bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A combined human in silico and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated in vivo zebrafish based approach for supporting gene target validation in early drug discovery
Authors: Winter Matthew J. , Ono Yosuke , Ball Jonathan S. , Walentinsson Anna , Michaelsson Erik , Tochwin Anna , Scholpp Steffen , Tyler Charles R. , Rees Steve , Hetheridge Malcolm J , Bohlooly-Y Mohammad
Published: September 2021

The clinical heterogeneity of heart failure has challenged our understanding of the underlying genetic mechanisms of this disease. In this respect, large-scale patient DNA sequencing studies have become an invaluable strategy for identifying potential genetic contributing factors. The complex aetiology of heart failure, however, also means that in vivo models are vital to understand the links between genetic perturbations and functional impacts. Traditional approaches (e.g. genetically-modified mice) are optimal for assessing small numbers of proposed target genes, but less practical when multiple targets are identified. The zebrafish, in contrast, offers great potential for higher throughput in vivo gene functional assessment to aid target prioritisation and support definitive studies undertaken in mice. Here we used whole-exome sequencing and bioinformatics on human patient data to identify 3 genes (API5, HSPB7, and LMO2) suggestively associated with heart failure that were also predicted to play a broader role in disease aetiology. The role of these genes in cardiovascular system development and function was then further investigated using in vivo CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene mutation analysis in zebrafish. We observed multiple impacts in F0 knockout zebrafish embryos (crispants) following effective somatic mutation, including reductions in ventricle size, pericardial oedema, and chamber malformation. In the case of lmo2, there was also a significant impact on cardiovascular function as well as an expected reduction in erythropoiesis. The data generated from both the human in silico and zebrafish in vivo assessments undertaken supports roles for API5, HSPB7, and LMO2 in human cardiovascular disease and identifies them as potential drug targets for further investigation. The data presented also supports the use of human in silico genetic variant analysis, in combination with zebrafish crispant phenotyping, as a powerful approach for assessing gene function as part of an integrated multi-level drug target validation strategy.
Global mapping of the energetic and allosteric landscapes of protein binding domains
Authors: Faure Andre J. , Domingo Júlia , Schmiedel Jörn M. , Hidalgo-Carcedo Cristina , Diss Guillaume , Lehner Ben
Published: September 2021

Allosteric communication between distant sites in proteins is central to nearly all biological regulation but still poorly characterised for most proteins, limiting conceptual understanding, biological engineering and allosteric drug development. Typically only a few allosteric sites are known in model proteins, but theoretical, evolutionary and some experimental studies suggest they may be much more widely distributed. An important reason why allostery remains poorly characterised is the lack of methods to systematically quantify long-range communication in diverse proteins. Here we address this shortcoming by developing a method that uses deep mutational scanning to comprehensively map the allosteric landscapes of protein interaction domains. The key concept of the approach is the use of ‘multidimensional mutagenesis’: mutational effects are quantified for multiple molecular phenotypes—here binding and protein abundance—and in multiple genetic backgrounds. This is an efficient experimental design that allows the underlying causal biophysical effects of mutations to be accurately inferred en masse by fitting thermodynamic models using neural networks. We apply the approach to two of the most common human protein interaction domains, an SH3 domain and a PDZ domain, to produce the first global atlases of allosteric mutations for any proteins. Allosteric mutations are widely dispersed with extensive long-range tuning of binding affinity and a large mutational target space of network-altering ‘edgetic’ variants. Mutations are more likely to be allosteric closer to binding interfaces, at Glycines in secondary structure elements and at particular sites including a chain of residues connecting to an opposite surface in the PDZ domain. This general approach of quantifying mutational effects for multiple molecular phenotypes and in multiple genetic backgrounds should allow the energetic and allosteric landscapes of many proteins to be rapidly and comprehensively mapped.
Interaction between BID and VDAC1 is required for mitochondrial demise and cell death in neurons
Authors: Oppermann Sina , Mertins Barbara , Meissner Lilja , Krasel Cornelius , Psakis Georgios , Reiß Philipp , Dolga Amalia M. , Plesnila Nikolaus , Bünemann Moritz , Essen Lars-Oliver , Culmsee Carsten
Published: September 2021

Mitochondrial damage is a key feature of regulated cell death in neurons. In particular, mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) has been proposed as a starting point for mitochondrial demise upon cellular stress. Potential mechanisms for MOMP presented in the literature include membrane pore formation by Bcl2-family proteins such as BID and BAX, oligomerization of voltage-dependent anion channels (VDACs) and hetero-oligomer formation of these proteins. In our study, we demonstrate a direct interaction between the voltage-dependent anion channel VDAC1 and the pro-apoptotic protein BID in dying neurons both in vitro and in vivo. Binding of BID to VDAC1 affects anion conductance through VDAC1 and is associated with glutamate-induced cell death in cultured neurons and ischemic brain injury. In cultured neurons, reducing VDAC1 expression significantly attenuates BID-induced hallmarks of mitochondrial damage such as mitochondrial fission, declined mitochondrial respiration, increased ROS production, and mitochondrial membrane potential breakdown. Our data highlight a critical role for VDAC1 as a mitochondrial receptor for activated BID, thereby serving as a key decision point between life and death in neurons.

