bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of multifactorial stress combination on rice and maize
Authors: Sinha Ranjita , Peláez-Vico María Ángeles , Shostak Benjamin , Nguyen Thi Thao , Pascual Lidia S. , Zandalinas Sara I. , Joshi Trupti , Fritschi Felix B. , Mittler Ron
Published: December 2022

The complexity of environmental factors affecting plants is gradually increasing due to global warming, an increase in the number and intensity of climate change-driven weather events, such as droughts, heat waves, and floods, and the accumulation of different pollutants. The impact of multiple stress conditions on plants was recently termed ‘multifactorial stress combination’ (MFSC) and defined as the occurrence of three or more stressors that impact plants simultaneously or sequentially. We recently reported that with the increased number and complexity of different stressors, the growth and survival ofArabidopsis thalianaseedlings declines; even if the level of each individual stress is low enough to have no significant effect on plants. This finding is alarming since it reveals that MFSCs of different low-level stressors could impact crops and cause a dramatic reduction in overall growth. However, whether MFSC would impact commercial crop cultivars has not been studied. Here, we reveal that a MFSC of 5 different low level abiotic stresses (salinity, heat, the herbicide paraquat, phosphorus deficiency, and the heavy metal cadmium), applied in an increasing level of complexity, has a significant negative impact on the growth and biomass of a commercial rice (Oryza sativa) cultivar and a maize (Zea mays) hybrid. We further report on the first proteomics analysis of MFSC in plants that identified over 300 proteins common to all 4- and 5-MFSCs. Taken together our findings reveal that the impacts of MFSC on two different crop species are severe, and that MFSC may significantly affect agricultural productivity.
Displacement of extracellular chloride by immobile anionic constituents of the brain’s extracellular matrix
Authors: Normoyle Kieran P , Lillis Kyle P , Egawa Kiyoshi , McNally Melanie A , Paulchakrabarti Mousumi , Coudhury Biswa P , Lau Lauren , Shiu Fu Hung , Staley Kevin J
Published: December 2022

GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. Membrane currents evoked by GABAAreceptor activation have uniquely small driving forces: their reversal potential (EGABA) is very close to the resting membrane potential. As a consequence, GABAAcurrents can flow in either direction, depending on both the membrane potential and the local intra and extracellular concentrations of the primary permeant ion, chloride (Cl). Local cytoplasmic Cl concentrations vary widely due to displacement of mobile Cl ions by relatively immobile anions. Here we use new reporters of extracellular chloride (Cl-o) to demonstrate that Cl is displaced in the extracellular space by high and spatially heterogenous concentrations of immobile anions including sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs). Cl-ovaries widely, and the mean Cl-ois only half the canonical concentration, i.e. the Cl concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid. These unexpectedly low and heterogenous Cl-odomains provide a mechanism to link the varied but highly stable distribution of sGAGs and other immobile anions in the brain’s extracellular space to neuronal signal processing via the effects on the amplitude and direction of GABAAtransmembrane Cl currents.

Key Points Summary

Extracellular chloride concentrations in the brain were measured using a new chloride-sensitive organic fluorophore and two photon fluorescence lifetime imaging.

In vivo, the extracellular chloride concentration was spatially heterogenous and only half of the CSF chloride concentration

Stable displacement of extracellular chloride by immobile extracellular anions was responsible for the low extracellular chloride concentration

The changes in extracellular chloride were of sufficient magnitude to alter the conductance and reversal potential of GABAAchloride currents

The stability of the extracellular matrix, the impact of the component immobile anions including sulfated glycosaminoglycans on extracellular chloride concentrations, and the consequent effect on GABAAsignaling suggests a previously unappreciated mechanism for modulating GABAAsignaling.
Porcine cytomegalovirus detection by nanopore-based metagenomic sequencing in a Hungarian pig farm
Authors: Tóth Adrienn Gréta , Fiam Regina , Becsei Ágnes , Spisák Sándor , Csabai István , Makrai László , Reibling Tamás , Solymosi Norbert
Published: December 2022

The rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases has an essential impact on their control, treatment and recovery. Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing opens up a new dimension in applying clinical metagenomics. In a large-scale pig farm in Hungary, four fattening and one piglet nasal swab pooled samples were sequenced using ONT for metagenomic analysis. Long reads covering 53.69% of the porcine cytomegalovirus genome were obtained in the piglet sample. The 650 bp long read matching theglycoprotein Bgene of the virus is sequentially most similar to Japanese, Chinese and Spanish isolates.
Ganglioside GM1 produces stable, short, and cytotoxic Aβ40protofibrils
Authors: Kumar Manjeet , Ivanova Magdalena I , Ramamoorthy Ayyalusamy
Published: December 2022

