bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combined blockade of VEGF, Angiopoietin-2, and PD1 reprograms glioblastoma endothelial cells into quasi-antigen-presenting cells
Authors: Amoozgar Zohreh , Ren Jun , Wang Nancy , Andersson Patrik , Ferraro Gino B. , Krishnan Shanmugarajan , Lei Pin-Ji , Subudhi Sonu , Kawaguchi Kosuke , Tay Rong En , Gomes-Santos Igor L. , Huang Peigen , Kim Hye-Jung , Fukumura Dai , Jain Rakesh K.
Published: September 2022

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains a highly aggressive and uniformly fatal primary tumor, which resists cytotoxic, targeted, antiangiogenic, and immune therapies, even when used in combination. Here we report that tumor endothelial cell dysfunction confers resistance to immunotherapy in preclinical GBM models. Anti-VEGF-therapy-induced vascular normalization is insufficient to fully restore the endothelial cell function. Strikingly, concomitant blockade of Ang2, VEGF, and PD1 reprograms dysfunctional endothelial cells to quasi-antigen presenting cells and upregulates receptors required for cytotoxic T lymphocyte entry into the tumor. Blocking VEGF, Ang2, and PD1 induces durable anti-tumor T cell responses. Upregulation of the transcription factor T-bet is both necessary and sufficient for generating resident memory T cells elicited by this combination therapy. In summary, our study reveals the role of Ang2 in resistance to PD1-blockade and provides a compelling rationale for clinical evaluation of blocking Ang2 along with VEGF and PD1 in GBM patients.

Statement of Significance

Our study is the first to demonstrate Ang2 as a resistance pathway for both αVEGF and αPD1 in GBM. Concomitant blockade of Ang2 reprograms endothelial cells to recruit, activate and retain CD8 T cells, overcomes resistance to αVEGF and αPD1, and imparts T cell memory formation via T-bet in GBM.
Structures and membrane interactions of native serotonin transporter in complexes with psychostimulants
Authors: Yang Dongxue , Zhao Zhiyu , Tajkhorshid Emad , Gouaux Eric
Published: September 2022

The serotonin transporter (SERT) is a member of the SLC6 neurotransmitter transporter family that mediates serotonin reuptake at presynaptic nerve terminals. SERT is the target of both therapeutic antidepressant drugs and illicit psychostimulant substances such as cocaine and methamphetamines, which are small molecules that perturb normal serotonergic transmission by interfering with serotonin transport. Despite decades of studies, important functional aspects of SERT such as the oligomerization state of native SERT and its interactions with potential proteins remain unresolved. Here we develop methods to isolate SERT from porcine brain (pSERT) using a mild, non-ionic detergent, utilize fluorescence- detection size-exclusion chromatography to investigate its oligomerization state and interactions with other proteins, and employ single-particle cryo-electron microscopy to elucidate the structures of pSERT in complexes with methamphetamine or cocaine, providing structural insights into psychostimulant recognition and accompanying pSERT conformations. Methamphetamine and cocaine both bind to SERT central site, stabilizing the transporter in an outward open conformation. We also identify densities attributable to multiple cholesterol or cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHS) molecules, as well as to a detergent molecule bound to SERT allosteric site. Under our conditions of isolation, we find that pSERT is best described as a monomeric entity, isolated without interacting proteins, and is ensconced by multiple cholesterol or CHS molecules.

Significance

The serotonin transporter (SERT) is the target of antidepressants and illicit psychostimulants. Despite its importance in the nervous, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems, there is no direct knowledge of SERT’s oligomerization state(s) and interactions with other proteins. Here, we develop methods to isolate porcine SERT (pSERT) from native brain tissue in the presence of a mild, non-ionic detergent, and investigated its properties by biochemical, structural and computational methods. We show how cocaine and methamphetamine exert their pharmacological effect on SERT, binding to a site halfway across the membrane-spanning region of the transporter, stabilizing pSERT in an outward open conformation. pSERT is best described as a monomeric entity, requiring neither oligomerization or additional proteins for its structure or function.
Combined Molnupiravir and Nirmatrelvir Treatment Improves the Inhibitory Effect on SARS-CoV-2 in Rhesus Macaques
Authors: Rosenke Kyle , Lewis Matt C. , Feldmann Friederike , Bohrnsen Eric , Schwarz Benjamin , Okumura Atsushi , Bohler W. Forrest , Callison Julie , Shaia Carl , Bosio Catharine M. , Lovaglio Jamie , Saturday Greg , Jarvis Michael A. , Feldmann Heinz
Published: September 2022

