bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lipid-induced polymorphic amyloid fibrils formation by α-synuclein
Authors: Singh Bhanu Pratap , Morris Ryan J , Horrocks Mathew H , Kunath Tilo , MacPhee Cait E
Published: July 2021

Many proteins that self-assemble into amyloid and amyloid-like fibres can adopt polymorphic forms. These forms have been observed both in vitro and in vivo and can arise through variations in the steric-zipper interactions between β-sheets, variations in the arrangements between protofilaments, and differences in the number of protofilaments that make up a given fibre class. Different polymorphs which arise from the same precursor molecule not only exhibit different levels of toxicity, but importantly can contribute to different disease conditions. In this work, we show that in the presence of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-L-serine, a highly abundant lipid in the plasma membrane of neurons, the aggregation of α-synuclein is markedly accelerated and yields a diversity of polymorphic forms under identical experimental conditions. This morphological diversity includes thin and curly amyloid fibrils, helical and twisted ribbons, nanotubes and flat sheets. TEM analysis of fibrils sampled from the early stage of the growth phase shows the presence of helical and twisted ribbons, indicating that these morphological variants form at the early stages of aggregation. Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) indicated the presence of lipids collocated with the mature fibrils. This finding has important implication as the presence of α-synuclein with co-localized high lipid content has been reported in Lewy bodies, the pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies. Thus, the present study demonstrates that an interface, such as that provided by a lipid membrane, can not only modulate the kinetics of α-synuclein amyloid aggregation but also plays an important role in the formation of morphological variants by incorporating lipid molecules in the process of amyloid fibril formation.
Targeted Bacteriophage T4 Nanoparticles Reverse HIV-1 Latency in CD4+ Human T Cells
Authors: Batra Himanshu , Zhu Jingen , Jain Swati , Ananthaswamy Neeti , Mahalingam Marthandan , Tao Pan , Lange Camille , Hill Shawn , Zhong Chaojie , Kearney Mary F. , Hu Haitao , Maldarelli Frank , Rao Venigalla B.
Published: July 2021

A major barrier for HIV-1 eradication is the latent virus reservoir containing stably integrated and silent proviruses in CD4+ T-cells. Targeted reactivation and removal of this latent reservoir is a potential strategy for HIV-1 cure but remains a major challenge. Here, we investigated whether CD4-targeted bacteriophage T4 capsid nanoparticles that mimic HIV envelope can reactivate HIV-1 latency. The nanoparticles were arrayed with CD4-binding CD4-DARPin, or HIV-1 gp140 envelope trimer. When exposed to J-Lat T-cell model of HIV-1 latency or primary T-lymphocytes from human PBMCs, these nanoparticles activated CD4+ T-cells without causing global T-cell activation, which led to activation of HIV-1 proviral transcription, viral protein production and release. Intriguingly, the observed T-cell activation and HIV-1 latency reversal do not involve the classic PKC or NFAT pathways and did not lead to cytokine storm. These studies indicate that engineered non-infectious bacteriophages can be exploited for HIV-1 cure and targeted T-cell therapies.

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

Engineered Bacteriophage T4 nanoparticles target CD4+ T Cells.

CD4-targeted T4 nanoparticles activate and reverse HIV-1 latency in CD4+ T cells.

The T4 nanoparticles target CD4+ T cells in human PBMCs and activate resting CD4+ T cells.

T4 nanoparticle-mediated activation is independent of the classic PKC and NF-AT pathways.
Myotubularin-related phosphatase 5 is a critical determinant of autophagy in neurons
Authors: Chua Jason P. , Bedi Karan , Paulsen Michelle T. , Ljungman Mats , Tank Elizabeth M. H. , Kim Erin S. , Colón-Mercado Jennifer M. , Ward Michael E. , Weisman Lois S. , Barmada Sami J.
Published: July 2021

