bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A three-node Turing gene circuit forms periodic spatial patterns in bacteria
Authors: Tica J , Oliver Huidobro M , Zhu T , Wachter GKA , Pazuki RH , Tonello E , Siebert H , Stumpf MPH , Endres RG , Isalan M
Published: October 2023

Turing patterns1are well-known self-organising systems that can form spots, stripes, or labyrinths. They represent a major theory of patterning in tissue organisation, due to their remarkable similarity to some natural patterns, such as skin pigmentation in zebrafish2, digit spacing3,4, and many others. The involvement of Turing patterns in biology has been debated because of their stringent fine-tuning requirements, where patterns only occur within a small subset of parameters5,6. This has complicated the engineering of a synthetic gene circuit for Turing patterns from first principles, even though natural genetic Turing networks have been successfully identified4,7. Here, we engineered a synthetic genetic reaction-diffusion system where three nodes interact according to a non-classical Turing network with improved parametric robustness6. The system was optimised inE. coliand reproducibly generated stationary, periodic, concentric stripe patterns in growing colonies. The patterns were successfully reproduced with a partial differential equation model, in a parameter regime obtained by fitting to experimental data. Our synthetic Turing system can contribute to novel nanotechnologies, such as patterned biomaterial deposition8,9, and provide insights into developmental patterning programs10.
Neuroinflammation in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) as assessed by [11C]PBR28 PET correlates with vascular disease measures
Authors: VanElzakker Michael B. , Bues Hannah F. , Brusaferri Ludovica , Kim Minhae , Saadi Deena , Ratai Eva-Maria , Dougherty Darin D. , Loggia Marco L.
Published: October 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has triggered a consequential public health crisis of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), sometimes referred to as long COVID. The mechanisms of the heterogeneous persistent symptoms and signs that comprise PASC are under investigation, and several studies have pointed to the central nervous and vascular systems as being potential sites of dysfunction. In the current study, we recruited individuals with PASC with diverse symptoms, and examined the relationship between neuroinflammation and circulating markers of vascular dysfunction. We used [11C]PBR28 PET neuroimaging, a marker of neuroinflammation, to compare 12 PASC individuals versus 43 normative healthy controls. We found significantly increased neuroinflammation in PASC versus controls across a wide swath of brain regions including midcingulate and anterior cingulate cortex, corpus callosum, thalamus, basal ganglia, and at the boundaries of ventricles. We also collected and analyzed peripheral blood plasma from the PASC individuals and found significant positive correlations between neuroinflammation and several circulating analytes related to vascular dysfunction. These results suggest that an interaction between neuroinflammation and vascular health may contribute to common symptoms of PASC.
Trait Reward Sensitivity Modulates Connectivity with the Temporoparietal Junction and Anterior Insula during Strategic Decision Making
Authors: Sazhin Daniel , Wyngaarden James B. , Dennison Jeff B. , Zaff Ori , Fareri Dominic , McCloskey Michael S. , Alloy Lauren B. , Jarcho Johanna M. , Smith David V.
Published: October 2023

Many decisions happen in social contexts such as negotiations, yet little is understood about how people balance fairness versus selfishness. Past investigations found that activation in brain areas involved in executive function and reward processing was associated with people offering less with no threat of rejection from their partner, compared to offering more when there was a threat of rejection. However, it remains unclear how trait reward sensitivity may modulate activation and connectivity patterns in these situations. To address this gap, we used task-based fMRI to examine the relation between reward sensitivity and the neural correlates of bargaining choices. Participants (N = 54) completed the Sensitivity to Punishment (SP)/Sensitivity to Reward (SR) Questionnaire and the Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System scales. Participants performed the Ultimatum and Dictator Games as proposers and exhibited strategic decisions by being fair when there was a threat of rejection, but being selfish when there was not a threat of rejection. We found that strategic decisions evoked activation in the Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG) and the Anterior Insula (AI). Next, we found elevated IFG connectivity with the Temporoparietal junction (TPJ) during strategic decisions. Finally, we explored whether trait reward sensitivity modulated brain responses while making strategic decisions. We found that people who scored lower in reward sensitivity made less strategic choices when they exhibited higher AI-Angular Gyrus connectivity. Taken together, our results demonstrate how trait reward sensitivity modulates neural responses to strategic decisions, potentially underscoring the importance of this factor within social and decision neuroscience.
A tripartite chemogenetic fluorescent reporter for imaging ternary protein interactions
Authors: Bottone Sara , Broch Fanny , Brion Aurélien , Hajji Lina El , Benaissa Hela , Gautier Arnaud
Published: October 2023

