bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Amplified cortical tracking of word-level features of continuous competing speech in older adults
Authors: Mesik Juraj , Ray Lucia A. , Wojtczak Magdalena
Published: December 2020

Speech-in-noise comprehension difficulties are common among the elderly population, yet traditional objective measures of speech perception are largely insensitive to this deficit, particularly in the absence of clinical hearing loss. In recent years, a growing body of research in young normal-hearing adults has demonstrated that high-level features related to speech semantics and lexical predictability elicit strong centro-parietal negativity in the EEG signal around 400 ms following the word onset. Here we investigate effects of age on cortical tracking of these word-level features within a two-talker speech mixture, and their relationship with self-reported difficulties with speech-in-noise understanding. While undergoing EEG recordings, younger and older adult participants listened to a continuous narrative story in the presence of a distractor story. We then utilized forward encoding models to estimate cortical tracking of three speech features: 1) “semantic” dissimilarity of each word relative to the preceding context, 2) lexical surprisal for each word, and 3) overall word audibility. Our results revealed robust tracking of all three features for attended speech, with surprisal and word audibility showing significantly stronger contributions to neural activity than dissimilarity. Additionally, older adults exhibited significantly stronger tracking of surprisal and audibility than younger adults, especially over frontal electrode sites, potentially reflecting increased listening effort. Finally, neuro-behavioral analyses revealed trends of a negative relationship between subjective speech-in-noise perception difficulties and the model goodness-of-fit for attended speech, as well as a positive relationship between task performance and the goodness-of-fit, indicating behavioral relevance of these measures. Together, our results demonstrate the utility of modeling cortical responses to multi-talker speech using complex, word-level features and the potential for their use to study changes in speech processing due to aging and hearing loss.
Multiple overlapping dynamic patterns of the visual sensory network in schizophrenia
Authors: Sendi Mohammad S. E , Pearlson Godfrey D. , Mathalon Daniel H. , Ford Judith M. , Preda Adrian , van Erp Theo G. M. , Calhoun Vince D.
Published: December 2020

Although visual processing impairments have been explored in schizophrenia (SZ), their underlying neurobiology of the visual processing impairments has not been widely studied. Also, while some research has hinted at differences in information transfer and flow in SZ, there are few investigations of the dynamics of functional connectivity within visual networks. In this study, we analyzed resting-state fMRI data of the visual sensory network (VSN) in 160 healthy control (HC) subjects and 151 SZ subjects. We estimated 9 independent components within the VSN. Then, we calculated the dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) using the Pearson correlation. Next, using k-means clustering, we partitioned the dFNCs into five distinct states, and then we calculated the portion of time each subject spent in each state, that we termed the occupancy rate (OCR). Using OCR, we compared HC with SZ subjects and investigated the link between OCR and visual learning in SZ subjects. Besides, we compared the VSN functional connectivity of SZ and HC subjects in each state. We found that this network is indeed highly dynamic. Each state represents a unique connectivity pattern of fluctuations in VSN FNC, and all states showed significant disruption in SZ. Overall, HC showed stronger connectivity within the VSN in states. SZ subjects spent more time in a state in which the connectivity between the middle temporal gyrus and other regions of VNS is highly negative. Besides, OCR in a state with strong positive connectivity between middle temporal gyrus and other regions correlated significantly with visual learning scores in SZ.
STING Nuclear Partners Contribute to Innate Immune Signalling Responses
Authors: Dixon Charles R. , Malik Poonam , de las Heras Jose I. , Saiz-Ros Natalia , de Lima Alves Flavia , Tingey Mark , Gaunt Eleanor , Richardson A. Christine , Kelly David A. , Goldberg Martin W. , Towers Greg J. , Yang Weidong , Rappsilber Juri , Digard Paul , Schirmer Eric C.
Published: December 2020

STING and cGAS initiate innate immune responses (IIR) by recognizing cytoplasmic pathogen dsDNA and activating signaling cascades from the ER; however, another less investigated pool of STING resides in the nuclear envelope. We find that STING in the inner nuclear membrane increases mobility and changes localization upon IIR activation both from dsDNA and poly(I:C) stimuli. We next identified nuclear partners of STING from isolated nuclear envelopes. These include several known nuclear membrane proteins, bromodomain and epigenetic enzymes, and RNA- or DNA-binding proteins. Strikingly, 17 of these DNA and RNA-binding STING partners are known to bind direct partners of the IRF3/7 transcription factors that are central drivers of IIR. We find that several of these STING partners —SYNCRIP, Men1, Ddx5, snRNP70, RPS27a, Aatf— can contribute to IIR activation and SYNCRIP can moreover protect against influenza A virus infection. These data suggest that the many roles identified for STING likely reflect its interactions with multiple RNA and DNA-binding proteins that also function in IIR.
The composition of northeast pacific fishes in a fish tank examined by eDNA metabarcoding
Authors: Turanov Sergei V. , Rutenko Olesia A.
Published: December 2020

