bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Runaway evolution from male-male competition
Authors: Moore Allen J. , McGlothlin Joel W. , Wolf Jason B.
Published: May 2021

Wondrously elaborate weapons and displays that appear to be counter to ecological optima are widespread features of male contests for mates across the animal kingdom. To understand how such diverse traits evolve, here we develop a quantitative genetic model of sexual selection for a male signaling trait that mediates aggression in male-male contests and show that an honest indicator of aggression can generate selection on itself by altering the social environment. This can cause selection to accelerate as the trait is elaborated, leading to runaway evolution. Thus, an evolving source of selection provided by the social environment is the fundamental unifying feature of runaway sexual selection driven by either male-male competition or female mate choice. However, a key difference is that runaway driven by male-male competition requires signal honesty. Our model identifies simple conditions that provide clear, testable predictions for empirical studies using standard quantitative genetic methods.
Retention dependences support highly confident identification of lipid species in human plasma by reversed-phase UHPLC/MS
Authors: Vaňková Zuzana , Peterka Ondřej , Chocholoušková Michaela , Wolrab Denise , Jirásko Robert , Holčapek Michal
Published: May 2021

Reversed-phase ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography q mass spectrometry (RP-UHPLC/MS) method was developed with the aim to unambiguously identify a large number of lipid species from multiple lipid classes in human plasma. The optimized RP-UHPLC/MS method employed the C18 column with sub-2 μm particles with the total run time of 25 min. The chromatographic resolution was investigated with 42 standards from 18 lipid classes. The UHPLC system was coupled to high-resolution quadrupole – time-of-flight (QTOF) mass analyzer using electrospray ionization (ESI) measuring full scan and tandem mass spectra (MS/MS) in positive- and negative-ion modes with high mass accuracy. Our identification approach was based onm/zvalues measured with mass accuracy within 5 ppm tolerance in the full scan mode, characteristic fragment ions in MS/MS, and regularity in chromatographic retention dependences for individual lipid species, which provides the highest level of confidence for reported identifications of lipid species including regioisomeric and other isobaric forms. The graphs of dependences of retention times on the carbon number or on the number of double bond(s) in fatty acyl chains were constructed to support the identification of lipid species in homologous lipid series. Our list of identified lipid species is also compared with previous publications investigating human blood samples by various MS based approaches. In total, we have reported more than 500 lipid species representing 26 polar and nonpolar lipid classes detected in NIST Standard reference material 1950 human plasma.
DiversityScanner: Robotic discovery of small invertebrates with machine learning methods
Authors: Wührl Lorenz , Pylatiuk Christian , Giersch Matthias , Lapp Florian , von Rintelen Thomas , Balke Michael , Schmidt Stefan , Cerretti Pierfilippo , Meier Rudolf
Published: May 2021

Invertebrate biodiversity remains poorly explored although it comprises much of the terrestrial animal biomass, more than 90% of the species-level diversity and supplies many ecosystem services. The main obstacle is specimen- and species-rich samples. Traditional sorting techniques require manual handling and are slow while molecular techniques based on metabarcoding struggle with obtaining reliable abundance information. Here we present a fully automated sorting robot, which detects each specimen, images and measures it before moving it from a mixed invertebrate sample to the well of a 96-well microplate in preparation for DNA barcoding. The images are then used by a newly trained convolutional neural network (CNN) to assign the specimens to 14 particularly common, usually family-level “classes” of insects in Malaise trap samples and an “other-class” (N=15). The average assignment precision for the classes is 91.4% (75-100%). In order to obtain biomass information, the specimen images are also used to measure specimen length and estimate body volume. We outline how the DiversityScanner robot can be a key component for tackling and monitoring invertebrate diversity. The robot generates large numbers of images that become training sets for CNNs once the images are labelled with identifications based on DNA barcodes. In addition, the robot allows for taxon-specific subsampling of large invertebrate samples by only removing the specimens that belong to one of the 14 classes. We conclude that a combination of automation, machine learning, and DNA barcoding has the potential to tackle invertebrate diversity at an unprecedented scale.
Toxoplasma bradyzoites exhibit physiological plasticity of calcium and energy stores controlling motility and egress
Authors: Fu Yong , Brown Kevin M. , Jones Nathaniel G. , Moreno Silvia N. J. , Sibley L. David
Published: May 2021

Toxoplasma gondiihas evolved different developmental stages for disseminating during acute infection (i.e. tachyzoites) and for establishing chronic infection (i.e. bradyzoites). Calcium ion (Ca2+) signaling tightly regulates the lytic cycle of tachyzoites by controlling microneme secretion and motility to drive egress and cell invasion. However, the roles of Ca2+signaling pathways in bradyzoites remain largely unexplored. Here we show that Ca2+responses are highly restricted in bradyzoites and that they fail to egress in response to agonists. Development of dual-reporter parasites revealed dampened calcium responses and minimal microneme secretion by bradyzoites induced in vitro or harvested from infected mice and tested ex vivo. Ratiometric Ca2+imaging demonstrated lower Ca2+basal levels, reduced magnitude, and slower Ca2+kinetics in bradyzoites compared with tachyzoites stimulated with agonists. Diminished responses in bradyzoites were associated with down-regulation of calcium ATPases involved in intracellular Ca2+storage in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and acidocalcisomes. Once liberated from cysts by trypsin digestion, bradyzoites incubated in glucose plus calcium rapidly restored their intracellular Ca2+and ATP stores leading to enhanced gliding. Collectively, our findings indicate that intracellular bradyzoites exhibit dampened Ca2+signaling and lower energy levels that restrict egress, and yet upon release they rapidly respond to changes in the environment to regain motility.
Spatiotemporal context modulates encoding and retrieval of overlapping events
Authors: Smith Devyn E. , Moore Isabelle L. , Long Nicole M.
Published: May 2021

