bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An improved Newton-Raphson based linear power flow method for DC grids with dispatchable DGs and ZIP loads
Authors: Li Hongwei , Wang Xiao , Lin Junmu , Wu Lei , Liu Tong
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to provide a solution of the power flow calculation for the low-voltage ditrect current power grid. The direct current (DC) power grid is becoming a reliable and economic alternative to millions of residential loads. The power flow (PF) in the DC network has some similarities with the alternative current case, but there are important differences that deserve to be further concerned. Moreover, the dispatchable distributed generators (DGs) in DC network can realize the flexible voltage control based on droop-control or virtual impedance-based methods. Thus, DC PF problems are still required to further study, such as hosting all load types and different DGs.

Design/methodology/approach

The DC power analysis was explored in this paper, and an improved Newton–Raphson based linear PF method has been proposed. Considering that constant impedance (CR), constant current (CI) and constant power (CP) (ZIP) loads can get close to the practical load level, ZIP load has been merged into the linear PF method. Moreover, DGs are much common and can be easily connected to the DC grid, so V nodes and the dispatchable DG units with droop control have been further taken into account in the proposed method.

Findings

The performance and advantages of the proposed method are investigated based on the results of the various test systems. The two existing linear models were used to compare with the proposed linear method. The numerical results demonstrate enough accuracy, strong robustness and high computational efficiency of the proposed linear method even in the heavily-loaded conditions and with 10 times the line resistances.

Originality/value

The conductance corresponding to each constant resistance load and the equivalent conductance for the dispatchable unit can be directly merged into the self-conductance (diagonal component) of the conductance matrix. The constant current loads and the injection powers from dispatchable DG units can be treated as the current sources in the proposed method. All of those make the PF model much clear and simple. It is capable of offering enough accuracy level, and it is suitable for applications in DC networks that require a large number of repeated PF calculations to optimize the energy flows under different scenarios.
Understanding crisis resilience in manufacturing firms in the DACH region during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Gil Fombella Pilar , West Shaun , Muehlberger Marleen , Sautter Thomas , Zepf Guenter , Harrison David
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper describes the impact of COVID-19 on manufacturing firms in the DACH region of Europe (DACH is an acronym used to describe Germany, Austria and Switzerland). The purpose of the study was threefold: first to describe crisis resilience empirically through the actions taken by the firms using the elements of resilience; the paper then goes on to compare the DACH region with Northern Italy; finally, based on the findings, an existing crisis management model is expanded.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed method of quantitative research based on survey data and qualitative interviews was applied for data collection. The findings are based on 57 survey results and 13 interviews from December 2020 to March 2021. The findings are presented based on the resilience elements and are discussed based on processes, technologies and people. The findings are compared with those from an Italian study made 6–9 months before this study. The comparison provides the basis for the adaptations to the crisis management model.

Findings

The findings describe the actions taken by firms in the DACH region to overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19. The findings were, in most cases, very similar to those from the Italian study. The most resilient firms had well-defined processes in place, adaptable employees who were well-led, and had (digital) technologies that could be quickly implemented.

Originality/value

The timing for the crisis was later in the DACH region and firms were able to learn from Italy. The crisis management model based on the Italian study was refined; the resulting model will support managers to face future crises. This model needs testing and extending to link to past and future events.
Gauging the impact of personal lifestyle, indoor environmental quality and work-related factors on occupant productivity when working from home
Authors: Guo Xingzhou , Wu Hongyue , Chen Yunfeng , Chang Yuan , Ao Yibin
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Personal lifestyle, work environments and work-related factors can significantly affect occupant productivity. Although many studies examine the affecting factors of occupant productivity in offices, explorations for the home-based work environment, which is designed mainly for living purposes, are still scarce. Moreover, current pandemic has made work from home a new normal for workers around the world. Therefore, it is important to identify key causal factors of occupant productivity when working from home.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed descriptive analysis and regression analysis method to explore the relationship among personal lifestyle, indoor environmental quality and work-related factors toward occupant productivity. A questionnaire including a comprehensive list of key measures was designed and 189 valid responses were collected from more than 13,000 participants.

Findings

Results show that a healthy lifestyle, the perceived satisfaction of visual and acoustic environment, communication, interest in work, workload, flexible schedule and privacy positively affect occupant productivity when working from home, while coffee consumption, outside views and windows have negative effect.

