bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the reliability of molecular estimates of evolutionary time when substitution rates and speciation rates vary
Authors: Ritchie Andrew M. , Hua Xia , Bromham Lindell
Published: June 2021

Background

An accurate timescale of evolutionary history is essential to testing hypotheses about the influence of historical events and processes, and the timescale for evolution is increasingly derived from analysis of DNA sequences. But variation in the rate of molecular evolution complicates the inference of time from DNA. Evidence is growing for numerous factors, such as life history and habitat, that are linked both to the molecular processes of mutation and fixation and to rates of macroevolutionary diversification. However, the most widely used methods rely on idealised models of rate variation, such as the uncorrelated and autocorrelated clocks, and molecular dating methods are rarely tested against complex models of rate change. One relationship that is not accounted for in molecular dating is the potential for interaction between molecular substitution rates and speciation, a relationship that has been supported by empirical studies in a growing number of taxa. If these relationships are as widespread as current evidence suggests, they may have a significant influence on molecular dates.

Results

We simulate phylogenies and molecular sequences under three different realistic rate variation models – one in which speciation rates and substitution rates both vary but are unlinked, one in which they covary continuously and one punctuated model in which molecular change is concentrated in speciation events, using empirical case studies to parameterise realistic simulations. We test three commonly used “relaxed clock” molecular dating methods against these realistic simulations to explore the degree of error in molecular dates under each model. We find average divergence time inference errors ranging from 12% of node age for the unlinked model when reconstructed under an uncorrelated rate prior using BEAST 2, to up to 91% when sequences evolved under the punctuated model are reconstructed under an autocorrelated prior using PAML.

Conclusions

We demonstrate the potential for substantial errors in molecular dates when both speciation rates and substitution rates vary between lineages. This study highlights the need for tests of molecular dating methods against realistic models of rate variation generated from empirical parameters and known relationships.
Bmper is required for morphogenesis of the anterior and posterior semicircular canal ducts in the developing zebrafish inner ear
Authors: Baxendale Sarah , Maier Esther C. , Obholzer Nikolaus D. , Burbridge Sarah , Zinski Joseph , Tuazon Francesca B. , van Hateren Nicholas J. , Romero M. Montserrat Garcia , Marzo Mar , Yokoya Kazutomo , Knight Robert D. , Megason Sean G. , Mullins Mary C. , Whitfield Tanya T.
Published: June 2021

BMP signalling is known to have a conserved function in development of the semicircular canal system of the vertebrate inner ear, but its regulation, target genes and effects on cell behaviour during otic morphogenesis are not fully understood. We have characterised the effects of mutations in the zebrafish gene bmper, which codes for a regulator of BMP signalling with both pro- and anti-BMP roles in different developmental contexts. The inner ears of bmper mutant embryos develop with truncations of the anterior and posterior semicircular canal ducts. To image the developing ear in live embryos, we have exploited a new transgenic line, Tg(smad6b:EGFP), which exhibits strong GFP expression in the otic epithelium. Morphometric analysis indicates defects in the bmper mutant ear from early stages of semicircular canal formation, correlating with a specific reduction in BMP signalling activity and specific loss of dlx5a expression in dorsal otic epithelium. Subsequent changes to cell shape occur at the truncation site and the dorsolateral septum. The bmper mutations that we describe are adult viable; truncation of the anterior and posterior semicircular canal ducts persists into adulthood. Our results argue against a major role for Bmper in specification of the pre-placodal region, induction of the otic placode, or development of the neural crest, processes in which Bmper function has previously been implicated. Instead, we conclude that a key requirement for Bmper function in the zebrafish is to promote BMP signalling during patterning and morphogenesis of the semicircular canal system.
Attention cueing in rivalry: insights from pupillometry
Authors: Acquafredda Miriam , Binda Paola , Lunghi Claudia
Published: June 2021

We used pupillometry to evaluate the effects of attention cueing on perceptual bi-stability, as reported by adult human observers. Perceptual alternations and pupil diameter were measured during two forms of rivalry, generated by presenting a white and a black disk to the two eyes (binocular rivalry) or splitting the disks between eyes (interocular grouping rivalry). In line with previous studies, we found that subtle pupil size oscillations (about 0.05 mm) tracked alternations between exclusive dominance phases of the black or white disk. These oscillations were larger for perceptually stronger stimuli: presented to the dominant eye or with physically higher luminance contrast. However, cueing of endogenous attention to one of the rivaling percepts did not affect pupil oscillations during exclusive dominance phases. This was in spite of the reliable effects of endogenous attention on perceptual dominance, which shifted in favor of the cued percept by about 10%. The results were comparable for binocular and interocular grouping rivalry. Cueing only had a marginal modulatory effect on pupil size during mixed percepts in binocular rivalry. This may suggest that, rather than acting by modulating perceptual strength, endogenous attention primarily acts during periods of unresolved competition, which is compatible with attention being automatically directed to the rivaling stimuli during periods of exclusive dominance and thereby sustaining perceptual alternations.

