bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mapping the microbial diversity and natural resistome of North Antarctica soils
Authors: Marcoleta Andrés E. , Varas Macarena A , Costa José , Rojas-Salgado Johanna , Arros Patricio , Berríos-Pastén Camilo , Tapia Sofía , Silva Daniel , Fierro José , Canales Nicolás , Chávez Francisco P , Gaete Alexis , González Mauricio , Allende Miguel A. , Lagos Rosalba
Published: May 2021

The rising of multiresistant bacterial pathogens is currently one of the most critical threats to global health, demanding a better understanding of the origin and spread of antibiotic resistance. In this regard, the resistome hosted by the microbiota from natural and remote environments remains poorly explored. Moreover, little is known about the availability of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) from these environments to be disseminated through horizontal transfer, potentially mediating the rise of novel resistance factors among clinically relevant pathogens. In this context, the North Antarctica soils are attractive ecosystems to study due to the presence of a microbiota naturally adapted to thrive in harsh conditions, including potential factors to resist natural toxic substances. In this work, we evaluated the antibiotic resistance of bacteria isolated from soils collected in humanized and non-intervened areas of North Antarctica. We identified resistance to a wide array of antibiotics, with isolates harboring up to 10 simultaneous resistances, mainly nativePseudomonas. Genomic analysis revealed the presence of a wide array of genes encoding efflux pumps but the lack of genes explaining some of the resistance phenotypes, suggesting novel uncharacterized mechanisms. Also, using 16S rRNA amplicon and shotgun metagenome sequencing, we explored the microbial diversity in the sampled soils and evaluated the presence of ARGs and their host microbiota. High microbial diversity was found in all the sites, with Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Acidobacteriota, and Verrucomicrobiota being the most abundant Phyla, whileCandidatus Udaeobacter, RB41,Polaromonas, andFerruginibacterthe most abundant genera. We identified hundreds of genes potentially conferring resistance to more than 15 drug classes, both by short reads analyses and ARG detection among assembled contigs and MAGs obtained combining short and long-read sequence data.Polaromonas, Pseudomonas, Streptomyces, Variovorax, Bhurkolderia, andGemmatimonaswere the main host taxa of the identified ARGs. Part of these ARGs was found inside predicted plasmids, including a putative OXA-like beta-lactamase fromPolaromonasharboring the key conserved residues of this kind of enzyme and a conserved predicted protein structure. All this evidence indicates that microbial communities from North Antarctica soil have a highly diverse natural resistome, part of it located inside mobile genetic elements, which would act as a source of novel ARGs.
Interplay between disordered regions in RNAs and proteins modulates interactions within stress granules and processing bodies
Authors: Vandelli Andrea , Samper Fernando Cid , Burgas Marc Torrent , de Groot Natalia Sanchez , Tartaglia Gian Gaetano
Published: May 2021

Condensation, or liquid-like phase separation, is a phenomenon indispensable for the spatiotemporal regulation of molecules within the cell. Recent studies indicate that the composition and molecular organization of phase-separated organelles such as Stress Granules (SGs) and Processing Bodies (PBs) are highly variable and dynamic. A dense contact network involving both RNAs and proteins controls the formation of SGs and PBs and an intricate molecular architecture, at present poorly understood, guarantees that these assemblies sense and adapt to different stresses and environmental changes. Here, we investigated the physico-chemical properties of SGs and PBs components and studied the architecture of their interaction networks. We found that proteins and RNAs establishing the largest amount of contacts in SGs and PBs have distinct structural properties and intrinsic disorder is enriched in all protein-RNA, protein-protein and RNA-RNA interaction networks. The increase of disorder in proteins is accompanied by an enrichment in single-stranded regions of RNA binding partners. Our results suggest that SGs and PBs quickly assemble and disassemble through fuzzy-like dynamic contacts modulated by unfolded domains of their components.

Research Highlights

We systematically studied RNA-RNA, protein-protein and RNA-protein interaction networks in stress granules and processing bodies;

RNAs enriched in stress granules and processing bodies are more single-stranded and form a large number of contacts with both proteins and RNAs;

Proteins in stress granules and processing bodies are less structured and contact larger amounts of single-stranded RNAs.
Binding the acoustic features of an auditory source through temporal coherence
Authors: Rezaeizadeh Mohsen , Shamma Shihab
Published: May 2021