Autophagy is a conserved, multi-step process of capturing proteolytic cargo in autophagosomes for lysosome degradation. The capacity to remove toxic proteins that accumulate in neurodegenerative disorders attests to the disease-modifying potential of the autophagy pathway. However, neurons respond only marginally to conventional methods for inducing autophagy, limiting efforts to develop therapeutic autophagy modulators for neurodegenerative diseases. The determinants underlying poor autophagy induction in neurons and the degree to which neurons and other cell types are differentially sensitive to autophagy stimuli are incompletely defined. Accordingly, we sampled nascent transcript synthesis and stabilities in fibroblasts, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-derived neurons (iNeurons), thereby uncovering a neuron-specific stability of transcripts encoding myotubularin-related phosphatase 5 (MTMR5). MTMR5 is an autophagy suppressor that acts with its binding partner, MTMR2, to dephosphorylate phosphoinositides critical for autophagy initiation and autophagosome maturation. We found that MTMR5 is necessary and sufficient to suppress autophagy in iNeurons and undifferentiated iPSCs. Using optical pulse labeling to visualize the turnover of endogenously-encoded proteins in live cells, we observed that knockdown of MTMR5 or MTMR2, but not MTMR9, significantly enhances neuronal degradation of TDP-43, an autophagy substrate implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases. Accordingly, our findings establish a regulatory mechanism of autophagy intrinsic to neurons and targetable for clearing disease-related proteins in a cell type-specific manner. In so doing, our results not only unravel novel aspects of neuronal biology and proteostasis, but also elucidate a strategy for modulating neuronal autophagy that could be of high therapeutic potential for multiple neurodegenerative diseases.
Integrin activation is an essential component of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Simons Peter , Rinaldi Derek A. , Bondu Virginie , Kell Alison M. , Bradfute Steven , Lidke Diane , Buranda Tione
Published: July 2021

Cellular entry of coronaviruses depends on binding of the viral spike (S) protein to a specific cellular receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Furthermore, the viral spike protein expresses an RGD motif, suggesting that cell surface integrins may be attachment co-receptors. However, using infectious SARS-CoV-2 requires a biosafety level 3 laboratory (BSL-3), which limits the techniques that can be used to study the mechanism of cell entry. Here, we UV-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 and fluorescently labeled the envelope membrane with octadecyl rhodamine B (R18) to explore the role of integrin activation in mediating both cell entry and productive infection. We used flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence microscopy to show that fluorescently labeled SARS-CoV-2R18particles engage basal-state integrins. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Mn2+, which activates integrins and induces integrin extension, enhances cell binding and entry of SARS-CoV-2R18in proportion to the fraction of integrins activated. We also show that one class of integrin antagonist, which binds to the αI MIDAS site and stabilizes the inactive, closed conformation, selectively inhibits the engagement of SARS-CoV-2R18with basal state integrins, but is ineffective against Mn2+-activated integrins. At the same time, RGD-integrin antagonists inhibited SARS-CoV-2R18binding regardless of integrin activity state. Integrins transmit signals bidirectionally: ‘inside-out’ signaling primes the ligand binding function of integrins via a talin dependent mechanism and ‘outside-in’ signaling occurs downstream of integrin binding to macromolecular ligands. Outside-in signaling is mediated by Gα13and induces cell spreading, retraction, migration, and proliferation. Using cell-permeable peptide inhibitors of talin, and Gα13binding to the cytoplasmic tail of an integrin’s β subunit, we further demonstrate that talin-mediated signaling is essential for productive infection by SARS-CoV-2.
Differences in the dynamics of the tandem-SH2 modules of the Syk and ZAP-70 tyrosine kinases
Authors: Hobbs Helen T , Shah Neel H , Badroos Jean M , Gee Christine L , Marqusee Susan , Kuriyan John
Published: July 2021

The catalytic activity of Syk-family tyrosine kinases is regulated by a tandem-SH2 module (tSH2 module). In the autoinhibited state, this module adopts a conformation which stabilizes an inactive conformation of the kinase domain. The binding of the tSH2 module to doubly-phosphorylated tyrosine-containing motifs necessitates a conformational change, thereby relieving kinase inhibition and promoting activation. We determined the crystal structure of the isolated tSH2 module of Syk and find, in contrast to ZAP-70, that its conformation more closely resembles that of the peptide-bound state, rather than the autoinhibited state. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange by mass spectrometry, as well as molecular dynamics simulations, reveal that the dynamics of the tSH2 modules of Syk and ZAP-70 differ, with most of these differences occurring in the C-terminal SH2 domain. Our data suggest that the conformational landscapes of the tSH2 modules in Syk and ZAP-70 have been tuned differently, such that the auto-inhibited conformation of the Syk tSH2 module is less stable. This feature of Syk likely contributes to its ability to more readily escape autoinhibition when compared to ZAP-70, consistent with tighter control of downstream signaling pathways in T cells.
Regulation of stem cell identity by miR-200a during spinal cord regeneration
Authors: Walker Sarah E. , Sabin Keith Z. , Gearhart Micah D. , Yamamoto Kenta , Echeverri Karen
Published: July 2021

