bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
To enrich or not to enrich: Enhancing (glyco)peptide ionization using the CaptiveSpray nanoBooster™
Authors: Alagesan Kathirvel , Kolarich Daniel
Published: April 2019

The CaptiveSpray source ensures a stable spray and excellent nano ESI performance facilitated by a vortex gas that sweeps around the emitter spray tip to support liquid desolvation and focus the Taylor cone. Enriching the vortex gas with dopant solvents provides tremendous opportunities to increase ionization efficiency, in particular for hydrophilic compounds such as glycopeptides. How this CaptiveSpray nanobooster benefits their analysis, however, has to date not been systematically studied.

We evaluated various dopant solvents such as (i) acetone (ii) acetonitrile (iii) methanol (iv) ethanol and (v) isopropanol for their ability to enhance glycopeptide ionization. Using a synthetic IgG2 glycopeptide as a standard, acetonitrile provided a five-fold increase in signal intensities and resulted in an overall charge state increase compared to conventional CaptiveSpray ionization. This trend remained the same when tryptic IgG (glyco)peptides were analyzed and allowed highly sensitive detection of glycopeptides even without any enrichment. While acetone dopant gas enhanced glycopeptide ionization by doubling glycopeptide signal intensities, all other tested solvents resulted either in ion suppression or adduct formation. This is in agreement with and can be explained by their individual physio-chemical properties of the solvents. Finally, by omitting glycopeptide enrichment steps, we established a bias-free human Immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass specific glycosylation profile applying the optimized CaptiveSpray nanoBooster nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis conditions.
Identification of viruses with the potential to infect human
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Cai Zena , Tan Zhiying , Lu Congyu , Zhang Gaihua , Peng Yousong
Published: April 2019

The virus has caused much mortality and morbidity to humans, and still posed a serious threat to the global public health. The virome with the human-infection potential is far from complete. Novel viruses have been discovered at an unprecedented pace as the rapid development of viral metagenomics. However, there is still a lack of a method for rapidly identifying the virus with the human-infection potential. This study built several machine learning models for discriminating the human-infecting viruses from other viruses based on the frequency of k-mers in the viral genomic sequences. The k-nearest neighbor (KNN) model could predict the human-infecting virus with an accuracy of over 90%. Even for the KNN models built on the contigs as short as 1kb, they performed comparably to those built on the viral genomes, suggesting that the models could be used to identify the human-infecting virus from the viral metagenomic sequences. This work could help for discovery of novel human-infecting virus in metagenomics studies.
Vegetative Cell and Spore Proteomes ofClostridioides difficileshow finite differences and reveal potential biomarkers.
Authors: Abhyankar Wishwas , Zheng Linli , Brul Stanley , de Koster Chris G. , de Koning Leo J.
Published: April 2019

Clostridioides difficile-associated infection (CDI) is a health-care-associated infection mainly transmitted via highly resistant endospores from one person to the other.In vivo, the spores need to germinate in to cells prior to establishing an infection. Bile acids and glycine, both available in sufficient amounts inside the human host intestinal tract, serve as efficient germinants for the spores. It is therefore, for better understanding ofClostridioides difficilevirulence, crucial to study both the cell and spore states with respect to their genetic, metabolic and proteomic composition. In the present study, mass spectrometric relative protein quantification, based on the14N/15N peptide isotopic ratios, has led to quantification of over 700 proteins from combined spore and cell samples. The analysis has revealed that the proteome turnover between a vegetative cell and a spore for this organism is moderate. Additionally, specific cell and spore surface proteins, vegetative cell proteins CD1228, CD3301 and spore proteins CD2487, CD2434 and CD0684 are identified as potential biomarkers forC. difficileinfection.
EMT-induced cell mechanical changes enhance mitotic rounding strength
Authors: Hosseini Kamran , Taubenberger Anna , Werner Carsten , Fischer-Friedrich Elisabeth
Published: April 2019

To undergo mitosis successfully, most animal cells need to acquire a round shape to provide space for the mitotic spindle. This mitotic rounding relies on mechanical deformation of surrounding tissue and is driven by forces emanating from actomyosin contractility. Cancer cells are able to maintain successful mitosis in mechanically challenging environments such as the increasingly crowded environment of a growing tumor, thus, suggesting an enhanced ability of mitotic rounding in cancer. Here, we show that epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), a hallmark of cancer progression and metastasis, gives rise to cell-mechanical changes in breast epithelial cells. These changes are opposite in interphase and mitosis and correspond to an enhanced mitotic rounding strength. Furthermore, we show that cell-mechanical changes correlate with a strong EMT-induced change in the activity of Rho GTPases RhoA and Rac1. Accordingly, we find that Rac1 inhibition rescues the EMT-induced cortex-mechanical phenotype. Our findings hint at a new role of EMT in successful mitotic rounding and division in mechanically confined environments such as a growing tumor.
Training and inferring neural network function with multi-agent reinforcement learning
Authors: Chalk Matthew , Tkacik Gasper , Marre Olivier
Published: April 2019

