bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Particle-Based COVID-19 Simulator with Contact Tracing and Testing
Authors: Kuzdeuov Askat , Karabay Aknur , Baimukashev Daulet , Ibragimov Bauyrzhan , Varol Huseyin Atakan
Published: December 2020

Goal

The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as the most severe public health crisis in over a century. As of January 2021, there are more than 100 million cases and 2.1 million deaths. For informed decision making, reliable statistical data and capable simulation tools are needed. Our goal is to develop an epidemic simulator that can model the effects of random population testing and contact tracing.

Methods

Our simulator models individuals as particles with the position, velocity, and epidemic status states on a 2D map and runs an SEIR epidemic model with contact tracing and testing modules. The simulator is available on GitHub under the MIT license.

Results

The results show that the synergistic use of contact tracing and massive testing is effective in suppressing the epidemic (the number of deaths was reduced by 72%).

Conclusions

The Particle-based COVID-19 simulator enables the modeling of intervention measures, random testing, and contact tracing, for epidemic mitigation and suppression.

Impact Statement

Our particle-based epidemic simulator, calibrated with COVID-19 data, models each individual as a unique particle with a location, velocity, and epidemic state, enabling the consideration of contact tracing and testing measures.
Lack of antibodies against seasonal coronavirus OC43 nucleocapsid protein identifies patients at risk of critical COVID-19
Authors: Dugas Martin , Grote-Westrick Tanja , Merle Uta , Fontenay Michaela , Kremer Andreas E. , Hanses Frank , Vollenberg Richard , Lorentzen Eva , Tiwari-Heckler Shilpa , Duchemin Jérôme , Ellouze Syrine , Vetter Marcel , Fürst Julia , Schuster Philipp , Brix Tobias , Denkinger Claudia M. , Müller-Tidow Carsten , Schmidt Hartmut , Tepasse Phil-Robin , Kühn Joachim
Published: December 2020

Most COVID-19 patients experience a mild disease; a minority suffers from critical disease.

We report about a biomarker validation study regarding 296 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections from four tertiary care referral centers in Germany and France.

Patients with critical disease had significantly less anti-HCoV OC43 nucleocapsid protein antibodies compared to other COVID-19 patients (p=0.007). In multivariate analysis, OC43 negative inpatients had an increased risk of critical disease, higher than the risk by increased age or BMI, and lower than the risk by male sex. A risk stratification based on sex and OC43 serostatus was derived from this analysis.

Our results indicate that prior infections with seasonal human coronaviruses can protect against a severe course of COVID-19. Anti-OC43 antibodies should be measured for COVID-19 inpatients and considered as part of the risk assessment. We expect individuals tested negative for anti-OC43 antibodies to particularly benefit from vaccination, especially with other risk factors prevailing.
The structurally conserved TELR region on shelterin protein TPP1 is essential for telomerase processivity but not recruitment
Authors: Sandhu Ranjodh , Sharma Madhav , Wei Derek , Xu Lifeng
Published: December 2020

In addition to mediating telomerase recruitment, shelterin protein TPP1 also stimulates telomerase processivity. Assessing thein vivosignificance of the latter role of TPP1 has been difficult, as TPP1 mutations that perturb telomerase function tend to abolish both telomerase recruitment and processivity. We sought to separate the two activities of TPP1 in regulating telomerase by considering a structure-guided mutagenesis study on theS. cerevisiaetelomerase-associated Est3 protein, which revealed a TELR surface region on Est3 that regulates telomerase functionviaan unknown mechanism without affecting the interaction between Est3 and telomerase (1). Here, we show that mutations within the structurally conserved TELR region on TPP1 impaired telomerase processivity while leaving telomerase recruitment unperturbed, hence uncoupling the two roles of TPP1 in regulating telomerase. Telomeres in cell lines containing homozygous TELR mutations progressively shortened to a critical length that caused cellular senescence, despite the presence of abundant telomerase in these cells. Our findings not only demonstrate that telomerase processivity can be regulated by TPP1, in a process separable from its role in recruiting telomerase to telomeres, but also establish that thein vivostimulation of telomerase processivity by TPP1 is critical for telomere length homeostasis and long-term cell viability.

