bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparing the impact of contextual associations and statistical regularities in visual search and attention orienting
Authors: Sefranek Marcus , Zokaei Nahid , Draschkow Dejan , Nobre Anna C.
Published: April 2024

During visual search, we quickly learn to attend to an object’s likely location. Research has shown that this process can be guided by learning target locations based on consistent spatial contextual associations or statistical regularities. Here, we tested how these different types of learning aid the utilisation of established memories for different purposes. Participants learned contextual associations or statistical regularities that predicted target locations within different scenes. The consequences of this learning for subsequent performance were then evaluated on attention-orienting and memory-recall tasks. Participants demonstrated facilitated attention-orienting and recall performance based on both contextual associations and statistical regularities. Contextual associations facilitated attention orienting with a different time course compared to statistical regularities. Benefits to memory-recall performance depended on the alignment between the learned association or regularity and the recall demands. The distinct patterns of behavioural facilitation by contextual associations and statistical regularities show how different forms of long-term memory may influence neural information processing through different modulatory mechanisms.
A Training-of-Trainers Program for Nurses in Tanzania: ICU Standards of Care, Documentation, and Communication
Authors: Kistner Grace , Macfarlan Shannon
Published: April 2024

We present one method of a Training-of-Trainers (ToT) program supported by a partnership between a low-middle income country (LMIC) hospital and a high income country (HIC) organization through lectures, group discussions, assessments, and bedside coaching over a period of two weeks. The goal was to build capacity in ICU nurses by teaching standards of care and documentation, improving interdisciplinary communication, and scaling up participants’ knowledge and comfort levels in providing quality care. Nurse educators from the Alliance for Global Clinical Training (Alliance) designed the program and conducted the critical care nursing curriculum. Topics were selected by Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) nursing peers who also provided facility information. Understanding what resources and infrastructure are routinely available is essential to applying concepts to practice. The MNH administrative team and nursing education liaison sought out the best suited participants. Identifying talent in participants for ToT programs is crucial to their success. Nurse participants were chosen as effective representatives of their individual units to be future agents of change. Participants described what they most wanted from the program, including: increased knowledge in documentation, communication, and overall critical care specialized training. Pre- and post-knowledge assessments tested critical care knowledge. The nursing process ADPIE (Assessment, Diagnosis, Problem, Intervention, Evaluation) and SBAR communication (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) were provided tools for standard operating procedures which enhance interdisciplinary management of care. Clear and consistent documentation with ADPIE requires clinical assessment and evidence-based diagnoses. Standardized communication with SBAR provides an organized framework to professionally relay critical information and provide recommendations. All materials were provided in an open-access format for the program to be easily replicated by the participants. A long-term goal of this training was to assess impact and sustainability.
Assessing the Impact of Olfactory Dysfunction on Eating Behavior: A Systematic Scoping Review and Call for Standardized Assessments
Authors: Parvin Parvaneh , Boesveldt Sanne , Postma Elbrich M.
Published: April 2024

Olfaction plays a priming role in both the anticipation and consumption phases of eating behavior. Olfactory dysfunction can therefore lead to changes in various aspects of eating behavior, such as food choice, appetite, and food intake. In light of the increasing prevalence of persistent olfactory dysfunction among patients affected by Covid-19, providing proper care and dietary advice to individuals with olfactory dysfunction is imperative. Therefore, this scoping review seeks to gain a better understanding of the impact of olfactory dysfunction on eating behavior. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 49 papers were included, the outcomes were presented by dividing them into two categories: 1) anticipatory eating behavior, including (anticipatory) food liking, appetite and craving, food preferences, food neophobia, and cooking habits; and 2) consummatory behavior, including, food intake, consumption frequency, adherence to dietary guidelines, (experienced) food liking, food enjoyment, and eating habits. Our results show that in the anticipatory phase of eating behavior, food liking and, food preferences and in the consummatory phase, food enjoyment is most affected in people who experienced a sudden change in olfactory function rather than a gradual decline. Moreover, changes in food flavor perception due to olfactory dysfunction, result in a shift of food preferences towards more taste-based preferences, such as salty or savory (i.e., umami) foods. Subsequently, changes in preferences can affect food intake and adherence to dietary guidelines, but only to a limited extent. Appetite is more likely to be low in individuals with short-term olfactory dysfunction compared to those with long-term changes. Generally, eating behavior is more impacted in individuals with a distorted sense of smell than in those with smell loss, and the effect becomes more pronounced over time. Due to the heterogeneity of methods used to measure different aspects of eating behavior, this review stresses the importance of more research on olfaction and eating behavior using standardized and validated assessments. Such research is essential to better understand the effects of olfactory dysfunction on each aspect of eating behavior and provide effective interventions.

