bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PCBP1 Deficient Pigs Hold the Potential to Inhibit CSFV Infection
Authors: Qi Chunyun , Pang Daxin , Yang Kang , Jiao Shuyu , Wu Heyong , Zhao Chuheng , Hu Lanxin , Li Feng , Zhou Jian , Yang Lin , Lv Dongmei , Tang Xiaochun , Ouyang Hongsheng , Xie Zicong
Published: December 2021

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV), pathogen of classic swine fever, has caused severe economic losses worldwide. Poly (rC)-binding protein 1 (PCBP1), interacting with Npro of CSFV, plays a vital role in CSFV growth. Here, our research is the first report to generate PCBP1 knockout pigs via gene editing technology. The PCBP1 knockout pigs exhibited normal birth weight, reproductive-performance traits, and developed normally. Viral challenge results indicated that primary cells isolated from F0 and F1 generation pigs could significantly reduce CSFV infection. Additional mechanism exploration further confirmed that PCBP1 KO mediated antiviral effect is related with the activation of type I interferon. Beyond showing that gene editing strategy can be used to generate PCBP1 KO pigs, our study introduces a valuable animal model for further investigating infection mechanisms of CSFV that help to develop better antiviral solution.

Importance

As a negative regulator in immune modulation, the effects of PCBP1 on viral replication have been found to be valuable. Here, this study was the first report to generate PCBP1 knockout pigs with normal pregnancy rate and viability. Primary cells isolated from F0 and F1 generation PCBP1 knockout pigs could significantly reduce CSFV infection. The PCBP1 knockout pigs could be used as a natural host models for investigating the effects of PCBP1-mediating critical interactions on viral replication and helping to develop better antiviral solution.
Microfluidic device integrating a network of hyper-elastic valves for automated glucose stimulation and insulin secretion collection from a single pancreatic islet
Authors: Quintard Clément , Tubbs Emily , Achard Jean-Luc , Navarro Fabrice , Gidrol Xavier , Fouillet Yves
Published: December 2021

Advances in microphysiological systems have prompted the need for robust and reliable cell culture devices. While microfluidic technology has made significant progress, devices often lack user-friendliness and are not designed to be industrialized on a large scale. Pancreatic islets are often being studied using microfluidic platforms in which the monitoring of fluxes is generally very limited, especially because the integration of valves to direct the flow is difficult to achieve. Considering these constraints, we present a thermoplastic manufactured microfluidic chip with an automated control of fluxes for the stimulation and secretion collection of pancreatic islet. The islet was directed toward precise locations through passive hydrodynamic trapping and both dynamic glucose stimulation and insulin harvesting were done automatically via a network of large deformation valves, directing the reagents and the pancreatic islet toward different pathways. This device we developed enables monitoring of insulin secretion from a single islet and can be adapted for the study of a wide variety of biological tissues and secretomes.
The development of bi-directionally coupled self-organizing neurovascular networks captures orientation-selective neural and hemodynamic cortical responses
Authors: Kumar Bhadra S , O’Herron Philip J. , Kara Prakash , Chakravarthy V Srinivasa
Published: December 2021

The network of neurons in the brain is considered the primary substrate of information processing. Despite growing evidence on the possible role of cerebral blood flow in information processing, the cerebrovascular network is generally viewed as an irrigation system that ensures a timely supply of oxygen, glucose, and nutrients to the neural tissue. However, a recent study has shown that cerebral microvessels, like neurons, also exhibit tuned responses to sensory stimuli. Tuned neural responses to sensory stimuli are certainly enhanced with experience-dependent Hebbian plasticity and other forms of learning. Hence it is possible that the densely interconnected microvascular network might also be subject to some form of plasticity or competitive learning rules during early postnatal development such that its fine-scale structure becomes optimized for metabolic delivery to a given neural micro-architecture. To explore the possibility of adaptive lateral interactions and tuned responses in cerebral microvessels, we modeled the cortical neurovascular network by interconnecting two laterally connected self-organizing networks (Laterally Interconnected Synergetically Self-Organizing Map - LISSOM). The afferent and lateral connections of the LISSOM were defined by trainable weights. By varying the topology of lateral connectivity in the vascular network layer, we observed that the partial correspondence of feature selectivity between neural and hemodynamic responses could be explained by lateral coupling across local blood vessels such that the central domain receives an excitatory drive of more blood flow and a more distal surrounding region where blood flow is reduced. Critically, our simulations suggest a new role for feedback from the vascular to the neural network because the radius of vascular perfusion seems to determine whether the cortical neural map develops into a clustered and columnar vs. salt-and-pepper organization.
Public procurement – price-taker or market-shaper?
Authors: Hamilton Sandra G.
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This paper examines the role of government procurement as a social policy mechanism within a multilateral open trading system. Government regulations globally are being transformed to foster more responsible business conduct in multinational enterprises (MNEs). Yet, concern that sustainability may present a discriminatory barrier to trade has stalled the progress of sustainable public procurement (SPP) at the international level, raising questions regarding the role and scope of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) to align taxpayer-funded contracts with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.

