bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polymorphic ribonucleoprotein folding as a basis for translational regulation
Authors: Dendooven Tom , Sonnleitner Elisabeth , Bläsi Udo , Luisi Ben F.
Published: February 2022

The widely occurring bacterial RNA chaperone Hfq is a key factor in the post-transcriptional control of hundreds of genes inPseudomonas aeruginosa. How this broadly acting protein can contribute to the regulation requirements of so many different genes remains puzzling. Here, we describe the structures of higher-order assemblies formed on control regions of differentP. aeruginosatarget mRNAs by Hfq and its partner protein Crc. Our results show that these assemblies have mRNA-specific quaternary architectures resulting from the combination of multivalent protein-protein interfaces and recognition of patterns in the RNA sequence. The structural polymorphism of the ribonucleoprotein assemblies enables selective translational repression of many different target mRNAs. This system suggests how highly complex regulatory pathways can evolve and be rewired with a simple economy of proteinogenic components.

Graphical Abstract

The RNA chaperone Hfq, in conjunction with the co-repressor Crc, forms higher order assemblies on nascent mRNAs. These complexes impact on translation of hundreds of transcripts in the pathogenPseudomonas aeruginosa. Assemblies with different quaternary structures result from the interactions of the proteins with sequence motifs and structural elements in different mRNA targets, as well as from a repertoire of protein-to-protein interfaces. In this way, the combination of RNA sequence and two proteins can generate the diversity required to regulate many genes. It is proposed that the multi-step assembly process is highly cooperative and most likely competes kinetically with translation initiation to silence the targeted transcripts.
Fitness costs of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 deletions underlying diagnostic evasion in malaria parasites
Authors: Nair Shalini , Li Xue , Nkhoma Standwell C. , Anderson Tim
Published: February 2022

Background

Rapid diagnostic tests based on detection of histidine rich proteins (HRP) are widely used for malaria diagnosis, but parasites carrying pfhrp deletions can evade detection and are increasing in frequency in some countries. Models aim to predict conditions under which pfhrp2 and/or pfhrp3 deletions will increase, but a key parameter – the fitness cost of deletions – is unknown

Methods

We removed pfhrp2 and/or pfhrp3 from a Malawian parasite clone using CRISPR/Cas9 and measured fitness costs by conducting pairwise competition experiments.

Results

We observed significant fitness costs of 0.087 ± 0.008 (1 s.e.) per asexual cycle for pfhrp2 deletion and 0.113 ± 0.008 (1 s.e.) for the pfhrp2/3 double deletion, relative to the unedited progenitor parasite. The results demonstrate ∼10% reduced survival of parasites bearing deletions of these loci.

Conclusions

Prior modelling suggested that diagnostic selection may drive increased frequency of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 deletions when fitness costs are ≤10%. Our laboratory competition experiments are consistent with costs of pfhrp2/3 deletions lying at this critical tipping point. These results may inform future modelling efforts and help us to understand why pfhrp2/3 deletions are increasing in some locations (Ethiopia/Eritrea) but not in others (Mekong region).
Strength of purifying selection on the amino-acid sequence is associated with the amount of non-additive variance in gene expression.
Authors: Takou Margarita , Balick Daniel J , Steige Kim A , Clo Josselin , Dittberner Hannes , Goebel Ulrike , Schielzeth Holger , de Meaux Juliette
Published: February 2022

Contemporary populations are unlikely to respond to natural selection if much of their genetic variance is non-additive. Understanding the evolutionary and genomic factors that drive amounts of non-additive variance in natural populations is therefore of paramount importance. Here, we use a quantitative genetic breeding design to separate the additive from the non-additive components of expression variance in 17,657 gene transcripts of the outcrossing plant Arabidopsis lyrata. We partition the expressed genes according to their predominant variance components in a set of half- and full-sib families obtained by crossing individuals from different populations. As expected, a population-genetic simulation model shows that when divergent alleles segregate in the population, our ability to detect non-additive genetic variance is enhanced. Variation in its relative contribution can thus be analyzed and compared across transcribed genes. We find that most of the genetic variance in gene expression represents non-additive variance, especially among long genes or genes involved in epigenetic gene regulation. Genes with the most non-additive variance in our design not only display markedly lower rates of synonymous variation, they have also been exposed to stronger purifying selection compared to genes with high additive variance. Our study demonstrates that both the genomic architecture and the past history of purifying selection impacts the composition of genetic variance in gene expression.
Molecular Characterization in 3D Structure of MicroRNA Expressed in Leprosy
Authors: de Oliveira Andrade Luís Jesuino , Barreto de Jesus Humberto , Matos de Oliveira Luís , Farias de Oliveira Moema , Caricchio Santana Laura Farias , Matos de Oliveira Gabriela Correia
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Hansen’s disease, or leprosy, is a major public health problem in developing countries, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, and affecting the skin and peripheral nerves. However, M. leprae can also affect bone tissue, mucous membranes, liver, eyes, and testicles, producing a variety of clinical phenotypes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been expressed in the various clinical forms of leprosy and could potentially be used for its diagnosis.

