bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Concatemeric Broccoli reduces mRNA stability, aggregates and induces p-body formation
Authors: Rink Marco R. , Baptista Marisa A.P. , Hennig Thomas , Whisnant Adam W. , Wolf Natalia , Seibel Jürgen , Dölken Lars , Bosse Jens B.
Published: December 2020

Fluorogenic aptamers are an alternative to established methodology for real-time imaging of RNA transport and dynamics. We developed Broccoli-aptamer concatemers ranging from 4 to 128 substrate-binding site repeats and characterized their behavior fused to an mCherry-coding mRNA in transient transfection, stable expression, and in recombinant cytomegalovirus infection. Concatemerization of substrate-binding sites increased Broccoli fluorescence up to a concatemer length of 16 copies, upon which fluorescence did not increase and mCherry signals declined. This was due to the combined effects of RNA aptamer aggregation, a nuclear export defect and reduced RNA stability. Unfortunately, both cellular and cytomegalovirus genomes were unable to maintain and express high Broccoli concatemer copy numbers, possibly due to recombination events. Overexpression of Broccoli-tagged mRNA led to the formation of p-bodies. However, Broccoli RNAs did not localize to these sites. Interestingly, negative effects of Broccoli concatemers could be partially rescued by introducing linker sequences in between Broccoli repeats warranting further studies. Finally, we show that even though substrate-bound Broccoli is easily photobleached, it can still be utilized in live-cell imaging by adapting a time-lapse imaging protocol.
Scanning the rice Global MAGIC population for dynamic genetic control of seed traits under vegetative drought
Authors: Marrano Annarita , Moyers Brook T.
Published: December 2020

Grain size and weight are important yield components in rice (Oryza sativaL.). There is still uncertainty about the genetic control of these traits under drought stress, the most pressing emerging issue in many rice cultivation areas. To address this lack of knowledge, we investigated the genetic architecture of seed size, shape, and weight using the rice Global Multi-parent Advanced Generation Intercross (MAGIC) population, grown under well-watered and vegetative drought conditions. We measured variation in seed size and shape with a new high-throughput phenotyping method based on a desktop scanner and the open-source package Plant Computer Vision (PlantCV). Besides being affordable, rapid, and accurate, our method captured the phenotypic divergence between drought and well-watered samples, expressed as 12 different traits that include traditional size metrics and new grain shape measures. Overall, under water deficit, the MAGIC lines produced smaller and shorter seeds. We identified ten MAGIC lines with traits that make them good candidates for the release of rice cultivars with high yield potential under vegetative drought stress. We ran a marker-trait association analysis for the measured seed-related traits. Most of the identified marker-trait associations showed strong genotype-by-environment interactions (GxE), with most allele effects being conditionally neutral. These results suggest dynamic genetic control of seed size, shape, and weight under vegetative drought stress in rice, highlighting the importance of understanding the contribution of GxE interactions on trait variation to develop resilient and high-yielding rice varieties. Our study confirms that combining low-cost and high-throughput phenotyping strategies with a diverse genetic material suited for multi-environmental trial provides solutions for adapting rice cultivation to current and future environmental adversities.
Neural effects of continuous theta-burst stimulation in macaque parietal neurons
Authors: Romero Maria C. , Merken L. , Janssen P. , Davare M.
Published: December 2020

Theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS) has become a standard non-invasive technique to induce offline changes in cortical excitability in human volunteers. Yet, TBS suffers from a high variability across subjects. A better knowledge about how TBS affects neural activity in vivo could uncover its mechanisms of action and ultimately allow its mainstream use in basic science and clinical applications. To address this issue, we applied continuous TBS (cTBS, 300 pulses) in awake behaving rhesus monkeys and quantified its after-effects on neuronal recordings and behavior. Guided by anatomical MRI, we recorded single-cell activity in parietal area PFG during passive fixation of real-world objects. Overall, we observed a pronounced, long-lasting and highly reproducible reduction in neuronal excitability after cTBS in individual parietal neurons, with some neurons exhibiting periods of hyperexcitability during the recovery phase. We applied the same stimulation protocol during visually-guided grasping of objects, and observed a significant grasping impairment. These results provide the first experimental evidence on the effects of cTBS on single neurons in awake behaving monkeys.
Cortical microtubule remodelling during strigolactone- and light-mediated growth inhibition of Arabidopsis hypocotyls
Authors: Krasylenko Yuliya A. , Komis George , Hlynska Sonya , Vavrdová Tereza , Ovečka Miroslav , Pospíšil Tomáš , Šamaj Jozef
Published: December 2020

