bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genome-wide CRISPR screen identifies KEAP1 perturbation as a vulnerability of ARID1A-deficient cells
Authors: Fournier LA , Kalantari F , Wells JP. , Lee JS , Trigo-Gonzalez G , Moksa MM , Smith T , White J , Shanks A , Wang L , Su E , Wang Y , Huntsman DG , Hirst M , Stirling PC
Published: November 2023

ARID1A is the core DNA binding subunit of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex and is mutated in about ∼8% of all cancers. The frequency of ARID1A loss varies between cancer subtypes, with clear cell ovarian carcinoma (CCOC) presenting the highest incidence at >50% of cases. Despite a growing understanding of the consequences of ARID1A-loss in cancer, there remains limited targeted therapeutic options for ARID1A-deficient cancers. Using a genome-wide CRISPR screening approach, we identify KEAP1 as a genetic dependency of ARID1A in CCOC. Depletion or chemical perturbation of KEAP1 results in selective growth inhibition of ARID1A-KO cell lines and edited primary endometrial epithelial cells. While we confirm that KEAP1-NRF2 signalling is dysregulated in ARID1A-KO cells, we suggest that this synthetic lethality is not due to aberrant NRF2 signalling. Rather, we find that KEAP1 perturbation exacerbates genome instability phenotypes associated with ARID1A-deficiency. Together, our findings identify a potentially novel synthetic lethal interaction of wARID1A-deficient cells.
A double-ring of human RAD52 remodels replication forks restricting fork reversal
Authors: Honda Masayoshi , Razzaghi Mortezaali , Gaur Paras , Malacaria Eva , Marozzi Giorgia , Biagi Ludovica Di , Aiello Francesca Antonella , Paintsil Emeleeta A. , Stanfield Andrew J. , Deppe Bailey J. , Gakhar Lokesh , Schnicker Nicholas J. , Ashley Spies M. , Pichierri Pietro , Spies Maria
Published: November 2023

Human RAD521,2is a multifunctional DNA repair protein involved in several cellular events that support genome stability including protection of stalled DNA replication forks from excessive degradation3–7. In its gatekeeper role, RAD52 binds to and stabilizes stalled replication forks during replication stress protecting them from reversal by SMARCAL15. The structural and molecular mechanism of the RAD52-mediated fork protection remains elusive. Here, using P1 nuclease sensitivity, biochemical and single-molecule analyses we show that RAD52 dynamically remodels replication forks through its strand exchange activity. The presence of the ssDNA binding protein RPA at the fork modulates the kinetics of the strand exchange without impeding the reaction outcome. Mass photometry and single-particle cryo-electron microscopy show that the replication fork promotes a unique nucleoprotein structure containing head-to-head arrangement of two undecameric RAD52 rings with an extended positively charged surface that accommodates all three arms of the replication fork. We propose that the formation and continuity of this surface is important for the strand exchange reaction and for competition with SMARCAL1.

One Sentence Summary

Using cryo-EM, biochemical and single-molecule approaches we show that the structure of stalled DNA replication fork promotes a unique two-ring organization of human RAD52 protein which remodels the fork via DNA strand exchange.
Proteoform-level deconvolution reveals a broader spectrum of ibrutinib off-targets
Authors: Leo Isabelle , Kunold Elena , Anastasia Audrey , Tampere Marianna , Eirich Jürgen , Jafari Rozbeh
Published: November 2023

