bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Techno-economic assessment of using wind power system for tribal region of Gachsaran in Iran
Authors: Mostafaeipour Ali , Qolipour Mojtaba , Rezaei Mostafa , Goudarzi Hossein
Published: September 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the techno-economic feasibility of wind power potential for a tribal region located in Gachsaran in the South-West of Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

Techno-economic feasibility study and analysis of data were conducted by HOMER v2.68 software. Simulations and calculations were performed for 10 kW turbines, 8 Trojan L16P batteries, 12 kW converter and 12 kW generator. To anticipate the pay back period (PBP) or the time required to reach profitability, an engineering economic method named net equivalent uniform annual was applied.

Findings

The power plant construction cost, including the initial cost, installing, replacing and project operating costs for useful life of 20 years was equal to $40970. The net income of the project for each year was $8538 and the calculations were carried out using interest rate of 18%. Results indicated that PBP was 13 years which is lower than 20 years useful life of the turbine. Therefore, it is economically feasible to use this type of turbine for the nominated region.

Originality/value

There has not been conducted a research regarding remote areas in Iran; therefore, this study aims at closing this research gap. Moreover, this method could be used for any remote areas in any other developing country.
Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem based on crowdfunding in Europe: the role of public policy
Authors: Cicchiello Antonella Francesca
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the role that public policies may have in re-shaping entrepreneurial ecosystems and supporting the creation of functioning ecosystems based on new forms of finance, i.e. the equity-based crowdfunding.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper first identifies and examines the European policies developed to encourage the use of equity crowdfunding in entrepreneurial finance from 2003 to 2018. Then, it reviews national regulatory frameworks for crowdfunding, and analyses the barriers that constrain the growth of national crowdfunding markets. Finally, the paper addresses the issue of regulatory harmonisation by underlining its importance in building an entrepreneurial ecosystem based on crowdfunding.

Findings

Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem based on crowdfunding requires better policy coordination between European countries and readiness to take concerted actions. National authorities must look at the crowdfunding phenomenon from a European perspective and align their policies. European policymakers must import best practices from thriving national ecosystems by implementing less bureaucratic policies and with greater impact on entrepreneurial activity.

Social implications

In a post-crisis economy, the architecture of entrepreneurial ecosystems must evolve and focus on new financing alternatives ensuring the survival of successful businesses.

Originality/value

The paper offers a new perspective on entrepreneurship looking at the formation and development of new ecosystems around equity crowdfunding platforms. It also provides a relevant starting point for subsequent studies into this field.
Mapping the public debate on ethical concerns: algorithms in mainstream media
Authors: Barn Balbir S.
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Algorithms are in the mainstream media news on an almost daily basis. Their context is invariably artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning decision-making. In media articles, algorithms are described as powerful, autonomous actors that have a capability of producing actions that have consequences. Despite a tendency for deification, the prevailing critique of algorithms focuses on ethical concerns raised by decisions resulting from algorithmic processing. However, the purpose of this paper is to propose that the ethical concerns discussed are limited in scope and suggest that it is not clear what concerns dominate the debate.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a systematic mapping study approach to review articles appearing in leading UK national papers from the perspective of the ethical concerns over a period of one year. The articles are categorised using a widely cited framework detailing a taxonomy of ethical concerns. The UK context is important because of UK public policy initiatives around AI.

Findings

The research presented in this paper contributes the first systematic mapping study of articles appearing in leading UK national papers from the perspective of widely accepted ethical concerns such as inscrutable evidence, misguided evidence, unfair outcomes and transformative effects.

Originality/value

The research presented in this paper contributes the first systematic mapping study of articles appearing in leading UK national papers from the perspective of the ethical concerns. The UK context is important because of UK public policy initiatives around AI. To review the media content from the perspective of ethical concerns, this paper uses the synthesised conceptual map of ethical concerns developed by Mittelstad et al. Given the dominance of that framework, this paper’s contribution is also an important instantiation and experimental validation of using that conceptual map.
Fake news and brand management: a Delphi study of impact, vulnerability and mitigation
Authors: Flostrand Andrew , Pitt Leyland , Kietzmann Jan
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Fake news is presently one of the most discussed phenomena in politics, social life and the world of business. This paper aims to report the aggregated opinions of 42 brand management academics on the level of threat to, the involvement of, and the available actions of brand managers resulting from fake news.

Design/methodology/approach

A Delphi study of 42 academics with peer-reviewed publications in the brand management domain.

Findings

The study found that on some dimensions (e.g. the culpability of brand managers for incentivizing fake news by sponsoring its sources), expert opinion varied greatly. Other dimensions (e.g. whether the impact of fake news on brand management is increasing) reached a high level of consensus. The general findings indicate that fake news is an increasing phenomenon. Service brands are most at risk, but brand management generally is need of improving or implementing, fake news mitigation strategies.

