bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Ecosystem and Phylogeny on Tropical Tree Crown Size and Shape
Authors: Shenkin Alexander , Bentley Lisa Patrick , Oliveras Imma , Salinas Norma , Adu-Bredu Stephen , Marimon Ben Hur , Marimon Beatriz , Peprah Theresa , Choque Efrain Lopez , Rodriguez Lucio Trujillo , Clemente Arenas Edith Rosario , Adonteng Christian , Seidu John , Passos Fabio Barbosa , Reis Simone Matias , Blonder Benjamin , Silman Miles , Enquist Brian J. , Asner Gregory P. , Malhi Yadvinder
Published: October 2019

1

The sizes and shapes of tree crowns are of fundamental importance in ecology, yet understanding the forces that determine them remains elusive. A cardinal question facing ecologists is the degree to which general and non-specific versus ecological and context-dependent processes are responsible for shaping tree crowns. Here, we test this question for the first time across diverse tropical ecosystems. Using trees from 20 plots varying in elevation, precipitation, and ecosystem type (savanna-forest transitions) across the paleo- and neo-tropics, we test the relationship between crown dimensions and tree size. By analyzing these scaling relationships across environmental gradients, biogeographic regions, and phylogenetic distance, we extend Metabolic Scaling Theory (MST) predictions to include how local selective pressures shape variation in crown dimensions. Across all sites, we find strong agreement between mean trends and MST predictions for the scaling of crown size and shape, but large variation around the mean. While MST explained approximately half of the observed variation in tree crown dimensions, we find that local, ecosystem, and phylogenetic predictors account for the half of the residual variation. Crown scaling does not change significantly across regions, but does change across ecosystem types, where savanna tree crowns grow more quickly with tree size than forest tree crowns. Crowns of legumes were wider and larger than those of other taxa. Thus, while MST can accurately describe the central tendency of tree crown size, local ecological conditions and evolutionary history appear to modify the scaling of crown shape. Importantly, our extension of MST incorporating these differences accounts for the mechanisms driving variation in the scaling of crown dimensions across the tropics. These results are critical when scaling the function of individual trees to larger spatial scales or incorporating the size and shape of tree crowns in global biogeochemical models.
CUB domain-containing protein 1 controls HGF responses by integrating Src and Met–STAT3 signaling
Authors: Kajiwara Kentaro , Sugihara Atsuya , Aoki Kazuhiro , Okuzaki Daisuke , Matsumoto Kunio , Okada Masato
Published: October 2019

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) controls various biological responses, including morphogenesis, organ regeneration, and cancer invasion, by activating its receptor, Met. However, the mechanisms that precisely control diverse Met signaling remain unclear. Here, we identified CUB domain-containing protein 1 (CDCP1) as a crucial element of HGF signaling. In MDCK cysts, HGF induced Src activation via CDCP1 upregulation, and CDCP1 ablation abrogated HGF responses, i.e., extended invasive cell protrusions and promoted cell growth/proliferation. Mechanistically, CDCP1 upregulation promoted Src recruitment into lipid rafts to activate Met-associated STAT3. In breast cancer cells in which Met and CDCP1 were co-upregulated, CDCP1 knockdown suppressed HGF-induced cell invasion. Furthermore,in vivoanalysis showed that CDCP1 ablation suppressed compensatory renal growth by attenuating Met–STAT3 signaling. These findings demonstrate that CDCP1 plays a crucial role in controlling HGF responses by integrating Src and Met-STAT3 signaling, and provide new insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying the multifaceted functions of HGF.
The early life microbiota protects neonatal mice from pathological small intestinal epithelial cell shedding
Authors: Hughes Kevin R , Schofield Z , Dalby MJ , Caim S , Chalklen L , Bernuzzi F , Alcon-Giner C , Le Gall G , Watson AJM , Hall LJ
Published: October 2019

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in regulating and maintaining the epithelial barrier, particularly during early life. Notably, patients with chronic intestinal inflammation have a dysregulated process of renewal and replenishment of the intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) barrier, which is linked to disturbances in the gut microbiota. To date, there are no studies focussed on understanding the impact of inflammatory cell shedding events during the early life developmental window, and which host and microbial factors mediate these responses. Here we sought to determine pathological cell shedding outcomes throughout the postnatal developmental period (day 14, 21, 29 and week 8). Surprisingly neonatal mice (day 14 and 21) were highly refractory to induction of cell shedding after intraperitoneal administration of LPS, with day 29 mice showing strong pathological responses, more similar to those observed in adult mice. These differential responses were not linked to defects in the cellular mechanisms and pathways known to regulate cell shedding responses, although we did observe that neonatal mice had elevated anti-inflammatory (IL-10) responses. Notably, when we profiled microbiota and metabolites from these mice, we observed significant alterations. Neonatal mice had high relative abundances ofStreptococcus,EscherichiaandEnterococcusand increased primary bile acids. In contrast, older mice were dominated byCandidatusArthromitus,AlistipesandLachnoclostridium, and had increased concentrations of SCFAs and methyamines. Faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) and antibiotic studies confirmed the importance of early life gut microbiota in cell shedding responses. In these studies, neonates treated with antibiotics restored LPS-induced small intestinal cell shedding, whereas adult FMT alone had no effect. Our findings further support the importance of the early life window for microbiota-epithelial interactions in the presence of inflammatory stimuli and highlight areas for further investigation to probe underlying mechanisms to drive therapeutic development within the context of chronic inflammatory intestinal diseases.
Estimating the power of sequence covariation for detecting conserved RNA structure
Authors: Rivas Elena , Clements Jody , Eddy Sean R.
Published: October 2019

