bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hippocampal engrams generate flexible behavioral responses and brain-wide network states
Authors: Dorst Kaitlyn E. , Senne Ryan A. , Diep Anh H. , de Boer Antje R. , Suthard Rebecca L. , Leblanc Heloise , Ruesch Evan A. , Skelton Sara , McKissick Olivia P. , Bladon John H. , Ramirez Steve
Published: February 2023

Memory engrams are both necessary and sufficient to mediate behavioral outputs. Defensive behaviors such as freezing and avoidance are commonly examined during hippocampal-mediated fear engram reactivation, yet how reactivation of these cellular populations across different contexts engages the brain to produce a variety of defensive behaviors is relatively unclear. To address this, we first optogenetically reactivated a tagged fear engram in the dentate gyrus (DG) subregion of the hippocampus across three distinct contexts. We found that there were differential amounts of light-induced freezing depending on the size of the context in which reactivation occurred: mice demonstrated robust light-induced freezing in the most spatially restricted of the three contexts but not in the largest. We then utilized graph theoretical analyses to identify brain-wide alterations in cFos co-activation during engram reactivation across the smallest and largest contexts. Our manipulations conferred greater positive cFos correlations and recruited regions spanning putative fear and defense systems as hubs in the respective networks. Moreover, reactivating DG-mediated engrams generated network topologies across experimental conditions, emphasizing both shared and distinct features. By identifying and manipulating the circuits supporting memory function, as well as their corresponding brain-wide activity patterns, it is thereby possible to resolve systems-level biological mechanisms mediating memory’s capacity to modulate behavioral states.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Implementing appropriate defensive behaviors across disparate environments is essential for survival. Memories can be used to select these responses. Recent work identified and artificially manipulated cellular ensembles within the hippocampus that mediate fear memory recall, yet how these populations engage brain-wide pathways that mediate defensive behaviors under environmental contingencies is unclear. We demonstrated here that reactivation across environments of various sizes elicits different behavioral responses and corresponding brain-wide network dynamics. These findings establish the flexibility of memory-bearing ensembles in generating brain and behavior states.
The parasitic lifestyle of an archaeal symbiont
Authors: Hamm Joshua N. , Liao Yan , Kügelgen Andriko von , Dombrowski Nina , Landers Evan , Brownlee Christopher , Johansson Emma M. V. , Whan Renee M. , Baker Matthew A. B. , Baum Buzz , Bharat Tanmay A. M. , Duggin Iain G. , Spang Anja , Cavicchioli Ricardo
Published: February 2023

DPANN Archaea are a diverse group of organisms typically characterised by small cells and reduced genomes. To date, all cultivated DPANN Archaea are ectosymbionts that require direct cell contact with an archaeal host species for proliferation. However, the dynamics of DPANN – host interactions and the impacts of these interactions on the host species are poorly understood. Here, we show that one DPANN archaeon (CandidatusNanohaloarchaeum antarcticus) engages in parasitic interactions with its host (Halorubrum lacusprofundi) that result in host cell lysis. Our data also suggest that these interactions involve invasion of the host cell by the nanohaloarchaeon. This is the first reported instance of such a predatory-like lifestyle amongst Archaea and indicates that some DPANN Archaea may interact with host populations in a manner similar to viruses.
G-quadruplexes are promoter elements controlling nucleosome exclusion and RNA polymerase II pausing
Authors: Esnault Cyril , Garcia-Oliver Encar , El Aabidine Amal Zine , Robert Marie-Cécile , Magat Talha , Gawron Kevin , Basyuk Eugénia , Karpinska Magda , Pigeot Alexia , Cucchiarini Anne , Luo Yu , Verga Daniele , Mourad Raphael , Radulescu Ovidiu , Mergny Jean-Louis , Bertrand Edouard , Andrau Jean-Christophe
Published: February 2023

Despite their central role in transcription, it has been difficult to define universal sequences associated to eukaryotic promoters. Within chromatin context, recruitment of the transcriptional machinery requires opening of the promoter but how DNA elements could contribute to this process has remained elusive. Here, we show that G-quadruplex (G4) secondary structures are highly enriched mammalian core promoter elements. G4s are located at the deepest point of nucleosome exclusion at promoters and correlate with maximum promoter activity. We found that experimental G4s exclude nucleosomes bothin vivoandin vitroand display a strong positioning potential. At model promoters, impairing G4s affected both transcriptional activity and chromatin opening. G4 destabilization also resulted in an inactive promoter state and affected transition to effective RNA production in live imaging experiments. Finally, G4 stabilization resulted in global reduction of proximal promoter pausing. Altogether, our data introduce G4s asbona fidepromoter elements allowing nucleosome exclusion and facilitating pause release by the RNA Polymerase II.
High immigration rates critical for establishing emigration-driven diversity in microbial communities
Authors: Chen Xiaoli , Wang Miaoxiao , Luo Laipeng , An Liyun , Liu Xiaonan , Fang Yuan , Huang Ting , Nie Yong , Wu Xiao-Lei
Published: February 2023