Strigolactones are phytohormones involved in shoot branching and hypocotyl elongation. The latter phenomenon was addressed herein by the exogenous application of a synthetic strigolactone GR24 and an inhibitor of strigolactone biosynthesis TIS108 on hypocotyls of wild type Arabidopsis and a strigolactone signalling mutantmax2-1 (more axillary growth 2-1). Owing to the interdependence between light and strigolactone signalling, the present work was extended to seedling cultivation under a standard light/dark regime, or under continuous darkness. Given the essential role of the cortical microtubules in cell elongation, their organization and dynamics were characterized under the conditions of altered strigolactone signalling using fluorescence microscopy methods with different spatiotemporal capacities such as confocal laser scanning microscopy and structured illumination microscopy. It was found that the strigolactone-dependent inhibition of hypocotyl elongation correlated with changes in cortical microtubule organization and dynamics, visualized in living wild type andmax2-1seedlings stably expressing genetically-encoded fluorescent molecular markers for microtubules. Quantitative analysis of microscopic datasets revealed that chemical and/or genetic manipulation of strigolactone signalling affected microtubule remodelling, especially under light conditions. The application of GR24 and TIS108 in dark conditions partially alleviated cytoskeletal rearrangement, suggesting a new mechanistic connection between the cytoskeletal behaviour and the light-dependence of strigolactone signalling.

Highlight

Strigolactones regulate organization and dynamics of cortical microtubules in hypocotyl cells, which contributes to the light-mediated inhibition of hypocotyl growth in Arabidopsis seedlings.
Electrophysiological characterization of human atria: the understated role of temperature
Authors: Majumder Rupamanjari , Mohamed Nazer Afnan Nabizath , Panfilov Alexander V. , Bodenschatz Eberhard , Wang Yong
Published: December 2020

Ambient temperature has a profound influence on cellular electrophysiology through direct control over the gating mechanisms of different ion channels. In the heart, low temperature is known to favour prolongation of the action potential. However, not much is known about the influence of temperature on other important characterisation parameters such as the resting membrane potential (RMP), excitability, morphology and characteristics of the action potential (AP), restitution properties, conduction velocity (CV) of signal propagation, etc. Here we present the first, detailed, systematicin silicostudy of the electrophysiological characterization of cardiomyocytes from different regions of the normal human atria, based on the effects of ambient temperature (5 −50°C). We observe that RMP decreases with increasing temperature. At ∼ 48°C, the cells lose their excitability. Our studies show that different parts of the atria react differently to the same changes in temperature. In tissue simulations a drop in temperature correlated positively with a decrease in CV, but the decrease was region-dependent, as expected. In this article we show how this heterogeneous response can provide an explanation for the development of a proarrhythmic substrate during mild hypothermia. We use the above concept to propose a treatment strategy for atrial fibrillation that involves severe hypothermia in specific regions of the heart for a duration of only ∼ 200ms.
Association of CD44−/CD24−Breast Cancer Cells with Late Stage Tumor Recurrence
Authors: Qiao Xinbo , Zhang Yixiao , Sun Lisha , Ma Qingtian , Yang Jie , Ai Liping , Xue Jinqi , Chen Guanglei , Zhang Hao , Ji Ce , Gu Xi , Lei Haixin , Yang Yongliang , Liu Caigang
Published: December 2020

Tumor metastasis remains the main cause of breast cancer-related deaths, especially the later breast cancer distant metastasis. This study assessed CD44−/CD24−tumor cells in 576 tissue specimens for associations with clinicopathological features and metastasis and then investigated the underlying molecular events. The data showed that level of CD44−/CD24−cells was associated with later postoperative distant tumor metastasis. Furthermore, CD44−/CD24−triple negative cells could spontaneously convert into CD44+/CD24−cancer stem cells (CSCs) with properties similar to CD44+/CD24−CSCs from parental MDA-MB-231 cells in terms of gene expression, tumor cell xenograft formation, and lung metastasisin vitroandin vivo. Single-cell RNA sequencing identified RHBDL2 as a regulator that enhanced spontaneous CD44+/CD24−CSC conversion, whereas knockdown of RHBDL2 expression inhibited YAP/NF-κB signaling and blocked spontaneous CD44−/CD24−cell conversion to CSCs. These data suggested that the level of CD44−/CD24−tumor cells could predict breast cancer prognosis, metastasis, and response to adjuvant therapy.
From letters to composed concepts: A magnetoencephalography study of reading
Authors: Flick Graham , Abdullah Osama , Pylkkänen Liina
Published: December 2020

