bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 Impact on Resident Mental Health and Well-Being
Authors: Jaconia Giselle D. , Lynch Lisa R. , Miller Lydia K. , Hines Roberta L. , Pinyavat Teeda
Published: December 2021

Columbia University’s Papper Symposium, a virtual event held on March 20, 2021, was dedicated to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This article summarizes a lecture by Dr. Roberta Hines, Nicholas M. Greene Professor of Anesthesiology and Department Chair and Chief of Anesthesiology at Yale-New Haven Hospital titled “The impact of COVID-19 on trainees: lessons learned and unanticipated opportunities,” in addition draws from experiences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a focused review of the literature on the toll of the pandemic on trainee well-being and mental health. Early research has demonstrated that rates of burnout and acute stress were higher among health care providers who cared for COVID-19 patients than those who did not and that COVID-19 frontline health care providers are at high risk for common psychological disorders, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Trainees working on the frontlines may be at particularly high risk for these mental health disorders and are less likely to access resources available to them. Program directors and hospital graduate medical education leaders should be aware of the threats to physiological and psychological safety and take action to prevent further detrimental effects. The rates of burnout and mental health disorders among trainees are expected to rise as a result of the pandemic, making screening programs and increased access to mental health treatment an essential feature of all residency and fellowship programs.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Trainees: Lessons Learned and Unanticipated Opportunities
Authors: Pinyavat Teeda , Lynch Lisa R. , Jaconia Giselle D. , Miller Lydia K. , Hines Roberta L.
Published: December 2021

Dr. Emanuel Martin Papper was a Professor and Department Chair at Columbia University whose top passion was training the next generation of anesthesiologists. As such, a fitting topic for discussion at Columbia University Department of Anesthesiology’s Papper Symposium was the “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Trainees: Lessons Learned and Unanticipated Opportunities,” presented by Dr. Roberta L. Hines, Nicholas M. Greene Professor of Anesthesiology and Department Chair and Chief of Anesthesiology at Yale-New Haven Hospital. The pandemic led to abrupt changes at the national, hospital, and training program levels, all of which impacted trainees in anesthesiology and other disciplines. Nationally, there were sweeping regulatory changes that helped to shape the coronavirus disease-2019 response by medical front line workers. At each individual hospital, coronavirus disease-2019 units were created and teams were restructured to keep up with patient care demands. Educational programs adapted their curricula and trainees lost valuable clinical and academic opportunities. The innovative educational responses, including a pivot to virtual learning and virtual recruitment, provided a silver lining to the health care crisis. Another bright spot was that anesthesiology as a specialty rose to the forefront of patient care. Anesthesiologists displayed impactful leadership during the pandemic, paving the way for future growth and broadened reach of our specialty.
Is the destruction or removal of atmospheric methane a worthwhile option?
Authors: Nisbet-Jones Peter B. R. , Fernandez Julianne M. , Fisher Rebecca E. , France James L. , Lowry David , Waltham David A. , Woolley Maisch Ceres A. , Nisbet Euan G.
Published: December 2021

Removing methane from the air is possible, but do the costs outweigh the benefits? This note explores the question of whether removing methane from the atmosphere is justifiable. Destruction of methane by oxidation to CO
2
eliminates 97% of the warming impact on a 100-yr time scale. Methane can be oxidized by a variety of methods including thermal or ultraviolet photocatalysis and various processes of physical, chemical or biological oxidizers. Each removal method has energy costs (with the risk of causing embedded CO
2
emission that cancel the global warming gain), but in specific circumstances, including settings where air with high methane is habitually present, removal may be competitive with direct efforts to cut fugitive methane leaks. In all cases however, great care must be taken to ensure that the destruction has a net positive impact on the total global warming, and that the resources required would not be better used for stopping the methane from being emitted.

This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Rising methane: is warming feeding warming? (part 2)’.
Pinibacter aurantiacus gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from rhizospheric soil of a pine tree
Authors: Huq Md. Amdadul , Siddiqi Muhammad Zubair , Balusamy Sri Renukadevi , Rahman M. Mizanur , Ashrafudoulla Md , Apu Md. Aminul Islam , Maitra Pulak , Naserkheil Masoumeh , Park Jong-Hyun , Akter Shahina
Published: December 2021

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic and rod-shaped novel bacterial strain, designated MAH-26T, was isolated from rhizospheric soil of a pine tree. The colonies were orange coloured, smooth, spherical and 0.7–1.8 mm in diameter when grown on Reasoner's 2A (R2A) agar for 2 days. Strain MAH-26T was able to grow at 10–40 °C, at pH 6.0–9.0 and with 0–1.0 % NaCl. Cell growth occurred on nutrient agar, R2A agar, tryptone soya agar and Luria–Bertani agar. The strain gave positive results in oxidase and catalase tests. Strain MAH-26T was closely related to

