bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Controlling for the effect of arterial-CO2fluctuations in resting-state fMRI: Comparing end-tidal CO2clamping and retroactive CO2correction
Authors: Golestani Ali M. , Chen J. Jean
Published: February 2020

The BOLD signal, as the basis of functional MRI, arises from both neuronal and vascular factors, with their respective contributions to resting state-fMRI still unknown. Among the factors contributing to “physiological noise”, dynamic arterial CO2fluctuations constitutes the strongest and the most widespread modulator of the grey-matter rs-fMRI signal. Some important questions are: (1) if we were able to clamp arterial CO2such that fluctuations are removed, what would happen to rs-fMRI measures? (2) falling short of that, is it possible to retroactively correct for CO2effects with equivalent outcome? In this study 13 healthy subjects underwent two rs-fMRI acquisition: During the “clamped” run, end-tidal CO2(PETCO2) is clamped to the average PETCO2level of each participant, while during the “free-breathing” run, the PETCO2level is passively monitored but not controlled. PETCO2correction was applied to the free-breathing data by convolving PETCO2with its BOLD response function, and then regressing out the result. We computed the BOLD resting-state fluctuation amplitude (RSFA), as well as seed-independent mean functional connectivity (FC) as the weighted global brain connectivity (wGBC). Furthermore, connectivity between conditions were compared using coupled intrinsic-connectivity distribution (ICD) method. We ensured that PETCO2clamping did not significantly alter heart-beat and respiratory variation. We found that neither PETCO2clamping nor correction produced significant change in RSFA and wGBC. In terms of the ICD, PETCO2clamping and correction both reduced FC strength in the majority of grey matter regions, although the effect of PETCO2correction is considerably smaller than the effect of PETCO2clamping. Furthermore, while PETCO2clamping reduced inter-subject variability in FC, PETCO2correction increased the variability. Overall PETCO2correction is not the equivalent of PETCO2clamping, although it shifts FC values towards the same direction as clamping does.
Traumatic stress history interacts with chronic peripheral inflammation to alter mitochondrial function of synaptosomes in a sex-specific manner
Authors: Shaw Gladys A. , Hyer Molly M. , Targett Imogen , Council Kimaya C. , Dyer Samya K. , Turkson Susie , Burns Chloe M. , Neigh Gretchen N.
Published: February 2020

Background

Repeated exposures to chronic stress can lead to long lasting negative behavioral and metabolic outcomes. Here, we aim to determine the impact of chronic stress and chronic low-level inflammation on behavior and synaptosomal metabolism.

Methods

Male (n = 31) and female (n = 32) C57Bl/6 mice underwent chronic repeated predation stress or daily handling for two rounds of 15 consecutive days of exposure during the adolescent and early adult timeframes. Subsequently, mice were exposed to repeated lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 7.5 x 105EU/kg) or saline injections every third day for eight weeks. Exploratory and social behaviors were assessed in the open field and social interaction tests prior to examination of learning and memory with the Barnes Maze. Mitochondrial function and morphology were assessed in synaptosomes post-mortem. In addition, expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and ROMO1 were examined in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Circulating pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the periphery were assessed following the first and last LPS injection as well as at the time of tissue collection. Circulating ROMO1 was assessed in terminal samples.

Results

Exposure to repeated predatory stress increased time spent in the corners of the open field, suggestive of anxiety-like behavior, in both males and females. There were no significant group differences in the social interaction test and minimal effects were evident in the Barnes maze. A history of chronic stress interacted with chronic LPS in male mice to lead to a deficit in synaptosomal respiration. Female mice were more sensitive to both chronic stress and chronic LPS such that either a history of chronic stress or a history of chronic LPS was sufficient to disrupt synaptosomal respiration in females. Both stress and chronic LPS were sufficient to increase inflammation and reactive oxygen in males in the periphery and centrally. Females had increased markers of peripheral inflammation following acute LPS but no evidence of peripheral or central increases in inflammatory factors or reactive oxygen following chronic exposures.

Conclusion

Collectively, these data suggest that while metrics of inflammation and reactive oxygen are disrupted in males following chronic stress and chronic LPS, only the combined condition is sufficient to alter synaptosomal respiration. Conversely, although evidence of chronic inflammation or chronic elevation in reactive oxygen is absent, females demonstrate profound shifts in synaptosomal mitochondrial function with either a history of chronic stress or a history of chronic inflammation. These data highlight that differential mechanisms are likely in play between the sexes and suggest that female sensitivity to neurogenerative conditions may be precipitated by influence of life experiences on mitochondrial function in the synapses.
Hiding in plain sight: structure and sequence analysis reveals the importance of the antibody DE loop for antibody-antigen binding
Authors: Kelow Simon P. , Adolf-Bryfogle Jared , Dunbrack Roland L.
Published: February 2020

