bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elevated CO2alters photosynthesis, growth and susceptibility to powdery mildew of oak seedlings
Authors: Sanchez-Lucas Rosa , Mayoral Carolina , Raw Mark , Mousoraki Maria-Anna , Luna Estrella
Published: January 2023

Elevated CO2(eCO2) is a determinant factor of climate change and is known to alter plant processes such as physiology, growth and resistance to pathogens.Quercus robur, a tree species integrated in most forest regeneration strategies, shows high vulnerability to powdery mildew (PM) disease at the seedling stage. PM is present in most oak forests and it is considered a bottleneck for oak woodland regeneration. Our study aims to decipher the effect of eCO2 on plant responses to PM. Oak seedlings were grown in controlled environment at ambient (aCO2, ~ 400 ppm) and eCO2(~ 1000 ppm), and infected withErysiphe alphitoides, the causal agent of oak PM. Plant growth, physiological parameters and disease progression were monitored. In addition, to evaluate the effect of eCO2on induced resistance (IR), these parameters were assessed after treatments with IR elicitor β-aminobutyric acid (BABA). Our results show that eCO2increases photosynthetic rates and aerial growth but in contrast reduces root length. Importantly, under eCO2seedlings were more susceptible to PM. Treatments with BABA protected seedlings against PM, however, this effect was less pronounced under eCO2. Moreover, irrespectively of the concentration of CO2, BABA did not significantly change aerial growth but resulted in longer radicular systems, thus mitigating the effect of eCO2in root shortening. Our results demonstrate the impact of eCO2in plant physiology, growth and defence, and warrant further biomolecular studies to unravel the mechanisms by which eCO2increases oak seedling susceptibility to PM.
The NO Answer for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Tripathi Manish Kumar , Ojha Shashank Kumar , Kartawy Maryam , Hamoudi Wajeha , Aran Adi , Amal Haitham
Published: January 2023

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) include a range of developmental disorders that share a core of neurobehavioral deficits manifested by abnormalities in social interactions, deficits in communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. Several reports showed that mutations in different high-risk ASD genes, includingSHANK3andCNTNAP2, lead to ASD. However, to date, the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been deciphered, and no effective pharmacological treatment has been established for ASD. Recently, we reported a dramatic increase of nitric oxide (NO) in ASD mouse models. NO is a multifunctional neurotransmitter that plays a key role in different neurological disorders. However, its role in ASD has not yet been investigated. To reveal the novel molecular, cellular, and behavioral role of NO in ASD, we conducted multidisciplinary experiments using cellular and mouse models as well as clinical samples. First, we treated WT mice with an NO donor, which led to an autism-like phenotype. Next, we measured and found high levels of nitrosative stress biomarkers in both theShank3andCntnap2ASD mouse models. Treating both mouse models with a selective neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) inhibitor led to a reversal in the molecular, synaptic, and behavioral ASD phenotypes. Using a primary neuronal cell culture, we confirmed that NO is specifically involved in neurons in ASD pathology. Next, using genetic manipulations in the human SH-SY5Y cell line, we found that nNOS plays a key role in the pathology. Finally, we examined human plasma samples from 19 low-functioning ASD patients, compared to 20 typically developed volunteers, and found a significant elevation in the NO levels in the ASD patients. Furthermore, using the SNOTRAP technology, which is an innovative mass spectrometric method to identify the SNO-proteome (SNO: NO-mediated post-translational modification), we revealed that the complement systems in the synaptic and neuronal development processes are enriched in the ASD group. This work indicates, for the first time, that NO plays a pathological role in ASD development. Our findings will open future and novel directions to examine NO in diverse mutations on the autism spectrum as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders and psychiatric diseases. Most importantly, it suggests a novel treatment strategy for ASD.

One sentence summary

Nitric oxide plays a key role in ASD pathology development and progression, and targeting its production leads to a reversal in the autistic phenotype.
Fertility decline in female mosquitoes is regulated by theorcoolfactory co-receptor
Authors: David Olayinka G. , Sanchez Kevin M. , Arce Andrea V. , Costa-da-Silva Andre Luis , Bellantuono Anthony J. , DeGennaro Matthew
Published: January 2023

FemaleAedes aegyptimosquitoes undergo multiple rounds of reproduction, known as gonotrophic cycles. These cycles span the period from blood meal intake to oviposition. Understanding how reproductive success is maintained across gonotrophic cycles allows for the identification of molecular targets to reduce mosquito population growth. Odorant receptor co-receptor (orco) encodes a conserved insect-specific transmembrane ion channel that complexes with tuning odorant receptors (ORs) to form a functional olfactory receptor.orcoexpression has been identified in the male and female mosquito germline, but its role is unclear. We report anorco-dependent, maternal effect reduction in fertility after the first gonotrophic cycle. This decline was rescued by repairing theorcomutant locus. Eggs deposited byorcomutant females are fertilized but the embryos reveal developmental defects, reduced hatching, and changes in ion channel signaling gene transcription. We present an unexpected role for an olfactory receptor pathway in mosquito reproduction.