Over the last decade, proteome-wide mapping of drug interactions has revealed that most targeted drugs bind to not only their intended targets, but additional proteins as well. However, the majority of these studies have focused on analyzing proteins as encoded by their genes, thus neglecting the fact that most proteins exist as dynamic populations of multiple proteoforms. Here, we addressed this problem by combining the use of thermal proteome profiling (TPP), a powerful method for proteome analysis, with proteoform detection to refine the target landscape of an approved drug, ibrutinib. We revealed that, in addition to known targets, ibrutinib exhibits an intricate network of interactions involving multiple different proteoforms. Notably, we discovered affinity for specific proteoforms that link ibrutinib to mechanisms in immunomodulation and cellular processes like Golgi trafficking, endosomal trafficking, and glycosylation. These insights provide a framework for interpreting clinically observed off-target and adverse events. More generally, our findings highlight the importance of proteoform-level deconvolution in understanding drug interactions and their functional impacts, and offer a critical perspective for drug mechanism studies and potential applications in precision medicine.
Melanoma-derived DNA polymerase theta variants exhibit altered DNA polymerase activity
Authors: Thomas Corey , Avalos-Irving Lisbeth , Victorino Jorge , Green Sydney , Andrews Morgan , Rodrigues Naisha , Ebirim Sarah , Mudd Ayden , Towle-Weicksel Jamie B.
Published: November 2023

DNA Polymerase θ (Pol θ or POLQ) is primarily involved in repairing double-stranded breaks in DNA through the alternative pathway known as microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ) or theta-mediated end joining (TMEJ). Unlike other DNA repair polymerases, Pol θ is thought to be highly error prone, yet critical for cell survival. We have identified several mutations in the POLQ gene from human melanoma tumors. Through biochemical analysis, we have demonstrated that all three cancer-associated variants experienced altered DNA polymerase activity including a propensity for incorrect nucleotide selection and reduced polymerization rates compared to WT Pol θ. Moreover, the variants are 30 fold less efficient at incorporating a nucleotide during repair and up to 70 fold less accurate at selecting the correct nucleotide opposite a templating base. Taken together, this suggests that aberrant Pol θ has reduced DNA repair capabilities and may also contribute to increased mutagenesis. While this may be beneficial to normal cell survival, the variants were identified in established tumors suggesting that cancer cells may use this promiscuous polymerase to its advantage to promote metastasis and drug resistance.
Plant pathogenic fungi hijack phosphate starvation signaling with conserved enzymatic effectors
Authors: McCombe Carl L. , Wegner Alex , Zamora Chenie S. , Casanova Florencia , Aditya Shouvik , Greenwood Julian R. , Wirtz Louisa , de Paula Samuel , England Eleanor , Shang Sascha , Ericsson Daniel J. , Oliveira-Garcia Ely , Williams Simon J. , Schaffrath Ulrich
Published: November 2023

Phosphate availability modulates plant immune function and regulates interactions with beneficial, phosphate-providing, microbes. Here, we describe the hijacking of plant phosphate sensing by a family of Nudix hydrolase effectors from pathogenicMagnaporthe oryzaeandColletotrichumfungi. Structural and enzymatic analyses of the Nudix effector family demonstrate that they selectively hydrolyze inositol pyrophosphates, a molecule used by plants to monitor phosphate status and regulate starvation responses. InM. oryzae, gene deletion and complementation experiments reveal that the enzymatic activity of a Nudix effector significantly contributes to pathogen virulence. Further, we show that this conserved effector family induces phosphate starvation signaling in plants. Our study elucidates a molecular mechanism, utilized by multiple phytopathogenic fungi, that manipulates the highly conserved plant phosphate sensing pathway to exacerbate disease.

One-Sentence Summary

A family of conserved enzyme effectors from pathogenic fungi manipulate plant phosphate sensing to promote infection.
A tomato ethylene-insensitive mutant displays altered growth and higher β-carotene levels in fruit
Authors: Gupta Suresh Kumar , Santisree Parankusam , Gupta Prateek , Kilambi Himabindu Vasuki , Sreelakshmi Yellamaraju , Sharma Rameshwar
Published: November 2023

