bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dorsal-to-ventral imbalance in the superior longitudinal fasciculus mediates methylphenidate’s effect on beta oscillations in ADHD
Authors: Mazzetti C. , Damatac C. G. , Sprooten E. , ter Huurne N. , Buitelaar J.K. , Jensen O.
Published: September 2020

Background

While pharmacological treatment with Methylphenidate (MPH) is a first line intervention for ADHD, its mechanisms of action have yet to be elucidated. In a previous MEG study, we demonstrated that MPH in ADHD normalizes beta depression in preparation to motor responses (1). We here seek to identify the white matter tracts that mediate MPH’s effect on beta oscillations.

Methods

We implemented a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, where boys diagnosed with ADHD underwent behavioral and MEG measurements during a spatial attention task while on and off MPH. Results were compared with an age/IQ-matched typically developing (TD) group performing the same task. Estimates of white matter tracts were obtained through diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Based on aprioristic selection model criteria, we sought to determine the fiber tracts associated with electrophysiological, behavioral and clinical features of attentional functions.

Results

We identified three main tracts: the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), the Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (‘parietal endings’) (SLFp) and Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (‘temporal endings’) (SLFt). ADHD symptoms severity was associated with lower fractional anisotropy (FA) within the ATR. In addition, individuals with relatively higher FA in SLFp compared to SLFt showed faster and more accurate behavioral responses to MPH. Furthermore, the same parieto-temporal FA gradient explained the effects of MPH on beta modulation: subjects with ADHD exhibiting higher FA in SLFp compared to SLFt also displayed greater effects of MPH on beta power during response preparation.

Conclusions

Based on MPH’s modulatory effects on striatal dopamine levels, our data suggest that the behavioral deficits and aberrant oscillatory modulations observed in ADHD depend on a structural connectivity imbalance within the SLF, caused by a diffusivity gradient in favor of temporal rather than parietal, fiber tracts.
Maturation of the matrix and viral membrane of HIV-1
Authors: Qu Kun , Ke Zunlong , Zila Vojtech , Anders-Össwein Maria , Glass Bärbel , Müller Barbara , Kräusslich Hans-Georg , Briggs John A. G.
Published: September 2020

Gag – the main structural protein of HIV-1 – is recruited to the plasma membrane for virus assembly by its matrix (MA) domain. Gag is subsequently cleaved into its component domains, causing structural maturation to repurpose the virion for cell entry. We determined the structure and arrangement of MA within immature and mature HIV-1, providing a basis to understand MA’s role in virus assembly. Unexpectedly, we found that MA rearranges during maturation, to form a new, hexameric lattice in which the acyl chain of a phospholipid extends out of the membrane to bind a pocket in MA. Our data suggest that proteolytic maturation of HIV-1 not only achieves assembly of the viral capsid surrounding the genome, but extends to repurpose the membrane-bound MA lattice for an entry or post-entry function, and causes partial removal of 2,500 acyl chains from the viral membrane.
Sex differences in human adipose tissue gene expression and genetic regulation involve adipogenesis
Authors: Anderson Warren D. , Soh Joon Yuhl , Innis Sarah E. , Dimanche Alexis , Ma Lijiang , Langefeld Carl D. , Comeau Mary E. , Das Swapan K. , Schadt Eric E. , Björkegren Johan L.M. , Civelek Mete
Published: September 2020

Sex differences in adipose tissue distribution and function are associated with sex differences in cardiometabolic disease. While many studies have revealed sex differences in adipocyte cell signaling and physiology, there is a relative dearth of information regarding sex differences in transcript abundance and regulation. We investigated sex differences in subcutaneous adipose tissue transcriptional regulation using omic-scale data from ∼3000 geographically and ethnically diverse human samples. We identified 162 genes with robust sex differences in expression. Differentially expressed genes were implicated in oxidative phosphorylation and adipogenesis. We further determined that sex differences in gene expression levels could be related to sex differences in the genetics of gene expression regulation. Our analyses revealed sex-specific genetic associations, and this finding was replicated in a study of 98 inbred mouse strains. The genes under genetic regulation in human and mouse were enriched for oxidative phosphorylation and adipogenesis. Enrichment analysis showed that the associated genetic loci resided within binding motifs for adipogenic transcription factors (e.g., PPARG and EGR1). We demonstrated that sex differences in gene expression could be influenced by sex differences in genetic regulation for six genes (e.g., FADS1 and MAP1B). These genes exhibited dynamic expression patterns during adipogenesis and robust expression in mature human adipocytes. Our results support a role for adipogenesis-related genes in subcutaneous adipose tissue sex differences in the genetic and environmental regulation of gene expression.
Discrete spherical harmonic functions for texture representation and analysis
Authors: Singh Saransh , Boyce Donald E. , Bernier Joel V. , Barton Nathan R.
Published: September 2020