Most cellular processes are carried out by multiprotein assemblies. Although various molecular tools exist to visualize binary protein interactions in live cells, the visualization of multiprotein complexes remains a challenge. Here, we report the engineering of a complementation-based approach allowing one to visualize the interaction of three proteins through effective proximity-induced complementation of three fragments of pFAST, a chemogenetic fluorescent reporter that binds and stabilizes the fluorescent state of fluorogenic chromophores (so-called fluorogens). This tripartite-split-pFAST allowed the observation of dynamic ternary protein interactions in the cytosol, at the plasma membrane and at the junction of multiple organelles, opening great prospects to study the role and function of multiprotein complexes in live cells and in various biologically relevant contexts.
Tumor-wide RNA splicing aberrations generate immunogenic public neoantigens
Authors: Kwok Darwin W. , Stevers Nicholas O. , Nejo Takahide , Chen Lee H. , Etxeberria Inaki , Jung Jangham , Okada Kaori , Cove Maggie Colton , Lakshmanachetty Senthilnath , Gallus Marco , Barpanda Abhilash , Hong Chibo , Chan Gary K.L. , Wu Samuel H. , Ramos Emilio , Yamamichi Akane , Liu Jerry , Watchmaker Payal , Ogino Hirokazu , Saijo Atsuro , Du Aidan , Grishanina Nadia , Woo James , Diaz Aaron , Chang Susan M. , Phillips Joanna J. , Wiita Arun P. , Klebanoff Christopher A. , Costello Joseph F. , Okada Hideho
Published: October 2023

T-cell-mediated immunotherapies are limited by the extent to which cancer-specific antigens are homogenously expressed throughout a tumor. We reasoned that recurrent splicing aberrations in cancer represent a potential source of tumor-wide and public neoantigens, and to test this possibility, we developed a novel pipeline for identifying neojunctions expressed uniformly within a tumor across diverse cancer types. Our analyses revealed multiple neojunctions that recur across patients and either exhibited intratumor heterogeneity or, in some cases, were tumor-wide. We identified CD8+ T-cell clones specific for neoantigens derived from tumor-wide and conserved neojunctions inGNASandRPL22, respectively. TCR-engineered CD8+T-cells targeting these mutations conferred neoantigen-specific tumor cell eradication. Furthermore, we revealed that cancer-specific dysregulation in splicing factor expression leads to recurrent neojunction expression. Together, these data reveal that a subset of neojunctions are both intratumorally conserved and public, providing the molecular basis for novel T-cell-based immunotherapies that address intratumoral heterogeneity.
TBK1 is ubiquitinated by TRIM5α to assemble mitophagy machinery
Authors: Saha Bhaskar , Olsvik Hallvard , Williams Geneva L , Oh Seeun , Evjen Gry , Sjøttem Eva , Mandell Michael A
Published: October 2023

Ubiquitination of mitochondrial proteins provides a basis for the downstream recruitment of mitophagy machinery, yet whether ubiquitination of the machinery itself contributes to mitophagy is unknown. Here, we show that K63-linked polyubiquitination of the key mitophagy regulator TBK1 is essential for its mitophagy functions. This modification is catalyzed by the ubiquitin ligase TRIM5α. Mitochondrial damage triggers TRIM5α’s auto-ubiquitination and its interaction with ubiquitin-binding autophagy adaptors including NDP52, optineurin, and NBR1. Autophagy adaptors, along with TRIM27, enable TRIM5α to engage with TBK1. TRIM5α with intact ubiquitination function is required for the proper accumulation of active TBK1 on damaged mitochondria in Parkin-dependent and Parkin-independent mitophagy pathways. Additionally, we show that TRIM5α can directly recruit autophagy initiation machinery to damaged mitochondria. Our data support a model in which TRIM5α provides a self-amplifying, mitochondria-localized, ubiquitin-based, assembly platform for TBK1 and mitophagy adaptors that is ultimately required to recruit the core autophagy machinery.
Impact of gene selection criteria on transcriptomic ontology-based point of departure estimates
Authors: Black Michael B. , Efremenko Alina Y. , Rasim Barutcu A. , McMullen Patrick D.
Published: October 2023