Pairwise sequence covariations are a signal of conserved RNA secondary structure. We describe a method for distinguishing when lack of covariation signal can be taken as evidence against a conserved RNA structure, as opposed to when a sequence alignment merely has insufficient variation to detect covariations. We find that alignments for several long noncoding RNAs previously shown to lack covariation support do have adequate covariation detection power, providing additional evidence against their proposed conserved structures.
Conifers exhibit a characteristic inactivation of auxin to maintain tissue homeostasis
Authors: Brunoni Federica , Collani Silvio , Casanova-Saéz Rubén , Šimura Jan , Karady Michal , Schmid Markus , Ljung Karin , Bellini Catherine
Published: October 2019

Dynamic regulation of the levels of the natural auxin, indol-3-acetic acid (IAA), is essential to coordinate most of the physiological and developmental processes and responses to environmental changes. Oxidation of IAA is a major pathway to control auxin concentrations in Arabidopsis and, along with IAA conjugation, to respond to perturbation of IAA homeostasis. However, these regulatory mechanisms are still poorly investigated in conifers. To reduce this gap of knowledge, we investigated the different contribution of the IAA inactivation pathways in conifers.

Mass spectrometry-based quantification of IAA metabolites under steady state conditions and after perturbation was investigated to evaluate IAA homeostasis in conifers. Putative Picea abies GH3 genes (PaGH3) were identified by a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis including Arabidopsis and basal land plants. Auxin-inducible PaGH3 genes were identified by expression analysis and their IAA-conjugating activity was explored.

Compared to Arabidopsis, oxidative and conjugative pathways differentially contribute to reduce IAA levels in conifers. We demonstrated that the oxidation pathway plays a marginal role in controlling IAA homeostasis in spruce. On the other hand, an excess of IAA rapidly activates GH3-mediated irreversible conjugation pathways.

Taken together, these data indicate that a diversification of IAA inactivation mechanisms evolved specifically in conifers.
Landmark-Based Navigation Instructions Improve Incidental Spatial Knowledge Acquisition in Real-World Environments
Authors: Wunderlich Anna , Gramann Klaus
Published: October 2019

The repeated use of navigation assistance systems leads to decreased processing of the environment. Previous studies demonstrated that auditory augmentation of landmarks in navigation instructions can improve incidental spatial knowledge acquisition when driving a single route through an unfamiliar virtual environment. Based on these results, three experiments were conducted to investigate the generalizability and ecological validity of incidental spatial knowledge acquisition by landmark augmentation in navigation instructions.

In the first experiment, spatial knowledge acquisition was tested after watching an interactive video showing the navigation of a real-world urban route. A second experiment investigated incidental spatial knowledge acquisition during assisted navigation when participants walked through the same real-world, urban environment. The third experiment tested the acquired spatial knowledge two weeks after an assisted pedestrian navigation phase through the real-world.

All experiments demonstrated better performance in a cued-recall task for participants navigating with landmark-based navigation instructions as compared to standard instructions. Different levels of information provided with landmark-based instructions impacted landmark recognition dependent on the delay between navigation and test. The results replicated an improved landmark and route knowledge when using landmark-based navigation instructions emphasizing that auditory landmark augmentation enhances incidental spatial knowledge acquisition, and that this enhancement can be generalized to real-life settings.

This research is paving the way for navigation assistants that, instead of impairing spatial knowledge acquisition, incidentally foster the acquisition of landmark and route knowledge during every-day navigation.
Compensatory replacement of the BigH1 variant histone by canonical H1 supports normal embryonic development in Drosophila
Authors: Li Kaili K. , Han Dongsheng , Chen Fang , Li Ruihao , Zhou Bing-Rui , Bai Yawen , Yuan Kai , Rong Yikang S.
Published: October 2019

