bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A validation study of the identification of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in England using population-based health data
Authors: Bishton Mark , Stilwell Peter , Card Tim R , Lanyon Peter , Ban Lu , Elliss-Brookes Lucy , Manson Jessica , Nanduri Vasanta , Earp Kate , Flower Luke , Amarnani Raj , Rankin Judith , Sen Ethan S , Tattersall Rachel S , Crooks Colin J , Aston Jeanette , Siskova Veronika , West Joe , Bythell Mary
Published: May 2021

We assessed the validity of coded health care data to identify cases of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) identified 127 cases within five hospital Trusts 2013-2018 using ICD-10 codes D76.1, D76.2 and D76.3. Hospital records were reviewed to validate diagnoses. 73/74 patients with confirmed/probable HLH were coded D76.1 or D76.2 (positive predictive value 89.0% [95% CI 80.2-94.9%]). For cases considered not HLH, 44/53 were coded D76.3 (negative predictive value 97.8% [95% CI 88.2%-99.9%]). D76.1 or D76.2 had 68% sensitivity in detecting HLH compared to an established active case finding HLH register in Sheffield. Office for National Statistics (ONS) mortality data (2003-2018) identified 698 patients coded D76.1, D76.2 and D76.3 on death certificates. 541 were coded D76.1 or D76.2 of whom 524(96.9%) had HLH in the free text cause of death. Of 157 coded D76.3, 66(42.0%) had HLH in free text.

D76.1 and D76.2 codes reliably identify HLH cases, and provide a lower bound on incidence. Non-concordance between D76.3 and HLH excludes D76.3 as an ascertainment source from HES. Our results suggest electronic health care data in England can enable population wide registration and analysis of HLH for future research.
Dementia Prediction in Older People through Topic-cued Spontaneous Conversation
Authors: Rutkowski Tomasz M. , Abe Masato S. , Tokunaga Seiki , Otake-Matsuura Mihoko
Published: May 2021

Abstract

An increase in dementia cases is producing significant medical and economic pressure in many communities. This growing problem calls for the application of AI-based technologies to support early diagnostics, and for subsequent non-pharmacological cognitive interventions and mental well-being monitoring. We present a practical application of a machine learning (ML) model in the domain known as ‘AI for social good’. In particular, we focus on early dementia onset prediction from speech patterns in natural conversation situations. This paper explains our model and study results of conversational speech pattern-based prognostication of mild dementia onset indicated by predictive Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores. Experiments with elderly subjects are conducted in natural conversation situations, with four members in each study group. We analyze the resulting four-party conversation speech transcripts within a natural language processing (NLP) deep learning framework to obtain conversation embedding. With a fully connected deep learning model, we use the conversation topic changing distances for subsequent MMSE score prediction. This pilot study is conducted with Japanese elderly subjects within a healthy group. The best median MMSE prediction errors are at the level of 0.167, with a median coefficient of determination equal to 0.330 and a mean absolute error of 0.909. The results presented are easily reproducible for other languages by swapping the language model in the proposed deep-learning conversation embedding approach.
Predicting bloodstream infection outcome using machine learning
Authors: Zoabi Yazeed , Kehat Orli , Lahav Dan , Weiss-Meilik Ahuva , Adler Amos , Shomron Noam
Published: May 2021

Bloodstream infections (BSI) are a main cause of infectious disease morbidity and mortality world-wide. Early prediction of patients at high risk of poor outcomes of BSI is important for earlier decision making and effective patient stratification. We developed electronic medical record-based machine learning models that predict patient outcomes of BSI. The area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve was 0.82 for a full featured inclusive model, and 0.81 for a compact model using only 25 features. Our models were trained, using electronic medical records that include demographics, blood tests, and the medical and diagnosis history of 7,889 hospitalized patients diagnosed with BSI. Among the implications of this work is implementation of the models as a basis for selective rapid microbiological identification, toward earlier administration of appropriate antibiotic therapy. Additionally, our models may help reduce the development of BSI and its associated adverse health outcomes and complications.
Association of C-reactive protein and Interleukin-6 single nucleotide polymorphisms with preterm labour: results of a pilot study
Authors: Sato Akira , Miura Hiroshi , Onodera Yohei , Shirasawa Hiromitu , Kameyama Saeko , Fujishima Akiko , Kikuti Yuko , Goto Mayumi , Sato Toshiharu , Terada Yukihiro
Published: May 2021