Objective

In silico design of the molecular structure of miRNAs expressed in leprosy.

Method

We performed a nucleotide sequence search of 17 miRNAs expressed in leprosy, designing in silico the molecular structure of the following miRNAs: miRNA-26a, miRNA-27a, miRNA-27b, miRNA-29c, miRNA-34c, miRNA-92a-1, miRNA-99a-2, miRNA-101-1, miRNA-101-2, miRNA-125b-1, miRNA-196b, miRNA-425-5p, miRNA-452, miRNA-455, miRNA-502, miRNA-539, and miRNA-660. We extracted the nucleotides were from the GenBank of National Center for Biotechnology Information genetic sequence database. We aligned the extracted sequences with the RNA Folding Form, and the three-dimensional molecular structure design was performed with the RNAComposer.

Results

We demonstrate the nucleotide sequences, and molecular structure projection of miRNAs expressed in leprosy, and produces a tutorial on the molecular model of the 17 miRNAs expressed in leprosy through in silico projection processing of their molecular structures.

Conclusion

We demonstrate in silico design of selected molecular structures of 17 miRNAs expressed in leprosy through computational biology.
Ventral motor thalamic input to prelimbic cortex mediates cost-benefit decision-making in rats
Authors: Sieveritz Bianca , Duke Shannon Hayashi , Wickens Jeffery R. , Arbuthnott Gordon W.
Published: February 2022

Corticostriatal neurons in prelimbic cortex contribute to decisions that require a trade-off between cost and benefit. The ventral motor thalamus sends dense projections to many cortical areas, including the prelimbic cortex. We investigated whether this input from the ventral motor thalamus to prelimbic cortex contributes to cost-benefit decision-making. Optogenetic inhibition of ventral motor thalamic axon terminals in prelimbic cortex biased rats towards a high cost-high benefit option and, in anesthetized rats, decreased neuronal activity in deep layers of prelimbic cortex. Stimulation of ventral motor thalamic nuclei induced a neuronal response in deep layers of prelimbic cortex and simultaneous optogenetic inhibition of layer 1 inhibitory interneurons similarly decreased neuronal activity. Our results indicate that ventral motor thalamic input to prelimbic cortex mediates cost-benefit decision-making.

Significance Statement

Our results indicate that ventral motor thalamic input to prelimbic cortex plays a critical role in decisions that require a trade-off between two conflicting reward values. Traditionally, ventral motor thalamic nuclei were primarily associated with motor control, but more recently these thalamic nuclei have been implicated in tasks that require animals to choose between two alternatives. Our results highlight the need to reevaluate the role of the ventral motor thalamic nuclei in cognition. Furthermore, prelimbic cortex and, more generally, prefrontal cortex have been associated with chronic stress and major depressive disorder, highlighting the possibility that ventral motor thalamic nuclei might be involved in these disorders.
Functional MRI reveals memories of mother in newborn chicks
Authors: Behroozi Mehdi , Lorenzi Elena , Tabrik Sepideh , Tegenthoff Martin , Gozzi Alessandro , Güntürkün Onur , Vallortigara Giorgio
Published: February 2022

Filial imprinting has been used as a powerful ethological paradigm to investigate the neurobiology of early learning that affects lifelong behaviours. When a visually naïve chick is exposed to one of a wide range of conspicuous objects, it may learn its characteristics and subsequently recognises and selectively approaches this stimulus (usually the mother hen and siblings). While the initial phases of memory acquisition have been unravelled, the long-term storage and retrieval components of imprinting memories are still unknown. Here, we used functional MRI in awake newly hatched chicks to identify the long-term storage of imprinting memories in a wide network comprising the hippocampal formation, the medial striatum, the arcopallium, and the prefrontal-like nidopallium caudolaterale. These results provide the first example of non-invasive imaging of the brain in a newborn vertebrate.
Generation and validation of an anti-human PANK3 mouse monoclonal antibody
Authors: Khadka Sunada , Vien Long , Leonard Paul , Bover Laura , Muller Florian
Published: February 2022

