bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determination of phylogenetic relationships in the genusMangiferabased on whole chloroplast genome and nuclear genome sequences
Authors: Kumari Wijesundara WWM Upendra , Furtado Agnelo , Dillon Natalie L. , Masouleh Ardashir Kharabian , Henry Robert J
Published: September 2023

The genusMangifera(Anacardiaceae) includes 69 species of whichMangifera indica L. is the most important and primarily cultivated species for commercial mango production. Although the species are classified based on morphological descriptors, molecular evidence has proposed the hybrid origin of two species suggesting the possibility that more of the species may be of hybrid origin. To analyze evolutionary relationships within the genus, 13 samples representing 11Mangiferaspecies were sequenced and whole chloroplast (Cp) genomes and 47 common single-copy nuclear gene sequences were assembled and used for phylogenetic analysis using concatenation and coalescence-based methods. The Cp genome size varied from 151,752 to 158,965 bp withM. caesiaandM. laurinahaving the smallest and largest genomes, respectively. Genome annotation revealed 80 protein-coding genes, 31 tRNA and four rRNA genes across all the species. Comparative analysis of whole Cp genome sequence and nuclear gene-based phylogenies revealed topological conflicts suggesting chloroplast capture or cross hybridization. The Cp genomes ofM. altissima,M. applanata,M. caloneuraandM. lalijiwawere similar to those ofM. indica(99.9% sequence similarity). Their close sequence relationship suggests a common ancestry and likely cross-hybridization between wild relatives andM. indica. This study provides improved knowledge of phylogenetic relationships inMangifera,indicating extensive gene flow among the different species, suggesting that hybrids may be common within the genus.
Genomic signatures of adaptation in native lizards exposed to human-introduced fire ants
Authors: Assis Braulio A. , Sullivan Alexis P. , Marciniak Stephanie , Bergey Christina M. , Garcia Vanessa , Szpiech Zachary A. , Langkilde Tracy , Perry George H.
Published: September 2023

Understanding the process of genetic adaptation in response to human-mediated ecological change will help elucidate the eco-evolutionary impacts of human activity. Red fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) spread across Southeastern USA since their accidental introduction via Port Mobile, Alabama in the 1930s, serving today as both novel venomous predator and novel toxic prey to native eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus). To identify potential signatures of genetic adaptation in lizards to invasive fire ants, we generated whole genome sequencing data from 420 native fence lizards sampled across three populations, two of which had not been invaded by fire ants (in Tennessee and Arkansas) and one which had been invaded for ∼70 years (Alabama). We detected signatures of positive selection exclusive to the exposed Alabama population for genetic variants overlapping genes related to the membrane attack complex of the complement immune system, growth factor pathways, and morphological development. Prior work identified a relationship between increased lizard survival of fire ant attack and longer hind limbs, which lizards use to remove ants from their bodies. Furthermore, we conducted a genome-wide association study with 381 Alabama lizards to identify 24 hind limb length-associated genetic loci. For two loci, positive-effect alleles occur in high frequency and overlap genomic regions that are highly differentiated from the populations naïve to fire ants. Collectively, these findings represent plausible genetic adaptations in response to fire ant invasion, whereby morphological differentiation may increase survival against swarming ants and altered immune responses may allow the exploitation of a novel, toxic food resource.

Significance statement

Human activity can force interactions between species from distinct ecological backgrounds. These interactions can consequently impose novel selective pressures on endemic populations via predation or disruption of ecological niches through community-wide effects. While some endemic taxa have been able to adapt biologically to these disruptions, we do not have a full understanding of the underlying genetic processes that may allow it. Here we identify genomic signatures of recent adaptation nearby genes involved in morphological and immunological processes in native fence lizards that are consistent with pressures imposed by the venomous, predatory fire ants introduced by humans. These signatures are largely absent from lizard populations that are naïve to fire ants.
Spotted fever grouprickettsiaewere the dominant pathogens in parasiticRhipicephalus microplusin Yunnan Province, China
Authors: Lin Zhang , GuangQing Miao , XueXia Hou , Peng Wang , Ying Guo , CunJuan Duan , XiaoNa Yang , Qin Hao
Published: September 2023

Objective

Ticks as ectoparasites might carry many pathogens and transmitted to their hosts through blood feeding. Human might have the opportunity to be bite by ticks, therefore getting various tick-borne pathogens. Distribution of bacterium flora in ticks plays an essential role in mapping and preventing local tick-borne diseases. Our aim is to map the distribution of bacterium flora and identify the main tick-borne pathogens in dominant tick species in grazing areas of Yunnan province.

Methods

V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA amplifier sequencing was used to analyze and study the tick-borne pathogens inRh. Microplus. The prevalence survey onB.burgdorferi s.l.,B. miyamotoi, E. chaffeensis, A. phagocytophilum, Coxiella burnetiiand Spotted fever grouprickettsiaewas carried out via PCR.