Originality/value

Opportunities to enhance occupants' home-based work productivity include developing a healthy lifestyle by taking advantage of flexible schedule, equipping a working room at home with advanced and intelligent environment control systems, and improving communication, workload and schedule by changing the policy of companies.
The role of work-integrated learning in preparing students for a corporate entrepreneurial career
Authors: Winborg Joakim , Hägg Gustav
Published: January 2022

Purpose

In the literature there is limited knowledge about how to prepare students for a corporate entrepreneurial career. The purpose is therefore to develop a framework for understanding the role corporate development projects play in corporate entrepreneurship education, and to examine the potential role of the design of the project. The study defines a corporate development project as a project being part of an academic education to provide students with working experiences situated in an experiential learning process.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on work-integrated learning literature, the authors first develop a conceptual framework. Thereafter, they undertake a multiple case study using data from a Master's Program in Corporate Entrepreneurship. Starting from the conceptual framework, the authors employ deductive thematic analysis in order to analyze data and finally to develop an elaborated framework.

Findings

In the framework, the authors identify and label five categories of learning outcomes from the corporate development project. The framework helps understand the interplay between the different learning outcomes in students' learning process and shows how the design of the project shapes the learning process.

Practical implications

The framework can assist educators in designing and integrating the corporate development project as a key module within a corporate entrepreneurship academic program.

Originality/value

Based on the framework, the study develops the knowledge about the design of corporate entrepreneurship education. Future research should test the framework using data from other academic programs in corporate entrepreneurship.
Cut me some slack! An exploration of slack resources and technology-mediated human capital investments in entrepreneurship
Authors: Jabbari Jason , Roll Stephen , Bufe Sam , Chun Yung
Published: January 2022

Purpose

In this paper, the authors explore the relationship that slack resources and technology-mediated human capital investments can have on individuals’ entrepreneurial intentions. Focusing on human capital investments that individuals make through education and work, the authors analyze the relationship among formal online learning opportunities, informal skill development in the gig economy and entrepreneurial intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

Leveraging a novel dataset that merges administrative tax data with a survey of over 8,528 low- and moderate income (LMI) households, this study uses machine learning and propensity score weighting to examine the likelihood that individuals who make these technology-mediated human capital investments will have increased odds of entrepreneurial intentions when compared to similar individuals who do not make these investments.

Findings

The authors find that both partaking in online learning and working in the gig economy are significantly associated with increased odds of entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, through a variety of robustness and mechanism checks, the authors find that technology-mediation is an important factor in these relationships and that informal skill development and career preparation is one way in which gig employment influences entrepreneurial intentions.

Research limitations/implications

As the study’s data come from a cross-sectional survey, the authors cannot make causal inferences about the relationship between online learning, gig employment and entrepreneurial intentions. Thus, future research should explore sources of longitudinal data.

Practical implications

This study has practical implication for individuals and policymakers that seek to increase entrepreneurship among LMI households.

Originality/value

Despite a wealth of research on the relationships among slack resources, technology and innovation at the firm level, there is little of this research at the individual level – especially among LMI individuals. The authors begin to fill this important gap.
Impact of metric-alignment on supply chain performance: a behavioral study
Authors: Narayanan Arunachalam , Ishfaq Rafay
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Previous research has shown that firms are struggling to incorporate collaboration among supply chain partners. This paper presents a new approach to incorporate collaboration using metric-alignment. The analysis provides key insights regarding the usefulness of this approach to synchronize decision-making that leads to reduced bullwhip effect, less backordering and lower supply chain costs.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on a large-scale behavioral study comprising 556 participants in multi-echelon supply chain games. Supply chain decisions from these experiments are evaluated to study the impact of metric-alignment on managerial decision-making and the corresponding effects on the overall supply chain performance.

Findings

Results show that the metric-alignment approach offers an informal and self-enforced governance mechanism that changes managerial decision-making behaviors and improves supply chain performance. Results also show this approach to yield operational and financial benefits for all supply chain partners in the form of reduced bullwhip effect, less backordering and lower supply chain costs.

Originality/value

This is the first behavioral study of its kind that evaluates a new approach to incorporate collaboration in supply chains using metric-alignment. This approach avoids the shortcomings of current industry practices of using monetary penalties, such as on-time in-full (OTIF) mandates in supply contracts. The study shows that metric-alignment approach can improve overall supply chain performance while offering mutually beneficial rewards for all supply chain partners.
Revisiting expectation confirmation model to measure the effectiveness of multichannel bank services for elderly consumers
Authors: Sinha Neena , Singh Nidhi
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to understand the expectations of elderly bank customers with mobile banking services and to measure its impact on their long-term satisfaction and continued intention. The study is based on two theories, expectations-confirmation theory (ECT) and hedonic adaptation theory.

Design/methodology/approach

A self-administered longitudinal survey was completed with a sample of 208 elder customers who do not use mobile banking services. Latent growth curve modelling approach was used to determine the change in their post-adoption experience over four time points.