One Sentence Summary

VDAC1 interacts with BID to mediate mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and neuronal cell death.
The impact of genetic relationship between training and validation populations on genomic prediction accuracy in Atlantic salmon
Authors: Fraslin Clémence , Yáñez José M. , Robledo Diego , Houston Ross D.
Published: September 2021

The potential of genomic selection to improve production traits has been widely demonstrated in many aquaculture species. Atlantic salmon breeding programmes typically consist of sibling testing schemes, where traits that cannot be measured on the selection candidates are measured on the candidates’ siblings (such as disease resistance traits). While annual testing on close relatives is effective, it is expensive due to high genotyping and phenotyping costs. Therefore, accurate prediction of breeding values in distant relatives could significantly reduce the cost of genomic selection. The aims of this study were (i) to evaluate the impact of decreasing the genomic relationship between the training and validation populations on the accuracy of genomic prediction for two key target traits; body weight and resistance to sea lice; and (ii) to assess the interaction of genetic relationship with SNP density, a major determinant of genotyping costs. Phenotype and genotype data from two year classes of a commercial breeding population of Atlantic salmon were used. The accuracy of genomic predictions obtained within a year class was similar to that obtained combining the data from the two year classes for sea lice count (0.49 - 0.48) and body weight (0.63 - 0.61), but prediction accuracy was close to zero when the prediction was performed across year groups. Systematically reducing the relatedness between the training and validation populations within a year class resulted in decreasing accuracy of genomic prediction; when the training and validation populations were set up to contain no relatives with genomic relationships >0.3, the accuracies fell from 0.48 to 0.27 for sea lice count and from 0.63 to 0.29 for body weight. Lower relatedness between training and validation populations also tended to result in highly biased predictions. No clear interaction between decreasing SNP density and relatedness between training and validation population was found. These results confirm the importance of genetic relationships between training and selection candidate populations in salmon breeding programmes, and suggests that prediction across generations using existing approaches would severely compromise the efficacy of genomic selection.
Activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress via clustering of the inner nuclear membrane protein SUN2
Authors: Vidak Sandra , Serebryannyy Leonid A. , Pegoraro Gianluca , Misteli Tom
Published: September 2021

One of the major cellular mechanisms to ensure protein homeostasis is the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response. This pathway is typically triggered by accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER lumen. Here we describe activation of ER stress via protein aggregation in the cell nucleus. We find in the premature aging disease Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) activation of ER stress due to the aggregation of the diseases-causing progerin protein at the nuclear envelope. The presence of nucleoplasmic protein aggregates is sensed and signaled to the ER lumen via immobilization and clustering of the inner nuclear membrane protein SUN2, leading to activation of the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR). These results identify a nuclear trigger of ER stress and they provide insight into the molecular disease mechanisms of HGPS.
Inositol hexakisphosphate is a critical regulator of Integrator assembly and function
Authors: Lin Min-Han , Jensen Madeline K. , Elrod Nathan D. , Huang Kai-Lieh , Wagner Eric J. , Tong Liang
Published: September 2021

Integrator has critical roles in noncoding RNA 3′-end processing as well as transcription attenuation of selected mRNAs. IntS11 is the endonuclease for RNA cleavage, as a part of the IntS4-IntS9-IntS11 complex (Integrator cleavage module, ICM). Our structure of the Drosophila ICM, determined by cryo-electron microscopy at 2.74 Å resolution, unexpectedly revealed the stable association of an inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6) molecule. The binding site is located in a highly electropositive pocket at an interface among all three subunits of ICM, 55 Å away from the IntS11 active site and generally conserved in other ICMs. IP6 binding is also confirmed in human ICM. Mutations of residues in this binding site or disruption of IP6 biosynthesis significantly reduced Integrator assembly and activity in snRNA 3′-end processing. Our structural and functional studies reveal that Integrator is subject to intricate cellular control and IP6 is a critical regulator of Integrator assembly and function in Drosophila, humans, and likely other organisms.
Cdc6 is sequentially regulated by PP2A-Cdc55, Cdc14 and Sic1 for origin licensing inS. cerevisiae
Authors: Philip Jasmin , Örd Mihkel , Silva Andriele , Singh Shaneen , Diffley John F. X. , Remus Dirk , Loog Mart , Ikui Amy
Published: September 2021