A central goal in systems neuroscience is to understand the functions performed by neural circuits. Previous top-down models addressed this question by comparing the behaviour of an ideal model circuit, optimised to perform a given function, with neural recordings. However, this requires guessing in advance what function is being performed, which may not be possible for many neural systems. To address this, we propose a new framework for optimising a recurrent network using multi-agent reinforcement learning (RL). In this framework, a reward function quantifies how desirable each state of the network is for performing a given function. Each neuron is treated as an ‘agent’, which optimises its responses so as to drive the network towards rewarded states. Three applications follow from this. First, one can use multi-agent RL algorithms to optimise a recurrent neural network to perform diverse functions (e.g. efficient sensory coding or motor control). Second, one could use inverse RL to infer the function of a recorded neural network from data. Third, the theory predicts how neural networks should adapt their dynamics to maintain the same function when the external environment or network structure changes. This could lead to theoretical predictions about how neural network dynamics adapt to deal with cell death and/or varying sensory stimulus statistics.
Concordance of Race Documented in Electronic Health Records and Genetic Ancestry
Authors: Walunas Theresa L. , Pacheco Jennifer A. , Jackson Kathryn L. , Roberts Anna , Armstrong Loren L. , Behrens Jess , Hayes M. Geoffrey , Kho Abel N.
Published: April 2019

Objective

Genetic screening is the gold standard for biogeographical ancestry (i.e. race), but this information is often unavailable to those developing research studies. We assessed agreement between census- and electronic health record (EHR)-derived demographic data with genetic ancestry to determine if these sources could support selection of diverse cohorts.

Materials and Methods

We identified a population of 4,837 genotyped patients and determined concordance between genetic measures of ancestry against race derived from decennial nationwide census, electronic medical records, and self-report.

Results

We identified a 90% or greater concordance between the EHR-derived data and genetic ancestry. Census data had a high concordance (97%) with genetic and self-reported data for patients of European ancestry but low concordance for patients of African ancestry (64%).

Discussion and Conclusions

The high concordance between EHR-derived race and genetic ancestry suggests that EHR-derived information could be an effective proxy for race when recruiting for diverse research cohorts.
A divisive model of evidence accumulation explains uneven weighting of evidence over time
Authors: Keung Waitsang , Hagen Todd A. , Wilson Robert C.
Published: April 2019

Divisive normalization has long been used to account for computations in various neural processes and behaviours. The model proposes that inputs into a neural system are divisively normalized by the total activity of the system. More recently, dynamical versions of divisive normalization have been shown to account for how neural activity evolves over time in value-based decision making. Despite its ubiquity, divisive normalization has not been studied in decisions that require evidence to be integrated over time. Such decisions are important when we do not have all the information available at once. A key feature of such decisions is how evidence is weighted over time, known as the integration ‘kernel’. Here we provide a formal expression for the integration kernel in divisive normalization, and show that divisive normalization can quantitatively account for the perceptual decision making behaviour of 133 human participants, performing as well as the state-of-the-art Drift Diffusion Model, the predominant model for perceptual evidence accumulation.
Nutritional ecology provides insights into competitive interactions between closely-related marten species
Authors: Gazzola Andrea , Balestrieri Alessandro
Published: April 2019

For generalist, closely-related predators as those belonging to the genusMartes, it is a hard task to differentiate the effects on feeding habits of variation in food availability from those of resource competition. To overcome this obstacle, we reviewed dietary studies that assessed the relative bulk of each food item, as either percent biomass or percent mean volume, in the diet of both the pine-(M. martes) and stone-(M. foina) marten, and calculated the nutrient profiles (intakes of protein, lipids and carbohydrates, expressed as percentages of total metabolizable energy) of each diet. Both martens’ diets tightly clustered (average values: 47% protein-, 39% lipid- and 14% carbohydrate energy), but, most interestingly, in allopatry the nutritional niches of the two species did not differ, while the stone marten ate more carbohydrates and less protein when sympatric with the pine marten. Our data suggest that stone marten frugivory is the result of interspecific competition.
Measuring the relationship between sleep, physical activity and cognition
Authors: Swirski Marta , Shaikh Netasha , Chinner Amy , Gaaikema Ellen , Coulthard Elizabeth
Published: April 2019

