bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Silk-borne chemicals of spider nuptial gifts elicit female gift acceptance
Authors: Beyer Michelle , Mangliers Julia , Tuni Cristina
Published: November 2021

Chemical communication is important in a reproductive context for conveying information used for mate recognition and/or assessment during courtship and mating. Spider silk is a common vehicle for chemical communication between the sexes. However, despite being well described in females, male silk-borne chemicals remain largely unexplored. Males of the spiderPisaura mirabilissilk-wrap prey (i.e. nuptial gifts) that is offered to females during courtship and eaten by the female during mating. Interestingly, rejected males often add more silk to their gift which leads to successful mating, suggesting the presence of silk-borne chemicals that facilitate female gift acceptance. To test this hypothesis, we offered females standardized gifts covered with male silk that was either washed in solvents or unwashed, respectively, to remove or not any chemically active components. We scored female gift acceptance, and as expected in the case chemicals that mediate female mating behaviour are present in male silk, females were more likely to accept gifts covered with unwashed silk. Our findings suggest that silk-borne chemicals of nuptial gifts prime female responses, potentially signalling male quality or manipulating females into mating beyond their interests given the occurrence of male cheating behaviour via nutritionally worthless gifts in this system.
Phase transformation-driven artificial muscle mimics the multifunctionality of avian wing muscle
Authors: Leal Pedro B. C. , Cabral-Seanez Marcela , Baliga Vikram B. , Altshuler Douglas L. , Hartl Darren J.
Published: November 2021

Skeletal muscle provides a compact solution for performing multiple tasks under diverse operational conditions, a capability lacking in many current engineered systems. Here, we evaluate if shape memory alloy (SMA) components can serve as artificial muscles with tunable mechanical performance. We experimentally impose cyclic stimuli, electric and mechanical, to an SMA wire and demonstrate that this material can mimic the response of the avian humerotriceps, a skeletal muscle that acts in the dynamic control of wing shapes. We next numerically evaluate the feasibility of using SMA springs as artificial leg muscles for a bipedal walking robot. Altering the phase offset between mechanical and electrical stimuli was sufficient for both synthetic and natural muscle to shift between actuation, braking and spring-like behaviour.
Three-dimensional surface morphometry differentiates behaviour on primate percussive stone tools
Authors: Proffitt Tomos , Reeves Jonathan S. , Benito-Calvo Alfonso , Sánchez-Romero Laura , Arroyo Adrián , Malaijivitnond Suchinda , Luncz Lydia V.
Published: November 2021

The Early Stone Age record preserves a rich behavioural signature of hominin stone tool making and use. The role of percussive technology in the daily subsistence strategies of our earliest ancestors has seen renewed focus recently. Studies of modern primate tool use highlight the diverse range of behaviours potentially associated with percussive technology. This has prompted significant methodological developments to characterize the associated damage marks (use-wear) on hammerstones and anvils. Little focus has, however, been paid to identifying whether these techniques can successfully differentiate between the damage patterns produced by specific and differing percussive behaviours. Here, we present a novel workflow drawing on the strengths of visual identification and three-dimensional (3D) surface quantification of use-wear. We apply this methodology firstly to characterize macaque percussive use-wear and test the efficacy of 3D surface quantification techniques in differentiating between percussive damage and natural surface topography. Secondly, we use this method to differentiate between use-wear associated with various wild macaque percussive behaviours. By combining analyst-directed, 3D surface analysis and use-wear dimensional analysis, we show that macaque percussive behaviours create specific diagnostic signatures and highlight a means of quantifiably recording such behavioural signatures in both primate and hominin contexts.
Bounded rational response equilibria in human sensorimotor interactions
Authors: Lindig-León Cecilia , Schmid Gerrit , Braun Daniel A.
Published: November 2021

The Nash equilibrium is one of the most central solution concepts to study strategic interactions between multiple players and has recently also been shown to capture sensorimotor interactions between players that are haptically coupled. While previous studies in behavioural economics have shown that systematic deviations from Nash equilibria in economic decision-making can be explained by the more general quantal response equilibria, such deviations have not been reported for the sensorimotor domain. Here we investigate haptically coupled dyads across three different sensorimotor games corresponding to the classic symmetric and asymmetric Prisoner's Dilemma, where the quantal response equilibrium predicts characteristic shifts across the three games, although the Nash equilibrium stays the same. We find that subjects exhibit the predicted deviations from the Nash solution. Furthermore, we show that taking into account subjects' priors for the games, we arrive at a more accurate description of bounded rational response equilibria that can be regarded as a quantal response equilibrium with non-uniform prior. Our results suggest that bounded rational response equilibria provide a general tool to explain sensorimotor interactions that include the Nash equilibrium as a special case in the absence of information processing limitations.
Investigating the causes of stimulus-evoked changes in cone reflectance using a combined adaptive optics SLO-OCT system
Authors: Azimipour Mehdi , Valente Denise , Werner John S. , Zawadzki Robert J. , Jonnal Ravi S.
Published: November 2021