Significance

Telomerase directs the synthesis of new telomeric repeats at chromosome ends, enabling cells to overcome the end replication problem and continue to divide. The shelterin protein TPP1 interacts with telomerase, promoting both telomerase recruitment and processivity (the addition of multiple telomeric repeats after a single substrate binding event). Here we show the identification of separation-of-function mutants of TPP1 that eliminate telomerase processivity but leave the telomerase recruitment function intact. When introduced into human cells in a homozygous manner, these mutations can induce critical telomere shortening and cellular senescence. Our observations therefore provide the first demonstration that telomerase processivity, in addition to telomerase recruitment, is a key regulatory stepin vivofor continued human cell proliferation.
Heterogeneity of monocyte subsets and susceptibility to influenza virus contribute to inter-population variability of protective immunity
Authors: O’Neill Mary , Quach Hélène , Pothlichet Julien , Aquino Yann , Bisiaux Aurélie , Zidane Nora , Deschamps Matthieu , Libri Valentina , Hasan Milena , Zhang Shen-Ying , Zhang Qian , Matuozzo Daniela , Cobat Aurélie , Abel Laurent , Casanova Jean-Laurent , Naffakh Nadia , Rotival Maxime , Quintana-Murci Lluis
Published: December 2020

There is considerable inter-individual and inter-population variability in response to viruses. The potential of monocytes to elicit type-I interferon responses has attracted attention to their role in viral infections. Here, we use anex vivomodel to characterize the role of cellular heterogeneity in human variation of monocyte responses to influenza A virus (IAV) exposure. Using single-cell RNA-sequencing, we show widespread inter-individual variability in the percentage of IAV-infected monocytes. We show that cells escaping viral infection display increased mRNA expression of type-I interferon stimulated genes and decreased expression of ribosomal genes, relative to both infected cells and those never exposed to IAV. While this host defense strategy is shared betweenCD16+/CD16-monocytes, we also uncoverCD16+-specific mRNA expression ofIL6andTNFin response to IAV, and a stronger resistance ofCD16+monocytes to IAV infection. Notably, individuals with high cellular susceptibility to IAV are characterized by a lower activation at basal state of an IRF/STAT-induced transcriptional network, which includes antiviral genes such asIFITM3, MX1, andOAS3. Finally, using flow cytometry and bulk RNA-sequencing across 200 individuals of African and European ancestry, we observe a higher number ofCD16+monocytes and lower susceptibility to IAV infection among monocytes from individuals of African-descent. Collectively, our results reveal the effects of IAV infection on the transcriptional landscape of human monocytes and highlight previously unappreciated differences in cellular susceptibility to IAV infection between individuals of African and European ancestry, which may account for the greater susceptibility of Africans to severe influenza.

Significance Statement

Monocytes may play a critical role during severe viral infections. Our study tackles how heterogeneity in monocyte subsets and activation contributes to shape individual differences in the transcriptional response to viral infections. Using single-cell RNA-sequencing, we reveal heterogeneity in monocyte susceptibility to IAV infection, both betweenCD16+/CD16-monocytes and across individuals, driven by differences in basal activation of an IRF/STAT-induced antiviral program. Furthermore, we show a decreased ability of IAV to infect and replicate in monocytes from African-ancestry individuals, with possible implications for antigen presentation and lymphocyte activation. These results highlight the importance of early cellular activation in determining an individuals’ innate immune response to viral infection.
Joint species distributions reveal the combined effects of host plants, abiotic factors and species competition as drivers of species abundances in fruit flies
Authors: Facon Benoit , Hafsi Abir , de la Masselière Maud Charlery , Robin Stéphane , Massol François , Dubart Maxime , Chiquet Julien , Frago Enric , Chiroleu Frédéric , Duyck Pierre-François , Ravigné Virginie
Published: December 2020

Abstract

The relative importance of ecological factors and species interactions for phytophagous insect species distributions has long been a controversial issue. Using field abundances of eight sympatric Tephritid fruit flies on 21 host plants, we inferred flies’ realized niches using joint species distribution modelling and network inference, on the community as a whole and separately on three groups of host plants. These inferences were then confronted to flies’ fundamental niches estimated through laboratory-measured fitnesses on host plants. Species abundances were mainly determined by host plants followed by climatic factors, with a minor role for competition between species sharing host plants. The relative importance of these factors mildly changed when we focused on particular host plant groups. Despite overlapping fundamental niches, specialists and generalists had almost distinct realized niches, with possible competitive exclusion of generalists by specialists on Cucurbitaceae, and different assembly rules: specialists were mainly influenced by their adaptation to host plants while generalist abundances varied regardless of their fundamental host use.
DNA sequence-dependent positioning of the linker histone in a nucleosome: a single-pair FRET study
Authors: De Madhura , Öztürk Mehmet Ali , Isbaner Sebastian , Tóth Katalin , Wade Rebecca C.
Published: December 2020