Design/methodology/approach

With a focus on social sustainability, this paper reviews the grey and academic literature to assess the changing landscape of public procurement policy and supply chain legislation in high-income countries.

Findings

Frontrunner nations are adopting a mandatory approach to sustainable public procurement and due diligence legislation is elevating supply chain risk from reputational damage to legal liability. While technological innovation and the clean, green production of manufactured goods dominates the sustainable public procurement literature, the social aspects of sustainability poverty, inequality and human rights remain underrepresented.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of this paper is limited to the examination of government procurement covered by the WTO-GPA (2012). Smaller value contracts, under the WTO-GPA thresholds and the category of defence are beyond the scope of the paper.

Social implications

The paper focusses on the underserved topic of social sustainability in business-to-government (B2G) – business to government – supply chains arguing that for responsible business conduct to become a competitive advantage, it must be more meaningfully rewarded on the demand-side of all taxpayer-funded contracts in organisation for economic co-operation and development countries. The paper introduces the idea of priceless procurement as a mechanism to build system capacity in the evaluation of non-financial sustainability objectives.

Originality/value

To build the capacity to stimulate competition based on social and environmental policy objectives, the paper introduces the concept of priceless procurement in B2G contracts.
A hybrid risk assessment approach for assessing the earthquake risks in worn-out urban fabrics: a case study in Iran
Authors: Sadeghi Jalal , Oghabi Mohsen , Sarvari Hadi , Sabeti Mohammad Sediegh , Kashefi Hamidreza , Chan Daniel W.M. , Lotfata Aynaz
Published: December 2021

Purpose

To reduce financial and human losses, managing risks associated with earthquakes is essential in practice. However, in using common risk management methods, experts are often faced with ambiguities that can create profound challenges for risk management. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a logical and straightforward risk assessment model to provide scientific and accurate answers to complex problems. This study aims to recommend an innovative combined method based on the probability-impact (P-I) approach and intuitionistic fuzzy set theory to identify and prioritize the essential earthquake risks associated with worn-out urban fabrics in the context of Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

The opinions of 15 experts in the fields of civil engineering and urban construction were gathered during brainstorming sessions. These brainstorming sessions were conducted to determine the probability of risks and the effect of identified risks. After calculating the severity of risks using the P-I approach and converting them to intuitionistic fuzzy sets, the risks were measured and prioritized based on their individual scores.

Findings

The study results indicated that risk of damage due to buildings’ age and flooding risk had the highest and lowest priorities in causes of financial damage, respectively. Furthermore, the risk of damage due to building quality (demolition) and building age was the most important. The risk of flooding and damage to communication networks has the lowest importance among causes of fatalities in worn-out urban fabrics.

Originality/value

The study findings and recommendations can be served as a policy and consultative instrument for the relevant stakeholders in the area of urban management.
Problematic of ideological formation in Kazakhstan: three-dimensional practice of the Muftiate as an ideological state apparatus (an Althusserian analysis)
Authors: Kozhbankhan Yerkesh , Kaldybekova Aidana
Published: December 2021

Purpose

In the Kazakhstani context, the instrumentalization of the Muftiate as a social engineering tool is particularly pertinent, as it stands out as a unique channel for the political, moral and cultural shaping of Muslims. This study aims to outline the role of the Muftiate, its historical background and recent restructuring process. It focuses on the ideological practices and religious discourses of the Muftiate.

Design/methodology/approach

In Kazakhstan, as a result of reforms in the religious sphere, which were started in 2011, the scope of activity of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan (the Muftiate) has entered a new phase and become an important ideological tool within national policy. It has emerged as a civil society institution that will centralize the process of Islamization and instrumentalize the importance of Islam to create a new fantasy of unity and solidarity.

Findings

Thus, it discusses how Muftiate fabricates the correct forms of action and the correct form of thought. The theory of “ideological state apparatuses” (ISA) of the French philosopher Louis Althusser should be considered as a theoretical framework of this study. This approach not only gives a theoretical definition of the Muftiate but also allows us to determine its position in society and outline three different dimensions of the practice that it performs.

Originality/value

The study demonstrates how the Muftiate as an ISA actualizes various concepts, ideas, beliefs or images in which Muslims live their imaginary relations to the real world and transforms Muslim individuals into ideological subjects, thus enabling them to become apparently free bearers of the ideology.
Impact of COVID-19 on listed European electricity companies: a comparative analysis of investment in renewable and traditional electricity
Authors: Clemente-Almendros José Antonio , Boldeanu Florin Teodor , Alberto Seguí-Amórtegui Luis
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The authors analyze the impact of COVID-19 on listed European electricity companies and differentiate between renewable and traditional electricity, to show the heterogenous characteristics of electricity subsectors and the differences between renewable and traditional electricity.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the event study method, the authors calculate the cumulative average abnormal returns (ARs) before and after the World Health Organization pandemic announcement and the declaration of national lockdowns in Europe.