The periodic emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) with unpredictable clinical severity and ability to escape preexisting immunity emphasizes the continued need for antiviral interventions. Two small molecule inhibitors, molnupiravir (MK-4482), a nucleoside analog, and nirmatrelvir (PF-07321332), a 3C-like protease inhibitor, have each recently been approved as monotherapy for use in high risk COVID-19 patients. As preclinical data are only available for rodent and ferret models, we originally assessed the efficacy of MK-4482 and PF-07321332 alone and then in combination Against infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta VOC in the rhesus macaque COVID-19 model. Notably, use of MK-4482 and PF-07321332 in combination improved the individual inhibitory effect of both drugs. Combined treatment resulted in milder disease progression, stronger reduction of virus shedding from mucosal tissues of the upper respiratory tract, stronger reduction of viral replication in the lower respiratory tract, and reduced lung pathology. Our data strongly indicate superiority of combined MK-4482 and PF-07321332 treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections as demonstrated here in the closest COVID-19 surrogate model.

One Sentence Summary

The combination of molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and shedding more effectively than individual treatments in the rhesus macaque model.
Roles of the distinct N-terminal amino acid between H3 and H3.3 in Drosophila male germline stem cell lineage
Authors: Chandrasekhara Chinmayi , Ranjan Rajesh , Urban Jennifer A. , Ku Wai Lim , Snedeker Jonathan , Zhao Keji , Chen Xin
Published: September 2022

Adult stem cells undergo asymmetric cell divisions to produce two daughter cells with distinct cell fates: one capable of self-renewal and the other committed for differentiation. Mis-regulation of this delicate balance can lead to cancer and tissue degeneration. During asymmetric division of Drosophila male germline stem cells (GSCs), preexisting (old) and newly synthesized histone H3 are differentially segregated whereas old and new histone variant H3.3 are more equally inherited. However, what underlies these distinct inheritance patterns remains unknown. Here, we report that the N-terminal tails of H3 and H3.3 are critical for their inheritance patterns, as well as GSC maintenance and proper differentiation. H3 and H3.3 differ at the 31st position in their N-termini with Alanine for H3 and Serine for H3.3. By swapping these two amino acids, we generated two mutant histones (i.e., H3A31S and H3.3S31A). Upon expressing them in the early-stage germline, we identified opposing phenotypes: over-population of early-stage germ cells in the H3A31S-expressing testes and significant germ cell loss in testes expressing the H3.3S31A. Asymmetric H3 inheritance is disrupted in the H3A31S-expressing GSCs, due to mis-incorporation of old histones between sister chromatids during DNA replication. Furthermore, H3.3S31A mutation accelerates old histone turn-over in the GSCs. Finally, using a modified Chromatin Immunocleavage assay on early-stage germ cells, we found that H3A31S has an enhanced occupancy at the promoters and transcription starting sites than H3, while H3.3S31A is more enriched at transcriptionally silent intergenic regions compared to H3.3. Overall, these results suggest that the 31st amino acids for both H3 and H3.3 are critical for their proper genomic occupancy and function. Together, our findings indicate a critical role for the different amino acid composition of the N-terminal tails between H3 and H3.3 in an endogenous stem cell lineage, and provide insights into the importance of proper histone inheritance in specifying cell fates and regulating cellular differentiation.
Comparing Inference under the MSC versus the MSC-with-Recombination
Authors: Yan Zhi , Ogilvie Huw A. , Nakhleh Luay
Published: September 2022

Accurate inference of population parameters plays a pivotal role in unravelling the evolutionary histories. While recombination has been universally accepted as a fundamental process in the evolution of sexually reproducing organisms, it remains challenging to model it exactly. Thus, existing coalescent-based approaches make different assumptions or approximations to facilitate phylogenetic inference, which can potentially bring about biases in estimates of evolutionary parameters when recombination is present. In this article, we evaluate the performance of population parameters estimation using three classes of methods: StarBEAST2, SNAPP, and diCal2. We performed whole-genome simulations in which recombination rates, mutation rates, and levels of ILS were varied. We show that StarBEAST2 using short or medium-sized loci is robust to realistic rates of recombination, which is in agreement with previous studies. SNAPP, as expected, is generally unaffected by recombination events. Most surprisingly, diCal2, a method that is designed to explicitly account for recombination, performs considerably worse than other methods under comparison.
XerC is required for the repair of antibiotic- and immune-mediated DNA damage inStaphylococcus aureus
Authors: Ledger Elizabeth V. K. , Lau Katie , Tate Edward W. , Edwards Andrew M.
Published: September 2022

