bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Single cell sequencing of pig lungs reveals immune responses underlying influenza infection and oseltamivir therapy
Authors: de Carvalho Madrid Darling Melany , Gu Weihong , Warren Wesley C. , Driver John P.
Published: March 2024

Despite pigs being an important species in influenza A virus (IAV) epidemiology and a reliable model of human IAV infections, many aspects of the porcine pulmonary immune system remain poorly understood. Here, we characterized the single cell landscape of lung leukocytes of healthy pigs and then compared them to pigs infected with 2009 pandemic H1N1 IAV with or without oseltamivir antiviral therapy. Our data show conserved features as well as species-specific differences in cell types and cell states compared to human and mouse lung leukocytes. IAV infection induced a robust antiviral transcriptional response in multiple lymphoid and myeloid cell types, as well as distinct patterns of cell-cell cross talk. Oseltamivir treatment reduced these responses. Together our findings describe key events in the pulmonary anti-IAV response of pigs that open new avenues to develop IAV vaccines and therapies. They should also enable the better use of pigs as a model for human IAV infection and immunity.
Spectral Characterization of a Blue Light-Emitting Micro-LED Platform and Microbial Chromophores for Therapeutic Applications in Skin Conditions
Authors: Serrage Hannah J. , Eling Charlotte J. , Alves Pedro U. , Mcbain Andrew J. , O’neill Catherine , Laurand Nicolas
Published: March 2024

The therapeutic application of blue light (380 – 500nm) has garnered considerable attention in recent years as it offers a non-invasive approach for the management of prevalent skin conditions including acne vulgaris and atopic dermatitis. These conditions are often characterised by an imbalance in the microbial communities that colonise our skin, termed the skin microbiome. In conditions including acne vulgaris, blue light is thought to address this imbalance through the selective photoexcitation of microbial species expressing wavelength-specific chromophores, differentially affecting skin commensals and thus altering the relative species composition. However, the abundance and diversity of these chromophores across the skin microbiota remains poorly understood. Similarly, devices utilised for studies are often bulky and poorly characterised which if translated to therapy could result in reduced patient compliance. Here, we present a clinically viable micro-LED illumination platform with peak emission 450 nm (17 nm FWHM) and adjustable irradiance output to a maximum 0.55±0.01 W/cm2, dependent upon the concentration of titanium dioxide nanoparticles applied to an accompanying flexible light extraction substrate. Utilising spectrometry approaches, we characterised the abundance of prospective blue light chromophores across skin commensal bacteria isolated from healthy volunteers. Of the strains surveyed 62.5% exhibited absorption peaks within the blue light spectrum, evidencing expression of carotenoid pigments (18.8%, 420 – 483 nm;Micrococcus luteus, Kocuriaspp.), porphyrins (12.5%, 402 – 413 nm;Cutibacteriumspp.) and potential flavins (31.2%, 420 – 425 nm;StaphylococcusandDermacoccusspp.). We also present evidence of the capacity of these species to diminish irradiance output when combined with the micro-LED platform and in turn how exposure to low-dose blue light causes shifts in observed absorbance spectra peaks. Collectively these findings highlight a crucial deficit in understanding how microbial chromophores might shape response to blue light and in turn evidence of a micro-LED illumination platform with potential for clinical applications.
Development of Broad-spectrum β-cyclodextrins-Based Nanomaterials Against Influenza Viruses
Authors: Zwygart Arnaud Charles-Antoine , Medaglia Chiara , Zhu Yong , Tarbet E Bart , Jonna Westover , Fage Clément , Le Roy Didier , Roger Thierry , Constant Samuel , Huang Song , Stellacci Francesco , Silva Paulo Jacob , Tapparel Caroline
Published: March 2024

In recent decades, epidemics and pandemics have multiplied throughout the world, with viruses generally being the primary agents responsible. Among these, influenza viruses play a key role, as they cause severe respiratory distress, representing a major threat to public health. To enhance the response to viral disease outbreaks, there is a need for ready-to-use broad-spectrum antivirals. We have engineered macromolecules (named CD-SA) consisting of a β-cyclodextrin (CD) scaffold modified with hydrophobic linkers in the primary face, onto which unitary sialic acid (SA) epitopes are covalently grafted, this to mimic influenza virus host receptors. In this study, we demonstrated that CD-SA, with a unitary SA, without extensive polysaccharides or specific connectivity, acts as a potent virucidal antiviral against several variants of human influenza type A and type B viruses. We also assessed the genetic barrier to resistance of CD-SAin vitroand successfully delayed emergence of resistance by combining CD-SA with interferon-λ1 (IFN λ1). Finally, we completed the characterization of the antiviral activity by conducting bothex vivoandin vivostudies, demonstrating a potent antiviral effect in human airway epithelia and in a mouse model of infection, higher than that of Oseltamivir, a currently approved anti-influenza antiviral.
SalmonellaTyphimurium infection inhibits macrophage IFNβ signaling in a TLR4-dependent manner
Authors: Shuster Michael , Lyu Zhihui , Augenstreich Jacques , Mathur Shrestha , Ganesh Akshaya , Ling Jiqiang , Briken Volker
Published: March 2024