Findings

The results show that while the European electricity sector was overall negatively impacted by the COVID-19 announcement, this impact was larger for renewable companies due to their riskier investment profile. Moreover, after the national lockdowns came into effect, the recovery in the financial markets return was smaller for the latter.

Research limitations/implications

There may be variables to be included in the model to analyze possible differences between companies and countries, as well as alternative econometric models. Limited to the data, the authors did not investigate the different impact of the economic policy uncertainty from various countries inside or outside the EU.

Practical implications

The results have important implications for both investors and policymakers since the heterogenous characteristics of electricity subsectors. This heterogeneity prompts different investor reactions, which are necessary to know and to understand.

Originality/value

As far as the authors know, this is the first study that analyses the effect of COVID-19 in heterogeneity profile of both types of electricity, renewable and traditional.
How social media's cause-related marketing activity enhances consumer citizenship behavior: the mediating role of community identification
Authors: Deng Nianqi , Jiang Xinyu , Fan Xiaojun
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Limited research has explored why and how cause-related marketing on social media influences consumers' responses. Drawing upon balance theory and consistency theory, this study aims to identify the mechanism of cause-related marketing on social media.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from a sample of 360 users of cause-related marketing campaigns on social media and analyzed using structural equation modeling in Mplus 8.0.

Findings

The three types of congruence – self-image congruence, brand-image congruence and value congruence – can serve as sub-dimensions of perceived fit between a consumer, brand and cause of a cause-related marketing campaign on social media. Importantly, these perceived fit sub-dimensions positively influence community identification and, therefore, influence consumer citizenship behaviors.

Practical implications

The findings provide theoretical and practical contributions for a brand to undertake cause-related marketing on social media.

Originality/value

This study clarifies the myth of the perceived fit of cause-related marketing on social media and examines the perceived fit sub-dimensions’ mechanism of consumers' responses through community identification.
Grandmaternal age at reproduction affects grandoffspring body condition, reproduction and survival in a wild population of lizards
Authors: Bleu Josefa , Meylan Sandrine , Clobert Jean , Massot Manuel
Published: December 2021

Age at reproduction can influence the survival and future reproduction of an individual as well as that of their offspring. Remarkably, it has been shown that grandmaternal age at reproduction can also affect the characteristics of grandoffspring in humans and in laboratory or semi‐captive animals. However, currently we do not know whether grandmaternal age effects exist in wild populations.

We gathered data on female age at reproduction, offspring and grandoffspring characteristics using a 16‐year long‐term survey of a natural population of the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara. The dataset contains 579 grandoffspring from 135 litters.

Body size at birth was not correlated with grandmaternal age at reproduction. However, grandoffspring body condition at birth, grandoffspring survival and reproductive performance of granddaughters were dependent on grandmaternal age. These relationships were independent of maternal age.

An age‐structured model showed that the global effect of grandmaternal age was nonlinear and was largely driven by its effect on grandoffspring survival. Fitness was higher for granddaughters produced by grandmothers of intermediate ages.

The study shows that age can shape life‐history traits for more than one generation, documenting the importance that grandmaternal age can have in wild populations.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Involvement of Component Auditors in Multinational Group Audits: Determinants, Audit Quality, and Audit Fees
Authors: CARSON ELIZABETH , SIMNETT ROGER , THÜRHEIMER ULRIKE , VANSTRAELEN ANN
Published: December 2021

We study what determines the involvement of component auditors in multinational enterprise (MNE) group audits and the association with audit quality and audit fees. Using unique Australian disclosures of group audit fees paid to the principal and component auditors, we first document that MNE complexity, MNE internationalization, and auditor characteristics are associated with component auditor involvement, and extent and type of component auditor involvement. Next, we find that involvement of component auditors benefits audit quality as long as the principal auditor conducts a substantial amount of work. Once the involvement of component auditors exceeds a certain level, audit quality decreases. We also document that audit fees are higher in the presence of a component auditor and increase with the extent of involvement, irrespective of component auditor type. Our results contribute to the emerging literature on group audits and provide empirical evidence on regulatory concerns about group audit quality.
Potential food applications of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and rapid screening methods of nutritional traits by spectroscopic platforms
Authors: Thilakarathna Rankothge Chamodini Nisansala , Madhusankha Garusinghe Devage Malinda Prabhath , Navaratne Senevirathne Bandara
Published: December 2021

