bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metal-binding proteins and cross-linking in the defensive glue of the slug
Arion subfuscus
Authors: Christoforo Courtney , Fleming Beth , Zeitler Matthew , Haws Haley , Smith Andrew M.
Published: November 2022

The role of metals in forming the primary cross-links in slug glue was investigated. Several metal-binding proteins were identified in the defensive glue produced by the slug
Arion subfuscus
. Notably, the C-lectins that are unique to the glue are iron-binding proteins. This is unusual for C-lectins. Dissociating these proteins from iron does not affect the glue's stiffness. Similarly, several proteins that can bind to zinc were identified, but dissociating the proteins from zinc did not weaken the glue. These results suggest that metal coordination is not involved in the primary cross-links of this hydrogel glue. The stable cross-links that provide stiffness are more likely to be created by a catalytic event involving protein oxidation. Cross-linking was unexpectedly difficult to prevent. Collecting the glue into a large volume of ice-cold buffer with reagents aimed at inhibiting oxidative cross-linking caused a slight loss of cross-linking, as demonstrated by the appearance of uncross-linked proteins in native gel electrophoresis. Notable among these was a protein that is normally heavily oxidized (asmp165). Nevertheless, this effect was not large, suggesting that the primary cross-links form before secretion.
Separation of oil vapour by polyether block amide composite membrane modified with porous materials
Authors: Yan Jiangyi , Cai Yuting , Xu Rong , Wang Beifu , Nie Lihong
Published: November 2022

The ability of membranes to separate oil vapour is affected by their permeance and selectivity. This study modifies polyether block amide (PEBA) composite membranes with a microporous zeolite, Silicalite-1, or a mesoporous zeolite, MCM-41. The results show that when PEBA composite membranes are modified with these zeolites, the selective layer of the composite membrane is coated more thinly, resulting in a higher flux of organic gas. Silicalite-1 increases the hydrophobicity of the membrane, which facilitates the adsorption of organic vapour on the membrane surface, thus improving the membrane selectivity. In the separation of oil vapour, both modified membranes can effectively increase the gas permeabilities and selectivities. The main mechanism governing gas transport in the MCM-41-modified membrane is Knudsen diffusion, so the selectivity for small molecules is improved more significantly. By contrast, the dissolution–diffusion mechanism is dominant in the Silicalite-1-modified membranes, which considerably increases the selectivity for large molecules.
An STP-HSI index method for urban built-up area extraction based on multi-source remote sensing data
Authors: Bu Lijing , Dai Dong , Tu Liying , Zhang Zhengpeng , Deng Mingjun , Xie Xinyu
Published: November 2022

A change in an urban built-up area can reflect the process of urbanization and the development of a city. At present, multi-source remote sensing data extraction of built-up areas based on the human settlement index (HSI) has achieved relatively good results but the existence of noise, such as light spillover in the night-time light remote sensing data, seriously affects the accuracy of the HSI. In this paper, a high-precision human settlement index (STP-HSI) method based on spatio-temporal remote sensing and point-of-interest (POI) data is presented to improve the classification accuracy in urban built-up areas extractions. First, to correct light spillover, a new night-time light index the fuzzy c-means spatio-temporal point (FCM-STP) based on fuzzy c-means clustering is proposed, which integrates the spatio-temporal characteristics and uses night light video imaging data from Luojia-1 and POI data. Then, based on the FCM-STP index, the HSI is updated to the STP-HSI index. Finally, a random forest algorithm is used to extract the urban built-up areas, and the random forest feature database is composed of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), normalized difference built-up index (NDBI) and STP-HSI index features and texture features. To develop and evaluate the accuracy of the new method for built-up areas extraction with multi-source data, three test sites located in the cities of China (Guangzhou, Xiamen and Nanjing) are used. The experimental results show that our method outperforms the single-source multi-spectral (Landsat 8) data extraction results, the overall accuracy is improved by up to 7.52%, and the kappa coefficient is improved by up to 14%. Compared with the HSI index, the maximum contribution rates of the STP-HSI increased by 25.74%. These experimental results show that the method in this paper is feasible.
Negative effects of a zoanthid competitor limit coral calcification more than ocean acidification
Authors: Doucette Violet E. , Rodriguez Bravo Lucia M. , Altieri Andrew H. , Johnson Maggie D.
Published: November 2022