Histone variants carry specific functions in addition to those fulfilled by their canonical counterparts. Variants of the linker Histone H1 are prevalent in vertebrates and based on the pattern of their expression, many are presumed to function during germline and the earliest zygotic stages of development. While the existence of multiple H1 variants has hampered their study in vertebrates, a single variant, BigH1, was identified in Drosophila, promising to accelerate our understanding of the biological functions of H1 and H1 variants. Here we uncovered evidence for a compensatory activity that loads maternal H1 onto BigH1-devoid chromatin. Remarkably, this H1-based chromatin state is fully functional in supporting normal embryonic development, suggesting that H1 carries the essential function of the BigH1 molecule under the same developmental context. In addition, we discovered that this compensatory replacement of BigH1 with H1 might be limited to rapidly cycling cells in early embryos.
Cargo-free scaffold implant recruits metastatic cancer cells via lung-mimicking myeloid cell S100A8/A9 axis
Authors: Wang Jing , Hall Matthew S. , Bushnell Grace G. , Orbach Sophia M. , Raghani Ravi M. , Zhang Yining , Decker Joseph T. , Morris Aaron H. , Kandagatla Pridvi , Jeruss Jacqueline S. , Shea Lonnie D.
Published: October 2019

Pre-metastatic niches in distant tissue facilitate metastasis from the primary tumor. Cargo-free porous polymer scaffolds implanted in tumor-bearing mice act as synthetic metastatic niches recruiting metastasizing cancer cells. Herein, we investigated the mechanisms by which these implants attract cancer cells from circulation. Scaffolds attract cancer cells in part via S100A8/A9 secreted by Gr1+ myeloid cells in a mechanism that mimics lung metastasis. Further, cancer cells attracted to the scaffold have a lung-tropic gene expression signature regardless of their tissue of origin. The scaffold implant reduces metastasis to the lung suggesting otherwise lung-tropic cancer cells are diverted to the scaffold. The suppression of metastatic spread by the scaffold suggests this mechanism may be exploited for novel therapies, and may broadly influence the design of scaffold-based drug delivery system for anti-cancer therapy.
Vagus nerve stimulation increases vigor to work for rewards
Authors: Neuser Monja P. , Teckentrup Vanessa , Kühnel Anne , Hallschmid Manfred , Walter Martin , Kroemer Nils B.
Published: October 2019

Interoceptive feedback transmitted via the vagus nerve plays a vital role in motivation by tuning actions according to physiological needs. Whereas vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) reinforces actions and enhances dopamine transmission in animals, motivational effects elicited by VNS in humans are still largely elusive. Here, we applied non-invasive transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) on the left or the right ear using a randomized cross-over design (vs. sham). During stimulation, 81 healthy participants had to exert effort to earn food or monetary rewards. We reasoned that taVNS enhances motivation and tested whether it does so by increasing prospective benefits (i.e., vigor) or reducing costs of action (i.e., maintenance) compared to sham stimulation. In line with preclinical studies, taVNS generally enhanced invigoration of effort (p = .004, Bayes factor, BF10 = 7.34), whereas stimulation on the left side primarily facilitated vigor for food rewards (left taVNS: Stimulation × Reward Type, p =.003, BF10 = 11.80). In contrast, taVNS did not affect effort maintenance (ps ≥ .09, BF10 < 0.52). Critically, during taVNS, vigor declined less steeply with decreases in wanting (Δb = −.046, p = .031) indicating a boost in the drive to work for rewards. Collectively, our results suggest that taVNS enhances reward-seeking by boosting vigor, not effort maintenance and that the side of the stimulation affects generalization beyond food reward. We conclude that taVNS may enhance the pursuit of prospective rewards which may pave new avenues for treatment of motivational deficiencies.
Effects of irrigation scheduling and different irrigation methods on onion and water productivity in Tigray, northern Ethiopia
Authors: Haile Gebremedhin Gebremeskel , Gebremicael T.G. , Kifle Mulubrehan , Gebremedhin Teferi
Published: October 2019

Efficient irrigation water use can meet its objective if irrigated agriculture is managed properly in regions where water is limited. A two-year (2016-2017) field experiments were conducted in the semiarid areas of Tigray in northern Ethiopia to evaluate irrigation scheduling with different irrigation methods. The experiments were carried out to identify their contribution for enhancing onion and water productivity in water-stressed irrigation schemes of Korir and Hatset sites. Six factorial treatments comprising of three levels of irrigation methods (furrow, basin and flood) and two levels of irrigation scheduling (fixed interval and farmer’s practices) were evaluated with three replications. The agronomic and irrigation parameters were subjected to separate level-wise comparison followed by the factorial interaction effects. The results showed that the fixed irrigation interval, basin irrigation method and their factorial combinations showed better performances and produced a higher yield and water productivity. On average, 263.85 q/ha and 281 q/ha of onion were obtained under the basin irrigation method and basin irrigation with fixed irrigation interval (T2) at both sites and seasons. For the T2, 6.27 and 6.06 kg/m3 of water productivity (WP) and 4.39 and 4.24 kg/m3 of irrigation water productivity (IWP) were obtained at Korir and Hatset sites, respectively showing higher results as compared to other treatment combinations. Moreover, the basin irrigation method produces higher marketable onion bulbs that are essential for onion producers to earn maximum profit from selling and enhance their livelihoods. Treatments comprising basin method and fixed interval showed better onion and water productivity in the water-limited irrigation schemes of Tigray. Hence, focusing on enhanced irrigation scheduling techniques and irrigation methods are important for effective agricultural water management. Farmers, irrigation experts, water resources managers and decision-makers are suggested to use these techniques to save the limited water resources and increase agricultural productivity.
Loss of AKAP1 triggers Drp1 dephosphorylation-mediated mitochondrial fission and loss in retinal ganglion cells
Authors: Edwards Genea , Perkins Guy A. , Kim Keun-Young , Kong YeEun , Lee Yonghoon , Choi Soo-Ho , Liu Yujia , Skowronska-Krawczyk Dorota , Weinreb Robert N. , Zangwill Linda , Strack Stefan , Ju Won-Kyu
Published: October 2019