HIGHLIGHTS

Loss of theorcoolfactory co-receptor promotes female mosquito fertility decline.

After their first reproductive cycle completes,Ae. aegypti orcomutant females produce embryos with disrupted development and reduced hatching.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated repair of theorcomutation rescues the fertility defect.

Gene expression profiling of embryos fromorcomutant females supports a role for ion channel signaling in mosquito development.
Scalable Apparatus to Measure Posture and Locomotion (SAMPL): a high-throughput solution to study unconstrained vertical behavior in small animals
Authors: Zhu Yunlu , Auer Franziska , Gelnaw Hannah , Davis Samantha N. , Hamling Kyla R. , May Christina E. , Ahamed Hassan , Ringstad Niels , Nagel Katherine I. , Schoppik David
Published: January 2023

Balance and movement are impaired in a wide variety of neurological disorders. Recent advances in behavioral monitoring provide unprecedented access to posture and loco-motor kinematics, but without the throughput and scalability necessary to screen candidate genes / potential therapeutics. We present a powerful solution: a Scalable Apparatus to Measure Posture and Locomotion (SAMPL). SAMPL includes extensible imaging hardware and low-cost open-source acquisition software with real-time processing. We first demonstrate that SAMPL’s hardware and acquisition software can acquire data fromD. melanogaster,C.elegans, andD. rerioas they move vertically. Next, we leverage SAMPL’s throughput to rapidly (two weeks) gather a new zebrafish dataset. We use SAMPL’s analysis and visualization tools to replicate and extend our current understanding of how zebrafish balance as they navigate through a vertical environment. Next, we discover (1) that key kinematic parameters vary systematically with genetic background, and (2) that such background variation is small relative to the changes that accompany early development. Finally, we simulate SAMPL’s ability to resolve differences in posture or vertical navigation as a function of effect size and data gathered – key data for screens. Taken together, our apparatus, data, and analysis provide a powerful solution for laboratories using small animals to investigate balance and locomotor disorders at scale. More broadly, SAMPL is both an adaptable resource for laboratories looking process video-graphic measures of behavior in real-time, and an exemplar of how to scale hardware to enable the throughput necessary for screening.
A humanizedCaenorhabditis elegansmodel of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia-associated variants in kinesin light chain KLC4
Authors: Gümüşderelioğlu Selin , Resch Lauren , Brock Trisha ,   Undiagnosed Diseases Network, Luxton G.W. Gant , Tan Queenie K-G , Hopkins Christopher , Starr Daniel A.
Published: January 2023

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a group of degenerative neurological disorders. We identified a variant in human kinesin light chainKLC4that is suspected to be associated with autosomal dominant HSP. How this and other variants relate to pathologies is unknown. We created a humanizedC. elegansmodel whereklc-2 was replaced with humanKLC4and assessed the extent to whichhKLC4retained function in the worm. We observed a slight decrease in motility but no nuclear migration defects in the humanized worms, suggesting thathKLC4retains much of the function ofklc-2. FivehKLC4variants were introduced into the humanized model. The clinical variant led to early lethality with significant defects in nuclear migration when homozygous, and a weak nuclear migration defect when heterozygous, possibly correlating with the clinical finding of late onset HSP when the proband was heterozygous. Thus, we were able to establish humanizedC. elegansas an animal model for HSP and use it to test the significance of five variants of uncertain significance in the human geneKLC4.

Summary Statement

We identified a variant inKLC4associated with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia. The variant had physiological relevance in a humanizedC. elegansmodel where we replacedklc-2with humanKLC4.
Unsupervised Contrastive Peak Caller for ATAC-seq
Authors: Vu Ha T.H. , Zhang Yudi , Tuteja Geetu , Dorman Karin
Published: January 2023

The assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq) is a common assay to identify chromatin accessible regions by using a Tn5 transposase that can access, cut, and ligate adapters to DNA fragments for subsequent amplification and sequencing. These sequenced regions are quantified and tested for enrichment in a process referred to as “peak calling”. Most unsupervised peak calling methods are based on simple statistical models and suffer from elevated false positive rates. Newly developed supervised deep learning methods can be successful, but they rely on high quality labeled data for training, which can be difficult to obtain. Moreover, though biological replicates are recognized to be important, there are no established approaches for using replicates in the deep learning tools, and the approaches available for traditional methods either cannot be applied to ATAC-seq, where control samples may be unavailable, or are post-hoc and do not capitalize on potentially complex, but reproducible signal in the read enrichment data. Here, we propose a novel peak caller that uses unsupervised contrastive learning to extract shared signals from multiple replicates. Raw coverage data are encoded to obtain low-dimensional embeddings and optimized to minimize a contrastive loss over biological replicates. These embeddings are passed to another contrastive loss for learning and predicting peaks and decoded to denoised data under an autoencoder loss. We compared our Replicative Contrastive Learner (RCL) method with other existing methods on ATAC-seq data, using annotations from ChromHMM genome and transcription factor ChIP-seq as noisy truth. RCL consistently achieved the best performance.
Ex VivoBiomechanical Characterization of Umbilical Vessels: Possible Shunts in Congenital Heart Palliation
Authors: Murtada S-I. , Ramachandra A.B. , Humphrey J.D
Published: January 2023

