bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Selection for the bacterial capsule in the absence of biotic and abiotic aggressions depends on growth conditions
Authors: Buffet Amandine , Rocha Eduardo P.C. , Rendueles Olaya
Published: April 2020

Extracellular capsules protect the cell against both abiotic and biotic stresses such as bacteriophages and the host immune system. Yet, it is unclear if capsules contribute to fitness in the absence of external aggressions, in spite of the cost of production. Here, we enquire if there are conditions favouring the presence of the capsule inKlebsiella, where it is a major virulence factor. We shortly experimentally evolved 19 different strains, and show that small changes in growth media have a strong impact on the maintenance of the capsule. Competitions with capsule mutants in nine different strains showed that capsules provide ∼20% of fitness advantage in nutrient-poor conditions, due to faster growth rates and higher yields. In contrast, the capsule was readily lost in nutrient-rich media. The growth environment, as well as the capsule serotype, strongly influenced the role of the capsule in major virulence traits like hypermucoviscosity and biofilm formation. Our data shows that the capsule is selected for in situations lacking abiotic, but also biotic stresses and further supports that the capsule role in virulence may be a by-product of adaptation outside the host, hinting that it may have important roles in bacterial physiology yet to be discovered.

SIGNIFICANCE

Bacterial capsules are a wide-spread virulence factor that limits efficacy of antimicrobial therapy. Whereas most studies focus on the role of the capsule in pathogenesis, very few have addressed the conditions under which the capsule is primarily selected for. Here, we show that small changes in growth media have a strong impact in the maintenance of the capsule and the fitness advantage they confer. Our results raise the question whether conditions lacking biotic or abiotic stresses, in addition of selecting for the maintenance of the capsule, can also play a role in selecting for serotype variation. Our results further support that the role of the capsule in virulence may be a by-product of adaptation outside the host, hinting that there may be other functionalities yet to be discovered for it.
Light-inducedpsbAtranslation in plants is triggered by photosystem II damage via an assembly-linked autoregulatory circuit
Authors: Chotewutmontri Prakitchai , Barkan Alice
Published: April 2020

The D1 reaction center protein of Photosystem II (PSII) is subject to light-induced damage. Degradation of damaged D1 and its replacement by nascent D1 are at the heart of a PSII repair cycle, without which photosynthesis is inhibited. In mature plant chloroplasts, light stimulates the recruitment of ribosomes specifically topsbAmRNA to provide nascent D1 for PSII repair, and also triggers a global increase in translation elongation rate. The light-induced signals that initiate these responses are unclear. We present action spectrum and genetic data indicating that the light-induced recruitment of ribosomes topsbAmRNA is triggered by D1 photodamage, whereas the global stimulation of translation elongation is triggered by photosynthetic electron transport. Furthermore, mutants lacking HCF136, which mediates an early step in D1 assembly, exhibit constitutively highpsbAribosome occupancy in the dark, and differ in this way from mutants lacking PSII for other reasons. These results, together with the recent elucidation of a thylakoid membrane complex that functions in PSII assembly, PSII repair andpsbAtranslation, suggest an autoregulatory mechanism in which the light-induced degradation of D1 relieves repressive interactions between D1 and translational activators in the complex. We suggest that the presence of D1 in this complex coordinates D1 synthesis with the need for nascent D1 during both PSII biogenesis and PSII repair in plant chloroplasts.

Significance Statement

Photosystem II (PSII) harbors the water-splitting activity underlying oxygenic photosynthesis. The PSII reaction center protein D1 is subject to photodamage and must be replaced with nascent D1 to maintain photosynthetic activity. How new D1 synthesis is coordinated with D1 damage has been a long-standing question. Our results clarify the nature of the light-induced signal that activates D1 synthesis for PSII repair in plants, and suggest an autoregulatory mechanism in which degradation of damaged D1 relieves a repressive interaction between D1 and translational activators in a complex that functions in PSII assembly and repair. This proposed mechanism comprises a responsive switch that couples D1 synthesis to need for D1 during PSII biogenesis and repair.
Interplay between Anakonda, Gliotactin and M6 for tricellular junction assembly and anchoring of septate junctions inDrosophilaepithelium
Authors: de Bournonville Thomas Esmangart , Le Borgne Roland
Published: April 2020