Impairment of mitochondrial structure and function is strongly linked to glaucoma pathogenesis. Despite the widely appreciated disease relevance of mitochondrial dysfunction and loss, the molecular mechanisms underlying mitochondrial fragmentation and metabolic stress in glaucoma are poorly understood. We demonstrate here that glaucomatous retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) show loss of A-kinase anchoring protein 1 (AKAP1), activation of calcineurin (CaN) and reduction of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) phosphorylation at serine 637 (Ser637). These findings suggest that AKAP1-mediated phosphorylation of Drp1 at Ser637 has a critical role in RGC survival in glaucomatous neurodegeneration. Male mice lacking AKAP1 show increases of CaN and total Drp1 level, as well as a decrease of Drp1 phosphorylation at Ser637 in the retina. Ultrastructural analysis of mitochondria shows that loss of AKAP1 triggers mitochondrial fragmentation and loss, as well as mitophagosome formation in RGCs. Loss of AKAP1 deregulates oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes (Cxs) by increasing CxII and decreasing CxIII-V, leading to metabolic and oxidative stress. Also, loss of AKAP1 decreases Akt phosphorylation at Serine 473 (Ser473) and threonine 308 (Thr308) and activates the Bim/Bax signaling pathway in the retina. These results suggest that loss of AKAP1 has a critical role in RGC dysfunction by decreasing Drp1 phosphorylation at Ser637, deregulating OXPHOS, decreasing Akt phosphorylation at Ser473 and Thr308, and activating the Bim/Bax pathway in glaucomatous neurodegeneration. Thus, we propose that overexpression of AKAP1 or modulation of Drp1 phosphorylation at Ser637 are potential therapeutic strategies for neuroprotective intervention in glaucoma and other mitochondria-related optic neuropathies.
Machine and deep learning single-cell segmentation and quantification of multi-dimensional tissue images
Authors: McKinley Eliot T , Roland Joseph T , Franklin Jeffrey L , Macedonia Mary Catherine , Vega Paige N , Shin Susie , Coffey Robert J , Lau Ken S
Published: October 2019

Increasingly, highly multiplexedin situtissue imaging methods are used to profile protein expression at the single-cell level. However, a critical limitation is a lack of robust cell segmentation tools applicable for sections of tissues with a complex architecture and multiple cell types. Using human colorectal adenomas, we present a pipeline for cell segmentation and quantification that utilizes machine learning-based pixel classification to define cellular compartments, a novel method for extending incomplete cell membranes, quantification of antibody staining, and a deep learning-based cell shape descriptor. We envision that this method can be broadly applied to different imaging platforms and tissue types.
Early hippocampal hyperexcitability followed by disinhibition in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome
Authors: Almog Yael , Brusel Marina , Anderson Karen , Rubinstein Moran
Published: October 2019

Dravet syndrome (Dravet) epilepsy begins with febrile seizures followed by worsening to refractory seizures, with some improvement and stabilization toward adolescence. The neuronal basis of Dravet is debatable, with evidence favoring reduced inhibition or enhanced excitation. Focusing on the firing properties of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons and oriens-lacunosum moleculare (O-LM) interneurons, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the activity of both cell types through the febrile, worsening and stabilization stages. Our data indicate a temporary increase in the excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons during the febrile stage, which is fully reversed by the onset of spontaneous seizures. In contrast, reduced function of O-LM interneurons persisted from the febrile through the stabilization stages, with the greatest impairment of excitability occurring during the worsening stage. Thus, both excitatory and inhibitory neurons contribute to Dravet, indicating complex and reciprocal pathophysiological neuronal changes during the different stages of the disease.