Sorghum is a drought‐resistant crop widely spread in tropical regions of the American, African, and Asian continents. Sorghum flour is considered the main alternative for wheat flour, and it exhibits gluten‐free nature. Generally, conventional wet chemical methods are used to analyze the nutritional profile of sorghum. Since many sorghum plants are available in breeding grounds, the application of conventional methods has limitations due to high cost and time consumption. Therefore, rapid screening protocols have been introduced as nondestructive alternatives. The current review highlights novel and portable devices that can be used to analyze the nutritional composition, color parameters, and pest resistance. Sorghum is often a traditional food item with minimal processing, and the review elaborates on emerging food applications and feasible food product developments from sorghum. The demand for gluten‐free products has been rapidly increasing in developed countries. In order to develop food products according to market requirements, it is necessary to screen high‐quality sorghum plants. Rapid analysis techniques effectively select the best sorghum types, and the novel tools have outperformed existing conventional methods.
Two‐component system in Rahnella aquatilis is impacted by the hyphosphere of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis
Authors: Duan Shilong , Declerck Stéphane , Zhang Lin , Feng Gu
Published: December 2021

Two‐component systems (TCS) are ubiquitous among bacteria, playing key roles in signalling events. However, to what extent the TCS of Rahnella aquatilis (a Phosphate solubilizing bacteria) is influenced by the hyphosphere of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Rhizophagus irregularis is totally unknown. Here, the expression of 16 genes encoding the TCS of R. aquatilis (i.e. involved in carbon‐sensing and nutrient‐sensing) and of eight genes regulated by the PhoR TCS (i.e. involved in inorganic and organic phosphorus mobilization) were analysed at regular intervals in presence of hyphae of R. irregularis. The study was conducted under in vitro culture conditions with phytate as the unique source of phosphorus. In presence of the AM fungus, the expression of TCS genes involved in carbon‐sensing and nutrient‐sensing were stimulated. Only, BaeS at 30 and 120 min, and BaeR at 60 min were inhibited. In addition, the PhoR TCS stimulated the expression of genes encoding phosphatase but inhibited the expression of genes involved in gluconic acid production. As the mechanism of coupling environmental changes with cellular physiological changes, TCS plays a pivotal role in regulating specific gene expression in R. aquatilis, recognizing environmental signals. More importantly, TCS genes may regulate bacteria response to hyphal carbon to mobilize phosphorus efficiently in the hyphosphere.
Electrocardiographic localization of peripherally inserted central catheter tip position in critically ill patients with advanced cancer: An application study
Authors: Chai Yong‐Hong , Han Su‐Ya , Zhu Yu‐Xin , Hou Jin‐Jie , Guan Xiao‐Hui , Yin Xin‐Xin , Zhang Feng‐Ying , Qiao Qin‐Zeng , Han Ling‐Min , Li JiangHua
Published: December 2021

Background

We compared the methods of electrocardiogram (ECG) and X‐ray localization of the peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) tip position, in order to find a more convenient, practical, and safe method.

Objective

To investigate the value of applying electrocardiographic localization of the PICC tip position in critically ill patients with advanced cancer in Hebei Province, China.

Method

Enrolled 137 advanced cancers requiring PICC placement. The position of the catheter tip was localized with the bedside electrocardiogram in real time. Then, the localization was performed using a chest X‐ray (the gold standard). The accuracy of electrocardiographic location was checked.

Results

Specific P waves were observed in 130 patients. No change in the P waves was observed for the remaining seven patients. The age of the latter group of patients was more advanced (87.29 [5.15] years), a significant difference to that of the 130 patients with specific P waves (71.58 [14.84] years) (t = −6.704, p < .001). Specific P waves not only involve ascendance in P waves but also ascendance in QRS waves.

Conclusions

The use of an ECG to localize the PICC tip in critically ill patients with advanced cancer may replace the unnecessary use of chest X‐rays. Specific P waves not only involve an increase in P waves but also an increase in QRS waves. If there is no change in the P wave, a chest X‐ray film must be obtained. In elderly patients, because there is a possibility of catheter tip malposition, a comprehensive evaluation should be performed before surgery.
The state of corporate sustainability reporting in India: Evidence from environmentally sensitive industries
Authors: Kumar Kishore , Kumari Ranjita , Kumar Rakesh
Published: December 2021

The purpose of this study is to explore the extent and nature of sustainability disclosure practices of companies from environmentally sensitive industries in India. It further investigates the influence of potential determinants on sustainability information disclosure of the companies. The study analyzed the data of 57 energy and mining companies included in NIFTY500 index at National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) for the period 2016 to 2019. In the present study, environment, social, and governance (ESG) parameters were considered to measure the corporate sustainability disclosure practices. Panel data analysis was conducted to investigate the impact of possible determinants on sustainability reporting. The results indicate that variables, such as firm size, market capitalization, and a standalone sustainability reporting, are positively associated with the sustainability information disclosure of companies. The finding also suggests that policymakers should promote a standalone sustainability reporting based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and also broaden the existing scope of business responsibility reporting in India. Overall findings should help the policymakers and regulators to assess and advance the disclosure reforms to improve sustainability reporting in India.
A single Bayesian estimator for iohexol clearance estimation in ICU, liver failure and renal transplant patients
Authors: Destere Alexandre , Salmon Gandonnière Charlotte , Åsberg Anders , Loustaud‐Ratti Véronique , Carrier Paul , Ehrmann Stephan , Barin‐Le Guellec Chantal , Marquet Pierre , Woillard Jean‐Baptiste
Published: December 2021

Aims

Iohexol clearance has been proposed to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). A population pharmacokinetics (popPK) model was developed from heterogeneous patients. A Bayesian estimator (MAP‐BE) based on a limited sampling strategy (LSS) was derived and evaluated in external patients.