Results

The results showed 105 genus and 117 species were detected in 50 (24 in Yunpan, 26 in Menghun) ticks. Pathogen prevalence testing showed the ticks were positive forB.burgdorferis.l.(9/50, 18%), Spotted fever grouprickettsiae(35/50, 70%), andA.phagocytophilum(1/50, 2%).

Conclusion

In our analysis, Spotted fever grouprickettsiaewere the dominant pathogens in these areas. At the same time, we found that v3-v4 high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene is not sensitive to identify species for certain bacteria(such asB. burgdorferis.l.). More accurate and comprehensive analysis would be necessary for detecting tick bacterium flora.
Adaptive immunity: from CRISPR to CRIHSP?
Authors: Niu Zhiyuan , Wang Yanfeng , Xu Bingqian , Jin Xinru , Ning Linwei , Hao Yuekai , Yan Yangchun , Wang Mengjun , Zhu Wuling , Zhi Lingtong , Guo Changjiang
Published: September 2023

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) confer adaptive immunity in prokaryotes against viral infection and plasmid transformation. Here, we identified abundant clustered regularly interspaced homologous stem-loop pairs (CRIHSP) within human adaptive immunity-related genes, such as antigen receptor germline genes. By examining genomic stability under activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) overexpression, we found that CRIHSP structures are preferred targets for AID. Through collecting and analyzing cancer cell genomic mutation databases, we discovered that these mutation sites tend to cluster toward stem-loop structures. Importantly, the frequency of stem-loop sequences within immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (IGHV) gene segments was over 3-fold higher compared to that within other regions. We concurrently observed stem-loop structures frequently flanking RSS motifs. Conservative estimates indicate a 74.07% probability of immunoglobulin heavy chain diversity (IGHD) gene segment enclosure within stem-loop. These RSS-proximal stem-loops may assemble into homologous stem-loop pair (HSP)-like intermediates and subsequent CRIHSP arrays. Our results implicate CRIHSP architectures as critical enhancer of antigen receptor gene recombination and diversification. Further molecular dissection of these processes could potentially elucidate mechanisms underlying cancer cell genomic instability, chromatin folding and dynamic regulation, gene expression control, etc.
scPipe: An extended preprocessing pipeline for comprehensive single-cell ATAC-Seq data integration in R/Bioconductor
Authors: Amarasinghe Shanika L. , Yang Phil , Voogd Oliver , Yang Haoyu , Du Mei R. M. , Su Shian , Brown Daniel V. , Jabbari Jafar S. , Bowden Rory , Ritchie Matthew E.
Published: September 2023

scPipeis a flexible R/Bioconductor package originally developed to analyse platform-independent single-cell RNA-Seq data. To expand its preprocessing capability to accommodate new single-cell technologies, we further developedscPipeto handle single-cell ATAC-Seq and multi-modal (RNA-Seq and ATAC-Seq) data. After executing multiple data cleaning steps to remove duplicated reads, low abundance features and cells of poor quality, aSingleCellExperimentobject is created that contains a sparse count matrix with features of interest in the rows and cells in the columns. Quality control information (e.g. counts per cell, features per cell, total number of fragments, fraction of fragments per peak) and any relevant feature annotations are stored as metadata. We demonstrate thatscPipecan efficiently identify “true” cells and provides flexibility for the user to fine-tune the quality control thresholds using various feature and cell-based metrics collected during data preprocessing. Researchers can then take advantage of various downstream single-cell tools available in Bioconductor for further analysis of scATAC-Seq data such as dimensionality reduction, clustering, motif enrichment, differential accessibility and cis-regulatory network analysis. ThescPipepackage enables a complete beginning-to-end pipeline for single-cell ATAC-Seq and RNA-Seq data analysis in R.
Structure prediction of alternative protein conformations
Authors: Bryant Patrick
Published: September 2023

Proteins are dynamic molecules whose movements result in different conformations with different functions. Neural networks such as AlphaFold2 can predict the structure of single-chain proteins in the conformations most likely to exist in the PDB. However, almost all conformations in the PDB are seen during training. Therefore, it is not possible to assess whether alternative protein conformations can be predicted or if these are reproduced from memory. Here, we train a new structure prediction network on a conformational split of the PDB to generate alternative conformations. Our network, Cfold, enables efficient exploration of the conformational landscape of monomeric protein structures. 52% (81) of the nonredundant alternative protein conformations evaluated here are predicted with high accuracy (TM-score>0.8). Cfold is freely available at:https://github.com/patrickbryant1/Cfold
A Comparison of Embedding Aggregation Strategies in Drug-Target Interaction Prediction
Authors: Iliadis Dimitrios , De Baets Bernard , Pahikkala Tapio , Waegeman Willem
Published: September 2023