Monosialoganglioside GM1-bound amyloid β-peptides have been found in patients’ brains exhibiting early pathological changes of Alzheimer’ s disease. Herein, we report the ability of non-micellar GM1 to modulate Aβ40aggregation resulting in the formation of stable, short, rod-like, and cytotoxic Aβ40protofibrils with the ability to potentiate both Aβ40and Aβ42aggregation.
Plant age-dependent dynamics of annatto pigment (bixin) biosynthesis inBixa orellanaL.
Authors: de Godoy Machado Kleiton Lima , Faria Daniele Vidal , Duarte Marcos Bruno Silva , Silva Lázara Aline Simões , dos Reis de Oliveira Tadeu , de Arruda Falcão Thais Castilho , Batista Diego Silva , Costa Marcio Gilberto Cardoso , Santa-Catarina Claudete , Silveira Vanildo , Romanel Elisson , Otoni Wagner Campos , Nogueira Fabio Tebaldi Silveira
Published: December 2022

Age affects the production of secondary metabolites, but how developmental cues regulate secondary metabolism remains poorly understood. Annatto(Bixa orellanaL.) is a source of bixin, an apocarotenoid used in the world’s food industry worldwide. Understanding how age-dependent mechanisms control bixin biosynthesis is of great interest for plant biology and for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and textile industries. Here, we used genetic and molecular tools to unravel the role of the annatto age regulated miRNA156 (miR156) targetedSQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN LIKE (BoSPL)genes in secondary metabolism. Low expression of severalBoSPLgenes in miR156 overexpressing annatto plants (OE::156) impacted leaf ontogeny, reducing bixin production and increasing abscisic acid (ABA) levels. Modulation ofBoCCD4;4andBoCCD1expression, key genes in lycopene cleavage, was associated with diverting the carbon flux from bixin to ABA, whereas upregulation oflycopene β cyclasegenes implies the xanthophyll biosynthetic pathway acted as a carbon sink in OE::156 plants. Proteomic analyses revealed low accumulation of most secondary metabolite-related enzymes in OE::156 plants, suggesting that miR156 targetedBoSPLsare required to activate several annatto secondary metabolic pathways. Our findings suggest that carbon flux inB. orellanaOE::156 leaves was redirected from bixin to ABA production, indicating an age-dependent leaf dynamics of bixin biosynthesis. Importantly, our study opened a new venue to future annatto breeding programs aiming to improve bixin output.
Analysis of the Toll and spaetzle genes involved in Toll pathway-dependent antimicrobial gene induction in the red flour beetle,Tribolium castaneum(Coleoptera: Tenebriodae)
Authors: Kato Daiki , Miura Ken , Yokoi Kakeru
Published: December 2022

Insects rely only on their innate immune system to protect themselves from pathogens. Antimicrobial peptide (AMP) production is the main immune reaction in insects. InDrosophila melanogaster, the reaction is regulated mainly by the Toll and immune deficiency (IMD) pathways. Spaetzle proteins, activated by immune signals from upstream components, bind to Toll proteins, thus activating the Toll pathway, which in turn induces AMP genes. Previous studies have shown the difference immune ststems related to Toll and IMD pathways betweenD. melanogasterandTribolium castaneum. InT. castaneum, 9 Toll and 7 spaetzle genes have been identified. To extend our understanding of AMP production byT. castaneum, we conducted functional assays of Toll and spaetzle genes related to Toll pathway-dependent AMP gene expression inT. castaneumunder challenge with bacteria or budding yeast using RNA interference and qRT-PCR. The results revealed thatToll3andToll4double-knockdown andspz7knockdown strongly and moderately reduced the Toll pathway-dependent expression of AMP genes, respectively. Moreover,Toll3andToll4double-knockdown pupae more rapidly succumbed to entomopathogenic bacteria than the control pupae, butspz7knockdown pupae did not. The results suggest thatToll3 and Toll4play a large role in Toll pathway-dependent immune reactions, whereasspz7plays a small part.
Development of an antibody fused with an antimicrobial peptide targetingPseudomonas aeruginosa:a new approach to prevent and treat bacterial infections
Authors: Johnson Kenneth , Delaney James C. , Guillard Thomas , Reffuveille Fanny , Varin-Simon Jennifer , Li Kai , Wollacott Andrew , Frapy Eric , Mong Surin , Tissire Hamid , Viswanathan Karthik , Touti Faycal , Babcock Gregory J. , Shriver Zachary , Pentelute Bradley L. , Plante Obadiah , Skurnik David
Published: December 2022