Unraveling the mechanisms governing the diversity of ecological communities is a central goal in ecology. While microbial dispersal (including the emigration and immigration process) constitutes an important ecological process, the coupling effects of dispersal and microbial competition in microbial diversity are poorly understood. Here, we investigated how microbial dispersal affects the diversity of microbial communities in the presence of inter-species competition, using a generalized Lotka-Volterra model in combination with experimental investigations. Our model shows that emigration reduces the diversity induced by immigration at low immigration rates. We surprisingly find that it increases the diversity of the community when the immigration rates cross a defined threshold, which we identified asIneutral. We also found that at high immigration rates, emigration weakens the relative abundance of fast-growing species, and thus enhances the mass effect and increases the diversity. We experimentally confirmed this finding using cocultures of 20 bacterial strains isolated from the soil. Our model further showed thatIneutralexists over a wide range of species pool sizes, growth rates, and interspecies interactions, and decreases with the increasing of species pool size, growth rate, and interspecies interaction. Our work deepens the understanding of the effects of dispersal on diversity of natural communities.
Cell migration simulator-based biomarkers for glioblastoma
Authors: Hou Jay , McMahon Mariah , Sarkaria Jann N. , Chen Clark C. , Odde David J.
Published: February 2023

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive malignant brain tumor with poor survival due to its invasive nature driven by cell migration, with unclear linkage to transcriptomic information. Here, we applied a physics-based motor-clutch model, a cell migration simulator (CMS), to parameterize the migration of glioblastoma cells and define physical biomarkers on a patient-by-patient basis. We reduced the 11-dimensional parameter space of the CMS into 3D to identify three principal physical parameters that govern cell migration: motor number – describing myosin II activity, clutch number – describing adhesion level, and F-actin polymerization rate. Experimentally, we found that glioblastoma patient-derived (xenograft) (PD(X)) cell lines across mesenchymal (MES), proneural (PN), classical (CL) subtypes and two institutions (N=13 patients) had optimal motility and traction force on stiffnesses around 9.3kPa, with otherwise heterogeneous and uncorrelated motility, traction, and F-actin flow. By contrast, with the CMS parameterization, we found glioblastoma cells consistently had balanced motor/clutch ratios to enable effective migration, and that MES cells had higher actin polymerization rates resulting in higher motility. The CMS also predicted differential sensitivity to cytoskeletal drugs between patients. Finally, we identified 11 genes that correlated with the physical parameters, suggesting that transcriptomic data alone could potentially predict the mechanics and speed of glioblastoma cell migration. Overall, we describe a general physics-based framework for parameterizing individual glioblastoma patients and connecting to clinical transcriptomic data, that can potentially be used to develop patient-specific anti-migratory therapeutic strategies generally.

Significance Statement

Successful precision medicine requires biomarkers to define patient states and identify personalized treatments. While biomarkers are generally based on expression levels of protein and/or RNA, we ultimately seek to alter fundamental cell behaviors such as cell migration, which drives tumor invasion and metastasis. Our study defines a new approach for using biophysics-based models to define mechanical biomarkers that can be used to identify patient-specific anti-migratory therapeutic strategies.
Convergence in sympatric swallowtail butterflies reveals ecological interactions as a key driver of worldwide trait diversification
Authors: Puissant Agathe , Chotard Ariane , Condamine Fabien , Llaurens Violaine
Published: February 2023