Numerous studies have suggested that the perception of a target sound source can only be segregated from a complex acoustic background if the acoustic features underlying its perceptual attributes (e.g., pitch, location, and timbre) induce temporally modulated responses that are mutually correlated, and that are uncorrelated from those of other sources in the mixture. This “temporal coherence” hypothesis asserts that listening attentively to one or a subset of attributes of a target source enhances their neural responses and concomitantly enhances all other coherent responses, thus binding them together while simultaneously suppressing the incoherent responses to the background features. Here we report on EEG measurements in human subjects engaged in various sound segregation tasks that demonstrate rapid binding among the temporally coherent features of the attended source regardless of their identity, harmonic relationship, or frequency separation, thus confirming the key role temporal coherence plays in the organization of auditory scenes.
A Bivalent Chromatin Controls Timing of Expression of Camalexin Biosynthesis Genes in Response to a Pathogen Signal in Arabidopsis
Authors: Zhao Kangmei , Kong Deze , Jin Benjamin , Smolke Christina D. , Rhee Seung Y.
Published: May 2021

Temporal dynamics of gene expression underpins the responses to internal and environmental stimuli. In eukaryotes, regulation of gene induction includes changing chromatin states at the target genes, and recruitment of the transcriptional machinery that includes transcription factors. As one of the most potent specialized metabolites inArabidopsis thaliana, camalexin can be rapidly induced by bacterial and fungal infections. Though several transcription factors controlling camalexin biosynthesis genes have been characterized, it remains unknown how the rapid activation of genes in this pathway upon a pathogen signal happens. By combining publicly available epigenomic data within vivochromatin mapping, we found that camalexin biosynthesis genes are marked with two epigenetic modifications with opposite effects on gene expression, H3K27me3 (repression) and H3K18ac (activation), to form a bivalent chromatin. Mutants with reduced H3K27m3 or H3K18ac showed that both modifications were required to determine the timing of gene expression and metabolite accumulation at an early stage of the stress response. Our study indicates that this type of bivalent chromatin, which we name a kairostat, plays an important role controlling the timely induction of gene expression upon stimuli in plants.
STARsolo: accurate, fast and versatile mapping/quantification of single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-seq data
Authors: Kaminow Benjamin , Yunusov Dinar , Dobin Alexander
Published: May 2021

We presentSTARsolo, a comprehensive turnkey solution for quantifying gene expression in single-cell/nucleus RNA-seq data, built into RNA-seq alignerSTAR. Using simulated data that closely resembles realistic scRNA-seq, we demonstrate thatSTARsolois highly accurate and significantly outperforms pseudoalignment-to-transcriptome tools.STARsolocan replicate the results of, but is considerably faster thanCellRanger, currently the most widely used tool for pre-processing scRNA-seq data. In addition to uniquely mapped reads,STARsolotakes account of multi-gene reads, necessary to detect certain classes of biologically important genes. It has a flexible cell barcode processing scheme, compatible with many established scRNA-seq protocols, and extendable to emerging technologies.STARsolocan quantify transcriptomic features beyond gene expression, which we illustrate by analyzing cell-type-specific alternative splicing in the Tabula Muris project.
Electronic nicotine delivery systems exhibit reduced bronchial epithelial cells toxicity compared to cigarette: The Replica Project
Authors: Caruso Massimo , Emma Rosalia , Distefano Alfio , Rust Sonja , Poulas Konstantinos , Zadjali Fahad , Boffo Silvia , Volarevic Vladislav , Mesiakaris Konstantinos , Tobi Mohammed Al , Giordano Antonio , Arsenijevic Aleksandar , Zuccarello Pietro , Ferrante Margherita , Polosa Riccardo , Volti Giovanni Li ,   the Replica Project Group
Published: May 2021

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) may reduce health risks associated with chronic exposure to smoke and their potential benefits have been the matter of intense scientific debate. Here we replicated three key published studies from the Tobacco Industry on cytotoxic and inflammatory effects of cigarette smoke and ENDS aerosol in an independent multicentric study. We aimed to establish the reliability of results and the robustness of conclusions by replicating the authors’ experimental protocols and further validating them with different techniques. We exposed human bronchial epithelial cell (NCI-H292) to cigarette smoke and to aerosol from ENDS. All the exposure were conducted at air-liquid interface to assess cytotoxicity effects of smoke and aerosol. Moreover, we aimed to assess different inflammatory mediators release (IL-6, IL-8 and MMP-1) from cells exposed to whole smoke and to smoke without particulate matter (vapor phase). We were able to replicate the results obtained in the original studies on cytotoxicity confirming that almost 80% of the cytotoxic effect of smoke is due to the vapor phase of smoke. Moreover, our results substantiated the reduced cytotoxic effects of ENDS aerosol in respect to cigarette smoke. However, our data are significantly different from the original ones in terms of inflammatory and remodeling activity triggered by smoke. Taken all together, the data obtained independently in different laboratories clearly demonstrate the reduced toxicity of ENDS products compared to cigarettes and thus providing a valuable tool to the harm reduction strategies in smokers.
Flexible foraging behaviour increases predator vulnerability to climate change
Authors: Gauzens Benoit , Rosenbaum Benjamin , Kalinkat Gregor , Boy Thomas , Jochum Malte , Kortsch Susanne , O’Gorman Eoin J. , Brose Ulrich
Published: May 2021