The prediction of interactions between novel drugs and biological targets is a vital step in the early stage of the drug discovery pipeline. Many deep learning approaches have been proposed over the last decade, with a substantial fraction of them sharing the same underlying two-branch architecture. Their distinction is limited to the use of different types of feature representations and branches (multi-layer perceptrons, convolutional neural networks, graph neural networks and transformers). In contrast, the strategy used to combine the outputs (embeddings) of the branches has remained mostly the same. The same general architecture has also been used extensively in the area of recommender systems, where the choice of an aggregation strategy is still an open question. In this work, we investigate the effectiveness of three different embedding aggregation strategies in the area of drug-target interaction (DTI) prediction. We formally define these strategies and prove their universal approximator capabilities. We then present experiments that compare the different strategies on benchmark datasets from the area of DTI prediction, showcasing conditions under which specific strategies could be the obvious choice.
Frontal midline theta power during the cue-target-interval reflects increased cognitive effort in rewarded task-switching
Authors: Arnau Stefan , Liegel Nathalie , Wascher Edmund
Published: September 2023

Cognitive performance largely depends on how much effort is invested during task-execution. This also means that we rarely perform as good as we could. Cognitive effort is adjusted to the expected outcome of performance, meaning that it is driven by motivation. The results from recent studies investigating the effects manipulations of motivation clearly suggest that it is the expenditure of cognitive control that is particularly prone to being affected by modulations of cognitive effort. Although recent EEG studies investigated the neural underpinnings of the interaction of effort and control, reports on how cognitive effort is reflected by oscillatory activity of the EEG are quite sparse. It is the goal of the present study to bridge this gap by performing an exploratory analysis of high-density EEG data from a switching-task using manipulations of monetary incentives. A beamformer approach is used to localize the sensor-level effects in source-space. The results indicate that the manipulation of cognitive effort was successful. The participants reported significantly higher motivation and cognitive effort in high versus low reward trials. Performance was also significantly increased. The analysis of the EEG data revealed that the increase of cognitive effort was reflected by an increased mid-frontal theta activity during the cue-target interval, suggesting an increased use of proactive control. Alpha-desynchronization throughout the trial was also more pronounced in high reward trials, signaling a bias of attention towards the processing of external stimuli. Source reconstruction suggests that these effects are located in areas related to cognitive control, and visual processing.
Tissue-specific knockout inDrosophilaneuromuscular system reveals ESCRT’s role in formation of synapse-derived extracellular vesicles
Authors: Chen Xinchen , Perry Sarah , Wang Bei , Wang Shuran , Hu Jiayi , Loxterkamp Elizabeth , Dickman Dion , Han Chun
Published: September 2023

Tissue-specific gene knockout by CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful approach for characterizing gene functions in animal development. However, this approach has been successfully applied in only a small number ofDrosophilatissues. TheDrosophilamotor nervous system is an excellent model system for studying the biology of neuromuscular junction (NMJ). To expand tissue-specific CRISPR to theDrosophilamotor system, here we present a CRISPR-mediated tissue-restricted mutagenesis (CRISPR-TRiM) toolkit for knocking out genes in motoneurons, muscles, and glial cells. We validated the efficacy of this toolkit by knocking out known genes in each tissue, demonstrated its orthogonal use with the Gal4/UAS binary expression system, and showed simultaneous knockout of multiple redundant genes. Using these tools, we discovered an essential role for SNARE pathways in NMJ maintenance. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the canonical ESCRT pathway suppresses NMJ bouton growth by downregulating the retrograde Gbb signaling. Lastly, we found that axon termini of motoneurons rely on ESCRT-mediated intra-axonal membrane trafficking to lease extracellular vesicles at the NMJ.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

In this study, we developed a tissue-specific Cas9 toolkit that enables gene knockout specifically in motor neurons, glial cells, and muscle cells, the three cell types of theDrosophilaperipheral motor system. Complementary to existing RNAi methods, this versatile tissue-specific knockout system offers unique advantages for dissecting gene functions at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Using these tools, we discovered that SNARE-mediated secretory pathways are required to maintain the integrity of the NMJ and that ESCRT components play critical yet differential roles in the biogenesis of extracellular vesicles, bouton growth, and membrane turnover at the NMJ. This CRISPR toolkit can be applied to study many biological questions in the neuromuscular system.
ARID3A coordinates the proliferation-differentiation switch of transit-amplifying cells in the intestine
Authors: Angelis Nikolaos , Baulies Anna , Kucharska Anna , Kelly Gavin , Sopena Miriam L , Boeing Stefan , Li Vivian S.W.
Published: September 2023