The taxonomy of fish in the northeast Pacific area has been recently revised using molecular genetic methods, including the development of a reference library of DNA fragments for species identification. Such libraries are the basis for the development of non-invasive, high-throughput methods for monitoring biodiversity using environmental DNA (eDNA). In order to validate this approach, we used a water eDNA metabarcoding technique based on12S rRNAandCOImitochondrial fragments and assessed the composition of the twenty northeast Pacific fish species held in a fish tank at the Primorsky Aquarium (Vladivostok, Russia). Only the12Sfragment revealed data on fish-related operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Approximately 68% of the reads were classified into two species of the genusOncorhynchus, whose shredded fillet is used for feeding. According to the taxonomic identification for the rest of the reads, 8 out of 20 fish species in the tank (40%) were identified unambiguously, while two species could not be identified. Ten taxa can be considered conditionally identifiable since they might be concealed behind a conflicting taxonomic identification at the genus or family level. In this case, an improvement of the reference library would provide resolution. We detected contamination, which may be related to both intra-laboratory contaminants occurring during DNA extraction and water intake supplying the fish tank.
Multi cell line analysis of lysosomal proteomes reveals unique features and novel lysosomal proteins
Authors: Akter Fatema , Ponnaiyan Srigayatri , Kögler-Mohrbacher Bianca , Bleibaum Florian , Damme Markus , Renard Bernhard Y. , Winter Dominic
Published: December 2020

Lysosomes play a key role in the regulation of cellular metabolism and are increasingly recognized as highly active and diverse organelles which are involved in a large variety of processes. Their essential role is exemplified by the detrimental consequences of lysosomal malfunction, which can result in lysosomal storage disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Using lysosome enrichment and mass spectrometry, we investigated the lysosomal proteomes of six common cell lines. We provide first evidence for cell-type specific differences of lysosomes on a large scale, showing highly variable levels of distinct lysosomal proteins within one cell type, while others are highly conserved among cell lines. Using stable isotope labelling and bimodal distribution analysis, we identify high confidence lysosomal proteins for each cell line. Multi cell line correlation of these data reveals potential novel lysosomal proteins, and we confirm lysosomal localization for five candidates. All data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD020600.
Predicting COVID-19 cases with unknown homogeneous or heterogeneous resistance to infectivity
Authors: Shanmugam Ramalingam , Ledlow Gerald , Singh Karan P.
Published: December 2020

This article constructs a restricted infection rate inverse binomial-based approach to predict COVID-19 cases after a family gathering. The traditional inverse binomial (IB) model is unqualified to match the reality of COVID-19, because the data contradicts the model’s requirement that variance should be greater than expected value. A refined version of the IB model is a necessity to predict COVID-19 cases after family gatherings. Our refined version of an IB model is more appropriate and versatile, as it accommodates all potential data scenarios: equal, lesser, or greater variance than expected value.

Application of the approach is based on a restricted infectivity rate and methodology on Fan et al.’s COVID-19 data, which exhibits two clusters of infectivity. Cluster 1 has a smaller number of primary cases and exhibits larger variance than the expected cases with a negative correlation of 28%, implying that the number of secondary cases is lesser when the number of primary cases increases and vice versa. The traditional inverse binomial (IB) model is appropriate for Cluster 1. The probability of contracting COVID-19 is estimated to be 0.13 among the primary, but is 0.75 among the secondary in Cluster 1, with a wider gap. Conversely, Cluster 2, exhibits smaller variance than the expected cases with a correlation of 79%, implying the number of primary and secondary cases increase or decrease together. Cluster 2 disqualifies the traditional IB model and demands its refined version. Probability of contracting COVID-19 is estimated to be 0.74 among the primary, but is 0.72 among the secondary in Cluster 2, with a narrower gap.

The model’s ability to estimate the community’s health system memory for future policies to be developed is an asset of this approach. The current hazard level to be infected with COVID-19 among the primary and secondary groups are estimable and interpretable.

Author Summary

Current statistical models are not able to accurately predict disease infection spread in the COVID-19 pandemic. We have applied a widely-used inverse binomial method to predict rates of infection after small gatherings, going from primary (original) cases to secondary (later) cases after family gatherings or social events, using the data from the Wuhan and Gansu provinces in China, where the virus first spread. The advantages of the proposed approach include that the model’s ability to estimate the community’s health system memory for future policies to be developed, as such policies might reduce COVID’s spread if not its control. In our approach, as demonstrated, the current hazard level of becoming infected with COVID-19 and the odds of contracting COVID-19 among the primary in comparison to the secondary groups are estimable and interpretable. We hope the proposed approach will be used in future epidemics.
Information rate in humans during visuomotor tracking
Authors: Lam Sze-Ying , Zénon Alexandre
Published: December 2020