Overlap between events can lead to interference due to a tradeoff between encoding the present event and retrieving the past event. Temporal context information – ‘when’ something occurred, a defining feature of episodic memory – can cue retrieval of a past event. However, the influence of temporal overlap, or proximity in time, on the mechanisms of interference are unclear. Here, by identifying brain states using scalp electroencephalography (EEG) from male and female human subjects, we show the extent to which temporal overlap promotes interference and induces retrieval. In this experiment, subjects were explicitly directed to either encode the present event or retrieve a past, overlapping event while perceptual input was held constant. We find that the degree of temporal overlap between events leads to selective interference. Specifically, greater temporal overlap between two events leads to impaired memory for the past event selectively when the top-down goal is to encode the present event. Using pattern classification analyses to measure neural evidence for a retrieval state, we find that greater temporal overlap leads to automatic retrieval of a past event, independent of top-down goals. Critically, the retrieval evidence we observe likely reflects a general retrieval mode, rather than retrieval success or effort. Collectively, our findings provide insight into the role of temporal overlap on interference and memory formation.
Structure Activity Relationship of USP5 Allosteric Inhibitors
Authors: Mann Mandeep K. , Zepeda-Velázquez Carlos A. , Alvarez Hector G. , Dong Aiping , Kiyota Taira , Aman Ahmed , Arrowsmith Cheryl H. , Al-Awar Rima , Harding Rachel J. , Schapira Matthieu
Published: May 2021

USP5 is a deubiquitinase that has been implicated in a range of diseases, including cancer, but no USP5-targeting chemical probe has been reported to date. Here, we present the progression of a chemical series that occupies the C-terminal ubiquitin-binding site of a poorly characterized zinc-finger ubiquitin binding domain (ZnF-UBD) of USP5 and allosterically inhibits the catalytic activity of the enzyme. Systematic exploration of the structure-activity relationship, complemented with crystallographic characterization of the ZnF-UBD bound to multiple ligands, led to the identification of 64, which binds to the USP5 ZnF-UBD with a KD of 2.8 µM. 64 is selective over the structurally similar ZnF-UBD domain of HDAC6 and inhibits USP5 catalytic activity in vitro with an IC50 of 26 µM. This study provides a chemical and structural framework for the discovery of a chemical probe to delineate USP5 function in cells.

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Feral and managed honey bees,Apis mellifera(Hymenoptera: Apidae), in southern California have similar levels of viral pathogens
Authors: Geffre Amy , Travis Dillon , Kohn Joshua , Nieh James
Published: May 2021

Bees provide critical pollination services but are threatened by multiple stressors, including viral pathogens. Most studies of pollinator health focus on managed honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus) (MHB) or native bee species, but a third player, the feral honey bee (FHB), requires further study. Spillover and spillback of viral pathogens between these managed, feral, and native bees is generating increasing interest. In this case study, we provide evidence suggesting that FHB colonies play an important role in viral pathogen dynamics of southern California pollinator communities because they act as reservoirs, of viral pathogens such as acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), and deformed wing virus (DWV). Surprisingly, even though FHB are not treated for diseases or parasites, they harbor similar pathogen loads to MHB, which are usually highly treated, suggesting the need for future studies to determine if FHB resist or are more resilient to viruses.
Glucose-dependent miR-125b is a negative regulator of β-cell function
Authors: Cheung Rebecca , Pizza Grazia , Chabosseau Pauline , Rolando Delphine , Tomas Alejandra , Burgoyne Thomas , Wu Zhiyi , Salowka Anna , Thapa Anusha , Macklin Annabel , Cao Yufei , Nguyen-Tu Marie-Sophie , Dickerson Matthew T. , Jacobson David A. , Marchetti Piero , Shapiro James , Piemonti Lorenzo , de Koning Eelco , Leclerc Isabelle , Bouzakri Karim , Sakamoto Kei , Smith David M. , Rutter Guy A. , Martinez-Sanchez Aida
Published: May 2021