Type I Interferons (IFNs) generally have a protective role during viral infections, but their function during bacterial infections is dependent on the bacterial species.Legionella pneumophila,Shigella sonneiandMycobacterium tuberculosiscan inhibit type I IFN signaling. Here we examined the role of type I IFN, specifically IFNβ, in the context ofSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium (STm) macrophage infections and the capacity of STm to inhibit type I IFN signaling. We demonstrate that IFNβ has no effect on the intracellular growth of STm in infected bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) derived from C57BL/6 mice. STm infection inhibits IFNβ signaling but not IFNγ signaling in a murine macrophage cell line. We show that this inhibition is independent of the type III and type VI secretion systems expressed by STm and is also independent of bacterial phagocytosis. The inhibition is Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-dependent as the TLR4 ligand, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), alone is sufficient to inhibit IFNβ-mediated signaling and STm-infected, TLR4-deficient BMDMs do not exhibit inhibited IFNβ signaling. In summary, we show that macrophages exposed to STm have reduced IFNβ signaling via crosstalk with TLR4 signaling, and that IFNβ signaling does not affect cell autonomous host defense against STm.
Spatial patterns ofHyalomma marginatum-borne pathogens in the Occitanie region (France), a focus on the intriguing dynamics ofRickettsia aeschlimannii
Authors: Charlotte Joly-Kukla , Célia Bernard , David Bru , Clémence Galon , Carla Giupponi , Karine Huber , Hélène Jourdan-Pineau , Laurence Malandrin , Ignace Rakotoarivony , Camille Riggi , Laurence Vial , Sara Moutailler , Thomas Pollet
Published: March 2024

Hyalomma marginatumis an invasive tick species recently established in mainland southern France. This tick is known to host a diverse range of human and animal pathogens such asRickettsia aeschlimannii,Theileria equi,Anaplasma phagocytophilum,Anaplasma marginale,Ehrlichia minasensis, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and West Nile virus. While information about the dynamics of these pathogens is crucial to assess disease risk and develop effective monitoring strategies, few data on the spatial dynamics of these pathogens are currently available. We thus collected ticks in 27 sites in the Occitanie region to characterize spatial patterns ofH. marginatum- borne pathogens. Several pathogens have been detected:Theileria equi(9.2%),Theileria orientalis(0.2%),Anaplasma phagocytophilum(1.6%),Anaplasma marginale(0.8%) andRickettsia aeschlimannii(87.3%). Interestingly, we found a spatial clustered distribution for the pathogenR. aeschlimanniibetween two geographically isolated areas with infection rates and bacterial loads significantly lower in Hérault/Gard departments (infection rate 78.6% in average) compared to Aude/Pyrénées-Orientales departments (infection rate 92.3% in average). At a smaller scale,R. aeschlimanniiinfection rates varied from one site to another, ranging from 29% to 100%. Overall, such high infection rates (87.3% in average) and the effective maternal transmission ofR. aeschlimanniimight suggest a role as a tick symbiont inH. marginatum. Moreover, currently identified as a human pathogen, such results also question about its pathogenic status in humans given the low number of human cases. Further studies are thus needed to understand both the status and the role ofR. aeschlimanniiinH. marginatumticks.

IMPORTANCE

Ticks are obligatory hematophagous arthropods which transmit pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. Their infections cause serious health issues in humans and considerable economic loss in domestic animals. Information about the presence of pathogens in ticks and their dynamics is crucial to assess disease risk for public and animal health. Analysing tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected in 27 sites in the regions Occitanie, our results highlight clear spatial patterns in theHyalomma marginatum-borne pathogen distribution and strengthen the postulate that it is essential to develop effective monitoring strategies and consider the spatial scale to better characterize the circulation of tick-borne pathogens.
Protein Embeddings Predict Binding Residues in Disordered Regions
Authors: Jahn Laura R. , Marquet Céline , Heinzinger Michael , Rost Burkhard
Published: March 2024