Biochemical and neuropsychological changes due to poor sleep may contribute to the development of neurodegenerative disorders, such as dementia. Physical activity is widely thought to improve sleep; however, the optimal intensity/duration of physical activity required is unknown. This 14-week, single-blind study (n=23) investigated the feasibility of a self-directed physical activity intervention in healthy adults using actigraphy and cognitive function measures as primary outcomes. Participants were randomised to a control group (no change in routine) or the intervention group (increased physical activity) and were provided with an actigraphy device to monitor activity. Participants completed daily sleep/activity diaries and three cognitive assessment sessions. Vigorous physical activity increased between baseline and week 3 for the intervention group only, with no identifiable impact on sleep. This change was not sustained at week 12. Performance on an executive function task and delayed visuospatial recall improved from baseline to week 12 for the intervention group only. Contrary to our expectations, increasing light-moderate physical activity was associated with more impaired sleep across all participants. It is clear that the relationships between physical activity, sleep and cognition are complex and require further investigation. We discuss optimal methodologies for clinical trials investigating physical activity and/or sleep interventions targeting cognition.
Elevated LRRK2 and α-synuclein levels in CSF of infectious meningitis patients
Authors: Herbst Susanne , Marais Suzaan , Gutierrez Maximiliano G. , Waddell Simon J , Wilkinson Robert J. , Lai Rachel PJ
Published: April 2019

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s (PD) have a complex aetiology consisting of an interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Inflammation and infection are proposed external factors that trigger disease progression. Tuberculous and cryptococcal meningitis frequently lead to long-term neurological sequelae but their association with the development of PD are unexplored. In this study, we protein profiled the CSF from 76 patients with or without infectious meningitis and found that proteins commonly associated with PD (LRRK2, tau and alpha-synuclein) were significantly elevated, establishing a link between neuroinflammation and infection. Importantly, these findings suggest that LRRK2, tau and alpha-synuclein could represent biomarkers of neuroinflammation.
A sparse EEG-informed fMRI model for hybrid EEG-fMRI neurofeedback prediction
Authors: Cury Claire , Maurel Pierre , Gribonval Rémi , Barillot Christian
Published: April 2019

Measures of brain activity through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or Electroencephalography (EEG), two complementary modalities, are ground solutions in the context of neuro-feedback (NF) mechanisms for brain rehabilitation protocols. While NF-EEG (real-time neurofeedback scores computed from EEG signals) have been explored for a very long time, NF-fMRI (real-time neurofeedback scores computed from fMRI signals) appeared more recently and provides more robust results and more specific brain training. Using simultaneously fMRI and EEG for bi-modal neurofeedback sessions (NF-EEG-fMRI, real-time neurofeedback scores computed from fMRI and EEG) is very promising to devise brain rehabilitation protocols. However, fMRI is cumbersome and more exhausting for patients. The original contribution of this paper concerns the prediction of bi-modal NF scores from EEG recordings only, using a training phase where EEG signals as well as the NF-EEG and NF-fMRI scores are available. We propose a sparse regression model able to exploit EEG only to predict NF-fMRI or NF-EEG-fMRI in motor imagery tasks. We compared different NF-predictors steaming from the proposed model. We showed that predicting NF-fMRI scores from EEG signals adds information to NF-EEG scores and significantly improve the correlation with bi-modal NF sessions, compared to classical NF-EEG scores.
Optimal marker gene selection for cell type discrimination in single cell analyses
Authors: Dumitrascu Bianca , Villar Soledad , Mixon Dustin G. , Engelhardt Barbara E.
Published: April 2019

Single-cell technologies characterize complex cell populations across multiple data modalities at un-precedented scale and resolution. Multi-omic data for single cell gene expression,in situhybridization, or single cell chromatin states are increasingly available across diverse tissue types. When isolating specific cell types from a sample of disassociated cells or performingin situsequencing in collections of heterogeneous cells, one challenging task is to select a small set of informative markers to identify and differentiate specific cell types or cell states as precisely as possible. Given single cell RNA-seq data and a set of cellular labels to discriminate, scGene-Fit selects gene transcript markers that jointly optimize cell label recovery using label-aware compressive classification methods, resulting in a substantially more robust and less redundant set of markers than existing methods. When applied to a data set given a hierarchy of cell type labels, the markers found by our method enable the recovery of the label hierarchy through a computationally efficient and principled optimization.
Serum proteomic approach for differentiation of frail and non-frail elderly
Authors: Agnihotri Vertica , Gupta Abhishek , Pradhan Rashmita , Venugopalan G , Bajpai Sailesh , Dey A. B. , Dey Sharmistha
Published: April 2019