Ecological interactions may fuel phenotypic diversification in sympatric species. While competition can enhance trait divergence, other ecological interactions may promote convergence in sympatric species. Within butterflies, evolutionary convergences in wing color patterns have been reported between distantly-related species, especially in females from palatable species, where mimetic color patterns are promoted by predator communities shared with defended species living in sympatry. Wing color patterns are also often involved in species recognition in butterflies, and divergence in this trait has been reported in closely-related species living in sympatry as a result of reproductive character displacement. Here we investigate the effect of sympatry between species on the convergence vs. divergence of their wing color patterns in relation to phylogenetic distance, focusing on the iconic swallowtail butterflies (family Papilionidae). We developed a new unsupervised machine-learning-based method to estimate phenotypic distances among wing color patterns from 337 species allowing to finely quantify morphological diversity at global scale within and among species, allowing to compute pairwise phenotypic distances between sympatric and allopatric species pairs. We found that sympatry promoted strong convergence, while divergence in sympatry was less frequent and weaker. The effect of sympatry on convergence was stronger on females than males, suggesting that differential selective pressures acting on the two sexes drove sexual dimorphism. Our results highlight the significant effect of ecological interactions driven by predation pressures on trait diversification in Papilionidae and evidence the interaction between phylogenetic proximity and ecological interactions in sympatry acting on macroevolutionary patterns of phenotypic diversification.
Laminin-defined Mechanical Status Modulates Retinal Pigment Epithelium Functionality
Authors: Kozyrina Aleksandra N. , Piskova Teodora , Semeraro Francesca , Doolaar Iris C. , Prapty Taspia , Haraszti Tamás , Hubert Maxime , Windoffer Reinhard , Leube Rudolf E. , Smith Ana-Sunčana , Di Russo Jacopo
Published: February 2023

Epithelial cells are highly interconnected, whereby they acquire mesoscale mechanical properties to accomplish specific tissue functions. In homeostasis, this mechanical status can be summarised as mechanical homeostasis, regulated by the balance of intercellular tension and extracellular matrix adhesion forces. In the outer retina, the significance of this force balance and its consequences for vision remains poorly understood. We found that the density of basement membrane laminins modulates the level of retinal pigmented epithelium contractility, which directly controls its efficiency in phagocytosing photoreceptor outer segments.In vivo, the density gradient of laminins follows retinal functional demand, supporting the physiological role of laminins in controlling epithelial mechanical homeostasis. Our data suggest that laminin density and isoform heterogeneity can differentially engage integrins β1 and β4, the ratio of which determines the contribution of actin vs keratin cytoskeleton in balancing tissue mechanics. With this work, we suggest that the extracellular matrix-defined mechanical status of retinal pigmented epithelium is a novel parameter for visual function.

Significance

In the retina, the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) is responsible for the daily phagocytosis of photoreceptor cell fragments, a process vital for visual function. Along the visual axis, there is a natural decrease in the ratio of photoreceptors to RPE cells, indicating a decrease in RPE functional demand. This study reveals that the density of laminins in RPE basement membrane also diminishes along this axis, critically influencing RPE function by regulating its contractility. For the first time, we demonstrate the presence of a laminin- defined mechanical gradient within the RPE, which determines its capacity to support photoreceptor cells. Our findings highlight the importance of mechanical properties as a key factor in visual function, offering new insights into retinal health and disease.
In situ characterization of late Chikungunya virus replication organelle
Authors: Girard Justine , Le-Bihan Olivier , Lai-Kee-Him Joséphine , Girleanu Maria , Bernard Eric , Castellarin Cedric , Neyret Aymeric , Spehner Danièle , Holy Xavier , Favier Anne-Laure , Briant Laurence , Bron Patrick
Published: February 2023

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen responsible for an acute musculo-skeletal disease in humans. The viral RNA genome replication occurs in membrane spherules named replication organelles (ROs). In this work, we investigate the native structural organization of CHIKV ROs in their cellular context usingin situcryogenic-electron microscopy approaches at late replication stage. We observed previously unreported diameter heterogeneity of ROs at the plasma membrane of infected human cells. CHIKV ROs were only marginally detected in cytopathic vacuoles where they are homogeneous in size, suggesting a finely regulated internalization process. Our data show that ROs maintained at the plasma membrane beyond the first viral cycle are dynamically active both in viral RNA replication, in its export to the cell cytosol, but also in the production of viral proteins. We suggest that late CHIKV ROs have an amplifying role or represent an alternative pathway in the production of infectious viral particles. All these observations bring new insight into the CHIKV life cycle in human cells.
Happy customers means more business – a comparative study of a global food chain in the COVID-19 endemic era
Authors: Srivastava Rajesh Kumar
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors influencing the happiness of customers of two global coffee food chains through qualitative research in the post pandemic era. Unlike existing studies, this study will compare and examine the differential points between two global coffee food chains so that others can improve their strategies to improve their competitiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

It is qualitative research employing sentiment analysis through “Sprinkler Software” to assess the sentiment of customers of Starbucks and Barista followed by focus interviews through the same customers who have visited both Starbucks and Barista.