Preterm labour (PTL) can be described as an inflammatory event. C-reactive protein (CRP) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) are key members of the innate immune response that play major roles in inflammation. The main objective of this case-control study was to determine the association of specific CRP and IL-6 polymorphisms with PTL. The study was carried out in a total of 31 Japanese women with PTL and 28 control women with normal pregnancy. Four SNPs in the CRP gene (rs1800947, rs3091244, rs2794521, and rs3093059) and two SNPs in the IL-6 gene (rs2097677 and rs1800795) were genotyped using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. Biochemical parameters were assayed and cervical length measurements were performed with ultrasound sonography. There were no significant differences in inflammatory markers, including white blood cell count, CRP, neutrophil elastase in cervical mucous, and foetal fibronectin in vaginal discharge, between the PTL and control groups. The frequency of rs1800947 minor allele (G) was significantly higher in the PTL group than in the control group. This finding has not been previously reported. We suggest that mutations in rs1800947 may lead to PTL. Thus, the rs1800947 SNP may be useful as a genetic marker for PTL risk assessment in pregnant women.
Frequent suboptimal thermocycler ramp rate usage negatively impacts MTBDRsl performance for second-line drug resistant tuberculosis diagnosis
Authors: Derendinger Brigitta , de Vos Margaretha , Pillay Samantha , Venter Rouxjeane , Metcalfe John , Ghebrekristos Yonas , Minnies Stephanie , Dolby Tania , Beylis Natalie , Warren Robin , Theron Grant
Published: May 2021

Strengthening the detection of second-line drug-resistance is a key tuberculosis (TB) control priority. The performance of MTBDRplus, a multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB assay is reduced when suboptimal ramp rates are used. We investigated ramp rate’s effect on MTBDRsl; the most widely-used molecular second-line drug-resistant TB assay.

We tested 52 smear-negative Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra-positive sputa and a Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) dilution series at manufacturer-recommended (2.2°C/s) or most common suboptimal ramp rate (4.0°C/s; identified via an earlier survey). Mtb-complex DNA (TUB-band)-positivity, indeterminate rates, fluoroquinolone- and second-line injectable-resistance accuracy, banding differences and, separately, inter-reader variability were assessed.

39% of re-surveyed laboratories (5/13) did not use the manufacturer-recommended MTBDRsl ramp rate. On sputum, this ramp rate improved indeterminates vs. 4.0°C/s (0/52 vs. 7/51; p=0.006), false drug-resistance calls (0/104 vs. 6/102; p=0.013), and incorrect banding calls (0/1300 vs. 55/1275; p<0.001). Valid results (neither TUB-negative, indeterminate, nor any false drug-resistance calls) (52/52 vs. 41/51; p=0.001) on sputa hence improved by +21% (95% CI: 8-34%) with optimal ramp rate usage. Suboptimal ramp rate increased banding call inter-reader variability [52/1300 (4%) vs. 34/1300 (3%); p=0.030] on sputa but not dilution series; highlighting the importance of using clinical specimens for assay performance evaluations.

Suboptimal ramp rate contributes to poor MTBDRsl performance. Ramp rate correction will improve second-line drug-resistant TB diagnoses. Laboratories must ensure the optimal manufacturer-recommended ramp rate is used.
Changes in the urinary proteome in rats with regular swimming exercise
Authors: Meng Wenshu , Xu Dan , Meng Yunchen , Zhang Weinan , Zhen Zhiping , Gao Youhe
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Urine can sensitively reflect early pathophysiological changes in the body. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the urine proteome could reflect changes in regular swimming exercise.

Methods

In this study, experimental rats were subjected to daily moderate-intensity swimming exercise for 7 weeks. Urine samples were collected at weeks 2, 5, and 7 and were analyzed by using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Results

Unsupervised clustering analysis of all urinary proteins identified at week 2 showed that the swimming group was distinctively different from the control group. Compared to the control group, a total of 112, 61 and 44 differential proteins were identified in the swimming group at weeks 2, 5 and 7, respectively. Randomized grouping statistical analysis showed that more than 85% of the differential proteins identified in this study were caused by swimming exercise rather than random allocation. According to the Human Protein Atlas, the differential proteins that have human orthologs were strongly expressed in the liver, kidney and intestine. Functional annotation analysis revealed that these differential proteins were involved in glucose metabolism and immunity-related pathways.

Conclusion

Our results revealed that the urinary proteome could reflect significant changes following regular swimming exercise. These findings may suggest an approach to monitoring whether the amount of exercise is appropriate.
A mutation-selection model of protein evolution under persistent positive selection
Authors: Tamuri Asif U. , dos Reis Mario
Published: May 2021

We use first principles of population genetics to model the evolution of proteins under persistent positive selection (PPS). PPS may occur when organisms are subjected to persistent environmental change, during adaptive radiations, or in host-pathogen interactions. Our mutation-selection model indicates protein evolution under PPS is an irreversible Markov process, and thus proteins under PPS show a strongly asymmetrical distribution of selection coefficients among amino acid substitutions. Our model shows the criteria ω > 1 (where ω is the ratio of non-synonymous over synonymous codon substitution rates) to detect positive selection is conservative and indeed arbitrary, because in real proteins many mutations are highly deleterious and are removed by selection even at positively-selected sites. We use a penalized-likelihood implementation of our model to successfully detect PPS in plant RuBisCO and influenza HA proteins. By directly estimating selection coefficients at protein sites, our inference procedure bypasses the need for using ω as a surrogate measure of selection and improves our ability to detect molecular adaptation in proteins.