A basis of discrete harmonic functions for efficient representation and analysis of crystallographic texture is presented. Discrete harmonics are a numerical representation of the harmonics on the sphere. A finite element formulation is utilized to calculate these orthonormal basis functions, which provides several advantageous features for quantitative texture analysis. These include high-precision numerical integration, a simple implementation of the non-negativity constraint and computational efficiency. Simple examples of pole figure and texture interpolation and of Fourier filtering using these basis sets are presented.
MNCs’ open international strategy–local dynamics: transfer of German “vocational education and training” to emerging economies
Authors: Fuchs Martina
Published: September 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine multinational companies’ (MNCs) international transfer strategies of German vocational education and training (VET) and examines the dynamics in the subsidiaries.

Design/methodology/approach

Methodologically, the study is based on expert interviews conducted in German headquarters. To complete the picture, the study also includes insights from expert interviews in subsidiaries in Mexico, India and China.

Findings

There is a mix of country-of-origin and geocentric strategic orientation. VET is “boiled down” and adapted in its contents, but headquarters and expats maintain the spirit of VET, i.e. its national agenda of technical hands-on competencies and pedagogical competencies. To achieve this MNCs introduce general guidelines. Convincing takes place by means of role models.

Research limitations/implications

The effects in the emerging economies differ regionally; these regional differences are not the subject of this contribution.

Practical implications

VET transfer comprises the implementation of its core spirit which produces participatory and emancipatory dynamics.

Social implications

Intercultural learning has to be sensitive to such dynamics.

Originality/value

The study contributes to research on international strategies of MNCs, focussing on skill development of the blue-collar study.
Life outside the garment factories: the lived experiences of Cambodian women garment factory workers
Authors: McKay Fiona Helen , McKenzie Hayley Jane
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Cambodia’s workforce has shifted over time, with internal migration increasing as more people are forced to the cities to find employment. This paper aims to change in workforce participation has led to a number of challenges for people moving into urban areas, particularly women as their role in the household and workforce is changing.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used qualitative research to explore the experiences of 20 Cambodian women working in garment factories. Interviews were conducted in Khmer by a bilingual research assistant. Interviews were recorded and then translated into English. Data were thematically analysed following a constant comparative method.

Findings

Findings indicate that women experience social isolation, job stress and are vulnerable to a variety of health and well-being problems. When moving into the city for work, many rural women leave their children in the care of other family members, including grandparents and other extended families, without a network, they experience isolation and loneliness.

Originality/value

This is the first qualitative work of its kind to investigate the experiences of Cambodian women factory workers and their experiences of moving to urban areas for work.
Comparative analyses of mean-variance and mean-semivariance approaches on global and local single factor market model for developed and emerging markets
Authors: Yildiz Mehmet Emin , Erzurumlu Yaman Omer , Kurtulus Bora
Published: September 2020

Purpose

The beta coefficient used for the cost of equity calculation is at the heart of the valuation process. This study conducts comparative analyses of the classical capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and downside CAPM risk parameters to gain further insight into which risk parameter leads to better performing risk measures at explaining stock returns.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducts a comparative analysis of 16 risk measures at explaining the stock returns of 4531 companies of 20 developed and 25 emerging market index for 2000–2018. The analyses are conducted using both the global and local indices and both USD and local currency returns. Calculated risk measures are analyzed in a panel data setup using a univariate model. Results are investigated in country-specific and model-specific subsets.

Findings

The results show that (1) downside betas are better than CAPM betas at explaining the stock returns, (2) both risk measure groups perform better for emerging markets, (3) global downside beta model performs better than global beta model, implying the existence of the contagion effect, (4) high significance levels of total risk and unsystematic risk measures further support the shortfall of CAPM betas and (5) higher correlation of markets after negative shocks such as pandemics puts global CAPM based downside beta to a more reliable position.

Research limitations/implications

The data are limited to the index securities as beta could be time varying.

Practical implications

Results overall provide insight into the cost of equity calculation and emerging market assets valuation.

Originality/value

The framework and methodology enable us to compare and contrast CAPM and downside-CAPM risk measures at the firm level, at the global/local level and in terms of the level of market development.
Women’s empowerment and family poverty in the Tawhidi epistemological approach
Authors: Nurasyiah Aas , Miyasto Miyasto , Mariyanti Tatik , Beik Irfan Syauqi
Published: September 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the socio-economic factors that will affect women’s empowerment from an Islamic perspective (the Tawhidi epistemological approach) and the impact of women’s empowerment on reducing family poverty.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a quantitative approach to see the relationship between research variables with structural equation model-partial least squares as the analysis tool.