Higher temperatures are expected to reduce species coexistence by increasing energetic demands. However, flexible foraging behaviour could balance this effect by allowing predators to target specific prey species to maximize their energy intake, according to principles of optimal foraging theory. We test these assumptions using a large dataset comprising 2,487 stomach contents from six fish species with different feeding strategies, sampled across environments with varying prey availability over 12 years in Kiel Bay (Baltic Sea). Our results show that foraging shifts from trait-to density-dependent prey selectivity in warmer and more productive environments. This behavioural change leads to lower consumption efficiency at higher temperature as fish select more abundant but less energetically rewarding prey, thereby undermining species persistence and biodiversity. By integrating this behaviour into dynamic food web models, our study reveals that flexible foraging leads to lower species coexistence and biodiversity in communities under global warming.
Telework operationalization through internal CSR, governmentality and accountability during the Covid-19: evidence from a developing country
Authors: Metwally Abdelmoneim Bahyeldin Mohamed , Diab Ahmed , Mohamed Mostafa Kayed
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of Covid-19 on transforming accountability, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and office operation and control. This paper explains how unleashing the rationality of health and safety along with internal CSR made the transformation to telework successfully operable in a periphery of a western multinational corporation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws upon the theories of governmentality and social accountability. It adopts an interpretative qualitative research approach and uses the case study method. Data were collected from one of the biggest private sector telecommunication companies in Egypt.

Findings

This study finds that Covid-19 and its related health and safety discourse represented a good rationale for the western home office to accelerate the initiation of its office transformation plan to reach full working from home policy in a less developed country peripheral subsidiary. Under the guise of CSR, the company spent a large budget to make this transformation quickly operable, while its Egyptian subsidiary is financially distressed. Moreover, the company achieved its objectives from this new rationality as employees currently prefer the telework mode which reduces the company costs in the long run.

Practical implications

The study provides practitioners with evidence and practicable knowledge regarding the impact of Covid-19 on office reconfiguration and the ways used to achieve this in the Egyptian telecommunication sector.

Originality/value

The current study extends the governmentality literature by illustrating that transformation to telework in emerging markets is an operational manifestation of cost reduction and efficiency rationality under the guise of CSR. Moreover, it extends the office transformation literature by bringing early evidence regarding office transition plans during COVID-19 in an emerging market.
Challenges of involving students in campus SDGs-related practices in an ODeL context: the case of the University of South Africa (Unisa)
Authors: Mawonde Albert , Togo Muchaiteyi
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges faced by ODeL institutions to involve students in campus sustainable development goals (SDGs) related practices. Given that universities are mandated by several calls to participate in the implementation of SDGs, one way they can contribute to the SDGs paradigm is through the involvement of students.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through interviewing the Campus Operations Manager and the Students Representative Council (SRC) to determine the challenges of involving students’ in SDGs-related practices. The SRC completed the USAT (Part C) to determine SDGs practices students are involved in. An online survey was undertaken to determine how BSc Environmental Management students are participating in SDGs and the challenges faced towards their involvement. Thematic analysis analysed interview data and descriptive statistics analysed online survey data. Credibility and reliability were enhanced by data triangulation.

Findings

The research revealed that few students were involved in some campus SDGs-related practices. Few students were involved in off-campus SDG projects. This result is attributed to the distance between the University of South Africa (Unisa) and the students, lack of finance, the misconception around SDGs and a lack of interest in SDGs. The geographical distribution of ODeL students was concluded as the major barrier to student involvement in SDGs.

Originality/value

There are few studies, which investigated the involvement of students in campus-related SDGs in universities, let alone distance universities in Africa. The paper testifies that ODeL institutions have avenues to involve students in SDGs if such institutions become proactive through campus SDGs competitions and certification.
Environmental and sustainability campaigns: a case study of India's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (2014–2019)
Authors: Dash Amarendra Kumar , Dash Rajendra Kumar
Published: May 2021

Purpose

With the increasing realization of the importance of communication for sustainable development, strategic issues such as institutional alliances, public participation and media integration have emerged as indispensable tools in any environmental campaign. This study is an inquiry into India's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (2014–2019) which is one of the major strategic sustainable development campaigns of the 21st century. The twin research questions raised are (1) What were the major action-plans and the key outreach strategies adopted in SBA? and (2) How the discourse of swachhata (cleanliness) was propagated in SBA?

Design/methodology/approach

With response to research question 1, a seven-fold analysis of the strategic aspects of the SBA is undertaken utilizing Willner's (2006) strategic approach to the promotion of sustainable development campaigns. Research question 2 is addressed through a multimodal analysis of the discourse of swachhata (cleanliness) following the Grammar of Visual Design framework of Kress and van Lieuwen (2006).

