bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discovery of repurposing drug candidates for the treatment of diseases caused by pathogenic free-living amoebae
Authors: Rice Christopher A. , Colon Beatrice L. , Chen Emily , Hull Mitchell V. , Kyle Dennis E.
Published: May 2020

Diseases caused by pathogenic free-living amoebae include primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (Naegleria fowleri), granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (Acanthamoebaspp.),Acanthamoebakeratitis, andBalamuthiaamoebic encephalitis (Balamuthia mandrillaris). Each of these are difficult to treat and have high morbidity and mortality rates due to lack of effective therapeutics. In pursuit of repurposing drugs for chemotherapies, we conducted a high throughput phenotypic screen of 12,000 compounds from the Calibr ReFRAME library. We discovered a total of 58 potent inhibitors (IC50<1 μM) againstN. fowleri(n=19),A. castellanii(n=12), andB. mandrillaris(n=27) plus an additional 90 micromolar inhibitors. Of these, 113 inhibitors have never been reported to have activity againstNaegleria,AcanthamoebaorBalamuthia. Rapid onset of action is important for new anti-amoeba drugs and we identified 19 compounds that inhibitN. fowleri in vitrowithin 24 hours (halofuginone, NVP-HSP990, fumagillin, bardoxolone, belaronib, and BPH-942, solithromycin, nitracrine, quisinostat, pabinostat, pracinostat, dacinostat, fimepinostat, sanguinarium, radicicol, acriflavine, REP3132, BC-3205 and PF-4287881). These compounds inhibitN. fowleri in vitrofaster than any of the drugs currently used for chemotherapy. The results of these studies demonstrate the utility of phenotypic screens for discovery of new drugs for pathogenic free-living amoebae, includingAcanthamoebafor the first time. Given that many of the repurposed drugs have known mechanisms of action, these compounds can be used to validate new targets for structure-based drug design.

Author Summary

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are ubiquitous in soil and freshwater and most are non-pathogenic to people; however, three different pathogenic FLA have been found to cause severe, most often fatal diseases in humans. Due to poor detection and inadequate treatment options available for pathogenic FLA, the fatality rates are still > 90% for the diseases caused byBalamuthia mandrillaris,Naegleria fowleri, andAcanthamoebaspp. With hundreds of cases in the United States and many more cases reported worldwide, there is still an urgent clinical need for effective diagnosis and specific treatments discovered against these opportunistic parasites. Drug repurposing is a powerful approach for drug-discovery because it significantly improves the discovery time, reduces the amount of resources, and decreases costs required to advance lead candidate drugs of interest into the clinic. This is extremely helpful for neglected diseases including pathogenic FLA where there is a need for new active therapies with limited budgets. This report addresses the discovery of new active drugs with potential for repurposing, multiple new drug classes that inhibit pathogenic FLA, and numerous putative drug targets that can be used as tools for further investigation and structure-based drug design.
Iterative point set registration for aligning scRNA-seq data
Authors: Alavi Amir , Bar-Joseph Ziv
Published: May 2020

Several studies profile similar single cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq) data using different technologies and platforms. A number of alignment methods have been developed to enable the integration and comparison of scRNA-Seq data from such studies. While each performs well on some of the datasets, to date no method was able to both perform the alignment using the original expression space and generalize to new data. To enable such analysis we developed Single Cell Iterative Point set Registration (SCIPR) which extends methods that were successfully applied to align image data to scRNA-Seq. We discuss the required changes needed, the resulting optimization function, and algorithms for learning a transformation function for aligning data. We tested SCIPR on several scRNA-Seq datasets. As we show it successfully aligns data from several different cell types, improving upon prior methods proposed for this task. In addition, we show the parameters learned by SCIPR can be used to align data not used in the training and to identify key cell type-specific genes.

Author Summary

Integrating single cell expression data (scRNA-Seq) across labs, platforms, and technologies is a major challenge. Current methods for addressing this problem attempt to align cells in one study to match cells in another. While successful, current methods are unable to learn a general alignment ingene spacethat can be used to process new or additional data not used in the learning. Here we show that the scRNA-Seq alignment problem resembles a well known problem in the field of computer vision and robotics: point-cloud registration. We next extend traditional iterative rigid-object alignment methods for scRNA-seq while satisfying a set of unique constraints that distinguishes our solution from past methods. Analysis of transcriptomics data demonstrates that our method can accurately align scRNA-seq data, can generalize to unseen datasets, and can provide useful insights about genes active in the cells being studied.
Modelling the developmental spliceosomal craniofacial disorder Burn-McKeown syndrome using induced pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Wood Katherine A. , Rowlands Charlie F. , Thomas Huw B. , Woods Steven , O’Flaherty Julieta , Douzgou Sofia , Kimber Susan J. , Newman William G. , O’Keefe Raymond T.
Published: May 2020