In vivo functional imaging of human photoreceptors is an emerging field, with compelling potential applications in basic science, translational research, and clinical management of ophthalmic disease. Measurements of light-evoked changes in the photoreceptors has been successfully demonstrated using adaptive optics (AO) coherent flood illumination (CFI), AO scanning light ophthalmoscopy (SLO), AO optical coherence tomography (OCT), and full-field OCT with digital AO (dAO). While the optical principles and data processing of these systems differ greatly, and while these differences manifest in the resulting measurements, we believe that the underlying physiological processes involved in each of those techniques are likely the same. AO-CFI and AO-SLO systems are more widely used than OCT systems. However, those systems produce only two-dimensional images and so, less can be said about the anatomical and physiological origins of the observed signal. OCT signal, on the other hand, provides 3D imaging but at a cost of high volume of data, making it impractical to clinical purposes. In light of this, we employed a combined AO-OCT-SLO system–with point-for-point correspondence between the OCT and SLO images–to measure functional responses simultaneously with both and investigate SLO retinal functional biomarkers based on OCT response. The resulting SLO images reveal reflectance changes in the cones which are consistent with those previously reported using AO-CFI and AO-SLO. The resulting OCT volumes show phase changes in the cone outer segment (OS) consistent with those previously reported by us and others. We recapitulate a model of the cone OS previously proposed to explain AO-CFI reflectance changes, and show how this model can be used to predict the signal in AO-SLO. The limitations of the model is also discussed in this manuscript.
Hepatocyte cholesterol content modulates glucagon receptor signalling
Authors: McGlone Emma Rose , Ansell T. Bertie , Dunsterville Cecilia , Song Wanling , Carling David , Tomas Alejandra , Bloom Stephen R , Sansom Mark S. P. , Tan Tricia , Jones Ben
Published: November 2021

Glucagon decreases liver fat, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with hepatic glucagon resistance. Increasingly it is recognised that the function of G protein-coupled receptors can be regulated by their local plasma membrane lipid environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of experimentally modulating hepatocyte cholesterol content on the function of the glucagon receptor (GCGR). We found that glucagon-mediated cAMP production is inversely proportional to cholesterol content of human hepatoma and primary mouse hepatocytes after treatment with cholesterol-depleting and loading agents, with ligand internalisation showing the opposite trend. Mice fed a high cholesterol diet had increased hepatic cholesterol and a blunted hyperglycaemic response to glucagon, both of which were partially reversed by simvastatin. Molecular dynamics simulations identified potential membrane-exposed cholesterol binding sites on the GCGR. Overall, our data suggest that increased hepatocyte membrane cholesterol could directly contribute to glucagon resistance in NAFLD.
Dominant species determine ecosystem stability across scales in Inner Mongolian grassland
Authors: Wang Yonghui , Wang Shaopeng , Zhao Liqing , Liang Cunzhu , Miao Bailing , Zhang Qing , Niu Xiaxia , Ma Wenhong , Schmid Bernhard
Published: November 2021

There is an urgent need to extend knowledge on ecosystem temporal stability to larger spatial scales because presently available local-scale studies generally do not provide effective guide for management and conservation decisions at the level of an entire region with diverse plant communities. We investigated temporal stability of plant biomass production across spatial scales and hierarchical levels of community organization and analyzed impacts of dominant species, species diversity and climatic factors using a multi-site survey of Inner Mongolian grassland. We found that temporal stability at a large spatial scale, i.e. a large area aggregating multiple local communities, was related to temporal stability of and asynchrony among spatially separated local communities and large-scale population dynamics of dominant species, yet not to species richness. Additionally, a lower mean and higher variation of yearly precipitation destabilized communities at local and large scales by destabilizing dominant species population dynamics. We argue that, for semi-arid temperate grassland, dynamics and precipitation responses of dominant species and asynchrony among local communities stabilize ecosystems at large spatial scales. Our results indicate that reduced amounts and increased variation of precipitation may present key threats to the sustainable provision of biological products and services to human well-being in this region.
Genome Wide Association Metanalysis Of Skull Bone Mineral Density Identifies Loci Relevant For Osteoporosis And Craniosynostosis
Authors: Medina-Gomez Carolina , Mullin Benjamin H. , Chesi Alessandra , Prijatelj Vid , Kemp John P. , Shochat-Carvalho Chen , Trajanoska Katerina , Wang Carol , Joro Raimo , Evans Tavia E. , Schraut Katharina E. , Li-Gao Ruifang , Ahluwalia Tarunveer S. , Zillikens M. Carola , Zhu Kun , Mook-Kanamori Dennis O. , Evans Daniel S. , Nethander Maria , Knol Maria J. , Thorleifsson Gudmar , Prokic Ivana , Zemel Babette , Broer Linda , van Schoor Natasja , Reppe Sjur , Pawlak Mikolaj A. , Ralston Stuart H. , van der Velde Nathalie , Lorentzon Mattias , Stefansson Kari , Adams Hieab H.H. , Wilson Scott G. , Ikram M. Arfan , Walsh John P. , Lakka Timo A. , Gautvik Kaare M. , Wilson James F , Orwoll Eric S. , van Duijn Cornelia M. , Bønnelykke Klaus , Uitterlinden Andre G. , Stykársdóttir Unnur , Spector Timothy D. , Tobias Jonathan H , Ohlsson Claes , Felix Janine F. , Bisgaard Hans , Grant Struan F.A. , Richards J. Brent , Evans David M. , van der Eerden Bram , van de Peppel Jeroen , Ackert-Bicknell Cheryl , Karasik David , Kague Erika , Rivadeneira Fernando
Published: November 2021