To survive in the host environment, pathogenic bacteria need to be able repair DNA damage caused by both antibiotics and the immune system. The SOS response is a key bacterial pathway to repair DNA double strand breaks and may therefore be a good target for novel therapeutics to sensitise bacteria to antibiotics and the immune response. However, the genes required for the SOS response inStaphylococcus aureushave not been fully established. Therefore, we carried out a screen of mutants involved in various DNA repair pathways to understand which were required for induction of the SOS response. This led to the identification of 16 genes that may play a role in SOS response induction, and of these, 3 that affected susceptibility ofS. aureusto ciprofloxacin. Further characterisation revealed that, in addition to ciprofloxacin, loss of the tyrosine recombinase XerC increased the susceptibility ofS. aureusto various classes of antibiotics, as well as to host immune defences. Therefore, the inhibition of XerC may be a viable therapeutic approach to sensitiseS. aureusto both antibiotics and the immune response.
Rgs1 is a regulator of effector gene expression during plant infection by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae
Authors: Tang Bozeng , Yan Xia , Ryder Lauren S. , Cruz-Mireles Neftaly , Soanes Darren M. , Molinari Camilla , Foster Andrew J. , Talbot Nicholas J.
Published: September 2022

To cause rice blast disease the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae secretes a battery of effector proteins into host plant tissue to facilitate infection. Effector-encoding genes are expressed only during plant infection and show very low expression during other developmental stages. How effector gene expression is regulated in such a precise manner during invasive growth by M. oryzae is not known. Here, we report a forward-genetic screen to identify regulators of effector gene expression, based on selection of mutants that show constitutive effector gene expression. Using this simple screen, we identify Rgs1, a regulator of G-protein signalling (RGS) protein that is necessary for appressorium development, as a novel transcriptional regulator of effector gene expression, which acts prior to plant infection. We show that an N-terminal domain of Rgs1, possessing transactivation activity, is required for effector gene regulation and acts in an RGS-independent manner. Rgs1 controls expression of at least 60 temporally co-regulated effector genes, preventing their transcription during the pre-penetration stage of development prior to plant infection. A regulator of appressorium morphogenesis is therefore also required for orchestration of pathogen gene expression required for invasive growth by M. oryzae during plant infection.
A common cis-regulatory variant impacts normal-range and disease-associated human facial shape through regulation of PKDCC during chondrogenesis
Authors: Mohammed Jaaved , Arora Neha , Matthews Harold S. , Hansen Karissa , Bader Maram , Shaffer John R. , Weinberg Seth M. , Swigut Tomek , Claes Peter , Selleri Licia , Wysocka Joanna
Published: September 2022

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified thousands of genetic variants linked to phenotypic traits and disease risk. However, mechanistic understanding of how GWAS variants influence complex morphological traits and can, in certain cases, simultaneously confer normal-range phenotypic variation and disease predisposition, is still largely lacking. Here, we focus on rs6740960, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the 2p21 locus, which in GWAS studies has been associated both with normal-range variation in jaw shape and with an increased risk of non-syndromic orofacial clefting. Using in vitro derived embryonic cell types relevant for human facial morphogenesis, we show that this SNP resides in an enhancer that regulates chondrocytic expression of PKDCC - a gene encoding a tyrosine kinase involved in chondrogenesis and skeletal development. In agreement, rs6740960 SNP is sufficient to confer a large difference in acetylation of its cognate enhancer preferentially in chondrocytes. By deploying dense landmark morphometric analysis of skull elements in mice, we show that changes in Pkdcc dosage are associated with quantitative changes in maxilla, mandible, and palatine bone shape that are concordant with the facial phenotypes and disease predisposition seen in humans. We further demonstrate that the frequency of the rs6740960 variant strongly deviated among different human populations, and that the activity of its cognate enhancer diverged in hominids. Our study provides a mechanistic explanation of how a common SNP can mediate normal-range and disease-associated morphological variation, with implications for the evolution of human facial features.
Presidential election uncertainty and investor overconfidence bias in sub-Saharan African stock markets
Authors: Musah Godwin , Domeher Daniel , Frimpong Joseph Magnus
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate overconfidence bias and the effect of presidential elections on investor overconfidence bias in sub-Saharan African stock markets.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the vector autoregressive (VAR) model and its associated impulse response functions to investigate overconfidence bias. Furthermore, we make use of OLS regressions to examine the effect of presidential elections on investor overconfidence bias.

Findings

Investor overconfidence bias is present in the markets of Ghana and Tanzania suggesting that the phenomenon persists in sub–Saharan Africa's small markets. We also find that post-presidential election periods have a dampening effect on investor overconfidence in a country where there is less post-election uncertainty.

Originality/value

Despite the previous studies on investor overconfidence bias in sub-Saharan Africa, this paper to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first to investigate investor overconfidence bias in the context of presidential elections.
Modelling the relationships between the barriers to implementing machine learning for accident analysis: the Indian petroleum industry
Authors: Gangadhari Rajan Kumar , Khanzode Vivek , Murthy Shankar , Dennehy Denis
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to identify, prioritise and explore the relationships between the various barriers that are hindering the machine learning (ML) adaptation for analysing accident data information in the Indian petroleum industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) is initially used to identify key barriers as reported in extant literature. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique is then used to discover the interrelationships between the barriers, which are then prioritised, based on three criteria (time, cost and relative importance) using complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) and multi-objective optimisation method by ratio analysis (MOORA). The Delphi method is used to obtain and analyse data from 10 petroleum experts who work at various petroleum facilities in India.