Impaired pancreatic β-cell function and insulin secretion are hallmarks of type 2 diabetes. MicroRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that silence gene expression, vital for the development and function of β-cells. We have previously shown that β-cell specific deletion of the important energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) results in increased miR-125b-5p levels. Nevertheless, the function of this miRNA in β-cells is unclear. We hypothesized that miR-125b-5p expression is regulated by glucose and that this miRNA mediates some of the deleterious effects of hyperglycaemia in β-cells. Here we show that islet miR-125b-5p expression is up-regulated by glucose in an AMPK-dependent manner and that short-term miR-125b-5p overexpression impairs glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in the mouse insulinoma MIN6 cells and in human islets. An unbiased high-throughput screen in MIN6 cells identified multiple miR-125b-5p targets, including the transporter of lysosomal hydrolases M6pr and the mitochondrial fission regulator Mtfp1. Inactivation of miR-125b-5p in the human β-cell line EndoCβ-H1 shortened mitochondria and enhanced GSIS, whilst mice overexpressing miR-125b-5p selectively in β-cells (MIR125B-Tg) were hyperglycaemic and glucose intolerant. MIR125B-Tg β-cells contained enlarged lysosomal structures and showed reduced insulin content and secretion. Collectively, we identify miR-125b as a glucose-controlled regulator of organelle dynamics that modulates insulin secretion.

Graphical abstract
Mobile Footprinting: Linking Individual Distinctiveness in Mobility Patterns to Mood, Sleep, and Brain Functional Connectivity
Authors: Xia Cedric Huchuan , Barnett Ian , Tapera Tinashe M. , Cui Zaixu , Moore Tyler M. , Adebimpe Azeez , Rush-Goebel Sage , Piiwaa Kayla , Murtha Kristin , Linguiti Sophia , Leibenluft Ellen , Brotman Melissa A. , Martin Melissa Lynne , Calkins Monica E. , Roalf David R. , Wolf Daniel H. , Bassett Danielle S. , Lydon-Staley David M. , Baker Justin T. , Ungar Lyle , Satterthwaite Theodore D.
Published: May 2021

Mapping individual differences in behavior is fundamental to personalized neuroscience. Here, we establish that statistical patterns of smartphone-based mobility features represent unique “footprints” that allow individual identification. Critically, mobility footprints exhibit varying levels of person-specific distinctiveness and are associated with individual differences in affective instability, circadian irregularity, and brain functional connectivity. Together, this work suggests that real-world mobility patterns may provide an individual-specific signature linking brain, behavior, and mood.
The association of human astrovirus with extracellular vesicles facilitates cell infection and protects the virus from neutralizing antibodies
Authors: Carlos Baez-N , Quevedo Iván R. , López Susana , Arias Carlos F. , Iša Pavel
Published: May 2021

Viral gastroenteritis has a global distribution and represents a high risk for vulnerable population and children under 5 years because of acute diarrhea, fever and dehydration. Human astroviruses (HAstV) have been identified as the third most important cause of viral gastroenteritis in pediatric and immunocompromised patients. Furthermore, HAstV has been reported in biopsies taken from patients with encephalitis, meningitis and acute respiratory infection, yet it is not clear how the virus reaches these organs. In this work we tested the possibility that the released astrovirus particles could be associated with extracellular vesicles. Comparison between vesicles purified from astrovirus- and mock-infected cells showed that infection with HAstV Yuc8 enhances production of vesicles larger than 150 nm. These vesicles contain CD63 and Alix, two markers of vesicular structures. Some of the extracellular virus was found associated with vesicular membranes, and this association facilitates cell infection in the absence of trypsin activation and protects virions from neutralizing antibodies. Our findings suggest a new pathway for HAstV spread and might represent an explanation for the extraintestinal presence of some astrovirus strains.

Importance

Astroviruses are an important cause of diarrhea in children; recently some reports have found these viruses in extra-intestinal organs, including the central nervous system, causing unexpected clinical disease. In this work we found that human astrovirus strain Yuc8 associates with extracellular vesicles, possibly during or after their cell egress. The association with vesicles seems to increase astrovirus infectivity in less susceptible cells, and renders virus particles insensitive to neutralization by antibodies. These data suggest that extracellular vesicles could represent a novel pathway for astrovirus to disseminate outside the gastrointestinal tract.
Maf/ham1-like pyrophosphatases of non-canonical nucleotides are host-specific partners of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases
Authors: Valli Adrian A. , López Rafael García , Ribaya María , Martínez Francisco Javier , Gómez Diego García , García Beatriz , Gonzalo Irene , de Prádena Alfonso Gonzalez , Pasin Fabio , Montanuy Inmaculada , Rodríguez-Gonzalo Encarnación , García Juan Antonio
Published: May 2021

Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), dubbed the “Ebola of plants”, is a serious threat to food security in Africa caused by two viruses of the familyPotyviridae: cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Ugandan (U)CBSV. Intriguingly, U/CBSV, along with another member of this family and one secoviridae, are the only known RNA viruses encoding a protein of the Maf/ham1-like family, a group of widespread pyrophosphatase of non-canonical nucleotides (ITPase) expressed by all living organisms. Despite the socio-economic impact of CDSD, the relevance and role of this atypical viral factor has not been yet established. Here, using an infectious cDNA clone and reverse genetics, we demonstrate that UCBSV requires the ITPase activity for infectivity in cassava, but not in the model plantNicotiana benthamiana. HPLC MS/MS experiments showed that, quite likely, this host-specific constraint is due to an unexpected high concentration of non-canonical nucleotides in cassava. Finally, protein analyses and experimental evolution of mutant viruses indicated that keeping a fraction of the yielded UCBSV ITPase covalently bound to the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) optimizes viral fitness, and this seems to be a feature shared by the other members of thePotyviridaefamily expressing Maf/ham1-like proteins. All in all, our work (i) reveals that the over-accumulation of non-canonical nucleotides in the host might have a key role in antiviral defense, and (ii) provides the first example of an RdRP-ITPase partnership, reinforcing the idea that RNA viruses are incredibly versatile at adaptation to different host setups.
BleTIES: Annotation of natural genome editing in ciliates using long read sequencing
Authors: Seah Brandon K. B. , Swart Estienne C.
Published: May 2021

Ciliates are single-celled eukaryotes that eliminate specific, interspersed DNA sequences (internally eliminated sequences, IESs) from their genomes during development. These are challenging to annotate and assemble because IES-containing sequences are much less abundant in the cell than those without, and IES sequences themselves often contain repetitive and low-complexity sequences. Long read sequencing technologies from Pacific Biosciences and Oxford Nanopore have the potential to reconstruct longer IESs than has been possible with short reads, and also the ability to detect correlations of neighboring element elimination. Here we present BleTIES, a software toolkit for detecting, assembling, and analyzing IESs using mapped long reads.

Availability and implementation

BleTIES is implemented in Python 3. Source code is available at https://github.com/Swart-lab/bleties (MIT license), and also distributed via Bioconda.

Contact

Contact: kb.seah@tuebingen.mpg.de

Supplementary information

Benchmarking of BleTIES with published sequence data.
Does Eurobond issuance influence FDI location? Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Mensah Lord , Yiadom Eric B. , Dziwornu Raymond
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Does the issuance of Eurobonds carry enough information about favourable domestic conditions to warrant more FDI inflows? In this study, the authors investigate how FDI is responding to the rising levels of Eurobonds in sub-Saharan African (SSA).

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the system GMM model to set up a panel with all 17 SSA countries with Eurobonds. The dataset was transformed into time series, and the VAR model and Granger causality were used to diffuse the doubt of a possible bi-causal relationship between Eurobonds and FDI. Additionally, the authors use the impulse response function to test the behaviour of FDI to a one-time shock to Eurobonds.

Findings

The study reports that Eurobond levels matter in explaining FDI receipts. Specifically, the authors report that the issuance of Eurobonds leads to a favourable increase in FDI inflows. The authors transform our data into time series and use the VAR model and Granger causality test to diffuse the doubt of a possible bi-causal relationship between Eurobonds and FDI. The authors’ findings from this exercise suggest that two lag levels of Eurobond are a good predictor of future FDI flows. More also, the authors use the impulse response function to test the behaviour of FDI to a one-time shock to Eurobonds and report that a one-unit standard deviation shock to Eurobonds will cause FDI to swell up over at least 8 years.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited in scope due to data availability. Future studies may consider using countries across the globe that have issued Eurobond to retest the current research objectives.

Practical implications

The study establishes grounds to suggest that the issuance of Eurobonds carry enough information to foreign investors in deciding on the location of FDI.

Originality/value

The study is uniquely opening a new frontier to the discussion on how one international capital can be used to bait other foreign capital. It also discusses signalling theory at the macro level.
Modelling ozone disinfection process for creating COVID-19 secure spaces
Authors: Tamaddon Jahromi HamidReza , Rolland Samuel , Jones Jason , Coccarelli Alberto , Sazonov Igor , Kershaw Chris , Tizaoui Chedly , Holliman Peter , Worsley David , Thomas Hywel , Nithiarasu Perumal
Published: May 2021

Purpose

A novel modelling approach is proposed to study ozone distribution and destruction in indoor spaces. The level of ozone gas concentration in the air, confined within an indoor space during an ozone-based disinfection process, is analysed. The purpose of this work is to investigate how ozone is distributed in time within an enclosed space.

Design/methodology/approach

A computational methodology for predicting the space- and time-dependent ozone concentration within the room across the consecutive steps of the disinfection process (generation, dwelling and destruction modes) is proposed. The emission and removal of ozone from the air volume are possible by means of a generator located in the middle of the room. This model also accounts for ozone reactions and decay kinetics, and gravity effect on the air.

Finding

This work is validated against experimental measurements at different locations in the room during the disinfection cycle. The numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental data. This comparison proves that the presented methodology is able to provide accurate predictions of the time evolution of ozone concentration at different locations of the enclosed space.

Originality/value

This study introduces a novel computational methodology describing solute transport by turbulent flow for predicting the level of ozone concentration within a closed room during a COVID-19 disinfection process. A parametric study is carried out to evaluate the impact of system settings on the time variation of ozone concentration within the space considered.
Customer experience and brand loyalty in the full-service hotel sector: the role of brand affect
Authors: Guan Jingjing , Wang Wanfei , Guo Zhigang , Chan Jin Hooi , Qi Xiaoguang
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to propose a comprehensive causal model to examine the relationships between customer experience and four key factors in brand building, i.e., brand loyalty, brand trust, brand affect and brand involvement. The dimensionality of customer experience in full-service hotel is also particularly examined in relation to brand building.

