bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interference competition pressure predicts the number of avian predators that shifted their timing of activity
Authors: Pei Yifan , Valcu Mihai , Kempenaers Bart
Published: June 2018

Being active at different times facilitates the coexistence of functionally similar species. Hence, time partitioning might be induced by competition. However, the relative importance of direct interference and indirect exploitation competition on time partitioning remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative importance of these two forms of competition on the occurrence of time-shifting among avian predator species. As a measure of interference competition pressure, we used the species richness of day-active avian predator species or of night-active avian predator species (i.e. species of Accipitriformes, Falconiformes and Strigiformes) in a particular geographical area (assemblage). As an estimate of exploitation competition pressure, we used the total species richness of avian predators in each assemblage. Estimates of the intensity of interference competition robustly predicted the number of Accipitriformes species that became crepuscular and the number of Strigiformes species that became day-active or strictly crepuscular. Interference competition pressure may depend on body size and on the total duration of the typical active period (day or night length). Our results support—to some extent—that smaller species are more likely to become time-shifters. Day length did not have an effect on the number of time-shifter species in the Accipitriformes. Among the large Strigiformes, more time-shifter species occur in areas where nights are shorter (i.e. where less of the typical time resource is available). However, in the small Strigiformes, we found the opposite, counterintuitive effect: more time-shifters where nights are longer. Exploitation competition may have had an additional positive effect on the number of time-shifters, but only in Accipitriformes, and the effect was not as robust. Our results thus support the interference competition hypothesis, suggesting that animals may have shifted their time of activity, despite phylogenetic constraints on the ability to do so, to reduce the costs of direct interactions. Our findings also highlight the influence of body size as a surrogate of competitive ability during encounters on time partitioning, at least among avian predators.
Reproduction triggers adaptive increases in body size in female mole-rats
Authors: Thorley Jack , Katlein Nathan , Goddard Katy , Zöttl Markus , Clutton-Brock Tim
Published: June 2018

In social mole-rats, breeding females are larger and more elongated than non-breeding female helpers. This status-related morphological divergence is thought to arise from modifications of skeletal growth following the death or removal of the previous breeder and the transition of their successors from a non-breeding to a breeding role. However, it is not clear what changes in growth are involved, whether they are stimulated by the relaxation of reproductive suppression or by changes in breeding status, or whether they are associated with fecundity increases. Here, we show that, in captive Damaraland mole-rats (
Fukomys damarensis
), where breeding was experimentally controlled in age-matched siblings, individuals changed in size and shape through a lengthening of the lumbar vertebrae when they began breeding. This skeletal remodelling results from changes in breeding status because (i) females removed from a group setting and placed solitarily showed no increases in growth and (ii) females dispersing from natural groups that have not yet bred do not differ in size and shape from helpers in established groups. Growth patterns consequently resemble other social vertebrates where contrasts in size and shape follow the acquisition of the breeding role. Our results also suggest that the increases in female body size provide fecundity benefits. Similar forms of socially responsive growth might be more prevalent in vertebrates than is currently recognized, but the extent to which this is the case, and the implications for the structuring of mammalian dominance hierarchies, are as yet poorly understood.
Tristetraprolin/ZFP36 regulates the turnover of autoimmune-associated HLA-DQ mRNAs
Authors: Pisapia Laura , Hamilton Russell S. , Farina Federica , D’Agostino Vito , Barba Pasquale , Strazzullo Maria , Provenzano Alessandro , Gianfrani Carmen , Del Pozzo Giovanna
Published: June 2018

We have previously demonstrated that the expression of HLA class II genes is regulated by the binding of a ribonucleoprotein complex that affects the mRNA processing. We identified protein components of a complex binding transcripts encoding the HLA-DR molecule. Here we investigate whether the same RNA binding proteins interact with 3’UTR of mRNAs encoding the HLA-DQ isotype. Specifically, we focused on the HLA-DQ2.5 molecule, expressed on the surface of antigen presenting cells, and representing the main susceptibility factor for celiac disease (CD). This molecule, encoded by HLA-DQA1*05 and HLA-DQB1*02 alleles, presents the antigenic gluten peptides to CD4+ T lymphocytes, activating the autoimmune response.