Findings

The findings provide practical insights for management and accident data analysts to use ML techniques when analysing large amounts of data. The analysis of barriers will help organisations focus resources on the most significant obstacles to overcome barriers to adopt ML as the primary tool for accident data analysis, which can save time, money and enable the exploration of valuable insights from the data.

Originality/value

This is the first study to use a hybrid three-phase methodology and consult with domain experts in the petroleum industry to rank and analyse the relationship between these barriers.
Enablers of post-COVID-19 customer demand resilience: evidence for fast-fashion MSMEs
Authors: Fares Naila , Lloret Jaime , Kumar Vikas , Frederico Guilherme F. , Kumar Anil , Garza-Reyes Jose Arturo
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This study aims to analyse the resilience of customer demand management post-coronavirus disease 2019, using fast fashion as an example. The paper provides insights for potential applications to micro-, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the qualitative analysis and an integrated Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)-decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL)-fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) methodology of fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making, we explored and prioritised the enablers of resilience management for fast-fashion MSMEs.

Findings

The results reveal that the highest priority enabler is maintaining customer loyalty. Other enablers are associated with e-commerce endorsement, a customer-focussed assortment of items and flexible store operations.

Research limitations/implications

The study findings will enable fast-fashion MSMEs to develop effective actions and priorities in operations efforts to promote post-pandemic recovery.

Originality/value

Despite the importance of the resilience project and the changing fast-fashion customer patterns, only a handful of studies have explored how resilience can be managed in this field. Thus, the findings can contribute to closing this gap in the context of operations resilience research as well as MSME operations.
Networking to death: on the dark side of start-ups’ external networking
Authors: Ferreira Aristides I. , Braun Timo , Carvalho Helena , Abrantes António C.M. , Sydow Jörg
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Many start-ups do not survive the first few years of business. Previous studies suggest that networks play a role in start-ups' success, but this positive effect has limits. The purpose of this paper is to answer the call for a better understanding of the dark side of networks and the variables that condition variables' effect on the likelihood of start-ups' survival.

Design/methodology/approach

A longitudinal research design includes 139 start-ups (102 from Germany and 37 from Portugal) and a total of 252 participants. A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM)was applied to estimate all the coefficients, to test the mediation (H1), the moderation (H2) and the moderated mediation (H3) while considering the economic situation of the start-up (sales growth), start-ups' networking behavior, creativity orientation and ultimately the likelihood of survival.

Findings

Based on an empirical study from two different countries, the results show that effective networking is contingent on the start-up's economic situation and creative potential. Specifically, the results point to situations in which early sales growth may lead to external networking, which, in contexts of low creativity-oriented start-ups, can compromise the start-ups' success.

Originality/value

Based on the findings, the authors compare scenarios in which networking increases the chances for start-up survival with situations where networking can have adverse effects. This study highlights the importance of considering specific start-up parameters, such as start-ups' economic situation and level of creativity orientation, in the business venturing literature.
Building self-determination of disadvantaged groups: insights from an entrepreneurship focused program for refugees
Authors: Richey Michelle , Brooks Jade , Ravishankar M. N.
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This paper examines how entrepreneurship focused programs build capacities for disadvantaged groups to pursue more dignified lives. The struggles of disadvantaged entrepreneurs against pronounced structural constraints are well documented, but less is known about how targeted programs of entrepreneurship focused support change the status quo for disadvantaged communities.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is grounded in a mainly inductive, interpretive study and explores the work of an entrepreneurship focused program targeted at refugee participants. The paper reports on intensive fieldwork and in-depth interviews with 23 program participants in London, UK.

Findings

The empirical sections elaborate three key mechanisms supporting greater self-determination and better opportunities: building entrepreneurial intention, building contextual legitimacy and building proximal ties. These mechanisms empower disadvantaged groups to pursue a wide variety of meaningful goals, including but not limited to starting a business.

Originality/value

This paper draws attention to problems of over-emphasizing the disadvantaged entrepreneurs' agency. It uses the vocabulary of self-determination theory (SDT) and offers a psychosocial perspective of the consequences of disadvantage and the potential for entrepreneurship focused programs to build key capacities and improve precarious lives.
Quality of work life, fear of COVID-19, job satisfaction, and commitment: a moderated mediation model
Authors: Rai Gaurav Deep , Verma Saurabh
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Principally, this study aims to test a conceptual framework of the moderating influence of fear of COVID-19 on the following hypothesized relationships (1) quality of work life and bankers' commitment, (2) the mediating spillover effect of job satisfaction in the quality of work life (QWL) and affective commitment relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative cross-sectional research design is adopted on 318 bankers chosen from four prominent Indian cities. The mediation model is tested through SPSS, PROCESS macro, and AMOS. Conditional process modeling is also administered to test the moderating effect of fear of COVID-19.