Axolotls are an important model organism for multiple types of regeneration, including functional spinal cord regeneration. Remarkably, axolotls can repair their spinal cord after a small lesion injury and can also regenerate their entire tail following amputation. Several classical signaling pathways that are used during development are reactivated during regeneration, but how this is regulated remains a mystery. We have previously identified miR-200a as a key factor that promotes successful spinal cord regeneration. Here, using RNA-seq analysis, we discovered that the inhibition of miR-200a results in an upregulation of the classical mesodermal markerbrachyuryin spinal cord cells after injury. However, these cells still express the neural stem cell markersox2.In vivolineage tracing allowed us to determine that these cells can give rise to cells of both the neural and mesoderm lineage. Additionally, we found that miR-200a can directly regulatebrachyuryvia a seed sequence in the 3’UTR of the gene. Our data indicate that miR-200a represses mesodermal cell fate after a small lesion injury in the spinal cord when only glial cells and neurons need to be replaced.

Summary Statement

After spinal cord injury, miR-200 fine-tunes expression levelsbrachyuryandβ-cateninto direct spinal cord stem into cells of the mesodermal or ectodermal lineage.
Distinct shifts in site-specific glycosylation pattern of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins associated with arising mutations in the D614G and Alpha variants
Authors: Kuo Chu-Wei , Yang Tzu-Jing , Chien Yu-Chun , Yu Pei-Yu , Hsu Shang-Te Danny , Khoo Kay-Hooi
Published: July 2021

Extensive glycosylation of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus not only shields the major part of it from host immune responses, but glycans at specific sites also act on its conformation dynamics and contribute to efficient host receptor binding, and hence infectivity. As variants of concern arise during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unclear if mutations accumulated within the spike protein would affect its site-specific glycosylation pattern. The Alpha variant derived from the D614G lineage is distinguished from others by having deletion mutations located right within an immunogenic supersite of the spike N-terminal domain that make it refractory to most neutralizing antibodies directed against this domain. Despite maintaining an overall similar structural conformation, our mass spectrometry-based site-specific glycosylation analyses of similarly produced spike proteins with and without the D614G and Alpha variant mutations reveal a significant shift in the processing state of N-glycans on one specific N-terminal domain site. Its conversion to a higher proportion of complex type structures is indicative of altered spatial accessibility attributable to mutations specific to the Alpha variant that may impact its transmissibility. This and other more subtle changes in glycosylation features detected at other sites provide crucial missing information otherwise not apparent in the available cryogenic electron microscopy-derived structures of the spike protein variants.
Life situations and lived experiences of young people who are not in education, employment, or training in South Africa
Authors: Matli Walter , Ngoepe Mpho
Published: July 2021

Purpose

In recent years, South Africa has continued to experience a high rate of young people who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). The emergence of the concept ‘NEET’ affords researchers an opportunity to more closely examine the life situations and experiences of this population sub-group. The purpose of this paper is thus to further explore the life situations and lived experiences of people in South Africa who are NEET. Structuration theory is adopted to better understand how social structures play a role in the lives of people who are NEET.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 24 NEET people over a period of two months in South Africa. This paper presents a section of the findings from a broader study that used self-administered interviews to collect data in three metropolitan municipalities of Gauteng Province, the economic heartland of South Africa.

Findings

The findings indicate that poverty remains an obstacle for many young people in furthering their studies or developing their ideas into businesses. Also evident is that there are NEETs who are taking action to disconnect from the NEET sub-group by means of seeking work, funding, or volunteering for initiatives, among other activities. Lack of financial support affects most NEETs perpetuating their vulnerability and their efforts to detach themselves from their NEET status. It is evident that most NEETs who took part in this study are still seeking opportunities to become economically active, regardless of their current financial situations.

Originality/value

There remains a lack of adequate exploration and understanding of the experiences and life situations of people who are NEET. The relevance of this study is in its contribution towards extending the applicability of structuration theory to understanding the life situations of people who are NEET in South Africa. This study contributes to the literature by providing the experiences and life situations of people who are NEET in a country with already high levels of inequalities. It is hoped that this study may provide the basis for developing more specific policy solutions able to address the NEET issues in South Africa and in society more generally.
Discovering the relationship among knowledge management, sustainability marketing and service improvement: the moderating role of consumer interest
Authors: Liu Chih-Hsing Sam , Dong Tse-Ping
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate “what” critical attributes are actually associated with the development of blockchain technology and “how” it influences service improvement in the context of tourism and hospitality operations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper aims to provide a new and novel viewpoint by using the blockchain perspective to discover the relationships between knowledge management, sustainability marketing and service improvement using 311 samples collected from tourism and hospitality firms in Taiwan.

Findings

The results show that knowledge management may influence service improvement through sustainability marketing commitment. Furthermore, the study found that consumer interest may strengthen the relationships between knowledge management, sustainability marketing and service improvement. Additionally, the sub-dimension of knowledge management is also discussed in the integrated mediation–moderation model.