Coenzyme A (CoA) is an essential co-factor at the intersection of diverse metabolic pathways. Cellular CoA biosynthesis is regulated at the first committed step— phosphorylation of pantothenic acid—catalyzed by pantothenate kinases (PANK1,2,3 in humans, PANK3 being the most highly expressed). Despite the critical importance of CoA in metabolism, the differential roles of PANK isoforms remain poorly understood. Our investigations of PANK proteins as precision oncology collateral lethality targets (PANK1 is co-deleted as part of the PTEN locus in some highly aggressive cancers) were severely hindered by a dearth of commercial antibodies that can reliably detect endogenous PANK3. While we successfully validated commercial antibodies for PANK1 and PANK2 using CRISPR knockout cell lines, we found no commercial antibody that could detect endogenous PANK3. We therefore set out to generate a mouse monoclonal antibody against human PANK3 protein. We demonstrate that clone (Clone MDA-299-62A) can reliably detect endogenous PANK3 protein in cancer cell lines, with band-specificity confirmed by CRISPR PANK3 knockout cell lines. Sub-cellular fractionation indicates that PANK3 is overwhelmingly cytosolic and expressed broadly across cancer cell lines. PANK3 monoclonal antibody MDA-299-62A should prove a valuable tool for researchers investigating this understudied family of metabolic enzymes in health and disease.
Decoding Dynamically Shifting States of Parkinson’s Disease: Tremor, Bradykinesia, and Effective Motor Control
Authors: Lauro Peter M. , Lee Shane , Amaya Daniel E. , Liu David D. , Akbar Umer , Asaad Wael F
Published: February 2022

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is characterized by distinct motor phenomena that are expressed asynchronously. Understanding the neurophysiological correlates of these different motor states could facilitate monitoring of disease progression and allow improved assessments of therapeutic efficacy, as well as enable optimal closed-loop neuromodulation. We examined neural activity in the basal ganglia and cortex of subjects with PD during a quantitative motor task to decode tremor and bradykinesia — two cardinal motor signs of this disease — and relatively asymptomatic periods of behavior. Analysis of subcortical and cortical signals revealed that tremor and bradykinesia had distinct, nearly opposite neural signatures, while effective motor control displayed unique, differentiating features. The neurophysiological signatures of these motor states depended on the type of signal recorded as well as the location; cortical decoding accuracy generally outperformed subcortical decoding, while tremor and bradykinesia were better decoded from different portions of the subthalamic nucleus (STN). These results provide a roadmap to leverage real-time neurophysiology to understand and treat PD.

One Sentence Summary

Motor signs of Parkinson’s disease such as tremor and bradykinesia can be independently decoded from subthalamic and cortical recordings.
RNA velocity unraveled
Authors: Gorin Gennady , Fang Meichen , Chari Tara , Pachter Lior
Published: February 2022

We perform a thorough analysis of RNA velocity methods, with a view towards understanding the suitability of the various assumptions underlying popular implementations. In addition to providing a self-contained exposition of the underlying mathematics, we undertake simulations and perform controlled experiments on biological datasets to assess workflow sensitivity to parameter choices and underlying biology. Finally, we argue for a more rigorous approach to RNA velocity, and present a framework for Markovian analysis that points to directions for improvement and mitigation of current problems.
The zinc finger transcription factor Sall1 is required for the early developmental transition of microglia in mouse embryos
Authors: Scott Earl Parker , Breyak Emma , Nishinakamura Ryuichi , Nakagawa Yasushi
Published: February 2022

Microglia play many critical roles in neural development. Recent single-cell RNA-sequencing studies have found diversity of microglia both across different stages and within the same stage in the developing brain. However, how such diversity is controlled during development is poorly understood. In this study, we first found the expression of the macrophage mannose receptor CD206 in early-stage embryonic microglia on mouse brain sections. This expression showed a sharp decline between E12.5 and E13.5 across the central nervous system. We next tested the roles of the microglia-expressed zinc finger transcription factor SALL1 in this early transition of gene expression. By deleting Sall1 specifically in microglia, we found that many microglia continued to express CD206 when it is normally downregulated. In addition, the mutant microglia continued to show less ramified morphology in comparison with controls even into postnatal stages. Thus, SALL1 is required for early microglia to transition into a more mature status during development.
hibayes: An R Package to Fit Individual-Level, Summary-Level and Single-Step Bayesian Regression Models for Genomic Prediction and Genome-Wide Association Studies
Authors: Yin Lilin , Zhang Haohao , Li Xinyun , Zhao Shuhong , Liu Xiaolei
Published: February 2022