The identification of protein binding residues helps to understand their biological processes as protein function is often defined through ligand binding, such as to other proteins, small molecules, ions, or nucleotides. Methods predicting binding residues often err for intrinsically disordered proteins or regions (IDPs/IDPRs), often also referred to as molecular recognition features (MoRFs). Here, we presented a novel machine learning (ML) model trained to specifically predict binding regions in IDPRs. The proposed model, IDBindT5, leveraged embeddings from the protein language model (pLM) ProtT5 to reach a balanced accuracy of 57.2±3.6% (95% confidence interval). Assessed on the same data set, this did not differ at the 95% CI from the state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods ANCHOR2 and DeepDISOBind that rely on expert-crafted features and evolutionary information from multiple sequence alignments (MSAs). Assessed on differ data, methods such as SPOT-MoRF reached higher MCCs. IDBindT5’s SOTA predictions are much faster than other methods, easily enabling full-proteome analyses. Our findings emphasize the potential of pLMs as a promising approach for exploring and predicting features of disordered proteins. The model and a comprehensive manual are publicly available athttps://github.com/jahnl/binding_in_disorder.
A 10-valent composite mRNA vaccine against both influenza and COVID-19
Authors: Wang Yang , Ma Qinhai , Li Man , Mai Qianyi , Ma Lin , Zhang Hong , Zhong Huiling , Cheng Nan , Feng Pei , Guan Peikun , Wu Shengzhen , Zhang Lu , Dai Jun , Zhang Biliang , Pan Weiqi , Yang Zifeng
Published: March 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 viruses has had a persistent and significant impact on global public health for four years. Recently, there has been a resurgence of seasonal influenza transmission worldwide. The co-circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal influenza viruses results in a dual burden on communities. Additionally, the pandemic potential of zoonotic influenza viruses, such as avian Influenza A/H5N1 and A/H7N9, remains a concern. Therefore, a combined vaccine against all these respiratory diseases is in urgent need. mRNA vaccines, with their superior efficacy, speed in development, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, offer a promising solution for such infectious diseases and potential future pandemics. In this study, we present FLUCOV-10, a novel 10-valent mRNA vaccine created from our proven platform. This vaccine encodes hemagglutinin (HA) proteins from four seasonal influenza viruses and two avian influenza viruses with pandemic potential, as well as spike proteins from four SARS-CoV-2 variants. A two-dose immunization with the FLUCOV-10 elicited robust immune responses in mice, producing IgG antibodies, neutralizing antibodies, and antigen-specific cellular immune responses against all the vaccine-matched viruses of influenza and SARS-CoV-2. Remarkably, the FLUCOV-10 immunization provided complete protection in mouse models against both homologous and heterologous strains of influenza and SARS-CoV-2. These results highlight the potential of FLUCOV-10 as an effective vaccine candidate for the prevention of influenza and COVID-19.
Evolution of Tn4371family ICE;traRmediated coordination of cargo gene upregulation and horizontal transfer
Authors: Matsumoto Satoshi , Kishida Kouhei , Nonoyama Shouta , Sakai Keiichiro , Tsuda Masataka , Nagata Yuji , Ohtsubo Yoshiyuki
Published: March 2024

ICEKKS102Tn4677, which has been shown to transfer horizontally, carriesbphoperon for mineralization of PCBs/biphenyl and belongs to an ICE Tn4371family. In this study we investigated the role oftraRgene encoding a LysR-type transcriptional regulator, which is conserved in sequence, positioning, and directional orientation among Tn4371family ICEs. ThetraRbelonged tobphoperon and its overexpression on solid medium resulted in modest upregulation oftraG(3-fold) and marked upregulation ofxis(80-fold), and enhanced ICE excision, and notably ICE transfer frequency. We propose the evolutional roles oftraR, which upon insertion to the current position, connected the cargo gene activation and ICE-transfer. This property of ICE, transferring under environmental conditions that lead to cargo gene activation, would give fitness advantages to the host bacteria, thereby resulting in efficient dissemination of the Tn4371family ICEs.

Significance

Only ICEKKS102Tn4677is proven to transfer among the widely disseminating Tn4371family ICEs from β and γ-proteobacteria. We showed that thetraRgene in ICEKKS102Tn4677conserved in the ICE family with fixed location and direction is co-transcribed with the cargo gene and activates ICE transfer. We propose that capturing oftraRby an ancestral ICE to the current position established ICE Tn4371family ICEs. Our findings provide insights into the evolutionary processes that led to the widespread distribution of the Tn4371family of ICEs across bacterial species.
High-throughput genetics enables identification of nutrient utilization and accessory energy metabolism genes in a model methanogen
Authors: Day Leslie A. , Carlson Hans K. , Fonseca Dallas R. , Arkin Adam P. , Price Morgan N. , Deutschbauer Adam M. , Costa Kyle C.
Published: March 2024

