bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive visualization of cell-cell interactions in single-cell and spatial transcriptomics with NICHES
Authors: Raredon Micha Sam Brickman , Yang Junchen , Kothapalli Neeharika , Lewis Wesley , Kaminski Naftali , Niklason Laura E. , Kluger Yuval
Published: January 2022

Recent years have seen the release of several toolsets that reveal cell-cell interactions from single-cell data. However, all existing approaches leverage mean celltype gene expression values, and do not preserve the single-cell fidelity of the original data. Here, we present NICHES (Niche Interactions and Communication Heterogeneity in Extracellular Signaling), a tool to explore extracellular signaling at the truly single-cell level. NICHES allows embedding of ligand-receptor signal proxies to visualize heterogeneous signaling archetypes within cell clusters, between cell clusters, and across experimental conditions. When applied to spatial transcriptomic data, NICHES can be used to reflect local cellular microenvironment. NICHES can operate with any list of ligand-receptor signaling mechanisms and is compatible with existing single-cell packages and pseudotime techniques. NICHES is also a user friendly and extensible program, allowing rapid analysis of cell-cell signaling at single-cell resolution.

Availability and implementation

NICHES is an open-source software implemented in R under academic free license v3.0 and it is available at github.com/msraredon/NICHES. Use-case vignettes are available at https://msraredon.github.io/NICHES/.

Contact

michasam.raredon@yale.edu; yuval.kluger@yale.edu
Trichodesmium Erythraeum produces a higher photocurrent than other cyanobacterial species in bio-photo electrochemical cells
Authors: Shlosberg Yaniv , Spungin Dina , Holland Neta , Schuster Gadi , Frank Ilana-Berman , Adir Noam
Published: January 2022

In recent years, the increase in world energy consumption, and the worries from potential future disasters that may derive from climate change have inspired the motivation to develop renewable energy technologies. One of the promising methods is the utilization of whole bacterial cells to produce photocurrent in a bio-photo electrochemical cell (BPEC). The photocurrent derives from the photosynthesis pathway, while the redox couple NADP+/NADPH perform cyclic electron mediation between photosystem I inside the cells, and the anode. Over the years, various cyanobacterial species were utilized in diverse BPECs setups, while the photocurrent was enhanced by the addition of natural electron mediators such as NAD+, NADP+, Cytochrome C, Vitamin B1, and the artificial mediator potassium ferricyanide. The cyanobacterium Trichodesmium Erythraeum (Te) is a marine species that consist of high content of Phycocyanin and Phycoerythrin pigments that play a major role in photosynthesis enhancement. In this work, we produce for the first-time photocurrent from Te. We apply 2D-fluorescence measurements to detect its NADPH secretion and show that its photocurrent production is enhanced as a function of increasing electrolyte salinity. Finally, we produce photocurrent from additional cyanobacterial species: Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, Acaryochloris marina MBIC 11017, and Spirulina, using their cultivation medium as electrolytes in the BPEC. We show that TE produces a photocurrent intensity that is significantly greater than all other species with and without the addition of exogenous electron mediators. The utilization of TE may pave the way toward the establishment of marine clean energy technologies.
Dissecting the autism-associated 16p11.2 locus identifies multiple drivers in brain phenotypes and unveils a new role for the major vault protein
Authors: Kretz Perrine F. , Wagner Christel , Montillot Charlotte , Hugel Sylvain , Morella Ilaria , Kannan Meghna , Mikhaleva Anna , Fischer Marie-Christine , Milhau Maxence , Brambilla Riccardo , Herault Yann , Reymond Alexandre , Selloum Mohammed , Collins Stephan C. , Yalcin Binnaz
Published: January 2022

Using mouse genetic studies, we set out to identify which of the 30 genes causes brain size and other NeuroAnatomical Phenotypes (NAPs) at the autism-associated 16p11.2 locus. We show that multiple genes mapping to this region interact to regulate brain size in contrast to previous studies, with female significantly less affected. Major Vault Protein (MVP), the main component of the vault organelle, is a highly conserved protein found in higher and lower eukaryotic cells, yet its function is not understood. Here we find MVP expression highly specific to the limbic system and Mvp as the top driver gene of NAPs, regulating the morphology of neurons, postnatally and specifically in male. Finally, we demonstrate that the double hemideletion Mvp::Mapk3 rescues NAPs, increases phosphorylation of ERK and alters behavioral performances, suggesting that MVP and ERK share the same signalling pathway, in vivo. Our results highlight that sex-specific cellular and neuroanatomical mechanisms must be considered in neurological disorders such as autism. Most importantly, it provides the first evidence for the involvement of the vault organelle in the regulation of the mammalian brain size and limbic structures.
Mitochondrial DNA variation across 56,434 individuals in gnomAD
Authors: Laricchia Kristen M. , Lake Nicole J. , Watts Nicholas A. , Shand Megan , Haessly Andrea , Gauthier Laura , Benjamin David , Banks Eric , Soto Jose , Garimella Kiran , Emery James ,   Genome Aggregation Database Consortium, Rehm Heidi L. , MacArthur Daniel G. , Tiao Grace , Lek Monkol , Mootha Vamsi K. , Calvo Sarah E.
Published: January 2022