Findings

The results showed that most important factors which motivate customers and make them happy to go for “Starbucks” or “Barista” are ambience, store location, quality of product offerings and service quality. Value for money, quality of products and service quality are the top three variables affecting the customers and have rated Starbucks better than Barista on these parameters. The happiness level of the same customers who have visited both the coffee chains is more with Starbucks compared to Barista.

Originality/value

This research contributes to better understanding the effects of different marketing strategies adopted by coffee chain stores and can provide direction to Barista and other coffee chains. The stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model in coffee chain store application is an additional contribution to existing knowledge.

Highlights

Most important factors which motivate customers and make them happy to go for “Starbucks” or “Barista” are ambience, store location, quality of product offerings and service quality.

Value for money, quality of products and service quality are the top three variables affecting the customers and have rated Starbucks better than Barista on these parameters.

The happiness level of the same customers who have visited both the coffee chains are more with Starbuck compared to that of Barista.

This is significant and can give direction to Barista and other coffee chains through learning from this research.

Using the extended SOR model, we explain the variation in response in the happiness level of customers of two coffee chains.

In order to give an insight into the strategies adopted by Starbucks and Barista in emerging markets, a comparison of the happiness levels of clients of both coffee chains is presented.

This original research can help coffee chains improve their return on investment.

The SOR model in coffee chain store application is an additional contribution to existing knowledge.
Seeing past different signals in the job interview: information improves ratings of candidates on the autism spectrum
Authors: Comer Debra R. , Lenaghan Janet A. , Motro Daphna
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The authors used signaling theory to explain negative perceptions of individuals on the autism spectrum (IotAS) in the job interview and explored whether parasocial contact could improve perceptions.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were randomly assigned across six experimental conditions. Some received information that IotAS' social and communication differences prevent them from attaining jobs they could perform (information), some received this information and watched a video showing IotAS working competently (parasocial contact) and others were exposed to neither information nor video (control). Participants then watched a mock interview of a job candidate presenting as an IotAS or neurotypical and gave their first impressions of him, perceptions of his job suitability and selection decision.

Findings

Participants had less favorable first impressions of the IotAS-presenting candidate and perceived him as having lower job suitability and were therefore less likely to select him. Parasocial contact had no effect. However, participants who had received information that IotAS' differences keep them from being hired for jobs they could do perceived the IotAS-presenting candidate as more suitable for the job and had greater intentions to interact with and select him.

Originality/value

The authors enhance understanding of autism in the workplace by explaining how IotAS' signaling behavior during a job interview impedes their selection. The authors also provide evidence that a brief message that IotAS' social and communication differences keep them from securing jobs they could perform can promote IotAS' selection by focusing decision-makers on their job-relevant qualifications.
How discretionary HR practices influence employee job satisfaction: the mediating role of job crafting
Authors: Ekmekcioglu Emre Burak , Nabawanuka Hamidah
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between discretionary human resource (HR) practices and job satisfaction, as well as the mediating role of job crafting in the relationship between discretionary HR practices and job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 302 employees working in an information and communications technology (ICT) industry in Turkey. Structural equation modelling and bootstrapping procedure were used to test the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

The findings suggest that discretionary HR practices are significantly and positively related to employees' job satisfaction. The results also show that discretionary HR practices stimulates job satisfaction through job crafting.

Research limitations/implications

Because this study was conducted using a cross-sectional research methodology with data acquired from the same source, conclusions concerning the causality of the variables cannot be inferred. The findings in this study have significant implications for human resource practitioners and business owners who invest in their employees to enhance both employee and organizational performance. The findings show that investment in HR practices prompt employees to be more proactive in devising measures and ways of performing their jobs which increases their job satisfaction hence bringing about desirable and favorable organizational outcomes.

Originality/value

This study adds to the growing body of research on the relationship between HRM and job satisfaction by investigating at the predictive influence of discretionary HR practices as well as the mediating role that job crafting plays.
Relationship between misinformation spreading behaviour and true/false judgments and literacy: an empirical analysis of COVID-19 vaccine and political misinformation in Japan
Authors: Yamaguchi Shinichi , Tanihara Tsukasa
Published: February 2023

Purpose

In recent years, the social impact of misinformation has intensified. The purpose of this study is to clarify the mechanism by which misinformation spreads in society.