Significance Statement

Binocular rivalry depends on attention. When it is diverted away from the stimuli, perceptual alternations slow down; when it is preferentially directed to one stimulus, perception lingers more on it, consistent with attention enhancing the effective strength of the rivaling stimuli. Here we introduce pupillometry as a means to indirectly track changes in effective stimulus strength. We find that pupil size oscillates, accurately tracking perceived luminance during two forms of rivalry: binocular rivalry and interocular grouping rivalry. Both show robust effects of attention cueing on perceptual dominance, but pupil oscillations during exclusive dominance are unaffected by cueing. This suggests that endogenous attention does not affect perceptual strength during exclusive dominance, though it might do so during transition phases.
Gut microbiota of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) vary across natural and captive populations and correlate with environmental microbiota
Authors: Bornbusch Sally L. , Greene Lydia K. , Rahobilalaina Sylvia , Calkins Samantha , Rothman Ryan S. , Clarke Tara A. , LaFleur Marni , Drea Christine M.
Published: June 2021

Background

Inter-population variation in host-associated microbiota reflects differences in the hosts’ environments, but this characterization is typically based on studies comparing few populations. The diversity of natural habitats and captivity conditions occupied by any given host species has not been captured in these comparisons. Moreover, intraspecific variation in gut microbiota, generally attributed to diet, may also stem from differential acquisition of environmental microbes – an understudied mechanism by which host microbiomes are directly shaped by environmental microbes. To more comprehensively characterize gut microbiota in an ecologically flexible host, the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta; n = 209), while also investigating the role of environmental acquisition, we used 16S rRNA sequencing of lemur gut and soil microbiota sampled from up to 13 settings, eight in the wilderness of Madagascar and five in captivity in Madagascar or the U.S. Based on matched fecal and soil samples, we used source-sink ecological theory to examine covariation between the two types of consortia.

Results

The diversity of lemur gut microbes varied markedly within and between settings. Microbial diversity was not consistently greater in wild than in captive lemurs, indicating that this metric is not necessarily an indicator of host habitat or condition. Variation in microbial composition was inconsistent with either a single, representative gut community for wild conspecifics or a universal ‘signal of captivity’ that homogenizes the gut consortia of captive animals. Despite the similar, commercial diets of captive lemurs on both continents, lemurs within Madagascar were compositionally most similar, suggesting that non-dietary factors govern some of the variability. In particular, soil microbial communities were most distinct between the two continents, and there was significant and context-specific covariation between lemur gut and soil microbiota.

Conclusions

As one of the broadest, single-species investigations of primate microbiota, our study highlights that gut consortia are sensitive to multiple scales of environmental differences. This finding begs a reevaluation of the simple ‘captive vs. wild’ dichotomy. Beyond the important implications for animal care, health, and conservation, our finding that environmental acquisition may mediate aspects of host-associated consortia further expands the framework for how host-associated and environmental microbes interact across different microbial landscapes.
Damaged goods? Evaluating the impact of X-ray damage on conformational heterogeneity in room temperature and cryo-cooled protein crystals
Authors: Yabukarski Filip , Doukov Tzanko , Mokhtari Daniel A , Du Siyuan , Herschlag Daniel
Published: June 2021

X-ray crystallography is a cornerstone of biochemistry. Traditional freezing of protein crystals to cryo-temperatures mitigates X-ray damage and facilitates crystal handling but provides an incomplete window into the ensemble of conformations at the heart of protein function and energetics. Room temperature (RT) X-ray crystallography provides more extensive ensemble information, and recent developments allow conformational heterogeneity, the experimental manifestation of ensembles, to be extracted from single crystal data. However, high sensitivity to X-ray damage at RT raises concerns about data reliability. To systematically address this critical question, we obtained increasingly X-ray-damaged high-resolution datasets (1.02–1.52 Å) from single thaumatin, proteinase K, and lysozyme crystals. Heterogeneity analyses indicated a modest increase in conformational disorder with X-ray damage. Nevertheless, these effects do not alter overall conclusions and can be minimized by limiting the extent of X-ray damage or eliminated by extrapolation to obtain heterogeneity information free from X-ray damage effects. To compare these effects to damage at cryo temperature and to learn more about damage and heterogeneity in cryo-cooled crystals, we carried out an analogous analysis of increasingly damaged proteinase K cryo datasets (0.9–1.16 Å). We found X-ray damage-associated heterogeneity changes that were not observed at RT. This observation and the scarcity of reported X-ray doses and damage extent render it difficult to distinguish real from artifactual conformations, including those occurring as a function of temperature. The ability to aquire reliable heterogeneity information from single crystals at RT provides strong motivation for further development and routine implementation of RT X-ray crystallography to obtain conformational ensemble information.