Antibody variable domains contain “complementarity determining regions” (CDRs), the loops that form the antigen binding site. CDRs1-3 are recognized as the canonical CDRs. However, a fourth loop sits adjacent to CDR1 and CDR2 and joins the D and E strands on the antibody v-type fold. This “DE loop” is usually treated as a framework region, even though mutations in the loop affect the conformation of the CDRs and residues in the DE loop occasionally contact antigen. We analyzed the length, structure, and sequence features of all DE loops in the Protein Data Bank, as well as millions of sequences from HIV-1 infected and naïve patients. We refer to the DE loop as H4 and L4 in the heavy and light chain respectively. Clustering the backbone conformations of the most common length of L4 (6 residues) reveals four conformations: two κ-only clusters, one λ-only cluster, and one mixed κ/λ cluster. The vast majority of H4 loops are length-8 and exist primarily in one conformation; a secondary conformation represents a small fraction of H4-8 structures. H4 sequence variability exceeds that of the antibody framework in naïve human high-throughput sequences, and both L4 and H4 sequence variability from λ and heavy germline sequences exceed that of germline framework regions. Finally, we identified dozens of structures in the PDB with insertions in the DE loop, all related to broadly neutralizing HIV-1 antibodies, as well as antibody sequences from high-throughput sequencing studies of HIV-infected individuals, illuminating a possible role in humoral immunity to HIV-1.
Wireless Programmable Recording and Stimulation of Deep Brain Activity in Freely Moving Humans
Authors: Topalovic Uros , Aghajan Zahra M. , Villaroman Diane , Hiller Sonja , Christov-Moore Leonardo , Wishard Tyler J. , Stangl Matthias , Hasulak Nicholas R. , Inman Cory , Fields Tony A. , Eliashiv Dawn , Fried Itzhak , Suthana Nanthia
Published: February 2020

Current implantable devices that allow for recording and stimulation of brain activity in humans are not inherently designed for research and thus lack programmable control and integration with wearable sensors. We developed a platform that enables wireless and programmable intracranial electroencephalographic recording and deep brain stimulation integrated with wearable technologies. This methodology, when used in freely moving humans with implanted neural devices, can provide an ecologically valid environment conducive to elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying naturalistic behaviors and developing viable therapies for neurologic and psychiatric disorders.
Animal movement in pastoralist populations and implications for pathogen spread and control
Authors: Omondi George P. , Obanda Vincent , VanderWaal Kimberly , Deen John , Travis Dominic A.
Published: February 2020

Infectious diseases are one of the most important constraints to livestock agriculture, and hence food, nutritional and economic security in developing countries. In any livestock system, the movement of animals is key to production and sustainability. This is especially true in pastoralist systems where animal movement occurs for a myriad of social, ecological, economic and management reasons. Understanding the dynamics of livestock movement within an ecosystem is important for disease surveillance and control, yet there is limited data available on the dynamics of animal movement in such populations. The aim of this study was to investigate animal transfer networks in a pastoralist community in Kenya, and assess network-based strategies for disease control. We used network analysis to characterize five types of animal transfer networks and evaluated implications of these networks for disease control through quantifying topological changes in the network because of targeted or random removal of nodes. To construct these networks, data were collected using a standardized questionnaire (N=164 households) from communities living within the Maasai Mara Ecosystem in southwestern Kenya. The median livestock movement distance for agistment (dry season grazing) was 39.49 kilometers (22.03-63.49 km), while that for gift, bride price, buying and selling were 13.97 km (0-40.30 km), 30.75 km (10.02-66.03 km), 31.14 km (17.56-59.08 km), and 33.21 km (17.78-58.49 km), respectively. Our analyses show that the Maasai Mara National Reserve, a protected area, was critical for maintaining connectivity in the agistment network. In addition, villages closer to the Maasai Mara National Reserve were regularly used for dry season grazing. In terms of disease control, targeted removal of highly connected village nodes was more effective at fragmenting each network than random removal of nodes, indicating that network-based targeting of interventions such as vaccination could potentially disrupt transmission pathways and reduce pathogen circulation in the ecosystem. In conclusion, this work shows that animal movements have the potential to shape patterns of disease transmission and control in this ecosystem. Further, we show that targeted control is a more practical and efficient measure for disease control.
Induced copy-back RNA synthesis as a novel therapeutic mechanism against RNA viruses
Authors: Janissen Richard , Woodman Andrew , Lee Kuo-Ming , Moustafa Ibrahim , Fitzgerald Fiona , Huang Peng-Nien , Kuijpers Louis , Perkins Angela L. , Harki Daniel A. , Arnold Jamie J. , Solano Belen , Shih Shin-Ru , Cameron Craig E. , Dekker Nynke H.
Published: February 2020

