bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti‐fibrotic effects of synthetic TGF‐β1 and Smad oligodeoxynucleotide on kidney fibrosis in vivo and in vitro through inhibition of both epithelial dedifferentiation and endothelial‐mesenchymal transitions
Authors: Gwon Mi‐Gyeong , An Hyun‐Jin , Kim Jung‐Yeon , Kim Woon‐Hae , Gu Hyemin , Kim Hyun‐Ju , Leem Jaechan , Jung Hyun Jin , Park Kwan‐Kyu
Published: November 2019

Kidney fibrosis is a common process of various kidney diseases leading to end‐stage renal failure irrespective of etiology. Myofibroblasts are crucial mediators in kidney fibrosis through production of extracellular matrix (ECM), but their origin has not been clearly identified. Many study proposed that epithelial and endothelial cells become myofibroblasts by epithelial dedifferentiation and endothelial‐mesenchymal transition (EndoMT). TGF‐β1/Smad signaling plays a crucial role in partly epithelial‐mensencymal transition (EMT) and EndoMT. Thus, we designed the TGF‐β1/Smad oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN), a synthetic short DNA containing complementary sequence for Smad transcription factor and TGF‐β1 mRNA. Therefore, this study investigated the anti‐fibrotic effect of synthetic TGF‐β1/Smad ODN on UUO‐induced kidney fibrosis in vivo model and TGF‐β1‐induced in vitro model. To examine the effect of TGF‐β1/Smad ODN, we performed various experiments to evaluate kidney fibrosis. The results showed that UUO induced inflammation, ECM accumulation, epithelial dedifferentiation and EndoMT processes, and tubular atrophy. However, synthetic TGF‐β1/Smad ODN significantly suppressed UUO‐induced fibrosis. Furthermore, synthetic ODN attenuated TGF‐β1‐induced epithelial dedifferentiation and EndoMT program via blocking TGF‐β1/Smad signaling. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that administration of synthetic TGF‐β1/Smad ODN attenuates kidney fibrosis, epithelial dedifferentiation, and EndoMT processes. The findings propose the possibility of synthetic ODN as a new effective therapeutic tool for kidney fibrosis.
Tracheal brush cells release acetylcholine in response to bitter tastants for paracrine and autocrine signaling
Authors: Hollenhorst Monika I. , Jurastow Innokentij , Nandigama Rajender , Appenzeller Silke , Li Lei , Vogel Jörg , Wiederhold Stephanie , Althaus Mike , Empting Martin , Altmüller Janine , Hirsch Anna K. H. , Flockerzi Veit , Canning Brendan J. , Saliba Antoine‐Emmanuel , Krasteva‐Christ Gabriela
Published: November 2019

For protection from inhaled pathogens many strategies have evolved in the airways such as mucociliary clearance and cough. We have previously shown that protective respiratory reflexes to locally released bacterial bitter “taste” substances are most probably initiated by tracheal brush cells (BC). Our single‐cell RNA‐seq analysis of murine BC revealed high expression levels of cholinergic and bitter taste signaling transcripts (Tas2r108, Gnat3, Trpm5). We directly demonstrate the secretion of acetylcholine (ACh) from BC upon stimulation with the Tas2R agonist denatonium. Inhibition of the taste transduction cascade abolished the increase in [Ca2+]i in BC and subsequent ACh‐release. ACh‐release is regulated in an autocrine manner. While the muscarinic ACh‐receptors M3R and M1R are activating, M2R is inhibitory. Paracrine effects of ACh released in response to denatonium included increased [Ca2+]i in ciliated cells. Stimulation by denatonium or with Pseudomonas quinolone signaling molecules led to an increase in mucociliary clearance in explanted tracheae that was Trpm5‐ and M3R‐mediated. We show that ACh‐release from BC via the bitter taste cascade leads to immediate paracrine protective responses that can be boosted in an autocrine manner. This mechanism represents the initial step for the activation of innate immune responses against pathogens in the airways.
Liquid‐liquid phase separation and fibrillation of the prion protein modulated by a high‐affinity DNA aptamer
Authors: Matos Carolina O. , Passos Yulli M. , do Amaral Mariana J. , Macedo Bruno , Tempone Matheus H. , Bezerra Ohanna C. L. , Moraes Milton O. , Almeida Marcius S. , Weber Gerald , Missailidis Sotiris , Silva Jerson L. , Uversky Vladimir N. , Pinheiro Anderson S. , Cordeiro Yraima
Published: November 2019