Research limitations/implications

Widely diverse opinions revealed the need for conclusive research on the questions of: whether brands suffer damage from sponsoring fake news, whether fake news production is supported by advertising and whether more extensive use of internet facilitated direct interactions with the public through crowdsourcing increased vulnerability.

Practical implications

Experts agreed that practitioners must become more adept with contemporary tools such as fake news site blacklists, and much more aware of identifying and mitigating the brand vulnerabilities to fake news.

Social implications

A noteworthy breadth of expert opinion was revealed as to whether embellished or fabricated brand narratives can be read as fake news, inviting the question as to whether brands now be held to higher standards of communication integrity.

Originality/value

This paper provides a broad-shallow exploratory overview of the professional opinions of a large international panel of brand management academics on how the recent arrival of industrial fake news does, and will, impact this field.
The effects of employee voice on workplace bullying and job satisfaction
Authors: Liang Huai-Liang , Yeh Tsung-Kai
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Employee voice is seen as a double-edged behavior in organizations. This study considers individuals’ evaluations of various features of their work situations. In particular, leader–member exchange (LMX) mediates the influence of voice behavior on workplace bullying and employee job satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to examine a model in which employee voice positively affects workplace bullying and job satisfaction through LMX.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 447 employer–employee dyads from a large manufacturing company and public organizations in Taiwan were surveyed. Two-wave data demonstrated a significant positive relationship between employee voice and its outcomes, mediated by LMX relationship.

Findings

The results reveal significant relationships between voice behavior and workplace bullying and between employee voice and job satisfaction. Additionally, LMX is an important mechanism in the relationships between employee voice and workplace bullying and employee voice and job satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

Although this study obtained data from employer–employee dyads, practical constraints prevented complete consideration of issues in the work domain, such as colleagues, which might influence employees’ job satisfaction and workplace bullying.

Practical implications

Employee voice refers to an employee providing challenging advice to contribute to the success of an organization. Voicing employees who speak up to change the status quo and challenge the current circumstances in an organization may become the target of bullying. Therefore, it is suggested that leaders should address the advice offered by employees and provide suitable support when employee voice benefits the company.

Originality/value

The findings have implications for the understanding of employees’ conditions and its associations with social issues in the workplace.
Differential moderating effects of collectivistic and power distance orientations on the effectiveness of work motivators
Authors: Yang Jen-Shou
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating effects of power distance and collectivistic orientations on the effectiveness of intrinsic, extrinsic and reciprocal motivators in promoting employees’ willingness to cooperate for organizational interest. An integrated theoretical framework which incorporated cultural influence on need priority and on legitimacy of social exchange was established to develop the hypotheses.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used the methodology of information-integration theory to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

This study found that power distance orientation enhanced the effectiveness of extrinsic motivator but mitigated that of intrinsic motivator, and was irrelevant to that of reciprocal motivator. In contrast, collectivistic orientation mitigated the effectiveness of extrinsic motivator but enhanced that of reciprocal motivator, and was irrelevant to that of intrinsic motivator.

Practical implications

Managers may use reciprocal motivators for employees with high collectivism in order to increase their willingness to cooperate for the interest of the organization. Meanwhile, extrinsic motivators may be utilized for employees with high power distance but may not be as effective for those with low power distance. However, managers should not expect intrinsic motivators to be as attractive to those with high power distance as to those with low power distance.

Originality/value

By integrating multiple cultural orientations and multiple work motivators in one study, this research clarified the differential moderating effects of power distance and collectivistic orientations on the effectiveness of intrinsic, extrinsic and reciprocal motivators in promoting employees’ willingness to cooperate. Potential confounding problems in prior studies derived from the correlation between cultural values and coexistence of multiple motivators were discussed.
Determinants of accounting choice: do CFOs’ characteristics matter?
Authors: Almeida Neirilaine Silva de , Lemes Sirlei
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine associations between observable characteristics of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and accounting choices.

Design/methodology/approach

The dependent variable is an index that measures a manager's propensity to choose accounting policies that increase earnings and/or operating cash flow (OCF). The index consists of ten accounting policies collected from the financial statements of 175 entities located in Germany, Brazil and the UK (2010-2016).

Findings

The results demonstrate that the observable characteristics of CFOs partially explain their accounting choices. Specifically, entities that tend to adopt accounting policies that increase earnings and/or OCF have CFOs that lack graduate education or greater internationalization.

