bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prenatal exposure to EDCs dis-integrates and reconstitutes neuromolecular-behavioral relationships in adult rats
Authors: Hernandez Scudder Morgan E. , Young Rebecca L. , Thompson Lindsay M. , Kore Pragati , Crews David , Hofmann Hans A. , Gore Andrea C.
Published: October 2020

Abstract

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is ubiquitous in all species, including humans. Previous studies have shown behavioral deficits caused by EDCs that have implications for social competence and sexual selection. The neuromolecular mechanisms for these behavioral changes induced by EDCs have not been thoroughly explored. Here, we tested the hypothesis that EDCs administered to rats during a critical period of embryonic brain development would lead to disruption of normal social preference behavior, and that this involves a network of underlying gene pathways in brain regions that regulate these behaviors. Rats were exposed prenatally to human-relevant concentrations of EDCs [polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), an industrial chemical mixture; vinclozolin (VIN), a fungicide], or vehicle. In adulthood, a sociosexual preference test (choice between hormone-primed and hormone-depleted opposite-sex rats) was administered. We profiled gene expression of in three brain regions involved in these behaviors [preoptic area (POA), medial amygdala (MeA), ventromedial nucleus (VMN)]. Prenatal PCBs impaired sociosexual preference in both sexes, and VIN disrupted this behavior in males. Each brain region (POA, MeA, VMN) had unique sets of genes altered in a sex- and EDC-specific manner. Sexually dimorphic gene expression disruption was particularly prominent for gene modules pertaining to sex steroid hormones and nonapeptides in the MeA. EDC exposure also changed the relationships between gene expression and behavior in the mate preference test, a pattern we refer to as dis-integration and reconstitution. These findings underscore the profound effects that developmental exposure to EDCs can have on adult social behavior, highlight sex-specific and individual variation in responses, and provide a foundation for further work on the disruption of mate preference behavior after prenatal exposure to EDCs.
Structural investigation of ACE2 dependent disassembly of the trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein
Authors: Ni Dongchun , Lau Kelvin , Lehmann Frank , Fränkl Andri , Hacker David , Pojer Florence , Stahlberg Henning
Published: October 2020

The human membrane protein Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) acts as the main receptor for host cells invasion of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The viral surface glycoprotein Spike binds to hACE2, which triggers virus entry into cells. As of today, the role of hACE2 for virus fusion is not well understood. Blocking the transition of Spike from its prefusion to post-fusion state might be a strategy to prevent or treat COVID-19. Here we report a single particle cryo-electron microscopy analysis of SARS-CoV-2 trimeric Spike in presence of the human ACE2 ectodomain. The binding of purified hACE2 ectodomain to Spike induces the disassembly of the trimeric form of Spike and a structural rearrangement of its S1 domain to form a stable, monomeric complex with hACE2. This observed hACE2 dependent dissociation of the Spike trimer suggests a mechanism for the therapeutic role of recombinant soluble hACE2 for treatment of COVID-19.
Nup98-dependent transcriptional memory is established independently of transcription
Authors: Pascual-Garcia Pau , Little Shawn C. , Capelson Maya
Published: October 2020

Cellular ability to mount an enhanced transcriptional response upon repeated exposure to external cues has been termed transcriptional memory, which can be maintained epigenetically through cell divisions. The majority of mechanistic knowledge on transcriptional memory has been derived from bulk molecular assays, and this phenomenon has been found to depend on a nuclear pore component Nup98 in multiple species. To gain an alternative perspective on the mechanism and on the contribution of Nup98, we set out to examine single-cell population dynamics of transcriptional memory by monitoring transcriptional behavior of individualDrosophilacells upon initial and subsequent exposures to steroid hormone ecdysone. To this end, we combined single-molecule RNA FISH with mathematical modeling, and found that upon hormone exposure, cells rapidly activate a low-level transcriptional response, but simultaneously, begin a slow transitioning into a specialized memory state, characterized by a high rate of expression. Strikingly, our modeling predicted that this transition between non-memory and memory states is independent of the transcription stemming from initial activation, and we were able to confirm this prediction experimentally by showing that inhibiting transcription during initial ecdysone exposure did not interfere with memory establishment. Together, our findings reveal that Nup98’s role in transcriptional memory is to stabilize the forward rate of conversion from low to high expressing state, and that induced genes engage in two separate behaviors – transcription itself and the establishment of epigenetically propagated transcriptional memory.
Opposing functions of the Hda1 complex and histone H2B mono-ubiquitylation in regulating cryptic transcription initiation inSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Shirra Margaret K. , Kocik Rachel A. , Ellison Mitchell A. , Arndt Karen M.
Published: October 2020