Apical effects are typically associated with changes in gene expression, which allows for the use of short- term in life transcriptomic studies to derive biologically relevant points of departure (POD). These methods offer cost savings over conventional toxicology assessments and can derive data from very short-term studies where apical effects may not yet be present. When there is limited or insufficient data for a conventional POD assessment, a transcriptomic screen could provide valuable data for deriving a cellular bioactivity POD for chemical screening and hazard assessment. We used existing transcriptomic data from published 5-day rat in vivo kidney and liver exposures to examine the effect of differential gene expression metrics for the selection of genes used for ontology pathway-based POD derivation. Williams Trend Test (WTT) indicate no gene expression dose-response in 6 instances and ANOVA in one, while DESeq2 detected differentially expressed genes in all instances. The three statistical metrics produced consistent POD values. One chemical (PFOA in liver) showed ontology enrichment indicative of a cytotoxic response at the highest dose, emphasizing the effect which too high a dose can have on the derivation of POD values if such response is not accounted for. Whether the choice of a gene selection metric combining both a statistical significance criterion as well as a minimum magnitude of change threshold affects the sensitivity of POD values depends on the specifics of the dose- response. Existing alternative and complementary analyses could be utilized with existing analyses pipelines to better inform analytical decisions when using transcriptomics and BMD for point of departure determinations.
Video-Microscopy-Based Automated Trajectory Determination for High-Velocity, Densely Clustered, Indistinguishable Objects Moving in A Directed Force Field
Authors: Tyson Christopher , Gaire Santosh , Pegg Ian , Sarkar Abhijit
Published: October 2023

We present a method for tracking densely clustered, high-velocity, indistinguishable objects being spawned at a high rate and moving in a directed force field using only object centroids as inputs and no other image information. The algorithm places minimal restrictions on the velocities or accelerations of the objects being tracked and uses a methodology based on a scoring function and a back-tracking refinement process. This combination leads to successful tracking of hundreds of particles in challenging environments even when the displacement of the individual objects at successive times approaches the separation between neighboring objects in any one frame. We note that these cases can be particularly difficult to handle by existing methods. The performance of the algorithm is methodically examined by comparison to simulated trajectories which vary the temporal and spatial densities, velocities, and accelerations of the objects in motion, as well as the signal-to-noise ratio. Also, we demonstrate its capability by analyzing data from experiments with superparamagnetic microspheres moving in an inhomogeneous magnetic field in aqueous buffer at room temperature. Our method should be widely applicable since trajectory determination problems are ubiquitous in video microscopy applications in biology, materials science, physics, and engineering.
Absolute scattering length density profile of liposome bilayers obtained by SAXS combined with GIXOS: a tool to determine model biomembrane structure
Authors: Harvey Richard D. , Bello Gianluca , Kikhney Alexey G. , Torres Jaume , Surya Wahyu , Wölk Christian , Shen Chen
Published: October 2023

Lipid membranes play an essential role in biology, acting as host matrices for biomolecules like proteins and facilitating their functions. Their structures and structural responses to physiologically relevant interactions (i.e. with membrane proteins) provide key information for understanding biophysical mechanisms. Hence, there is a crucial need of methods to understand the effects of membrane host molecules on the lipid bilayer structure. Here, a purely experimental method is presented for obtaining the absolute scattering length density profile and the area per lipid of liposomal bilayers, by aiding the analysis of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data with the volume of bare headgroups obtained from grazing-incidence X-ray off-specular scattering (GIXOS) data of monolayers of the same model membrane lipid composition. The GIXOS data experimentally demonstrate that the variation of the bare headgroup volume upon change in lipid packing density is small enough to allow its usage as a reference value without knowing the lipid packing stage in a bilayer. This approach also has the advantage that the reference volume is obtained in the same aqueous environment as used for the model membrane bilayers. The validity of this method is demonstrated using several typical membrane compositions, as well as one example of a phospholipid membrane with an incorporated transmembrane peptide. This methodology allows us to obtain absolute scale rather than relative scale values using solely X-ray-based instrumentation, retaining a similar resolution to SAXS experiments. The method presented has high potential for understanding the structural effects of membrane proteins on the biomembrane structure.
Experimental capabilities for liquid jet samples at sub-MHz rates at the FXE Instrument at European XFEL
Authors: Lima F. A. , Otte F. , Vakili M. , Ardana-Lamas F. , Biednov M. , Dall'Antonia F. , Frankenberger P. , Gawelda W. , Gelisio L. , Han H. , Huang X. , Jiang Y. , Kloos M. , Kluyver T. , Knoll M. , Kubicek K. , Bermudez Macias I. J. , Schulz J. , Turkot O. , Uemura Y. , Valerio J. , Wang H. , Yousef H. , Zalden P. , Khakhulin D. , Bressler C. , Milne C.
Published: October 2023