Ocean acidification (OA) threatens the persistence of reef-building corals and the habitat they provide. While species-specific effects of OA on marine organisms could have cascading effects on ecological interactions like competition, few studies have identified how benthic reef competitors respond to OA. We explored how two common Caribbean competitors, branching
Porites
and a colonial zoanthid (
Zoanthus
), respond to the factorial combination of OA and competition. In the laboratory, we exposed corals, zoanthids and interacting corals and zoanthids to ambient (8.01 ± 0.03) and OA (7.68 ± 0.07) conditions for 60 days. The OA treatment had no measured effect on zoanthids or coral calcification but decreased
Porites
maximum PSII efficiency. Conversely, the competitive interaction significantly decreased
Porites
calcification but had minimal-to-no countereffects on the zoanthid. Although this interaction was not exacerbated by the 60-day OA exposure, environmental changes that enhance zoanthid performance could add to the dominance of zoanthids over corals. The lack of effects of OA on coral calcification indicates that near-term competitive interactions may have more immediate consequences for some corals than future global change scenarios. Disparate consequences of competition have implications for community structure and should be accounted for when evaluating local coral reef trajectories.
Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles usingCocos nuciferaleaf extract: characterization, antimicrobial, antioxidant and photocatalytic activity
Authors: Rahman Farjana , Majed Patwary Md Abdul , Bakar Siddique Md. Abu , Bashar Muhammad Shahriar , Haque Md. Aminul , Akter Beauty , Rashid Rimi , Haque Md. Anamul , Royhan Uddin A. K. M.
Published: November 2022

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been successfully prepared usingCocos nuciferaleaf extract and their antimicrobial, antioxidant and photocatalytic activity investigated. The structural, compositional and morphological properties of the NPs were recorded and studied systematically to confirm the synthesis. The aqueous suspension of NPs showed an ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorption maxima of 370 nm, indicating primarily its formation. X-ray diffraction analysis identified the NPs with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and an average particle size of 16.6 nm. Fourier transform infrared analysis identified some biomolecules and functional groups in the leaf extract as responsible for the encapsulation and stabilization of ZnO NPs. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis showed the desired elemental compositions in the material. A flower-shaped morphology of ZnO NPs was observed by scanning electron microscopy, with a grain size of around 15 nm. The optical properties of the NPs were studied by UV–Vis spectroscopy, and the band gap was calculated as 3.37 eV. The prepared ZnO NPs have demonstrated antimicrobial activity againstT. harzianumandS. aureus, with a zone of inhibition of 14 and 10 mm, respectively. The photocatalytic behaviour of ZnO NPs showed absorbance degradation at around 640 nm and it discoloured methylene blue dye after 1 h, with a degradation maximum of 84.29%. Thus, the prepared ZnO NPs could potentially be used in antibiotic development and pharmaceutical industries, and as photocatalysts.
Structure of the peroxisomal Pex1/Pex6 ATPase complex bound to a substrate
Authors: Rüttermann Maximilian , Koci Michelle , Lill Pascal , Klink Björn Udo , Erdmann Ralf , Gatsogiannis Christos
Published: November 2022

The double-ring AAA+ ATPase Pex1/Pex6 is required for peroxisomal receptor recycling and is essential for peroxisome formation. Pex1/Pex6 mutations cause severe peroxisome associated developmental disorders. Despite its pathophysiological importance, mechanistic details of the heterohexamer are not yet available. Here, we report cryoEM structures of Pex1/Pex6 fromSaccharomyces cerevisiae, with an endogenous protein substrate trapped in the central pore of the second ring (D2). Pairs of Pex1/Pex6(D2) subdomains engage the substrate via a staircase of pore-1 loops with distinct properties. The first ring (D1) is catalytically inactive but undergoes significant conformational changes resulting in alternate widening and narrowing of its pore. These events are fueled by ATP hydrolysis in the D2 ring and disengagement of a “twin-seam” Pex1/Pex6(D2) heterodimer from the staircase. Mechanical forces are propagated in a unique manner along Pex1/Pex6 interfaces that are not available in homo-oligomeric AAA-ATPases. Our structural analysis reveals the mechanisms of how Pex1 and Pex6 coordinate to achieve substrate translocation.
Chronic broadband noise increases the fitness of a freshwater zooplankton
Authors: Prosnier Loïc , Rojas Emilie , Valéro Olivier , Médoc Vincent
Published: November 2022

Although there is an increasing interest in the effects of anthropogenic noise on underwater wildlife, most studies focus on marine mammals and fishes while many others taxa of substantial ecological importance are still overlooked. This is the case for zooplankton species which ensure the coupling between primary producers and fishes in pelagic food webs. Here, we measured lifespan, reproduction and mobility of laboratory-raised water fleasDaphnia magna, a widespread freshwater zooplankton species, in response to continuous broadband noise. Surprisingly, we found a significant increase in survival and fecundity, leading to a higher fitness when considering total offspring production and a slight increase in population growth rate, according to the Euler-Lotka equation. Exposed water fleas were found slower than control individuals and we hypothesised that the energy saved from reduced mobility was reallocated to survival and fecundity. Our results can have implications in aquaculture where the acoustic environment receives little attention. Chronic broadband noise can be associated with certain human activities but the consequences on naturalDaphniapopulations might differ as reduced velocity could have negative outcomes when considering competition and predation. Our result highlights for the first time that, despite the absence of a known hearing system, a zooplanktonic crustacean is affected by chronic noise.
One-day preoperative systemic treatment regimen outcompetes five-day regimen in potentially resectable esophageal squamous cancer
Authors: Wang Sichao , Huang Shujie , Gao Zhen , Tang Yong , Zhou Zihao , Qiao Guibin
Published: November 2022

Objective

The current study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the one-day immunochemotherapy regimen, the one-day chemotherapy regimen and the five-day chemotherapy regimen in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with preoperative systemic treatment.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed locally advanced ESCC patients who had received POST from January 2012 to September 2021 at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Peoples’ Hospital. The clinical and follow-up data were collected and analyzed according to 3 regimens. Categorical and continuous variables were analyzed by Chi-square and One-way ANOVA respectively, and overall survival (OS) was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis.