Maintenance of chromatin structure under the disruptive force of transcription requires cooperation among numerous chromatin regulatory factors. Histone post-translational modifications can regulate nucleosome stability and influence the disassembly and reassembly of nucleosomes during transcription elongation. The Paf1 transcription elongation complex, Paf1C, is required for several transcription-coupled histone modifications, including the mono-ubiquitylation of H2B. InSaccharomyces cerevisiae, amino acid substitutions in the Rtf1 subunit of Paf1C greatly diminish H2B ubiquitylation and cause transcription to initiate at a cryptic promoter within a coding gene, an indicator of chromatin disruption. In a genetic screen to identify factors that functionally interact with Paf1C, we identified a mutation inHDA3, a gene encoding a subunit of the Hda1C histone deacetylase, as a suppressor of anrtf1mutation. Absence of Hda1C also suppresses the cryptic initiation phenotype of other mutants defective in H2B ubiquitylation. The genetic interactions between Hda1C and the H2B ubiquitylation pathway appear specific: loss of Hda1C does not suppress the cryptic initiation phenotypes of other chromatin mutants and absence of other histone deacetylases does not suppress the absence of H2B ubiquitylation. Providing further support for an appropriate balance of histone acetylation in regulating cryptic initiation, we find that deletion of the Sas3 histone acetyltransferase elevates cryptic initiation inrtf1mutants. Our data suggest a coordination between two epigenetic modifiers, the H2B ubiquitylation pathway and Hda1C, in regulating chromatin structure during transcription elongation and reveal an unexpected role for a histone deacetylase in supporting chromatin accessibility.
The geometric determinants of programmed antibody migration and binding on multi-antigen substrates
Authors: Hoffecker Ian T. , Shaw Alan , Sorokina Viktoria , Smyrlaki Ioanna , Högberg Björn
Published: October 2020

Viruses and bacteria commonly exhibit spatial repetition of surface molecules that directly interface with the host immune system. However the complex interaction of patterned surfaces with multivalent immune molecules such as immunoglobulins and B-cell receptors is poorly understood, and standard characterization typically emphasizes the monovalent affinity. We developed a mechanistic model of multivalent antibody-antigen interactions as well as a pipeline for constructing such models from a minimal dataset of patterned surface plasmon resonance experiments in which antigen pattern geometries are precisely defined using DNA origami nanostructures. We modeled the change in binding enhancement due to multivalence and spatial tolerance,i.e. the strain-dependent interconversion of bound antibodies from monovalently bound to bivalently bound states at varying antigen separation distances. The parameterized model enables mechanisticpost hoccharacterization of binding behavior in patterned surface plasmon resonance experiments as well asde novosimulation of transient dynamics and equilibrium properties of arbitrary pattern geometries. Simulation on lattices shows that antigen spacing is a spatial control parameter that can be tuned to determine antibody residence time and migration speed. We found that gradients in antigen spacing are predicted to drive persistent, directed antibody migration toward favorable spacing. These results indicate that antigen pattern geometry can influence antibody interactions, a phenomenon that could be significant during the coevolution of pathogens and immunity in processes like pathogen neutralization or affinity maturation.
Defocus-dependent Thon-ring fading
Authors: Glaeser Robert M. , Hagen Wim J.H. , Han Bong-Gyoon , Henderson Richard , McMullan Greg , Russo Christopher J.
Published: October 2020

The brightness of modern Schottky field-emission guns can produce electron beams that have very high spatial coherence, especially for the weak-illumination conditions that are used for single-particle electron cryo-microscopy in structural biology. Even so, many users have observed defocus-dependent Thon-ring fading that has led them to restrict their data collection strategy to imaging with relatively small defocus values. In this paper, we reproduce the observation of defocus-dependent Thon-ring fading and produce a quantitative analysis and clear explanation of its causes. We demonstrate that a major cause is the delocalization of high-resolution Fourier components outside the field of view of the camera. We also show that it is important to make a correction for linear magnification anisotropy, even if it is quite small, before circular averaging of the Thon rings, as is also true before merging data from particles in many orientations. Under the conditions used in this paper, which are typical of those used in single-particle electron cryomicroscopy, fading of the Thon rings due to source coherence is negligible. The principal conclusion is that much higher values of defocus can be used than is currently thought to be possible. This increased understanding should give electron microscopists the confidence to use higher amounts of defocus to allow, for example, better visibility of their particles and Ewald sphere correction.
Deep computational analysis of human cancer and non-cancer tissues details dysregulation of eIF4F components and their interactions in human cancers
Authors: Wu Su , Wagner Gerhard
Published: October 2020