Methods

Full pharmacokinetic data (7–12 samples) from 172 patients receiving iohexol for measurement of their GFR (unstable and stable ICU patients, liver failure patients and kidney transplant patients) were split into development (n = 136) and validation (n = 36) datasets. A PopPK model was developed in Monolix and was used to develop MAP‐BE based on LSS. Its performance for GFR estimation was evaluated in the validation set.

Results

A two‐compartment model with first‐order elimination best described the data. The final model included the type of patients on volume of distribution (Vd), clearance and intercompartmental constants, serum creatinine on clearance and body weight on Vd. The best LSS included samples at 0.1–1‐9 h exhibiting a relative mean prediction error (MPE) (RMSE) = −3.7% (14.3%) and better performance than the Bröchner‐Mortensen formula (−3.0%/17%). Split by type of patients, the highest interindividual variability and imprecision was observed in unstable ICU patients (MPE (RMSE) = 3.7% (18.8%)) while the best performances were obtained for renal transplant patients (MPE (RMSE) = 1.0% (5.8%)). All LSS that included samples before 9 hours for the third sample were associated with an increased imprecision.

Conclusion

A single MAP‐BE of iohexol based on a three‐sample LSS for four heterogeneous populations was developed and allowed accurate estimation of GFR in kidney transplant patients, slightly biased in stable ICU patients and slightly imprecise in unstable ICU patients.
Ethical human resource management mitigates the positive association between illegitimate tasks and employee unethical behaviour
Authors: Chen Silu , Liu Wenxing , Zhang Guanglei , Wang Hai‐Jiang
Published: December 2021

Drawing on social cognitive theory and social information processing theory, we developed a moderated mediation model in which moral disengagement was theorised as a unique mechanism to explain why employees engage in unethical behaviours after performing illegitimate tasks. Ethical human resource management (HRM) was proposed as a boundary condition that influences this mechanism. We tested the model using time‐lagged supervisor–subordinate matched data. The results showed that moral disengagement mediated the relationship between illegitimate tasks and unethical behaviours, and that this relationship was weaker when ethical HRM was perceived to be high level rather than low level. Thus, our hypotheses were supported. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Assessment of glycaemic status in adult hospital patients for the detection of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus: A systematic review
Authors: Thornton‐Swan Tabitha D. , Armitage Laura C. , Curtis Aisling M. , Farmer Andrew J.
Published: December 2021

Aim

In‐hospital blood glucose testing is commonplace, particularly in acute care. In‐hospital screening for hyperglycaemia may present a valuable opportunity for early diabetes diagnosis by identifying at‐risk individuals. This systematic review investigates the extent to which random blood glucose testing in acute and inpatient hospital settings predicts undiagnosed diabetes.

Methods

Two databases were systematically searched for studies in which adult patients received an in‐hospital random blood glucose test, followed by a diagnostic HbA1c test. The primary outcome was the proportion of hyperglycaemic individuals diagnosed with diabetes by HbA1c.

Results

A total of 3245 unique citations were identified, and 12 were eligible for inclusion. Ten different blood glucose thresholds, ranging from 5.5 to 11.1 mmol/L, were used to detect hyperglycaemia, indicating that there is no consistent clinical definition for hyperglycaemia. The proportion of participants with hyperglycaemia in each study ranged from 3.3% to 62.1%, with a median (Q1, Q3) of 34.5% (5.95%, 61.1%). The proportion of hyperglycaemic participants found to have a diabetes‐range HbA1c varied from 4.1% to 90%, with a median (Q1, Q3) of 18.9% (11.5%, 61.1%). Meta‐analysis was not possible due to substantial heterogeneity between study protocols.