Highlights

Food liking, preferences, and enjoyment are the most affected by olfactory dysfunction

Impact on eating behavior is more pronounced in qualitative vs. quantitative smell loss

Effects of olfactory dysfunction vary by duration and nature (qualitative vs. quantitative)

Standardized, validated methods are needed to assess eating behavior in future studies

There is a crucial need for effective interventions to enhance the eating experience

Graphical Abstract
CWAS-Plus: Estimating category-wide association of rare noncoding variation from whole-genome sequencing data with cell-type-specific functional data
Authors: Kim Yujin , Jeong Minwoo , Koh In Gyeong , Kim Chanhee , Lee Hyeji , Kim Jae Hyun , Yurko Ronald , Kim Il Bin , Park Jeongbin , Werling Donna M. , Sanders Stephan J. , An Joon-Yong
Published: April 2024

Variants in cis-regulatory elements link the noncoding genome to human brain pathology; however, detailed analytic tools for understanding the association between cell-level brain pathology and noncoding variants are lacking. CWAS-Plus, adapted from a Python package for category-wide association testing (CWAS) employs both whole-genome sequencing and user-provided functional data to enhance noncoding variant analysis, with a faster and more efficient execution of the CWAS workflow. Here, we used single-nuclei assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing to facilitate CWAS-guided noncoding variant analysis at cell-type specific enhancers and promoters. Examining autism spectrum disorder whole-genome sequencing data (n = 7,280), CWAS-Plus identified noncodingde novovariant associations in transcription factor binding sites within conserved loci. Independently, in Alzheimer’s disease whole-genome sequencing data (n = 1,087), CWAS-Plus detected rare noncoding variant associations in microglia-specific regulatory elements. These findings highlight CWAS-Plus’s utility in genomic disorders and scalability for processing large-scale whole-genome sequencing data and in multiple-testing corrections. CWAS-Plus and its user manual are available athttps://github.com/joonan-lab/cwas/andhttps://cwas-plus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/, respectively.

KEY POINTS

CWAS-Plus efficiently identifies noncoding associations in WGS data, supporting user-friendly categorization and burden enrichment tests.

CWAS-Plus integrates various functional datasets, emphasizing cell-type-specific noncoding associations.

CWAS-Plus provides a novel approach for multiple testing correction, enhancing the reliability of the results.

Autism spectrum disorder risk noncoding variants are identified as enriched with transcription factors, suggesting their role in the pathology.

Rare variant analysis with Alzheimer’s disease samples reveals strong association with microglia, supporting the reliability of the results produced by CWAS-Plus.
Two distinctTrypanosomaeIF4F complexes co-exist, bind different mRNAs and are regulated during nutritional stress
Authors: Gabiatti Bernardo Papini , Freire Eden Ribeiro , da Costa Jimena Ferreira , Ferrarini Mariana Galvão , de Matos Tatiana Reichert Assunção , Preti Henrique , da Rocha Isadora Munhoz , Guimarães Beatriz Gomes , Kramer Susanne , Zanchin Nilson Ivo Tonin , Holetz Fabíola Barbieri
Published: April 2024

Many eIF4F subunits and PABP paralogues are found in trypanosomes: six eIF4E, five eIF4G, one eIF4A and two PABPs. They are expressed simultaneously and assemble into different complexes, contrasting the situation in metazoans that use distinct complexes in different cell types or developmental stages. Each eIF4F complex has its own proteins, mRNAs and, consequently, a distinct function. We set out to study the function and regulation of the two major eIF4F complexes ofTrypanosoma cruziand identified the associated proteins and mRNAs of eIF4E3 and eIF4E4 in cells in exponential growth and in nutritional stress. Upon stress, eIF4G/eIF4A and PABP remain associated to the eIF4E, but the associations with other 43S pre-initiation factors decrease, indicating that ribosome attachment is impaired. Most eIF4E3-associated mRNAs encode for metabolic proteins, while eIF4E4 associate to mRNAs encoding ribosomal proteins. Interestingly, for both eIF4E3/4, more mRNAs were associated in stressed cells than in non-stressed cells, even though these mRNAs have lower translational efficiencies in stress. In summary, trypanosomes have two co-existing eIF4F complexes involved in translation of distinct mRNA cohorts important for growth. Under stress conditions, both complexes exit translation but remain bound to their mRNA targets.
Discovery of shared epigenetic pathways across human phenotypes
Authors: Krätschmer Ilse , Smith Hannah M. , McCartney Daniel L. , Bernabeu Elena , Mahmoudi Mahdi , Campbell Archie , Corley Janie , Harris Sarah E , Cox Simon R. , Marioni Riccardo E. , Robinson Matthew R.
Published: April 2024