Here, we identified an additional component of the RNP complex, Tristetraprolin (TTP) or ZFP36, a zinc-finger protein, widely described as a factor modulating mRNA stability. TTP shows high affinity binding to 3’UTR of CD-associated HLA-DQA1*05 and HLA-DQB1*02 alleles, in contrast to lower affinity binding to HLA-DQA1*01 and HLA-DQB1*05 non-CD associated alleles. Our in silico analysis, confirmed by molecular experiments, demonstrates that TTP specifically modulates the stability of the transcripts associated with celiac disease.
Movement Improves the Quality of Temporal Perception and Decision Making
Authors: Wiener Martin , Zhou Wei Wei , Joiner Wilsaan
Published: June 2018

Recent evidence suggest that our experience of time is directly and intrinsically computed within the motor system. Accordingly, a variety of studies have demonstrated that concurrent movement impacts the estimate of temporal duration, such that perceived time is shifted towards the duration of movement. In order to investigate the role of the motor system, we tested human subjects (n=40) on a novel task combining reaching and time perception. In this task, subjects were required to move a robotic manipulandum to one of two physical locations to categorize a concurrently timed suprasecond auditory stimulus as “long” or “short”, relative to a running average criterion. Critically, subjects were divided into two groups: one in which movement during the interval was unrestricted and subjects could move freely to their choice, and one in which they were restrained from moving until the stimulus interval had elapsed. Our results revealed a higher degree of precision for subjects in the free-moving group. By further decomposing choice and response time data with a drift diffusion model of decision making, we identified the source of this change to a shift in the response threshold for free-moving subjects. Analysis of movement parameters revealed that eventual choice could be determined by movement parameters (e.g. trajectory, force) before the response was made, and even before the interval had elapsed, and that the variability of these movements was lower in the unrestrained group. A further experiment (n=14) verified that these findings were not due to proximity to the target, counting strategies, bias, or movement length. Our findings suggest that perceptual timing may be instantiated within the motor system as an ongoing readout of timing judgment and confidence.
Whole genome sequencing in multiplex families reveals novel inherited and de novo genetic risk in autism
Authors: Ruzzo Elizabeth K. , Pérez-Cano Laura , Jung Jae-Yoon , Wang Lee-kai , Kashef-Haghighi Dorna , Hartl Chris , Hoekstra Jackson , Leventhal Olivia , Gandal Michael J. , Paskov Kelley , Stockham Nate , Polioudakis Damon , Lowe Jennifer K. , Geschwind Daniel H. , Wall Dennis P.
Published: June 2018

Genetic studies of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have revealed a complex, heterogeneous architecture, in which the contribution of rare inherited variation remains relatively un-explored. We performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in 2,308 individuals from families containing multiple affected children, including analysis of single nucleotide variants (SNV) and structural variants (SV). We identified 16 new ASD-risk genes, including many supported by inherited variation, and provide statistical support for 69 genes in total, including previously implicated genes. These risk genes are enriched in pathways involving negative regulation of synaptic transmission and organelle organization. We identify a significant protein-protein interaction (PPI) network seeded by inherited, predicted damaging variants disrupting highly constrained genes, including members of the BAF complex and established ASD risk genes. Analysis of WGS also identified SVs effecting non-coding regulatory regions in developing human brain, implicating NR3C2 and a recurrent 2.5Kb deletion within the promoter of DLG2. These data lend support to studying multiplex families for identifying inherited risk for ASD. We provide these data through the Hartwell Autism Research and Technology Initiative (iHART), an open access cloud-computing repository for ASD genetics research.
White matter connectivity between occipital and temporal regions involved in face and voice processing in hearing and early deaf individuals.
Authors: Benetti Stefania , Novello Lisa , Maffei Chiara , Rabini Giuseppe , Jovicich Jorge , Collignon Olivier
Published: June 2018

Neuroplasticity following sensory deprivation has long inspired neuroscience research in the quest of understanding how sensory experience and genetics interact in developing the brain functional and structural architecture. Many studies have shown that sensory deprivation can lead to cross-modal functional recruitment of sensory deprived cortices. Little is known however about how structural reorganization may support these functional changes. In this study, we examined early deaf, hearing signer and hearing non-signer individuals using diffusion MRI to evaluate the potential structural connectivity linked to the functional recruitment of the temporal voice area by face stimuli in deaf individuals. More specifically, we characterized the structural connectivity between occipital, fusiform and temporal regions typically supporting voice- and face-selective processing. Despite the extensive functional reorganization for face processing in the temporal cortex of the deaf, macroscopic properties of these connections did not differ across groups. However, both occipito- and fusiform-temporal connections showed significant microstructural changes between groups (fractional anisotropy reduction, radial diffusivity increase). We propose that the reorganization of temporal regions after early auditory deprivation builds on intrinsic and mainly preserved anatomical connectivity between functionally specific temporal and occipital regions.
Roles for tubulin recruitment and self-organization by TOG domain arrays in Microtubule plus-end tracking and polymerase
Authors: Cook Brian , Chang Fred , Flor-Parra Ignacio , Al-Bassam Jawdat
Published: June 2018