Practical implications

CFOs can use the flexibility inherent in accounting choices to adopt accounting policies that increase earnings and/or OCF in ways that fit their personal characteristics. Therefore, it may be beneficial to reflect on the potential benefits of reducing the use of certain accounting policies that affect financial statements.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature by identifying which CFOs characteristics determine the choices of a set of accounting policies that affect companies’ earnings and/or OCF in countries with different economic, social and cultural realities.
Factors of trust in data reuse
Authors: Yoon Ayoung , Lee Yoo Young
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively examine factors of trust in data reuse from the reusers’ perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilized a survey method to test the proposed hypotheses and to empirically evaluate the research model, which was developed to examine the relationship each factor of trust has with reusers’ actual trust during data reuse.

Findings

This study found that the data producer (H1) and data quality (H3) were significant, as predicted, while scholarly community (H3) and data intermediary (H4) were not significantly related to reusers’ trust in data.

Research limitations/implications

Further disciplinary specific examinations should be conducted to complement the study findings and fully generalize the study findings.

Practical implications

The study finding presents the need for engaging data producers in the process of data curation, preferably beginning in the early stages and encouraging them to work with curation professionals to ensure data management quality. The study finding also suggests the need for re-defining the boundaries of current curation work or collaborating with other professionals who can perform data quality assessment that is related to scientific and methodological rigor.

Originality/value

By analyzing theoretical concepts in empirical research and validating the factors of trust, this study fills this gap in the data reuse literature.
A comparative analysis of Twitter users who Tweeted on psychology and political science journal articles
Authors: Zhou Yanfen , Na Jin-Cheon
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the similarities and differences between the Twitter users who tweeted on journal articles in psychology and political science disciplines.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from Web of Science, Altmetric.com, and Twitter. A total of 91,826 tweets with 22,541 distinct Twitter user profiles for psychology discipline and 29,958 tweets with 10,478 distinct Twitter user profiles for political science discipline were used for analysis. The demographics analysis includes gender, geographic location, individual or organization user, academic or non-academic background, and psychology/political science domain knowledge background. A machine learning approach using support vector machine (SVM) was used for user classification based on the Twitter user profile information. Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic modeling was used to discover the topics that the users discussed from the tweets.

Findings

Results showed that the demographics of Twitter users who tweeted on psychology and political science are significantly different. Tweets on journal articles in psychology reflected more the impact of scientific research finding on the general public and attracted more attention from the general public than the ones in political science. Disciplinary difference in term of user demographics exists, and thus it is important to take the discipline into consideration for future altmetrics studies.

Originality/value

From this study, researchers or research organizations may have a better idea on who their audiences are, and hence more effective strategies can be taken by researchers or organizations to reach a wider audience and enhance their influence.
Conceptualizing self-documentation
Authors: Gorichanaz Tim
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Self-documentation is an increasingly common phenomenon, but it is not yet well understood. The purpose of this paper is to provide a philosophical framework for analyzing examples of self-documentation on the dimensions of ontology, epistemology and ethics.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework addresses these three major areas of philosophic thought by operationalizing insights from philosophy, chiefly the work of Martin Heidegger. Heidegger’s concepts of authenticity and fallenness inform the poles of each dimension of the framework.

Findings

Ontologically, self-documentation may manifest as document (authentic) or data (fallen); epistemologically, as understanding (authentic) or idle curiosity (fallen); and ethically, as self-care (authentic) or diversion (fallen). These dimensions are presented separately but are understood to be intermingled.

Originality/value

This unified framework offers a lens for examining and comparing cases of self-documentation and self-documents. No such framework has previously been articulated, but given the ubiquity and growing importance of self-documentation, it is needed.
@Houstonpolice: an exploratory case of Twitter during Hurricane Harvey
Authors: Yang Seungwon , Stewart Brenton
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the Houston Police Department (HPD)’s public engagement efforts using Twitter during Hurricane Harvey, which was a large-scale urban crisis event.

Design/methodology/approach

This study harvested a corpus of over 13,000 tweets using Twitter’s streaming API, across three phases of the Hurricane Harvey event: preparedness, response and recovery. Both text and social network analysis (SNA) techniques were employed including word clouds, n-gram analysis and eigenvector centrality to analyze data.

Findings

Findings indicate that departmental tweets coalesced around topics of protocol, reassurance and community resilience. Twitter accounts of governmental agencies, such as regional police departments, local fire departments, municipal offices, and the personal accounts of city’s police and fire chiefs were the most influential actors during the period under review, and Twitter was leveraged as de facto a 9-1-1 dispatch.

Practical implications

Emergency management agencies should consider adopting a three-phase strategy to improve communication and narrowcast specific types of information corresponding to relevant periods of a crisis episode.