Language comprehension requires the recognition of individual words and the combination of their meanings to yield complex concepts or interpretations. Rather than simple concatenation, this combinatory process often requires the insertion of unstated semantic material between words, based on thematic or feature knowledge of the concepts. For example, the phrasehorse barnis not interpreted as a blend of a horse and a barn, but specifically a barn in which horses are kept. Mounting evidence suggests two cortical semantic hubs, in left temporoparietal and anterior temporal cortex, underpin thematic and feature concept knowledge, but much remains unclear about how these putative hubs contribute to combinatory language processing. Using magnetoencephalography, we contrasted source-localized responses to modifier-noun phrases involving thematic relations vs. feature modifications, while also examining how lower-level orthographic processing fed into responses supporting word combination. Twenty-eight participants completed three procedures examining responses to letter-strings, adjective-noun phrases, and noun-noun combinations that varied the semantic relations between words. We found that while color + noun phrases engaged the left anterior temporal lobe (150-300 ms after phrasal head), posterior temporal lobe (150-300 ms), and angular gyrus (300-450 ms), only left posterior temporal lobe responses were sensitive to implicit thematic relations between composing nouns (150-300 ms). We additionally identified a left temporo-occipital progression from orthographic to lexical processing, feeding into ventral anterior areas engaged in the combination of word meanings. Finally, by examining source signal leakage, we characterized the degree to which these responses could be distinguished from one another, using linear source estimation.
Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 Activates Macrophages and Contributes to Induction of Acute Lung Inflammations in Mice
Authors: Cao Xiaoling , Tian Yan , Nguyen Vi , Zhang Yuping , Gao Chao , Yin Rong , Carver Wayne , Fan Daping , Albrecht Helmut , Cui Taixing , Tan Wenbin
Published: December 2020

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients exhibit multiple organ malfunctions with a primary manifestation of acute and diffuse lung injuries. The Spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is crucial to mediate viral entry into host cells; however, whether it can be cellularly pathogenic and contribute to pulmonary hyper-inflammations in COVID-19 is not well known.

Methods and Findings

In this study, we developed a Spike protein-pseudotyped (Spp) lentivirus with the proper tropism of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein on the surface and tracked down the fate of Spp in wild type C57BL/6J mice receiving intravenous injection of the virus. A lentivirus with vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV-G) was used as the control. Two hours post-infection (hpi), Spp showed more than 27-75 times more viral burden in the lungs than other organs; it also exhibited about 3-5 times more viral burden than VSV-G lentivirus in the lungs, liver, kidney and spleen. Acute pneumonia was evident in animals 24 hpi. Spp lentivirus was mainly found in LDLR+macrophages and pneumocytes in the lungs, but not in MARC1+macrophages. IL6, IL10, CD80 and PPAR-γ were quickly upregulated in response to infection of Spp lentivirus in the lungsin vivoas well as in macrophage-like RAW264.7 cellsin vitro. We further confirmed that forced expression of the Spike protein in RAW264.7 cells could significantly increase the mRNA levels of the same panel of inflammatory factors.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 alone can induce cellular pathology, e.g. activating macrophages and contributing to induction of acute inflammatory responses.
Inhibiting cough by silencing large pore-expressing airway sensory neurons with a charged sodium channel blocker
Authors: Tochitsky Ivan , Jo Sooyeon , Andrews Nick , Kotoda Masakazu , Doyle Benjamin , Shim Jaehoon , Talbot Sebastien , Roberson David , Lee Jinbo , Haste Louise , Jordan Stephen M. , Levy Bruce D. , Bean Bruce P. , Woolf Clifford J.
Published: December 2020

Although multiple diseases of the respiratory system cause cough, there are few effective treatments for this common condition. We previously developed a strategy to treat pain and itch via the long-lasting inhibition of nociceptor sensory neurons with QX-314, a cationic sodium channel blocker that selectively enters only into activated nociceptors by permeating through the endogenous TRPV1 and TRPA1 large pore ion channels they express. In this study we design and characterize BW-031, a novel cationic compound with ∼6-fold greater potency than QX-314 for inhibiting sodium channels when introduced inside cells and with minimal extracellular activity. We show that inhalation of aerosolized BW-031 effectively inhibits citric acid-induced cough in an allergic inflammation guinea pig cough model. These data support the use of charged sodium channel blockers for the selective inhibition of airway sensory neurons with activated large pore channels as a novel targeted therapy for treating cough.
L-DOPA modulates activity in the vmPFC, Nucleus Accumbens and VTA during threat extinction learning in humans
Authors: Esser Roland , Korn Christoph W. , Ganzer Florian , Haaker Jan
Published: December 2020

Learning to be safe is central for adaptive behaviour when threats are no longer present. Detecting the absence of an expected threat is key for threat extinction learning and an essential process for the behavioural treatment of anxiety related disorders. One possible mechanism underlying extinction learning is a dopaminergic mismatch signal that encodes the absence of an expected threat. Here we show that such a dopamine-related pathway underlies extinction learning in humans. Dopaminergic enhancement via administration of L-DOPA (vs. Placebo) was associated with reduced retention of differential psychophysiological threat responses at later test, which was mediated by activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex that was specific to extinction learning. L-DOPA administration enhanced signals at the time-point of an expected, but omitted threat in extinction learning within the nucleus accumbens, which were functionally coupled with the ventral tegmental area and the amygdala. Computational modelling of threat expectancies further revealed prediction error encoding in nucleus accumbens that was reduced when L-DOPA was administered. Our results thereby provide evidence that extinction learning is influenced by L-DOPA and provide a mechanistic perspective to augment extinction learning by dopaminergic enhancement in humans.

