bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Successful Antenatal Diagnosis and Management of a Rare Case of Congenital Fetal Choledochal Cyst
Authors: Lata Indu , Mandelia Ankur , Mandal Kausik
Published: September 2020

Choledochal cysts is a rare congenital cystic dilatation of common biliary duct. The most common prenatal diagnosed form type- I (85%-90%), consists of fusiform dilation of the common bile duct. There is communication between the bile duct and the cyst. In antenatal period diagnosis may be made by the presence of a cyst in the upper right side of the fetal abdomen on ultrasound. To differentiate it with other cystic lesions prenatal ultrasonography (USG), three-dimensional USG and magnetic resonance imaging may be helpful. By early diagnosis and prompt removal of cyst in postnatal period long term complications like development of biliary cirrhosis, portal hypertension, calculi formation or adenocarcinoma can be avoided in later life. The operative mortality is about 10%. We are reporting a case of antenatal diagnosis type I congenital choledochal cysts at 21 weeks, its follow up and successful postnatal management.
Placenta Accreta Spectrum: Conservative Management and Its Impact on Future Fertility
Authors: Abbas Riwa A. , Nassar Anwar H.
Published: September 2020

Placenta accreta spectrum is a complication of pregnancy, which poses a great risk on maternal health. Historically, hysterectomy was the modality of treatment of such condition, but an approach towards a more conservative management has been in the light recently. This includes several methods with varying rates of success and complications. Expectant management is effective in up to 78%–80% of the cases. The extirpative method is associated with a high risk of postpartum hemorrhage. The success of the one-step conservative procedure depends on the degree of placental invasion, and the triple-P procedure appears to be successful but requires and interdisciplinary approach. Adjuvant treatment options can be tailored according to individual cases, and these include methotrexate injection, uterine devascularization and hysteroscopic resection of retained placental tissues. Follow up after conservative management is crucial to detect complications early, and it can be done by ultrasound, Doppler examination, and trending β human chorionic gonadotropin levels. Conservative management of placenta accreta spectrum can preserve future fertility but should only be done in hospitals with enough experience as it carries a high risk of maternal complications. In the future, more research should be directed to achieve clear guidelines regarding this topic.
The history and current status of women in surgery in the Arabian Gulf
Authors: Al-Rashed Asmaa M. , Al Youha Sarah A. , Al Safi Sarah H.
Published: September 2020

The Arabian Gulf represents an economically and politically important region of the world. Some misconceptions about this part of the world currently exists, as little has been written about it, particularly concerning the contributions and history of women in surgery in this area. This historical review provides an overview of the history of women surgeons and their current state in the Arabian Gulf region. Primary and secondary sources were both utilized to provide this historical review. Published and unpublished data and statistics were analyzed. In addition, transcripts from surveys and personal interviews were utilized and corroborated to ensure historical accuracy. The discovery of oil has been a major contributor in revolutionizing and establishing modern medical practices in the Gulf region. Recent societal and legislative changes have resulted in further developments that have culminated in an increase in the number of women surgeons in the region and a greater cultural acceptance of women in this role. This trend is expected to continue, as women continue to gain more representation in leadership roles and in various surgical subspecialties. To our knowledge, this is the first article to provide an overview of the history and status of women surgeons in the Gulf area. Women surgeons in the Gulf have become an integral part of the surgical force and they continue to grow, both in number and in standing.
Effectiveness of a Modular Cognitive-Behavioral Skills Curriculum in High-Risk Justice-Involved Youth
Authors: Marques Luana , Youn Soo Jeong , Zepeda E. David , Chablani-Medley Anisha , Bartuska Anna D. , Baldwin Molly , Shtasel Derri L.
Published: September 2020

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a flexible modular cognitive-behavioral theory (CBT) skills curriculum delivered by paraprofessionals in a community organization targeting high-risk justice-involved youth. Programmatic data were collected from 980 high-risk young men (M
age, 21.12; SD, 2.30), and Cox proportional hazards regression was used. The results showed that compared with young men with no CBT encounters, those with one or more CBT encounters had a 66% (hazard ratio [HR], 0.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28–0.42; p < 0.001) lower risk of unenrolling from programming, 65% (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.29–2.12; p < 0.001) higher risk of obtaining a job, and no difference in risk of engaging in new criminal activity while enrolled in programming (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.78–1.25; p = 0.918), despite higher risk factors. Training paraprofessionals to deliver CBT skills to high-risk populations is effective and has scalability potential.
AlzGPS: A Genome-wide Positioning Systems Platform to Catalyze Multi-omics for Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Discovery
Authors: Zhou Yadi , Fang Jiansong , Bekris Lynn , Kim Young Heon , Pieper Andrew A. , Leverenz James B. , Cummings Jeffrey , Cheng Feixiong
Published: September 2020

Background

Over15 million family members and caregivers have expended $220 billion for care of patients with AD and other dementias, and the attrition rate for AD clinical trials (2002-2012) is estimated at 99.6%. While recent DNA/RNA sequencing and other multi-omics technologies have advanced the understanding of the biology and pathophysiology of AD, no effective disease-modifying or preventive therapies, for AD have emerged in the past two decades. A new approach to integration of the genome, transcriptome, proteome, and human interactome in the drug discovery and development process is essential for this endeavor.