Cdc6, a subunit of the pre-replicative complex, contains multiple regulatory Cdk1 consensus sites, SP or TP motifs. InS. cerevisiae, Cdk1 phosphorylates Cdc6-T7 to recruit Cks1, the Cdk1 phospho-adaptor in S-phase, for subsequent multisite phosphorylation and protein degradation. Cdc6 accumulates in mitosis and is tightly bound by Clb2 through N-terminal phosphorylation in order to prevent premature origin licensing and degradation. It has been extensively studied how Cdc6 phosphorylation is regulated by the Cyclin-Cdk1 complex. However, a detailed mechanism on how Cdc6 phosphorylation is reversed by phosphatases has not been elucidated. Here, we show that PP2ACdc55dephosphorylates Cdc6 N-terminal sites to release Clb2. Cdc14 dephosphorylates the C-terminal phospho-degron, leading to Cdc6 stabilization in mitosis. In addition, the Cdk1 inhibitor, Sic1, releases Clb2·Cdk1·Cks1 from Cdc6 to load Mcm2-7 on the chromatin upon mitotic exit. Thus, pre-RC assembly and origin licensing is promoted by the attenuation of distinct CDK-dependent Cdc6 inhibitory mechanisms.
Towards precision ecology: Relationships of multiple sampling methods quantifying abundance for comparisons among studies
Authors: Hoffmann Benjamin D. , Pettit Magen
Published: September 2021

Because different sampling techniques will provide different abundance values, it is currently difficult to compare results among many studies to form holistic understandings of how abundance influences ant ecology. Using three sampling methods in the same location we found pitfall traps best confirmed A. gracilipes presence recording the fewest zero values (9.1%), card counts were the least reliable (67.1%), and tuna lures were intermediate (30.1%). The abundance of A. gracilipes from card counts ranged from 0 to 20, in pitfall traps from 0 to 325, and the full range of tuna lure abundance scores (0-7) were sampled. We then determined the relationships between these three standard ant sampling techniques for the abundance of yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes. Irrespective of the data transformation method, the strongest relationship was between pitfall traps and tuna lures, and the least strong was between pitfall traps and card counts. We then demonstrate the utility of this knowledge by analysing A. gracilipes abundance reported within published literature to show where the populations in those studies sit on an abundance spectrum. We also comment on insights into the relative utility of the three methods we used to determine A. gracilipes abundance among populations of varying abundance. Pitfall traps was the most reliable method to determine if the species was present at the sample level. Tuna lures were predominantly reliable for quantifying the presence of workers, but were limited by the number of workers that can gather around a spoonful of tuna. Card counts were the quickest method, but were seemingly only useful when A. gracilipes abundance is not low. Finally we discuss how environmental and biological variation needs to be accounted for in future studies to better standardise sampling protocols to help progress ecology as a precision science.
Improved prediction of protein-protein interactions using AlphaFold2
Authors: Bryant P. , Pozzati G. , Elofsson A.
Published: September 2021

Predicting the structure of interacting protein chains is a fundamental step towards understanding protein function. Unfortunately, no computational method can produce accurate structures of protein complexes. AlphaFold2, has shown unprecedented levels of accuracy in modelling single chain protein structures. Here, we apply AlphaFold2 for the prediction of heterodimeric protein complexes. We find that the AlphaFold2 protocol together with optimized multiple sequence alignments, generate models with acceptable quality (DockQ≥0.23) for 63% of the dimers. From the predicted interfaces we create a simple function to predict the DockQ score which distinguishes acceptable from incorrect models as well as interacting from non-interacting proteins with state-of-art accuracy. We find that, using the predicted DockQ scores, we can identify 51% of all interacting pairs at 1% FPR. The protocol can be found at: https://gitlab.com/ElofssonLab/FoldDock.
Measuring liquidity in agricultural land markets
Authors: Kionka Marlene , Odening Martin , Plogmann Jana , Ritter Matthias
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Liquidity is an important aspect of market efficiency. The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, this paper aims to discuss indicators that provide information about liquidity in agricultural land markets. Second, this paper aims to reflect on determinants of market liquidity and analyze the relationship with land prices. Third, this paper aims to conduct an empirical analysis for Germany that illustrates these concepts and allows hypothesis testing.