Findings

Results of the study confirm that the use of mobile banking services prolongs the duration of customer satisfaction and continued intention level, post-adoption, reinforcing the hedonic adaptation theory.

Research limitations/implications

Mobile banking services are going to be a significant component of the multichannel banking agenda. But it might be interesting to review other digital channels of banking services. The key contribution of this study is that it measures the expectation-confirmation link of elderly customers with mobile banking services. The study sheds light on factors that positively influence customer inclination and adoption of multichannel banking services in the long run, which is important for the commercial success of such channels.

Practical implications

The study highlights the importance of elder customers' pre-expectations, related dimensions which are important for post-adoption experiences of mobile banking services to improve customers' satisfaction and continued intention in the long run. This is crucial for the commercial success of banks.

Originality/value

This is the first such study that used the expectation confirmation model (ECT) and related it with hedonic adaptation theory to assess elderly customer's post-adoption satisfaction and continued usage of mobile banking services over time.
Maturity model for evaluating disaster and humanitarian operations
Authors: Resende Híngred Ferraz Pereira , Cardoso Patricia Alcantara , Fontainha Tharcisio Cotta , Leiras Adriana
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper proposes a maturity model (MM) for assessing disaster operations and identifying strategies for organisations to evolve their maturity stages.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applies a systematic literature review to identify state-of-the-art work related to maturity models for disaster operations. In addition, the study develops a case study to validate the proposed maturity model in a generic scenario and two real-life scenarios.

Findings

The analysis of 158 papers in the literature resulted in identifying 8 maturity models for disaster operations. Based on their structure, the authors proposed a new model with five maturity stages suitable for any of the four phases of the disaster life cycle (i.e. mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery). In addition, the research identified and presents 24 strategies for improving disaster operations according to each maturity stage transition. Finally, the research presents a case study that evaluates the disaster response operations from a Civil Defense organisation considering a response scenario disaster in general, a flood scenario, and the COVID-19 pandemic scenario.

Originality/value

This study provides the following three main contributions useful for academics and practitioners in the disaster operations area: a new maturity model for assessing disaster operations, a strategy guide for improving disaster operations based on a maturity evolution and an empirical study exploring the approximation between academia and professionals involved in real-life disaster operations management.
Sustainable municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in the smart cities in Indian context
Authors: Thakur Vikas , Parida Dibya Jyoti , Raj Vivek
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Smart cities in India are going to be a reality very soon by turning challenges into opportunities for the society. However, due to rapid increase in population burden, fast urbanization and growing demand of advanced services in the smart cities, the quantity of per capita municipal solid waste (MSW) has escalated. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has further challenged the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system with the increasing amount of infectious wastes coming from households (HHs), quarantine centers, healthcare facilities, vaccination centers, etc. Therefore, the present study attempts to explore and analyze the various dimensions of sustainable MSWM system in the smart cities.

Design/methodology/approach

The study identifies 13 factors of sustainable MSWM system from the literature, field surveys and stakeholders' opinions. Thereafter, stakeholders' opinions are collected and analyzed using total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) approach to explore the interrelationships among the factors of sustainable MSWM system. These relationships are further validated through the empirical investigation of the real-life case study of Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC), Odisha, India.

Findings

The TISM approach places all 13 factors into six levels in the hierarchical digraph depending upon the inputs received from the various stakeholders on their interrelationships. Study also validates the proposed TISM model by collecting the data of RMC, Odisha, on the development of MSWM system over the period of 2015–2021.

Practical implications

The study also highlights various implications for the other developing cities and stakeholders to set up the roadmap for developing the sustainable MSWM system. Study defines “IT platform” and “awareness among citizens” as the base of the sustainable MSWM system in any smart city.

Originality/value

The present study is the first of its kind to explore the interrelationships among the factors of sustainable MSWM system by using TISM approach. Moreover, the proposed TISM framework is further validated through the empirical journey of one of the smart cities in India.
When sports sponsorship incurs brand risk: the roles of team performance, brand familiarity and team identification
Authors: Yuan Shaofeng , Gao Ying
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study investigated the potential negative effects of a sponsored team's losing performance on audiences' trust and purchase intention toward the sponsoring brand. Shedding light on the moderating role of sponsoring brand familiarity among audiences and audience team identification regarding such negative effects, the study establishes when sports sponsorship may incur risk to a sponsoring brand.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experimental designs (audience as stimulus of a team's losing vs control condition) were used to indicate whether and when losing performance influences participants' trust and purchase intention toward the sponsoring brand.