Structural conversion of cellular prion protein (PrPC) into scrapie PrP (PrPSc) and subsequent aggregation are key events associated with the onset of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Experimental evidence supports the role of nucleic acids (NAs) in assisting this conversion. Here, we asked whether PrP undergoes liquid‐liquid phase separation (LLPS) and if this process is modulated by NAs. To this end, two 25‐mer DNA aptamers, A1 and A2, were selected against the globular domain of recombinant murine PrP (rPrP90‐231) using SELEX methodology. Multiparametric structural analysis of these aptamers revealed that A1 adopts a hairpin conformation. Aptamer binding caused partial unfolding of rPrP90‐231 and modulated its ability to undergo LLPS and fibrillate. In fact, although free rPrP90‐231 phase separated into large droplets, aptamer binding increased the number of droplets but noticeably reduced their size. Strikingly, a modified A1 aptamer that does not adopt a hairpin structure induced formation of amyloid fibrils on the surface of the droplets. We show here that PrP undergoes LLPS, and that the PrP interaction with NAs modulates phase separation and promotes PrP fibrillation in a NA structure and concentration‐dependent manner. These results shed new light on the roles of NAs in PrP misfolding and TSEs.
Unexpected relationships between frequency of antimicrobial resistance, disease phenotype and emm type in group A Streptococcus
Authors: Sanson Misu A. , Macias Olga R. , Shah Brittany J. , Hanson Blake , Vega Luis Alberto , Alamarat Zain , Flores Anthony R.
Published: November 2019

Despite universal susceptibility to β-lactams, resistance to second-line antimicrobials (e.g. erythromycin) is increasingly common among group A

Streptococcus

(GAS). To better understand the frequency of regional GAS antimicrobial resistance, we screened a previously described GAS strain collection from Houston, TX, USA, for resistance to commonly used antimicrobials. A total of 100/929 (10.8 %) showed resistance to at least one antimicrobial. Tetracycline resistance was identified in 52 (5.6 %) GAS strains. The cumulative frequency of erythromycin and clindamycin resistance [macrolide (M) and macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (MLS) phenotypes] was greatest among invasive GAS strains (9.9 %) compared to that of strains derived from any other infection type (5.9 %, P=0.045). We identified emm types 11, 75, 77 and 92 as the only emm types with high (e.g. >50 %) within-emm type resistance and contributing to the majority (24/26; 92 %) of erythromycin/clindamycin resistance in invasive GAS. High-frequency resistance emm types were also significantly overrepresented in invasive GAS strains as indicated by invasive index. We performed whole-genome sequencing to define genetic elements associated with resistance among emm types 11, 75, 77 and 92. Diverse mobile elements contributed to GAS resistance including transposons, integrative conjugative elements, prophage and a plasmid. Phylogenetic analysis suggests recent clonal emergence of emm92 GAS strains. Our findings indicate that less frequently encountered GAS emm types disproportionately contribute to resistance phenotypes, are defined by diverse mobile genetic elements and may favour invasive disease.
Labelling chest x-ray reports using an open-source NLP and ML tool for text data binary classification
Authors: Towfighi Sohrab , Agarwal Arnav , Mak Denise Y. F. , Verma Amol
Published: November 2019

The chest x-ray is a commonly requested diagnostic test on internal medicine wards which can diagnose many acute pathologies needing intervention. We developed a natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) model to identify the presence of opacities or endotracheal intubation on chest x-rays using only the radiology report. This a preliminary report of our work and findings. Using the General Medicine Inpatient Initiative (GEMINI) dataset, housing inpatient clinical and administrative data from 7 major hospitals, we retrieved 1000 plain film radiology reports which were classified according to 4 labels by an internal medicine resident. NLP/ML models were developed to identify the following on the radiograph reports: the report is that of a chest x-ray, there is definite absence of an opacity, there is definite presence of an opacity, the report is a follow-up report with minimal details in its text, and there is an endotracheal tube in place. Our NLP/ML model development methodology included a random search of either TF-IDF or bag-of-words for vectorization along with random search of various ML models. Our Python programming scripts were made publicly available on GitHub to allow other parties to train models using their own text data. 100 randomly generated ML pipelines were compared using 10-fold cross validation on 75% of the data, while 25% of the data was left out for generalizability testing. With respect to the question of whether a chest x-ray definitely lacks an opacity, the model’s performance metrics were accuracy of 0.84, precision of 0.94, recall of 0.81, and receiver operating characteristic area under curve of 0.86. Model performance was worse when trained against a highly imbalanced dataset despite the use of an advanced oversampling technique.
Far from MCAR: obtaining population-level estimates of HIV viral suppression
Authors: Balzer Laura B. , Ayieko James , Kwarisiima Dalsone , Chamie Gabriel , Charlebois Edwin D. , Schwab Joshua , van der Laan Mark J. , Kamya Moses R. , Havlir Diane V. , Petersen Maya L.
Published: November 2019

Background

Population-level estimates of disease prevalence and control are needed to assess the effectiveness of prevention and treatment strategies. However, available data are often subject to differential missingness. Consider population-level HIV viral suppression: proportion of all HIV-positive persons who are suppressing viral replication. Individuals with measured HIV status, and, among HIV-positive individuals, those with measured viral suppression are likely to differ from those without such measurements.