Frail elderly is very common in Indian society and extremely difficult to manage in the clinical practice. Blood proteomic study may able to improve the specific diagnostic profiles and therapeutic templates for improving quality of life in elderly. The purpose of present study is to differentiate between frail and non-frail elderly on the basis of serum markers. The proteomic profile of 10 frail and 10 non-frail elderly diagnosed according to deficit accumulation model of Rockwood was identified by 2D-electrophoresis and analyzed using ImageMaster 2DPlatinum7.0 software. The proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF and performed gene ontology study by PANTHER 7.0 software. Overall 105 spots were identified in the study groups. In frail 22spots and in non-frail 12spots were found to be differentially expressed. Mass spectroscopy analysis of 13 spots showed up-regulated Haptoglobin, Serum amyloidA1, TRAK1, sp110, NLRC3, MMP12, Mortalin, NDK3 and downregulated PSRC1, NKG2A proteins in frail elderly. The differential expression of proteins in frailty are mostly associated with pro-inflammation and is well-known that frailty syndrome increases all inflammatory parameters. It can be summarized from the present proteomic study that these proteins can be used as potential biomarkers for early detection of frailty in the elderly.
Bet-hedging across generations can affect the evolution of variance-sensitive strategies within generations
Authors: Haaland Thomas R. , Wright Jonathan , Ratikainen Irja I.
Published: April 2019

In order to understand how organisms cope with ongoing changes in environmental variability it is important to consider all types of adaptations to environmental uncertainty on different time-scales. Conservative bet-hedging represents a long-term genotype-level strategy that maximizes lineage geometric mean fitness in stochastic environments by decreasing individual fitness variance, despite also lowering arithmetic mean fitness. Meanwhile, variance-prone (aka risk-prone) strategies produce greater variance in short-term payoffs because this increases expected arithmetic mean fitness if the relationship between payoffs and fitness is accelerating. Using two evolutionary simulation models, we investigate whether selection for such variance-prone strategies are counteracted by selection for bet-hedging that works to adaptively reduce fitness variance. We predict that variance-prone strategies will be favored in scenarios with more decision events per lifetime and when fitness accumulates additively rather than multiplicatively. In our model variance-proneness evolved in fine-grained environments (with lower correlations among individuals in energetic state and/or in payoffs when choosing the variable decision), and with larger numbers of independent decision events over which resources accumulate prior to selection. In contrast, geometric fitness accumulation caused by coarser environmental grain and fewer decision events prior to selection favors conservative bet-hedging via greater variance-aversion. We discuss examples of variance-sensitive strategies in optimal foraging, migration, life histories and cooperative breeding in light of these results concerning bet-hedging. By linking disparate fields of research studying adaptations to variable environments we should be more able to understand the effects in nature of human-induced rapid environmental change.

Data deposition

R code is available upon request.
The cerebellum is involved in processing of predictions and prediction errors in a fear conditioning paradigm
Authors: Ernst TM , Brol A , Gratz M , Ritter C , Bingel U , Schlamann M , Maderwald S , Quick HH , Merz CJ , Timmann D
Published: April 2019

Prediction errors are thought to drive associative fear learning. Surprisingly little is known about the possible contribution of the cerebellum. To address this question, healthy participants underwent a differential fear conditioning paradigm during 7T magnetic resonance imaging. An event-related design allowed us to separate cerebellar fMRI signals related to the visual conditioned stimulus (CS) from signals related to the subsequent unconditioned stimulus (US; an aversive electric shock). We found significant activation of cerebellar lobules Crus I and VI bilaterally related to the CS+ compared to the CS-. Most importantly, significant activation of lobules Crus I and VI was also present during the unexpected omission of the US in unreinforced CS+ acquisition trials. This activation disappeared during extinction when US omission became expected. These findings provide evidence that the cerebellum has to be added to the neural network processing predictions and prediction errors in the emotional domain.
Pseudogenization, genome streamlining and specific gene repertoire landmark the genomes ofCarnobacterium maltaromaticumisolated from diseased sharks
Authors: Steele Laura Martinez , Lowe Christopher G , Okihiro Mark S , Dillon Jesse G. , Berlemont Renaud
Published: April 2019

Carnobacterium maltaromaticumis a well-known pathogen of bony fish. More recently,C. maltaromaticumhave been isolated from the brain and inner ear of disorientated and stranded common thresher (Alopias vulpinus) and salmon shark (Lamna ditropis). While thresher shark strandings are recent, salmon sharks have been stranding for decades, suggesting a long-term association betweenC. maltaromaticumand sharks. Interestingly, some strains ofC. maltaromaticumare used by the food industry for their probiotic and antimicrobial activity. Here, we sequenced the genome of 9C. maltaromaticumstrains (SK-isolates) from diseased common thresher and salmon sharks and compared them to otherC. maltaromaticumstrains in order to identify the genomic signatures that differentiate the disease-associated from the innocuousC. maltaromaticumisolates. SK strains formed a monophyletic clade, with a conserved gene repertoire, and shared a high degree of pseudogenization even though isolates were from different shark species, locations, and across years. In addition, these strains displayed few virulence associated genes and unique genomic regions, some resulting from horizontal gene transfer. The association of diseased sharks and SK strains suggests their role as potential pathogens. Although the high degree of pseudogenization suggests a transition to a host-adapted lifestyle, a set of conserved functional genes highlights the need of essential functions required for a host-independent life style. Globally, this work identifies specific genomic signatures ofC. maltaromaticumstrains isolated from infected sharks, provides the framework to elucidate the role of SK strains in the development of the disease in sharks, and further investigate the dissemination of SK strains in populations of wild fish.
A modeling algorithm for exploring the architecture and construction of bird nests
Authors: Jessel Hadass R. , Aharoni Lior , Efroni Sol , Bachelet Ido
Published: April 2019