Archaea are widespread in the environment and play fundamental roles in diverse ecosystems; however, characterization of their unique biology requires advanced tools. This is particularly challenging when characterizing gene function. Here, we generate randomly-barcoded transposon libraries in the model methanogenic archaeonMethanococcus maripaludisand use high-throughput growth methods to conduct fitness assays (RB-TnSeq) across over 100 unique growth conditions. Using our approach, we identified new genes involved in nutrient utilization and response to oxidative stress. We identified novel genes for the usage of diverse nitrogen sources inM. maripaludisincluding a putative regulator of alanine deamination and molybdate transporters important for nitrogen fixation. Furthermore, leveraging the fitness data, we provide the first evidence thatM. maripaludis can utilize the nitrogen sources L-glutamine, D-glucuronamide, and adenosine. Under autotrophic growth conditions, we identified a gene encoding a domain of unknown function (DUF166) that is important for fitness and hypothesize it has an accessory role in carbon dioxide assimilation. Finally, comparing fitness costs of oxygen versus sulfite stress, we identified a previously uncharacterized class of dissimilatory sulfite reductase-like proteins (Dsr-LP, group IIId) that is important during growth in the presence of sulfite. When overexpressed, Dsr-LP conferred sulfite resistance and enabled use of sulfite as the sole sulfur source. The high-throughput approach employed here allowed for generation of a large-scale dataset that can be used as a resource to further understand gene function and metabolism in the archaeal domain.

Significance Statement

Archaea are widespread in the environment, yet basic aspects of their biology remain underexplored. To address this, we apply randomly-barcoded transposon libraries (RB-TnSeq) to the model archaeonMethanococcus maripaludis.RB-TnSeq coupled with high-throughput growth assays across over 100 unique conditions identified roles for previously uncharacterized genes, including several encoding proteins with domains of unknown function (DUFs). We also expand on our understanding of carbon and nitrogen metabolism and characterize a group IIId dissimilatory sulfite reductase-like protein as a functional sulfite reductase. This dataset encompasses a wide range of additional conditions including stress, nitrogen fixation, amino acid supplementation, and autotrophy; thus, providing an extensive dataset for the archaeal community to mine for characterizing additional genes of unknown function.
Non-Gaussianities and the large
|η|
approach to inflation
Authors: Tasinato Gianmassimo
Published: March 2024

The physics of primordial black holes can be affected by the non-Gaussian statistics of the density fluctuations that generate them. Therefore, it is important to have good theoretical control of the higher-order correlation functions for primordial curvature perturbations. By working at leading order in a 1/|η| expansion, we analytically determine the bispectrum of curvature fluctuations for single field inflationary scenarios producing primordial black holes. The bispectrum has a rich scale and shape dependence, and its features depend on the dynamics of the would-be decaying mode. We apply our analytical results to study gravitational waves induced at second order by enhanced curvature fluctuations. Their statistical properties are derived in terms of convolution integrals over wide momentum ranges, and they are sensitive on the scale and shape dependence of the curvature bispectrum we analytically computed.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Controlling Confined Collective Organization with Taxis
Authors: Théry Albane , Chamolly Alexander , Lauga Eric
Published: March 2024

Biased locomotion is a common feature of microorganisms, but little is known about its impact on self-organization. Inspired by recent experiments showing a transition to large-scale flows, we study theoretically the dynamics of magnetotactic bacteria confined to a drop. We reveal two symmetry-breaking mechanisms (one local chiral and one global achiral) leading to self-organization into global vortices and a net torque exerted on the drop. The collective behavior is ultimately controlled by the swimmers’ microscopic chirality and, strikingly, the system can exhibit oscillations and memorylike features.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Method to assess the trustworthiness of machine coding at scale
Authors: Fussell Rebeckah K. , Stump Emily M. , Holmes N. G.
Published: March 2024

Physics education researchers are interested in using the tools of machine learning and natural language processing to make quantitative claims from natural language and text data, such as open-ended responses to survey questions. The aspiration is that this form of machine coding may be more efficient and consistent than human coding, allowing much larger and broader datasets to be analyzed than is practical with human coders. Existing work that uses these tools, however, does not investigate norms that allow for trustworthy quantitative claims without full reliance on cross-checking with human coding, which defeats the purpose of using these automated tools. Here we propose a four-part method for making such claims with supervised natural language processing: evaluating a trained model, calculating statistical uncertainty, calculating systematic uncertainty from the trained algorithm, and calculating systematic uncertainty from novel data sources. We provide evidence for this method using data from two distinct short response survey questions with two distinct coding schemes. We also provide a real-world example of using these practices to machine code a dataset unseen by human coders. We offer recommendations to guide physics education researchers who may use machine-coding methods in the future.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Cascaded variational quantum eigensolver algorithm
Authors: Gunlycke Daniel , Hellberg C. Stephen , Stenger John P. T.
Published: March 2024

We present a cascaded variational quantum eigensolver algorithm that only requires the execution of a set of quantum circuits once rather than at every iteration during the parameter optimization process, thereby increasing the computational throughput. This algorithm uses a quantum processing unit to probe the needed probability mass functions and a classical processing unit perform the remaining calculations, including the energy minimization. The ansatz form does not restrict the Fock space and provides full control over the trial state, including the implementation of symmetry and other physically motivated constraints.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Optimal function estimation with photonic quantum sensor networks
Authors: Bringewatt Jacob , Ehrenberg Adam , Goel Tarushii , Gorshkov Alexey V.
Published: March 2024