Methods

In this study, we developed AlzGPS (Genome-widePositioningSystems platform forAlzheimer’s Therapeutic Discovery,https://alzgps.lerner.ccf.org), a comprehensive systems biology tool to enable searching, visualizing, and analyzing multi-omics, various types of heterogeneous biological networks, and clinical databases for target identification and effective prevention and treatment of AD.

Results

Via AlzGPS: (1) we curated more than 100 AD multi-omics data sets capturing DNA, RNA, protein, and small molecules’ profiles underlying AD pathogenesis (e.g., early vs. late stage and tau vs. amyloid endophenotype); (2) we constructed endophenotype disease modules by incorporating multi-omics findings and human protein-protein interactome networks; (3) we identified repurposable drugs from ∼3,000 FDA approved/investigational drugs for AD using state-of-the-art network proximity analyses; (4) we curated 300 literature references for highly repurposable drugs; (5) we included information from over 200 ongoing AD clinicals noting drug mechanisms and primary drug targets, and linking them to our integrated multi-omics view for targets and network analyses results for the drugs; (6) we implemented a highly interactive web-interface for database browsing and network visualization.

Conclusions

Network visualization enabled by the AlzGPS includes brain-specific neighborhood networks for genes-of-interest, endophenotype disease module networks for data sets-of-interest, and mechanism-of-action networks for drugs targeting disease modules. By virtue of combining systems pharmacology and network-based integrative analysis of multi-omics data, the AlzGPS offers actionable systems biology tools for accelerating therapeutic development in AD.
Development of an MRI Compatible Nasal Drug Delivery Method: Probing Nicotine Addiction Dynamics
Authors: Mujica-Parodi Lilianne R. , Kumar Rajat , Wenke Michael , Amgalan Anar , Lithen Andrew , Govindarajan Sindhuja T. , Makaryus Rany , Benveniste Helene , Strey Helmut H.
Published: September 2020

Background

Substance abuse is a fundamentally dynamic disease, characterized by repeated oscillation between craving, drug self-administration, reward, and satiety. To model nicotine addiction as a control system, an MR-compatible nicotine delivery system is needed to elicit cyclical cravings.

Method

Using a concentric nebulizer, inserted into one nostril, we delivered each dose—each equivalent to a single cigarette puff—using a syringe pump by nebulizing the nicotine solution using pressurized medical air. A control mechanism permits dual modes: one delivers puffs on a fixed interval programmed by researchers; with the other, subjects press a button to self-administer each nicotine dose. Subjects were therefore able to intuitively “smoke” the equivalent of a cigarette, one “puff” at a time. We dosed each “puff” such that one cigarette would be equal, in nicotine content, to 10 puffs.

Results

We tested the viability of this delivery method for studying the brain’s response to nicotine addiction in three steps. First, we established the pharmacokinetics of nicotine delivery, using a dosing scheme designed to gradually achieve saturation, as with a cigarette. Second, we lengthened the time between micro-doses to elicit craving cycles, using both fixed-interval and subject-driven behavior. Finally, we confirmed that the fixed-interval protocol reliably activates brain circuits linked to addiction.

Conclusion

Our MR-compatible nasal delivery method enables the measurement of neural circuit responses to drug doses on a single-subject level, allowing the development of data-driven predictive models to quantify individual dysregulations of the reward control circuit causing addiction.
Challenges in solving structures from radiation-damaged tomograms of protein nanocrystals assessed by simulation
Authors: Peck Ariana , Yao Qing , Brewster Aaron S. , Zwart Petrus H. , Heumann John M. , Sauter Nicholas K. , Jensen Grant J.
Published: September 2020