Skull bone mineral density (SK-BMD) provides a suitable trait for the discovery of genes important to bone biology in general, and particularly for identifying components unique to intramembranous ossification, which cannot be captured at other skeletal sites. We assessed genetic determinants of SK-BMD in 43,800 individuals, identifying 59 genome-wide significant loci (4 novel), explaining 12.5% of its variance. Pathway and enrichment analyses of the association signals resulted in clustering within gene-sets involved in regulating the development of the skeleton; overexpressed in the musculoskeletal system; and enriched in enhancer and transcribed regions in osteoblasts. From the four novel loci (mapping to ZIC1, PRKAR1A, ATP6V1C1, GLRX3), two (ZIC1 and PRKAR1A) have previously been related to craniofacial developmental defects. Functional validation of skull development in zebrafish revealed abnormal cranial bone initiation that culminated in ectopic sutures and reduced BMD in mutated zic1 and atp6v1c1 fish and asymmetric bone growth and elevated BMD in mutated prkar1a fish. We confirmed a role of ZIC1 loss-of-function in suture patterning and discovered ATP6V1C1 gene associated with suture development. In light of the evidence presented suggesting that SK-BMD is genetically related to craniofacial abnormalities, our study opens new avenues to the understanding of the pathophysiology of craniofacial defects and towards the effective pharmacological treatment of bone diseases.
Serum neurofilament light as a biomarker for prognosis in patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Vijiaratnam Nirosen , Lawton Michael , Heslegrave Amanda , Guo Tong , Tan Manuela MX , Jabbari Edwin , Real Raquel , Woodside John , Grosset Katherine A , Chelban Viorica , Athauda Dilan , Girges Christine , Barker Roger A , Hardy John , Wood Nicholas , Houlden Henry , Williams Nigel M , Ben-Shlomo Yoav , Zetterberg Henrik , Grosset Donald G , Foltynie Thomas , Morris Huw R ,   PRoBaND clinical consortium
Published: November 2021

Background

Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have variable disease progression. More accurate prediction of progression could improve clinical trial design. Although some variance in clinical progression can be predicted by age at onset and phenotype, we hypothesise that this can be improved by blood biomarkers.

Objective

To determine if serum neurofilament light (NfL) is a useful biomarker for prognostic modelling in PD.

Methods

We evaluated the relationship between serum NfL and baseline and longitudinal clinical measures as well as patients’ genetic (GBA and APOE) status in a large clinical dataset. We classified patients as having a favourable or an unfavourable outcome based on a previously validated model and explored whether serum NfL could distinguish prognostic phenotypes. We compared NfL with baseline candidate predictor variables and studied the combination of clinical, serum and genetic data.

Results

Serum NfL was associated with patients’ cognitive status at baseline. Baseline NfL was associated with the progression of motor and functional impairment and with increased mortality (Survival HR 1.85, CI: 1.03-3.33, p=0.04). Baseline NfL levels predicted unfavourable progression to a similar extent as previously validated clinical predictors (AUC: 0.74 vs 0.78, p=0.22). The combination of clinical, genetic and biomarker data produced a strong predication of unfavourable outcomes as compared to age and gender alone (AUC: 0.71-age/gender vs 0.83-ALL p = 0.0076)

Conclusions

Baseline serum NfL provides an objective measure of neurodegeneration in PD patients. Clinical trials of disease-modifying therapies might usefully stratify patients according using clinical, genetic and NfL status at the time of recruitment.
Muscle activation strategies of the vastus lateralis according to sex
Authors: Guo Yuxiao , Jones Eleanor J. , Inns Thomas B. , Ely Isabel A. , Stashuk Daniel W. , Wilkinson Daniel J. , Smith Kenneth , Piasecki Jessica , Phillips Bethan E. , Atherton Philip J. , Piasecki Mathew
Published: November 2021

Aim

Despite men exhibiting greater muscle strength and fatigibility than women, it remains unclear if there are sex-based differences in muscle recruitment strategies e.g. motor unit (MU) recruitment and modulation of firing rate (FR) at normalised forces and during progressive increases in force.

Methods

Twenty-nine healthy male and thirty-one healthy female participants (18-35 years) were studied. Intramuscular electromyography was used to record individual motor unit potentials (MUPs) and near fibre MUPs from the vastus lateralis (VL) during 10% and 25% maximum isometric voluntary contractions (MVC), and spike-triggered averaging was used to obtain motor unit number estimates (MUNE) of the VL. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models were used to investigate the effects of sex at each contraction level.

Results

Men exhibited greater muscle strength (p<0.001) and size (p<0.001) than women, with no difference in force steadiness at 10% or 25% MVC. Women had smaller MUs and higher FR at 10% MVC (both p<0.02), similar to that at 25% MVC in MU size (p=0.062) and FR (p=0.031). However, both sexes showed similar increases in MU size and FR when moving from low-to mid-level contractions. There were no sex differences in any near fibre MUP parameters or in MUNE.