Methods

We discuss three sets of assumptions sufficient to identify population-level suppression over time in the intervention arm of the SEARCH Study (NCT01864603), a community randomized trial in rural Kenya and Uganda (2013-2017). Using data on nearly 100,000 participants, we compare estimates from an unadjusted approach assuming data are missing-completely-at-random (MCAR); stratification on age group, sex, and community; and, targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) with Super Learner to adjust for baseline and time-updated predictors of measurement.

Results

Despite high annual coverage of testing, estimates of population-level viral suppression varied by identification assumption. Unadjusted estimates were most optimistic: 50% of HIV-positive persons suppressed at baseline, 80% at Year 1, 85% at Year 2, and 85% at Year 3. Stratification on baseline predictors yielded slightly lower estimates, and full adjustment reduced estimates further: 42% of HIV-positive persons suppressed at baseline, 71% at Year 1, 76% at Year 2, and 79% at Year 3.

Conclusions

Estimation of population-level disease burden and treatment coverage require appropriate adjustment for missingness. Even in “Big Data” settings, estimates relying on the MCAR assumption or baseline stratification should be interpreted with caution.
Cancer Predisposition Sequencing Reporter (CPSR): a flexible variant report engine for high-throughput germline screening in cancer
Authors: Nakken Sigve , Saveliev Vladislav , Hofmann Oliver , Møller Pål , Myklebost Ola , Hovig Eivind
Published: November 2019

The value of high-throughput germline genetic testing is increasingly recognized in clinical cancer care. Disease-associated germline variants in cancer patients are important for risk management and surveillance, surgical decisions, and can also have major implications for treatment strategies since many are in DNA repair genes. With the increasing availability of high-throughput DNA sequencing in cancer clinics and research, there is thus a need to provide clinically oriented sequencing reports for germline variants and their potential therapeutic relevance on a per-patient basis. To meet this need we have developed the Cancer Predisposition Sequencing Reporter (CPSR), an open-source computational workflow that generates a structured report of germline variants identified in known cancer predisposition genes, highlighting markers of therapeutic, prognostic, and diagnostic relevance. A fully automated variant classification procedure based on more than 30 refined ACMG criteria represents an integral part of the workflow. Importantly, the set of cancer predisposition genes profiled in the report can be flexibly chosen from more than 40 virtual gene panels established by scientific experts, enabling customization of the report for different screening purposes and clinical contexts. The report can be configured to also list actionable secondary variant findings as recommended by ACMG, as well as the status of low-risk variants from genome-wide association studies in cancer. CPSR demonstrates superior sensitivity and comparable specificity for the detection of pathogenic variants when compared to existing algorithms. Technically, the tool is implemented in Python/R, and is freely available through Docker technology. Source code, documentation, example reports, and installation instructions are accessible via the project GitHub page: https://github.com/sigven/cpsr.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation-induced motor cortex activity influences visual awareness judgments
Authors: Hobot Justyna , Koculak Marcin , Paulewicz Borysław , Sandberg Kristian , Wierzchoń Michał
Published: November 2019

The influence of non-visual information on visual awareness judgments has recently gained substantial interest. Using single-pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), we investigate the potential contribution of evidence from the motor system to judgment of visual awareness. We hypothesized that TMS-induced activity in the primary motor cortex (M1) would increase reported visual awareness as compared to the control condition. Additionally, we investigated whether TMS-induced motor-evoked potential could measure accumulated evidence for stimulus perception. Following stimulus presentation and TMS, participants first rated their visual awareness verbally using the Perceptual Awareness Scale, after which they responded manually to a Gabor orientation identification task. Delivering TMS to M1 resulted in higher average awareness ratings as compared to the control condition, in both correct and incorrect identification task response trials, when the hand with which participants responded was contralateral to the stimulated hemisphere (TMS-response-congruent trials). This effect was accompanied by longer Perceptual Awareness Scale response times, irrespective of the congruence between TMS and identification response. Moreover, longer identification response times were observed in TMS-response-congruent trials in the M1 condition as compared to the control condition. Additionally, the amplitudes of motor-evoked potentials were related to the awareness ratings when response congruence was taken into account. We argue that motor-evoked potential can serve as an indirect measure of evidence accumulated for stimulus perception and that longer Perceptual Awareness Scale response times and higher amplitudes of motor-evoked potentials in the M1 condition reflect integration of additional evidence with visual awareness judgment. In conclusion, we advocate that motor activity influences perceptual awareness judgments.
Testosterone improves muscle function of the extensor digitorum longus in rats with sepsis
Authors: Wang Jinlong , Wu Tong
Published: November 2019