Intestinal stem cells (ISCs) at the crypt base divide and give rise to progenitor cells that have the capacity to proliferate and differentiate into various mature epithelial cell types in the transit-amplifying (TA) zone. Here, we identified the transcription factor ARID3A as a novel regulator of intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation at the TA compartment. We show that ARID3A forms an expression gradient from villus tip to the early progenitors at the crypts mediated by TGF-β and WNT signalling. Intestinal epithelial-specific deletion ofArid3areduces proliferation of TA cells. Bulk and single cell transcriptomic analysis shows increased enterocyte differentiation and reduced secretory cells in theArid3acKO intestine. Interestingly, upper-villus gene signatures of both enterocytes and secretory cells are enriched in the mutant intestine. We find that the enhanced enterocyte differentiation in theArid3acKO intestine is caused by increased binding of HNF1 and HNF4. Finally, we show that loss ofArid3aimpairs irradiation-induced regenerative process by altering the dynamics of proliferation and apoptosis. Our findings imply that ARID3A may play a gatekeeping role in the TA compartment to maintain the “just-right” proliferation-to-differentiation ratio for tissue homeostasis and plasticity.
The NS1 protein of influenza B virus binds 5’-triphosphorylated dsRNA to suppress RIG-I activation and the host antiviral response
Authors: Woltz Ryan , Schweibenz Brandon , Tsutakawa Susan E. , Zhao Chen , Ma LiChung , Shurina Ben , Hura Gregory L. , John Rachael , Vorobiev Sergey , Swapna GVT , Solotchi Mihai , Tainer John A. , Krug Robert M. , Patel Smita S. , Montelione Gaetano T.
Published: September 2023

Influenza A and B viruses overcome the host antiviral response to cause a contagious and often severe human respiratory disease. Here, integrative structural biology and biochemistry studies on non- structural protein 1 of influenza B virus (NS1B) reveal a previously unrecognized viral mechanism for innate immune evasion. Conserved basic groups of its C-terminal domain (NS1B-CTD) bind 5’- triphosphorylated double-stranded RNA (5’ppp-dsRNA), the primary pathogen-associated feature that activates the host retinoic acid-inducible gene I protein (RIG-I) to initiate interferon synthesis and the cellular antiviral response. Like RIG-I, NS1B-CTD preferentially binds blunt-end 5’ppp-dsRNA. NS1B-CTD also competes with RIG-I for binding 5’ppp-dsRNA, and thus suppresses activation of RIG-I’s ATPase activity. Although the NS1B N-terminal domain also binds dsRNA, it utilizes a different binding mode and lacks 5’ppp-dsRNA end preferences. In cells infected with wild-type influenza B virus, RIG-I activation is inhibited. In contrast, RIG-I activation and the resulting phosphorylation of transcription factor IRF-3 are not inhibited in cells infected with a mutant virus encoding NS1B with a R208A substitution it its CTD that eliminates its 5’ppp-dsRNA binding activity. These results reveal a novel mechanism in which NS1B binds 5’ppp-dsRNA to inhibit the RIG-I antiviral response during influenza B virus infection, and open the door to new avenues for antiviral drug discovery.
Elucidating polymorphs of crystal structures by intensity-based hierarchical clustering analysis of multiple diffraction data sets
Authors: Matsuura Hiroaki , Sakai Naoki , Toma-Fukai Sachiko , Muraki Norifumi , Hayama Koki , Kamikubo Hironari , Aono Shigetoshi , Kawano Yoshiaki , Yamamoto Masaki , Hirata Kunio
Published: September 2023

In macromolecular structure determination using X-ray diffraction from multiple crystals, the presence of different structures (structural polymorphs) necessitates the classification of the diffraction data for appropriate structural analysis. Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) is a promising technique that has so far been used to extract isomorphous data, mainly for single-structure determination. Although in principle the use of HCA can be extended to detect polymorphs, the absence of a reference to define the threshold used to group the isomorphous data sets (the `isomorphic threshold') poses a challenge. Here, unit-cell-based and intensity-based HCAs have been applied to data sets for apo trypsin and inhibitor-bound trypsin that were mixed post data acquisition to investigate the efficacy of HCA in classifying polymorphous data sets. Single-step intensity-based HCA successfully classified polymorphs with a certain `isomorphic threshold'. In data sets for several samples containing an unknown degree of structural heterogeneity, polymorphs could be identified by intensity-based HCA using the suggested `isomorphic threshold'. Polymorphs were also detected in single crystals using data collected using the continuous helical scheme. These findings are expected to facilitate the determination of multiple structural snapshots by exploiting automated data collection and analysis.
The nudge effect to change the previous users' misbehaviors to stewardship behavior in personal mobility platforms
Authors: Bae Sung Hun , Bae Joonheui , Jo Seonggeun
Published: September 2023

Purpose

This research aims to examine some nudges for creating psychological ownership in order to reduce misbehaviors, consequently encouraging subsequent users to demonstrate stewardship behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

This research examined the sentiment of tweets (Study 1) to explore user experience and conducted two experiments (Studies 2 and 3) to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The misbehavior of the previous user in relation to the subsequent user's stewardship behavior was moderated by nudges based on self-investment and local identity. Perceived responsibility mediated the relationship between misbehavior and stewardship behavior as a result of nudges.