Graphical abstract
Defective intestinal repair after short-term high fat diet due to loss of efferocytosis
Authors: Hill Andrea A. , Kim Myunghoo , Zegarra-Ruiz Daniel F. , Song Hyo Won , Renfroe Michael C. , Major Angela M. , Wu Wan-Jung , Norwood Kendra , Diehl Gretchen E.
Published: October 2019

Defective tissue repair is a hallmark of many inflammatory disorders including, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While it is clear that high fat diets (HFD) can exacerbate inflammatory disease by increasing inflammation, the direct effect of lipids on tissue homeostasis and repair remains undefined. We show here that short term exposure to HFD directly impairs barrier repair after intestinal epithelial damage by interfering with recognition and uptake of apoptotic neutrophils by intestinal macrophages. Apoptotic neutrophil uptake induces macrophage IL-10 production, which is lacking after intestinal damage in the context of HFD. Overexpression of IL-10 rescues repair defects after HFD treatment, but not if epithelial cells lack the IL-10 receptor, highlighting the key role of IL-10 in barrier repair. These findings demonstrate a previously unidentified mechanism by which dietary lipids directly interfere with homeostatic processes required to maintain tissue integrity.
Disruption of the coordination between host circadian rhythms and malaria parasite development alters the duration of the intraerythrocytic cycle
Authors: Subudhi Amit K. , O’Donnell Aidan J. , Ramaprasad Abhinay , Abkallo Hussein M. , Kaushik Abhinav , Ansari Hifzur R. , Abdel-Haleem Alyaa M , Rached Fathia Ben , Kaneko Osamu , Culleton Richard , Reece Sarah E. , Pain Arnab
Published: October 2019

Malaria parasites complete their intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC) in multiples of 24 hours (depending on the species), suggesting a circadian basis to the asexual cell cycle, but the mechanism controlling this periodicity is unknown. Combining in vivo and in vitro approaches using rodent and human malaria parasites, we reveal that: (i) 57% of Plasmodium chabaudi genes exhibit 24 h “circadian” periodicity in transcription; (ii) 58% of these genes lose transcriptional rhythmicity when the IDC is out-of-synchrony with host rhythms; (iii) 9% of Plasmodium falciparum genes show circadian transcription under free-running conditions; (iv) Serpentine receptor 10 (SR10) has a circadian transcription profile and disrupting it in rodent malaria parasites shortens the IDC by 2-3 hours; (v) Multiple processes including DNA replication and the ubiquitin and proteasome pathways are affected by loss of coordination with host rhythms and by disruption of SR10. Our results show that malaria parasites are at least partly responsible for scheduling their IDCs explaining the fitness benefits of coordination with host rhythms.
Plasmodesmata-like intercellular connections by plant remorin in animal cells
Authors: Wei Zhuang , Tan Shutang , Liu Tao , Wu Yuan , Lei Ji-Gang , Chen ZhengJun , Friml Jiří , Xue Hong-Wei , Liao Kan
Published: October 2019

Plasmodesmata (PD) are crucial structures for intercellular communication in multicellular plants with remorins being their crucial plant-specific structural and functional constituents. The PD biogenesis is an intriguing but poorly understood process. By expressing an Arabidopsis remorin protein in mammalian cells, we have reconstituted a PD-like filamentous structure, termed remorin filament (RF), connecting neighboring cells physically and physiologically. Notably, RFs are capable of transporting macromolecules intercellularly, in a way similar to plant PD. With further super-resolution microscopic analysis and biochemical characterization, we found that RFs are also composed of actin filaments, forming the core skeleton structure, aligned with the remorin protein. This unique heterologous filamentous structure might explain the molecular mechanism for remorin function as well as PD construction. Furthermore, remorin protein exhibits a specific distribution manner in the plasma membrane in mammalian cells, representing a lipid nanodomain, depending on its lipid modification status. Our studies not only provide crucial insights into the mechanism of PD biogenesis, but also uncovers unsuspected fundamental mechanistic and evolutionary links between intercellular communication systems of plants and animals.

Significance

Remorin is rising as a crucial lipid microdomain marker, as well as an essential component of plasmodesmata in plants. However, the biological role of remorin in plants is elusive. With a heterologous system, we found that remorin expression is able to form intercellular filamentous structure, namely remorin filament (RF), connecting neighboring mammalian cells functionally. By employing multiple approaches, we tested the functionality of RFs, as well as investigated their structures. RFs highly resemble plant plasmodesmata, in many ways, such as its morphology, molecular constitutes, and its ability to transport macromolecules intercellularly. Our study provides novel insights into the biogenesis of plasmodesmata and uncovers fundamental evolutionary links in molecular construction of intercellular connections in both plants and animals.
A community-based strategy for department stores
Authors: Friedman Susan Krug
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Over the years, department stores have dealt with unique challenges, including massive changes in city and then suburban landscapes and shopping patterns, shifts in consumer preferences, and, more recently, electronic commerce. The purpose of this paper is to discuss additional community-oriented marketing approaches for department stores.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach looks at the role of traditional department stores in communities and their economic impact and uses ideas from a variety of community-based mobile services, including medical, food and library outreach.

Findings

The findings are that the importance of physical retailers such as department stores to a community deserves further consideration by civic and business leaders and that a variety of services and products have been successfully marketed in communities through additional approaches such as mobile units.