Among patients with Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW), skeletal muscle strength often decreases significantly. This study aimed to explore the effects of testosterone propionate on skeletal muscle using rat model of sepsis. Male SD rats were randomly divided into experimental group, model control group, sham operation group and blank control group. Rats in experimental group were given testosterone propionate 2 times a week, 10 mg/kg for 3 weeks. Maximal contraction force, fatigue index and cross-sectional area of the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) were measured. Myosin, IGF-1, p-AKT and p-mTOR levels in EDL were detected by Western blot. Histological changes of the testis and prostate were detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining. We found that maximal contraction force and fatigue index of EDL in experimental group were significantly higher than in model control group. Cross sectional area of fast MHC muscle fiber of EDL in group was significantly higher than in model control group. The levels of myosin, IGF-1, p-AKT and p-mTOR of EDL in experimental group were significantly higher than in model control group. In addition, no testicle atrophy and prostate hyperplasia was detected in experimental group. In conclusion, these results suggest that testosterone propionate can significantly improve skeletal muscle strength, endurance and volume of septic rats, and the mechanism may be related to the activation of IGF-1/AKT pathway. Moreover, testosterone propionate with short duration does not cause testicular atrophy and prostate hyperplasia in septic rats. Therefore, testosterone propionate is a potential treatment for muscle malfunction in ICUAW patients.
The TARANI/ UBIQUITIN SPECIFIC PROTEASE 14 destabilizes the AUX/IAA transcriptional repressors and regulates auxin response inArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Majumdar Parinita , Karidas Premananda , Siddiqi Imran , Nath Utpal
Published: November 2019

Auxin response is regulated by a group of AUX/IAA transcriptional inhibitors that suppress auxin signaling in the absence of the hormone. While the degradation of these proteins upon auxin signaling has been well studied, the molecular control of their rapid turn-over is not clearly understood. Here, we report that the TARANI/ UBIQUITIN PROTEASE 14 protein inArabidopsis thaliana(Arabidopsis) is required for AUX/IAA degradation. Thetnimutation was originally identified in a forward genetic screen to isolate mutants with altered leaf shape. Detailed phenotypic analysis revealed thattnidisplays pleiotropic phenotypic alterations that resemble auxin-related defects. The activity of auxin responsive reportersDR5::GUS,DR5::nYFPandIAA2::GUSwas reduced intniorgans, implying thatTNIis required for normal auxin response. Genetic interaction studies suggested thatTNIacts along withTIR1,ARF7,AUX1andPIN1– molecules involved in auxin signaling or transport. A map-based cloning approach combined with next-generation sequencing identifiedTNIasUBIQUITIN SPECIFIC PROTEASE14which is involved in ubiquitin recycling. Intni, the mutant primary transcript is spliced inefficiently, which is predicted to produce an aberrant protein product in addition to the normal protein, where a polypeptide corresponding to the 3rdintron in inserted in-frame within the Zn-finger domain of UBP14. Thetniplants accumulated poly-ubiquitin chains and excess poly-ubiquitinated proteins due to reduced TNI activity. Improper ubiquitin recycling affected the degradation of DII:VENUS, IAA18:GUS and HS::AXR3-NT:GUS, resulting in their stabilization in thetnimutant. Thus, our study identified a function for TNI/UBP14 in regulating auxin response through ubiquitin recycling.
Lgr5+ telocytes are a signaling hub at the intestinal villus tip
Authors: Halpern Keren Bahar , Massalha Hassan , Zwick Rachel K. , Moor Andreas E. , Castillo-Azofeifa David , Rozenberg Milena , Farack Lydia , Egozi Adi , Miller Dan R. , Averbukh Inna , Harnik Yotam , Weinberg-Corem Noa , de Sauvage Frederic J. , Amit Ido , Klein Ophir D. , Shoshkes-Carmel Michal , Itzkovitz Shalev
Published: November 2019

The intestinal epithelium is a structured organ composed of crypts harboring Lgr5+ stem cells, and villi harboring differentiated cells. Spatial transcriptomics have demonstrated profound zonation of epithelial gene expression along the villus axis, but the mechanisms shaping this spatial variability are unknown. Here, we combined laser capture micro-dissection and single cell RNA sequencing to uncover spatially zonated populations of mesenchymal cells along the crypt-villus axis. These included villus tip telocytes (VTTs) that express Lgr5, a gene previously considered a specific crypt epithelial stem cell marker. VTTs are elongated cells that line the villus tip epithelium and signal through Bmp morphogens and the non-canonical Wnt5a ligand. Their ablation strongly perturbs the zonation of enterocyte genes induced at the villus tip. Our study provides a spatially-resolved cell atlas of the small intestinal stroma and exposes Lgr5+ villus tip telocytes as regulators of the epithelial spatial expression programs along the villus axis.
Welcoming back my arm: Affective touch increases body ownership following right hemisphere stroke
Authors: Jenkinson Paul M. , Papadaki Cristina , Besharati Sahba , Moro Valentina , Gobbetto Valeria , Crucianelli Laura , Kirsch Louise P. , Avesani Renato , Ward Nick S. , Fotopoulou Aikaterini
Published: November 2019