Findings

The results suggest that the positive effect of QWL on commitment is completely mediated through job satisfaction. Further, the fear induced by COVID-19 negatively moderated the positive direct relation of QWL with commitment and the positive mediating spillover effect of job satisfaction.

Originality/value

The present research is virtually the first to introduce fear of COVID-19 as a psychological construct, to test a moderated mediation model for implications to organizational behavior and human psychology theory and practice. In coalescence of the need satisfaction, spillover, and COR theories, the authors postulate that as spillover between the domains of an individual's life (work, social, financial, personal, and overall life satisfaction) occurs, such effect is calibrated (augmented or attenuated) by the degree of risk/threat/depletion of their resources in the quest for attaining higher valued resources (overall life satisfaction). The moderated mediation mechanism is suggested for replication in other avenues for greater generalizability.
Connecting perceived effectiveness of app evolution to app engagement: a technology identity perspective
Authors: Liu Yi , Tang Xinlin , Li Peigong , Wang Xuan
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This paper extends the current literature on app engagement to identify dynamic factors that affect app engagement and the value-creation pathway that connect these factors with app engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from 299 app users to test the proposed research model.

Findings

The study found that the perceived effectiveness of evolution content and that of evolution speed impose both individual and joint positive effects on app identity, which serves as the mediation mechanism that connects these dynamic factors with app engagement.

Originality/value

This study takes the user perspective to explore how user perceptions of the effectiveness of app evolution content and speed, which represent unique user experiences in the app context, cultivate app engagement by enhancing app identity. Specifically, this study reveals the intertwined relationship among perceived effectiveness of app evolution, app identity, and app engagement.
Women on board, strength of auditing and reporting standards and analysts' forecasts accuracy: international evidence
Authors: Wan Ismail Wan Adibah , Kamarudin Khairul Anuar , Mohamad Ariff Akmalia , Wan-Hussin Wan Nordin
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This paper investigates whether board gender diversity and the strength of auditing and reporting standards are associated with analysts' forecast accuracy and whether the strength of auditing and reporting standards moderates the association between board gender diversity and analysts' forecast accuracy.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample covers 24,086 firm-year observations from 37 countries from 2009 to 2018. The data were obtained from various sources: earnings forecast data from the Institutional Brokers' Estimate System (IBES) database; board gender diversity and financial data from Thomson Reuters Fundamentals; and country-level data from World Economic Forum database. The authors measure board gender diversity using four proxies namely, the proportion of women directors on the board, a dummy variable for board with at least one women director, BLAU measurement corresponds to the proportion of group females and males using the formula adopted from the Hirschman-Herfindahl index (Hirschman, 1964) and the proportion of the number of women executives over the total number of directors. The study also uses a series of specification tests using alternative measures for each variable and controlling the global financial crisis and endogeneity issue.

Findings

Firms with higher board gender diversity have higher analysts' forecast accuracy. Compared to countries with weak auditing and reporting standards, the authors find firms in countries with strong auditing and reporting standards have more accurate forecasts. Further, the positive relationship between the board gender diversity and analysts' forecast accuracy is weaker for firms in countries with strong auditing and reporting standards, as compared to firms in countries with weak auditing and reporting standards.

Research limitations/implications

This study found new evidence on the effect of women directorships on analyst forecasts and this relationship varies between levels of the strength of auditing and reporting standards, which was not addressed in prior studies.

Practical implications

This study highlights the importance of strengthening the policy on getting more women on board and the continuous efforts to enhance the strength of auditing and reporting standards of a country as valuable strategies to enhance the quality of analyst forecasts.

Originality/value

This is the first study that employs the international dataset to examine the moderating effect of the strength of auditing and reporting standards on the relationship between board gender diversity and analysts' forecast accuracy.
Effect of workplace ostracism on employee initiative behaviour: a chained double mediation model
Authors: Cheng Chun , Ma Jianfeng
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This study aims to test a holistic model that investigates the direct influence of workplace ostracism on employee initiative behaviour, along with the mediating role of organisational identity and work well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of questionnaire surveys were conducted to collect data in three time lags and multiple sources; 261 supervisor–subordinate matched samples were finally obtained. The hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modelling and the ProClin program.