While previous studies of human information rate focused primarily on discrete forced-choice tasks, we extend the scope of the investigation to the framework of sensorimotor tracking of continuous signals. We show how considering information transfer in this context sheds new light on the problem; crucially, such an analysis requires one to consider and carefully disentangle the effects due to real-time information processing of surprising inputs (feedback component) from the contribution to performance due to prediction (feedforward component). We argue that only the former constitutes a faithful representation of the true information processing rate. We provide information-theoretic measures which separately quantify these components and show that they correspond to a decomposition of the total information shared between target and tracking signals. We employ a linear quadratic regulator model to provide evidence for the validity of the measures, as well as of the estimator of visual-motor delay (VMD) from experimental data, instrumental to compute them in practice. On experimental tracking data, we show that the contribution of prediction as computed by the feedforward measure increases with the predictability of the signal, confirming previous findings. Importantly, we further find the feedback component to be modulated by task difficulty, with higher information transmission rates observed with noisier signals. Such opposite trends between feedback and feedforward point to a tradeoff of cognitive resources/effort and performance gain.

Author summary

Previous investigations concluded that the human brain’s information processing rate remains fundamentally constant, irrespective of task demands. However, their conclusion rested in analyses of simple discrete-choice tasks. The present contribution recasts the question of human information rate within the context of visuomotor tasks, which provides a more ecologically relevant arena, albeit a more complex one. We argue that, while predictable aspects of inputs can be encoded virtually free of charge, real-time information transfer should be identified with the processing of surprises. We formalise this intuition by deriving from first principles a decomposition of the total information shared by inputs and outputs into a feedforward, predictive component and a feedback, error-correcting component. We find that the information measured by the feedback component, a proxy for the brain’s information processing rate, scales with the difficulty of the task at hand, in agreement with cost-benefit models of cognitive effort.
Dog color patterns explained by modular promoters of ancient canid origin
Authors: Bannasch Danika L. , Kaelin Christopher B. , Letko Anna , Loechel Robert , Hug Petra , Jagannathan Vidhya , Henkel Jan , Roosje Petra , Hytönen Marjo K. , Lohi Hannes , Arumilli Meharji ,   DoGA consortium, Minor Katie M. , Mickelson James R. , Drögemüller Cord , Barsh Gregory S. , Leeb Tosso
Published: December 2020

Distinctive color patterns in dogs are an integral component of canine diversity. Color pattern differences are thought to have arisen from mutation and artificial selection during and after domestication from wolves1,2but important gaps remain in understanding how these patterns evolved and are genetically controlled3,4. In other mammals, variation at theASIPgene controls both the temporal and spatial distribution of yellow and black pigments3,5-7. Here we identify independent regulatory modules for ventral and hair cycleASIPexpression, and we characterize their action and evolutionary origin. Structural variants define multiple alleles for each regulatory module and are combined in different ways to explain five distinctive dog color patterns. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the haplotype combination for one of these patterns is shared with arctic white wolves and that its hair cycle-specific module likely originated from an extinct canid that diverged from grey wolves more than 2 million years before present. Natural selection for a lighter coat during the Pleistocene provided the genetic framework for widespread color variation in dogs and wolves.
Recapitulating tumor microenvironment using preclinical 3D tissueoids model for accelerating cancer research and drug screening
Authors: Baru Ambica , Mazumdar Saumyabrata , Kundu Prabuddha , Sharma Swati , Das Purakayastha Biswa Pratim , Khan Sameena , Gupta Reeshu , Arora Nupur Mehrotra
Published: December 2020

The formation of three-dimensional spheroid tumor model using the scaffold-based platforms has been demonstrated over many years now. 3D tumor models are generated mainly in non-scalable culture systems, using synthetic and biological scaffolds. Many of these models fail to reflect the complex tumor microenvironment and do not allow long-term monitoring of tumor progression. This has resulted in inconsistent data in drug testing assays during preclinical and clinical studies. To overcome these limitations, we have developed 3D tissueoids model by using novel AXTEX-4D™ platform. Cancer 3D tissueoids demonstrated the basic features of 3D cell culture with rapid attachment, proliferation, and longevity with contiguous cytoskeleton and hypoxic core. This study also demonstrated greater drug resistance in 3D-MCF-7 tissueoids in comparison to 2D monolayer cell culture and the collagen-based 3D system. In conclusion, 3D-tissueoids are more responsive than 2D-cultured cells in simulating important tumor characteristics, anti-apoptotic features, and their resulting drug resistance.
BoskR– Testing Adequacy of Diversification Models Using Tree Shape
Authors: Schwery Orlando , O’Meara Brian C.
Published: December 2020

