller Arne , Fröhlich Florian
Published: October 2023

Ceramides play a pivotal role as essential lipids, serving as foundational components for complex sphingolipids and potent signaling molecules. Ceramides are the products of the N-acylation of a sphingoid base and a CoA-activated fatty acid. This reaction is catalyzed by the enzymes of the evolutionarily conserved ceramide synthase (CerS) family. Yet, the precise structural details and catalytic mechanisms of CerSs have remained elusive. Here, we employed cryo-EM single particle analysis to unravel the structure of the yeast ceramide synthase complex in both an active and a fumonisin B1 inhibited state. Our findings shed light on the complex’s architecture, revealing a dimer of Lip1 subunits bound to the two catalytic subunits, Lag1 and Lac1. Each catalytic subunit forms a hydrophobic crevice that is accessible from both the cytosolic site as well as from the intermembrane space of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Within this cavity, we identify amino acids forming the active center and a sphingoid base, one of the substrates of the complex. Together, this suggests a pre-loaded state of the CerS. Additionally, the fumonisin B1 bound structure reveals the inhibitory mechanism by blocking the cytosolic acyl-CoA binding site.
The signal sequence of yeast killer toxin K2 confers producer self-protection and allows conversion into a modular toxin-antitoxin system
Authors: Prins Rianne C. , Billerbeck Sonja
Published: October 2023

Some antimicrobial proteins secreted by yeast, known as yeast killer toxins, also target the producer species itself, necessitating a means of self-protection. Intriguingly, the M2 dsRNA killer virus inSaccharomyces cerevisiaecontains a single open reading frame (ORF) that encodes both the pore-forming killer toxin K2 as well as a cognate immunity factor. Here, a systematic deletion screen reveals that expression of a 49-amino acid N-terminal peptide from this ORF is both necessary and sufficient for immunity and that the K2 toxin and this 49-residue immunity peptide can be functionally split into a modular toxin-antitoxin system. Further, the immunity peptide exhibits characteristics of a signal peptide and we thus propose that the K2 signal peptide serves a dual function: 1) Toxin targeting into the secretory pathway, and 2) establishing self-protective immunity. This case further implies that (signal) peptides form a potential source for antimicrobial resistance.
Regulator of G protein signaling 6 (RGS6) in ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons promotes EtOH seeking, behavioral reward and susceptibility to relapse
Authors: Spicer Mackenzie M. , Weber Matthew A. , Luo Zili , Yang Jianqi , Narayanan Nandakumar S. , Fisher Rory A.
Published: October 2023

Mesolimbic dopamine (DA) transmission is believed to play a critical role in mediating reward responses to drugs of abuse, including alcohol (EtOH). EtOH is the most abused substance worldwide with chronic consumption often leading to the development of dependence and abuse. Unfortunately, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying EtOH-seeking behavior and dependence are not fully understood, and abstinence remains the only effective way to prevent alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Here, we developed novel RGS6fl/fl; DAT-iCreER mice to determine the role of RGS6 in VTA DA neurons on EtOH consumption and reward behaviors. We found that RGS6 is expressed in DA neurons in both human and mouse VTA, and that RGS6 loss in mice upregulates DA transporter (DAT) expression in VTA DA neuron synaptic terminals. Remarkably, loss of RGS6 in VTA DA neurons significantly reduced EtOH consumption, preference, and reward in a manner indistinguishable from that seen in RGS6−/−mice. Strikingly, RGS6 loss from VTA DA neurons before or after EtOH behavioral reward is established significantly reduced (∼50%) re-instatement of reward following extinguishment, demonstrating distinct roles of RGS6 in promoting reward and relapse susceptibility to EtOH. These studies illuminate a critical role of RGS6 in the mesolimbic circuit in promoting EtOH seeking, reward, and reinstatement. We propose that RGS6 functions to promote DA transmission through its function as a negative modulator of GPCR-Gαi/o-DAT signaling in VTA DA neurons. These studies identify RGS6 as a potential therapeutic target for behavioral reward and relapse to EtOH.
Spatially resolved DNP-assisted NMR illuminates the conformational ensemble of α-synuclein in intact viable cells
Authors: Kragelj Jaka , Ghosh Rupam , Xiao Yiling , Dumarieh Rania , Lagasca Dominique , Krishna Sakshi , Frederick Kendra K.
Published: October 2023