Design/methodology/approach

Three steps of data collection were used: interviews of 50 customers on their experiences of staying full-service hotels, a small survey of 176 hotel guests to establish the measurement scale of customer experience and a major survey of 732 hotel customers in ten major Chinese cities to test the model of brand loyalty.

Findings

Customers’ experiences with full-service hotels are proposed to be categorized into functional, affective and social. There is a chain effect from customer experience to brand trust and to brand affect and then to brand loyalty. The brand involvement does moderate relationships between customer experience and brand trust and brand affect but not brand loyalty.

Practical implications

For full-service hotels, social and functional experiences are critical in building brand loyalty, and therefore, they need to be the focal points in the enhancement of customer experience. Also, hoteliers are advised to develop emotional connections between the customers and the hotel brand – an effective way of building trust and affection.

Originality/value

According to the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first few studies to link customer experience to brand loyalty with comprehensive causal effect analysis. This study also contributes to the knowledge of customer experience in the context of the full-service hotel sector.
Gamification in freight transportation: extant corpus and future agenda
Authors: Tomé Klock Ana Carolina , Wallius Eetu , Hamari Juho
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Several freight operations rely on human cognition and behavior. Tackling these aspects, gamification transforms activities to resemble game-like experiences. Since the freight transportation sector is rapidly adopting gamification, the purpose of this study is to provide an overview that synthesizes the state-of-the-art and plot future directions for research and the practice of gamifying this area.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of the gamification of freight transportation was conducted. After screening 691 studies, 40 relevant studies were analyzed.

Findings

Most studies found positive psychological and behavioral outcomes from gamification. Literature mainly focused on tackling the operational-level issues of road and maritime transportation modes by implementing simulation games.

Research limitations/implications

Besides elaborating how gamification can improve freight transportation, the authors describe directions still uncovered by the current corpus, such as research design and temporality and the variety of modes and tasks.

Practical implications

Practical implications emerged from the studies, primarily focusing on understanding users, tasks and contexts, targeting different audiences and transportation modalities, and balancing motivational affordances, while considering the demands of the freight transportation domain, including dynamic, spatially dispersed environments and cooperation between multiple stakeholders.

Social implications

The transportation of goods dominates much of the global economy and ecology. Therefore, gamifying this domain has a huge societal impact potential, especially related to issues of sharing economy, safety, environmental sustainability and social media.

Originality/value

Beyond providing an original overview of gamified freight transportation, this study maps current research gaps and describes practical recommendations.
Prediction of student attrition risk using machine learning
Authors: Barramuño Mauricio , Meza-Narváez Claudia , Gálvez-García Germán
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The prediction of student attrition is critical to facilitate retention mechanisms. This study aims to focus on implementing a method to predict student attrition in the upper years of a physiotherapy program.

Design/methodology/approach

Machine learning is a computer tool that can recognize patterns and generate predictive models. Using a quantitative research methodology, a database of 336 university students in their upper-year courses was accessed. The participant's data were collected from the Financial Academic Management and Administration System and a platform of Universidad Autónoma de Chile. Five quantitative and 11 qualitative variables were chosen, associated with university student attrition. With this database, 23 classifiers were tested based on supervised machine learning.

Findings

About 23.58% of males and 17.39% of females were among the attrition student group. The mean accuracy of the classifiers increased based on the number of variables used for the training. The best accuracy level was obtained using the “Subspace KNN” algorithm (86.3%). The classifier “RUSboosted trees” yielded the lowest number of false negatives and the higher sensitivity of the algorithms used (78%) as well as a specificity of 86%.

Practical implications

This predictive method identifies attrition students in the university program and could be used to improve student retention in higher grades.

Originality/value

The study has developed a novel predictive model of student attrition from upper-year courses, useful for unbalanced databases with a lower number of attrition students.
Factors associated with mothers' knowledge of children with congenital heart disease in Bangkok, Thailand
Authors: Khouenkoup Malatree , Srichantaranit Arunrat , Sanasuttipun Wanida
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aimed to determine mothers' knowledge of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and to examine the relationship between types of CHD, the duration of treatments, the perception of the severity of illness and the mothers' knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

A correlation study was conducted among 84 mothers of children (from infancy to six years old) with CHD who had attended pediatric cardiology clinics and pediatric units in three tertiary hospitals in Bangkok, Thailand. The two questionnaires aimed to evaluate the mothers' knowledge and perceptions of the severity of illness. Descriptive statistics, Spearman's rank-order correlation and Fisher's exact test were used to analyze the data.

Findings

Knowledge levels of mothers of children with CHD were at a high level with a mean score of 34.79 (SD = 8.23), but the knowledge domain of preventing complications was at a low level with a mean score of 14.95 (SD = 5.28). The types of CHD and the perceptions of illness were not correlated with the mothers' knowledge, but the duration of treatments was significantly correlated (r = 0.271, p < 0.05).