The study of diversification largely relies on model-based approaches, estimating rates of speciation and extinction from phylogenetic trees. While a plethora of different models exist – all with different features, strengths and weaknesses – there is increasing concern about the reliability of the inference we gain from them. Apart from simply finding the model with the best fit for the data, we should find ways to assess a model’s suitability to describe the data in an absolute sense. The R packageBoskRimplements a simple way of judging a model’s adequacy for a given phylogeny using metrics for tree shape, assuming that a model is inadequate for a phylogeny if it produces trees that are consistently dissimilar in shape from the tree that should be analyzed. Tree shape is assessed via metrics derived from the tree’s modified graph Laplacian spectrum, as provided byRPANDA. We exemplify the use of the method using simulated and empirical example phylogenies.BoskRwas mostly able to correctly distinguish trees simulated under clearly different models and revealed that not all models are adequate for the empirical example trees. We believe the metrics of tree shape to be an intuitive and relevant means of assessing diversification model adequacy. Furthermore, by implementing the approach in an openly available R package, we enable and encourage researchers to adopt adequacy testing into their workflow.
HIV reverse transcriptase pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of chain terminators and translocation inhibitors reveals interactions between magnesium and nucleotide 3′-OH
Authors: Dilmore Christopher R. , DeStefano Jeffrey J.
Published: December 2020

Deoxythymidine triphosphate analogs with various 3′ sugar groups (-OH (dTTP), -H, -N3, -NH2, -F, -O-CH3, no group (2′,3′-didehydro-2′,3′-dideoxythymidine triphosphate (d4TTP)), and those retaining the 3′-OH but with 4′ additions (4′-C-methyl, 4′-C-ethyl) or sugar ring modifications (D-carba dTTP) were evaluated using pre-steady-state kinetics in low (0.5 mM) and high (6 mM) Mg2+with HIV reverse transcriptase (RT). Analogs showed diminished incorporation rates (k) compared to dTTP ranging from about 2-fold (3′-H, -N3, and d4TTP with high Mg2+) to >10-fold (3′-NH2and 3′-F with low Mg2+), while 3′-O-CH3dTTP incorporated much slower than other analogs. Illustrating the importance of interactions between Mg2+and the 3′-OH,kusing 5 μM dTTP and 0.5 mM Mg2+was only modestly slower (1.6-fold) than with 6 mM Mg2+, while analogs with 3′ alterations incorporated 2.8-5.1-fold slower in 0.5 mM Mg2+. In contrast, 4′-C-methyl and D-carb dTTP, which retain the 3′-OH, were not significantly affected by Mg2+. Consistent with these results, analogs with 3′ modifications were better inhibitors in 6 mMvs. 0.5 mM Mg2+. Equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) andkpoldeterminations for dTTP and analogs lacking a 3′-OH indicated that low Mg2+caused a several-fold greater reduction inkpolwith the analogs but had little effect on Kd, results consistent with a role for 3′-OH/Mg2+interactions in catalysis rather than nucleotide binding. Overall, results emphasize the importance previously unreported interactions between Mg2+and the 3′-OH of the incoming nucleotide and suggest inhibitors with 3′-OH groups may have advantages in the low free Mg2+in physiological settings.
The Golgi-associated retrograde protein (GARP) complex plays an essential role in the maintenance of the Golgi glycosylation machinery
Authors: Khakurel Amrita , Kudlyk Tetyana , Bonifacino Juan S. , Lupashin Vladimir V.
Published: December 2020

The Golgi apparatus is a central hub for intracellular protein trafficking and glycosylation. Steady-state localization of glycosylation enzymes is achieved by a combination of mechanisms involving retention and vesicle recycling, but the machinery governing these mechanisms is poorly understood. Herein we show that the Golgi-associated retrograde protein (GARP) complex is a critical component of this machinery. Using multiple human cell lines, we show that depletion of GARP subunits is detrimental to N- and O-glycosylation, and reduces the stability of glycoproteins and Golgi enzymes. Moreover, GARP-KO cells exhibit impaired retention of glycosylation enzymes in the Golgi. Indeed, a RUSH assay shows that, in GARP-KO cells, the enzyme beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 is not retained at the Golgi but instead is missorted to the endolysosomal compartment. We propose that the endosomal compartment is part of the trafficking itinerary of Golgi enzymes and that the GARP complex is essential for recycling and stabilization of the Golgi glycosylation machinery.
A novel antigenic site spanning domains I and III of the Zika virus envelope glycoprotein is the target of strongly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies
Authors: Graham Stephen , Tu Huy A. , McElvany Benjamin D. , Graham Nancy R. , Grinyo Ariadna , Davidson Edgar , Doranz Benjamin J. , Diehl Sean A. , Silva Aravinda M. de , Markmann Alena Janda
Published: December 2020

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus, caused a large epidemic in Latin America between 2015 and 2017. Effective ZIKV vaccines and treatments are urgently needed to prevent future epidemics and severe disease sequelae. People infected with ZIKV develop strongly neutralizing antibodies linked to viral clearance and durable protective immunity. To understand mechanisms of protective immunity and to support the development of ZIKV vaccines, here we characterize the properties of a strongly neutralizing antibody, B11F, isolated from a recovered ZIKV patient. Our results indicate that B11F targets a complex epitope on the virus that spans domains I and III of the envelope glycoprotein. While previous studies point to quaternary epitopes centered on domain II of ZIKV E glycoprotein as targets of strongly neutralizing and protective human antibodies, we uncover a new site spanning domain I and III as a target of strongly neutralizing human antibodies.