The protein α-syn adopts a wide variety of conformations including an intrinsically disordered monomeric form and an α-helical rich membrane-associated form that is thought to play an important role in cellular membrane processes. However, despite the high affinity of α-syn for membranes, evidence that the α-helical form is adopted inside cells has been indirect. DNP-assisted solid state NMR on frozen cellular samples can report on protein conformations inside cells. Moreover, by controlling the distribution of the DNP polarization agent throughout the cellular biomass, such experiments can provide quantitative information upon the entire structural ensemble or provide information about spatially resolved sub-populations. Using DNP-assisted magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR we establish that purified α-syn in the membrane-associated and intrinsically disordered forms have distinguishable spectra. We then introduced isotopically labeled monomeric α-syn into cells. When the DNP polarization agent is dispersed homogenously throughout the cell, we found that a minority of the α-syn inside cells adopted a highly α-helical rich conformation. When the DNP polarization agent is peripherally localized, we found that the α-helical rich conformation predominates. Thus, we provide direct evidence that α-helix rich conformations of α-syn are adopted near the cellular periphery inside cells under physiological conditions. Moreover, we demonstrate how selectively altering the spatial distribution of the DNP polarization agent can be a powerful tool to observe spatially distinct structural ensembles. This approach paves the way for more nuanced investigations into the conformations that proteins adopt in different areas of the cell.
Genome-wide DNA methylation, imprinting, and gene expression in human placentas derived from Assisted Reproductive Technology
Authors: Auvinen P , Vehviläinen J , Rämö K , Laukkanen I , Marjonen-Lindblad H , Wallén E , Söderström-Anttila V , Kahila H , Hydén-Granskog C , Tuuri T , Tiitinen A , Kaminen-Ahola N
Published: October 2023

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been associated with increased risk for growth disturbance and imprinting disorders, but the molecular mechanisms and whether they are a result of the ART procedures or the underlying subfertility are unknown. Here we performed genome-wide DNA methylation analysis by EPIC Illumina microarrays and gene expression analysis by mRNA sequencing for a total of 80 ART and 77 control placentas, including separate procedure- and sex-specific analyses. ART-associated changes enriched in the pathways of hormonal regulation, insulin resistance, neuronal development, and vascularization. Observed changes in the number of stromal cells as well asTRIM28andNOTCH3expressions in ART placentas indicated impaired angiogenesis and growth. The enrichment of DNA methylation changes in the imprinted regions and alterations inTRIM28, ZFP57, andNLRP5suggested defective stabilization of the imprinting. Furthermore, downregulated expression of imprinted endocrine signaling moleculeDLK1, associated with both ART and subfertility, provides a potential mechanism for the metabolic and phenotypic features associated with ART.
Positive addiction recovery therapy: a replication and follow-up study
Authors: Ogilvie Lisa , Carson Jerome
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to see if the affirmative results seen in the pilot study of the positive addiction recovery therapy (PART) programme are replicable and durable given a new cohort of participants. PART is a programme of work designed to improve the recovery and well-being of people in early addiction recovery. Its foundation is in the G-CHIME (growth, connectedness, hope, identity, meaning in life and empowerment) model of addiction recovery. It also uses the values in action character strengths and includes a set of recovery protection techniques.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a mixed method experimental design, incorporating direct replication and a follow-up study. Measures for recovery capital, well-being and level of flourishing are used to collect pre-, post- and one-month follow-up data from participants. The replication data analysis uses the non-parametric Wilcoxon test, and the follow-up analysis uses the Friedman test with pairwise comparison post hoc analysis. The eligibility criteria ensure participants (n= 35) are all in early addiction recovery, classified as having been abstinent for between three and six months.

Findings

This study found a statistically significant improvement in well-being, recovery capital and flourishing on completion of the PART programme. These findings upheld the hypotheses in the pilot study and the successful results reported. It also found these gains to be sustained at a one-month follow-up.

Practical implications

This study endorses the efficacy of the PART programme and its continued use in a clinical setting. It also adds further credibility to adopting a holistic approach when delivering interventions which consider important components of addiction recovery such as those outlined in the G-CHIME model.