Flavihumibacter sediminis

CJ663T and

Parasegetibacter terrae

SGM2-10T with a low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (92.8 and 92.9 %, respectively) and phylogenetic analysis indicated that the strain formed a distinct phylogenetic lineage from the members of the closely related genera of the family

Chitinophagaceae

. Strain MAH-26T has a draft genome size of 6 857 405 bp, annotated with 5173 protein-coding genes, 50 tRNA and two rRNA genes. The genomic DNA G+C content was 41.5 mol%. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone 7. The major fatty acids were identified as iso-C15:0, iso-C15:1 G and iso-C17:0 3OH. On the basis of phylogenetic inference and phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular properties, strain MAH-26T represents a novel species of a novel genus of the family

Chitinophagaceae

, for which the name Pinibacter aurantiacus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Pinibacter aurantiacus is MAH-26T (=KACC 19749T=CGMCC 1.13701T).
A kinetic model considering the decline of antibody level and vaccination of COVID-19
Authors: Xu Chuanqing , Huang Xiaotong , Zhang Zonghao , Cui Jingan
Published: December 2021

In order to evaluate the decline in antibody levels and the impact of vaccination on the spread of the epidemic, we establish COVID-19 dynamic models that consider the decline in antibody levels and the effects of vaccination, and retrospectively evaluate the epidemic situation in England. Based on the epidemic data in England from September 1 to October 31, 2020, considering the continuous decline in the antibody level of COVID-19 recovers, an improved SEIR infectious disease dynamics model that considers the reinfection of recovers due to the decline in antibody levels is established. The kinetic parameters of the SEIR model are obtained by fitting. On this basis, a SEIRV infectious disease dynamic model with vaccination is established to study the impact of different vaccination rates and vaccine failure rates on the development of the epidemic in England. We obtain the lower the vaccine failure rate, the fewer new cases. When the vaccination rate is fixed at 0.005 (equivalent to 250000 people vaccinated every day), the peak of the epidemic will decrease with the decrease of vaccine failure rate. The peak value when the failure rate is 0.001 is 81.4% lower than the peak value when the failure rate is 0.01, and the peak value when the failure rate is 0.01 is 89.5% lower than the peak value when the failure rate is 0.02. When the failure rate is less than 0.01, the peak time will advance with the decrease of failure rate; when the failure rate is greater than 0.01, the peak time will be delayed with the decrease of failure rate; when the failure rate is 0.01, the peak time is 528 days later than that when the failure rate is 0.001 and 295 days later than that when the failure rate is 0.05. On the 60th day of vaccination, the vaccine failure rate of 0.002 decreases the number of cases by 5.8% compared with the vaccine failure rate of 0.01; on the 70th day of vaccination, the vaccine failure rate of 0.002 reduces the number of cases by 9.1% compared with the vaccine failure rate of 0.01. Therefore, with the extension of time, the vaccine with low failure rate has a more obvious effect on reducing the number of cases than the vaccine with high failure rate. When the vaccine failure rate is fixed at 0.005, we study the impact of different vaccination rates on the spread of the epidemic in England, the result shows that the peak of epidemic situation decreases with the increase of vaccination rate, and the peak time advance with the increase of vaccination rate, when the vaccination rate is 0.025, the peak decreases by 74.8% and the peak time was 114 days earlier than that when the vaccination rate is 0.005. Therefore, the higher the vaccine efficiency and vaccination rate, the lower the peak of the epidemic. On the basis of improving the effectiveness of vaccines, increasing the vaccination rate is of practical significance for controlling the spread of the epidemic.
A multicentre, prospective, randomised controlled trial to evaluate hexaminolevulinate photodynamic therapy (Cevira®) as a novel treatment in patients with high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion: APRICITY Phase 3 study protocol
Authors: Chen Fei , Novák Zoltán , Dannecker Christian , Sui Long , Zhang Youzhong , You Zhixue , Han Ling , Lang Jinghe , Hillemanns Peter
Published: December 2021

Introduction

High-risk human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Current treatments of high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) of the cervix are based on invasive surgical interventions, compromising cervical competence and functionality.

Objective

APRICITY is a multicentre, prospective, double-blind, randomised controlled Phase 3 study further evaluating the efficacy and safety of Cevira®, an integrated drug- and light-delivery device for hexaminolevulinate photodynamic therapy, which shows promise as a novel, non-invasive therapy for women with HSIL.

Methods and analysis

Patients with biopsy-confirmed HSIL histology are invited to participate in the study currently being conducted at 47 sites in China and 25 sites in Ukraine, Russia and European Union. The aim is to include at least 384 patients which will be randomised to either Cevira® or placebo group (2:1). All patients will be assessed 3 months after first treatment and a second treatment will be administered in patients who are HPV positive or have at least low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL). Primary endpoint is the proportion of the responders at 6 months after first treatment. Secondary efficacy endpoints and safety endpoints will be assessed at 6 months, and data for secondary performance endpoints for Cevira® device will be collected at 3 months and 6 months, in case second treatment was administered. All patients in the Cevira® group will be enrolled in an open, long-term extension study following patients for further 6 months to collect additional efficacy and safety data (study extension endpoints).