Significance Statement

Understanding how natural selection acts on proteins is important as it can inform studies from adaptive radiations to host-pathogen co-evolution. Traditionally, selection on proteins is inferred indirectly by measuring the non-synonymous to synonymous rate ratio, ω, with ω > 1, = 1, and < 1 indicating positive (adaptive) selection, neutral evolution, and negative (purifying) selection respectively. However, the theoretical underpinnings of this ratio are not well understood. Here we use first-principles of population genetics to work out how persistent changes in selection affect protein evolution and we use our new model to detect adaptive sites in plant and influenza proteins. We show measuring selection directly improves detection of adaptation in proteins.
Possible Implications of AlphaFold2 for Crystallographic Phasing by Molecular Replacement
Authors: McCoy Airlie J. , Sammito Massimo D. , Read Randy J.
Published: May 2021

The AlphaFold2 results in the 14th edition of Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP14) showed that accurate (low root-mean-square deviation) in silico models of protein structure domains are on the horizon, whether or not the protein is related to known structures through high- coverage sequence similarity. As highly accurate models become available, generated by harnessing the power of correlated mutations and deep learning, one of the aspects of structural biology to be impacted will be methods of phasing in crystallography. We here use the data from CASP14 to explore the prospect for changes in phasing methods, and in particular to explore the prospects for molecular replacement phasing using in silico models.

Synopsis

We discuss the implications of the AlphaFold2 protein structure modelling software for crystallographic phasing strategies.
Genomic evidence for inbreeding depression and purging of deleterious genetic variation in Indian tigers
Authors: Khan Anubhab , Patel Kaushalkumar , Shukla Harsh , Viswanathan Ashwin , van der Valk Tom , Borthakur Udayan , Nigam Parag , Zachariah Arun , Jhala Yadavendradev , Kardos Marty , Ramakrishnan Uma
Published: May 2021

Increasing habitat fragmentation leads to wild populations becoming small, isolated, and threatened by inbreeding depression. However, small populations may be able to purge recessive deleterious alleles as they become expressed in homozygotes, thus reducing inbreeding depression and increasing population viability. We used whole genomes sequencing from 57 tigers to estimate individual inbreeding and mutation loads in a small-isolated, and two large-connected populations in India. As expected, the small-isolated population had substantially higher average genomic inbreeding (FROH=0.57) than the large-connected (FROH=0.35 and FROH=0.46) populations. The small-isolated population had the lowest loss-of-function mutation load, likely due to purging of highly deleterious recessive mutations. The large populations had lower missense mutation loads than the small-isolated population, but were not identical, possibly due to different demographic histories. While the number of the loss-of-function alleles in the small-isolated population was lower, these alleles were at high frequencies and homozygosity than in the large populations. Together, our data and analyses provide evidence of (a) high mutation load; (b) purging and (c) the highest predicted inbreeding depression, despite purging, in the small-isolated population. Frequency distributions of damaging and neutral alleles uncover genomic evidence that purifying selection has removed part of the mutation load across Indian tiger populations. These results provide genomic evidence for purifying selection in both small and large populations, but also suggest that the remaining deleterious alleles may have inbreeding associated fitness costs. We suggest that genetic rescue from sources selected based on genome-wide differentiation should offset any possible impacts of inbreeding depression.
Mechanism of the Switch from NO to H2O2 in Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Diabetes
Authors: Juguilon Cody , Wang Zhiyuan , Wang Yang , Jamaiyar Anurag , Xu Yanyong , Enrick Molly , Gadd James , Chen Chwen-Lih W. , Pu Autumn , Kolz Chris , Ohanyan Vahagn , Chen Yeong-Renn , Zhang Yanqiao , Chilian William M , Yin Liya
Published: May 2021