Summary COI statement

No conflict of interest for any of the authors. The funder had no role in the design of the study, the collection and analysis of data, or the preparation of the manuscript.
Ribosomes act as cryosensors in plants
Authors: Guillaume-Schöpfer David , Jaeger Katja E. , Geng Feng , Doccula Fabrizio G. , Costa Alex , Webb Alex A. R. , Wigge Philip A.
Published: December 2020

Cold temperatures are a threat to temperate plants, andArabidopsis thalianahas acquired an adaptive gene expression network controlled by CBF transcription factors. The CBFs are sufficient to enable plants to survive otherwise lethal subzero temperatures. Constitutive CBF expression causes delayed flowering and stunted growth, and plants have evolved the ability to restrict CBF expression to occur only in the cold. This allows plants to anticipate likely freezing events and selectively deploy cold tolerance. The mechanism by which cold stress is sensed is however unknown. Here we show that protein translation rates in plants are proportional to temperature, and reduced translation rates trigger a rise in intracellular free calcium that activates the CAMTA transcription factors, and these directly activate cold-induced gene expression.
Selective increase of functional network connectivity in Arc-positive neuronal engrams after long-term potentiation
Authors: Jiang Yuheng , VanDongen Antonius M.J.
Published: December 2020

New tools in optogenetics and molecular biology have culminated in recent studies which mark immediate-early gene (IEG)-expressing neurons as memory traces or engrams. Although the activity-dependent expression of IEGs has been successfully utilised to label memory traces, their roles in engram specification is incompletely understood. Outstanding questions remain as to whether expression of IEGs can interplay with network properties such as functional connectivity and also if neurons expressing different IEGs are functionally distinct. We investigated the expression of Arc and c-Fos, two commonly utilised IEGs in memory engram specification, in cultured hippocampal neurons. After pharmacological induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the network, we noted an emergent network property of refinement in functional connectivity between neurons, characterized by a global down-regulation of network connectivity, together with strengthening of specific connections. Subsequently, we show that Arc expression correlates with the effects of network refinement, with Arc-positive neurons being selectively strengthened. Arc positive neurons were also found to be located in closer physical proximity to each other in the network. While the expression pattern of IEGs c-Fos and Arc strongly overlaps, Arc was more selectively expressed than c-Fos. These IEGs also act together in coding information about connection strength pruning. These results demonstrate important links between IEG expression and network connectivity, which serve to bridge the gap between cellular correlates and network effects in learning and memory.
Trafficking regulator of GLUT4-1 (TRARG1) is a GSK3 substrate
Authors: Duan Xiaowen , Norris Dougall M. , Humphrey Sean J. , Yang Pengyi , Cooke Kristen C. , Bultitude Will P. , Parker Benjamin L. , Conway Olivia J. , Burchfield James G. , Krycer James R. , Brodsky Frances M. , James David E. , Fazakerley Daniel J.
Published: December 2020

Trafficking regulator of GLUT4-1, TRARG1, positively regulates insulin-stimulated GLUT4 trafficking and insulin sensitivity. However, the mechanism(s) by which this occurs remain(s) unclear. Using biochemical and mass spectrometry analyses we found that TRARG1 is dephosphorylated in response to insulin in a PI3K/Akt-dependent manner and is a novel substrate for GSK3. Priming phosphorylation of murine TRARG1 at serine 84 allows for GSK3-directed phosphorylation at serines 72, 76 and 80. A similar pattern of phosphorylation was observed in human TRARG1, suggesting that our findings are translatable to human TRARG1. Pharmacological inhibition of GSK3 increased cell surface GLUT4 in cells stimulated with a submaximal insulin dose, and this was impaired followingTrarg1knockdown, suggesting that TRARG1 acts as a GSK3-mediated regulator in GLUT4 trafficking. These data place TRARG1 within the insulin signaling network and provide insights into how GSK3 regulates GLUT4 trafficking in adipocytes.
Repression of MUC1 promotes expansion and suppressive function of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and breast cancer murine models
Authors: Mahnaz S. , Roy L. Das , Bose M. , De C. , Nath S. , Mukherjee P.
Published: December 2020