Linker histones (LH) bind to nucleosomes with their globular domain (gH) positioned in either an on- or an off-dyad binding mode. Here, we study the effect of the linker DNA (L-DNA) sequence on the binding of a full-length LH, Xenopus laevis H1.0b, to a Widom 601 nucleosome core particle (NCP) flanked by two 40 bp long L-DNA arms, by single-pair FRET spectroscopy. We varied the sequence of the 11 bp of L-DNA adjoining the NCP on either side, making the sequence either A-tract, purely GC, or mixed, with 64% AT. The labelled gH consistently exhibited higher FRET efficiency with the labelled L-DNA containing the A-tract, than that with the pure-GC stretch, even when the stretches were swapped. However, it did not exhibit higher FRET efficiency with the L-DNA containing 64% AT-rich mixed DNA when compared to the pure-GC stretch. We explain our observations with a model that shows that the gH binds on-dyad and that two arginines mediate recognition of the A-tract via its characteristically narrow minor groove. To investigate whether this on-dyad minor groove-based recognition was distinct from previously identified off-dyad major groove-based recognition, a nucleosome was designed with A-tracts on both the L-DNA arms. One A-tract was complementary to thymine and the other to deoxyuridine. The major groove of the thymine-tract was lined with methyl groups that were absent from the major groove of the deoxyuridine tract. The gH exhibited similar FRET for both these A-tracts, suggesting that it does not interact with the thymine methyl groups exposed on the major groove. Our observations thus complement previous studies that suggest that different LH isoforms may employ different ways of recognizingff AT-rich DNA and A-tracts. This adaptability may enable the LH to universally compact scaffold-associated regions and constitutive heterochromatin, which are rich in such sequences.

Statement of Significance

Linker histones (LHs) associate with the smallest repeat unit of chromatin, the nucleosome. They have been observed to have affinity for AT-rich DNA, which is found in constitutive heterochromatin and scaffold-associated regions (SAR), which could explain how the LHs can compact such parts of the chromatin. How the LH recognizes such sequences is poorly understood. Using single-pair FRET and modelling, we provide experimental evidence of DNA-sequence-induced changes in the orientation of a LH bound to a nucleosome, and thereby reveal a new mechanism by which the LH can recognize A-tract sequences that are abundantly present in the SAR. Our results show that, depending on how the LH associates with the nucleosome, it can employ more than one mechanism to recognize AT-rich DNA.
Pharmacological rescue of impaired mitophagy in Parkinson’s disease-related LRRK2 G2019S knock-in mice
Authors: Singh Francois , Prescott Alan R. , Ball Graeme , Reith Alastair D. , Ganley Ian G.
Published: December 2020

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a major and progressive neurodegenerative disorder, yet the biological mechanisms involved in its aetiology are poorly understood. Evidence links this disorder with mitochondrial dysfunction and/or impaired lysosomal degradation – key features of the autophagy of mitochondria, known as mitophagy. Here we investigated the role of LRRK2, a protein kinase frequently mutated in PD, on this process in vivo. Using mitophagy and autophagy reporter mice, bearing either knockout of LRRK2 or expressing the pathogenic kinase-activating G2019S LRRK2 mutation, we found that basal mitophagy was specifically altered in clinically relevant cells and tissues. Our data show that basal mitophagy inversely correlates with LRRK2 kinase activity in vivo. In support of this, use of distinct LRRK2 kinase inhibitors in cells increased basal mitophagy, and a CNS penetrant LRRK2 kinase inhibitor, GSK3357679A, rescued the mitophagy defects observed in LRRK2 G2019S mice. This study provides the first in vivo evidence that pathogenic LRRK2 directly impairs basal mitophagy, a process with strong links to idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, and demonstrates that pharmacological inhibition of LRRK2 is a rational mitophagy-rescue approach and potential PD therapy.
Discovery of Fibrillar Adhesins across Bacterial Species
Authors: Monzon Vivian , Lafita Aleix , Bateman Alex
Published: December 2020

Background

Fibrillar adhesins are long multidomain proteins attached at the cell surface and composed of at least one adhesive domain and multiple tandemly repeated domains, which build an elongated stalk that projects the adhesive domain beyond the bacterial cell surface. They are an important yet understudied class of proteins that mediate interactions of bacteria with their environment. This study aims to characterize fibrillar adhesins in a wide range of bacterial phyla and to identify new fibrillar adhesin-like proteins to improve our understanding of host-bacteria interactions.

Results

By careful search for fibrillar adhesins in the literature and by computational analysis we identified 75 stalk domains and 24 adhesive domains. Based on the presence of these domains in the UniProt Reference Proteomes database, we identified and analysed 3,388 fibrillar adhesin-like proteins across species of the most common bacterial phyla. We found that the bacterial proteomes with the highest fraction of fibrillar adhesins include several known pathogens. We further enumerate the adhesive and stalk domain combinations found in nature and demonstrate that fibrillar adhesins have complex and variable domain architectures, which differ across species. By analysing the domain architecture of fibrillar adhesins we show that in Gram positive bacteria adhesive domains are mostly positioned at the N-terminus of the protein with the cell surface anchor at the C-terminus, while their positions are more variable in Gram negative bacteria. We provide an open repository of fibrillar adhesin-like proteins and domains to facilitate downstream studies of this class of bacterial surface proteins.