Omics-based association studies typically consider the marginal effects of a feature, such as CpG DNA methylation, on a trait (e.g, independent models for each feature). Although some methods can assess all features together in joint and conditional estimation, this is currently done on a trait-by-trait basis. Here, we introduce MAJA, a method to learn shared and outcome-specific effects for multiple traits in multi-omics data. MAJA determines the unique contribution of individual loci, genes, or molecular pathways, to variation in one or more traits, conditional on all other measured “omics” data genome-wide. Simulations show MAJA accurately finds shared and distinct associations between omics-data and multiple traits and estimates omics-specific (co)variances, allowing for sparsity and correlations within the data. Applying MAJA to 12 outcome traits in Generation Scotland methylation data (n=18,264), we find novel shared epigenetic pathways among cholesterol metabolism, osteoarthritis, blood pressure and asthma. In contrast to marginal testing, we find only 10 CpG probes with significant effects above the genome-wide background. This highlights the need for joint association testing in highly correlated methylation data from whole blood and for studies of increased sample size in order to refine epigenomic associations in observational data.
Role of Glycogen Metabolism inClostridioides difficileVirulence
Authors: Hasan Md Kamrul , Pizzarro-Guajardo Marjorie , Sanchez Javier , Govind Revathi
Published: April 2024

Glycogen plays a vital role as an energy reserve in various bacterial and fungal species.Clostridioides difficilepossesses a glycogen metabolism operon that contains genes for both glycogen synthesis and utilization. In our investigation, we focused on understanding the significance of glycogen metabolism in the physiology and pathogenesis ofC. difficile. To explore this, we engineered aC. difficileJIR8094 strain lacking glycogen synthesis capability by introducing a group II intron into theglgCgene, the operon’s first component. Quantification of intracellular glycogen levels validated the impact of this modification. Interestingly, the mutant strain exhibited a 1.5-fold increase in toxin production compared to the parental strain, without significant changes in sporulation rate. Our analysis also revealed that wild-typeC. difficilespores contained glycogen, whereas spores from the mutant strain lacking stored glycogen showed increased sensitivity to physical and chemical treatments and had a shorter storage life. By suppressingglgPexpression, the gene coding for glycogen-phosphorylase, via CRISPRi, we demonstrated that glycogen accumulation but not the utilization is needed for spore resilience inC. difficile. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed a significantly lower core/cortex ratio inglgCmutant strain spores. In hamster challenge experiments, both the parental andglgCmutant strains colonized hosts similarly; however, the mutant strain failed to induce infection relapse after antibiotic treatment cessation. These findings highlight the importance of glycogen metabolism inC. difficilespore resilience and suggest its role in disease relapse.

Importance

This study on the role of glycogen metabolism inC. difficilehighlights its critical involvement in the pathogen’s energy management, its pathogenicity and resilience. Our results also revealed that glycogen presence in spores is pivotal for their structural integrity and resistance to adverse conditions, which is essential for their longevity and infectivity. Importantly, the inability of the mutant strain to cause infection relapse in hamsters post-antibiotic treatment pinpoints a potential target for therapeutic interventions, highlighting the importance of glycogen in disease dynamics. This research thus significantly advances our understanding ofC. difficilephysiology and pathogenesis, offering new avenues for combating its persistence and recurrence.
A systematic review on the biochemical threshold of mitochondrial genetic variants
Authors: Smith Karan K. , Moreira Jesse D. , Wilson Callum R. , Padera June O. , Lamason Ashlee N. , Xue Liying , Gopal Deepa M. , Flynn David B. , Fetterman Jessica L.
Published: April 2024

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants cause a range of diseases from severe pediatric syndromes to aging-related conditions. The percentage of mtDNA copies carrying a pathogenic variant, variant allele frequency (VAF), must reach a threshold before a biochemical defect occurs, termed the biochemical threshold. Whether the often-cited biochemical threshold of >60% VAF is similar across mtDNA variants and cell types is unclear. In our systematic review, we sought to identify the biochemical threshold of mtDNA variants in relation to VAF by human tissue/cell type. We used controlled vocabulary terms to identify articles measuring oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complex activities in relation to VAF. We identified 76 eligible publications, describing 69, 12, 16, and 49 cases for complexes I, III, IV, and V, respectively. Few studies evaluated OXPHOS activities in diverse tissue types, likely reflective of clinical access. A number of cases with similar VAFs for the same pathogenic variant had varying degrees of residual activity of the affected complex, alluding to the presence of modifying variants. Tissues and cells with VAFs <60% associated with low complex activities were described, suggesting the possibility of a biochemical threshold of <60%. Using Kendall rank correlation tests, the VAF of the m.8993T > G variant correlated with complex V activity in skeletal muscle (τ = −0.58,P= 0.01, n = 13); however, no correlation was observed in fibroblasts (P= 0.7, n = 9). Our systematic review highlights the need to investigate the biochemical threshold over a wider range of VAFs in disease-relevant cell types to better define the biochemical threshold for specific mtDNA variants.
Emission of fast-propagating spin waves by an antiferromagnetic domain wall driven by spin current
Authors: Ovcharov Roman V. , Ivanov B. A. , Åkerman Johan , Khymyn Roman S.
Published: April 2024