Conclusions

All studies consistently identified a proportion of hyperglycaemic hospital patients as having a diabetes‐range HbA1c, showing that in‐hospital blood glucose screening can facilitate diabetes diagnosis. The proportion of hyperglycaemic participants with undiagnosed diabetes varied substantially, indicating a need for further research and consistency in defining in‐hospital hyperglycaemia. This may aid the development of a standardised screening protocol to identify people with possible undiagnosed diabetes.
Both source‐ and recipient‐range phylogenetic community structure can predict the outcome of avian introductions
Authors: Maitner Brian S. , Park Daniel S. , Enquist Brian J. , Dlugosch Katrina M.
Published: December 2021

Competing phylogenetic models have been proposed to explain the success of species introduced to other communities. Here, we present a study predicting the establishment success of birds introduced to Florida, Hawaii and New Zealand using several alternative models, considering species' phylogenetic relatedness to source‐ and recipient‐range taxa, propagule pressure and traits. We find consistent support for the predictive ability of source‐region phylogenetic structure. However, we find that the effects of recipient‐region phylogenetic structure vary in sign and magnitude depending on inclusion of source‐region phylogenetic structure, delineation of the recipient species pool and the use of phylogenetic correction in the models. We argue that tests of alternative phylogenetic hypotheses including both source and recipient community phylogenetic structure, as well as important covariates such as propagule pressure, are likely to be critical for identifying general phylogenetic patterns in introduction success, predicting future invasions and for stimulating further exploration of the underlying mechanisms of invasibility.
Review of research on knowledge domains in university governance: Mapping literature in English and Chinese
Authors: Xue Yujie , Zhu Chang
Published: December 2021

In the context of globalisation, public organisations are undergoing rapid transformation, and how to govern them scientifically has become an important research topic. University governance is an important research area in the field of higher education; it has been addressed by many scholars across the world. In order to fully understand the current status of research in this field, this article reviews and analyses data on university governance literature in the Web of Science and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database by journals, time of publication, as well as country and institution of publication. In our analysis, hot topics in research and frontiers of research were identified using the visualisation software CiteSpaceV. This article analyses the state of research in the field of university governance from multiple perspectives; notably, by comparing Chinese and English language literature. This allows us to explore the background and reasons for differences between Chinese and English language literature on university governance. Also, the current research status and development trends as documented in Chinese and English research databases are summarised. Our findings contribute to the field of research on university governance by identifying influential research journals and institutions, as well as research hotspots in different periods and different research directions in this field.
Prevalence and genotype–phenotype correlations of GBA‐related Parkinson disease in a large Chinese cohort
Authors: Ren Jingru , Zhang Ronggui , Pan Chenxi , Xu Jianxia , Sun Haochen , Hua Ping , Zhang Li , Zhang Wenbin , Xu Pingyi , Ma Changyan , Liu Weiguo
Published: December 2021

Background and purpose

Variants in the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene are recognized as a common and important genetic risk factor for Parkinson disease (PD). However, the impact of variant severity on the clinical phenotype of PD in the Chinese population remains unclear. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the frequency of GBA‐related PD (GBA‐PD) and the relationship of GBA variant severity with clinical characteristics in a large Chinese cohort.

Methods

Long‐range polymerase chain reaction and next generation sequencing were performed for the entire GBA gene. GBA variant severity was classified into five classes: mild, severe, risk, complex, and unknown.

Results

Among the total 737 PD patients, 47 GBA variants were detected in 79 (10.72%) patients, and the most common GBA variants were R163Q, L444P, and R120W. Complete demographic and clinical data were obtained for 673 patients, which revealed that 18.50% of early onset PD patients had GBA variants. Compared with patients without GBA variants, GBA‐PD patients experienced PD onset an average of 4 years earlier and had more severe motor and nonmotor symptoms. Patients carrying severe and complex variants had a higher burden of nonmotor symptoms, especially depression, and more mood/cognitive and gastrointestinal symptoms than patients carrying mild variants.

Conclusions

GBA‐PD is highly prevalent in the Chinese population. The severity of GBA variants underlies distinct phenotypic spectrums, with PD patients carrying severe and complex variants seeming to have similar phenotypes. PD patient stratification by GBA variant severity should become a prerequisite for selecting specific treatments.
Searching for the Next Billion: Global Design for Information Seeking Across Cultures
Authors: ZAMORA JENNIFER
Published: December 2021

While billions of people are established internet users, there are still billions of new users who have just come online in recent years and this growth will continue, especially on mobile in non‐Western countries. Information seeking is essential to online behavior across the world, yet many prominent information‐seeking platforms are heavily influenced by Western design patterns and use cases that originate from desktop. As we anticipate the future of information‐seeking designs for new users, we explore opportunities to improve the experience by establishing a framework to evaluate common barriers to information seeking online across cultures.

Qualitative insights were collected from 164 participants to understand information‐seeking patterns and barriers for users across three countries: Nigeria, Mexico, and India. Interviews were conducted with participants in their day‐to‐day environment, including home, work, internet cafes, markets, and university campuses. For every region, the overarching theme of our study was focused on barriers to information seeking. Each study also had a secondary goal based on previous learnings, new hypotheses, and emerging areas of interest. The secondary goal for each region was as follows: the Nigeria study explored perception of online information sources, the Mexico study explored local information needs, and the India study explored how users stay informed on topics of interest.