Findings

The participants in the losing condition report lower brand trust and purchase intention. Brand trust mediates the relationship between losing results and decreased purchase intention. The negative effects of losing on brand trust and purchase intention only appear when the sponsoring brand has low familiarity among audiences and only for audiences with low identification.

Practical implications

The strategy of a brand with low familiarity sponsoring a team that frequently loses has risks and is not worth advocating. However, if an unknown brand has already sponsored a team that often loses, the efforts to cultivate audiences' identification with the team can reduce the potential risks.

Originality/value

The affirmed negative effects of losing performance on brand trust and purchase intention have value for firm sponsorship decisions. This study contributes to the sponsorship literature by revealing two boundary conditions (sponsoring brand familiarity and audiences' team identification) for those negative effects.
Study on preparation process parameters and tribological properties of porous PI materials
Authors: Yan Yanhong , Yang Chengwen , Zhou Yanfei , Dong Wenbin , Yan Pengjuan , Jia Zhining
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Previously, the effect of pore-forming agents on the properties of pore size and morphology was studied. In this paper, we determine the optimal combination of parameters by tensile strength and perform tribological tests with optimal combination of parameters.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, porous polyimide (PI) materials were fabricated using vacuum hot molding technology. The orthogonal experiment was designed to test the mechanical properties of porous PI materials with the process parameters and the content of pore-forming agent as the changing factors. The porous PI oil-bearing materials were obtained by vacuum immersion, and tribological test were carried out.

Findings

The results showed that porous PI oil-bearing materials are suitable for low-speed and low-load conditions. The actual value of the friction coefficient basically match with the theoretical value of the regression analysis, and the errors of the friction coefficient are within 10% and 3%, respectively, which proves that the method used in the study is feasible for the friction coefficient prediction.

Originality/value

In this paper, we have produced a new porous oil-bearing material with good tribological properties. This study can effectively predict the friction coefficient of PI porous material.
Audit partner workload, gender and audit quality
Authors: Mnif Yosra , Cherif Imen
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The paper aims to investigate the relation between the auditor's workload (LogAPW) and audit quality. Further, it explores whether the presence of a female audit partner (hereafter FEM) influences the LogAPW effect on audit quality.

Design/methodology/approach

A dataset of 1,629 firm-year observations from 181 companies listed in the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm for the years 2010–2018 has been analyzed. The testable hypotheses have been tested using least squares regressions clustered at the Swedish public-listed companies (client-firm) level.

Findings

The research findings first indicate that overburdened audit partners (APS) are associated with lower-quality audits, consistent with the “busyness hypothesis.” Nevertheless, the adverse association turns to be positive for FEMs, supporting the thesis that FEMs have more tendency, as compared to their male counterparts, to preserve their partnership's position in the public-audit firms. Collectively, these results seem sound, as the results hold unchanged after controlling for the endogeneity concerns and provide the same conclusion for a host of additional measures for both the client-firms' discretionary accruals and the LogAPW.

Research limitations/implications

Even though a lower magnitude of the client-firms' discretionary accruals corresponds to a lower-opportunistic behavior of managers, the research is limited to by which lower values of earnings management reflect a better-quality financial reporting. Given that the empirical analysis has been confined to the Swedish Corporation, the regression results might not be generalizable for other countries with different contextual features.

Practical implications

The study might participate to the ongoing debate about the introduction of more women to the public-audit firms' elite positions (e.g. partnership) by providing evidence for the favorable female auditor effect on the quality of the client-firms' financial reporting.

Originality/value

The regression results provide a preliminary evidence on how does the presence of a FEM mitigate the inverse relation between the LogAPW and audit quality, which is an issue that has not been examined before.
Sustainability assessment of crops' production in India: empirical evidence from ARDL-ECM approach
Authors: Chopra Rita Rani
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The study aims to evaluate the long- vs short-run relationships between crops' production (output) and crops' significant inputs such as land use, agricultural water use (AWU) and gross irrigated area in India during the period 1981–2018.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applied the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to estimate the co-integration among the variables. The study uses the error correction model (ECM), which integrates the short-run dynamics with the long-run equilibrium.

Findings

The ARDL bounds test of co-integration confirms the strong evidence of the long-run relationship among the variables. Empirical results show the positive and significant relationship of crops' production with land use and gross irrigated area. The statistically significant error correction term (ECT) validates the speed of adjustment of the empirical models in the long-run.

Research limitations/implications

The study suggests that the decision-makers must understand potential trade-offs between human needs and environmental impacts to ensure food for the growing population in India.