The mutants insensitive to ethylene are helpful in deciphering the role of ethylene in plant development. We isolated an ethylene-insensitive tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) mutant by screening for acetylene-resistant (atr-1) seedlings. Theatr-1mutant displayed resistance to kinetin, suggesting attenuation of the ethylene sensing response.atr-1also exhibited resistance to ABA- and glucose-mediated inhibition of seed germination. Unlike theNever- ripe(Nr) mutant,atr-1seedlings were resistant to glucose, indicating ethylene sensing inatr-1is located in a component distinct fromNr. Metabolically,atr-1seedlings had lower levels of amino acids but higher levels of several phytohormones, including ABA.atr-1plants grew faster and produced more flowers, leading to a higher fruit set. However, theatr- 1fruits took a longer duration to reach the red-ripe (RR) stage. The ripenedatr-1fruits had higher β-carotene levels, retained high β-carotene and lycopene levels post-RR stage. The metabolome profiles of post-RR stageatr-1fruits revealed increased levels of sugars. Theatr-1had a P279L mutation in the GAF domain of theETR4, a key ethylene receptor regulating tomato ripening. Our study highlights that novel alleles in ethylene receptors may aid in enhancing the nutritional quality of tomato.
Characterization of the Entner-Douderoff Pathway inPseudomonas aeruginosaCatheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections
Authors: Husseini Nour El , Mekonnen Solomon A. , Hall Cherisse L. , Cole Stephanie J. , Carter Jared A. , Belew Ashton T. , El-Sayed Najib , Lee Vincent T.
Published: November 2023

Pseudomonas aeruginosais an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen responsible for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). In a murine model ofP. aeruginosaCAUTI, we previously demonstrated that urea within urine suppresses quorum sensing and induces the Entner-Douderoff (E-D) pathway. The E-D pathway consists of the geneszwf, pgl, edd, andeda. Zwf and Pgl convert glucose-6-phosphate into 6-phosphogluconate. Edd hydrolyzes 6-phosphogluconate to 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate (KDPG). Finally, Eda cleaves KDPG to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and pyruvate, which enters the citric acid cycle. Here, we generated in-frame E-D mutants in strain PA14 and assessed their growth phenotypes on chemically defined media. These E-D mutants have a growth defect when grown on glucose or gluconate as sole carbon source which are similar to results previously reported for PAO1 mutants lacking E-D genes. RNA-sequencing following short exposure to urine revealed minimal gene regulation differences compared to the wild type. In a murine CAUTI model, virulence testing of E-D mutants revealed that two mutants lackingzwfandpglshowed minor fitness defects. Infection with the Δpglstrain exhibited a 20% increase in host survival, and the Δzwfstrain displayed decreased colonization of the catheter and kidneys. Consequently, our findings suggest that the E-D pathway inP. aeruginosais dispensable in this model of CAUTI.

Importance

Prior studies have shown that the Entner-Douderoff pathway is up-regulated whenPseudomonas aeruginosais grown in urine. Pseudomonads use the Entner-Douderoff pathway to metabolize glucose instead of glycolysis which led us to ask whether this pathway is required for urinary tract infection. Here, single-deletion mutants of each gene in the pathway were tested for growth on chemically defined media with single-carbon sources as well as complex media. The effect of each mutant on global gene expression in laboratory media and urine was characterized. The virulence of these mutants in a murine model of catheter-associated urinary tract infection revealed that these mutants had similar levels of colonization indicating that glucose is not the primary carbon source utilized in the urinary tract.
Genomic islands of speciation harbor genes underlying coloration differences in a pair of Neotropical seedeaters
Authors: Nguyen Tram N. , Repenning Márcio , Suertegaray Fontana Carla , Campagna Leonardo
Published: November 2023