Genomic databases of allele frequency are extremely helpful for evaluating clinical variants of unknown significance; however, until now, databases such as the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) have focused on nuclear DNA and have ignored the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA). Here, we present a pipeline to call mtDNA variants that addresses three technical challenges: (1) detecting homoplasmic and heteroplasmic variants, present, respectively, in all or a fraction of mtDNA molecules; (2) circular mtDNA genome; and (3) misalignment of nuclear sequences of mitochondrial origin (NUMTs). We observed that mtDNA copy number per cell varied across gnomAD cohorts and influenced the fraction of NUMT-derived false-positive variant calls, which can account for the majority of putative heteroplasmies. To avoid false positives, we excluded contaminated samples, cell lines, and samples prone to NUMT misalignment due to few mtDNA copies. Furthermore, we report variants with heteroplasmy ≥10%. We applied this pipeline to 56,434 whole-genome sequences in the gnomAD v3.1 database that includes individuals of European (58%), African (25%), Latino (10%), and Asian (5%) ancestry. Our gnomAD v3.1 release contains population frequencies for 10,850 unique mtDNA variants at more than half of all mtDNA bases. Importantly, we report frequencies within each nuclear ancestral population and mitochondrial haplogroup. Homoplasmic variants account for most variant calls (98%) and unique variants (85%). We observed that 1/250 individuals carry a pathogenic mtDNA variant with heteroplasmy above 10%. These mtDNA population allele frequencies are freely accessible and will aid in diagnostic interpretation and research studies.
Noise reduction and mask removal neural network for X-ray single-particle imaging
Authors: Bellisario Alfredo , Maia Filipe R. N. C. , Ekeberg Tomas
Published: January 2022

Free-electron lasers could enable X-ray imaging of single biological macromolecules and the study of protein dynamics, paving the way for a powerful new imaging tool in structural biology, but a low signal-to-noise ratio and missing regions in the detectors, colloquially termed `masks', affect data collection and hamper real-time evaluation of experimental data. In this article, the challenges posed by noise and masks are tackled by introducing a neural network pipeline that aims to restore diffraction intensities. For training and testing of the model, a data set of diffraction patterns was simulated from 10 900 different proteins with molecular weights within the range of 10–100 kDa and collected at a photon energy of 8 keV. The method is compared with a simple low-pass filtering algorithm based on autocorrelation constraints. The results show an improvement in the mean-squared error of roughly two orders of magnitude in the presence of masks compared with the noisy data. The algorithm was also tested at increasing mask width, leading to the conclusion that demasking can achieve good results when the mask is smaller than half of the central speckle of the pattern. The results highlight the competitiveness of this model for data processing and the feasibility of restoring diffraction intensities from unknown structures in real time using deep learning methods. Finally, an example is shown of this preprocessing making orientation recovery more reliable, especially for data sets containing very few patterns, using the expansion–maximization–compression algorithm.
Structure modeling and quantitative X-ray diffraction of C-(A)-S-H
Authors: Mesecke Karsten , Warr Laurence N. , Malorny Winfried
Published: January 2022

Quantitative X-ray diffraction of nanocrystalline calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and its aluminium-substituted variants (C-A-S-H) has so far been limited by a lack of appropriate structure models. In this study, atomistic structure models derived from tobermorite were combined with a supercell approach using TOPAS. By accounting for nanostructural features such as isolated layers, turbostratic disorder and, for the first time, fibrils, characteristic reflections and asymmetric bands were more accurately simulated than before, providing the means for phase quantification and refinement of structural sites. This improved methodology is applied to autoclaved aerated concrete and the experimental study of related hydrothermal reactions. Scanning electron microscopy indicated a fibrillar morphology for intermediate C-(A)-S-H, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy constrained its Ca/Si ratio to 1.31–1.35. As a first step, the direct quantification of C-(A)-S-H via structure models was assessed by a series of X-ray diffraction measurements using corundum as an internal standard. Secondly, the verified structure model was applied to evaluate in situ X-ray diffraction experiments at 457, 466 and 473 K (1.1, 1.35 and 1.55 MPa, respectively). Finally, a quantitative study of industrially produced autoclaved aerated concrete was conducted, determining 20–30 wt% C-(A)-S-H at Ca/Si ratios < 1.0. In general, the developed structure models advance the study of Portland cement concrete and related materials, including autoclaved aerated concrete, and the supercell approach may be universally applicable to other nanocrystalline materials.
Niggli reduction and Bravais lattice determination
Authors: Shi Hong-Long , Li Zi-An
Published: January 2022