Children born with single ventricle defects undergo staged palliative surgeries to reconstruct the circulation to improve transport of deoxygenated blood to the lungs. As part of the first surgery, a temporary shunt (Blalock-Thomas-Taussig) is often created in neonates to connect a systemic and a pulmonary artery. Standard-of-care shunts are synthetic, which can lead to thrombosis, and much stiffer than the two host vessels, which can cause adverse mechanobiological responses. Moreover, the neonatal vasculature can undergo significant changes in size and structure over a short period, thus constraining the use of a non-growing synthetic shunt. Recent studies suggest that autologous umbilical vessels could serve as improved shunts, but there has not been a detailed biomechanical characterization of the four primary vessels – subclavian artery, pulmonary artery, umbilical vein, and umbilical artery. Herein, we biomechanically phenotype umbilical veins and arteries from prenatal mice (E18.5) and compare them to subclavian and pulmonary arteries harvested at two critical postnatal developmental ages (P10, P21). Comparisons include age-specific physiological conditions and simulated ‘surgical-like’ shunt conditions. Results suggest that the intact umbilical vein is a better choice as a shunt than the umbilical artery due to concerns with lumen closure and constriction related-intramural damage in the latter. Yet, decellularization of umbilical arteries may be a viable alternative, with the possibility of host cellular infiltration and subsequent remodeling. Given recent efforts using autologous umbilical vessels as Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunts in a clinical trial, our findings highlight aspects of the associated biomechanics that deserve further investigation.
Follicle stimulating hormone signaling opposes the DRL-1/FLR-4 MAP Kinases to balance p38-mediated growth and lipid homeostasis inC. elegans
Authors: Torzone Sarah K. , Park Aaron Y. , Breen Peter C. , Cohen Natalie R. , Dowen Robert H.
Published: January 2023

Animals integrate developmental and nutritional signals before committing crucial resources to growth and reproduction; however, the pathways that perceive and respond to these inputs remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that DRL-1 and FLR-4, which share similarity with mammalian mitogen-activated protein kinases, maintain lipid homeostasis in theC. elegansintestine. DRL-1 and FLR-4 function in a protein complex at the plasma membrane to promote development, as mutations indrl-1orflr-4confer slow growth, small body size, and impaired lipid homeostasis. To identify factors that oppose DRL-1/FLR-4, we performed a forward genetic screen for suppressors of thedrl-1mutant phenotypes and identified mutations inflr-2andfshr-1, which encode the orthologues of follicle stimulating hormone and its putative G protein-coupled receptor, respectively. In the absence of DRL-1/FLR-4, neuronal FLR-2 acts through intestinal FSHR-1 and Protein Kinase A signaling to restrict growth. Furthermore, we show that opposing signaling through DRL-1 and FLR-2 coordinates TIR-1 phase transition, which modulates downstream p38/PMK-1 activity, lipid homeostasis, and development. Finally, we identify a surprising noncanonical role for the developmental transcription factor PHA-4/FOXA in the intestine where it restricts growth in response to impaired DRL-1 signaling. Our work uncovers a complex multi-tissue signaling network that converges on p38 signaling to maintain homeostasis during development.
Mechanism of physical force induced human slack channel desensitization
Authors: Zhang Mingfeng , Shan Yuanyue , Pei Duanqing
Published: January 2023

Human Slack (hSlack) channel is abundantly expressed in the central nervous system and regulates numerous physiological processes. Here, we identified hSlack channel is a voltage dependent physical force induced desensitization potassium channel. In the cell-attached mode, hSlack exhibited large voltage dependent potassium currents without significant delayed rectification or C-type inactivation. After breaking the cell membrane resulting the inside-out mode, the potassium currents were largely inhibited and it transited to the strong voltage dependent delayed rectified state. Structural results suggested that the “S6 site” confers the voltage dependent delayed rectification of hSlack channel, like our recent finding in hEag2 channel(In revision). Strikingly, the physical force induced desensitization and gating kinetics transition are mediated by the gatekeeper lipids in the central pore. Our results reported a novel physical force sensing channel through the pore lipids mediating physical force induced desensitization and gating kinetics transition. It opens a new door to understand the molecular basis of mechanobiology.
Decoding CRISPR–Cas9 PAM recognition with UniDesign
Authors: Huang Xiaoqiang , Zhou Jun , Yang Dongshan , Zhang Jifeng , Xia Xiaofeng , Chen Y. Eugene , Xu Jie
Published: January 2023