The XMAP215/Stu2/Alp14 microtubule polymerases utilize Tumor Overexpressed Gene (TOG) domain arrays to accelerate microtubule plus-end polymerization. Structural studies suggest a microtubule polymerase model in which TOG arrays recruit four αβ-tubulins, forming large square assemblies; an array of TOG1 and TOG2 domains may then unfurl from the square state to polymerize two αβ-tubulins into protofilaments at microtubule ends. Here, we test this model using two biochemically characterized classes of fission yeast Alp14 mutants. Using in vitro reconstitution and in vivo live cell imaging, we show that αβ-tubulins recruited by TOG1 and TOG2 domains serve non-additive roles in microtubule plus-end tracking and polymerase activities. Alp14 mutants with inactivated square assembly interfaces have defects in processive plus-end tracking and poor microtubule polymerase, indicating a functional role for square assemblies in processive tracking. These studies provide functional insights into how TOG1 and TOG2 domain arrays recruit tubulins and promote polymerase at microtubule plus ends.
Understanding the Hidden Complexity of Latin American Population Isolates
Authors: Mooney Jazlyn A. , Huber Christian D. , Service Susan , Sul Jae Hoon , Marsden Clare D. , Zhang Zhongyang , Sabatti Chiara , Ruiz-Linares Andrés , Bedoya Gabriel , Freimer Nelson ,   Costa Rica/Colombia Consortium for Genetic Investigation of Bipolar Endophenotypes, Lohmueller Kirk E.
Published: June 2018

Most population isolates examined to date were founded from a single ancestral population. Consequently, there is limited knowledge about the demographic history of admixed population isolates. Here we investigate genomic diversity of recently admixed population isolates from Costa Rica and Colombia and compare their diversity to a benchmark population isolate, the Finnish. These Latin American isolates originated during the 16thcentury from admixture between a few hundred European males and Amerindian females, with a limited contribution from African founders. We examine whole genome sequence data from 449 individuals, ascertained as families to build mutigenerational pedigrees, with a mean sequencing depth of coverage of approximately 24X. We find that Latin American isolates have increased genetic diversity relative to the Finnish. However, there is an increase in the amount of identity by descent (IBD) segments in the Latin American isolates relative to the Finnish. The increase in IBD segments is likely a consequence of a very recent and severe population bottleneck during the founding of the admixed population isolates. Furthermore, the proportion of the genome that falls within a long run of homozygosity (ROH) in Costa Rican and Colombian individuals was significantly greater than that in the Finnish, suggesting more recent consanguinity in the Latin American isolates relative to that seen in the Finnish. Lastly, we found that recent consanguinity increased the number of deleterious variants found in the homozygous state, which is relevant if deleterious variants are recessive. Our study suggests there is no single genetic signature of a population isolate.
Electric Field Dynamics in the Brain During Multi-Electrode Transcranial Electric Stimulation
Authors: Alekseichuk Ivan , Falchier Arnaud Y. , Linn Gary , Xu Ting , Milham Michael P. , Schroeder Charles E. , Opitz Alexander
Published: June 2018

Neural oscillations play a crucial role in communication between remote brain areas. Transcranial electric stimulation with alternating currents (TACS) can manipulate these brain oscillations in a non-invasive manner. Of particular interest, TACS protocols using multiple electrodes with phase shifted stimulation currents were developed to alter the connectivity between two or more brain regions. Typically, an increase in coordination between two sites is assumed when they experience an in-phase stimulation and a disorganization through an anti-phase stimulation. However, the underlying biophysics of multi-electrode TACS has not been studied in detail, thus limiting our ability to develop a mechanistic understanding. Here, we leverage direct invasive recordings from two non-human primates during multi-electrode TACS to show that the electric field magnitude and phase depend on the phase of the stimulation currents in a non-linear manner. Further, we report a novel phenomenon of a “traveling wave” stimulation where the location of the electric field maximum changes over the stimulation cycle. Our results provide a basis for a mechanistic understanding of multi-electrode TACS, necessitating the reevaluation of previously published studies, and enable future developments of novel stimulation protocols.
Semi-Analytic Nonparametric Bayesian Inference for Spike-Spike Neuronal Connectivity
Authors: Ambrogioni Luca , Ebel Patrick W. J. , Hinne Max , Güçlü Umut , van Gerven Marcel A. J. , Maris Eric
Published: June 2018