The Femtosecond X-ray Experiments (FXE) instrument at the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser (EuXFEL) provides an optimized platform for investigations of ultrafast physical, chemical and biological processes. It operates in the energy range 4.7–20 keV accommodating flexible and versatile environments for a wide range of samples using diverse ultrafast X-ray spectroscopic, scattering and diffraction techniques. FXE is particularly suitable for experiments taking advantage of the sub-MHz repetition rates provided by the EuXFEL. In this paper a dedicated setup for studies on ultrafast biological and chemical dynamics in solution phase at sub-MHz rates at FXE is presented. Particular emphasis on the different liquid jet sample delivery options and their performance is given. Our portfolio of high-speed jets compatible with sub-MHz experiments includes cylindrical jets, gas dynamic virtual nozzles and flat jets. The capability to perform multi-color X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) experiments is illustrated by a set of measurements using the dispersive X-ray spectrometer in von Hamos geometry. Static XES data collected using a multi-crystal scanning Johann-type spectrometer are also presented. A few examples of experimental results on ultrafast time-resolved X-ray emission spectroscopy and wide-angle X-ray scattering at sub-MHz pulse repetition rates are given.
Structural snapshots of Mycobacterium tuberculosis enolase reveal dual mode of 2PG binding and its implication in enzyme catalysis
Authors: Ahmad Mohammed , Jha Bhavya , Bose Sucharita , Tiwari Satish , Dwivedy Abhisek , Kar Deepshikha , Pal Ravikant , Mariadasse Richard , Parish Tanya , Jeyakanthan Jeyaraman , Vinothkumar Kutti R. , Biswal Bichitra Kumar
Published: October 2023

Enolase, a ubiquitous enzyme, catalyzes the reversible conversion of 2-phosphoglycerate (2PG) to phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) in the glycolytic pathway of organisms of all three domains of life. The underlying mechanism of the 2PG to PEP conversion has been studied in great detail in previous work, however that of the reverse reaction remains to be explored. Here we present structural snapshots of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) enolase in apo, PEP-bound and two 2PG-bound forms as it catalyzes the conversion of PEP to 2PG. The two 2PG-bound complex structures differed in the conformation of the bound product (2PG) viz the widely reported canonical conformation and a novel binding pose, which we refer to here as the alternate conformation. Notably, we observed two major differences compared with the forward reaction: the presence of MgB is non-obligatory for the reaction and 2PG assumes an alternate conformation that is likely to facilitate its dissociation from the active site. Molecular dynamics studies and binding free energy calculations further substantiate that the alternate conformation of 2PG causes distortions in both metal ion coordination and hydrogen-bonding interactions, resulting in an increased flexibility of the active-site loops and aiding product release. Taken together, this study presents a probable mechanism involved in PEP to 2PG catalysis that is likely to be mediated by the conformational change of 2PG at the active site.
Anaerobic fixed-target serial crystallography using sandwiched silicon nitride membranes
Authors: Bjelčić Monika , Sigfridsson Clauss Kajsa G. V. , Aurelius Oskar , Milas Mirko , Nan Jie , Ursby Thomas
Published: October 2023

In recent years, the emergence of serial crystallography, initially pioneered at X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), has sparked a growing interest in collecting macromolecular crystallographic data at room temperature. Various fixed-target serial crystallography techniques have been developed, ranging from commercially available chips to in-house designs implemented at different synchrotron facilities. Nevertheless, there is currently no commercially available chip (known to the authors) specifically designed for the direct handling of oxygen-sensitive samples. This study presents a methodology employing silicon nitride chips arranged in a `sandwich' configuration, enabling reliable room-temperature data collection from oxygen-sensitive samples. The method involves the utilization of a custom-made 3D-printed assembling tool and a MX sample holder. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, deoxyhemoglobin and methemoglobin samples were investigated using the BioMAX X-ray macromolecular crystallography beamline, the Balder X-ray absorption spectroscopy beamline and UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy.
Knowledge sharing in the era of Covid-19: a bibliometric analysis using scopus and web-of-science (WoS)
Authors: Pandey Jayesh , Majumdarr Shubh , Farooq Rayees , Gupta Santushti , Bose Pallav
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of knowledge sharing during COVID-19 and highlight prominent contributors, diverse trends and themes followed with provisions of future research avenues.

Design/methodology/approach

The study through scientific procedures and rationales for systematic literature reviews framework analyses 148 peer-reviewed journal publications and conference proceedings indexed in Scopus and WoS databases from 2020 to 2022. It uses general statistics and diverse bibliometric techniques, including co-occurrence analysis for trend and cluster identification in the literature.

Findings

The findings reveal an exponential annual growth rate of 150% in the domain, highlighting the global research focus. With regards to domain contribution, theJournal of Knowledge Managementand China leads with ten publications in their respective categories. The co-occurrence analysis further highlights four diverse clusters in the domain, which are further discussed in detail. The study highlights significant contributions from developed economies, thus providing scope for future research from developing or transitioning economies in the Middle East, Central Asia or Africa. The study concludes by presenting the elementary role of knowledge sharing in response to external crises.

Originality/value

The interest in the knowledge sharing domain has grown exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research is the first bibliometric analysis with comprehensive and rigorous analytic techniques to unearth critical developments and insights for a holistic understanding.
Zakat al-mustaghallat for Malaysian landlords of residential properties
Authors: Amin Hanudin , Shaikh Imran Mehboob
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the zakat al-mustaghallat acceptance index (ZAMAi) through the examination of its predictors identified in this work, including attitude, social influence, self-efficacy, amount of information and Islamic altruism, at best.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from the attitude-social influence-self efficacy model, this study evaluated the effects of these factors on ZAMAi using an empirical investigation surveying 184 respondents who were identified as the owners of residential properties in Malaysia.