Antiferromagnets (AFMs) have great benefits for spintronic applications such as high frequencies (up to THz), high speeds (up to tens of km/s) of magnetic excitations, and field-free operation. Advanced devices will require high-speed propagating spin waves (SWs) as signal carriers, i.e., SWs with high k vectors, the excitation of which remains challenging. We show that a domain wall (DW) in anisotropic AFM driven by the spin current can be a source of such propagating SWs with high frequencies and group velocities. In the proposed generator, the spin current, with polarization directed along the easy anisotropy axis, excites the precession of the Néel vector within the DW. The threshold current is defined by the value of the anisotropy in the hard plane, and the frequency of the DW precession is tunable by the strength of the spin current. We show that the above precession of spins inside the DW leads to robust emission of high-frequency propagating SWs into the AFM strip with very short wavelengths comparable to the exchange length, which is hard to achieve by any other method.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
SMEFT analysis of charged lepton flavor violating
B
-meson decays
Authors: Ali Md Isha , Chattopadhyay Utpal , Rajeev N. , Roy Joydeep
Published: April 2024

Charged lepton flavor violation (cLFV) processes, potentially important for various beyond the Standard Model physics scenarios are analyzed in the Standard Model effective field theory framework. We consider the most relevant two-quark–two-lepton (2q2ℓ) operators for the leptonic and semileptonic LFV B-decay (LFVBD) processes Bs→μ+e−,B+→K+μ+e−,B0→K*0μ+e−, and Bs→ϕμ−e+. We analyze the interplay among the Wilson coefficients responsible for these LFVBDs and other cLFV processes, like CR(μ→e), ℓi→ℓjγ, ℓi→ℓjℓkℓm, and Z→ℓiℓj, to find the maximal possible LFV effects in B-meson decays. We probe the scale of new physics in relation to the constraints imposed by both classes of the LFV decays while considering both the present bounds and future expectations. In view of proposed experiments at LHCb-II and Belle II to study charged LFV processes, we have also provided the upper limits on the indirect constraints on such LFVBDs. For the processes where the B meson is decaying to μ± and e∓, we show that new physics can be constrained by an enhancement of 2–4 orders of magnitude on the current sensitivities of the branching ratios of B+→K+μ+e−,B0→K*0μ+e−, and Bs→ϕμ±e∓.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Leading directions in the SMEFT: Renormalization effects
Authors: Greljo Admir , Palavrić Ajdin , Smolkovič Aleks
Published: April 2024

The stability of the electroweak scale, challenged by the absence of deviations in flavor physics, prompts the consideration of SMEFT scenarios governed by approximate SM flavor symmetries. This study examines microscopic theories that match onto a set of U(3)5-symmetric dimension-6 operators. Renormalization group (RG) mixing from the ultraviolet to the electroweak scale yields significant phenomenological constraints, particularly pronounced for UV-motivated directions. To demonstrate this, we explore a complete suite of tree-level models featuring new spin-0, spin-1/2, and spin-1 fields, categorized by their irreducible representations under the flavor group. We find that for the leading directions, corresponding to a single-mediator dominance, RG mixing effects occasionally serve as the primary indirect probe.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Application of neural networks for the reconstruction of supernova neutrino energy spectra following fast neutrino flavor conversions
Authors: Abbar Sajad , Wu Meng-Ru , Xiong Zewei
Published: April 2024

Neutrinos can undergo fast flavor conversions (FFCs) within extremely dense astrophysical environments, such as core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) and neutron star mergers (NSMs). In this study, we explore FFCs in a neutrino gas, revealing that when the FFC growth rate significantly exceeds that of the vacuum Hamiltonian, all neutrinos (regardless of energy) share a common survival probability dictated by the energy-integrated neutrino spectrum. We then employ physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) to predict the asymptotic outcomes of FFCs within such a multienergy neutrino gas. These predictions are based on the first two moments of neutrino angular distributions for each energy bin, typically available in state-of-the-art CCSN and NSM simulations. Our PINNs achieve errors as low as ≲6% and ≲18% for predicting the number of neutrinos in the electron channel and the relative absolute error in the neutrino moments, respectively.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Extremely large water droplet impact onto a deep liquid pool
Authors: Dighe Sandip , Maity Dilip Kumar , Fonnesbeck Jeffrey N. , Dutta Som , Truscott Tadd
Published: April 2024

