bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Trudeau government and GIC appointments in Canada
Authors: Brock Kathy , Shepherd Robert P.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

According to the traditional view of public administration, a critical component of good policy formulation is the provision of frank and fearless advice to elected decision-makers. This advice can be provided by permanent public officials or by the people selected by the elected governments to fill key and continuing posts. However, there are major questions as to whether new Governor-in-Council (GIC) appointment processes rooted in new public governance (NPG) are yielding the expected results promised, such as less partisanism, as a consideration for appointment.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a mixed methods approach to examine the GIC process as it is used in Canada. In using these methods, the authors employed interviews with senior officials, governmental documents review and expert validation interviews to triangulate its main findings.

Findings

The paper uses the case of the revised appointment process for GIC appointments in Canada and suggests that the new arrangements do not deliver on merit-based criteria that ensures independence is protected between political executive and senior bureaucratic officials. Although new processes may be more open and transparent than past processes, the paper suggests that such processes are more susceptible to partisan influence under the guise of being merit-based.

Research limitations/implications

The research was limited to one country context, Canada. As such, it will be necessary to expand this to other Westminster countries. Testing whether manifestations of new public governance in appointment processes elsewhere will be important to validate whether Canada is unique or not.

Practical implications

The authors are left to wonder if this innovation of merit-based appointments in the new administrative state is obscuring the lines of accountability and whether it forms the basis for good policy advice despite promises to the contrary.

Social implications

Trust in the government is affected by decisions behind closed doors. They appear partisan, even when they may not be. Process matters if only to highlight increased value placed on meritorious appointments.

Originality/value

Previous studies on GIC appointments have generally been to explore representation as a value. That is, studies have questioned whether diversity is maintained, for example. However, few studies have explored appointment processes using institutional approaches to examine whether reforms to such processes have respected key principles, such as merit and accountability.
Service ecosystems: why the media industry prefers access, not ownership
Authors: Chandler Jennifer , Teckchandani Atul
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Because of the increasing importance of access over ownership, the purpose of this paper is to propose a service ecosystem perspective to help managers navigate hypercompetition. With the rise of cloud-based services and the ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy has shifted toward hypercompetition, a state characterized by organizational advantages that are rapidly created and then destroyed by intense competitive moves. Because advantages are quickly eroded, organizations must be aggressive in the number of actions they take and the speed with which they execute these actions. The service ecosystem perspective focuses on relationships that allow organizations to jointly adjust to one another and to their environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper first reviews traditional strategies for navigating hypercompetition. Then, it presents an explanation of the service ecosystem perspective. Finally, the three north stars and media examples are provided.

Findings

The service ecosystem perspective asserts “north stars” that can guide managerial decision-making in hypercompetitive environments. These north stars are: cultivate system norms, facilitate feedback loops and embrace servitization.

Originality/value

In today’s world, organizations are increasingly seeking access to resources instead of ownership of them. The proposed approach suggests that, rather than an organization owning the resources it needs to achieve advantages, organizations are increasingly relying on accessing resources by coordinating with other organizations to draw upon the resource(s) as needed, without incurring the additional burdens of ownership. Examples from the media industry are used to illustrate the three north stars of the service ecosystems perspective.
Effects of institutions on the eco-brand orientation of millennial consumers: a social cognitive perspective
Authors: Roxas Hernan ‘Banjo' , Marte Rodilina
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Given the lucrative millennial or generation Y market across the globe, this study aims to draw on social cognitive and institutional theories to tease out the crucial roles of regulatory and social pressures in shaping the eco-brand orientation of millennial consumers. The study focuses on millennials from a developing country – a context that is less explored in the literature on the social and institutional perspectives of green consumer behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from a survey of 354 millennial consumers in the Philippines, the authors tested the hypotheses on the effects of two types of institutional pressures (social and regulatory) on the key constructs espoused by social cognitive theory. The authors followed the partial least square approach to path analysis to determine the significant empirical relationships and linkages of the constructs contained in the proposed model.

Findings

The results highlight the significant influence of the social-institutional environment on the internal drivers of millennials' orientation towards green or environmentally sustainable brands.

Research limitations/implications

Although the sample size has generalisability-related constraints, the findings extend the current understanding of green millennial consumer behaviour from a social cognitive perspective by highlighting the role of institutions – a concept that is less explored in the marketing and consumer behaviour literature.

Practical implications

It provides valuable business and policy insights and directions for future research on how business enterprises such as producers, manufacturers, retailers and marketers can influence millennial consumers’ orientation towards green brands.