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are immature myeloid cells that are responsible for immunosuppression in tumor microenvironment. Here we report the impact of mucin 1 (MUC1), a transmembrane glycoprotein, on proliferation and functional activity of MDSCs. To determine the role of MUC1 in MDSC phenotype, we analyzed MDSCs derived from wild type (WT) and MUC1-knockout (MUC1KO) mice bearing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma KCKO and breast cancer C57MG xenografts. We observed enhanced tumor growth in MUC1KO mice compared to WT mice in both pancreatic KCKO and breast C57MG cancer models due to increased MDSC population and enrichment of Tregs in tumor microenvironment. Our current study shows that knockdown of MUC1 in MDSCs promotes proliferation and immature suppressive phenotype indicated by increased level of iNOS, ARG1 activity and TGF-β secretion under cancer conditions. Increased activity of MDSCs leads to repression of IL-2 and IFN-ɣ production by T-cells. We were able to find that MDSCs from MUC1KO mice have higher levels of c-Myc and activated pSTAT3 as compared to MUC1 WT mice, that are signaling pathways leading to increased survival, proliferation and prevention of maturation. In summary, MUC1 regulates signaling pathways that maintain immunosuppressive properties of MDSCs. Thus, immunotherapy must target only tumor associated MUC1 on epithelial cells and not MUC1 on hematopoietic cells to avoid expansion and suppressive functions of MDSC.
Mouse embryonic stem cells switch migratory behaviour during early differentiation
Authors: Aspalter Irene M. , Pönisch Wolfram , Chalut Kevin J. , Paluch Ewa K.
Published: December 2020

Development relies on a series of precisely orchestrated cell fate changes. While studies of fate transitions often focus on changes in gene regulatory networks, most transitions are also associated with changes in cell shape and cell behaviour. Here, we investigate changes in migratory behaviour in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells during their first developmental fate transition, exit from ES cell state. We show that naïve pluripotent ES cells cannot efficiently migrate on 2-dimensional substrates but are able to migrate in an amoeboid fashion when placed in confinement. Exit from ES cell state, typically characterised by enhanced cell spreading, is associated with decreased migration in confinement and acquisition of mesenchymal-like migration on 2D substrates. Interestingly, confined, amoeboid-like migration of ES cells strongly depends on Myosin IIA, but not Myosin IIB. In contrast mesenchymal-like migration of cells exiting the ES cell state does not depend on Myosin motor activity but relies on the activity of the Arp2/3 complex. Together, our data suggest that during early differentiation, cells undergo a switch in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, leading to a transition from amoeboid-to mesenchymal-like migration.

Summary statement

Naïve mouse embryonic stem cells display amoeboid-like migration in confinement, but switch to mesenchymal-like migration as they exit the ES cell state.
Comparative neurotranscriptomics reveal widespread species differences associated with bonding
Authors: Tripp Joel A , Berrio Alejandro , McGraw Lisa A , Matz Mikhail , Davis Jamie K , Inoue Kiyoshi , Thomas James W , Young Larry J , Phelps Steven M
Published: December 2020

Background

Pair bonding with a reproductive partner is rare among mammals but is an important feature of human social behavior. Decades of research on monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), along with comparative studies using the related non-bonding meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus), have revealed many of the neural and molecular mechanisms necessary for pair-bond formation in that species. However, these studies have largely focused on just a few neuromodulatory systems. To test the hypothesis that neural gene expression differences underlie differential capacities to bond, we performed RNA-sequencing on tissue from three brain regions important for bonding and other social behaviors across bond-forming prairie voles and non-bonding meadow voles. We examined gene expression in the amygdala, hypothalamus, and combined ventral pallidum/nucleus accumbens in virgins and at three time points after mating to understand species differences in gene expression at baseline, in response to mating, and during bond formation.

Results

We first identified species and brain region as the factors most strongly associated with gene expression in our samples. Next, we found gene categories related to cell structure, translation and metabolism that differed in expression across species in virgins, as well as categories associated with cell structure, synaptic and neuroendocrine signaling, and transcription and translation that varied among the focal regions in our study. Additionally, we identified genes that were differentially expressed across species after mating in each of our regions of interest. These include genes involved in regulating transcription, neuron structure, and synaptic plasticity. Finally, we identified modules of co-regulated genes that were strongly correlated with brain region in both species, and modules that were correlated with post-mating time points in prairie voles but not meadow voles.

Conclusions

These results reinforce the importance of pre-mating differences that confer the ability to form pair bonds in prairie voles but not promiscuous species such as meadow voles. Gene ontology analysis supports the hypothesis that pair-bond formation involves transcriptional regulation, and changes in neuronal structure. Together, our results expand knowledge of the genes involved in the pair bonding process and open new avenues of research in the molecular mechanisms of bond formation.
Impact of real mirror profiles inside a split-and-delay unit on the spatial intensity profile in pump/probe experiments at the European XFEL
Authors: Kärcher V. , Roling S. , Samoylova L. , Buzmakov A. , Zastrau U. , Appel K. , Yurkov M. , Schneidmiller E. , Siewert F. , Zacharias H.
Published: December 2020