Originality/value

The findings of this study provide a framework for the transition from misbehavior to stewardship behavior in PMVs.
UrbanClap: Market Place for On-Demand Services (B)
Authors: Mukherjee Saral , Yogita Patra , Abhishek
Published: September 2023

UrbanClap was setup in October 2014 to address the opportunity of bringing the workforce from the unorganised sector into the mainstream using the power of technology. It was an on-demand marketplace for services available through a mobile app. In the initial years, UrbanClap, developed as horizontal marketplace, saw intense competition from existing and new players who were operating in the hyperlocal services space. It competed in the on-demand service marketplace by categorising its services into a lead generation business (where it connected customers with the service provider and charged a fee for matchmaking) and a fulfilment business (where UrbanClap took end-to-end responsibility for quality of service delivery). After three and half years of operations, the three co-founders wondered if it was time they moved out of lead generation and instead focussed on the fulfilment business.
Exploring factors influencing knowledge sharing in mobile social media groups within construction project teams
Authors: Jia Jianyao , Wu Ming , Hwang Bon-Gang
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Although previous research has recognized the pivotal role of mobile social media in knowledge sharing among project members, little is known about what factors affect knowledge sharing in mobile social media groups (MSMGs). Against this background, using normative social influence theory, this study attempts to explore factors influencing knowledge sharing in MSMGs.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 205 Chinese construction project members are collected and used for analysis. Ordinary least squares regression by Stata 16 is used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

Concerning role norms, gender difference in knowledge sharing behavior (KSB) is found, while it is not the case for knowledge quality (KQ). Work experience is found to positively affect KQ, but shows no influence on KSB. As for group norms, the inverted-U relationship between number of members and KSB is partially supported. In addition, organizational norms generally exhibit the greatest influence on both KSB and KQ among the three forms of norms.

Originality/value

This study deepens the understanding of knowledge sharing factors in mobile social media environments and affords practical implications for how to make full use of social media for knowledge management within construction project teams.
Blood is thicker than water: an analysis of women’s presence on Pakistani boards
Authors: Wagner Eva , Pernsteiner Helmut , Riaz Aisha
Published: September 2023

Purpose

This study aims to provide insights into gender diversity in Pakistani boardrooms, particularly for the dominant family business type, which is strongly guided by (non-financial) family-related objectives when making business decisions, such as the appointment of board members. Pakistani companies operate within the framework of weak legal institutions and a traditionally highly patriarchal environment. This study examines how corporate decisions regarding the appointment of female board members play out in this socio-political and cultural environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Board composition and board characteristics were examined using hand-collected data from 213 listed family firms and non-family firms on the Pakistan Stock Exchange from 2003 to 2017. Univariate analyses, probit regressions and robustness tests were performed.

Findings

Pakistani family firms have a significantly higher proportion of women on their boards than do non-family firms. They are also significantly more likely to appoint women to top positions, such as CEO or chairs.

Practical implications

Evidently, women are allowed to enter boards through family affiliations. Gender quotas appear an ineffective instrument for breaking through the “glass ceiling” in this socio-cultural environment. Thus, gender parity must entail the comprehensive promotion of women and the enforcement of legal reforms for structural and cultural change.

Originality/value

The analysis focuses on a Muslim-majority emerging Asian market that has been scarcely researched, thus offering new perspectives and insights into board composition and corporate governance that go beyond the well-studied Western countries.
Using immersive technologies to enhance the student learning experience
Authors: Baxter Gavin , Hainey Thomas
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate undergraduate student perceptions about the application of immersive technologies for enhancing the student learning experience. This study assesses the viewpoints of students from varying multidisciplinary backgrounds about whether immersive technologies can enhance their learning experience and increase their level of engagement in the context of higher educational delivery.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used a case study methodology adopting a questionnaire-based research mixed methods approach. In total, 83 participants completed the questionnaire. The purpose of the research was to evaluate and interpret students’ perspectives at higher educational level about the use of immersive technologies towards enhancing their learning experience. There was also a focus on remote educational delivery due to the legacy of COVID-19.

Findings

The findings suggest that there is still more empirical work to be undertaken regarding the application of immersive technologies in higher education. The study revealed that there are immersive benefits though preference for face-to-face teaching remains popular. The negative connotations associated with immersive technology use in higher education, (e.g. virtual reality), such as cost of equipment and motion sickness, substantiates the themes identified in the academic literature.

Originality/value

The study explores a diversity of immersive technologies and their application in higher education (HE) contexts. Findings indicate that although there are acknowledged pedagogical benefits of immersive technology use in HE prevalent barriers remain that require further empirical research if immersive technology use is to be universally used in the sector.
Analytical modeling and optimal design of clamped sandwich beams with cellular cores subjected to shock loading
Authors: Li Lang , Li Jiahui , Zhang Fan , Jia Fusen , Li Lei
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Sandwich structures with well-designed cellular cores exhibit superior shock resistance compared to monolithic structures of equal mass. This study aims to develop a comprehensive analytical model for predicting the dynamic response of cellular-core sandwich structures subjected to shock loading and investigate their application in protective design.