Results

A total of 395 POST-treated ESCC patients were enrolled, including 72 in the 5FU-based group, 168 in the pla/pac group, and 155 in the pla/pac/ICI group, and the mean follow-up time were 32.2, 44.2 and 14.3 months, respectively. the pla/pac/ICI group had the greatest benefit, with an ORR of 63.2% (P < 0.05) and a surgery conversion rate of 85.2% (P < 0.05). Furthermore, pla/pac/ICI group acquired a better short-term OS than the other groups (one-year OS: pla/pac/ICI 93.6% vs. pla/pac 87.4% vs. 5FU-based 70.5%).

Conclusion

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, one-day immunochemotherapy should be considered because it may yield higher response rates, bring better overall survival as well as greatly reduce the risk of treatment interruption. If immunotherapy is not available, the 1-day pla/pac regimen is also an effective and timely alternative.
Antibody binding reports spatial heterogeneities in cell membrane organization
Authors: Arnold Daniel P. , Xu Yaxin , Takatori Sho C.
Published: November 2022

The spatial organization of cell membrane glycoproteins and glycolipids is critical for mediating the binding of ligands, receptors, and macromolecules on the plasma membrane. However, we currently do not have the methods to quantify the spatial heterogeneities of macromolecular crowding on live cell surfaces. In this work, we combine experiment and simulation to report crowding heterogeneities on reconstituted membranes and live cell membranes with nanometer spatial resolution. By quantifying the effective binding affinity of IgG monoclonal antibodies to engineered antigen sensors, we discovered sharp gradients in crowding within a few nanometers of the crowded membrane surface. Our measurements on human cancer cells support the hypothesis that raft-like membrane domains exclude bulky membrane proteins and glycoproteins. Our facile and high-throughput method to quantify spatial crowding heterogeneities on live cell membranes may facilitate monoclonal antibody design and provide a mechanistic understanding of plasma membrane biophysical organization.
Unraveling Spatial-Spectral Dynamics of Speech Categorization Speed using Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Moinuddin Kazi Ashraf , Havugimana Felix , Al-Fahad Rakib , Bidelman Gavin M , Yeasin Mohammed
Published: November 2022

1

The process of categorizing sounds into distinct phonetic categories is known as categorical perception (CP). Response times (RTs) provide a measure of perceptual difficulty during labeling decisions (i.e., categorization). The RT is quasi-stochastic in nature due to individuality and variations in perceptual tasks. To identify the source of RT variation in CP, we have built models to decode the brain regions and frequency bands driving fast, medium and slow response decision speeds. In particular, we implemented parameter optimized convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify listeners behavioral RTs from their neural EEG data. We adopted visual interpretation of model response using Guided-GradCAM to identify spatial-spectral correlates of RT. Our framework includes (but is not limited to): (i) a data augmentation technique designed to reduce noise and control the overall variance of EEG dataset; (ii) bandpower topomaps to learn the spatial-spectral representation using CNN; (iii) large-scale Bayesian hyper-parameter optimization to find best performing CNN model; (iv) ANOVA and post-hoc analysis on Guided-GradCAM activation values to measure the effect of neural regions and frequency bands on behavioral responses. Using this framework, we observe thatα–β(10-20 Hz) activity over left frontal, right prefrontal/frontal, and right cerebellar regions are correlated with RT variation. Our results indicate that attention, template matching, temporal prediction of acoustics, motor control and decision uncertainty are the most probable factors in RT variation.
Effect of Blood Type on Mortality Among Patients with Brain Metastases
Authors: Zheng Yilong , Zhao Jiashen , Teo Kejia , Weng Nga Vincent Diong , Yeo Tseng Tsai , Rui Lim Mervyn Jun
Published: November 2022

Objective

ABO blood type has been associated with mortality among patients with cancer, but this association has thus far not been investigated among patients with brain metastases. Hence, we aimed to investigate the association between ABO blood type and mortality among patients who underwent surgical resection of brain metastases.

Methods

A single-center retrospective study of patients who underwent surgical resection of brain metastases between 2011 and 2019 was conducted. Cox proportional hazards models were constructed, adjusting for potential confounders, to evaluate whether blood type was independently associated with overall mortality.