Significance

X-ray crystallography has allowed biologists to visualize the proteins that carry out complex biological processes and has provided powerful insights into how these molecules function. Our next level of understanding requires information about the ensemble of conformations that is at the heart of protein function and energetics. Prior results have shown that room temperature (RT) X-ray crystallography provides extensive ensemble information, but are subject to extenstive X-ray damage. We found that ensemble information with little or no effects from X-ray damage can be collected at RT. We also found that damage effects may be more prevalent than recognized in structures obtained under current standard cryogenic conditions. RT X-ray crystallography can be routinely implemented to obtain needed information about conformational ensembles.
Computational mechanisms for neural representation of words
Authors: Fu Ze , Wang Xiaosha , Wang Xiaoying , Yang Huichao , Wang Jiahuan , Wei Tao , Liao Xuhong , Liu Zhiyuan , Chen Huimin , Bi Yanchao
Published: June 2021

A critical way for humans to acquire, represent and communicate information is through language, yet the underlying computation mechanisms through which language contributes to our word meaning representations are poorly understood. We compared three major types of word computation mechanisms from large language corpus (simple co-occurrence, graph-space relations and neural-network-vector-embedding relations) in terms of the association of words’ brain activity patterns, measured by two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments. Word relations derived from a graph-space representation, and not neural-network-vector-embedding, had unique explanatory power for the neural activity patterns in brain regions that have been shown to be particularly sensitive to language processes, including the anterior temporal lobe (capturing graph-common-neighbors), inferior frontal gyrus, and posterior middle/inferior temporal gyrus (capturing graph-shortest-path). These results were robust across different window sizes and graph sizes and were relatively specific to language inputs. These findings highlight the role of cumulative language inputs in organizing word meaning neural representations and provide a mathematical model to explain how different brain regions capture different types of language-derived information.
CTCF and transcription influence chromatin structure re-configuration after mitosis
Authors: Zhang Haoyue , Lam Jessica , Zhang Di , Lan Yemin , Vermunt Marit W. , Keller Cheryl A. , Giardine Belinda , Hardison Ross C. , Blobel Gerd A.
Published: June 2021

During mitosis, transcription is globally attenuated and chromatin architecture is dramatically reconfigured. Here we exploited the M- to G1-phase progression to interrogate the contributions of the architectural factor CTCF and the process of transcription to re-sculpting the genome in newborn nuclei. Depletion of CTCF specifically during the M- to G1-phase transition altered the re-establishment of local short-range compartmentalization after mitosis. Chromatin domain boundary reformation was impaired upon CTCF loss, but a subset (∼27%) of boundaries, characterized by transitions in chromatin states, was established normally. Without CTCF, structural loops failed to form, leading to illegitimate contacts betweencis-regulatory elements (CREs). Transient CRE contacts that are normally resolved after telophase persisted deeply into G1-phase in CTCF depleted cells. CTCF loss-associated gains in transcription were often linked to increased, normally illegitimate enhancer-promoter contacts. In contrast, at genes whose expression declined upon CTCF loss, CTCF seems to function as a conventional transcription activator, independent of its architectural role. CTCF-anchored structural loops facilitated formation CRE loops nested within them, especially those involving weak CREs. Transcription inhibition did not elicit global architectural changes and left transcription start site-associated boundaries intact. However, ongoing transcription contributed considerably to the formation of gene domains, regions of enriched contacts spanning the length of gene bodies. Notably, gene domains formed rapidly in ana/telophase prior to the completion of the first round of transcription, suggesting that epigenetic features in gene bodies contribute to genome reconfiguration prior to transcription. The focus on the de novo formation of nuclear architecture during G1 entry yielded novel insights into how CTCF and transcription contribute to the dynamic re-configuration of chromatin architecture during the mitosis to G1 phase progression.
Dynamic causal communication channels between neocortical areas
Authors: Javadzadeh Mitra , Hofer Sonja B.
Published: June 2021

Dynamic pathways of information flow between distributed brain regions underlie the diversity of behaviour. However, it remains unclear how neuronal activity in one area causally influences ongoing population activity in another, and how such interactions change over time. Here we introduce a causal approach to quantify cortical interactions by pairing simultaneous electrophysiological recordings with neural perturbations. We found that the influence visual cortical areas had on each other was surprisingly variable over time. Both feedforward and feedback pathways reliably affected different subpopulations of target neurons at different moments during processing of a visual stimulus, resulting in dynamically rotating communication dimensions between the two cortical areas. The influence of feedback on primary visual cortex (V1) became even more dynamic when visual stimuli were associated with a reward, impacting different subsets of V1 neurons within tens of milliseconds. This, in turn, controlled the geometry of V1 population activity in a behaviourally relevant manner. Thus, distributed neural populations interact through dynamically reorganizing and context-dependent communication channels to evaluate sensory information.
Caspase-1-driven neutrophil pyroptosis promotes an incomplete NETosis upon Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection
Authors: Santoni Karin , Pericat David , Pinilla Miriam , Bagayoko Salimata , Hessel Audrey , Leon-Icaza Stephen-Adonai , Bellard Elisabeth , Mazères Serge , Doz-Deblauwe Emilie , Winter Nathalie , Paget Christophe , Girard Jean-Philippe , Cougoule Céline , Poincloux Renaud , Lamkanfi Mohamed , Lefrançais Emma , Meunier Etienne , Planès Rémi
Published: June 2021