Findings

The results suggest that workplace ostracism is negatively related to employee initiative behaviour, and organisational identity and work well-being play mediating roles. The analysis further confirms that organisational identity and work well-being play a chained double mediating role between workplace ostracism and employee initiative behaviour.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates the influence of negative work situation on employee initiative behaviour, specifically the role of workplace ostracism, and expands the theoretical foundation of the relationship. It further provides inspiration and serves as a reference for local Chinese management practices.
What would QMS implementation really bring to a company?‐ Theoretical review on benefits and disadvantages researched in practice
Authors: Zivaljevic Aleksandra , Zakic Katarina , Bevanda Vuk
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This study aims to provide information on particular combination of benefits or disadvantages with exact timing of their appearance in the company after its first certification, along with the information on the value range each benefit and disadvantage would take, as well as on the duration period of expected values.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey was conducted from October 2015 to January 2019 in 306 certified companies with respondent rate of 58.82%. A questionnaire, structured using literature review to identify all possible benefits and disadvantages of QMS, was used to determine the time of appearance, value range and duration of each identified benefit or disadvantage. Results were used to define indicators for fully applied QMS in each age of its maturity, then the indicators were verified using the records of two ISO certified companies.

Findings

There is a difference in the set of benefits and disadvantages in companies with fully implemented QMS and those that are using QMS only to maintain the certificate. In each age of QMS application a specific set of benefits and disadvantages can be expected as well as the volume range of each of them. These timely sets of benefits and disadvantages can be used as indicators to distinguish well-implemented QMS from those partially implemented.

Research limitations/implications

The sample consists of companies from Balkan area, therefore economy, politics and culture could have influenced results, predominantly regarding the value ranges of some benefits and disadvantages.

Practical implications

Companies which already have implemented or are about to implement QMS may use results of the research to plan its effects in years ahead, concerning costs and profit dynamics, as well as to prepare themselves for upcoming probable issues. Auditors can use results in addition to certification criteria to determine the level of QMS implementation and to forecast whether audited company would keep the certificate in the future.

Social implications

Supply chain management could use research findings in selection of chain members to support and speed up third party audits since the benefits and disadvantages of fully implemented QMS are known for each QMS age. This would further imply better structure of supply chains, which would consequently lead to lower production costs, higher quality and competitive prices at the market, which has beneficial implications on the whole society.

Originality/value

For each age of QMS maturity, starting from the first year of certification, expected combination of benefits and disadvantages along with its expected value range and duration are defined. A set of indicators with their expected values.
Promoting IT professionals’ tacit knowledge sharing through social capital and web 2.0: the moderating role of absorptive capacity
Authors: Thomas Asha
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the comprehensive relationship among dimensions of social capital (SC) and web 2.0 on tacit knowledge sharing (TKS). This research studies innovative work behavior (IWB) as an outcome of TKS. The study also aims to examine the moderating impact of absorptive capacity (AC).

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical research collected data from 497 information technology (IT) professionals working in IT organizations. Data were evaluated and presented in tables using the Smart PLS 3.3.3 software.

Findings

The results indicated that SC and web 2.0 significantly affected TKS. The finding also discusses the significant impact of TKS in influencing IWB among IT professionals. The results indicated that AC moderates the relationship between TKS and IWB.

Originality/value

The present paper contributes significantly toward an investigation of TKS, SC, web2.0, AC and IWB as an outcome. The authors also validate and analyze the significant SC higher-order incorporated in all dimensions of SC, thus, forming the methodological part.
Can sustainable practices protect investors during financial market instability? A multi-sector analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Nirino Niccolò , Petruzzella Felice , Alam Gazi Mahabubul , Campobasso Francesco
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between firms' sustainable practices and corporate financial performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study aims to analyse the effect of sustainable practices on firms' stock returns during and after the first COVID-19 pandemic emergency.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative study was conducted to determine the impact of sustainable practices on firms' stock returns, using a sample of 1,418 European listed firms. In particular, we tested the effect of environmental (E) and social (S) scores, providing a multi-sectoral analysis in order to consider sector specificities.

Findings

The empirical outcomes indicate the existence of a negative (weak) or null relationship between sustainable practices and stock returns, failing to provide evidence that these practices are able to protect shareholders value during times of crisis.

Practical implications

The results obtained made it possible to highlight significant implications for investors and practitioners. They may have particular attention in evaluating firm's sustainable practices trying to understand more precisely the value that such practices can have for the company and its shareholders.