Based on this and past research, we created a framework that has five pillars to evaluate common barriers to information seeking: 1) User perception, 2) Infrastructure of internet and hardware devices, 3) Input and output, 4) Content quality of information, and 5) Context and overall journey.
Leveraging Speculative Design to Re‐Imagine Product Roadmaps
Authors: ATTARI SANYA , SCULL CHARLEY , HARANDI MAHBOOBEH
Published: December 2021

Businesses often have strategic visions for the future of a product space; however, identifying and building toward preferable futures is a daunting task, especially when designing for complex systems, e.g., Digital advertising platforms that include multiple complex interfaces and internal organizational structures. Moreover, because businesses need to iterate on products quickly, often in a reactive manner, many businesses, and consequently researchers, struggle to go beyond short‐term needs to tackle long‐term solutions; that is, they mostly react to immediate needs and changes rather than taking a proactive strategic approach towards building a favorable future. Speculative design as a methodology to support proactive strategic thinking helps set a pathway to explore a variety of future states with participants, in our case business owners. It does so by designing immersive and impactful experiments for participants that draws insight from well‐researched forecast of the probable future, as viewed from today but also more open‐form future possibilities, that rely on speculative and fantastical prompts (e.g., science fiction, modern art, fantastical scenarios etc) to generate reflection and dialogue. In this paper, we will present different variations of speculative design implementations at Facebook that allowed us to explore different potential futures of digital advertising. In addition to discussing this research approach, which was novel to this space, we have included retrospective thoughts and best practices that emerged among our product design teams as they reflected on their participation in this work. We hope that our lessons learned can benefit the research community, by broadening the strategic impact of research to design products and services that better anticipate future user needs and identify potential risks early in the process.
Our Advocacy for Their Change
Authors: ROSENBERG AMANDA
Published: December 2021

Our practice is due for an update.

As researchers, we practice advocacy on behalf of people impacted by product development decisions.

In a time when many of us are striving for more inclusivity, interrogating our approach to advocacy reveals how we can begin to break down the ways we enable – and could enable – change on behalf of whom we're researching.

Sparked by the events of 2020, this talk is a reflection on historical and current advocacy practices outside of research. The talk explores why an update to the research practice matters and how we can go about it.
Microbes That Matter
Authors: YURY CARRIE
Published: December 2021

While COVID‐19 has made the world hyper vigilant about sanitization, I take a bottoms‐up perspective on the threats of a microbe‐starved world. Telling the story of Clostridium Difficile, I walk us through how—just as in ethnography—context is everything for microbes. Using different examples from the biosphere, I examine how microbial metaphors matter, and I make the case that understanding microbes in the context of larger environments and ecosystems can help move us toward life centered design.

This Pecha Kucha uses microbes as a contextual metaphor to argue that it is our responsibility to change our perspective; to decenter the human, and start designing for the health of the entire ecosystem, not just one of the players. The Pecha Kucha includes a set of experience principles for life‐centered design.
The Ballast in Anthropology's Ship: How a Universal Psychological Structure Can Provide Stability and Flexibility in Anthropological Field Work
Authors: DOEPKE BEN
Published: December 2021

After a year of new social and cultural constraints, ethnographic approaches have had to quickly evolve. This is the story of how one research method, which enlists the help of close personal contacts around a participating respondent to gather interviews, artifacts, and locations, spotlighted the need for deploying a universal psychological structure (UPS). Even from emic perspectives, the influence of personal bias is uncontested, but how do we account for it? A UPS helps, but how can a structure allow lived experience to flow through it while not altering the experience itself?

We can anticipate that parameters around our discipline will continue to shift, challenging some of its most revered principles. How will the ethnographer adapt? In this presentation, we'll look at the aspects of the human experience that we expect to change the least, and the structure we now have reason to believe will help the most. We'll offer clear evidence for the inclusive functionality of the UPS, and directional solutions for practitioners to take up, personalize, and apply to their craft.
Investigating a Gestational Care Facility: An Ethnographic Exploration of Bio‐technological Possibilities Through a Retro‐speculative Lens
Authors: BHATT OSHIN SIAO
Published: December 2021

This story outlines the use of a fictional ethnography to delve into the theme of human‐technology interface, with assisted reproduction as its focus. Drawing from my ethnographic experiences around reproductive technologies and clinical spaces at large, the narrative imagines a world where technologies that assist in processes of conception and birthing have become increasingly inventive as well as readily available. The story, drawing on both existing as well as retrospeculative techniques, studies, and theoretical concepts, explores the notion of a child‐to‐be as symbolic of the idea of birthing futures. The speculative ethnography of a clinical facility centered around assisted reproduction, in an alternative present, dives into the ‘promissory’ role played by reproductive technologies and substances, while questioning normative notions of ‘desired futures'. With its focus on technological innovations and their relationship to ever‐evolving socio‐cultural norms and values, this narrative addresses the theme of anticipation through the lens of technological speculation, possible socio‐ethical dilemmas, and desirable familial futures. It also brings to the fore themes and issues evident in our reality, by presenting extreme‐case scenarios that highlight the discourses around them. The use of fiction and ethnography allows room for provocations, while providing a space to create an imagined setting, which aids in addressing multiple thematics simultaneously
The handsome liar: Male spiders offering worthless gifts can benefit increasing mating duration
Authors: Pandulli‐Alonso Irene , Tomasco Ivanna H. , Albo Maria J.
Published: December 2021