Originality/value

This study adds to the existing evidence base endorsing the PART programme and the applied use of the G-CHIME model.
Integrating technology within the sales-service ecosystem: the emergent sales techno-ecosystem
Authors: Bauer Carlos , Galvan John M. , Hancock Tyler , Hunter Gary K. , Nelson Christopher A. , Riley Jen , Tanner Emily C.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Sales organizations embrace technological innovation. However, salespeople’s willingness to use new technology influences a firm’s return on investment, representing a significant concern for the organization. These concerns highlight tensions regarding the tradeoffs associated with technology implementations. The purpose of this study is to offer insights that help reduce the complexities of sales technology (ST) by exploring the changing dynamics of contemporary business relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper synthesizes the ST literature using the service ecosystem perspective to propose the sales techno-ecosystem (STE) framework, providing new insights into organizational decision-making related to the ongoing digital transformation of sales tasks.

Findings

This synthesis of the ST literature with the service ecosystem seeks to clarify the impact of technology within the evolving nature of buyer–seller relationships by providing four unique perspectives.

Research limitations/implications

Perspective 1 reviews the sales-service ecosystem framework and develops the theoretical underpinnings and relevant terminologies. Perspective 2 summarizes critical aspects of the ST literature and provides foundations for future research in the STE. Perspective 3 offers a more granular view, explicating roles and contexts prevalent in buyer–seller–technology interactions. Perspective 4 provides a set of tenets and advances research questions related to each tenet.

Practical implications

The culmination of these four perspectives is the introduction of five key tenants designed to help guide strategy and research.

Originality/value

The paper advances Hartmann et al. (2018) service ecosystem paradigm by explicating critical aspects of its ST domain to generate insights for theory and practice.
Decolonising marketing: five fundamental decisions for customer engagement
Authors: Greeff Wilhelmina Johanna
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to offer practical, data-led guidance for the decolonisation of marketing strategy, especially as it relates to customer engagement. It does so with an acute understanding of the constraints of brand legitimacy.

Design/methodology/approach

The findings of this paper are informed both by a conceptual unpacking of institutional, decolonisation and customer engagement literature, as well as an empirical methodology that presents an embedded single case study of a top-ranking banking brand, using in-depth qualitative interviews as well as content analyses of brand communications.

Findings

The paper examines the notion of institutional brand legitimacy alongside the decolonisation of customer engagement. It offers five empirically driven decisions that marketers must consider when they attempt to decolonise their customer engagement strategies. These revolve around a decolonised bottom-up approach; establishing new biases for customer insights; the management of opposing forces; being strategically transformative; and going beyond diversity.

Research limitations/implications

A single brand case study is offered that uses a relatively small sample of interviewees and does not include customers of the brand. Further research is therefore needed to reflect other organisational contexts and stakeholders. Just so, the paper specifically looks at the ways in which decolonisation and institutional legitimacy intersect for customer engagement. Further studies that focus on other organisational concepts impacted by decolonisation would be thought-provoking.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first empirical investigation that offers practical guidance for the decolonisation of marketing strategies – as it relates to customer engagement or any other facets of marketing.
A visually based approach to optimizing retail facility designs and shelve layouts
Authors: Mohammed Adham Mokhtar Mostafa
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to explore the impact of retail facilities’ (RF) characteristics on customers' spatial cognition and accessibility to products, which inherently affect the facility's performance. Namely, the ratios of the facilities’ dimensions and the shelving configurations are investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

The visual attributes of RF are used as the method of assessment, relying on the principles of the Space Syntax theories; several design alternatives of RF are generated which represent different characteristics and compared using computer software (Depthmap X). The perceived variance in performance sheds light on the influence of the investigated characteristics.

Findings

The results have pointed out that dimension ratios can affect the facilities’ performance, especially with the shelving configuration considered. Furthermore, certain shelving layouts are more advantageous compared to other layouts. Other design features have been concluded, shedding light on measures for optimizing performance.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the endless number of possibilities of retail facility designs, the study has focused on simplified designs only, excluding intricate designs which can possibly offer an additional important perspective on design influences.

Practical implications

The findings benefit the RF sector by producing customer-centered designs through optimizing layouts and configurations, improving product visibility and enhancing accessibility. This potentially enhances costumers' experiences and promotes satisfaction, thus attracting more consumers and increasing sales.