Coronary microvascular dysfunction is prevalent among diabetics and is correlated with cardiac mortality. Compromised endothelial-dependent dilation (EDD) is an early event in the progression of diabetes, but the mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Nitric oxide (NO) is the major endothelium-dependent vasodilatory metabolite in the healthy coronary circulation, but switches to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Because diabetes is a major risk factor for CAD we hypothesized that a similar switch from NO-to-H2O2 occurs in diabetes. Methods: Vasodilation was measured ex vivo in isolated coronary arteries from wild type (WT) and microRNA-21 (miR-21) null mice fed chow or high fat and sugar diet, and LepR null (db/db) mice using myography. Myocardial blood flow (MBF), blood pressure, and heart rate were measured in vivo using contrast echocardiography and a solid-state pressure sensor catheter. RNA from coronary arteries, endothelial cells and hearts were analyzed via qPCR for gene expression and protein expression was assessed via Western-Blot analyses. Superoxide was detected via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Results: 1) Ex vivo coronary EDD and in vivo MBF was impaired in diabetes. 2) L-NAME (NO-synthase inhibitor) inhibited ex vivo coronary EDD and in vivo MBF in WT, while PEG-catalase (H2O2 scavenger) inhibited diabetic EDD ex vivo and MBF in vivo. 5) miR-21 deficiency blocked the NO-to-H2O2 switch and prevented diabetic vasodilation impairments. 6) Diabetic mice displayed increased serum NO and H2O2, upregulated mRNA expression of Sod1, Sod2, iNos, and Cav-1, and downregulated Pgc-1α. Deficiency of miR-21 reversed these changes. 7) miR-21 deficiency increased PGC1α, PPARα and eNOS protein and reduced detection of endothelial superoxide. Conclusions: Diabetics exhibit an NO-to-H2O2 switch in the mediator of EDD coronary dilation, which contributed to microvascular dysfunction and is mediated by miR-21. This study represents the first mouse model recapitulating the NO-to-H2O2 switch seen in CAD patients.
Somatic structural variant formation is guided by and influences genome architecture
Authors: Sidiropoulos Nikos , Mardin Balca R. , Rodríguez-González F. Germán , Garg Shilpa , Stütz Adrian M. , Korbel Jan O. , Aiden Erez Lieberman , Weischenfeldt Joachim
Published: May 2021

The occurrence and formation of genomic structural variants (SV) is known to be influenced by the 3D chromatin architecture, but the extent and magnitude has been challenging to study. Here, we apply Hi-C to study chromatin organization before and after induction of chromothripsis in human cells. We use Hi-C to manually assemble the derivative chromosomes following the massive complex rearrangements, which allowed us to study the sources of SV formation and their consequences on gene regulation. We observe an action-reaction interplay whereby the 3D chromatin architecture directly impacts on the location and formation of SVs. In turn, the SVs reshape the chromatin organization to alter the local topologies, replication timing and gene regulation in cis. We show that genomic compartments and replication timing are important determinants for juxtaposing distant loci to form SVs across 30 different cancer types with a pronounced abundance of SVs between early replicating regions in uterine cancer. We find that SVs frequently occur at 3D loop-anchors, cause compartment switching and changes in replication timing, and that this is a major source of SV-mediated effects on nearby gene expression changes.
Evolutionary coexistence in a fluctuating environment by specialization on resource level
Authors: Wortel Meike T.
Published: May 2021

Microbial communities in fluctuating environments, such as the human gut or repeated dilutions in the laboratory, contain a wealth of diversity. Diversity contributes to the stability and function of communities and is maintained by underlying mechanisms. When nutrient levels fluctuate over time, one possibly relevant mechanism is that types specialize on low and high nutrient levels. The relevance of this process is supported by observations of coexistence in the laboratory, and by simple models, that show that negative frequency dependence of two such types can stabilize coexistence. However, as microbial populations are often large and numerous, they evolve. Our aim is to determine what happens when species can evolve; whether evolutionary branching can create diversity or whether evolution will destabilize coexistence.

We derive the selection coefficient in fluctuating environments and use adaptive dynamics to find that evolutionary stable coexistence requires a special type of trade-off between growth at low and high nutrients. We do not find support for the necessary trade-off in data available for the bacterium Escherichia coli and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae on glucose. However, this type data is scarce, and might exist for other species or in different conditions. Moreover, we do find evidence for the right trade-off and evolutionarily stable coexistence of the two species together. Since we find this coexistence in the scarce data that is available, we predict that specialization on resource level is a relevant mechanism for species diversity in microbial communities in fluctuating environments in natural settings.
The Global Protein-RNA Interaction map of Epithelial Splicing Regulatory Protein 1 defines a post-transcriptional program that is essential for epithelial cell function
Authors: Peart Natoya J. , Hwang Jae Yeon , Quesnel- Vallières Mathieu , Sears Matthew J. , Yang Yuequin , Stoilov Peter , Barash Yoseph , Park Juw Won , Carstens Russ P.
Published: May 2021

The epithelial splicing regulatory proteins, ESRP1 and ESRP2 are essential for mammalian development through regulation of a global program of alternative splicing of genes involved in maintenance of epithelial cell function. To further inform our understanding of the molecular functions of ESRP1 we performed enhanced crosslinking immunoprecipitation coupled with high throughput sequencing (eCLIP) in epithelial cells of mouse epidermis. The genome-wide binding sites of ESRP1 were integrated with RNA-Seq analysis of alterations in splicing and total gene expression that result from epidermal ablation of Esrp1 and Esrp2. These studies demonstrated that ESRP1 functions in splicing regulation occur primarily through direct binding in a position-dependent manner to either promote exon inclusion or skipping. In addition, we also identified widespread binding of ESRP1 in 3’ and 5’ untranslated regions (UTRs) of genes involved in epithelial cell function suggesting that its post-transcriptional functions extend beyond splicing regulation.
Deciphering ion transport and ATPase coupling in the intersubunit tunnel of KdpFABC
Authors: Silberberg Jakob M , Corey Robin A , Hielkema Lisa , Stock Charlott , Stansfeld Phillip J , Paulino Cristina , Hänelt Inga
Published: May 2021