Importance

People infected with Zika virus develop durable neutralizing antibodies that prevent repeat infections. In the current study, we characterize a ZIKV-neutralizing human monoclonal antibody isolated from a patient after recovery. Our studies establish a novel site on the viral envelope targeted by human neutralizing antibodies. Our results are relevant to understanding how antibodies block infection and for guiding the design and evaluation of candidate vaccines.
Definition of germ layer cell lineage alternative splicing programs reveals a critical role for Quaking in specifying cardiac cell fate
Authors: Fagg W. Samuel , Liu Naiyou , Braunschweig Ulrich , Pereira de Castro Karen Larissa , Chen Xiaoting , Ditmars Frederick S. , Widen Steven G. , Donohue John Paul , Modis Katalin , Russell William K. , Fair Jeffrey H. , Weirauch Matthew T. , Blencowe Benjamin J. , Garcia-Blanco Mariano A.
Published: December 2020

Alternative splicing is critical for development; however, its role in the specification of the three embryonic germ layers is poorly understood. By performing RNA-Seq on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and derived definitive endoderm, cardiac mesoderm, and ectoderm cell lineages, we detect distinct alternative splicing programs associated with each lineage. The most prominent splicing program differences are observed between definitive endoderm and cardiac mesoderm. Integrative multi-omics analyses link each program with lineage-enriched RNA binding protein regulators, and further suggest a widespread role for Quaking (QKI) in the specification of cardiac mesoderm. Remarkably, knockout of QKI disrupts the cardiac mesoderm-associated alternative splicing program and formation of myocytes. These changes arise in part through reduced expression ofBIN1splice variants linked to cardiac development. Mechanistically, we find that QKI represses inclusion of exon 7 inBIN1pre-mRNA via an exonic ACUAA motif, and this is concomitant with intron removal and cleavage from chromatin. Collectively, our results uncover alternative splicing programs associated with the three germ lineages and demonstrate an important role for QKI in the formation of cardiac mesoderm.
Systematic detection of functional proteoform groups from bottom-up proteomic datasets
Authors: Bludau Isabell , Frank Max , Dörig Christian , Cai Yujia , Heusel Moritz , Rosenberger George , Picotti Paola , Collins Ben C. , Röst Hannes , Aebersold Ruedi
Published: December 2020

The cellular proteome, the ensemble of proteins derived from a genome, catalyzes and controls thousands of biochemical functions that are the basis of living cells. Whereas the protein coding regions of the genome of the human and many other species are well known, the complexity and composition of proteomes largely remains to be explored. This task is challenging because mechanisms including alternative splicing and post-translational modifications generally give rise to multiple distinct, but related proteins – proteoforms – per coding gene that expand the functional capacity of a cell.

Bottom-up proteomics is a mass spectrometric method that infers the identity and quantity of proteins from the measurement of peptides derived from these proteins by proteolytic digestion. Whereas bottom-up proteomics has become the method of choice for the detection of translation products from essentially any gene, the inherent missing link between measured peptides and their parental proteins has so far precluded the systematic assessment of proteoforms and thus limited the resolution of proteome maps. Here we present a novel, data-driven strategy to assign peptides to unique functional proteoform groups based on peptide correlation patterns across large bottom-up proteomic datasets. Our strategy does not fully characterize specific proteoforms, as is achievable in top-down approaches. Rather, it clusters peptides into functional proteoform groups that are directly linked to the biological context of the study. This allows the detection of tens to hundreds of proteoform groups in an untargeted fashion from bottom-up proteomics experiments.

We applied the strategy to two types of bottom-up proteomic datasets. The first is a protein complex co-fractionation dataset where native complexes across two different cell cycle stages were resolved and analyzed. Here, our approach enabled the systematic detection and evaluation of assembly specific proteoforms at an unprecedented scale. The second is aprotein abundance vs. sampledata matrix typical for bottom-up cohort studies consisting of tissue samples from the mouse BXD genetic reference panel. In either data type the method detected state-specific proteoform groups that could be linked to distinct molecular mechanisms including proteolytic cleavage, alternative splicing and phosphorylation. We envision that the presented approach lays the foundation for a systematic assessment of proteoforms and their functional implications directly from bottom-up proteomic datasets.
Fate trajectories of CD8+T cells in chronic LCMV infection
Authors: Cerletti Dario , Sandu Ioana , Gupta Revant , Oxenius Annette , Claassen Manfred
Published: December 2020

Abstract

In chronic infections CD8+T cells acquire a state termed “exhaustion” which is characterized by impaired effector functions and expression of co-inhibitory receptors as response to continuous TCR stimulation. Recently, the pool of exhausted T cells has been shown to harbor multiple functionally distinct populations with memory-like and effector-like features, though differentiation and lineage relations between these are unclear. In this work we present a comprehensive scRNAseq time-series analysis from beginning of infection to established exhaustion in CD8 T cells. We apply lineage inference using informed cell transitions derived from RNA velocity to identify differential start and end states and connections between them. We identify a branch region early during chronic infection where pre-committed cells separate into an exhausted and a memory-like lineage and discovered molecular markers demarcating this branch event. Adoptive transfer experiments confirmed fate-commitment of cells only after this branch point. We additionally linked the progression along developmental lineages to antigenic TCR stimulation.
The significance and performance analysis of Malaysian real estate investment trusts
Authors: Khairulanuwar Aina Jazima , Chuweni Nor Nazihah
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the significance and performance analysis of the Malaysian Real Estate Investment Trust (M-REIT) from 2014 to 2018.