Conclusion

Due to its non-invasiveness and convenient application, Cevira® may be a favourable alternative to surgical methods in treatment of patients with HSIL.

Ethics and dissemination

The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Hannover Medical University, Germany. Findings will be disseminated through peer review publications and conference presentations.

Trial registration number

clinicaltrials.govNCT04484415
COVID-19 infections post-vaccination by HIV status in the United States
Authors: Coburn Sally B. , Humes Elizabeth , Lang Raynell , Stewart Cameron , Hogan Brenna C , Gebo Kelly A. , Napravnik Sonia , Edwards Jessie K. , Browne Lindsay E. , Park Lesley S. , Justice Amy C. , Gordon Kirsha , Horberg Michael A. , Certa Julia M. , Watson Eric , Jefferson Celeena R , Silverberg Michael , Skarbinski Jacek , Leyden Wendy A , Williams Carolyn F. , Althoff Keri N. ,   for the Corona-Infectious-Virus Epidemiology Team (CIVETs) of the NA-ACCORD of IeDEA
Published: December 2021

Importance

Recommendations for additional doses of COVID vaccine are restricted to people with HIV who have advanced disease or unsuppressed HIV viral load. Understanding SARS-CoV-2 infection risk post-vaccination among PWH is essential for informing vaccination guidelines.

Objective

Estimate the risk of breakthrough infections among fully vaccinated people with (PWH) and without (PWoH) HIV in the US.

Design, setting, and participants

The Corona-Infectious-Virus Epidemiology Team (CIVET)-II cohort collaboration consists of 4 longitudinal cohorts from integrated health systems and academic health centers. Each cohort identified individuals ≥18 years old, in-care, and fully vaccinated for COVID-19 through 30 June 2021. PWH were matched to PWoH on date fully vaccinated, age group, race/ethnicity, and sex at birth. Incidence rates per 1,000 person-years and cumulative incidence of breakthrough infections with 95% confidence intervals ([,]) were estimated by HIV status. Cox proportional hazards models estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) of breakthrough infections by HIV status adjusting for demographic factors, prior COVID-19 illness, vaccine type (BNT162b2, [Pfizer], mRNA-1273 [Moderna], Jansen Ad26.COV2.S [J&J]), calendar time, and cohort. Risk factors for breakthroughs among PWH, were also investigated.

Exposure

HIV infection

Outcome

COVID-19 breakthrough infections, defined as laboratory evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 diagnosis after an individual was fully vaccinated.

Results

Among 109,599 individuals (31,840 PWH and 77,759 PWoH), the rate of breakthrough infections was higher in PWH versus PWoH: 44 [41, 48] vs. 31 [29, 33] per 1,000 person-years. Cumulative incidence at 210 days after date fully vaccinated was low, albeit higher in PWH versus PWoH overall (2.8% versus 2.1%, log-rank p<0.001, risk difference=0.7% [0.4%, 1.0%]) and within each vaccine type. Breakthrough infection risk was 41% higher in PWH versus PWoH (aHR=1.41 [1.28, 1.56]). Among PWH, younger age (18-24 versus 45-54), history of COVID-19 prior to fully vaccinated date, and J&J vaccination (versus Pfizer) were associated with increased risk of breakthroughs. There was no association of breakthrough with HIV viral load suppression or CD4 count among PWH.

Conclusions and Relevance

COVID-19 vaccination is effective against infection with SARS-CoV-2 strains circulating through 30 Sept 2021. PWH have an increased risk of breakthrough infections compared to PWoH. Recommendations for additional vaccine doses should be expanded to all PWH.
KAGE: Fast alignment-free graph-based genotyping of SNPs and short indels
Authors: Grytten Ivar , Rand Knut Dagestad , Sandve Geir Kjetil
Published: December 2021

Genotyping is a core application of high-throughput sequencing. We present KAGE, a genotyper for SNPs and short indels that is inspired by recent developments within graph-based genome representations and alignment-free methods. KAGE uses a pan-genome representation of the population to efficiently and accurately predict genotypes. Two novel ideas improve both the speed and accuracy: a Bayesian model incorporates genotypes from thousands of individuals to improve prediction accuracy, and a computationally efficient method leverages correlation between variants. We show that the accuracy of KAGE is at par with the best existing alignment-free genotypers, while being an order of magnitude faster.
Enhancing Quantitative and Data Science Education for Graduate Students in Biomedical Science
Authors: Gross Louis J. , McCord Rachel Patton , LoRe Sondra , Ganusov Vitaly V. , Hong Tian , Strickland W. Christopher , Talmy David , Arnim Albrecht G. von , Wiggins Greg
Published: December 2021