The increase of emerging drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections is of global concern. In addition, there is growing recognition that compromising the microbiota, through the use of broad spectrum antibiotics, may affect patient health in the long term. Therefore, there is the need to develop new -cidal strategies to combat Gram-negative infections that would consider these specific issues. In this study, we report and characterize one such approach, the antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that combine (i) targeting a specific pathogenic organism through a monoclonal antibody with (ii) the high killing activity of antimicrobial peptides. We focused on a major pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium associated with antibacterial resistance:Pseudomonas aeruginosaand designed an ADC by fusing an antimicrobial peptide at the C-terminal end of the VHand/or VL-chain of a monoclonal antibody, VSX, that targets the core ofP. aeruginosalipopolysaccharide (LPS). This ADC demonstrated appropriately minimal levels of toxicity to mammalian cells and rapidly killsP. aeruginosastrains through several mechanisms while protecting mice fromP. aeruginosalung infection when administered therapeutically. Furthermore, we found that the ADC was synergistic with several classes of antibiotics. This approach described in this study may result in a widely useful strategy to target specific pathogenic microorganisms without augmenting further antibiotic resistance.

Author Summary

The increasing of emerging drug resistant bacterial infections is a worldwide issue and infections caused by antibiotic resistant Gram-negative pathogens are particularly concerning. In addition, there is now growing recognition that disruption of the microbiota, through the use of broad spectrum antibiotics, may affect patient health in the long term. Therefore, there is the need to develop new -cidal strategies to combat Gram-negative infections while preserving the microbiota and also avoid enhancement of antibiotic resistance. We report and characterize here one such approach by using a specific monoclonal antibody associated with the potent killing activity of antimicrobial peptides in the form of an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). The selected pathogenic bacterium wasPseudomonas aeruginosa,that presents numerous markers for both innate and acquired antibiotic resistance. The ADC lacked significant cytotoxicity against mammalian cells and was shown to be effective bothin vitroandin vivoagainstP. aeruginosa.
Systematic characterization ofDrosophilaRhoGEF/GAP localizations uncovers regulators of mechanosensing and junction formation during epithelial cell division
Authors: di Pietro Florencia , Osswald Mariana , De las Heras José M , Cristo Ines , Gay Jesus Lopez- , Wang Zhimin , Pelletier Stéphane , Gaugué Isabelle , Leroy Adrien , Martin Charlotte , Morais-De-Sá Eurico , Bellaïche Yohanns
Published: December 2022

Cell proliferation is central to epithelial tissue development, repair and homeostasis. During cell division, small RhoGTPases control both actomyosin dynamics and cell-cell junction remodelling to faithfully segregate the duplicated genome while maintaining tissue polarity and integrity. To decipher the mechanisms of RhoGTPases spatiotemporal regulation during epithelial cell division, we generated a transgenic fluorescently tagged library forDrosophilaRho Guanine exchange factors (GEF) and GTPase activating proteins (GAP), and systematically characterized their endogenous distributions by time- lapse microscopy. Thereby, we unveiled candidate regulators of the interplay between actomyosin and junctional dynamics during epithelial cell division. Building on these findings, we uncovered that during cytokinesis, Cysts and RhoGEF4 play sequential roles in mechanosensing andde novojunction formation, respectively. We foresee that the RhoGEF/GAP library will be a key resource to understand the broad range of biological processes regulated by RhoGTPases.
Metastatic infiltration of nervous tissue and periosteal nerve sprouting in multiple myeloma induced bone pain
Authors: Diaz-delCastillo Marta , Palasca Oana , Nemler Tim T. , Thygesen Didde M , Chávez-Saldaña Norma A , Vázquez-Mora Juan A , Ponce Gomez Lizeth Y , Jensen Lars Juhl , Evans Holly , Andrews Rebecca E. , Mandal Aritri , Neves David , Mehlen Patrick , Caruso James P , Dougherty Patrick M. , Price Theodore J , Chantry Andrew , Lawson Michelle A , Andersen Thomas L. , Jimenez-Andrade Juan M , Heegaard Anne-Marie
Published: December 2022

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a neoplasia of B plasma cells that often induces bone pain. However, the mechanisms underlying myeloma-induced bone pain (MIBP) are mostly unknown. Using a syngeneic MM mouse model, we show that periosteal nerve sprouting of calcitonin-gene related protein (CGRP+) and growth associated protein 43 (GAP43+) fibres occurs concurrent to the onset of nociception and its blockade provides transient pain relief. MM patient samples also showed increased periosteal innervation. Mechanistically, we investigated MM induced gene expression changes in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) innervating the MM-bearing bone and found alterations in pathways associated with cell cycle, immune response and neuronal signalling. The MM transcriptional signature was consistent with metastatic MM infiltration to the DRG, a never-before described feature of the disease that we further demonstrated histologically. In the DRG, MM cells caused loss of vascularization and neuronal injury, which may contribute to late-stage MIBP. Interestingly, the transcriptional signature of a MM patient was consistent with MM cell infiltration to the DRG. Overall, our results suggest that MM induces a plethora of peripheral nervous system alterations that may contribute to the failure of current analgesics and suggest neuroprotective drugs as appropriate strategies to treat early onset MIBP.