The craniofacial developmental disorder Burn-McKeown Syndrome (BMKS) is caused by biallelic variants in the pre-messenger RNA splicing factor geneTXNL4A/DIB1. The majority of affected individuals with BMKS have a 34 base pair deletion in the promoter region of one allele ofTXNL4Acombined with a loss-of-function variant on the other allele, resulting in reducedTXNL4Aexpression. However, it is unclear how reduced expression of this ubiquitously expressed spliceosome protein results in craniofacial defects during development. Here we reprogrammed peripheral mononuclear blood cells from a BMKS patient and her unaffected mother into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and differentiated the iPSCs into induced neural crest cells (iNCCs), the key cell type required for correct craniofacial development. BMKS patient-derived iPSCs proliferated more slowly than both mother- and unrelated control-derived iPSCs, and RNA-Seq analysis revealed significant differences in gene expression and alternative splicing. Patient iPSCs displayed defective differentiation into iNCCs compared to maternal and unrelated control iPSCs, in particular a delay in undergoing an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). RNA-Seq analysis of differentiated iNCCs revealed widespread gene expression changes and mis-splicing in genes relevant to craniofacial and embryonic development that highlight a dampened response to WNT signalling, the key pathway activated during iNCC differentiation. Furthermore, we identified the mis-splicing ofTCF7L2exon 4, a key gene in the WNT pathway, as a potential cause of the downregulated WNT response in patient cells. Additionally, mis-spliced genes shared common sequence properties such as length, splice site strengths and sequence motifs, suggesting that splicing of particular subsets of genes is particularly sensitive to changes inTXNL4Aexpression. Together, these data provide the first insight into how reducedTXNL4Aexpression in BMKS patients might compromise splicing and NCC function, resulting in defective craniofacial development in the embryo.
Human dental pulp stem cells: a sanctuary for relapsingBartonella quintana
Authors: Hama Hamadou Oumarou , Hamada Attoumani , Aboudharam Gérard , Ghigo Éric , Drancourt Michel
Published: May 2020

Bartonella quintanais a facultative intracellular bacterium responsible for relapsing fever, an example of non-sterilizing immunity. The cellular sanctuary ofB. quintanain-between febrile relapses remains unknown but repeated detection ofB. quintanain dental pulp specimens suggested long-term half-life dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) as candidates. As the capacity of DPSCs to internalize microscopic particles was unknown, we confirmed that DPSCs internalizedB. quintanabacteria: Gimenez staining and fluorescence microscopy localizedB. quintanabacteria inside DPSCs and this internalization did not affect the cellular multiplication of DPSCs during a one-month follow-up despite the increase in the bacterial load.B. quintana-infected DPSCs did not produce Tumor Necrosis Factor-α whereas an important production of Monocytes Chemoattractant Protein-1 was observed. These unprecedented observations suggested the possibility that DPSCs were shelters for the long-term persistence ofB. quintanain the host, warranting further experimental and clinical investigations.
Oligomycins Inhibit Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum and suppress wheat blast disease
Authors: Chakraborty Moutoshi , Mahmud Nur Uddin , Muzahid Abu Naim Md. , Rabby S. M. Fajle , Islam Tofazzal
Published: May 2020

Oligomycins are macrolide antibiotics, produced by Streptomyces spp., show biological activities to several microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, nematodes and peronosporomycetes. Conidiogenesis, germination of conidia and formation of appressoria are crucial for a successful disease cycle and pathogenicity of the filamentous fungal phytopathogen. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effects of two oligomycins, oligomycin B and oligomycin F along with a commercial fungicide Nativo® 75WG on hyphal growth, conidiogenesis, conidia germination, appressoria formation, and disease development of a worrisome wheat blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum (MoT) pathotype. Both oligomycins suppressed the growth of MoT mycelia depending on the dose. Between the two natural products, oligomycin F displayed the maximum inhibition of MoT hyphal growth accompanied by oligomycin B with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.005 and 0.05 μg/disk, respectively. The application of the compounds also completely halted the conidia formation in the MoT mycelia in agar medium. A further bioassay showed that these compounds significantly inhibited MoT conidia germination and induced lysis; if germinated, induced abnormal germ tube and suppressed appressoria formation. Interestingly, the application of these macrolides significantly inhibited wheat blast disease on detached leaves of wheat. This is a first report on the inhibition of mycelial growth, process of conidia formation, germination of conidia, morphological changes in germinated conidia, and suppression of blast disease of wheat by oligomycins from Streptomyces spp. A further study is needed to evaluate the mode of action and field trials of these natural compounds to consider them as biopesticides for controlling this devastating wheat killer.
Ancient mitochondrial DNA pathogenic variants putatively associated with mitochondrial disease
Authors: Toncheva Draga , Serbezov Dimitar , Karachanak-Yankova Sena , Nesheva Desislava
Published: May 2020