Substantial guidance is available on undergraduate quantitative training for biologists, including reports focused on biomedical science, but far less attention has been paid to the graduate curriculum. In this setting, we propose an innovative approach to quantitative education that goes beyond recommendations of a course or set of courses or activities. Due to the diversity of quantitative methods, it is infeasible to expect that biomedical PhD students can be exposed to more than a minority of the quantitative concepts and techniques employed in modern biology. We developed a novel prioritization approach in which we mined and analyzed quantitative concepts and skills from publications that faculty in relevant units deemed central to the scientific comprehension of their field. The analysis provides a prioritization of quantitative skills and concepts and could represent an effective method to drive curricular focus based upon program-specific faculty input for biological science programs of all types. Our results highlight the disconnect between typical undergraduate quantitative education for life science students, focused on continuous mathematics, and the concepts and skills in graphics, statistics, and discrete mathematics that arise from priorities established by biomedical science faculty.

One Sentence Summary

We developed a novel approach to prioritize quantitative concepts and methods for inclusion in a graduate biomedical science curriculum based upon approaches included in faculty-identified key publications.
Quantifying the Invasive Secondary Metabolome
Authors: Rowland-Chandler Jamila , Salter Ewan , Babu Suresh , Yadav Gitanjali
Published: December 2021

Invasive plants drive ecosystem degradation through developing aggressive phenotypes that can outcompete native flora. Several hypotheses explain this, like the Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability hypothesis and the Novel Weapons Hypothesis, but none have been proven conclusively. Changes in plant metabolites are critical to these hypotheses, but complete invasive secondary metabolomes have not been quantified. Here, statistical and unsupervised machine-learning approaches were used to analyse chemotype-to-phenotype relationships in invasive and non-invasive populations in species Ageratum conyzoides, Lantana camara, Melaleuca quinquenervia and Psidium cattleainum and on a family level analysing Asteraceae, Myrtaceae and Verbenaceae. Invasive metabolomes evolved according to the EICA and NWH, involving optimisation of aggressive strategies present in native populations and local adaptation.

Abstract Figure
Intraspecific variation in migration timing of green sturgeon in the Sacramento River system
Authors: Colborne Scott F. , Sheppard Lawrence W. , O’Donnell Daniel R. , Reuman Daniel C. , Walter Jonathan A. , Singer Gabriel P. , Kelly John T. , Thomas Michael J. , Rypel Andrew L.
Published: December 2021

Background

Understanding movement patterns of anadromous fishes is critical to conservation management of declining wild populations and preservation of habitats. Yet, infrequent observations of individual animals fundamentally constrain accurate descriptions of movement dynamics.

Methods

In this study, we synthesized over a decade (2006–2018) of acoustic telemetry tracking observations of green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) in the Sacramento River system to describe major anadromous movement patterns.

Results

We observed that green sturgeon exhibited a unimodal in-migration during the spring months but had a bimodal distribution of out-migration timing, split between an ‘early’ out-migration (32%) group during May - June, or alternatively, holding in the river until a ‘late’ out-migration (68%), November - January. Focusing on these out-migration groups, we found that river discharge, but not water temperature, may cue the timing of migration, and that fish showed a tendency to maintain out-migration timing between subsequent spawning migration events.

Conclusions

We recommend that life history descriptions of green sturgeon in this region reflect the distinct out-migration periods described here. Furthermore, we encourage the continued use of biotelemetry to describe migration timing and life history variation, not only this population but other green sturgeon populations and other species.
Reduced Dimension, Biophysical Neuron Models Constructed From Observed Data
Authors: Clark Randall , Fuller Lawson , Platt Jason A. , Abarbanel Henry D. I.
Published: December 2021

Using methods from nonlinear dynamics and interpolation techniques from applied mathematics, we show how to use data alone to construct discrete time dynamical rules that forecast observed neuron properties. These data may come from from simulations of a Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) neuron model or from laboratory current clamp experiments. In each case the reduced dimension data driven forecasting (DDF) models are shown to predict accurately for times after the training period.

When the available observations for neuron preparations are, for example, membrane voltage V(t) only, we use the technique of time delay embedding from nonlinear dynamics to generate an appropriate space in which the full dynamics can be realized.

The DDF constructions are reduced dimension models relative to HH models as they are built on and forecast only observables such as V(t). They do not require detailed specification of ion channels, their gating variables, and the many parameters that accompany an HH model for laboratory measurements, yet all of this important information is encoded in the DDF model.

As the DDF models use only voltage data and forecast only voltage data, they can be used in building networks with biophysical connections. Both gap junction connections and ligand gated synaptic connections among neurons involve presynaptic voltages and induce postsynaptic voltage response. Biophysically based DDF neuron models can replace other reduced dimension neuron models, say of the integrate-and-fire type, in developing and analyzing large networks of neurons.