Findings

In general, socio-economic variables had direct and indirect effects on reducing family poverty. In addition, the variable of women’s empowerment in an Islamic perspective can strengthen the influence of socio-economic variables on the alleviation of family poverty.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of this research lies in the use of religiosity as an indicator with some constraints and the inclusion of all the necessary dimensions of a Muslim family. Additionally, because of the scope of the present research, the results may not be applicable in different areas, especially countries with distinctive characteristics such as having Muslims as the major population. On the other hand, the results of this research may provide comprehensive indicators of empowered Muslim women which enable the correlation between the socio-economic factors and women’s empowerment and how women’s empowerment can contribute to the alleviation of family poverty from the perspective of Islam.

Originality/value

This research provides new insights into the variable of women’s empowerment measured using the Islamic paradigm (Tawhidi epistemology) and includes religiosity as a variable that directly and indirectly influences the reduction of family poverty.
Detection and monitoring of the asymptotic COVID-19 patients using IoT devices and sensors
Authors: N.V. Rajeesh Kumar , M. Arun , E. Baraneetharan , J. Stanly Jaya Prakash , A. Kanchana , S. Prabu
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Many investigations are going on in monitoring, contact tracing, predicting and diagnosing the COVID-19 disease and many virologists are urgently seeking to create a vaccine as early as possible. Even though there is no specific treatment for the pandemic disease, the world is now struggling to control the spread by implementing the lockdown worldwide and giving awareness to the people to wear masks and use sanitizers. The new technologies, including the Internet of things (IoT), are gaining global attention towards the increasing technical support in health-care systems, particularly in predicting, detecting, preventing and monitoring of most of the infectious diseases. Similarly, it also helps in fighting against COVID-19 by monitoring, contract tracing and detecting the COVID-19 pandemic by connection with the IoT-based smart solutions. IoT is the interconnected Web of smart devices, sensors, actuators and data, which are collected in the raw form and transmitted through the internet. The purpose of this paper is to propose the concept to detect and monitor the asymptotic patients using IoT-based sensors.

Design/methodology/approach

In recent days, the surge of the COVID-19 contagion has infected all over the world and it has ruined our day-to-day life. The extraordinary eruption of this pandemic virus placed the World Health Organization (WHO) in a hazardous position. The impact of this contagious virus and scarcity among the people has forced the world to get into complete lockdown, as the number of laboratory-confirmed cases is increasing in millions all over the world as per the records of the government.

Findings

COVID-19 patients are either symptomatic or asymptotic. Symptomatic patients have symptoms such as fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. But patients are also asymptotic, which is very difficult to detect and monitor by isolating them.

Originality/value

Asymptotic patients are very hazardous because without knowing that they are infected, they might spread the infection to others, also asymptotic patients might be having very serious lung damage. So, earlier prediction and monitoring of asymptotic patients are mandatory to save their life and prevent them from spreading.
Value stream mapping in education: addressing work stress
Authors: Riezebos Jan , Huisman Babette
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Teachers of primary education experience high levels of stress but lack rational coping strategies to reduce their work stress. The paper develops a value stream mapping for education approach and examines its use as a rational coping strategy for teams of teachers and other employees to overcome work-related stressors.

Design/methodology/approach

The research process consists of two phases. First, a value stream mapping approach for education is developed, based on literature research. Next, the approach is validated in an action research study to reduce work stress of teachers in educational services. The processes that have been selected by the teachers relate to coping with increased variety, long and uncertain throughput times and unclear specifications.

Findings

Value stream mapping for education (VSM4EDU) is a well-structured improvement method based on principles of visualization, participation and process thinking, which helps teachers without background in lean thinking to analyse their processes. Using this method has enabled the team to develop rational coping strategies to reduce their work-related stress.

Research limitations/implications

VSM4EDU has been validated using action research at a single school, which implicates deep insight, but further testing at other schools is welcome. Moreover, VSM4EDU has not been used to develop a future state map.

Practical implications

Value stream mapping is useful in educational settings as long as the educational context is respected in the approach.

Social implications

VSM4EDU empowers teachers and helps to develop co-operation in teams.