Originality/value

This study uses data from a survey of millennial consumers in the Philippines. The study extends the ambit of social cognitive theory by drawing on institutional theory to highlight the role of institutional social pressures on sustainable consumer behaviour.
Pakistan sign language translation tool in educational setting: teachers perspective
Authors: Abbas Ali , Sarfraz Summaira , Tariq Umbreen
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The current study aims to determine the viability of the tool developed by Abbas and Sarfraz (2018) to translate English speech and text to Pakistan Sign Language (PSL) with bilingual subtitles.

Design/methodology/approach

Focus group interviews of 30 teachers of a Pakistani private university were conducted; who used the PSL translation tool in their classrooms for lecture delivery and communication with the deaf students.

Findings

The findings of the study determined the viability of the developed tool and showed that it is helpful in teaching deaf students efficiently. With the availability of this tool, teachers are not dependent on human sign language (SL) interpreters in their classrooms.

Originality/value

Overall, this tool is an effective addition to educational technology for special education. Due to the lack of Sign Language (SL) understanding, learning resources and availability of human SL interpreters in Pakistan, institutions feel dependency and scarcity to educate deaf students in a classroom. Unimpaired people and especially teachers face problems communicating with deaf people to arrange one interpreter for a student(s) in multiple classes at the same time which creates a communication gap between a teacher and a deaf student.
Family-owned banks in Jordan: do they perform better?
Authors: Saidat Zaid , Alrababa'a Abdel Razzaq , Seaman Claire
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Family ownership is very common for Jordanian businesses, leading to a high level of involvement of family members in company management. There continues to be intense discussion on the pros and cons of family ownership, particularly as it focuses corporate control within a small family group. The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance of family- and non-family-owned banks that appear on the Amman Stock Exchange over the 2016 to 2020 period.

Design/methodology/approach

The research on Jordanian domestic banks is based on data from the annual reports of banks listed on their websites which offers comprehensive data on finances, ownership and the board. Family-owned and non-family banks were analysed using multiple regression technique to identify any variations in their performance.

Findings

Using a sample of 16 domestic banks with 75 bank-year observations over the 2016 to 2020 period, the study supports other research in finding that family ownership is negatively related to bank performance. This is true for accounting-based and market-based performance measures, including return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and Tobin's Q test results. Additionally, analysis identifies greater negative consequences for performance within family-owned banks by board of directors.

Originality/value

This paper extends previous research on family businesses by investigating the impact of family ownership on the financial performance in the Jordanian bank sector. This research determined that devaluation is a consequence of higher levels of ownership concentration for domestic banks in Jordan.
Supplier selection criteria in the Greek hotel food and beverage divisions
Authors: Vasilakakis Konstantinos , Sdrali Despoina
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions in the Greek hotel industry. This research aimed to (1) examine the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions of the Greek hotel industry, as these were perceived by the Greek purchasing managers themselves; (2) investigate the underlying factors when changing a supplier.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted using a closed-ended type questionnaire. Data collection met the following three criteria: hotels with a fully operational food and beverage division could participate in the research, the research population comprised all the hotels located in 13 regions of Greece, the sample represented over 10% of the total hotels in each region. Finally, 653 valid questionnaires were collected.

Findings

Exploratory factor analysis showed that six broad sets of factors affect supplier selection in the food and beverage divisions: those related to raw materials, financing, environment, services, origin-nutrients and people. Regarding the factors considered in changing a supplier, three factors were found: service and product quality, economic policy change, food quality and safety management systems.

Research limitations/implications

Greek hotel managers could use the findings of the study to effectively create a supply chain management strategy that will lead to improved firm performance. Understanding the importance of the selection criteria for the supply chain performance and the need to build strong relationships with stakeholders, suppliers could also create a proper supply chain.

Originality/value

The study adds to the knowledge regarding the perspectives of the Greek purchasing managers in food and beverage divisions in hotel industry and the body of much-needed research. Using exploratory factor analysis, a sort of grouping of the variables seems beneficial for simplifying how to present and understand the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions within the Greek context.
How gun control policies influence consumers’ service business evaluations
Authors: Cabano Frank Gregory , Attari Amin , Minton Elizabeth A.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Given the growing prevalence of gun control policies in service settings, this study aims to investigate how the adoption of a gun control policy by a service business influences consumers’ evaluations of the service business.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experiments were conducted to examine how the adoption of a gun control policy by a service business influences consumers’ brand favorability of that service business and how value congruence (i.e. the alignment between a consumer’s own personal values and perceptions of the brand’s values) is the underlying mechanism.