Originality/value

Although the Space Syntax principles are long-established, their application to RF is novel. This is also true for the findings which can represent a guide for retail facility designs.
Quantifying shape similarity of female upper body silhouettes based on 2D images
Authors: Xu Kaiyi , Zhao Songling , Zhang Jian , Gu Bingfei
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study focused on how to quantify the similarities of body shape based on the front and side images, and a shape comprehensive index (ISC) of female upper body shape based on 2D images was proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 190 young women were shot for front and side images, and 18 shape parameters were automatically extracted, including seven angles and 11 ratio parameters. The coefficient of variation method was used to assign different weights for related parameters, and the ISC was calculated to describe the body shape of each subject. Five cross-sectional curves of the upper body (e.g. shoulder, chest, waist, abdomen and hip) were selected for exploring the range of shape similarity.

Findings

According to the value of ISC, if the difference among the subjects is within the range of ±0.02, their body shapes can be regarded as similar, and the subject with the minimum distance is considered as the most similar. Error results show that the error range of the angle parameter is from 0.2° to 3.6° and the ratio range is from 0.001 to 0.119. Moreover, the t-test value among the parameters of the similar body is above 0.05, indicating that there is no significant difference for the upper body shape of the similar groups.

Originality/value

This method can quantify body shapes with the upper body characteristics of young women instead of subjective judgment. The study can be extended to other parts of the body and can also provide a new thought for shape similarity retrieval based on 2D images.
Substituting professional with informal care? A response to “how to handle gerontocracy”
Authors: Gösenbauer Barbara
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The comment addresses the idea of substituting professional elder care with informal care provided by early retirees to save economic costs.

Design/methodology/approach

The comment arose from reading “How to handle gerontocracy”, scientific research and critical, analytical thinking.

Findings

While having early pensioners deliver elderly care has positive implications, substituting professional with informal care must be challenged. First, the “unused reservoir” of early pensioners might be overestimated, as they often already have care responsibilities. Second, the substitution of professional services is already happening due to staff shortages. Third, untrained caregivers might struggle to provide the needed care quality, resulting in worse health outcomes (and higher follow-up costs). Finally, there are concerns of social sustainability: because of role expectations, mainly women may take on care tasks, reinforcing social inequality. Also, the third sector might lose hours of volunteer work.

Originality/value

The comment appeals to a critically rethinking of the idea of substituting professional services with informal care provision and argues for differentiated and well-tailored policy measures, taking into account the complex nature of (informal) caregiving.
Does the UK Companies Act of 2006 matter for the private companies? Evidence from real and accruals earnings management practices
Authors: Elsalem Bilal Ahmad , Shawtari Fekri Ali , Qotba Ahmad Mohammed , Bajaher Mohammed , Asseri Mohammed
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine both accruals and real earnings management in a large sample of private companies in the UK using data from 2002 to 2009 following the implementation of the UK Act of 2006.

Design/methodology/approach

A panel data analysis using GMM has been adopted to examine the objectives of the study and answer the research questions.

Findings

The results of this study showed that the imposition of the Companies Act of 2006, on its own, did lead to changes in earnings management behaviour, in both accruals-based earnings and real earnings management. Moreover, this study also found that firms that chose to provide IFRS financial statements tended to show less discretionary earnings management, however, it tended to have no impact on real earnings management.

Practical implications

In accordance with the research findings, standard setters with some insight tend to determine how capital markets see the information provided under the legislation such as the UK Act of 2006 in developed countries and thereby ensure long-term sustainability in a modern and sophisticated financial world. This study provides an insight into the successful implementation of the UK act of 2006, and its influence on the aspect of financial reporting.

Originality/value

The novel conclusion reached in the study is that there exists a strong and direct link between the smooth implementation of UK Act of 2006 and the practices of both accruals and real earnings management in real-world business and financial scenarios, particularly, in private companies.
Problem areas of determining the sample size in qualitative research: a model proposal
Authors: Tutar Hasan , Şahin Mehmet , Sarkhanov Teymur
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The lack of a definite standard for determining the sample size in qualitative research leaves the research process to the initiative of the researcher, and this situation overshadows the scientificity of the research. The primary purpose of this research is to propose a model by questioning the problem of determining the sample size, which is one of the essential issues in qualitative research. The fuzzy logic model is proposed to determine the sample size in qualitative research.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering the structure of the problem in the present study, the proposed fuzzy logic model will benefit and contribute to the literature and practical applications. In this context, ten variables, namely scope of research, data quality, participant genuineness, duration of the interview, number of interviews, homogeneity, information strength, drilling ability, triangulation and research design, are used as inputs. A total of 20 different scenarios were created to demonstrate the applicability of the model proposed in the research and how the model works.