Design/methodology/approach

Performance analysis is done through operating ratio (current ratio), leverage ratio (debt ratio) and efficiency ratio (return on asset and return on equity).

Findings

M-REIT has been ranked 27th globally and 7th in Asia Pacific REIT market, implying the significance of the market. The trend of market capitalisation of M-REIT had flourished from 2014 to 2017 but declined in 2018. The total assets of M-REIT have been seen thriving over the years with both Islamic REIT market capitalisation and total assets showing improvements throughout the year. From the viewpoint of efficiency ratios of ROA and ROE, Islamic REIT is deemed more favourable to investors than conventional REITs, implying the high receptive of Islamic REITs.

Research limitations/implications

In terms of efficiency of operation, it is evident that several sectors of REITs may be at risk of liquidity due to the decline in current ratio from 2014 to 2018, as current ratio of less than 1 is considered a red flag.

Originality/value

Performance analysis on the performance of each sector as the outcome of the research could ease investors’ decision-making as whether it can be considered as one of the viable investments available in the market.
“He was brainwashed!” Criminal complicity and sentencing in France: interpreting a “crime committed under influence”
Authors: Ballot Mickael , Niang Anta , Laurens Stéphane , Testé Benoit
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine whether being shown a testimony alleging that the perpetrator of a crime was influenced by an accomplice has an impact on the severity of the sentence given to this accomplice.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 119 participants read the summary of a case of armed robbery. Two experimental conditions were adopted: the presence of a testimony suggesting the accomplice’s influence on the perpetrator in committing the crime (versus no testimony). The participants were then asked what sentence they would give the accomplice and what sentence they would have given the perpetrator of the crime, who had in fact already been sentenced. The participants rated items relating to the explanation for the crime (perception that the perpetrator had been manipulated by the presumed accomplice) and to the presumed accomplice’s intent to commit the crime.

Findings

The participants showed themselves to be harsher towards the presumed accomplice when they were shown the testimony about his influence, which reduced the disparity with the sentence they would have given to the perpetrator of the crime. Analyses of mediation show that the participants shown the testimony (as opposed to those who were not) were more likely to say that the presumed accomplice manipulated the perpetrator of the crime, leading them to be more likely to attribute to the accomplice the intent to commit the crime and to be harsher towards him.

Originality/value

The results of this research are discussed with a focus on naïve interpretations of influence in the very specific context of legal adjudication.
Working towards health equity for ethnic minority elders: spanning the boundaries of neighbourhood governance
Authors: Carlsson Hanna , Pijpers Roos
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper analyses how neighbourhood governance of social care affects the scope for frontline workers to address health inequities of older ethnic minorities. We critically discuss how an area-based, generic approach to service provision limits and enables frontline workers' efforts to reach out to ethnic minority elders, using a relational approach to place. This approach emphasises social and cultural distances to social care and understands efforts to bridge these distances as “relational work”.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a two-year multiple case study of the cities of Nijmegen and The Hague, the Netherlands, following the development of policies and practices relevant to ethnic minority elders. They conducted 44 semi-structured interviews with managers, policy officers and frontline workers as well as 295 h of participant observation at network events and meeting activities.

Findings

Relational work was open-ended and consisted of a continuous reorientation of goals and means. In some cases, frontline workers spanned neighbourhood boundaries to connect with professional networks, key figures and places meaningful to ethnic minority elders. While neighbourhood governance is attuned to equality, relational work practice fosters possibilities for achieving equity.

Research limitations/implications

Further research on achieving equity in relational work practice and more explicit policy support of relational work is needed.

Originality/value

The paper contributes empirical knowledge about how neighbourhood governance of social care affects ethnic minority elders. It translates a relational view of place into a “situational” social justice approach.
Retinal dysfunctions in a patient with a clinical high risk for psychosis and severe visual disturbances: A single case report
Authors: Bernardin Florent , Schwitzer Thomas , Angioi‐Duprez Karine , Giersch Anne , Ligier Fabienne , Bourion‐Bedes Stéphanie , Jansen Claire , Schwan Raymund , Laprevote Vincent
Published: December 2020

Aim

Psychosis can be preceded by a clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) and visual anomalies are predictors of transition to psychosis. Visual retinal processing is altered in psychosis, but no study has explored the links between visual symptoms and retinal functions in CHR patients. We report here the case of NR, an antipsychotic‐naive young adult with CHR and severe visual symptoms in whom we explored the retinal function.