Results

A total of 158 patients were included in the analysis. The mean (SD) age of the cohort was 59.3 (12.0) years, and 67.7% of patients were female. The median overall survival of patients with AB was 11.2 months, while the median overall survival of patients with blood types O, B, and A were 11.7, 13.5, and 14.4 months respectively. On multivariate analysis adjusting for potential confounders, there was a statistically significant association between blood type AB and a higher risk of overall mortality (HR=2.42, 95% CI=1.20, 4.86, p=0.013).

Conclusions

Blood type AB was independently associated with a higher risk of overall mortality among patients who underwent surgical resection of brain metastases. We hypothesize that antibodies against blood type antigens A and/or B have anti-tumor activity in patients with brain metastases. Further studies are needed to validate our conclusions and hypothesis.
Stress-associated purinergic receptors code for fatal suicidality in the hippocampal-hypothalamic-prefrontal circuit
Authors: Zhang Lin , Verwer Ronald W.H. , van Heerikhuize Joop , Balesar Rawien , Correa-da-Silva Felipe , Slabe Zala , Lucassen Paul J. , Swaab Dick F.
Published: November 2022

Imbalanced purine metabolism is a key neurological basis for suicide and mood disorders (MD), wherein purinergic receptors in stress-sensitive cerebral regions are thought to be differentially activated. A hippocampal network that links the hypothalamus and prefrontal cortex implements an affective sensation of stress. We discovered that the hippocampus encoded fatal suicidal ideations in the dentate gyrus (DG) by a considerable amount of the granule cell nuclei with P2X purinoceptor 7 (P2RX7) expression, irrespective of the underlying MD. Compared to controls, patients with MD showed microglial dyshomeostasis throughout the hippocampal formation. Strikingly, P2Y purinoceptor 12 (P2RY12)-expressing microglia with segmented processes were remarkably present in the superficial layers of the medial entorhinal cortex (mEnt) in individuals with fatal suicidality. In the hypothalamic stress-sensitive nuclei, P2RY12+microglia were more expressed in the supraoptic nucleus in MD and even higher when fatal suicidality was present. In the prefrontal cortex, P2RX7 transcripts sharply dropped in suicidal individuals, possibly removing the prefrontal inhibition of the hippocampus and hypothalamus. Confounder analysis showed that the suicide-specific molecular features faded when the postmortem delay was prolonged. Our findings imply that fatal suicidality presents with unique neuropathological alterations. The DG and mEnt are two crucial areas for deciphering the suicidal consequences. By including brain samples from legal euthanasia donors, suicide-specific biosignatures can be maximally retained. Decoding the bioactive framework through key genes, brain regions and neurological processes involved in suicide neuropathology may provide novel therapeutic strategies for suicidal individuals who are beyond the reach of mental health care.
Mitochondrial defects leading to arrested spermatogenesis and ferroptosis in a mouse model of Leigh Syndrome
Authors: Radaelli Enrico , Assenmacher Charles-Antoine , Banerjee Esha , Manero Florence , Khiati Salim , Girona Anais , Lopez-Lluch Guillermo , Navas Placido , Spinazzi Marco
Published: November 2022

Impaired spermatogenesis and male infertility are common manifestations of mitochondrial diseases, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here we show that mice deficient for PARL, the mitochondrial rhomboid protease, a recently reported model of Leigh syndrome, develop postpubertal testicular atrophy caused by arrested spermatogenesis and germ cell death independently of neurodegeneration. Genetic modifications of PINK1, PGAM5, and TTC19, three major substrates of PARL with important roles in mitochondrial homeostasis, do not reproduce or modify this phenotype. PARL deficiency in testis mitochondria leads to severe mitochondrial electron transfer chain defects, alterations in Coenzyme Q biosynthesis and redox status, and abrogates GPX4 expression specifically in spermatocytes leading to massive ferroptosis, an iron-dependent regulated cell death modality characterized by uncontrolled lipid peroxidation. Thus, mitochondrial defects can initiate ferroptosisin vivoin specific cell types by simultaneous effects on GPX4 and Coenzyme Q. These results highlight the importance of ferroptosis and cell-type specific downstream responses to mitochondrial deficits with respect to specific manifestations of mitochondrial diseases.
Heard or understood? Neural tracking of language features in a comprehensible story, an incomprehensible story and a word list
Authors: Gillis Marlies , Vanthornhout Jonas , Francart Tom
Published: November 2022

Speech comprehension is a complex neural process on which relies on activation and integration of multiple brain regions. In the current study, we evaluated whether speech comprehension can be investigated by neural tracking. Neural tracking is the phenomenon in which the brain responses time-lock to the rhythm of specific features in continuous speech. These features can be acoustic, i.e., acoustic tracking, or derived from the content of the speech using language properties, i.e., language tracking. We evaluated whether neural tracking of speech differs between a comprehensible story, an incomprehensible story, and a word list. We evaluated the neural responses to speech of 19 participants (6 men). No significant difference regarding acoustic tracking was found. However, significant language tracking was only found for the comprehensible story. The most prominent effect was visible to word surprisal, a language feature at the word level. The neural response to word surprisal showed a prominent negativity between 300 and 400 ms, similar to the N400 in evoked response paradigms. This N400 was significantly more negative when the story was comprehended, i.e., when words could be integrated in the context of previous words. These results show that language tracking can capture the effect of speech comprehension.