A new algorithm has been developed and coded inDigitalMicrograph(DM) to reduce a three-dimensional primitive cell to the Niggli cell and further convert to the Bravais-lattice unit cell. The core of this algorithm is the calculation of the three shortest non-coplanar vectors to compose the reduced cell. The reduced cell is converted into the real-space reduced cell and then to the Bravais-lattice unit cell. The symmetry-constrained unit cell is, in turn, converted back into the real-space reduced cell, the reciprocal reduced cell and the reciprocal primitive cell. TheDMpackage demonstrates superior numerical stability and can tolerate large uncertainties in the experimentally measured input primitive cell, making it especially suitable for electron diffraction analysis. Additionally, theDMpackage can be used to calculate various crystallographic parameters including Bravais-lattice plane indices, zone-axis indices, tilt angles and the radius of the high-order Laue zone ring, thus facilitating the correct determination of the Niggli cell and the Bravais lattice.
Preferred orientation and its effects on intensity-correlation measurements
Authors: Binns Jack , Darmanin Connie , Kewish Cameron M. , Pathirannahalge Sachini Kadaoluwa , Berntsen Peter , Adams Patrick L. R. , Paporakis Stefan , Wells Daniel , Roque Francisco Gian , Abbey Brian , Bryant Gary , Conn Charlotte E. , Mudie Stephen T. , Hawley Adrian M. , Ryan Timothy M. , Greaves Tamar L. , Martin Andrew V.
Published: January 2022

Intensity-correlation measurements allow access to nanostructural information on a range of ordered and disordered materials beyond traditional pair-correlation methods. In real space, this information can be expressed in terms of a pair-angle distribution function (PADF) which encodes three- and four-body distances and angles. To date, correlation-based techniques have not been applied to the analysis of microstructural effects, such as preferred orientation, which are typically investigated by texture analysis. Preferred orientation is regarded as a potential source of error in intensity-correlation experiments and complicates interpretation of the results. Here, the theory of preferred orientation in intensity-correlation techniques is developed, connecting it to the established theory of texture analysis. The preferred-orientation effect is found to scale with the number of crystalline domains in the beam, surpassing the nanostructural signal when the number of domains becomes large. Experimental demonstrations are presented of the orientation-dominant and nanostructure-dominant cases using PADF analysis. The results show that even minor deviations from uniform orientation produce the strongest angular correlation signals when the number of crystalline domains in the beam is large.
Corporate image as a high-order construct in hospitality
Authors: Cuic Tankovic Ana , Benazić Dragan , Kapeš Jelena
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the corporate image as a high-order construct in the hospitality industry. Therefore, it includes an important part of all the agents that contribute to the formation of this corporate image: the clients, the employees and the hotel management.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to better conceptualize and understand the dimensions of corporate image in the hospitality industry, a theoretical systematization and analysis of the literature on corporate image definitions and validated scales to date are presented. The primary research is based on a questionnaire survey that emerged from the theoretical model. The collected data were tested using confirmatory factor analysis and covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM).

Findings

Results indicate that corporate image is a high-order construct that includes the dimensions of symbols from servicescape, employees' behaviour, perception of the organization, perception of the management, perception of the service and perception of the hotel.

Research limitations/implications

The application of this paper will enable new research in the corporate marketing literature, while the presented multidimensional approach will support future empirical research on corporate image in hospitality.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to theory by conceptualizing the corporate image as high-order construct. It provides evidence of corporate image multidimensionality, comprising six dimensions. Moreover, the findings provide an insight for practitioners to better understand how to manage hotel image.
Emotional intelligence, intercultural competence and online instruction: Review and reflection
Authors: Arghode Vishal , Lakshmanan Gandhi , Nafukho Fredrick Muyia
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain how emotional intelligence (EI) influences intercultural competence (IC), which in turn may influence online instruction. The authors further explored the varying attributes of EI and the extent to which it intersects with IC in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature on EI and IC from the fields of education, business and leadership was reviewed. The search entailed articles related to EI and IC using the following databases: Business Search Premier, ERIC, JSTOR and ProQuest. The authors used the following key search terms in researching the articles: EI, IC, learning and online instruction. Title and abstract analyses judged each article’s suitability for the study.

Findings

To better perceive, understand and appreciate others and their cultures, we need to understand our own emotions and the way we interact with others. EI is thus the foundation on which IC can be built. It takes a higher level of EI to develop higher IC quotient. An online instructor should be cognizant about the emotional issues involved in the online learning and suitably modify the instruction to improve learner engagement to ensure better and improved student learning.

Research limitations/implications

Findings of this study should provide useful information for theory building and practice. Further, it is hoped the findings of this study will stimulate more scholarly interest in this relatively untapped research area exploring how EI can influence IC and ultimately influence online instruction and improve student learning.