Originality/value

The validation of value stream mapping for education is well-documented and original.
Different role of hotel CSR activities in the formation of customers’ brand loyalty
Authors: Ahn Jiseon , Wong Man Ling , Kwon Jookyung
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Given the important role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to enhance company performance, the purpose of this paper is to fill the existing gaps in the hotel CSR literature via application of the loyalty formation mechanism and conceptualizations of different aspects of CSR initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study examines the effect of environmental and social CSR strategies on multidimensional brand loyalty of hotel customers (i.e. cognitive, affective and conative). This study uses the partial least squares–structural equation modeling to examine the effect of CSR types on multidimensional loyalty.

Findings

The results reveal that environmental and social CSR strategies have a significant positive effect on all three loyalty responses of hotel customers with a different level of power. Especially, environmental CSR is highly correlated with conative loyalty, while social CSR is highly correlated with cognitive and affective loyalty responses.

Research limitations/implications

Limited studies have applied the multidimensional attitudinal loyalty in the CSR context. Thus, this study brings theoretical and practical implications. The findings of this study indicate that customers’ perception of hotel CSR could be directly incorporated into their patronized attitudes.

Originality/value

This study provides an empirical guideline for monitoring CSR initiatives from the customers’ perspectives.
Industry 4.0 in the product development process: benefits, difficulties and its impact in marketing strategies and operations
Authors: Arromba Iara Franchi , Martin Philip Stafford , Cooper Ordoñez Robert , Anholon Rosley , Rampasso Izabela Simon , Santa-Eulalia Luis Antonio , Martins Vitor William Batista , Quelhas Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Product development process (PDP) in the context of Industry 4.0 may present several marketing implications. To understand these implications, the purpose of this study is to identify the benefits and difficulties of Industry 4.0 related to the PDP and its impact in marketing strategies and operations.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology used to perform this research was a systematic literature review. For this, five steps were followed, namely, research question formulation; studies location; studies selection and evaluation; analysis and synthesis; and reporting and use research results.

Findings

The systematic literature review considering PDP in Industry 4.0 context resulted in 28 benefits and 14 difficulties, in a total of 53 articles. From the analysis of these benefits and difficulties, several implications for marketing were identified, namely, better understand customer preferences; greater agility in marketing decision-making; better align marketing, product development and operations processes issues; better understand product/service lifecycle; analyze possibilities of new ways of distribution and communication channels; better define the value of products and services and location requirements.

Originality/value

The findings presented here can be used both by market professionals, interested in the subject and by researchers for future studies. The better understanding of PDP in the context of Industry 4.0 can enhance marketing strategies for market professionals and provide insights for researchers. No similar studies were found in the literature.
Bourdieusian interaction: actors’ habitus, agentic activities and field resources
Authors: Lowe Sid , Tapachai Nirundon
Published: September 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the implications of applying a Bourdieusian meta-framework to business interaction and relationship building within networks. The motive is to advocate the use of Bourdieu’s work in its entirety rather than sub-optimal use of selected concepts in isolation.

Design/methodology/approach

The aim of this conceptual paper is to explore how a Bourdieusian framework benefits understanding of structure/agency relations as a mutually constituted duality within business networks. The concept of duality regard relationships as emergent from synergies between structure and agency made possible by the translational capacity of “habitus”. Habitus is, therefore, the main intersection, catalyst or chiasmus between structure and agency facilitating enacted, emergent properties of business relationships.

Findings

The Bourdieusian framework suggests that structures and practices are related by multiple dualities brokered by multiple knowledge forms. The main contribution that this triadic framework brings to debates on structure-agency relationships is mostly contained in the concept of “habitus”, which is identified as a translation vehicle provides critical brokerage between actors’ resource structures and activities. It is a key concept that helps us understand how structures and agentic behaviours are equally important and mutually constituting influences upon emergent properties of business interaction. For business marketing, this means that the habitus of actors’ schemas are both embodied and cognitive. Habitus acts as the main catalyst for emergent and diverse capital resources and a plural set of skills essential for effective practical activities.

Research limitations/implications

The research focus of a Bourdieusian framework is upon investigating a triadic understanding of concepts of habitus, field and practice as elements of a “pan-relational” or mutually constituted amalgam facilitated by a corresponding triadic relationship between three types of knowledge; namely, “illusio”, “phrónesis” and “poíesis”.

Practical implications

By adopting a Bourdieusian framework, this paper can regard the practical development of durable business relationships as involving interactions that adequately co-ordinate the different habitus, sub-fields and practices of parties as shared. The implication is that the practitioner needs to be equally competent in their use of “illusio”, “phrónesis” and “poíesis” as different knowledge forms whose sum is greater than its parts.