Findings

In the core model, this study found significant outcomes for the effects of attitude, social influence, self-efficacy, amount of information and Islamic altruism, along with the demographic items tested. For post hoc analysis, this study found two significant outcomes drawn from the role of attitude as a mediating variable in this study.

Research limitations/implications

The results obtained from this study should be used with caution owing to its limited applicability and the constraints of subjects and variables in the framework developed.

Practical implications

The results obtained can become a yardstick to gauge the success of zakat al-mustaghallat acceptance in Malaysia.

Originality/value

This study introduced new measures of ZAMAi, where Malaysian landlords are brought into play.
Managerial understanding of corporate social responsibility in Nepal
Authors: Chapagain Bal Ram , Bajracharya Pushkar , Adhikari Dev Raj , Gautam Dhruba Kumar
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Considering the ongoing debate regarding the roles of business in society, this paper aims to examine the managerial understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Nepal.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses explanatory sequential design under mixed methods of research. First, the questionnaire survey method was used to collect data from 168 managers of listed companies in Nepal. Second, semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 senior-level managers of listed companies to verify the results obtained from the survey and to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomena.

Findings

The survey results show that managerial understanding of CSR is mainly guided by the notions of corporate philanthropy, stakeholder approach and political CSR, respectively. However, the managerial understanding vis-à-vis political CSR and corporate philanthropy were found to be remarkably positively influenced by the firm’s size, whereas the stakeholder perspective was widely held by the managers regardless of their firm’s size. The interview results largely substantiated questionnaire survey findings and further revealed vivid dimensions within the philanthropic approach, stakeholder approach and political CSR.

Practical implications

Given the recent legal provisions vis-à-vis mandatory CSR spending in Nepal, the policymakers may devise and update common core and firm-size-specific informational, fiscal-economic, legal and partnering instruments based on the findings of this study. Besides, companies may go for appropriate institutional arrangements for CSR as needed.

Originality/value

The reaffirmation of conventionally accepted roles and the approval of relatively nascent political roles of business in a distinct socio–political–legal–economic context of Nepal can be an important contribution to the literature.
Institutional imbalance moderating the linkage between GVC participation and economic growth: empirical evidence
Authors: Sharma Sharadendu , Arora Rahul
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Participation in global value chains (GVCs) is increasingly related to the economic growth of any country. The conceivable beneficial impact of GVCs on economic growth differs across countries and could be modified with the countries' domestic institutional arrangements. However, ignoring the complementarity between the components of institutional quality led to ignorance of the institutional imbalance present in the country. Hence, the primary purpose of this study is to examine the role of institutional imbalance as a moderating variable between GVC participation and economic growth from 2000 to 2018.

Design/methodology/approach

To address the issue of endogeneity among the variables in the model, the study employs the generalized methods of moments (GMM) as an econometric analysis method.

Findings

The study finds that well-functioning domestic institutions facilitate the positive impact of GVC participation on economic growth. Conversely, an increased institutional imbalance harms the relationship between GVC participation and economic growth. These findings emphasize a balanced portfolio of institutional components. It advocates the holistic development of each component to reap greater benefits for GVC participation for any country. The study highlights that the weakness in one of the components must be addressed rather than substituted by increasing the strength of another component.

Research limitations/implications

The policies should be framed to improve the weakest component first, followed by other components of institutional quality. Simultaneous reforms involving all the dimensions of institutional quality would smoothen the path of transforming GVCs trade to the country's economic development. Additionally, the high institutional imbalance can provide a bird's eye view to policymakers to work on specific aspects of institutional quality more rigorously.

Originality/value

The existing literature has used a combined measure of institutional quality as a mediator variable while measuring the impact of GVC participation on economic growth. While using a combined measure, it ignores the complementarity among its components. Assuming substitutability among various components may lead to an incorrect estimation. Using the arguments proposed by Bolen and Sobel (2020), the present study considers the existence of complementarity among various components of institutional quality. It calculates the institutional imbalance used as a moderating variable while estimating the impact of GVC participation on economic growth.
Does the sun ‘shine’ on utility firms? Evidence from pollution control bonds and overinvestment relationship
Authors: Khiari Cyrine , Khanchel Imen , Lassoued Naima
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of pollution control bonds (PCBs) on overinvestment within utility firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This empirical study analyzes a data set comprising 215 US energy firms observed from 2011 to 2021, using the ordinary least square regression with standard errors adjusted for firm-level clustering.

