bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subcortical Functional Connectivity Gradients in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Lucas Alfredo , Mouchtaris Sofia , Cornblath Eli J. , Sinha Nishant , Caciagli Lorenzo , Hadar Peter , Gugger James J. , Das Sandhitsu , Stein Joel M. , Davis Kathryn A.
Published: January 2023

Background and Motivation

Functional gradients have been used to study differences in connectivity between healthy and diseased brain states, however this work has largely focused on the cortex. Because the subcortex plays a key role in seizure initiation in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), subcortical functional-connectivity gradients may help further elucidate differences between healthy brains and TLE, as well as differences between left (L)-TLE and right (R)-TLE.

Methods

In this work, we calculated subcortical functional-connectivity gradients (SFGs) from resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) by measuring the similarity in connectivity profiles of subcortical voxels to cortical gray matter voxels. We performed this analysis in 23 R-TLE patients and 32 L-TLE patients (who were otherwise matched for age, gender, disease specific characteristics, and other clinical variables), and 16 controls. To measure differences in SFGs between L-TLE and R-TLE, we quantified deviations in the average functional gradient distributions, as well as their variance, across subcortical structures.

Results

We found an expansion, measured by increased variance, in the principal SFG of TLE relative to controls. When comparing the gradient across subcortical structures between L-TLE and R-TLE, we found that abnormalities in the ipsilateral hippocampal gradient distributions were significantly different between L-TLE and R-TLE.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that expansion of the SFG is characteristic of TLE. Subcortical functional gradient differences exist between left and right TLE and are driven by connectivity changes in the hippocampus ipsilateral to the seizure onset zone.
Resting state networks of awake adolescent and adult squirrel monkeys using ultra-high field (9.4T) functional magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Yassin Walid , de Moura Fernando B. , Withey Sarah L. , Cao Lei , Kangas Brian D. , Bergman Jack , Kohut Stephen J.
Published: January 2023

Resting state networks (RSNs) are increasingly forwarded as candidate biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disorders. Such biomarkers may provide objective measures for evaluating novel therapeutic interventions in nonhuman primates often used in translational neuroimaging research. This study aimed to characterize the RSNs of awake squirrel monkeys and compare the characteristics of those networks in adolescent and adult subjects. Twenty-seven squirrel monkeys (n=12 adolescents [6 male/6 female] ∼2.5 years andn=15 adults [7 male/8 female] ∼9.5 years) were gradually acclimated to awake scanning procedures; whole-brain fMRI images were acquired with a 9.4 Tesla scanner. Group level independent component (IC) analysis (30 ICs) with dual regression was used to detect and compare RSNs. Twenty ICs corresponding to physiologically meaningful networks representing a range of neural functions, including motor, sensory, reward (e.g., basal ganglia), and cognitive processes were identified in both adolescent and adult monkeys. Significant age-related differences between the adult and adolescent subjects (adult > adolescent) were found in two networks of interest: (1) the right upper occipital region with an OFC IC and (2) the left temporal cortex, bilateral visual areas, and cerebellum with the cingulate IC. These results demonstrate that squirrel monkey RSNs are stable and consistent with RSNs previously identified in humans, rodents, and other nonhuman primate species. These data also identify several networks in adolescence that are conserved and others that may change into adulthood.

Significance Statement

Functional magnetic resonance imaging procedures have revealed important information about how the brain is modified by experimental manipulations, disease states, and aging throughout the lifespan. Preclinical neuroimaging, especially in nonhuman primates, has become a frequently used means to answer targeted questions related to brain resting-state functional connectivity. The present study characterized resting state networks (RSNs) in adult and adolescent squirrel monkeys; twenty RSNs corresponding to networks representing a range of neural functions were identified. The RSNs identified here can be utilized in future studies examining the effects of experimental manipulations on brain connectivity in squirrel monkeys. These data also may be useful for comparative analysis with other primate species to provide an evolutionary perspective for understanding brain function and organization.
Ex-situmycoremediation of petroleum polluted soils in Ogoniland, Nigeria
Authors: Anoliefo Geoffrey O. , Nwaokolo Martin , Edegbai Boniface O. , Ikhajiagbe Beckley
Published: January 2023