The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is a well-established target for development of broad-spectrum antiviral therapeutics. Incorporation of ribonucleotide analogues by the RdRp will either cause termination of RNA synthesis or mutagenesis of the RNA product. We demonstrated recently that incorporation of a pyrazine-carboxamide ribonucleotide into nascent RNA leads to pausing and backtracking of the elongating RdRp. Here, we provide evidence for the single-stranded RNA product of backtracking serving as an intermediate in RdRp-catalyzed, template-switching reactions. This intermediate is used for both intramolecular template-switching (copy-back RNA synthesis) and intermolecular template-switching (homologous RNA recombination). The use of a magnetic-tweezers platform to monitor RdRp elongation dynamics permitted direct observation of copy-back synthesis and illuminated properties of the RdRp that promote copy-back synthesis, including stability of the RdRp-nascent-RNA complex and the dimensions of the RdRp nucleic-acid-binding channel. In cells, recombination was stimulated by the presence of a pyrazine-carboxamide ribonucleotide. The effect of the drug on recombination was diminished for a recombination-defective virus, but this virus was not resistant to the drug. The discovery that a ribonucleotide analogue can induce copy-back RNA synthesis suggests that this third mechanistic class of compounds may function by promoting formation of defective viral genomes. This study identifies RdRp-catalyzed intra- and intermolecular template switching as a viable new mechanistic target with potentially broad-spectrum appeal.
Co-expression analysis is biased by a mean-correlation relationship
Authors: Wang Yi , Hicks Stephanie C. , Hansen Kasper D.
Published: February 2020

Estimates of correlation between pairs of genes in co-expression analysis are commonly used to construct networks among genes using gene expression data. Here, we show that the distribution of such correlations depend on the expression level of the involved genes, which we refer to this as amean-correlation relationshipin RNA-seq data, both bulk and single-cell. This dependence introduces a bias in co-expression analysis whereby highly expressed genes are more likely to be highly correlated. Such a relationship is not observed in protein-protein interaction data, suggesting that it is not reflecting biology. Ignoring this bias can lead to missing potentially biologically relevant pairs of genes that are lowly expressed, such as transcription factors. To address this problem, we introduce spatial quantile normalization (SpQN), a method for normalizing local distributions in a correlation matrix. We show that spatial quantile normalization removes the mean-correlation relationship and corrects the expression bias in network reconstruction.
Trophic guild and forest type explain phyllostomid bat abundance variation from human habitat disturbance
Authors: Carballo-Morales Jorge D. , Saldaña-Vázquez Romeo A. , Villalobos Federico
Published: February 2020

The loss of tropical forest cover caused by land-use change is causing a reduction in functional groups, such as trophic guilds. Phyllostomid bats (family Phyllostomidae) are essential in the Neotropics since they occupy up to six trophic guilds, and are pollinators, seed dispersers, and regulators of vertebrate and invertebrate populations. In this study, a series of meta-analyses were performed in order to analyse their response to habitat disturbance. Data were obtained through a comprehensive literature review whereby we measured the abundance of phyllostomid bats in disturbed habitats and conserved forests. We found that the abundance of phytophagous bats depends on the type of habitat disturbance and the type of forest where it occurs. On the other hand, animal-feeding bats reduce their abundance in any disturbed habitat regardless of disturbance type and forest type. No phylogenetic signal was found in the response of bats to habitat disturbance, nor was the response found to be dependent on the type of crop, the age of the secondary forest, or the distance to a conserved forest. These results demonstrate that feeding and the type of forest where the disturbance occurs are important aspects to understand the reduction of animal populations in the face of habitat destruction processes. This has implications on the conservation of species and their function in ecosystems.

Highlights

⍰ No phylogenetic signal was found in the abundance of bats in disturbed habitats.

⍰ The abundance of bats in disturbed habitats depends on the trophic guild.

⍰ Forest altitude influences the abundance of bats in disturbed habitats.

⍰ Animal-feeding bats reduced their abundance in disturbed habitats regardless of disturbance type and forest type.
Quantitative assessment of pain threshold induced by a single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation
Authors: Tani Keisuke , Hirata Akimasa , Tanaka Satoshi
Published: February 2020

Objective

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is commonly used in basic research to evaluate human brain function. Although scalp pain is a side effect, no studies have quantitatively assessed the TMS intensity threshold for inducing pain and whether sensitivity to TMS-induced pain differs between sexes.

Methods

We measured pain thresholds when single-pulse TMS was applied over either Broca’s area (BA) or left primary motor cortex (M1). We compared these thresholds with motor threshold for inducing motor evoked potential (MEP) through M1 stimulation. We also compared pain thresholds for BA and M1 between males and females.

Results

Pain thresholds for both sites were significantly lower than motor threshold. Further, the pain threshold for BA was much lower than that for M1. No significant difference was observed between sexes.

Conclusion

The results suggest that TMS at an intensity equivalent to motor thresholds, which is often used in experimental or clinical studies, causes slight scalp pain.