The problem of optimally measuring an analytic function of unknown local parameters each linearly coupled to a qubit sensor is well understood, with applications ranging from field interpolation to noise characterization. Here we resolve a number of open questions that arise when extending this framework to Mach-Zehnder interferometers and quadrature displacement sensing. In particular, we derive lower bounds on the achievable mean square error in estimating a linear function of either local phase shifts or quadrature displacements. In the case of local phase shifts, these results prove, and somewhat generalize, a conjecture by Proctor []. For quadrature displacements, we extend proofs of lower bounds to the case of arbitrary linear functions. We provide optimal protocols achieving these bounds up to small (multiplicative) constants and describe an algebraic approach to deriving new optimal protocols, possibly subject to additional constraints. Using this approach, we prove necessary conditions for the amount of entanglement needed for any optimal protocol for both local phase and displacement sensing.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Synthesis, crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of N-(6-acetyl-1-nitronaphthalen-2-yl)acetamide
Authors: Shi Xin-Wei , Zheng Shao-Jun , Lu Qiang-Qiang , Li Gen , Zhou Ya-Fu
Published: March 2024

The title compound, C14H12N2O4, was obtained from 2-acetyl-6-aminonaphthalene through two-step reactions of acetylation and nitration. The molecule comprises the naphthalene ring system consisting of functional systems bearing a acetyl group (C-2), a nitro group (C-5), and an acetylamino group (C-6). In the crystal, the molecules are assembled into two-dimensional sheet-like structures by intermolecular N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions. Hirshfeld surface analysis illustrates that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are from O...H/H...O (43.7%), H...H (31.0%), and C...H/H...C (8.5%) contacts.
Crystal structure of defect scheelite-type Nd2/3[WO4]
Authors: Knies Benjamin , Hartenbach Ingo
Published: March 2024

Neodymium(III) ortho-oxidotungstate(VI) was synthesized as a side-product in an unsuccessful synthesis attempt at fluoride derivatives of neodymium tungstate in fused silica ampoules, using neodymium(III) oxide, neodymium(III) fluoride and tungsten trioxide. Violet, platelet-shaped single crystals of the title compound emerged of the bulk, which crystallize in the defect scheelite type with a trigonal dodecahedral coordination of oxide anions around the Nd3+ cations and the hexavalent tungsten cations situated in the centers of oxide tetrahedra.
erythro-{1-Bromo-1-[(1-phenylethyl)sulfonyl]ethyl}benzene
Authors: Corfield Peter W. R.
Published: March 2024

The title compound, C16H17BrO2S, crystallizes as the erythro (RR/SS) isomer of a pair of sulfones that were diastereomeric due to chirality of the α-carbon atoms on the sulfone sulfur atom. The structural analysis was pivotal in showing that the 1,3 elimination reactions of these compounds, which lead to substituted stilbenes, occur with inversion at each asymmetric carbon atom. In the crystal, C—H...Br and C—H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into a tri-periodic intermolecular network.
A literature-based view on technology transfer and culture
Authors: Gambi Lillian Do Nascimento , Debackere Koenraad
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of the literature on technology transfer and culture, identifying the main contents of the current body of knowledge encompassing culture and technology transfer (TT), thus contributing to a better understanding of the relationship between TT and culture based on bibliometric and multivariate statistical analyses of the relevant body of literature.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this study were collected from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database. Based on a bibliometric analysis and in-depth empirical review of major TT subjects, supported by multivariate statistical analyses, over 200 articles were systematically reviewed. The use of these methods decreases biases since it adds rigor to the subjective evaluation of the relevant literature base.

Findings

The exploratory analysis of the articles shows that first, culture is an important topic for TT in the literature; second, the publication data demonstrate a great dynamism regarding the different contexts in which culture is covered in the TT literature and third, in the last couple of years the interest of stimulating a TT culture in the context of universities has continuously grown.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on culture in the context of TT and identifies the main contents of the body of knowledge in the area. Based on this first insight, obtained through more detailed bibliometric and multivariate analyses, it is now important to develop and validate a theory on TT culture, emphasizing the dimensions of organizational culture, entrepreneurial culture and a culture of openness that fosters economic and societal spillovers, and to link those dimensions to the performance of TT activities.

Practical implications

From the practical point of view, managers in companies and universities should be aware of the importance of identifying those dimensions of culture that contribute most to the success of their TT activities.

Originality/value

Despite several literature reviews on the TT topic, no studies focusing specifically on culture in the context of TT have been developed. Therefore, given the multifaceted nature of the research field, this study aims to expand and to deepen the analysis of the TT literature by focusing on culture as an important and commonly cited element influencing TT performance.
Human-centricity in Industry 5.0 – revealing of hidden research topics by unsupervised topic modeling using Latent Dirichlet Allocation
Authors: Madzik Peter , Falat Lukas , Jum’a Luay , Vrábliková Mária , Zimon Dominik
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The set of 2,509 documents related to the human-centric aspect of manufacturing were retrieved from Scopus database and systmatically analyzed. Using an unsupervised machine learning approach based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation we were able to identify latent topics related to human-centric aspect of Industry 5.0.