Significance statement

Most neural tracking studies focus on how the brain tracks acoustic speech features. However, whether acoustic tracking reflects speech comprehension is unclear. Therefore, in the pursuit of finding a neural marker for speech comprehension, language tracking might be a more suitable candidate. The results of this study showed that, indeed, language tracking can capture the effect of speech comprehension. This indicates that language tracking is a potential neural marker of speech comprehension. Such a neural marker would allow testing speech comprehension in populations that are currently difficult to test with behavioral tests, such as young children and persons with cognitive impairment.
High-fat diet feeding triggers a regenerative response in the adult zebrafish brain
Authors: Azbazdar Yagmur , Poyraz Yusuf Kaan , Ozalp Ozgun , Nazli Dilek , Ipekgil Dogac , Cucun Gokhan , Ozhan Gunes
Published: November 2022

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) includes a range of liver conditions ranging from excess fat accumulation to liver failure. NAFLD is strongly associated with high-fat diet (HFD) consumption that constitutes a metabolic risk factor. While HFD has been elucidated concerning its several systemic effects, there is little information about its influence on the brain at the molecular level. Here, by using a high-fat diet (HFD)-feeding of adult zebrafish, we first reveal that excess fat uptake results in weight gain and fatty liver. Prolonged exposure to HFD induces a significant increase in the expression of pro-inflammation, apoptosis, and proliferation markers in the liver and brain tissues. Immunofluorescence analyses of the brain tissues disclose stimulation of apoptosis and widespread activation of glial cell response. Moreover, glial activation is accompanied by an initial decrease in the number of neurons and their subsequent replacement in the olfactory bulb and the telencephalon. Long-term consumption of HFD causes activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the brain tissues. Finally, fish fed an HFD induces anxiety, and aggressiveness and increases locomotor activity. Thus, HFD feeding leads to a non-traumatic brain injury and stimulates a regenerative response. The activation mechanisms of a regeneration response in the brain can be exploited to fight obesity and recover from non-traumatic injuries.
MAP4K4 regulates biomechanical forces at adherens junctions and focal adhesions to promote collective cell migration
Authors: Alberici Delsin Lara Elis , Plutoni Cédric , Clouvel Anna , Keil Sarah , Marpeaux Léa , Elouassouli Lina , Khavari Adele , Ehrlicher Allen , Emery Gregory
Published: November 2022

Collective cell migration is important for normal development and tissue homeostasis, but can also promote cancer metastasis. To migrate collectively, cells need to coordinate their protrusion formation, rear retraction, adhesion sites dynamics, as well as forces generation and transmission. Nevertheless, the regulatory mechanisms coordinating these processes remain elusive. Using the A431 carcinoma cell line, we identify the kinase MAP4K4 as a central regulator of collective migration. We show that MAP4K4 inactivation blocks the migration of clusters while its overexpression decreases cluster cohesion. MAP4K4 regulates protrusion and retraction dynamics, remodels the actomyosin cytoskeleton, and controls the stability of both cell-cell and cell substrate adhesion. MAP4K4 promotes focal adhesion disassembly through the phosphorylation of Moesin, an actin and plasma membrane cross-linker, but disassembles adherens junctions through a Moesin-independent mechanism. By analyzing traction and intercellular forces, we found that the stabilization of adhesion sites in MAP4K4 loss of function leads to a tensional disequilibrium throughout the cell cluster, increasing the traction forces exerted onto the substrate and the tension loading at the cell-cell adhesions. Together, our results indicates that MAP4K4 activity is a key regulator of biomechanical forces at adhesion sites, promoting collective migration.
Unusual shape-preserved pathway of a core-shell phase transition triggered by orientational disorder
Authors: Li Mengya , Tang Weiwei , Gong Junbo
Published: November 2022

