bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heat stress prevented the biomass and yield stimulation caused by elevated CO2 in two well-watered wheat cultivars
Authors: Chavan Sachin G. , Duursma Remko A. , Tausz Michael , Ghannoum Oula
Published: November 2021

To investigate the interactive effects of elevated CO2 and heat stress (HS), we grew two contrasting wheat cultivars, early-maturing Scout and high-tillering Yitpi, under non-limiting water and nutrients at ambient (aCO2, 450 ppm) or elevated (eCO2, 650 ppm) CO2 and 22°C in the glasshouse. Plants were exposed to two 3-day HS cycles at the vegetative (38.1°C) and/or flowering (33.5°C) stage.

At aCO2, both wheat cultivars showed similar responses of photosynthesis and mesophyll conductance to temperature and produced similar grain yield. Relative to aCO2, eCO2 enhanced photosynthesis rate and reduced stomatal conductance and maximal carboxylation rate (Vcmax). During HS, high temperature stimulated photosynthesis at eCO2 in both cultivars, while eCO2 stimulated photosynthesis in Scout. Electron transport rate (Jmax) was unaffected by any treatment. eCO2 equally enhanced biomass and grain yield of both cultivars in control, but not HS, plants. HS reduced biomass and yield of Scout at eCO2. Yitpi, the cultivar with higher grain nitrogen, underwent a trade-off between grain yield and nitrogen. In conclusion, eCO2 improved photosynthesis of control and HS wheat, and improved biomass and grain yield of control plants only. Under well-watered conditions, HS was not detrimental to photosynthesis or growth but precluded a yield response to eCO2.

Key message

High temperatures increased photosynthetic rates only at eCO2 and photosynthesis was upregulated after recovery from heat stress at eCO2 in Scout suggesting that eCO2 increased optimum temperature of photosynthesis.
Post-translational modification patterns on β-myosin heavy chain are altered in ischemic and non-ischemic human hearts
Authors: Landim-Vieira Maicon , Childers Matthew C. , Wacker Amanda L. , Garcia Michelle Rodriguez , He Huan , Singh Rakesh , Brundage Elizabeth A. , Johnston Jamie R. , Whitson Bryan A. , Chase P. Bryant , Janssen Paul M.L. , Regnier Michael , Biesiadecki Brandon J. , Pinto J. Renato , Parvatiyar Michelle S.
Published: November 2021

Phosphorylation and acetylation of sarcomeric proteins are important for fine-tuning myocardial contractility. Here, we used bottom-up proteomics and label-free quantification to identify novel post-translational modifications (PTMs) on beta-myosin heavy chain (β-MHC) in normal and failing human heart tissues. We report six acetylated lysines and two phosphorylated residues: K34-Ac, K58-Ac, S210-P, K213-Ac, T215-P, K429-Ac, K951-Ac, and K1195-Ac. K951-Ac was significantly reduced in both ischemic and non-ischemic failing hearts compared to non-diseased hearts. Molecular dynamics simulations show that K951-Ac may impact stability of thick filament tail interactions and ultimately myosin head positioning. K58-Ac altered the solvent exposed SH3 domain surface – known for protein-protein interactions – but did not appreciably change motor domain conformation or dynamics under conditions studied. Together, K213-Ac/T215-P altered loop 1’s structure and dynamics – known to regulate ADP-release, ATPase activity, and sliding velocity. Our study suggests that β-MHC acetylation levels may be influenced more by the PTM location than the type of heart disease since less protected acetylation sites are reduced in both heart failure groups. Additionally, these PTMs have potential to modulate interactions between β-MHC and other regulatory sarcomeric proteins, ADP-release rate of myosin, flexibility of the S2 region, and cardiac myofilament contractility in normal and heart failure hearts.
Ploidy variation and its implications for reproduction and population dynamics in two sympatric Hawaiian coral species
Authors: Stephens Timothy G. , Strand Emma L. , Putnam Hollie M. , Bhattacharya Debashish
Published: November 2021

Standing genetic variation is a major driver of fitness and resilience, and therefore of fundamental importance for threatened species such as stony corals. We analyzed RNA- seq data generated from 132Montipora capitataand 119Pocillopora acutacoral colonies collected from Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. Our goals were to determine the extent of colony genetic variation and to study reproductive strategies in these two sympatric species. Surprisingly, we found that 63% of theP. acutacolonies were triploid, with putative independent origins of the different triploid clades. These corals have spread primarilyviaasexual reproduction and are descended from a small number of genotypes, whose diploid ancestor invaded the bay. In contrast, allM. capitatacolonies are diploid, outbreeding, with almost all colonies genetically distinct. Only two cases of asexual reproduction, likelyviafragmentation, were identified in this species. We report two distinct strategies in sympatric coral species that inhabit the largest sheltered body of water in the main Hawaiian Islands. These data highlight divergence in reproductive behavior and genome biology, both of which contribute to coral resilience and persistence.