The study investigated the mycoremediation oil-polluted soil from Ogoniland (at the B-dere/Nabem community).The mushroom,Pleurotus tuberregiumwas exposed to this soil as principal remediation component.While the fungus grew undisturbed, weeds were also allowed to grow from soil seed bank.Dominant weeds identified in the study includeMariscus sp, Pepperomia pellucida, Synedrella nodiflora, Cyperussp., andOldenlandia corymbosa. Survival and growth of microorganisms in the polluted soils were monitored.Bacterial species identified wereEscherichia coli, Micrococcus varians, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. vulgaris, Bacillus pumilis, Clostridum sp.,Klebsiellasp., andAzotobactersp. The fungi species includedMucormucedo, Aspergillussp.,Penicillinsp.,Rhizopussp.,Trichoderma harzianum, andFusarium solani. The degradation of the petroleum pollutant wasmonitored through laboratory determination using the Gas Liquid Chromatographic methods. The determinations showed the gradual but steady decline in the concentration of the petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants in the Ogoni soil within the 4-month observation period. Significant reduction in heavy metal concentration of the soils was also evidenced.
Allele mining of eukaryotic translation initiation factor genes inPrunusspecies for the identification of new sources of resistance to sharka
Authors: Tricon David , d’Arcier Julie Faivre , Eyquard Jean-Philippe , Liu Shuo , Decroocq Stéphane , Chague Aurélie , Liu Weisheng , Balakishiyeva Gulnara , Mamadov Alamdar , Turdiev Timur , Kostritsyna Tatiana , Asma Bayram M. , Akparov Zeynal , Decroocq Véronique
Published: January 2023

Background

Members of the eukaryotic translation initiation complex are co-opted in viral infection, leading to susceptibility in many crop species, including stone fruit trees (Prunus spp). Therefore, modification of one of those eukaryotic translation initiation factors or changes in their gene expression may result in resistance.

Objective

We searched the crop and wildPrunusgermplasm from the Armeniaca and Amygdalus taxonomic sections for allelic variants in theeIF4EandeIFiso4Egenes, to identify alleles potentially linked to resistance to thePlum Pox Virus(PPV).

Methodology and results

Over one thousand stone fruit accessions (1,397) were screened for variation in eIF4E and eIFiso4E transcript sequences which are in single copy within the diploidPrunusgenome. We identified new alleles for both genes that are not evident in haplotypes associated with PPV susceptible individuals. Overall, analyses showed thateIFiso4Eis genetically more constrained since it displayed less polymorphism thaneIF4E. We also demonstrated more variation at both loci in the related wild species than in crop species. As the eIFiso4E translation initiation factor was identified as indispensable for PPV infection inPrunusspecies, a selection of ten differenteIFiso4Ehaplotypes along 13 individuals were tested by infection with PPV and eight of them displayed a range of reduced susceptibility to resistance, indicating new potential sources of resistance to sharka.
Leveraging Developmental Landscapes for Model Selection in Boolean Gene Regulatory Networks
Authors: Subbaroyan Ajay , Sil Priyotosh , Martin Olivier C. , Samal Areejit
Published: January 2023

Boolean models are a well-established framework to model developmental gene regulatory networks (DGRN) for acquisition of cellular identity. During the reconstruction of Boolean DGRNs, even if the networkstructureis given, there is generally a very large number of combinations of Boolean functions (BFs) that will reproduce the different cell fates (biological attractors). Here we leverage the developmental landscape to enable model selection on such ensembles using therelative stabilityof the attractors. First we show that 5 previously proposed measures of relative stability are strongly correlated and we stress the usefulness of the one that captures best the cell statetransitionsvia the mean first passage time (MFPT) as it also allows the construction of a cellular lineage tree. A property of great computational convenience is the relative insensitivity of the different measures to changes in noise intensities. That allows us to use stochastic approaches to estimate the MFPT and thus to scale up the computations to large networks. Given this methodology, we study the landscape of 3 Boolean models ofArabidopsis thalianaroot development and find that the latest one (a 2020 model) does not respect the biologically expected hierarchy of cell states based on their relative stabilities. Therefore we developed an iterative greedy algorithm that searches for models which satisfy the expected hierarchy of cell states. By applying our algorithm to the 2020 model, we find many Boolean models that do satisfy the expected hierarchy. Our methodology thus provides new tools that can enable reconstruction of more realistic and accurate Boolean models of DGRNs.
The life span of steps in the enzyme-catalyzed reaction, its implications, and matters of general interest
Authors: Udema Ikechukwu Iloh
Published: January 2023

There is increasing recognition for steps and their life span (LS) in the enzyme-catalyzed reaction pathway; the need for rate constants, activation parameters, and transition states (TS) has assumed preeminence in the literature. The determination of the life span of complexes, enzyme-product (EP) complexes in particular, is not a regular feature in most studies. The study aims to show that there is LS for EP and TS destined for irreversible product formation and release. The cognate objectives are to: 1) derive the equation for the graphical determination of the first-order rate constant (FORC) of EP dissociation into E and P as well as the FORC of ES dissociation to free enzyme, E, and free substrate, S; 2) derive a FORC equation for the TS to EP conversion; 3) calculate the duration; and 4) calculate the FORC for the TS to EP conversion. Using mesophilic alpha-amylase and the Bernfeld method of assay, the velocities of catalysis were used to generate first the Michaelian parameters and then the rate constants. The LS of the TS and the FORC for the conversion of the enzyme-substrate (ES) complex to TS are 4.321 exp. (−6) min and 2.314 exp. (+5)/min, respectively; the LS of the TS destined for backward conversion (deactivation) to ES and its FORC are 7.525 exp. (−7) min and 1.387 exp. (+6)/min, respectively; the LS of the EP and its FORC for dissociation to E and P are 1.33 exp. (−5) and 7.52 exp. (+4)/min respectively. In conclusion, there are always steps in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction in the catalytic cycle; the LS of each step is shorter than the total LS of deactivation and dissociation processes; this is applicable to forward reactions. Thermodynamic activation parameters must account for all FORC in accordance with the additivity principle.
PASTE2: Partial Alignment of Multi-slice Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics Data
Authors: Liu Xinhao , Zeira Ron , Raphael Benjamin J.
Published: January 2023

Spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) technologies measure mRNA expression at thousands of locations in a tissue slice. However, nearly all SRT technologies measure expression in two dimensional slices extracted from a three-dimensional tissue, thus losing information that is shared across multiple slices from the same tissue. Integrating SRT data across multiple slices can help recover this information and improve downstream expression analyses, but multi-slice alignment and integration remains a challenging task. Existing methods for integrating SRT data either do not use spatial information or assume that the morphology of the tissue is largely preserved across slices, an assumption that is often violated due to biological or technical reasons. We introduce PASTE2, a method forpartialalignment and 3D reconstruction of multi-slice SRT datasets, allowing only partial overlap between aligned slices and/or slice-specific cell types. PASTE2 formulates a novelpartialFused Gromov-Wasserstein Optimal Transport problem, which we solve using a conditional gradient algorithm. PASTE2 includes a model selection procedure to estimate the fraction of overlap between slices, and optionally uses information from histological images that accompany some SRT experiments. We show on both simulated and real data that PASTE2 obtains more accurate alignments than existing methods. We further use PASTE2 to reconstruct a 3D map of gene expression in a Drosophila embryo from a 16 slice Stereo-seq dataset. PASTE2 produces accurate alignments of multi-slice datasets from multiple SRT technologies, enabling detailed studies of spatial gene expression across a wide range of biological applications.

Code availability

Software is available athttps://github.com/raphael-group/paste2
DiPRO1 dependent transcriptional and epigenetic regulation distinctly controls the fate of muscle and mesenchymal cancer cells
Authors: Rich Jeremy , Bennaroch Melanie , Notel Laura , Patalakh Polina , Alberola Julien , Opolon Paule , Bawa Olivia , Rondof Windy , Marchais Antonin , Dessen Philippe , Meurice Guillaume , Porlot Melanie , Roux Karine Ser-Le , Droin Nathalie , Raslova Hana , Geoerger Birgit , Pirozhkova Iryna
Published: January 2023

We have recently identified the uncharacterized ZNF555 protein as a component of a productive complex, which is involved in the morbid function of the 4qA locus in facioscapulohumeral dystrophy. As a result of our current findings, ZNF555 is hereinafter referred to as DiPRO1 (Death, Differentiation and PROliferation related PROtein 1). In this study, we provide substantial evidence that DiPRO1 plays a role in human myoblast differentiation. It acts on regulatory binding regions of SIX1, which is a master regulator of myogenesis. We further describe the relevance of DiPRO1 in mesenchymal tumors, such as rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and Ewing sarcoma. DiPRO1 plays a repressor role in these tumors via the epigenetic regulators TIF1B and UHRF1 in order to maintain methylation of regulatory cis-elements and promoters. Loss of DiPRO1 eradicates cancer cells, by switching on a distinct transcriptional and epigenetic program. It consists of mimicking the host defense against the virus response by awakening the retrotransposable repeats (RE) and the ZNP/KZFP gene family. DiPRO1 also contributes to the balance of cellular decisions toward inflammation and/or apoptosis by controlling TNF-α via NF-kappaB signaling. Finally, we demonstrate that mesenchymal cancer tumors are vulnerable in response to si/shDiPRO1-based nanomedicines, positioning DiPRO1 as a potential new target for therapeutic intervention.
Defective phagocytosis leads to neurodegeneration through systemic increased innate immune signaling
Authors: Elguero Johnny E. , Liu Guangmei , Tiemeyer Katherine , Gandevia Heena , Duro Lauren , McCall Kimberly
Published: January 2023

In nervous system development, disease and injury, neurons undergo programmed cell death, leaving behind cell corpses that are removed by phagocytic glia. Altered glial phagocytosis has been implicated in several neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injury. To untangle the links between glial phagocytosis and neurodegeneration, we investigatedDrosophilamutants lacking the phagocytic receptor Draper. Loss of Draper leads to persistent neuronal cell corpses and age-dependent neurodegeneration. Here we investigate whether the phagocytic defects observed indrapermutants lead to chronic increased immune activation that promotes neurodegeneration. A major immune response inDrosophilais the activation of two NFκB signaling pathways that produce antimicrobial peptides, primarily in the fat body. We found that the antimicrobial peptide Attacin-A is highly upregulated in the fat body of ageddrapermutants and that inhibition of the Immune deficiency (Imd) pathway in the glia and fat body ofdrapermutants led to reduced neurodegeneration, indicating that immune activation promotes neurodegeneration indrapermutants. Taken together, these findings indicate that phagocytic defects lead to neurodegeneration via increased immune signaling, both systemically and locally in the brain.
An oviduct glycan increases sperm lifespan by diminishing ubiquinone and production of reactive oxygen species
Authors: Hughes Jennifer R. , McMorrow Katie J. , Bovin Nicolai , Miller David. J.
Published: January 2023