For the High-Energy-Density (HED) beamline at the SASE2 undulator of the European XFEL, a hard X-ray split-and-delay unit (SDU) has been built enabling time-resolved pump/probe experiments with photon energies between 5 keV and 24 keV. The optical layout of the SDU is based on geometrical wavefront splitting and multilayer Bragg mirrors. Maximum delays between Δτ = ±1 ps at 24 keV and Δτ = ±23 ps at 5 keV will be possible. Time-dependent wavefront propagation simulations were performed by means of the Synchrotron Radiation Workshop (SRW) software in order to investigate the impact of the optical layout, including diffraction on the beam splitter and recombiner edges and the three-dimensional topography of all eight mirrors, on the spatio-temporal properties of the XFEL pulses. The radiation is generated from noise by the code FAST which simulates the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) process. A fast Fourier transformation evaluation of the disturbed interference pattern yields for ideal mirror surfaces a coherence time of τc = 0.23 fs and deduces one of τc = 0.21 fs for the real mirrors, thus with an error of Δτ = 0.02 fs which is smaller than the deviation resulting from shot-to-shot fluctuations of SASE2 pulses. The wavefronts are focused by means of compound refractive lenses in order to achieve fluences of a few hundred mJ mm−2 within a spot width of 20 µm (FWHM) diameter. Coherence effects and optics imperfections increase the peak intensity between 200 and 400% for pulse delays within the coherence time. Additionally, the influence of two off-set mirrors in the HED beamline are discussed. Further, we show the fluence distribution for Δz = ±3 mm around the focal spot along the optical axis. The simulations show that the topographies of the mirrors of the SDU are good enough to support X-ray pump/X-ray probe experiments.
Tax avoidance and firm risk in China: a pitch
Authors: Cao Yuqiang , Feng Zhuoan , Lu Meiting , Shan Yaowen
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a critical discussion of the application of the research pitching template developed by Professor Robert Faff to a research topic of tax avoidance and firm risk. This letter provides a brief commentary on using the pitching template and discusses personal reflections on the pitching process.

Design/methodology/approach

This pitching research letter applies Faff’s pitching template and provides a critical commentary of the pitching process.

Findings

The team found that Faff’s pitching template is a valuable tool for conceiving research ideas. It helped the authors to identify, develop and articulate key aspects of the project. Further, they believe that completing the template was a beneficial and rewarding exercise, especially for early-career researchers.

Originality/value

This pitching research letter is tied to the team’s research idea that was pitched at the 2020 AFAANZ “Shark Tank” event. It provides original commentary on the use of Faff’s pitching template. It is not meant to retrofit published papers.
Adopting management control systems through CSR strategic integration and investigating its impact on company performance: evidence from Indonesia
Authors: Rinawiyanti Esti Dwi , Huang Xueli , As-Saber Sharif
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the extent to which the management control systems (MCS) adoption in corporate social responsibility (CSR) integration into business strategy has an impact on companies’ performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of 435 Indonesian manufacturing companies, partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to investigate the impact of CSR strategic integration on companies’ performance based on the contingency and stakeholder theories.

Findings

The findings reveal CSR strategic integration has a positive and significant impact on companies’ performance, including employee, operating and financial performance and the company size can positively moderate the impact of this integration on both its operating and financial performance.

Practical implications

The findings can encourage managers to adopt MCS by undertaking CSR at the strategic level, resulting in superior performance, both socially and financially.

Social implications

Employee performance and operating performance can significantly mediate the effect of strategic integration on financial performance.

Originality/value

The paper suggests that adopting MCS through CSR strategic integration could improve company performance socially and financially. This is the very first study on this issue from an Indonesian perspective.
Effect of core and peripheral product line extensions on overall product line revenue
Authors: Cho Jihoon , Janda Swinder
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Firms often use upward product line extensions to achieve gains in brand evaluations and in overall demand. Despite the prevalence of such extensions, previous research has provided little guidance about how upward line extensions influence overall revenue when they are launched as a core product as opposed to a peripheral product. The purpose of this study is to fill this research gap.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from the quick service restaurant industry, this study looks at the effects of upwardly extended core and peripheral products on product line revenue. The empirical study uses a quasi-experiment to compare customer purchases across the pre- and post-launch of upward line extensions.

Findings

The results of this study reveal that launching core and peripheral products as upward line extensions can each increase total product line revenue. In addition, findings illustrate that as compared to a core launch, this total product line revenue increase is substantially higher in the case of a peripheral launch.

Research limitations/implications

First, the estimated model does not include supply availability and competition. Second, the data span only six months and this restriction prohibits us from investigating alternative sources of the causal effect. Third, the empirical setting in this study is limited to financial data in the quick service restaurant industry as a proxy of actual behavior. Finally, given that customers are not randomly assigned to treatment and control groups, the author is unable to definitively rule out the effect of unobservable attributes.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that firms should prioritize peripheral upward line extensions but use both types considering resource constraints (cost and human resources) and strategic importance to the firm.