Originality/value

For a clear insight into the impact of climate change on crops' production, the current study incorporates the climate variables such as annual rainfall, maximum temperature and minimum temperature. Further, the study considered agro-chemicals, i.e. fertilizers and pesticides, concerning their negative impacts on increased agricultural production and the environment.
Merton-type default risk and financial performance: the dynamic panel moderation of firm size
Authors: Mushafiq Muhammad , Sami Syed Ahmad , Sohail Muhammad Khalid , Sindhu Muzammal Ilyas
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the probability of default and examine the relationship between default risk and financial performance, with dynamic panel moderation of firm size.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilizes a total of 1,500 firm-year observations from 2013 to 2018 using dynamic panel data approach of generalized method of moments to test the relationship between default risk and financial performance with the moderation effect of the firm size.

Findings

This study establishes the findings that default risk significantly impacts the financial performance. The relationship between distance-to-default (DD) and financial performance is positive, which means the relationship of the independent and dependent variable is inverse. Moreover, this study finds that the firm size is a significant positive moderator between DD and financial performance.

Practical implications

This study provides new and useful insight into the literature on the relationship between default risk and financial performance. The results of this study provide investors and businesses related to nonfinancial firms in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) with significant default risk's impact on performance. This study finds, on average, the default probability in KSE ALL indexed companies is 6.12%.

Originality/value

The evidence of the default risk and financial performance on samples of nonfinancial firms has been minimal; mainly, it has been limited to the banking sector. Moreover, the existing studies have only catered the direct effect of only. This study fills that gap and evaluates this relationship in nonfinancial firms. This study also helps in the evaluation of Merton model's performance in the nonfinancial firms.
A review of literature on risk prediction tools for hospital readmissions in older adults
Authors: Gatt Michelle Louise , Cassar Maria , Buttigieg Sandra C.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the readmission risk prediction tools reported in the literature and their benefits when it comes to healthcare organisations and management.

Design/methodology/approach

Readmission risk prediction is a growing topic of interest with the aim of identifying patients in particular those suffering from chronic diseases such as congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes, who are at risk of readmission. Several models have been developed with different levels of predictive ability. A structured and extensive literature search of several databases was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis strategy, and this yielded a total of 48,984 records.

Findings

Forty-three articles were selected for full-text and extensive review after following the screening process and according to the eligibility criteria. About 34 unique readmission risk prediction models were identified, in which their predictive ability ranged from poor to good (c statistic 0.5–0.86). Readmission rates ranged between 3.1 and 74.1% depending on the risk category. This review shows that readmission risk prediction is a complex process and is still relatively new as a concept and poorly understood. It confirms that readmission prediction models hold significant accuracy at identifying patients at higher risk for such an event within specific context.

Research limitations/implications

Since most prediction models were developed for specific populations, conditions or hospital settings, the generalisability and transferability of the predictions across wider or other contexts may be difficult to achieve. Therefore, the value of prediction models remains limited to hospital management. Future research is indicated in this regard.

Originality/value

This review is the first to cover readmission risk prediction tools that have been published in the literature since 2011, thereby providing an assessment of the relevance of this crucial KPI to health organisations and managers.
Moral urban citizenship and the youth problem in a Danish ghetto
Authors: Bach Jonas Strandholdt , Schneidermann Nanna
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This article examines the interventions from municipality, state and other actors in the Gellerup estate, a Danish “ghetto” by focusing on the youth problem and its construction, by examining a cross-disciplinary academic workshop intending to “solve the youth problem” of the estate.

Design/methodology/approach

The article is based on the two authors' participation in the academic workshop, as well as their continued engagement with the Gellerup estate through separate project employments and ethnographic research projects in the estate, consisting of both participant observation and interviews.

Findings

In the article the authors suggest that the 2015 workshop reproduced particularly the category of idle urban young men as problematic. The authors analyze this as a form of “moral urban citizenship”. The article also analyzes some of the proposed solutions to the problem, particularly architectural transformations, and connects the Danish approach to the problems of the “ghetto” to urban developments historically and on a global scale.

Originality/value

Cross-disciplinary academic attempts to solve real-world problems are rarely incorporated as ethnographic data. In this article the authors attempt to include part of their own practice as academics as valuable data that opens up new perspectives on a field and their own involvement and analysis of it.
Accessible services in academic libraries: a content analysis of library accessibility webpages in the United States
Authors: Ezell Jon , Pionke J.J. , Gunnoe Jeremy
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to contribute to an understanding of current accessibility efforts and practice in librarianship by providing a broad overview of the information about services, resources and facilities on academic library accessibility pages. By compiling and analyzing data from 85 libraries, this study seeks to facilitate comparisons between current and past accessibility practice and to provide perspective on how libraries communicate to users about accessibility efforts across libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a content analysis of 85 library accessibility pages from a sample population of 98 institutions, consisting of all members institutions of four US academic library consortia. Pages were coded for content elements regarding services, facilities, collections, staffing, assistive technologies and general information. Webpage features, architecture and accessibility/functionality were also assessed.