Practical implications

The findings will serve as useful pointers for instructors and scholars who strive to improve ICs and appreciate the nuances that enable an emotionally intelligent instructor to perform better and connect with learners from a different culture.

Originality/value

Based on empirical literature reviewed, EI is the ability to perceive, understand and control our own emotions to better connect and relate with other individuals. It is the ability to recognize the emotional cues and change our behavior accordingly. IC is the ability to understand and appreciate the cultural differences to better function in a culture different from our own. The two constructs are therefore interrelated and have a significant overlap. However, while EI has been studied exclusively in different contexts, surprisingly, the researchers have not given adequate attention to the important theme of using EI in improving IC or even the role EI can play in improving instructors’ IC. Moreover, the interrelationship between EI, IC and online learning has not been explored previously. This paper seeks to address this gap.
Altmetrics analysis of selected articles in the field of social sciences
Authors: Sedighi Mehri
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to measure the impact of the selected papers in the field of social sciences indexed in Scopus using altmetrics tools.

Design/methodology/approach

The research community consists of the articles of the Iranian researchers in the field of social sciences indexed in the Scopus database in 2014–2018. Some of the most important altmetric service providers have been used to assess the presence of the research outputs in the social media and their impact assessment. Also, the relationship between variables such as scientific collaboration of researchers, open access journals and the quality of research journals with altmetric activity have been investigated through appropriate correlation tests.

Findings

The findings indicated that the most important social media publishing Iranian articles are Mendeley, Twitter and Facebook. The results of the correlation test showed a statistically significant positive and weak relationship between the scientific collaboration of researchers and their altmetric activity. Also, there is a significant and weak statistical relation between journal openness and the altmetric scores. In this study, the findings suggest that the published articles in the journals with higher quality indicators have higher altmetric scores and are more likely to be present in social media.

Research implications

In this study, the social network indicators have been introduced as a solution to examine the effectiveness of research activities on social media. These indicators can be used to evaluate the impact and usefulness of the articles and other scientific outputs with the aim of completing and eliminating the shortcomings of traditional scientometrics indicators. What distinguishes altmetric criteria from other criteria related to the scientometric studies is the speed, ease and transparency of these scales. This allows the publications to be evaluated regardless of their formal form and in the shortest possible time, and in addition to the scientific impact, the social impact of the works is also measured.

Originality/value

The results of these studies show that using altmetric service providers not only reflects the social impact of publications on authors in different subject areas but also helps libraries, universities, research organizations and politicians in planning, budgeting and allocating resources.
How promotion loss shapes expectations of discrimination: an intersectional approach
Authors: Nag Devalina , Arena David F. , Jones Kristen P.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the implications of anticipated discrimination for women and racial minorities when they lose out on an opportunity for a promotion to a similarly qualified non-minority colleague.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 248 participants who were full-time working adults residing in the USA were randomly assigned to one of four versions of the scenario in which a coworker was either a White male, a White female, a Black male or a Black female coworker is offered a desired promotion. Participants reported on the extent to which they anticipated discrimination (i.e. expect discriminatory behaviors enacted toward them in the future) in the hypothetical workplace.

Findings

Women and racial minorities reported anticipated discrimination at greater levels than non-minorities when passed over for a promotion. The authors also found that intersectionally stigmatized, racial minority women reported the highest levels of anticipated discrimination.

Practical implications

The authors recommend transparent and honest communication about organizations’ decision-making processes that have career-related implications for underrepresented populations. Doing so may help alleviate concerns or perceptions that employees may have in regard to organizational practices being (intentionally or unintentionally) discriminatory.

Originality/value

While research has examined the psychological implications of receiving a promotion, substantially less work has focused on the characteristics of the promoted coworker or considered how those characteristics shape perceptions of anticipating discrimination.
Development and validation of moral distress scale in pre-hospital emergency service providers
Authors: Jafari Mojtaba , Ebadi Abbas , Khankeh Hamid Reza , Maddah Sadat Seyed Bagher , Hosseini MohammadAli
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The uniqueness of the pre-hospital setting and the need for quick decision-making confronts pre-hospital emergency personnel with various moral conflicts that can lead to moral distress (MD) in them. This study aimed to design a valid scale for the assessment of MD in emergency medical service (EMS) staff.

Design/methodology/approach

This exploratory mixed-method study was conducted among the EMS provider's community. In the qualitative section, data were gathered and analyzed with semi-structured interviews and conventional content analysis, respectively. The initial pool of items was formed and the primary scale was designed. In the quantitative section, a methodological study was carried out to determine the psychometric properties of the scale including qualitative-quantitative face validity, qualitative-quantitative content validity with content validity ratio and index (CVR/CVI), construct validity by exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and convergent validity, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha/ Omega McDonald's/ floor and ceiling effect) and stability with intra-class correlation (ICC).