The critical first step in CRISPR–Cas mediated gene editing is recognizing a preferred protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) on target DNAs by the protein’s PAM-interacting amino acids (PIAAs). Thus, accurate computational modeling of PAM recognition is useful in assisting CRISPR–Cas engineering to relax or tighten PAM requirement for subsequence applications. Here we describe a universal computational protein design framework (UniDesign) for designing protein–nucleic acid interactions. As a proof of concept, we applied UniDesign to decode the PAM–PIAA interactions for eight Cas9 proteins. We show that, given native PIAAs, the UniDesign-predicted PAMs are largely identical to the natural PAMs of all Cas9s. In turn, given natural PAMs, the computationally redesigned PIAA residues largely recapitulated the native PIAAs (>70% and >80% in terms of identity and similarity, respectively). These results demonstrate that UniDesign faithfully captures the mutual preference between natural PAMs and native PIAAs, suggesting it as a useful tool for engineering CRISPR–Cas and other nucleic acid–interacting proteins. UniDesign is open-sourced athttps://github.com/tommyhuangthu/UniDesign.
The effect ofin vitrostarch digestibility on glycemic/insulinemic index of biscuits and bread made from non-conventional wholemeal/wholegrain flour mixtures
Authors: Papadopoulos Charalampos , Anagnostopoulos Constantine , Zisimopoulos Athanasios , Panopoulou Maria , Papazoglou Dimitrios , Grapsa Anastasia , Tente Thaleia , Tentes Ioannis
Published: January 2023

BACKGROUND

Carbohydrates as starch are a staple part of the Mediterranean diet. Starch is digested in the small intestine and the resulting glucose is absorbed into the blood, eliciting an insulin response. The digestion and absorption kinetics (rapid or slow) depends on starch structure.

OBJECTIVE

To study the relationship between thein vivoglycemic and insulinemic index and thein vitrodigestibility characteristics of six bakery products, made from non-conventional wholemeal/wholegrain flours.

METHODS

We analyzedin vitrothe rapidly- and slowly- available glucose (RAG and SAG), the rapidly- and slowly- digestible starch (RDS and SDS), and the resistant starch (RS) fraction of the six wholemeal/wholegrain products and one white type of bread. The glycemic and the insulinemic index (GI and II respectively) were estimated byin vivotesting in a group of eleven healthy individuals.

RESULTS

The GI of the wholemeal/wholegrain flour biscuits and breads were low, (range 28±3.2 to 41±3.9, Mean±SEM) correlating with the II. RAG positively correlated with both GI and II, with fiber having a marginal correlation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that both conventional and non-conventional wholemeal/wholegrain bakery products have low GI and moderate II, correlating toin vitrostarch digestibility and the type of processing.
Evolutionarily acquired activity-dependent transformation of the CaMKII holoenzyme
Authors: Tsujioka Shotaro , Sumino Ayumi , Nagasawa Yutaro , Sumikama Takashi , Flechsig Holger , Puppulin Leonardo , Tomita Takuya , Baba Yudai , Kakuta Takahiro , Ogoshi Tomoki , Umeda Kenichi , Kodera Noriyuki , Murakoshi Hideji , Shibata Mikihiro
Published: January 2023

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) has long been central in synaptic plasticity research. CaMKII is a dodecameric serine/threonine kinase that has been essentially conserved across metazoans for over a million years. While the mechanisms of CaMKII activation are well studied, its “behavior” at the molecular level has remained unobserved. Here, high-speed atomic force microscopy was used to visualize the activity-dependent structural dynamics of rat/hydra/C. elegansCaMKII in various states at nanometer resolution. Among the species, rat CaMKII underwent internal kinase domain aggregation in an activity-dependent manner and showed a higher tolerance to dephosphorylation by phosphatase. Our findings suggest that mammalian CaMKII has evolutionarily acquired a new structural form and a tolerance to phosphatase to maintain robust CaMKII activity for proper neuronal function.

One-Sentence Summary

High-speed atomic force microscopy reveals the activity-dependent structural dynamics of rat/hydra/C. elegansCaMKII
Spillovers between non-commercial traders’ activity and spot prices? Analysis of the financialization mechanism in the crude oil market
Authors: Focacci Antonio
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this stud is to analyze the financialization effect on oil prices.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applied the technique of multibreak point analysis with Bai and Perron test plus VAR methodology.

Findings

Findings revealed that there was no effect on oil prices.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper combining the multibreakpoint analysis with VAR for the period analyzed in the present work.
The effectiveness of sustainability social marketing use of fear and guilt appeals to influence the behavioural intention of millennials
Authors: van Breda Lise , Terblanche-Smit Marlize , Pelser Theuns
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study aims to understand if the appeals often used in social marketing, namely, fear and guilt, are effective in changing South African millennials’ intention to behave more pro-environmentally.

Design/methodology/approach

A primary quantitative research method was followed with a between-subject experimental design approach. The treatment took the form of fear- and guilt-based sustainability advertisements. Questions were asked in the form of a survey with the determinants of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model (i.e. attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control) as its constructs.