Eukaryotic translation initiation complex (eIF4F) plays roles so diverse in human cancers as to complicate development of an overarching understanding of eIF4F’s functional and regulatory impacts across tumor types. Our analysis of large public data sets yielded several useful findings.EIF4G1frequently gains gene copies and is overexpressed to achieve characteristic stoichiometries withEIF4EandEIF4A1in cancers. Varied expressions amongEIF4Fcomponents distinguish malignant from healthy tissues, regardless of tissue or cancer types.EIF4G1expression in particular correlates with poor prognosis. Tumors dysregulate biological “house-keeping” pathways typically regulated by cap-dependent initiation in healthy tissues, yet strengthen regulation of cancer-specific pathways in cap-independent contexts. In lung adenocarcinoma, altered interactions among eIF4F subunits are mechanistically linked to eIF4G1 phosphorylation. Tumors may select between cap-dependent and -independent mechanisms, through eIF4G1’s adaptable interactions with eIF4F subunits. Collectively, these results are an important advance towards a general model of translation initiation in cancer.
The genomic formation of First American ancestors in East and Northeast Asia
Authors: Ning Chao , Fernandes Daniel , Changmai Piya , Flegontova Olga , Yüncü Eren , Maier Robert , Altınışık N. Ezgi , Kassian Alexei S. , Krause Johannes , Lalueza-Fox Carles , Manica Andrea , Potter Ben A. , Robbeets Martine , Sirak Kendra , Siska Veronika , Vajda Edward J. , Vyazov Leonid A. , Wang Ke , Wang Lixin , Wu Xiyan , Xiao Xiaoming , Zhang Fan , Reich David , Schiffels Stephan , Pinhasi Ron , Cui Yinqiu , Flegontov Pavel
Published: October 2020

Upward Sun River 1, an individual from a unique burial of the Denali tradition in Alaska (11500 calBP), is considered a type representative of Ancient Beringians who split from other First Americans 22000–18000 calBP in Beringia. Using a new admixture graph model-comparison approach resistant to overfitting, we show that Ancient Beringians do not form the deepest American lineage, but instead harbor ancestry from a lineage more closely related to northern North Americans than to southern North Americans. Ancient Beringians also harbor substantial admixture from a lineage that did not contribute to other Native Americans: Amur River Basin populations represented by a newly reported site in northeastern China. Relying on these results, we propose a new model for the genomic formation of First American ancestors in Asia.

One Sentence Summary

Ancient Beringians do not form the deepest American lineage, but harbor admixture from Amur River Basin populations.
Brain-Specific Inhibition of mTORC1 by a Dual Drug Strategy: A Novel Approach for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
Authors: Ehinger Yann , Zhang Ziyang , Phamluong Khanhky , Soneja Drishti , Shokat Kevan M. , Ron Dorit
Published: October 2020

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a devastating psychiatric disorder affecting a large portion of the population. Unfortunately, efficacious medications to treat the disease are limited and thus AUD represents an area of unmet medical need. mTORC1 plays a crucial role in neuroadaptations underlying alcohol use. mTORC1 also contributes to alcohol craving, habit, and relapse. Thus, mTORC1 inhibitors are promising therapeutic agents to treat AUD. However, chronic inhibition of mTORC1 in the periphery produces undesirable side effects in humans, which limit their potential clinical use for the treatment of AUD. To overcome these limitations, we utilized a binary drug strategy in which mice were co-administered the mTORC1 inhibitor RapaLink-1 together with a novel small molecule (RapaBlock) to protect mTORC1 activity in the periphery. We show that the dual administration of RapaLink-1 with RapaBlock, abolishes RapaLink-1-dependent mTORC1 inhibition in the liver and blocks adverse side effects detected in humans including body weight loss, glucose intolerance and liver toxicity. Importantly, we show that co-administration of RapaLink-1 and RapaBlock inhibits alcohol-dependent mTORC1 activation in the Nucleus Accumbens and robustly moderates the level of alcohol use. Our data present a novel approach that could be used to treat individuals suffering from AUD.
An operando spatially resolved study of alkaline battery discharge using a novel hyperspectral detector and X-ray tomography
Authors: Connolley Thomas , Magdysyuk Oxana V. , Michalik Stefan , Allan Phoebe K. , Klaus Manuela , Kamm Paul H. , Garcia-Moreno Francisco , Nelson Jennifer A. , Veale Matthew C. , Wilson Matthew D.
Published: October 2020

An experimental technique is described for the collection of time-resolved X-ray diffraction information from a complete commercial battery cell during discharging or charging cycles. The technique uses an 80 × 80 pixel 2D energy-discriminating detector in a pinhole camera geometry which can be used with a polychromatic X-ray source. The concept was proved in a synchrotron X-ray study of commercial alkaline Zn–MnO2 AA size cells. Importantly, no modification of the cell was required. The technique enabled spatial and temporal changes to be observed with a time resolution of 20 min (5 min of data collection with a 15 min wait between scans). Chemical changes in the cell determined from diffraction information were correlated with complementary X-ray tomography scans performed on similar cells from the same batch. The clearest results were for the spatial and temporal changes in the Zn anode. Spatially, there was a sequential transformation of Zn to ZnO in the direction from the separator towards the current collector. Temporally, it was possible to track the transformation of Zn to ZnO during the discharge and follow the corresponding changes in the cathode.
Insight into the potential factors influencing the catalytic direction in cellobiose 2-epimerase by crystallization and mutagenesis
Authors: Feng Yinghui , Hua Xiao , Shen Qiuyun , Matthews Melissa , Zhang Yuzhu , Fisher Andrew J. , Lyu Xiaomei , Yang Ruijin
Published: October 2020