In epithelia, Tricellular junctions (TCJs) serve as pivotal sites for barrier function and integration of both biochemical and mechanical signals. While essential for tissue homeostasis, TCJ assembly, composition and links to adjacent bicellular junctions (BCJs) remain poorly understood. Here we have characterized the assembly of TCJs within the plane of adherens junctions (tAJ) and the plane of septate junctions (tSJ) inDrosophilaand report that their formation is spatiotemporally decoupled. The assembly and stabilization of previously described tSJ components Anakonda (Aka) and Gliotactin (Gli) as well as the newly reported tSJ proteolipid protein M6, is shown to be a complex process. Aka and M6, whose localization is interdependent, act upstream to locate Gli. In turn, Gli stabilizes Aka at tSJ. Those results unravel a previous unknown role of M6 at tSJ and a tight interplay between tSJ components to assemble and maintain tSJs. In addition, tSJ components are not only essential at vertex as we found that loss of tSJ integrity also induces micron-length bicellular SJs deformations that are free of tensile forces. This phenotype is associated with the disappearance of SJ components at tricellular contacts, indicating that bSJ are no longer connected to tSJs. Reciprocally, SJ components are in turn required to restrict the localization of Aka and Gli at vertex. We propose that tSJs function as pillars to anchor bSJs to ensure the maintenance of tissue integrity inDrosophilaproliferative epithelia.
Structure of replicating SARS-CoV-2 polymerase
Authors: Hillen Hauke S. , Kokic Goran , Farnung Lucas , Dienemann Christian , Tegunov Dimitry , Cramer Patrick
Published: April 2020

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 uses an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) for the replication of its genome and the transcription of its genes. Here we present the cryo-electron microscopic structure of the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp in its replicating form. The structure comprises the viral proteins nsp12, nsp8, and nsp7, and over two turns of RNA template-product duplex. The active site cleft of nsp12 binds the first turn of RNA and mediates RdRp activity with conserved residues. Two copies of nsp8 bind to opposite sides of the cleft and position the RNA duplex as it exits. Long helical extensions in nsp8 protrude along exiting RNA, forming positively charged ‘sliding poles’ that may enable processive replication of the long coronavirus genome. Our results will allow for a detailed analysis of the inhibitory mechanisms used by antivirals such as remdesivir, which is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The inflammasome components NLRP3 and ASC act in concert with IRGM to rearrange the Golgi during viral infections
Authors: Daussy Coralie F. , Monard Sarah C. , Guy Coralie , Muñoz-González Sara , Chazal Maxime , Anthonsen Marit W. , Jouvenet Nolwenn , Henry Thomas , Dreux Marlène , Meurs Eliane F. , Hansen Marianne Doré
Published: April 2020

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection triggers Golgi fragmentation through the Golgi-resident protein immunity-related GTPase M (IRGM). Here, we report the role of NLRP3 and ASC, two inflammasome components, in the initial events leading to this fragmentation. We show that ASC resides at the Golgi with IRGM at homeostasis. Upon infection, ASC dissociates from both IRGM and Golgi and associates with HCV-induced NLRP3. NLRP3 silencing inhibits Golgi fragmentation. ASC silencing disrupts the Golgi structure in both control and infected cells and reduces the localization of IRGM at the Golgi. Silencing IRGM cannot totally restore the Golgi structure. These data highlight a role for ASC, upstream of the formation of the inflammasome, in regulating IRGM through its control on the Golgi. A similar mechanism occurs in response to Nigericin or infection with Zika virus (ZIKV). We propose a model for a newly ascribed function of the inflammasome components in Golgi structural remodeling.
LncRNAs Landscape in the patients of primary gout by Microarray Analysis
Authors: Qing Yu-Feng , Zheng Jian-Xiong , Tang Yi-Ping , Dai Fei , Dong Zeng-Rong , Zhang Quan-Bo
Published: April 2020

To determine the differential profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) among acute gout (AG) patients, intercritical gout (IG) patients and healthy control subjects, and to explore the specific biomarkers for acute gout diagnosis and treatment in future. Human lncRNA microarrays were used to identify the differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in primary AG (n=3), IG (n=3) and healthy subjects (n=3). For comparison Bioinformatics analyses were performed to predict the roles of abberrantly expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied to validate the results in 32 AG, 32 IG patients and 32 healthy control subjects. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the lncRNAs identified in gout. The microarray analysis identified 3421 and 1739 differentially expressed lncRNAs, 2240 and 1027 differentially expressed mRNAs in AG and IG (fold change>1.5, P<0.05; respectively), respectively. qRT-PCR results of 9 dysregulated genes were consistent with the microarray data. The bioinformatic analysis indicated that the differentially expressed lncRNAs regulated the abnormally expressed mRNAs, which were involved in the pathogenesis of gout through several different pathways. The expression levels of TCONS_00004393 and ENST00000566457 were significantly increased in the AG group than those in the IG group or healthy subjects (P<0.01, respectively). Moreover, the areas under the ROC curve were 0.955 and 0.961 for TCONS_00004393 and ENST00000566457,respectively. Our results provide novel insight into the mechanisms of the primary gout, and reveal that TCONS_00004393 and ENST00000566457 might be as candidate diagnostic biomarkers and targets for the treatment of acute gout.
Efficient Dilution-to-Extinction isolation of novel virus-host model systems for fastidious heterotrophic bacteria
Authors: Buchholz Holger H. , Michelsen Michelle , Bolaños Luis M. , Browne Emily , Allen Michael J. , Temperton Ben
Published: April 2020