The ubiquitous presence of crystal defects provides great potential and opportunities to construct the desired structure (hence with the desired properties) and tailor the synthetic process of crystalline materials. However, little is known about their regulation role in phase transition and crystallization pathways. It was generally thought that a phase transition in solution proceeds predominantly via the solvent-mediated phase-transformation pathway due to energetically high-cost solid-state phase transitions (if any). Herein, we report an unprecedented finding that an orientational disorder defect present in the crystal structure triggers an unusual pathway of a core-shell phase transition with apparent shape-preserved evolution. In the pathway, the solid-state dehydration phase transition occurs inside the crystal prior to its competitive transformation approach mediated by solvent, forming an unconventional core-shell structure. Through a series of combined experimental and computational techniques, we revealed that the presence of crystal defects, introduced by urate tautomerism over the course of crystallization, elevates the metastability of uric acid dihydrate (UAD) crystals and triggers UAD dehydration to the uric acid anhydrate (UAA) phase in the crystal core which precedes with surface dissolution of the shell UAD crystal and recrystallization of the core phase. This unique phase transition could also be related to defect density, which appears to be influenced by the thickness of UAD crystals and crystallization driving force. The discovery of an unusual pathway of the core-shell phase transition suggests that the solid-state phase transition is not necessarily slower than the solvent-mediated phase transformation in solution and provides an alternative approach to constructing the core-shell structure. Moreover, the fundamental role of orientational disorder defects on the phase transition identified in this study demonstrates the feasibility to tailor phase transition and crystallization pathways by strategically importing crystal defects, which has broad applications in crystal engineering.
Strategies to streamline supplier relationship management during crises: lessons learned from COVID-19 and future pathways
Authors: Butt Atif Saleem , Alghababsheh Mohammad , Arshi Tahseen Anwer , Shah Syed Hamad Hassan
Published: November 2022

Purpose

This paper explores the strategies adopted by purchasing firms to streamline relationships with suppliers amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a multiple case study method and conducted 42 semi-structured interviews with procurement managers from six firms in the United Arab Emirates.

Findings

This study reveals six helpful strategies that purchasing firms can undertake to streamline supplier relationship management (SRM) in the wake of COVID-19. Precisely, purchasing firms are revising supply chain costs, planning orders in advance, sharing critical information with suppliers, planning major contingencies, developing a robust relationship with suppliers (e.g. partnership) and finally, improving the supplier's visibility.

Research limitations/implications

This study comes with certain limitations. First, the results are based on a limited number of 42 interviewees. Hence, the study’s results cannot be generalized to a broader population. Second, the data were collected based on the cause and effect relationship.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can help purchasing firms learn and use new appropriate strategies to manage the relationship with their suppliers in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Originality/value

This study contributes to SRM literature by unveiling six distinct strategies (such as revising supply chain costs, planning orders in advance, sharing critical information, etc.) that purchasing firms have employed to develop a robust and healthy working relationship with the suppliers in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The secrets to successful entrepreneurship: how occupational experience shapes the creation and performance of start-ups
Authors: Wu Yongqiu , Maas Gideon , Zhang Yi , Chen Fengwen , Xia Senmao , Fernandes Kiran , Tian Kun
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Previous experience is a critical factor affecting entrepreneurial activities; however, it has not been fully studied in the existing literature. This study attempts to comprehensively reveal the routes and mechanisms of occupational experience that affect entrepreneurial activities and assess the entrepreneurial potential of different occupational practitioners.

Design/methodology/approach

By matching occupational characteristics with entrepreneurs' competence, this study proposes ten hypotheses about how occupational experience affects entrepreneurial entry and performance. This empirical study is based on the Occupational Information Network database and Chinese survey data. Factor and regression analyses were used in the empirical research.

Findings

This study verifies that different occupational practitioners have varied entrepreneurial potential. Occupational experience, including occupational uncertainty, market contact and social capital, gained from previous experience significantly affects entrepreneurial entry. Meanwhile, occupational characteristics, including management experience, marketing experience, social capital, financial capital, risk-taking ability and creativity, accumulated from previous experience, have a significant impact on entrepreneurial performance.

Originality/value

This study is a pioneering attempt to reveal the relationship between occupational experience and entrepreneurial activities. The transmission mechanism of previous experiences affecting entrepreneurial activities is comprehensively revealed by relaxing the assumption of a representative occupation. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for empirical evidence and have important practical value.
Online silence: why do people not challenge others when posting misinformation?
Authors: Gurgun Selin , Arden-Close Emily , Phalp Keith , Ali Raian
Published: November 2022

Purpose

There is a scarcity of research studies on why people remain inactive when encountering and recognising misinformation online. The main aim of this paper is to provide a groundwork for future research into why users do not challenge misinformation on digital platforms by generating hypotheses through a synthesis of pertinent literature, including organisational behaviour, communication, human-computer interaction (HCI), psychology and education.

Design/methodology/approach

Given the lack of directly related literature, this paper synthesised findings from relevant fields where the findings might be relevant, as the tendency to withhold opinions or feedback is a well-documented practice in offline interaction.

Findings

Following the analysis of relevant literature, the potential reasons for online silence towards misinformation can be divided into six categories: self-oriented, relationship-oriented, others-oriented, content-oriented, individual characteristics and technical factors.