Design/methodology/approach

This study aims to create a scientific map of the human-centric aspect of manufacturing and thus provide a systematic framework for further research development of Industry 5.0.

Findings

In this study a 140 unique research topics were identified, 19 of which had sufficient research impact and research interest so that we could mark them as the most significant. In addition to the most significant topics, this study contains a detailed analysis of their development and points out their connections.

Originality/value

Industry 5.0 has three pillars – human-centric, sustainable, and resilient. The sustainable and resilient aspect of manufacturing has been the subject of many studies in the past. The human-centric aspect of such a systematic description and deep analysis of latent topics is currently just passing through.
A review of and future research agenda on women entrepreneurship in Africa
Authors: Woldesenbet Beta Kassa , Mwila Natasha Katuta , Ogunmokun Olapeju
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This paper seeks to systematically review and synthesise existing research knowledge on African women entrepreneurship to identify gaps for future studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper conducted a systematic literature review of published studies from 1990 to 2020 on women entrepreneurship in Africa using a 5M gender aware framework of Brush et al. (2009).

Findings

The systematic literature review of published studies found the fragmentation, descriptive and prescriptive orientation of studies on Africa women entrepreneurship and devoid of theoretical focus. Further, women entrepreneurship studies tended to be underpinned from various disciplines, less from the entrepreneurship lens, mostly quantitative, and at its infancy stage of development. With a primary focus on development, enterprise performance and livelihood, studies rarely attended to issues of motherhood and the nuanced understanding of women entrepreneurship’s embeddedness in family and institutional contexts of Africa.

Research limitations/implications

The paper questions the view that women entrepreneurship is a “panacea” and unravels how family context, customary practices, poverty and, rural-urban and formal/informal divide, significantly shape and interact with African women entrepreneurs’ enterprising experience and firm performance.

Practical implications

The findings and analyses indicate that any initiatives to support women empowerment via entrepreneurship should consider the socially constructed nature of women entrepreneurship and the subtle interplay of the African institutional contexts’ intricacies, spatial and locational differences which significantly influence women entrepreneurs’ choices, motivations and goals for enterprising.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to a holistic understanding of women entrepreneurship in Africa by using a 5M framework to review the research knowledge. In addition, the paper not only identifies unexplored/or less examined issues but also questions the taken-for-granted assumptions of existing knowledge and suggest adoption of context- and gender-sensitive theories and methods.
Research performance evaluation model in university: evidence from Indonesia
Authors: Hermanu Adhi Indra , Sari Diana , Sondari Mery Citra , Dimyati Muhammad
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This research aimed to examine the impact of input, process, output, productivity and outcome variables on university research performance and the indicators that represent them in order to improve academic quality and contribute to government policy.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative approach was used through a survey method that obtained samples using questionnaires from 150 leaders of research institutions and continued analysis using the structural equation modeling-partial least square (SEM-PLS) to test the developed model.

Findings

Except for the relationship between process and productivity variables, all variable relationships had a positive and significant effect. Furthermore, the input, process, output, productivity and outcome variables each include seven, twelve, four and ten indicators.

Research limitations/implications

This study has several ramifications because it provides a clear policy input and advances science. As a prelude to developing research performance assessment tools that take into account variances in a tertiary institution, this research aids in the implementation of national policies for assessing research performance in postsecondary institutions.

Originality/value

To improve the accuracy of the information acquired, we conducted a survey among the heads of research units at various higher-ranking Indonesian universities, taking into consideration their skill and experience in leading research organizations and conducting research. Other than that, our belief in the originality of our manuscript is strengthened by the way we applied systems theory to construct a performance evaluation model that examines each contribution made by each system aspect.
Effects of energy price shock on the macroeconomic indicators of India: a new measure
Authors: Raj Karan , Sharma Devashish
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to construct a new index to assess the impact of an energy price shock on macroeconomic indicators of India. This paper also shows a comparative analysis of the constructed index along with pre-existing World Bank and International Monetary Fund indices on energy.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses three vector autoregressions and compute the long-term impact of the indices on the considered macroeconomic variables through impulse response functions.

Findings

This paper finds that an energy price shock has a detrimental impact on the macroeconomic indicators of India in the long run. This study also finds that the constructed index acts as a relatively more sensitive index in comparison to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank indices, which is bespoke to a developing economy case. This sensitivity is ascribed to dynamic weighting for a different basket of energy components, which are more pertinent to an Indian context.