Findings

The campaign employed a 360-degree promotional strategy. It involved print, electronic and social media; promoted inter- and intra-institutional alliances; roped in opinion leaders and opinion formers; and encouraged massive public participation. Strategically, SBA's discourse of cleanliness adhered to the “3R” principles of the United Nation's Sustainability Goals: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Tactically, the discourse of cleanliness was framed in the ideas of shame versus dignity and was entrenched in the ideals of commitment to nation and neighborhood, and good citizenship.

Research limitations/implications

One major limitation of this study is the exclusion of certain intervening variables such as (1) access to the state of the art of green technology, (2) green financing, (3) green incubation, (4) sustainable PPP models for SBA and (5) for-profit approach to environmental cleanliness. Future studies can expand the scope of research by incorporating these variables in their analytical frameworks.

Originality/value

This is the first study to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the communication aspect of SBA. This case study, in particular, can be useful for the young research scholars and postgraduate students of Communication, Management and Public Policy.
Are global gold futures returns volatilities and trading activities threshold cointegrated?
Authors: Chen Chien-Hung , Lee Nicholas , Chang Fu-Min , Lan Li-Peng
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine whether global gold futures returns volatilities and trading activities are threshold cointegrated.

Design/methodology/approach

This study considers 11 gold futures markets, including 3 developed futures markets and 8 developing futures markets. This study also analyzes futures trading activities for speculators and hedgers. This study uses a nonlinear threshold vector error correction model (TVECM) and a threshold Lagrange multiplier (LM) test proposed by Hansen and Seo (2002).

Findings

The findings show that global gold futures return volatilities (FRV) and trading activities are not always threshold cointegrated. Most developed futures markets exhibit threshold cointegrated of gold FRV and trading activities for speculators and hedgers, whereas some developing futures markets exhibit threshold cointegrated. It suggests that speculators and hedgers trading activity conveys valuable information about changes in market volatility dynamics. On the other hand, responses to error-correction effect among gold FRV and trading activities for speculators and hedgers are dramatically different for developed and developing gold futures markets, respectively, particular in the unusual regime.

Research limitations/implications

Research results show that threshold cointegration between global gold FRV and trading activities matters but not always. Thus, threshold relations have improved the authors’ understanding of global gold futures price discovery process with a threshold. For research limitations, this study uses only near month futures contracts, as it contains more information but not using far month contracts.

Practical implications

The findings may have important trading implications with additional insights in a(n) (un)usual regime further regulation may be detrimental to the price responsiveness in futures markets if increased price volatility and trading volume are attributed to liquid and efficient markets.

Social implications

The findings may have important policy implications with additional insights. For example, in a(n) (un)usual regime greater regulatory restrictions may be warranted to decrease market inefficiencies if increased price fluctuations are caused by increased trading volume. Policymakers could enhance futures trading liquidity or restrict speculating positions.

Originality/value

This study examines whether global gold futures returns volatilities and trading activities are threshold cointegrated by using a nonlinear TVECM. The authors detect that some global gold futures returns volatilities and trading activities are threshold cointegrated but some are not. Hence, the findings determine whether the volatility–volume threshold relation holds across countries and investigate the determinants of cross-country differences in different traders.
An exploratory questionnaire survey about overwork on mental health of Japanese elementary and junior high school teachers
Authors: Kuwabara Miki , Oba Koji , Takano Nao , Nagamine Noritoshi , Maruyama Yoko , Ito Nobuhiro , Watanabe Izumi , Ikeda Chikako , Sakamoto Junichi
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Occupational stress-relating overwork among teachers predispose to mental disorders and eventually lead to long leave from work. Although some studies have been conducted to assess these problems among elementary and junior high school teachers, a quantitative investigation has been limited to date. In this study, the authors sought to explore the association between overwork and mental stress among Japanese elementary and junior high school teachers.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out on 294 Japanese elementary and junior high school teachers. The respondents filled a questionnaire on personal data, and occupational stress reaction was evaluated by Japanese version of Brief Job Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression model was used to evaluate the association between overwork information and psychological and physical stress.

Findings

Working during holidays was significantly likely to increase psychological and physical stress reactions among elementary school teachers (adjusted mean difference = −1.67, 95% CI: −2.81 to −0.54) and junior high school teachers (adjusted mean difference = −5.24, 95% CI: −9.60 to −0.87). A weakly positive association was found between high risk of psychological and physical stress and marital status (p = 0.005), teacher in charge of class (p = 0.015) among elementary school teachers.

Originality/value

This study indicated an association between working during holidays and psychological and physical stress reactions among elementary and junior high school teachers after adjusting for sociodemographic and work-related status. Further study for the confirmation of this finding is warranted.
Stigma toward individuals with mental illness: validation of the Arabic version of the Attribution Questionnaire in a university student population
Authors: Saguem Bochra Nourhene , Gharmoul Marwa , Braham Amel , Ben Nasr Selma , Qin Sang , Corrigan Patrick
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the attribution questionnaire (AQ).