Cellobiose 2-epimerase (CE) is commonly recognized as an epimerase as most CEs mainly exhibit an epimerization activity towards disaccharides. In recent years, several CEs have been found to possess bifunctional epimerization and isomerization activities. They can convert lactose into lactulose, a high-value disaccharide that is widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the factors that determine the catalytic direction in CEs are still not clear. In this study, the crystal structures of three newly discovered CEs, CsCE (a bifunctional CE from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus), StCE (a bifunctional CE from Spirochaeta thermophila DSM 6578) and BtCE (a monofunctional CE from Bacillus thermoamylovorans B4166), were determined at 1.54, 2.05 and 1.80 Å resolution, respectively, in order to search for structural clues to their monofunctional/bifunctional properties. A comparative analysis of the hydrogen-bond networks in the active pockets of diverse CEs, YihS and mannose isomerase suggested that the histidine corresponding to His188 in CsCE is uniquely required to catalyse isomerization. By alignment of the apo and ligand-bound structures of diverse CEs, it was found that bifunctional CEs tend to have more flexible loops and a larger entrance around the active site, and that the flexible loop 148–181 in CsCE displays obvious conformational changes during ligand binding. It was speculated that the reconstructed molecular interactions of the flexible loop during ligand binding helped to motivate the ligands to stretch in a manner beneficial for isomerization. Further site-directed mutagenesis analysis of the flexible loop in CsCE indicated that the residue composition of the flexible loop did not greatly impact epimerization but affects isomerization. In particular, V177D and I178D mutants showed a 50% and 80% increase in isomerization activity over the wild type. This study provides new information about the structural characteristics involved in the catalytic properties of CEs, which can be used to guide future molecular modifications.
(4′-Chloro-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine-κ3
N,N′,N′′)bis(nitrato-κO)zinc(II)
Authors: Adrian Rafael A. , Canales Daniela , Arman Hadi D.
Published: October 2020

In the title complex, [Zn(C15H10ClN3)(NO3)2], the central zinc(II) atom is pentacoordinated by two O-bonded nitrate ions and three N atoms of the 4′-chloro-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine ligand in a slightly distorted trigonal–bipyramidal shape. The main feature of the title complex packing is the presence of offset π–π interactions between the terpyridine rings in different layers. This structure constitutes the first known example of a zinc(II) 4-chloroterpyridine complex with coordinating nitrate ions.
The causes and challenges of low interest rates: insights from basic principles and recent literature
Authors: Wu Youchang
Published: October 2020

Purpose

What causes the downward trend of real interest rates in major developed economies since the 1980s? What are the challenges of the near-zero interest and inflation rates for monetary policy? What can the policymakers learn from the latest developments in the monetary and interest rate theory? This paper aims to answer these questions by reviewing both basic principles of interest rate determination and recent academic and policy debates.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper critically reviews the explanations for the downward trend of real interest rates in recent decades and monetary policy options in a near-zero interest rate environment.

Findings

The decline of real interest rates is likely an outcome of multiple technological, social and economic factors including diminished productivity growth, changing demographics, elevated tail-risk concerns, time-varying convenience yields of safe assets, increased global demand for safe assets, rising wealth and income inequality, falling relative price of capital, accommodative monetary policies, and changes in industry structure that alter the investment and saving behaviors of the corporate sector. The near-zero interest rate limits the space of central banks' response to economic crises. It also challenges some conventional wisdoms of monetary theory and sparks radically new ideas about monetary policy.

Originality/value

This survey differs from the existing work by taking a broader view of both economics and finance literature. It critically assesses the economic forces driving the global decline of real interest rates through the lens of basic principles and empirical evidence and discusses the merits and limitations of each proposed explanation. The study emphasizes the importance of a better understanding of economic forces driving diverging trends of corporate investment and saving behaviors. It also discusses the implications of the neo-Fisherism and the fiscal theory of price level for monetary policy in a low interest rate environment.
Let’s not just “talk” about it: reflections on women’s career development in hospitality
Authors: Gebbels Maria , Gao Xiongbin , Cai Wenjie
Published: October 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an action-orientated reflection for promoting gender equality in hospitality, based on Bradley’s (2013) approach that considers the operation of gender in the “production” and “reproduction” spheres of social life. To that end, it reflects on women’s career development in hospitality based on the Western perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-stage thematic analysis of a public research seminar on gender issues in tourism and hospitality were used to explore issues of women’s career development within the intertwining spheres of “production” and “reproduction”.