Multiple neutrophil death programs contribute to host defense against infections. Although expressing all necessary components, neutrophils specifically fail to undergo pyroptosis, a lytic form of cell death triggered by the activation of the pro-inflammatory complex inflammasome. In the light of the arm race, we hypothesized that intrinsic neutrophil pyroptosis resistance might be bypassed in response to specific microbial species. We show that Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) stimulates Caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis in human and murine neutrophils. Mechanistically, activated NLRC4 inflammasome supports Caspase-1-driven Gasdermin-D (GSDMD) activation, IL-1β cytokine release and neutrophil pyroptosis. Furthermore, GSDMD activates Peptidyl Arginine Deaminase-4 which drives an “incomplete NETosis” where neutrophil DNA fills the cell cytosol but fails crossing plasma membrane. Finally, we show that neutrophil Caspase-1 account for IL-1β production and contributes to various P. aeruginosa strains spread in mice. Overall, we demonstrate that neutrophils are fully competent for Caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis, which drives an unsuspected “incomplete NETosis”.

Neutrophils play an essential roles against infections. Although multiple neutrophil death programs contribute to host defense against infections, they fail to undergo pyroptosis, a pro-inflammatory form of cell death. Upon Infections, pyroptosis can be induced in macrophages or epithelial cells upon activation of pro-inflammatory complexes, inflammasomes that trigger Caspase-1-driven Gasdermin dependent plasma membrane lysis. In the light of host-microbe interactions, we hypothesized that yet to find microbial species might hold the capacity to overcome neutrophil resistance to inflammasome-driven pyroptosis. Among several bacterial species, we describe that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa specifically engages the NLRC4 inflammasome, which promotes Caspase-1-dependent Gasdermin-D activation and subsequent neutrophil pyroptosis. Furthermore, inflammasome-driven pyroptosis leads to DNA decondensation and expansion into the host cell cytosol but not to the so called Neutrophil Extracellular Trap (NET) release as DNA fails breaching the plasma membrane. Finally, in vivo P. aeruginosa infections highlight that Caspase-1-driven neutrophil pyroptosis is functional and is detrimental upon P. aeruginosa infection. Altogether, our results unexpectedly underline neutrophil competence for Caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis, a process that contributes to host susceptibility to P. aeruginosa infection.
Cell-autonomous differentiation of human primed embryonic stem cells into trophoblastic syncytia through the nascent amnion-like cell state
Authors: Ohgushi Masatoshi , Eiraku Mototsugu
Published: June 2021

Summery

Human primed embryonic stem cells (pESCs) are known to be converted to cells with several trophoblast properties, but it has remained controversial whether this phenomenon represents the inherent differentiation competence of human pESCs to trophoblast lineages. In this study, we report that chemical blockage of ACTIVIN/NODAL and FGF signals is sufficient to steer human pESCs into GATA3-expressing cells that give rise to hormone-producing syncytia analogous to syncytiotrophoblasts of the post-implantation stage of the human embryo. Taking advantage of this system, we identified two distinct modes of cell-autonomous genetic programs and their coordinated actions to initiate the differentiation. We also found a transient population reminiscent of nascent amnion and then a spontaneous branch of differentiation trajectory leading to syncytiotrophoblast-like syncytial cells. These results provide insights into the possible extraembryonic differentiation pathway that is unique in primate embryogenesis and is relevant to the trophoblast competence of human primed pluripotent stem cells.
Embedded control of cell growth using tunable genetic systems
Authors: Fusco Virginia , Salzano Davide , Fiore Davide , di Bernardo Mario
Published: June 2021

We present an embedded feedback control strategy to control the density of a bacterial population, allowing cells to self-regulate their growth rate so as to reach a desired density at steady state. We consider a static culture condition, where cells are provided with a limited amount of space and nutrients. The control strategy is built using a tunable expression system (TES), which controls the production of a growth inhibitor protein, complemented with a quorum sensing mechanism for the sensing of the population density. We show on a simplified population-level model that the TES endows the control system with additional flexibility by allowing the set-point to be changed online. Finally, we validate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy by means of realistic in silico experiments conducted in BSim, an agent-based simulator explicitly designed to simulate bacterial populations, and we test the robustness of our design to disturbances and parameters’ variations due, for instance, to cell-to-cell variability.
Synthesis and characterization of the Anderson–Evans tungstoantimonate [Na5(H2O)18{(HOCH2)2CHNH3}2][SbW6O24]
Authors: Sifaki Kleanthi , Gumerova Nadiia I. , Giester Gerald , Rompel Annette
Published: June 2021