Originality/value

The approach reveals that habitus emphasizes that structures are never entirely conscious and calculated schemas as they contain unconscious, embodied habits fuelled by tacit, cultural knowledge infused with symbolism, mythologies and rituals, which are communicated mostly indirectly through analogical reasoning, narrative, heuristics and embodied gestures.
Market shaping dynamics: interplay of actor engagement and institutional work
Authors: Fehrer Julia A. , Conduit Jodie , Plewa Carolin , Li Loic Pengtao , Jaakkola Elina , Alexander Matthew
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Combining institutional work and actor engagement (AE) literature, this paper aims to elucidate how the collective action of market shaping occurs through the interplay between market shapers’ institutional work and engagement of other market actors. While markets are shaped by actors’ purposive actions and recent literature notes the need to also mobilize AE, the underlying process remains nebulous.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is conceptual but supported by an illustrative case study: the Winding Tree. This blockchain-based, decentralized travel marketplace shapes a market by decoupling existing resource linkages, creating new ones and stabilizing others through a dynamic, iterative process between the market shaper’s institutional work and others’ AE.

Findings

The paper develops a dynamic, iterative framework of market shaping through increased resource density, revealing the interplay between seven types of market shapers’ institutional work distilled from the literature and changes in other market actors’ engagement dispositions, behaviors and the diffusion of AE through the market.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the emergent market shaping and market innovation literature by illustrating how the engagement of market actors is a fundamental means of market shaping. Specifically, it advances understanding of how market shapers’ institutional work leads to new resource linkages and higher resource density in emergent market systems through AE. The resultant framework offers an original, critical foundation for future market shaping research.
Coronavirus (Covid-19) and entrepreneurship: cultural, lifestyle and societal changes
Authors: Ratten Vanessa
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Coronavirus (Covid-19) is a pandemic that not only has caused significant havoc around the world but also presents some important opportunities for entrepreneurs to be innovative in the marketplace. The purpose of this paper is to detail in more depth how entrepreneurs have been affected by the crisis by focussing on specific types of entrepreneurship in terms of cultural, lifestyle and social change.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the existing literature on Covid-19 and crisis management is conducted that highlights the effect of the pandemic on entrepreneurs. This approach enables an integration of the existing research on resilience in terms of how entrepreneurs adapt and pivot their business models in response to change. Thereby enabling a contemporary view about the ways entrepreneurs can contribute to societal well-being in times of huge economic and social upheaval.

Findings

While entrepreneurs by nature are resilient, the Covid-19 crisis in terms of its magnitude and length has led to specific challenges faced by entrepreneurs in adapting to the new environment. These challenges can be related to the way entrepreneurs respond to uncertainty by being flexible but also through the support of an entrepreneurial ecosystem environment.

Originality/value

Due to the Covid-19 crisis being an ongoing and recent phenomenon, this paper is amongst the first to focus specifically on how cultural, lifestyle and social attributes of society have changed. Thereby providing advice to current and future entrepreneurs about how to respond to crisis situations and to manage short- and long-term considerations. There is a growing body of research in entrepreneurship that is offering valuable insights by taking a crisis approach. In addition to the practical opportunities touched upon in this paper, there are associated numerous research potentials due to the intersection of crisis management, entrepreneurship and resilience literature.
Legitimate and illegitimate consumer complaining behavior: a review and taxonomy
Authors: Arora Swapan Deep , Chakraborty Anirban
Published: September 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an integrative view of the conceptualizations, definitions, antecedents and taxonomies of consumer complaining behavior (CCB). Additionally, the study aims to provide an updated synthesis and classification of both legitimate and illegitimate CCB antecedents, as well as an integrated CCB taxonomy.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi-stage systematic search is conducted and 226 research articles relevant to the scope of the study are analyzed to fulfill the study’s objectives.

Findings

Through an exhaustive aggregation, legitimate and illegitimate CCB antecedents identified in the literature are collated and a classification schema is developed. Deficiencies observed in extant CCB taxonomies are addressed and a refined taxonomy incorporating illegitimate CCB is developed.

Research limitations/implications

The conclusions drawn on the basis of this paper are contingent on the effectiveness of the keyword-based systematic search process that is used to demarcate the extant literature.

Practical implications

This paper suggests a three-pronged approach of differential enabling, legitimacy evaluation and differential management. This holistic perspective aims at enabling firms to design complaint management policies and systems that control fake complaints while maintaining sufficient redress opportunities for genuine dissatisfaction.