Right hemisphere stroke can impair the ability to recognise one’s contralesional body parts as belonging to one’s self. The study of this so-called ‘disturbed sense of limb ownership’ (DSO) can provide unique insights into the neurocognitive mechanisms of body ownership. Here, we address a hypothesis built upon experimental studies on body ownership in healthy volunteers. These studies have shown that affective (pleasant) touch, an interoceptive modality associated with unmyelinated, slow-conducting C tactile afferents, has a unique role in the sense of body ownership. Here we systematically investigated whether affective touch stimulation could increase body ownership in patients with DSO following right hemisphere stroke. An initial feasibility study in 16 adult, acute stroke patients enabled us to optimise and calibrate an affective touch protocol to be administered by the bedside. The main experiment, conducted with a different sample of 26 right hemisphere patients, assessed changes in limb ownership elicited following self-(patient) versus other-(experimenter) generated tactile stimulation, using a velocity known to optimally activate C-tactile fibres (i.e. 3cm/s), and a second velocity that is suboptimal for C-tactile activation (i.e. 18cm/s). We further examined the specificity and mechanism of observed changes in limb ownership in secondary analyses looking at (1) the influence of perceived intensity and pleasantness of touch, (2) touch laterality, and (3) level of DSO on ownership change, as well as (4) changes in unilateral neglect arising from touch. Findings indicated a significant increase in limb ownership following experimenter-administered, CT-optimal touch. Voxel-based Lesion-Symptom Mapping (VLSM) identified damage to the right insula and, more substantially, the right corpus callosum, associated with a failure to increase body ownership following experimenter-administered, affective touch. Our findings suggest that affective touch can increase the sense of body-part ownership following right hemisphere stroke, potentially due to its unique role in the multisensory integration processes that underlie the sense of body ownership.
Statistical prediction of the future impairs episodic encoding of the present
Authors: Sherman Brynn E. , Turk-Browne Nicholas B.
Published: November 2019

Memory is typically thought of as enabling reminiscence about past experiences. However, memory also informs and guides processing of future experiences. These two functions of memory are often at odds: remembering specific experiences from the past requires storing idiosyncratic properties that define particular moments in space and time, but by definition such properties will not be shared with similar situations in the future and thus may not be applicable to future situations. We discovered that, when faced with this conflict, the brain prioritizes prediction over encoding. Behavioral tests of recognition and source recall showed that items allowing for prediction of what will appear next based on learned regularities were less likely to be encoded into memory. Brain imaging revealed that the hippocampus was responsible for this interference between statistical learning and episodic memory. The more that the hippocampus predicted the category of an upcoming item, the worse the current item was encoded. This competition may serve an adaptive purpose, focusing encoding on experiences for which we do not yet have a predictive model.
Compositional knockoff filter for high-dimensional regression analysis of microbiome data
Authors: Srinivasan Arun , Xue Lingzhou , Zhan Xiang
Published: November 2019

Summary

A critical task in microbiome data analysis is to explore the association between a scalar response of interest and a large number of microbial taxa that are summarized as compositional data at different taxonomic levels. Motivated by fine-mapping of the microbiome, we propose a two-step compositional knockoff filter (CKF) to provide the effective finite-sample false discovery rate (FDR) control in high-dimensional linear log-contrast regression analysis of microbiome compositional data. In the first step, we employ the compositional screening procedure to remove insignificant microbial taxa while retaining the essential sum-to-zero constraint. In the second step, we extend the knockoff filter to identify the significant microbial taxa in the sparse regression model for compositional data. Thereby, a subset of the microbes is selected from the high-dimensional microbial taxa as related to the response using a pre-specified FDR threshold. We study the asymptotic properties of the proposed two-step procedure, including both sure screening and effective false discovery control. We demonstrate the finite-sample properties in simulation studies, which show the gain in the empirical power while controlling the nominal FDR. The potential usefulness of the proposed method is also illustrated with application to an inflammatory bowel disease dataset to identify microbial taxa that influence host gene expressions.
Dual paths to continuous online knowledge sharing: a repetitive behavior perspective
Authors: Kang Minhyung
Published: November 2019

Purpose

Continuous knowledge sharing by active users, who are highly active in answering questions, is crucial to the sustenance of social question-and-answer (Q&A) sites. The purpose of this paper is to examine such knowledge sharing considering reason-based elaborate decision and habit-based automated cognitive processes.

Design/methodology/approach

To verify the research hypotheses, survey data on subjective intentions and web-crawled data on objective behavior are utilized. The sample size is 337 with the response rate of 27.2 percent. Negative binomial and hierarchical linear regressions are used given the skewed distribution of the dependent variable (i.e. the number of answers).