Significance Statement

Given the threat posed to coral reef ecosystems by human caused climate change, there is a growing focus on developing strategies for the protection and restoration of these critical marine habitats. These efforts are however limited by our understanding of the diversity of coral survival and reproductive strategies. Our analysis of data from two coral species inhabiting the same Hawaiian bay found that one is a strict sexual outbreeder, whereas the other reproduces predominantly asexually (i.e., clonally) and includes both diploids and triploids. These results broaden our understanding of coral biology, adaptability, and evolution, and underpin future research into the mechanisms of coral resilience that can inform restoration activities.
A corticothalamic circuit trades off speed for safety during decision-making under motivational conflict
Authors: Choi Eun A , Husić Medina , Millan E. Zayra , Jean Richard dit Bressel Philip , McNally Gavan P.
Published: November 2021

Decisions to act while pursuing goals in the presence of danger must be made quickly but safely. Premature decisions risk injury or death whereas postponing decisions risk goal loss. Here we show how mice resolve these competing demands. Using microstructural behavioral analyses, we identified the spatiotemporal dynamics of approach-avoidance decisions under motivational conflict. Then we used cognitive modelling to show that these dynamics reflect the speeded decision-making mechanisms used by humans and non-human primates, with mice trading off decision speed for safety of choice when danger loomed. Using calcium imaging and functional circuit analyses, we show that this speed-safety trade off occurs because increases in paraventricular thalamus (PVT) activity increase decision caution, thereby increasing approach-avoid decision times in the presence of danger. Our findings demonstrate that a discrete brain circuit involving the PVT and its prefrontal cortical input dynamically adjusts decision caution during motivational conflict, trading off decision speed for decision safety when danger is close. They identify the corticothalamic pathway as central to cognitive control during decision-making under conflict.
Simple and efficient differentiation of human iPSCs into contractible skeletal muscles for muscular disease modeling
Authors: Rashid Muhammad Irfanur , Ito Takuji , Shimojo Daisuke , Arimoto Kanae , Onodera Kazunari , Okada Rina , Nagashima Takunori , Yamamoto Kazuki , Khatun Zohora , Okano Hideyuki , Sakurai Hidetoshi , Shimizu Kazunori , Doyu Manabu , Okada Yohei
Published: November 2021

Pathophysiological analysis and drug discovery targeting human diseases require disease models that suitably recapitulate patients’ pathology. Disease-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can potentially recapitulate disease pathology more accurately than existing disease models when differentiated into affected cell types. Thus, successful modeling of muscular diseases requires efficient differentiation of hiPSCs into skeletal muscles. hiPSCs transduced with doxycycline-inducible MYOD1 (MYOD1-hiPSCs) have been widely used; however, they require time- and labor-consuming clonal selection procedures, and clonal variations must be overcome. Moreover, their functionality to exhibit muscular contraction has never been reported. Here, we demonstrated that bulk MYOD1- hiPSCs established with puromycin selection, but not with G418 selection, showed high differentiation efficiency, generating more than 80% Myogenin (MyoG)+ and Myosin heavy chain (MHC)+ muscle cells within seven days. Interestingly, bulk MYOD1-hiPSCs exhibited average differentiation properties compared with those of clonally established MYOD1- hiPSCs, suggesting that the bulk method may minimize the effects of clonal variations. Finally, three-dimensional muscle tissues were fabricated from bulk MYOD1-hiPSCs, which exhibited contractile force upon electrical pulse stimulation, indicating their functionality. Together, the findings indicate that our bulk differentiation requires less time and labor than existing methods, efficiently generates contractible skeletal muscles, and facilitates the generation of muscular disease models.

Graphical Abstract
Multimodal Gradient Mapping of Rodent Hippocampus
Authors: Gunnarsdóttir Brynja , Zerbi Valerio , Kelly Clare
Published: November 2021

The hippocampus plays a central role in supporting our coherent and enduring sense of self and our place in the world. Understanding its functional organisation is central to understanding this complex role. Previous studies suggest function varies along a long hippocampal axis, but there is disagreement about the presence of sharp discontinuities or gradual change along that axis. Other open questions relate to the underlying drivers of this variation and the conservation of organisational principles across species. Here, we delineate the primary organisational principles underlying patterns of hippocampal functional connectivity (FC) in the mouse using gradient analysis on resting state fMRI data. We further applied gradient analysis to mouse gene co-expression data to examine the relationship between variation in genomic anatomy and functional organisation. Two principal FC gradients along a hippocampal axis were revealed. The principal gradient exhibited a sharp discontinuity that divided the hippocampus into dorsal and ventral compartments. The second, more continuous, gradient followed the long axis of the ventral compartment. Dorsal regions were more strongly connected to areas involved in spatial navigation while ventral regions were more strongly connected to areas involved in emotion, recapitulating patterns seen in humans. In contrast, gene co-expression gradients showed a more segregated and discrete organisation. Our findings suggest that hippocampal functional organisation exhibits both sharp and gradual transitions and that hippocampal genomic anatomy exerts a subtle influence on this organisation.
Two decades of suspect evidence for adaptive molecular evolution – Negative selection confounding positive selection signals
Authors: Chen Qipian , Yang Hao , Feng Xiao , Chen Qingjian , Shi Suhua , Wu Chung-I , He Ziwen
Published: November 2021