Significance

Experimental designs using TMS to evaluate functional relationships between brain and behaviors should consider scalp pain and reduce its likelihood as much as possible.

Highlights

We investigated pain thresholds induced by a single-pulse TMS over the head.

Pain thresholds for TMS over Broca’s area (BA) and primary motor cortex (M1) were much lower than motor threshold.

No significant differences in the pain thresholds were observed between sexes.
Gut carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes in women exposed to small-scale poultry farms in rural Uganda: a feasibility study
Authors: Weil Ana A. , Debela Meti D. , Muyanja Daniel M. , Kakuhikire Bernard , Baguma Charles , Bangsberg David R. , Tsai Alexander C. , Lai Peggy S.
Published: February 2020

Background

Antibiotic use as growth promoters for livestock is presumed to be a major contributor to the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in humans, yet data evaluating AMR patterns in the setting of animal exposure are limited to observational studies that do not capture data from prior to livestock introduction.

Methods

We performed a feasibility study by recruiting a subset of women in a delayed-start randomized controlled trial of small-scale chicken farming in order to examine the prevalence of clinically-relevant AMR genes. Stool samples were obtained at baseline and one year from five intervention women who received chickens at the start of the study, six control women who did not receive chickens until the end of the study, and from chickens provided to the control group at the end of the study. Stool was screened for 87 clinically significant AMR genes using a commercially available qPCR array (Qiagen).

Results

Chickens harbored 23 AMR genes from classes also found in humans as well as vancomycin and additional β-lactamase resistance genes. After one year of exposure to chickens, six new AMR genes were detected in controls and seven new AMR genes were detected in the intervention group. Women who had direct contact with the chickens sampled in the study had greater similarities in AMR resistance gene patterns to chickens than those who did not have direct contact with chickens sampled (p = 0.006). There was a trend towards increased similarity in AMR gene patterns with chickens at one year (p = 0.12).

Conclusions

Chickens and humans in this study harbored AMR genes from many antimicrobial classes at both baseline and follow up timepoints. Studies designed to evaluate human AMR genes in the setting of animal exposure should account for high baseline AMR rates, and consider collecting concomitant animal samples, human samples, and environmental samples over time to determine the directionality and source of AMR genes.

Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.govIdentifier:NCT02619227
Spatial orientation based on multiple visual cues in monarch butterflies
Authors: Franzke Myriam , Kraus Christian , Dreyer David , Pfeiffer Keram , Beetz M. Jerome , Stöckl Anna L. , Foster James J. , Warrant Eric J. , Jundi Basil el
Published: February 2020

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are prominent for their annual long-distance migration from North America to its overwintering area in Central Mexico. To find their way on this long journey, they use a sun compass as their main orientation reference but will also adjust their migratory direction with respect to mountain ranges. This indicates that the migratory butterflies also attend to the panorama to guide their travels. Here we studied if non-migrating butterflies - that stay in a more restricted area to feed and breed - also use a similar compass system to guide their flights. Performing behavioral experiments on tethered flying butterflies in an indoor LED flight simulator, we found that the monarchs fly along straight tracks with respect to a simulated sun. When a panoramic skyline was presented as the only orientation cue, the butterflies maintained their flight direction only during short sequences suggesting that they potentially use it for flight stabilization. We further found that when we presented the two cues together, the butterflies register both cues in their compass. Taken together, we here show that non-migrating monarch butterflies can combine multiple visual cues for robust orientation, an ability that may also aid them during their migration.

Non-migrating butterflies keep directed courses when viewing a simulated sun or panoramic scene. This suggest that they orient based on multiple visual cues independent of their migratory context.
Golgi-localized exo-β1,3-galactosidases involved in AGP modification and root cell expansion in Arabidopsis
Authors: Nibbering Pieter , Petersen Bent L. , Motawia Mohammed Saddik , Jørgensen Bodil , Ulvskov Peter , Niittylä Totte
Published: February 2020

Plant arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) are a diverse group of cell surface- and wall-associated glycoproteins. Functionally important AGP glycans are synthesized in the Golgi apparatus, but the relationships between their glycosylation, processing, and functionality are poorly understood. Here we report the identification and functional characterization of two Golgi-localized exo-β-1,3-galactosidases from the glycosyl hydrolase 43 (GH43) family inArabidopsis thaliana.GH43loss of function mutants exhibit root cell expansion defects in sugar-containing growth media. This root phenotype is associated with an increase in the extent of AGP cell wall association, as demonstrated by Yariv phenylglycoside dye quantification and comprehensive microarray polymer profiling of sequentially extracted cell walls. Recombinant GH43 characterization showed that the exo-β-1,3-galactosidase activity of GH43s is hindered by β-1,6 branches on β-1,3-galactans. In line with this steric hindrance, the recombinant GH43s did not release galactose from cell wall extracted glycoproteins or AGP rich gum arabic. These results show that Arabidopsis GH43s are involved in AGP glycan biosynthesis in the Golgi, and suggest their exo-β-1,3-galactosidase activity influences AGP and cell wall matrix interactions, thereby adjusting cell wall extensibility.
The Neural Basis for a Persistent Internal State inDrosophilaFemales
Authors: Deutsch David , Pacheco Diego A. , Encarnacion-Rivera Lucas J. , Pereira Talmo , Fathy Ramie , Calhoun Adam , Ireland Elise C. , Burke Austin T. , Dorkenwald Sven , McKellar Claire , Macrina Thomas , Lu Ran , Lee Kisuk , Kemnitz Nico , Ih Dodam , Castro Manuel , Halageri Akhilesh , Jordan Chris , Silversmith William , Wu Jingpeng , Seung H. Sebastian , Murthy Mala
Published: February 2020