Significance statement

Multiple myeloma is a painful bone marrow cancer that significantly impairs the quality of life of the patients. Analgesic therapies for myeloma-induced bone pain (MIBP) are limited and often ineffective, and the mechanisms of MIBP remain unknown. In this manuscript, we describe cancer-induced periosteal nerve sprouting in a mouse model of MIBP, where we also encounter metastasis to the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), a never-before described feature of the disease. Concomitant to myeloma infiltration, the lumbar DRGs presented blood vessel damage and transcriptional alterations, which may mediate MIBP. Explorative studies on human tissue support our preclinical findings. Understanding the mechanisms of MIBP is crucial to develop targeted analgesic with better efficacy and fewer side effects for this patient population.
INDIVIDUAL LIGHT HISTORY MATTERS TO COPE WITH THE ANTARCTIC SUMMER
Authors: Castillo Julieta , Tonon André Comiran , Hidalgo María Paz Loayza , Silva Ana , Tassino Bettina
Published: December 2022

The effect of light, main zeitgeber of the circadian system, depends on the time of day it is received. A brief trip to the Antarctic summer (ANT) allowed us to explore the impact of a sudden and synchronized increase in light exposure on activity-rest rhythms and sleep patterns of 11 Uruguayan university students, and to assess the significance of light history in determining individual circadian phase shift. Measurements collected in the peri-equinox in Montevideo, Uruguay (baseline situation, MVD) and in ANT, included sleep logs, actigraphy, and salivary melatonin to determine dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO), the most reliable marker of circadian phase. The increase in light exposure in ANT with respect to MVD (affecting both light-sensitive windows with opposite effects on the circadian phase) resulted in no net change in DLMO among participants as some participants advanced their DLMO and some others delayed it. The ultimate cause of each participant’s distinctive circadian phase shift relied on the unique change in light exposure each individual was subjected to between their MVD and ANT. This is the first study to show a clear physiological effect of light either advancing or delaying the circadian phase dependent on individual light history in an ecological study.
Pioneer transcription factors coordinate active and repressive gene expression states to regulate cell fate
Authors: Matsui Satoshi , Granitto Marissa , Buckley Morgan , Shiley Joseph , Zacharias William , Mayhew Christopher , Lim Hee-Woong , Iwafuchi Makiko
Published: December 2022

Pioneer transcription factors (TFs) regulate cell fate by establishing transcriptionally primed and active states. However, cell fate control requires the coordination of both lineage-specific gene activation and repression of alternative lineage programs, a process that is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the pioneer TF Forkhead box A (FOXA), required for endoderm lineage commitment, coordinates with the PR domain zinc finger 1 (PRDM1) TF to recruit Polycomb repressive complexes, which establish bivalent enhancers and repress alternative lineage programs. Similarly, the pioneer TF OCT4 coordinates with PRDM14 to repress cell differentiation programs in pluripotent stem cells, suggesting this is a common feature of pioneer TFs. We propose that pioneer and PRDM TFs coordinate recruitment of Polycomb complexes to safeguard cell fate.

One-Sentence Summary

Pioneer and PRDM transcription factors repress alternative lineage programs.
Decoding Numeracy and Literacy in the Human Brain: Insights from MEG and MVPA
Authors: Nara Sanjeev , Raza Haider , Carreiras Manuel , Molinaro Nicola
Published: December 2022

Numbers and letters are the fundamental building blocks of our everyday social interactions. Previous studies have focused on determining the cortical networks shaped by numeracy and literacy in the human brain, partially supporting the hypothesis of distinct neural circuits involved the processing of the two categories. In this study, we aim to investigate the temporal dynamics for number and letter processing. We present MEG data from two experiments (N=20 each). In the first experiment, single numbers, letter, and their respective false fonts (false numbers and false letters) were presented, whereas, in the second experiment, numbers, letters, and their respective false fonts were presented as a string of characters. We used multivariate pattern analysis techniques (time-resolved decoding and temporal generalization) testing the strong hypothesis that the neural mechanisms supporting letter and number processing can be logistically classified as categorically separate. Our results show a very early dissociation (∼100 ms) between numbers, and letters when compared to false fonts. Number processing can be dissociated with similar accuracy when presented as isolated items or strings of characters, while letter processing shows dissociable classification accuracy for single items compared to strings. These findings reinforce the evidence indicating that early visual processing can be differently shaped by the experience with numbers and letters; this dissociation is stronger for strings compared to single items, thus showing that combinatorial mechanisms for numbers and letters could be categorically distinguished and influence early brain activity.
A change in behavioral state switches the pattern of motor output that underlies rhythmic head and orofacial movements
Authors: Liao Song-Mao , Kleinfeld David
Published: December 2022