Findings

The study reveals a negative relationship between PCBs and overinvestment, indicating that PCBs are an effective tool in curbing excessive investment. Additionally, it demonstrates that chief executive officer (CEO) overconfidence diminishes the influence of PCBs on overinvestment. These findings remain robust across various metrics for measuring overinvestment and CEO overconfidence, as well as when alternative estimation methods are used. These results align with insights derived from agency theory and upper echelon theories.

Research limitations/implications

Regulators are encouraged to actively promote the use of PCBs as a financing tool for environmentally focused initiatives. To achieve this, regulatory bodies should enhance their presence within the utility sector, particularly in regions grappling with higher pollution levels. This requires the implementation of strategic policies and regulatory frameworks aimed at mitigating excessive investments. Simultaneously, policymakers should take proactive measures to introduce financial instruments designed to optimize investment efficiency, thus facilitating eco-friendly projects.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper holds the distinction of being the first to examine the impact of a specific type of green bond, namely, PCBs, on overinvestment. Furthermore, it contributes to the literature on personality traits, particularly within the context of the upper echelon theory, by investigating the moderating influence of CEO overconfidence.
The impact of working capital management on the profitability of listed halal food and beverage companies
Authors: Umar Umar Habibu , Al-Faryan Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study investigated how working capital management (WCM) influences the profitability of listed halal food and beverage companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilized a sample of 56 listed halal food and beverage companies operating in Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Unbalanced panel data were generated from the Bloomberg database between 2008 and 2021. Besides, the study employed the two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) technique for the estimation, which can address the models' endogeneity, heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation problems. Also, feasible generalized least square (FGLS) regression was applied to check the robustness of the results.

Findings

The study revealed that the cash conversion cycle (CCC) and accounts receivable period (ARP) significantly reduced firm profitability. Also, the inventory conversion period (ICP) significantly reduced return on assets (ROA) but insignificantly influenced return on equity (ROE). However, the results showed that the accounts payable period (APP) significantly increased firm profitability. These findings are robust to the results obtained by applying FGLS regression.

Research limitations/implications

The study utilized a sample of only the listed halal food and beverage firms that operate in Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Practical implications

The study suggests that the management of listed halal firms should adopt an aggressive policy in managing their working capital in order to enhance their financial performance. This could be attained by lowering CCC when ARP and ICP are reduced and APP is increased.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by providing cross-country empirical evidence showing how working capital and its components affect the financial performance of firms that solely produce or buy and sell halal food and beverage products in five countries.
Testing for monotonicity, linearity and symmetry between trading volume and price returns in the futures markets of agricultural commodities: a discussion on the financial implications
Authors: Panagiotou Dimitrios , Karamanis Konstantinos
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The aim of this study is to investigate for monotonicity, linearity and symmetry for the price volatility–trading volume relationship in the futures markets of agricultural commodities.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical findings are produced with the use of a highly flexible, nonparametric approach. Data are daily prices and volumes from the commodities of corn, hard red wheat, oats, rice and soybeans.

Findings

Results reveal violations of monotonicity locally but not globally. Volume and price volatility have, in all markets, a nonlinear relationship to each other, indicating that the strength of the relationship does not remain constant over the entire joint distribution. Global symmetry is rejected for the markets of oats and hard red wheat but cannot be rejected for the remaining three markets. The latter suggests that large values of good volatility are likely to occur together with high trading volumes, as do large values of bad volatility in these markets.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical work to test simultaneously for monotonicity, linearity and symmetry between price volatility and trading volume in the futures markets of agricultural commodities.
Response trait diversity and species asynchrony underlie the diversity–stability relationship in Romanian bird communities
Authors: White Hannah J. , Bailey Joseph J. , Bogdan Ciortan , Ross Samuel R. P.‐J.
Published: October 2023

Biodiversity–stability relationships have frequently been studied in ecology, with the recent integration of traits to explain community stability over time. Classical theory underlying the biodiversity–stability relationship posits that different species' responses to the environment should stabilise community‐level properties (e.g. biomass or abundance) through compensatory dynamics.

However, functional response traits, which aim to predict how species respond to environmental change, are still rarely integrated into studies of ecological stability. Such traits should mechanistically drive community stability, both in terms of community abundance (functional variability) and composition (compositional variability). In turn, whether and how functional or compositional stability scales to affect temporal variation in functional effect traits (a proxy for ecosystem functioning) remains largely unknown, but is key to consistent ecosystem functioning under environmental change.

Here, we explore the diversity–stability relationship in bird communities using annual survey data across 98 sites in central Romania, in combination with global trait databases and structural equation models. We show that higher response trait diversity promotes compositional variability directly, and functional variability indirectly via species asynchrony. In turn, functional variability impacts the temporal stability of effect trait diversity. Multiple facets of diversity and community stability differ between natural forests and agricultural or human‐dominated survey sites, and the relationship between response diversity and functional variability is mediated by land cover.