Microbes and their associated viruses are key drivers of biogeochemical processes in marine and soil biomes. While viruses of phototrophic cyanobacteria are well-represented in model systems, challenges of isolating marine microbial heterotrophs and their viruses have hampered experimental approaches to quantify the importance of viruses in nutrient recycling. A resurgence in cultivation efforts has improved the availability of fastidious bacteria for hypothesis testing, but this has not been matched by similar efforts to cultivate their associated bacteriophages. Here, we describe a high-throughput method for isolating important virus-host systems for fastidious heterotrophic bacteria that couples advances in culturing of hosts with sequential enrichment and isolation of associated phages. Applied to six monthly samples from the Western English Channel, we first isolated one new member of the globally dominant bacterial SAR11 clade and three new members of the methylotrophic bacterial clade OM43. We used these as bait to isolate 117 new phages including the first known siphophage infecting SAR11, and the first isolated phage for OM43. Genomic analyses of 13 novel viruses revealed representatives of three new viral genera, and infection assays showed that the viruses infecting SAR11 have ecotype-specific host-ranges. Similar to the abundant human-associated phage ΦCrAss001, infection dynamics within the majority of isolates suggested either prevalent lysogeny or chronic infection, despite a lack of associated genes; or host phenotypic bistability with lysis putatively maintained within a susceptible subpopulation. Broader representation of important virus-host systems in culture collections and genomic databases will improve both our understanding of virus-host interactions, and accuracy of computational approaches to evaluate ecological patterns from metagenomic data.
Multi-tissue patterning drives anterior morphogenesis of theC. elegansembryo
Authors: Grimbert Stephanie , Mastronardi Karina , Christensen Ryan , Law Christopher , Fay David , Piekny Alisa
Published: April 2020

Complex structures derived from multiple tissue types are challenging to studyin vivo, and our knowledge of how cells from different tissues are coordinated is limited. Model organisms have proven invaluable for improving our understanding of how chemical and mechanical cues between cells from two different tissues can govern specific morphogenetic events. Here we usedCaenorhabditis elegansas a model system to show how cells from three different tissues are coordinated to give rise to the anterior lumen. This poorly understood process has remained a black box for embryonic morphogenesis. Using various microscopy and software approaches, we describe the movements and patterns of epidermal cells, neuroblasts and pharyngeal cells that contribute to lumen formation. The anterior-most pharyngeal cells (arcade cells) may provide the first marker for the location of the future lumen and facilitate the patterning of the surrounding neuroblasts. These neuroblast patterns control the rate of migration of the anterior epidermal cells, whereas the epidermal cells ultimately reinforce and control the position of the future lumen, as they must join with the pharyngeal cells for their epithelialization. Our studies are the first to characterize anterior morphogenesis inC. elegansin detail and should lay the framework for identifying how these different patterns are controlled at the molecular level.
Photoinduced DNA Lesions in Dormant Bacteria. The Peculiar Route Leading to Spore Photoproduct Unraveled by Multiscale Molecular Dynamics
Authors: Francés-Monerris Antonio , Hognon Cécilia , Douki Thierry , Monari Antonio
Published: April 2020

Some bacterial species enter a dormant state in the form of spores to resist to unfavorable external conditions. Spores are resistant to a wide series of stress agents, including UV radiation, and can last for tens to hundreds of years. Due to the suspension of biological functions such as DNA repair, they accumulate DNA damage upon exposure to UV radiation. Differently from active organisms, the most common DNA photoproduct in spores are not cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, but rather the so-called spore photoproduct. This non-canonical photochemistry results from the dry state of DNA and the binding to small acid soluble proteins that drastically modify the structure and photoreactivity of the nucleic acid. In this contribution, we use multiscale molecular dynamics simulations including extended classical molecular dynamics and QM/MM biased dynamics to elucidate the coupling of electronic and structural factors leading to this photochemical outcome. In particular, we rationalize the well-described impact of the peculiar DNA environment found in spores on the favored formation of the spore photoproduct, given the small free energy barrier found for this path. Meanwhile, the specific organization of spore DNA precludes the photochemical path leading to cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers formation.