Originality/value

Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, should emphasize proper health education on complication prevention and the duration of treatments for children. Moreover, mothers should be supported to nurture children with CHD to reduce possible complications and prepare for cardiac surgery where needed.
Negative operating cash flows and investment inefficiency
Authors: Harris Chris , Li Zhe
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify whether negative operating cash flows are related to investment inefficiency, and specifically whether they are related to subsequent overinvestment and if this relationship is driven by agency problems within the firm.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducts fixed effect regressions, testing the relationship between negative operating cash flows and the firm’s subsequent investment inefficiency. The relationship is further examined for all firms based on size, corporate governance and cash holdings – all of which are related to agency problems.

Findings

The proportion of firms reporting negative operating cash flows has been increasing over time and is positively related to subsequent investment inefficiency. This increase is explained not only by the rise in investment of intangible assets. The positive relationship is not explained by the firm size or corporate governance, but is related to cash holdings. These results are consistent across four different measures of firm investment.

Practical implications

The percentage of publicly traded firms with negative operating cash flows has never been higher. This paper is one of the first to identify factors that may be contributing to this rise.

Originality/value

This study extends prior findings by identifying previously unexplored factors related to the rise in firms with negative operating cash flows. The rise in investment of intangible assets does not explain the increase alone. High cash holdings also influence the rise in negative operating cash flows.
The association between carbohydrate quality index and nutrient adequacy in Iranian adults
Authors: Farazi Mena , Jayedi Ahmad , Noruzi Zahra , Dehghani Firouzabadi Fatemeh , Asgari Elaheh , Djafarian Kurosh , Shab-Bidar Sakineh
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the association between carbohydrate quality index (CQI) and nutrient adequacy in Iranian adults.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 268 men and women with ages ranged from 18 to 70 years were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. The CQI was calculated by adding together the three components, namely, the ratio of solid to total carbohydrate, dietary fiber and glycemic index. The scores of three components were summed to calculate the CQI, with a higher score indicating a higher dietary carbohydrate quality. The odds ratios (ORs) of nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR), defined as the ratio of intake of a nutrient to the age- and gender-specific recommended dietary allowance, for the intake of energy and 10 nutrients across quartiles of the CQI were calculated by logistic regression analysis and expressed with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Findings

CQI ranged between 3 to 15 (mean ± SD: 9 ± 1.9). Being in top versus bottom quartile of the CQI was associated with a higher NAR of folic acid (OR: 3.20, 95% CI: 1.06–9.62; P-trend: <0.001), vitamin A (OR: 3.66; 95% CI: 1.46–9.17; P-trend: <0.001), magnesium (OR: 5.94; 95% CI; 1.71–20.53; P-trend: <0.001), vitamin C (OR: 7.85; 95% CI; 2.99–20.59; P-trend: <0.001).

Originality/value

A higher CQI was associated with greater micronutrient consumption adequacy in Iranian adults. The results suggest that increasing the consumption of total fiber and solid carbohydrates and decreasing the glycemic index of the diet and liquid carbohydrates can improve micronutrient intake adequacy.
Corporate governance model, stakeholder engagement and social issues evidence from European oil and gas industry
Authors: Doni Federica , Corvino Antonio , Bianchi Martini Silvio
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Lately, sustainability issues are increasingly affecting all sectors, even if oil and gas industry is highly required to improve its social performance because of the societal pressure to environmental protection and social welfare. Sustainability concerns and corporate governance features and practices are more and more connected because sustainability has been perceived as a crucial topic by owners and managers. In this perspective, the empirical analysis aims to explore whether and to what extent, sustainability-oriented corporate governance model is linked with social performance.

Design/methodology/approach

By adopting a multi-theoretical framework that includes the legitimacy theory, the stakeholder theory and the resource-based view theory, this analysis used a sample of 42 large European-listed companies belonging to the oil and gas industry. The authors run fixed effects regression models by using a dependent variable, i.e. the social score, available in ASSET4 Thomson Reuters, and some independent variables focused on sustainable corporate governance models, stakeholder engagement, firm profitability, market value and corporate risk level.

Findings

Drawing upon the investigation of a moderating effect, findings display that stakeholder engagement is positively associated with corporate social performance and it can be considered an important internal driver able to shape a corporate culture and most likely to address corporate social responsibility issues.

Research limitations/implications

This study confirms the need to develop an organizational and holistic approach to corporate governance practices by analyzing internal and external governance mechanisms. From the managerial perspective, managers should opt for a sustainable corporate governance model, as it is positively correlated with corporate social performance.