Originality/value

The paper proposes an identical classification schema for legitimate and illegitimate CCB antecedents and is the first broad-based attempt to develop an integrated CCB taxonomy.
Exploring offender manager’s experiences of psychologically informed consultation on relationships with service users within the offender personality disorder pathway
Authors: Radcliffe Kay , Carrington Bethany , Ward Max
Published: September 2020

Purpose

The Yorkshire and Humber Personality Disorder Partnership (YHPDP) provides psychological consultation and formulation to offender managers (OMs) within the National Probation Service as part of the offender personality disorder (OPD) pathway. The pathway highlights the importance of formulation-led case management to develop pathways for offenders with personality difficulties at high risk of causing serious harm to others. This study aims to ask what is the experience of psychological consultation/formulation on the relationship between a sample of service users (SUs) and their OMs.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with five OMs who had engaged in at least three consultations with YHPDP psychologists/psychotherapists within the OPD pathway. Qualitative methods were used to analyse the data, specifically interpretative phenomenological analysis, which is useful when dealing with complexity, process or novelty.

Findings

OMs experienced the consultation/formulation process to be containing and reflective. They found complex, emotionally demanding clients who have offended and have personality disorder traits could be responded to differently as a result of this process. From an OM perspective, this improved the relationship between themselves and their SUs and supported risk management. These conclusions must be tentative, as they are drawn from a small-scale qualitative study, but provides the basis for further research.

Originality/value

Although there is increasing research into the outcomes of the OPD pathway, little has been done regarding the experience of the relationship between OMs and SUs. This research takes a qualitative perspective to explore this area.
3D printing of geopolymer-based concrete for building applications
Authors: Ur Rehman Asif , Sglavo Vincenzo M.
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology allows geometric complexity and customization with a significant reduction in the structural environmental impact. Nevertheless, it poses a serious threat to the environment when organic binders are used. Binder jet printing of alkali-activated geopolymer precursor can represent a successful and environmental-friendly alternative.

Design/methodology/approach

The present work reports about the successful 3D printing of metakaolin-based alkali-activated concrete, with dimensional integrity and valuable mechanical behavior.

Findings

The geometric behavior was studied as a function of alkali activator flow rate, and the minimum geometric deviation with complete saturation was recorded at 103 mg/s. The printed specimen is characterized by a modulus of rupture as high as 4.4 MPa at 135 mg/s.

Practical implications

The 3D printed geopolymer-based concrete can be potentially used in a wide range of structural applications from construction to thermal insulation elements.

Originality/value

The analysis of the 3D geopolymer-based concrete printing system and material conducted in this paper is original.
Integrated thinking in the integrated reports of public sector companies. Evidence and contextual factors
Authors: Tirado-Valencia Pilar , Cordobés-Madueño Magdalena , Ruiz-Lozano Mercedes , De Vicente-Lama Marta
Published: September 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to improve the understanding of integrated thinking, as it is a central concept in the integrated reporting (IR) framework that has implications for sustainability reporting, as the holistic view of integrated thinking clarifies the value creation process of organisations and facilitates the incorporation of sustainability issues into the corporate mindset. The study investigates whether there are contextual factors that may be influencing the way integrated thinking is reflected in the reports. The paper focusses on public companies because integrated thinking in this sector plays an important role in terms of sustainability reporting, as these organisations must address more complex and diverse relationships with their stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology is based on a content analysis of the IR reports issued by 21 public sector companies. For this analysis, this study proposed specific dimensions and variables that demonstrate this way of thinking. These allow us to develop an integrated thinking index (ITI) based on a frequency análisis. The influence of the country’s legal system, the sector of activity and the number of years of experience in IR is studied, by conducting t-test and ANOVA analyses and a correlation study.

Findings

The results demonstrate the existence of limited integrated thinking characterised by poor connectivity of information, lack of a clear link between materiality analysis and strategy and insufficient forward-looking perspective. The findings reveal that contextual and institutional factors have little influence on the levels of integrated thinking achieved.

Originality/value

The concept of integrated thinking has not been sufficiently explored to date, despite its importance in the IR conceptual framework. The study proposes specific dimensions and variables to be considered in preparing reports that exhibit this holistic way of thinking. The recommendations can help information preparers and improve the accountability and transparency of public sector companies.
The shape of the predator biomass distribution affects biological pest control services in agricultural landscapes
Authors: Ostandie Noémie , Muneret Lucile , Giffard Brice , Thiéry Denis , Rusch Adrien
Published: September 2020

Understanding how community composition of service‐providing organisms affects ecosystem functioning is a key challenge in ecology. Although it has been proposed that taxonomic diversity and functional traits mediate this relationship, how several facets of community structure affect the delivery of key ecosystem services remains to be explored.