Originality/value

This article is part of the stream of studies that analysed the impact of sustainable practices on stock returns during a period of crisis in order to contribute to filling the gap due to the lack of consensus and the mixed results in the literature.
Investigating the relationships between MOOC consumers' perceived quality, emotional experiences, and intention to recommend: an NLP-based approach
Authors: Ma Lan , Pahlevan Sharif Saeed , Ray Arghya , Khong Kok Wei
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The paper aims to explore and examine the factors that influence the post-consumption behavioral intentions of education consumers with the help of online reviews from a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform in the knowledge payment context.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopted a novel mixed-method approach based on natural language processing (NLP) techniques. Variables were identified using topic modeling drawing upon 14,585 online reviews from a global commercial MOOC platform (Udemy.com). The relationships among identified factors, such as perceived quality dimensions, consumption emotions, and intention to recommend, were then tested from a cognition-affect-behavior (CAB) perspective using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

Results indicate that course content quality, instructor quality, and platform quality are strong predictors of consumers' emotions and intention to recommend. Interestingly, course content quality displays a positive effect on invoking negative emotions in the MOOC context. Additionally, positive emotions mediate the relationships between three perceived qualities and the intention to recommend.

Originality/value

Limited research has been conducted regarding MOOC consumers' post-consumption intentions in the knowledge payment context. Findings of this study address the limited literature on MOOC qualities and consumer post-consumption behaviors, which contribute to a comprehensive understanding of MOOC learners' experiences at a meso-level for future paid-MOOC creators.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-09-2021-0482/
Phenological research based on natural history collections: Practical guidelines and a lepidopteran case study
Authors: Belitz Michael W. , Larsen Elise A. , Shirey Vaughn , Li Daijiang , Guralnick Robert P.
Published: September 2022

Natural history collections (NHCs) have been indispensable to understanding longer‐term trends of the timing of seasonal events. Massive‐scale digitization of specimens promises to further enable phenological research, especially the ability to move towards a deeper understanding of drivers of change and how trait–environment interactions shape phenological sensitivity.

Despite the promise of NHCs to answer fundamental phenology questions, the use of these data resources presents unique and often overlooked challenges requiring specialized workflow steps, such as assembling multisource data, accounting for date imprecision and making decisions about trade‐offs between data density and spatial resolution.

We provide a set of key best practice recommendations and showcase these via a case study that utilizes NHC data to test hypotheses about spatiotemporal trends in adult Lepidoptera (i.e. butterflies and moths) flight timing across North America. Our case study is a worked example of these best practices, helping practitioners recognize and overcome potential pitfalls at each step, from data acquisition and cleaning, to delineating spatial units and proper estimation of phenological metrics and associated uncertainty, to building appropriate models.

We confirm and extend the critical importance of voltinism and diapause strategy, but less‐so daily activity patterns, for predicting Lepidoptera phenology spatiotemporal trends. Our case study also showcases the unique power of NHC data to test existing hypotheses and generate new insights about temporal phenological trends. Specifically, migratory species and species that enter diapause as adults are advancing the start of flight periods in more recent years, even after accounting for climate context. These results highlight the physiological and adaptive differences between species with different overwintering strategies.

We close by noting the value of partnerships between data scientists, museum experts and ecological modellers to fully harness the power of digital data resources to address pressing global change challenges. These partnerships can extend approaches for integrating multiple data types to fully unlock our understanding of the tempo, mode, drivers and outcomes of phenological changes at greater spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales.

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Why are biodiversity—ecosystem functioning relationships so elusive? Trophic interactions may amplify ecosystem function variability
Authors: Wu Dan , Xu Chi , Wang Shaopeng , Zhang Lai , Kortsch Susanne
Published: September 2022

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions (BEFs) has attracted great interest. Studies on BEF have so far focused on the average trend of ecosystem function as species diversity increases. A tantalizing but rarely addressed question is why large variations in ecosystem functions are often observed across systems with similar species diversity, likely obscuring observed BEFs.

Here we use a multi‐trophic food web model in combination with empirical data to examine the relationships between species richness and the variation in ecosystem functions (VEFs) including biomass, metabolism, decomposition, and primary and secondary production. We then probe the mechanisms underlying these relationships, focusing on the role of trophic interactions.

While our results reinforce the previously documented positive BEF relationships, we found that ecosystem functions exhibit significant variation within each level of species richness and the magnitude of this variation displays a hump‐shaped relationship with species richness. Our analyses demonstrate that VEFs is reduced when consumer diversity increases through elevated nonlinearity in trophic interactions, and/or when the diversity of basal species such as producers and decomposers decreases. This explanation is supported by a 34‐year empirical food web time series from the Gulf of Riga ecosystem.