There is a large literature in the last two decades affirming adaptive DNA sequences evolution between species. The main lines of evidence are from i) the McDonald-Kreitman (MK) test, which compares divergence and polymorphism data, and ii) the PAML test, which analyzes multi-species divergence data. Here, we apply these two tests concurrently on the genomic data ofDrosophilaandArabidopsis. To our surprise, the >100 genes identified by the two tests do not overlap beyond random expectation. Because the non-concordance could be due to low powers leading to high false-negatives, we merge every 20 - 30 genes into a “supergene”. At the supergene level, the power of detection is large but the calls still do not overlap. We rule out methodological reasons for the non-concordance. In particular, extensive simulations fail to find scenarios whereby positive selection can only be detected by either MK or PAML, but not both. Since molecular evolution is governed by positive and negative selection concurrently, a fundamental assumption for estimating one (say, positive selection) is that the other is constant. However, in a broad survey of primates, birds,DrosophilaandArabidopsis, we found that negative selection rarely stays constant for long in evolution. As a consequence, the variation in negative selection is often mis-construed as signals of positive selection. In conclusion, MK, PAML or any method that examines genomic sequence evolution has to explicitly address the variation in negative selection before estimating positive selection. In a companion study, we propose a possible path forward in two stages – first, by mapping out the changes in negative selection and then using this map to estimate positive selection. For now, the large literature on positive selection between species has to await the re-assessment.
reComBat: batch-effect removal in large-scale multi-source gene-expression data integration
Authors: Adamer Michael F. , Brüningk Sarah C. , Tejada-Arranz Alejandro , Estermann Fabienne , Basler Marek , Borgwardt Karsten
Published: November 2021

Motivation

With the steadily increasing abundance of omics data produced all over the world under vastly different experimental conditions residing in public databases, a crucial step in many data-driven bioinformatics applications is that of data integration. The challenge of batch-effect removal for entire databases lies in the large number of batches and biological variation which can result in design matrix singularity. This problem can currently not be solved satisfactorily by any common batch-correction algorithm.

Results

We present reComBat, a regularized version of the empirical Bayes method to overcome this limitation and benchmark it against popular approaches for the harmonization of public gene expression data (both microarray and bulkRNAsq) of the human opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Batch-effects are successfully mitigated while biologically meaningful gene expression variation is retained. reComBat fills the gap in batch-correction approaches applicable to large-scale, public omics databases and opens up new avenues for data-driven analysis of complex biological processes beyond the scope of a single study.

Contact

michael.adamer@bsse.ethz.ch

Availability

The code is available at https://github.com/BorgwardtLab/reComBat, all data and evaluation code can be found at https://github.com/BorgwardtLab/batchCorrectionPublicData
Stress Resistance Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) Analysis in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) at Genome-Wide Level
Authors: Amare Kasahun , Kebede Mulugeta
Published: November 2021

Heat shock proteins (HSP70) play an important role in many biological processes. However, as typical in Sorghum bicolor, the systematic identification of the HSP70 gene is very limited, and the role of the Hsp70 gene in the evolution of Sorghum bicolor has not been described systematically a lot. To overcome the gap, Insilco analysis of HSP70 gene family was conducted.The investigation was utilizing the bioinformatics method to analyze the HSP70 gene family and it has been identified that 30 HSP70 genes from the genome sequence of Sorghum bicolor. A comprehensive analysis of these 30 identified genes undertaking the analysis of gene structure, phylogeny, and physicochemical properties, subcellular localization, and promoter region analysis. The gene structure visualization analyses revealed that 22 genes contains both 5’ and 3’ UTRS and one 5’ and one 3’ gene and 6 genes without UTR. The highest number of introns was recorded as 12 and those genes have shown that without in any intron. In the promoter region analysis, ten protein motifs are identified and characterized and 2219 cis-acting elements are identified. Among those, the promoter enhancer elements share the highest number (1411) and light-responsive elements share the next value (335). The physicochemical properties analysis revealed that 23 families have an acidic nature while four families are basic and the rests are neutral. In general, the different analyses performed disclosed their structural organization, subcellular localization, physicochemical properties, cis-acting elements, phylogenetic, and understress conditions. This study provides further information for the functional characterization of HSP70 and helps to understand the mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance under diverse stress conditions in Sorghum bicolor.
Crosstalk between guanosine nucleotides regulates cellular heterogeneity in protein synthesis during nutrient limitation
Authors: Diez Simon , Hydorn Molly , Whalen Abigail , Dworkin Jonathan
Published: November 2021