Originality/value

There is an urgent need to investigate sustainability issues and their potential association with firm internal mechanisms, particularly in the oil and gas industry. This paper can extend the current body of knowledge by pointing out a positive relationship between stakeholder engagement and firm social performance.
Efficiency of Tanzania's foreign exchange market
Authors: Epaphra Manamba , Kazungu Khatibu
Published: May 2021

This paper examines market efficiency in the foreign exchange market in Tanzania. A nonlinear Markov switching model was used to analyse the Tanzanian shilling against the US dollar spanning from 2 January 2009 to 30 April 2020. The estimation period was 2 January 2009–28 May 2019, and the post‐sample forecast period was 28 May 2019–30 April 2020. From the results of the two‐state Markov switching model, we define State 1, which is more volatile, as the inefficient state and State 2, which is less volatile, as the efficient one. In the unconditional probabilities from the Markov switching model, the exchange rate has a 94% probability in the inefficient state, which indicates that 94% of all speculators fully extract information when predicting future exchange rates, while 30% of all investors do not; suggesting that the foreign exchange market undergoes conditions of efficiency and inefficiency. In addition, findings showed that the exchange rate is expected to spend approximately 18 days in regime 1 and 8 days in regime 2. The policy implication of these findings is that foreign exchange market participants should pay attention to regimes and underlying market conditions when designing and applying their investment strategies.
Décomposition des sources d'inégalité d'accès à la santé de l'enfant: Une analyse comparative de quelques pays d'Afrique Subsaharienne
Authors: Bathily M. Boubacar , Sene Omar
Published: May 2021

Les inégalités d'accès à la santé constituent une préoccupation majeure des pouvoirs publics dans les pays en voie de développement. Dans ce document, nous cherchons à comprendre les sources de ces inégalités en utilisant une base de données d'enquête du DHS de 12 pays d'Afrique Sub‐Saharienne (Bénin, Ethiopie, Ghana, Kenya, Libéria, Mali, Guinée, Nigéria, Sierra‐Léone, Sénégal, Togo et Zambie). Après avoir mesuré leur degré d'inégalité à travers l'indice de concentration, nous avons employé une méthode récemment proposée par Wagstaff et al. (2003) pour décomposer cette inégalité en part "expliquée" par la contribution de ses facteurs déterminants et en composante résiduelle (ou effet "richesse" pur ou part "inexpliquée"). Les résultats ont montré que les facteurs déterminants contribuent à l'inégalité à des parts qui varient de 11 à 89%, selon les pays. Les variables qui contribuent le plus à l'inégalité "expliquée" sont l'éducation et les différences de milieux (urbain/rural) avec des parts respectives de 38,5 et 56%. Autrement dit, si la richesse avait été distribuée de manière égale, les inégalités en matière de santé resteraient en grande partie à cause des inégalités liées d'éducation et de milieux urbains et ruraux.
Identifying and quantifying general practice‐type emergency department presentations
Authors: Duwalage Kalpani I , Burkett Ellen , White Gentry , Wong Andy , Thompson Mery H
Published: May 2021

Objective

This research aims to (i) identify general practice‐type (GP‐type) presentations to EDs in South‐East Queensland, Australia and (ii) compare and quantify the clinical, socio‐demographic and time‐varying characteristics between GP‐type and non‐GP‐type presentations.

Methods

Data were collected from presentations to four EDs in Queensland from 2009 to 2014. A modified version of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) method for identifying GP‐type ED presentations was used.

Results

The four EDs have different proportions of GP‐type presentations, between 7% and 33%. Between 2009 and 2014, the amount of GP‐type presentations increased in three EDs, by between 5% and 16%, and decreased by 30% in the other ED. Different holidays, for example, the public holidays over the Christmas to New Year period, impact GP‐type presentations. Over 50% of GP‐type presentations occurred in those aged 0–34 years, and <1% were aged 85+ years. Injury‐related diagnoses made up around 37% of the GP‐type presentations, and around 13% did not wait for a diagnosis, averaged over the EDs. GP‐type presentations are more likely to present to EDs outside standard general practitioner hours.

Conclusions

Existing methods for identifying GP‐type presentations have drawbacks, and modified methods are required to better identify these types of presentations. Temporal effects not previously investigated in Australian studies, such as holidays, are significantly associated with GP‐type presentations. These findings aid strategic planning and interventions to support review of GP‐type presentations, instead, in primary‐care facilities, and such interventions may be assistive in some EDs more than others.
How symbolic human resource function actions affect the implementation of high‐performance work practices: The mediating effect of influence on strategic decision‐making
Authors: Hermans Michel , Ulrich Michael D.
Published: May 2021

Despite growing evidence of human resource management (HRM)‐performance linkages, the department entrusted to implement high‐performance work practices (HPWP), the human resource (HR) function, is perceived to lack organisational power. Drawing on political perspectives on organisational behaviour, we argue that the HR function can increase its influence on strategic decision‐making in the organisation by developing symbolic HR function actions such as interacting effectively with directors, involving line managers in HRM, outsourcing and using HR metrics. Next, we explore how HR function influence is associated with implementation of HPWP. Finally, we test whether the mediation mechanism is moderated by industry type within a global sample of 11,780 raters at 409 business units. The findings of this study have important implications for HR professionals who seek to implement HPWP in their organisations. It provides insight into how HR functions can develop and use influence towards increasing line managers' willingness to implement such practices.
Temperature and mass scaling affect cutaneous and pulmonary respiratory performance in a diving frog
Authors: MCWHINNIE Ryan B. , SCKRABULIS Jason P. , RAFFEL Thomas R.
Published: May 2021