KdpFABC, a high-affinity K+ pump, combines the ion channel KdpA and the P-type ATPase KdpB to secure survival at K+ limitation. Here, we apply a combination of cryo-EM, biochemical assays, and MD simulations to illuminate the mechanisms underlying transport and the coupling to ATP hydrolysis. We unambiguously show that ions are transported via an intersubunit tunnel through KdpA and KdpB. At the subunit interface, the tunnel is constricted by a phenylalanine, which, by polarized cation-π stacking, controls K+ entry into the canonical substrate binding site (CBS) of KdpB. Within the CBS, ATPase coupling is mediated by the charge distribution between an aspartate and a lysine. Interestingly, individual elements of the ion translocation mechanism of KdpFABC identified here are conserved among a wide variety of P-type ATPases from different families. This leads us to the hypothesis that KdpB might represent an early descendant of a common ancestor of cation pumps.
Hybridization and range expansion in tamarisk beetles (Diorhabda spp.) introduced to North America for classical biological control
Authors: Stahlke Amanda R. , Bitume Ellyn V. , Ozsoy A. Zeynep , Bean Dan W. , Veillet Anne , Clark Meaghan I. , Clark Eliza I. , Moran Patrick , Hufbauer Ruth A. , Hohenlohe Paul A.
Published: May 2021

With the global rise of human-mediated translocations and invasions, it is critical to understand the genomic consequences of hybridization and mechanisms of range expansion. Conventional wisdom is that high genetic drift and loss of genetic diversity due to repeated founder effects will constrain introduced species. However, reduced genetic variation can be countered by behavioral aspects and admixture with other distinct populations. As planned invasions, classical biological control (biocontrol) agents present important opportunities to understand the mechanisms of establishment and spread in a novel environment. The ability of biocontrol agents to spread and adapt, and their effects on local ecosystems, depends on genomic variation and the consequences of admixture in novel environments. Here we use a biocontrol system to examine the genome-wide outcomes of introduction, spread, and hybridization in four cryptic species of a biocontrol agent, the tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinata, D. carinulata, D. elongata, and D. sublineata), introduced from six localities across Eurasia to control the invasive shrub tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) in western North America. We assembled a de novo draft reference genome and applied RADseq to over 500 individuals from laboratory cultures, the native ranges, and across the introduced range. Despite evidence of a substantial genetic bottleneck among D. carinulata in N. America, populations continue to establish and spread, possibly due to aggregation behavior. We found that D. carinata, D. elongata, and D. sublineata hybridize in the field to varying extents, with D. carinata x D. sublineata hybrids being the most abundant. Genetic diversity was greater at sites with hybrids, highlighting potential for increased ability to adapt and expand. Our results demonstrate the complex patterns of genomic variation that can result from introduction of multiple ecotypes or species for biocontrol, and the importance of understanding them to predict and manage the effects of biocontrol agents in novel ecosystems.
Adaptive immune determinants of viral clearance and protection in mouse models of SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Israelow Benjamin , Mao Tianyang , Klein Jonathan , Song Eric , Menasche Bridget , Omer Saad B. , Iwasaki Akiko
Published: May 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused more than 160 million infections and more than 3 million deaths worldwide. While effective vaccines are currently being deployed, the adaptive immune determinants which promote viral clearance and confer protection remain poorly defined. Using mouse models of SARS-CoV-2, we demonstrate that both humoral and cellular adaptive immunity contributes to viral clearance in the setting of primary infection. Furthermore, we find that either convalescent mice, or mice that receive mRNA vaccination are protected from both homologous infection and infection with a variant of concern, B.1.351. Additionally, we find this protection to be largely mediated by antibody response and not cellular immunity. These results highlight the in vivo protective capacity of antibodies generated to both vaccine and natural infection.

One-Sentence Summary

Defining the roles of humoral and cellular adaptive immunity in viral clearance and protection from SARS-CoV-2 and a variant of concern.
How does episodic memory develop in adolescence?
Authors: Mechie Imogen R , Plaisted-Grant Kate , Cheke Lucy G
Published: May 2021