Design/methodology/approach

Testing the following two hypotheses by a logit model analysis of survey data using actual fact-checked COVID-19 vaccine and political misinformation: people who believe that some misinformation is true are more likely to spread it than those who do not believe in its truthfulness; people with lower media and information literacy are more likely to spread misinformation than people with higher media and information literacy.

Findings

The two hypotheses are supported, and the trend was generally robust regardless of the method, whether the means of diffusion was social media or direct conversation.

Social implications

The authors derived the following four implications from the results: governments need to further promote media information literacy education; platform service providers should consider mechanisms to facilitate the spread and display of posts by people who are aware of misinformation; fact-checking should be further promoted; people should acquire information based on the assumption that people who believe in some misinformation tend to spread it more.

Originality/value

First, it quantitatively clarifies the relationship between misinformation, true/false judgements and dissemination behaviour. Second, it quantitatively clarifies the relationship between literacy and misinformation dissemination behaviour. Third, it conducts a comprehensive analysis of diffusion behaviours, including those outside of social media.
Use of software for automation of academic libraries in Sialkot
Authors: Iqbal Mazhar , Khan Muhammad Kabir , Sheikh Arslan
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of software for the automation of academic libraries in Sialkot. This study consisted of three objectives, including recognizing the reasons to adopt the software for library automation, investigating the problems faced by librarians while using library software and identifying the satisfaction level with the attributes of library software.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative research approach was used to achieve the objectives of this study. A survey was conducted to collect data from the library information science professionals working in the academic libraries of Sialkot. The data was collected from 46 library professionals through a structured questionnaire.

Findings

The findings showed that the economic cost of implementation, maintenance and the software providing multilingual support were the major reasons for adoption of software for the purpose of automation. In this study, compliance with the internet, noncooperation in library automation by university/institution, availability of training facilities, insufficient library budget, a lack of financial/economic resources, staff transfer and a lack of consultancy and technical service were identified as major issues when using library automation software. However, the respondents were quite satisfied with the performance of software attributes including circulation modules, easy to use cataloguing modules, reports’ modules, software attributes of administration modules and multilingual facility.

Originality/value

This study persuades library and information science professionals to automate their libraries through the adoption of library software.
Application of Lean Six Sigma for yield improvement in the stainless steel industry: a recipe from Türkiye
Authors: Bilgin Turna Gulcin
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This study aims to demonstrate the application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) at a stainless steel manufacturer in Türkiye for yield improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach consisting of a single descriptive case study was adopted. Both primary and secondary sources were used. The interviews were conducted with the Six Sigma team. In addition, an in-depth review of the project documents was conducted. The “define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC)” phases were explained by examining the tables, facts and figures. The company’s downgraded rate owing to defective materials was 0.21%. Root causes were detected in the tension unit, carpet cleaning, coating unit, film surface and cleaning of the rolls. Therefore, improvements were taken accordingly.

Findings

The rolled throughput yield was 99.05%, and the defect rate was reduced to 0.08% after implementing LSS, which provided statistically proven results and a direct reflection on customer satisfaction.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first case study examining the application of LSS to improve the yield of a medium-sized stainless steel company in Türkiye.
Sustainable innovations for humanitarian operations in refugee camps
Authors: Seifert Lysann , Kunz Nathan , Gold Stefan
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Although the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize the importance of leaving no one behind, the opposite is happening for the world's 89 million forcibly displaced people who are mostly left out of SDGs’ reporting and progress. A key reason for this poor outcome is that host country governments plan refugee camps as short-term shelters, but refugees stay in these camps for more than a decade on average due to ongoing conflicts in their home country. This disparity between intent and reality prevents sustainable living conditions for refugee populations. Operational innovations are needed to find sustainable solutions that ensure a higher quality of life and progress toward sustainability in refugee camps.

Design/methodology/approach

Through an abductive case study, the authors develop a theoretical framework on sustainable operational innovations for refugee camps. The authors use this framework to analyze four sustainable operational innovations implemented in three refugee camps in Jordan.

Findings

The authors develop three research propositions that describe the conditions required for these operational innovations to succeed: they need to include specific needs and cultural preferences of refugees, they must accommodate host governments' restrictions that limit permanent settlement, and finally, technological innovations require careful data management policies to protect refugees. Doing this, the authors account for the broader political-economic and ecological environments that refugee camps are embedded in.