Originality/value

The novelty of this research lies in the construction of a new index and its comparison to the existing ones. This study justifies why a developing economy would require a different measure of energy as opposed to the existing indices.
Unpacking place-based narratives: enhancing campus community participation in watershed conservation
Authors: Abd. Kadir Siti Norasiah , MacBride-Stewart Sara , Mohamad Zeeda Fatimah
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The study aims to identify the evoked “sense of place” that the campus community attributes to a watershed area in a Malaysian higher institution, aiming to enhance their participation in watershed conservation. Central to this objective is the incorporation of the concept of a watershed as a place, serving as the conceptual framework for analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

This case study explores an urban lake at Universiti Malaya, Malaysia’s oldest higher institution. It uses diverse qualitative data, including document analysis, semi-structured interviews, vox-pop interviews and a co-production workshop, to generate place-based narratives reflecting the meanings and values that staff and students associate with the watershed. Thematic analysis is then applied for further examination.

Findings

The data patterns reveal shared sense of place responses on: campus as a historic place, student, staff and campus identity, in-place learning experiences and interweaving of community well-being and watershed health. Recommendations advocate translating these narratives into campus sustainability communication through empirical findings and continuous co-production of knowledge and strategies with the campus community.

Practical implications

The research findings play a critical role in influencing sustainable campus planning and community inclusion by integrating place-based frameworks into sustainable development and watershed management. The study recommends the process of identifying place-based narratives with implications for the development of sustainability communication in a campus environment.

Originality/value

This paper contributes both conceptually and empirically to the sustainable management of a campus watershed area through place-based thinking. It outlines a process for enhancing campus sustainability communication strategies.
Ultra-high cycle fatigue and ultra-slow crack growth behavior of additively manufactured AlSi7Mg alloy
Authors: Zhao Qiuchen , Li Xue , Hu Junchao , Jiang Yuehui , Yang Kun , Wang Qingyuan
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the ultra-high cycle fatigue behavior and ultra-slow crack propagation behavior of selective laser melting (SLM) AlSi7Mg alloy under as-built conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

Constant amplitude and two-step variable amplitude fatigue tests were carried out using ultrasonic fatigue equipment. The fracture surface of the failure specimen was quantitatively analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM).

Findings

The results show that the competition of surface and interior crack initiation modes leads to a duplex S–N curve. Both manufacturing defects (such as the lack of fusion) and inclusions can act as initially fatal fatigue microcracks, and the fatigue sensitivity level decreases with the location, size and type of the maximum defects.

Originality/value

The research results play a certain role in understanding the ultra-high cycle fatigue behavior of additive manufacturing aluminum alloys. It can provide reference for improving the process parameters of SLM technology.
Building community is the first thing HR leaders need to do
Authors: Freed Jann E.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to help HR leaders understand the value of building community and advice on how they can build community in their teams and organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The author draws from recent data about loneliness and community and incorporates real-world strategies and suggestions.

Findings

Building community is often overlooked or undervalued, but HR leaders can take steps to help employees feel as though they are part of a community and be more engaged in their work.

Originality/value

This paper fulfills a need that has been identified across major publications in the USA in recent years: how HR leaders can help employees combat loneliness and social isolation and feel more engaged at work.
Bank Supervision and Organizational Capital: The Case of Minority Lending
Authors: AN BYEONGCHAN , BUSHMAN ROBERT , KLEYMENOVA ANYA , TOMY RIMMY E.
Published: March 2024

We investigate whether improvements in banks' organizational capital and control systems facilitate increased loan origination to minority borrowers. We focus on bank supervisors' enforcement decisions and orders (EDOs) against banks and hypothesize that EDO‐imposed improvements in loan policies, internal governance, and employee training mitigate deficiencies in credit assessments and lending decisions that previously disadvantaged minority borrowers. We find that mortgage origination to minority borrowers increases following the resolution of EDOs, and more so for banks with stricter supervisors or more severe EDOs. Using a semisupervised machine learning method to analyze the text of EDOs, we find that such increases are higher for EDOs specifying revisions of loan policies, implementation of formal internal governance procedures, or more employee training. Overall, we find that EDO‐driven improvements in organizational capital generate unintended, positive social externalities that enhance access to credit for minority borrowers.
Comparing practice‐ and results‐based agri‐environmental schemes controlled by remote sensing: An application to olive groves in Spain
Authors: Villanueva Anastasio J. , Granado‐Díaz Rubén , Colombo Sergio
Published: March 2024