When one does have detailed HH model neurons for network components, a reduced dimension DDF realization of the HH voltage dynamics may be used in network computations to achieve computational efficiency and the exploration of larger biological networks.
Why do hippocampal mossy cells matter? It depends on the frequency and context
Authors: Kolaric Katarina , Strauch Christina , Li Yingxin , Woods Sasha , Lopes Marinho A. , Sivarajah Natasha , Teixeira Catia M. , Lerch Jason , Frankland Paul W. , Henkelman Mark , Bortolotto Zuner A , Clea Warburton E. , Bashir Zafar I , Manahan-Vaughan Denise , Atan Denize
Published: December 2021

The discrimination of similar episodes and places, and their representation as distinct memories, depend on a process called pattern separation that relies on the circuitry of the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). Mossy cells (MCs) are key neurons in the circuitry, but how they influence DG network dynamics, function, and seizure risk has not been fully elucidated. We found the net impact of MCs was inhibitory at physiological frequencies connected with learning and behaviour, and their absence associated with deficits in pattern separation and spatial memory; at higher frequencies, their net impact was excitatory, and their absence protected against seizures. Thus, MCs influence DG outputs in a highly dynamic manner that varies with frequency and context.

One-Sentence Summary

Hippocampal mossy cells are required for learning and memory; but their absence protects against seizures.
Sterilization of drug-resistant influenza virus through genetic interference: use of unnatural amino acid-engineered virions
Authors: Wu Xuesheng , Zheng Zhetao , Chen Hongmin , Lin Haishuang , Yang Yuelin , Bai Yachao , Xia Qing
Published: December 2021

The frequent emergence of drug resistance during the treatment of influenza A virus (IAV) infections highlights a need for effective antiviral countermeasures. Here, we present an antiviral method that utilizes unnatural amino acid-engineered drug-resistant (UAA-DR) virus. The engineered virus is generated through genetic code expansion to combat emerging drug-resistant viruses. The UAA-DR virus has unnatural amino acids incorporated into its drug-resistant protein and its polymerase complex for replication control. The engineered virus can undergo genomic segment reassortment with normal virus and produce sterilized progenies due to artificial amber codons in the viral genome. We validate in vitro that UAA-DR can provide a broad-spectrum antiviral strategy for several H1N1 strains, different DR-IAV strains, multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, and even antigenically distant influenza strains (e.g., H3N2). Moreover, a minimum dose of neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors for influenza virus can further enhance the sterilizing effect when combating inhibitor-resistant strains, partly due to the promoted superinfection of unnatural amino acid-modified virus in cellular and animal models. We also exploited the engineered virus to achieve adjustable efficacy after external UAA administration, for mitigating DR virus infection on transgenic mice harboring the pair, and to have substantial elements of the genetic code expansion technology, which further demonstrated the safety and feasibility of the strategy. We anticipate that the use of the UAA-engineered DR virion, which is a novel antiviral agent, could be extended to combat emerging drug-resistant influenza virus and other segmented RNA viruses.
Role of oxidation of excitation-contraction coupling machinery in age-dependent loss of muscle function in C. elegans
Authors: Dridi Haikel , Forrester Frances , Umanskaya Alisa , Xie Wenjun , Reiken Steven , Lacampagne Alain , Marks Andrew R.
Published: December 2021

Age-dependent loss of body wall muscle function and impaired locomotion occur within 2 weeks in C. elegans; however, the underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. In humans, age-dependent loss of muscle function occurs at about 80 years of age and has been linked to dysfunction of ryanodine receptor (RyR)/intracellular calcium (Ca2+) release channels on the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Mammalian skeletal muscle RyR1 channels undergo age-related remodeling due to oxidative overload, leading to loss of the stabilizing subunit calstabin1 (FKBP12) from the channel macromolecular complex. This destabilizes the closed state of the channel resulting in intracellular Ca2+ leak, reduced muscle function, and impaired exercise capacity. We now show that the C. elegans RyR homolog, UNC-68, exhibits a remarkable degree of evolutionary conservation with mammalian RyR channels and similar age-dependent dysfunction. Like RyR1 in mammals UNC-68 encodes a protein that comprises a macromolecular complex which includes the calstabin1 homolog FKB-2 and is immunoreactive with antibodies raised against the RyR1 complex. Further, as in aged mammals, UNC-68 is oxidized and depleted of FKB-2 in an age-dependent manner, resulting in “leaky” channels, depleted SR Ca2+ stores, reduced body wall muscle Ca2+ transients, and age-dependent muscle weakness. FKB-2 (ok3007)-deficient worms exhibit reduced exercise capacity. Pharmacologically induced oxidization of UNC-68 and depletion of FKB-2 from the channel independently caused reduced body wall muscle Ca2+ transients. Preventing FKB-2 depletion from the UNC-68 macromolecular complex using the Rycal drug S107 improved muscle Ca2+ transients and function. Taken together, these data suggest that UNC-68 oxidation plays a role in age-dependent loss of muscle function. Remarkably, this age-dependent loss of muscle function induced by oxidative overload, which takes ~2 years in mice and ~80 years in humans, occurs in less than 2-3 weeks in C. elegans, suggesting that reduced anti-oxidant capacity may contribute to the differences in life span amongst species.
LungMAP Portal Ecosystem: Systems-Level Exploration of the Lung
Authors: Gaddis Nathan , Fortriede Joshua , Guo Minzhe , Bardes Eric E. , Kouril Michal , Tabar Scott , Burns Kevin , Ardini-Poleske Maryanne E. , Loos Stephanie , Schnell Daniel , Jin Kang , Iyer Balaji , Du Yina , Korte Jeff , Munshi Ruchi , Smith Victoria , Herbst Andrew , Kitzmiller Joseph A. , Clair Geremy C. , Carson James , Adkins Joshua , Morrisey Edward E. , Pryhuber Gloria S. , Misra Ravi , Whitsett Jeffrey A. , Sun Xin , Heathorn Trevor , Paten Benedict , Surya Prasath V. B. , Xu Yan , Tickle Tim , Aronow Bruce J. , Salomonis Nathan ,   NHLBI LungMAP Consortium
Published: December 2021