Natural biological structures are often complex and cannot be mapped directly to genes, being therefore impossible to explore by traditional biological tools. In contrast, digitizing these structures enables to explore their properties and behavior under specific conditions, by means of computational manipulations, simulations, and analyses. We describe a generic algorithm for the digitization and exploration of the complex structures exhibited by common, interwoven bird nests. This algorithm takes as input computerized tomographic scans of the studied Dead-Sea Sparrow (Passer moabiticus) nest, identifies and isolates each branch entity within the three-dimensional data and finally extracts the characteristics of each branch. The result is a reliable three-dimensional numerical model of the nest that contains a complete geometric dataset per each of its components, e.g. dimensions and contact points with neighboring components, as well as global properties, e.g. density distribution and network structure. Based on these, we were able to simulate various models of the nest construction process. Altogether, the described algorithm and possible derivatives thereof could be a valuable tool in studying the structure-function relationships of similarly complex biological objects.
A statistical approach to correct X-ray response non-uniformity in microstrip detectors for high-accuracy and high-resolution total-scattering measurements
Authors: Kato Kenichi , Tanaka Yoshihito , Yamauchi Miho , Ohara Koji , Hatsui Takaki
Published: April 2019

An unbiased approach to correct X-ray response non-uniformity in microstrip detectors has been developed based on the statistical estimation that the scattering intensity at a fixed angle from an object is expected to be constant within the Poisson noise. Raw scattering data of SiO2 glass measured by a microstrip detector module was found to show an accuracy of 12σPN at an intensity of 106 photons, where σPN is the standard deviation according to the Poisson noise. The conventional flat-field calibration has failed in correcting the data, whereas the alternative approach used in this article successfully improved the accuracy from 12σPN to 2σPN. This approach was applied to total-scattering data measured by a gapless 15-modular detector system. The quality of the data is evaluated in terms of the Bragg reflections of Si powder, the diffuse scattering of SiO2 glass, and the atomic pair distribution function of TiO2 nanoparticles and Ni powder.
A simple instrument to find spatiotemporal overlap of optical/X-ray light at free-electron lasers
Authors: Sato Takahiro , Glownia James M. , Ware Matthiew R. , Chollet Matthieu , Nelson Silke , Zhu Diling
Published: April 2019

A compact and robust diagnostic to determine spatial and temporal overlap between X-ray free-electron laser and optical laser pulses was developed and evaluated using monochromatic X-rays from the Linac Coherent Light Source. It was used to determine temporal overlap with a resolution of ∼10 fs, despite the large pulse energy fluctuations of the monochromatic X-ray pulses, and covers a wide optical wavelength range from ultraviolet to near-infrared with a single configuration.
Depth-resolved compositional analysis of W/B4C multilayers using resonant soft X-ray reflectivity
Authors: Rao P. N. , Goutam U. K. , Kumar Prabhat , Gupta Mukul , Ganguli Tapas , Rai S. K.
Published: April 2019

W/B4C multilayers (MLs) consisting of ten layer pairs with varying boron carbide layer thicknesses have been investigated. The ML structures were characterized using grazing-incidence hard X-ray reflectivity (GIXR), resonant soft X-ray reflectivity (RSXR), hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES). Depth-resolved spectroscopic information on the boron carbide layer in W/B4C MLs was extracted with sub-nanometre resolution using reflectivity performed in the vicinity of the B K-edge. Interestingly, these results show that the composition of boron carbide films is strongly dependent on layer thicknesses. HAXPES measurements suggest that most of the boron is in the chemical state of B4C in the multilayer structures. XANES measurements suggest an increase in boron content and C—B—C bonding with increase in boron carbide layer thickness.
4-[4-(Azidomethyl)phenyl]-2,6-diphenylpyridine
Authors: Cheng Xingwang , Du Yanan , Guo Hui , Chen Zhiyuan , Tian Yupeng
Published: April 2019

The title compound, C24H18N4, crystallizes with three molecules in the asymmetric unit. In the crystal, weak C—H...π interactions link the molecules.
Can students be taught to articulate employability skills?
Authors: Tomasson Goodwin Jill , Goh Joslin , Verkoeyen Stephanie , Lithgow Katherine
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on research findings from a teaching and learning intervention that explored whether undergraduate university students can be taught to articulate their employability skills effectively to prospective employers and to retain this ability post-course.