Farmers' preferences toward practice‐ and results‐based agri‐environmental schemes (AES) are analysed using a labelled choice experiment. The analysis focuses on schemes involving an innovative satellite‐based monitoring system, with different environmental objectives. Olive groves in southern Spain are used as a case study. Results show no statistically significant differences in farmers' willingness to accept (WTA) payment for participating in practice‐ versus results‐based AES when the scheme targets carbon sequestration. By contrast, farmers require a significantly higher WTA payment for results‐based AES when targeting biodiversity (using bird species as an indicator), mostly due to the uncertainties related to its provision and monitoring. WTA significantly increases with provision level and remote sensing monitoring, regardless of the type of scheme. Significant preference heterogeneity is observed, partly explained by farmers' attitudes toward risk and their beliefs about environmental service provision and monitoring capacity. The results suggest useful policy implications, including the potential of making use of joint provision of environmental services in the design of results‐based AES and accompanying them with uncertainty mitigating measures.
Forensic analysis of iOS binary cookie files
Authors: Studiawan Hudan
Published: March 2024

iPhone operating system (iOS) devices utilize binary cookies as a data storage tool, encoding user‐specific information within an often‐neglected element of smartphone analysis. This binary format contains details such as cookie flags, expiration, and creation dates, domain, and value of the cookie. These data are invaluable for forensic investigations. This study presents a comprehensive methodology to decode and extract valuable data from these files, enhancing the ability to recover user activity information from iOS devices. This paper provides an in‐depth forensic investigation into the structure and function of iOS binary cookie files. Our proposed forensic technique includes a combination of reverse engineering and custom‐built Python scripts to decode the binary structure. The results of our research demonstrate that these cookie files can reveal an array of important digital traces, including user preferences, visited websites, and timestamps of online activities. It concludes that the forensic analysis of iOS binary cookie files can be a tool for forensic investigators and cybersecurity professionals. In the rapidly evolving domain of digital forensics, this research contributes to our understanding of less‐explored data sources within iOS devices and their potential value in investigative contexts.
Democracy's Fatal Flaw: Anonymity and the Normalization of Offence in John Dunton's Epistolary Periodicals
Authors: Berry Helen
Published: March 2024

Epistolary periodicals associated with English coffee house culture have often been associated with Jürgen Habermas' model for the rise of the ‘bourgeois public sphere’. Habermas proposed this ultimately gave rise to the free articulation of public opinion and the emergence of democratic values. Written at a time of socio‐political upheaval, John Dunton's serial publications relied upon anonymous authorship, particularly his most famous periodical, the Athenian Mercury (1691–97), which pioneered the question‐and‐answer format and gave rise to many imitations. In the present era, we are witnessing democracy imperilled by the proliferation of AI‐driven ‘fake news’. This paper proposes that the origins of this phenomenon may be found in epistolary periodicals which normalized giving and receiving offence in print. The pernicious quality of anonymous print, free from personal accountability or consequences, embedded from its inception a fatal flaw in the project of constituting a democratic public sphere.
Functional analyses of bacterial genomes found in Symbiodiniaceae genome assemblies
Authors: Shoguchi Eiichi , Kawachi Masanobu , Shinzato Chuya , Beedessee Girish
Published: March 2024

Bacterial–algal interactions strongly influence marine ecosystems. Bacterial communities in cultured dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae have been characterized by metagenomics. However, little is known about whole‐genome analysis of marine bacteria associated with these dinoflagellates. We performed in silico analysis of four bacterial genomes from cultures of four dinoflagellates of the genera Symbiodinium, Breviolum, Cladocopium and Durusdinium. Comparative analysis showed that the former three contain the alphaproteobacterial family Parvibaculaceae and that the Durusdinium culture includes the family Sphingomonadaceae. There were no large genomic reductions in the alphaproteobacteria with genome sizes of 2.9–3.9 Mb, implying they are not obligate intracellular bacteria. Genomic annotations of three Parvibaculaceae detected the gene for diacetylchitobiose deacetylase (Dac), which may be involved in the degradation of dinoflagellate cell surfaces. They also had metabolic genes for dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) in the nitrogen (N) cycle and cobalamin (vitamin B12) biosynthetic genes in the salvage pathway. Those three characters were not found in the Sphingomonadaceae genome. Predicted biosynthetic gene clusters for secondary metabolites indicated that the Parvibaculaceae likely produce the same secondary metabolites. Our study suggests that the Parvibaculaceae is a major resident of Symbiodiniaceae cultures with antibiotics.
Taxonomic patterns of host plants and its impact on honey properties by two sympatric Afrotropical stingless bee species in Zanzibar (Tanzania)
Authors: Ndungu Nelly , Noiset Pierre , Chege Mary , Waweru Jacqueline Wahura , Sharifu Nassor , Vereecken Nicolas J. , Kiatoko Nkoba
Published: March 2024

Stingless bees are important pollinators and producers of honey used in folk medicine. We investigate the nectar sources for two Afrotropical stingless bee species, Hypotrigona araujoi and Meliponula ferruginea. Pollen was extracted and processed using next‐generation sequencing (NGS) methods, DNA metabarcoding. Results show that stingless bees visited 32 plant genera. Wild plants were the major nectar sources for the two stingless bees' species. The diversity of plants visited and honey physical–chemical characteristics differed between the two bee species, suggesting that they use comparable spectra of host plants. This information should help prioritise the conservation of identified forage plants.