Findings

Three themes, namely, culture of an open dialogue, bringing men into the equation and educating the future workforce, emerged from data to propose new insights on “what can be done” about gender equality in tourism and hospitality, including practical suggestions for transformations of gender relations in organisations.

Research limitations/implications

This paper contributes new knowledge on women’s career development in the hospitality industry by proposing recommendations to address gender gaps including fostering a culture of an open dialogue based on an inclusive listening environment, recommending changes to organisational policies and culture and integrating the subject of gender into tourism and hospitality curriculum.

Originality/value

By proposing a sociological perspective of gender in hospitality employment informed by Bradley (2013), this study challenges the traditional masculinity and the long-standing gender labour division through education, organisational and daily practices thus tackling fundamental gender issues.
The relevance of financial and economic informational environment: evidence from South Asian markets
Authors: Arshad Muhammad Usman , Khan Fahad Najeeb , Ishfaq Muhammad , Shabbir Muhammad Nadir , Shah Syed Mehmood Raza
Published: October 2020

Purpose

This study aims to explore the firm's specific, opacity and economy-specific variables to explain the variation in South Asian market returns and indicate that how the difference in adoption of accounting standards refers to the effect of the movement in stock returns.

Design/methodology/approach

Following the scope of the study, factor analysis, fixed effect, Driscoll and Kraay standard errors (DKSE) and Panel Corrected standard error (PCSE) models have been inducted to determine the influence of firm-specific, opacity and economy-specific variables on stock returns. The sample of study comprises 1,885 firms from five countries located in the South Asia region with the period 2005–2018. To ensure the reliability of data, firm-specific data have been collected from DataStream International, while an international country risk guide was used to compile the data for economy-specific variables.

Findings

This study concluded that firm-specific variables showed a consistent and significant association with stock return except for beta, accrual and momentum while earning aggressiveness was the only factor in opacity measure to capture the variation in stock return. The implementation of international accounting standards seemed to be significant and proves to be helpful to enhance the quality of accounting information.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations of this study comprised the estimation error by avoiding the firm's observations with negative equity in case of earning opacity and majority (more than 50%) of the observation belongs to a single market as India out of final sample which leads to having biasedness in findings.

Practical implications

This study helps the investors to consider the firms with smaller market capitalization and lower book to market ratio and avoid the momentum strategy under firm specific factors. Moreover, earning aggressiveness under opacity domain capture the variation in stock return and must be considered while investing funds.

Originality/value

The influence of adoption of international accounting standards along with firm and economy specific variable in South Asian Equity Markets return was the major contribution. Moreover, the inclusion of DKSE and PCSE models to examine the relevance of the financial and economic informational environment was also considered as a part of major contribution of this study.
Maintenance strategy selection: a combined goal programming approach and BWM-TOPSIS for paper production industry
Authors: Avakh Darestani Soroush , Palizban Tahereh , Imannezhad Rana
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Correct and well-planned maintenance based on modern global methods directly affects efficiency, quality, direct production costs, reliability and profitability. The selection of an optimal policy for maintenance can be a good solution for industrial units. In fact, by managing constraints such as costs, working hours and human workforce causing sudden equipment failure, production and performance can increase.

Design/methodology/approach

Therefore, in this research a model was presented to select the best maintenance strategy at Kaghaz Kar Kasra Co of Iran. In this study, it was tried to integrate the two techniques of goal programming and the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to prioritize maintenance strategies. First, all factors affecting maintenance were identified, and based on the Best Worst Method (BWM) the degree of their importance was determined.

Findings

After the evaluation, only 14 criteria in the 4 dimensions of cost, added value, safety and feasibility were selected. The highest points were given to the criteria of equipment cost and depreciation, equipment and personnel performance, equipment installation time and technical feasibility, respectively. In the next stage, using the TOPSIS method the item of maintenance strategy was ranked, and the 3 strategies of preventive maintenance (PM), predictive maintenance (PDM) and corrective maintenance (CM) were chosen. Modeling was performed utilizing a goal programming approach to select the optimal maintenance strategy for 13 devices. All the technical specifications, cost limits and the device time were extracted. After the model was finished and solved the best item for each device was specified.

Originality/value

1. Developing a goal programming model and decision-making dashboard. 2. Identifying the criteria and factors affecting the selection of the maintenance strategy for paper production Industry
Strategy communication and transition dynamics amongst managers: a public sector organization perspective
Authors: Obembe Demola , Al Mansour Jarrah , Kolade Oluwaseun
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to build on the research-supported view that interactions between top and middle management enhances effective implementation of organizational strategies by exploring the role of internal actors in driving organizational strategy at the intersection between strategy formulation and strategy implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a social practice perspective, we undertook semi-structured interviews of 27 top and middle level managers drawn from a single case organization. Data collected were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Differences in managerial perception of strategy has significant impact on implementation of strategic decisions as well as creating tensions in recursive communication practices between internal social actors. Furthermore, individual perceptions cannot only limit the extent of strategy awareness amongst key actors, the manifestations through social interaction between top and middle managers is a critical determinant of effective communication and realization of organizational strategy.