TOC GRAPHICS
Abnormal features of human self-domestication in bipolar disorder
Authors: Benítez-Burraco Antonio , Hansen Ethan
Published: April 2020

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental condition characterized by episodes of elevated mood and depression. Being a heritable condition, it features a complex genetic architecture, and it is not still clear how genes contribute to the onset and course of the disease. In this paper we adopted an evolutionary-genomic approach to this condition, focusing on changes occurring during human evolution as a source of our distinctive cognitive and behavioral phenotype. We show clinical evidence that the BD phenotype can be construed as an abnormal presentation of the human self-domestication phenotype. We further demonstrate that candidate genes for BD significantly overlap with candidates for mammal domestication, and that this common set of genes is enriched in functions that are important for the BD phenotype, especially neurotransmitter homeostasis. Finally, we show that candidates for domestication are differentially expressed in brain regions involved in BD pathology, particularly, the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. Overall, this link between domestication and BD should facilitate a better understanding of the BD etiopathology.
Validation of satisfaction with life scale in the Indian manufacturing sector
Authors: Dahiya Rinki , Rangnekar Santosh
Published: April 2020

Purpose

In the modern world, life satisfaction has become a quintessential construct for large-scale organizations, and a valid measure to evaluate employee life satisfaction is required. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) in a sample of employees working in the Indian manufacturing sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey method was used for data collection among a sample of 404 employees. Further, the psychometric properties of SWLS were evaluated with reference to reliability and validity assessment (face, content and construct validity).

Findings

The results were found to be significant for SWLS to assess the life satisfaction of employees working in manufacturing organizations in India.

Originality/value

This study attempts to validate SWLS among employees, which is a novel contribution in the field. Also, it suggests that effective application of SWLS can help in identifying and understanding the work-related factors associated with life satisfaction.
Characterization of path loss model for wireless communication channel modelling
Authors: Sirdeshpande Nandakishor , Udupi Vishwanath
Published: April 2020

Purpose

Wireless communication channel provides a wide area of applications in the field of communication, distributed sensor network and so on. The prominence of the wireless communication channel is because of its robust nature and the sustainability for the precise ranging and the localization. The precision and accuracy of the wireless communication channel largely depend on the localization. The development of the wireless communication channel with improved benefits needs the accurate channel model.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper characterizes the tangential path loss model in the WINNER based wireless communication channel model. The measurements taken in the WINNER channel model are compared with the tangential path loss characterized WINNER Channel model.

Findings

The model operates well over the varying antenna orientations, measurement condition and the propagation condition. The proposed tangential path loss model is performing well over the various outdoor scenarios.

Originality/value

The proposed characterization shows change in the small-scale parameters (SSP), such as power, delay, angle of arrival and angle of departure as well as the large-scale parameters (LSP), such as RMS delay spread, shadowing, path loss and Ricean factor associated with the model.
Impostor syndrome: an integrative framework of its antecedents, consequences and moderating factors on sustainable leader behaviors
Authors: K.H. Aparna , Menon Preetha
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to integrate impostor syndrome and leadership research to identify antecedents of impostor syndrome, their impact on sustainable leader behaviors. The paper also postulates the moderating effect of mindfulness and leader member exchange on impostor syndrome and sustainable leader behaviors, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper relies on an integrative approach of literature review on impostor syndrome and leadership. After identifying gaps in impostor syndrome research and its intersectionality with the constructs of contextual leadership theory, an integrative conceptual framework was formulated incorporating antecedents, consequences and moderators of impostor syndrome.

Findings

Three antecedents of impostor syndrome were identified from the literature, namely, gender, family/social role expectation and personality traits. Additionally, this paper also unearths contextual factors as yet another antecedent to impostor syndrome. Negative impact of impostor syndrome on leader behaviors such as managerial decision-making, innovative work behavior (IWB) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) were established by connecting those to the three primary characteristics of impostor syndrome, namely, low self-efficacy, fear of failure and perceived fraudulence, respectively. Finally, the paper also posits the moderating role of leader member exchange and mindfulness and proposes mindfulness training as an effective intervention for impostor syndrome.

Research limitations/implications

This being a conceptual paper will benefit from empirical studies that corroborate theoretical posits. The scope of studying the effect of impostor syndrome on sustainable leader behavior was limited to three major variables, namely, managerial decision-making, IWB and OCB. Thus, it calls for a more elaborate model of impostor syndrome including other relevant leader behaviors.

Practical implications

The model when applied in organizational context addresses the need for mindfulness training to reduce the effect of impostor syndrome among leaders. Leaders will exhibit sustainable behaviors when provided with the right kind of training.