Sperm storage by females after mating for species-dependent periods is used widely among animals with internal fertilization to allow asynchrony between mating and ovulation. Many mammals store sperm in the lower oviduct where specific glycans on epithelial cells retain sperm to form a reservoir. Binding to oviduct cells suppresses sperm intracellular Ca2+and increases sperm longevity. We investigated the mechanisms by which a specific oviduct glycan, 3-O-sulfated Lewis X trisaccharide (suLeX), prolongs the lifespan of porcine sperm. Using targeted metabolomics, we report that binding to suLeXdiminishes the abundance of the precursor to ubiquinone and suppresses formation of fumarate, a specific citric acid cycle component, diminishing the activity of the electron transport chain and reducing the production of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS). The enhanced sperm lifespan in the oviduct may be due to suppressed ROS production as many reports have demonstrated toxic effects of high ROS concentrations on sperm.
Chemical inhibition of bromodomain proteins in insect stage African trypanosomes perturbs silencing of the Variant Surface Glycoprotein repertoire and results in widespread changes in the transcriptome
Authors: Ashby Ethan C. , Havens Jennifer L. , Hardin Johanna , Schulz Danae
Published: January 2023

The eukaryotic protozoan parasiteTrypanosoma brucei, spp. is transmitted by the tsetse fly to both humans and animals, where it causes a fatal disease called African trypanosomiasis. While the parasite lacks canonical DNA sequence specific transcription factors, it does possess histones, histone modifications, and proteins that write, erase, and read histone marks. Chemical inhibition of chromatin interacting bromodomain proteins has previously been shown to perturb bloodstream specific trypanosome processes, including silencing of the Variant Surface Glycoprotein genes (VSGs) and immune evasion. Transcriptomic changes that occur in bromodomain inhibited bloodstream parasites mirror many of the changes that occur as parasites developmentally progress from the bloodstream to the insect stage. We performed RNA-seq timecourses to determine the effects of chemical bromodomain inhibition in insect stage parasites using the compound I-BET151. We found that treatment with I-BET151 causes large changes in the transcriptome of insect stage parasites, and also perturbs silencing ofVSGgenes. The transcriptomes of bromodomain inhibited parasites share some features with early metacyclic stage parasites in the fly salivary gland, implicating bromodomain proteins as important for regulating transcript levels for developmentally relevant genes. However, the downregulation of surface procyclin protein that typically accompanies developmental progression is absent in bromodomain inhibited insect stage parasites. We conclude that chemical modulation of bromodomain proteins causes widespread transcriptomic changes in multiple trypanosome life cycle stages. Understanding the gene regulatory processes that facilitate transcriptome remodeling in this highly diverged eukaryote may shed light on how these mechanisms evolved.
Single-cell transcriptomic profiling redefines the origin and specification of early adrenogonadal progenitors
Authors: Neirijnck Yasmine , Sararols Pauline , Kühne Françoise , Mayère Chloé , Nef Serge , Schedl Andreas
Published: January 2023

Adrenal cortex and gonads represent the two major steroidogenic organs in mammals. Both tissues are considered to share a common developmental origin characterized by the expression ofNr5a1/Sf1. The precise origin of adrenogonadal progenitors and the processes driving differentiation toward the adrenal or gonadal fate remain, however, elusive. Here we provide a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of early mouse adrenogonadal development including 52 cell types belonging to twelve major cell lineages. Trajectory reconstruction reveals that adrenogonadal cells emerge from the lateral plate rather than the intermediate mesoderm. Surprisingly, gonadal and adrenal fates show distinct molecular signatures uponNr5a1induction indicating the two tissues are specified independently. Finally, lineage separation into gonadal and adrenal fate involves canonical versus non-canonical Wnt signaling and differential expression ofHoxpatterning genes. Thus our study provides important insights into the molecular programs of adrenal and gonadal fate choice and will be a valuable resource for further research into early adrenogonadal ontogenesis.
The genomic diversity of Taiwanese Austronesian groups: implications for the ‘Into and Out of Taiwan’ models
Authors: Liu Dang , Ko Albert Min-Shan , Stoneking Mark
Published: January 2023