Originality/value

This paper opens a new area of research on sustainable innovation in humanitarian operations. It provides insights into key contingency factors moderating the link between operational innovations and sustainability outcomes. It represents one of the few studies that build their theorizing upon field data collected in refugee camps.
Supplier selection at the base of the chain: navigating competing institutional logics for shared mutual value
Authors: Schumm C. Zoe , Niehm Linda S.
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Traditional purchasing best practices primarily follow a commercial logic and may not necessarily be applicable for social enterprises (SEs) supplier selection. This study examines how SEs focused on poverty alleviation select suppliers amidst competing institutional logics to achieve both social impact and economic performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A grounded theory methodology is applied to guide semi-structured interviews with 18 fair trade verified SEs. Constant comparison methods aided in determining the point of data saturation was reached.

Findings

The results of this study indicate that SEs select marginalized suppliers based on implicit criteria that is initially based on social-welfare logic and then through a blend of commercial and social-welfare logic based on company structure.

Originality/value

This study is the first to reveal that SEs addressing social issues do not follow the traditional criteria for supplier selection but have their own unique selection criteria when selecting suppliers.
Consumer perceptions of information features in healthcare service advertisements and attitudes toward advertising
Authors: Park Sung-Yeon , Yun Gi Woong , Cook Daniel M. , Coppes Max J.
Published: February 2023

Purpose

With the increasing dependence on market-based distribution of health-care resources in the USA, spending on health-care service advertisements directly targeting consumers has also increased. Previous research has shown that the ads fail to deliver information deemed essential by regulators. Nevertheless, the attitude of consumers toward health-care service advertising has been more positive than negative. The purpose of this study is to create a taxonomy of advertising information features to better describe the relationships between information features in the advertisements and consumer attitudes toward them.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 128 health-care consumers in a western state in the USA.

Findings

Factor analysis generated seven groups of information features. Among them, information features about access, cost and quality of care were rated as most helpful, whereas providers’ clinical qualifications and communication were rated least helpful. The advertising attitude measure was validated to contain two subscales, one regarding health-care service advertising and the other regarding physicians who advertise. People who highly rated the consumerism features had more positive attitudes toward health-care service advertising and people who highly rated provider clinical qualification features had more negative attitudes toward advertising physicians.

Originality/value

This study made methodological improvements in health-care service advertising research that would be crucial for its theoretical development. It also shed light on consumer characteristics and perceptions about information features that could influence their attitudes toward health-care service advertising.
Startup spawning: background and formative processes
Authors: Ribeiro Artur Tavares Vilas Boas , Ferragi Cesar Alves , Plonski Guilherme Ary , Cardoso André Coimbra Félix
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the phenomenon of entrepreneurial spawning in the new context of software startups, revisiting theory and identifying patterns within the emergence of startups/spin-offs in Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

A study of two cases of startups recognized for generating several spin-offs founded by former employees. The authors based the data collection on the following triangulation: 11 in-depth interviews, systematic analysis of 33 resumes from entrepreneurs in spawned firms and document analysis.

Findings

Six skills developed in startups were identified: (1) structuring a company, (2) people management, (3) strategic/operational planning, (4) commercial/sales, (5) product development, and (6) behavioral traits. In addition, points of contradiction concerning the literature were found, such as the absence of the location effect, different professional experiences and new local agents to support startups.

Research limitations/implications

The present study covers only two cases in the context of software startups, which requires caution and discretion in extrapolating to other contexts.

Practical implications

The understanding of the phenomenon may reflect in: university programs focused on internships in startups, corporate training programs for entrepreneurs and the design of public policies based on entrepreneurial spawning.

Originality/value

The present study stands out for its access to data from high-impact startups in Brazil, in addition to revisiting the literature bringing a new perspective to the specificities of high-growth software companies.
Setting goal difficulty in monetary incentives to physicians: evidence from an online health knowledge-sharing platform
Authors: Dang Yuanyuan , Guo Shanshan , Song Haochen , Li Yi
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Prior studies on the impact of incentives on physicians’ online participation mainly focused on different incentives while ignoring the difficulty of setting monetary incentives efficiently. Based on goal-setting theory, the current research examines the relationship between incentives with goals of varying difficulty and professional health knowledge sharing (PHKS) in online health knowledge-sharing platforms (OHKSPs).

Design/methodology/approach

Four field experiments with different monetary incentives were conducted by one of China’s largest OHKSPs, with whom the researchers cooperated in data collection. Monthly panel data on 10,584 physicians were collected from September 2018 to December 2019. There were 9,376 physicians in the treatment group and 1,208 in the control group. The authors used a difference-in-difference (DID) model to explore the research question based on the same control group and the Chow test with seemingly unrelated estimation (sureg) to compare regression coefficients between four groups. Several robustness checks were performed to validate the main results, including a relative time model, multiple falsification tests and a DID estimation using the propensity score matching method.