An improved understanding of the human lung necessitates advanced systems models informed by an ever-increasing repertoire of molecular omics, cellular, imaging and pathological datasets. To centralize and standardize information across broad lung research efforts we expanded the LungMAP.net website into a gateway portal. This portal connects a broad-spectrum of research networks, bulk and single-cell multi-omics data and a diverse collection of image data that span mammalian lung development and disease. The data are standardized across species and technologies using harmonized data and metadata models that leverage recent advances including those from the Human Cell Atlas, diverse ontologies, and the LungMAP CellCards initiative. To cultivate future discoveries, we have aggregated a diverse collection of single-cell atlases for multiple species (human, rhesus, mouse), to enable consistent queries across technologies, cohorts, age, disease and drug treatment. These atlases are provided as independent and integrated queriable datasets, with an emphasis on dynamic visualization, figure generation and reference-based classification of user-provided datasets (Azimuth). As this resource grows, we intend to increase the breadth of available interactive interfaces, data portals and datasets from LungMAP and external research efforts.
Showcasing green: how culture influences sustainable behavior in food eco-labeling
Authors: Manta Francesco , Campobasso Francesco , Tarulli Annunziata , Morrone Domenico
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The aim of this study is to verify, through Hofstede's 6-D model, the impact of national culture on the implementation of eco-labeling activities on the supplier side, in order to provide consumers information about the sustainable behavior adopted by firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors tested the impact of culture dimensions through an econometric model, on a sample composed by several countries of the world, in which at least a food certification is in force.

Findings

Interesting results have been obtained and discussed, proving the existence of a relationship between culture and corporate sustainability showcasing. Cultural heritage has a deep influence on sustainable consumption demand. Firms need to put more effort to showcase their green behavior. Economic indicators have a role in fostering sustainable behavior.

Originality/value

Food labeling is little explored, despite its growing importance for consumers. This research is a window in green marketing issues, specifically in global branding strategies.
Work ethic and information security behavior
Authors: Ramakrishnan Thiagarajan , Hite Dwight M. , Schuessler Joseph H. , Prybutok Victor
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Information security is a growing issue that impacts organizations in virtually all industries, and data breaches impact millions of customers and cost organizations millions of dollars. Within the past several years alone, huge data breaches have been experienced by organizations such as Marriot, Equifax, eBay, JP Morgan Chase, Home Depot, Target and Yahoo, the latter of which impacted three billion users. This study aims to examine the utilization of pre-employment screening to identify potential hires that may require enhanced information security training to avoid such costs.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors hypothesize that an individual’s work ethic predicts a person’s information security behavior. The authors test this hypothesis using structural equation modeling with bootstrapping techniques.

Findings

Data analysis suggests that certain dimensions of work ethic do indeed predict information security posture, and thus, simple pre-employment screening techniques (i.e. questionnaires) can aid in identifying potential security threats.

Practical implications

The findings provide a tool for identifying problematic employee security posture prior to hiring, which may be useful in identifying training needs for new hires.

Originality/value

The findings provide a tool for identifying problematic employee security posture prior to hiring, which may be useful in identifying training needs for new hires.
Educating towards the prudent entrepreneurial self – an educational journey including agency and social awareness to handle the unknown
Authors: Hägg Gustav , Jones Colin
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This paper explores the idea of the prudent entrepreneurial self, through re-conceptualizing prudence into the domain of entrepreneurial education, to unite the two processes of becoming enterprising and entrepreneurial. It is argued that developing a capacity for prudence among graduates involves past, present and conjecture forms of knowledge that the authors find in the interplay between individuation and social awareness.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on Palmer's idea of wholeness, the authors discuss six poles of paradoxes in entrepreneurial education and in conjunction establish a philosophical argument for the idea of stimulating the development of prudence as fundamentally important to contemporary notions of entrepreneurial education.