A novel tungstoantimonate, [Na5(H2O)18{(HOCH2)2CHNH3}2][SbVWVI
6O24] (SbW6
), was synthesized from an aqueous solution and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which revealed C2/c symmetry. The structure contains two serinol [(HOCH2)2CHNH3]+ and five Na+ cations, which are octahedrally surrounded by 18 water molecules, and one [SbVWVI
6O24]7− anion. The serinol molecules also play a critical role in the synthesis by acting as a mild buffering agent. Each of the WVI and SbV ions is six-coordinated and displays a distorted octahedral motif. A three-dimensional supramolecular framework is formed via hydrogen-bonding interactions between the tungstoantimonates and cations. Powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis and IR spectroscopy were performed on SbW6
to prove the purity, to identify the water content and to characterize the vibrational modes of the crystallized phase.
Early-stage cost estimation model for power generation project with limited historical data
Authors: Lee Jin Gang , Lee Hyun-Soo , Park Moonseo , Seo JoonOh
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Reliable conceptual cost estimation of large-scale construction projects is critical for successful project planning and execution. For addressing the limited data availability in conceptual cost estimation, this study proposes an enhanced ANN-based cost estimating model that incorporates artificial neural networks, ensemble modeling and a factor analysis approach.

Design/methodology/approach

In the ANN-based conceptual cost estimating model, the ensemble modeling component enhances training, and thus, improves its predictive accuracy and stability when project data quantity is low; and the factor analysis component finds the optimal input for an estimating model, rendering explanations of project data more descriptive.

Findings

On the basis of the results of experiments, it can be concluded that ensemble modeling and FAMD (Factor Analysis of Mixed Data) are both conjointly capable of improving the accuracy of conceptual cost estimates. The ANN model version combining bootstrap aggregation and FAMD improved estimation accuracy and reliability despite these very low project sample sizes.

Research limitations/implications

The generalizability of the findings is hard to justify since it is difficult to collect cost data of construction projects comprehensively. But this difficulty means that our proposed approaches and findings can provide more accurate and stable conceptual cost forecasting in the early stages of project development.

Originality/value

From the perspective of this research, previous uses of past-project data can be deemed to have underutilized that information, and this study has highlighted that — even when limited in quantity — past-project data can and should be utilized effectively in the generation of conceptual cost estimates.
Workplace bullying and organizational citizenship behavior: the parallel mediating effects of job satisfaction and resilience
Authors: Mendiratta Aparna , Srivastava Shalini
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Upholding congruency with conservation of resources (COR) theory, the study intends to analyze the impact of workplace bullying on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) via job satisfaction and resilience as parallel mediators in the Indian hospitality sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a data of 240 respondents working in the hospitality sector in India. Direct and indirect effects were assessed through statistical techniques such as structural equation modeling and mediation analysis (Preacher and Hayes, 2004) for hypotheses testing using SPSS and AMOS tools.

Findings

The findings of the study suggest the negative correlation between workplace bullying and OCB. This study demonstrates the role of job satisfaction and resilience as parallel mediators in combating the cascading ill effect of workplace bullying on OCB.

Research limitations/implications

The results help India's hospitality sector to understand the intensity and impact of workplace bullying on job satisfaction and OCB.

Originality/value

This is the original and first study examining the role of workplace bullying on OCB via job satisfaction and resilience as parallel mediators in the non-Western context.
Industry 4.0 and green supply chain practices: an empirical study
Authors: Umar Muhammad , Khan Syed Abdul Rehman , Yusoff Yusliza Mohd , Ali Shahzad , Yu Zhang
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of Industry 4.0 on economic and environmental performance through the mediation of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices in the emerging economic context, like Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional study investigates Industry 4.0 effects on economic and environmental performance through GSCM practices in an emerging economy. For the testing of hypotheses, Smart-PLS is employed. In total, 284 valid responses were analyzed in this study.

Findings

The outcomes indicate that GSCM practices mediate the effect of Industry 4.0 on both economic and environmental performance. Also, the results indicate that GSCM practices are positively affected by Industry 4.0.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of this study is limited to manufacturing firms in Pakistan. Future studies may explore other variables that could expedite the adoption of GSCM as the concept of GSCM is still in its infancy. Future studies can conceptualize GSCM through resource based theory as mainstream SCM research has largely ignored the synergistic view of resource based approach in conceptualizing green supply chain models. Implications include policy making that emphasis on enhancing environmental knowledge training.

Originality/value

According to the best knowledge of the researcher, no study has been conducted regarding the effect of Industry 4.0 on economic and environmental performance through the mediation of GSCM practices in the emerging economy, like Pakistan.
The impact of COVID-19 closures on the Megalithic Temples of Malta UNESCO world heritage site
Authors: Caruana Josef , Debono Elaine , Stroud Katya , Zammit MariaElena
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study will determine the impact COVID-19 closures had on the Megalithic Temples of Malta. The physical, economic, social and conservation impacts will be discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies mainly on field observations of the effects managerial and state decisions had on the sites. A timeline from February to July 2020 will outline all major events and changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic happening in Malta and specifically within Heritage Malta sites.