In this study, we investigated how abundance, taxonomic richness as well as the shape of biomass distribution in predator communities affect biological pest control services in vineyard landscapes. Our analyses were based on a dataset combining samples of arthropod predators, measures of predation rates of grape pests and characterization of environmental covariables for 42 fields located in South‐Western France.

We found that beside the abundance or the taxonomic richness of predators, the shape of biomass distribution (mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis of the distribution) influences the level of biological control. Predator communities largely dominated by low biomass species provided the bulk of biological control services. Lower levels of predation resulted from increased proportions of large biomass species and more evenly distributed biomass values in the communities.

Our results indicate that the top‐down control provided by low biomass species decreases as the relative proportion of large biomass species increases in the predator community. This suggests that biological control may be affected by negative interactions (e.g. intraguild predation, behavioural interactions) between predators arising from the recruitment of large individuals in the community.

Our study revealed that the shape of biomass distribution is a major aspect of functional diversity in predator communities providing insights into the mechanisms that link biodiversity and ecosystem services. While our study focuses on biomass, considering other traits involved in trophic interactions may increase our ability to predict the level of biological control in ecosystems.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
How do insects choose flowers? A review of multi‐attribute flower choice and decoy effects in flower‐visiting insects
Authors: Latty Tanya , Trueblood Jennifer S.
Published: September 2020

Understanding why animals (including humans) choose one thing over another is one of the key questions underlying the fields of behavioural ecology, behavioural economics and psychology. Most traditional studies of food choice in animals focus on simple, single‐attribute decision tasks. However, animals in the wild are often faced with multi‐attribute choice tasks where options in the choice set vary across multiple dimensions. Multi‐attribute decision‐making is particularly relevant for flower‐visiting insects faced with deciding between flowers that may differ in reward attributes such as sugar concentration, nectar volume and pollen composition as well as non‐rewarding attributes such as colour, symmetry and odour. How do flower‐visiting insects deal with complex multi‐attribute decision tasks?

Here we review and synthesise research on the decision strategies used by flower‐visiting insects when making multi‐attribute decisions. In particular, we review how different types of foraging frameworks (classic optimal foraging theory, nutritional ecology, heuristics) conceptualise multi‐attribute choice and we discuss how phenomena such as innate preferences, flower constancy and context dependence influence our understanding of flower choice.

We find that multi‐attribute decision‐making is a complex process that can be influenced by innate preferences, flower constancy, the composition of the choice set and economic reward value. We argue that to understand and predict flower choice in flower‐visiting insects, we need to move beyond simplified choice sets towards a view of multi‐attribute choice which integrates the role of non‐rewarding attributes and which includes flower constancy, innate preferences and context dependence. We further caution that behavioural experiments need to consider the possibility of context dependence in the design and interpretation of preference experiments.

We conclude with a discussion of outstanding questions for future research. We also present a conceptual framework that incorporates the multiple dimensions of choice behaviour.
Intra‐ and interspecific variation in the responses of insect phenology to climate
Authors: Gutiérrez David , Wilson Robert J.
Published: September 2020

Phenological change is the most widely documented biological impact of climate change, but shows marked variation in magnitude among populations and species. Thus, quantifying the environmental factors and organismal differences driving this intra‐ and interspecific variability in phenology is vital to understand and forecast the ecological consequences of climate change.

Here, we test intra‐ and interspecific differences for a set of butterfly species in the organismal sensitivity of flight phenology and its dependence on environmental factors, using as our model system an elevation gradient in a Mediterranean mountain range where temperature and relative humidity vary substantially over space and time.

We use field‐collected meteorological data, and butterfly counts for 20 univoltine species over 14 years, to test the relative effects on phenology of temperature and relative humidity, the sensitivity of phenology to spatial and temporal variation in temperature and whether ecological traits account for inter‐specific variation in sensitivity.

For all species, temperature in the months immediately preceding adult emergence had the strongest relationship with phenology. All species appeared earlier in warmer years, with those flying earlier in the season showing the greatest sensitivity to annual (temporal) variation in temperature. However, only a minority of species showed evidence of plastic, space‐for‐time responses to temperature. Instead, most species showed strong evidence that phenology was more sensitive to temporal than spatial variation in temperature.