Findings

This study documents several major findings. First, the authors find that the adoption of a gun control policy by a service business increases consumers’ brand favorability. Second, the authors highlight a boundary condition to this effect, such that a gun control policy actually decreases consumers’ brand favorability for people high (vs low) in support for gun rights. Third, the authors show that value congruence is the psychological process underlying these effects. Fourth, the authors generalize the focal effects to a real-world brand and demonstrate that the adoption of a gun control policy increases brand favorability for consumers low (vs high) in patronage behavior of the brand. Finally, the authors find that a pioneer brand strategy in the adoption of a gun control policy significantly increases brand favorability, whereas a follower brand strategy in the adoption of such a policy is less effective.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to provide critical insight to service businesses as to how their position regarding guns influences consumers’ evaluations of the service business.
Experiential design on cause-related marketing: lessons from the fill-the-bottle challenge
Authors: Roederer Claire , Filser Marc
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Based on a “Fill-the-Bottle” (FTB) challenge, this research explores how experiential design can help cause-related marketing. This study aims to show that experiences designed as anti-structural and anti-functional can raise awareness through action.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors study a corpus of 52 introspective journals and 60 pictures about the challenge, which entails filling empty bottles with cigarette butts from the streets as quickly as possible, then sharing pictures of the bottles on social media.

Findings

The anti-structural design of the experience activates the participants’ experiential system, and the social interactions between the participants and pedestrians construct meaning for the experience. The results further indicate that as follows: individuals’ frames of reference can explain whether they perceive the experience as liberatory or stochastic; anti-structural design can serve cause-related marketing by focusing on three stages: doing, showing and sharing; and experiential marketing can serve societal and social causes.

Research limitations/implications

This research involved a single field. Further research with more heterogeneous participants would be insightful. The power of experiential marketing to serve meaningful and collective causes should be encouraged. Further research should be conducted to understand and conceptualize these collective attempts to fight the dark sides of consumption.

Practical implications

In line with Pine and Gilmore’s (1999) advice to stage memorable experiences by working cautiously on cues, the FTB challenge analysis indicates that by focusing on material evidence and staging a specific sequence of doing something about it, showing everyone what is being done and expanding visibility by sharing artifacts of the action on social media, one can actually make people think about and remember the action.

Social implications

The “do-show-share” design that the FTB challenge uses can be relevant for many cause-related marketing efforts because it operates on both individual and collective levels.

Originality/value

This research offers a new perspective on experiential marketing by studying how experiences designed to be anti-structural can renew social, cause-related marketing tools.
Ghanaian SMEs’ perspective on the interrelationship between market and entrepreneurial orientations
Authors: Issau Kassimu , Soni Sanjay , Acquah Innocent Senyo Kwasi
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This research examines the interrelationships between market orientation (MO) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in the small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. Due to the conflicting results associated with each orientation's influence on firm performance, some researchers advanced that scholars should resort to concurrent observation of the constructs. To the researchers, concurrent deployment of the constructs by businesses is likely to result in an enhanced performance. However, what is lacking in their proposition is how the deployment of these resources should be, thereby leading to a knowledge gap in the literature. The aforementioned gap is what this paper seeks to address.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed deductive research approach, and data were collected from 366 SMEs' owners or owner-managers of SMEs in two metropoles in Ghana. For this study, the hand delivery and collection of questionnaire technique was deployed. The reason is that most respondents may be reluctant to respond to the questionnaires through the post or Internet. Partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed for the data analysis due to its importance in allowing the testing of relationships among constructs. Furthermore, seven-point Likert scale was used to generate responses from the respondents.

Findings

The result indicates that MO and EO have a positive and significant influence on each other. However, the influence of EO on MO is greater. Therefore, when owners of SMEs are embracing the two constructs in their businesses, EO should precede MO. The finding is a novelty of this study. Through this result, the owners of SMEs would have knowledge of embracing EO before MO during the employment of the two constructs in their firms. The study further revealed that not all the components of MO have positive and significant influence on EO, and the reverse is true. Without this study, the owners of SMEs would have placed equal attention on each construct and their components. The study also indicates that deployment of MO in its composite form rather than components is the best way for improving EO.

Practical implications

The more SMEs engage in MO activities, the likelihood of an increase in their entrepreneurial spirit and the opposite is true. However, engaging in more EO activities would result in higher MO than the reverse.

Originality/value

The findings add to the empirical literature by revealing the interrelationships between MO and EO, which serve as a guide to owners of SMEs and practitioners in their concurrent deployment of the two constructs. The findings would also open replication doors for future researchers in different settings.
Hybrid working can help recruit and retain talent, upskill leaders and boost team working, suggests a case study from an international professional services firm
Authors: Summerfield Richard
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper sets out the three-year people strategy at the core of a traditional professional services firm’s ambitious plans to transform into a progressive, agile and fast-growing business. The lynchpin of its acquisitions-led and people-centred cultural transformation programme is Project Zander, a pioneering hybrid working experience in its Jersey office that can be adapted to different geographic locations as the business expands.