Practical implications

The results provide sufficient support for employees or managers undertaking new technology or development to facilitate business-to-consumer trade models in their present and future operations.

Originality/value

The study advances the existing tourism and hospitality literature by identifying consumer interest as an important effective characteristic that may positively strengthen the relationship among critical attributes of knowledge management and sustainability marketing commitment during the service improvement process.
Managing emergency situations with lean and advanced manufacturing technologies: an empirical study on the Rumbia typhoon disaster
Authors: Pu Xiaodie , Chen Meng , Cai Zhao , Chong Alain Yee-Loong , Tan Kim Hua
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of lean manufacturing (LM) on the financial performance of companies affected by emergency situations. It additionally explores the role of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) in complementing LM to enhance financial performance in emergency and non-emergency situations.

Design/methodology/approach

Both survey and archival data were collected from 219 manufacturing companies in China. With longitudinal data collected before and after an emergency situation (i.e. Typhoon Rumbia), regression analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of LM and AMTs on financial performance in different contexts.

Findings

Our results reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between LM and financial performance in the context of emergency. We also found that AMTs exerted a positive moderation effect on the inverted U-shaped relationship, indicating high levels of AMTs that mitigated the inefficiency of LM in coping with supply chain emergencies.

Research limitations/implications

Through simultaneous investigation of LM and AMTs as bundles of practices and their fit with different contexts, this study takes a systems approach to fit that advances the application of contingency theory in the Operations Management literature to more complex patterns of fit.

Originality/value

This study illuminates how AMTs support LM practices in facilitating organizational performance in different contexts. Specifically, this study unravels the interaction mechanisms between AMTs and LM in influencing financial performance in emergency and non-emergency situations.
Linking supplier JIT to flexibility performance: the moderating impact of advanced manufacturing technology and human resource empowerment
Authors: Suleiman Mohammed Ali , Huo Baofeng , Ye Yuxiao
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Implementing just-in-time (JIT) practices on the supplier side is a common practice to streamline procurement and production planning in realization of cost efficiency and lead time reduction. However, it is little known how supplier JIT is related to firm flexibility performance and what factors may facilitate the relationship. This study aims to investigate the effects of supplier JIT on flexibility performance and explore the moderating impacts of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) and human resource empowerment (EMP).

Design/methodology/approach

This study applies hierarchical linear regression analysis to test the proposed model based on data collected from 213 manufacturing firms in China.

Findings

The results revealed a negative influence of supplier JIT on flexibility performance. However, the adoption of AMT and EMP reconciles the conflict between supplier JIT and flexibility performance. Besides, the results indicate the positive effects of AMT and EMP on flexibility performance.

Originality/value

This study contributes to supply chain JIT literature by providing a holistic view to understand the structural relationships between supplier JIT, AMT, EMP and flexibility performance.
Cyberloafing and cyberslacking in the workplace: systematic literature review of past achievements and future promises
Authors: Tandon Anushree , Kaur Puneet , Ruparel Namita , Islam Jamid Ul , Dhir Amandeep
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Scholars are increasingly focusing on the adverse effects of digitization on human lives in personal and professional contexts. Cyberloafing is one such effect and digitization-related workplace behavior that has garnered attention in both academic and mainstream media. However, the existing literature is fragmented and needs to be consolidated to generate a comprehensive and contemporary overview of cyberloafing research and map its current intellectual boundaries. The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on systematic literature review (SLR) in cyberloafing and cyberslacking in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

A SLR is conducted to assimilate the existing research. A total of 87 studies selected through a robust protocol are analyzed through content analysis.

Findings

A total of four thematic research areas and inherent gaps are identified, including conceptualization, operationalization, antecedents and stakeholders and consequences. Results are used to assimilate thematic gaps and potential research questions (RQs) to be addressed by future scholars. To advance cyberloafing research, the authors propose a theoretically grounded comprehensive framework based on the SLR findings.

Originality/value

Our study's novelty rests in its state-of-the-art synthesis of cyberloafing research, which encompasses a broader scope than prior SLRs. Furthermore, developing a theoretically grounded comprehensive framework for advancing future research is a unique contribution of this study.
Exploring the relationships between socialization agents, social media communication, online shopping experience, and pre-purchase search: a moderated model
Authors: Saha Mahasweta , Sahney Sangeeta
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between the dimensions of the pre-purchase information search (PS) such as direction (reliance on the information sources-RIS) and pattern (reliance on the utilitarian value-RUV), moderating role of the online shopping experience (OSE), and their influence on the behavior of the socialization agents (family communication (FC), peer communication (PC), TV advertising-TVAdv, social media communication (SMC)) for buying branded apparel.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a questionnaire, and a total of 458 responses were obtained. A measurement model with the dimensions of the pre-purchase information search and socialization agents was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. The conceptual model with hypotheses (direct and moderated effects) was analyzed using a moderated approach using Hayes Macros.