Mitochondrial DNA variants associated with diseases are widely studied in contemporary populations, but their prevalence has not yet been investigated in ancient populations. The publicly available AmtDB database contains 1443 ancient mtDNA Eurasian genomes from different periods. The objective of this study was to use this data to establish the presence of pathogenic mtDNA variants putatively associated with mitochondrial diseases in ancient populations. The clinical significance, pathogenicity prediction and contemporary frequency of mtDNA variants were determined using online platforms. The analyzed ancient mtDNAs contain six variants designated as being “confirmed pathogenic” in modern patients. The oldest of these, m.7510T>C in theMT-TS1gene, was found in a sample from the Neolithic period dated 5800-5400 BCE. All six have well established clinical association, and their pathogenic effect is corroborated by very low population frequencies in contemporary populations. In addition, ten variants designated as possibly or likely pathogenic were detected. The oldest of these were two variants in theMT-TDgene, m.7543A>G and m.7554G>A, from Neolithic samples dated 8205-7700 BCE. A novel mutation in contemporary populations, m.4440G>A in theMT-TMgene, is established in 12 ancient mtDNA samples from different periods ranging from 2800 BCE to 920 CE. The pathogenic effect of these possibly/likely pathogenic mutations is not yet well established, and further research is warranted. All detected mutations putatively associated with mitochondrial disease in ancient mtDNA samples are in tRNA coding genes. Most of these mutations are in a mt-tRNA type (Model 2) that is characterized by loss of D-loop/T-loop interaction. Seven mutations are located in CS-Anticodon stem, 4 are located in AS-Acceptor stem, 2 in TS-TΨC stem, and single mutations are found in DL-Dihydrouridine Loop, CL-Anticodon Loop and DS-Dihydrouridine stem. Exposing pathogenic variants in ancient human populations expands our understanding of their origin.
Heterogeneity in clone dynamics within and adjacent to intestinal tumours identified by Dre-mediated lineage tracing
Authors: Thorsen Ann-Sofie , Khamis Doran , Kemp Richard , Colombé Mathilde , Lourenço Filipe C. , Morrissey Edward , Winton Douglas
Published: May 2020

Somatic models of tissue pathology commonly utilise induction of gene specific mutations in mice mediated by spatiotemporal regulation of Cre recombinase. Subsequent investigation of the onset and development of disease can be limited by the inability to track changing cellular behaviours over time. Here a lineage tracing approach based on ligand dependent activation of Dre recombinase that can be employed independently of Cre is described. The clonal biology of intestinal epithelium following Cre-mediated stabilisation of ß-catenin reveals that within tumours many new clones rapidly become extinct. Surviving clones show accelerated population of tumour glands compared to normal intestinal crypts but in a non-uniform manner indicating that intra-tumour glands follow heterogeneous dynamics. In tumour adjacent epithelium clone sizes are smaller than in the background epithelium as a whole. This suggests a zone of around 5 crypt diameters within which clone expansion is inhibited by tumours and that may facilitate their growth.
Genome Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Isolate from Bangladesh
Authors: Hasan Saam , Khan Salim , Ahsan Giasuddin , Hossain Muhammad Maqsud
Published: May 2020

Recently the first genome sequence for a Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 isolate from Bangladesh became available. The sequencing was carried out by the Child Health Research Foundation and provided the first insight into the genetic details of the viral strain responsible for the SARS-CoV-2 infections in Bangladesh. Here we carried out a comparative study were we explored the phylogenetic relationship between the Bangladeshi isolate with other isolates from different parts of the world. Afterwards we identified single nucleotide variants in the Bangladeshi isolate, using the Wuhan virus reference sequence. We found a total of 9 variants in the Bangladeshi isolate using 2 separate tools. Barring 2, the rest of these variants were also observed in other isolates from different countries. Most of the variants occurred in the ORF1ab gen. Another noteworthy finding was a sequence of three consecutive variants in the N protein gene that were observed in other isolates as well. Lastly the phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between the Bangladeshi isolate and those from Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Greece, California, Spain, Israel, and Sri Lanka.
Live Imaging of Intracranial Lymphatics in the Zebrafish
Authors: Castranova Daniel , Samasa Bakary , Galanternik Marina Venero , Jung Hyun Min , Pham Van N. , Weinstein Brant M.
Published: May 2020

Rationale

The recent discovery of meningeal lymphatics in mammals is reshaping our understanding of fluid homeostasis and cellular waste management in the brain, but visualization and experimental analysis of these vessels is challenging in mammals. Although the optical clarity and experimental advantages of zebrafish have made this an essential model organism for studying lymphatic development, the existence of meningeal lymphatics has not yet been reported in this species.