Originality/value

The study attempts to integrate the two independent constructs, impostor syndrome and leadership to establish a novel and meaningful connection and throws light to the unaddressed antecedents, consequences and moderators of its impact on sustainable leader behaviors. From learning and development practitioners’ perspective, it also signifies the effectiveness of mindfulness training among employees’ personal and professional development.
An investigation into the erroneous access and egress behaviours of building users and their impact upon building performance
Authors: Dixon Charlotte , Edwards David John , Mateo-Garcia Monica , Lai Joseph , Thwala Wellington Didibhuku Didibhuku , Shelbourn Mark
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the behaviour of building users and how this impacts upon building energy performance. Specifically, the work examines the behavioural traits of able-bodied users of a large higher education building who erroneously access and egress the building using doorways intended for disabled users.

Design/methodology/approach

An inductive methodological approach is adopted that uses grounded theory to devise new insights into building users’ access and egress habits. Structured interviews are conducted to collect primary data from 68 building users of a large educational building over a four-week period. Responses to questions posed provide the basis for a tabularisation of behavioural traits.

Findings

Reasons for able-bodied building users’ preferences to using disabled access are identified and discussed; these are thematically grouped under the headings of apathy, convenience, emergency, ergonomics, ignorance and phobia. Building upon these findings, the research then offers insights into the approaches that could be adopted to change the erroneous behaviours. These approaches include education of building users on the impact their behaviour has upon building performance and environmental pollution, more stringent regulation to penalise repeat offenders and changes to building entrance design using obtrusive (i.e. radio frequency identification tags) and unobstrusive control measures (i.e. a second entrance doorway or slower opening mechanism).

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to investigate the rationale for able-bodied building users erroneously using disabled persons’ access and egress doorways within a building, which as a consequence, inadvertently reduces the building’s environmental performance.
Acceptance of Islamic financial technology (FinTech) banking services by Malaysian users: an extension of technology acceptance model
Authors: Shaikh Imran Mehboob , Qureshi Muhammad Asif , Noordin Kamaruzaman , Shaikh Junaid Mehboob , Khan Arman , Shahbaz Muhammad Saeed
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the determinants that influence bank users’ acceptance for Islamic financial technology (FinTech) services by extending the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the Malaysian context.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey was conducted using convenience sampling. Moreover, 205 responses were gathered from users of the Islamic bank. On the same note, the literature on determinants of Islamic FinTech acceptance and TAM was reviewed as well in a bid to contribute to the factors that are instrumental in determining the acceptance of FinTech services.

Findings

Findings of the study reveal that Islamic FinTech’s services acceptance is determined by perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and also by another variable, which is consumer innovativeness (CI). On the contrary other factors, self-efficacy and subjective norms are found not to be influential in determining Islamic FinTech’s acceptance by Islamic banking users.

Originality/value

TAM is extended in the context of Islamic FinTech. A new variable, namely, CI is tested using TAM. CI is yet to be tested, therefore, this paper will be a useful reference for the policymakers, academicians and future researchers.
Education in the apocalypse: disaster and teaching on British television
Authors: Harmes Marcus
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to examine educational history through television's portrayal of educational activity in post-apocalyptic society. The paper examines how and why television drama set after a catastrophe is in dialogue with, but rejects, both contemporary government discourse of “protect and survive”.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper treats television programmes as historical artefacts made during periods of heightened anxiety about nuclear and bacteriological war. This paper follows established methods for interpreting educational history by examining the representation of schooling and the discursive construction of teachers and their practices via television. This paper proceeds by tight selection of sections from two texts, examining them as documentary evidence of education in later-20th-century Britain and representations of specific types of schooling that were found in real-world Britain in the period, namely, the minor public school and educational television.

Findings

Television drama showing education during and after an apocalyptic event was a reaction to and critique of official assurances that life would continue after a large-scale catastrophe. The representations of schooling reflect the preoccupations of the writers and depict the intersection of schooling, teachers and students with contemporary anxieties in a period where global war and large-scale catastrophe were prominent fears in popular consciousness. Representations of schooling enabled a twofold critique of education. One is critique of the industrial and civil society that had called formal schooling into existence, questioning the value of what in the 1970s and 1980s was being taught in schools. The second is the subversion of the assurances contained in “disaster” education, which promised that disaster would be a temporary setback and underlying social structures and institutions would survive. This paper suggests these sources of educational history present the need to unlearn old knowledge, urge the recourse to self-teaching and question the reliance on a television to teach.