Social implications

The approaches presented could enhance community development.

Originality/value

While department stores have held distinctive places in many cities, these enterprises lack the type of regional fan base that advocates actively for other kinds of industries. A community-oriented marketing approach for department stores is discussed, with ideas for future research that could build on these stores’ special brand attributes and on their contributions to the viability of an area.
Effect of multichannel service delivery quality on customers’ continued engagement intention
Authors: Chen Ja-Shen , Tsou Hung-Tai , Chou Cindy Yunhsin , Ciou Ciou-Hua
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Drawing on the extant multichannel service quality literature and customer needs regarding the experiential value of online and offline shopping, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among multichannel service delivery quality (MSDQ), customer experiences, continued engagement intentions and customer involvement.

Design/methodology/approach

A research model with five hypotheses was proposed. Data were collected from 911 Taiwanese consumers who had a minimum of two years of multichannel shopping experience. The consumers were asked to complete a survey about their experience with MSDQ. Structural equation modelling was adopted to analyse the data.

Findings

The results of the analysis suggest that MSDQ positively impacts customer experiences, which in turn influence their continued engagement intentions. Furthermore, the analysis found that customer involvement positively moderates the effects of MSDQ on customer experiences.

Research limitations/implications

This study adopts the customer experience view to examine the effect of a holistic MSDQ design (including information transparency and accessibility and channel integration) on continued engagement intentions. By integrating a different conceptual lens, this study investigates the relationships among multichannel service quality, customer experiences and customer involvement, which adds alternative insights to the existing findings.

Practical implications

Managers must provide approaches to enhance the customer experiential values of utilitarianism, aesthetic appeal and playfulness; facilitate the information flow to be transparent and easily accessible; and provide different degrees of service based on customers’ experiences with their multichannel services to satisfy all consumers’ shopping needs.

Originality/value

The literature has focussed primarily on service providers’ technology capabilities and resources to design multichannel delivery systems. However, this study develops an MSDQ model and investigates its effects on customers’ experiences and continued engagement intentions.
Does corporate governance matter for stock returns volatility in the Brazilian context?
Authors: Cardoso Guilherme , Carr Dannie Delanoy , Rogers Pablo
Published: October 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the Brazilian stock market behavior and volatility term structure of two portfolios that, theoretically, the companies that comprise them have different degrees of idiosyncratic risk: one portfolio consists of firms with good corporate governance and the other comprises firms with poor corporate governance.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample comprises corporate firms listed in the Brazilian stock market during the period from January 2008 to December 2017. Generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity models were applied.

Findings

The results show that the portfolio of firms with good corporate governance practices presents fluctuations that are more often temporary and reactive, with trends’ persistence of shorter durations, when considering the punctual volatility of the parameters estimated. This opposed expectation that the portfolio comprised of companies with good governance practices are better protected from short-term movements. However, over time and with standard error measures in consideration, both portfolios’ volatilities behave in similar ways. These findings may be related to Brazilian market characteristics, such as ownership concentration, ineffective corporate boards and the ever-developing nature of the stock market in Brazil. Any one of these characteristics present challenges to effective enforcement of the corporate governance practices in the Brazilian context.

Originality/value

The findings are potentially to the interest of researchers and practitioners for several reasons. First, this paper contributes to the growing literature on the relationship between corporate governance and market volatility. Second, it informs that volatility in the Brazilian context is likely only partially, if at all, influenced by corporate governance practices. Third, longitudinally, both indices follow the same pattern and converge to the same place.
Improving professional development relationships that support teacher learning
Authors: Lillge Danielle
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Current top-down literacy reform mandates have reenergized attention to professional development (PD) outcomes. Still, questions remain about why English teachers struggle to apply their learning. Refocusing attention on understanding the complex yet critical relationship between professional development (PD) facilitators and teachers offers one explanation.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a telling case from an interactional ethnography, this paper illustrates how through their language-in-use teachers and facilitators can productively resolve conflicts that, if left unaddressed, can prevent teachers from acting on their professional learning.

Findings

A set of discursive moves – flagging, naming, soliciting and processing – provide a toolkit for surfacing and successfully resolving conflict in PD interactions.

Research limitations/implications

These moves offer a way of prioritizing the importance of teacher–facilitator relationships in future research aimed at addressing the longstanding conundrum of how best to support English teachers’ ongoing professional learning.

Practical implications

Teaching facilitators and teachers how to collaboratively address inevitable conflicts offers a needed intervention in supporting both teacher and facilitator learning.