Findings

Analysis of the collected data revealed that adding the appeal of fear or guilt to advertisements does not significantly change South African millennials’ intention to behave pro-environmentally. Furthermore, a deeper analysis of the TPB model’s determinants showed that attitude had the strongest effect on behavioural intention. Also, the use of fear or guilt in sustainability social marketing does not affect the subjective norms of South African millennials.

Research limitations/implications

The study offers a greater understanding of customer engagement and motivational factors in the mobile instant messaging (MIM) environment. Future studies could consider more complex relationships with customer engagement in using MIM apps focussed on a younger generation.

Practical implications

It is therefore recommended that to significantly increase the South African millennials’ intention to behave pro-environmentally, social marketers should use other advertising tools or appeals, namely, positive attitude change.

Originality/value

The results of this study represent a contribution to the limited literature on TPB determinants and how they drive behavioural intention.
A framework to implement augmented reality based on BIM to improve operation and maintenance of mechanical facilities of commercial complexes
Authors: Alijani Mamaghani Omid , Noorzai Esmatullah
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The mechanical facilities of large-scale buildings have many complexities, so facility management (FM) encounters a massive amount of information during the operation, and inspection is not implemented efficiently. This study aims to integrate building information modeling (BIM), augmented reality (AR) and sensors to mitigate the operation and maintenance (O&M) problems of mechanical facilities by establishing intelligent management.

Design/methodology/approach

The component-level data of an under-construction commercial complex were implemented in a 3D model in Autodesk Revit and Navisworks. Then, sensors were installed in mechanical facilities to provide vital online information for the model. Moreover, Unity was used on Vuforia for the AR visualization of the devices.

Findings

It was found that FM not only could obtain building information but can also visualize the functioning of mechanical facilities online through a 3D model in BIM. Thus, in the case of a failure, the AR platform is used on tablets, smartphones and smart glasses to show the technician how mechanical facilities can be repaired and maintained.

Originality/value

Previous studies focused on some factors and processes to improve mechanical FM and did not cover the entire aspect. However, this method reduces the average maintenance time, extends the lives of mechanical devices and prevents unpredicted failures.
On thresholds: signs, symbols and significance
Authors: Van der Veer Martens Betsy
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This paper reviews research developments in semiosis (sign activity) as theorized by Peirce, Eco and Sebeok, focusing specifically on the current study of “semiotic threshold zones,” which range from the origins of life through various nonhuman life forms to artificial life forms, including those symbolic thresholds most familiar to library and information science (LIS) researchers. The intent is to illustrate potential opportunities for LIS research beyond its present boundaries.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a framework that describes six semiotic threshold zones (presemiotic, protosemiotic, phytosemiotic, zoosemiotic, symbolic and polysemiotic) and notable work being done by researchers in each.

Findings

While semiotic researchers are still defining the continuum of semiotic thresholds, this focus on thresholds can provide a unifying framework for significance as human and nonhuman interpretations of a wide variety of signs accompanied by a better understanding of their relationships becomes more urgent in a rapidly changing global environment.

Originality/value

Though a variety of semiotic-related topics have appeared in the LIS literature, semiotic thresholds and their potential relationships to LIS research have not been previously discussed there. LIS has traditionally tasked itself with the recording, dissemination and preservation of knowledge, and in a world that faces unprecedented environmental and global challenges for all species, the importance of these thresholds may well be considered as part of our professional obligations in potentially documenting and archiving the critical differences in semiosis that extend beyond purely human knowledge.
Impact of technology-based knowledge sharing on employee outcomes: moderation effects of training, support and leadership
Authors: Nguyen Mai , Rundle-Thiele Sharyn , Malik Ashish , Budhwar Pawan
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on how adopting technologies impacts employees’ job performance and well-being. One such new job demand is the use of technology-based knowledge sharing (TBKS), which has the potential to influence employees’ job performance and well-being. Therefore, human resource managers must provide resources that facilitate the adoption of TBKS to improve job performance while minimising mental health effects.

Design/methodology/approach

Guided by social capital theory, social exchange theory and the job demands-resources model, the authors analyse survey data from 281 Vietnamese employees.

Findings

The results of this paper show that TBKS influences employee mental health and directly and indirectly affects job performance. The authors examine the moderating effects of training, transformational leadership and organisational resources on the relationship between the new job demands of TBKS on job performance and mental health outcomes.

Practical implications

TBKS platform developers should offer user-friendly interface functions and extend critical features. HRM should communicate more with employees, care about their well-being and consider their goals and values. HRM needs to provide training to help employees adapt to organisational changes. Leadership also needs to make employees perceive that organisational success is closely related to the success of TBKS.