Design/methodology/approach

The AQ is designed to assess attitudes, affects and behavioral intentions related to a hypothetical person diagnosed with schizophrenia. The original English version was translated into Literary Arabic. A total of 310 students registered in different universities, with medical and paramedical establishments excluded completed the Arabic version of AQ. Reliability was tested using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypothesized paths. Correlations among exogenous (e.g. responsibility) and endogenous (e.g. help) variables in the path were examined. Fit indicators were then examined for equations that were identified.

Findings

The results revealed that the Arabic version of AQ showed acceptable psychometric properties in the assessment of stigma in the Tunisian population. All factors of this Arabic version showed Cronbach’s alpha values equal to or greater than 0.72. Structural equation models for the responsibility and dangerousness models were mostly supported. The Arabic version of AQ is valid and reliable for the assessment of stigma in Tunisian and Arabic-speaking populations.

Practical implications

The Arabic version of AQ may be used to promote research on stigma toward people with mental illness in larger and more representative Tunisian and Arabic-speaking populations, which will help to further address the complex and multifaceted phenomenon of stigma toward people with mental illness.

Originality/value

This is the first validated stigma measure in the Tunisian socio-cultural context.
Systemic support and environmental awareness in a normalised environmental management system consistent with ISO 14001
Authors: Bugdol Marek , Goranczewski Bolesław , Kądzielawski Grzegorz
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The study aimed to determine the correlations occurring between systemic support and environmental awareness. Additionally, the authors wished to establish which systemic factors (criteria of the ISO 14001) impact those dependencies.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative and qualitative research were carried out (survey findings were analysed against documentation research and self-observation records). The authors used literature review, analysis of system documentation, survey research and self-observation. The research was conducted in the period from April to May 2020. It focused on a chemical company operating within the structure of a large capital group and employing over 1,500 people. The system theory was used in the research. This theory recognises the existence of correlations and interactions among its subsystems and the elements that constitute them.

Findings

The conducted study points unequivocally to a considerable discrepancy between employees' opinions and records made in the documentation. Correlations between support and awareness level do exist, although for them to be positive, it is necessary to ensure an efficient process of communicating the effectiveness of the environmental management system. Reliance merely on audit findings, management reviews and environment monitoring process is insufficient. More focus is required on building employee commitment, as well as on counteracting excessive formalisation.

Originality/value

Environmental management systems have been gaining in popularity. There have been studies into the motives behind implementation of such systems, their benefits and their barriers for their application. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship between the individual criteria of the environmental management system.
Research watch: trauma-informed mental health care and avoiding exclusion of people with a psychosis diagnosis from trauma therapies
Authors: Holttum Sue
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to highlight emerging research relating to the need to recognise and address trauma in mental health service users.

Design/methodology/approach

The author searched for papers on trauma-informed care, published in the past two years.

Findings

One paper reports ideas of service users and family members for trauma-informed mental health services. A second paper describes an online survey seeking agreement between staff and service users of early intervention services for psychosis about practices of trauma-informed care. Both papers feature themes about safety and staff having training and support for asking about and responding to trauma. A third paper reports on specific therapies for trauma with people who experience psychosis. It found some evidence for talking therapies but noted that people with a psychosis diagnosis are rarely offered such therapies.

Originality/value

These papers highlight an emerging consensus about essential components of trauma-informed care and the need for staff training and support to realise it. The exclusion of people with a psychosis diagnosis from specific trauma therapies might begin to be addressed if services were more able to recognise trauma. There is some evidence that talking therapies for childhood trauma can be helpful for people who have a psychosis diagnosis. However, evidence reviews should be broadened to include a range of distressing experiences recognised to follow childhood trauma irrespective of whether the person has a psychosis diagnosis.
COVID‐19 impact on SADC labour markets: Evidence from high‐frequency data and other sources
Authors: Rosenberg Joshua , Strauss Ilan , Isaacs Gilad
Published: May 2021

We assess the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic on the labour markets and economies of 16 SADC member states using a qualitative risk assessment on the basis of high‐frequency Google Mobility data, monthly commodity price data, annual national accounts, and households survey labour market data. Our work highlights the ways in which these complementary datasets can be used by economists to conduct near real‐time macroeconomic surveillance work covering labour market responses to macroeconomic shocks, including for seemingly information scarce African economies. We find that Angola, South Africa and Zimbabwe are at greatest risk across several labour market dimensions from the COVID‐19 shock, followed by a second group of countries consisting of Comoros, DRC, Madagascar and Mauritius. Angola faces relatively less general employment risk than South Africa and Zimbabwe due to more muted decreases in mobility, though faces large pressure in its primary sector. These countries all face high risk in their youth populations, with Angola and Zimbabwe seeing high risks for women. South Africa faces more sector‐specific risks in their secondary and tertiary sectors, as does Mauritius. Comoros, DRC and Madagascar all face high risks of employment loss for women and youth, with Comoros and Mauritius facing severe general employment risks.
‘Disgusting and Intolerable’: Sexual Relationships between European Women and Moroccan Men in French Morocco in the 1940s and 1950s
Authors: Phipps Catherine
Published: May 2021