Originality/value

This paper endorses educational, historical and popular cultural research that has found meaning and importance in popular television as a reflection of actual educational practice. Efforts to educate a civilian population about civil defence have received some scholarly attention; however, so far, the way educational practice is portrayed in television that shows the end of the world as we know it has received limited attention. These sources yield valuable insights regarding the interaction between education, disaster and popular consciousness.
Improving instructional competencies through individualized staff development and teacher collaboration in German schools
Authors: Bach Anabel , Böhnke Anja , Thiel Felicitas
Published: April 2020

Purpose

School improvement and effectiveness depend substantially on teachers developing their professional competencies on an ongoing basis. Germany's new approach to school governance combines instruments borrowed from different theoretical concepts: teacher collaboration (in a sense of professional self-regulation with high autonomy) and individualized staff development by principals (in a sense of managerial self-regulation with high within-school accountability). The purpose of the study is to examine whether these instruments are applied at schools in Germany, what factors predict the extent of use, and if the use is associated with the improvement of teachers' instructional competencies.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to answer our research questions, we conducted a standardized teacher and principal survey at primary and secondary schools in Germany (658 teachers from 51 schools).

Findings

The analyses indicate that the instruments are not being carried out across the board. The results of a multilevel path analysis furthermore show that teacher self-efficacy, principals' leadership behavior, school size and students' SES are important preconditions for the use of the two instruments. However, the instruments have an impact on the improvement of teachers' instructional competencies but through different pathways.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations concern the cross-sectional design of the study and the focus on measures based on retrospective self-reported data.

Originality/value

This study is the first that examines the implementation and impact of two instruments with differing governance theoretical background in German schools.
Psychosocial determinants of divorce and their effects on women in Pakistan: a national review
Authors: Waseem Javeria , Muneer Rutaba , Hoor-Ul-Ain Syeda , Tariq Rutaba , Minhas Anam
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This study aims to review the psychosocial determinants of divorce and their effects on women for a social reform in Pakistan. Enigmatic societal standards vandalize social status of divorced women and stress them to experience psychological trauma that triggers psychosocial disorders.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is categorized into three major determinants: the human emotional, the formal legal and societal aspect(s) in association with the deferential social status of divorced women. Rapid evidence assessment methodology was used to search the all-inclusive literature, collate the available descriptive evidences, critically analyze and evaluate it, sieve out studies of penurious quality and provide an aperçu of the evidence.

Findings

The research evinces domestic violence and abuse as an endemic cause of divorce in Pakistan; emotional and psychological consequences of domestic abuse damage women’s self-worth and well-being. Literature reported that all these determinants impacted the mental health stability of the divorced women. Divorce rates are climbing at a faster pace in the country and Punjab has been identified as a province of rocketing divorce rate. Lamentably, in various villages of other provinces, women risk face mutilation if they show courage to seek divorce.

Practical implications

More research needs to be carried out on the issue nationwide. Fundamentally, cultural norms around women’s roles in society need to be addressed and challenged where this research may become an impetus for further research.

Originality/value

The paper contributes towards the redressal of the domestic abuse, social exclusion, marginalization and vilification of divorced women in Pakistan. The rising rates indicate an urgent need for social reforms to curtail offending behaviors toward them, to safeguard their mental health and well-being and to empower them with their legal rights to enjoy deferential social status in life.
A Markov switching SVAR analysis on the relationship between exchange rate changes and stock returns in China
Authors: Cuestas Juan Carlos , Tang Bo
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This study investigates the spillover effects between exchange rate changes and stock returns in China. The authors find that no significant interconnections exist between stock returns and exchange rates changes.

Design/methodology/approach

Although the conventional structural VAR (SVAR) approach fails to examine the contemporaneous effects, the Markov switching SVAR model captures the volatile structure of the Chinese financial market. The regime-switching estimates indicate that volatile structure tends to be significant during two financial crisis periods.

Findings

Notwithstanding the fact that exchange rate changes cannot Granger-cause stock returns in the long run, its contemporaneous spillover effects on stock returns are found to be statistically significant.

Originality/value

This study aims to shed light on the spillover effects between exchange rate changes and stock returns in China, as the Chinese currency is becoming flexible and China’s stock market has undertaken important reforms. The spillovers between the two markets are of topical importance due to the increasing connections between China and the global economy.
Evaluation of integration of sustainable development in higher education in Sweden
Authors: Finnveden Göran , Friman Eva , Mogren Anna , Palmer Henrietta , Sund Per , Carstedt Göran , Lundberg Sofia , Robertsson Barbro , Rodhe Håkan , Svärd Linn
Published: April 2020

Purpose

Since 2006, higher education institutions (HEIs) in Sweden, should according to the Higher Education Act, promote sustainable development (SD). In 2016, the Swedish Government asked the Swedish higher education authority to evaluate how this study is proceeding. The authority chose to focus on education. This paper aims to produce a report on this evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

All 47 HEIs in Sweden were asked to write a self-evaluation report based on certain evaluation criteria. A panel was appointed consisting of academics and representatives for students and working life. The panel wrote an evaluation of each HEI, a report on general findings and recommendations, and gave an overall judgement of each HEI in two classes as follows: the HEI has well-developed processes for integration of SD in education or the HEI needs to develop their processes.