Phenotypic heterogeneity of microbial populations can facilitate survival in dynamic environments by generating sub-populations of cells that may have differential fitness in a future environment. Bacillus subtilis cultures experiencing nutrient limitation contain distinct sub-populations of cells exhibiting either comparatively high or low protein synthesis activity. This heterogeneity requires the production of phosphorylated guanosine nucleotides (pp)ppGpp by three synthases: SasA, SasB, and RelA. Here we show that these enzymes differentially affect this bimodality: RelA and SasB are necessary to generate the sub-population of cells exhibiting low protein synthesis whereas SasA is necessary to generate cells exhibiting comparatively higher protein synthesis. The RelA product (pppGpp) allosterically activates SasB and we find, in contrast, that the SasA product (pGpp) competitively inhibits this activation. Finally, we provide in vivo evidence that this antagonistic interaction mediates the observed heterogeneity in protein synthesis. This work therefore identifies the mechanism underlying phenotypic heterogeneity in the central physiological process of protein synthesis.

Author Summary

Upon encountering conditions that are unfavorable to growth, such as nutrient limitation, bacteria enter into a quiescent phenotype that is mediated by group of guanosine nucleotides collectively known as (pp)pGpp. These nucleotides direct the down-regulation of energy intensive processes and are essential for a striking heterogeneity in protein synthesis observed during exit from rapid growth. Here, we show that a network of (pp)pGpp synthases is responsible for this heterogeneity and describe a mechanism that allows for the integration of multiple signals into the decision to down regulate the most energy intensive process in a cell.
Re-entry into mitosis and regeneration of intestinal stem cells through enteroblast dedifferentiation in Drosophila midguts
Authors: Tian Aiguo , Morejon Virginia , Kohoutek Sarah , Huang Yi-Chun , Deng Wu-Min , Jiang Jin
Published: November 2021

Many adult tissues and organs including the intestine rely on resident stem cells to maintain homeostasis. In mammalian intestines, upon ablation of resident stem cells, the progenies of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) such as secretory cells and tuft cells can dedifferentiate to generate ISCs to drive epithelial regeneration, but whether and how the ISC progenies dedifferentiate to generate ISCs under physiological conditions remains unknown. Here we show that infection of pathogenic bacteria induces enteroblasts (EBs) as one type of ISC progenies to re-enter the mitotic cycle in the Drosophila intestine. The re-entry into mitosis is dependent on epithermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-Ras signaling and ectopic activation of EGFR-Ras signaling in EBs is sufficient to drive EBs cell-autonomously to re-enter into mitosis. In addition, we examined whether EBs gain ISC identity as a prerequisite to divide, but the immunostaining with stem cell marker Delta shows that these dividing EBs do not gain ISC identity. After employing lineage tracing experiments, we further demonstrate that EBs dedifferentiate to generate functional ISCs after symmetric divisions of EBs. Together, our study in Drosophila intestines uncovers a new role of EGFR-Ras signaling in regulating re-entry into mitosis and dedifferentiation during regeneration and reveals a novel mechanism by which ISC progenies undergo dedifferentiation through a mitotic division, which has important implication to mammalian tissue homeostasis and tumorigenesis.
Gene Expression in Lung Epithelial Cells Following Interaction withPneumocystis cariniiand its Specific Life Forms Yields Insights into Host Gene Responses to Infection
Authors: Kottom Theodore J. , Carmona Eva M. , Limper Andrew H.
Published: November 2021

Pneumocystisspp. interacts with epithelial cells in the alveolar spaces of the lung. It is thought that the binding ofPneumocystisto host cell epithelium is needed for life cycle completion and proliferation. The effect of this interaction on lung epithelial cells have previously shown that the trophic form of this organism greatly inhibits p34cdc2activity, a serine/threonine kinase required for transition from G2to M phase in the cell cycle. To gain further insight into the host response during Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), we used microarray technology to profile epithelial cell (A549) gene expression patterns followingPneumocystis cariniiinteraction. Furthermore, we isolated separate populations of cyst and trophic forms ofP. carinii, which were then applied to the lung epithelial cells. Differential expression of genes involved in various cellular functions dependent on the specificP. cariniilife form in contact with the A549 cell were identified. The reliability of our data was further confirmed by Northern blot analysis on a number of selected up or down regulated transcripts. The transcriptional response toP. cariniiwas dominated by cytokines, apoptotic, and anti-apoptotic related genes. These results reveal several previously unknown effects ofP. cariniion the lung epithelial cell and provide insight into the complex interactions of host and pathogen.
Substrate stiffness modulates integrin α5 expression and ECM-associated gene expression in fibroblasts
Authors: Verma Brijesh Kumar , Chatterjee Aritra , Kondaiah Paturu , Gundiah Namrata
Published: November 2021