This paper examines sexual relationships between European women and Moroccan men during the French protectorate in Morocco in the early twentieth century. These relationships were forbidden and often resulted in calls for expulsion as the women engaged in them were considered ‘dangerous for public safety’. The Moroccan men faced no such consequences due to French racial attitudes. Many of the women engaged in these relationships were married to French men who were responsible for managing the French imperial presence, either in the military or as fonctionnaires. Through correspondence sent from these women to their lovers, held within governmental reports on eighty‐three individual cases, this paper examines attitudes towards these sexual relationships as well as the experience of those engaged in them. These relationships were considered to reverse the well‐established function of imperial power through male sexual domination of ‘colonised’ women. Many Moroccan men may have been drawn to such relationships for this reason. Additionally, highlighting the role of female sexual desire demonstrates how the gendered hierarchies within the relationships themselves threatened imperial racial hierarchies.
Institutional duality and human resource management practice in foreign subsidiaries of multinationals
Authors: Stavrou Eleni , Parry Emma , Gooderham Paul , Morley Michael , Lazarova Mila
Published: May 2021

We examine how institutional context affects the decisions that subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs) make in pursuing particular human resource management (HRM) practices in response to institutional duality. Drawing on Varieties of Capitalism, along with the concept of intermediate conformity, we argue that the use of particular HRM practices by MNC subsidiaries will differ depending on both the combination of home and host institutional contexts, and on the nature of the particular practice under consideration. Using data from a survey of HRM practices in 1196 firms across 10 countries, we compare HRM practices in subsidiaries located and headquartered in different combinations of liberal and/or coordinated market economies. Our study suggests MNC subsidiaries conform only to the most persuasive norms, while exercising their agency to take advantage of the opportunities presented by institutional duality to adopt practices that distinguish them from indigenous competitors.
Characterization of umami compounds in bone meal hydrolysate
Authors: Zhang Yin , Ke Huan , Bai Ting , Chen Chang , Guo Tianrong , Mu Yunlong , Li Hui , Liao Wenlong , Pan Zhongli , Zhao Liming
Published: May 2021

The objective of this research was to identify and characterize the chemical compounds that exhibited monosodium glutamate (MSG)‐like taste in the hydrolyzed bone meal produced by using flavourzyme. The free amino acids and peptides in the bone meal hydrolysate were analyzed. The results showed that the glutamic acid and the aspartic acid in the bone meal increased by 13.1 times and 14.2 times, respectively, after the flavourzyme hydrolysis. The peptides’ isolation identified six MSG‐like peptides in the hydrolysate, including APGPVGPAG, DAINWPTPGEIAH, FLGDEETVR, GVDEATIIEILTK, PAGPVGPVG, and VAPEEHPTL, which should contribute to the taste. The human sensory evaluation results indicated that the six peptides showed MSG‐like taste, and the electronic tongue analysis indicated that the six peptides showed sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and astringency. The findings of this study demonstrated that the MSG‐like taste of the bone meal hydrolysate should be attributed to the generation of MSG‐like amino acids and peptides from the flavourzyme hydrolysis.

Practical Application

The manuscript describes the umami compounds in the bone meal hydrolysate. The findings from this study should further confirm the feasibility of using bone meal to prepare meat‐flavor essence and provide a better understanding of preparing bio‐source flavoring peptides, which is very important to the artificial meat development and gene breeding.
Scaling up uncertain predictions to higher levels of organisation tends to underestimate change
Authors: Orr James A. , Piggott Jeremy J. , Jackson Andrew L. , Arnoldi Jean‐François
Published: May 2021

Uncertainty is an irreducible part of predictive science, causing us to over‐ or underestimate the magnitude of change that a system of interest will face. In a reductionist approach, we may use predictions at the level of individual system components (e.g. species biomass), and combine them to generate predictions for system‐level properties (e.g. ecosystem function).

Here we show that this process of scaling up uncertain predictions to higher levels of organisation has a surprising consequence: it tends to systematically underestimate the magnitude of system‐level change, an effect whose significance grows with the system's dimensionality. This stems from a geometric observation: in high dimensions there are more ways to be more different, than ways to be more similar.

We focus on ecosystem‐level predictions generated from the combination of predictions at the species level. In this setting, the ecosystem's relevant dimensionality is a measure of its diversity (and not simply the number of species). We explain why dimensional effects do not play out when predicting change of a single linear aggregate property (e.g. total biomass), yet are revealed when predicting change of nonlinear properties (e.g. absolute biomass change, stability or diversity), and when several properties are considered at once to describe the ecosystem, as in multi‐functional ecology.