Design/methodology/approach

The study included 3,400 students in 44 courses at a large Canadian university. Stage 1 involved a course-level teaching and learning intervention with the experimental student group, which received employability skills articulation instruction. Stage 2 involved an online survey administered six months post-course to the experimental group and the control group. Both groups responded to two randomly generated questions using the Situation/Task, Actions, Result (STAR) format, a format that employers commonly rely on to assess job candidates’ employability skills. The researchers compared the survey responses from the experimental and control groups.

Findings

Survey results demonstrate that previous exposure to the STAR format was the only significant factor affecting students’ skills articulation ability. Year of study and program (co-operative or non-co-operative) did not influence articulation.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that universities should integrate institution-wide, course-level employability skills articulation assignments for students in all years of study and programs (co-op and non-co-op).

Originality/value

This research is novel because its study design combines practical, instructional design with empirical research of significant scope (institution-wide) and participant size (3,400 students), contributing quantitative evidence to the employability skills articulation discussion. By surveying students six months post-course, the study captures whether articulation instruction can be recalled, an ability of particular relevance for career preparedness.
Student perceptions of virtual reality use in higher education
Authors: Baxter Gavin , Hainey Thomas
Published: April 2019

Purpose

This paper provides an analysis and insight into undergraduate student views concerning the use of virtual reality technology towards whether it has the potential to support and provide novel pedagogical avenues towards teaching and learning in higher education. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain student views about the application of VR technology within their degree programmes from a pedagogical perspective in addition to identifying potential challenges to VR adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design adopted a mixed methods approach through the use of a questionnaire that was disseminated to undergraduate students studying in the discipline area of the creative industries. Through a series of open and closed questions, student views on VR adoption in higher education were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The results were analysed statistically through a series of Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests. The qualitative statements were contextualised in the overall perspective of the research with the more relevant viewpoints identified to coincide with aspects of VR discovered in the literature.

Findings

The predominant findings of the research indicated that the majority of the students considered the use of VR to have useful pedagogical implications though not all findings were positive. The findings provided a sound overview of the benefits and potential drawbacks of VR use in general with a more specific focus in an educational context.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the research include the lack of overall generalisations that can be formed from the study due to the sample size and the fact that the results were based from one specific academic institution.

Practical implications

The findings of the research will provide educators with an insight into various perceptions of VR adoption within higher education. This will aid towards allowing them to reflect on whether VR is an appropriate tool to integrate within their curriculum and pedagogical approaches towards course delivery.

Originality/value

Though several studies have explored the use of VR in multiple contexts and subject areas, there still needs to be more research towards its potential drawbacks in a teaching and learning scenario and how to resolve these issues.
Top down, bottom up and classroom reading anxiety and their effect on reading performance of undergraduate engineering students in Pakistan
Authors: Soomro Ashfaque Hussain , Khan Imran , Younus Muhammad
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore EFL reading anxiety of first-year undergraduate engineering students and its effect on their reading performance in a public sector engineering university in Pakistan. It specifically aims to explore their top-down, bottom-up and classroom EFL reading anxiety.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for the present study were collected from 200 first-year engineering students to explore their reading anxiety. A 20-item questionnaire developed by Zoghi and Alivandivafa (2014) was used to measure students’ EFL reading anxiety, while an IELTS academic reading test was used to measure their reading performance. The data were analyzed through exploratory factorial analysis and multiple regression analysis to determine which type of reading anxiety has a significant effect on students’ reading performance.

Findings

It was found that the bottom-up reading anxiety and the classroom reading anxiety have a significant negative impact on the reading performance of the first-year undergraduate engineering students of a Pakistani university. However, top-down reading anxiety has an insignificant negative impact on the reading performance of university students.

Research limitations/implications

The data for the current study were drawn from one Pakistani public sector engineering university, and all the students were first-year undergraduates. The data were collected through a self-reported questionnaire and IELTS (academic) reading test. Some of the students may be unfamiliar with the IELTS test pattern, so their reading performance might have been affected.

Practical implications

Teachers should adopt such a methodology in their EFL classrooms which helps students reduce their reading anxiety. Reading texts must be selected considering the proficiency level of students, and reading strategies must be explicitly taught to reduce bottom-up and top-down reading anxieties. Teachers should create a positive learning environment in their classroom by encouraging students to make an effort to improve their reading skills in order to deal with classroom reading anxiety. Students must be explained that they should help one another rather than ridiculing each other’s reading mistakes. Differentiated instruction can also be adopted to facilitate weak readers. The teachers can provide additional/out of the class support to weak readers in order to help them deal with reading anxiety.