Design/methodology/approach

This study reviews liquidity dimensions and measurement in financial markets and derives indicators applicable to farmland markets. In an empirical analysis, this study exhibits the spatial and temporal variability of land market liquidity in Lower Saxony, a German federal state with the highest agricultural production value. This study uses a rich dataset that includes 72,547 sale transactions of arable land between 1990 and 2018. The research focuses on volume-based (number of transactions, volume and turnover) and time-based (trading frequency and durations) measures. A panel vector autoregression and Granger causality tests are applied to investigate the relation between land turnover and land prices.

Findings

The paper confirms the thinness of farmland markets but also reveals regional and temporal heterogeneity of land market liquidity. This study finds that the relation between market liquidity and prices is ambiguous. This study concludes that a high demand from expanding farms absorbs supply shocks regardless of the current price level in agricultural land markets.

Originality/value

Even though the relevance of agricultural land markets’ thinness is widely acknowledged in the literature, this paper is one of the first attempts to measure liquidity in agricultural land markets and to explain its relationship with land prices.
Maize storage losses and its main determinants in China
Authors: Zhang Meiyi , Luo Yi , Huang Dong , Miao Haimin , Wu Laping , Zhu Junfeng
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to estimate on-farm maize storage losses and to empirically analyse the main determinants of maize storage losses in China.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a nationwide survey of 1,196 households in 23 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China, the authors estimated on-farm maize storage losses and used a fractional logit model to analyse the main determinants of maize storage losses in China.

Findings

The results showed that, first, 1.78% of maize was lost during the storage stage in China and that storage loss experienced by smallholders varied across regions. Second, the empirical analysis showed that storage quantities have significant and negative effects on storage losses and that an economy of scale in household storage may exist; the percentage of maize stored for consumption and feed has significant and positive effects on storage losses, which may be related to market requirements and management activities. Third, compared to traditional facilities, silos and warehouses cause lower storage losses, while spraying chemicals and re-drying maize in the storage stage incur higher losses, possibly because to save costs, smallholders conduct loss-reduction activities only when they suffer serious losses, and when taking measures, farmers may sort grains, which also increases losses. Fourth, harvesting maize when it matures is significantly associated with lower storage losses.

Research limitations/implications

To reduce storage losses, first, farmers' awareness of food saving and loss reduction must be increased. This could be achieved through agricultural training and education regarding food-saving practices. Second, the government could provide subsidies or low-interest credits to encourage farmers to use advanced facilities and promote land transfers to realize economies of scale. Finally, the government should accelerate the construction of smart agriculture systems and the timely monitoring of crop growth to suggest farmers to harvest at the appropriate time.

Originality/value

Reducing post-harvest loss (PHL) has become an important means of increasing the food supply and reducing resources use in China. This study provides a complete introduction to household maize storage losses and can therefore help characterize the current state of PHL in China, which is of vital importance to food security and food policy.
Barriers to radical innovation in research institutions in China
Authors: Yang Jianhua , Al-Sayed Rafif
Published: September 2021

Purpose

This study aims to develop a better understanding of radical innovation performance and proposes a comprehensive and theoretical model of the barriers impeding radical innovation from the perspective of researchers working in research institutions in China. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to test the hypotheses regarding barriers to radical innovation and the model proposed in this research.

Design/methodology/approach

The data was collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with researchers from different research institutions across several cities in China. Next, the data was analyzed by deploying the structural equation modeling technique and calculating the statistical significance of correlations, regression and path coefficients among the latent variables.

Findings

The results indicated the major barriers impeding radical innovation in Chinese research institutes. Based on these findings, suggested policies, regulations and business models are put forward that can promote radical innovation in these institutes through increasing research freedom, enhancing organizational flexibility, attracting talented researchers and expanding research collaboration.

Originality/value

The research proposes a comprehensive and theoretical model of the barriers impeding radical innovation from the perspective of researchers working in research institutions in China.
Maslow’s theory for preventive healthcare in India – a content analysis approach
Authors: Chopra Komal
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to apply Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to understand consumer motivation for preventive health care in India using content analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis approach which is a qualitative-based approach was adopted. The responses were collected through semi-structured interviews using purposeful sampling method, and the responses were analyzed using content analysis approach. Sub themes and main themes were derived from the data which related to concepts in Maslow’s theory.

Findings

The results indicate the following: healthy food, healthy diet and health supplements are the basic need; sustainability of health and fitness and health security relate to safety and security need; feeling of pride in being fit, being a role model of fitness for others and influence of electronic media relate to social and self-esteem need; freedom from disease and peace of mind fulfill the need for self-actualization.

Research limitations/implications

To strengthen the external validity, a mix of alternate research methodologies adopting qualitative and quantitative approach need to be adopted.