Findings

The findings confirm the significant influence of the dimensions of the PS (RIS and RUV) on the behavior of socialization agents for buying branded apparel with the strongest influence of RIS on SMC. The moderated effects of OSE between the dimensions of PS and socialization agents are found to be significant except for the relationship between RIS and FC. The direct effects of the RIS and RUV on the socialization agents are higher for consumers having high OSE and lower for consumers having low OSE.

Originality/value

The findings contribute to the growing body of literature on the PS, highlighting the importance of consumer socialization for the purchase decision of consumers in emerging markets. No previous studies have applied a psychological approach to explain the variation in the external search incorporating the dimensions like direction (RIS) and pattern (RUV), which did not receive research attention so far. This study uniquely sets a new direction for the researchers by establishing a theoretical linkage between the dimensions of PS that can act as antecedents and can significantly influence the behavior of socialization agents using the consumer socialization approach based on the social learning theory. The results reveal the strongest influence of SMC and establish the moderating role of OSE for the buying decision of branded apparel. The findings are valuable for online marketers who must acknowledge that social media is the strongest platform for reaching customers and must create a formal page for displaying their latest updates about their products and services. Marketers must engage all the family members through online contests and feedback sessions for developing trust for online shopping platforms.
Exploring the Colombian digital divide using Moodle logs through supervised learning
Authors: Morales Dussan Sergio Duban , Leon Mauricio , Garcia-Bedoya Olmer , Galpin Ixent
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to explore the digital divide between students living in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in the Antioquia region of Colombia. This is achieved by collecting data about student interactions from the Moodle learning management system (LMS), and subsequently applying supervised machine learning models to infer the gap between students in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas.

Design/methodology/approach

This work uses the well-established Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining methodology, which comprises six phases, viz., problem understanding, data understanding, data preparation, modelling, evaluation and implementation. In this case, student data was collected from the Moodle platform from the Antioquia campus of the UNAD distance learning university.

Findings

The digital divide is evident in the classification model when observing differences in variables such as the number of accesses to the LMS, the total time spent and the number of distinct IP addresses used, as well as the number of system modification events.

Originality/value

This study provides conclusions regarding the problems students in virtual education may face as a result of the digital divide in Colombia which have become increasingly visible since the implementation of machine learning methodologies on LMS such as Moodle. However, these practices may be replicated in any virtual educational context and furthermore be extended to enable personalisation of various aspects of the Moodle platform to meet the individual needs of students.
The Thailand national AI ethics guideline: an analysis
Authors: Hongladarom Soraj
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The paper aims to analyze the content of the newly published National AI Ethics Guideline in Thailand. Thailand’s ongoing political struggles and transformation has made it a good case to see how a policy document such as a guideline in AI ethics becomes part of the transformations. Looking at how the two are interrelated will help illuminate the political and cultural dynamics of Thailand as well as how governance of ethics itself is conceptualized.

Design/methodology/approach

The author looks at the history of how the National AI Ethics Guidelines came to be and interprets its content, situating the Guideline within the contemporary history of the country as well as comparing the Guideline with some of the leading existing guidelines.

Findings

It is found that the Guideline represents an ambivalent and paradoxical nature that characterizes Thailand’s attempt at modernization. On the one hand, there is a desire to join the ranks of the more advanced economies, but, on the other hand, there is also a strong desire to maintain its own traditional values. Thailand has not been successful in resolving this tension yet, and this lack of success is shown in the way that content of the AI Ethics Guideline is presented.

Practical implications

The findings of the paper could be useful for further attempts in drafting and revising AI ethics guidelines in the future.

Originality/value

The paper represents the first attempt, so far as the author is aware, to analyze the content of the Thai AI Ethics Guideline critically.
Implementation of the personal data minimization principle in financial institutions: Lithuania’s case
Authors: Laurinaitis Marius , Štitilis Darius , Verenius Egidijus
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess such processing of personal data for identification purposes from the point of view of the principle of data minimisation, as set out in the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and examine whether the processing of personal data for these purposes can be considered proportionate, i.e. whether it is performed for the purposes defined and only as much as is necessary.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors discuss and present the relevant legal regulation and examine the goals and implementation of such regulation in Lithuania. This paper also examines the conditions for the lawful processing of personal data and their application for the above-mentioned purposes.