Structure determination methods are needed to resolve the atomic details that underlie protein function. X-ray crystallography has provided most of our knowledge of protein structure but is constrained by the need for large, well-ordered crystals and the loss of phase information. The rapidly developing methods of serial femtosecond crystallography, micro-electron diffraction, and single-particle reconstruction circumvent the first of these limitations by enabling data collection from nanocrystals or purified proteins. However, the first two methods also suffer from the phase problem, while many proteins fall below the molecular weight threshold required by single-particle reconstruction. Cryo-electron tomography of protein nanocrystals has the potential to overcome these obstacles of mainstream structure determination methods. Here we present a data processing scheme that combines routines from X-ray crystallography and new algorithms we developed to solve structures from tomograms of nanocrystals. This pipeline handles image processing challenges specific to tomographic sampling of periodic specimens and is validated using simulated crystals. We also assess the tolerance of this workflow to the effects of radiation damage. Our simulations indicate a trade-off between a wider tilt-range to facilitate merging data from multiple tomograms and a smaller tilt increment to improve phase accuracy. Since phase errors but not merging errors can be overcome with additional datasets, these results recommend distributing the dose over a wide angular range rather than using a finer sampling interval to solve the protein structure.
Origins of 1/f-like tissue oxygenation fluctuations in the murine cortex
Authors: Zhang Qingguang , Gheres Kyle W. , Drew Patrick J.
Published: September 2020

The concentration of oxygen in the brain spontaneously fluctuates, and the power distribution in these fluctuations has 1/f-like dynamics. Though these oscillations have been interpreted as being driven by neural activity, the origins of these 1/f-like oscillations is not well understood. Here, to gain insight of the origin of the 1/f-like oxygen fluctuations, we investigated the dynamics of tissue oxygenation and neural activity in awake behaving mice. We found that oxygen signal recorded from the cortex of mice had 1/f-like spectra. However, band-limited power in the local field potential, did not show corresponding 1/f-like fluctuations. When local neural activity was suppressed, the 1/f-like fluctuations in oxygen concentration persisted. Two-photon measurements of erythrocyte spacing fluctuations (‘stalls’) and mathematical modelling show that stochastic fluctuations in erythrocyte flow and stalling could underlie 1/f-like dynamics in oxygenation. These results show discrete nature of erythrocytes and their irregular flow, rather than neural activity, could drive 1/f-like fluctuations in tissue oxygenation.
Measuring competitive exclusion in non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Farrokhian Nathan , Maltas Jeff , Dinh Mina , Durmaz Arda , Ellsworth Patrick , Hitomi Masahiro , McClure Erin , Marusyk Andriy , Kaznatcheev Artem , Scott Jacob G
Published: September 2020

Therapeutic strategies for tumor control have traditionally assumed that maximizing reduction in tumor volume correlates with clinical efficacy. Unfortunately, this rapid decrease in tumor burden is almost invariably followed by the emergence of therapeutic resistance. Evolutionary based treatment strategies attempt to delay resistance via judicious treatments that maintain a significant treatable subpopulation. While these strategies have shown promise in recent clinical trials, they often rely on biological conjecture and intuition to derive parameters. In this study we experimentally measure the frequency-dependent interactions between a gefitinib resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) population and its sensitive ancestor via the evolutionary game assay. We show that cost of resistance is insufficient to accurately predict competitive exclusion and that frequency-dependent growth rate measurements are required. In addition, we show that frequency-dependent growth rate changes may ultimately result in a safe harbor for resistant populations to safely accumulate, even those with significant cost of resistance. Using frequency-dependent growth rate data we then show that gefitinib treatment results in competitive exclusion of the ancestor, while absence of treatment results in a likely, but not guaranteed exclusion of the resistant strain. Finally, using our empirically derived growth rates to constrain simulations, we demonstrate that incorporating ecological growth effects can dramatically change the predicted time to sensitive strain extinction. In addition, we show that higher drug concentrations may not lead to the optimal reduction in tumor burden. Taken together, these results highlight the potential importance of frequency-dependent growth rate data for understanding competing populations, both in the laboratory and the clinic.
Cross-Subject EEG-Based Emotion Recognition through Neural Networks with Stratified Normalization
Authors: Fdez Javier , Guttenberg Nicholas , Witkowski Olaf , Pasquali Antoine
Published: September 2020

Due to a large number of potential applications, a good deal of effort has been recently made towards creating machine learning models that can recognize evoked emotions from one’s physiological recordings. In particular, researchers are investigating the use of EEG as a low-cost, non-invasive method. However, the poor homogeneity of the EEG activity across participants hinders the implementation of any such system by a time-consuming calibration stage. In this study, we introduce a new participant-based feature normalization method, so-called stratified normalization, for training deep neural networks in task of cross-subject emotion classification from EEG signals. The new method is able to subtract inter-participant variability while maintaining the emotion information in the data. We carried out our analysis on the SEED dataset, which contains 62-channel EEG recordings collected from 15 participants while watching film clips. Results demonstrate that networks trained with stratified normalization outperformed standard training with batch normalization significantly. In addition, the highest model performance was achieved when extracting EEG features with the multitaper method, reaching a classification accuracy of 91.6% for two emotion categories (positive and negative) and 79.6% for three (also neutral). This analysis provides us with great insight into the potential benefits that stratified normalization can have when developing any cross-subject model based on EEG.
Dual GRIN lens two-photon endoscopy for high-speed volumetric and deep brain imaging
Authors: Chien Yu-Feng , Lin Jyun-Yi , Yeh Po-Ting , Hsu Kuo-Jen , Tsai Yu-Hsuan , Chen Shih-Kuo , Chu Shi-Wei
Published: September 2020