Conclusion

This study provides a domain-based characterization of fibrillar adhesins and demonstrates that they are widely found across the main bacterial phyla. We have discovered numerous novel fibrillar adhesins and improved the understanding of how pathogens might adhere to and subsequently invade into host cells.
Oscillatory tracking of pseudo-rhythmic speech is constrained by linguistic predictions
Authors: Oever Sanne Ten , Martin Andrea E.
Published: December 2020

Neuronal oscillations putatively track speech in order to optimize sensory processing. However, it is unclear how isochronous brain oscillations can track pseudo-rhythmic speech input. Here we propose that oscillations can track pseudo-rhythmic speech when considering that speech time is dependent on predictions flowing from internal language models. We show that the temporal dynamics of speech are dependent on the predictability of words in a sentence. A computational model including oscillations, feedback, and inhibition is able to track the natural pseudo-rhythmic speech input. As the model processes, it generates temporal phase codes, which are a candidate mechanism for carrying information forward in time. The model is optimally sensitive to the natural temporal speech dynamics and can explain empirical data on temporal speech illusions. Our results reveal that speech tracking does not only rely on the input acoustics but instead entails an interaction between oscillations and constraints flowing from internal language models.
Acculturation stressors and academic adjustment among Nepalese students in South Korean higher education institutions
Authors: Atteraya Madhu S.
Published: December 2020

Introduction

International students are steadily increasing in South Korean higher education institutions. How well international students in South Korea are adjusted academically and the relationship between acculturation stressors and academic adjustment has not yet been determined. The study aimed to fill this research gap by examining the relationship between acculturation stressors and academic adjustment among Nepalese international students in South Korean higher education institutions.

Methods

The sample of the study consisted of Nepalese international students who enrolled in 36 universities in South Korea. Students’ background characteristics and acculturation stressors (e.g., discrimination, homesickness, hate/rejection, fear, cultural shock, and guilt) were selected to assess the association of these characteristics and stressors with academic adjustment. Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression were utilized to examine the association between acculturation stressors and academic adjustment.

Results

The results from the Pearson correlation revealed the negative correlation of perceived discrimination (r = -.23, p< 0.01), perceived hate/rejection (r = -.18, p< 0.05), perceived fear (r = -.24, p< 0.01), and perceived cultural shock (r = -.17, p< 0.05) with academic adjustment. Further, the hierarchical regression model revealed that marital status (β= .223,p <.01) had a positive association with academic adjustment, whereas perceived fear (β= -.206,p <.05) had a negative association with academic adjustment even after including students’ background characteristics and other acculturation stressors.

Conclusion

Addressing acculturation stressors among international students in higher education institutions is essential to facilitate positive academic adjustment. Mainly, perceived fear has negatively affected students’ academic adjustment. Based on these findings, tailored programs must be developed to curtail students’ perceived fear in order to enhance their academic performance in South Korean higher education institutions.
Rapid evolution of bacterial mutualism in the plant rhizosphere
Authors: Li Erqin , de Jonge Ronnie , Liu Chen , Jiang Henan , Friman Ville-Petri , Pieterse Corné M.J. , Bakker Peter A.H.M. , Jousset Alexandre
Published: December 2020

Even though beneficial plant-microbe interactions are commonly observed in nature, direct evidence for the evolution of bacterial mutualism in the rhizosphere remains elusive. Here we use experimental evolution to causally show that initially plant-antagonisticPseudomonas protegensbacterium evolves into mutualists in the rhizosphere ofArabidopsis thalianawithin six plant growth cycles (6 months). This evolutionary transition was accompanied with increased mutualist fitness via two mechanisms:i)improved competitiveness for root exudates andii)enhanced capacity for activating the root-specific transcription factor geneMYB72, which triggers the production of plant-secreted scopoletin antimicrobial for which the mutualists evolved relatively higher tolerance to. Genetically, mutualism was predominantly associated with different mutations in the GacS/GacA two-component regulator system, which conferred high fitness benefits only in the presence of plants. Together, our results show that bacteria can rapidly evolve along the parasitism-mutualism continuum in the plant rhizosphere at an agriculturally relevant evolutionary timescale.
Pre-Implantation Alcohol Exposure Induces Lasting Sex-Specific DNA Methylation Programming Errors in the Developing Forebrain
Authors: Legault LM , Doiron K , Breton-Larrivée M , Langford-Avelar A , Lemieux A , Caron M , Jerome-Majewska LA , Sinnett D , McGraw S
Published: December 2020

Background

Prenatal alcohol exposure is recognized for altering DNA methylation profiles of brain cells during development, and to be part of the molecular basis underpinning Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) etiology. However, we have negligible information on the effects of alcohol exposure during pre-implantation, the early embryonic window marked with dynamic DNA methylation reprogramming, and on how this may rewire the brain developmental program.