Design/methodology/approach

Individual-level information gathered from the firm.

Findings

Nesting a hybrid working model within a clearly articulated people strategy aligned with corporate values appears to be setting the business well on the way to achieving its ambitions. Key is the ability of leaders to plan ahead for the future, mapping out a three-year journey with important milestones along the way. Although it is still early days, the business is already seeing a positive impact on collaboration, team working, staff recruitment and retention, leadership development, empowerment and creativity, employee engagement, and rebuilding the confidence of young people, many of whom have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns.

Originality/value

The strategy has an innovative hybrid working approach as its cornerstone
Bacterial volatile organic compounds induce adverse ultrastructural changes and DNA damage to the sugarcane pathogenic fungus Thielaviopsis ethacetica
Authors: Freitas Carla Sant Anna , Maciel Lucas Ferreira , Corrêa dos Santos Renato Augusto , Costa Ohanna Maria Menezes Madeiro , Maia Francisco Carlos Barbosa , Rabelo Renata Santos , Franco Henrique Coutinho Junqueira , Alves Eduardo , Consonni Sílvio Roberto , Freitas Raul Oliveira , Persinoti Gabriela Felix , Oliveira Juliana Velasco de Castro
Published: January 2022

Due to an increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices, the adoption of microbial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as antagonists against phytopathogens has emerged as an eco‐friendly alternative to the use of agrochemicals. Here, we identified three Pseudomonas strains that were able to inhibit, in vitro, up to 80% of mycelial growth of the phytopathogenic fungus Thielaviopsis ethacetica, the causal agent of pineapple sett rot disease in sugarcane. Using GC/MS, we found that these bacteria produced 62 different VOCs, and further functional validation revealed compounds with high antagonistic activity to T. ethacetica. Transcriptomic analysis of the fungal response to VOCs indicated that these metabolites downregulated genes related to fungal central metabolism, such as those involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Interestingly, genes related to the DNA damage response were upregulated, and micro‐FTIR analysis corroborated our hypothesis that VOCs triggered DNA damage. Electron microscopy analysis showed critical morphological changes in mycelia treated with VOCs. Altogether, these results indicated that VOCs hampered fungal growth and could lead to cell death. This study represents the first demonstration of the molecular mechanisms involved in the antagonism of sugarcane phytopathogens by VOCs and reinforces that VOCs can be a sustainable alternative for use in phytopathogen biocontrol.
An analysis of protists in Pacific oxygen deficient zones: implications for Prochlorococcus and N2‐producing bacteria
Authors: Fuchsman Clara A. , Cherubini Luca , Hays Matthew D.
Published: January 2022

Ocean oxygen deficient zones (ODZs) host 30%–50% of marine N2 production. Cyanobacteria photosynthesizing in the ODZ create a secondary chlorophyll maximum and provide organic matter to N2‐producing bacteria. This chlorophyll maximum is thought to occur due to reduced grazing in anoxic waters. We first examine ODZ protists with long amplicon reads. We then use non‐primer‐based methods to examine the composition and relative abundance of protists in metagenomes from the Eastern Tropical North and South Pacific ODZs and compare these data to the oxic Hawaii Ocean Time‐series (HOT) in the North Pacific. We identify and quantify protists in proportion to the total microbial community. From metagenomic data, we see a large drop in abundance of fungi and protists such as choanoflagellates, radiolarians, cercozoa and ciliates in the ODZs but not in the oxic mesopelagic at HOT. Diplonemid euglenozoa were the only protists that increased in the ODZ. Dinoflagellates and foraminifera reads were also present in the ODZ though less abundant compared to oxic waters. Denitrification has been found in foraminifera but not yet in dinoflagellates. DNA techniques cannot separate dinoflagellate cells and cysts. Metagenomic analysis found taxonomic groups missed by amplicon sequencing and identified trends in abundance.
‘The rainha is the boss!’: On Masculinities, Time and Precolonial Women of Authority in Northern Mozambique
Authors: Katto Jonna
Published: January 2022