Sustained changes in mood or action require persistent changes in neural activity, but it has been difficult to identify and characterize the neural circuit mechanisms that underlie persistent activity and contribute to long-lasting changes in behavior. Here, we focus on changes in the behavioral state ofDrosophilafemales that persist for minutes following optogenetic activation of a single class of central brain neurons termed pC1. We find that female pC1 neurons drive a variety of persistent behaviors in the presence of males, including increased receptivity, shoving, and chasing. By reconstructing cells in a volume electron microscopic image of the female brain, we classify 7 different pC1 cell types and, using cell type specific driver lines, determine that one of these, pC1-Alpha, is responsible for driving persistent female shoving and chasing. Using calcium imaging, we locate sites of minutes-long persistent neural activity in the brain, which include pC1 neurons themselves. Finally, we exhaustively reconstruct all synaptic partners of a single pC1-Alpha neuron, and find recurrent connectivity that could support the persistent neural activity. Our work thus links minutes-long persistent changes in behavior with persistent neural activity and recurrent circuit architecture in the female brain.
Dual threshold optimization and network inference reveal convergent evidence from TF binding locations and TF perturbation responses
Authors: Kang Yiming , Patel Nikhil R. , Shively Christian , Recio Pamela Samantha , Chen Xuhua , Wranik Bernd J. , Kim Griffin , McIsaac R. Scott , Mitra Robi , Brent Michael R.
Published: February 2020

A high-confidence map of the direct, functional targets of each transcription factor (TF) requires convergent evidence from independent sources. Two significant sources of evidence are TF binding locations and the transcriptional responses to direct TF perturbations. Systematic data sets of both types exist for yeast and human, but they rarely converge on a common set of direct, functional targets for a TF. Even the few genes that are both bound and responsive may not be direct functional targets. Our analysis shows that when there are many nonfunctional binding sites and many indirect targets, nonfunctional sites are expected to occur in the cis-regulatory DNA of indirect targets by chance. To address this problem, we introduce dual threshold optimization (DTO), a new method for setting significance thresholds on binding and perturbation-response data, and show that it improves convergence. It also enables comparison of binding data to perturbation-response data that have been processed by network inference algorithms, which further improves convergence. The combination of dual threshold optimization and network inference greatly expands the high-confidence TF network map in both yeast and human. Next, we analyze a comprehensive new data set measuring the transcriptional response shortly after inducing overexpression of a yeast TF. We also present a new yeast binding location data set obtained by transposon calling cards and compare it to recent ChIP-exo data. These new data sets improve convergence and expand the high-confidence network synergistically.
Theoretical development and experimental validation on the measurement of temperature by extended X-ray absorption fine structure
Authors: Ye Qing , Hu Yun , Duan Xiaoxi , Liu Hao , Zhang Huan , Zhang Chen , Sun Liang , Yang Weiming , Xu Wei , Cai Quan , Wang Zhebin , Jiang Shaoen
Published: February 2020

A systematic investigation on the theoretical framework of the ultra-fast measurement of temperature by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) applied in laser-driven-compression experiments has been carried out and a new temperature measurement scheme based on the EXAFS cumulant expansion analysis and anharmonic correlated Debye model has been advanced. By considering the anharmonic effect of thermal vibration and avoiding the employment of the empirical model as well as parameters which have large inherent uncertainties in the temperature determination, this new scheme is theoretically more accurate than traditional ones. Then the performance of the new measurement scheme and traditional methods were validated on a synchrotron radiation platform by temperature-dependent EXAFS (TDEXAFS) experiments on Au, Fe, V and Ti; the results showed that the new scheme could provide the most accurate measured temperatures with much lower uncertainties. This accurate scheme gives a firmer physical ground to the EXAFS temperature measurement technique and can expect to be applied in laser-driven compression experiments and promote the development of matter state research at extreme conditions.
Crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and interaction energy and DFT studies of 1-(1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)imidazolidin-2-one
Authors: Srhir Mohamed , Sebbar Nada Kheira , Hökelek Tuncer , Moussaif Ahmed , Mague Joel T. , Hamou Ahabchane Noureddine , Essassi El Mokhtar
Published: February 2020