Findings

Libraries have broadened and strengthened efforts to publicize/provide services and resources to functionally diverse users. Pages most commonly prioritize information about assistive technologies, services and facilities. Pages varied greatly in size, complexity and detail, but public institutions' pages were more prevalent and informative than their private counterparts. Libraries can work to foreground accessibility pages and increase transparency and evidence of currency to improve communication to their users.

Originality/value

This study provides a large-scale content analysis of library accessibility webpages. It allows for comparison of the features and information most commonly featured on these important online points of service.
Cuticular compounds inhibit cannibalism of early‐instar spiderlings by pulli‐carrying Pardosa pseudoannulata females
Authors: Yu Na , Chen Yunru , Xu Guangming , Yang Zhiming , Wang Shijie , Lu Tianyu , Zhang Yixi , Liu Zewen
Published: January 2022

Cannibalism is common in spiders. Wolf spider (Lycosidae) females, which exhibit extensive maternal care, have been reported to cannibalize less when they are carrying egg sacs and juveniles. In a laboratory experiment, we demonstrated that cannibalism of early‐instar spiderlings (EIS) by a wolf spider (Pardosa pseudoannulata) mother was almost completely inhibited when she was carrying spiderlings. Compared with virgin and mated‐females, mother spiders tolerated more and predated fewer spiderlings, including gregarious pulli and newly dispersed spiderlings (NDS). Cannibalism of EIS by females during their reproductive period exhibited a V‐shaped pattern, with a gradual decrease from the egg sac‐carrying to pulli‐carrying (PC) stage, and a recovery from the PC stage to post‐reproductive (PR) stage. Notably, there was 0 cannibalism at the PC stage. PC females exhibited no interest in pulli, while PR females were attracted to and predated pulli and NDS as they did their natural prey, Nilaparvata lugens. Interestingly, PC females captured and released NDS in a foraging assay, although attraction was observed from olfactometer measurements. PC mothers possessed a cuticular volatile profile that was closer to that of pulli and NDS than to that of PR females. Moreover, NDS cuticular extract provoked an electrophysiological response in legs of PC females. Therefore, cuticular compound‐mediated chemical communication may be involved in inhibiting cannibalism of EIS by spider mothers, and especially in eliminating cannibalism by PC mothers. Future studies will aim to characterize the specific cuticular compounds and chemoreception mechanism in females, which will facilitate our understanding of intraspecific recognition and cannibalism in spiders.
The genome of low‐chill Chinese plum “Sanyueli” (Prunus salicina Lindl.) provides insights into the regulation of the chilling requirement of flower buds
Authors: Fang Zhi‐Zhen , Lin‐Wang Kui , Dai He , Zhou Dan‐Rong , Jiang Cui‐Cui , Espley Richard V. , Deng Cecilia , Lin Yan‐Juan , Pan Shao‐Lin , Ye Xin‐Fu
Published: January 2022

Chinese plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) is a stone fruit that belongs to the Prunus genus and plays an important role in the global production of plum. In this study, we report the genome sequence of the Chinese plum “Sanyueli”, which is known to have a low‐chill requirement for flower bud break. The assembled genome size was 282.38 Mb, with a contig N50 of 1.37 Mb. Over 99% of the assembly was anchored to eight pseudochromosomes, with a scaffold N50 of 34.46 Mb. A total of 29,708 protein‐coding genes were predicted from the genome and 46.85% (132.32 Mb) of the genome was annotated as repetitive sequence. Bud dormancy is influenced by chilling requirement in plum and partly controlled by DORMANCY ASSOCIATED MADS‐box (DAM) genes. Six tandemly arrayed PsDAM genes were identified in the assembled genome. Sequence analysis of PsDAM6 in “Sanyueli” revealed the presence of large insertions in the intron and exon regions. Transcriptome analysis indicated that the expression of PsDAM6 in the dormant flower buds of “Sanyueli” was significantly lower than that in the dormant flower buds of the high chill requiring “Furongli” plum. In addition, PsDAM6 expression was repressed by chilling treatment. The genome sequence of “Sanyueli” plum provides a valuable resource for elucidating the molecular mechanisms responsible for the regulation of chilling requirements, and it is also useful for the identification of the genes involved in the control of other important agronomic traits and molecular breeding in plum.
NAP1L2 drives mesenchymal stem cell senescence and suppresses osteogenic differentiation
Authors: Hu Meilin , Xing Liangyu , Zhang Li , Liu Fan , Wang Sheng , Xie Ying , Wang Jingjing , Jiang Hongmei , Guo Jing , Li Xin , Wang Jingya , Sui Lei , Li Changyi , Liu Dayong , Liu Zhiqiang
Published: January 2022