Findings

Both elaborate decision (linking satisfaction, intentions and continuance behavior) and automated cognitive processes (linking past and continuance behavior) are significant and substitutable.

Research limitations/implications

By measuring both subjective intentions and objective behavior, it verifies a detailed mechanism linking continuance intentions, past behavior and continuous knowledge sharing. The significant influence of automated cognitive processes implies that online knowledge sharing is habitual for active users.

Practical implications

Understanding that online knowledge sharing is habitual is imperative to maintaining continuous knowledge sharing by active users. Knowledge sharing trends should be monitored to check if the frequency of sharing decreases. Social Q&A sites should intervene to restore knowledge sharing behavior through personalized incentives.

Originality/value

This is the first study utilizing both subjective intentions and objective behavior data in the context of online knowledge sharing. It also introduces habit-based automated cognitive processes to this context. This approach extends the current understanding of continuous online knowledge sharing behavior.
Promoting perceived insider status of indigenous employees
Authors: Caron Joanie , Asselin Hugo , Beaudoin Jean-Michel , Muresanu Doïna
Published: November 2019

Purpose

While companies in developed countries are increasingly turning to indigenous employees, integration measures have met with mixed results. Low integration can lead to breach of the psychological contract, i.e. perceived mutual obligations between employee and employer. The purpose of this paper is to identify how leadership and organizational integration measures can be implemented to promote the perceived insider status (PIS) of indigenous employees, thereby fostering fulfillment of the psychological contract.

Design/methodology/approach

A search for relevant literature yielded 128 texts used to identify integration measures at the level of employee–supervisor relationships (leader-member exchanges, inclusive leadership) and at the level of employee–organization relationships (perceived organizational support, pro-diversity practices).

Findings

Measures related to leadership included recruiting qualified leaders, understanding cultural particularities, integrating diverse contributions and welcoming questions and challenges. Organizational measures included reaching a critical mass of indigenous employees, promoting equity and participation, developing skills, assigning meaningful tasks, maintaining good work relationships, facilitating work-life balance, providing employment security, fostering support from communities and monitoring practices.

Originality/value

While PIS has been studied in western and culturally diverse contexts, it has received less attention in indigenous contexts. Yet, some indigenous cultural values are incompatible with the basic assumptions of mainstream theories. Furthermore, colonial policies and capitalist development have severely impacted traditional indigenous economic systems. Consequently, indigenous people are facing many barriers to employment in ways that often differ from the experiences of other minority groups.
Vodafone India: the Indian wireless industry
Authors: Gupta Atul , Nicovich Stef
Published: November 2019

Learning outcomes

From a pedagogical point, the case may fulfill following objectives: First, to understand Vodafone’s position in the current environment. Does the environment present the elements that are necessary for them to thrive (as analyzed using a PESTEL framework)? Second, to understand the resources needed to build competitive advantage in an emerging market context (as analyzed using the Porter five forces model); and third, to understand the competitive challenges of conducting business in a highly (and sometimes capriciously) regulated industry.

Case overview/synopsis

The Indian Telecommunication sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. There are nine telecom operators who are pioneering this growth; however, five private companies: Bharti, Idea, Reliance, Aircel and Vodafone make up 78.86 per cent of the market. These five companies have the opportunity to increase their market share by expanding the services provided to rural India; however, the Indian Tax Authorities have caused some hesitation. Aside from being known as heavy handed and unpredictable, the authorities have also demanded that Vodafone pay them billions in taxes. These court cases have challenged the way that other telecom operators look at investing. The arrival of Reliance Jio as a new player in the Indian wireless space with deep pockets has not helped the already fierce competitive landscape. Reliance Jio is forcing all wireless companies including Vodafone to reevaluate their India strategy.

Complexity academic level

This case could be used in both MBA and executive education programs.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 11: Strategy.
Managerial intentions for and employee perceptions of group-based incentives
Authors: Moilanen Sinikka , Ikäheimo Seppo
Published: November 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to interpret and compare managerial intentions for and employee perceptions of group-based incentive systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The data comprise interviews with managers and employees in four Finnish firms with experience of company-wide incentive systems involving profit-sharing and team-based rewards. Benefitting from social exchange theory, managers’ intentions and employees’ perceptions are examined.

Findings

Managers’ and employees’ views resemble each other concerning profit-sharing as reflecting reciprocity rooted in perceived distributive fairness, whereas examination of the team-based rewards revealed impediments in reciprocity. While managerial intentions for team-based rewards refer to social exchange with economic intensity via selection of controllable performance measurements aimed at making individual-level effort count, the employees’ perceptions deem such metrics non-controllable, reflecting perceived distributive and procedural unfairness.

Practical implications

Profit-sharing seems to create fair social obligation and goal congruence between managers and employees, whereas team-based incentives easily suffer from unfairness, reducing their effectiveness.