Results

Using a pre-clinicalin vivomouse model, we show that a binge-like alcohol exposure during pre-implantation at the 8-cell stage leads to surge in morphological brain defects and adverse developmental outcomes during fetal life. Genome-wide DNA methylation analyses of fetal forebrains uncovered sex-specific alterations, including partial loss of DNA methylation maintenance at imprinting control regions, and abnormalde novoDNA methylation profiles in various biological pathways (e.g., neural/brain development).

Conclusion

These findings support that alcohol-induced DNA methylation programming deviations during pre-implantation could contribute to the manifestation of neurodevelopmental phenotypes associated with FASD.
Multi-analyser detector (MAD) for high-resolution and high-energy powder X-ray diffraction
Authors: Schökel Alexander , Etter Martin , Berghäuser Andreas , Horst Alexander , Lindackers Dirk , Whittle Thomas A. , Schmid Siegbert , Acosta Matias , Knapp Michael , Ehrenberg Helmut , Hinterstein Manuel
Published: December 2020

For high-resolution powder diffraction in material science, high photon energies are necessary, especially for in situ and in operando experiments. For this purpose, a multi-analyser detector (MAD) was developed for the high-energy beamline P02.1 at PETRA III of the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY). In order to be able to adjust the detector for the high photon energies of 60 keV, an individually adjustable analyser–crystal setup was designed. The adjustment is performed via piezo stepper motors for each of the ten channels. The detector shows a low and flat background as well as a high signal-to-noise ratio. A range of standard materials were measured for characterizing the performance. Two exemplary experiments were performed to demonstrate the potential for sophisticated structural analysis with the MAD: (i) the structure of a complex material based on strontium niobate titanate and strontium niobate zirconate was determined and (ii) an in situ stroboscopy experiment with an applied electric field on a highly absorbing piezoceramic was performed. These experiments demonstrate the capabilities of the new MAD, which advances the frontiers of the structural characterization of materials.
Role of threading dislocations on the growth of HgCdTe epilayers investigated using monochromatic X-ray Bragg diffraction imaging
Authors: Yildirim Can , Ballet Philippe , Santailler Jean-Louis , Giotta Dominique , Obrecht Rémy , Tran Thi Thu Nhi , Baruchel José , Brellier Delphine
Published: December 2020

High-quality Hg1–x
Cd
x
Te (MCT) single crystals are essential for two-dimensional infrared detector arrays. Crystal quality plays an important role on the performance of these devices. Here, the dislocations present at the interface of CdZnTe (CZT) substrates and liquid-phase epitaxy grown MCT epilayers are investigated using X-ray Bragg diffraction imaging (XBDI). The diffraction contributions coming from the threading dislocations (TDs) of the CZT substrate and the MCT epilayers are separated using weak-beam conditions in projection topographs. The results clearly suggest that the lattice parameter of the growing MCT epilayer is, at the growth inception, very close to that of the CZT substrate and gradually departs from the substrate's lattice parameter as the growth advances. Moreover, the relative growth velocity of the MCT epilayer around the TDs is found to be faster by a factor of two to four compared with the matrix. In addition, a fast alternative method to the conventional characterization methods for probing crystals with low dislocation density such as atomic force microscopy and optical interferometry is introduced. A 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm area map of the epilayer defects with sub-micrometre spatial resolution is generated, using section XBDI, by blocking the diffraction contribution of the substrate and scanning the sample spatially.
Absolute X-ray energy measurement using a high-accuracy angle encoder
Authors: Masuda Takahiko , Watanabe Tsukasa , Beeks Kjeld , Fujimoto Hiroyuki , Hiraki Takahiro , Kaino Hiroyuki , Kitao Shinji , Miyamoto Yuki , Okai Koichi , Sasao Noboru , Seto Makoto , Schumm Thorsten , Shigekawa Yudai , Tamasaku Kenji , Uetake Satoshi , Yamaguchi Atsushi , Yoda Yoshitaka , Yoshimi Akihiro , Yoshimura Koji
Published: December 2020

This paper presents an absolute X-ray photon energy measurement method that uses a Bond diffractometer. The proposed system enables the prompt and rapid in situ measurement of photon energies over a wide energy range. The diffractometer uses a reference silicon single-crystal plate and a highly accurate angle encoder called SelfA. The performance of the system is evaluated by repeatedly measuring the energy of the first excited state of the potassium-40 nuclide. The excitation energy is determined as 29829.39 (6) eV, and this is one order of magnitude more accurate than the previous measurement. The estimated uncertainty of the photon energy measurement was 0.7 p.p.m. as a standard deviation and the maximum observed deviation was 2 p.p.m.
Tetraaquabis(pyridine-3-carbonitrile-κN
1)nickel(II) benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate tetrahydrate
Authors: Gogoi Monsumi , Das Birinchi Kumar
Published: December 2020