Senescence of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) impairs stemness and osteogenic differentiation, but the key regulators for senescence and the related osteogenesis are not well defined. Herein, we screened the gene expression profiles of human BMSCs from young and old donors and identified that elevation of the nucleosome assembly protein 1‐like 2 (NAP1L2) expression was correlated with BMSC senescence and impaired osteogenesis. Elevated NAP1L2 expression was observed in replicative cell senescence and induced cell senescence in vitro, and in age‐related senescent human and mouse BMSCs in vivo, concomitant with significantly augmented chromatin accessibility detected by ATAC‐seq. Loss‐ and gain‐of‐functions of NAP1L2 affected activation of NF‐κB pathway, status of histone 3 lysine 14 acetylation (H3K14ac), and chromatin accessibility on osteogenic genes in BMSCs. Mechanistic studies revealed that NAP1L2, a histone chaperone, recruited SIRT1 to deacetylate H3K14ac on promoters of osteogenic genes such as Runx2, Sp7, and Bglap and suppressed the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Importantly, molecular docking analysis showed a possible bond between NAP1L2 and an anti‐aging reagent, the nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), and indeed, administration of NMN alleviated senescent phenotypes of BMSCs. In vivo and clinical evidence from aging mice and patients with senile osteoporosis also confirmed that elevation of NAP1L2 expression was associated with suppressed osteoblastogenesis. Taken together, our findings suggest that NAP1L2 is a regulator of both BMSC cell senescence and osteogenic differentiation, and provide a new theoretical basis for aging‐related disease.
Activation of dopamine D2 receptors in the medial shell region of the nucleus accumbens increases Per1 expression to enhance alcohol consumption
Authors: Sharma Rishi , Parikh Meet , Mishra Vaibhav , Sahota Pradeep , Thakkar Mahesh
Published: January 2022

Circadian genes, including Per1, in the medial shell region of nucleus accumbens (mNAcSh), regulate binge alcohol consumption. However, the upstream mechanism regulating circadian genes‐induced alcohol consumption is not known. Since activation of dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) increases Per1 gene expression, we hypothesised that local infusion of quinpirole, a D2R agonist, by increasing Per1 gene expression in the mNAcSh, will increase binge alcohol consumption in mice. We performed two experiments on male C57BL/6J mice, instrumented with bilateral guide cannulas above the mNAcSh, and exposed to a 4‐day drinking‐in‐dark (DID) paradigm. The first experiment determined the effects of bilateral infusion of quinpirole (100 ng/300 nl/site) or DMSO (Vehicle group) in the mNAcSh on Per1 gene expression and alcohol consumption. The second experiment determined the effect of antisense‐induced downregulation of Per1 in the mNAcSh on the quinpirole‐induced increase in alcohol consumption. Control experiments were performed by exposing the animals to sucrose (10% w/v). After the experiment, animals were euthanised, brains removed and processed for localisation of injection sites and analysis of Per1 gene expression in the mNAcSh. As compared with the DMSO, local bilateral infusion of quinpirole significantly increased the expression of Per1 in the mNAcSh along with an increase in the amount of alcohol consumed in mice exposed to DID paradigm. In addition, local antisense‐induced downregulation of Per1 significantly attenuated the effects of intro‐accumbal infusion of quinpirole on alcohol consumption. Our results suggest that Per1 in the mNAcSh mediates D2R activation‐induced increase in alcohol consumption
A predictive tool for vaginal birth after caesarean success in an Australian cohort
Authors: Gerhardy Laura
Published: January 2022

Background

Women who have previously had a caesarean section often face the choice between planning for a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) or an elective repeat caesarean section (CS) for future pregnancies. Informing a woman of her individualised chance of a successful VBAC can aid her decision making.

Aims

The aim is to create two VBAC prediction models using an Australian cohort – one for use in labour when labour variables are known, and one for use antenatally when labour characteristics are unknown.

Materials and Methods

This study was a retrospective analysis of perinatal data in Victoria, Australia, over a 10‐year period. During this time, 22 062 women were recorded as attempting a VBAC with a term singleton live birth. The data were separated into three parts. A ‘training set’ was used to build the complete VBAC prediction model and the antenatal VBAC prediction model using multivariate logistic regression. The models were then adjusted to only include the variables that contributed to model performance. The models were validated by testing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve within the ‘validation set’. Then the models were tested for accuracy within the ‘test set’.

Results

Using a ‘test set’ of data, the models demonstrated an area under the ROC curve of 0.7887 and 0.7384 for the complete and antenatal models respectively, showing adequate performance of both models.