Most studies of droplet impact on liquid pools focus on droplet diameters up to the capillary length (0.27 cm). We break from convention and study extremely large water droplets (1 to 6 cm diameter) falling into a pool of water. We demonstrate that the depth and width of the cavity formed by large droplet impact is greatly influenced by the deformed shape of the droplet at impact (i.e., prolate, spherical, and oblate), and larger droplets amplify this behavior by flattening before impact. In particular, the maximum cavity depth is a function of the Froude number and axis ratio of the droplet just before impact. Further, the cavity depth is more dependent on the droplet height than width, and the maximum cavity diameter is independent of the droplet height. In general, we observe that more oblate droplets result in decreasing cavity depths for a fixed liquid volume. This is because an increase in horizontal droplet diameter results in a reduced impact energy flux and therefore reduced cavity depth.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Entanglement in Interacting Majorana Chains and Transitions of von Neumann Algebras
Authors: Basteiro Pablo , Di Giulio Giuseppe , Erdmenger Johanna , Xian Zhuo-Yu
Published: April 2024

We consider Majorana lattices with two-site interactions consisting of a general function of the fermion bilinear. The models are exactly solvable in the limit of a large number of on-site fermions. The four-site chain exhibits a quantum phase transition controlled by the hopping parameters and manifests itself in a discontinuous entanglement entropy, obtained by constraining the one-sided modular Hamiltonian. Inspired by recent work within the AdS/CFT correspondence, we identify transitions between types of von Neumann operator algebras throughout the phase diagram. We find transitions of the form II1↔III↔I∞ that reduce to II1↔I∞ in the strongly interacting limit, where they connect nonfactorized and factorized ground states. Our results provide novel realizations of such transitions in a controlled many-body model.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Cold-Atom Elevator: From Edge-State Injection to the Preparation of Fractional Chern Insulators
Authors: Wang Botao , Aidelsburger Monika , Dalibard Jean , Eckardt André , Goldman Nathan
Published: April 2024

Optical box traps offer new possibilities for quantum-gas experiments. Building on their exquisite spatial and temporal control, we propose to engineer system-reservoir configurations using box traps, in view of preparing and manipulating topological atomic states in optical lattices. First, we consider the injection of particles from the reservoir to the system: this scenario is shown to be particularly well suited to activating energy-selective chiral edge currents, but also to prepare fractional Chern insulating ground states. Then, we devise a practical evaporative-cooling scheme to effectively cool down atomic gases into topological ground states. Our open-system approach to optical-lattice settings provides a new path for the investigation of ultracold quantum matter, including strongly correlated and topological phases.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Implications of Construction 4.0 technologies to enhancing well-being: a fuzzy TOPSIS evaluation
Authors: Shafei Hazwani , Rahman Rahimi A. , Lee Yong Siang , Che Ibrahim Che Khairil Izam
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Amid rapid technological progress, the construction industry is embracing Construction 4.0, redefining work practices through emerging technologies. However, the implications of Construction 4.0 technologies to enhancing well-being are still poorly understood. Particularly, the challenge lies in selecting technologies that critically contribute to well-being enhancement. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the implications of Construction 4.0 technologies to enhancing well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

A list of Construction 4.0 technologies was identified from a national strategic plan on Construction 4.0, using Malaysia as a case study. Fourteen construction industry experts were selected to evaluate the implications of Construction 4.0 technologies on well-being using fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The expert judgment was measured using linguistic variables that were transformed into fuzzy values. Then, the collected data was analyzed using the following analyses: fuzzy TOPSIS, Pareto, normalization, sensitivity, ranking performance and correlation.

Findings

Six Construction 4.0 technologies are critical to enhancing well-being: cloud & real-time collaboration, big data & predictive analytics, Internet of Things, building information modeling, autonomous construction and augmented reality & virtualization. In addition, artificial intelligence and advanced building materials are recommended to be implemented simultaneously as a very strong correlation exists between them.

Originality/value

The novelty of this study lies in a comprehensive understanding of the implications of Construction 4.0 technologies to enhancing well-being. The findings can assist researchers, industry practitioners and policymakers in making well-informed decisions to select Construction 4.0 technologies when targeting the enhancement of the overall well-being of the local construction industry.
Exploring the mental health of Australian construction apprentices: a dual-continuum approach
Authors: Hutton Elizabeth , Skues Jason , Wise Lisa
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This study aims to use the dual-continuum model of mental health to explore mental health in Australian construction apprentices from the perspective of key stakeholders in the apprenticeship model. In particular, this study explored how construction apprentices, Vocational Education and Training (VET) teachers, industry employers and mental health workers understood the construct of mental health, factors associated with the dimension of psychological distress/symptoms of mental illness, and factors associated with the dimension of mental wellbeing.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used an exploratory qualitative research design. Data from 36 semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Participants comprised 19 Australian construction apprentices, 5 VET teachers, 7 industry employers and 5 mental health workers.