Biomaterials, like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), are soft, biocompatible, and tuneable, which makes them useful to delineate specific substrate factors that regulate the complex landscape of cell-substrate interactions. We used a commercial formulation of PDMS to fabricate substrates with moduli 40 kPa, 300 kPa, and 1.5 MPa, and cultured HMF3S fibroblasts on them. Gene expression analysis was performed by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Cellular and nuclear morphologies were analyzed using confocal imaging, and MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities were determined with gelatin zymography. Results, comparing mechanotransduction on PDMS substrates with control petridishes, show that substrate stiffness modulates cell morphologies and proliferations. Cell nuclei were rounded on compliant substrates and correlated with increased tubulin expression. Proliferations were higher on stiffer substrates with cell cycle arrest on softer substrates. Integrin α5 expression decreased on lower stiffness substrates, and correlated with inefficient TGF-β activation. Changes to the activated state of the fibroblast on higher stiffness substrates were linked to altered TGF-β secretion. Collagen I, collagen III, and MMP-2 expression levels were lower on compliant PDMS substrates as compared to stiffer ones; there was little MMP-9 activity on substrates. These results demonstrate critical feedback mechanisms between substrate stiffness and ECM regulation by fibroblasts which is highly relevant in diseases like tissue fibrosis.
The effect of borrower country financial system and corporate governance system types on the spread of syndicated loans
Authors: Moutinho Nuno , Alves Carlos Francisco , Martins Francisco
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This study aims to analyse the effect of borrower’s countries on syndicated loan spreads, featuring countries according to institutional factors, namely, financial systems and corporate governance systems.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is an empirical investigation based on a unique sample of more than 85,000 syndicated loans from 122 countries. The paper uses standard and two-stage least squares regression analysis to test whether the types of financial and corporate governance systems affect loan spreads.

Findings

The paper finds that borrowers from countries with financial systems oriented towards the banking-based paradigm pay lower interest rate spreads than those from countries with financial systems oriented towards the market-based paradigm. In addition, there is evidence that borrowers from countries with more developed financial systems pay lower spreads. The results also show that borrowers from countries with an Anglo-Saxon governance system pay higher spreads than borrowers from countries with a Continental governance system.

Research limitations/implications

This study does not consider potential promiscuous relationships that can arise at the ownership structure and governance level between banks and borrowers and may affect loan spreads.

Practical implications

This study suggests that financial and corporate governance systems are essential factors in the financial intermediation process. Furthermore, the evidence indicates that corporates with higher potential agency costs and higher potential information asymmetry are requested to pay higher spreads. Therefore, the opportunities to such corporates invest optimally tend to be scarcer.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the impact of institutional factors on the cost of financing, characterising the countries according to the type of financial system and the type of corporate governance system. The study finds that borrowers from countries with bank-based financial systems pay lower interest rate spreads than those from countries with market-based financial systems. The paper also highlights how the level of financial development affects the cost of financing. The paper focusses on non-financial firms, unlike financial firms, which have been the focus of several empirical studies on topics relating to the cost of funding and corporate governance.
The moderating role of previous venture experience on breadth of learning and innovation and the impacts on SME performance
Authors: Sinha Kanhaiya K. , Saunders Chad , Raby Simon , Dewald Jim
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of previous venture experience on the relationship between learning breadth and innovation breadth, defined as the range of innovation types within a firm, and the impacts on SME performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model was developed, and hypotheses were tested using step-wise multivariate regressions on survey data from 509 North American SME respondents.

Findings

The results demonstrate that the previous venture experience of a firm's top management plays a key role in enhancing the innovation breadth for a given level of learning breadth. There is a curvilinear relationship between innovation breadth and learning breadth, and increases in innovation breadth lead to increases in firm performance.

Practical implications

The results indicate that organizations seeking higher performance returns by expanding their breadth of innovations need parallel attention on higher learning breadth in order to adequately capture the value from this broader set of innovations.