Conclusions

With these models, Australian women can be counselled about their predicted chance of VBAC success.
Signaling sizeism: An assessment of body size‐based threat and safety cues
Authors: Oswald Flora , Stevens Samantha M. , Kruk Mary , Murphy Catherine I. , Matsick Jes L.
Published: January 2022

Pervasive stigma against fat people and evidence for its harmful health consequences highlight the need for a better understanding of people's first‐hand experiences of navigating the world with a stigmatized body size. Drawing on social identity threat theory, we conducted a mixed‐method study with a qualitative examination of threat and safety cues as experienced by people who self‐identify as overweight. In an online survey, 48 people who self‐identified as overweight responded to open‐ended prompts to describe how situational features of a setting signal weight‐based threat and safety to them. Using thematic analysis, we identified several themes that characterized threat and safety cues. Particularly notable were inverse themes, such asstructural exclusionversusstructural accommodationandhomogeneity of othersversusgeneral diversity, that highlighted how physical features of, and the people in, an environment positively or negatively impact fat people's psychological experience. Moreover, we conducted exploratory deductive coding using a recent taxonomy of safety cues developed by Kruk and Matsick (in press). Results highlighted how weight‐based stigma both parallels and diverges from other cues of identity safety (e.g., by gender or race/ethnicity). We suggest knowledge about situational cues can inform interventions to mitigate threat and promote safety among both fat people and other stigmatized groups.
Paying people for getting vaccinated? A favorable solution for both vaccine‐hesitant persons and the public
Authors: Reese Alexander , Pies Ingo
Published: January 2022

Assume a pandemic in which, despite all efforts of vaccine persuasion, too many people are hesitant toward vaccination for a laissez‐faire regime to reach herd immunity on a strictly voluntary basis. Then, basically four policy options are available—(a) moral appeals, (b) legal obligation, (c) monetary fines, and (d) monetary rewards. In this article, we demonstrate that the prevalent vaccination debate chooses the wrong starting point in discussing these options. Rather than asking how vaccine hesitancy can be overcome as a (bothersome) hindrance toward reaching herd immunity, we ask how one can reach herd immunity in due time while minimizing the (subjectively perceived) offense to the dignity of vaccine‐hesitant citizens. This change in perspective favors paying people for getting vaccinated instead of sanctioning them for not doing so. With respect to the COVID‐19 crisis, we show that a payment strategy is both feasible and advisable. This may be an important insight not only in the short term, but also with respect to future pandemics that are likely to come.
Lung transplantation in the septuagenarian can be successfully performed though long‐term results impacted by diseases of aging
Authors: Benissan‐Messan Dathe Z. , Ganapathi Asvin M. , Guo Marissa , Henn Matthew C. , Keller Brian C. , Howsare Molly , Rosenheck Justin P. , Kirkby Stephen E. , Mokadam Nahush A. , Nunley David , Whitson Bryan A.
Published: January 2022

Background

Advanced age is considered a risk factor for lung transplantation (LTX). We sought to evaluate the long‐term outcomes of LTX in the septuagenarian.

Methods

LTX recipients in the UNOS transplant registry (May 1, 2005–June 12, 2020) were stratified into 18–59, 60–69, and > = 70 years of age. Recipient and transplant characteristics were evaluated for survival, cause of death (COD), length of stay (LOS), and complications. A Kaplan‐Meier analysis examined long‐term survival for all patients stratified by age, specifically looking at cause of death.

Results

A total of 27 632 recipients were identified. As recipients aged, we found a decrease in proportion of cystic fibrosis and an increase in restrictive disease while obstructive disease peaked in the 60–69yo cohort (P < .001). Septuagenarians had higher rates of single LTX, male gender, and white race (P < .001). Older recipients had significantly longer donor recovery distances traveled with paradoxical shorter ischemic times, shorter hospital LOS and were transplanted at higher volume centers. There was no difference with in‐hospital mortality among groups (P = .5). Acute rejection during initial hospitalization, rejection within 1 year, and post‐transplant dialysis incidence decreased with age. Graft failure was a common COD in younger patients while malignancy and cardio/cerebrovascular diseases were common COD in > = 70yo.

Conclusion

Select septuagenarian LTX candidates may be safely transplanted with relatively few complications. Immunosenescence and conditions of the aged are likely contributing factors to the decreased rejection and graft failure observations. Septuagenarians should not be excluded from LTX consideration based solely on age. Transplantation in septuagenarians should only be done in very selected patients (screened for malignancies and atherosclerotic disease) and these recipients should be carefully followed after transplantation because of these risk factors.