A nickel(II) terephthalate complex, viz. [Ni(C6H4N2)2(H2O)4](O2CC6H4CO2)·4H2O, has been synthesized and studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes in the triclinic space group P\overline{1}. The crystal structure shows an approximately octahedral coordination environment of the complex with the [Ni(H2O)4(3-NCpy)2]2+ (3-NCpy is pyridine-3-carbonitrile) cation associated with four free water molecules and hydrogen bonded to a terephthalate dianion [graph set R
2
2(8)]. The supramolecular structure of the compound is stabilized by a three-dimensional array of O—H...O and O—H...N hydrogen bonds, along with π–π stacked pyridine-3-carbonitrile rings and C—H...O interactions.
May you live in interesting times: a reflection on academic integrity and accounting assessment during COVID19 and online learning
Authors: White Amanda
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the shift of assessments online and the potential impact on academic integrity and misconduct. The rapid pivot to online teaching as a result of COVID19 and our experiences in the accounting academy is the embodiment of the phrase “may you live in interesting times”. As teaching and learning activities shifted online, so did assessment of student learning. A topic of great discussion amongst faculty is whether accounting exams should be invigilated online and whether exams should be used at all to assess student learning.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses personal reflections and experiences to analyse the tensions between the risk of academic misconduct, maintaining assessment security and accreditation requirements of professional accounting bodies during the shift of assessment tasks online in 2020. These tensions are analysed using the fraud triangle framework (Cressey, 1973).

Findings

Students face incentives and pressures to engage in misconduct, opportunities that arise from online learning and assessment, and hold complex perceptions around their attitudes towards academic integrity and rationalisations of misconduct behaviour.

Originality/value

Suggestions are made as to how the accounting academy can move forward, taking advantages of online assessment, while still ensuring that our graduates are meeting the competencies required to join the accounting profession.
Barriers to the development of prefabricated buildings in China: a news coverage analysis
Authors: Li Zhen , Zhang Shaowen , Meng Qingfeng , Hu Xin
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The Chinese construction industry is experiencing a rapid growth these days. Due to the requirements of energy conservation, emission reduction and construction waste management, the development of prefabricated buildings (PBs) has attracted much attention in the Chinese construction industry. However, the development of PBs are still in their infancy in China, which have been negatively impacted by many obstacles. It is of great significance to clarify and analyze these obstacles for the purpose of promoting the development of PBs in China. Due to the wideness and complex features of obstacles, the existing literature exploring the research topic lacks comprehensiveness. The purpose of this paper is to systematically identify and discuss the obstacles that hinder the development of PBs in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts the method of news report analysis based on the news reports retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and nine major portals in China. The Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) method of content analysis was used to rank the obstacles according to their importance.

Findings

A total of 79 obstacles to the development of PBs in China are identified, and the 79 obstacles are divided into 8 dimensions. Among the Top 20 obstacles, the government dimension accounted for the highest number of 5, the market and consumer dimension and development organization dimension were 4, Manufacturing Enterprise of Prefabricated Components (PCs) dimension, construction organization dimension and design organization dimension were 2, logistics enterprise dimension was 1, and industry association dimension was 0. Among them, the biggest obstacle is the high transportation costs.

Research limitations/implications

First, data collection may not be very comprehensive. Second, this paper is only based on the obstacles in the development of PBs in China, and the universality of the management conclusions needs to be further strengthened.

Practical implications

The research results help the stakeholders in the Chinese PBs industry to better understand the barriers hindering the industry development in a systemic way, which will help propose appropriate strategies to address these barriers.

Originality/value

This paper clarifies the obstacles of China's PBs and makes an analysis, which is of great value to the development of China's PBs.
Do Turkish teachers feel personal accountability the same way? Measurement invariance and latent mean comparisons across gender, tenure, teacher branches and school grades
Authors: Erdağ Coşkun
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study is to test the measurement invariance and the latent mean differences of the personal accountability measure (PAM) constructs.

Design/methodology/approach

Obtained through the Turkish version of the PAM from a random sample of 453 teachers working in elementary and secondary schools in Aksaray province, data were analyzed using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the measurement invariance and latent mean differences of the internal and external accountability constructs across gender, tenure, school grade and teacher branches, respectively.

Findings

Teacher internal and external accountability constructs were demonstrated in this study to be fully equivalent across gender and tenure, and partially equivalent across school grade and teacher branches. Latent mean comparisons showed that less-experienced tenure teachers, class teachers and ESL teachers in Turkey felt more internally accountable compared to their peers in other groups. No significant latent mean differences of teacher external accountability were observed across genders, tenures, school types or teacher branches.