Practical implications

This study will help to better understand motivation for preventive health care. It will enable health-care companies to design health-care marketing programs based on Maslow’s theory to motivate individuals to purchase health products. The public health-care departments can issue guidelines based on Maslow’s theory to motivate citizens toward preventive health care.

Originality/value

Maslow’s theory was applied in the context of preventive health care.
Mechanisms of the copper third body as an interfacial media on copper matrix friction materials with different compositions
Authors: Du Xiangyu , Yang Junying , Gao Fei , Han Xiaoming , Su Linlin
Published: September 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to reveal the effects of the copper third body on different copper matrix friction materials with a novel experimental way called “exogenous powder.”

Design/methodology/approach

An accurate adding device of exogenous copper powder was designed to control the flow rate. The tribological properties with and without exogenous copper powder were investigated by a pin-on-disc tribometer during dry sliding.

Findings

Experimental results indicate that the Cu addition tends to increase the friction coefficient. For pure Cu material, the exogenous copper third body exhibits poor fluidity on the friction surface, causing serious adhesive wear on the friction interface. For the Cu 90% + 10% Gr material, the plasticity of exogenous copper powder may intensify the deformation of the third body of the surface, presenting layered accumulation distribution. For the pure Cu and Cu 95% + 5% SiO2 material, the Cu addition makes the composition and density of the third body uneven in the direction of depth.

Originality/value

The role of the copper component on different materials is revealed from a new perspective, and the relationship between the third body structure and the friction properties is explored.
Fear appeal cues to motivate users' security protection behaviors: an empirical test of heuristic cues to enhance risk communication
Authors: Park Jongpil , Son Jai-Yeol , Suh Kil-Soo
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Firms continue to struggle with end users who do not follow recommended actions for safeguarding information security. Thus, the authors utilize insights gained from studies on heuristic processing of risk information to design cues in fear appeal messages more effectively so as to more strongly engender fear among users, which can in turn lead them to take protective actions toward information security. Specifically, four types of fear appeal cues are identified: numeric risk communication, social distance and goal framing in verbal risk communication and visual risk communication.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from protection motivation theory, the authors hypothesize that these fear appeal cues can engender fear among users to a greater extent. In addition, the authors hypothesize that users will perceive a higher level of severity and susceptibility when they perceive a large amount of fear. The research hypotheses were tested employing data collected through a laboratory experiment. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analyses were performed to analyze the data.

Findings

The study's results suggest that numeric and visual risk communication cues in security notices can significantly increase the amount of fear felt by users. In addition, social distance was found to marginally increase the amount of fear felt by users. However, unlike our expectation, goal framing was not found to increase the amount of fear when the other three types of fear appeal cues were also given in a security notice. It was also found that induced fear can increase the severity and susceptibility of threats as perceived by users.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature on fear appeal cues designed to promote users' security protection behaviors. No prior study has designed security notices featuring the four different types of fear appeal cues and empirically tested the effectiveness of those cues in inducing fear among users. The findings suggest that the design of fear appeal cues can be improved by understanding individuals' heuristic processing of risk information, which can be subject to cognitive biases.
Stakeholder perception of the determinants of audit committee effectiveness in a developing economy: evidence from the Libyan banking sector
Authors: Masli Abdulhakim M. , Mangena Musa , Gerged Ali Meftah , Harradine Donald
Published: September 2021

Purpose

This study distinctively explores the firm-level and national-level determinants of audit committee effectiveness (ACE) in the Libyan banking sector (LBS).

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-methods approach has been employed to enhance the quality of the collected data and reduce the risk of bias. Five groups of actors in the Libyan banking sector were surveyed, including board members, AC members, executive managers, internal auditors and external auditors, further to interviewing a representative sample of these groups. In total, 218 survey responses were gathered, and 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted.

Findings

The study results show that AC authority, financial expertise and diligence are positively and significantly attributed to ACE, although AC independence and resources are not significantly related to ACE. The authors find that the legal and regulatory environment, government intervention, and the accounting and auditing environment are perceived as important and associated with ACE regarding national-level factors. These findings are strongly supported by semi-structured interviews and suggest that both firm-level and national-level factors are essential in understanding ACE in Libya's banking sector.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s evidence reiterates the vital need for more concentrated work to integrate governance, legislative and regulatory reforms to ensure the effectiveness of ACs as a key corporate governance (CG) mechanism in developing economies.

Originality/value

This study extends the literature relating measures of AC inputs and outputs by examining the perception of stakeholders to understand both the firm-level and national-level factors that affect ACE in a single institutional setting. Additionally, this work adds to the limited number of recent studies examining the role of ACs in the banking sector in developing economies.
Successful school leadership for social justice in Spain
Authors: Moral Santaella Cristina
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to present the results obtained from the investigations that have been carried out within the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) project in the Spanish for social justice.