Objective

Examine the intracranial space of larval, juvenile, and adult zebrafish to determine whether and where intracranial lymphatic vessels are present.

Methods and Results

Using high-resolution optical imaging of the meninges in living animals, we show that zebrafish possess a meningeal lymphatic network comparable to that found in mammals. We confirm that this network is separate from the blood vascular network and that it drains interstitial fluid from the brain. We document the developmental origins and growth of these vessels into a distinct network separated from the external lymphatics. Finally we show that these vessels contain immune cells and perform live imaging of immune cell trafficking and transmigration in meningeal lymphatics.

Conclusions

This discovery establishes the zebrafish as a important new model for experimental analysis of meningeal lymphatic development, and opens up new avenues for probing meningeal lymphatic function in health and disease.
Cell-type-specific synaptic imbalance and disrupted homeostatic plasticity in cortical circuits of ASD-associatedChd8haploinsufficient mice
Authors: Ellingford Robert A. , de Meritens Emilie Rabeshala , Shaunak Raghav , Naybour Liam , Basson M. Albert , Andreae Laura C.
Published: May 2020

Heterozygous mutation of chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 8 (CHD8) is strongly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and results in dysregulated expression of neurodevelopmental and synaptic genes during brain development. To reveal how these changes affect ASD-associated cortical circuits, we studied synaptic transmission in the prefrontal cortex of a haploinsufficientChd8mouse model. We report profound alterations to both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission onto deep layer projection neurons, resulting in a reduced excitatory:inhibitory balance, which were found to vary dynamically across neurodevelopment and result from distinct effects of reducedChd8expression within individual neuronal subtypes. These changes were associated with disrupted regulation of homeostatic plasticity mechanisms operating via spontaneous neurotransmission. These findings therefore directly implicateCHD8mutation in the disruption of ASD-relevant circuits in the cortex.
Effect of allelopathy on plant performance
Authors: Zhang Zhijie , Liu Yanjie , Yuan Ling , Weber Ewald , van Kleunen Mark
Published: May 2020

Allelopathy (i.e. chemical interactions between plants) is known to affect individual performance, community structure and plant invasions. Yet, a quantitative synthesis is lacking. We performed a meta-analysis of 385 studies that measured allelopathic effects of one species (allelopathy plant) on another species or itself (test plant). Overall, allelopathy reduced plant performance by 25%, but the variation in allelopathy was high. Type of method affected allelopathic effect. Compared to leachates, allelopathy was more negative when residues of allelopathy plants were applied, and less negative when soil conditioned by allelopathy plants was applied. The negative effects of allelopathy diminished with study duration, and increased with concentrations of leachates or residues. Although allelopathy was not significantly related to life span, life form and domestication of the interacting plants, it became more negative with increasing phylogenetic distance. Moreover, native plants suffered more negative effects from leachates of naturalized alien plants than of other native plants. Our synthesis reveals that allelopathy could contribute to success of alien plants. The negative relationship between phylogenetic distance and allelopathy indicates that allelopathy might drive coexistence of close-related species (i.e. convergence) or dominance of single species.
Convergent Loss of an EDS1/PAD4 Signaling Pathway in Several Plant Lineages Reveals Coevolved Components of Plant Immunity and Drought Response
Authors: Baggs Erin L. , Monroe J. Grey , Thanki Anil S. , O’Grady Ruby , Schudoma Christian , Haerty Wilfried , Krasileva Ksenia V.
Published: May 2020

Plant innate immunity relies on nucleotide binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) that recognize pathogen-derived molecules and activate downstream signaling pathways. We analyzed the variation in NLR gene copy number and identified plants with a low number of NLR genes relative to sister species. We specifically focused on four plants from two distinct lineages, one monocot lineage (Alismatales) and one eudicot lineage (Lentibulariaceae). In these lineages, the loss of NLR genes coincides with loss of the well-known downstream immune signaling complex ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY 1 (EDS1)/PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT 4 (PAD4). We expanded our analysis across whole proteomes and found that other characterized immune genes were absent only in Lentibulariaceae and Alismatales. Additionally, we identified genes of unknown function that were convergently lost together with EDS1/PAD4 in five plant species. Gene expression analyses in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and Oryza sativa revealed that several homologs of the candidates are differentially expressed during pathogen infection, drought, and abscisic acid treatment. Our analysis provides evolutionary evidence for the rewiring of plant immunity in some plant lineages, as well as the coevolution of the EDS1/PAD4 pathway and drought responses.
Identification of Plant Enhancers and Their Constituent Elements by STARR-seq in Tobacco Leaves
Authors: Jores Tobias , Tonnies Jackson , Dorrity Michael W. , Cuperus Josh T. , Fields Stanley , Queitsch Christine
Published: May 2020