Findings

After interviews with 14 emergency technicians, the initial scale was designed with 60 items. Of the total items, 17 poor items were dropped during face and qualitative content validity. In the content validity phase, the items with CVR > 0.62, modified Kappa > 0.74 were retained, which eliminated 23 items. EFA was conducted with 20 items and lead to the 5 factors. The floor and ceiling effect for the whole scale was zero. Finally, the reliability of the scale was confirmed (a = 0.83, O = 0.86, ICC = 0.95).

Originality/value

The developed 20-item scale is a valid and reliable scale for the assessment of the MD in EMS providers.
How innovation can influence customer satisfaction – case study of the Saccharum Hotel in Madeira
Authors: Cabral Ana Melissa , Marques João Paulo Coelho
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The main goal of innovation is to improve customer service and products and also customer satisfaction. Taking into account the four types of innovation recognized by organization for economic co-operation and development, the purpose of this research is to understand how innovation can influence customer satisfaction, specifically in the hotel industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The data collection was done through qualitative (interview) and quantitative methods (questionnaire). For the quantitative data processing, the Statistical Package for Social Science software was used through statistical inference methods.

Findings

The results show the influence of the four dimensions of innovation on customer satisfaction. These results confirm previous studies on the influence of service, marketing and process innovation on customer satisfaction. However, the results also show the positive relation between customer satisfaction and organizational innovation as well as the relationship between organizational innovation and the other types of innovation.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study were based only on one hotel unit. The extension to other cases may strengthen the results.

Practical implications

The confirmation that customer satisfaction is associated with innovation, in its four dimensions, can contribute to better decision-making, not only for the hotel in the study but also for the sector.

Originality/value

Focusing on understanding the relation between the rate of innovation and its impact on customer satisfaction, the study expands the knowledge about the importance of services innovation on a specific hotel in Madeira.
Effects of lean distributed manufacturing on factory’s resilience: the current practice in UK food manufacturing sector
Authors: Ul Haq Ijaz , Colwill James Andrew , Backhouse Chris , Franceschini Fiorenzo
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Lean distributed manufacturing (LDM) is being considered as an enabler of achieving sustainability and resilience in manufacturing and supply chain operations. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of how LDM characteristics affect the resilience of manufacturing companies by drawing upon the experience of food manufacturing companies operating in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper develops a conceptual model to analyse the impact of LDM on the operational resilience of food manufacturing companies. A triangulation research methodology (secondary data analysis, field observations and structured interviews) is used in this study. In a first step, LDM enablers and resilience elements are identified from literature. In a second step, empirical evidence is collected from six food sub-sectors aimed at identifying LDM enablers being practised in companies.

Findings

The analysis reveals that LDM enablers can improve the resilience capabilities of manufacturing companies at different stages of resilience action cycle, whereas the application status of different LDM enablers varies in food manufacturing companies. The findings include the development of a conceptual model (based on literature) and a relationship matrix between LDM enablers and resilience elements.

Practical implications

The developed relationship matrix is helpful for food manufacturing companies to assess their resilience capability in terms of LDM characteristics and then formulate action plans to incorporate relevant LDM enablers to enhance operational resilience.

Originality/value

Based on the literature review, no studies exist that investigate the effects of LDM on factory’s resilience, despite many research studies suggesting distributed manufacturing as an enabler of sustainability and resilience.
Effects of morphology parameters of sinusoidal texture on tribological properties under dry friction
Authors: Sun Jiawei , Yi Peng , Jia Hong-Yu , Yang Xiao-Shuang , Shi Yong-Jun , Liu Yancong , Hao Muming
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the influence of sinusoidal texture (ST) with different morphology parameters on the corresponding tribological effects.

Design/methodology/approach

The STs with different amplitudes, ranging from 0.05 to 0.3 mm, and frequencies, ranging from 5 to 17.5, are fabricated using nanosecond pulsed laser equipment. The friction experiments and the finite element analysis method are combined to investigate the tribological properties, under dry friction conditions.

Findings

Test results show that when the amplitude is 0.15 mm and frequency is 10, ST surface has the lowest friction coefficient of 0.373, and exhibits great anti-friction effect. It also possesses a complete texture edge after friction. The friction reduction effect of ST with larger or smaller amplitude and frequency is worse.

Originality/value

The results of this study can provide a guidance for the design optimization of ST of reciprocating sliding contact surfaces, under dry friction conditions.
Real Estate Insights Safe as houses? Thinking on the rise of investment into UK residential markets
Authors: Livingstone Nicola
Published: January 2022

Purpose

In recent decades, institutional investment has become increasingly focussed on residential property in the United Kingdom, reflecting interest in what was previously considered an “alternative” asset class, but is now an evolving and ever more complex sector. This short thought piece considers how such processes may be understood through investment-related research.