Design/methodology/approach

Twelve case studies have been carried out within the three lines of research proposed by ISSPP: successful principals, underperforming principals and principal leadership identity. All but one school were in challenging contexts. The methodological approach followed is based on multiple perspective case studies using a mixture of qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups and observations).

Findings

Results show that successful principals not only believe in social justice through simple empathy with the concept of social justice, but also use strategies that combine transformational and instructional leadership processes and manage to reverse the bad situation of their disadvantaged schools, seeking excellence from equity. The leadership identity of successful principals is characterized to look to the future with hope, adopting a realistic utopian attitude to interpret their surrounding reality.

Originality/value

From the case studies carried out, valuable information is obtained, which helps to understand the possibilities of implementing the ISSPP successful school leadership model in heterogeneous and disadvantaged context for equity and social justice.
Assessing the adoption of critical success factors for lean six sigma implementation
Authors: Gastelum-Acosta Carlos , Limon-Romero Jorge , Tlapa Diego , Baez-Lopez Yolanda , Tortorella Guilherme , Rodriguez Borbon Manuel Ivan , Navarro-Cota Christian Xavier
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The objective of the study is to design and validate an instrument that allows organizations to assess their status regarding the adoption of the critical success factors (CSFs) that enable lean six sigma (LSS) implementation in order to achieve the expected benefits.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive literature review was conducted to define the LSS CSFs that have to be considered for the development of the questionnaire that would later be applied across all manufacturing companies on the Northern Mexican border. Once the database was built, a statistical verification of the assumptions required for factor analysis took place. Finally, the due construct validation was carried out to verify whether the proposed instrument measured reliably what it is intended to.

Findings

A questionnaire measuring nine CSFs, as well as the benefits associated with the implementation of LSS, was designed and validated through 61 items.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations of this study are that the research is cross-sectional and that the study was carried out taking as a reference only exporting manufacturing companies located in the border area between Mexico and the United States.

Practical implications

The validated instrument is expected to serve as a useful tool for companies interested in the implementation of LSS.

Originality/value

This study introduces a validated tool for the analysis of LSS CSFs while providing evidence of construct validity and the solid structure of the factors.
The effects of institutional pressures on shipping digital transformation in Taiwan
Authors: Kuo Hui-Ming , Chen Tse-Lu , Yang Chung-Shan
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to empirically evaluate the impact of coercive pressure, normative pressure and mimetic pressure on digital transformation and benefits in the maritime shipping context.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collect data from a survey of 119 shipping companies, shipping agencies, port corporations and shipping forwarders in Taiwan and apply a structural equation model to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

Four conclusions can be drawn: First, digital transformation mainly results from coercive pressure and mimetic pressure. Second, another positive and important source of pressure for shipping digital transformation is the fact that competitors are gradually undergoing digital transformation and have gained recognition from customers. Third, shipping professional organizations and association (e.g. IACS, IAPH, Baltic International Maritime Commission) must keep up with the trend toward digital transformation and put forward guidelines and recommendations that can be followed in order to lead the maritime shipping industry. Fourth, digital transformation has great potential to help deliver the benefits (i.e. improve efficiency, relationship with customers and sustainability).

Originality/value

This research explores the digital transformation of the shipping industry through the lens of institutional theory. The results show that digital transformation is mainly due to coercive pressure and mimetic pressure. Digital transformation has been found to bring benefits that can help shipping operators allocate their resources effectively, thereby increasing operational efficiency, improving relationships with customers and enhancing sustainability.
Reconciling resilience across ecological systems, species and subdisciplines
Authors: Capdevila Pol , Stott Iain , Oliveras Menor Imma , Stouffer Daniel B. , Raimundo Rafael L. G. , White Hannah , Barbour Matthew , Salguero‐Gómez Roberto
Published: September 2021

Resilience has emerged as a key concept in ecology and conservation biology to understand and predict ecosystem responses to global change. In its broadest sense, resilience describes the ability of an ecosystem to resist, and recover from, a disturbance. However, the application of such a concept in different subdisciplines of ecology and in different study systems has resulted in a wide disparity of definitions and ways of quantifying resilience.

This Special Feature, which spans the Journal of Ecology, Journal of Animal Ecology and Functional Ecology, provides an overview of how ecologists define, quantify, compare and predict resilience across different study systems.