Estimating causal connectivity between spiking neurons from measured spike sequences is one of the main challenges of systems neuroscience. In this paper we introduce two nonparametric Bayesian methods for spike-membrane and spikespike causal connectivity based on Gaussian process regression. For spike-spike connectivity, we derive a new semi-analytic variational approximation of the response functions of a non-linear dynamical model of interconnected neurons. This semi-analytic method exploits the tractability of GP regression when the membrane potential is observed. The resulting posterior is then marginalized analytically in order to obtain the posterior of the response functions given the spike sequences alone. We validate our methods on both simulated data and real neuronal recordings.
Electromagnetic Field and Temozolomide Increase Differentiation of Human Glioblastoma Cell Line; concise view of mechanism
Authors: Ahmadi-Zeidabadi Meysam , Akbarnejad Zeinab , Esmaeeli Marzie , Masoumi-Ardakani Yaser , Eskandary Hossein
Published: June 2018

Glioblastoma is a highly malignant brain tumor with an extremely dismal prognosis, with a median survival of 12 months. Promoting glioma stem cell (GSC) differentiation is a crucial therapeutic strategy in treating glioblastoma to improve survival. We combine standard chemotherapy drug Temozolomide (TMZ) with Electromagnetic Field to evaluate their differentiation effects on glioma U87 cell line.

Human glioma U87 cells exposed to electromagnetic field (EMF), Temozolomide (TMZ) alone and a combination of both were compared to control group. Nestin and CD133 were detected to identify stem-like cells (SLCs) changes during the experiment. The differentiation was found through detecting the expression of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and Notch4. We evaluated Ca+, SOD, and Notch as important chemical mediators in signal transduction to elucidate the mechanism of actions in the processes of differentiation.

The expression of cancer SLC markers CD133, and neural stem/progenitor Nestin decreased in EMF/ Drug combined group compared to control which shows depletion of stem-like cell pool. In contrast, the differentiation of SLCs was increased by detecting the expression of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), but, Notch4 decreased in Electromagnetic field/Drug combined group compared to control which shows a benign process of treatment. The differentiation was also confirmed by light microscopy. Morphological changes such as an elongated shape with elongated neurites, intercellular connection, and neurite branching were observed. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Ca+ and Notch were also increased as important chemical mediators in signal transduction.

Here, we found the combination of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) and TMZ significantly resulted in differentiation and glioma stem cells (GSCs) pool reduction that could have a profound therapeutic implication.
Bayesian Classification of Microbial Communities Based on 16S rRNA Metagenomic Data
Authors: Bahadorinejad Arghavan , Ivanov Ivan , Lampe Johanna W , Hullar Meredith AJ , Chapkin Robert S , Braga-Neto Ulisses M
Published: June 2018

We propose a Bayesian method for the classification of 16S rRNA metagenomic profiles of bacterial abundance, by introducing a Poisson-Dirichlet-Multinomial hierarchical model for the sequencing data, constructing a prior distribution from sample data, calculating the posterior distribution in closed form; and deriving an Optimal Bayesian Classifier (OBC). The proposed algorithm is compared to state-of-the-art classification methods for 16S rRNA metagenomic data, including Random Forests and the phylogeny-based Metaphyl algorithm, for varying sample size, classification difficulty, and dimensionality (number of OTUs), using both synthetic and real metagenomic data sets. The results demonstrate that the proposed OBC method, with either noninformative or constructed priors, is competitive or superior to the other methods. In particular, in the case where the ratio of sample size to dimensionality is small, it was observed that the proposed method can vastly outperform the others.

Author summary

Recent studies have highlighted the interplay between host genetics, gut microbes, and colorectal tumor initiation/progression. The characterization of microbial communities using metagenomic profiling has therefore received renewed interest. In this paper, we propose a method for classification, i.e., prediction of different outcomes, based on 16S rRNA metagenomic data. The proposed method employs a Bayesian approach, which is suitable for data sets with small ration of number of available instances to the dimensionality. Results using both synthetic and real metagenomic data show that the proposed method can outperform other state-of-the-art metagenomic classification algorithms.
Proteogenomic view of cancer epigenetics: the impact of DNA methylation on the cancer proteome
Authors: Magzoub Majed Mohamed , Prunello Marcos , Brennan Kevin , Gevaert Olivier
Published: June 2018