Studying neural connections and activitiesin vivois fundamental to understanding brain functions. Given the cm-size brain and three-dimensional neural circuit dynamics, deep-tissue, high-speed volumetric imaging is highly desirable for brain study. With sub-micrometer spatial resolution, intrinsic optical sectioning, and deep-tissue penetration capability, two-photon microscopy (2PM) has found a niche in neuroscience. However, current 2PM typically relies on slow axial scan for volumetric imaging, and the maximal penetration depth is only about 1 mm. Here, we demonstrate that by integrating two gradient-index (GRIN) lenses into 2PM, both penetration depth and volume-imaging rate can be significantly improved. Specifically, an 8-mm long GRIN lens allows imaging relay through a whole mouse brain, while a tunable acoustic gradient-index (TAG) lens provides sub-second volume rate via 100 kHz ∼ 1 MHz axial scan. This technique enables the study of calcium dynamics in cm-deep brain regions with sub-cellular and sub-second spatiotemporal resolution, paving the way for interrogating deep-brain functional connectome.
Shared associations identify causal relationships between gene expression and immune cell phenotypes
Authors: Gasperi Christiane , Chun Sung , Sunyaev Shamil R. , Cotsapas Chris
Published: September 2020

Genetic mapping studies have identified thousands of associations between common variants and hundreds of human traits. Translating these associations into mechanisms is complicated by two factors: they fall into gene regulatory regions; and they are rarely mapped to one causal variant. One way around these limitations is to find groups of traits that share associations, using this genetic link to infer a biological connection. Here, we assess how many trait associations in the same locus are due to the same genetic variant, and thus shared; and if these shared associations are due to causal relationships between traits. We find that only a subset of traits share associations, with most due to causal relationships rather than pleiotropy. We therefore suggest that simply observing overlapping associations at a genetic locus is insufficient to infer causality; direct evidence of shared associations is required to support mechanistic hypotheses in genetic studies of complex traits.
High-Quality Genomes of Nanopore Sequencing by Homologous Polishing
Authors: Huang Yao-Ting , Liu Po-Yu , Shih Pei-Wen
Published: September 2020

Nanopore sequencing has been widely used for reconstruction of a variety of microbial genomes. Owing to the higher error rate, the assembled genome requires further error correction. Existing methods erase many of these errors via deep neural network trained from Nanopore reads. However, quite a few systematic errors are still left on the genome. This paper proposed a new model trained from homologous sequences extracted from closely-related genomes, which provides valuable features missed in Nanopore reads. The developed program (called Homopolish) outperforms the state-of-the-art Racon/Medaka and MarginPolish/HELEN pipelines in metagenomic and isolates of bacteria, viruses and fungi. When Homopolish is combined with Medaka or with HELEN, the genomes quality can exceed Q50 on R9.4 flowcells. The genome quality can be also improved on R10.3 flowcells (Q50-Q90). We proved that Nanopore-only sequencing can now produce high-quality genomes without the need of Illumina hybrid sequencing.
MYC overrides HIF to regulate proliferating primary cell metabolism in hypoxia
Authors: Copeland Courtney A. , Olenchock Benjamin A. , Ziehr David R. , McGarrity Sarah , Leahy Kevin , Young Jamey D. , Loscalzo Joseph , Oldham William M.
Published: September 2020

Hypoxia requires metabolic adaptations to sustain energetically demanding cellular activities. While the metabolic consequences of hypoxia have been studied extensively in cancer cell models, comparatively little is known about the metabolic response of primary cells to hypoxia. We performed metabolic flux analyses of proliferating human lung fibroblasts and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells in hypoxia. Unexpectedly, hypoxia decreased glycolytic flux despite activation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and increased glycolytic enzyme expression. Pharmacologic activation of HIF with the prolyl hydroxylase (PHD) inhibitor molidustat in normoxia did increase glycolytic flux, but hypoxia abrogated this effect. Multi-omic profiling revealed distinct molecular responses to hypoxia and pharmacologic PHD inhibition and suggested a critical role for MYC in modulating the HIF response in hypoxia. MYC knockdown in hypoxia increased lactate efflux, while MYC overexpression in normoxia blunted the effects of molidustat treatment. Together, these data suggest that other factors, notably MYC, supersede the anticipated effects of HIF-dependent up-regulation of glycolytic gene expression on glycolytic flux in hypoxic proliferating primary cells.
Room-temperature X-ray crystallography reveals the oxidation and reactivity of cysteine residues in SARS-CoV-2 3CL Mpro: insights into enzyme mechanism and drug design
Authors: Kneller Daniel W. , Phillips Gwyndalyn , O'Neill Hugh M. , Tan Kemin , Joachimiak Andrzej , Coates Leighton , Kovalevsky Andrey
Published: September 2020