Genetic engineering of cis-regulatory elements in crop plants is a promising strategy to ensure food security. However, such engineering is currently hindered by our limited knowledge of plant cis-regulatory elements. Here, we adapted self-transcribing active regulatory region sequencing (STARR-seq)—a technology for the high-throughput identification of enhancers—for its use in transiently transformed tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) leaves. We demonstrate that the optimal placement in the reporter construct of enhancer sequences from a plant virus, pea (Pisum sativum) and wheat (Triticum aestivum), was just upstream of a minimal promoter and that none of these four known enhancers was active in the 3′ untranslated region of the reporter gene. The optimized assay sensitively identified small DNA regions containing each of the four enhancers, including two whose activity was stimulated by light. Furthermore, we coupled the assay to saturation mutagenesis to pinpoint functional regions within an enhancer, which we recombined to create synthetic enhancers. Our results describe an approach to define enhancer properties that can be performed in potentially any plant species or tissue transformable by Agrobacterium and that can use regulatory DNA derived from any plant genome.
Why aren't rural children completing compulsory education? A survey-based study in China, 2003 to 2011
Authors: Liu Xiaoyun , Rozelle Scott
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Although China has instituted compulsory education through Grade 9, it is still unclear whether students are, in fact, staying in school. In this paper, the authors use a multi-year (2003–2011) longitudinal survey data set on rural households in 102–130 villages across 30 provinces in China to examine the extent to which students still drop out of school prior to finishing compulsory education.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine the correlates of dropping out, the study uses ordinary least squares and multivariate probit models.

Findings

Dropout rate from junior high school was still high (14%) in 2011, even though it fell across the study period. There was heterogeneity in the measured dropout rate. There was great variation among different regions, and especially among different villages. In all, 10% of the sample villages showed extremely high rates during the study period and actually rose over time. Household characteristics associated with poverty and the opportunity cost of staying in school were significantly and negatively correlated with the completion of nine years of schooling.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study suggest that China needs to take additional steps to overcome the barriers keeping children from completing nine years of schooling if they hope to either achieve their goal of having all children complete nine years of school or extend compulsory schooling to the end of twelfth grade.

Originality/value

The authors seek to measure the prevalence of both compulsory education rates of dropouts and rates of completion in China. The study examines the correlates of dropping out at the lower secondary schooling level as a way of understanding what types of students (from what types of villages) are not complying with national schooling regulations. To overcome the methodological shortcomings of previous research on dropout in China, the study uses a nationally representative, longitudinal data set based on household surveys collected between 2003 and 2011.
Uncovering missing links in global value chain research – and implications for corporate social responsibility and international business
Authors: Serdijn Merel , Kolk Ans , Fransen Luc
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Amidst burgeoning attention for global value chains (GVCs) in international business (IB), this paper aims to identify a clear “missing link” in this literature and discusses implications for research and corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy-making and implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper combines an overview of relevant literature from different (sub)disciplinary fields, with insights from practitioner and expert interviews and secondary data.

Findings

Because IB GVC research stems from a focus on lead firms and their producing suppliers, it lacks attention for intermediary actors that may significantly impact the organization of production in general, and firms’ CSR commitments in particular. Import intermediaries are often “hidden” in GVCs. This paper indicates the emergence of GVC parallelism with “frontstage” chains managed by lead firms and increasingly exposed to public scrutiny following calls for transparency and CSR, and “backstage” ones in which buyers and intermediaries operate more opaquely.

Practical implications

This study points at salient yet little known practices and actors that influence the organization of production and the implementation of CSR policies in various ways, and therefore offers ground for reflection on the design of proper supply chain and CSR policies.