Originality/value

This paper draws upon the three fundamental tenets of three theories as a triangular base to examine the relationship between TBKS and its outcomes. This paper contributes to the knowledge management literature by delivering a comprehensive understanding and demonstrating how the inclusion of technology in knowledge sharing and human resource practices can impact employee performance and well-being.
CEO talk of sustainability in CEO letters: towards the inclusion of a sustainability embeddedness and value-creation perspective
Authors: Arvidsson Susanne
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how CEO talk of sustainability in CEO letters evolves in a period of increased expectations from society for companies to increase their transition towards becoming more sustainable and to better account for progress and performance within the sustainability areas.

Design/methodology/approach

By adopting an interpretive textual approach, the paper provides a careful analysis of how CEO talk of sustainability in CEO letters of large listed Swedish companies developed during 2008–2017.

Findings

The talk of sustainability is successively becoming more elaborated, proactive and multidimensional. CEOs frame their talk by adopting different perspectives: the distinct environmental, the performance and meso, the product-market-oriented and the sustainability embeddedness and value creation. The shift towards an embeddedness and value-creation perspective in the later letters implies that the alleged capitalistic and short-sighted focus on shareholder value maximisation might be changing towards a greater focus on sustainability embeddedness as an important goal for succeeding with the transition towards a sustainable business.

Practical implications

The findings are relevant for policymakers and government bodies when developing policies and regulations aimed at improving the positive impact of companies on global sustainable development. Findings are also useful for management teams when structuring their sustainability talk as a response to external pressure.

Social implications

The findings provide relevant input on how social norms, values and expectations are shaping the corporate discourse on sustainability.

Originality/value

The findings of this study contribute to an increased understanding of the rhetorical response in influential CEO letters to the surrounding sustainability context, including new national and international policies as well as sociopolitical events and discourses related to sustainability. This offers a unique frame of reference for further interpretational work on how CEOs frame, engage in and shape the sustainability discourse.
Drought effects on root and shoot traits and their decomposability
Authors: Reinelt Laura , Whitaker Jeanette , Kazakou Elena , Bonnal Laurent , Bastianelli Denis , Bullock James M. , Ostle Nicholas J.
Published: January 2023

Drought can induce phenotypic plasticity in a range of plant root and shoot traits. These traits have been shown to explain differences in root and shoot litter decomposability between species. However, it is unknown how drought‐induced plasticity of root and shoot traits alters their decomposability.

To investigate this issue across a range of species, we grew a grass Lolium perenne, a forb Plantago lanceolata and a legume Trifolium repens common to European temperate grasslands and subjected them to a 5‐week moderate drought treatment. We compared morphological and chemical root and shoot traits of the droughted plants to well‐watered controls. We then conducted a decomposition assay of the senesced root and shoot material over 16 weeks, with mass loss measurements at five timepoints.

Drought had significant and sometimes strong effects on morphological and chemical root and shoot traits of all three species, sometimes similar to differences between species and generally in line with a shift to a more resource‐conservative strategy. Drought also increased the labile litter fraction in roots of Lolium perenne, which was associated with a substantial increase in non‐structural carbohydrates. Drought decreased the labile litter fraction in shoots of Plantago lanceolata, but this could not be explained by the traits we measured. Drought effects on litter decomposability were weaker than on plant traits.

Our results suggest that plant trait‐mediated effects of drought on litter decomposability can either increase or decrease vegetation feedbacks to climate change. They also show that drought‐induced plasticity in root and shoot traits does not automatically translate into equivalent changes in litter decomposability.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Novel climate–fire–vegetation interactions and their influence on forest ecosystems in the westernUSA
Authors: Liang Shuang , Hurteau Matthew D.
Published: January 2023

Climate, disturbance, vegetation response and their interaction are key factors in predicting the distribution and function of ecosystems across landscapes. A range of factors, operating through different pathways, are amplifying the feedbacks in this three‐way interaction.

In the western USA, the relative strength of the influence of climate versus vegetation on fire activity varies spatially, realizing a diversity of fire regimes and fire‐selected species traits under historical conditions of climate–fire–vegetation interactions.

Human intervention, via land use and fire‐exclusion, has homogenized frequent‐fire‐adapted forests in terms of structure and composition. Climate change is reinforcing the homogenization directly via increasing temperatures and drought and indirectly through climate‐driven tree mortality. The net effect will be forming novel climate–fire–vegetation interactions that act to homogenize fire regimes and catalyse large‐scale forest loss.

While long‐term persistence of tree species in a given location may not be possible due to directional change of climate, slowing the rate of wildfire‐driven forest cover loss and maximizing the in‐situ persistence of a diversity of species will allow forest ecosystems to respond more incrementally to changing climate and provide an opportunity for ecosystem reassembly to occur from a large pool of species.

As climate continues to change, management to resist wildfire‐driven forest cover loss may hinge on reducing forest density and creating a higher level of heterogeneity to reach the resistance and resilience exhibited by pre‐fire‐exclusion forests. Management operations should better leverage disturbance while strategically deploying silvicultural treatments to increase managed and prescribed fire.

Further research is needed to improve our capacity for quantifying key mechanisms and system responses involved in the climate–fire–vegetation interactions and predicting how best to allocate resources to manage for functional forests.