Conclusion

In the vastus lateralis, women produce muscle force via different neuromuscular recruitment strategies to men which is characterised by smaller MUs discharging at higher rates. However, similar strategies are employed to increase force production from low to moderate contractions. These findings of similar proportional increases between sexes support the use of mixed sex cohorts in studies of this nature.

Key points

Increases in muscle force production are mediated by motor unit (MU) recruitment, and MU firing rate (FR).

Women are underrepresented in studies of human neuromuscular research and markedly differ to men in a number of aspects of neuromuscular function, yet little is known of the recruitment strategies of each.

Here we demonstrate men and women have similar vastus lateralis MU number estimates, yet women recruit smaller MUs with higher FR than men at normalised contraction levels. However, increases in force are achieved via similar trajectories of MU recruitment and MU FR in men and women.

Although men and women exhibit divergent neuromuscular recruitment strategies to achieve normalised forces, increases in force are achived similarly and support the inclusion of mixed sex cohorts in studies of this nature.
Repetition Probability Effects for Chinese Characters and German Words in the Visual Word Form Area
Authors: Li Chenglin , Kovács Gyula
Published: November 2021

The magnitude of repetition suppression (RS), measured by fMRI, is modulated by the probability of repetitions (P(rep)) for various sensory stimulus categories. It has been suggested that for visually presented simple letters this P(rep) effect depends on the prior practices of the participants with the stimuli. Here we tested further if previous experiences affect the neural mechanisms of RS, leading to the modulatory effects of stimulus P(rep), for more complex lexical stimuli as well. We measured the BOLD signal in the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) of native Chinese and German participants and estimated the P(rep) effects for Chinese characters and German words. The results showed a significant P(rep) effect for stimuli of the mother tongue in both participant groups. Interestingly, Chinese participants, learning German as a second language, also showed a significant P(rep) modulation of RS for German words while the German participants who had no prior experiences with the Chinese characters showed no such effects. Our findings suggest that P(rep) effects on RS are manifest for visual word processing as well, but only for words of a language with which participants are highly familiar. These results support further the idea that predictive processes, estimated by P(rep) modulations of RS, require prior experiences.
Less efficacy of valproic acid monotherapy may be caused by neural excitatory rebound in focal seizures
Authors: Zou Xiang , Zhu Zilu , Guo Yu , Zhang Hongmiao , Liu Yuchen , Cui Zhengyu , Ke Zunji , Jiang Shize , Tong Yusheng , Wu Zehan , Mao Ying , Chen Liang , Wang Deheng
Published: November 2021

Valproic acid (VPA) represents one of the most efficient antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) with either general or focal seizures, but a certain percentage of patients are not recovered or even worse, the mechanism under this phenomenon remains unclear. Here, we retrospectively reviewed 16 patients who received awake craniotomy surgery. Intro-operative high density electrocorticogram (ECoG) was used to record the local field potential (LFP) response to VPA treatment. We found the less efficacy of VPA monotherapy was associated with ECoG spectrum power shift from higher to lower frequency after VPA injection, together with increased synchronization of the LFP. Furthermore, we established the computational model to testify the hypothesis that the ineffectivity of VPA may be caused by excitatory dynamic rebound during the inhibitory power increasing. In addition to test the hypothesis, we employed the mice with Kanic Acid (KA)-induced epileptic model to confirm that it would be inhibited by VPA on behavior and neural activity. Also, the neural activity shows significant rebound on spike firing. Then we discovered that the LFP would increase the power spectral density in multiple wave bands after the VPA delivers. These findings suggest that less efficacy of valproic acid monotherapy in focal seizures may be caused by neural excitatory rebound which mediated by elevated inhibitory power.
Content-aware frame interpolation (CAFI): Deep Learning-based temporal super-resolution for fast bioimaging
Authors: Priessner Martin , Gaboriau David C.A. , Sheridan Arlo , Lenn Tchern , Chubb Jonathan R. , Manor Uri , Vilar Ramon , Laine Romain F.
Published: November 2021

The development of high-resolution microscopes has made it possible to investigate cellular processes in 4D (3D over time). However, observing fast cellular dynamics remains challenging as a consequence of photobleaching and phototoxicity. These issues become increasingly problematic with the depth of the volume acquired and the speed of the biological events of interest. Here, we report the implementation of two content-aware frame interpolation (CAFI) deep learning networks, Zooming SlowMo (ZS) and Depth-Aware Video Frame Interpolation (DAIN), based on combinations of recurrent neural networks, that are highly suited for accurately predicting images in between image pairs, therefore improving the temporal resolution of image series as a post-acquisition analysis step. We show that CAFI predictions are capable of understanding the motion context of biological structures to perform better than standard interpolation methods. We benchmark CAFI’s performance on six different datasets, obtained from three different microscopy modalities (point-scanning confocal, spinning-disk confocal and confocal brightfield microscopy). We demonstrate its capabilities for single-particle tracking methods applied to the study of lysosome trafficking. CAFI therefore allows for reduced light exposure and phototoxicity on the sample and extends the possibility of long-term live-cell imaging. Both DAIN and ZS as well as the training and testing data are made available for use by the wider community via the ZeroCostDL4Mic platform.
Dephosphorylation of the pre-initiation complex during S-phase is critical for origin firing
Authors: Jenkinson Fiona , Tan Kang Wei , Schöpf Barbara , Santos Miguel M , Phanada Ivan , Zegerman Philip
Published: November 2021