Originality/value

The paper contextualizes learning and innovation in the SMEs and argues that the consideration of diversity (breadth) of learning and innovation can help us understand their performance implications across industries. It also extends the effect of previous venture experience (PVE) of the leadership team in explaining performance. Beyond their ability to address external factors, PVE has a moderating effect on the relationship between learning and innovation breadth across the organization. Previous venture experience serves as both a guide and catalyst for investments in learning activities that lead to a broader range of innovation activities across the firm.
PLRSNet: a semantic segmentation network for segmenting plant leaf region under complex background
Authors: Talasila Srinivas , Rawal Kirti , Sethi Gaurav
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Extraction of leaf region from the plant leaf images is a prerequisite process for species recognition, disease detection and classification and so on, which are required for crop management. Several approaches were developed to implement the process of leaf region segmentation from the background. However, most of the methods were applied to the images taken under laboratory setups or plain background, but the application of leaf segmentation methods is vital to be used on real-time cultivation field images that contain complex backgrounds. So far, the efficient method that automatically segments leaf region from the complex background exclusively for black gram plant leaf images has not been developed.

Design/methodology/approach

Extracting leaf regions from the complex background is cumbersome, and the proposed PLRSNet (Plant Leaf Region Segmentation Net) is one of the solutions to this problem. In this paper, a customized deep network is designed and applied to extract leaf regions from the images taken from cultivation fields.

Findings

The proposed PLRSNet compared with the state-of-the-art methods and the experimental results evident that proposed PLRSNet yields 96.9% of Similarity Index/Dice, 94.2% of Jaccard/IoU, 98.55% of Correct Detection Ratio, Total Segmentation Error of 0.059 and Average Surface Distance of 3.037, representing a significant improvement over existing methods particularly taking into account of cultivation field images.

Originality/value

In this work, a customized deep learning network is designed for segmenting plant leaf region under complex background and named it as a PLRSNet.
University’s support for entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intention: the mediating role of entrepreneurial climate
Authors: Sim Mandy Siew Chen , Galloway Joshua Edward , Ramos Hazel Melanie , Mustafa Michael James
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Drawing on institutional theory, this paper seeks to untangle the relationship between university support for entrepreneurship and students’ entrepreneurial intentions. Specifically, this study aims to examine whether entrepreneurial climates within universities mediate the relationship between university support for entrepreneurship and students’ entrepreneurial intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical data is drawn from 195 students across three Malaysian higher education institutions. Partial least squares procedures are used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

Findings show that no element of university support for entrepreneurship had a direct effect on students’ entrepreneurial intentions. However, the entrepreneurial climate was found – to mediate the relationship between perceived business and concept development support and students’ entrepreneurial intentions.

Originality/value

This study represents one of the few efforts in the literature considering the role of entrepreneurial climates within universities in influencing students’ entrepreneurial intention. In considering the mediating role of entrepreneurial climate, in the relationship between university support for entrepreneurship and students’ entrepreneurial intentions, this study provides a complementary and contextualised perspective, to existing studies, which have traditionally focussed on the mediating role of individual attributes. Doing so provides further evidence of entrepreneurial universities in fostering entrepreneurship.
The mediating effect of supply chain flexibility on the relationship between supply chain integration and supply chain performance
Authors: Khanuja Anurodhsingh , Jain Rajesh Kumar
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Supply chain integration (SCI) and flexibility (SCF) are recognised as crucial business practices and capability in the global competitive market. However, limited research has paid attention to study the relationship between SCI, SCF and their impact on supply chain performance (SCP). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to establish a relationship between integration, flexibility and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The structural equation modelling technique was used to analyse the 187 data collected from Indian organisations through the survey methodology.

Findings

Findings indicate that external integration contributes significantly to realise SCF and SCP. Sourcing and logistics flexibility also help to improve the SCP. The mediation analysis showed that the association of customer and supplier integration with SCP is partially and fully mediated by logistics flexibility, respectively. This study suggests that integration influences the SCP when the firm has a strong association with downstream partners and enough capability for logistics flexibility.

Research limitations/implications

The study has collected cross-sectional data to analyse the relationship between SCI, SCF and SCP. However, as integration requires an effort of the years, longitudinal data and industry-specific studies may provide comprehensive views to validate the results of this study.

Originality/value

Building on relational view theory and dynamic capability theory, the study has proposed the SCP assessment framework based on the relationship between SCI and SCF.
The impacts of brand personality and self-congruity on consumers' intention to stay in a hotel: does consumer affinity matter?
Authors: Tsaur Sheng-Hshiung , Hsu Fu-Sung , Ching Hsiao-Wei
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purposes of this study were to explore the moderating effect of consumer affinity on brand personality and consumers' intention to stay in a hotel, as well as on self-congruity and consumers' intention to stay in a hotel.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected data from 386 inbound tourists to Taiwan. Hierarchical regression analysis was applied to analyze the data.

Findings

The results showed that brand personality, self-congruity and consumer affinity have significant positive effects on consumers' intention to stay in a hotel, respectively. Moreover, consumer affinity has significant moderating effect on brand personality and intention to stay in a hotel, as well as on self-congruity and intention to stay in a hotel.