Findings

The authors reflected the results of each scenario in the table and showed the values for the sample size in qualitative studies in Table 4. The research results show that the proposed model's results are of a quality that will support the literature. The research findings show that it is possible to develop a model using the laws of fuzzy logic to determine the sample size in qualitative research.

Originality/value

The model developed in this research can contribute to the literature, and in any case, it can be argued that determining the sample volume is a much more effective and functional model than leaving it to the initiative of the researcher.
Commentary on “positive family connections: co-producing a virtual group programme for family carers of children with learning disabilities or who are autistic”
Authors: Mejía-Buenaño Suzy
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on Griffin et al.’s paper, “Positive family connections: Co-producing a virtual group programme for family carers of children with learning disabilities or who are autistic”.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a commentary on co-production, drawing on Griffin et al.’s paper and the values base of the field.

Findings

Co-production is a valuable approach which seeks to empower and include key people in research. As suggested by Griffin et al., disseminating learning about co-production is an important additional principle of co-production, which demonstrates a values-based commitment to co-production.

Originality/value

This commentary is aimed at professionals and researchers working in the field of learning disabilities who are keen to learn about and do co-production.
Optimizing invader suppression to restore native species: Leveraging species traits to overcome collateral damage
Authors: Lambert Timothy D. , McIntyre Peter B. , Moody Kristine N. , Ellner Stephen P.
Published: October 2023

Strategies to control ongoing biological invasions are often developed by modelling the invasive species' population and aiming to reduce its abundance. However, if the ultimate objective is to protect and restore native species, focussing solely on the invader may not be optimal because it does not account for (i) species interactions that can cause the invader's impacts to depend nonlinearly on its abundance, (ii) collateral damages to native species incurred due to nonspecific removal methods or (iii) native‐invader trait differences.

To identify an invader suppression strategy that maximizes average native population size, we applied optimal control theory to a two‐species model of a native species threatened by an invasive competitor. We examined trade‐offs between iterative physical removals that selectively target invaders and intensifiable chemical control that is nonselective but has higher efficacy.

We found that while iterative removals were capable of supporting large native populations when applied continuously, cost could be prohibitively high. In contrast, when favourable native‐invader trait differences enabled native species to re‐establish more quickly than invaders, intensifiable methods could achieve substantial restoration benefits at lower cost by focussing removal effort into periodic, high‐efficacy events.

In a metapopulation, removals that rotated among spatial patches were optimal when the native species had higher dispersal, whereas synchronous removals were preferred when native recovery was initiated locally and the invader could disperse.

For a case study in Hawaiian streams, we compared how effective two alternative methods of removing invasive live‐bearing fishes (poeciliids) might be at restoring the endemic freshwater goby Sicyopterus stimpsoni. We found that rotenone (a piscicidal chemical) offered superior benefits when the control budget was small and efficacy was high, but that electrofishing (use of electricity to manually collect target fish) was better with larger budgets and in many lower‐efficacy scenarios.

Synthesis and applications. Our findings demonstrate that, by accounting for species interactions and collateral damage, invasive species control strategies can be optimized in light of species traits. Choices about the timing, locations and types of removal events present opportunities to increase the efficiency with which invasive species suppression benefits native species.
HOW THÖŊ PINY BECAME JUBA NA BARI: Naming and Place‐Making in Urban South Sudan
Authors: Doll Christian J.
Published: October 2023

Following South Sudan's independence in 2011, a myriad of local, regional and global actors have flocked to its capital city, Juba, to influence and benefit from the ongoing state‐making process. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Juba between 2012 and 2015, this article demonstrates how urban ‘space’ in Juba is rendered into ‘place’ through everyday practices of naming that articulate urbanites’ contrasting experiences of the Sudanese civil wars, the city's tumultuous history, and their position within its—and the new nation's—present and future. This is most visible in a growing and contested Juba neighborhood that has come to be called by two different names, each tied to distinct experiences of conflict and displacement within and beyond the city. These and other namings and place‐makings index historically‐rooted ethno‐spatial understandings of South Sudan, memories of violence, and the sense of differential access to the city's economic potential in the face of ongoing upheaval. Urban naming and place‐making in Juba (and in other cities similarly impacted by conflict), it is argued, is a central domain through which urbanites disrupt official mappings and mitigate disorienting violence. These discursive practices are a vital means by which people forge stable lives and productive futures in the face of a precarious political present.