Genome stability requires complete DNA duplication exactly once before cell division. In eukaryotes, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) plays a dual role in this regulation by inhibiting helicase loading factors before also activating origin firing. CDK activates initiation by phosphorylation of two substrates, Sld2 and Sld3, forming a transient and limiting intermediate – the pre-initiation complex (pre-IC). The importance and mechanism of dissociation of the pre-IC from origins is not understood. Here we show in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that CDK phosphorylation of Sld3 and Sld2 is specifically and rapidly turned over during interphase by the PP2A and PP4 phosphatases. Inhibiting dephosphorylation of Sld3/Sld2 causes dramatic defects in replication initiation genome-wide, retention of the pre-IC at origins and cell death. These studies not only provide a mechanism to guarantee that Sld3 and Sld2 are dephosphorylated before helicase loading factors but also uncover a novel positive role for phosphatases in eukaryotic origin firing.
Volatility in coral cover erodes niche structure, but not diversity, in reef fish assemblages
Authors: Tsai Cheng-Han , Sweatman Hugh PA , Thibaut Loïc M , Connolly Sean R
Published: November 2021

Environmental fluctuations are becoming increasingly volatile in many ecosystems, highlighting the need to better understand how stochastic and deterministic processes shape patterns of commonness and rarity, particularly in high-diversity systems like coral reefs. Here, we analyze reef fish time-series across the Great Barrier Reef to show that approximately 75% of the variance in relative species abundance is attributable to deterministic, intrinsic species differences. Nevertheless, the relative importance of stochastic factors is markedly higher on reefs that have experienced stronger coral cover volatility. By contrast, α-diversity and species composition are independent of coral cover volatility but depend on environmental gradients. Our findings imply that increased environmental volatility on coral reefs erodes assemblage’s niche structure, an erosion that is not detectable from static measures of biodiversity.

One-Sentence Summary

Coral cover volatility modulates how stochastic and deterministic processes shape commonness and rarity in coral reef fishes.
Outside-in thinking, value chain collaboration and business model innovation in manufacturing firms
Authors: Wu Liang , Liu Heng , Bao Yongchuan
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how manufacturing firms pursue business model innovation (BMI) through their use of outside-in thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected on 175 Chinese manufacturing firms. A regression model was used to verify the research results.

Findings

Manufacturing firms rely on outside-in thinking to develop BMI under different market and institutional environments. From a whole-value-chain perspective, interacting with customers and sharing information with suppliers are two key ways to develop BMI.

Research limitations/implications

Firms focus on customer needs, sense the dynamics of external markets and technology and seize market opportunities to measure outside-in thinking. Empirical results suggest using other measures of outside-in thinking. BMI itself can be multidimensional, so scholars could consider BMI’s diverse dimensions and measurements, which may demand different kinds of outside-in thinking.

Practical implications

Manufacturing firms can use outside-in thinking to overcome inertia and rigidity and increase their knowledge, information and technology. Managers should develop outside-in thinking to respond quickly to emerging economies. Managers should use value chain collaboration and improve the firm’s capacity to interact with customers and suppliers to apply the benefits of outside-in thinking to their BMI.

Originality/value

The study explores how outside-in thinking is a key driver of BMI. Applying the whole-value-chain view, it finds that interacting with customers and suppliers connects outside-in thinking with BMI. It also highlights the effects of intense market competition and volatile government regulation on BMI.
Mediating role of attitude in halal cosmetics purchase intention: an ELM perspective
Authors: Anubha
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of attitude as a mediator in exploring the Halal cosmetics purchase intention of Indian Muslim women. Various drivers of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) (quality, quantity, consistency and quantity) have been tested as antecedents of purchase intention through the lenses of the elaboration likelihood model (ELM).

Design/methodology/approach

The positivist paradigm approach has been used to test the proposed mediation model using structural equation modelling. Responses of 313 Indian Muslim women who read reviews shared on various social media platforms before making any halal cosmetics purchase intention have been used for the final analysis. Mediation was tested using bootstrapping.

Findings

The findings of the study revealed that attitude towards halal cosmetics mediates the relationships of various drivers of eWOM with halal cosmetics purchase intention. However, it was observed that this mediation was partial in the context of eWOM quality, eWOM valence and eWOM consistency. Furthermore, for eWOM quantity, the mediation effect was full as the direct impact of eWOM quality on halal cosmetics purchase intention was not significant but its indirect impact on the latter via attitude was found to be significant.

Research limitations/implications

This study adds to the marketing communication literature, especially in the context of eWOM. The study also validates ELM theory in explaining the attitude that shapes the halal cosmetics purchase intention, thus the current study enriches the ELM literature.