Originality/value

The research contributes to the strategy process and practice literature by exploring the dynamic interactions taking place at the intersections of strategy formulation-implementation phases of organizational strategy. It particularly highlights practical issues in top and middle manager interactions and implications for successful strategy implementation.
Why property market forecasts fail
Authors: Mooya Manya Mainza
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The paper addresses the puzzling phenomenon of the ubiquity of economic forecasting, of which property market forecasting is but one instance, on the one hand, and the unreliability of such forecasts, on the other hand. The paper explains why property market forecasts fail, in a non-trivial sense, and why this problem is irredeemable.

Design/methodology/approach

This was a conceptual paper and was based on original thought and literature review.

Findings

This paper attributes the failure of property market forecasts to the inappropriate application of the methodology of the natural sciences to the social sciences by mainstream economics. Specifically, the problem is located in the positivist philosophy and the assumptions of methodological individualism and rational choice theory underlying neoclassical economic theory.

Originality/value

The paper makes an original contribution by clearly showing why and how the methodology of the natural sciences, especially physics, has been applied to economics and property market analysis, why this is inappropriate and why it leads to failure. The paper introduces a debate that has hitherto been mostly confined to philosophy and mainstream economics into the property or real estate discipline and in a manner that is accessible to a non-philosophy audience.
An empirical examination of the relationship between benchmarking, innovation culture and organisational performance using structural equation modelling
Authors: Alosani Mohammed Saleh , Al-Dhaafri Hassan Saleh
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Police agencies are under pressure to improve their performance and provide outstanding services for the community. In response, academics and practitioners have called to adopt effective methods that help these agencies to achieve their goals. Studies reported that benchmarking has a role to improve organisational performance. However, poor evidence of using benchmarking within police agencies and very few studies examine the relationship between it and police performance. Motivated by this gap, this study aims to explore and examine this relationship under the mediating role of innovation culture.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative methodology was utilised in this study. Data used to examine the hypotheses were obtained from the departments and stations of the Dubai Police Force (DPF), and the population comprised head section officers. A total of 338 questionnaires were distributed to respondents, 252 of which were returned. The hypothesised relationships were tested with the data collected by SPSS and SmartPLS statistical software.

Findings

Findings clearly show that benchmarking is directly and indirectly associated with the organisational performance of the DPF through innovation culture. Results support the notion that innovation culture facilitates the implementation of proper benchmarking projects in the DPF, which positively affects different aspects of its performance.

Research limitations/implications

This study includes several limitations. Specifically, the generalisability of the findings should be considered. The analysis applies only to the DPF in the UAE. Thus, investigating and analysing variables in different police agencies in the UAE or internationally would be valuable.

Practical implications

Several recommendations are provided in relation to the obtained results to assist managers and decision makers in the DPF and other police agencies. This study includes suggestions for improving police performance by establishing an innovation culture and adopting benchmarking practices.

Originality/value

Although several contributions indicated that benchmarking and innovation culture is a key determinant of success, the literature lacks empirical studies investigating this link in the police field. This study is the only one to date that examined this relationship in police services. Accordingly, this study seeks to bridge this gap and delivers empirical evidence and theoretical insight to better understand this relationship.
Consumer engagement in occupational therapy health‐related research: A scoping review of the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal and a call to action
Authors: Cox Ruth , Kendall Melissa , Molineux Matthew , Miller Elizabeth , Tanner Bernadette
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Consumer engagement in research is becoming an ethical, political, and moral imperative. The aim of this scoping review was to provide a snapshot of the current status of the emerging area of consumer engagement in occupational therapy health‐related research, as published in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted of all health‐related original research published in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal for 5½ years, plus Early View, as at June 2019. Eligible papers were examined for consumer engagement content which included any active choice or control by consumers, beyond being a research participant. A recognised six stage methodology was used with quantitative and qualitative data analysed. Two consumers collaborated in interpreting the data including finalising themes, leading theme naming, developing key discussion points, and producing recommendations.

Results

Of the 123 eligible papers, 48 (39.02%) included consumer engagement. However, only two incorporated consumer engagement across all research phases—preparation, execution and translation. A total of 103 consumer engagement activities were charted and categorised across all papers. There were limited instances of consumer collaboration (14/103, 13.59%) or consumer‐led research processes (15/103, 14.56%) reported. Four themes emerged: Parity in research partnerships; It's important to know the Who, What, When, How and So What of consumer involvement; Consumer engagement must be a two‐way process—not a dead end street; and Meeting the challenge—being diverse and inclusive.