Originality/value

Previous studies on police agencies and social media have largely overlooked discrete periods, or phases, in crisis events. To address this gap, the current study leveraged text and SNA to investigate Twitter communications between HPD and the public. This analysis advances understanding of information flows on law enforcement social media networks during crisis and emergency events.
Dynamic linkages among cryptocurrencies, exchange rates and global equity markets
Authors: Kostika Eleftheria , Laopodis Nikiforos T.
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the short- and long-run dynamic linkages between selected cryptocurrencies, several major world currencies and major equity indices. The results show that despite sharing some common characteristics, the cryptocurrencies do not reveal any short- and long-term stochastic trends with exchange rates and/or equity returns. The dynamics of each cryptocurrency with the Chinese Yuan appears to be more turbulent than that with the other exchange rates. Each cryptocurrency appears to follow its own trend in the global financial market and is independent of the exchange rates or the global stock markets, thus making them suitable for inclusion in global investment portfolios.

Design/methodology/approach

The cryptocurrencies examined are Bitcoin, Dash, Ethereum, Monero, Stellar and XRP. In addition, data were collected on major exchange rates with respect to the US dollar, namely, the euro, British pound, Japanese yen and Chinese Yuan. Finally, the following major stock market indices were selected: SP500, DAX, DJIA, CAC, FTSE, NIKKEI, Hang Seng and Shanghai. The study applied vector autoregressive (VAR) model and Engle’s (2002) dynamic conditional correlation generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (DCC-GARCH) specification.

Findings

First, it was found that cryptocurrencies do not interact with each other because their correlations are weak and do not share a common long-run path; thus they are not cointegrated. Second, impulse response analysis from the VAR models indicate different reactions of each cryptocurrency to both exchange rate and equity shocks and that cryptocurrencies appear to be isolated from market-driven shocks. Third, the ups and downs in the cryptocurrencies’ dynamic conditional correlations (from the DCC-GARCH models) indicate that all cryptocurrencies were susceptible to speculative attacks and market events.

Research limitations/implications

This paper examines the dynamic linkages among the most important cryptocurrencies with major exchange rates and equity markets and, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first paper to do so. Thus, interested market agents would gain valuable insights as to whether this new form of asset might be used for conducting monetary policies and portfolio construction on a global setting.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the scant literature on the dynamic linkages among major cryptocurrencies and global financial assets. In general, given the differential relationships of each crypto with the equity markets, one could infer that they represent a decent short-run investment vehicle within a well-diversified, global asset portfolio (as they may increase the returns and reduce the overall risk of the portfolio).
Climate change reduces the mitigation obtainable from sequestration in an Australian farming system
Authors: Thamo Tas , Addai Donkor , Kragt Marit E. , Kingwell Ross S. , Pannell David J. , Robertson Michael J.
Published: September 2019

Agricultural research on climate change generally follows two themes: (i) impact and adaptation or (ii) mitigation and emissions. Despite both being simultaneously relevant to future agricultural systems, the two are usually studied separately. By contrast, this study jointly compares the potential impacts of climate change and the effects of mitigation policy on farming systems in the central region of Western Australia’s grainbelt, using the results of several biophysical models integrated into a whole‐farm bioeconomic model. In particular, we focus on the potential for interactions between climate impacts and mitigation activities. Results suggest that, in the study area, farm profitability is much more sensitive to changes in climate than to a mitigation policy involving a carbon price on agricultural emissions. Climate change reduces the profitability of agricultural production and, as a result, reduces the opportunity cost of reforesting land for carbon sequestration. Nonetheless, the financial attractiveness of reforestation does not necessarily improve because climate change also reduces tree growth and, therefore, the income from sequestration. Consequently, at least for the study area, climate change has the potential to reduce the amount of abatement obtainable from sequestration – a result potentially relevant to the debate about the desirability of sequestration as a mitigation option.
Safety of acupuncture during pregnancy: a retrospective cohort study in Korea
Authors: Moon H‐Y , Kim M‐r , Hwang D‐S , Jang J‐B , Lee J , Shin J‐S , Ha I , Lee YJ
Published: September 2019

Objective

The present study aimed to analyse the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) cohort data to examine the safety of acupuncture therapy during pregnancy.

Design

Retrospective cohort.

Setting

Korea.

Population or sample

Women with confirmed pregnancy between 2003 and 2012 from the 2002–13 NHIS sample cohort (n = 20 799).

Methods

Women with confirmed pregnancy were identified and divided into acupuncture or control group for comparison of their outcomes. Differences in other factors such as age, and rate of high‐risk pregnancy and multiple pregnancy were examined. In the acupuncture group, the most frequent acupuncture diagnosis codes and the timing of treatment were also investigated.

Main outcome measures

Incidence of full‐term delivery, preterm delivery and stillbirth by pregnancy duration and among the high‐risk and multiple pregnancy groups.