The origin and dispersal of the Austronesian language family, one of the largest and most widespread in the world, have long attracted the attention of linguists, archaeologists, and geneticists. Even though there is a growing consensus that Taiwan is the source of the spread of Austronesian languages, little is known about the migration patterns of the early Austronesians who settled in and left Taiwan, i.e., the “Into-Taiwan” and “Out-of-Taiwan” events. In particular, the genetic diversity/structure within Taiwan and how this relates to the Into/Out-of-Taiwan events is largely unexplored, because most genomic studies have largely utilized data from just two of the 16 recognized highland Austronesian groups in Taiwan. In this study, we generated the largest genome-wide dataset for Taiwanese Austronesians to date, including six highland groups and one lowland group from across the island, and two Taiwanese Han groups. We identified fine scale genomic structure in Taiwan, inferred the ancestry profile of the ancestors of Austronesians, and found that the southern Taiwanese Austronesians show excess genetic affinities toward the Austronesians outside of Taiwan. Our findings thus shed new light on the Into and Out-of-Taiwan dispersals.
Dynamical diffraction of high-energy electrons by light-atom structures: a multiple forward scattering interpretation
Authors: Drevon Tarik R. , Waterman David G. , Krissinel Eugene
Published: January 2023

Because of the strong electron–atom interaction, the kinematic theory of diffraction cannot be used to describe the scattering of electrons by an assembly of atoms due to the strong dynamical diffraction that needs to be taken into account. In this paper, the scattering of high-energy electrons by a regular array of light atoms is solved exactly by applying the T-matrix formalism to the corresponding Schrödinger's equation in spherical coordinates. The independent atom model is used, where each atom is represented by a sphere with an effective constant potential. The validity of the forward scattering approximation and the phase grating approximation, assumed by the popular multislice method, is discussed, and an alternative interpretation of multiple scattering is proposed and compared with existing interpretations.
Unionization and employee welfare: a theoretical investigation using earnings management
Authors: Lin Guoyu , Brown Anna Bergman , Lin Eric , Xu Chunhao
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Unionization is generally thought to improve employee welfare through higher compensation and benefits. However, managers of unionized firms have incentives to manage earnings downward to avoid sharing rents with unionized workers, which may explain why empirical findings on the association between unionization and employee compensation are mixed. This paper develops an analytical model incorporating earnings management into the relationship between newly unionized firms and employee compensation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors develop an analytical model that relies on Nash bargaining theory and signal jamming (Stein, 1989; Fischer and Verrecchia, 2000; Dye and Sridhar, 2004) and model a setting where newly unionized workers' collective bargaining power increases substantially. The authors' model analyzes the relationship between newly unionized firms and employee wages and benefits while incorporating firms' incentives to engage in earnings management.

Findings

The authors find that newly unionized firms are more likely to engage in income-decreasing earnings management to avoid paying higher salaries and wages to workers. Further, the authors find that this association is more pronounced when (1) the correlation of firms' earnings across periods is higher, (2) the cost of earnings management is lower and (3) firms' earnings are more volatile.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to analytically model the effect of new unionization on firms' earnings management and workers' welfare. The authors' model offers new cross-sectional predictions that have not been tested in the prior literature. Specifically, the authors show that newly unionized firms are more likely to engage in income-decreasing earnings management; when earnings are more highly correlated, the cost of earnings management is lower and earnings are more volatile. The authors' findings may be relevant to regulators and policymakers.
Bank competition and SMEs access to finance in India: evidence from World Bank Enterprise Survey
Authors: Rakshit Bijoy , Bardhan Samaresh
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of bank competition on SMEs' access to finance in selected Indian states. Using 9,281 firm-level observations from World Bank Enterprises Survey (WBES), this study tests the market power hypothesis versus the information hypothesis to determine whether bank competition promotes access to finance for financially constrained firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors measure state-level bank competition using two structural indicators: the Herfindahl Hirschman Index (HHI) and three bank concentration ratios (CR3). The authors apply simple probit regression, probit model with sample selection (PSS) and two-stage least squares (2SLS) to examine the effects of bank competition on firms' financing constraints.

Findings

The results obtained through PSS and 2SLS indicate that bank competition alleviates firm's financing constraints and positively impacts its need for a bank loan and the decision to apply for bank credit. However, the prevalence of bank competition in promoting access to finance is more pronounced for small and medium-sized firms than for large firms. Higher bank competition also alleviates the credit constraints faced by female entrepreneurs.

Practical implications

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and other government stakeholders should ensure bank competition without hampering the agenda of bank consolidation to facilitate access to credit for SMEs. Regulators should also identify and monitor the financial institutions that make an insignificant contribution to promoting competitiveness in the financial system.