Practical implications

The current study offers several implications for halal cosmetics marketers. It offers various suggestions to them on how to capitalize on eWOM as it influences Indian Muslim women’s purchasing intention for halal cosmetics by shaping their attitude towards such cosmetics favourably.

Originality/value

With reference to halal cosmetics, the current study offers a new perspective by examining the purchasing intention for such cosmetics based on various drivers of eWOM. The attitude towards halal cosmetics as a mediator has helped in better explaining the purchase intention for halal cosmetics.
Patient safety and leadership style in the government general hospitals in Kuwait: a multi-method study
Authors: ALFadhalah Talal , Elamir Hossam
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the relationships between leadership style and reported incidents, reporting practices and patient safety initiatives in Kuwaiti hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional and retrospective quantitative multi-centre study was conducted in a secondary care setting. The multifactor leadership questionnaire and the patient safety questionnaire were distributed in six general hospitals to a sample of physicians, nurses and pharmacists. Incident reports were reviewed in each hospital to assess reporting practices.

Findings

The hospital with the most safety incident reports scored the highest on good reporting practices, whereas the hospital with the lowest score of poor reporting practices had reported fewer incidents. Reporting was better if an error reached the patient but caused no harm. Overall, reporting practices and implementation of patient safety initiatives in the hospitals were suboptimal. Nevertheless, a transformational leadership style had a positive effect on patient safety and reporting practices.

Practical implications

This study represents a baseline for researchers to assess the relationship between leadership style and patient safety. Moreover, it highlights significant considerations to be addressed when planning patient safety improvement programmes. More investment is needed to understand how to raise transformational leaders who are more effective on patient safety. Further studies that include primary and tertiary health-care settings and the private sector are required.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first in Kuwait to report on the relationship between transformational leadership and safety practices.
Mining netizen’s opinion on cryptocurrency: sentiment analysis of Twitter data
Authors: Hassan M. Kabir , Hudaefi Fahmi Ali , Caraka Rezzy Eko
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to explore netizen’s opinions on cryptocurrency under the lens of emotion theory and lexicon sentiments analysis via machine learning.

Design/methodology/approach

An automated Web-scrapping via RStudio is performed to collect the data of 15,000 tweets on cryptocurrency. Sentiment lexicon analysis is done via machine learning to evaluate the emotion score of the sample. The types of emotion tested are anger, anticipation, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, surprise, trust and the two primary sentiments, i.e. negative and positive.

Findings

The supervised machine learning discovers a total score of 53,077 sentiments from the sampled 15,000 tweets. This score is from the artificial intelligence evaluation of eight emotions, i.e. anger (2%), anticipation (18%), disgust (1%), fear (3%), joy (15%), sadness (3%), surprise (7%), trust (15%) and the two sentiments, i.e. negative (4%) and positive (33%). The result indicates that the sample primarily contains positive sentiments. This finding is theoretically significant to measure the emotion theory on the sampled tweets that can best explain the social implications of the cryptocurrency phenomenon.

Research limitations/implications

This work is limited to evaluate the sampled tweets’ sentiment scores to explain the social implication of cryptocurrency.

Practical implications

The finding is necessary to explain the recent phenomenon of cryptocurrency. The positive sentiment may describe the increase in investment in the decentralised finance market. Meanwhile, the anticipation emotion may illustrate the public’s reaction to the bubble prices of cryptocurrencies.

Social implications

Previous studies find that the social signals, e.g. word-of-mouth, netizens’ opinions, among others, affect the cryptocurrencies’ movement prices. This paper helps explain the social implications of such dynamic of pricing via sentiment analysis.

Originality/value

This study contributes to theoretically explain the implications of the cryptocurrency phenomenon under the emotion theory. Specifically, this study shows how supervised machine learning can measure the emotion theory from data tweets to explain the implications of cryptocurrencies.
Host‐modifying drugs against COVID‐19: some successes, but not yet the breakthrough
Authors: Brüssow Harald
Published: November 2021

After reviewing antiviral drugs (Brüssow Environmental Microbiology 2021) the present review summarizes the results of clinical trials with host‐modifying drugs in COVID‐19 patients. Clinical benefits were observed with different immunomodulators. The variable outcomes of trials with the interleukin 6 receptor inhibitor tocilizumab demonstrated that treatment benefits might only be present in specific subgroups of patients or in specific infection stages. A meta‐analysis of trials with the interleukin 1 receptor antagonist anakinra showed a survival benefit only in patients with hyperinflammation. The Janus kinase inhibitor baricitinib is an anti‐inflammatory treatment that showed a clinical benefit in hospitalized patients who do not yet need supplementary oxygen. In contrast, the corticosteroid dexamethasone showed mortality reducing effects that were limited to patients on ventilation or in need of supplementary oxygen. Therapeutic dose of anticoagulation met the criteria for inferiority in severe cases, but showed a small survival benefit in non‐severe COVID‐19 patients. Large trials with colchicine showed a small or no survival benefit. Azithromycin, an antibiotic with immunomodulatory activity, showed no effects in numerous clinical trials. The trials showed a clear need for new drugs instead of repurposed drugs and drugs that specifically target the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus or the pathology developing in COVID‐19 patients.
Innovation Ecosystems: What Makes them Responsive during Emergencies?
Authors: Sahasranamam Sreevas , Soundararajan Vivek
Published: November 2021