Aberrant DNA methylation disrupts normal gene expression in cancer and broadly contributes to oncogenesis. We previously developed MethylMix, a model-based algorithmic approach to identify epigenetically regulated driver genes. MethylMix identifies genes where methylation likely executes a functional role by using transcriptomic data to select only methylation events that can be linked to changes in gene expression. However, given that proteins more closely link genotype to phenotype recent high-throughput proteomic data provides an opportunity to more accurately identify functionally relevant abnormal methylation events. Here we present ProteoMix, which refines nominations for epigenetic driver genes by leveraging quantitative high-throughput proteomic data to select only genes where DNA methylation is predictive of protein abundance. Applying our algorithm across three cancer cohorts we find that ProteoMix narrows candidate nominations, where the effect of DNA methylation is often buffered at the protein level. Next, we find that ProteoMix genes are enriched for biological processes involved in cancer including functions involved in epithelial and mesenchymal transition. ProteoMix results are also enriched for tumor markers which are predictive of clinical features like tumor stage and we find clustering on ProteoMix genes captures cancer subtypes.
Pediatric Cancer Variant Pathogenicity Information Exchange (PeCanPIE): A Cloud-based Platform for Curating and Classifying Germline Variants
Authors: Edmonson Michael N. , Patel Aman N. , Hedges Dale J. , Wang Zhaoming , Rampersaud Evadnie , Kesserwan Chimene A. , Zhou Xin , Liu Yanling , Newman Scott , Rusch Michael C. , McLeod Clay L. , Wilkinson Mark R. , Rice Stephen V. , Becksfort Jared B. , Nichols Kim E. , Robison Leslie L. , Downing James R. , Zhang Jinghui
Published: June 2018

Variant interpretation in the era of next-generation sequencing (NGS) is challenging. While many resources and guidelines are available to assist with this task, few integrated end-to-end tools exist. Here we present “PeCanPIE” – the Pediatric Cancer Variant Pathogenicity Information Exchange, a web- and cloud-based platform for annotation, identification, and classification of variations in known or putative disease genes. Starting from a set of variants in Variant Call Format (VCF), variants are annotated, ranked by putative pathogenicity, and presented for formal classification using a decision-support interface based on published guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). The system can accept files containing millions of variants and handle single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), simple insertions/deletions (indels), multiple-nucleotide variants (MNVs), and complex substitutions. PeCanPIE has been applied to classify variant pathogenicity in cancer predisposition genes in two large-scale investigations involving >4,000 pediatric cancer patients, and serves as a repository for the expert-reviewed results. While PeCanPIE’s web-based interface was designed to be accessible to non-bioinformaticians, its back end pipelines may also be run independently on the cloud, facilitating direct integration and broader adoption. PeCanPIE is publicly available and free for research use.
The passion and the interests in life science venturing
Authors: Styhre Alexander , Norbäck Maria
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Passion and interest are the two principal drivers of competitive capitalism, and reconciling the two is conducive to a dynamic and welfare-generating economic system. On the level of the individual, the same categories can be applied to examining, for example, career choices, at times violating propositions regarding rational expectations as some categories of work include lower economic compensation or higher levels of risk than would be attractive to the median job applicant. The purpose of this paper is to examine how venture workers, employees of life, thinly capitalize science ventures, justify their career choices and how they act in order to create economic security for themselves and their families.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a qualitative data collection methodology and reports on empirical research material from a study of co-workers at life science start-ups. The sample includes salaried employees working at venture capital-backed start-up companies in the life science sector.

Findings

The study indicates that passionate preferences regarding, for example, meaningful work in collaboration with peers, and the ability to participate in the creation of a new venture, have overshadowed the downside risks and the lower level of economic compensationvis-à-viscomparable work. Such findings indicate that deeply meaningful work is a useful analytical category, and that combinations of the favorable market pricing of skills and experiences, as well as state-funded welfare mechanisms, cushioning some of the market risk that employees are exposed to, will provide opportunities for venture labor, i.e. work done at thinly capitalized firms, such as start-ups,per secontributing to a dynamic industry.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the innovation management literature as it examines the key role of salaried venture workers, i.e. workers that do not hold contracts, granting them the right to compensation when venture capital investors make an exit. In addition, the study also discusses the literature on deeply meaningful work, stressing that this is a useful analytical category.
Conflict management in family businesses
Authors: Caputo Andrea , Marzi Giacomo , Pellegrini Massimiliano Matteo , Rialti Riccardo
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to map the intellectual structure of the field of conflict management and the field of family business to the investigation of conflicts in family firms, with the aim of contributing to the further integration of knowledge between the two fields.

Design/methodology/approach

Family conflicts and work–family balance issues also received a lot of attention, yet studies in conflict management still seem to overlook a thorough investigation of conflict in family businesses. Conflict is a major aspect of family businesses, which differs highly from non-family businesses, and offers an important research avenue for conflict management scholars to contribute to the investigation of major characteristics of organisations that constitute a large part of the value created in the world.

Findings

The results of a bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review show that studies concerning conflict in family business aggregate around three clusters: organisational conflicts; firm growth and conflicts; and family control, performance and conflicts. An interpretative framework is also developed to interpret how antecedents, conflicts and growth dynamics in family business influence performances. Findings show how family conflicts and work–family balance issues received a lot of attention, yet studies in conflict management still seem to miss a thorough investigation of conflict in family businesses.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the field of conflict management and family business by providing a systematic analysis of knowledge and family firms. This paper can be a starting point for researchers interested in understanding how conflicts affect family businesses.
Nobody understands me! The need for empathy
Authors: Topaloglu Omer , Erkaya Yusuf
Published: June 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the mind-set of consumers with negative mood states during mundane consumption activities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 17 informants who have recently experienced severe yet temporary medical problems.