The emergence of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a worldwide pandemic not seen in generations. Creating treatments and vaccines to battle COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, is of paramount importance in order to stop its spread and save lives. The viral main protease, 3CL Mpro, is indispensable for the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and is therefore an important target for the design of specific protease inhibitors. Detailed knowledge of the structure and function of 3CL Mpro is crucial to guide structure-aided and computational drug-design efforts. Here, the oxidation and reactivity of the cysteine residues of the protease are reported using room-temperature X-ray crystallography, revealing that the catalytic Cys145 can be trapped in the peroxysulfenic acid oxidation state at physiological pH, while the other surface cysteines remain reduced. Only Cys145 and Cys156 react with the alkylating agent N-ethylmaleimide. It is suggested that the zwitterionic Cys145–His45 catalytic dyad is the reactive species that initiates catalysis, rather than Cys145-to-His41 proton transfer via the general acid–base mechanism upon substrate binding. The structures also provide insight into the design of improved 3CL Mpro inhibitors.
The influence of leadership styles on new product development performance: the moderating effect of product innovativeness
Authors: Darawong Chonlatis
Published: September 2020

Purpose

This article aims to examine the impact of leadership styles on new product development (NPD) and how product innovativeness of NPD projects moderates this impact. The results reveal the implications of different product innovativeness for leaders of NPD projects in achieving successful outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of NPD team members who were involved in NPD. Participants were employees from different departments, including research and development (R&D), quality control (QC), production and marketing. These individuals worked in innovative manufacturing industries such as automotive and auto parts and electronics.

Findings

Results show that transformational leadership has a significantly positive effect on new product success and NPD speed, whereas transactional leadership has a significantly negative effect on both outcomes. Furthermore, the positive impact of transformational leadership on new product success for high innovativeness is stronger than for low innovativeness. In addition, the negative impact of transactional leadership on both new product success and speed for high innovativeness is stronger than for low innovativeness.

Research limitations/implications

First, the sample size was fairly small because of limited access to middle-level management and low willingness to share information involving the firms' production. Second, since both transformational and transactional leaderships are multidimensional, each dimension may affect performance in different ways. Third, the respondents were mainly from a single department which could omit varying perspectives.

Practical implications

The research findings provide recommendations on how different leadership styles support team members to effectively perform NPD tasks in either high or low innovativeness.

Originality/value

This study extends the theory of leadership by providing a holistic understanding of how leadership styles affect NPD performance. It also extends the understanding of how the impact of two different leadership styles on NPD performance is moderated by product innovativeness.
When is entrepreneurial orientation beneficial for new product performance? The roles of ambidexterity and market turbulence
Authors: Huang Shuangfa , Pickernell David , Battisti Martina , Soetanto Danny , Huang Qihai
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is an exploratory orientation because its dimensions such as innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking are the essence of exploration that entails uncertain returns. While literature suggests firms might need to counterbalance and complement EO with another orientation for organisational success, research on this area remains limited. Drawing on organisational learning theory, the purpose of this article is to explore whether and how the EO dimensions and organisational ambidexterity complement each other to enhance new product performance. More specifically, the authors explore the configurations of innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking and ambidexterity for superior new product performance under different levels of market turbulence.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a configurational perspective, the authors applied fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on a sample of 88 small and medium-sized firms from the UK. Using fsQCA allows the authors to uncover the potential complementary role between the EO dimensions and ambidexterity for superior new product performance.

Findings

The results of this paper reveal three configurations that are sufficient to produce superior new product performance. The results suggest that the EO dimensions and ambidexterity can complement each other to enhance new product performance. Further, under the turbulent market environment, the EO dimensions are also sufficient to produce superior new product performance.

Originality/value

By adopting a configurational perspective using fsQCA, the study provides a more holistic understanding of how the EO dimensions work together to influence new product performance. It also contributes to the literature by uncovering the complementary role of the EO dimensions and ambidexterity in shaping new product performance.
Leadership and competition in the age of public and private school markets
Authors: Reimann Carolin Julia , Schwarz Judith , Koinzer Thomas
Published: September 2020

Purpose

The article deals with competition between primary schools in Berlin. The focus is on the perception of competition and the process of student selection – despite school law restrictions for primary state schools. The aim is to find out whether and in what way primary school leaders perceive a competitive situation and how they act in view of second-order competition.

Design/methodology/approach

Berlin primary school leaders' statements were analyzed, which were collected and evaluated using quantitative and qualitative methods.