Further integration of response‐and‐effect trait frameworks into studies of community stability will enhance understanding of the drivers of biodiversity change, allowing targeted conservation decision‐making with a focus on stable ecosystem functioning in the face of global environmental change.
Forensic significance of Roundup Full® II effect on the development of Dermestes maculatus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) and Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae)
Authors: Zanetti Noelia I. , Centeno Néstor D.
Published: October 2023

The most widely used herbicides in the world are glyphosate formulations. These have been used in self‐poisoning and accidental poisoning. Dermestes maculatus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) and Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are associated with decomposing human and animal remains. The aim of the study was to evaluate Roundup Full® II effects on saprophagous insects´ development. For this, green bottle flies and hide beetles were exposed to different doses of the herbicide. The duration of life cycles was recorded by observations made every 8 and 24 h. To register possible variations in size, external morphology, and female proportion, specimens of all developmental stages were collected. The duration of developmental stages in L. sericata did not change due to the herbicide, but this reduced all size parameters of puparium with pupae inside, the weight of L1, and of adults. The larval stage and total duration in D. maculatus were decreased by the highest dose, while size parameters of hide beetles remained unchanged at all development stages. In both flies and beetles, there was no evidence of abnormal external morphology and the female proportion did not change in response to the herbicide. Finally, this study exhibited an impact on L. sericata and D. maculatus, so the possibility that the herbicide may affect other forensically important species should be considered, but more work is needed. Taxonomic determination could be done as usual; however, caution should be exercised when estimating the postmortem interval. This study represents the first to analyze a glyphosate‐based herbicide associated with Forensic Entomology.
Non‐loading versus loading low‐dose colchicine in acute crystal‐associated arthritis: A double‐blinded randomized controlled study
Authors: Laosuksri Ployrung , Phrintrakul Nathrudee , Gumtorntip Wanitcha , Na‐Nan Kittiya , Wongthanee Antika , Kasitanon Nuntana , Louthrenoo Worawit
Published: October 2023

Introduction

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of non‐loading versus loading low‐dose colchicine in patients with acute crystal‐associated arthritis.

Materials and Methods

All in‐patients who were admitted to Chiang Mai University Hospital with non‐arthritis disease and developed acute crystal‐associated arthritis during admission (within 48 h after arthritis onset) were invited to join this study. The patients were randomized into two groups. Patients in Group I (non‐loading group) and Group II (loading group) received colchicine at 1.2 and 2.4 mg in the first 24 h, respectively. The primary outcome was the patients' pain response at 24 h after treatment.

Results

Of 80 patients, 49 were acute gouty arthritis, and 31 acute calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) arthritis. The mean [95% CI] pain score was no different between Groups I and II at the baseline level (6.46[5.72–7.19] vs. 6.654[5.85–7.44], p = .867) and at 24 h (3.13[2.43–3.82] vs. 3.18[2.42–3.93], p = .907). The proportion of patients with ≥50% pain reduction was not different (57.50% vs. 55.00%, p = .822). Sensitivity analysis among patients with a baseline pain score of ≥4 showed the same pattern of response. Mild diarrhea was common and comparable in both groups. Subgroup analysis according to renal function (eGFR < 60 vs. ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or type of crystals (acute gouty arthritis vs. acute CPP arthritis) also showed the same pattern of response.

Conclusion

Non‐loading low‐dose colchicine was as effective as loading low‐dose colchicine in patients with acute crystal‐associated arthritis, regardless of renal function or type of crystals.
The effect of shareholder scrutiny on corporate tax behavior: Evidence from shareholder tax litigation
Authors: Donelson Dain C. , Glenn Jennifer L. , McGuire Sean T. , Yust Christopher G.
Published: October 2023

This study examines the effect ofshareholderscrutiny of corporate tax avoidance behavior and its related financial reporting. Specifically, we explore the factors associated with shareholder tax litigation and its effect on the future tax behavior of the sued firm and its peers. We find that sued firms have lower cash and GAAP effective tax rates (ETRs) and engage in extreme tax avoidance before litigation. After litigation, they decrease tax avoidance activities, relative to matched control firms. Peer firms in the same industry as sued firms similarly reduce their level of tax avoidance and the likelihood of extreme tax avoidance after the litigation, relative to control firms. Additional analyses suggest that sued firms change their tax avoidance behavior, rather than merely their tax financial reporting. Finally, the spillover results are strongest for peer firms with the most tax avoidance (i.e., the lowest cash ETRs) when the sued firm's alleged misconduct is revealed.
Importance sampling and Bayesian model comparison in ecology and evolution
Authors: Hudson Dave W. , Hodgson Dave J. , Cant Michael A. , Thompson Faye J. , Delahay Richard , McDonald Robbie A. , McKinley Trevelyan J.
Published: October 2023

Bayesian approaches to the modelling of ecological systems are increasingly popular, but there are competing methods for formal model comparisons. Here, we focus on the task of performing multimodel inference through estimating posterior model weights, which encompasses uncertainties in the choice of competing model structure into the inference outputs.