Originality/value

Previous studies primarily investigate the effect of bank competition on a firm's access to finance from advanced and cross-country perspectives. This study contributes to the literature on bank competition by examining its role in promoting access to finance from an emerging economy standpoint. Measurement of bank competition indicators at the state level is an additional contribution.
Exploring tourists’ experiences when visiting Petra archaeological heritage site: voices from TripAdvisor
Authors: Olorunsola Victor Oluwafemi , Saydam Mehmet Bahri , Lasisi Taiwo Temitope , Ozturen Ali
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Archaeological heritage tourism has great potential for development in numerous destinations. However, literature on archaeological heritage tourism is scarce and empirical data are minimal. This paper aims to identify the main themes shared in online reviews by tourists, as well as identify factors known as satisfiers and dissatisfiers based on Herzberg’s two-factor theory among tourists who visited Petra UNESCO heritage site.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used content analyses to analyse 1,419 tourist’s online reviews on TripAdvisor. Leximancer software provided computer-assisted qualitative data analysis that pinpoint the dominant themes, after which further qualitative analysis found the main narratives associated with different satisfaction groups.

Findings

Successively, seven themes were revealed: entrance, trip, monastery, buildings, animal, carriage and safe. Furthermore, a four-dimensional model was postulated to help understand the components and flow of visitors’ experiences in an archaeological heritage site. In addition, the findings of the study revealed that tourists who scored their experience as 4 (very good) or 5 (excellent) (satisfiers) commonly shared perceptions about architecture, buildings, safe, temples, monasteries, tours, tombs and helpful. Contrarily, reviewers that rated their experience as 1 (terrible) or 2 (poor) (dissatisfiers) shared narratives around concepts such as expensive, animals, carriages, locals and shops.

Originality/value

The results offer valuable understandings of cultural heritage tourists’ overall experiences based on TripAdvisor reviews and facilitate the identification of the dominant themes associated with drivers of tourists’ satisfaction/dissatisfaction.
Investigating the mechanism of developers' willingness to adopt prefabricated housing using an integrated DEMATEL-SD framework
Authors: Wu Zezhou , Yang Kaijie , Wu Zhangmin , Xue Hong , Li Shenghan , Antwi-Afari Maxwell Fordjour
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Prefabricated construction is an innovative technique for decreasing carbon emissions in the construction industry. However, as the investors of housing projects, a majority of developers are unwilling to adopt prefabricated housing in practice. To promote prefabricated housing, this study aims to develop an integrated framework of fuzzy-decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (fuzzy-DEMATEL) and system dynamics (SD) to understand the underlying influencing mechanism of developers' willingness.

Design/methodology/approach

Through literature review, a total of 17 influencing factors were identified. Then, the interrelationships among the factors were evaluated by 10 experienced professionals, and the impacts given and received by each factor were further analyzed through fuzzy-DEMATEL. Based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), a SD model was developed to explore the influencing mechanism.

Findings

The major cause factors were identified, including mandatory implementation policies, economic incentive policies, environmental protection policies, component standardization and developers' economic strength. This group of factors was expected to be given priority attention in the case of limited resources. On the other hand, the results indicated that economic incentive policies and mandatory implementation policies could affect the developers' willingness via perceived usefulness, while the others mainly influenced perceived ease of use.

Originality/value

Little research has focused on the interrelationships among the influencing factors of developers' willingness to adopt prefabricated housing. This study contributed to understanding the mechanism of developers' willingness from a systematic view and providing the priority of influencing factors. Several strategies were proposed to improve the practical implementation of prefabricated housing development.
Towards an integrative analysis of underground environment and human health: a survey and field measurement approach
Authors: Chan Isabelle Y.S. , Chen Hao
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Due to land resource scarcity, sustainable urban development in high-density cities has long been challenging. As such, many cities are formulating plans to “dig deep”, resulting in more citizens working and/or staying underground for longer periods of time. However, owing to the particularities of underground space, the factors involved in the creation of a healthy environment are different from those involved in aboveground developments. This study thus aims to investigate the influences of various underground environment factors on users' health through a holistic approach.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this aim, 12 underground sites and 12 corresponding aboveground sites are selected for a large-scale questionnaire survey, resulting in 651 survey samples. The survey covers post-occupancy evaluation of health (physical and psychosocial), underground environmental quality (visual, thermal, acoustic comfort, indoor air quality and ventilation), space design and greenery. Independent-sample T-test, Pearson correlation, multiple regression modelling and structural equation modelling are used to investigate whether significant differences exist between health of underground and aboveground users, and to develop an underground environment-health model for unveiling the significant associations between underground environment factors and users' health. To cross validate the results, an objective field measurement study is further conducted on six underground sites. The objective measurement results are used to cross validate the survey results.

Findings

The questionnaire results provide the following evidence: (1) health of underground users is significantly poorer than that of their aboveground counterparts; (2) underground development users' health is significantly affected by space design, greenery and environmental quality in terms of thermal comfort, indoor air quality, ventilation and acoustic comfort but not visual comfort; and (3) amongst the various identified factors, space design has the strongest predicting effects on human health. The field study echoes the survey findings and further unveils the relationships between different environmental factors and human health.