Findings

This paper addresses the problem that, on the one hand, financial institutions must comply with the objectives of collecting as much personal data as possible under the AML Directive (this practice is supported by the supervisory authority, the Bank of Lithuania), and, on the other hand, they must comply with the principle of data minimisation established by the GDPR.

Originality/value

Financial institutions process large amounts of personal data. These data are processed for different purposes. One of the purposes of processing personal data is (or may be) related to the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing. In implementing the Know Your Customer principle and the relevant legal framework derived from the EU AML Directive, financial institutions collect various data, including projected account turnovers, account holders' relatives involved in politics, etc.
Evolutions and trends of artificial intelligence (AI): research, output, influence and competition
Authors: Shao Zhou , Yuan Sha , Wang Yongli , Xu Jing
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper throws light on some of the nature of artificial intelligence (AI) development, which will serve as a starter for helping to advance its development.

Design/methodology/approach

This work reveals the evolutions and trends of AI from four dimensions: research, output, influence and competition through leveraging academic knowledge graph with 130,750 AI scholars and 43,746 scholarly articles.

Findings

The authors unearth that the “research convergence” phenomenon becomes more evident in current AI research for scholars' highly similar research interests in different regions. The authors notice that Pareto's principle applies to AI scholars' outputs, and the outputs have been increasing at an explosive rate in the past two decades. The authors discover that top works dominate the AI academia, for they attracted considerable attention. Finally, the authors delve into AI competition, which accelerates technology development, talent flow, and collaboration.

Originality/value

The work aims to throw light on the nature of AI development, which will serve as a starter for helping to advance its development. The work will help us to have a more comprehensive and profound understanding of the evolutions and trends, which bridge the gap between literature research and AI development as well as enlighten the way the authors promote AI development and its strategy formulation.
Enablers and barriers to the involvement of accountants in integrated reporting
Authors: Arora Mitali Panchal , Lodhia Sumit , Stone Gerard
Published: July 2021

Purpose

With the increasing adoption of integrated reporting and the subsequent interest of the accounting discipline in its development, this paper aims to examine the enablers and barriers to the involvement of accountants in integrated reporting.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a case study approach by collecting interview data from six organisations that have adopted integrated reporting internationally. In the selected organisations, face-to-face and telephone interviews were conducted with professionals who are involved in the preparation of an integrated report. The interviewees in this study included key integrated report preparers including accountants, corporate reporting managers, sustainability managers and other report preparers. Institutional entrepreneurship provided the theoretical insights for this study.

Findings

The study found that accountants’ expertise in corporate reporting and especially their knowledge of the assurance process was one of the major reasons why they were involved in integrated reporting. Accountants’ in-depth understanding of an organisation in addition to their general analytical and interpersonal skills were also found to be useful in preparing an integrated report. However, the voluntary nature of integrated reporting along with the lack of sufficient guidelines deterred accountants from being involved in integrated reporting. The study also found that accountants themselves did not see value in integrated reporting and found it challenging to convert numerical information to narratives, thus limiting their involvement in integrated reporting.

Research limitations/implications

Whilst prior studies have underlined accountants’ institutionalised practices, this study uncovers the strategies applied by accountants to maintain their institutionalised practices. The specific application of the institutional entrepreneurship concept identifies mechanisms and strategies through which accountants restrict their practices to narrow taken-for-granted roles.

Practical implications

This study uncovers practical implications by highlighting the factors that limit the involvement of accountants within integrated reporting. One of the major implications identified relates to the training of accountants to apply their existing skills and expertise in non-financial reporting to contribute effectively to multi-disciplinary teams that contribute towards integrated reporting in organisations. This study also provides an impetus for the International Integrated Reporting Council to provide more guidance for preparing an integrated report.

Originality/value

This is one of the initial studies that has explored the enablers and barriers to the involvement of accountants in integrated reporting through its focus on organisations that are already practising this form of reporting. The use of institutional entrepreneurship theory adds to the theoretical insights for exploring the involvement of the various actors in integrated reporting.
Open supply chain innovation: an extended view on supply chain collaboration
Authors: Solaimani Sam , van der Veen Jack
Published: July 2021

Purpose

In the ever-increasing dynamics of global business markets, firms must use all possible sources to innovate continually. This study aims to explore how supply chain innovation can be fostered through joint efforts between firms and their supply chain partners.

Design/methodology/approach

At least two areas advocate innovation through external relations, namely, supply chain collaboration and open innovation. This study aims to provide a holistic insight into how vertical and horizontal partnerships can be implemented to help supply chains become more innovative, building upon commonalities and differences between the two areas.