The breathing rhythm serves as a reference that paces orofacial motor actions and orchestrates active sensing. Past work reports that pacing occurs solely at a fixed phase relative to sniffing. We reëvaluated this constraint as a function of exploratory behavior. Allocentric and egocentric rotations of the head and the electromyogenic activity of the underlying motoneurons for head and orofacial movements were recorded in free-ranging rats as they searched for food. We found that a change in state from foraging to rearing is accompanied by a change in the phase of muscular activation relative to sniffing, so that pacing now occurs at one of two phases. Further, head-turning is biased such that an animal gathers a novel sample of its environment upon inhalation. In toto, the coordination of active sensing has a previously unrealized computational complexity that, in principle, can emerge from hindbrain circuits with fixed architecture and credible synaptic time-delays.
Architectural design research in small practices
Authors: Aydemir Ayşe Zeynep , Jacoby Sam
Published: December 2022

Purpose

There has been a recently growing interest by architects in practice-based research and the impact of research. At the same time, several post-graduate architecture programmes with practice-led research agendas were founded. This shift towards architectural design research is analysed using the notions of “process-driven research”, “output-driven research” and “impact”. The study aims to investigate and unveil the link between graduate programmes and graduates with a research interest and to test the tripartite model of “process-driven research”, “output-driven research” and “impact” in the context of small architectural practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a qualitative and exploratory research approach that includes 11 in-depth interviews conducted in 2020, during the first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK) selected interviews were architects representing (1) members or alumni of practice-related graduate architecture programmes in London and (2) founders of London-based small architectural practices within the last decade.

Findings

While focussing on the London context, the paper offers transferable insights for the key potentials of practice-led design research in small architectural practices and the actions that might improve research practice.

Originality/value

This paper addresses a lack of studies on how design research differs between diverse types and sizes of architectural firms, why emerging small architectural practices increasingly engage with research and how this shapes their practice. This knowledge is important to fully understanding architectural design research and its strengths or weaknesses.
Examining key macroeconomic determinants of serviced apartments price index: the case of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Authors: Cheng Chin Tiong , Teck Ling Gabriel Hoh
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Increasing overhang of serviced apartments poses a serious concern to the national property market. This study aims to examine the impacts of macroeconomic determinants, namely, gross domestic product (GDP), consumer confidence index (CF), existing stocks (ES), incoming supply (IS) and completed project (CP) on serviced apartment price changes.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve more accurate, quality price changes, a serviced apartment price index (SAPI) was constructed through a self-developed hedonic price index model. This study has collected 1,567 transaction data in Kuala Lumpur, covering 2009Q1–2018Q4 for price index construction and data were analysed using the vector autoregressive model, the vector error correction model and the fully modified ordinary least squares (OLS) (FMOLS).

Findings

Results of the regression model show that only GDP, ES and IS were significantly associated with SAPI, with an R2 of 0.7, where both ES and IS have inverse relationships with SAPI. More precisely, it is predicted that the price of serviced apartments will be reduced by 0.56% and 0.21% for every 1% increase in ES and IS, respectively.

Practical implications

Therefore, government monitoring of serviced apartments’ future supply is crucial by enforcing land use-planning regulations via stricter development approval of serviced apartments to safeguard and achieve more stable property prices.

Originality/value

By adopting an innovative approach to estimating the response of price change to supply and demand in a situation where there is no price indicator for serviced apartments, the study addresses the knowledge gap, especially in terms of understanding what are the key determinants of, and to what extent they influence, the SAPI.
The relationship between differentiated instruction and learner levels of engagement at university
Authors: Moallemi Robyn
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to explore the importance of individual learner differences and the effect differentiated instruction (DI) has on learners' levels of engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

The author carried out this research using a small-scale action research (AR) study.

Findings

The findings suggest that in acknowledging and responding to individual learner differences, especially interests, levels of learner engagement are positively affected.

Research limitations/implications

This study’s key limitations were sample size, short-term study and potential teacher as researcher bias.

Practical implications

Recommendations were made for a further longitudinal study into the relationship between DI and language learner levels of engagement at University. An additional study into DI that looksbeyond language learning at HE, could add value to pedagogic approaches, which could make courses of greater intrinsic value to its students.

Originality/value

This research study aims to help fill a gap in the literature on the application of DI, as well as a unique perspective into its effect on learner engagement within a university context.
Size, conditional idiosyncratic risk and price momentum: an international study
Authors: Fan Steve , Yu Linda , Beyer Deborah , Beyer Scott
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This paper jointly examines how firm size and idiosyncratic risk impact momentum returns.

Design/methodology/approach

Using regression analysis, the authors investigate how firm size and idiosyncratic risk impact price momentum. The authors review firm price data in 25 country markets in the Thomson Financial Datastream database from 1979 to 2009.