Originality/value

The results shed light on the importance of distinguishing between underground developments and aboveground ones in various guidelines and standards, especially those related to space management.
Does loadshedding affect the housing market in South Africa? Some empirical evidence
Authors: Marope Amogelang , Phiri Andrew
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to quantify the impact of electricity power outages on the local housing market in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) and quantile autoregressive distributive lag (QARDL) models on annual time series data, for the period 1971–2014. The interest rate, real income and inflation were used as control variables to enable a multivariate framework.

Findings

The results from the ARDL model show that real income is the only factor influencing housing price over the long run, whereas other variables only have short-run effects. The estimates from the QARDL further reveal hidden cointegration relationship over the long run with higher quantile levels of distribution and transmission losses raising the residential price growth.

Research limitations/implications

Overall, the findings of this study imply that the South African housing market is more vulnerable to property devaluation caused by power outages over the short run and yet remains resilient to loadshedding over the long run. Other macro-economic factors, such as real income and inflation, are more influential factors towards long-run developments in the residential market.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the empirical relationship between power outages and housing price growth.
Service quality dimensions in the manufacturer–distributor dyadic relationship: manufacturer-to-distributor context
Authors: Trivedi Sunil Dutt , Nigam Abhinav , Pareek Ashutosh
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The paper aims to identify and report service quality dimensions critical to distributors’ perception of the quality of services their suppliers provide (Manufactures).

Design/methodology/approach

This research used unstructured interviews and focused group discussions. The authors have interviewed ten distributors and ten frontline managers of three mid-size Consumer Packaged Goods companies operating in India. Two focused group discussions were conducted involving academicians and practitioners in the service quality domain.

Findings

Seven quality dimensions critical to a distributor’s service quality evaluation have been identified. Except for tangibility, all other SERVQUAL dimensions have been found relevant. Three additional dimensions, namely “Fairness,” “Accessibility” and “Image quality,” have been identified. The authors made a theoretical contribution by not only identifying the relevant dimension but also proving their context-specific definition. The authors also present managerial implications and recommendations to improve the service experience of distributors.

Originality/value

This paper investigates the distributor–manufacturer dyadic relationship from a service quality perspective for the first time. This study made a theoretical contribution by explicitly identifying service quality dimensions for a manufacturer-to-distributor (M2D) service relationship.
Investigations on effect of pore architectures of additively manufactured novel hydroxyapatite coated PLA/Al2O3 composite scaffold for bone tissue engineering
Authors: Choudhary Neha , Ghosh Chandrachur , Sharma Varun , Roy Partha , Kumar Pradeep
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to fabricate the scaffolds with different pore architectures using additive manufacturing and analyze its mechanical and biological properties for bone tissue engineering applications.

Design/methodology/approach

The polylactic acid (PLA)/composite filament were fabricated through single screw extrusion and scaffolds were printed with four different pore architectures, i.e. circle, square, triangle and parallelogram with fused deposition modelling. Afterwards, scaffolds were coated with hydroxyapatite (HA) using dip coating technique. Various physical and thermo-mechanical tests have been conducted to confirm the feasibility. Furthermore, the biological tests were conducted with MG63 fibroblast cell lines to investigate the biocompatibility of the developed scaffolds.

Findings

The scaffolds were successfully printed with different pore architectures. The pore size of the scaffolds was found to be nearly 1,500 µm, and porosity varied between 53% and 63%. The fabricated circular pore architecture resulted in highest average compression strength of 13.7 MPa and modulus of 525 MPa. The characterizations showed the fidelity of the work. After seven days of cell culture, it was observed that the developed composites were non-toxic and supported cellular activities. The coating of HA made the scaffolds bioactive, showing higher wettability, degradation and high cellular responses.

Originality/value

The research attempts highlight the development of novel biodegradable and biocompatible polymer (PLA)/bioactive ceramic (Al2O3) composite for additive manufacturing with application in the tissue engineering field.
Analyzing the influence of celebrities’ emotional and rational brand posts
Authors: Ahmadi Arash , Taghipour Amirhossein , Fetscherin Marc , Ieamsom Siriwan
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare two brand posts with the different content created by a celebrity (emotional content vs rational content) on Instagram and their effects on users’ willingness to use offline word of mouth (WOM) and electronic WOM (eWOM). The research model also consists of product involvement as the moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the results of the pretest stages, the study included two stimuli, and respondents were presented with two different brand posts (i.e. two manipulated pictures and texts on the Instagram frame). A two-group comparison (positive emotional brand post vs negative rational brand post) between-subjects experiment (n = 214) was conducted.

Findings

The results indicate that WOM and eWOM are more affected by a celebrity’s emotional brand post than a celebrity’s rational brand post. Furthermore, both types of WOM are more affected through high product involvement enhanced by a celebrity’s rational brand post than through high product involvement boosted by a celebrity’s emotional brand post.

Practical implications

Managerial implications for social media marketing and Instagram celebrity-based branding are provided. Practical implications are also provided in the form of evidence of how the impacts of two different brand posts on positive offline WOM and eWOM are affected differently through the moderation of product involvement.