Key areas of the episodic memory (EM) network demonstrate changing structure and volume during adolescence. EM is multifaceted and yet studies of EM thus far have largely examined single components, used different methods and have unsurprisingly yielded inconsistent results. The Treasure Hunt task is a single paradigm that allows parallel investigation of memory content, associative structure, and the impact of different retrieval support. Combining the cognitive and neurobiological accounts, we hypothesized that some elements of EM performance may decline in late adolescence owing to considerable restructuring of the hippocampus at this time. Using the Treasure Hunt task, we examined EM performance in 80 participants aged 10–17 yr. Results demonstrated a cubic trajectory with youngest and oldest participants performing worst. This was emphasized in associative memory, which aligns well with existing literature indicating hippocampal restructuring in later adolescence. It is proposed that memory development may follow a nonlinear path as children approach adulthood, but that future work is required to confirm and extend the trends demonstrated in this study.
Emotional learning retroactively enhances item memory but distorts source attribution
Authors: Hennings Augustin C. , Lewis-Peacock Jarrod A. , Dunsmoor Joseph E.
Published: May 2021

An adaptive memory system should prioritize information surrounding a powerful learning event that may prove useful for predicting future meaningful events. The behavioral tagging hypothesis provides a mechanistic framework to interpret how weak experiences persist as durable memories through temporal association with a strong experience. Memories are composed of multiple elements, and different mnemonic aspects of the same experience may be uniquely affected by mechanisms that retroactively modulate a weakly encoded memory. Here, we investigated how emotional learning affects item and source memory for related events encoded close in time. Participants encoded trial-unique category exemplars before, during, and after Pavlovian fear conditioning. Selective retroactive enhancements in 24-h item memory were accompanied by a bias to misattribute items to the temporal context of fear conditioning. The strength of this source memory bias correlated with participants’ retroactive item memory enhancement, and source misattribution to the emotional context predicted whether items were remembered overall. In the framework of behavioral tagging: Memory attribution was biased to the temporal context of the stronger event that provided the putative source of memory stabilization for the weaker event. We additionally found that fear conditioning selectively and retroactively enhanced stimulus typicality ratings for related items, and that stimulus typicality also predicted overall item memory. Collectively, these results provide new evidence that items related to emotional learning are misattributed to the temporal context of the emotional event and judged to be more representative of their semantic category. Both processes may facilitate memory retrieval for related events encoded close in time.
Innovation from sport's entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship: opportunities from a systematic review
Authors: Lara-Bocanegra Alejandro , Bohórquez M. Rocío , García-Fernández Jerónimo
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The main aim of this study was to analyze and establish the state of the question about entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in sport, identify the role of innovation in both of them, as well as to determine the latest study trends and detect possible research niches.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of the Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, ERIC, SPORTDiscus and Dialnet databases was performed. The analysis of the selected texts allowed categorizing the entrepreneurship articles into subthemes: precursors of entrepreneurship, intention/orientation of entrepreneurship, different perspectives of entrepreneurship in sport and social entrepreneurship in sport. Of the 49 texts included in the review, only seven articles dealt with intrapreneurship, and they could not be classified into subtopics because the studies are scarce, diverse and with disparate themes.

Findings

The main findings show deficiencies in research on precursors/antecedents of entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial behavior, especially in relation to innovation, the importance of the political perspective on entrepreneurship in sport and formulation of behavior training programs for intrapreneurs.

Originality/value

This paper provides valuable and global information about entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in sport, of which there were scattered or grouped data in some reviews.
Stakeholder views on sustainability in an urban destination context: an inclusive path to destination competitiveness
Authors: Panse Gaurav , Fyall Alan , Alvarez Sergio
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Mass tourism in urban settings has proven to be economically significant in many parts of the world. To date, however, the academic debate on sustainable tourism has focused primarily on the ecological and socio-cultural sustainability of tourism in rural and coastal, rather than urban, settings. This paper aims to review the emerging debate on sustainable urban tourism, its complexities and challenges, and questions how urban destinations that are striving to become sustainable cities, can leverage benefit from the implementation of sustainable policies and practices to achieve tourism ‘destination’ competitiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a qualitative, exploratory research approach using in-depth interviews to seek responses from key stakeholders on their views and experiences of sustainability in the context of an urban destination. Thematic analysis is used to analyze and present the findings.

Findings

This study concludes that destinations need to be viewed in their broader regional context. Rather than be viewed solely as destinations that are ‘kind to the environment,’ sustainable urban destinations need to demonstrate a deeper commitment to all stakeholder groups, and especially local residents, to provide a fair and desirable ecosystem for achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Originality/value

This paper reflects on the potential relationship between ‘urban sustainability’ and the ‘destination competitiveness’ of an urban tourism destination. This then will provide the platform for sustainability to truly contribute to future destination competitiveness.
Cultural learning process: lesson from microhistory
Authors: Yu Tianyuan , Mills Albert J.
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the cultural learning process (namely, the development, practice and enhancement of cultural intelligence (CQ)) of a successful entrepreneur – Harold Bixby, a Pan American Airways expatriate, as reflected in the memoir of his experiences in China during 1933–1938.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a microhistory approach as a methodology for studying history and the past while ultimately requiring evaluations informed by the present. This paper first identifies the literature gap on CQ development and the need to study historical accounts of the past in assessing the CQ development process. This study then outlines the four key foci of microhistory as a heuristic for making sense of on-going and past accounts of selected phenomena.