Findings

This study proposes a conceptual framework for supply chain innovation based on the following three ambidextrous capabilities: purpose (i.e. knowledge exploration and exploitation), span (horizontal and vertical collaboration) and orientation (i.e. incremental and radical innovation). With five propositions, the link between the three ambidextrous capabilities and supply chain innovation is explained. The implementation of the framework is articulated through an illustrative real-life case.

Originality/value

The concept of open innovation in supply chain settings is progressively essential yet under-researched. This study is an early attempt to draw on the available theories and literature on open innovation and supply chain collaboration and elaborates how supply chains can facilitate and adopt a more open approach toward innovation.
Interdependence between lignocellulosic biomasses, enzymatic hydrolysis and yeast cell factories in biorefineries
Authors: Bertacchi Stefano , Jayaprakash Pooja , Morrissey John P. , Branduardi Paola
Published: July 2021

Biorefineries have a pivotal role in the bioeconomy scenario for the transition from fossil‐based processes towards more sustainable ones relying on renewable resources. Lignocellulose is a prominent feedstock since its abundance and relatively low cost. Microorganisms are often protagonists of biorefineries, as they contribute both to the enzymatic degradation of lignocellulose complex polymers and to the fermentative conversion of the hydrolyzed biomasses into fine and bulk chemicals. Enzymes have therefore become crucial for the development of sustainable biorefineries, being able to provide nutrients to cells from lignocellulose. Enzymatic hydrolysis can be performed by a portfolio of natural enzymes that degrade lignocellulose, often combined into cocktails. As enzymes can be deployed in different operative settings, such as separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) or simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), their characteristics need to be combined with microbial ones to maximize the process. We therefore reviewed how the optimization of lignocellulose enzymatic hydrolysis can ameliorate bioethanol production when Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used as cell factory. Expanding beyond biofuels, enzymatic cocktail optimization can also be pivotal to unlock the potential of non‐Saccharomyces yeasts, which, thanks to broader substrate utilization, inhibitor resistance and peculiar metabolism, can widen the array of feedstocks and products of biorefineries.
A novel framework for evaluating in situ breeding management strategies in endangered populations
Authors: Robledo‐Ruiz Diana A. , Pavlova Alexandra , Clarke Rohan H. , Magrath Michael J. L. , Quin Bruce , Harrisson Katherine A. , Gan Han Ming , Low Gabriel W. , Sunnucks Paul
Published: July 2021

Conservation breeding management aims to reduce inbreeding and maximize the retention of genetic diversity in endangered populations. However, breeding management of wild populations is still rare, and there is a need for approaches that provide data‐driven evidence of the likelihood of success of alternative in situ strategies. Here, we provide an analytical framework that uses in silico simulations to evaluate, for real wild populations, (i) the degree of population‐level inbreeding avoidance, (ii) the genetic quality of mating pairs, and (iii) the potential genetic benefits of implementing two breeding management strategies. The proposed strategies aim to improve the genetic quality of breeding pairs by splitting detrimental pairs and allowing the members to re‐pair in different ways. We apply the framework to the wild population of the Critically Endangered helmeted honeyeater by combining genomic data and field observations to estimate the inbreeding (i.e., pair‐kinship) and genetic quality (i.e., Mate Suitability Index) of all mating pairs for seven consecutive breeding seasons. We found no evidence of population‐level inbreeding avoidance and that ~91.6% of breeding pairs were detrimental to the genetic health of the population. Furthermore, the framework revealed that neither proposed management strategy would significantly improve the genetic quality or reduce inbreeding of the mating pairs in this population. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of our analytical framework for testing the efficacy of different in situ breeding management strategies and for making evidence‐based management decisions.
Amphibian occurrence and abundance patterns across a modified floodplain ecosystem
Authors: Littlefair Michelle E. , Nimmo Dale G. , Ocock Joanne F. , Michael Damian R. , Wassens Skye
Published: July 2021