Design/methodology/approach

The UK residential market has experienced substantial capital inflows in the wake of the global financial crisis. This reflective piece suggests there is a need for more research into residential real estate as an institutional asset class to further unpack and understand shifting market dynamics within the United Kingdom. It offers insight into evolving market trends across a diverse range of investors and market sub-sectors.

Findings

This paper considers the diverse research opportunities within the residential investment markets, including, but not limited to, the private rented sector, build-to-rent and purpose-built student accommodation, presenting opportunities for burgeoning research.

Practical implications

The viewpoint suggests how this research lacuna may be bridged through additional research in not just the UK residential market, but also how investors may further integrate and operationalise UK residential assets in diversified or specialised investments, from domestic to international propositions. The suggested research agenda promotes enhanced understandings of residential markets and processes driving investment decision-making.

Originality/value

As the integration of residential property into vehicles such as Real Estate Investment Trusts, private equity funds and managed multi-asset portfolios continues to increase, there is an amplified need to understand the market context in which such investment flows occur, including the potential impact of COVID-19, Brexit and the cyclical evolution of real estate markets more broadly.
Seeking approval: adopting impression management tactics upon experiencing workplace ostracism
Authors: Mu Xinyan , Mao Jih-Yu , Liao Mengying
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Being ignored or excluded is a painful experience. Belongingness theory suggests that individuals inherently desire for belongingness and social interactions. This study aims to explore whether ostracized employees take actions to seek potential re-inclusion in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from a two-wave survey. Ordinary least squares regressions were conducted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Workplace ostracism is positively associated with victims’ impression management behaviors (i.e. self-promotion and exemplification) through need for approval. In addition, these indirect relationships are more salient for victims with stronger self-face concerns.

Originality/value

This study examines how ostracized employees strive for potential re-inclusion and who are more likely to seek approval. Specifically, this study identifies two impression management behaviors as victims’ potential re-inclusion tactics in response to ostracism in the workplace.
Agency problems concerning the handling of fan misbehaviour and its punishment in football
Authors: Winskowski Philipp , Homölle Susanne
Published: January 2022

Purpose

On the example of professional football in Germany, this paper analyses the conflict about the punishment of fan misbehaviour within an agency-theoretical framework to cast light on the reasons for the ineffectiveness of the sentences and to show possible solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

In a pre-study, more than 1,300 hand-collected past sentences against clubs by the German and European sports courts were analysed to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the penalties so far. Additionally, in the main study, 26 expert interviews with German representatives of the football association, courts, clubs, sponsors, police and active fan scenes allow a deep insight into the relationships of the involved parties.

Findings

The paper suggests that the sentences do not sufficiently consider several agency problems. Due to moral hazard, they exert hardly any influence on fan behaviour and only a small one on the clubs. While the lighting of pyrotechnics is by far the most punished type of misbehaviour, most of the interviewees cite the impossibility of preventing it. Despite the sentences, some clubs make non-public agreements with their fans about still tolerable misconduct or do not pass the penalties on to the polluters as intended by the association. The findings highlight the importance of communication for less misbehaviour.

Originality/value

For the first time, the agency theory and the economic theory of optimal punishment are brought together with insights from interviews with the involved parties. The authors discover a two-stage principal-agent problem and get new insights into stakeholders' hidden motivations and attitudes. The results should encourage a debate on the current penalties and possible solutions to the recurring problem of pyrotechnics.
Decision support system for fish quarantine measures in Indonesia
Authors: Hidayat Deden Sumirat , Satuti Winaring Suryo , Sensuse Dana Indra , Elisabeth Damayanti , Hasani Lintang Matahari
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Fish quarantine is a measure to prevent the entry and spread of quarantine fish pests and diseases abroad and from one area to another within Indonesia's territory. Based on these backgrounds, this study aims to identify the knowledge, knowledge management (KM) processes and knowledge management system (KMS) priority needs for quarantine fish and other fishery products measures (QMFFP) and then develop a classification model and web-based decision support system (DSS) for QMFFP decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

This research methodology uses combination approaches, namely, contingency factor analysis (CFA), the cross-industry standard process for data mining (CRISP-DM) and knowledge management system development life cycle (KMSDLC). The CFA for KM solution design is performed by identifying KM processes and KMS priorities. The CRISP-DM for decision classification model is done by using a decision tree algorithm. The KMSDLC is used to develop a web-based DSS.

Findings

The highest priority requirements of KM technology for QMFFP are data mining and DSS with predictive features. The main finding of this study is to show that web-based DSS (functions and outputs) can support and accelerate QMFFP decisions by regulations and field practice needs. The DSS was developed using the CTree algorithm model, which has six main attributes and eight rules.