Our work suggests that biodiversity loss may not only result in ecosystem function decline, but also reduce the predictability of functions by generating greater function variability among ecosystems. It thus helps to reconcile the debate on the generality of positive BEF relationships and to disentangle the drivers of ecosystem stability. The role of trophic interactions and the variation in their strengths mediated by functional responses in shaping ecosystem function variation warrants further investigations and better incorporation into biodiversity—ecosystem functioning research.
Plant characteristics drive ontogenetic changes in herbivory damage in a temperate forest
Authors: Kurokawa Hiroko , Oguro Michio , Takayanagi Sakino , Aiba Masahiro , Shibata Rei , Mimura Makiko , Yoshimaru Hiroshi , Nakashizuka Tohru
Published: September 2022

Understanding ontogenetic differences in plant defenses and herbivory damage is crucial for obtaining a better understanding of plant life‐history strategies, community assembly, and dynamics. Although many studies have compared plant defenses or herbivory damage between ontogenetic stages (e.g. sapling vs. adult), how the effects of plant characteristics on leaf herbivory damage change during plant ontogeny has rarely been examined across species or in a species‐rich natural community.

To elucidate the effects of plant characteristics, we compared the relationships of leaf herbivory by insects with stem density, plant size, and leaf traits between saplings and adults for almost all co‐occurring woody species (56 species, ranging from rare to abundant) in a Japanese temperate forest.

In most species, adults were larger, fewer in number, and had leaf traits that were potentially less favorable to herbivores (e.g. stronger, or with more phenolics). In contrast, we observed species‐specific directions of changes in herbivory damage between adults and saplings with plant phylogeny or density having no clear effect. The relationships between some plant traits and herbivory damage were ontogeny dependent, indicating a shift from chemical to physical defense as plants mature, although most of the species characteristics studied were highly correlated between stages. Such ontogeny‐dependent relationships between plant traits and herbivory damage could cause variation in the ontogenetic changes in herbivory damage among species depending on the value of plant traits. Moreover, the direction and magnitude of the effects of ontogenetic differences in species traits on the ontogenetic differences in herbivory damage varied depending on the traits. Together, these factors could have caused the observed ontogenetic changes in herbivory damage among species.

Synthesis. Our study demonstrated how relationships between plant characteristics and herbivory damage can change ontogenetically across many coexisting woody species in a forest community, suggesting that plant traits may perform different functions related to herbivory at different ontogenetic stages. This has rarely been considered in previous dualistic comparisons of individual traits and herbivory damage between ontogenetic stages, and it is vital for understanding plant life‐history strategies across stages in relationships with herbivores in natural communities.
Histone deacetylase SirE regulates development, DNA damage response and aflatoxin production in Aspergillus flavus
Authors: Wen Meifang , Lan Huahui , Sun Ruilin , Chen Xuan , Zhang Xin , Zhu Zhuo , Tan Can , Yuan Jun , Wang Shihua
Published: September 2022

Aspergillus flavus is a ubiquitous saprotrophic soil‐borne pathogenic fungus that causes crops contamination with the carcinogen aflatoxins. Although sirtuin E (SirE) is known to be a NAD‐dependent histone deacetylase involved in global transcriptional regulation. Its biological functions in A. flavus are not fully understood. To explore the effects of SirE, we found that SirE was located in the nucleus and increased the level of H3K56 acetylation. The ΔsirE mutant had the most severe growth defect in the sirtuin family. The RNA‐Seq revealed that sirE was crucial for secondary metabolism production as well as genetic information process and oxidation–reduction in A. flavus. Further analysis revealed that the ΔsirE mutant increased aflatoxin production. Both the sirE deletion and H3K56 mutants were highly sensitive to DNA damage and oxidative stresses, indicating that SirE was required for DNA damage and redox reaction by the H3K56 locus. Furthermore, the ΔsirE mutant displayed high sensitivity to osmotic stress and cell wall stress, but they may not be associated with the H3K56. Finally, the catalytic activity site N192 of SirE was required for regulating growth, deacetylase function and aflatoxin production. Together, SirE is essential for histone deacetylation and biological function in A. flavus.
Globalization and the proportion of women in vulnerable employment in sub‐Saharan Africa: The role of economic, social, and political conditions
Authors: Uwajumogu Nkechinyere R. , Nwokoye Ebele S. , Ojike Richard O. , Okere Kingsley I. , Ugwu Joy N. , Ogbuagu Anuli R.
Published: September 2022

Investigating the impacts of globalization on vulnerable employment with a focus on sub‐Saharan African (SSA) women's job experience is in line with efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8. We examined the impacts of social, economic, and political globalization, as well as de facto and de jure conditions, in explaining the proportion of women working in vulnerable jobs in SSA. Using the instrumental variable generalized method of moment approach with panel data from 37 SSA countries for the period 2000–2016, we found de facto/de jure globalization conditions to have positive/negative impacts on the proportion of women in vulnerable employment in SSA. Furthermore, estimates from disaggregated globalization indices indicate that both economic de facto and social de facto globalization conditions had negative impacts whereas political globalization had positive impacts on our subject matter. Developing inclusive socioeconomic policies that promote women's welfare in SSA would therefore necessitate political reforms as well as policies that support improvements in women's economic and social conditions.