Results

Of 20 799 pregnant women analysed, 1030 (4.95%) and 19 749 were in the acupuncture and control groups, respectively. Both overall (odds ratio [OR] 1.23; 95% CI 0.98–1.54), and in the stratified analysis of high‐risk pregnancies (OR 1.09; 95% CI 0.73–1.64), there was no significant difference between acupuncture and control groups in preterm deliveries. No stillbirths occurred in the acupuncture group and 0.035% of pregnancies resulted in stillbirths in the control group.

Conclusion

No significant difference in delivery outcomes (preterm delivery and stillbirth) was observed between confirmed pregnancies in the acupuncture and control groups. Therefore, in pregnancy, acupuncture therapy may be a safe therapeutic modality for relieving discomfort without an adverse delivery outcome.

Tweetable abstract

In pregnancy, acupuncture therapy may be a safe therapeutic modality for relieving discomfort without an adverse outcome.
Enzymatic quantification of total serum bile acids as a monitoring strategy for women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy receiving ursodeoxycholic acid treatment: a cohort study
Authors: Manna LB , Ovadia C , Lövgren‐Sandblom A , Chambers J , Begum S , Seed P , Walker I , Chappell LC , Marschall H‐U , Williamson C
Published: September 2019

Objective

To evaluate enzymatic total serum bile acid quantification as a monitoring strategy for women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) treated with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA).

Design

Cohort.

Setting

One UK university hospital.

Population

29 ICP cases treated with UDCA.

Methods

Serial samples were collected prospectively throughout gestation. Total serum bile acids were measured enzymatically and individual bile acids by high‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. Data were log‐transformed and analysed with random effects generalised least square regression.

Main outcome measures

The relationship between enzymatic total bile acid measurements and individual bile acid concentrations after UDCA treatment.

Results

In untreated women, cholic acid was the principal bile acid (51%) and UDCA concentrations were <0.5%, whereas UDCA constituted 60% (IQR 43–69) of serum bile acids following treatment and cholic acid fell to <20%. Changes in the total bile acid measurement reflected similar alterations in the concentrations of the pathologically elevated bile acids, e.g. a two‐fold increase in enzymatic total bile acids is accompanied by approximately a two‐fold increase in cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid at most UDCA doses (P < 0.001). Most of the effects of UDCA on cholic acid occur in the first week of treatment (60% relative reduction, P = 0.025, 95% CI 0.2–0.9, from 10 micromol/l (4.7–17.6) to 3.5 micromol/l (1.4–7.5).

Conclusion

Ursodeoxycholic acid becomes the main component of the bile acid measurement after treatment. Enzymatic total bile acid assays are good predictors of both cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid, the primary bile acids that are raised prior to treatment.

Tweetable abstract

Ursodeoxycholic acid constitutes approximately 60% of the bile acid measurement and reduces pathological cholic acid in treated women.
Electronic monitoring at work: The role of attitudes, functions, and perceived control for the acceptance of tracking technologies
Authors: Abraham Martin , Niessen Cornelia , Schnabel Claus , Lorek Kerstin , Grimm Veronika , Möslein Kathrin , Wrede Matthias
Published: September 2019

Organisations increasingly adopt tracking technologies that allow managers to continuously collect highly detailed records of employee, performance, and health. On the basis of the theory of planned behaviour, we aim to identify attitudes, functions of monitoring, and control perceptions that should strengthen or lower employees' acceptance of these technologies. Our experimental vignette study among 800 respondents in Germany reveals that acceptance is more likely if employees have positive attitudes towards surveillance in general and towards monitoring in private life and if the technologies enhance labour productivity. The tendency to reject the technology increases if it is to be used for monitoring health and performance. The results indicate that these new technologies will not be accepted unconditionally and may be subject to bargaining and conflicts. In the implementation process, human resources departments will have to take account of employee interests and well‐being, which in turn may improve acceptance and performance.
A chromosome‐level genome assembly reveals the genetic basis of cold tolerance in a notorious rice insect pest, Chilo suppressalis
Authors: Ma Weihua , Zhao Xianxin , Yin Chuanlin , Jiang Fan , Du Xiaoyong , Chen Taiyu , Zhang Qinghua , Qiu Lin , Xu Hongxing , Joe Hull J. , Li Guoliang , Sung Wing‐Kin , Li Fei , Lin Yongjun
Published: September 2019

The rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis, is one of the most damaging insect pests to rice production worldwide. Although C. suppressalis has been the focus of numerous studies examining cold tolerance and diapause, plant–insect interactions, pesticide targets and resistance, and the development of RNAi‐mediated pest management, the absence of a high‐quality genome has limited deeper insights. To address this limitation, we generated a draft C. suppressalis genome constructed from both Illumina and PacBio sequences. The assembled genome size was 824.35 Mb with a contig N50 of 307 kb and a scaffold N50 of 1.75 Mb. Hi‐C scaffolding assigned 99.2% of the bases to one of 29 chromosomes. Based on universal single‐copy orthologues (BUSCO), the draft genome assembly was estimated to be 97% complete and is predicted to encompass 15,653 protein‐coding genes. Cold tolerance is an extreme survival strategy found in animals. However, little is known regarding the genetic basis of the winter ecology of C. suppressalis. Here, we focused our orthologous analysis on those gene families associated with animal cold tolerance. Our finding provided the first genomic evidence revealing specific cold‐tolerant strategies in C. suppressalis, including those involved in glucose‐originated glycerol biosynthesis, triacylglycerol‐originated glycerol biosynthesis, fatty acid synthesis and trehalose transport‐intermediate cold tolerance. The high‐quality C. suppressalis genome provides a valuable resource for research into a broad range of areas in molecular ecology, and subsequently benefits developing modern pest control strategies.
Chromosome‐level genome assembly of the razor clam Sinonovacula constricta (Lamarck, 1818)
Authors: Ran Zhaoshou , Li Zhenzhen , Yan Xiaojun , Liao Kai , Kong Fei , Zhang Lin , Cao Jiayi , Zhou Chengxu , Zhu Peng , He Shan , Huang Wanlong , Xu Jilin
Published: September 2019

Bivalves, a highly diverse and the most evolutionarily successful class of invertebrates native to aquatic habitats, provide valuable molecular resources for understanding the evolutionary adaptation and aquatic ecology. Here, we reported a high‐quality chromosome‐level genome assembly of the razor clam Sinonovacula constricta using Pacific Bioscience single‐molecule real‐time sequencing, Illumina paired‐end sequencing, 10X Genomics linked‐reads and Hi‐C reads. The genome size was 1,220.85 Mb, containing scaffold N50 of 65.93 Mb and contig N50 of 976.94 Kb. A total of 899 complete (91.92%) and seven partial (0.72%) matches of the 978 metazoa Benchmarking Universal Single‐Copy Orthologs were determined in this genome assembly. And Hi‐C scaffolding of the genome resulted in 19 pseudochromosomes. A total of 28,594 protein‐coding genes were predicted in the S. constricta genome, of which 25,413 genes (88.88%) were functionally annotated. In addition, 39.79% of the assembled genome was composed of repetitive sequences, and 4,372 noncoding RNAs were identified. The enrichment analyses of the significantly expanded and contracted genes suggested an evolutionary adaptation of S. constricta to highly stressful living environments. In summary, the genomic resources generated in this work not only provide a valuable reference genome for investigating the molecular mechanisms of S. constricta biological functions and evolutionary adaptation, but also facilitate its genetic improvement and disease treatment. Meanwhile, the obtained genome greatly improves our understanding of the genetics of molluscs and their comparative evolution.
Enhancing DNA metabarcoding performance and applicability with bait capture enrichment and DNA from conservative ethanol
Authors: Gauthier Mailys , Konecny‐Dupré Lara , Nguyen Agnès , Elbrecht Vasco , Datry Thibault , Douady Christophe , Lefébure Tristan
Published: September 2019

Metabarcoding is often presented as an alternative identification tool to compensate for coarse taxonomic resolution and misidentification encountered with traditional morphological approaches. However, metabarcoding comes with two major impediments which slow down its adoption. First, the picking and destruction of organisms for DNA extraction are time and cost consuming and do not allow organism conservation for further evaluations. Second, current metabarcoding protocols include a PCR enrichment step which induces errors in the estimation of species diversity and relative biomasses. In this study, we first evaluated the capacity of capture enrichment to replace PCR enrichment using controlled freshwater macrozoobenthos mock communities. Then, we tested if DNA extracted from the fixative ethanol (etDNA) of the same mock communities can be used as an alternative to DNA extracted from pools of whole organisms (bulk DNA). We show that capture enrichment provides more reliable and accurate representation of species occurrences and relative biomasses in comparison with PCR enrichment for bulk DNA. While etDNA does not permit to estimate relative biomasses, etDNA and bulk DNA provide equivalent species detection rates. Thanks to its robustness to mismatches, capture enrichment is already an efficient alternative to PCR enrichment for metabarcoding and, if coupled to etDNA, is a time‐saver option in studies where presence information only is sufficient.
A Conceptual Framework of Arctic Economies for Policy‐making, Research, and Practice
Authors: Vammen Larsen Sanne , Bors Eleanor K. , Jóhannsdóttir Lára , Gladun Elena , Gritsenko Daria , Nysten‐Haarala Soili , Tulaeva Svetlana , Sformo Todd
Published: September 2019