Findings

The results show that the monetary incentive significantly positively affected the volume of physicians’ PHKS directly with negative spillover to the duration of physicians’ PHKS. Moreover, the positive effect of incentives with higher difficulty on the volume of physicians’ PHKS was significantly smaller than that of incentives with low difficulty. Finally, professional title had a positive moderating effect on the volume of goal difficulty setting and did not significantly moderate the effect on the duration of physicians’ PHKS.

Research limitations/implications

Some limitations of this study are: firstly, because the field experiments were enterprise benefit oriented, the treatment and control groups were not balanced. Secondly, the experiments for different incentive measures were relatively similar, making it challenging to validate a causal effect. Finally, more consideration should be given to the strategy for setting hierarchical incentives in future research.

Originality/value

The research indicates that monetary incentives have a bilateral effect on PHKS, i.e. a positive direct effect on the volume of physicians’ contributions and a negative spillover effect on the duration of physicians’ PHKS. The professional titles of physicians also moderate such bilateral switches of PHKS. Furthermore, when a physician’s energy is limited, the goal difficulty setting of the incentive mechanism tends to be low. The more difficult the incentives are, the more inefficient the effects on physicians’ PHKS will be.
It’s a force of habit: influences of emotional eating on indulgent tendencies
Authors: Bui My , Krishen Anjala , Kemp Elyria
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to build upon reward-learning theory and examine the role of indulgent food consumption and habitual eating behaviors as a means of emotional coping.

Design/methodology/approach

Both qualitative and quantitative methods were enlisted to explore emotional eating and indulgent tendencies. In Phase 1 of this research, participants responded to open-ended questions regarding the drivers of emotional eating. In Phase 2, a theoretically driven model was developed from Phase 1 findings and quantitative data was collected to test it.

Findings

Phase 1 findings indicate that negative terms such as “stressed” and “distract” were more prevalent in the high emotional coping group as opposed to the low emotional coping group. Building from Phase 1, findings from Phase 2 demonstrate a link between emotional eating and indulgent food consumption, underscoring the impact of habitual behaviors. Specifically, emotional coping frequency fully explains the relationship between emotional eating habits and indulgent eating frequency, while intentions to eat indulgent foods partially mediates the relationship between attitude toward indulgent foods and indulgent food consumption frequency. In addition, intentions to eat indulgent foods partially mediates the relationship between emotional coping frequency and indulgent food consumption frequency.

Practical implications

Social marketing efforts can be enlisted to de-market fatty foods to individuals prone to engaging in emotional eating. Individuals might also be encouraged to use emotion regulation techniques to help manage negative emotions.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the existing marketing and consumer well-being literature by exploring the role of habit formation in the development of emotional eating and indulgent food consumption.
Special Issue on stalking: commentary
Authors: Sheridan Lorraine
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The research literature on stalking has proliferated in recent years. Even so, gaps remain. This commentary paper introduces a Special Issue on stalkers.

Design/methodology/approach

This Special Issue showcases Rachael Wheatley’s mixed methods work with male stalkers. These stalkers were actively engaged in the research process. Importantly, Wheatley’s studies took a phenomenological approach, exploring how these men construed their reality for engaging in stalking behaviour.

Findings

This Special Issue highlights many of the factors that may increase the risk that a person becomes a stalker, including disordered attachment, depression, entitlement, emotional regulation, stress management and narcissism.

Originality/value

Taken together, this collection of papers points to a need for practitioners and researchers alike to break out of silos and take a holistic and comprehensive approach to tackling the widespread problem of stalking.
Effect of COVID-19 on hotel performance: role of government
Authors: Subedi Swechchha , Kubickova Marketa
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The study has two objectives, first, to examine the effect of COVID-19 deaths and corruption on the government's policy responses, and second, to investigate the effect of COVID-19, corruption and government response on hotel performance, using the developmental system's framework of resilience theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilizes hotel data from ten countries collected from 1st March 2020 to 28th February 2021. The data are analyzed using the panel regression analysis in E-views.

Findings

The study confirms that government policies direct impact the hotel performance. Specifically, economic support policies have a positive effect on hotel performance, while COVID-19 deaths and restrictions have a negative impact on hotels. The study also found a strong association between corruption and the level of restrictions that governments choose to implement. Therefore, for effective recovery, governments must be mindful of the context in which businesses operate and the effect of their policies on the hotel industry.