Findings

The pandemic impacted the sites under study economically, and socially, whilst the impact on the sites attributed to visitors and other agents of deterioration were variable. These findings affected the way sites reopened to the public with restrictions and additional safety measures.

Originality/value

This article highlights the effect the pandemic had on archaeological sites in Central Mediterranean islands which are heavily reliant on tourism. It also highlights the important role such open-air sites have within the local community.
Íhé Ńkètá and Òkè: concepts and practice of indigenous cultural heritage management in the Igbo cultural area of south-eastern Nigeria
Authors: Onyemechalu Stanley Jachike , Ugwuanyi J. Kelechi
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study explored an alternative understanding of heritage through the lens of the Igbo cultural group in Nigeria. It used the Igbo concept of “Ihe Nketa” or “Oke” to examine the complex relationship between indigeneity, attachment and sustainability in the context of heritage management and conservation.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach was used, and ethnographic methods of data collection that include interviews and focus-group discussions (FGD) applied. The interview participants included village chiefs and the elderly (men and women), and the FGD comprised village elders (men and women) and youths. The interview guide contained demographic questions to determine age and occupation, followed by interactive open-ended questions stemming from the study's objectives. The interviews were conducted in the language most preferred by the respondents such as the Igbo language, Nigerian Pidgin English and the English language. The evidence generated was thematically analysed in a descriptive and interpretive manner.

Findings

The study found that while the Igbo understanding of heritage have related meaning with the definitions offered by the United Nations, their approach to heritage conservation takes a different turn through the concepts of “Ihe Nketa” or “Oke,” which recognises the ephemerality of tangible heritage resources with particular focus on the preservation of intangible heritage–knowledge over objects. The Igbo approach describes the framework for the acquisition, use and transfer of heritage resources in the Igbo society.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the understanding of the concept of heritage through the lens of the Igbo of Nigeria. Against the centralised national management approach to heritage, this paper argues that achieving sustainable heritage management in a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria requires the recognition of the principles that conserve(d) and manage(d) heritage among the indigenous/local peoples.
How long are newcomers new in different occupations?
Authors: Capitano Johnna , Mishra Vipanchi , Selvarathinam Priyatharsini , Collins Amy , Crossett Andrew
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effects of occupational characteristics on the length of time required to socialize newcomers. The authors examine task mastery, role clarity and social acceptance as indicators of socialization.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypotheses, the authors used occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and survey data of subject matter experts in 35 occupations.

Findings

Findings show that occupational differences account for a significant variance in the time needed to socialize newcomers. Across occupations, it takes longer to achieve task mastery than role clarity or social acceptance. Occupational complexity increases the time it takes for newcomers to attain task mastery, role clarity and social acceptance. Additionally, unstructured work and decision-making freedom increase the time it takes for newcomers to attain role clarity.

Originality/value

This study provides both theoretical and empirical guidance on the duration of the organizational socialization period. The study also provides empirical support for prior propositions that different types of newcomer learning occur at different rates.
Organizational experience of social media: impacts on competitive intelligence
Authors: Carvalho Diogo , Picoto Winnie , Busch Peter
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The paper aims to clarify the potential impact of data gathered from social media (SM) in the competitive intelligence (CI) process of organizations. As use of SM expands, analysis of this data becomes a critical business need providing essential support for decision makers. This paper seeks to examine how SM be used to enhance CI in an organizational context.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopted an exploratory mixed-method approach followed by a sequential and equal status design, with qualitative semi-structured interviews, accounting for the qualitative study and serving as precursor to a quantitative structured survey. Interviewees included a university professor and CI consultant, an SM analyst and a subject in a management position – all in the field of CI. A survey was sent to Fortune 1000 companies. Some 227 companies replied.

Findings

The findings were that the majority of respondents produce CI reports at least monthly, and that information transmitted mainly by presentation within organizations. Over 70% of companies outsource CI activities to specialized firms, while 80.9% of organizations felt CI improved their relationship with their customers. Not surprisingly, as the number of people dedicated to CI activities increased, the likelihood of an organization hiring outside companies specializing in CI diminished.

Research limitations/implications

All organizations sampled were large US companies; thus, small- and medium-sized enterprises were excluded, as were non-US viewpoints. As survey respondents were anonymous, the source of data at the level of the individual is missing. Finally, only three interviewees provided the qualitative data.

Practical implications

This investigation determined organizations should have an established and well-structured CI department. Furthermore, such a department should have between five and ten employees to maximize the potential. Outsourcing depends on the company’s specific needs. Nevertheless, regardless of whether it outsources CI activities or not, each firm should monitor SM to enhance the CI process.