Findings

Consumers with severe medical problems experience an increased need for empathy during mundane business interactions, and their reaction to service failures is aggravated.

Originality/value

Although previous research has investigated the relationship between empathy and satisfaction in healthcare services, the current research provides a novel perspective by studying the mind-set of customers with medical problems during regular consumption activities. Further, previous research has called for a need for qualitative work in empathy research. This gap is also addressed by the current research.
What is the stock of the situation? A bibliometric analysis on social and environmental accounting research in public sector
Authors: Fusco Floriana , Ricci Paolo
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a picture of the state of the art in social and environmental accounting research applied to the public sector, highlighting different streams and the main gaps in current literature and providing input for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

A bibliometric method was used to analyse the characteristics, citation patterns and content of 38 papers published in international academic journals.

Findings

The findings show that the research on social and environmental reporting in the public sector is still at an early stage. Current investigations, although slowly on the increase, are still very few and localised. Most papers are about the reasons why public organisations report, what and how they report, but there are so many aspects that need to be investigated more in-depth or require extra validation in order to open new directions for future research, among which the relationship with and the differences between other non-financial type of reporting, namely ICR and IR.

Research limitations/implications

The study shows some limitations, mainly related to the adoption of the bibliometric method. Indeed, it does not take into account books and chapters but only papers published in international and academic journals. This leads to exclude a significant part of the existing literature and other relevant contributions on the field.

Originality/value

Social and environmental reporting practices are quickly spreading in the public sector. The field is particularly interesting, given the specific connotations of this kind of organisations. However, the literature is clearly not exhaustive and there is not a comprehensive and systematic review of the state of the art on the subject.
Uncertainty, agency costs and investment behavior in the Euro area and in the USA
Authors: Strobel Johannes , Salyer Kevin D. , Lee Gabriel S.
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the credit channel effects on investment behavior for the US and the Euro area.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model and calibrates a version of the Carlstrom and Fuerst’s (1997) agency cost model of business cycles with time-varying uncertainty in the technology shocks that affect capital production. To highlight the differences between the US and European financial sectors, the paper focuses on two key components of the lending channel: the risk premium associated with bank loans and the bankruptcy rates.

Findings

This paper shows that the effects of minor differences in the credit market translate into large, persistent and asymmetric fluctuations in real and financial variables and depend on the type of shocks. The results imply that the Euro areas supply elasticities for capital are less elastic than that of the USA following a technology shock. Finally, the authors find that the adverse impact of uncertainty shocks is heterogeneous across countries and amplified by the steady-state bankruptcy rate and risk premium.

Originality/value

This paper quantifies the effects of uncertainty shocks when there is a credit channel due to asymmetric information between lenders and borrowers for the Euro area countries, and then compares the results to that of the USA. This paper shows that financial accelerator mechanism could potentially play a significant role in business cycles in the Euro area. This result directly lends one to conclude the following: the credit channel that affects the financial sector does indeed matter for macroeconomic behavior, and that policy makers should be attentive in smoothing out uncertainties if the economic policies are to lower the business and financial cycle volatilities.
The short and long run effects of debt reduction
Authors: Gamel Kelsey , Van Pham Hoang
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to estimate benefits to debt reduction by using the natural experiment provided by the debt relief programs: the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative launched by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in 1996 and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative extension in 2005.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors apply a time-shifted difference-in-differences strategy to evaluate the effects of this intervention. The date of each country’s decision to participate in the program is used as one treatment point while the date of the completion of the debt relief program is used as another treatment point. The exercise compares different economic outcomes such as domestic and foreign investment, schooling, and employment of the treated observations to the counterfactual of untreated country-years. The period between the decision and completion points is a short run while the period after the completion point is considered a long run.

Findings

The authors found that debt relief increased capital investment as much as 1.63 percent in the short run and 5.79 percent in the long run. However, there was no effect on foreign direct investment suggesting that debt overhang does not affect incentives of foreign investors. Output and schooling enrollment increased both in the short and long run.