Findings

Overall, a mixed picture developed. Most HEIs could give examples of programmes or courses where SD was integrated. However, less than half of the HEIs had overarching goals for integration of SD in education or had a systematic follow-up of these goals. Even fewer worked specifically with pedagogy and didactics, teaching and learning methods and environments, sustainability competences or other characters of education for SD. Overall, only 12 out of 47 got a higher judgement.

Originality/value

This is a unique study in which all HEIs in a country are evaluated. This provides unique possibilities for identifying success factors and barriers. The importance of the leadership of the HEIs became clear.
Success factors in managing the sponsor–sponsee relationship—a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis for state-owned enterprises in Germany
Authors: Ivens Bjoern , Riedmueller Florian , van Dyck Peter
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide meaningful information about sponsorship management in state-owned enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative and quantitative data from Germany are analyzed in a case study approach using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (Fs/QCA)—an analytic method relevant for describing configurational patterns of causal factors.

Findings

The case study of sponsorships from state-owned enterprises in Germany reveals four alternative configurations of top-management support, sponsee prominence, standardized processes, and sponsorship leverage explaining sponsor satisfaction.

Originality/value

The paper combines two underrepresented but important aspects of sponsorship research, i.e. sponsorship management in state-owned enterprises, in an empirical study. Further, present study adds to sponsorship literature by pointing to fuzzy-set Fs/QCA as a relatively novel method that can capture the phenomenon of complex causality.
Discrete element analysis of friction performance for tire-road interaction
Authors: Lu Jiale , Pan Baofeng , Che Tiankai , Sha Dong
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the influence of surface texture distribution in respect to the procedure of pavement surface wear on friction performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The Weierstrass–Mandelbrot (W-M) equation is used to appropriate pavement surface profile. Through this approximation, artificial rough profiles by combining fractal parameters and conventional statistical parameters for different macro-texture are created to simulate the procedure of pavement surface wear. Those artificial profiles are then imported into discrete element model to calculate the interaction forces and friction coefficient between rolling tire and road. Furthermore, wavelet theory is used to decompose the profiles into different scales and explore the correlation between the profiles of each scale and pavement friction.

Findings

The influence of tire vertical displacement (TVD) on friction coefficient is greater than fractal dimension of road surface texture. When TVD decreases, the profiles can provide higher friction, but the rolling stability of tire is poor. The optimal fractal dimension of road surface is about 1.5 when considering friction performance. The pavement friction performance improves with wavelength from 0.4 to 6.4mm and decreases with wavelength from 12.8 to 51.2mm.

Originality/value

Artificial fractal curves are generated and analyzed by combining W-M function with traditional parameter, which can also be used to analyze the influence of texture distribution on other pavement performance. The preliminary research provides a potential approach for the evaluation of pavement friction performance.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-11-2019-0499/
Toward more rigorous country brand assessments: the modified country brand strength index
Authors: Lahrech Abdelmounaim , Juusola Katariina , AlAnsaari Mohamed Eisa
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This study focuses on country branding indices. The main purpose of this study is to build an objective country brand strength index using secondary data. The new index, the Modified Country Brand Strength Index (MCBSI), builds on Fetscherin's (2010) Country Brand Strength Index (CBSI) but uses more rigorous methods and design to create a complementary index to be used together with the survey-based Anholt–GfK Nation Brands Index (NBI). The MCBSI also utilized human development, which is an important dimension of country brands not captured by CBSI.

Design/methodology/approach

The MCBSI addresses three significant limitations of the CBSI by using an alternative methodology in constructing the index: specifically, it uses weights for the dimensions, longitudinal data, and relative values by dividing each factor by its cross-country maximum.

Findings

Our index ranks 131 countries based on the strength of their country brand. A stronger correlation was found between the MCBSI and NBI than between the CBSI and NBI.