Originality/value

The EFL reading anxiety among university students in the Pakistani context has received little attention from the researchers. Furthermore, although the impact of EFL reading anxiety on EFL students’ reading performance has been explored previously, the impact of three types of EFL reading anxiety on EFL learners’ reading performance has not been adequately investigated.
Open creative workspaces impacts for new product development team creativity and effectiveness
Authors: Sicotte Hélène , De Serres Andrée , Delerue Hélène , Ménard Virginie
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to further explore the relationship between new product development project teams and their workspace regarding the impact of the physical (space variety, indoor environmental quality, large meeting room, workstation) and sociotechnical environments (project commitment, IT environment) on their creativity and effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors gathered data on an enterprise’s ten multidisciplinary teams operating in diverse workspaces by four means: over 40 interviews and four months of observation, secondary data and a survey with 645 responses.

Findings

For teams co-located on site and abroad, employees express that proximity in open space is paramount even considering the augmented density. The relationship between team effectiveness and team creativity is strong and bidirectional (correlationβ = 0.40****), but the patterns of relationship between these two variables and certain dimensions of the physical and sociotechnical environment are different. There is a positive and direct impact on team effectiveness, but to a lesser degree on creativity which, in turn, positively influences team effectiveness. Moreover, creativity intervenes (mediator variable) between project commitment, satisfaction with large meeting rooms and the IT environment on their relationship with team effectiveness. When the authors added a direct link between the variables and team effectiveness, the model explains 47.1 per cent of the variance.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of the data is somewhat limited by the time that the company and its teams could allocate to this paper.

Practical implications

The arrangement of space reinforces employees’ sense of belonging to their team as measured by project commitment which along with satisfaction with the large meeting rooms and IT environment influence both team effectiveness and creativity. Managers could consider these three elements as levers for action. Space variety (or balanced layout) is also a way to support team creativity.

Originality/value

Even if open spaces are frequently used, the literature on creative spaces is dedicated mainly to an individual. This paper delivers some results and evidence on the concrete and simultaneous impacts of the workspaces on creativity and effectiveness of multidisciplinary new product development (NPD) team.
The United Nations’ (UN) decision to adopt International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS)
Authors: Chow Danny , Aggestam Pontoppidan Caroline
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse and understand the UN System’s adoption of IPSAS from a legitimacy perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

A content analysis of publicly accessible documents from the UN System archives was conducted. The analysis was framed through the broader lens of legitimacy theory, drawing attention to the rationalities of decisions taken.

Findings

This study illustrated how the need for accounting reforms was rationalised throughout the UN System of organisations. Decision-making processes were reflective of political concerns and the accompanying need to continually demonstrate accountability. The discursive strategies observed associated the need to improve accountability with the adoption of globally recognised accounting systems. However, such logic assumed that existing accountability deficits were intrinsically linked to accounting failures, which overemphasises accounting’s role.

Social implications

The UN System’s decision to adopt IPSAS in 2006 has been followed by a substantial increase in the number of Member States following suit. However, governments and other organisations considering IPSAS adoption should be aware of the historical context in which the UN System’s decision was made.

Originality/value

This study addresses a lacuna in empirical studies providing an understanding of the role of accounting reforms within international organisations such as the UN System.
Customer advocates with a generous heart
Authors: An Jake , Ngo Liem Viet , Chylinski Mathew , Tran Quan
Published: April 2019

Purpose

Despite the fact that prosocial motivation is related to word of mouth (WOM), few studies have been conducted to investigate the psychological and behavioral processes that mediate the two constructs. This study aims to explore customers’ relational interactions, specifically customer-to-employee interaction (via customer participation), customer-to-customer interaction and customer-to-brand interaction (via brand commitment), as mediators of the prosocial motivation–WOM linkage. Specifically, this paper examines the serial mediation model, in which prosocial motivation increases customer participation and customer-to-customer interaction, which in turn increase brand commitment and WOM sequentially.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected survey data from two different samples, including higher degree research education and fitness gym services (highly interactive, people-processing service contexts), and used partial least square method to analyze the multiple serial mediations.

Findings

The results of this study show two serial mediating processes through which prosocial motivation influences WOM: 1. prosocial motivation → customer participation → brand commitment → WOM; and 2. prosocial motivation → customer-to-customer interaction → brand commitment → WOM.

Practical implications

The findings provide managerial insights into how marketers can foster a more interactive service environment to encourage prosocial customers to engage in WOM more effectively.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on services WOM by illustrating the behavioral and psychological processes that underlie the effect of prosocial motivation on WOM.
Lurasidone in the treatment of schizophrenia: Results of a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial in Asian patients
Authors: Higuchi Teruhiko , Ishigooka Jun , Iyo Masaomi , Yeh Chin‐Bin , Ebenezer Esther Gunaseli , Liang Kuei Yu , Lee Jung Sik , Lee Sang Yeol , Lin Shih Ku , Yoon Bo‐Hyun , Nakamura Masatoshi , Hagi Katsuhiko , Sato Takayuki
Published: April 2019

Introduction

To evaluate efficacy and safety of lurasidone for the treatment of Asian patients with schizophrenia.