Findings

Results show that schools with a good reputation are more likely to benefit from competition because a good reputation may increase the demand for spots at that school and may enable the school to select “desirable” students. State school leaders are more limited in their actions, while private school principals are more autonomous and are better able to make a match between a school's orientation and families' ideas.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited by its small sample size, yet it provides a basis for further research and gives much needed attention to selection processes at primary schools in Germany.

Originality/value

This is one of a few studies looking at the perspectives of primary school leaders regarding the competitive situation and in particular the selection of students.
Candle under a bushel: communicating environmental performance to improve firm performance
Authors: Nutsugah Francis Fonyee , Anning-Dorson Thomas , Braimah Stephen Mahama , Tweneboah-Koduah Ernest Yaw
Published: September 2020

Purpose

This study answers the question: “does the communication of environmental performance transmit positive overall firm performance?” The authors examine the influence of a company's environmental performance (EP) on its overall firm performance (FP) and the mediating role of integrated marketing communication (IMC) on the EP-FP relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of firms from the extractive, manufacturing and hospitality sectors of an emerging economy was used in testing our hypothesized relationships. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used in analysing the data from 194 firms.

Findings

The study found that EP negatively and significantly influences FP directly. However, the introduction of IMC into the direct relationship changes this effect. IMC was, therefore, found to have a partial and complementary mediation effect on the relationship between EP and FP.

Practical implications

The negative influence of EP on FP found explains the reluctance of companies towards environmental protection. However, if companies can utilize their communication capacity well enough in creating the necessary awareness among their stakeholder audiences, a positive relationship is created between EP and FP.

Originality/value

The benefits of EP to companies and how companies can turn their EP into gains were not clearly established in the literature. The current study has explained one of the boundary conditions that convert EP, which appears to be a cost to the firm, into a positive influence on FP. This study has, therefore, established the mechanism through which EP affects FP.
National systems of entrepreneurship: goals of sustainability
Authors: Raposo Mario , Fernandes Cristina I. , Veiga Pedro M.
Published: September 2020

Purpose

National systems of entrepreneurship (NSE) broadly act as a means of allocating resources driven by the constant search for opportunities at the individual level through the launching of new businesses and firms with such activities, and their results are governed by the specific institutional characteristics of each country. In contrast to the institutional emphasis on innovation systems, in which such institutions establish and regulate actions, institutions are only able to regulate those who act with the results stemming from such individual actions, the core driver of national entrepreneurship systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Given the challenges faced by companies and societies in general over mitigating climate change, support for sustainable entrepreneurship is fundamental. However, there has to be any study of the impact of national entrepreneurship systems on sustainability. This research therefore analyses the impact of national entrepreneurship systems on the sustainability of countries.

Findings

The authors conclude that those countries deploying higher level national entrepreneurship systems return better results in terms of their sustainability.

Originality/value

The authors, thus, seek to contribute towards the academic throughout deepening the knowledge prevailing on the relationship between entrepreneurship and sustainability. The authors also seek to enable managers, entrepreneurs and politicians to grasp how entrepreneurship is a systemic factor, and it is at this level that it may make its greatest contribution to bringing about sustainability.
Novel small‐insertion mutation in the LIPH gene in a patient with autosomal recessive woolly hair/hypotrichosis
Authors: Lv Hongli , Li Ming , Cheng Ruhong
Published: September 2020

Autosomal recessive woolly hair/hypotrichosis (ARWH/H) is a rare form of congenital alopecia, which can be caused by mutations in lipase H (LIPH), lysophosphatidic acid receptor 6 (LPAR6/P2RY5) or keratin 25 (KRT25) genes. We present a 32‐year‐old woman with typical clinical features of ARWH. Hair microscopy was performed to observe differences between the patient’s hair and a normal sample. Next‐generation sequencing was used to detect pathogenic mutations. Sanger sequencing was used to further confirm the mutations. Abnormal hair appearance was found by hair microscopy. A novel frame‐shift mutation (NM_139248: c.686delinsGTAGAACCCAACCTGGCT: p.Asp229fs37X) and a reported mutation (NM_139248: exon6:c.T736A: p.C246S) in LIPH were identified in the patient. All reported mutations related to ARWH of various races were reviewed. Our study provides further evidence of the similarity of ARWH between the Chinese and Japanese population. A novel small‐insertion mutation also expands the LIPH mutation spectrum.
Effect of ecological factors on fine‐scale patterns of social structure in African lions
Authors: Mbizah Moreangels M. , Farine Damien R. , Valeix Marion , Hunt Jane E. , Macdonald David W. , Loveridge Andrew J.
Published: September 2020

Environmental variations can influence the extent to which individuals interact with other individuals by changing the value of grouping. It is well known that many species can form and disband groups, often in response to the distribution and abundance of resources.