Findings

This study’s findings suggest price momentum is more significant among stocks with smaller size and higher idiosyncratic risk. The authors find that winner and loser portfolios have significantly smaller size and higher idiosyncratic risk than portfolios in the middle quintiles.

Research limitations/implications

This study’s results are consistent with the notion that firm size matters in price momentum and mispricing is greatest for small firms because of the greater risk potential to arbitrageurs. In addition, this finding that firms with higher idiosyncratic risk have greater price momentum supports the idea that investors underreact to firm-specific information.

Practical implications

This work finds evidence that investors underreact to firm-specific information. As such, these findings are of particular interest for investors looking to exploit opportunities for abnormal returns through price momentum trading.

Originality/value

This paper jointly examines the effects of firm size and idiosyncratic risk on momentum returns. This investigation considers these effects in the global markets. This work adds to the research base by illustrating that both winner and loser portfolios have significantly smaller size and higher idiosyncratic risk than portfolios in the middle quintiles. Also unique to this study, the authors capture the time-variation of expected IdioRisk and the asymmetric effects of volatility by using an exponential general autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic (EGARCH) model to calculate conditional idiosyncratic risk.
Web search to access health information by adults with intellectual disability
Authors: Kuruppu Arachchi Theja , Sitbon Laurianne , Zhang Jinglan , Koplick Stewart , Hoogstrate Maria , Brereton Margot
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study explored the current and desired use of web-search, particularly for health information, by adults with intellectual disability.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors surveyed 39 participants who were in supported employment or attending day centers in Australia. The survey, delivered through structured interviews, increased participation with data in a form of the participants' narratives. The responses were analyzed through a form of thematic analysis.

Findings

This study's results present the participants' daily health information interests, approaches to finding information and expectations for self-sufficiency. Participants' interest was in information to stay healthy rather than purely clinical information. The participants were keen to use online information in, accessible as well as entertaining and engaging formats. Supporting others close to the participants was the prominent intention of participants' health information access. Participants showed aspirations for an autonomous life by wanting to learn how to search.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study provide some avenues for consumer health information access to be respectful and inclusive of users with intellectual disability, both from an accessible design perspective as well as from a learning and support standpoint.

Originality/value

This study complements other human–computer interaction (HCI) studies which observe how adults with intellectual disability can be supported to engage with web search; this study offers the adults' verbalized perspectives on how adults wish to interact with web searching for health information, nuanced by adults' existing abilities and support needs.
Asymmetric modeling of the public debt–economic growth nexus in Ghana
Authors: Abille Adamu Braimah , Kiliç Esin
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The impact of debt on economic growth has attracted immense economic research necessitated by ballooning public debt stock among countries and most of the literature presume a symmetric relationship between debt and economic growth. However, this study contemplates an asymmetric relationship and thus relies on annual series from 1970 to 2019 to examine the asymmetric effects of public debt on economic growth in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) bounds approach was employed. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth is the dependent variable while public debt and other control variables each decomposed into their positive and negative shocks constitute the independent variables.

Findings

The results reveal that a positive shock to public debt insignificantly impacts the growth of the economy in the short and long runs. Also, a negative shock to public debt exerts significant short-run negative and insignificant long-run positive effects on the growth of the economy. The divergence in the short- and long-run effects on growth of a negative shock to public debt and the general insignificant effects of a positive shock to the same is a glitch that is attributed to overcapitalized loans and poor utilization of credit facilities.

Practical implications

The study recommends “inter alia” that the government of Ghana strengthens the short to medium-term debt management strategies achievable through the enforcement of the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA) Act-921 and the Public Procurement Act (PPA) Act-914 to deal with any adverse effects of debt on the growth of the economy.

Originality/value

The novelty of the current study lies not only in the fact that it captures recent public debt dynamics at a time Ghana faces extreme fiscal constraints and escalating cost of debt servicing but it also does so in an asymmetric environment which is unprecedented an assumption in the analysis of Ghana's public debt–economic growth nexus.
Visiting natural disaster sites as transformational experiences
Authors: Wang Jinwei , Xu Xiaowen , Lu Guangjuan , Wang Xin , Morrison Alastair M.
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the perceived benefits arising from tourist activities at natural disaster sites, to analyze the influence of perceived benefits on satisfaction and behavioral intentions and to identify origin region’s moderating role.

Design/methodology/approach

A research model containing dark tourism motivations (DTMs), tourist perceived benefits (TPBs), tourist satisfaction (TS), protection intention (PI) and loyalty intention (LIs) was developed, and visitor origin was introduced as a moderating variable. Taking the 5·12 Wenchuan Earthquake Memorial Museum as a case site, data were obtained by distributing questionnaires on-site, and the model was tested using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

DTMs had a significant effect on cognitive and affective benefits, and TPBs significantly affected TS, PI and LIs, with satisfaction playing a partial mediating role. The origins of tourists showed a moderating role in part of the influence relationship of perceived benefits.