Females of nuptial gift‐giving species are known to mate with several males, so that they secure multiple ejaculates and food via nuptial gifts. However, gifts may decrease females’ reproductive success, for instance, if they received non‐nutritive gifts (worthless). The gift‐giving mating system of the spider Paratrechalea ornata creates a scenario in which females may receive either a nutritive prey or a worthless inedible item wrapped in silk. The worthless gift tactic is expected to be less successful as females should prefer to mate and to mate for longer with males offering nutritive gifts. However, at the moment, the scarce information suggests that both mating tactics may have similar reproductive success. By exposing females to a double mating experimental design, we examined whether mating access and duration correlate with the gift type (nutritive‐worthless), mating order (first‐second), and male size, and additionally explored possible effects on female fitness (e.g., fecundity). We found that the females accepted to mate with courting males independently of gift type, mating order, or size. But, mating duration was positively correlated with male size, and longer when males offered worthless gifts. Furthermore, females’ fecundity increased with mating duration and female size. This demonstrated that males offering worthless gifts might enhance their reproductive success by transferring more sperm than those offering nutritive gifts. Thus, either due to female choice or male effort, male size might be a more relevant feature for reproductive success than gift type, which can explain the high frequencies of worthless gifts in the field.
Mutational landscape in squamous cell carcinoma of the nail unit
Authors: Dika Emi , de Biase Dario , Lambertini Martina , Alessandrini Aurora Maria , Acquaviva Giorgia , De Leo Antonio , Tallini Giovanni , Ricci Costantino , Starace Michela , Misciali Cosimo , Piraccini Bianca Maria
Published: December 2021

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common malignancy of the nail unit. Pathogenetic mechanisms are yet to be determined, and a deeper molecular characterization of this disease is still necessary. The aim was to obtain a molecular characterization of NU SCC samples using an NGS approach to identify the genetic drivers involved in this tumor. The presence of HPV infection was also assessed. Furthermore, the mutational status was correlated with specific clinical‐pathological features for a better insight into the carcinogenesis of this uncommon tumor. We analysed twenty paraffin‐embedded nail unit SCC samples from patients diagnosed with primary SCC of the nail unit by next genome sequencing. In the 20 tested samples, the neoplastic cells enrichment ranged from 10% to 50% (mean value: 25.7%). In 14/20 cases (70.0%), at least one mutation was detected; whereas in the other six cases (30.0%), no alterations were observed (‘wild‐type/WT cases’). Overall, a total of 23 mutations were identified in the 20 specimens. TP53 was the most mutated gene (6/20 cases, 30.0%), while cKit, GNAS, EGFR, DICER1 and CTNNB1 were observed in one sample each (5.0%). No clinical‐pathological parameters (age, sex, depth of invasion‐DOI, histological subtype, grading and HPV) were significantly associated with the mutational status. The nail unit SCC mutational landscape appeared to be heterogeneous, favouring the hypothesis of a complex pathogenesis and an interaction of multiple elements, including HPV infections. This wealth of information undoubtedly improves our understanding of SCC biology.
Programmed gene expression change in mouse skin after ultraviolet radiation damage
Authors: Yang Kaibin , Song Shiting , Zhang Yafei , Shen Siting , Xu Xingzhi , Yue Zhicao
Published: December 2021

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a major cause of skin damage and carcinogenesis. Here, we systematically analyse the acute gene expression change in skin in vivo after UV exposure, aiming to establish the common C57BL/6 mouse strain as a convenient model for future pathological research and drug discovery. The back fur of C57BL/6 mice was depilated, and a mixed UV light source was used to irradiate the skin. Full‐thickness skin samples were collected at 0, 0.5, 2, 6, 12 and 24 h. Total RNAs were extracted and subjected to RNA sequencing analysis. We found that the gene expression change in mouse skin is highly similar to previous reports in human skin. These include down‐regulation of differentiation‐related genes and extracellular matrix genes, and up‐regulation of cytokine/chemokine genes. An early wave of activator protein 1 (AP‐1) expression is induced, whereas activation of the p53 pathway is not significant. The impact of the AP‐1 transcription factors and the antioxidant tea polyphenols is discussed. The analysis of acute gene expression change in skin after UV irradiation provides a starting point to investigate how the skin responds to genotoxic stress.