The 29 contributions to this Special Feature show the broad range of approaches used by ecologists to study resilience. Almost half of the contributions (48%) study resilience at the community level, with a 30% of them studying resilience at multiple levels of biological organisation. A large proportion of these articles are observational (42%), experimental (14%) or a combination of both (17%) while a 17% utilise theoretical or computational approaches. Although 38%, 21% and 14% of the studies were based solely on plants, animals or micro‐organisms, respectively, 17% of them incorporated these multiple trophic levels.

Synthesis. A unified ecological understanding of resilience across systems and taxa requires a trans‐disciplinary consensus on what resilience actually is and how to best measure it. Here, we provide an overview of how ecologists define, quantify, compare and predict resilience across different ecological systems and subdisciplines, with reference to the diverse approaches used by contributions to this Special Feature. We identify four key recommendations to harmonise future efforts in resilience research: (a) define resilience using existing theoretical frameworks; (b) use common and comparable metrics to measure resilience; (c) clearly contextualise and define the pre‐ and post‐disturbance state of the ecological system and (d) consider explicitly the disturbance type and regime impacting the system.
COVID‐19 Disproportionately Impacts More Vulnerable Rural Hospitals and Communities
Authors: Knocke Kathleen , Malone Tyler , Thomas Sharita , Friedman Hannah , Planey Arrianna
Published: September 2021

Research Objective

We sought to identify the degree to which COVID‐19 burden varied by the risk of financial distress of the hospital and community vulnerability.

Study Design

Community burden of COVID‐19 was assessed using three per‐capita measures calculated from the New York Times GitHub using data through 12/31/2020 – cumulative identified cases and cumulative deaths measure the cumulative burden on the community and peak case date. Hospital burden was measured using occupancy measures calculated from the US HHS data on COVID‐19 Reported Patient Impact and Hospital Capacity by Facility. The Financial Distress Index (FDI) is an algorithm that uses historical data about hospital financial performance, government reimbursement, organizational characteristics, and market characteristics to predict the current risk of financial distress. The model assigns every rural hospital to one of four financial risk categories: high, mid‐high, mid‐low, or low. Rural hospitals were characterized by their 2020 risk of financial distress level. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) indicates US counties' relative vulnerability based on 15 social factors covering economy, infrastructure, and community composition.

Population Studied

We include all rural hospitals defined by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.

Principal Findings

The analytical dataset included 2266 rural hospitals with financial distress, including High (N = 228, 10.1%), Mid‐High (N = 399, 17.6%), Mid‐Low (N = 997, 44.0%) and Low (N = 642, 28.3%).

While there were no significant differences in cumulative or peak cases among communities with low or high financial distress hospitals, communities with hospitals in high financial distress had higher death rates per capita (13.4 deaths per 10,000 for High distress vs. 10.6 deaths for Low distress (p < 0.0001). During the last week of December, more distressed hospitals had a higher percent of occupied beds with COVID‐19 patients and lower reported occupancy (both p < 0.01). In regression analyses, more vulnerable communities, as measured by the SVI, had higher death rates (p < 0.001) and lower peak rates (p < 0.001) but no significant difference in cumulative cases per capita.

Conclusions

More vulnerable rural counties have faced a higher COVID‐19 burden in terms of deaths per capita, and they were also more likely to have financially stressed hospitals.

Implications for Policy or Practice

Financially stressed hospitals serving vulnerable communities may need additional support to provide services to their populations, which have been the most burdened by COVID‐19 deaths.
Re‐stating power: How states make, tame, and shape markets
Authors: Chandrashekeran Sangeetha
Published: September 2021

This article presents the argument that states work in and through markets to actively balance competing interests and manage contradictions and disequilibrium. I focus on four processes reshaping Australia’s electricity governance in the last two decades, namely deregulation, (de)centralisation, decarbonisation, and digitalisation, and show the ubiquity of state spatial strategies to govern through markets. I establish the historical legacy of subnational state‐led development in Australian electricity, then examine how recent deregulatory processes have resulted in new modes of state power exercised through the creation and taming of markets. My claims are that subnational governments continue to exercise authoritative power under Australian federalism and that new networks of techno‐managerial market governance remain subject to hierarchical state power. The purchase of key electricity assets has become a strategy for exercising state influence in and through the market. Political and spatial economic geographies of Australian energy continue to shape the struggles over energy futures, requiring attention to place, scale, territory, and network. The socio‐spatial dimensions of state strategies reveal complex and vacillating modes of state power. State action is characterised by a lack of coordination rather than unification at different scales, and the capacity to execute state projects is complicated by discursive and agential politics.
How Do Managers and Shareholders Respond to Taxation? An Analysis of the Introduction of the UK Real Estate Investment Trust Legislation
Authors: Holland Kevin , Lindop Sarah , Abdul Wahab Nor Shaipah
Published: September 2021