Originality/value

This study bolsters the extant literature related to upward product line extensions by providing an empirical framework that evaluates the causal effect of upward line extension on total revenue, using field data in a real-life setting (as opposed to survey or lab experiment data) and actual firm revenue (as opposed to a perceptual outcome measure such as behavioral intentions). In addition, findings contribute to the new product development literature.
A study of millennials' preferred work-related attributes and retention
Authors: Pasko Raymond , Maellaro Rosemary , Stodnick Michael
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences in preferred work-related attributes across generational cohorts. Specific focus is given to investigating whether millennials have different preferences than previous generations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses cross-sectional survey data of 300 employees of a large firm in the southwest USA. Conjoint analysis is used to collect employee responses that are then subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Findings

The results of this study demonstrate that employees from different generations have significantly different preferences on four work-related attributes: job security, potential for advancement, work/life balance and company leadership.

Research limitations/implications

This study extends the generational cohort theory by employing psychological contract theory to discover and explain significant differences in preferences for varying work-related attributes for different generations. Like much cross-sectional research, these findings have to be validated and generalized.

Practical implications

Firms can use the results of this study to help understand how different generations value different work-related attributes, thus helping improve employee satisfaction and retention.

Originality/value

The originality of this research lies in its very unique approach, conjoint analysis, to be one of the first studies to test empirically the preferences for work-related attributes across generational cohorts. It lays the foundation for future research to expand upon while also giving practicing managers a useful tool to understand the needs of their employees.
How social engineers use persuasion principles during vishing attacks
Authors: Jones Keith S. , Armstrong Miriam E. , Tornblad McKenna K. , Siami Namin Akbar
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study aims to examine how social engineers use persuasion principles during vishing attacks.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 86 examples of real-world vishing attacks were found in articles and videos. Each example was coded to determine which persuasion principles were present in that attack and how they were implemented, i.e. what specific elements of the attack contributed to the presence of each persuasion principle.

Findings

Authority (A), social proof (S) and distraction (D) were the most widely used persuasion principles in vishing attacks, followed by liking, similarity and deception (L). These four persuasion principles occurred in a majority of vishing attacks, while commitment, reciprocation and consistency (C) did not. Further, certain sets of persuasion principles (i.e. authority, distraction, liking, similarity, and deception and social proof; , authority, commitment, reciprocation, and consistency, distraction, liking, similarity and deception, and social proof; and authority, distraction and social proof) were used more than others. It was noteworthy that despite their similarities, those sets of persuasion principles were implemented in different ways, and certain specific ways of implementing certain persuasion principles (e.g. vishers claiming to have authority over the victim) were quite rare.

Originality/value

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate how social engineers use persuasion principles during vishing attacks. As such, it provides important insight into how social engineers implement vishing attacks and lays a critical foundation for future research investigating the psychological aspects of vishing attacks. The present results have important implications for vishing countermeasures and education.
A hesitant fuzzy linguistic terms set-based AHP-TOPSIS approach to evaluate ERP software packages
Authors: Ayağ Zeki , Samanlioglu Funda
Published: December 2020

Purpose

In this paper, two popular multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods with hesitant fuzzy logic approach; hesitant fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (hesitant F-AHP) and hesitant fuzzy the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (HF-TOPSIS) are integrated as HF-AHP-TOPSIS to evaluating a set of enterprise resource planning (ERP) alternatives and rank them by weight to reach to the ultimate one that satisfies the needs and expectations of a company.

Design/methodology/approach

Selecting the best ERP software package among the rising number of the options in market has been a critical problem for most companies for a long time because of the reason that an improper ERP software package might lead to many issues (i.e. time loss, increased costs and a loss of market share). On the other hand, finding the best ERP alternative is a comprehensive MCDM problem in the presence of a set of alternatives and several potentially competing quantitative and qualitative criteria.

Findings

In this integrated approach, the hesitant F-AHP is used to determine the criteria weights, as the hesitant F-TOPSIS is utilized to rank ERP package alternatives. The proposed approach was also validated in a numerical example that has five ERP package alternatives and 12 criteria by three decision-makers in order to show its applicability to potential readers and practitioners.

Research limitations/implications

If the number of the alternatives and criteria are dramatically increased beyond reasonable numbers, the reaching to final solution will be so difficult because of the great deal of fuzzy based calculations. Therefore, the number of criteria and alternatives should be at reasonable numbers.

Practical implications

The proposed approach was also validated in a illustrated example with the five ERP package options and 12 criteria by the three decision-makers in order to show its applicability to potential readers and practitioners.