Originality/value

Distinguishing between managerial intentions and employee perceptions pertaining to incentive systems facilitated in-depth exploration of the social exchange inherent in them, conceptualized in terms of economic intensity, fairness and controllability. With this lens, qualitative analysis revealed differences in interpretations of controllability and fairness between the managerial intentions and employee perceptions. The central contribution to scholarship takes the form of interpretations reflecting upon these key findings.
Information acquisition and funding for public service agencies: imperfect categorizing
Authors: Zeng Tao , Lin Horn-Chern
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of information acquisition for the purpose of differentiating agencies operating in different localities on the design of optimal funding.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a theoretical study. The focus is on a situation in which agencies providing public services have perfect private information about their cost conditions before the government sets the formula for funding.

Findings

The authors show that, using a free signal correlated with costs of operation to differentiate agencies situated in different localities, the government can achieve better welfare for households across regions. However, when there exist non-negligible costs involved in the differentiating process, it may pay to acquire information only if the signal acquired is informative enough, i.e., the correlation between the signal and the agencies’ true cost conditions is strong enough.

Social implications

This paper is of interest to academics and policy makers. Acquiring information for tagging can be viewed as a preliminary screening process. Different types are then endowed with distinctly different incentives to control the costs of operating their agencies. Specifically, when the observed cost signal and the true cost conditions of agencies are positively correlated, the government should optimally be more aggressive in distorting the high-cost type’s effort decision by giving less incentive for the low-cost type agencies to cut costs than in the no-differentiation case, and vice versa.

Originality/value

This paper is the first study that explores the impact of information acquisition on the design of optimal funding for public service agencies.
The role of brand innovativeness on attitudes towards new products marketed by the brand
Authors: Hetet Blandine , Ackermann Claire-Lise , Mathieu Jean-Pierre
Published: November 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to examine whether perceived brand innovativeness has a positive effect on new product evaluations, which individual variables mediate and moderate this effect and whether perceived brand innovativeness is reinforced by new product launch.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 387 adults residing in France took part in a two-stage study. The two-stage research design aimed to investigate the effect of the introduction of a new product on brand perceptions. The innovation context used to test the hypotheses was the launch of a new electricity meter in the French market.

Findings

Brand innovativeness affects the way consumers evaluate new products launched by the brand. This effect is mediated by perceived newness and moderated by functional, hedonic and social consumer innovativeness. In addition, attitudes toward the brand improve as a result of the new product launch.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should test these hypotheses with other product categories and populations to provide external validity for the results and further investigate lack of support for some of the hypotheses.

Practical implications

The study’s findings highlight that the ability to develop and launch innovative products is not only know-how that is critical to innovation management but also a brand attribute stored in consumers’ minds that facilitates acceptance of the brand’s future new products.

Originality/value

This research addresses the underexplored question of how brand innovativeness and new product launch are interrelated. Extensive research has indeed shown the importance of customer-based brand equity and brand knowledge in evaluation and acceptance of new products. However, research on customer-based brand equity so far has paid limited attention to brand innovativeness. This research provides new findings on the relationship between brand innovativeness and new product evaluations.
Sustainability of tourism destinations and the importance of certification
Authors: Costa Jorge , Rodrigues Daniela , Gomes João
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The desired balance between human activity and environmental development and protection requires a clear and equitable distribution of responsibilities, regarding consumption and behavior toward natural and cultural resources. This paper aims to take a look at the relationship between tourism and sustainable development and the prospect of certified sustainable tourism destinations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the literature on the impacts of tourism and the application of sustainable development principles in the context of destination development.

Findings

Environmental certification has proven to be an important policy instrument, helping consumers to choose products and services that are less harmful to the environment and more authentic, serving as a marketing tool for companies that differentiate their products in the market.

Originality/value

The process of certification of tourist destinations is an issue that is little discussed, despite the numerous advantages for the destinations.
Innovation and technology – the only answer for sustainable tourism growth
Authors: Loureiro António
Published: November 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to explain how innovation can contribute to sustainable tourism growth, bearing in mind that tourism was never a factor of conflict but a factor and a sign of peace and prosperity.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on information drawn from official information sources and relevant data from Travelport.

Findings

Sustainable tourism growth is unstoppable and is already a reality – proved by decades of permanent growth. Sustainable tourism growth is needed for economic, social, cultural, environmental and political reasons. A continued and sustainable tourism growth is possible with better management and the innovation and technology support.

Originality/value

Tourism performance in recent decades proves that tourism can meet societal expectations and demands at all levels and is a determinant factor of cultural interchange and an important pillar for peace and harmony between different nationalities.
Smartness and social networks as shapers of the tourism industry
Authors: Vargas-Sánchez Alfonso , Saltos Adolfo Elizondo
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to present the state-of-the-art scientific research in the intersection between smart tourism and social networks to better understand the role of the latter (such as Facebook and Twitter) in the development of the smart paradigm in tourism, e.g. how the relationship between smart tourism and social networks has been observed by authors, or the techniques and analytical tools that are most broadly used to take advantage of available data in social networks to feed a smart logic in the management of tourism companies and destinations.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic search in scientific databases (such as Web of Science and Scopus) was performed, with December 2018 as a closing date. Once duplications were eliminated and the adequacy the outputs obtained verified properly, a total of 61 documents were considered for this study, most of which were journal articles.