In the title molecule, C12H13N3O2S, the benzothiazine moiety is slightly non-planar, with the imidazolidine portion twisted only a few degrees out of the mean plane of the former. In the crystal, a layer structure parallel to the bc plane is formed by a combination of O—HHydethy...NThz hydrogen bonds and weak C—HImdz...OImdz and C—HBnz...OImdz (Hydethy = hydroxyethyl, Thz = thiazole, Imdz = imidazolidine and Bnz = benzene) interactions, together with C—HImdz...π(ring) and head-to-tail slipped π-stacking [centroid-to-centroid distances = 3.6507 (7) and 3.6866 (7) Å] interactions between thiazole rings. The Hirshfeld surface analysis of the crystal structure indicates that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are from H...H (47.0%), H...O/O...H (16.9%), H...C/C...H (8.0%) and H...S/S...H (7.6%) interactions. Hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions are the dominant interactions in the crystal packing. Computational chemistry indicates that in the crystal, C—H...N and C—H...O hydrogen-bond energies are 68.5 (for O—HHydethy...NThz), 60.1 (for C—HBnz...OImdz) and 41.8 kJ mol−1 (for C—HImdz...OImdz). Density functional theory (DFT) optimized structures at the B3LYP/6–311 G(d,p) level are compared with the experimentally determined molecular structure in the solid state.
Conversion of diarylchalcones into 4,5-dihydropyrazole-1-carbothioamides: molecular and supramolecular structures of two precursors and three products
Authors: Shaibah Mohammed A. E. , Yathirajan Hemmige S. , Asma  , Manju Nagaraja , Kalluraya Balakrishna , Rathore Ravindranath S. , Glidewell Christopher
Published: February 2020

Chalcones of type 4-XC6H4C(O)CH=CHC6H4(OCH2CCH)-4, where X = Cl, Br or MeO, have been converted to the corresponding 4,5-dihydropyrazole-1-carbothioamides using a cyclocondensation reaction with thiosemicarbazide. The chalcones 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-[4-(prop-2-ynyloxy)phenyl]prop-2-en-1-one, C18H13ClO2, (I), and 1-(4-bromophenyl)-3-[4-(prop-2-ynyloxy)phenyl]prop-2-en-1-one, C18H13BrO2, (II), are isomorphous, and their molecules are linked into sheets by two independent C—H...π(arene) interactions, both involving the same aryl ring with one C—H donor approaching each face. In each of the products (RS)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-[4-(prop-2-ynyloxy)phenyl]-4,5-dihydropyrazole-1-carbothioamide, C19H16ClN3OS, (IV), (RS)-3-(4-bromophenyl)-5-[4-(prop-2-ynyloxy)phenyl]-4,5-dihydropyrazole-1-carbothioamide, C19H16BrN3OS, (V), and (RS)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-[4-(prop-2-ynyloxy)phenyl]-4,5-dihydropyrazole-1-carbothioamide, C20H19N3O2S, (VI), the reduced pyrazole ring adopts an envelope conformation with the C atom bearing the 4-prop-2-ynyloxy)phenyl substituent, which occupies the axial site, displaced from the plane of the four ring atoms. Compounds (IV) and (V) are isomorphous and their molecules are linked into chains of edge-fused rings by a combination of N—H...S and C—H...S hydrogen bonds. The molecules of (VI) are linked into sheets by a combination of N—H...S, N—H...N and C—H...π(arene) hydrogen bonds. Comparisons are made with the structures of some related compounds.
Do more experienced critics review differently?
Authors: Corciolani Matteo , Grayson Kent , Humphreys Ashlee
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Cultural intermediaries define the standards many consumers use when evaluating cultural products. Yet, little research has focused on whether cultural intermediaries may systematically differ from each other with regard to the standards they emphasize. The purpose of this paper is to build on Bourdieu’s theory of cultural production to examine how the type of subfield reviewed and/or the cultural intermediary’s expertise (or “field-specific cultural capital”) affect the standards an intermediary uses.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper employed a computer-aided content analysis of the full corpus of “Rolling Stone” music album reviews (1967-2014).

Findings

Critics with lower field-specific cultural capital reflect the same logic as the subfield they are critiquing. Critics with higher field-specific cultural capital reflect the opposite logic.

Research limitations/implications

Bourdieu was ambivalent about whether cultural intermediaries will reflect the logic of a subfield. Results show that the answer depends on the intermediary’s field-specific cultural capital. The results also reinforce previous findings that individuals with high field-specific cultural capital are more likely to break with the logic of a field.