Originality/value

Previous research has affirmed that facilitators, like teachers, need support for navigating the complexity of professional learning interactions. This paper offers a language for uncovering why teacher–facilitator interactions can be so challenging for teachers and facilitators as well as ways of responding productively in-the-moment. It contributes to a more capacious understanding of how these relationships shape diverse English teacher learning.
City-to-city exchange: redefining “resilience” in the Arab region
Authors: Eltinay Nuha
Published: October 2019

Purpose

It might seem plausible to argue that effective monitoring of disaster data loss can help achieve progress in reporting to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) and the global targets of sustainable development goals and associated indicators. Nevertheless, with the lack of climate change and disaster data losses in the Arab region, the integration of risks associated with socio-economic dimensions at the wider scale of displacement is important to shape a regional understanding of resilience terminology and provides the means of translating it. The purpose of this paper is to identify the means of redefining “Resilience” in the Arab region context of climate change, conflict and displacement in association with the theoretical principles of the “fragile city”.

Design/methodology/approach

In an attempt to achieve the SFDRR target (E) “substantially increase the number of countries with national and local DRR strategies by 2020,” this study investigates the use of the (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) disaster resilience scorecard as a guiding principle for city-to-city (C2C) resilience-building knowledge exchange between Amman (Jordan) and Khartoum (Sudan).

Findings

Facing similar urban challenges against disaster and violent conflict-protracted displacement, the study findings indicate that the C2C exchange program was useful in understanding the cities’ urban risk profiles, promoting dialogue among local governments and creating a culture of learning organizations for knowledge sharing on DRR governance and beyond. However, the applied resilience assessments overlooked the qualitative and socio-ecological understanding of climate change risk and human security principles among the most vulnerable groups of refugees and internally displaced persons in fragile settings. This is recommended to be integrated into building coherence for resilience across the 2015-2030 Global Agendas reporting and monitoring mechanisms, leaving “no one behind”.

Originality/value

The C2C exchange program for Amman and Khartoum was an opportunity for understanding the cities’ urban risk profiles, addressing challenges and building “decentralized cooperation” beyond the cities’ institutional boundaries (UN Habitat, 2001), with recommendations for “selecting resilience indicators specific to fragile cities” to quantitatively measure disaster displaced persons’ (DDPs) vulnerabilities and current status of “income and social equality, microeconomic security, provision of basic services and social protection” while providing qualitative evidence on “social cohesion, social networks/social support and local government–community cooperation” (Patel and Nosal, 2016).
Where is supply chain resilience research heading? A systematic and co-occurrence analysis
Authors: Ali Imran , Gölgeci Ismail
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to algorithmically and objectively investigate the previous literature on supply chain resilience (SCR) and advance theory by synthesizing new research domains.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-staged analysis approach, integrating systematic literature review (SLR) with VOSviewer co-occurrence analysis, was applied to the articles published between 2003 and 2018.

Findings

The authors find exponential growth in the literature on SCR over the last decade; however, there is still a gap for empirical research on numerous drivers, barriers, theories, moderators, mediators and research methods intertwined in building SCR.

Research limitations/implications

The review identifies major clusters in which SCR research is conducted and devises a future research agenda based on the findings of co-occurrence analysis.

Practical implications

The findings provide managers with a broad spectrum of factors that are indispensable to build resilience and inform business policy.

Originality/value

While some SLRs exist in the current literature of SCR, the authors undertake a unique analytical perspective, resulting in an idiosyncratic set of research domains for further investigation in the area.
The impact of tour services on international tourist satisfaction in Elmina, Ghana
Authors: Preko Alexander Kofi
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present specific tour services that influence international tourist satisfaction (ITS) and behavioural intentions (BIs) utilising transaction-specific customer satisfaction theory in a developing country. Identified factors will help stakeholders to plan, market and brand Elmina, Ghana, as a viable tourism destination to attract more tourists.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed conceptual model of seven hypotheses based on validated survey data gathered from 432 international tourists in Elmina, Ghana.

Findings

Empirical results revealed that food services, transportation, tour guide performance and community interactions had positive effects, whereas accommodation had a negative effect on ITS. However, tourist satisfaction had a positive effect on BIs.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are limited to this sample and cannot be projected to other destinations. Future studies can examine other tour services like tourism information centres and retail travel agents in Elmina.

Practical implications

International tourists’ stay in Elmina could be improved by providing competitive, insightful and memorable tours. Management of Elmina should constantly investigate the quality of tour services available to meet emerging needs of tourists.

Originality/value

To date, research into tour services, satisfaction and intentions of international tourists within city tourism as a foundation for future tourism development in Ghana has been overlooked. The findings provide an improved understanding of tour services, which will help Elmina’s tourism management to design and offer innovative and quality tour services to tourists.
Design and control of a novel all-terrains wearable vehicle
Authors: Sayed B.M. , Fanni Mohamed , Raessa Mohamed S. , Mohamed Abdelfatah
Published: October 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to design and control of a novel compact transportation system called the “wearable vehicle”. The wearable vehicle allows for traversing all types of terrains while transporting one's luggage in a comfortable and efficient manner.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed design consists of a lower limb exoskeleton carrying two motorized wheels and two free wheels installed alongside its feet. This paper presents a detailed description of the system with its preliminary design and finite element analysis. Moreover, the system has been optimally designed to decrease wearable vehicle’s total weight, consequently leading to a reduction in motor size. Finally, two controllers have been designed to achieve stable operation of the wearable vehicle while walking. A PD controller with gravity compensation has been designed to ensure that the wearable vehicle tracks human motion, while a PID controller has been designed to ensure that the zero moment point is close to the center of the system’s support polygon.