Methods

A flash electroretinogram (fERG) and a pattern electroretinogram (pERG) protocol were conducted and we compared NR results to a group of patients with schizophrenia and a group of healthy controls.

Results

Despites an overlap between the measures of NR and the two groups, visual analyses revealed that NR showed increased b‐wave implicit time (rod response) compared to the control group and NR's response was at an intermediate level between two subgroups of schizophrenia patients regarding presence or absence of visual hallucinations.

Discussion

The relevance of retinal dysfunctions as a marker of vulnerability for psychosis is discussed.
Anisotropic crack propagation behavior for the silicon‐bond coat layer in a multilayer coated system
Authors: Arai Yutaro , Inoue Ryo , Kakisawa Hideki
Published: December 2020

This study sought to examine the relationship between the degradation mechanism, thermal stress, and crack propagation behavior in environmental barrier coating (EBC) systems. An EBC system composed of a mullite topcoat (TC), Si‐bond coat (BC), and SiC substrate was prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying. Heat exposure tests were conducted to evaluate the microstructure of the EBC system at 1300°C for 1, 10, 50, and 100 h. The fracture resistance of the Si BC for the in‐plane (direction parallel to each layer, 0.4–0.6 MP) and through‐thickness directions (direction from the TC to substrate, 1.7–2.1 MP) differed because a thermal compressive stress was induced for the in‐plane direction owing to the mismatch of the thermal expansion coefficients for each layer, which acted as a barrier for crack propagation. However, cracks tended to propagate in the in‐plane direction because they were not affected by the in‐plane compressive stress. These results clearly showed that Si BC exhibited in‐plane anisotropy and crack propagation after heat exposure, which were the major sources of delamination of the EBC system.
The physiological ups and downs of thermal variability in temperate freshwater ecosystems
Authors: Morash Andrea J. , Speers‐Roesch Ben , Andrew Sean , Currie Suzanne
Published: December 2020

Freshwater fish face a variety of spatiotemporal thermal challenges throughout their life. On a broad scale, temperature is an important driver of physiological, behavioural and ecological patterns and ultimately affects populations and overall distribution. These broad patterns are partly underpinned by the small‐scale local effects of temperature on individuals within the population. Climate change is increasing the range of daily thermal variation in most freshwater ecosystems, altering behaviour and performance of resident fishes. The aim of this review is understanding how daily thermal variation in temperate rivers affects individual fish physiology, behaviour and overall performance. The following are highlighted in this study: (a) the physical characteristics of rivers that can either buffer or exacerbate thermal variability, (b) the effects of thermal variability on growth and metabolism, (c) the approaches for quantifying thermal variation and thermal stress and (d) how fish may acclimatize or adapt to our changing climate.
A framework for nurses working in partnership with substitute decision‐makers for people living with advanced dementia: A discursive paper
Authors: Cresp Sarah Jane , Lee Susan Fiona , Moss Cheryle
Published: December 2020

Aim

To describe and discuss clinical strategies for nurses working in partnership with substitute decision‐makers for people living with advanced dementia.

Background

By providing person‐centred care to patients living with advanced dementia, nurses are positioned to work in partnership with substitute decision‐makers who make healthcare decisions related to advanced care. Because the experience of being substitute decision‐makers is complex and stressful, nurses need skillsets for working in partnership with substitute decision‐makers.

Design

In this discursive paper, an innovative framework for working in partnership with substitute decision‐makers is proposed.

Method

Evidence‐based findings from a systematic review provided five domain foci for the partnership framework. In each domain, two clinical strategies were discursively proposed. Clinical strategies were hypothesised from research findings and insights from the authors’ nursing experiences. Then, topical literature was searched, and findings were used to support the discursively argued strategies.

Discussion

To deal with complexities and reduce stress for substitute decision‐makers, an innovative Nurse–Substitute Decision‐Maker Partnership Framework for use in the context of advanced dementia is proposed and discussed. The partnership framework consists of five domains: Building trust, Exploring emotions, Translating quality of life, Encouraging proactivity and Negotiating families. Within these domains, ten strategies to support the practices of clinical nurses to work in partnership with substitute decision‐makers are discussed.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

In the framework, the ten clinical nursing strategies are designed to provide targeted care to substitute decision‐makers in areas that are known to cause complexity and stress to them. The Nurse–Substitute Decision‐Maker Partnership Framework has been designed to improve nurse–substitute decision‐maker partnerships and reduce the stress experienced by substitute decision‐makers as they work through the complexities associated with advanced dementia.
Physiological parameter values for physiologically based pharmacokinetic models in food‐producing animals. Part III: Sheep and goat
Authors: Li Miao , Wang Yu‐Shin , Elwell‐Cuddy Trevor , Baynes Ronald E. , Tell Lisa A. , Davis Jennifer L. , Maunsell Fiona P. , Riviere Jim E. , Lin Zhoumeng
Published: December 2020