With the rapid development of sequencing technology, the costs of individual genotyping have been reduced dramatically, leading to genomic prediction and genome-wide association studies being widely promoted and used to predict the unknown phenotypes and to locate causal or candidate genes for animal and plant economic traits and, increasingly, for human diseases. Developing newly advanced statistical models to improve accuracy in predicting and locating for the traits with various genetic architectures has always been a hot topic in those two research domains. The Bayesian regression model (BRM) has played a crucial role in the past decade, and it has been used widely in relevant genetic analyses owing to its flexible model assumptions on the unknown genetic architecture of complex traits. To fully utilize the available data from either a self-designed experimental population or a public database, statistical geneticists have constantly extended the fitting capacity of BRM, and a series of new methodologies have been proposed for different application scenarios. Here we introduce hibayes, which is the only one tool that can implement three types of Bayesian regression models. With the richest methods achieved thus far, it covers almost all the functions involved in genetic analyses for genomic prediction and genome-wide association studies, potentially addressing a wide range of research problems, while retaining an easy-to-use and transparent interface. We believe that hibayes will facilitate the researches conducted by human geneticists, as well as plant and animal breeders. The hibayes package is freely available from CRAN at https://cran.r-project.org/package=hibayes.
Knockout of Sorbs2 in Cardiomyocytes Leads to Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Mice
Authors: McLendon Jared M. , Zhang Xiaoming , Matasic Daniel S. , Kumar Mohit , Koval Olha M. , Grumbach Isabella M. , Sadayappan Sakthivel , London Barry , Boudreau Ryan L.
Published: February 2022

2.

Rationale

Sorbs2 is a cardiomyocyte-enriched, cytoskeletal adaptor protein, and given some evidence for its dysregulated expression in failing hearts, there is growing interest in understanding its roles in cardiac biology and disease. While Sorbs2 global knockout mice display lethal cardiomyopathy with severe arrhythmias, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, and whether this results from intrinsic loss of Sorbs2 in cardiomyocytes is unknown, as Sorbs2 is also well-expressed in the nervous system and vasculature. In addition, the potential relevance of Sorbs2 in human cardiomyopathy remains underexplored.

Objective

To characterize the effects and potential underlying mechanisms of cardiomyocyte- specific deletion of Sorbs2 on cardiac structure and function in mice, and to further examine Sorbs2 dysregulation in failing hearts and explore potential links between Sorbs2 genetic variations and human cardiovascular disease phenotypes.

Methods and Results

We report that myocardial Sorbs2 expression is consistently upregulated in humans with ischemic and idiopathic cardiomyopathies, and in experimental animal models of heart failure (HF). We generated mice with cardiomyocyte-specific loss of Sorbs2 (Sorbs2-cKO) and found early atrial and ventricular conduction abnormalities, despite unaltered expression of primary action potential ion channels and gap junction proteins. At mid-life, Sorbs2-cKO mice exhibit impaired cardiac contractility with cardiomyofibers failing to maintain adequate mechanical tension. As a result, these mice develop progressive diastolic and systolic dysfunction, enlarged cardiac chambers, and die with congestive HF at approximately one year of age. Comprehensive survey of potential underlying mechanisms revealed that Sorbs2-cKO hearts exhibit defective microtubule polymerization and compensatory upregulation of structural proteins desmin, vinculin, and tubulins. Finally, consistent with our observations in mice, we identified suggestive links between Sorbs2 genetic variants and related human cardiac phenotypes, including conduction abnormalities, atrial enlargement, and dilated cardiomyopathy.

Conclusions

Our studies show that Sorbs2 is essential for maintaining cytoskeletal structural integrity in cardiomyocytes likely through strengthening the interactions between microtubules and other structural proteins at crosslink sites. Overall, this study provides key insights into the critical role for Sorbs2 in cardiomyocytes and likely other cell types in maintaining normal cardiac structure and function and highlights its potential clinical relevance.
Alterations of oral microbiota and impact on the gut microbiome in type 1 diabetes mellitus revealed by multi-omic analysis
Authors: Kunath B.J. , Hickl O. , Queirós P. , Martin-Gallausiaux C. , Lebrun L.A. , Halder R. , Laczny C.C. , Schmidt T.S.B. , Hayward M.R. , Becher D. , Heintz-Buschart A. , de Beaufort C. , Bork P. , May P. , Wilmes P.
Published: February 2022

Background

Alterations of the gut microbiome have been linked to multiple chronic diseases. However, the drivers of such changes remain largely unknown. The oral cavity acts as a major route of exposure to exogenous factors including pathogens, and processes therein may affect the communities in the subsequent compartments of the gastrointestinal tract. Here, we perform strain-resolved, integrated multi-omic analyses of saliva and stool samples collected from eight families with multiple cases of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

Results

We identified distinct oral microbiota mostly reflecting competition between streptococcal species. More specifically, we found a decreased abundance of the commensalStreptococcus salivariusin the oral cavity of T1DM individuals, which is linked to its apparent competition with the pathobiontStreptococcus mutans. The decrease inS. salivariusin the oral cavity was also associated with its decrease in the gut as well as higher abundances in facultative anaerobes includingEnterobacteria. In addition, we found evidence of gut inflammation in T1DM as reflected in the expression profiles of theEnterobacteriaas well as in the human gut proteome. Finally, we were able to follow transmitted strain-variants from the oral cavity to the gut at the metagenomic, metatranscriptomic and metaproteomic levels, highlighting not only the transfer, but also the activity of the transmitted taxa along the gastrointestinal tract.