Design/methodology/approach

First, an analytical model of a clamped sandwich beam for over-span shock loading was developed. In this model, the incident shock-wave reflection was considered, the clamped face sheets were simplified using two single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems, the core was idealized using the rigid-perfectly-plastic-locking (RPPL) model in the thickness direction and simplified as an SDOF system in the span direction. The model was then evaluated using existing analytical models before being employed to design the sandwich-beam configurations for two typical engineering applications.

Findings

The model effectively predicted the dynamic response of sandwich panels, especially when the shock-loading pulse shape was considered. The optimal compressive cellular-core strength increased with increasing peak pressure and shock-loading impulse. Neglecting the core tensile strength could result in an overestimation of the optimal compressive cellular-core strength.

Originality/value

A new model was proposed and employed to optimally design clamped cellular-core sandwich-beam configurations subjected to shock loading.
M&A: The process of planning to achieve deal synergies
Authors: Sirower Mark L. , Gilbert Chris E. , Weirens Jeffery M. , VandeVanter Jacob A.
Published: September 2023

Purpose

M&A success and synergies are regularly discussed in the practical literature, but synergies are typically treated as a static concept (how do you get them?) with little discussion of financial bet acquirers create in paying an up-front premium. We describe the importance of investor reactions, the nature of the challenge, and discuss synergies as a process with five rules of the road covering M&A strategy, diligence, culture, leakage, and validation and reporting. Potential acquirers must be better prepared before they commit these major capital investments, involving multiple stakeholders throughout the process of creating the value they are promising with M&A.

Design/methodology/approach

We report the important results of our 24-year study on acquirer performance, the persistence of investor reactions, and the role of the acquisition premium to support our position that synergies must be trackable and defendable before and after deal announcement. From our collective author experience of advising on many hundreds of synergy programs over the years, we distilled our experience based on the common lack of understanding of what is required by executives, and when, and what we have seen greatly improve the odds of success in achieving sufficient M&A synergies.

Findings

Major findings include: 1. Initial market reactions are good predictors of the future, most deals persist, positive or negative, and there is a big spread of returns between winners and losers with losers paying the highest premiums; 2. Premiums additions to target’s growth value and may require larger performance increases than acquirers expect; 3. Synergies are a dynamic process involving multiple stakeholders from becoming a prepared acquirer in M&A strategy, building an early synergy roadmap during diligence, understanding that culture and change issues launch at announcement and preparation must begin long before, anticipating leakage, and validating and reporting post-close.

Originality/value

Our study is original covering three waves of mergers over 24 years; we formalize the synergy challenge created by paying a premium with respect to the already existing growth expectations for the target; we make clear that ultimately validating synergies begins with M&A strategy and diligence through to the workings of an Integration Management Office, anticipating synergy leakage, and preparing employees for change.
Breeding under pressure: Corticosterone is associated with reproductive investment under fluctuating predation risk in a long‐lived sea duck
Authors: Mohring Bertille , Öst Markus , Jaatinen Kim , Parenteau Charline , Grimaud Emmanuelle , Angelier Frédéric
Published: September 2023

Phenotypic plasticity may enable individuals to cope with predictable and unpredictable environments during their life‐cycle. In that context, studying glucocorticoids—corticosterone (CORT) in birds—is relevant because of their primary role in allostasis. Higher baseline CORT levels are classically associated with environmental constraints and lower fitness (the CORT‐fitness hypothesis). However, in some environments, higher baseline CORT levels can promote reproduction, therefore being associated with higher fitness (the CORT‐adaptation hypothesis). These two hypotheses have been tested in multiple systems but rarely in a context of fluctuating predation threat.

We used a long‐term individual‐based monitoring of baseline CORT levels in female common eiders Somateria mollissima (nCORT = 1537; nindividual = 790; 2009–2022) to disentangle the context‐dependent links between environmental conditions, CORT and fitness. Importantly, the study population has been facing a drastic increase in predation pressure over the past decades, linked to the recovery of the white‐tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla. Additionally, eiders breed on open or forested islands, further affecting adult and nest predation risk. This system allowed us to disentangle the relative contributions of within‐ and among‐individual variation in baseline CORT levels under predation.

Supporting the CORT‐adaptation hypothesis, baseline CORT levels were positively associated with reproductive investment (clutch size), age and hatching success. By partitioning within‐ and among‐individual effects, we showed that at the individual level, CORT flexibly increased with clutch size and age. Females displaying higher CORT levels were more successful, suggesting a link between CORT and individual quality.

At both the population and individual levels, baseline CORT levels decreased over the study period. This decrease was correlated with an increase in predation risk. Females had reduced baseline CORT when nesting under high eagle abundance or adult predation risk (within‐individual effect). Interestingly, apparent plasticity towards adult predation risk was only observed on open islands, likely reflecting habitat‐dependent strategies.