Originality/value

The research argues for theoretical implications for the marketing literature on celebrity endorsements. The study also tests one moderating effect on the relationship between brand post content and WOM and eWOM.
Ecological patterns and processes in the vertical dimension of terrestrial ecosystems
Authors: Xing Shuang , Leahy Lily , Ashton Louise A. , Kitching Roger L. , Bonebrake Timothy C. , Scheffers Brett R.
Published: January 2023

Climatic gradients such as latitude and elevation are considered primary drivers of global biogeography. Yet, alongside these macro‐gradients, the vertical space and structure generated by terrestrial plants form comparable climatic gradients but at a fraction of the distance. These vertical gradients provide a spectrum of ecological space for species to occur and coexist, increasing biodiversity. Furthermore, vertical gradients can serve as pathways for evolutionary adaptation of species traits, leading to a range of ecological specialisations.

In this review, we explore the ecological evidence supporting the proposition that the vertical gradient serves as an engine driving the ecology and evolution of species and shaping larger biogeographical patterns in space and time akin to elevation and latitude. Focusing on vertebrate and invertebrate taxa, we synthesised how ecological patterns within the vertical dimension shape species composition, distribution and biotic interactions.

We identify three key ecological mechanisms associated with species traits that facilitate persistence within the vertical environment and draw on empirical examples from the literature to explore these processes.

Looking forward, we propose that the vertical dimension provides an excellent study template to explore timely ecological and evolutionary questions. We encourage future research to also consider how the vertical dimension will influence the resilience and response of animal taxa to global change.
Comparing Income Distributions Using Atkinson's Measure of Inequality
Authors: Creedy John
Published: January 2023

This article is aimed at undergraduate and graduate economics students, and public sector economists, who are interested in inequality measurement. It examines the use of the Atkinson inequality measure to compare income distributions. A major feature of this measure is that distributional value judgements are made explicit, via the use of a particular form of social welfare function. Emphasis is given to the interpretation of changes in inequality and the role of the relative inequality aversion parameter, which reflects an important feature of those value judgements.
Retracted: Transactional and transformative diversity, equity, and inclusion activities in health services research departments
Authors: Dill Janette , Grande Stuart , Chantarat Tongtan
Published: January 2023

The above article, published online on 08 January 2023 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal's Editor‐in‐Chief, Austin B. Frakt, the Health Research and Education Trust, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed following concerns raised by the authors following publication that their characterisation of specific data (personal narratives and experiences) was either inaccurate, misleading, or false. The final submitted manuscript unintentionally contained content that mischaracterised the authenticity of experiences represented, and the authors have requested retraction.
Fighting vacation rental tax evasion through warnings to potential evaders
Authors: López‐Laborda Julio , Vallés‐Giménez Jaime , Zarate‐Marco Anabel
Published: January 2023

This paper uses differences‐in‐differences to analyze the effectiveness of messages sent by the Spanish Tax Agency to deter tax evasion by owners of vacation rentals. The results suggest that these messages were effective in the aggregate, as there was an increase both in the declared amount of such income (6–8.5%, depending on the line item under which it is declared) and in the number of filers (29.7–64.2%), and this effectiveness became more marked over time. Notably, there was more response to the intervention from the self‐employed. However, in some collectives, the intervention produced the opposite of the intended effect.
eIF3 subunit M regulates blood meal digestion in Rhodnius prolixus affecting ecdysis, reproduction, and survival
Authors: Ameijeiras Pilar , Capriotti Natalia , Ons Sheila , Oliveira Pedro L. , Sterkel Marcos
Published: January 2023

In triatomines, blood‐feeding triggers many physiological processes including post embryonic development and reproduction. Different feeding habits, such as hematophagy, can shape gene functions to meet the challenges of each type of diet. The gut of blood‐sucking insects faces particular challenges after feeding due to the quantity and the quality of the food ingested. A comparison of transcriptomic and proteomic data indicates that post transcriptional regulation of gene expression is crucial in the triatomine gut. It was proposed that eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit m (eIF3m) and eIF3e define 2 different eIF3 complexes with a distinct affinity for the different mRNAs, thus selecting the set of mRNAs to be translated and constituting a post transcriptional mode of regulation of gene expression. Because the eIF3m is mainly expressed in the gut, we evaluated its relevance in Rhodnius prolixus physiology through RNA interference‐mediated gene silencing. The knockdown of eIF3m reduced the digestion rate, affecting the processes triggered by a blood meal. Its silencing inhibited molting and caused premature death in nymphs while impaired ovary development, oviposition and increased resistance to starvation in adult females. The survival of males after feeding (resistance to starvation) was not affected by eIF3m knockdown. The information regarding the eIF3m function in insects is scarce and the phenotypes observed in R. prolixus upon eIF3m silencing are different and more severe than those previously described in Drosophila melanogaster, indicating a pleiotropic role of this gene in triatomines.