Conclusions

Alterations of the oral microbiome in the context of T1DM impact the microbial communities in the lower gut, in particular through the reduction of “oral-to-gut” transfer ofStreptococcus salivarius. Our results indicate that the observed oral-cavity-driven gut microbiome changes may contribute towards the inflammatory processes involved in T1DM. Through the integration of multi-omic analyses, we resolve strain-variant “mouth-to-gut” transfer in a disease context.
Spindle reorientation in response to mechanical stress is an emergent property of the spindle positioning mechanisms
Authors: Kelkar Manasi , Bohec Pierre , Smith Matthew , Sreenivasan Varun , Lisica Ana , Valon Leo , Ferber Emma , Baum Buzz , Salbreux Guillaume , Charras Guillaume
Published: February 2022

Proper orientation of the mitotic spindle plays a crucial role in embryos, during tissue development, and in adults, where it functions to dissipate mechanical stress to maintain tissue integrity and homeostasis. While mitotic spindles have been shown to reorient in response to external mechanical stresses, the subcellular cues that mediate spindle reorientation remain unclear. Here, we have used a combination of optogenetics and computational modelling to better understand how mitotic spindles respond to inhomogeneous tension within the actomyosin cortex. Strikingly, we find that the optogenetic activation of RhoA only influences spindle orientation when it is induced at both poles of the cell. Under these conditions, the sudden local increase in cortical tension induced by RhoA activation reduces pulling forces exerted by cortical regulators on astral microtubules. This leads to a perturbation of the torque balance exerted on the spindle, which causes it to rotate. Thus, spindle rotation in response to mechanical stress is an emergent phenomenon arising from the interaction between the spindle positioning machinery and the cell cortex.
Near-atomic Structure of the Cytoplasmic Ring of the Xenopus laevis Nuclear Pore Complex
Authors: Zhu Xuechen , Huang Gaoxingyu , Zeng Chao , Zhan Xiechao , Liang Ke , Zhao Yanyu , Wang Pan , Wang Qifan , Zhou Qiang , Tao Qinghua , Liu Minhao , Lei Jianlin , Yan Chuangye , Shi Yigong
Published: February 2022

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) mediates nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. Here we present single-particle cryo-EM structure of the cytoplasmic ring (CR) from the Xenopus laevis NPC at 4.1-4.7 Å resolutions. The structure of an N-terminal domain of Nup358 was resolved at 3.0 Å, facilitating identification of five Nup358 molecules in each CR subunit. Aside from unveiling the assembly details of the two Y-shaped multicomponent complexes (Y complexes) in each CR subunit, the improved resolutions reveal the C-terminal fragment of Nup160 to be an organizing center at the vertex of each Y complex. Our structures show that the scaffold of a CR subunit comprises five Nup358, two Nup205 and two Nup93 molecules in addition to the previously characterized Y complexes.

One-Sentence Summary

Improved resolutions of the cytoplasmic ring (CR) of the Xenopus laevis nuclear pore complex reveal that five Nup358 molecules, together with two copies of interweaved Nup205, Nup93 and Y complexes, constitute the scaffold of each CR subunit.
How does the protean career attitude influence external employability? The roles of career resilience and proactive career behavior
Authors: Park Yoonhee , Lee Jin Gu , Jeong Hong Jeon , Lim Min Sub , Oh Mi-Rae
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the structural relationships between protean career attitude, career resilience, proactive career behavior and external employability.

Design/methodology/approach

This study sampled 212 training apprentice employees who participated in training programs using a proportional stratified sampling in South Korea. The study tested the research model using structural equation modeling.

Findings

This study revealed that protean career attitude influenced external employability through career resilience and proactive career behavior. Career resilience fully mediated the relationship between protean career attitude and external employability and partially mediated protean career attitude and proactive career behavior. Proactive career behavior also mediated the relationship between protean career attitude and external employability.

Research limitations/implications

This study has a limitation by relying on cross-sectional data. In terms of theoretical implications, this study can add new knowledge to the protean career research by demonstrating that the protean career attitude influences perceived external employability through career resilience and proactive career behavior for the sample of young training apprentice employees.

Originality/value

This study uncovers the dynamic processes between protean career attitude and perceived external employability. Moreover, this study’s sample is significant because training apprentice employees are mostly young in their 20s and 30s with less than three years of working experience and working in small and medium-sized enterprises in South Korea.
Implementing dynamic revenue management in hotels during Covid-19: value stream and wavelet coherence perspectives
Authors: Zaki Karam
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Practicing flexible revenue management (RM) at hotels during Covid-19 is essential. The well-performed hotels ponder how to transform the target from revenue to net profits. This paper aims, first, to develop a value stream mapping (VSM) model for a productive RM based on six key drivers: organizational culture, demand forecasting, dynamic distribution channels, competition breakdown, dynamic and customized pricing and daily reviewing, and, second, to examine the nexus between RM and hotel’s efficiency during Covid-19 using the wavelet analysis (WA) to visualize this relationship’s time and frequency-based lead–lag dynamics.