Originality/value

Although corrections coming from peers can effectively combat misinformation, several studies showed that people in cyberspace do not take such action. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there has been scarce and virtually non-existent research investigating why people refrain from challenging others who post misinformation online. Thus, this paper attempts to address this gap and identify reasons in adjacent domains. The reasons provide a starting point for researching interventions to reduce reluctance and abstinence regarding the challenge of misinformation. The findings can be beneficial beyond the area of challenging misinformation and are extensible to other types of content and communication that people are hesitant to discuss and challenge, such as online injustice, prejudice and hate speech.
Mental health, stigma and psychologists’ lived experience of caring
Authors: Burrows Angela , Warner Claire , Heath Jennifer , Keville Saskia
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Mental health (MH) and caring can be demanding for those directly and indirectly impacted. An under-researched area is that of professionals’ personal experiences of caring for a loved one with MH difficulties. This study aims to provide an in-depth exploration of psychologists’ experiences of caring and its impact on clinical practice.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 11 psychologists with experiences of caring for a loved one with a diagnosed MH condition and/or MH distress participated in semi-structured interviews focused on caring experiences and its impact. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Themes identified were as follows: personal and professional roles; the emergence of a carer identity; carer stress and strain; impact on professional practice; and dual positioning.

Originality/value

This study highlighted the knowledge and value of listening to professionals with lived experiences. Their ability to understand stigmatisation through personal caring experiences may facilitate the mitigation of this for vulnerable people attending clinical services.
Activity recognition from trunk muscle activations for wearable and non-wearable robot conditions
Authors: Gonsalves Nihar , Ogunseiju Omobolanle Ruth , Akanmu Abiola Abosede
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Recognizing construction workers' activities is critical for on-site performance and safety management. Thus, this study presents the potential of automatically recognizing construction workers' actions from activations of the erector spinae muscles.

Design/methodology/approach

A lab study was conducted wherein the participants (n = 10) performed rebar task, which involved placing and tying subtasks, with and without a wearable robot (exoskeleton). Trunk muscle activations for both conditions were trained with nine well-established supervised machine learning algorithms. Hold-out validation was carried out, and the performance of the models was evaluated using accuracy, precision, recall and F1 score.

Findings

Results indicate that classification models performed well for both experimental conditions with support vector machine, achieving the highest accuracy of 83.8% for the “exoskeleton” condition and 74.1% for the “without exoskeleton” condition.

Research limitations/implications

The study paves the way for the development of smart wearable robotic technology which can augment itself based on the tasks performed by the construction workers.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the research on construction workers' action recognition using trunk muscle activity. Most of the human actions are largely performed with hands, and the advancements in ergonomic research have provided evidence for relationship between trunk muscles and the movements of hands. This relationship has not been explored for action recognition of construction workers, which is a gap in literature that this study attempts to address.
Reduced seed set under water deficit is driven mainly by reduced flower numbers and not by changes in flower visitations and pollination
Authors: Höfer Rebecca J. , Lindner Tina , Ayasse Manfred , Kuppler Jonas
Published: November 2022

Water deficit can alter floral traits with cascading effects on flower‐visitor interactions and plant fitness. Water stress induction can diminish productivity, directly resulting in lower flower production and consequently seed set. Changes in floral traits, such as floral scent or reward amount, may in turn alter pollinator visitations and behaviour and consequently can reduce pollination services resulting in lower reproduction output. However, the relative contribution of this indirect in comparison to the direct effects to changes in seed set are not fully understood.

We manipulated water availability using rain‐out shelters in a field experiment and measured effects on floral scent bouquet, morphology, phenology, flower‐visitor interactions, pollination and seed set. Plant individuals of Sinapis arvensis (Brassicaceae) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: mean precipitation (=control), reduced mean precipitation or drought period treatment.

Our results show that decreasing water availability lowers the number of flowers and seed set. This indicates a direct link between water stress and seed set, as seed mass increases with increasing flower number. The indirect link of water stress via floral traits, pollinator visits and pollination has weaker effects on seed set. However, floral traits remain relatively stable under decreased water availability, whereas plant growth and flower abundance decrease, potentially in order to allow investment in more resources in fewer flowers to maintain pollination success. Thus, plants are able to compensate for water stress and can maintain floral trait expression, such as a stable scent emission and bouquet, to retain pollinator attraction.

These findings indicate that the direct link from water stress to seed set has a stronger impact on plants reproductive success than the indirect link through altered floral trait expression and pollinator visits in a generalist plant species.

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Severe environmental conditions create severe conflicts: A novel ecological pathway to extreme coyote attacks on humans
Authors: Gehrt Stanley D. , Muntz Erich M. , Wilson Evan C. , Power Jason W. B. , Newsome Seth D.
Published: November 2022

Identifying the circumstances and causes of carnivore attacks on humans is important for prevention of future incidents as well as employing effective wildlife management strategies. Cape Breton Highlands National Park (CBHNP) in Nova Scotia has experienced multiple attacks by coyotesCanis latranson humans, including a fatal attack on an adult in 2009.

Here we use a combination of data on space use and diet collected from 2011 to 2013 to reveal that limited resources and a reliance on a large ungulate (moose,Alces americanus) as the mechanism leading to aggression by coyotes in CBHNP.