Conclusion

Comprehensive consumer‐researcher partnerships may not be common‐place in health‐related occupational therapy research in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. This paper is a call to action. Occupational therapists must embrace consumer research partnerships as a demonstration of the key philosophies of enabling and empowering consumers and communities. Collaboration with two consumers in finalising data analysis, results interpretation and reporting added a diverse and valuable perspective.
A powerful long metabarcoding method for the determination of complex diets from faecal analysis of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis, L. 1758)
Authors: Ducotterd Charlotte , Crovadore Julien , Lefort François , Rubin Jean‐François , Ursenbacher Sylvain
Published: October 2020

High‐throughput sequencing has become an accurate method for the identification of species present in soil, water, faeces, gut or stomach contents. However, information at the species level is limited due to the choice of short barcodes and based on the idea that DNA is too degraded to allow longer sequences to be amplified. We have therefore developed a long DNA metabarcoding method based on the sequencing of short reads followed by de novo assembly, which can precisely identify the taxonomic groups of organisms associated with complex diets, such as omnivorous individuals. The procedure includes 11 different primer pairs targeting the COI gene, the large subunit of the ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase gene, the maturase K gene, the 28S rRNA and the trnL‐trnF chloroplastic region. We validated this approach using 32 faeces samples from an omnivorous reptile, the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis, L. 1758). This metabarcoding approach was assessed using controlled experiments including mock communities and faecal samples from captive feeding trials. The method allowed us to accurately identify prey DNA present in the diet of the European pond turtles to the species level in most of the cases (82.4%), based on the amplicon lengths of multiple markers (168–1,379 bp, average 546 bp), and produced by de novo assembly. The proposed approach can be adapted to analyse various diets, in numerous conservation and ecological applications. It is consequently appropriate for detecting fine dietary variations among individuals, populations and species as well as for the identification of rare food items.
Transmission of the sponge microbiome: moving towards a unified model
Authors: de Oliveira Bruno Francesco Rodrigues , Freitas‐Silva Jéssyca , Sánchez‐Robinet Claudia , Laport Marinella Silva
Published: October 2020

Sponges have co‐evolved for millions of years alongside several types of microorganisms, which aside from participating in the animal's diet, are mostly symbionts. Since most of the genetic repertoire in the holobiont genome is provided by microbes, it is expected that the host‐associated microbiome will be at least partially heritable. Sponges can therefore acquire their symbionts in different ways. Both vertical transmission (VT) and horizontal transmission (HT) have different advantages and disadvantages in the life cycle of these invertebrates. However, a third mode of transmission, called leaky vertical transmission or mixed mode of transmission (MMT), which incorporates both VT and HT modes, has gained relevance and seems to be the most robust model. In that regard, the aim of this review is to present the evolving knowledge on these main modes of transmission of the sponge microbiome. Our conclusions lead us to suggest that MMT may be more common for all sponges, with its frequency varying across the transmission spectrum between species and the environment. This hybrid model supports the stable and specific transmission of these microbial partners and reinforces their assistance in the resilience of sponges over the years.
Exploiting the full potential of Bayesian networks in predictive ecology
Authors: Ramazi Pouria , Kunegel‐Lion Mélodie , Greiner Russell , Lewis Mark A.
Published: October 2020

Although ecological models used to make predictions from underlying covariates have a record of success, they also suffer from limitations. They are typically unable to make predictions when the value of one or more covariates is missing during the testing. Missing values can be estimated but methods are often unreliable and can result in poor accuracy. Similarly, missing values during the training can hinder parameter estimation of many ecological models. Bayesian networks can handle these and other limiting issues, such as having highly correlated covariates. However, they are rarely used to their full potential.

Indeed, Bayesian networks are commonly used to evaluate the knowledge of experts by constructing the network manually and often (incorrectly) interpreting the resulting network causally. We provide an approach to learn a Bayesian network fully from observed data, without relying on experts and show how to appropriately interpret the resulting network, both to identify how the variables (covariates and target) are interrelated and to answer probabilistic queries.

We apply this method to the case study of a mountain pine beetle infestation and find that the trained Bayesian network has a predictive accuracy of 0.88 AUC. We classify the covariates as primary and secondary in terms of contributing to the prediction and show that the predictive accuracy does not deteriorate when the secondary covariates are missing and degrades to only 0.76 when one of the primary covariates is missing.

As a complement to the previous work on constructing Bayesian networks by hand, we show that if instead, both the structure and parameters are learned only from data, we can achieve more accurate predictions as well as generate new insights about the underlying processes.
Unknown population‐level harms of cannabis and tobacco co‐use: if you don't measure it, you can't manage it
Authors: Hindocha Chandni , McClure Erin A.
Published: October 2020

Background

Nationally representative data of cannabis–tobacco co‐use have shown that these substances are closely entwined and have significant adverse health consequences, although population‐level harms of co‐use are largely unknown. Current epidemiological research does not assess co‐use in a manner that has yielded the necessary data to draw conclusions regarding health effects. This has given rise to a hidden population of co‐users who go under‐served. Therefore, this paper has two aims: (1) to review new challenges in the collection of co‐use data due to rapidly changing regulations of cannabis and nicotine products and (2) to provide recommendations for the terminology and assessment of co‐use.