Originality/value

Much SM-based CI is either non-existent or in “embryotic” stages in most companies, and therefore still a work in progress. Furthermore, as SM is a relatively new phenomenon, studies supporting its implementation are scarce. Companies stand to gain significant improvements to CI if SM is effectively used.
Dietary differences between grasshoppers are associated with life history tradeoffs in an alpine meadow
Authors: Lan Bin , Dong Yuran , Niklas Karl J. , Sun Shucun
Published: June 2021

Dietary differences are often observed among generalist herbivores co‐occurring in the same community. However, the factors underlying the differences remain poorly understood. In the context of insect herbivores, we hypothesized that interspecific dietary differences are associated with life history traits. Specifically, we hypothesized that the size of wings as well as gender participate in defining dietary preferences, that is, long‐winged species and males will tend to forage on plants with high C/N to maximize dispersal and mating, whereas short‐winged species and females will forage on N‐rich plants to maximize egg production. We tested this hypothesis by examining the diets of the males and females of three long‐winged and two short‐winged grasshopper species in an alpine meadow. The dietary composition and relative abundance of each species were determined using DNA meta‐barcoding. The data showed that the consumed plant species were similar among all of the grasshopper species and between the males and females. However, quantitative differences in the diets were significant between the long‐winged and short‐winged guilds and between the males and females of each species. Consistent with the hypothesis, (1) the long‐winged species fed more on monocots with high C/N, whereas the short‐winged species fed more on legumes with high N contents, (2) for each short‐winged species the males fed more on monocots with high C/N compared to the females, and (3) across all grasshopper species, egg numbers were positively associated with the weighted dietary N. These data indicate that the dietary preferences of these generalist grasshoppers are associated with life history tradeoffs.
Constructing a Human World: Denis Williams's Place in British Modernism of the 1950s
Authors: Thompson Allison
Published: June 2021

This essay examines two paintings by Denis Williams, Human World (1950) and Painting in Six Related Rhythms (1954), and their accompanying critical reception, to consider the transformation that takes place from an early interest in social realism and narrative approach in representing the post‐war urban environment and the experience of migration in London, to a radically geometric abstraction that deliberately negates any narrative reference. Wyndham Lewis was a fervent supporter and mentor, but his writings on Williams employed clichéd characterizations of primitivism and colonialism that limited a fuller understanding of the artist's intentions for his work. Wilson Harris's more fully considered essays provide an interesting counterpart. Williams's contribution to British modernism of the 1950s, which was largely eclipsed following his departure for Africa and eventual return to Guyana, should, it is argued, be reconsidered as part of a fuller and more inclusive assessment of that period.
The Photographs of Kim Lim: A Visual Essay
Authors: Loh Joleen
Published: June 2021

The unpublished travel photographs of Singapore‐born British artist Kim Lim (1936–97) reveal the diverse reference points for her sculptures. Thus far, critical literature on Lim's practice has not yet regarded the body of photographs taken by her across five decades, largely because her photography remained a private undertaking throughout her artistic career. As ephemera relating to her sculptural making, they are essential to the way that we encounter her practice today and reveal her own approach to ‘minimalism’ outside of its burgeoning developments in Euro‐American contexts. Bringing together a selection of travel and art photographs taken by Kim Lim, this essay asks what these works suggest is at stake for us now, and, specifically, the kinds of engagement that they enable with Lim's practice today.
Gavin Jantjes's Korabra Series (1986): Reworking Museum Interpretation
Authors: Dibosa David
Published: June 2021

To what extent does the work of Black and other artists of colour tend to get debated only in terms of social and political discourse? Taking as its focus Gavin Jantjes's Korabra series (1986), this essay considers what becomes possible when aesthetic considerations are given renewed emphasis. Attention shifts away from constructions of meaning in terms of broad themes, such as ‘slavery’ and ‘oppression’. Instead, a restored critical equilibrium is sought by focusing on concerns such as technique, genre and art‐historical influence. The discussion takes place in the context of displays in the ‘Art since 1900s’ gallery at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry.
Permindar Kaur: Locating a ‘Black’ Artist in Narratives of British Art in the 1990s
Authors: Correia Alice
Published: June 2021

Speaking at a conference in October 2016, Permindar Kaur asked, ‘Am I a Black artist?’ To be regarded as a ‘Black artist’ or not to be: what are the consequences for the trajectory of an artist's career; our understanding of the aesthetic affects of that artist's work; and their historicization within narratives of British art? This essay argues that the question of Kaur's ‘Blackness’, whether self‐defined or perceived by others, has had significant implications for the ways in which her artworks have been interpreted and historicized. Following Stuart Hall's essay ‘Black Diaspora Artists in Britain: Three “Moments” in Post‐War History’, this essay examines specific moments – artworks and their display – in Permindar Kaur's career, and their ‘periodization’ – interpretation and positioning – within a wider curatorial and art‐historical narration of the Black anti‐racist art agenda of the 1980s, and the Cool Britannia multiculturalism and nationalist Scottish Miracle narratives of the 1990s. Presenting Kaur as a case study, this essay provides insight into the challenges of narration faced by artists of colour.
‘Dreaming Has a Share in History’: Biding Time in the Work of Lubaina Himid
Authors: Price Dorothy
Published: June 2021