Model‐based approaches such as reversible‐jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (RJ‐MCMC) are flexible and allow multimodel inference, but can be complex to implement and optimise, and so we translate a model‐based approach for ecological applications using Importance Sampling to estimate the marginal likelihood of the data given a particular model. This approach allows for model comparison through the estimation of Bayes' Factors or interpretable posterior model probabilities, yielding model weights that facilitate multimodel inference through Bayesian model averaging.

We demonstrate Importance Sampling with two case study investigations in animal demography: censused analysis of banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) survival where missing data are uncommon, and capture–mark–recapture analysis of European badger (Meles meles) survival where data are commonly missing.

We compare outcomes of the model comparison using the Importance Sampling approach to those obtained through single‐model inference approaches using Deviance information criteria and the Watanabe–Akaike information criteria. The results of the Importance Sampling method aligns with RJ‐MCMC model comparisons while often being more straightforward to fit and optimise, particularly if the competing models are non‐nested.
Systematic review of the efficacy and purpose of student surgical interest groups
Authors: Murphy Victoria L. , Chao Phillip , Koea Jonathan , Srinivasa Sanket
Published: October 2023

Background

There is concern around projected unmet need in the surgical workforce internationally. Current barriers to medical students pursuing surgical careers include lack of early exposure, low confidence in surgical skills, and perceived lifestyle barriers.

This review aimed to examine both the purpose of student surgical interest groups (SIGs) globally, and their effect on metrics representing student surgical career interest. barriers.

Methods

MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched for papers analysing surgical interest group purpose and efficacy. Risk of bias was assessed for survey‐based papers using a 20‐point checklist. Descriptive analysis was performed based on qualitative data.

Results

Twenty‐eight papers were included in the analysis including 13 surveys. These were of moderate quality. The analysed SIGs had 100–1000 student members and a diverse range of funding sources. Purpose of SIGs was described by 26 of 28 papers with common themes including promotion of surgical career choice and developing theoretical/practical surgical skills. Common initiatives of SIGs included surgical lectures/teaching and practical skills workshops. Data from 15 papers analysing efficacy of SIGs suggested they positively influenced self‐reported student interest in surgical careers (78.6%) and confidence in surgical knowledge (80%), as well as confidence in practical skills, knowledge about surgical careers/lifestyle, mentorship opportunity, and research involvement.

Conclusion

Student SIGs make a unique contribution to early medical student experience through positive effect on promoting surgical careers. They target relevant metrics such as surgical knowledge and confidence that are known to influence surgical career choice in the modern surgical landscape.
Conceptualising US Immigration Detention as Carceral Real Estate
Authors: Martin Lauren L.
Published: October 2023

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates the largest detention system in the world, holding over 35,000 people in October 2023. The vast majority of this capacity is outsourced to corrections firms, particularly the two largest, CoreCivic and GEO Group. This article analyses how private corrections firms finance US immigrant detention capacity as a specialised asset class of government real estate. To understand the emergence of “carceral real estate”, I bring political geographies of migration into conversation with economic geographies of real estate. In doing so, I argue that creating “carceral real estate” enables the abstraction and valuation of migrant life as rent and, in turn, presumes a continuously flowing, fungible migrant population. In this context, migrants valued as underpaid labour in the wider economy are re‐valued for their unproductivity in detention. And yet this idealised geography of human and economic flows never fully materialises, but is instead rife with volatility, disruption, and political contestation. The article closes by discussing implications for abolition geographies.
Sibling effects on problem and prosocial behavior in childhood: Patterns of intrafamilial “contagion” by birth order
Authors: Chi Zhaotian , Malmberg Lars‐Erik , Flouri Eirini
Published: October 2023

We investigated longitudinal relations between siblings' problem and prosocial behavior, measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, among different sibship sizes in the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. We identified 3436 families with two children and 1188 families with three children. All children (cohort members and their older sibling [OS]) had valid data on behavior at two time points (in 2004 and 2006). Using structural equation model, we found that for internalizing and externalizing problems, OSs (MOS1 = 6.3 years, MOS2 = 9.1 years at T1) exerted a dominant effect on younger siblings (Mage = 3.12 years at T1; 49.7% boys) across sibship sizes. For prosocial behavior, there was OS dominance in two‐child families and youngest sibling dominance in three‐child families.