Findings

In total, 14 themes were generated from the data set. Participants across stakeholder groups reported a limited understanding about mental health. Participants cited a range of negative personal, workplace and industry factors associated with psychological distress/symptoms of mental illness, but only reported a few factors associated with mental wellbeing.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to use the dual-continuum model of mental health to explore the mental health of Australian construction apprentices, and to explore the factors associated with both dimensions of this model from the perspective of key stakeholders in the Australian construction apprenticeship model.
The role of psychological contract breach and leader-member exchange quality in Machiavellianism and organisational cynicism
Authors: Wu Hao , Subramaniam Anusuiya , Rahamat Syafiqah
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Based on the trait activation theory and social exchange theory, this study proposed a model of the impact of Machiavellian personality on organisational cynicism (OC) through the mediating effect of psychological contract breach (PCB) and the moderating role of leader-member exchange (LMX) quality in PCB and OC.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-time points survey involving 264 employees from China’s hotel industry was conducted using quantitative methods. Subsequently, a structural equation model was constructed.

Findings

The results revealed that Machiavellianism positively affects OC, and PCB plays a mediating role in this process. In addition, LMX quality can buffer the effect of the PCB on OC.

Practical implications

The study’s findings provide another insight into the relationship between Machiavellianism, PCB and OC. Managers must pay attention to the control of PCB and the establishment of LMX quality.

Originality/value

The study significantly contributes to hotel literature, as the Machiavellian personality subject has not been adequately investigated in the field to date.
Bio-inspired algorithms for feature engineering: analysis, applications and future research directions
Authors: Rajput Vaishali , Mulay Preeti , Mahajan Chandrashekhar Madhavrao
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Nature’s evolution has shaped intelligent behaviors in creatures like insects and birds, inspiring the field of Swarm Intelligence. Researchers have developed bio-inspired algorithms to address complex optimization problems efficiently. These algorithms strike a balance between computational efficiency and solution optimality, attracting significant attention across domains.

Design/methodology/approach

Bio-inspired optimization techniques for feature engineering and its applications are systematically reviewed with chief objective of assessing statistical influence and significance of “Bio-inspired optimization”-based computational models by referring to vast research literature published between year 2015 and 2022.

Findings

The Scopus and Web of Science databases were explored for review with focus on parameters such as country-wise publications, keyword occurrences and citations per year. Springer and IEEE emerge as the most creative publishers, with indicative prominent and superior journals, namely, PLoS ONE, Neural Computing and Applications, Lecture Notes in Computer Science and IEEE Transactions. The “National Natural Science Foundation” of China and the “Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology” of India lead in funding projects in this area. China, India and Germany stand out as leaders in publications related to bio-inspired algorithms for feature engineering research.

Originality/value

The review findings integrate various bio-inspired algorithm selection techniques over a diverse spectrum of optimization techniques. Anti colony optimization contributes to decentralized and cooperative search strategies, bee colony optimization (BCO) improves collaborative decision-making, particle swarm optimization leads to exploration-exploitation balance and bio-inspired algorithms offer a range of nature-inspired heuristics.
Integration of immigrant women in Europe: a multifaceted approach
Authors: Autiero Giuseppina , Nese Annamaria
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This work analyzes female immigrants’ integration in the dimensions of education, labor market participation and fertility in 15 European countries, considering individual characteristics, including cultural background, host countries’ attitudes towards immigrants, the role of women in the family and country-specific integration policy. All these aspects taken together are crucial to understand the main patterns of integration focusing on gender differences.

Design/methodology/approach

We focus on second- and first-generation male and female immigrants between the age of 25 and 41, with a length of stay of at least ten years. Enrollment ratios for tertiary education in parents’ countries, the total fertility rate and the female labor force in the mother’s country represent ethnic background. Diversity in the destination regions is captured by local attitudes towards immigrants, the perceived role of women and national policies to integrate migrants [Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX)]. The data are drawn from the European Social Survey (ESS) for 2010–2018. Our results are based on ordinary least squares (OLS) and logit estimates; multilevel analysis was conducted.

Findings

We find significant evidence of gender role transmission from mother to daughter; age at immigration seems to be crucial to examine the importance of the culture of origin among immigrants. However, females are responsive to attitudes toward immigrants and gender equality in receiving societies, while integration policies, by defining the set of opportunities, may contribute to both genders’ tertiary education and women’s probability of being in the labor force.

Social implications

This work underlines that integration policies favoring equal rights as nationals may contribute to both women’s tertiary education and their probability of being in the labor force.

Originality/value

We explore female integration in Europe in the dimensions of education, labor market, fertility and the role of both immigrants’ cultural heritage and specific aspects of destination countries. Previous research, particularly in the USA, has generally focused on some of these features at the expense of a more comprehensive approach. This study builds upon the existing literature and contributes to it by taking a multifaceted approach to female integration in Western Europe, which presents not only an institutional context different from the USA but also some heterogeneity with respect to integration policies and socioeconomic factors.
The curvilinear relationship between moral identity and unethical pro-organizational behavior: moderating role of organizational identification
Authors: Mishra Vivek , Sharma Varun , Uppal Nishant
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This study proposes that the relationship between the employee's moral identity and unethical behavior might sometimes differ from linearly negative, given certain contextual variations, such as unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). The pro-organizational motivation of UPB may appeal to individuals' morality to perform unethical behavior for their organization. Herein, using the social identity perspective, the present study hypothesizes a curvilinear relationship between moral identity and UPB with the moderation of organizational identification.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected in two field studies, from 316 and 185 executives in Study 1 and 2, was analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis.