Originality/value

This study exposes a hitherto neglected category of actors in GVCs and broader IB research and discusses implications, relevance and areas for further investigation. An illustrative example explicates the importance of carefully considering this “missing link”. The study emphasizes the need for further study into ways in which both lead firms and intermediaries deal with contradicting demands of implementing CSR policies and offering competitive prices with short lead times.
Well-being-oriented HRM configurations: diffusion, contingencies and outcomes
Authors: Hauff Sven , Guerci Marco , Gilardi Silvia
Published: May 2020

Purpose

While current human resource management (HRM) research on the relationship between HRM and employee well-being has focused on performance-oriented HRM (e.g. high-performance work practices), scholars have called to broaden the perspective and to explore HRM practices that are indeed well-being-oriented. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the empirical diffusion of well-being-oriented HRM configurations, the conditions in which these are used, and their associations with health, happiness and relational well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

Analyses are based on a probabilistic subsample of 1,364 employees in Germany. Employee data are used, since individual employees' perceptions of HRM practices are crucial for understanding the effects of HRM on employee well-being. Configurations of well-being-oriented HRM practices are identified using latent class analysis.

Findings

Findings show that (1) employees experience diverse configurations of well-being-oriented HRM practices, which differ in their investment levels and the specific practices used; (2) these configurations are contingent on organizational-level and individual-level characteristics and (3) these configurations have diverse associations with different well-being dimensions. Importantly, configurations characterized by higher investments are not always associated with higher well-being, and the highest well-being is associated with a configuration based on high investment in well-being-oriented HRM focused on support from supervisors.

Originality/value

This exploratory paper is the first to analyze configurations of well-being-oriented HRM practices. By focusing on well-being-oriented HRM it complements previous research which usually addresses how HRM systems designed to enhance performance affect employee well-being.
Influence of formal and informal stakeholder relationship on megaproject performance: a case of China
Authors: Xue Jin , Shen Geoffrey Qiping , Yang Rebecca Jing , Zafar Irfan , Ekanayake E.M.A.C. , Lin Xue , Darko Amos
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to seek better relational strategies between formal and informal stakeholder relationships to improve megaproject performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual model was developed with twenty hypotheses based on the literature review. Then a questionnaire survey was conducted, and the collected data were analyzed by Partial Least squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for validating the proposed model. Finally, the findings were discussed by a comparative study to explain the different effects of the formal and informal relationship on megaproject performance, and the managerial implications are presented for the stakeholders to implement the relationship management in the megaprojects.

Findings

The research finding reveals that formal relationship plays a dominating role in cost, quality, and labor protection; meanwhile, it is still more reliable in improving coordination, safety and environmental protection. Both formal and informal relationship is equally important towards collaboration and scheduling while the informal relationship is more effective in communication and project transparency.

Originality/value

The study extends the knowledge of relationship management in the domain of the megaproject performance. It provides a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the impact of formal and informal stakeholder relationships on ten aspects of the megaproject performance by the proposed conceptual model and PLS-SEM results. The research findings contribute to the theory of relationship management on how the different influences between formal and informal stakeholder relationships lead to better megaproject performance from inter-organizational level to project and societal level.
Skilled migrant employees' perceptions of support from line managers
Authors: Faaliyat Rosa , Townsend Keith , Peetz David , Ressia Susan
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper explores the experiences of non-English-speaking background (NESB) skilled employees working in Australian workplaces, their perceptions of managers' actions and how a lack of employee involvement and participation (EIP) practices and performance appraisal (PA) is perceived regarding career progression.

Design/methodology/approach

This exploratory research project is based on 26 semi-structured interviews with skilled migrant NESB employees based in Australia. Social exchange theory (SET) and labour market segmentation theory (LMST) are applied to help explain macro- and micro-level influences on NESB employees and their relationships with their line managers and the workforce.

Findings

Participants perceived line managers to be highly communicative and approachable; however, they indicated how a lack of EIP in decision-making and in their PA affected career progression opportunities for NESB employees. While they were satisfied overall with their jobs, the research indicated a need for improved practices and support from the broader organisation in these two identified areas.

Originality/value

There is relatively little research on how the challenges of an increasingly diverse workforce are managed, particularly from NESB employees' perspective. Therefore, this research fills a gap concerning NESB employees' experience in Australian organisations.
Does one bad apple ruin a firm’s green brand image? Examining frontline service employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors
Authors: Zhang Lin , Wu Jintao , Chen Honghui , Nguyen Bang
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Drawing on the branded service encounters perspective, the purpose of this study is to investigate how frontline service employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors affect customers’ brand evaluations.

Design/methodology/approach

The research conducted two experiments. The first experiment explored the effect of frontline service employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors on customers’ brand evaluations via corporate hypocrisy. The second experiment explored the moderation effect of employees’ prototypicality and the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) among customers.

Findings

Experiment 1 indicates that for firms with a green brand image, frontline employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors result in customers’ perception that the firm is hypocritical, thus reducing their brand evaluations. Experiment 2 shows that employee prototypicality and CSR importance to the customer enhance the negative impact of frontline employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors on customers’ brand evaluations through customers’ perception of corporate hypocrisy.