This report is the third in a series of studies that aimed to compile physiological parameters related to develop physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models for drugs and environmental chemicals in food‐producing animals including swine and cattle (Part I), chickens and turkeys (Part II), and finally sheep and goats (the focus of this manuscript). Literature searches were conducted in multiple databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest), with data on relevant parameters including body weight, relative organ weight (% of body weight), cardiac output, relative organ blood flow (% of cardiac output), residual blood volume (% of organ weight), and hematocrit reviewed and statistically summarized. The mean and standard deviation of each parameter are presented in tables. Equations describing the growth curves of sheep and goats are presented in figures. When data are sufficient, parameter values are reported for different ages or production classes of sheep, including fetal sheep, lambs, and market‐age sheep (mature sheep). These data provide a reference database for developing standardized PBPK models to predict drug withdrawal intervals in sheep and goats, and also provide a basis for extrapolating PBPK models from major species such as cattle to minor species such as sheep and goats.
The costs of corporatization: Analysing the effects of forms of governance
Authors: Bel Germà , Esteve Marc , Garrido Juan Carlos , Zafra‐Gómez José Luis
Published: December 2020

Public corporations have been constantly in the spotlight, with some commentators arguing that they can help governments provide better public services, and others insisting that their governance is simply too complex. Despite this ongoing debate, few studies have researched public corporation performance. The present study offers empirical evidence of the effects of various forms of corporatization on public service costs. In particular, it examines public service costs incurred under four different forms of governance: public agencies, public corporations, mixed public corporations with minority public ownership, and mixed public corporations with majority public ownership. The analysis considers eight types of public services in 874 Spanish municipalities between 2014 and 2017. The empirical results show that services provided by public corporations are no less costly than those provided by public agencies. In fact, the services offered by mixed corporations with government majorities tend to cost more than those provided by public agencies.
Prosocial Motivation as a Driver of Social Innovation in the UAE
Authors: Jeong Sophia Soyoung , Alhanaee Dhia Waddah Talib Ali
Published: December 2020

One important domain of nonmarket‐driven innovation is social innovation. Defined as “new ideas that have the potential to improve either the quality or the quantity of life,” social innovation stands in stark contrast to business innovation that focuses on creativity with the intention of making a profit. Drawing on research on motivation, creativity, rentier mentality, and Islamic work ethics, this article takes a motivational approach to social innovation and advances a proposition that prosocial motivation is of particular importance in fostering social innovation in the context of the UAE. We argue that due to policies that grant nationals high financial stability and affluence, UAE locals are less likely to be driven by extrinsic motivation, but rather by intrinsic motivation. We propose that enhancing their prosocial motivation will have a synergetic effect with their intrinsic motivation and therefore lead to higher social innovation. This article extends the literature on prosocial motivation, social innovation, and social entrepreneurship by identifying a geographical/cultural region where the motivational basis for social innovation is amplified. Significantly, this article questions common assumptions about a rentier mentality and proposes a path to leverage social innovation. Implications for policymakers and practitioners are discussed.
Four‐dimensional CT excretory urography is an accurate technique for diagnosis of canine ureteral ectopia
Authors: Schwarz Tobias , Bommer Nick , Parys Maciej , Thierry Florence , Bouvard Jonathan , Pérez‐Accino Jorge , Saunders Jimmy , Longo Maurizio
Published: December 2020

Computed tomographic (CT) excretory urography is commonly used to investigate canine ureteral ectopia (UE). Modern technology allows time‐resolved CT imaging (four‐dimensional CT excretory urography [4D‐CTEU]) over a distance exceeding the detector collimation. Objectives of this prospective, observational, diagnostic accuracy study were to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CT excretory urography (CTEU) and 4D‐CTEU for UE in dogs with lower urinary tract signs, assess the influence of pelvis positioning, and to determine the significance of the ureterovesical junction (UVJ) angle for UE diagnosis. Thirty‐six dogs, with a total of 42 normotopic ureters, 27 intramural ectopic ureters, and three extramural ectopic ureters, underwent CTEU and 4D‐CTEU with randomized pelvis positioning. Randomized CTEU and 4D‐CTEU studies were scored by two observers for ureteral papilla location and murality on a grading scheme. Interobserver agreement, sensitivity, and specificity for ureter topia status and diagnosis were calculated. Computed tomographic excretory urography showed moderate interobserver agreement for the left ureter and perfect for the right ureter, whereas 4D‐CTEU showed bilateral nearly perfect agreement between both observers. When comparing CTEU versus confirmed diagnosis, there was a sensitivity and specificity of 73% and 90.2%, respectively, whereas 4D‐CTEU showed a sensitivity and specificity of 97% and 94.6%, respectively. An obtuse UVJ angle is significantly more commonly observed in ectopic intramural than normotopic ureters and is significantly associated with increased diagnostic confidence of UE. The use of a wedge to angle the pelvis did not increase the diagnostic confidence in determining ureteral opening position. Four‐dimensional CT excretory urography is an accurate and reliable diagnostic technique to investigate UE as cause of urinary incontinence in dogs that is slightly superior to CTEU.