Incomplete speciation can be leveraged to associate phenotypes with genotypes, thus providing insights into the traits relevant to the reproductive isolation of diverging taxa. We investigate the genetic underpinnings of the phenotypic differences betweenSporophila plumbeaandS. beltoni.S. beltonihas only recently been described based, most notably, on differences in bill coloration (yellow vs. black inS. plumbea). Both species are indistinguishable through mtDNA or reduced-representation genomic data, and even whole-genome sequencing revealed low genetic differentiation. Demographic reconstructions attribute this genetic homogeneity to gene flow, despite divergence in the order of millions of generations. We found a narrow hybrid zone in southern Brazil where genetically, yet not phenotypically, admixed individuals appear to be prevalent. Despite the overall low genetic differentiation, we identified three narrow peaks along the genome with highly differentiated SNPs. These regions harbor six genes, one of which is involved in pigmentation (EDN3) and is a candidate for controlling bill color. Within the outlier peaks we found signatures of resistance to gene flow, as expected for islands of speciation. Our study shows how genes related to coloration traits are likely involved in generating prezygotic isolation and establishing species boundaries early in speciation.
Circadian Control of Histone Turnover During Cardiac Development and Growth
Authors: Arrieta Adrian , Chapski Douglas J. , Reese Anna , Kimball Todd , Song Kunhua , Rosa-Garrido Manuel , Vondriska Thomas M.
Published: November 2023

Rationale:During postnatal cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyocytes undergo mitotic exit, relying on DNA replication-independent mechanisms of histone turnover to maintain chromatin organization and gene transcription. In other tissues, circadian oscillations in nucleosome occupancy influence clock-controlled gene expression, suggesting an unrecognized role for the circadian clock in temporal control of histone turnover and coordinate cardiomyocyte gene expression.Objective:To elucidate roles for the master circadian transcription factor, Bmal1, in histone turnover, chromatin organization, and myocyte-specific gene expression and cell growth in the neonatal period.Methods and Results:Bmal1 knockdown in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM) decreased myocyte size, total cellular protein, and transcription of the fetal hypertrophic gene Nppb following treatment with increasing serum concentrations or the α-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (PE). Bmal1 knockdown decreased expression of clock-controlled genes Per2 and Tcap, and salt-inducible kinase 1 (Sik1) which was identified via gene ontology analysis of Bmal1 targets upregulated in adult versus embryonic hearts. Epigenomic analyses revealed co-localized chromatin accessibility and Bmal1 localization in the Sik1 promoter. Bmal1 knockdown impaired Per2 and Sik1 promoter accessibility as measured by MNase-qPCR and impaired histone turnover indicated by metabolic labeling of acid-soluble chromatin fractions and immunoblots of total and chromatin-associated core histones. Sik1 knockdown basally increased myocyte size, while simultaneously impairing and driving Nppb and Per2 transcription, respectively.Conclusions:Bmal1 is required for neonatal myocyte growth, replication-independent histone turnover, and chromatin organization at the Sik1 promoter. Sik1 represents a novel clock-controlled gene that coordinates myocyte growth with hypertrophic and clock-controlled gene transcription.
Genetically dissecting the electron transport chain of a soil bacterium reveals a generalizable mechanism for biological phenazine-1-carboxylic acid oxidation
Authors: Tsypin Lev M.Z. , Saunders Scott H. , Chen Allen W. , Newman Dianne K.
Published: November 2023

The capacity for bacterial extracellular electron transfer via secreted metabolites is widespread in natural, clinical, and industrial environments. Recently, we discovered biological oxidation of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), the first example of biological regeneration of a naturally produced extracellular electron shuttle. However, it remained unclear how PCA oxidation was catalyzed. Here, we report the mechanism, which we uncovered by genetically perturbing the branched electron transport chain (ETC) of the soil isolateCitrobacter portucalensisMBL. Biological PCA oxidation is coupled to anaerobic respiration with nitrate, fumarate, dimethyl sulfoxide, or trimethylamine-N-oxide as terminal electron acceptors. Genetically inactivating the catalytic subunits for all redundant complexes for a given terminal electron acceptor abolishes PCA oxidation. In the absence of quinones, PCA can still donate electrons to certain terminal reductases, albeit much less efficiently. InC. portucalensisMBL, PCA oxidation is largely driven by flux through the ETC, which suggests a generalizable mechanism that may be employed by any anaerobically respiring bacterium with an accessible cytoplasmic membrane. This model is supported by analogous genetic experiments during nitrate respiration byPseudomonas aeruginosa.