As an application we discuss the consequences of our theory for multiple‐stressor research. This empirical field focuses on interactions between stressors, defined as the error made by a prediction based on their observed individual effects. Our geometric approach can be visualised and explored with a web application (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4611133), and we provide pseudocode outlining how our theory can be applied. Our findings highlight and describe the counter‐intuitive effects of scaling up uncertain predictions, effects that can occur in any field of science where a reductionist approach is used to generate predictions.

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Child abuse and suicidality in the context of the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide: A network analysis
Authors: Schönfelder Antje , Rath Dajana , Forkmann Thomas , Paashaus Laura , Lucht Luise , Teismann Tobias , Stengler Katarina , Juckel Georg , Glaesmer Heide
Published: May 2021

Objectives

While there is evidence for an association of child abuse with suicidality in the course of life, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) provides a theoretical framework to investigate this relationship. The present study examines how different subtypes of child abuse are related to suicidal ideation and to attempts in the context of the IPTS.

Methods

146 psychiatric inpatients (M = 37.9 years, 62% female) with an acute suicidal crisis (n = 71) or a recent suicide attempt (n = 74) were examined at baseline (T0) and six (T1) months later. We measured emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, the constructs of the IPTS (thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and capability for suicide) and suicidal ideation as well as suicide attempts. Using the statistics program R, a network analysis of all named constructs was conducted. Centrality measures were computed.

Results

Emotional abuse was the most central kind of abuse in the network and had a direct relationship with suicide attempts and an indirect relationship with suicidal ideation via perceived burdensomeness. Physical and sexual abuse showed no significant relations with the different constructs of the IPTS.

Conclusion

The major limitation of this study was the modest sample size which reduced the number of variables able to be included in the network. Regarding child abuse, the results underline that emotional abuse plays a central role in this network and may be important for suicide risk assessment. Future research should address this topic in a larger sample.

Practitioner points

Emotional abuse was the most central kind of abuse in this network analysis.

Sexual abuse was the only kind of abuse with a direct relation to suicidal ideation.

Capability for suicide had just a marginal position in the network analysis.

Early interventions addressing the effects of child abuse are recommended.

Replications in larger samples and with more relevant variables are needed.
Impact of the School Environment on Medical Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Population‐Wide Register Data Study of School‐Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Authors: Borgen Nicolai T. , Frønes Ivar , Raaum Oddbjørn
Published: May 2021

Although attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most heritable psychiatric childhood disorders, social and gene–environment interactions seemingly play an important role in the etiology of ADHD. Consistent with this, this study finds that School‐Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) reduced the likelihood of pharmacotherapeutic treatment for ADHD at age 14–16 by 12%, using population‐wide Norwegian register data and a difference‐in‐difference design (N = 698,364, birth cohorts 1990–2002, 48.7% girls, 5.7% immigrant background). At‐risk students in schools with high fidelity of implementation are driving these intervention effects. Overall, the findings indicate that children with a genetic disposition for ADHD are more likely to avoid medical treatment in an organized and predictable school setting with a focus on positive reinforcement.
Urinary symptoms in women with faecal incontinence
Authors: Ortega Marcus V. , Kim Youngwu , Mitchell Caroline , James Kaitlyn , Savitt Lieba , Von Bargen Emily , Bordeianou Liliana G. , Weinstein Milena M.
Published: May 2021

Aim

Faecal incontinence (FI) is estimated to affect 8.9% of women in the United States, with a significant impact on quality of life. Our aim was to compare urinary symptoms in patients with and without FI with different degrees of severity.

Methods

This prospective cohort of women presented for care at a pelvic floor disorder centre between May 2007 and January 2019. We excluded women with a history of bowel resection, prior history of pelvic organ prolapse surgery or existing prolapse symptoms reported by the patient during intake. The primary outcome was the presence of urinary symptoms in women with and without FI by validated questionnaires. A logistic regression model for association of urinary symptoms with FI was performed, adjusting for age, smoking, diabetes, prior hysterectomy and irritable bowel syndrome.