Findings

The paper presents a model to develop a schema that moves students towards becoming prudent entrepreneurial selves. The model rests on two interrelated developmental processes – individuation and social awareness – conditional for developing the three forms of knowledge (past, present and conjecture) that makes up prudence where developing prudence is a means to handle or cope with the unknown.

Research limitations/implications

This paper argues that for enterprise and entrepreneurship education to realize their potential contributions, both the relationships between each field and the overarching purpose that ties the fields together need to be rethought, and the poles of paradoxes need to be connected to further develop both fields and creating wholeness for the emerging scholarly discipline.

Practical implications

To educate towards the prudent entrepreneurial self means educating towards an unknown end where student development aims to meet both the objectives of individual development and the growth in social awareness required to handle the changing nature of contemporary society.

Originality/value

This study philosophically conceives a united enterprise and entrepreneurship education landscape in which deeper student learning makes possible the notion of the prudent entrepreneurial self.
Empathy or perceived credibility? An empirical study of Muslim donating behaviour through online charitable crowdfunding in Indonesia
Authors: Kasri Rahmatina Awaliah , Indriani Esmeralda
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This study aims to analyse the factors influencing Indonesian Muslims’ donation behaviour through online charitable donation-based crowdfunding.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the stimulus-organism-response framework, with technological characteristics, campaign characteristics and religiosity as the stimulus; empathy, perceived credibility and quality of relationship as the organism; and intention to donate as the response variables. In analysing the data, it used the structural equation modelling approach with the partial least squares method. The study involved 405 Muslim respondents who have donated through the largest online charitable crowdfunding platform in Indonesia.

Findings

The main findings suggest that empathy and perceived credibility are key determinants influencing the intention to donate through crowdfunding. Both factors are subsequently affected by initiator reputation, campaign popularity, content quality, transaction convenience and website quality. Such intention also goes hand in hand with the improved quality of relationships between the organisation and the donors, subsequently influenced by their religiosity.

Practical implications

The main findings imply that fundraising campaigns and technology’s characteristics play a significant role in the intention to donate. Such findings are expected to enhance understanding of individuals’ philanthropic behaviour in Indonesia and to suggest appropriate operational strategies to facilitate individuals’ donation behaviour in charitable crowdfunding.

Originality/value

Despite the high potential of charitable crowdfunding, studies regarding the factors influencing charitable donations made through such organisations remain scarce. This study contributes to the literature by taking the case of the largest online charitable crowdfunding platform in Indonesia.
Exploring students digital activities and performances through their activities logged in learning management system using educational data mining approach
Authors: Bessadok Adel , Abouzinadah Ehab , Rabie Osama
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the students’ digital activities and their academic performance through two stages. In the first stage, students’ digital activities were studied and clustered based on the attributes of their activity log of learning management system (LMS) data set. In the second stage, the significance of the relationship between these profiles and the associated academic performance was tested statistically.

Design/methodology/approach

The LMS delivers E-learning courses and keeps track of the students’ activities. Investigating these students’ digital activities became a real challenge. The diversity of students’ involvement in the learning process was proven through the LMS which characterize students’ specific profiles. The Educational Data Mining (EDM) approach was used to discover students’ learning profiles and associated academic performances, where the activity log file exemplified their activities hosted in the LMS. The sample study data is from an undergraduate e-course hosted on the platform of Blackboard LMS offered at a Saudi University during the first semester of the 2019–2020 academic year. The chosen undergraduate course had 25 sections, and the students attending came from science, technology, engineering and math background.

Findings

Results show three clusters based on the digital activities of the students. The correlation test shows the statistical significance and proves the effect of the student’s profile on his academic performance. The data analysis shows that students with different profiles can still get similar academic performance using LMS.

Originality/value

This empirical study emphasizes the importance of the EDM approach using clustering techniques which can help the instructor understand how students use the provided LMS content to learn and then can deliver them the best educational experience.
The aftermath of a brand transgression: the role of brand forgiveness and brand evangelism
Authors: Nobi Benjamin , Kim Kyung-Min , Lee Sangwon
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine how brand transgression (BT) affects brand relationship quality (BRQ). Brand forgiveness (BF) and brand evangelism (BE) are tested as mediators between BT and BRQ. This study advances knowledge in consumer behavior by showing how consumers offer to deal with their relationships with brands through BE and BF. This provides relevant information to managers to seek strategies to obtain forgiveness from consumers in case the unfortunate happens. Not only must they seek to obtain forgiveness but also seek ways to ensure BE of their brands. These act as buffers for the brands in case a transgression happens.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a survey approach, this study tests whether forgiveness mediated the relationship between BT and BRQ. Also, whether BE mediated the relationship between BT and BRQ was examined. The test was conducted using PROCESS bootstrapping method (Model 4 of Hayes [2018]).

Findings

Consistent with the predictions, this study finds that, following a BT, consumers engage in BE and BF to maintain the relationship they have already established with their brands.