Practical implications

The strong correlation between COVID-19 deaths and RevPAR highlights the significance of understanding and addressing customers' risk perception to enhance the resilience of the hotel industry. The findings emphasize the importance of collaboration between the hotel industry and the government for effective crisis management and policymaking.

Originality/value

This study empirically examines how various policy responses and crisis levels impact hotel performance. It sheds light on why countries respond to crises differently and the effects of different policy responses on the hotel industry. The study has many implications for the industry stakeholders and policymakers.
Detection of readers' emotional aspects and thumbs-up empathy reactions towards reviews of online travel agency apps
Authors: Hossain Md Shamim , Rahman Mst Farjana
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The main goal of this study is to employ unsupervised (lexicon-based) learning approaches to identify readers' emotional dimensions and thumbs-up empathy reactions to reviews of online travel agency apps based on appraisal and stimulus–organism–response (SOR) theories.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the Google Play Scraper, we gathered a total of 402,431 reviews from the Google Play Store for two travel agency apps, Tripadvisor and Booking.com. Following the filtering and cleaning of user reviews, we used lexicon-based unsupervised machine learning algorithms to investigate the associations between various emotional dimensions of reviews and review readers' thumbs-up reactions.

Findings

The study's findings reveal that the sentiment of different sorts of reviews has a substantial influence on review readers' emotional experiences, causing them to give the app a thumbs up review. Furthermore, readers' thumbs-up responses to the text reviews differed depending on the eight emotional aspects of the reviews.

Practical implications

The results of this research can be applied in the development of online travel agency apps. The findings suggest that app developers can enhance users' emotional experiences by considering the sentiment and emotional aspects of reviews in their design and implementation. Additionally, the results can be used by travel agencies to improve their online reputation and attract more customers by providing a positive user experience.

Social implications

The findings of this research have the potential to have a significant impact on society by providing insights into the emotional experiences of users when they engage with online travel agency apps. The study highlights the importance of considering the emotional aspect of user reviews, which can help app developers to create more user-friendly and empathetic products.

Originality/value

The current study is the first to evaluate the impact of users' thumbs-up empathetic reactions on user evaluations of online travel agency applications using unsupervised (lexicon-based) learning methodologies.
Can we transform global education without transforming how we monitor progress?
Authors: Benavot Aaron , Williams James
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This paper critically aims to review existing monitoring strategies of Target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals and proposes an alternative approach for reporting country progress on relevant Target 4.7 themes. Since this target constitutes one of the most ambitious and transformative education targets there is considerable value in developing a comprehensive reporting and monitoring strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on key policy documents to clarify processes leading up to the definition and measurement of a global indicator for Target 4.7. It also discusses limitations associated with the current reporting and measurement strategy.

Findings

The paper finds that the current monitoring approach to Target 4.7, based on an existing reporting mechanism for the 1974Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom,is unfit for purpose and needs to be overhauled. The current process for revising the 1974 Recommendation is unlikely to result in a new monitoring strategy that would address existing weaknesses in the current strategy.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, a critical review of measurement, reporting and monitoring strategies of Target 4.7 has not been undertaken. Also new in this paper is the proposed global observatory of Target 4.7 policies, practices and initiatives, which, if established, would work to: (1) create a more dynamic and informative monitoring infrastructure; (2) foster peer learning among countries; and (3) identify notable strategies of national, regional and international action in relation to Target 4.7.
Corporate capital allocation: a behavioral perspective and guidance for future research
Authors: Kremer Rico
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this integrative review is to develop a holistic behavioral framework on capital allocation decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The article first structures, maps and synthesizes the prevalent cognitive biases that are present during capital allocation decisions. It then seeks to offer a robust understanding on how firms can mitigate the effects of cognitive biases.

Findings

Not only do several cognitive biases interfere with a decision-makers ability to make adequate capital allocation decisions but firms already have a number of tools at their disposal to mitigate them.

Research limitations/implications

Besides identifying cognition- and repair-based implications to extend the literature, this article outlines key methodological challenges for future research conducted along the lines of capital allocation.

Practical implications

Since the paper structures cognitive limitations in one of the most important managerial decision-making processes and discusses what firms can do to counteract them, it is of high relevance for practitioners. Managers need to know what drives successful capital allocation and what not.

Originality/value

The article provides a rare integrative review on the impact of cognitive biases on capital allocation and addresses the need to build linkages to the ongoing conversation on how to design strategic decision processes.