Originality/value

This study proposes a novel comprehensive framework for developing DSS (combination of CFA, CRISP-DM and KMSDLC), a novel classification model resulting from comparing two decision tree algorithms and a novel web-based DSS for QMFFP.
Recipes for Disaster: Cookery Books and the Management of Intimacy in Colonial Kenyan Settler Homes 1919–1944
Authors: Williams Elizabeth Winifred
Published: January 2022

This article examines two household guides produced by and for settler housewives in colonial Kenya. The article argues that these texts were part of a larger discursive project which emphasised the necessity of maintaining social and affective distance between white women and the African men who worked as domestic servants in colonial homes. Importantly, this distance was viewed as necessary to maintaining the sexual wellbeing of the colony, since both officials and settlers suggested that white women were to blame for cases of interracial rape in the colony. This discourse held that white women inculcated sexual desires in their servants by behaving towards them with excessive intimacy. This article focuses especially on ‘KiSetla’, the dialect of KiSwahili used in Kenyan settler homes. As a language native neither to mistress nor servant, KiSetla was predestined to produce daily confusion between white women and their African male employees. Yet, this was precisely the point – the production of quotidian hostilities helped diffuse anxieties about cross‐racial and gendered contact. This article positions household guides as disciplinary texts which sought to manage the intimacies of the colonial home through scripting affective distance between white mistresses and African servants.
Elemental profiling of total gunshot residue using total reflection X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry
Authors: Gong Samantha A. , Homburger Nicole , Huang Ling
Published: January 2022

Gunshot residue (GSR) is a composite of unburnt and partially burnt particles from various components of firearm ammunition cartridges. GSR is customarily sampled from small, localized spots and analyzed visually and elementally. The conventional analytical methods for localized GSR are most commonly done through a paired scanning electron microscope–energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometer (SEM‐EDS) to look for the presence of lead, barium, and antimony, the inorganic components of ammunition primer. Previous GSR analysis primarily focused on the material deposited on a shooter’s hands and used swabbing or adhesive stubs to collect GSR. In this study, total gunshot residue (tGSR) from six types of ammunition was collected from fabric that was shot at a muzzle‐to‐target distance of 15 cm. Subsequently, each tGSR sample was digested in nitric acid and analyzed with total reflection X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF). The TXRF technique can simultaneously identify the individual elements in the tGSR and provide absolute elemental quantification. In contrast, EDS scans report the relative elemental compositions of localized GSR samples rather than giving absolute quantitation. This study reliably revealed distinct patterns in six key elements (lead, copper, barium, antimony, iron, and zinc) of tGSR among the ammunition investigated. Elemental profiles were developed from the analyses to represent each ammunition type and the elemental quantities obtained could be used to suggest the category of ammunition that was used.
Effect of glandless cottonseed meal protein and maltodextrin as microencapsulating agents on spray‐drying of sugarcane bagasse phenolic compounds
Authors: Velazquez‐Martinez Victor , Quintero‐Quiroz Julian , Rodriguez‐Uribe Laura , Valles‐Rosales Delia Valles , Reyes‐Jaquez Damian , Klasson Thomas , Delgado Efren
Published: January 2022

This study examines the effect of different concentrations of glandless cottonseed meal protein (GCSMP) and maltodextrin (MD) as microencapsulating agents on the shelf life stability of phenolic compounds extracted from sugarcane bagasse (SCB). Sugarcane bagasse showed high antioxidant activity, which remained stable after 30 days of storage at 4°C. The best microencapsulation process was obtained with an MD and GCSMP ratio of 63.6% and 36.4%, respectively. The encapsulating agents’ ratio affected the encapsulation efficiency (EE) (p < 0.05), while the spray‐drying temperature did not show an effect on the EE of the SCB phenolic compounds (p > 0.05). The antioxidant activity of the microencapsulated phenolic compounds was affected by the MD/GCSMP ratio (p < 0.05). The combination of MD and GCSM showed a higher EE than MD (p < 0.05), while the EE was lower when the ratio of encapsulating agents consisted of either MD or GCSMP alone (p < 0.05). The total phenolic content (TPC) in the microcapsules was not affected by the GCSMP ratio (p < 0.05). The TPC of microencapsulated phenolic compounds was stable up to 100°C for 14 days. GCSMP containing microcapsules showed a corrugated surface compared to a more homogenized surface of MD. The resulting corrugated structure explains the higher EE showed by the GCSMP.