Practical implications

Not all intermediaries are created equal. Producers and consumers who rely on cultural intermediaries should understand the intermediary’s critical analysis within the context of his/her experience.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to examine how a cultural intermediary’s field-specific cultural capital impacts his or her work. The findings are based on a large review sample and include reviewers’ analyses as they developed from having lower to higher field-specific cultural capital.
Drivers of employee engagement: differences by work area and gender
Authors: Khodakarami Nima , Dirani Khalil
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Previous studies have not integrated the impact of the area of study into the notion of employee engagement. The purpose of this study is to empirically measure the association between employee engagement and the two antecedent factors of perceived organizational support (POS) and employee loyalty across different areas of study.

Design/methodology/approach

A nationally representative survey of 2,408 adults in the USA collected by the worker representation and participation survey (WRPS) was used. A multinomial logit regression was used to estimate the impact of POS and loyalty across different areas of study.

Findings

The findings of this study consistent with the previous studies showed that POS and employee loyalty are positively and significantly associated with employee engagement. This study found by a decline in the level of support from a “lot of support” to “somewhat support,” the degree of engagement declines by about 50 per cent. Further, it found that the level of engagement changes across different areas of study. For instance, professional and skilled workers are more engaged compared to other groups of workers. The findings were similar for the variables of loyalty to supervisors and loyalty to organizations. Moreover, the findings showed that conditioned on being loyal, women are more engaged than men.

Originality/value

This is the first study that uses WRPS to understand how the level of engagement varies across different kinds of study.
Sales training and ICT: a literature review
Authors: Torres Hector Augusto , Chiappe Andres , Segovia Yasbley
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify in the specialized literature published in the past 20 years about sales training, some elements or key factors that could be applied to the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) as a support for the learning of the detection of business opportunities.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a study of a documentary nature in which a method of systematic literature review was applied to 132 studies published in journals indexed in Scopus and Scielo on sales training processes. The analysis of the data combined a process of categorization and frequencies statistical analysis.

Findings

The results highlight the role of ICT and specifically the use of mobile devices to support the strengthening of training in sales in terms of relationship, opportunity and flexibility in communication with the client, the construction of positive emotional environments and experiential/situated training.

Originality/value

The originality of this study lies in the extraction and interpretation of key factors focused on addressing a guiding question about the relationships between the use of ICT and sales training.
A comprehensive study of manifests in lean manufacturing implementation and framing an administering model
Authors: Basu Protik , Dan Pranab K.
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to review and conceptualize a holistic framework for lean manufacturing (LM) implementation, enabling the manufacturing industries to administer the implementation process successfully toward organizational development and customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive literature survey on the input and output manifests of lean production is carried out. An attempt is made to build an exhaustive list of all the technical and human inputs necessary for LM implementation, coupled with a similar exhaustive list of the benefits accrued from its successful implementation. The determinants and outcomes of successful LM implementation are further mapped onto 11 distinct input latent constructs and 3 distinct output latent constructs, respectively.

Findings

A conceptual structural model for administering LM implementation is framed based on the manifests considered in the literature.

Research limitations/implications

The model conceptualized in this study may be treated as a guide for successful LM implementation in a manufacturing enterprise.

Practical implications

This research is expected to provide further insights for lean implementation and will be very helpful to integrate the lean principles, tools and benefits into a unified coherent complete manufacturing system.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is one of the very first research studies to have a comprehensive all-inclusive study of the input and output variables for LM implementation. It intends to bridge the gap between theory and practice and has come up with a comprehensive framework which will aid the lean practitioners toward successful LM implementation, as well as, assist them in assessing the effect of implementation.
Operating room effectiveness: a lean health-care performance indicator
Authors: Souza Thiago A. , Roehe Vaccaro Guilherme Luís , Lima Rui M.
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is a performance indicator that is been used to measure manufacturing productivity. The purpose of this paper is to propose the operating room effectiveness for hospital operating rooms (ORs), adapted from the OEE, to measure performance and identify losses based on lean health-care principles.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study is an exploratory, descriptive and applied research work. Literature review, documents of the hospital, observation and interviews with employees of a large university hospital in southern Brazil were analyzed to organize the proposed effectiveness indicator. After that, historical data of the ORs was collected and the usefulness of the indicator was analyzed. The indicator was applied for 10 months and validated with an expert committee from the hospital.

Findings

The present study describes an adaptation of a performance indicator to ORs of hospitals, allowing to classify its types of operational losses in a lean health-care context. The application of this indicator and the development of improvement actions to a university hospital, resulted in operational efficiency gains of 12 per cent and estimated annual savings of US$400,000.

Practical implications

ORs are a critical service for hospitals. This paper presents a new way to measure the performance of ORs and identify their main types of wastes. It also shows how to implement it and the potential gains of its application. The main research limitations are related to technical analysis of care data from doctors and nurses involved.