This article focuses on the oral historical narratives about precolonial women of authority (or rainhas in Portuguese) to explore the deeper history of gendered power in northern Mozambique. History‐telling is a gendered practice, and nowadays male elders are usually the ones most knowledgeable in these narratives. Moreover, telling these tales ‐ which in interview situations involves personal interpretations and comments ‐ the men also story gendered temporal worlds. This article looks more closely at two seemingly clashing (and incompatible) storylines that emerge in the oral history material. One tells of women's spiritual‐political power in the Yaawo chieftaincies in precolonial times, while the other tells a narrative of masculinised power and woman's subordinate position in relation to male leaders. The article focus's especially on how the male narrators talk about masculinity and how different models of masculinity in turn shape the historical narratives they tell. As the author's analysis demonstrates, these models have different temporal origins; yet they intertwine in present time‐space, interacting also with newer notions (e.g. the ‘new man’ of the socialist period). The article thus shows how various models of masculinity linked to different temporalities and different imaginings of the relationality between femininity and masculinity coexist and shape male gendered identities as well as the histories men tell about the past and gendered power.
State of the Field: Physical Culture
Authors: Heffernan Connor
Published: January 2022

This article surveys the state of the field of physical culture within the discipline of history. Understood broadly as a society's interest in gymnasium and health cultures, physical culture has become a topic of increasing importance for historians, sociologists and performance scholars in the past two decades. Seen as a distinct field from sport history, works on physical culture have evolved from sporadic and one‐off studies to nuanced discussions about the idealised body and its broader social message. As such, studies of physical culture have become excellent platforms for the often implicit ways in which body types have been used in discussions of race, nationalism, class, gender and medicine. Although studies of physical culture began over a century ago, the field has only recently begun to enjoy scholarly attention and, thereby, evolve.
High populations of psychrotrophs in milk affect the quality characteristics of Mozzarella cheese
Authors: Luiz Lucas Lima , de Fatima Bertachi Pinto Leticia , de Souza Correia Selma , Bruzaroski Samera Rafaela , Fagnani Rafael , de Sousa Cínthia Hoch Batista , Ludovico Agostinho , Aragon Alegro Lina Casale , Santana Elsa Helena Walter de
Published: January 2022

This study reports the effect of psychrotrophs in raw milk on the quality of Mozzarella cheese. Physical, chemical, sensorial and textural characteristics were evaluated, and the indices of lipolysis and proteolysis were assessed. The highest population (7 log cfu/mL vs. 3 log cfu/mL) was associated with a decrease in yield and in primary proteolysis index, higher acidity and free fatty acid index and concentration. Short‐ and medium‐chain free fatty acids increased in all cheeses during storage, being higher in those produced with milk containing a high population of psychrotrophics. No sensory differences between the cheeses were observed.
Association of tumor necrosis factor‐α inhibitors and liver cirrhosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A nationwide population‐based nested case‐control study
Authors: Chen Der‐Yuan , Lin Ching‐Heng , Chen Hsin‐Hua , Tang Kuo‐Tung
Published: January 2022

Aim

Results from various studies are controversial regarding long‐term hepatic effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α inhibitors. Here we aimed to investigate the development of liver cirrhosis with TNF‐α inhibitors use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Method

This nested case‐control study was based on the National Health Insurance Research Database (January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2008) of Taiwan. We identified 559 adult RA patients who developed liver cirrhosis, and 1055 matched control RA patients. TNF‐α inhibitors of interest in the study period included adalimumab and etanercept. Multivariate logistic regression analysis for the development of liver cirrhosis with respect to use of TNF‐α inhibitors was performed.

Results

The incidence rate of liver cirrhosis was 274 per 100 000 person‐years in newly diagnosed RA patients. We found the use of TNF‐α inhibitors was not associated with the development of liver cirrhosis in RA patients (odds ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval 0.61, 1.70) after adjustment for potential confounders. In addition, the finding was robust to an unobserved confounder.

Conclusion

We found no association between the use of TNF‐α inhibitors and development of liver cirrhosis in RA patients.
Efficacy and safety of EBUS‐TBNA under conscious sedation with meperidine and midazolam
Authors: Piro Roberto , Casalini Eleonora , Fontana Matteo , Galeone Carla , Ruggiero Patrizia , Taddei Sofia , Ghidoni Giulia , Patricelli Giulia , Facciolongo Nicola
Published: January 2022

Background

According to the guidelines, endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA) is the technique of choice for the diagnosis of mediastinal involvement in lung cancer; it is also useful for other mediastinal malignancies and benign pathology. Nevertheless, there is still discussion about whether to perform it under general anesthesia or under conscious sedation.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the data of all patients who underwent EBUS‐TBNA under conscious sedation with up to 1 mg/kg of meperidine and up to 0.15 mg/kg of midazolam in the Interventional Pulmonology Unit of the Azienda USL‐IRCCS Santa Maria Nuova of Reggio Emilia during 2 consecutive years. Demographic data, indication for the procedure, duration, number of lymph node sampled, number of passes per station, diagnostic yield, drugs dosage, questionnaire score, and complications were collected.