Findings

This paper finds that specific personality traits (namely, openness to experience and self-efficacy), knowledge accumulation through deep cultural immersion (namely, extensive reading/study, visiting/observation and interacting/conversation), critical incident and metacognition all contributed to Bixby’s CQ development, which was a time-consuming process.

Originality/value

The study contributes to debates around cultural learning and historical organization studies by providing a rich, qualitative study of CQ assessment and CQ development through microhistory. This study highlights the importance of cognitive CQ and the function of extensive reading/studying in the process of knowledge accumulation. This paper draws attention to critical incidents as an underexplored way of learning tacit knowledge. Moreover, this study suggests metacognitive CQ can be enhanced through meditative and reflexive teaching and research practices. These findings have significant implications for cross-cultural training programs.
Epistemological considerations about mathematical concepts
Authors: Usó Doménech José Luis , Nescolarde-Selva Josué Antonio , Gash Hugh
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Categories (particular (P) and general (V)) constitute a bipole with epistemological implications. The mutual categorical implication of this bipole is embodied in ordinary notions. It follows that a concept because it forms an element of concrete, sensible-rational, practical-theoretical activity has to unite the two inseparable poles, the general and the particular. If the concept of a physical quantity is abstract in relation to the physical object, it is concrete in comparison with mathematical quantity. This product of a secondary abstraction covers the background of physical qualities to extract the pure number, legitimately named abstract number. Both kinds of numbers are mutually exclusive: either the numbers are attached to a unit name and the number is concrete or nothing is attached and the number is abstract. However, in addition to their coordination in extension, they involve each other in comprehension: in fact, the pure number is the general pole V and concrete numbers form the particular pole of the dialectical concept of number K. The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for epistemological issues that arise in the context of meaning, concepts and use of words.

Design/methodology/approach

A dialectical theory of the binomial comprehension-extension of mathematical magnitudes.

Findings

The findings provide an objection to the traditional deductive order being also true in mathematics, and also that the reverse order cannot be considered as characteristic of mathematics, but show dialectic as universal. This opens the way to the special scientific deduction (mathematical, physical, biological, etc). going from the general to individual.

Originality/value

The structure of the mathematical concepts is elaborated.
Halochromic optical nose for assessment of spoilage of packed seer fish (II): leaching resistance, correlation between halochromism and volatile amines
Authors: Devarayan Kesavan , P. Padmavathi , Sivakami Nagaraju Kopperundevi
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Development of thin film sensors with pH function for noninvasive real-time monitoring of spoilage of packed seafood such as fish, crab and shrimp are described in this study. It is also the purpose of this study to enhance the leaching resistance of the sensors by using a suitable strategy and to quantitatively correlate the sensor’s halochromism with the total volatile amine.

Design/methodology/approach

To prepare halochromic sensors with better leaching resistance, biocompatible materials such as starch, agar, polyvinyl alcohol and cellulose acetate along with a halochromic dye were used to prepare the thin film sensors. These thin films were evaluated for monitoring the spoilage of packed seafood at room temperature, 4°C and −2°C up to 30 days. The halochromic sensors were characterized using UV-visible and FT-IR spectroscopy.

Findings

CIELab analyses of the halochromism of the thin film sensors revealed that the color changes exhibited by the sensors in response to the spoilage of seafood are visually distinguishable. Further, the halochromic response of the thin films was directly proportional to the amount of total volatile base nitrogen that evolved from the packed seafood. Excellent leaching resistance was observed for the developed thin film sensors. The halochromic property of the sensors is reversible and thus the sensors are recyclable. Besides, the thin film sensors exhibited significant biodegradability.

Originality/value

This study provides insights for use of different biocompatible polymers for obtaining enhanced leaching resistance in halochromic sensors. Further, the color changes exhibited by the sensors are in line with the total volatile amines evolved from the packed seafood. These results highlight the importance of the developed halochromic thin film sensors for real-time monitoring of the spoilage of packed seafood.
Mapping the evolution of research themes in business ethics: a co-word network analysis
Authors: Kumar Vivek , Srivastava Arpita
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to map the evolution of research in business ethics from 1991 to 2018. It aims to identify the major themes and how they have evolved. It also aims to identify gaps in the literature for recommending future research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses co-word network analysis. Co-word network analysis is a bibliometric technique used to objectively identify research themes via article keywords. The study examines articles from 1991 to 2018, which is a span encompassing a greater number of articles than previous bibliometric studies in business ethics. This time span was split into four periods and major research themes were identified for each period to map the changes in research agendas in the business ethics discipline over time.

Findings

The findings point to increasing maturation of the discipline, a slight decline in ethical decision-making research, a rise in research at the intersection of leadership and ethics and exponential growth in studies on corporate social responsibility. Ethical issues in business-to-business contexts are understudied. Research in environmental disclosures and leadership is expected to grow in the future.