Resident coyotes exhibited large home range sizes (mean = 77.5 km2) indicative of limited resources and spatiotemporal avoidance of human activity. Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values of sub‐sampled coyote whiskers (n = 32), which provide a longitudinal record of diet over the months before collection, revealed little intra‐ and inter‐individual variation with nearly all individuals specializing on moose, a pattern that agrees with indices of natural resource availability. Specifically, stable isotope mixing models show that moose was the most important prey for most coyotes (25/32), representing between 41% and 78% of dietary inputs. Only four coyotes exhibited use of anthropogenic resources (human foods), and only one of seven coyotes involved in attacks on people had been consuming human foods before the attacks.

Synthesis and Applications: We have described a unique ecological system in which a generalist carnivore has expanded its niche to specialize on a large prey species, with the unfortunate consequence of also expanding pathways to conflicts with people. Our results suggest extreme unprovoked predatory attacks by coyotes on people are likely to be quite rare and associated with unique ecological characteristics. Extreme management actions such as bounties are unnecessary, but managers may need to employ hazing or lethal removal earlier in the conflict process than under normal circumstances. Also, users of these areas should be made aware of the risks coyotes pose and encouraged to take precautions.
Nitrogen addition and warming modulate the pathogen impact on plant biomass by shifting intraspecific functional traits and reducing species richness
Authors: Yan Xuebin , Kohli Mayank , Wen Yue , Wang Xiaoyi , Zhang Yuanyuan , Yang Fei , Zhou Xianhui , Du Guozhen , Hu Shuijin , Guo Hui
Published: November 2022

Foliar fungal pathogens can substantially reduce plant biomass. This effect can be modulated by environment conditions, such as soil nitrogen availability and air temperature. The ongoing global changes are altering these variables and thus interact with pathogens to influence plant biomass, but experimental test of their interactions is scarce.

We conducted a 4‐year field experiment in a Tibetan alpine meadow to examine the interactive effects of nitrogen addition, warming and foliar pathogens (via fungicide application) on plant biomass. We also measured plant functional traits, species richness and abundance to test the possible mechanisms underlying these interactions.

Our results showed that foliar fungal pathogens reduced plant community biomass under nitrogen addition, which in turn weakened the positive nitrogen effect on community biomass. Mechanistically, nitrogen addition shifted the plant communities towards fast‐growing traits; this happened predominantly because of changes in within‐species trait values, including an increase in specific leaf area and height. These trait changes resulted in greater suppression of plant biomass by pathogens, likely because of the trade‐offs associated with the allocation of resources to plant growth and defense. Moreover, the reduction in species richness amplified the pathogen effect under nitrogen addition due to the increased density and susceptibility of the most dominant species (i.e. Kobresia capillifolia). Furthermore, warming did not interact with pathogens and nitrogen addition to influence plant community biomass, but their three‐way interaction modified the biomass of K. capillifolia. Specifically, warming enhanced the positive effect of nitrogen addition on the biomass of K. capillifolia in the fungicide, low infection plots, while it weakened the nitrogen effect in the no fungicide, high infection plots.

Synthesis. Our results demonstrate how pathogens interact with nitrogen addition and warming to influence the biomass of dominant species and the whole plant community. Our study highlights the importance of considering foliar fungal pathogens when assessing ecosystem responses to multiple global change factors.
Drying conditions alter the defensive function of seed mucilage against granivores
Authors: LoPresti Eric F. , Stessman Madison E. , Warren Sara E. , Toll Katherine
Published: November 2022

Environmental conditions alter the function of many plant traits that drive species interactions, producing context‐dependency in the outcomes of those interactions. Seed mucilage is a common, convergently evolved trait found in thousands of plant species. When wetted, the seed coat swells into a viscid mass; when dried, the mucilage strands strongly cement the seed to whatever it is in contact with.

This binding to the ground has been previously shown to protect seeds from granivory. Previous research found both that mucilage volume—and the correlated attachment strength—are higher in species from hot, dry, areas suggesting an environmental component of this trait's function.

Here, we (1) quantified the effect of temperature on attachment across many species in a lab setting, (2) tested the potential mechanism behind this correlation by accelerating desiccation speed without changing temperature, and (3) tested whether these relationships introduce context dependency of the defensive function of mucilage in the field, using field trials with harvester ants.

We found that (1) increasing temperature during mucilage drying strongly reduced the force needed to dislodge seeds for most species, (2) drying time was likely the driving mechanism behind the loss of attachment strength at higher temperatures, not temperature per se, (3) seeds attached to substrate during higher temperatures or under accelerated drying conditions were far more susceptible to granivory.

Synthesis. These results show not only the mechanism behind an abiotic modification of a functional trait of seeds, but that this change majorly alters a key interaction contributing to seed survival. These results add to a small, but growing, literature on the importance of seed mucilage in seed survival and demonstrate strong and largely predictable context‐dependency in this trait's defensive function.