Amphibian populations have experienced unprecedented decline over the past few decades. River regulation, water diversions and reductions in the frequency of reconnections between rivers and floodplains have contributed to decreased floodplain inundation and overall wetland degradation, contributing to regional declines in amphibians. Hydrological modifications coupled with invasive exotic fish also have had a significant impact on inland floodplain frog communities. Using an eight‐year study of 21 wetlands across a nationally important inland floodplain system, we quantified occurrence and abundance patterns in six frog species (adults and tadpoles) to a range of landscape‐scale and site‐scale hydrological and vegetation‐related variables. Occurrence and abundance models for adult frogs and tadpoles were characterised by different suites of predictor variables and effect directions for each species. The occurrence of some frog species, such as the inland banjo frog (Limnodynastes interioris), was negatively related to distance to the main river and area of inundation, whereas the abundance of most species was positively related to mean daily discharge. Tadpoles of species such as the plains froglet (Crinia parinsignifera) had contrasting relationships to introduced common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and eastern gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki). Our findings suggest factors that lead to a particular species occurring at a wetland may differ from those that make them abundant once conditions necessary for occurrence have been met. Thus, management interventions to improve amphibian diversity across inland floodplain systems will need to consider watering actions that benefit a range of frog species, particularly endangered species, across their developmental stages.
Africanfuturist Socio‐Climatic Imaginaries and Nnedi Okorafor’s Wild Necropolitics
Authors: Death Carl
Published: July 2021

Dominant and insurgent socio‐climatic imaginaries struggle for influence over how the future is envisioned. Africanfuturist imaginaries have huge potential to unsettle racialised and gendered climate narratives. In this article I use Nnedi Okorafor’s novelWho Fears Deathin order to challenge mainstream climate imaginaries and to imagine new forms of being and becoming in the context of climate change. Drawing on Achille Mbembe’s concepts of biopolitics and necropolitics, as well as black feminist traditions of imagining new genres of the human, I argue that Okorafor’s “wild necropolitics” illuminates how the forces of “wild nature” have become central features of the deployment of the means of destroying life, especially in the context of climate change. By examining the motifs of change, violence, wilderness and narration, I argue that reading and writing different stories about alternative climate futures is essential to the process of finding new ways of being and becoming human.
Serum hepatitis B virus RNA level is associated with biochemical relapse in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection who discontinue nucleos(t)ide analogue treatment
Authors: Xia Muye , Chi Heng , Wu Yaobo , Hansen Bettina E. , Li Zhandong , Liu Shi , Liao GuiChan , Zhang Xiaoyong , Zhou Bin , Hou Jinlin , Sun Jian , Janssen Harry L. A. , Peng Jie
Published: July 2021

Background

Nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) discontinuation may be attempted in carefully selected patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection.

Aim

To investigate whether a novel serum marker of quantitative hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA levels could predict biochemical relapse after NA discontinuation.

Methods

We prospepctively followed non‐cirrhotic Asian patients with CHB who stopped NA according to pre‐specified stopping criteria. The primary endpoint was biochemical relapse (HBV DNA >2000 IU/mL and alanine transaminase >2x upper limit of normal), which were also the re‐treatment criteria.

Results

Biochemical relapse occurred in 50 patients (48.3% at year 6). Multivariable analysis showed that higher HBV RNA levels (HR 1.34; P < 0.001) at the time of NA discontinuation were associated with increased biochemical relapse risk. The area under the curve of HBV RNA at the time of NA discontinuation for the incidence of biochemical relapse was 0.760 at 6 years. Six years after treatment discontinuation, all patients with HBV RNA levels ≥20 000 copies/mL at the end of treatment developed a biochemical relapse compared with 23.8% of patients with HBV RNA levels<1000 copies/mL (P < 0.001). More patients with HBV RNA levels <1000 copies/mL at end of treatment achieved loss of hepatitis B surface antigen than patients with higher levels (30.9% vs 1.6%; P = 0.027).

Conclusions

The HBV RNA level at end of treatment predicted biochemical relapse after treatment discontinuation and may be used to guide decisions on treatment discontinuation.
Impact investing and sustainable market transformations: The role of venture capital funds
Authors: Holtslag Maarten , Chevrollier Nicolas , Nijhof Andre
Published: July 2021

Impact investors often know their financial return on investments, but are less certain about their impact. This article frames impact as their contribution to sustainable market transformation. A sustainable market transformation consists of inception, first movers, critical mass, and institutionalization phases. Given the nature of such transformations, the impact is effectuated at different moments and toward various market actors. Based on an exploratory research design with semi‐structured expert interviews, this article aims to create an overview of the roles of impact venture capital funds in sustainable market transformations. The results suggest that the view that the capitalization of start‐ups is the only impact of impact investors is a misconception. The needs of companies with sustainability value propositions change over time and consequently impact investors perform various roles. For example, exiting an investment while upholding social and environmental objectives communicates to mainstream business that the start‐up is ready to create a greater impact. Further, impact investors fulfill external roles that change the perspectives of institutional actors toward sustainable investments. Based on an overview of the different roles that impact investors fill, this article proposes a future research agenda to strengthen our knowledge about the impact return of investments.