Consistent with the CORT‐adaptation hypothesis, we show that changes in predation regime not only correlate with changes in reproductive investment, but also with rapid plastic adjustment of glucocorticoid levels and therefore individual strategies to cope with predation risk. Given the correlative nature of our study, we encourage further experimental studies testing for a causal relationship between predation and corticosterone levels.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Reciprocal nutritional provisioning between leafcutter ants and their fungal cultivar mediates performance of symbiotic farming systems
Authors: Bolander Mille , Andersen Julie Elmegaard , Conlon Benjamin H. , Arnan Xavier , Michelsen Anders , Shik Jonathan Zvi
Published: September 2023

Optimized food acquisition is challenging because foraged diet items are chemically complex and often nutritionally imbalanced. These challenges are likely magnified when foraged foods are used to provision others (e.g. offspring, nestmates, symbionts) with different nutritional requirements.

We used a theoretical framework of nutritional niches to study these provisioning challenges in leafcutter ants that cultivate a fungal symbiont with nutrients derived from freshly foraged plant fragments. While the leaf‐cutting behaviours of free‐ranging foragers are well studied, little is known about how colonies use these plant fragments to produce their fungal crop within underground nest chambers.

For instance, gardener ants are known to convert vegetation into a nutritional mulch that they plant on the fungus garden. However, it remains poorly understood how the ants use this mulch to target the specific nutritional needs of their fungal crop, and whether the cultivar signals if provisioned mulch meets its nutritional needs. Towards answers, we performed three experiments to assess the precision and specificity of nutritional regulation in farming systems of the Panamanian leafcutter ant Acromyrmex echinatior.

A laboratory feeding experiment with nutritionally defined diets showed that ant farmers collect a specific intake target for protein and carbohydrates and then linked strict protein regulation by foragers to the cultivar's fundamental niche for protein.

An in vitro experiment with the fungal cultivar in isolation did not detect a signal of protein stress that could be used by the ants to regulate their provisioning behaviour, but it did identify an elevated fatty acid that may reinforce optimal nutritional provisioning if detected by gardening ants.

A feeding experiment with isotopically labelled diets then revealed nutrient‐specific and caste‐specific allocation timelines, with nitrogen being assimilated into the cultivar's nutritional rewards before being exclusively consumed by developing brood. In turn, these combined results help resolve the integrated behaviours that give rise to resilient leafcutter farming productivity.

We further show how nutritional niches can help disentangle reciprocal provisioning dynamics between symbionts as well as the nutritional transactions that more generally mediate symbiotic stability (e.g. sanctioning, screening, policing).

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Severity of haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn in patients with a history of intrauterine transfusions in a previous pregnancy: A nationwide retrospective cohort study
Authors: van’t Oever Renske M. , Zwiers Carolien , de Haas Masja , le Cessie Saskia , Lopriore Enrico , Oepkes Dick , Verweij E. J. T. (Joanne)
Published: September 2023

Objective

Pregnant women who received at least one intrauterine transfusion (IUT) for haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) in the preceding pregnancy are presumed to have a high likelihood of requiring IUTs again, often starting at an earlier gestational age. Our aim was to quantify these risks in a large national cohort.

Design

Retrospective cohort study of a nationwide Dutch database.

Setting

The Netherlands.

Population

All women treated in The Netherlands with IUTs for Rhesus D (RhD)‐ or Kell‐mediated HDFN between 1999 and 2017 and their follow‐up pregnancies were included. Pregnancies with an antigen‐negative fetus were excluded.

Methods

Electronic patient files were searched for the number and gestational age of each IUT, and analysed using descriptive statistics and linear regression.

Main outcome measures

Percentage of women requiring one or more IUTs again in the subsequent pregnancy, and gestational age at first IUT in both pregnancies.

Results

Of the 321 women in our study population, 21% (69) had a subsequent ongoing pregnancy at risk. IUTs were administered in 86% (59/69) of cases. In subsequent pregnancies, the median gestational age at first IUT was 3 weeks earlier (interquartile range −6.8 to 0.4) than in the preceding pregnancy.

Conclusions

Our study shows that pregnant women with a history of IUTs in the previous pregnancy are highly likely to require IUTs again, and on average 3 weeks earlier. Clinicians need to be aware of these risks and ensure timely referral, and close surveillance from early pregnancy onwards. Additionally, for women with a history of IUT and their caregivers, this information is essential to enable adequate preconception counselling.
Does scientific research change minds? Linking criminology and public perceptions of policing
Authors: Boehme Hunter M. , Adams Ian T. , Metcalfe Christi , Leasure Peter , Nolan Melissa S.
Published: September 2023

Research summary

This study investigates the impact of scientific research findings on public views of policing topics. Specifically, we conducted an original survey experiment to determine whether research information treatments influence respondents’ views on the effectiveness of the police in reducing crime, defunding and refunding police budgets, and use of body‐worn cameras. Our results indicated that presenting confirmatory research information had a significant positive impact on perceptions of police effectiveness in reducing crime and use of body‐worn cameras compared to comparison groups. Conversely, presenting “negative” research information had a significant negative effect on these perceptions. Interestingly, neither positive nor negative research information treatments related to defunding versus refunding the police had a statistically significant impact on respondents compared to comparison groups, suggesting that research findings have limited effects on more ideologically complex policing topics.