Originality/value

This paper exploits a natural experiment of debt relief in a number of developing countries to shed light on the possible benefits to debt reduction. The authors are able to separate the short- and long-run effects of debt reduction. The finding that domestic but not foreign investment responds to debt reduction is suggestive of the differences in incentives across these two sources of investment.
Duality of knowledge, singularity of method
Authors: Schinckus Christophe , Akdere Cinla
Published: June 2018

Purpose

How a micro-founded discipline such as economics could deal with the increasing global economic reality? This question has been asked frequently since the last economic crisis that appeared in 2008. In this challenging context, some commentators have turned their attention to a new area of knowledge coming from physics: econophysics which mainly focuses on a macro-analysis of economic systems. By showing that concepts used by econophysicists are consistent with an existing economic knowledge (developed by J.S. Mill), the purpose of this paper is to claim that an interdisciplinary perspective is possible between these two communities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose a historical and conceptual analysis of the key concept of emergence to emphasize the potential bridge between econophysics and economics.

Findings

Six methodological arguments will be developed in order to show the existence of conceptual bridges as a necessary condition for the elaboration of a common language between economists and econophysics which would not be superfluous, in this challenging context, to clarify the growing complexity of economic phenomena.

Originality/value

Although the economics and econophysics study same the complex economic phenomena, very few collaborations exist between them. This paper paves a conceptual/methodological path for more collaboration between the two fields.
Emotional intelligence testing for headteachers: globalization or lost in translation
Authors: Cliffe Joanne
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The emotional labor of headteachers and teachers is complex. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevance of the use of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence test (MSCEIT) (Mayer, Caruso & Salovey, 2000) when assessing the emotional intelligence of headteachers as part of an investigation which aimed to reveal the ways in which female secondary school leaders were emotionally intelligent and whether it was possible to test for emotional intelligence.

Design/methodology/approach

Seven female headteachers’ MSCEIT reports are investigated. Semi-structured interviews were held pre- and post-test to explore the headteachers’ emotional labor. In addition, teachers serving under the headteachers were interviewed.

Findings

The accuracy of the MSCEIT is questioned, rather than taking the results at face value, attention is given to its content, language and cultural differences. The MSCEIT originates from the USA and is used globally. The findings of this investigation suggest it is possible the MSCEIT represents a deficit model due to the test takers’ interpretation of nuanced language. The findings show a disparity in relation to MSCEIT scores and self-reported emotional responses.

Research limitations/implications

Although the sample size is small and therefore cannot claim generalization from the findings, the use of emotional intelligence tests should be used with caution. Emotional responses are best understood through life experience as the headteachers attach retrospective meaning to their leadership actions.

Originality/value

Headteachers’ work is multifaceted because emotion is integral to the processes of teaching and learning. The emotional labor of headteachers and teachers impacts and has relevance to their roles as educational landscapes continue to shift.
Lost in migration: document quality for batch conversion to PDF/A
Authors: Suri Roland Erwin , El-Saad Mohamed
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Changes in file format specifications challenge long-term preservation of digital documents. Digital archives thus often focus on specific file formats that are well suited for long-term preservation, such as the PDF/A format. Since only few customers submit PDF/A files, digital archives may consider converting submitted files to the PDF/A format. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors evaluated three software tools for batch conversion of common file formats to PDF/A-1b: LuraTech PDF Compressor, Adobe Acrobat XI Pro and 3-HeightsTM Document Converter by PDF Tools. The test set consisted of 80 files, with 10 files each of the eight file types JPEG, MS PowerPoint, PDF, PNG, MS Word, MS Excel, MSG and “web page.”

Findings

Batch processing was sometimes hindered by stops that required manual interference. Depending on the software tool, three to four of these stops occurred during batch processing of the 80 test files. Furthermore, the conversion tools sometimes failed to produce output files even for supported file formats: three (Adobe Pro) up to seven (LuraTech and 3-HeightsTM) PDF/A-1b files were not produced. Since Adobe Pro does not convert e-mails, a total of 213 PDF/A-1b files were produced. The faithfulness of each conversion was investigated by comparing the visual appearance of the input document with that of the produced PDF/A-1b document on a computer screen. Meticulous visual inspection revealed that the conversion to PDF/A-1b impaired the information content in 24 of the converted 213 files (11 percent). These reproducibility errors included loss of links, loss of other document content (unreadable characters, missing text, document part missing), updated fields (reflecting time and folder of conversion), vector graphics issues and spelling errors.

Originality/value

These results indicate that large-scale batch conversions of heterogeneous files to PDF/A-1b cause complex issues that need to be addressed for each individual file. Even with considerable efforts, some information loss seems unavoidable if large numbers of files from heterogeneous sources are migrated to the PDF/A-1b format.
Collaborating to improve access of video for all
Authors: Keenan Teressa M.
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate one library’s role in the development of a new collaborative captioning service to provide accessible media for classroom use. This pilot project created a new workflow for on-demand captioning of videos.

Design/methodology/approach

Through collaboration and iteration, university and library personnel addressed the challenges involved in building new and improved services related to accessible media resources. Circulation and acquisition data were collected via Alma Analytics.