Practical implications

Our contribution has strong implications for both policymakers and academic researchers as it provides a tool for assessing the strength of country brands through accurate but less costly data compared to primary data collected by consultancies for country brand strength indices. The MCBSI informs country brand managers regarding how well their country brand performs across a range of critical dimensions, including export, tourism, foreign direct investments, immigration, government environment and human development.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the emerging academic literature on country brand indices. Currently, there is a lack of objective measurement instruments for assessing country brands. The MCBSI is designed for this purpose to complement the NBI by measuring country brands with objective secondary data. Viewed together, the NBI and our index overcome the obvious shortcomings inherent in each method by providing objective, factual data on country brand equity while providing insight into how people socially construct and evaluate nation brands.
Interactions between university spin-offs and academia: a dynamic perspective
Authors: Laage-Hellman Jens , Lind Frida , Öberg Christina , Shih Tommy
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the nature and dynamics of the interaction between university spin-offs (USOs) and academia.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical framework is grounded in an interactive view based on the industrial marketing and purchasing literature on USOs and their development. The concepts of activity links, resource ties and actor bonds are used as a starting point for capturing the content and dynamics of the interaction. The empirical part of the paper consists of four case studies captured through interviews as the main data source and analysed to conclude how the interaction between the USO and academia developed over time.

Findings

The study identifies a multi-faceted and dynamic content of the interaction. The paper discerns and discusses research and development links, knowledge and equipment ties and social, legal, financial and organizational bonds with inventors, other academic partners and innovation support organizations. The dynamics are manifested both through changes within individual relationships and by adding/ending relationships. One main conclusion regards the existence of wave-like patterns of interaction with academic partners driven by the USOs’ needs and the establishment of customer relationships.

Originality/value

Most of the previous research has described a linear process in which the USO leaves academia once the idea has been transferred to a company. This paper contrasts this view by developing and using an analytical framework to capture the dynamic and continuous interaction between USO and academia.
Causality and dynamic relationships between exchange rate and stock market indices in BRICS countries
Authors: Mroua Mourad , Trabelsi Lotfi
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate simultaneously the causality and the dynamic links between exchange rates and stock market indices. It attempts to identify the short- and long-term effect of the US dollar on major stock market indices of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South-Africa (BRICS) nations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies a new methodology combining the panel generalized method of moments model and the panel auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) method to investigate the existence of a causal short-/long-run relationships and dynamic dependence among all stock market returns and exchanges rates changes of BRICS countries.

Findings

Results show that exchange rate changes have a significant effect on the past and the current volatility of the BRICS stock indices. Besides, ARDL estimations reveal that exchange rate movements have a significant effect on short- and long-term stocks market indices of all BRICS countries

Originality/value

The findings have implications for policymakers and market participants who try to manage the exchange rate will have a different dose of intervention if they know that the effects of currency depreciation are different than appreciation. These results have important implications that investors should take into account in frequency-varying exchange rates and stock returns and regulators should consider developing sound policy measures to prevent financial risk.
Estimating effect of marriage on male wages in Russia
Authors: Kossova Elena , Potanin Bogdan , Sheluntcova Maria
Published: April 2020

Purpose

Purpose of the article is to investigate the effect of marriage on male wages in Russia. The paper provides insight about contribution of observed and unobserved factors to wages of Russian men regarding their marital status.

Design/methodology/approach

Database is the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) for 2016. We add to the literature by introducing Generalized Oaxaca–Blinder Decomposition of the difference in mean wages of married and unmarried men. This generalization is free of conditional mean independence assumption.

Findings

We reveal negative observed price effect and substantial positive effect of changes in unobserved characteristics of married and unmarried men in Russia.

Originality/value

To our knowledge, our study is the first one that gives estimation of the volume and structure of the male marriage wage premium in Russia. The proposed approach is applicable for estimating labor market premiums and penalties for various individual characteristics.
Development of a health literacy hypertension test in Thailand
Authors: Chinnasee Potchara , Sukonthasab Suchitra , Lawthong Nattaporn
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable test metric that can ascertain health literacy as it relates to hypertension in the population of Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach

One thousand five hundred patients from hypertension clinics in hospitals under the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand were recruited to this study. The test was developed and divided into three latent variables and four observed variables for health literacy concepts. Indexes of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) from seven experts and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the entire questionnaire were evaluated for content validity and reliability. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis with LISREL also analyzed for construct validity.

Findings

The result illustrates that the Item-Objective Congruence was 0.68, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.87. The result also shows that Barlett’s Test of Sphericity was 3129.31 (p < 0.01), and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was 0.83. The model was fit to empirical data (Chi-square = 0.02).

Originality/value

This study concludes that the Thai Hypertension Health Literacy Assessment Tool (THHLA) created as a result of the study is valid and reliable. The test can be used to evaluate health literacy for hypertension patients in Thailand.