Results

A total of 302 patients underwent EBUS‐TBNA, and 68% of the patients were males and the mean age was 65 ± 13 years old. The average duration of procedures was 24.4 minutes and the mean dosage of drugs was 4.32 ± 1.52 mg for midazolam and 50.86 ± 13.71 mg for meperidine. The mean number of lymph nodes sampled per patient was 1.75 ± 0.82, and each patient received an average of 4.71 ± 1.78 passes. A total of 90.7% of patients completed the procedures, 85% had adequate samples, and 94.4% of patients declared with Likert's questionnaire that they strongly agree to repeat the test if necessary.

Conclusion

EBUS‐TBNA performed under conscious sedation with meperidine and midazolam is feasible and well‐tolerated and has a similar diagnostic yield of that reported in literature.
Host genetics determines food preferences of the moth Perzelia arda (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae)
Authors: Pietrantuono Ana Laura , Pastorino Mario J. , Fernández‐Arhex Valeria , Corley Juan Carlos , Marchelli Paula
Published: January 2022

Genetic variation among host plants can influence herbivore behaviour and consequently their abundance, performance and environmental impact. In the Andean‐Patagonian forest, the arboreal vegetation is dominated by species of genus Nothofagus. Previous studies of Nothofagus alpina demonstrated differences in genetic diversity among and within its populations. The native caterpillar Perzelia arda feeds on various Nothofagus sp.

Our aim was to evaluate host selection behaviour of P. arda larvae towards different genetic pools of N. alpina trees.

We collected leaf samples from trees growing in a common garden field trial and evaluated, by paired comparisons, not only differences among provenances but also variation between and within open pollinated families.

Our results demonstrated that P. arda performed a choice between the leaves of the host plants offered. This larva was able to choose specific provenances, open pollinated families and genotypes of N. alpina.

In conclusion, the larva is guided by characteristics of individuals and host plant species. These innovative results in insect–plant interaction studies demonstrate that it is important to evaluate discrimination between intra‐specific hosts. Further study is required to fully understand the use of resources by this native insect, as well as the ecological consequences.
Market and welfare effects of quality misperception in food labels
Authors: Scott Francisco , Sesmero Juan P.
Published: January 2022

Information‐based policies, most prominently labels, reveal credence attributes of food products and, presumably, help consumers make better choices by reducing their misperception of product quality. However, much remains unexamined regarding how firms' strategic reactions to consumers' misperception of quality influence the benefits of information‐based policies. We consider an oligopoly model where heterogeneous consumers can over‐ or underestimate the quality of products in the market, and firms choose quality and prices conditional on consumers' perception of quality. We find that, under empirically prevalent conditions, misperception can increase efficiency in relation to the perfect information case; it does so if (1) it strengthens firms' incentives to provide higher quality, countervailing the chronic underprovision of quality that prevails under perfect information, or (2) it galvanizes competition, reversing another deleterious effect of product differentiation, namely high quality‐adjusted markups that restrain commerce. Our results imply that information‐based policies aimed at curbing misperception, such as requiring or allowing (under voluntary certification) additional information, nudging, and changes in label format, can have deleterious effects on efficiency and, perhaps more importantly, hurt the very consumers they mean to protect.
Regulation of heart rate in vertebrates during hypoxia: A comparative overview
Authors: Joyce William , Wang Tobias
Published: January 2022

Acute exposure to low oxygen (hypoxia) places conflicting demands on the heart. Whilst an increase in heart rate (tachycardia) may compensate systemic oxygen delivery as arterial oxygenation falls, the heart itself is an energetically expensive organ that may benefit from slowing (bradycardia) to reduce work when oxygen is limited. Both strategies are apparent in vertebrates, with tetrapods (mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians) classically exhibiting hypoxic tachycardia and fishes displaying characteristic hypoxic bradycardia. With a richer understanding of the ontogeny and evolution of the responses, however, we see similarities in the underlying mechanisms between vertebrate groups. For example, in adult mammals, primary bradycardia results from the hypoxic stimulation of carotid body chemoreceptors that are overwhelmed by mechano‐sensory feedback from the lung associated with hyperpnoea. Fish‐like bradycardia prevails in the mammalian foetus (which, at this stage, is incapable of pulmonary ventilation), and in fish and foetus alike, the bradycardia ensues despite an elevation of circulating catecholamines. In both cases, the reduced heart rate may primarily serve to protect the heart. Thus, the comparative perspective offers fundamental insight into how and why different vertebrates regulate heart rate in different ways during periods of hypoxia.
Galectin‐3 enhances atrial remodelling and arrhythmogenesis through CD98 signalling
Authors: Cheng Wan‐Li , Chen Yao‐Chang , Li Shao‐Jung , Lee Ting‐I , Lee Ting‐Wei , Higa Satoshi , Chung Cheng‐Chih , Kao Yu‐Hsun , Chen Shih‐Ann , Chen Yi‐Jen
Published: January 2022

Aim

Galectin‐3 (Gal‐3) is a biomarker of atrial fibrillation (AF) that mediates atrial inflammation. CD98 is the membrane surface receptor for Gal‐3. Nevertheless, the role of the Gal‐3/CD98 axis in atrial arrhythmogenesis is unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of Gal‐3/CD98 signalling on atrial pathogenesis.