Read the freePlain Language Summaryfor this article on the Journal blog.
Seasonal community stability increased with water addition and shrub removal but reduced with nitrogen addition in semi‐arid grassland
Authors: Wen Pin , Wang Bing , Liu Shengen , Wu Liji , Yue Lingyan , Wu Ying , Chen Huasong , Bai Yongfei , Chen Dima
Published: January 2023

Stability is a useful indicator of the functioning and sustainability of an ecosystem, and much studies have explored the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on the inter‐annual stability of plant community. However, the effects of multiple anthropogenic stressors on seasonal community stability have not been clearly elucidated, especially for vulnerable semi‐arid grasslands.

During the growing season in the 5th year of the experiment, we determined how nitrogen (N) addition, water addition and shrub removal altered seasonal community stability in a semi‐arid grassland dominated by the shrub Caragana microphylla on the Mongolian Plateau.

We found that shrub removal, N addition and water addition had different effects on the stability of community and plant functional groups (PFGs). Shrub removal increased seasonal community stability mostly via increases in the stability of perennial forbs and C4 plants, and shrub removal did not alter the effects of N addition or water addition on seasonal community stability or PFG stability.

N addition decreased seasonal community stability mostly via decreases in the stability of perennial rhizome grasses and C4 plants. Water addition increased seasonal community stability mostly via increases in the stability of annuals and biennials, perennial forbs, perennial rhizome grasses, dominant species and C4 plants. Species asynchrony and PFG stability but not species richness or soil abiotic or biotic variables helped to maintain seasonal community stability under N addition or water addition.

Our findings indicate that future scenarios of increases in N deposition and shrub encroachment will strongly reduce community stability in drylands, and that future scenarios of increases in precipitation together with shrub removal might help to maintain the stability of this and other dryland ecosystems.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Dynamics of standing deadwood in Austrian forests under varying forest management and climatic conditions
Authors: Oettel Janine , Zolles Anita , Gschwantner Thomas , Lapin Katharina , Kindermann Georg , Schweinzer Karl‐Manfred , Gossner Martin M. , Essl Franz
Published: January 2023

Standing deadwood is an important structural component of forest ecosystems. Its occurrence and dynamics influence both carbon fluxes and the availability of habitats for many species. However, deadwood is greatly reduced in managed, and even in many currently unmanaged temperate forests in Europe. To date, few studies have examined how environmental factors, forest management and changing climate affect the availability of standing deadwood and its dynamics.

Data from five periods of the Austrian National Forest Inventory (1981–2009) were used to (I) analyse standing deadwood volume in relation to living volume stock, elevation, eco‐region, forest type, ownership and management intensity, (II) investigate the influence of forest ownership and management intensity on snag persistence and (III) define drivers of standing deadwood volume loss for seven tree genera (Abies, Alnus, Fagus, Larix, Picea, Pinus and Quercus) using tree‐related, site‐related and climate‐related variables, and predict volume loss under two climate change scenarios.

Standing deadwood volume was mainly determined by living volume stock and elevation, resulting in different distributions between eco‐regions. While forest type and management intensity influenced standing deadwood volume only slightly, the latter exhibited a significant effect on persistence. Snag persistence was shorter in intensively managed forests than in extensively managed forests and shorter in private than in public forests.

Standing deadwood volume loss was driven by a combination of diameter at breast height, elevation, as well as temperature, precipitation and relative humidity. Volume loss under climate change predictions revealed constant rates for moderate climate change (RCP2.6) by the end of the 21st century. Under severe climate change conditions (RCP8.5), volume loss increased for most tree genera, with Quercus, Alnus and Picea showing different predictions depending on the model used as the baseline scenario. We observed trends towards faster volume loss at higher temperatures and lower elevations and slower volume loss at high precipitation levels. The tree genera most susceptible to climate change were Pinus and Fagus, while Abies was least susceptible.

Synthesis and applications. We recommend to protect standing dead trees from regular harvesting to ensure the full decomposition process. The consequences for decomposition‐dependent species must be taken into account to evaluate the influences of management and climate change on standing deadwood dynamics.
The cultural influence on employees' preferences for reward allocation rules: A two‐wave survey study in 28 countries
Authors: Adamovic Mladen
Published: January 2023

Multinational organisations and government organisations experienced problems introducing a merit pay system in different countries. Designing the right reward system is challenging in an international work environment, because employees often have different expectations about reward allocations. Most prior research predicted that individualistic employees prefer equity as allocation rule for rewards, while collectivistic employees prefer equality as allocation rule. However, prior research could not confirm this prediction. To expand prior research, we integrate cultural value theory and allocation rule research to examine if employees' culture‐inspired personal values influence their preferred allocation rule. We conducted a two‐wave study with 3432 employees from 28 countries. The results show that employees' cultural value orientations are related to their preferred allocation rules. Further, supervisors are not only considered fair if they distribute outcomes based on employees' task performance but also based on equality or extra‐role performance.
Use of durvalumab in stage III non‐small‐cell lung cancer based on eligibility for the PACIFIC study
Authors: Boys Emma , Gao Bo , Hui Rina , da Silva Inês , Hau Eric , Gee Harriet , Nagrial Adnan
Published: January 2023

Background

Durvalumab following concurrent chemoradiotherapy is standard treatment for unresectable stage III non‐small‐cell lung cancer based on the results of the PACIFIC trial. Based on trial criteria, not all patients are eligible for durvalumab in routine clinical practice.