Findings

The results affirmed an inverted U-shaped relationship between moral identity and UPB. Further, organizational identification moderated the relationship such that an increase in organizational identification augmented the UPB tendency for low moral identity individuals while inhibiting the UPB tendency for high moral identity individuals.

Originality/value

The current study uniquely demonstrates how moral identity might promote unethical behavior in pro-organizational contexts. Further, this research shows how high moral identity might mitigate the negative outcomes of high organizational identification.
Farming without farms? Challenges for organisational behaviour research in an upcoming transformation process
Authors: Mann Stefan
Published: April 2024

Purpose

The paper intends to show why farms as we know them today may soon be a thing of the past and that organisational behaviour research has an important contribution to make in assisting the upcoming transformation.

Design/methodology/approach

Two strains of literature are reviewed and then synthesised: the literature on robots replacing humans in agricultural production and the literature on vertical integration that shifts decisions to agribusiness. Then the potential contribution of organisational behaviour research is outlined.

Findings

It is shown how the farm is likely to lose both roles for which their geographic entity is important: making decisions and carrying out production. This requires contributions from organisational behaviour research in the realms of decision designs and social systems.

Social implications

It can be anticipated that the most profitable strategy for farmland owners in the future will be collaboration with contractors. Farms as organisations, are increasingly losing their importance. This not only has grave social implications for farmworkers and landowners but also for scholars in organisational behaviour research.

Originality/value

The paper challenges an organisational unit that is so familiar to us that it is rarely questioned.
Does the digitalization crusade a way out of poverty and income inequality? Evidence from developing countries
Authors: Kamalu Kabiru , Wan Ibrahim Wan Hakimah Binti
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This study examines the effect of digitalization on poverty and income inequality in developing countries. The study answers the question of whether digitalization is a way for developing countries to get out of poverty and income inequality.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses data from 17 developing countries with data from 2005 to 2021. The study employs fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), with an augmented mean group (AMG) for robustness. Digitalization, as the variable of interest, is proxied by the digitalization index (DI), constructed using principal component analysis (PCA). The dependent variables are poverty and income inequality, which are used in different models.

Findings

The evidence indicates that digitalization decreases poverty and income inequality in developing countries. These findings are justified when we use the AMG estimator, but the strength of the coefficients and significance levels are higher in the FMOLS and DOLS estimators. The results of the control variables also show that human development (LHDI), CO2 emissions and foreign direct investment (FDI) have decreasing effects on poverty and income inequality. Thus, digitalization is a good option for developing countries to get out of poverty and income inequality to achieve sustainable development goals (1&10).

Originality/value

This study provides rigorous empirical evidence on the effect of digitalization on poverty and income inequality in developing countries. Unlike the previous studies on developing countries, this study used a DI to proxy digitalization. In addition, the authors use FMOLS and DOLS estimators, with an AMG estimator for robustness, to provide long-run coefficients.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-08-2023-0586
Localised multiple channel distribution strategies of luxury fashion retailers – evidence from China
Authors: Bai Huifeng , Shi Jin , Song Peng , McColl Julie , Moore Christopher , Fillis Ian
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This empirical study aims to examine luxury fashion retailers' localised multiple channel distribution strategies in China.

Design/methodology/approach

Through case studies of 15 participating retailers, qualitative data were collected from 33 semi-structured interviews.

Findings

Strong impacts of internationalisation strategies, distribution strategies and channel length towards multiple channel retailing are revealed. Multi-channel retailing is widely employed by firms who have entered China and further developed their businesses through local partnerships and adopted a selective distribution strategy via relatively longer channels. Omni-channel retailing is only suitable for the few retailers using an exclusive distribution strategy through direct marketing and wholly owned customer relationship management. As a dynamic transformation from multi- to omni-channel retailing, cross-channel retailing is adopted by those who are withdrawing from local partnerships and shifting to wholly owned expansions and operations in host markets.

Research limitations/implications

The results are potentially challenged by relatively small sample size.

Practical implications

Practitioners are suggested to adapt multiple channel retailing to their international expansion strategies, distribution strategies and channel length in the host markets.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature in both multiple channel retailing and international retailing by offering insights into the motives, development patterns and suitability of multiple channel retailing in the international retail marketing context.
Mental health and well-being in tourism: a Horizon 2050 paper
Authors: Chen Ganghua , Zhao Chenyue , Li Chaoran
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to review research on mental health and well-being (MHW) in tourism, which the United Nations addresses in Sustainable Development Goal No. 3 (SDG 3). The authors also pinpoint future directions regarding how tourism can contribute to this goal from theoretical and practical standpoints.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors review the literature on MHW in tourism from the perspectives of tourists, residents and tourism workers.