Argument

We argue that: (1) the prevalence of co‐use is not being assessed accurately at a population level and (2) changes in legalization have created novel challenges, but without proper monitoring the impact on co‐use will go undetected. We propose a three‐level tiered set of recommendations for co‐use assessments, which includes assessments of cannabis, tobacco and co‐use metrics ranging from least burdensome (self‐report of co‐administered products) to most burdensome (assays, event‐level data).

Conclusions

We propose that clinical studies begin to incorporate cannabis–tobacco co‐use assessments to justify better their inclusion in clinical trials and national surveillance surveys. Integration of co‐use assessments will aid in understanding the true impact on co‐use of the changing cannabis and tobacco/nicotine regulatory environments. Co‐use is prevalent and problematic, and the ability to make conclusions about its health outcomes is hindered by lack of nuance in data collection. If you do not measure it, you cannot manage it.
Carboplatin plus paclitaxel weekly dose‐dense chemotherapy for high‐grade ovarian cancer: A re‐evaluation
Authors: Kessous Roy , Matanes Emad , Laskov Ido , Wainstock Tamar , Abitbol Jeremie , Yasmeen Amber , Salvador Shannon , Lau Susie , Gotlieb Walter H.
Published: October 2020

Introduction

We compared oncologic and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced ovarian cancer who received dose‐dense weekly paclitaxel with 3‐weekly carboplatin with those who received standard 3‐weekly chemotherapy.

Material and methods

Comparison of all consecutive patients with advanced (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages III‐IV) ovarian cancer who received a dose‐dense protocol between 2010 and 2016 with an immediate historical cohort of consecutive patients who received standard chemotherapy. Patients who received less than three cycles of treatment were excluded.

Results

In all, 246 patients were included in the study, of whom 128 received the dose‐dense protocol and 118 were treated with the standard Q3‐week protocol. Patients in the dose‐dense group had significantly better progression‐free survival than those receiving the standard protocol (median progression‐free survival 22 vs 15 months; log rank = 0.026). The overall survival of patients in the dose‐dense group was also better than that of the patients in the standard protocol group; however, this difference was not statistically significant (median overall survival 66 vs 54 months; log rank = 0.185). The dose‐dense protocol remained significantly associated with favorable survival outcome in multivariable analysis adjusted for stage, histologic type, cytoreductive results and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The use of the dose‐dense protocol was associated with higher rates of gastrointestinal, dermatologic, neurologic and hematologic side effects.

Conclusion

Despite the limitations associated with the comparison to a historical cohort, a dose‐dense chemotherapy protocol resulted in a significantly improved progression‐free survival and the overall survival tended to be better, but this difference did not reach statistical significance compared with the standard chemotherapy protocol, and may be considered as a treatment alternative, albeit with some increased side effects.
Efficacy and safety outcomes of proposed randomized controlled trials investigating hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine during the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Junqueira Daniela R. , Rowe Brian H.
Published: October 2020

Aims

To assess whether randomized clinical trials (RCTs) proposed to evaluate the treatment of patients with COVID‐19 with hydroxychloroquine (HQ) or chloroquine early in the pandemic included plans to measure outcomes that would translate into meaningful efficacy/effectiveness and safety outcomes.

Methods

The World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform database was searched for registers of RCTs evaluating HQ or chloroquine, alone or in combination, compared with other treatments for patients diagnosed with COVID‐19. The final search was performed on 8 April 2020.

Results

Among 51 registered RCTs (median sample size 262; interquartile range: 100, 520), 34 (67%) reported a clinical outcome, 12 (24%) a surrogate outcome, and 5 (10%) a combination of clinical and surrogate outcomes as primary endpoints. Six (15%) trials included the World Health Organization scale for clinical improvement as a primary clinical outcome. Clinical improvement and mortality accounted for 45% of the unique domains among 18 clinical outcome domains of efficacy. Twenty‐four (47%) RCTs did not describe plans to assess safety outcomes; when assessed, safety outcomes were determined in generic terms of total, severe or serious adverse events.

Conclusion

The RCTs investigating HQ or chloroquine during the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic included heterogeneous and insufficient approaches to measure efficacy/effectiveness and safety relevant to patients and clinical practice. These findings provide insights to inform clinical and regulatory decisions that can be drawn about the efficacy/effectiveness and safety of these agents in patients with COVID‐19. Trialists need to adapt quickly to the research progress on COVID‐19, ensuring that core outcome measures are assessed in ongoing RCTs.