This essay analyses a selection of work by British painter Lubaina Himid through the lens of time, specifically non‐synchronous time as adumbrated by Ernst Bloch, conjunctural time after Stuart Hall, and constellations of Benjaminian time. It engages in close visual readings of Naming the Money (2004), Tousssaint L'Ouverture (1987), and a series of nine paintings Himid has referred to as the Walter Benjamin Kangas (2016), also known as New Kangas from the Archive. Taking different kinds of time as its structural framework, the essay presents new ways of thinking about these artworks that cross past and present narratives of trauma, political agency, subjectivity and change. The essay demonstrates how the use of colour, installation and collage, in a re‐address to history, to art history, to monuments, to time, to memory and to visibility, are central to Himid's practices as an artist: a practice in which she wrests painting from its traditional function as an instrument for white western canon formation, and re‐deploys it in dialogical relation to its origins.
Negotiating identities of ‘responsible drinking’: Exploring accounts of alcohol consumption of working mothers in their early parenting period
Authors: Vicario Serena , Peacock Marian , Buykx Penny , Meier Petra Sylvia , Bissell Paul
Published: June 2021

Mothers’ alcohol consumption has often been portrayed as problematic: firstly, because of the effects of alcohol on the foetus, and secondly, because of the association between motherhood and morality. Refracted through the disciplinary lens of public health, mothers’ alcohol consumption has been the target of numerous messages and discourses designed to monitor and regulate women's bodies and reproductive health. This study explores how mothers negotiated this dilemmatic terrain, drawing on accounts of drinking practices of women in paid work in the early parenting period living in Northern England in 2017–2018. Almost all of the participants reported alcohol abstention during pregnancy and the postpartum period and referred to low‐risk drinking practices. A feature of their accounts was appearing knowledgeable and familiar with public health messages, with participants often deploying ‘othering’, and linguistic expressions seen in public health advice. Here, we conceptualise these as Assumed Shared Alcohol Narratives (ASANs). ASANs, we argue, allowed participants to present themselves as morally legitimate parents and drinkers, with a strong awareness of risk discourses which protected the self from potential attacks of irresponsible behaviour. As such, these narratives can be viewed as neoliberal narratives, contributing to the shaping of highly responsible and self‐regulating subjectivities.
Exploiting within‐breed variability in the autochthonous Reggiana breed identified several candidate genes affecting pigmentation‐related traits, stature and udder defects in cattle
Authors: Bovo S. , Schiavo G. , Kazemi H. , Moscatelli G. , Ribani A. , Ballan M. , Bonacini M. , Prandi M. , Dall’Olio S. , Fontanesi L.
Published: June 2021

Autochthonous cattle breeds constitute important reservoirs of genetic diversity. Reggiana is an Italian local cattle breed reared in the north of Italy for the production of a mono‐breed Parmigiano–Reggiano cheese. Reggiana cattle usually have a classical solid red coat colour and pale muzzle. As part of the strategies designed for the sustainable conservation of this genetic resource, we investigated at the genome‐wise level the within‐breed detected variability of three pigmentation‐related traits (intensity of red coat colour, based on three classes – light/diluted, normal and dark; spotted patterns/piebaldism that sometime emerge in the breed; muzzle colour – pink/pale, grey and black), stature, presence/absence and number of supernumerary teats and teat length. A total of 1776 Reggiana cattle (about two‐thirds of the extant breed population) were genotyped with the GeneSeek GGP Bovine 150k SNP array and single‐marker and haplotype‐based GWASs were carried out. The results indicated that two main groups of genetic factors affect the intensity of red coat colour: darkening genes (including EDN3 and a few other genes) and diluting genes (including PMEL and a few other genes). Muzzle colour was mainly determined by MC1R gene markers. Piebaldism was mainly associated with KIT gene markers. Stature was associated with BTA6 markers upstream of the NCAPG–LCORL genes. Teat defects were associated with TBX3/TBX5, MCC and LGR5 genes. Overall, the identified genomic regions not only can be directly used in selection plans in the Reggiana breed, but also contribute to clarifying the genetic mechanisms involved in determining exterior traits in cattle.
Drug induced vitiligo‐like depigmentation from a CDK 4/6 inhibitor
Authors: Chan On B. , Su John C. , Yazdabadi Anousha , Chan Arlene
Published: June 2021

Ribociclib is an inhibitor of cyclin‐dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK 4/6) that is used in combination with an aromatase inhibitor in the first‐line setting for advanced or metastatic hormone receptor positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)‐negative breast cancer. We report two cases of drug‐induced vitiligo‐like depigmentation (DI‐VLD) associated with ribociclib. The awareness of this side effect is important given the increasing use of this drug and others with a similar mechanism of action.