Findings

Researchers have predominantly analysed tourists’ MHW outcomes through the lenses of positive psychology and tourism therapy; only a small number of studies have focused on MHW-related benefits and challenges in terms of tourism development for residents and tourism workers. Investigations of MHW in tourism require interdisciplinary approaches to reveal how tourism promotes diverse stakeholders’ mental health. Practically, there is an urgent need to incorporate tourism products and services into mental health care, and design tourism experience with positive psychology principles.

Originality/value

This study offers insights into fostering MHW through tourism. It specifically proposes theoretical and practical ways in which tourism might enhance MHW for various industry stakeholders, contributing to SDG 3.
Disruption ofZfh3abolishes mulberry‐specific monophagy in silkworm larvae
Authors: Zou Yunlong , Wu Wentao , Luo Tianfu , Tang Yuxia , Hu Hai , Ye Aijun , Xu Lifeng , Dai Fangyin , Tong Xiaoling
Published: April 2024

Feeding behavior is critical for insect survival and fitness. Most researchers have explored the molecular basis of feeding behaviors by identifying and elucidating the function of olfactory receptors (ORs) and gustatory receptors (GRs). Other types of genes, such as transcription factors, have rarely been investigated, and little is known about their potential roles. The silkworm (Bombyx mori) is a well‐studied monophagic insect which primarily feeds on mulberry leaves, but the genetic basis of its monophagy is still not understood. In this report, we focused on a transcription factor encoded by theZfh3gene, which is highly expressed in the silkworm central and peripheral nervous systems, including brain, antenna, and maxilla. To investigate its function,Zfh3was abrogated using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9) mutagenesis. SinceZfh3knockout homozygotes are not viable, we studied feeding behavior in heterozygotes, and found that disruption ofZfh3affects both gustation and olfaction. Mutant larvae lose preference for mulberry leaves, acquire the ability to consume an expanded range of diets, and exhibit improved adaptation to the M0artificial diet, which contains no mulberry leaves. These results provide the first demonstration that a transcription factor modulates feeding behaviors in an insect.
Role of pollinators in contributing to vitamin and mineral supply through crop production in India
Authors: Ghosh Sampat , Jung Chuleui
Published: April 2024

Micronutrient deficiency is emerging as a significant public health concern in India. Facilitating pollinator populations in agroecosystems could be an efficient mechanism to ensure food production, both quantitatively and qualitatively. To better understand the role of pollinators in the agroecosystems of India, we conducted an analysis of crop production based on their reliance on pollinators during the period 2010–2021. Our findings indicate that although there were no significant changes in the yearly production or cultivation area of various pollinator‐dependent crops, the average yearly rate of crop‐yield increase in pollinator‐dependent crops was notably lower than in crops that did not depend on pollinators during 2015–2021. The study highlights that a significant portion of vitamins, particularly B7, B9, C and K, and carotenoids come from pollinator‐dependent crops. The findings of this study, which highlight the considerable contribution of micronutrients originating from pollinator‐dependent crops, are consistent with results observed in the Republic of Korea. The loss of pollinator populations may result in an approximately 19% deficit in vitamin C. Although vegetables and fruits contain substantial quantities of minerals per unit weight, a significant portion of these minerals is sourced from non‐pollinator‐dependent crops, particularly cereals and pulses, owing to their abundance. We propose that pollinator‐friendly habitat management could be a sustainable solution to avoid the negative consequences associated with reduced food and nutrition arising from a lack of pollinators in agroecosystems.
Application of furazolidone in Helicobacter pylori infection eradication
Authors: Han Ying Ying , Li Ji Yan , Guan Jia Lun , Liu Mei , Li Pei Yuan
Published: April 2024

Increasing antibiotic resistance is the primary reason for treatment failure of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. To enhance the eradication rate, minimize the development of secondary resistance, and alleviate the socioeconomic burden, it is crucial to select H. pylori‐sensitive antibiotics carefully. Furazolidone has been used for H. pylori eradication in developing countries for decades due to its affordability and low resistance rate. Numerous studies have demonstrated that furazolidone‐containing regimens are more efficacious than those containing other antibiotics, as both first‐ and second‐line therapies, and are also well tolerated. However, utility of furazolidone is restricted or not optimal in certain countries due to its infrequent but potentially severe adverse effects. The decision to discontinue usage of furazolidone because of concerns regarding adverse effects may be misguided. Here we comprehensively reviewed the studies on furazolidone at different dosages and treatment durations for H. pylori eradication. Further research on the mechanisms of action and clinical trials of furazolidone are of great practical importance.