The Arctic currently holds a prominent place in global policy. It is a sparsely populated region experiencing major consequences of global change, such as climate change, shifting demographics, and globalization. These substantial and rapid changes create both opportunities and risks for economic development. Informed policy‐making for sustainable development in the Arctic will require an understanding of the specific structures of arctic economies, with a focus on the existence of mixed economies that contain both subsistence and market aspects, the interplay among different economic systems, and the broader contexts in which they function. This paper presents a conceptual framework that allows for comparative analysis of arctic economies within their institutional, social, cultural, and environmental contexts. Utilization of the conceptual framework will enable more complete system‐level analyses by helping to describe the complex relationships among apparently disparate parts of the Arctic's diverse economic systems. The framework can be used across the social and natural sciences, practice, and policy‐making. Furthermore, this framework is applicable to regions outside of the Arctic that also have distinct mixed subsistence and market economies.
Societal costs of Borderline Personality Disorders: a matched‐controlled nationwide study of patients and spouses
Authors: Hastrup L. H. , Jennum P. , Ibsen R. , Kjellberg J. , Simonsen E.
Published: September 2019

Objective

Information on societal cost of patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and spouses is limited. The aim was to investigate factual societal costs before and after initial BPD diagnosis.

Method

A register‐based cohort study of 2756 patients with incident BPD (ICD F60.3) with spouses and 11 024 matched controls, during 2002–2016.

Results

Total direct healthcare costs and lost productivity costs amounted €40 441 for patients with BPD, which was more than 16 times higher than the matched controls. Somatic and psychiatric health care costs and costs of lost productivity were increased during 5 years before initial diagnosis of BPD. Before and after initial diagnosis, health care costs and lost productivity were increased among spouses of patients with BPD.

Conclusion

Patients with BPD differed substantially from the general population with respect to all included costs. The study documented a significant burden on their spouses. Besides the early onset of BPD, which implies that patients are affected before they finish school and enter labor market, the neurocognitive impairment and fundamental symptoms of BPD, e.g. unstable, intense relationships, impulsivity, and lack of stable sense of self together with psychiatric and somatic comorbidity are part of explanation of the excess costs of BPD.
Clearing and staining small vertebrates for demonstrating ossification of the skeletal system using the KOH and glycerine clearing method
Authors: Reed Robert B. , Kendall Christy R. , Tsangarides Nicholas , Evans Howard E.
Published: September 2019

Preparing articulated skeletons of small vertebrates is extremely difficult due to the presence of vast amounts of cartilage and/or the extremely small size of skeletal components. Clearing the tissues surrounding small skeletons and staining the bones in toto reveals the skeletal system without the risk of displacing the bony components. The specimens are first fixed and bleached which renders the tissues preserved and transparent. These specimens may then be exposed to alizarin red S which stains bone a pink to red colour making them visible through the transparent soft tissues. Toluidine blue may also be used to stain cartilage a blue colour. The Spalteholz staining method is cited, though the focus will be on the KOH and glycerine clearing method for macroscopic observation.
Use of Guanfacine for Cannabis Use Disorder and Related Symptomology
Authors: Holst Manuela , Mathai David S. , Patel Marguerite M. , Rodgman Christopher , Keller Jake , Hussain Mariyah Z. , De La Garza Richard , Kosten Thomas R. , Verrico Christopher D.
Published: September 2019

Background and Objectives

No medication has Food and Drug Administration approval for cannabis use disorder (CUD), and most medication development focuses on the withdrawal syndrome. We evaluated the effects of short‐term treatment using the α‐2A‐adrenergic receptor agonist, guanfacine, on withdrawal symptoms in volunteers with CUD and a history of early onset of cannabis use.

Methods

Non‐treatment‐seeking healthy volunteers (n = 7) who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition criteria for CUD participated in a two‐phase, within‐subjects study. Volunteers received placebo or guanfacine (3 mg/day) for the first 8‐day inpatient study and the alternative medication for the second 8‐day inpatient study. On day 1 of both treatment periods, participants received 30 mg of synthetic Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol for standardization of abstinence onset. On days 2 to 7, participants received study medication. Cannabis withdrawal symptoms, sleep, craving, and physiology were assessed on all inpatient days.

Results

Compared with placebo, guanfacine did not show significant effects on withdrawal, craving, or sleep, although there were trends for guanfacine to increase positive mood symptoms and decrease craving‐associated compulsivity.

Discussion and Conclusions

Compared with former studies, we could not prove significant improvement in sleep or decrease of negative symptoms, but we found trends for increased positive mood symptoms. Our data did not show significant effects of guanfacine on withdrawal symptoms or craving. Due to early and longer cannabis use, our subjects indicate a great severity of illness increasing the likelihood of treatment resistance.