In this paper, we examine what makes an innovation ecosystem responsive during emergencies. We studied the innovation ecosystem within Kerala (India) during emergencies that led to two emergency‐oriented innovations, namely KeralaRescue (developed for Kerala Floods 2018) and CoronaSafe (developed for COVID‐19), drawing on insights from strategic agility and institutional theory literature. We identified the enactment of three meta‐capabilities of agility by the innovation ecosystem, which made it responsive during the emergencies, namely, eco‐centric strategic sensitivity, eco‐centric resource fluidity and eco‐centric collective commitment. Further, we found that cognitive, structural and symbolic institutional arrangements facilitated the enactment of these eco‐centric strategic agility meta‐capabilities within the innovation ecosystem during the emergency. Our paper advances theory on innovation ecosystems and strategic agility, and generates implications for innovators and policymakers, developing solutions for COVID‐19 and other emergencies.
Differences in the gut microbiota composition of rats fed with soybean protein and their derived peptides
Authors: Li Wenhui , Li He , Zhang Yinxiao , Zhang Chi , Zhang Jian , Liu Xinqi
Published: November 2021

Current studies regarding the effect of different nitrogen sources on gut microbiota have thus far disregarded the ability of probiotics and coliforms to compete for protein. This study aimed to investigate the differences in the utilization of soybean protein (SPro) and its derived peptides (SPep) by the gut microbiota of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The SPro and SPep prepared in this study showed extensive SPro molecular weight distribution, while that of SPep was minimal, ranging between 150 and 1000 Da and primarily consisting of two to five amino acids. The cecum microflora composition of the rats was determined via 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing, showing that the SPro and SPep significantly increased the abundance and uniformity of the gut microbiota after 35 days of feeding. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratios of the SPep, SPro, and casein groups were 2.49 ± 0.60, 2.98 ± 1.12, and 2.59 ± 0.74, respectively. Although the rats fed with SPro and SPep displayed similar gut microbiome structures, SPep significantly promoted Lactobacillus and Phascolarctobacterium growth. The results showed that SPep significantly increased the diversity of the gut microbiota and elevated the probiotic proportion.

Practical Application

SPro and SPep are two nutritious and high‐quality nitrogen sources. The results showed that SPro and SPep regulated the structure of gut microbiota in rats, and the effect of SPep was better. This study provides a theoretical basis for developing SPep functional foods able to regulate gut microbiota and maintain health.
The r package enerscape: A general energy landscape framework for terrestrial movement ecology
Authors: Berti Emilio , Davoli Marco , Buitenwerf Robert , Dyer Alexander , Hansen Oskar L. P. , Hirt Myriam , Svenning Jens‐Christian , Terlau Jördis F. , Brose Ulrich , Vollrath Fritz
Published: November 2021

Ecological processes and biodiversity patterns are strongly affected by how animals move through the landscape. However, it remains challenging to predict animal movement and space use. Here we present our new r package enerscape to quantify and predict animal movement in real landscapes based on energy expenditure.

enerscape integrates a general locomotory model for terrestrial animals with GIS tools in order to map energy costs of movement in a given environment, resulting in energy landscapes that reflect how energy expenditures may shape habitat use. enerscape only requires topographic data (elevation) and the body mass of the studied animal. To illustrate the potential of enerscape, we analyse the energy landscape for the Marsican bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) in a protected area in central Italy in order to identify least‐cost paths and high‐connectivity areas with low energy costs of travel.

enerscape allowed us to identify travel routes for the bear that minimize energy costs of movement and regions that have high landscape connectivity based on movement efficiency, highlighting potential corridors. It also identifies areas where high energy costs may prevent movement and dispersal, potentially exacerbating human–wildlife conflicts in the park. A major strength of enerscape is that it requires only widely available topographic and body size data. As such, enerscape permits a first cost‐effective way to estimate landscape use and movement corridors even when telemetry data are not readily available, such as for the example with the bear.

enerscape is built in a modular way and other movement modes and ecosystem types can be implemented when appropriate locomotory models are available. In summary, enerscape is a new general tool that quantifies, using minimal and widely available data, the energy costs of moving through a landscape. This can clarify how and why animals move in real landscapes and inform practical conservation and restoration decisions.
Cladribine therapy for advanced and indolent systemic mastocytosis: Mayo Clinic experience in 42 consecutive cases
Authors: Tefferi Ayalew , Kittur Jaya , Farrukh Faiqa , Begna Kebede H. , Patnaik Mrinal M. , Al‐Kali Aref , Elliott Michelle A. , Reichard Kaaren K. , Gangat Naseema , Pardanani Animesh
Published: November 2021