Practical implications

Consumer affinity is a construct that identifies national attributes, and it strengthens the relationships between brand personality or self-congruity and consumers' intention to stay in a hotel from the level of country-specific affect. The results of this study can provide hotel marketers with reference for marketing management.

Originality/value

Although past studies have examined the relationship between consumer affinity and purchase intention or behavior, the effect of consumer affinity construct on hotel consumers' intention to stay remains sparse in the hotel context. This study confirmed that consumer affinity has significant moderating effect on brand personality and intention to stay in a hotel, as well as on self-congruity and intention to stay in a hotel.
Student-managed investment funds: seven mismatches and three recommendations
Authors: Lin Crystal Yan
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the embedded challenges of student-managed investment funds (SMIFs) and provide recommendations to work with these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyzes and critiques the ways SMIFs are structured and operated and makes several suggestions.

Findings

The paper details seven unique challenges of SMIFs compared to professionally managed investment funds. The source of these challenges is that SMIFs are set up for educational purposes, which makes the operation and management different from performance-focused investment funds. The paper proposes several recommendations on how to align the educational focus with fund performance.

Originality/value

The paper is original and based on primary research.
The effects of organizational justice, trust and supervisor–subordinate guanxi on organizational citizenship behavior: a social-exchange perspective
Authors: Yu Tsu-Wei
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This study aims to use a social exchange perspective to investigate the influence of organizational justice on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).

Design/methodology/approach

Survey and interview data were collected from a sample of insurance firm sales representatives in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was deployed to explore the relationship between organizational justice, trust, supervisor–subordinate guanxi and OCB.

Findings

The findings offer important theoretical, managerial and social implications for life insurers’ human resource managers.

Practical implications

Organizational justice is a primary influence on OCB, which is connected with the underlying mediating mechanism of trust (trust in supervisor and trust in subordinate) and supervisor–subordinate guanxi (i.e. off-the-job activities).

Social implications

Subordinates can enhance guanxi with their supervisors to create a more harmonious working environment, creating mutual trust. The results suggest that supervisor–subordinate guanxi is based on long-term social exchange. How to balance fairness and efficiency is an import question for decision-makers.

Originality/value

This study’s examination of the role of trust and supervisor–subordinate guanxi in mediating the relationship between organizational justice and OCB expands the organizational behavior literature into a different industry (life insurance) and cultural context (Taiwan).
Data analytics in education: are schools on the long and winding road?
Authors: Soncin Mara , Cannistrà Marta
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the organisational structure to exploit data analytics in the educational sector. The paper proposes three different organisational configurations, which describe the connections among educational actors in a national system. The ultimate goal is to provide insights about alternative organisational settings for the adoption of data analytics in education.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a participant observation approach applied in the Italian educational system. The study is based on four research projects that involved teachers, school principals and governmental organisations over the period 2017–2020.

Findings

As a result, the centralised, the decentralised and the network-based configurations are presented and discussed according to three organisational dimensions of analysis (organisational layers, roles and data management). The network-based configuration suggests the presence of a network educational data scientist that may represent a concrete solution to foster more efficient and effective use of educational data analytics.

Originality/value

The value of this study relies on its systemic approach to educational data analytics from an organisational perspective, which unfolds the roles of schools and central administration. The analysis of the alternative organisational configuration allows moving a step forward towards a structured, effective and efficient system for the use of data in the educational sector.
Technological transition and technological dependency: Latin America–China relations in a changing international order
Authors: Gaspari Cirne de Toledo Demétrio , Cirne de Toledo Júnior Joaquim Elói
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework of the relationship between technological transitions and hegemonic transitions in the international system from a historical perspective and discuss its consequences for technologically dependent countries and regions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyzes the relationship between technological transitions and hegemonic transitions in the international system from a historical perspective. It then constructs four possible transition scenarios for China's international order and the USA's central role in defining the international order. IT closes with a discussion of how changes in ICT and global health public goods can impact China's position in the international order and opportunities for Latin America–China technology partnerships.

Findings

Historically, technological transitions and hegemonic transitions in the international system simultaneously occur, with the country winning the technological dispute emerging as the international system's hegemon. The USA and China are currently involved in technological races in several next-generation technologies. The outcome of these technological races will define each country's position in the international system in the coming decades and the transformations in the international order.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is limited to discussing the technologies/sectors: ICT, specifically 5G, and AI technologies, and medical technologies with the potential of global public health goods. Research on other technologies/sectors will provide a deeper understanding of the likely outcomes of the current technological transition and its implications for the balance of power in the international system.

Practical implications

This paper makes a case for Latin American countries to (1) engage in a pragmatic bargain with China and the USA to establish technological partnerships in emerging technologies and (2) to develop national technology strategies aimed at promoting autonomous technology development capabilities.