Results

A total of 2932 met inclusion criteria, and of these 1404 (47.89%) reported FI. In the univariate analysis, patients with FI were more likely to have urgency urinary incontinence (P = 0.01) or mixed urinary incontinence (P < 0.001), report nocturnal enuresis (P < 0.001) or have leakage of urine during sex (P < 0.001). In an adjusted model, FI was associated with concurrent stress (adjusted OR 1.28, P = 0.034), urgency (adjusted OR 1.52, P < 0.001) and mixed incontinence (adjusted OR 1.94, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

In women with pelvic floor disorders, the presence of FI is associated with a higher prevalence of urinary incontinence. Pelvic floor specialists should assess urinary incontinence symptoms along with the presence and severity of FI to provide comprehensive care and guide appropriate therapy.
The role of inorganic electrolyte (salt) in cellulosic fibre dyeing: Part 1 fundamental aspects
Authors: Burkinshaw Stephen M
Published: May 2021

This review concerns the application of dyes to both natural and man‐made cellulosic fibres from aqueous dyebaths using exhaust dyeing processes and the role of added inorganic electrolyte in such dyeing systems. This part of the article presents a review of the fundamental properties and characteristics of cellulosic fibres and each of the five classes of dye employed for their coloration, as well as the essential principles involved in the application of the various types of dye to cellulosic fibres. In the next part of the article, the various theories and concepts which have been proposed to account for the promotional effect exerted by added inorganic electrolyte on dye uptake are reviewed and scrutinised, from the viewpoints of the essential physico‐chemical properties of the five classes of dye that are used and the fundamental aspects of their application.
Presumed killers? Vultures, stakeholders, misperceptions, and fake news
Authors: Lambertucci Sergio A. , Margalida Antoni , Speziale Karina L. , Amar Arjun , Ballejo Fernando , Bildstein Keith L. , Blanco Guillermo , Botha André J. , Bowden Christopher G.R. , Cortés‐Avizanda Ainara , Duriez Olivier , Green Rhys E. , Hiraldo Fernando , Ogada Darcy , Plaza Pablo , Sánchez‐Zapata José A. , Santangeli Andrea , Selva Nuria , Spiegel Orr , Donázar José A.
Published: May 2021

Vultures and condors are among the most threatened avian species in the world due to the impacts of human activities. Negative perceptions can contribute to these threats as some vulture species have been historically blamed for killing livestock. This perception of conflict has increased in recent years, associated with a viral spread of partial and biased information through social media and despite limited empirical support for these assertions. Here, we highlight that magnifying infrequent events of livestock being injured by vultures through publically shared videos or biased news items negatively impact efforts to conserve threatened populations of avian scavengers. We encourage environmental agencies, researchers, and practitioners to evaluate the reliability, frequency, and context of reports of vulture predation, weighing those results against the diverse and valuable contributions of vultures to environmental health and human well‐being. We also encourage the development of awareness campaigns and improved livestock management practices, including commonly available nonlethal deterrence strategies, if needed. These actions are urgently required to allow the development of a more effective conservation strategy for vultures worldwide.
Echocardiographic assessment of coronary microvascular dysfunction: Basic concepts, technical aspects, and clinical settings
Authors: Carbone Andreina , D’Andrea Antonello , Sperlongano Simona , Tagliamonte Ercole , Mandoli Giulia Elena , Santoro Ciro , Evola Vincenzo , Bandera Francesco , Morrone Doralisa , Malagoli Alessandro , D’Ascenzi Flavio , Bossone Eduardo , Cameli Matteo ,   Echocardiography study group of the Italian Society of Cardiology
Published: May 2021

Coronary flow reserve is the capacity of the coronary circulation to augment the blood flow in response an increase in myocardial metabolic demands and has a powerful prognostic significance in different clinical situations. It might assess with invasive and noninvasive technique. Transthoracic echocardiography Doppler is an emerging diagnostic technique, noninvasive, highly feasible, safe for patient and physician, without radiation, and able to detect macrovascular and microvascular anomalies in the coronary circulation. This review aims to describe the benefit and limits of echocardiographic assessment of coronary flow reserve.
Interplay between gut microbiota, bone health and vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease
Authors: Rodrigues Fernanda G. , Ormanji Milene S. , Heilberg Ita P. , Bakker Stephan J. L. , de Borst Martin H.
Published: May 2021

Deregulations in gut microbiota may play a role in vascular and bone disease in chronic kidney disease (CKD). As glomerular filtration rate declines, the colon becomes more important as a site of excretion of urea and uric acid, and an increased bacterial proteolytic fermentation alters the gut microbial balance. A diet with limited amounts of fibre, as well as certain medications (eg phosphate binders, iron supplementation, antibiotics) further contribute to changes in gut microbiota composition among CKD patients. At the same time, both vascular calcification and bone disease are common in patients with advanced kidney disease. This narrative review describes emerging evidence on gut dysbiosis, vascular calcification, bone demineralization and their interrelationship termed the ‘gut‐bone‐vascular axis’ in progressive CKD. The role of diet, gut microbial metabolites (ie indoxyl sulphate, p‐cresyl sulphate, trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO) and short‐chain fatty acids (SCFA)), vitamin K deficiency, inflammatory cytokines and their impact on both bone health and vascular calcification are discussed. This framework may open up novel preventive and therapeutic approaches targeting the microbiome in an attempt to improve cardiovascular and bone health in CKD.