Findings

Experimental tests were carried out to check the wearable vehicle concept. The obtained results prove the feasibility of the proposed wearable vehicle from the design, dynamics and control viewpoints.

Practical implications

This proposed wearable vehicle’s purpose is for traveling faster with less effort than normal walking. When a human comes across a flat open ground, the wearable vehicle can be used as a vehicle. However, when a human enters crowded traffic, an unstructured area or other obstacles like stairs, the vehicle can be switched into walking mode.

Originality/value

The wearable vehicle has seven DOFs exoskeletons, two motorized wheels, two free wheels and a foldable seat. It is used as a vehicle via its motorized and free wheels to travel fast with minimal effort. In addition, the human can switch easily into walking mode, if there is unstructured terrain to be traversed. Furthermore, an illustration of system's mechanisms and main feature parameters are presented to become acquainted with the ultimate benefits of the new system.
The impact of management control systems on organisational change and performance in the public sector
Authors: Nuhu Nuraddeen Abubakar , Baird Kevin , Appuhami Ranjith
Published: October 2019

Purpose

This study aims to examine the role of organisational dynamic capabilities (strategic flexibility and employee empowerment) in mediating the relationship between management control systems (MCSs), in particular the interactive and diagnostic approaches to using controls, with organisational change and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected based on a mail survey of public sector organisations in Australia and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM).

Findings

The findings indicate that strategic flexibility and employee empowerment mediate the association between the interactive approach to MCSs with organisational performance, and strategic flexibility mediates the relationship between the interactive approach to MCSs with organisational change.

Practical implications

The study’s findings inform public sector practitioners as to how to enact change within and enhance the performance of public sector organisations. Specifically, managers are advised to focus on the use of interactive controls and the development of two dynamic organisational capabilities, strategic flexibility and employee empowerment.

Originality/value

The study provides an initial empirical insight into the relation between controls and dynamic capabilities and their role in enacting change and performance within the public sector. The findings suggest that the achievement of new public management ideals is reliant upon the organisational environment, with change and performance facilitated by the interactive use of controls and strategic flexibility and employee empowerment.
What news on the Rialto? Geopolitics and reputation risk
Authors: Hirsch Peter Buell
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how changes in the global geopolitical climate have created new and more acute reputation risks for multinational corporations.

Design/methodology/approach

This viewpoint examines recent shifts in the global geopolitical claims covered in international media and analyzes variety of instances in which these shifts have created new and more intense reputation risks. From this analysis, the authors derive insights into how companies can prepare for and manage their operations to mitigate potential reputation risks.

Findings

The author finds that the increases in reputation risk created by shifting global geopolitical structures expose weaknesses in the infrastructure and skill sets by which companies manage their corporate reputation and makes recommendations about overcoming these weaknesses.

Research limitations/implications

The geopolitical issues analyzed and the reputation risks exposed are selective; therefore, this is not a comprehensive review of all the potential risks.

Practical/implications

Companies can do a great deal to protect themselves from new reputation risks created by the geopolitical shifts discussed by setting up a new infrastructure for managing and reporting on these risks and hiring communications professionals with the appropriate capabilities for analyzing and managing the risks.

Social/implications

If these new risks are well managed, the potential for significant business disruption and the safety and security of corporate employees could be significantly reduced.

Originality/value

To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first discussion of geopolitical shifts and corporate reputation.
An investigation on impacts of structural changes in stocks’ past returns on financial analysts’ earnings forecasting rationality
Authors: Kang Zhixin
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test whether financial analysts’ rationality in making stocks’ earnings forecasts is homogenous or not across different information regimes in stocks’ past returns.

Design/methodology/approach

By treating stocks’ past returns as the information variable in this study, the authors employ a threshold regression model to capture and test threshold effects of stocks’ past returns on financial analysts’ rationality in making earnings forecasts in different information regimes.

Findings

The results show that three significant structural breaks and four respective information regimes are identified in stocks’ past returns in the threshold regression model. Across the four different information regimes, financial analysts react to stocks’ past returns quite differently when making one-quarter ahead earnings forecasts. Furthermore, the authors find that financial analysts are only rational in a certain information regime of stocks’ past returns depending on a certain return-window such as one-quarter, two-quarter or four-quarter time period.

Originality/value

This study is different from those in the existing literature by arguing that there could exist heterogeneity in financial analysts’ rationality in making earnings forecasts when using stocks’ past returns information. The finding that financial analysts react to stocks’ past returns differently in the different information regimes of past returns adds value to the research on financial analysts’ rationality.