Practical implications

This study explored the perceived benefits among dark tourists and built a research model of their influence on tourist satisfaction and behavior. This study not only provides suggestions for managers related to dark tourism development in natural disaster areas, but also offers the possibility of enhancing tourist dark tourism experiences by interpreting the psychology and behavior of dark tourists.

Originality/value

This research adopted a new perspective of the decision-making behavior of dark tourists. The perceived benefits arising from visiting natural disaster sites were analyzed and the relationships between TBSs and motivation, TS, PI and LIs were examined. Considering the specificity of dark tourism emotions, the research also analyzed the similarities and differences in the psychology and behavior of locals and non-locals in dark tourism. The research results enrich and deepen the theoretical study of dark tourism.
Determination of vehicle speed from recorded video using the open‐source software Kinovea
Authors: Paolino Saverio , Zampa Francesco
Published: December 2022

Video devices of different kind often record traffic accidents, including vehicle‐pedestrian collisions and hit‐and‐run accidents. In these cases, the vehicle speed is valuable information because it can assist the investigators in an accident reconstruction. This paper examines the use of Kinovea, an open‐source video annotation tool designed for sport analysis, to estimate vehicle speed in forensic videos. Kinovea does not require a complex methodology, and it can be used to make the calculation easily. A series of vehicle driving experiments using an appropriately calibrated speed radar system (so called Scout Speed) were carried out, and measurements were compared with the estimated speed. In controlled conditions, the comparison of Scout reference speed and calculated average vehicle speed by means of Kinovea found an average difference of 0.43 km/h, with a margin of error of ±0.64 km/h. In addition, further preliminary tests were carried out to check the reliability of the measurements under lower resolution conditions. Also, in these cases the calculations were in line with the ground truth. Therefore, in the tested conditions, Kinovea demonstrated to be an easy and reliable tool available for forensic video examiners. Further tests need to be conducted in order to address the applicability of the measurement technique with true CCTV/surveillance video recordings.
Risk effects of GM corn: Evidence from crop insurance outcomes and high‐dimensional methods
Authors: Aglasan Serkan , Goodwin Barry K. , Rejesus Roderick M.
Published: December 2022

This study evaluates whether genetically modified (GM) corn hybrids with rootworm resistant traits (GM‐RW) have lower yield risk. A crop insurance actuarial performance measure, the loss cost ratio (LCR), is used to represent yield risk. High‐dimensional methods are utilized in this study to maintain parsimony in the empirical specification, and facilitate estimation. Specifically, we employ the Cluster‐Lasso (cluster‐least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) procedure. This method produces uniformly valid inference on the main variable of interest (i.e., the GM‐RW variable) in a high‐dimensional panel data setting even in the presence of heteroskedastic, non‐Gaussian, and clustered error structures. After controlling for a large set of potential weather confounders using Cluster‐Lasso, we find consistent evidence that GM corn hybrids with rootworm resistant traits have lower yield risk.
Effect of difference in training skills on stress in horses trained by Kazakh trainers
Authors: Kimura Rikako , Borankulova Samal , Maratbek Suleimenov Zh.
Published: December 2022

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of differences in trainer skills on horse training during the early stages of riding habituation by measuring the levels of stress and changes in stress levels. Among nine untrained horses employed, five in Group A were trained by two low‐skilled trainers, whereas the remaining four in Group B were trained by two high‐skilled trainers using the traditional Kazakh method. Salivary α‐amylase concentration was measured as a biomarker of stress immediately before and after each riding session during the training period. In the duration of riding and mooring times to the total riding habituation time for each horse, no significant difference was observed between the two groups. In contrast, the mean total stress and mean final stress were significantly lower in Group B than in Group A, and the mean total change in stress before and after riding habituation was significantly higher in Group B. Differences in trainer skills were evidenced as differences in training methods to suppress the total stress levels through differences in the application of stress burden during the training of individual horses.
Assessing inequities in unmet oral care needs among adults in Sweden: An intersectional approach
Authors: Anticona Cynthia , Lif Holgerson Pernilla , Gustafsson Per E
Published: December 2022

Objectives

The goal of the Swedish oral healthcare system is to achieve good oral health and equitable access to care for the entire population. However, considerable inequities in oral health and care are evident and occur across a range of social dimensions. This study uses an intersectional approach to examine complex inequities in unmet oral care needs among adults in Sweden over the period 2004–2021.

Methods

Data were obtained from 14 Health on Equal Terms surveys conducted during 2004–2021. The final sample was 129 473 individuals aged 26–84 years. Applying intersectional analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy, inequities in unmet oral care needs were estimated across 48 intersectional strata defined by gender, age, educational level, individual disposable income and immigrant status.