Findings

The characterization of research in this area with both a bibliometric and bibliographic analysis.

Practical implications

The presentation of a detailed picture on the content of the research carried out in the abovementioned intersections: evolution over time; most prolific authors, institutions and countries; journals, conferences and publishers that have paid more attention to this topic; type of research performed, objects of study, methodologies used and main contributions.

Originality/value

The proposal of a research agenda in the field under study. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no a similar work carried out in this field.
Testing Finch's hypothesis: The role of organismal modularity on the escape from actuarial senescence
Authors: Bernard Connor , Compagnoni Aldo , Salguero‐Gómez Roberto
Published: November 2019

Until recently, senescence was assumed to be a universal phenomenon. Evolutionary theories of senescence predict that no organism may escape the physiological decline that results in an increase in mortality risk and/or decline in fertility with age. However, evidence both in animals and plants has emerged in the last decade defying such predictions. Researchers are currently seeking mechanistic explanations for the observed variation in ageing trajectories.

We argue that the historical view on the inevitability of senescence is due, in part, to the development of its classical theories, which targeted primarily unitary organisms. In unitary species, the integration of resources and functions is high, and adult size is determined. In contrast, the architecture of modular organisms is indeterminate and built upon repeated modules. The isolation of mortality risk in species like hydra (Hydra spp.) or creosote brush Larrea tridentata may explain their null or even negative senescence.

Caleb Finch hypothesized three decades ago that species with the ability to compartmentalize risk may escape senescence. Here, we first review the evidence on organisms that slow down or even avoid senescence in the context of their architecture, along a continuum of unitarity‐modularity. Then, we use open‐access databases to comparatively analyse various moments of senescence and link longevity to the degree of anatomical modularity. Our analysis compares the pace of senescence across 138 plants and 151 animals, and the shape of senescence across a subset of these. Our comparative analysis reveals that plant species that are more modular do indeed tend to escape from senescence more often than those that are unitary. The role of modularity in animal senescence is less clear.

In light of novel support for Finch's hypothesis across a large diversity of plant species, and with less conclusive findings in animals, we identify new research directions. We highlight the opportunities related to age‐dependent mortality factors. Other areas for further research include the role of modularity in relation to endocrine actions, and the costs of modular anatomies.
Tropicalization may invert trophic state and carbon budget of shallow temperate rocky reefs
Authors: Peleg Ohad , Guy‐Haim Tamar , Yeruham Erez , Silverman Jacob , Rilov Gil
Published: November 2019

Global warming mediates and maintains the tropicalization of temperate marine ecosystems. Recent studies have demonstrated that this process causes shifts from algal forests to denuded non‐canopy states in temperate reefs. It has been suggested that these changes would incur significant consequences to ecosystem functioning.

In this study, we tested how tropicalization affects habitat‐provisioning functions and carbon turnover of a shallow reef in the fast‐warming and highly invaded southeastern Mediterranean Sea, in‐situ. On a single shallow reef, we conducted measurements of these functions in three habitats: dwindling native brown algal (Cystoseira) forest, dominant turf (formed by overgrazing of tropical rabbitfish) and expanding tropical shrubs dominated by red calcifying algae (Galaxaura rugosa).

Algal forest was an autotrophic net carbon sink and provided habitat for high species diversity and the largest community biomass. The denuded turf was heterotrophic and provided habitat for the lowest species diversity and community biomass. While diversity was as high in tropical shrubs as in the algal forest, it had lower biomass and functioned as a heterotrophic net carbon source.

Synthesis. Our study exemplifies possible functional consequences of tropicalization‐driven regime shifts on shallow temperate rocky reefs, and how these can invert the net trophic state and carbon balance.
A ‘Post‐Work’ World: Geographical Engagements with the Future of Work
Authors: MacLeavy Julie , Lapworth Andrew
Published: November 2019

This article reviews geographical research on labour market changes that pose a challenge to ‘work’ as a compelling category of analysis. Drawing inspiration from feminist scholarship that has sought to develop a frame for thinking about the concept of work so that other activities outside employment are recognised, it considers what everyday practices of work, including domestic and reproductive labour, can teach us about the realities and futures of contemporary capitalism. While ‘work’ has long served as a presumed norm or telos of ‘development’, this article considers the prospect of the ‘end of work’ and of a specific type of accompanying capitalist society. It outlines the challenges for policy making in bringing forth a ‘post‐work’ world without cementing social and economic inequality.