While previous studies showed that resources influence the broad‐scale structure of animal groups, knowledge gaps remain on whether they affect fine‐scale patterns of association among individuals within groups.

We quantify association patterns in African lions while simultaneously monitoring the abundance and distribution of prey. We test how social and ecological factors, including individual trait (age, sex, reproductive state) similarity and prey availability (prey abundance, dispersion, herd size and body size) affect within‐pride social structure in African lions.

We found that individual decisions about associates depended on resource availability with individuals associating equally across all members of the pride when prey herds were scarce, aggregated or large bodied, and associating more exclusively (in subgroups of preferred associates) when prey herds were abundant, dispersed or small bodied. Individuals within lion prides seemed to be buffering against changes in prey availability by modulating their strength and density of connections with conspecifics when prides split into subgroups. The strength and density of connections among individuals within subgroups was greater when prey herds were large and lower when prey herds were dispersed or are large bodied.

Our findings suggest that individual lions are making social decisions at both the subgroup level and the pride level, with decisions representing putatively fitness‐enhancing strategies. Individuals were typically shifting between having few strong connections and having many weaker connections depending on prevailing ecological conditions, with prey abundance, dispersion and body size having the greatest impact on decisions about splitting into subgroups. The maintenance of connections within prides and subgroups in the face of ecological change suggests that the fission–fusion nature of lion prides might be essential for the long‐term maintenance of social connections even when short‐term conditions do not allow them. More broadly, our study reveals how fission–fusion dynamics and ecological factors can simultaneously have an effect on animals across multiple levels of sociality.
Stochastic processes shape the biogeographic variations in core bacterial communities between aerial and belowground compartments of common bean
Authors: Liu Yang , Li Da , Qi Jiejun , Peng Ziheng , Chen Weimin , Wei Gehong , Jiao Shuo
Published: September 2020

Although studies of biogeography in soil bacterial communities have attracted considerable attention, the generality of these patterns along with assembly processes and underlying drivers is poorly understood in the inner tissues of plants. Plant tissues provide unique ecological habitats for microorganisms, which play an essential role in plant performance. Here, we compared core bacterial communities among five soil–plant associated compartments of common bean across five sampling sites in China. Neutral and null modelling consistently suggested that stochastic processes dominated the core community assembly processes and escalated from the belowground compartments to the inner tissues of aerial plant parts. The multiple distance‐decay relationships also varied and had flattened patterns in the stem endosphere, which were shaped by distinct environmental factors in each compartment. Coexistence patterns also varied in topological features, in addition with the sparsest networks in the stem endosphere resulted from the interaction with the stochastic processes. This study considerably expanded our understanding of various biogeographic patterns, assembly processes, and the underlying mechanisms of core bacterial communities between aerial and belowground compartments of common bean. That will provide a scientific basis for the reasonable regulation of core bacterial consortia to get better plant performance.
Predictors of work engagement: Drawing on job demands–resources theory and public service motivation
Authors: Mussagulova Assel
Published: September 2020

The scholarship on work engagement has proliferated in the past several decades, building a solid body of evidence for its role in positive achievements at, and attitudes to, work. Similarly, public service motivation (PSM) became a permanent fixture in the public sector management research, having generated insights on predisposition to serving the public and its impact on performance of civil servants. However, there is limited evidence on the relationship between PSM and work engagement. To address this gap, we surveyed 218 civil servants occupying mid‐level management positions in the civil service of a small European country of Moldova. Using moderation analysis, we find that higher PSM strengthens the positive impact of some job resources, such as perceived social impact on work engagement, whereas lower PSM makes the negative effect of some job demands, such as red tape, more pronounced. This highlights the importance of PSM in work engagement of mid‐career managers, and its role as both an enhancer and a coping mechanism.

We find that high public service motivation (PSM) strengthens the positive relationship between work engagement and job resources, whereas low PSM makes the negative impact of job demands on work engagement more pronounced. To improve work engagement, public agencies should help employees understand how their individual efforts contribute to the overall prosocial impact of the public service.
Assessment of innovation and foreign direct investment: An investigation of OECD countries
Authors: Li Boying , Chang Chun‐Ping , Zheng Mingbo
Published: September 2020

Using a panel cointegration method incorporating structural breaks and cross‐sectional dependence, this paper explores the long‐run equilibrium relationship between innovation and foreign direct investment (FDI) in 30 OECD countries. The results from the panel stationary test show that FDI and innovation variables follow a stationary process with several structural breaks over the period 1999–2018. The results also suggest an equilibrium relationship with structural breaks between FDI and innovation in OECD countries. The panel dynamic OLS model with breaks further reveals that FDI is positively associated with innovation performance and vice versa in OECD countries. Therefore, this paper sheds light on the relationship between FDI and innovation in OECD countries.
Suburbanization of the Self: Religious Revival and SocioSpatial Fragmentation in Contemporary Poland
Authors: Pobłocki Kacper
Published: September 2020