Research limitations/implications

This study is one of the first efforts to explore how frontline service employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors affect customers’ responses. It helps understand the impact of frontline employees’ counter-productive sustainable behaviors on customers’ brand perception, as well as the relationship between CSR and employees.

Practical implications

This study suggests that firms’ green brand image does not always lead to positive customer response. When frontline employees’ behaviors are inconsistent with firms’ green brand image, it can trigger customers’ perceptions of corporate hypocrisy and thus influence their brand evaluations. Therefore, firms should train frontline service employees to make their behaviors align with the firms’ green brand image.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first efforts to explore how frontline service employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors affect customers’ responses. It helps understand the impact of frontline employees’ counter-productive sustainable behaviors on customers’ brand perception, as well as the relationship between CSR and employee.
“Oh boy, I ain’t playin’ no games!”: making sense with youth in the aural imaginary
Authors: Petchauer Emery
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how sounds and attunements to particular organizations of sound collide across an English language community learning space. The activities in the paper come from a six-week summer initiative that connected middle school youth with community artists for writing songs and rap lyrics, making beats and hip-hop DJing.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws from the interdisciplinary field of sound studies and, specifically, the concept of aural imaginary to explore the collisions alive and in-motion across the learning space. The paper uses qualitative and ethnographic approaches to explore the research questions.

Findings

The findings focus on how youth hear certain sounds and organizations of sound in music as “old” and “new,” and how these shifting listening entangle talk, claims and interactions in the learning space. The findings also trace the ways that youth use sound as an active, aural resource to make competing distinctions between rapping, singing and talking.

Originality/value

This paper reasserts the role of sound in multiliteracies, hip-hop and English education work, keying into the ways it collides with other aspect of the learning space. The paper raises questions about what educators might attune themselves to by considering English education as already taking place in a youth aural imaginary.
Hospitality, tourism, human rights and the impact of COVID-19
Authors: Baum Tom , Hai Nguyen Thi Thanh
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to undertake a “real-time” assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the right to participate in hospitality and tourism and to illustrate where such rights are under threat.

Design/methodology/approach

This discussion is based on a review of current events, assessed through interpretation of a human rights lens.

Findings

Rights to participate in hospitality and tourism, particularly in parts of Asia, Europe and North America, were affected on a scale unprecedented in peacetime.

Research limitations/implications

The rights to participate in hospitality and tourism have been challenged as never before. The big questions that will need to be answered going forward are the extent to which such rights will be restored, post-COVID-19.

Originality/value

This is a “real-time” assessment and will require re-visiting as events unfold over the coming months and years.
Conjoint analysis of purchasing behavior for energy-saving appliances
Authors: Kinoshita Shin
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Saving energy is an essential issue in the world to attenuate climate change. To achieve the goal, energy-saving appliances such as refrigerators should be promoted. This study aims to analyze the conditions enabling Japanese households to purchase such appliances, focusing on the relation with preferences for renewable energy as one of the non-monetary incentives.

Design/methodology/approach

A conjoint analysis is used. A random parameter logit model and nested logit model are used for estimation. Data were collected through an online questionnaire of the Rakuten Insight service.

Findings

Households will purchase energy-saving appliances when renewable energy is used for electricity generation. This implies that households will purchase energy-saving appliances with electric power generators by renewable energy such as solar panels and home micro-wind generators.

Research limitations/implications

The response rate and attributes of respondents and non-respondents are not shown to researchers in the web-questionnaire service.

Social implications

Promoting energy-saving appliances and renewable energy is essential in Japan (as in other countries) to save energy and to attenuate climate change. Based on the results, both energy-saving appliances and renewable energy will be widely used.

Originality/value

Although many studies have analyzed households’ preferences for energy-saving appliances and the effects of non-monetary incentives, studies that mentioned the relation with preferences for renewable energy are few. This study analyzes the relation and proposes policy recommendations to promote both energy-saving appliances and renewable energy.
A novel face recognition in uncontrolled environment based on block 2D-CS-LBP features and deep residual network
Authors: Wei Minghua
Published: May 2020

Purpose

In order to solve the problem that the performance of the existing local feature descriptors in uncontrolled environment is greatly affected by illumination, background, occlusion and other factors, we propose a novel face recognition algorithm in uncontrolled environment which combines the block central symmetry local binary pattern (CS-LBP) and deep residual network (DRN) model.

Design/methodology/approach

The algorithm first extracts the block CSP-LBP features of the face image, then incorporates the extracted features into the DRN model, and gives the face recognition results by using a well-trained DRN model. The features obtained by the proposed algorithm have the characteristics of both local texture features and deep features that robust to illumination.