Originality/value

This study contributes to research by providing further valuable information on the equivalencies of the external and internal accountability constructs across gender, tenure, school grade and branch for future research studying multigroup comparisons and structural relationships of personal accountability constructs. It also provides school principals and policymakers with more accurate, multigroup comparisons of teacher external and internal accountability dispositions across gender, tenure, school grade and branch.
SME performance: does organizational learning capability really matter?
Authors: Hooi Lai Wan
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish if indeed human resource management (HRM) practices drive organizational learning capability and, in turn, fortify small and medium enterprises (SMEs) performance. The purpose of mediation analysis is to see if the influence of organizational learning capability is stronger than the direct influence of HRM practices on SME performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected from managerial-level employees of SMEs using questionnaire survey. This study used the Partial Least Squares approach to structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationship, as it involves the relationships among multiple variables.

Findings

Of the HRM practices, incentive and compensation and team working seem to be important for firm performance. As for organizational learning capability, only openness and experimentation and managerial commitment have a direct positive impact on firm performance. The results of the mediation analysis established organizational learning capability as a mediator, albeit partially.

Originality/value

Although prior research revealed a positive relationship between HRM practices and performance, this study illuminates the black box in-between, as few studies have established its importance in the relationship between HRM practices and firm performance. The findings provide more consensus on the ongoing debate on the linkages among HRM practices, SME performance and organizational learning capability.
Robotic constant force grinding control based on grinding model and iterative algorithm
Authors: Xiao Meng , Zhang Tie , Zou Yanbiao , Chen Shouyan
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a robot constant grinding force control algorithm for the impact stage and processing stage of robotic grinding.

Design/methodology/approach

The robot constant grinding force control algorithm is based on a grinding model and iterative algorithm. During the impact stage, active disturbance rejection control is used to plan the robotic reference contact force, and the robot speed is adjusted according to the error between the robot’s real contact force and the robot’s reference contact force. In the processing stage, an RBF neural network is used to construct a model with the robot's position offset displacement and controlled output, and the increment of control parameters is estimated according to the RBF neural network model. The error of contact force and expected force converges gradually by iterating the control parameters online continuously.

Findings

The experimental results show that the normal force overshoot of the robot based on the grinding model and iterative algorithm is small, and the processing convergence speed is fast. The error between the normal force and the expected force is mostly within ±3 N. The normal force based on the force control algorithm is more stable than the normal force based on position control, and the surface roughness of the processed workpiece has also been improved, the Ra value compared with position control has been reduced by 24.2%.

Originality/value

As the proposed approach obtains a constant effect in the impact stage and processing stage of robot grinding and verified by the experiment, this approach can be used for robot grinding for improved machining accuracy.
Measuring aggression in the South Asian context: the development and psychometric assessment of the Urdu aggression questionnaire
Authors: Siddiqui Sohni , Kazmi Anjum Bano , Ahmed Zahid
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Aggression is an undesirable behavior that assaults traditions norms, morals and standards of ethics practiced in society. To address the scarceness of identification tools and for evidence-based interventions in Pakistan, the purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which aggression is prevalent in Pakistan’s people by newly developed self-reported questionnaires in the Urdu language designed after reviewing the cultural and social perspectives of the society.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design was based on principles of scale development followed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. A subject matter expert panel technique was adopted where educationists from diversified backgrounds helped to generate items and to establish content validity.

Findings

The three-factor construct has been supported by factor analysis. These analyzes identified aggression measures in terms of direct aggression, displaced aggression and indirect aggression. The model has established inner consistency, reliability and validity. Furthermore, the impact of age and gender on different forms of aggression was explored and discussed.

Originality/value

Aggression is a distinctive trait of many psychiatric disturbances. To undertake the dearth of identification tools and for evidence-based interventions in Pakistan, it was necessary to develop a tool for identification to address aggression issues among common people. This research is devised to develop a self-reported questionnaire in the Urdu language keeping cultural and social perspectives of society.
Arab networking and relationship marketing: is there a need for both?
Authors: Shaalan Ahmed , Tourky Marwa , Barnes Bradley R. , Jayawardhena Chanaka , Elshaer Ibrahim
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study aims to examine the Arab practice of wasta (personal networks) and its potential interface with relationship marketing to enable firms to optimize their recruitment and retention of customers in societies where personal ties drive business relationships. It explores whether relationship marketing influences customer retention when a personal contact leaves.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical data were gathered from 305 customers introduced to Egyptian small and medium-sized enterprises via wasta. Multiple-item scales were adopted, drawn from previous empirical studies. Quantitative analysis was used, including confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships posited.

Findings

Wasta plays a significant role in attracting customers, nurturing early relationships and enhancing relationship quality, but does not influence the retention of customers. Practicing relationship marketing post wasta can enhance customer loyalty, even if the business was developed through the wasta contact who left to join a rival firm.