Practical Application

The use of sugarcane bagasse has been shown to add value to waste from agricultural and industrial sources. Glandless cottonseed meal protein is an excellent protective agent of antioxidants and can be extracted from agricultural waste. The encapsulated antioxidants can be used for the development of healthy, functional foods.
Phytosterol oxidation products from coffee silverskin
Authors: McDonald Kimberlynn , Langenbahn Hans J. , Miller J. David , McMullin David R.
Published: January 2022

Coffee silverskin is a byproduct of the coffee roasting process contributing to organic waste burdens in urban areas. Silverskin is a potential source of dietary fiber, protein, carbohydrates, caffeine as well as vitamins and minerals. However, phytosterols present in the plant are susceptible to thermal oxidation resulting in the formation of phytosterol oxidation products (POPs) in the silverskin during roasting. In collaboration with a small roastery, the formation of POPs in three coffee varieties with roasting time was monitored by GC‐MS. The objective was to evaluate the safety and potential benefits of incorporating coffee silverskin into value‐added products. The qualitative profile of POPs in the silverskin from the three varieties was similar. Average total POPs were 0.32 g POPs/kg silverskin. POPs from the dominant plant sterol, sitosterol, were present at the highest concentrations. Caffeine, total antioxidant capacity, and total flavonoids were measured in the silverskin of the three coffees. Average values were 1.3 g caffeine/100 g silverskin, TEAC of 11 mmol Trolox/kg silverskin, and 1.94 to 8.60 mg catechin equivalent (CE)/g silverskin, respectively. An analysis of the impact of consuming teas and baked goods containing silverskin was also performed. Using published formulations, a tea or cookie containing silverskin would contribute approximately 1 and 0.3 mg POP per day, respectively. Consumption of these products would not substantially increase dietary exposure to POPs, while increasing fiber and antioxidants while reducing organic waste.

Practical Application

Coffee silverskin has been studied as a possible source of fiber, antioxidants, and caffeine when incorporated in snack foods and used to make teas. To assess possible concerns about increasing dietary oxidized phytosterols, the formation of phytosterol oxidation products (POPs) was investigated in the silverskin fraction during the roasting process in three coffee varieties. In addition, caffeine, antioxidant capacity, and total flavonoids were determined. We found that silverskin can be safely used for value‐added products including caffeinated teas, cookies, and bars with minimal impact on dietary POP exposures.
Association between morphological features of necrotizing pancreatitis on endoscopic ultrasound and outcomes of the endoscopic transmural step‐up approach
Authors: Ding Ling , Li Xue Yang , Tan Ji Xue , Xia Liang , He Wen Hua , Xiong Hui Fang , Zhu Yong , Liu Pi , Shu Xu , Liu Zhi Jian , Zhu Yin , Chen You Xiang , Lu Nong Hua
Published: January 2022

Objective

To investigate the association between necrotic collections on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and outcomes of the endoscopic transmural step‐up approach in necrotizing pancreatitis (NP).

Methods

Adult NP patients who had undergone endoscopic transmural step‐up approach, endoscopic transmural drainage or endoscopic transmural necrosectomy, were retrospectively enrolled, and divided into groups 1, 2 and 3 based on the amount of solid necrotic debris (quantified as a percentage of the total collection size of <30%, 30%‐50%, and >50%).

Results

A total of 134 patients were included, of whom 52, 59 and 23 patients were categorized into groups 1, 2 and 3. Patients with more solid necrotic debris required more necrosectomy sessions (group 3 vs group 2 vs group 1: 2.0 vs 1.0 vs 1.0, P < 0.001), were more likely to experience stent occlusion (group 3 vs group 2 vs group 1: 34.8% vs 16.9% vs 9.6%, P = 0.011), and had a longer hospitalization (group 3 vs group 2 vs group 1: 40.0 d vs 28.0 d vs 25.5 d, P = 0.015). High procalcitonin level (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 6.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40–26.94, P = 0.016) and any organ failure (aOR 11.51, 95% CI 2.42‐54.78, P = 0.002) were independently associated with clinical failure of endoscopic transmural step‐up approach.

Conclusions

More solid necrotic debris on EUS is related to more necrosectomy sessions, higher incidence of stent occlusion and longer hospitalization. A nomogram combining procalcitonin and any organ failure performs well in predicting clinical failure of endoscopic transmural step‐up approach.
Characteristics of the psychopathological status of oral lichen planus: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Li K , He W , Hua H
Published: January 2022

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa having no clear aetiology or pathogenesis. The influence of psychological disturbances on OLP has been widely discussed but still bears the controversy. This study aimed at assessing scientific evidence between the OLP and psychological alterations of the patient. We searched seven important databases for studies on OLP and psychological factors (anxiety, depression, stress, sleep disorders, etc.) published between 1 January 2000, and 1 October 2020. Case‐control and cross‐sectional studies were incorporated into this study. The meta‐analysis used a random‐effects model assessed by using the I2 statistic. Dichotomous variables used the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI), and continuous variables used the mean difference with 95% CI. Finally, 26 studies were included in the review. A meta‐analysis of 13 studies showed there was a significant association of OLP with anxiety, depression and stress compared with healthy controls. Certain personality characteristics and sleep disorders also influence the patient of OLP. Therefore, psychological and psychiatric examinations should be carried out routinely for patients with OLP and improve the prognosis of the disease. © 2022 Australian Dental Association