In this article, I trace the elective affinity between planetary suburbanization and emergent forms of radical religiosity. I show how the centuries‐long spatial hegemony of the Catholic Church in Poland has recently been undermined by the ‘fundamentalist' broadcaster Radio Maryja—the bellwether of the Polish right‐wing nationalist resurgence. I describe the twentieth‐century suburbanization of both the state and Catholicism in Poland, supported by an analysis of a village‐cum‐suburb in one of Poland's largest agglomerations. I show how the latest wave of suburbanization, triggered by Poland's opening up to global flows of capital in 2004, ran parallel to the emergence of a ‘post‐secular', ‘individual' and ‘intellectual' strain of faith. I tie these in with the life stories and changes in gender and labour regimes of two key informants. I also show that the surge of right‐wing nationalism should not be understood as a backlash against neoliberalization, but that it represents instead a project of regime change and new elite formation.
Spatial accessibility to colonoscopy and its role in predicting late‐stage colorectal cancer
Authors: Zahnd Whitney E. , Josey Michele J. , Schootman Mario , Eberth Jan M.
Published: September 2020

Objective

To better determine the relationship between spatial access to colonoscopy and colorectal cancer (CRC) outcomes, our objective was to examine the agreement of the classic, enhanced, and variable two‐step floating catchment area (2SFCA) methods in evaluating spatial access to colonoscopy and to compare the predictive validity of each method related to late‐stage CRC. 2SFCA methods simultaneously consider supply/demand of services and impedance (ie, travel time).

Data Sources

Colonoscopy provider locations were obtained from the South Carolina Ambulatory Surgery Database. ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA) level population estimates and area‐level poverty level were obtained from the American Community Survey. Rurality was determined by the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural‐Urban Commuting Area codes. Individual‐level CRC data were obtained from the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry.

Study Design

Using the classic, enhanced, and variable 2SFCA methods, we calculated ZCTA‐level spatial access to colonoscopy. We assessed agreement between the three methods by calculating Spearman's rank coefficients and weighted Kappas (Κ). Global and Local Moran's I were used to assess spatial clustering of accessibility scores across 2SFCA methods. We performed multilevel logistic regression analyses to examine the association between spatial accessibility to colonoscopy, area‐ and individual‐level factors, and late‐stage CRC.

Principal Findings

We found strong agreement (Weighted Κ = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.79‐0.86) and identified similar clustering patterns with the classic and enhanced 2SFCA methods. There was negligible agreement among the classic/enhanced 2SFCA and the variable 2SFCA. Across all 2SFCA methods, regression models showed that spatial access to colonoscopy, rurality, and poverty level were not associated with greater odds of late‐stage CRC, though Black race was associated with late‐stage CRC across all models.

Conclusions

None of the 2SFCA methods showed an association with late‐stage CRC. Future studies should explore which elements (spatial or nonspatial) of access to care have the greatest impact on CRC outcomes.
Interactions between cell wall polysaccharides and polyphenols: Effect of molecular internal structure
Authors: Liu Xuwei , Le Bourvellec Carine , Renard Catherine M. G. C.
Published: September 2020

Cell wall polysaccharides (CPSs) and polyphenols are major constituents of the dietary fiber complex in plant‐based foods. Their digestion (by gut microbiota) and bioefficacy depend not only on their structure and quantity, but also on their intermolecular interactions. The composition and structure of these compounds vary with their dietary source (i.e., fruit or vegetable of origin) and can be further modified by food processing. Various components and structures of CPSs and polyphenols have been observed to demonstrate common and characteristic behaviors during interactions. However, at a fundamental level, the mechanisms that ultimately drive these interactions are still not fully understood. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on the internal factors that influence CPS–polyphenol interactions, describes the different ways in which these interactions can be mediated by molecular composition or structure, and introduces the main methods for the analysis of these interactions, as well as the mechanisms involved. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview is provided of recent key findings in the area of CPS–polyphenol interactions. It is becoming clear that these interactions are shaped by a multitude of factors, the most important of which are the physicochemical properties of the partners: their morphology (surface area and porosity/pore shape), chemical composition (sugar ratio, solubility, and non‐sugar components), and molecular architecture (molecular weight, degree of esterification, functional groups, and conformation). An improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive interactions between CPSs and polyphenols may allow us to better establish a bridge between food processing and the bioavailability of colonic fermentation products from CPSs and antioxidant polyphenols, which could ultimately lead to the development of new guidelines for the design of healthier and more nutritious foods.