Methods

Patients with schizophrenia from Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of double‐blind treatment with 40 or 80 mg/d of lurasidone or placebo. The primary efficacy measure was change from baseline to week 6 on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score. Efficacy was evaluated using a mixed‐model repeated‐measures (MMRM) analysis in the modified intention‐to‐treat (mITT) population.

Results

On the basis of the analysis for the mITT population, the estimated difference score for lurasidone 40 and 80 mg/d vs placebo was −4.8 (P = 0.050) and −4.2 (P = 0.080). For the full intention‐to‐treat (ITT) population, the difference score for lurasidone 40 and 80 mg/d vs placebo was −5.8 (P = 0.017) and −4.2 (P = 0.043). The most frequent adverse events in the lurasidone 40 and 80 mg/d and placebo groups, respectively, were akathisia (7.3%, 10.4%, 3.3%), somnolence (6.0%, 2.6%, 0.7%), and vomiting (6.0%, 5.8%, 2.0%). The proportion of patients experiencing clinically significant weight gain (≥7%) was 5.3% for lurasidone 40 mg/d, 1.3% for 80 mg/d, and 1.4% for placebo. End point changes in metabolic parameters and prolactin were comparable for both lurasidone groups and placebo.

Conclusions

In the ITT (but not the mITT) population, treatment with lurasidone was associated with significant improvement in the PANSS total score in patients with schizophrenia. Lurasidone was generally well tolerated with minimal impact on weight and metabolic parameters.
Accounting and Auditing at the Time of Blockchain Technology: A Research Agenda
Authors: Schmitz Jana , Leoni Giulia
Published: April 2019

Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology expected to have significant impacts on the accounting and auditing profession. This study, applicable and timely for both accounting and auditing scholars and practitioners, explores blockchain technology and its main implications for the accounting and auditing profession. The research question addressed in this study is: What are the major themes emerging from academic research and professional reports and websites debating blockchain technology in the accounting and auditing context? A literature review of academic literature and professional reports and websites is performed to identify a taxonomy of emerging themes. The study finds that the most discussed themes in scholarly works and professional sources are governance, transparency and trust issues in the blockchain ecosystem, blockchain‐enabled continuous audits, smart contract applications and the paradigmatic shift in accountants' and auditors' roles. Based on these four themes, practical implications for accountants and auditors on how to approach the blockchain development are provided. Moreover, this study offers suggestions for future research on accounting and auditing in the blockchain era.
Comparison of the prognostic capability of two comorbidity indices in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in real‐life clinical practice
Authors: Figueira‐Gonçalves Juan Marco , Golpe Rafael , García‐Bello Miguel Ángel , García‐Talavera Ignacio , Castro‐Añón Olalla
Published: April 2019

Background

Comorbidities are a major cause of death in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The COPD‐comorbidity test (COTE) index was designed to measure comorbidity burden in this disease. The objective of this study was to compare the capability of COTE and the non‐COPD specific Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) to predict all‐cause mortality in real‐life conditions.

Methods

Retrospective observational study, carried out in two different series of consecutive COPD patients including, respectively, 790 and 439 subjects. The COTE and non‐age‐adjusted CCI indices were calculated and the values of the C‐statistic for predicting all‐cause mortality were compared for both indices.

Results

Median follow‐up was 54 months and there were 321 deaths within this period of time. The value of the C‐statistic for the CCI was significantly higher than for the COTE index in both groups.

Conclusion

When used in real‐life clinical practice, the value of the CCI to predict all‐cause mortality in COPD seems higher than that of the COTE index.
Staling of potato and wheat steamed breads: physicochemical characterisation and molecular mobility
Authors: Zhou Liang , Mu Taihua , Ma Mengmei , Sun Hongnan
Published: April 2019

To clarify the physicochemical characterisation and water status of potato steamed bread (PSB) and wheat steamed bread (WSB) during the staling process, texture, amylopectin retrogradation, crystalline structure, water migration and microstructure were evaluated by texture analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that starch molecules in PSB and WSB were recrystallised and formed B‐type starch, which had a positive correlation with hardness and thermal enthalpy. Compared to WSB, PSB had a relatively low B‐type crystallinity; moreover, a smaller decrease of free water in PSB was also detected in the NMR test, which indicated that more moisture can be used to plasticise crumb, thus contributing to a softer texture of PSB. SEM revealed that the amount and size of the cracks on the interface of starch and gluten matrix in WSB increased with the prolongation of storage time.