We describe our single institution experience with cladribine therapy in 42 patients with systemic mastocytosis (SM): 22 advanced (adv‐SM; median age 65 years, 68% males) and 20 indolent/smouldering SM (ISM/SSM; median age 56 years, 45% males); subcategories included eight aggressive, 13 associated with another haematological neoplasm, one mast cell leukaemia, 17 ISM and three SSM. Overall/major response rates were 77%/45% for adv‐SM and 70%/60% for ISM/SSM, and median (range) duration of response 10 (4–75) and 46 (4–140) months respectively. A >50% reduction in bone marrow mast cell burden and serum tryptase level was documented in 63% and 67% of patients with adv‐SM and 50% and 46% with ISM/SSM respectively. The presence of KIT proto‐oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT)D816V predicted response in adv‐SM: 17 (90%) of 19 with and none of three without the mutation responded (P < 0·01). Treatment‐emergent adverse events were mostly limited to transient cytopenias: Grade 3/4 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, or lymphopenia occurred in 27%, 27% and 27% of patients with adv‐SM, and 5%, 5% and 30% with ISM/SSM respectively. The present study provides practical information that might be considered when making treatment choices between cladribine and newer KIT‐targeted therapies and identifies the absence of KITD816V as a potential marker of cladribine resistance in advanced SM; the latter observation needs confirmation in a larger study.
Types of parental psychological control and rural and urban Chinese adolescents’ psychological well‐being and academic functioning
Authors: Fang Qi , Liu Chunqiong , Tang Yanbo , Shi Zeyi , Wang Qian , Helwig Charles C.
Published: November 2021

The present study took a differentiated perspective on parental psychological control to examine its impact on adolescent adjustment among urban (n = 349, females: 53%) and rural (n = 293, females: 54%) Chinese adolescents (Mage = 12.14 years). Four times over the first 2 years of Junior High school (from October, 2016 to April, 2018), adolescents reported on parental psychological control, their psychological well‐being (life satisfaction and depressive symptoms), and academic relative autonomy. Adolescents’ grades also were obtained. The findings show generally negative effects of social comparison shame, love withdrawal and harsh psychological control (but not shared shame or parental relationship‐oriented guilt induction) on adolescents’ psychological well‐being, and negative effects of social comparison shame on adolescents’ academic functioning.
Principal–principal conflicts: An exploratory study in privatized companies in an Asian emerging economy
Authors: Eraković Ljiljana , Tran Trang Thi Thu , Stringer Christina
Published: November 2021

Research Question/Issue

This study examines the phenomenon of principal–principal conflicts in privatized companies in Vietnam. Since different types of shareholders may have competing interests, our study aims to address the following question: “How do different types of shareholders affect principal–principal conflicts in privatized companies in Asian emerging economies?”

Research Findings/Insights

Through a qualitative study, including 31 semistructured interviews with various governance actors from 14 privatized companies in Vietnam, we identify four types of principal–principal conflicts: (a) state controlling owners versus nonstate owners, (b) manager‐owners and affiliated strategic investors versus employee‐owners, (c) multiple opportunistic strategic investors versus minority employee‐owners, and (d) hibernating strategic investors versus other inside owners.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

Our study contributes to the extant research on principal–principal conflicts in emerging economies. We advance the debate on the complexity of relationships between inside and outside shareholders. Our findings demonstrate that an understanding of controlling and minority shareholders and institutional conditions provides a more fine‐grained understanding of the complexity of principal–principal conflicts.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

Our findings offer insights into how different types of shareholders seek to advance their own interests. This, in turn, can lead to them misinterpreting legal requirements. Thus, policymakers should consider different types of strategic investors and their strategic intent in the privatization process.
Excess liver transplant waitlist mortality for patients with primary biliary cholangitis under MELD‐Na allocation
Authors: Zhou Kali , Dodge Jennifer L. , Xu Edison , Emamaullee Juliet , Kahn Jeffrey A.
Published: November 2021

Background

Historically, patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) experience waitlist mortality and low rates of liver transplant (LT). Herein, the impact of MELD‐Na based allocation on PBC waitlist mortality was examined.

Methods

Adult patients with PBC were compared to those with alcohol‐related liver disease (ALD) or non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) listed for LT from 2013 to 2019 in OPTN. Competing risk regression evaluated waitlist mortality in the MELD and MELD‐Na eras using propensity score weights.

Results

Overall, 1508 patients with PBC, 13581 with ALD, and 10455 with NASH were examined. In the MELD‐Na era, 24‐month cumulative incidence of waitlist mortality for PBC was 23.0% (95%CI 19.7–26.5%), ALD 13.9% (95%CI 13.1–14.8%), and NASH 20.0% (95%CI 18.9–21.2%). Using propensity score weights, adjusted risk of waitlist mortality was higher for PBC versus ALD (HR = 1.45, 95%CI 1.22–1.71) and NASH (HR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.14–1.55). Furthermore, among PBC, waitlist mortality risk per five‐point elevation in MELD‐Na (HR = 1.22, 95%CI 1.11–1.35) and Karnofsky score ≤30% (HR = 2.02, 95%CI 1.39–2.92) was significantly higher than among ALD (HR = 1.08, 95%CI 1.04–1.13; HR = 1.28, 95%CI 1.10–1.49) and NASH (HR = 1.05, 95%CI 1.00–1.09; HR = 1.16, 95%CI .99–1.37; all P‐interactions < .05).

Conclusions

The MELD‐Na score continues to underestimate risk of waitlist death for patients with PBC relative to ALD and NASH and highlights need for additional score modifications or exceptions.