Scientific Significance

On the basis of trends demonstrated here and other lines of evidence, further investigation is warranted regarding the utility of guanfacine as a potential treatment for CUD. (Am J Addict 2019;00:1–10)
Resveratrol treatment in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome decreased pro‐inflammatory and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers
Authors: Brenjian Samaneh , Moini Ashraf , Yamini Nazila , Kashani Ladan , Faridmojtahedi Maryam , Bahramrezaie Mojdeh , Khodarahmian Mahshad , Amidi Fardin
Published: September 2019

Problem

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and pro‐inflammatory condition. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of resveratrol treatment on pro‐inflammatory and ER stress markers in patients with PCOS.

Method of study

Cumulus cells were obtained from 40 patients with PCOS who were divided into two groups: placebo and resveratrol treatment (receiving 800 mg/d for 40 days) groups. Blood samples were obtained from all patients before and after the procedure to evaluate interleukin (IL)‐6, IL‐1β, IL‐18, TNF‐α, NF‐κB, and C‐reactive protein (CRP). Total RNA was extracted from cumulus cells, and cDNA was synthesized by reverse transcription. Expressions of five genes in ER stress response pathway (ATF4, ATF6, CHOP, GRP78, and XBP1s) were assessed with quantitative real‐time PCR. Statistical analysis was performed with Student's t test.

Results

After treatment with resveratrol, it was found that serum levels of IL‐6, IL‐1β, TNF‐α, IL‐18, NF‐κB, and CRP decreased in the treatment group. In addition, gene expression results showed that the expression levels of ATF4 (P < .05) and ATF6 (P < .001) significantly increased in the resveratrol treatment group, while the expression levels of CHOP, GRP78, and XBP1 (P < .001 for all) significantly decreased.

Conclusion

Results demonstrated that resveratrol has anti‐inflammatory effects through the suppression of NF‐κB and NF‐κB–regulated gene products. On the other hand, resveratrol can modulate ER stress in granulosa cells (GCs) by altering the expression of genes involved in unfolding protein response (UPR) process. Our findings suggest that ER stress is a potential therapeutic target for patients with PCOS.
Queering Development? The Unsettling Geographies of South–South Cooperation
Authors: Mawdsley Emma
Published: September 2019

This paper deploys queer theory as a way of approaching South–South Cooperation (SSC). It examines the ways in which Southern development partners are not simply up‐ending the long‐standing spatialities, imaginaries and identities (re)produced through the mainstream international development regime, but queering terminologies and definitions, while presenting themselves in fluid ways, enrolling different identities and attributes in different places and to different audiences. At the same time, a queer lens reveals the (re)inscription of gendered, sexualised and racialised identities and hierarchies through the relationships, intimacies and practices of SSC. The paper proposes that queer theory can offer productive insights into the complex and compelling phenomenon of SSC, and the transgressive challenges to the postcolonial hierarchies and binaries of “traditional” international development.
Increased hypothalamic hydrogen sulphide contributes to endotoxin tolerance by down‐modulating PGE2 production
Authors: Santos Bruna M. , Francescato Heloísa D. C. , Turcato Flávia C. , Antunes‐Rodrigues José , Coimbra Terezila M. , Branco Luiz G. S.
Published: September 2019

Aim

Whereas some patients have important changes in body core temperature (Tb) during systemic inflammation, others maintain a normal Tb, which is intrinsically associated to immune paralysis. One classical model to study immune paralysis is the use of repeated administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the so‐called endotoxin tolerance. However, the neuroimmune mechanisms of endotoxin tolerance remain poorly understood. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is a gaseous neuromodulator produced in the brain by the enzyme cystathionine β‐synthase (CBS). The present study assessed whether endotoxin tolerance is modulated by hypothalamic H2S.

Methods

Rats with central cannulas (drug microinjection) and intraperitoneal datalogger (temperature record) received a low‐dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 100 µg kg−1) daily for four consecutive days. Hypothalamic CBS expression and H2S production rate were assessed, together with febrigenic signalling. Tolerant rats received an inhibitor of H2S synthesis (AOA, 100 pmol 1 µL−1 icv) or its vehicle in the last day.

Results

Antero‐ventral preoptic area of the hypothalamus (AVPO) H2S production rate and CBS expression were increased in endotoxin‐tolerant rats. Additionally, hypothalamic H2S inhibition reversed endotoxin tolerance reestablishing fever, AVPO and plasma PGE2 levels without altering the absent plasma cytokines surges.

Conclusion

Endotoxin tolerance is not simply a reflection of peripheral reduced cytokines release but actually results from a complex set of mechanisms acting at multiple levels. Hypothalamic H2S production modulates most of these mechanisms.