Originality/value

This is the first study in business ethics to use keywords for analyzing the evolution of a discipline. This study encompasses more articles than any other study in business ethics. Finally, this is the only study to use co-word network analysis to study business ethics literature.
Who to find to endorse? Evaluation of online influencers among young consumers and its implications for effective influencer marketing
Authors: Tsen Wai Sing , Cheng Benjamin Ka Lun
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to identify the dimensions used by young consumers to evaluate effective online influencers; determine the impact of demographic segmentation – that is, gender, behavioral segmentation and whether young consumers often follow the advice of online influencers to make a purchase – on the evaluative dimensions. The results will inform advertisers regarding the types of online influencers that they should feature to endorse their products to create desirable promotion effects.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a multistage method. This study first conducted eight focus groups with 48 participants between 18 and 24 years of age to explore their evaluation of online influencers. This study then conducted a survey with a questionnaire developed from the focus group results. This study used convenience sampling and administered the questionnaire to 475 participants (mean age, 19.5 years).

Findings

The results of factor analysis revealed seven dimensions used by young consumers to evaluate online influencers. The most salient dimensions were credibility, appearance and content production techniques. The results of t-testing also show that gender and behavioral segmentation variables had an impact on these evaluative dimensions in the four tested product categories.

Practical implications

This study provides advertisers with a set of criteria to select appropriate online influencers in various advertising settings, such as the promotion of gender-specific products, and in various product categories that target young consumer markets.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the dimensions used by young consumers to evaluative online influencers in relation to product endorsement.
Persistence and clearance of high‐risk human papillomavirus and cervical dysplasia at 1 year in women living with human immunodeficiency virus: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Luckett R , Painter H , Hacker MR , Simon B , Seiphetlheng A , Erlinger A , Eakin C , Moyo S , Kyokunda LT , Esselen K , Feldman S , Morroni C , Ramogola‐Masire D
Published: May 2021

Objective

Evaluate 1‐year outcomes of cervical cancer screening and treatment using primary high‐risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

HIV treatment centre in Botswana.

Population

Women living with HIV.

Methods

Participants underwent cervical cancer screening with high‐risk HPV testing and triage evaluation at baseline and 1‐year follow up. Excisional treatment was offered as indicated. Histopathology was the reference standard.

Main outcome measures

Persistence, clearance and incidence of high‐risk HPV infection; and persistence, progression, regression, cure and incidence of cervical dysplasia.

Results

Among 300 women screened at baseline, 237 attended follow up (79%). High‐risk HPV positivity significantly decreased from 28% at baseline to 20% at 1 year (P = 0.02). High‐risk HPV persistence was 46% and clearance was 54%; incidence was high at 9%. Prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia Grade 2 (CIN2) or higher was most common in participants with incident high‐risk HPV (53%). CIN2 or higher was also common in those with persistent high‐risk HPV (32%) and even in those who cleared high‐risk HPV (30%). Of the high‐risk HPV‐positive participants at baseline with <CIN2, 40% progressed to CIN2 or higher at follow up.

Conclusion

The high incidence of high‐risk HPV and high‐grade cervical dysplasia in women living with HIV after one round of high‐risk HPV‐based screening and treatment raises concern about the rate of progression of high‐risk HPV infection to dysplasia. Persistent disease is common. Caution in spacing cervical cancer screening intervals using high‐risk HPV testing in women living with HIV is warranted.

Tweetable abstract

High incidence and persistence of HPV and CIN2+ in women living with HIV 1 year after screening and treatment.
Medicaid healthy behavior incentives and use of dental services
Authors: Elani Hawazin W. , Kawachi Ichiro , Sommers Benjamin D.
Published: May 2021

Objective

To examine changes in access to dental care in states using Section 1115 waivers to implement healthy behavior incentive (HBI) programs in their Medicaid expansion under the ACA, compared to traditional expansion states and nonexpansion states.

Data sources

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 2008 to 2018.

Study design

We used difference‐in‐differences analysis to compare changes in three Medicaid expansion states with HBI (Iowa, Indiana, Michigan) to traditional expansion (Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio) and nonexpansion states (Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming) in the same mid‐Western region of the country. The sample included 32 556 low‐income adults.

Data collection/extraction methods

NA.

Principal findings

We found no significant changes in dental visits associated with HBI or traditional expansion relative to nonexpansion states. HBI expansion was associated with an increase of 2.2 percentage points in reporting a dental visit in the past year for adults in urban areas (P < 0.05) while the traditional expansion was associated with a reduction of 8.5 percentage points (P < 0.01) in utilization in rural areas relative to nonexpansion states. However, after adjustment for preexisting trends, the coefficients were no longer significant, suggesting that these differences are likely due to preexisting trends.

Conclusions

We did not find evidence of increased utilization of routine dental care associated with HBI programs.