Methods

We evaluated eligibility for durvalumab in a real‐world clinical setting and the impact of eligibility on outcomes. Consecutive patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy at two tertiary centers between January 2015 and June 2022 were assessed. Clinical characteristics and outcomes were evaluated based on eligibility criteria for the PACIFIC trial.

Results

A total of 126 patients were included. Seventy patients (56%) were eligible for durvalumab. Ineligibility was associated with shorter progression‐free survival of 9.7 months versus 18.4 months (hazard ratio [HR] 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.39–0.95, p = 0.029) and overall survival of 26.4 months versus 58.7 months (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.28–0.80, p = 0.005). Common reasons for ineligibility were history of previous malignancy (32%) and progressive disease or death during chemoradiotherapy (25%). Ineligible patients who received durvalumab had similar outcomes to eligible patients who received durvalumab.

Conclusions

In a real‐world cohort, adjuvant durvalumab is safe and beneficial in a substantial proportion of patients who would not have been eligible for the PACIFIC trial.
Human factors in anaesthesia: a narrative review
Authors: Kelly F. E. , Frerk C. , Bailey C. R. , Cook T. M. , Ferguson K. , Flin R. , Fong K. , Groom P. , John C. , Lang A. R. , Meek T. , Miller K. L. , Richmond L. , Sevdalis N. , Stacey M. R.
Published: January 2023

Healthcare relies on high levels of human performance, as described by the ‘human as the hero’ concept. However, human performance varies and is recognised to fall in high‐pressure situations, meaning that it is not a reliable method of ensuring safety. Other safety‐critical industries embed human factors principles into all aspects of their organisations to improve safety and reduce reliance on exceptional human performance; there is potential to do the same in anaesthesia. Human factors is a broad‐based scientific discipline which aims to make it as easy as possible for workers to do things correctly. The human factors strategies most likely to be effective are those which ‘design out’ the chance of an error or adverse event occurring. When errors or adverse events do happen, barriers are in place to trap them and reduce the risk of progression to patient and/or worker harm. If errors or adverse events are not trapped by these barriers, mitigations are in place to minimise the consequences. Non‐technical skills form an important part of human factors barriers and mitigation strategies and include: situation awareness; decision‐making; task management; and team working. Human factors principles are not a substitute for proper investment and appropriate staffing levels. Although applying human factors science has the potential to save money in the long term, its proper implementation may require investment before reward can be reaped. This narrative review describes what is known about human factors in anaesthesia to date.
Continuous multi‐day tracking of post‐myocardial infarction recovery of cardiac electrical stability and autonomic tone using electrocardiogram patch monitors
Authors: Verrier Richard L. , Varma Niraj , Nearing Bruce D.
Published: January 2023

Background

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk is elevated following acute myocardial infarction (MI). The time course of SCD susceptibility post‐MI requires further investigation.

Methods

In this observational cohort study, we employed state‐of‐the‐art noninvasive ECG techniques to track the daily time course of cardiac electrical instability and autonomic function following ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non‐STEMI (NSTEMI). Preventice BodyGuardian MINI‐EL Holters continuously recorded ECGs for 7 days at hospital discharge and at 40 days for STEMI (N = 5) or at 90 days for NSTEMI patients (N = 5). Cardiac electrical instability was assessed by T‐wave alternans (TWA) and T‐wave heterogeneity (TWH); autonomic tone was determined by rMSSD‐heart rate variability (HRV).

Results

TWA was severely elevated (≥60 μV) in STEMI patients (80 ± 10.3 μV) at discharge and throughout the first recording period but declined by 50% to 40 ± 2.3 μV (p = .03) by Day 40 and remained in the normal range (<47 μV). TWH, a related phenomenon analyzed from 12‐lead ECGs, was reduced by 63% in the five STEMI patients from discharge to normal (<80 μV) at follow‐up (105 ± 27.3 to 39 ± 3.3 μV, p < .04) but increased by 65% in a STEMI case (89 to 147 μV), who received a wearable defibrillator vest and later implantable cardioverter defibrillator. In NSTEMI patients, TWA was borderline abnormal (47 ± 3.3 μV) at discharge and declined by 19% to normal (38 ± 1.2 μV) by Day 90 (p = .05). An overall reciprocal increase in rMSSD‐HRV suggested recovery of vagal tone.

Conclusions

This study provides proof‐of‐principle for tracking post‐MI SCD risk in individual patients with implications for personalized therapy.