Design/methodology/approach

Using time-series data, a multiple case study of 31 luxury hotels in Egypt was applied based on semi-structured interviews and self-administered questionnaires.

Findings

The first phase results showed that consensus toward the RM framework was achieved, regardless of current challenges, indicating that RM managers and scholars could use it. In Phase 2, the WA confirmed a positive correlation and significant influence between Covid-19 and RM practices at most business cycle frequencies. Furthermore, overall high causal relationships between RM practices and hotel efficiency were discovered in the short and medium terms and through different occurrence cycles. Though, the dynamic pricing in the long term was apart from this relationship. The causal effects between Covid-19 and hotel efficiency are not observable in the long-run spectra, indicating that resilience efforts with Covid-19 perhaps mitigated the impact.

Research limitations/implications

Hotel managers could use the RM model developed from this study during the downturn to improve efficiency. The outcome may lead to the recovery of the hotel market and the whole economy. WA maps display possible directions for hotel managers to be more efficient based on the time and frequency domains.

Originality/value

This study shows opportunities for RM implementation during Covid-19 based on the VSM and the WA approaches in hotels.
How project management approach impact project success? From traditional to agile
Authors: Ciric Lalic Danijela , Lalic Bojan , Delić Milan , Gracanin Danijela , Stefanovic Darko
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This research aimed to explore whether different project management approaches (traditional, agile or hybrid) differentiate concerning their impact on project success, taking project success as multidimensional phenomena. In addition to this, the authors wanted to explore if specific project characteristics moderate these effects.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors empirically addressed these on a sample of 227 project professionals worldwide. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of project success dimensions was done to validate these factors' constitution concerning their manifest variables. The K-means cluster method was used to distinguish respondents' profiles among agile, hybrid and traditional project management approaches. To test the significance among research groups, the research hypotheses were tested with ANOVA tests.

Findings

The authors evidenced that the agile approach has a more significant positive impact concerning the two out of five dimensions of project success, under analysis in this research (impact on the team and preparing for the future), over the traditional approach.

Practical implications

The research is relevant for project management practitioners to tailor the success-oriented project management approach and for academics to develop project management contingency theory.

Originality/value

The authors constructed a research framework to test the impact and effectiveness of different project management approaches (traditional, agile, hybrid) on the dimensions of project success in different contextual conditions (organization industry, project type, novelty, technology, complexity and pace). The paper's main contribution is to expand data on the impact of these approaches on project success and compare them with relevant results and findings of previous research.
Social and psychological resources moderate the relation between anxiety, fatigue, compliance and turnover intention during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Kokubun Keisuke , Ino Yoshiaki , Ishimura Kazuyoshi
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The workplace health management lessons to be learned from the pandemic are important. However, few studies have examined the relationship between workplace anxiety, resources and behaviors during the pandemic. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between anxiety, fatigue, compliance, turnover intention and social and psychological resources during the COVID-19 pandemic by applying the conservation of resources (COR) theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Path analysis was carried out using data obtained from a questionnaire survey conducted on 2,973 Chinese employees of Japanese companies in China.

Findings

The analysis showed that anxiety had a positive correlation with compliance, but simultaneously had a positive correlation with fatigue and turnover intention; psychological resources moderated to weaken the relationships between anxiety and compliance/fatigue; social resources moderated to strengthen the negative correlation between compliance and willingness to leave.

Research limitations/implications

This study targeted employees of Japanese companies in China. Therefore, in the future, it is necessary to verify generalizability as to whether it applies to employees of companies of other nationalities in other countries. Also, the authors used newly developed scales instead of the general psychological scales. Therefore, it is necessary to verify the reproducibility using a more general scale.

Practical implications

Anxiety encourages compliance practices but also increases fatigue and willingness to leave. Therefore, a method of inciting anxiety and making employees follow rules reduces the strength of an organization. To overcome this dilemma, managers need to provide psychological and social resources.

Originality/value

This study is the first to show how effective social and psychological resources are in the management of anxiety and fatigue in achieving high performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was conducted in the very early days of the COVID-19 pandemic with the cooperation of employees working for Japanese companies in China. However, the importance of utilizing resources in a crisis revealed by this study can be applied to all kinds of disasters.

Highlights:

-The current study is the result of a survey conducted on employees of Japanese companies in China in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

-Anxiety had a positive effect of promoting compliance and a negative effect of increasing fatigue and willingness to leave the job.

-Psychological resources mitigated these effects of anxiety and, as a result, reduced fatigue and willingness to leave.

-Social resources enhanced the effect of compliance on reducing willingness to leave.