Originality/value

This paper fulfills the need to study how ORs performance can be measured and its operational wastes can be identified. In addition, this paper classifies the planning, performance and quality related losses, which can be used by researchers and practitioners to improve the performance of operation rooms.
Aligning resource integration and organizational identities in project networks
Authors: Husmann Ingo , Kleinaltenkamp Michael , Hanmer-Lloyd Stuart
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Multi-supplier project networks represent a large part of the business-to-business (B2B) sector as the scope of many projects requires that different providers participate in their development and delivery. This raises the question of how the integration of the resources of the various partners can be shaped successfully. Specifically, the different organizational identities provide institutional frames of reference to the resource-integrating firms. As the organizational identities are typically not harmonious with each other, at least partial misalignments of the institutional setting that shapes the resource integration processes may emerge. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of various organizational identities on the course and outcome of resource integration in project networks.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper makes use of interpretive phenomenology in conjunction with a qualitative case study approach to access the lived experience of actors of different professional service firms having experienced changes in resource integration in a B2B project network.

Findings

A conceptualization of organizational identity as an institutional context for resource integration is developed and empirically investigated. The findings show a strong impact on the firms’ organizational identities and the actors’ resource integration experience and evaluation. Moreover, the findings provide evidence that, if unmanaged, at least partial misalignment of the institutional arrangements of multi-organizational B2B project network represents a normal and also a stable condition.

Originality/value

As a first conceptualization and empirical analysis of the interplay between organizational identity and resource integration, this paper advances the current understanding of the institutional context for resource integration. It argues for the wider relevance of organizational identity constructs and paves the way for future development.
Inter-organizational cost management: effects of antecedents and methods in a hybrid relational context
Authors: Uddin Mohammed Belal , Fu Yuanlue , Akhter Bilkis
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The antecedents and cost management methods and their effects on the value creation of inter-organization are essential topics of inter-organizational cost management (IOCM) in a hybrid relational perspective. This study aims to develop a synthesis coordinating mechanism theory which combines supply network theory and transaction cost economics. Using this modified theory, a structural model of IOCM and its hypotheses are developed by considering the organic connection among hybrid relational context, capabilities, methods and the effects of IOCM.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected under convenient sampling using the questionnaire survey method and analyzed using principal component analysis and structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results (significant at p < 0.01 and p < 0.05 level) show that there is a positive correlation among the hybrid relational context, capabilities (antecedents), methods and the effects of IOCM. Capabilities (antecedents) and cost management methods are also found to have a positive impact on synergic effect value and on improving collaborative efficiency in IOCM.

Practical implications

The managers of inter-firm networks may use the results of this study to ensure competitive advantages through collaboration with each other and building and retaining a long-term relationship.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates that the coordinating mechanism of IOCM can create the synergic effect value and improve the collaborative efficiency of the inter-organization relationship.
Physician managers in Hong Kong public hospitals
Authors: FUNG Ken K.W.
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Examining the self-identification of physician managers with their manager and clinician roles, and its impact on the state and professional powers in healthcare governance.

Design/methodology/approach

With purposive sampling, a total of 15 frontline clinical department managers (mainly principal consultants) and directorial managers (mainly Hospital Chief Executives) were recruited to elite interviews. The themes for data collection and analysis were based on a systematic scoping review of previous empirical studies.

Findings

Physician managers maintained respective jurisdictions in policymaking and clinical governance, as well as their primary self-identification as rationalizers or protectors of medicine, according to their managerial roles at a directorial or departmental level. However, a two-way hybridization of physician managers allowed the exchange of clinical and managerial authority, resulting in cooperation alongside struggles among medical elites; while some frontline managers were exposed to managerial values with the awareness of budget and organizational administration, some directorial managers remained aligned to a traditional mode of professional communication, such as persuasion through informal personal networks and by using clinician language and maintaining symbolic contact with the clinical field.

Originality/value

This study identifies the inconsistency in physician managers’ identity work, as well as its patterns. It goes beyond a dichotomized framework of professionalism versus managerialism or an arbitrarily blurred identity.
Constraints on the distribution of species abundances indicate universal mechanisms of community assembly
Authors: Ulrich Werner , Matthews Thomas J. , Kubota Yasuhiro
Published: February 2020

Recently, a 2018 study by Ulrich et al. introduced the Weibull distribution as a flexible approach to model the distribution of species abundances in ecological communities. They pointed to possible limitations in the realized parameter spaces of this distribution as possibly indicating ecological constraints on species abundances. Here, we explore this question in detail using three large global data sets on quantitatively assessed plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate communities. By fitting the Weibull distribution to these communities, we confirm that only a minor amount of the possible ranges in the scale and the shape parameters of the Weibull distribution are realized. Shapes of distributions become more similar across taxa with increasing species richness and average abundances. This finding points to stochastic explanations for species abundance shapes, possibly linked to local colonization and extinction dynamics. We introduce the Weibull survival time parameter as a way to define the proportion of rare species in a community. This proportion increased with increasing species richness.