Social implications

This paper addresses the need for Latin America to take a strong stance for technological autonomy, stressing the differences in buying technology and making technology.

Originality/value

This paper presents an original framework of the relationship between technological transitions and hegemonic transitions in the international system. It discusses how technological leadership impacts the international order by establishing relations of technological dominance and technological dependency.
Characteristics of patients with COVID‐19 hospitalised in South Australia during the first wave of the pandemic
Authors: Boyle Justin , Sparks Ross
Published: November 2021

Objective

To describe the first wave of hospitalisations of patients testing positive for COVID‐19 in South Australia.

Methods

Pathology test results for COVID‐19 between January and June 2020 were matched against state‐wide ED and inpatient data sets.

Results

The impact of the first wave of COVID‐19 on South Australian hospitals was 440 unique patients with COVID‐19; median ED, hospital and ICU lengths of stay of 4.7 h, 9.8 days and 4.1 days, respectively; and a crude mortality rate of 0.23 deaths per 100 000 population (four deaths).

Conclusion

The study sheds light on the characteristics of patients with COVID‐19 hospitalised in South Australia.
Poorer clinical outcomes of early‐onset peritonitis in elderly peritoneal dialysis patients: A longitudinal and multicenter study
Authors: Guo Qiaoyan , Chen Yangyang , Wu Ren , Yang Liming , Zhu Xueyan , Zhao Qiao , Zhuang Xiaohua , Wu Yanfeng , Luo Ping , Cui Wenpeng
Published: November 2021

Introduction

Early‐onset peritonitis (EOP) is a risk factor for mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. This study investigates the clinical features and outcomes of EOP in elderly patients.

Methods

This multicenter retrospective study evaluated 433 elderly PD patients with end‐stage renal disease. The cohort was divided into nonperitonitis group (n = 239), EOP group (≤12 months, n = 109) and late‐onset peritonitis (LOP) group (>12 months, n = 85). Clinical data, treatment results, and outcomes were compared between the groups.

Results

Compared with LOP group, there were no significant intergroup differences in the rate of primary recovery, complete cure, relapse, catheter removal, or death from PDAP (p >0.05) in the most recent PDAP episode. However, Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that patients in the EOP group were likely to have multiple episodes of PD‐associated peritonitis (PDAP), technique failure, all‐cause death, and composite endpoint in the long‐term prognostic outcomes (p <0.001).

Conclusions

EOP is significantly associated with poorer clinical outcomes in older PD patients.
We are advertis’d by our loving friends: CEO‐connected directors
Authors: Park Junho
Published: November 2021

This study examines the effect of CEO‐connected directors on firm value. Empirical analyses are conducted on US firms between 1999 and 2016 using a local supply of directors as an instrumental variable. CEO‐connected directors contribute to the firm by resolving information asymmetry. I find that firms with more CEO‐connected directors produce more innovative outputs than those with fewer CEO‐connected directors. However, such directors exacerbate managerial entrenchment. Hence, it is necessary to establish rules for the board of directors that reflect firm‐specific characteristics, such as information transparency.
Cytological features in ascitic fluid of well‐differentiated papillary mesothelial tumour
Authors: Jiménez‐Heffernan José A. , Gordillo Carlos H. , Caldas María , Valdivia‐Mazeyra Mariel , Adrados Magdalena
Published: November 2021

Well‐differentiated papillary mesothelial tumour is a rare mesothelial proliferation that predominantly affects the peritoneum of female patients. It rarely presents with ascites and multiple miliary nodules resembling carcinomatosis or malignant mesothelioma. Pathologists must consider this entity when faced with a hypercellular mesothelial cell proliferation with few single cells, scarce cellular atypia, and no inflammation.
Reparations as a Rightful Share: From Universalism to Redress in Distributive Justice
Authors: Klein E. , Fouksman E.
Published: November 2021

The distribution of resources through an unconditional, universal mechanism (such as a universal basic income) recognizes the shared origins of wealth created by past generations and built out of the commons. Yet some groups have lost and suffered far more than others during the process of production and wealth creation, due to colonization, slavery and expropriation. This article argues that calls for reparations are an important caveat to the universalist case for distributive justice. It does so by examining three cases for reparations: reparations for slavery, for transnational inequalities generated by European colonization, and for the dispossession of Indigenous peoples by settler colonialism. The authors put these three cases in dialogue with the argument for universalist (re)distribution, in particular the contention that a universal but redistributory rightful share could act as redress for the unjust expropriation and wealth accumulation of capitalism. This article thus demarcates the overlaps and tensions between reparatory justice and distributory justice, underscoring both the intersection and the friction between calls for redistribution on universal lines and variegated forms of redistribution plus recognition.