-Workplace health problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic should be addressed by increasing employee resources on a regular basis, rather than aggravating anxiety.
The effect of social and intellectual capital on fraud and money laundering in Iraq
Authors: Salehi Mahdi , Ali Mohammed Al-Msafir Hasanain , Homayoun Saeid , Zimon Grzegorz
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aims to assess the relationship between intellectual and social capital and financial statement fraud and money laundering of Iraqi firms before and after the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In other words, this paper seeks to answer the question of “whether the intellectual and social capital can contribute favourably to fraud in financial statements and money laundering or not.”

Design/methodology/approach

For the study, the multivariate regression model is used for hypothesis testing. Research hypotheses have also been examined using a sample of 35 listed firms on the Iraqi Stock Exchange during 2012–2018, using the panel data technique-based multivariate regression pattern and fixed-effect model.

Findings

The results show a negative and significant relationship between social capital and intellectual capital, fraud in financial statements and money laundering. Besides, the results indicate a positive and significant effect of the interactive variable of ISIS on the relationship between social and intellectual capital and fraud in financial statements and money laundering.

Originality/value

Since this paper is the first study on such a topic in the emergent markets, it provides helpful information for the users, analysts and legal institutions about intellectual capital and social capital that contributes significantly to fraud and money laundering of business units. Moreover, the study results help the development of science and knowledge in this field and fill the existing gap in the literature.
Social Studies and History Teachers’ Uses of Non-Digital and Digital Historical Resources
Authors: Lee John K. , Doolittle Peter E.
Published: February 2022

A gap in the literature on digital history was explored through the use of a survey of 104 high school social studies teachers, administered in a large urban/suburban school district in the southeastern United States. The survey examined the extent to which social studies teachers were using non-digital and digital historical resources and the ways in which they were using them. Results indicated that social studies and history teachers were using primary historical sources, but important questions remained regarding the nature of this use. Specifically, it was found that while the teachers in this survey reported using digital and non-digital primary historical sources in their classrooms, they did not report using these resources in a manner consistent with literature-based best practices for social studies and history education.
Toward Twenty-First Century Global Citizenship: A Teacher Education Curriculum
Authors: Agnello Mary Frances , White David R. , Fryer Wesley
Published: February 2022

Drawing from three areas of research, the authors propose a model for twenty-first century international teacher education. Through literacy, technology, and global citizenship education, future teachers can learn the interrelatedness of promoting human acceptance across national/political borders and global economic exigencies. As the movement of ideas, commerce, and people through means of improved transportation and computer technologies transform the notion of the nation state, diversity education will embrace international citizenship while remaining important in local and national contexts. Through focused teacher education, all of the academic disciplines hold promise for rich teaching and learning through critical literacy for an ecologically sound environment that ultimately will sustain global economical and political interrelations.
Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan: Going Home
Authors: Sunal Cynthia Szymanski
Published: February 2022

This lesson plan can be used with elementary students to discuss the geographical concept of place. It uses a trade book, Going Home, to foster students’ consideration of their individual development and identity and its relationship to place.
A Learning Cycle Lesson Plan: Learning from the Paintings and Drawings of Artists
Authors: Haas Mary E.
Published: February 2022

Student-created pictures are commonly used to assess students’ remembrances of experiences they are unable to verbalize. Artists, too, frequently select events as the subject of their works and in so doing, use their talents to express remembrances and opinions. While works of art supplement knowledge of society, some knowledge of past societies is available only through works of art. This learning cycle illustrates how artists use their skills and available resources to record history and encourage students to appreciate, examine, and create works of art for the stories they tell. With its use of paintings that illustrate a life experience of various groups of people often omitted in history texts, the learning cycle illustrates one way to add a multicultural dimension to the study of history.
Reinventing PowerPoint: A New Look at an Old Tool
Authors: Hofer Mark , Ponton Robb , Swan Kathleen
Published: February 2022

Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful, yet often underutilized, orchestration tool for learning. While its most common use may be no more powerful or effective than an overhead projector, the multimedia capabilities of the software open up powerful means to connect with diverse learners in the classroom. In this piece, we explore how PowerPoint can be used in ways that connect with Universal Design for Learning principles and make teacher and student presentations more engaging and effective. We offer several concrete examples of “thinking outside the slide” to leverage the unique potential of PowerPoint in the classroom.
Pollination service delivery is complex: Urban garden crop yields are best explained by local canopy cover and garden scale plant species richness
Authors: McDougall Robert , Kristiansen Paul , Latty Tanya , Jones Jeremy , Rader Romina
Published: February 2022

Pollination is an important ecosystem service to agriculture, however, the factors influencing pollination in urban food gardens are poorly understood.

We investigated how features within urban environments, including floral resources and canopy cover, impacted (a) flower visitation and seed production of a model plant (Brassica rapa) and (b) total yields of produce from urban gardens in Sydney, Australia.