Global climate change is altering patterns of temperature variation, with unpredictable consequences for species and ecosystems. The Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) provides a powerful framework for predicting climate change impacts on ectotherm metabolic performance. MTE postulates that physiological and ecological processes are limited by organism metabolic rates, which scale predictably with body mass and temperature. The purpose of this study was to determine if different metabolic proxies generate different empirical estimates of key MTE model parameters for the aquatic frog Xenopus laevis when allowed to exhibit normal diving behavior. We used a novel methodological approach in combining a flow‐through respirometry setup with the open‐source Arduino platform to measure mass and temperature effects on 4 different proxies for whole‐body metabolism (total O2 consumption, cutaneous O2 consumption, pulmonary O2 consumption, and ventilation frequency), following thermal acclimation to one of 3 temperatures (8°C, 17°C, or 26°C). Different metabolic proxies generated different mass‐scaling exponents (b) and activation energy (EA) estimates, highlighting the importance of metabolic proxy selection when parameterizing MTE‐derived models. Animals acclimated to 17°C had higher O2 consumption across all temperatures, but thermal acclimation did not influence estimates of key MTE parameters EA and b. Cutaneous respiration generated lower MTE parameters than pulmonary respiration, consistent with temperature and mass constraints on dissolved oxygen availability, SA:V ratios, and diffusion distances across skin. Our results show that the choice of metabolic proxy can have a big impact on empirical estimates for key MTE model parameters.
Bats and their vital ecosystem services: a global review
Authors: RAMÍREZ‐FRÁNCEL Leidy Azucena , GARCÍA‐HERRERA Leidy Viviana , LOSADA‐PRADO Sergio , REINOSO‐FLÓREZ Gladys , SÁNCHEZ‐HERNÁNDEZ Alfonso , ESTRADA‐VILLEGAS Sergio , LIM Burton K. , GUEVARA Giovany
Published: May 2021

Bats play crucial ecosystem services as seed dispersers, pollinators, controllers of insects, and nutrient recyclers. However, there has not been a thorough global review evaluating these roles in bats across all biogeographical regions of the world. We reviewed the literature published during the last two decades and identified 283 relevant studies: 78 dealt with the control of potential insect pests by bats, 80 related to the suppression of other arthropods, 60 on the dispersal of native or endemic seeds, 11 dealt with the dispersal of seeds of introduced plants, 29 on the pollination of native or endemic plants, 1 study on pollination of introduced plants, and 24 on the use of guano as fertilizer. Our literature search showed that queries combining the terms “seed dispersal,” “insectivorous bats,” “nectarivorous bats,” “use of guano,” and “ecosystem services” returned 577 studies, but half were experimental in nature. We found that the evaluation of ecosystem services by bats has been mostly conducted in the Neotropical and Palearctic regions. To detect differences across relevant studies, and to explain trends in the study of ecosystem services provided by bats, we performed generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) fitted with a Poisson distribution to analyze potential differences among sampling methods. We identified 409 bat species that provide ecosystem services, 752 insect species consumed by bats and 549 plant species either dispersed or pollinated by bats. Our review summarizes the importance of conserving bat populations and the ecological services they provide, which is especially important during the current pandemic.
Chromosome‐level genome assembly of the endangered humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus: Insight into the expansion of opsin genes in fishes
Authors: Liu Dong , Wang Xinyang , Guo Hongyi , Zhang Xuguang , Zhang Ming , Tang Wenqiao
Published: May 2021

Wrasses are dominant components of major coral reef systems. Among wrasses, Cheilinus undulatus is an endangered species with high economic and ecological value that exhibits sex reversal of females to males, while sexual selection occurs in breeding aggregations. However, the molecular‐associated mechanism underlying this remains unclear. Opsin gene diversification is regarded as a potent force in sexual selection. Here we present a genome assembly of C. undulatus, using Illumina, Nanopore and Hi‐C sequencing. The 1.17 Gb genome was generated from 328 contigs with an N50 length of 16.5 Mb and anchored to 24 chromosomes. In total, 22,218 genes were functionally annotated, and 96.36% of BUSCO genes were fully represented. Transcriptomic analyses showed that 96.79% of the predicted genes were expressed. Transposons were most abundant, accounting for 39.88% of the genome, with low divergence, owing to their evolution with close species ~60.53 million years ago. In total, 567/1,826 gene families were expanded and contracted in the reconstructed phylogeny, respectively. Forty‐six genes were under positive selection. Comparative genomic analyses with other fish revealed expansion of opsin SWS2B, LWS1 and Rh2. The elevated duplicates of SWS2B were generated by gene conversions via transposition of transposons followed by nonallelic homologous recombination. Amino acid substitutions of opsin paralogues occurred at key tuning sites, causing a spectral shift in maximal absorbance of visual pigment to capture functional changes. Among these opsin genes, SWS2B‐3 and 4 and Rh1 are expressed in the retina. The genome sequence of C. undulatus provides valuable resources for future investigation of the conservation, evolution and behaviour of fishes.