Originality/value

Furthermore, in literature, to the best of our knowledge, the authors did not come cross any work that integrates the HF-AHP with the HF-TOPSIS for ERP software package selection problem.
Planning the maintenance of green building materials for sustainable development: a building information modelling approach
Authors: Ismail Zul-Atfi
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Most green building (GB) materials, which are used widely in the construction sector in Malaysia, perform poorly in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability. Nevertheless, during maintenance planning of these materials, the focus is often directed towards comfort and design instead. However, as GB material construction projects grow in scale and complexity, interconnections between the activities and processes can be noticed during problematic planning performance management to monitor the GB material components for corrective and preventive maintenance actions.

Design/methodology/approach

The concept of GB material maintenance planning for sustainable development and the main features of information and communication technology tools and techniques are based on analysis of literature reviews of GB material scenarios.

Findings

The results show how decision-making support in maintenance planning can be unsuccessful and how planning decisions can frame the content of an integrated system to analyse information and reduce risks of GB material failure.

Originality/value

The paper concludes that implementing a research framework for developing such a system can help improve the sustainable performance of maintenance planning of GB material economic, social and environmental issues.
Challenges and achievements in student learning experiences in a business school’s at-home internationalization programs in China
Authors: Tang Huili , Hite Steven J. , Hite Julie M. , Boren David McKay , Randall E. Vance
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this ontologically qualitative research study was to (a) explore student narratives regarding their educational experiences in at-home internationalization programs; (b) provide an in-depth narrative analysis of student learning challenges and achievements; and (c) add valuable research-based knowledge of student-described experiences for use by program administrators.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were selected with a form of four-stage non-proportional stratified sampling. 29 participants were interviewed using a basic demographic questionnaire and an episodic interview protocol. Data were analyzed in QSR NVivo software through open, axial, and selective coding stages under the framework of grounded theory.

Findings

The findings focus on student-identified links between the challenges they encountered and their achievements. In addition, student performance level and gender were associated with the challenges and achievements reported by students. In understanding the results, the student-learning concepts found in the learned optimism, growth mindset, grit and expectancy theory approaches provide potentially fruitful insights.

Originality/value

The findings of this research have instructive implications for program administrators regarding how student challenges can be strategically chosen and shaped to generate specific, positive student achievements.
An examination of ethnic-based consumer ethnocentrism and consumer animosity
Authors: Abdul-Latif Samshul-Amry , Abdul-Talib Asmat-Nizam
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of consumer ethnocentrism and consumer animosity at the ethnic level. This study examines both effects on an ethnic majority’s consumption of an ethnic minority’s products and services, focusing on the relationship between two ethnic groups in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The relationship between the constructs were analyzed using the co-variance-based structural equation modeling techniques with analysis of a moment structures version 21. Self-administered questionnaires were obtained from 325 Malay respondents in 2 Malaysian cities.

Findings

The results suggest that ethnic-based consumer ethnocentrism can negatively affect product judgment and product judgment can affect consumers’ willingness to buy. Two significant findings were rejected as the directions of the results were not as hypothesized.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could study other ethnic groups of different countries using specific ethnic related products and/or brands.

Originality/value

This research suggests that ethnic-based ethnocentrism and ethnic-based animosity are important factors for businesses to consider as both can affect ethnic consumers’ purchasing behavior. Depending on ethnic consumers’ perception toward a brand, a manager may face either an opportunity or a challenge.
Forecasting of stock price index using support vector regression with multivariate empirical mode decomposition
Authors: Huang Yanmei , Deng Changrui , Zhang Xiaoyuan , Bao Yukun
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Despite the widespread use of univariate empirical mode decomposition (EMD) in financial market forecasting, the application of multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD) has not been fully investigated. The purpose of this study is to forecast the stock price index more accurately, relying on the capability of MEMD in modeling the dependency between relevant variables.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative and comprehensive assessments were carried out to compare the performance of some selected models. Data for the assessments were collected from three major stock exchanges, namely, the standard and poor 500 index from the USA, the Hang Seng index from Hong Kong and the Shanghai Stock Exchange composite index from China. MEMD-based support vector regression (SVR) was used as the modeling framework, where MEMD was first introduced to simultaneously decompose the relevant covariates, including the opening price, the highest price, the lowest price, the closing price and the trading volume of a stock price index. Then, SVR was used to set up forecasting models for each component decomposed and another SVR model was used to generate the final forecast based on the forecasts of each component. This paper named this the MEMD-SVR-SVR model.

Findings

The results show that the MEMD-based modeling framework outperforms other selected competing models. As per the models using MEMD, the MEMD-SVR-SVR model excels in terms of prediction accuracy across the various data sets.

Originality/value

This research extends the literature of EMD-based univariate models by considering the scenario of multiple variables for improving forecasting accuracy and simplifying computability, which contributes to the analytics pool for the financial analysis community.