Floral visitation to model plants was dominated by a few common species, with honeybees responsible for 53.4% of visitation and native stingless bees and two hoverfly species accounting for another 37.1% of visitors; 28 other species were collectively responsible for less than 10% of visitation.

While insect pollinators were abundant, the relationship between floral visitation and model plant reproductive output was weak and not always positive. The pollination success of model plants was only marginally impacted by environmental features, while pollinator visitation had a small negative impact. However, total crop yields across urban gardens were strongly influenced by local canopy cover and garden scale plant species richness.

Synthesis and applications. The factors influencing pollination service delivery to urban gardens are complex; pollinator visitation, richness and/or floral resource availability may not always reflect positive, plant reproductive outcomes. Yields of garden crops, whether pollinator dependent or not, were more strongly influenced by surrounding environmental variables, including broad scale measures of canopy cover and local plant diversity, than pollination‐related metrics. This implies policies to support pollinator richness will likely differ to those supporting crop yields in urban gardens and will require assessment and management of external environmental factors.
Common species contribute little to spatial patterns of functional diversity across scales in coastal grasslands
Authors: White Hannah J. , Pakeman Robin J. , Buckley Yvonne M.
Published: February 2022

Spatial patterns of functional diversity are important in understanding community assembly as well as spatial variation in ecosystem functioning, yet the contribution of different species to these patterns remains unclear, making it difficult to generalise. Several studies have previously used a sequential addition approach to determine the subsets of species that contribute to the spatial distribution of species richness, frequently showing the importance of common species to richness patterns. This approach, however, has not been applied to functional diversity despite the central role of species traits in community ecology.

Here we use a multiscale survey of plants from the Machair grassland system of the Western Isles of Scotland to ask the following questions: (i) Do functional diversity patterns correlate better with geographically common or geographically rare species?; (ii) Do their relative contributions vary with spatial scale?; and (iii) Do these patterns vary between functional diversity measures?

We show that while species richness patterns correlate with geographically common species, common species contribute less than expected to spatial patterns of functional diversity at frequently used spatial monitoring scales. The relative contribution of species to overall biodiversity patterns, however, can vary with spatial scale.

Synthesis. Surveying only common species may be inadequate for estimating spatial patterns of functional diversity, especially if using occurrence as opposed to percentage cover or abundance data, and spatial scale needs to be considered when designing surveys. Our approach highlights the species that may be adequate indicators of different dimensions of biodiversity and contributes to our understanding of the distribution of functional diversity in space.
Solidarity in Action at a Time of Crisis: The Role of Employee Voice in Relation to Communication and Horizontal Solidarity Behaviour
Authors: Prouska Rea , Nyfoudi Margarita , Psychogios Alexandros , Szamosi Leslie T. , Wilkinson Adrian
Published: February 2022

Solidarity behaviour (SB) among employees is important in building a sense of community in organizations, particularly within a crisis context where adverse working conditions prevail. However, we have limited knowledge concerning how SB develops. Using the lens of social exchange theory, this study examines how top‐down communication and employee voice relate to horizontal (employee to emplCoyee) SB. We conducted two comprehensive studies during the Greek economic crisis and found that the relationship between top‐down employee communication and horizontal SB is mediated by employee voice. The paper extends our existing knowledge in the fields of management and human resource management by advancing our understanding of horizontal SB, highlighting the role of top‐down employee communication as an effective human resource practice and delineating the role of employee voice in fostering workplace camaraderie in small and medium‐sized enterprises under crisis.
How companions speak on patients’ behalf without undermining their autonomy: Findings from a conversation analytic study of palliative care consultations
Authors: Pino Marco , Land Victoria
Published: February 2022

Companions are individuals who support patients and attend health‐care appointments with them. Several studies characterised companions’ participation in broad terms, glossing over the details of how they time and design their actions, and how patients and health‐care practitioners (HCPs) respond to them. This article aims to examine these aspects in detail by using conversation analysis, focusing on actions whereby companions speak on patients’ behalf—mentioning delicate aspects of patients’ experience (specifically, by alluding to patients’ thoughts or feelings about dying). Some studies suggested that these actions undermine patients’ autonomy. By contrast, through examination of palliative care consultations in a UK hospice, we found that these interventions are warranted by contextual circumstances: they are either invited by patients or HCPs (through questions or gaze) or volunteered to help with the progression of an activity (e.g. when a patient does not answer an HCP’s question). Additionally, all parties collaborate in constructing these companion interventions as temporary departures from an otherwise prevailing normative orientation to patients’ right to speak for themselves. The study contributes to the sociology of health and illness by characterising how companions contribute to the ways in which participants coordinate their relative rights and responsibilities, and ultimately their relationships, within health‐care interactions.