Originality/value

This study extends the existing literature by showing that after a BT, response from consumers may take different forms. The consumer’s response or the relationship with the brand may be affected by whether the consumer forgives the brand or evangelizes about the brand. Based on the cognitive dissonance theory, the results of this study imply that, forgiveness and BE act as important mechanisms in understanding consumer-brand relationships after brands act unacceptably. Further, this study contributes to the social media brand management literature by investigating a real-world BT case of social media.
Small firm coopetition – the missing links: coopetitive tension, balance and value
Authors: Letcher Brett , de Villiers Scheepers Margarietha , Graham Wayne
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to explore small firm perceptions of coopetition, focusing on coopetitive tension, balance and value appropriation realised in dyadic relationships, not considered holistically in previous research.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use seven cases of small firms as the empirical foundation of this study and analysed data thematically.

Findings

The findings show that precursors to coopetitive tension in dyads influence friction in these relationships, as firms seek to achieve balance. Balance is dynamic as firms continuously appraise their positions to determine the benefits realised from coopetition. The extent to which firms act cooperatively or competitively is influenced by their perception of fair value appropriation for sustained coopetitive relationships.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the research design findings are not generalisable but provide insight into small firm coopetitive relational dynamics. Future research should explore how industry differences influence firms’ perceived precursors to coopetitive tension and value appropriation based on boundary conditions.

Practical implications

Small firms can proactively address coopetitive tension by developing relationships with potential partner firms through trialling smaller projects and increasing awareness of how their competitive or cooperative behaviours might influence the actions of their counterpart.

Originality/value

This study advances a theoretical framework integrating coopetitive tension, balance and value appropriation, as opposed to earlier fragmented approaches. The framework reveals that precursors to coopetitive tension are continuously appraised as firms act in cooperative or competitive ways. These interactions imply that firms will take a position of balance that provides complementary benefits.
Price extremes and asymmetric dependence structures in stock returns: the emerging market evidence
Authors: Thazhungal Govindan Nair Saji
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Equity research in experimental psychology reveals investors' overreactions to bad news events. This study of asymmetric price structures in equity markets investigates whether such behavior predicts stock returns in an emerging market of India.

Design/methodology/approach

The research decomposes Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex returns into Extremely Positive Returns (EPR) and Extremely Negative Returns (ENR) based on extreme values at first and then tests their lead–lag relations.

Findings

The empirical finding is consistent with the existing evidence of asymmetric news effects on stock returns in India. In precise, ENR robustly predicts one-month-ahead EPR for the sample period from January 1991 to March 2020. This predictive power persists even in the presence of popular valuation ratios and business cycle variables.

Practical implications

The paper explains the rationale of extreme value modeling in price forecasting. Investors can find additional utility gains from market cycle information while predicting extreme returns in Indian stock market.

Originality/value

The paper is unique to understand business cycle effects in extreme return reversals in emerging markets.
Investigating the validity of the agricultural-induced environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for Ghana: evidence from an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach with a structural break
Authors: Ntim-Amo Gideon , Qi Yin , Ankrah-Kwarko Ernest , Ankrah Twumasi Martinson , Ansah Stephen , Boateng Kissiwa Linda , Ruiping Ran
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to examine the validity of the agriculture-induced environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis with evidence from an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach with a structural break including real income and energy consumption in the model for Ghana over the period 1980–2014.

Design/methodology/approach

The ARDL approach with a structural break was used to analyze the agriculture-induced EKC model which has not been studied in Ghana. The dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), canonical cointegration regression (CCR) and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) econometric methods were further used to validate the robustness of the estimates, and the direction of the relationship between the study variables was also clarified using the Toda–Yamamoto Granger causality test.

Findings

The ARDL results revealed that GDP, energy consumption and agricultural value added have significant positive effects on CO2emissions, while GDP2reduces CO2emissions. The Toda-Yamamoto causality test results show a bidirectional causality running from GDP and energy consumption to CO2emissions whereas a unidirectional long-term causality runs from GDP2and agriculture value-added to CO2emissions.

Practical implications

This finding validated the presence of the agriculture-induced EKC hypothesis in Ghana in both the short run and long run, and the important role of agriculture and energy consumption in economic growth was confirmed by the respective bidirectional and unidirectional causal relationships between the two variables and GDP. Thus, a reduction in unsustainable agricultural practices is recommended through specific policies to strengthen institutional quality in Ghana for a paradigm shift from rudimentary technology to modern sustainable agrarian technologies.

Originality/value

This study is novel in the EKC literature in Ghana, as no study has yet been done on agriculture-induced EKC in Ghana, and the other EKC studies also failed to account for structural breaks which have been done by this study. This study further includes a causality analysis to examine the direction of the relationship which the few EKC studies in Ghana failed to address. Finally, dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), canonical cointegration regression (CCR) and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) methods are used for robustness check, unlike other studies with single methodologies.