Research limitations/implications

Potential limitations arise from cultural differences in other Middle Eastern countries. Future studies could also validate the results in different sectors/industries and explore managers and employees’ perspectives.

Practical implications

Several recommendations emerge for managerial practitioners, including the use of wasta to attract business, but more significantly, the need for the effective use of relationship marketing to retain business. The study suggests that if relationship marketing is practiced well, customers are likely to remain loyal to the firm, even if the business was developed through a personal wasta relationship with an employee who subsequently moved to a competitor firm.

Originality/value

This study is the first to develop a unified model connecting the Eastern notion of wasta (personal ties) with relationship marketing. The study enhances the knowledge of wasta and relationship marketing. It is among the first to suggest that should employees with personal connections to customers leave to join a competing firm, there is still a strong likelihood that if relationship marketing is effectively practiced, then customers will remain loyal to the firm (rather than to the former employee).
Automatic classification of older electronic texts into the Universal Decimal Classification–UDC
Authors: Kragelj Matjaž , Kljajić Borštnar Mirjana
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a model for automated classification of old digitised texts to the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC), using machine-learning methods.

Design/methodology/approach

The general research approach is inherent to design science research, in which the problem of UDC assignment of the old, digitised texts is addressed by developing a machine-learning classification model. A corpus of 70,000 scholarly texts, fully bibliographically processed by librarians, was used to train and test the model, which was used for classification of old texts on a corpus of 200,000 items. Human experts evaluated the performance of the model.

Findings

Results suggest that machine-learning models can correctly assign the UDC at some level for almost any scholarly text. Furthermore, the model can be recommended for the UDC assignment of older texts. Ten librarians corroborated this on 150 randomly selected texts.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations of this study were unavailability of labelled older texts and the limited availability of librarians.

Practical implications

The classification model can provide a recommendation to the librarians during their classification work; furthermore, it can be implemented as an add-on to full-text search in the library databases.

Social implications

The proposed methodology supports librarians by recommending UDC classifiers, thus saving time in their daily work. By automatically classifying older texts, digital libraries can provide a better user experience by enabling structured searches. These contribute to making knowledge more widely available and useable.

Originality/value

These findings contribute to the field of automated classification of bibliographical information with the usage of full texts, especially in cases in which the texts are old, unstructured and in which archaic language and vocabulary are used.
Antecedents and outcome of employee change fatigue and change cynicism
Authors: Ouedraogo Noufou , Ouakouak Mohammed Laid
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Organisations implement changes either to address real business imperatives or to follow trends in their industries. But frequent changes in an organisation often lead to employee change fatigue and change cynicism. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the change logic of appropriateness and the logic of consequences on change fatigue and change cynicism and the impact of change fatigue and change cynicism on change success.

Design/methodology/approach

To carry out this study, the authors collected data on a sample of 320 participants from diverse organisations, and they used structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques to test our hypotheses depicted in the research model.

Findings

The authors found that the change logic of consequences reduces both change fatigue and change cynicism, whereas the change logic of appropriateness increases change fatigue. The authors also found that change fatigue does not have any direct effect on change success, although it maintains an indirect negative effect on change success through change cynicism.

Practical implications

Along with other practical implications, the authors recommend that change managers help employees understand any logic of consequences that sustain their change initiatives. Additionally, change managers should work to prevent change fatigue from turning into change cynicism, which is the real precursor of reduced change success.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to show that employees experience change fatigue and change cynicism differently, depending on the reason underlying the change. It is also among the first to show that change fatigue does not affect change success directly but does so through the interplay of change cynicism.
Co-creating value in post-communists contexts: capability perspective
Authors: Mitrega Maciej , Spacil Vojtech , Pfajfar Gregor
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test what kind of value co-creation-related organizational capabilities may be applied in the specific context of the post-communist business-to-customer service industry in Poland and how these capabilities translate into service innovation success.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model with control variables was hypothesized in regard to the customer co-creation and specific institutional setting in post-communist Poland. The model was tested using survey data from Polish companies in the service sector. The variable indicators for customer co-creation capability were developed through a series of in-depth interviews with managers.

Findings

First, a service company’s organizational processes that leverage customer communication and enable this communication to be transformed as input into service innovations are distinct components that build complex customer co-creation dynamic capability. Second, customer co-creation capability by service firms positively and strongly influences firms’ innovation success, whereas this link is stronger in the cases of larger service companies.

Originality/value

This paper introduces the concept of “customer co-creation capability” and evaluates its implications in the specific context of Poland, a Central European market that transformed from a closed communist economy to an open, market-driven economy. A rich but dramatically changing history and culture present a unique opportunity to observe the changes in customer behavior, evaluated from the organizational point of view. For example, it presents how these unique customer features may be used by services companies to leverage their innovations.