Findings

Working collaboratively enabled the expansion and improvement of specialized services to the deaf and hard of hearing community on campus.

Originality/value

While many libraries provide captioning for their communities, little is found in the literature to help others establish a similar service. This study demonstrates how collaborative planning can efficiently and effectively use resources and expertise to create a sustainable service, and it may provide an example that could be followed by other institutions with limited budgets.
Litter conversion into detritivore faeces reshuffles the quality control over C and N dynamics during decomposition
Authors: Joly François‐Xavier , Coq Sylvain , Coulis Mathieu , Nahmani Johanne , Hättenschwiler Stephan
Published: June 2018

In many terrestrial ecosystems, detritivorous soil organisms ingest large amounts of leaf litter returning most of it to the soil as faeces. Such conversion of leaf litter into faeces may stimulate decomposition by increasing the surface area available for microbial colonisation. Yet, experimental support for either the outcome or the mechanism of these conversion effects is lacking.

Based on the hypothesis that the identity of plant species from which leaf litter is transformed into faeces has a critical role in how faeces decomposition proceeds, we collected faeces of the widely abundant millipede Glomeris marginata fed with leaf litter from seven distinct tree species. We compared the physical and chemical characteristics and the rates of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) loss between litter and faeces.

We found that after 100 days of exposure under controlled conditions, C loss was on average higher in faeces (40.0%) than that in litter (26.6%), with a significant increase for six of the seven species. Concurrently, N dynamics switched from a net immobilisation (7.7%) in litter to a net release (14.6%) in faeces, with a significant increase for five of the seven species.

Litter conversion into faeces generally homogenised differences in physical and chemical characteristics among species. Despite such homogenisation, variability in rates of faeces C and N loss among species was similar compared to leaf litter, but correlated with a different set of traits. Specifically, faecal pellet C loss was positively related to compaction (decreased specific area and increased density of faecal pellets), and both C and N loss from faecal pellets were positively related to fragmentation (increased specific area and perimeter of particles within faecal pellets).

We conclude that litter fragmentation and compaction into detritivore faecal pellets lead to substantially enhanced decomposition, with a particularly strong impact on N dynamics that changed from immobilisation to net release depending on litter species. Moreover, litter quality control on decomposition is reshuffled by litter conversion into faeces. In ecosystems with high detritivore abundance, this so far largely overlooked pathway of organic matter turnover may strongly affect ecosystem C and N cycling.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Bioturbation by bandicoots facilitates seedling growth by altering soil properties
Authors: Valentine Leonie E. , Ruthrof Katinka X. , Fisher Rebecca , Hardy Giles E. St. J. , Hobbs Richard J. , Fleming Patricia A.
Published: June 2018

Animals that forage for food via bioturbation can alter their habitat, influencing soil turnover, nutrient cycling and seedling recruitment, effectively acting as ecosystem engineers. Many digging mammals forage for food by digging small pits and creating spoil heaps with the discarded soil. We examined how small‐scale bioturbation, created by the foraging actions of an ecosystem engineer, can alter soil nutrients and subsequently improve growth of plants.

We investigated the microbial and chemical properties of soil disturbed by the foraging of an Australian marsupial bandicoot, quenda (Isoodon fusciventer). Soil was collected from the base of 20 recent foraging pits (pit), the associated spoil heaps (spoil) and adjacent undisturbed soil (control) and analysed for nutrients (phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, organic carbon and conductivity) and microbial activity. Soil cores were collected from the same locations and seeds of the dominant canopy species, tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala), added to the soil under glasshouse conditions. The growth of seedlings was measured (height, maximum growth, basal stem width, shoot and root biomass) over a 4‐month period and arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungi colonisation rates of seedling roots investigated.

Soil from the spoil heaps had the greatest levels of conductivity and potassium. Both the spoil and undisturbed soil had greater amounts of microbial activity and organic carbon. In contrast, the pits had less nutrients and microbial activity.

Seedlings grown in spoil soil were taller, heavier, with thicker stems and grew at a faster rate than seedlings in the pit or control soil. Colonisation with AM fungi was greatest for seedlings grown in pit soil. The best predictors of seedling growth were greater amounts of potassium, electrical conductivity and microbial activity. The best predictor of higher colonisation rates of AM fungi was less phosphorus.

Bioturbation by ecosystem engineers, like quenda, can alter soil nutrients and microbial activity, facilitating seedling growth. We propose this may be caused by enhanced litter decomposition beneath the discarded spoil heaps. As the majority of Australian digging mammals are threatened, with many suffering substantial population and range contractions, the loss of these species will have long‐term impacts on ecosystem processes.

A plain language summary is available for this article.