Methods

Whole cell patch clamp and western blotting were used to analyse calcium/potassium homeostasis and calcium‐related signalling in Gal‐3‐administrated HL‐1 atrial cardiomyocytes with/without CD98 neutralized antibodies. Telemetry electrocardiographic recording, Masson's trichrome staining and immunohistochemistry staining of atrium were obtained from mice having received tail‐vein injections with Gal‐3.

Results

Gal‐3‐treated HL‐1 myocytes had a shorter action potential duration, smaller L‐type calcium current, increased sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium content, Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) current, transient outward potassium current, and ultrarapid delayed rectifier potassium current than control cells had. Gal‐3‐treated HL‐1 myocytes had greater levels of SR Ca2+ATPase, NCX, Nav1.5, and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) expression and increased calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) phosphorylation than control cells had. Gal‐3‐mediated activation of CaMKII/RyR2 pathway was diminished in the cotreatment of anti‐CD98 antibodies. Mice that were injected with Gal‐3 had more atrial ectopic beats, increased atrial fibrosis, and activated NF‐κB/NLRP3 signalling than did control mice (nonspecific immunoglobulin) or mice treated with Gal‐3 and anti‐CD98 antibodies.

Conclusion

Gal‐3 recombinant protein administration increases atrial fibrosis and arrhythmogenesis through CD98 signalling. Targeting Gal‐3/CD98 axis might be a novel therapeutic strategy for patients with AF and high Gal‐3 levels.
A laboratory analysis of the Kura‐Araxes pottery from Tepe Pirtaj using petrography and XRF techniques
Authors: Sharifi Mahnaz , Omrani Behrouz
Published: January 2022

Sounding at the archaeological site of Tepe Pirtaj in Bijar of Kurdistan aimed to investigate the foremost cultural phenomenon of the third millennium bce across the Near East, namely the Kura‐Araxes culture, in the eastern Central Zagros, as the site promised to provide important insights into the spread of the culture in an easternmost tract of the Central Zagros. Characterized by a grey body often bearing incised decorations, the Kura‐Araxes material from Pirtaj shows high expertise in manufacture. The present study explored the pottery technology and manufacturing by selecting a sample of 12 sherds for petrographic and X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses. The main objective was to examine the composition and structure, differences and comparisons, firing temperature and origin (local or imported) of the ceramics. This is of particular significance given the dearth of contemporaneous sites in Bijar. Petrographic and XRF analyses showed the ceramics to be indigenous to the region and, thus, locally produced. The whole sample was found to have been fired at temperatures below 800°C. Geological data attest to the abundance of slate, lime, quartz and calcite in the regional mountains and sediments. Thus the ceramics were locally produced, though some slight differences are discernible as regards technological aspects.
The effects of a gamified morphological awareness intervention on students' cognitive, motivational and affective outcomes
Authors: Qiao Shen , Yeung Susanna Siu‐sze , Shen Xiaoai , Chu Samuel Kai Wah
Published: January 2022

Purpose: Morphological awareness (MA), the ability to reflect on and manipulate the smallest language units within a word, has been identified as an essential metalinguistic awareness to predict literacy development. In this study, we examine whether an online gamified English MA programme is more effective than physical face‐to‐face instruction in terms of cognitive, motivational and affective learning outcomes. Method: We applied a quasi‐experimental design using a sample of 33 students in an intervention group (gamified MA programme) and 49 in a control group (face‐to‐face programme). Both programmes were 8 hours in duration (30 minutes/session for 16 sessions). Students' cognitive, motivational and affective learning outcomes were evaluated before and after delivery of the programmes. We took an exploratory sequential mixed‐methods approach, in which qualitative data from semi‐structured interviews were used to validate the quantitative results. Results: The intervention group performed significantly better than the control group in MA and intrinsic motivation. No differences were found for word reading, reading comprehension or affective engagement. The qualitative analyses of the interview responses revealed in detail the students' perceptions of gamified learning. Conclusion: The findings provide evidence for the beneficial effects of gamified learning experiences in terms of cognitive and motivational outcomes in comparison to face‐to‐face instruction.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

Morphological awareness (MA) is identified as a crucial reading‐related skill that relates to students' word reading and reading comprehension. However, few studies can be found that have investigated the use of gamification to teach MA.