Corporate finance decisions, measurement of accounting profits, and market valuations are invariably made within the framework of a taxation system(s). Previous research indicates both ambiguity over the influence of taxation on managers’ behaviour and limitations in the ability of shareholders to process tax information. The establishment of the UK's Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) regime in 2006 allowed quoted companies to opt out of company level taxation. We examine managers’ and shareholders’ responses, that is, their ability to process information. When compared with shareholders, managers demonstrated a greater knowledge of the legislation, and of its applicability. For example, managers appeared to pre‐empt the effects of the legislation. Our findings have implications for tax policy makers and taxpayers, acting as a warning of the potential downside of increased cooperation when trying to make more appropriately formed legislation. Further, managers appeared to be willing to trade off the interests of shareholders for their own personal gain, which is surprising given the visibility of the REIT conversion process and illustrates the limitations of shareholder control over managers’ behaviour. We find shareholders were able to accurately assess the general effects of the legislation but were unable to identify specific companies likely to benefit. Without any increase in shareholder sophistication, concerns exist over the effectiveness of shareholders in acting as monitors of managers’ decision making.
Cross‐sectional and prospective associations of drinking characteristics with scores from the Self‐Report of the Effects of Alcohol questionnaire and findings from alcohol challenges
Authors: Schuckit Marc A. , Smith Tom L. , Clarke Dennis F.
Published: September 2021

Background

Data from 2 generations of participants in the San Diego Prospective Study (SDPS) were used to compare cross‐sectional and prospective relationships of 5 measures of the low level of response (low LR) to alcohol to 2 key alcohol‐related outcomes.

Methods

The analyses used data from 373 SDPS male probands and 158 male and female offspring of these individuals to evaluate relationships of 5 LR measures to the prior 5‐year maximum drinks per occasion and the number of 11 DSM‐IV alcohol use disorder (AUD) criteria experienced. Probands' LR measures included responses to alcohol challenges administered 15 years previously, and ratings for both generations included measures of the number of standard drinks during four periods: the first five times of drinking (SRE‐5), the prior three drinking months (SRE‐3), the period of heaviest drinking (SRE‐H), and a total average across all time frames (SRE‐T). Analyses included zero‐order correlations, correlations using covariates, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses.

Results

All 5 LR measures were correlated with aspects of maximum drinks and the number of AUD criteria, but the most robust results were seen for SRE‐3 and maximum drinks. Correlations were less consistent for SRE‐5, a measure more closely related to outcomes in the offspring. Hierarchical regression analyses supported most of these conclusions and showed that alcohol challenge–based LRs added significant information regarding maximum drinks even when evaluated with SRE values. The close correlation between SRE‐H and SRE‐T argues against the need for studies to include both measures. The patterns of results were similar irrespective of whether covariates were included.

Conclusions

There were significant correlations of maximum drinks and the number of AUD criteria with findings from prior alcohol challenges and all SRE scores. Challenges and SRE reports are related but not identical LR measures. All SRE scores, including SRE‐5, offered useful information regarding subsequent drinking behavior.
How alcohol affects insulin‐like growth factor‐1's influences on the onset of puberty: A critical review
Authors: Dees William L. , Hiney Jill K. , Srivastava Vinod K.
Published: September 2021

Alcohol (ALC) is capable of delaying signs associated with pubertal development in laboratory animals, as well as in humans. The normal onset of puberty results from a timely increase in gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion, which is associated with a gradual decline in prepubertal inhibitory influences, and the establishment of excitatory inputs that increase GnRH release, which together drive pubertal development. In recent years, insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) has emerged as a pivotal contributor to prepubertal GnRH secretion and pubertal development, whose critical actions are interfered with by ALC abuse. Here we review the neuroendocrine research demonstrating the important role that IGF‐1 plays in pubertal development, and describe the detrimental effects and mechanisms of action of ALC on the onset and progression of pubertal maturation.
Corporate innovation and future earnings: does early patent disclosure matter?
Authors: Plečnik James M. , Yang Leo L. , Zhang Joseph H.
Published: September 2021

This study investigates how pre‐grant patent disclosures required by the American Inventors Protection Act (AIPA) affect the value of innovation. The accelerated disclosures instituted by the AIPA may benefit innovative firms by either reducing duplicative R&D projects or by facilitating prompt, beneficial knowledge spillovers among firms. However, early innovation disclosures may result in proprietary costs and reduce competitive advantages. Our results indicate that when firms engage in quality innovation as captured by patent citations or originality, they have more efficient innovation output after the passage of the AIPA, and their innovation output is more strongly associated with future earnings.