Our results support the dominant influence of temperature on phenology, even in Mediterranean environments suffering summer drought. They also suggest that accurate forecasts of species' phenological shifts could require the isolation of spatial from temporal components of temperature variation, because the sensitivity of populations and species may differ across these two dimensions. The factors driving synchronisation of phenology over space merit particular research in the context of climate change, given their potential to expose populations simultaneously to environmental extremes.
Temporal beta diversity of lake plants is determined by concomitant changes in environmental factors across decades
Authors: Lindholm Marja , Alahuhta Janne , Heino Jani , Toivonen Heikki
Published: September 2020

To comprehensively understand the impact of anthropogenic activities on biodiversity, we must understand how biodiversity has changed over time and what are the underlying processes. A growing body of evidence has shown that beta diversity reveals more about temporal changes in biodiversity compared with alpha diversity. Temporal beta diversity indicates, for example, degrees of change in species composition at single locations through time.

We examined whether freshwater plant communities showed different patterns in temporal beta diversity in relation to concomitant changes in environmental conditions across decades. To do this, we used presence–absence data of lake plants for five decades (1940s–2010s) from southern Finland and calculated temporal beta diversity indices (TBI) for each lake between pairs of decades to the whole community, hydrophytes and helophytes. To get insights into possible processes behind the observed trends, we decomposed TBIs into beta diversity contributed by either temporal losses or temporal gains of species. We related TBIs and their loss and gain components to lake landscape position and changes in environmental variables.

Based on comparisons of TBIs between the survey decade pairs, the temporal change in aquatic plant communities was modest through decades. Hydrophyte assemblages have changed more than helophyte assemblages. The main changes in temporal beta diversity occurred from the 1940s to the 1970s, when the gain of new species was the dominant process in the lakes throughout the landscape. Following that period, there was only modest changes, but from the 2000s to the 2010s, the dominant process was the loss of species. Temporal changes in environmental conditions played a key role in explaining the TBI.

Our results showed that relying on only two survey points in time can result in limited knowledge of the ecological phenomenon under study and, for example, an exceptional year in terms of weather conditions can hinder detecting overall long‐term trends in compositional changes. Therefore, future studies should try to combine data from several decades to overcome the typical limitations of temporal information.
Activation of PKCα participates in the reduction of Ikur in atrial myocytes induced by tumour necrosis factor‐α
Authors: Zhou Hui‐shan , Peng De‐wei , Lai Ying‐yu , Li Qian , Zhao Jun‐fei , Deng Chun‐yu , Yang Hui , Li Teng , Wang Zhao‐yu , Xu Yu‐wen , Xue Yu‐mei , Wu Shu‐lin , Guo Hui‐ming , Rao Fang
Published: September 2020

The atrial‐specific ultra‐rapid delayed rectifier K+ current (Ikur) plays an important role in the progression of atrial fibrillation (AF). Because inflammation is known to lead to the onset of AF, we aimed to investigate whether tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) played a role in regulating Ikur and the potential signalling pathways involved. Whole‐cell patch‐clamp and biochemical assays were used to study the regulation and expression of Ikur in myocytes and in tissues from left atrial appendages (LAAs) obtained from patients with sinus rhythm (SR) or AF, as well as in rat cardiomyocytes (H9c2 cells) and mouse atrial myocytes (HL‐1 cells). Ikur current density was markedly reduced in atrial myocytes from AF patients compared with SR controls. Reduction of Kv1.5 protein levels was accompanied by increased expression of TNF‐α and protein kinase C (PKC)α activation in AF patients. Treatment with TNF‐α dose‐dependently reduced Ikur and protein expression of Kv1.5 but not Kv3.1b in H9c2 cells and HL‐1 cells. TNF‐α also increased activity of PKCα. Specific PKCα inhibitor Gö6976 alleviated the reduction in Ikur induced by TNF‐α, but not the reduction in Kv1.5 protein. TNF‐α was involved in the electrical remodelling associated with AF, probably by depressing Ikur in atrial myocytes via activation of PKCα.
Toward more data publication of long‐term ecological observations
Authors: Shin Nagai , Shibata Hideaki , Osawa Takeshi , Yamakita Takehisa , Nakamura Masahiro , Kenta Tanaka
Published: September 2020

Data papers, such as those published by Ecological Research, encourage the retrieval and archiving of valuable unpublished, undigitized ecological observational data. However, scientists remain hesitant to submit their data to such forums. In this perspective paper, we describe lessons learned from the Long‐Term Ecological Research, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and marine biological databases and discuss how data sharing and publication are both powerful and important for ecological research. Our aim is to encourage readers to submit their unpublished, undigitized ecological observational data then the data may be archived, published and used by other researchers to advance knowledge in the field of ecology. Coupling data sharing and syntheses with the development of innovative informatics would allow ecology to enter the realm of big science and provide seeds for a new and robust agenda of future ecological studies.