Gamification is emerging as a popular approach to motivate learners and facilitate learning. However, limited evidence has been presented of its effects on students' cognitive, motivational and affective outcomes, and no clear theoretical framework for gamified MA learning designs has been established.

What this paper adds

In this study, the effects of gamified and face‐to‐face morphology programmes were compared.

Self‐determination theory was applied to gamification design and the meta design theory ‘First Principles of Instruction’ was applied in the development of online MA activities.

Gamified morphology programme is more effective than a face‐to‐face programme on students' cognitive and motivational outcomes.

Implications for practice and/or policy

This study advances the pedagogical design of gamified learning, which can be applied to the teaching of reading‐related skills such as MA.

Both appropriate uses of game design elements and theory‐driven instructional design are important to the success of gamified learning.

Future studies should investigate the design of gamification that encourage collaboration and support low‐achieving students.
People prefer to diversify across different types of prosocial behaviour
Authors: Peetz Johanna , Howard Andrea L.
Published: January 2022

People have multiple opportunities to act prosocial any given day but only limited resources to do so (e.g. time, effort and money they are willing to invest). We test whether people prefer to diversify their prosocial efforts across different types of help: casual help, direct help, indirect help and emotional support. In two daily diary studies (total N = 711), we examine whether previous prosocial behaviour affects subsequent prosocial behaviour for the same or other types of prosocial behaviour. We found that day‐to‐day prosocial behaviours reflected a diversified helping pattern. Participants were less likely to help the same way (i.e. the same type of prosocial behaviour) on subsequent days and more likely to help in different ways (i.e. a different type of prosocial behaviour). This tendency did not extend to casual help in Study 2, implying that the next day reduction in doing the same type of prosocial behaviour is limited to prosocial behaviours that are at least somewhat effortful or time consuming.
Morphology and distribution of scales, dermal ossifications, and other non‐feather integumentary structures in non‐avialan theropod dinosaurs
Authors: Hendrickx Christophe , Bell Phil R. , Pittman Michael , Milner Andrew R. C. , Cuesta Elena , O'Connor Jingmai , Loewen Mark , Currie Philip J. , Mateus Octávio , Kaye Thomas G. , Delcourt Rafael
Published: January 2022

Modern birds are typified by the presence of feathers, complex evolutionary innovations that were already widespread in the group of theropod dinosaurs (Maniraptoriformes) that include crown Aves. Squamous or scaly reptilian‐like skin is, however, considered the plesiomorphic condition for theropods and dinosaurs more broadly. Here, we review the morphology and distribution of non‐feathered integumentary structures in non‐avialan theropods, covering squamous skin and naked skin as well as dermal ossifications. The integumentary record of non‐averostran theropods is limited to tracks, which ubiquitously show a covering of tiny reticulate scales on the plantar surface of the pes. This is consistent also with younger averostran body fossils, which confirm an arthral arrangement of the digital pads. Among averostrans, squamous skin is confirmed in Ceratosauria (Carnotaurus), Allosauroidea (Allosaurus,Concavenator,Lourinhanosaurus), Compsognathidae (Juravenator), and Tyrannosauroidea (Santanaraptor,Albertosaurus,Daspletosaurus,Gorgosaurus,Tarbosaurus,Tyrannosaurus), whereas dermal ossifications consisting of sagittate and mosaic osteoderms are restricted toCeratosaurus. Naked, non‐scale bearing skin is found in the contentious tetanuranSciurumimus, ornithomimosaurians (Ornithomimus) and possibly tyrannosauroids (Santanaraptor), and also on the patagia of scansoriopterygids (Ambopteryx,Yi). Scales are surprisingly conservative among non‐avialan theropods compared to some dinosaurian groups (e.g. hadrosaurids); however, the limited preservation of tegument on most specimens hinders further interrogation. Scale patterns vary among and/or within body regions inCarnotaurus,ConcavenatorandJuravenator, and include polarised, snake‐like ventral scales on the tail of the latter two genera. Unusual but more uniformly distributed patterning also occurs inTyrannosaurus, whereas feature scales are present only inAlbertosaurusandCarnotaurus. Few theropods currently show compelling evidence for the co‐occurrence of scales and feathers (e.g.Juravenator,Sinornithosaurus), although reticulate scales were probably retained on the mani and pedes of many theropods with a heavy plumage. Feathers and filamentous structures appear to have replaced widespread scaly integuments in maniraptorans. Theropod skin, and that of dinosaurs more broadly, remains a virtually untapped area of study and the appropriation of commonly used techniques in other palaeontological fields to the study of skin holds great promise for future insights into the biology, taphonomy and relationships of these extinct animals.