Results

A high risk of unmet oral care needs was found among strata consisting of immigrants and those with low income. However, being an immigrant and/or having a low income did not universally entail a high risk but varied by the social position along other axes, particularly age and education. The discriminatory accuracy was moderate.

Conclusion

Groups with certain social disadvantages are highly heterogeneous themselves. An intersectionality approach is important to prevent the risk of stigmatizing large heterogenous groups while failing to identify the most vulnerable strata. The discriminatory accuracy analysis suggested that further policy and/or interventions may be the most effective if approaching the whole population, combined with selected targeted interventions directed at the most disadvantaged social strata.
Service Design Proliferation – Dilemma at IT Organizations
Authors: Mahamuni Ravi , Lobo Sylvan , Das Bhaskarjyoti
Published: December 2022

Organizations are transitioning from a product mindset to services as their primary customer offering. Service organizations today have complex processes spread across physical and digital spaces involving several stakeholders. IT organizations help these organizations by building products and services and providing advisory to achieve their strategic objectives. IT organizations are hence well‐positioned to introduce this shift towards a service mindset and encourage the adoption of service design. IT organizations need to first decide whether they want to proliferate service design. However, there is a predicament about how to approach this ‐ should they start by designing the services for their customers first, or focus on their own organizational internal services? Once they decide it then next dilemma is about whether to follow top‐down or bottom‐up approach. We have utilized an ‘Inside‐out’ approach for proliferating service design to address these dilemmas. The approach of ‘inside‐out’, in essence, is about gradually proliferating a new process by experiencing its benefits within the organization first and then subsequently applying it to their customers outside the organization. In this paper we advocate the mix of top‐down or bottom‐up approach for the proliferation of service design.
Baseline free water within the visual processing system predicts future psychosis in Parkinson disease
Authors: Li Guanglu , Zhu Jiajia , Wu Xingqi , Liu Tingting , Hu Panpan , Tian Yanghua , Wang Kai
Published: December 2022

Background and purpose

As psychosis is associated with decreased quality of life, increased institutionalization, and mortality in Parkinson disease (PD), it is essential to identify individuals at risk for future psychosis. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate whether diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics of white matter hold independent utility for predicting future psychosis in PD, and whether they could be combined with clinical predictors to improve the prognostication of PD psychosis.

Methods

This study included 123 newly diagnosed PD patients collected in the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative. Tract‐based spatial statistics were used to compare baseline DTI metrics between PD patients who developed psychosis and those who did not during follow‐up. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the clinical and white matter markers predictive of psychosis.

Results

Among DTI measures, both higher baseline whole brain (odds ratio [OR] = 1.711, p = 0.016) free water (FW) and visual processing system (OR = 1.680, p < 0.001) FW were associated with an increased risk of future psychosis. Baseline FW remained a significant indicator of future psychosis in PD after controlling for clinical predictors. Moreover, the accuracy of prediction of psychosis using clinical predictors alone (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.742, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.655–0.816) was significantly improved by the addition of the visual processing system FW (AUC = 0.856, 95% CI = 0.781–0.912; Delong method, p = 0.022).

Conclusions

Baseline FW of the visual processing system incurs an independent risk of future psychosis in PD, thus providing an opportunity for multiple‐modality marker models to include a white matter marker.
Are Mediterranean marine threatened species at high risk by climate change?
Authors: Chatzimentor Anastasia , Doxa Aggeliki , Katsanevakis Stelios , Mazaris Antonios D.
Published: December 2022

Rapid anthropogenic climate change is driving threatened biodiversity one step closer to extinction. Effects on native biodiversity are determined by an interplay between species' exposure to climate change and their specific ecological and life‐history characteristics that render them even more susceptible. Impacts on biodiversity have already been reported, however, a systematic risk evaluation of threatened marine populations is lacking. Here, we employ a trait‐based approach to assess the risk of 90 threatened marine Mediterranean species to climate change, combining species' exposure to increased sea temperature and intrinsic vulnerability. One‐quarter of the threatened marine biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is predicted to be under elevated levels of climate risk, with various traits identified as key vulnerability traits. High‐risk taxa including sea turtles, marine mammals, Anthozoa and Chondrichthyes are highlighted. Climate risk, vulnerability and exposure hotspots are distributed along the Western Mediterranean, Alboran, Aegean, and Adriatic Seas. At each Mediterranean marine ecoregion, 21%–31% of their threatened species have high climate risk. All Mediterranean marine protected areas host threatened species with high risk to climate change, with 90% having a minimum of 4 up to 19 species of high climate risk, making the objective of a climate‐smart conservation strategy a crucial task for immediate planning and action. Our findings aspire to offer new insights for systematic, spatially strategic planning and prioritization of vulnerable marine life in the face of accelerating climate change.