Policy implications

Scientific research can effectively shape public perceptions of police effectiveness in reducing crime and the use of body‐worn cameras, but it has limited effects on politically charged issues, such as defunding and refunding the police. To enhance the impact of evidence‐based policing, we suggest that police administrators collaborate with researchers to evaluate new policies and disseminate these findings widely to the public. Additionally, researchers should strive to make their research more accessible to the general public, beyond academic journals, scientific conferences, and paywalls. We recommend using open‐access platforms, social media, and other media outlets to disseminate unbiased, evidence‐based research on policing that is digestible to the public.
Cyprus: Political Developments and Data in 2022
Authors: FAUSTMANN HUBERT , SÖZEN AHMET
Published: September 2023

In 2022, attempts to overcome the division of the island remained dormant. Domestically, in the Greek Cypriot‐dominated Republic of Cyprus, the year was marked by the electoral campaign for the presidential elections scheduled for February 2023. In the northern part of the island, the de‐facto state Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus experienced multiple government formations and breakdowns in the wake of increasing interventions in domestic affairs by the Turkish government.
The chronology of Julianos Church, Umm el‐Jimal, Jordan: AMS radiocarbon dates of its synthronon
Authors: Al‐Bashaireh Khaled , Lindauer Susanne
Published: September 2023

An ongoing long debate on the chronology of Julianos Church, Umm el‐Jimal, northeast Jordan, started in the early 20th century. It was claimed to be the earliest dated church (ad 344) by an inscription not found in situ. After five decades, it was proven that the inscription was mistakenly associated to the church, and ‘after the start of the fifth century ad’ was suggested as a new date. It is still argued that this new date is an early one, and the church might have been built in the late fifth to early sixth century ad when compared to the dated churches of sites surrounding Umm el‐Jimal. This research aims to reconstruct the chronology of Julianos Church by AMS radiocarbon dating organic inclusions collected from mortar samples from the pavement, the coats of the tiers of the bench and the steps of the throne of the synthronon. The AMS radiocarbon dates agree with the archaeological data in that Julianos Church was renovated after its good‐quality initial construction. Hence, the last decades of the sixth century ad (565–607) are interpreted to be the most probable date for the renovation of the synthronon, while the fifth century ad, probably the second half (465–507 ad), might be the construction date of the old mosaic floor (i.e., the church).
Effects of Nd: YAG laser on tumour necrosis factor‐alpha, interleukin‐1beta and interferon‐gamma levels in teeth with apical periodontitis: A clinical study
Authors: Baris Sevda Durust , Turkyilmaz Ali , Derici Mehmet Kursat
Published: September 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the levels of tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin‐1beta (IL‐1β) and interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) with asymptomatic apical periodontitis (AP). A total of 60 participants were randomly divided into two groups: the conventional irrigation (control) and the Nd: YAG laser irradiation. The interstitial fluids were obtained after root canal cleaning (day 0) and 1 week later (day 7). The TNF‐α, IL‐1β and IFN‐γ levels were assayed using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The Mann–Whitney U, continuity correction chi‐square, Pearson chi‐square and Fisher exact tests were used. An increased level of cytokines on day 7 in the control group was observed, without statistically significant differences (p > 0.05). All cytokine levels decreased over time in the laser group. Only the IL‐1β level showed a significant difference (p < 0.05). Nd: YAG irradiation has a positive effect on decreasing the proinflammatory cytokine level and may help to control infection in teeth with AP.
Impact investing: Scientometric review and research agenda
Authors: Singhania Monica , Swami Deepika
Published: September 2023

Innovations in aligning investment with sustainability led to impact investing, enabling investors to achieve conventional financial returns and measurable social and environmental returns. Since its inception in 2007, it has grown manifolds, with significant efforts being made to create a global ecosystem. However, due to limited academic literature, the theme is yet to garner the scholarly interest it deserves. In this study, we analyse and visualise a knowledge map of the impact investment research field through a comprehensive bibliometric analysis by employing a research corpus of 421 studies sourced from Web of Science and Scopus. We identify the growth trajectory, geographical concentration, productive and influential authors, journals and significant articles and examine the inter‐disciplinarity of the field. The major research themes interlinked with impact investing included; social entrepreneurship, social innovation, social finance, impact investment market, innovative financial instruments, financialisation of essential services and impact reporting. To drive the field forward, future research needs to develop an impact investment ecosystem, address behavioural issues, stakeholder management and institutional context in impact investment theme, develop and diffuse innovative financial instruments, develop a framework for standardised accounting and reporting practices to measure financial and non‐financial dimensions, tackle impact washing by fund managers, address lack of financial access to the third sector and develop the legal and regulatory framework for third sector organisations.