Findings

Compared with the direct usage of the original image, the usage of local texture features of the image as the input of DRN model significantly improves the computation efficiency. Experimental results on the face datasets of FERET, YALE-B and CMU-PIE have shown that the recognition rate of the proposed algorithm is significantly higher than that of other compared algorithms.

Originality/value

The proposed algorithm fundamentally solves the problem of face identity recognition in uncontrolled environment, and it is particularly robust to the change of illumination, which proves its superiority.
Home country institutional drivers and performance outcomes of export market orientation: the moderating role of firm resources
Authors: İpek İlayda , Tanyeri Mustafa
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Anchored mainly on the institutional theory and resource-based view, this study endeavors to investigate the interplay between home country institutional environment (economic, regulatory and socio-cultural environment), export market orientation and export performance. Besides, this study also aims to examine the moderating role of firm resources (knowledge-based and managerial resources) in the associations between home country institutions and export market orientation.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on data from a sample of 221 exporting firms in Turkey, the conceptual model is empirically examined by structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings reveal that regulatory environment is conducive to the improvement of export market orientation, which is instrumental in cultivating export performance. Importantly, empirical evidence also proves that higher levels of knowledge-based and managerial resources strengthen the linkage between home country institutions and export market orientation.

Originality/value

Integrating institutional theory with the resource-based view, this research considerably contributes to the current understanding of the export market orientation phenomenon by filling the knowledge gap on the differential impacts of home country’s economic, regulatory and socio-cultural environment on export market orientation. Moreover, this study provides worthwhile insights into the moderating effect of knowledge-based and managerial resources on home country institutions and export market orientation and the interrelationship between export market orientation and export performance in an emerging economy.
The effect of Zhong-yong thinking to employee survival ability: taking Chinese employees as an example
Authors: Zhang Chunyu , Chen Chunshuo
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Zhong-yong thinking is a code of conduct of the Chinese people. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship among Zhong-yong thinking, social capital, knowledge sharing behavior, and employee survival ability.

Design/methodology/approach

Zhong-yong thinking including multi-thinking, integration and harmony, taking a case study of private enterprise in Guangxi of China. Based on the literature, the establishment of the theoretical model and hierarchical regression analysis are explored.

Findings

The multi-thinking, integration and harmony of Zhong-yong thinking have a significant positive effect on social capital and employee survival ability. In addition, employee survival ability is positively affected by social capital. Moreover, knowledge sharing behavior has a positive moderating between the multi-thinking dimension of Zhong-yong thinking and social capital, and the remaining dimensions have no moderating effect. Knowledge sharing behavior has no moderating effect on the relationship between social capital and employee survival ability.

Practical implications

Zhong-yong thinking and social capital are actively affecting employee survival ability. Therefore, companies need to work harder to improve their employees' Zhong-yong thinking and social capital.

Originality/value

The paper extends Zhong-yong thinking, social capital and employee survival ability literature to fill gaps in how China people require to both access employee survival ability. The policy value of the work is in suggesting ways to facilitate employee survival ability of China.
Social integration as a factor of economic growth: experience and perspectives of developing countries
Authors: Semenova Galina N. , Larionova Elena I. , Karpovich Oleg G. , Shkodinsky Sergei V. , Ouroumova Fatima M.
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of the work consists in studying social integration as a factor of economic growth. The authors focus on experience and perspectives of developing countries, as they show the highest rate of economic growth and have high potential of its acceleration.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors determine the interconnection between the processes of social integration in the four distinguished manifestations with the help of regression analysis and determine the level of homogeneity of data selections for each studied indicator with the help of variation analysis. Scenario analysis of future perspectives of the change of economic growth depending on the influence of the factor of social integration in the unity of its distinguished types is performed. Monte Carlo method is used for forecasting of change of the values of indicators of social integration.

Findings

It is substantiated that social integration is an important factor of economic growth. At the same time, the influence of this factor on economic growth of developing countries is ambiguous. Due to the offered proprietary classification of social integration according to the criterion of involved subjects, it is possible to establish that such types of social integration as integration of social groups, integration of business and society and integration of state and society have a positive influence. However, individual's integration into society has a negative influence.

Originality/value

The research contributes to development of economics by substantiating the significance of the social integration factor for economic growth and specifies the logic of management of this factor, which should be flexible. The perspectives of developing countries in acceleration of the rate of economic growth based on managing the factor of social integration are rather wide and envisage the increase of society's inclusion and the level of consumer consciousness and more active involvement of population into state management in the digital economy.