Author summary

Many bacteria have extremely flexible metabolisms, and we are only beginning to understand how they manifest in the environment. Our study focuses on the role of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), a molecule that some bacteria synthesize and secrete into their surroundings. PCA is an “extracellular electron shuttle,” a molecule that readily transfers electrons between cells and oxidizing/reducing compounds or other cells. Until our investigation, the role of PCA electron-shuttling had only been studied in one direction: how it takes electrons away from cells, and the effect this has on their viability. Here we present a detailed account of the opposite process and its mechanism: what happens when PCA delivers electrons to cells? Our findings indicate that this previously underappreciated process is generalizable to any anaerobically respiring bacterium. Consequently, we expect that electron donation by PCA is widespread in environments where PCA is plentiful and oxygen is sparse, such as in some agricultural soils. The universality of the extracellular electron shuttle oxidation mechanism we describe for PCA suggests that it should also occur with similar small molecules, of which there are thousands, deepening the implication that this is a significant process in the environment and motivating further research into its consequences.
The heparin-binding domain of VEGF165 directly binds to integrin αvβ3 and plays a critical role in signaling
Authors: Takada Yoko K. , Yu Jessica , Ye Xiaojin , Wu Chun-Yi , Felding Brunie H. , Fujita Masaaki , Takada Yoshikazu
Published: November 2023

VEGF-A is a key cytokine in tumor angiogenesis and a major therapeutic target for cancer. VEGF165 is the predominant isoform and is the most potent angiogenesis stimulant. VEGFR2/KDR domains 2 and 3 (D2D3) bind to the N-terminal domain (NTD, residues 1-110) of VEGF165. Since removal of the heparin-binding domain (HBD, residues 111-165) markedly reduced the mitogenic activity of VEGF165, it has been proposed that the HBD plays a critical role in the mitogenicity of VEGF165. Integrin αvβ3 has been shown to bind to VEGF165, but the role of integrin αvβ3 in VEGF165 signaling are unclear. Here we describe that αvβ3 specifically bound to the isolated HBD, but not to the NTD. We identified several critical amino acid residues in HBD for integrin binding (Arg-123, Arg-124, Lys-125, Lys-140, Arg-145, and Arg-149) by docking simulation and mutagenesis, and generated full-length VEGF165 that is defective in integrin binding by including mutations in the HBD. The full-length VEGF165 mutant defective in integrin binding (R123A/R124A/K125A/K140A/R145A/R149A) was defective in ERK1/2 phosphorylation, integrin β3 phosphorylation, and KDR phosphorylation, although the mutation did not affect KDR binding to VEGF165. We propose a model in which VEGF165 induces KDR (through NTD)-VEGF165 (through HBD)-integrin αvβ3 ternary complex formation on the cell surface and this process is critically involved in potent mitogenicity of VEGF165.
Meiotic drive, postzygotic isolation, and the Snowball Effect
Authors: Unckless Robert L.
Published: November 2023

Abstract

As populations diverge, they accumulate incompatibilities which reduce gene flow and facilitate the formation of new species. Simple models suggest that the genes that cause Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities should accumulate at least as fast as the square of the number of substitutions between taxa, the so-called snowball effect. We show, however, that in the special— but possibly common— case in which hybrid sterility is due primarily to cryptic meiotic (gametic) drive, the number of genes that cause postzygotic isolation may increase nearly linearly with the number of substitutions between species.
Multi-Modality Machine Learning Models to Predict Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Heart Failure
Authors: Zhou Jiandong , Murugappan Lakshmi , Lu Lei , Chou Oscar Hou In , Cheung Bernard Man Yung , Tse Gary , Zhu Tingting
Published: November 2023

Abstract

Introduction

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke are leading causes of death of heart failure patients. Several ML models have been built using electrocardiography (ECG)-only data, or lab test data or health record data to predict these outcomes. However, a multi-modal approach using wearable ECG data integrated with lab tests and electronic health records (EHRs) data has not been developed.

Objective

The aim of this study was to apply machine learning techniques to predict stroke and AF amongst heart failure patients from a multi-modal dataset.

Methods

This study analysed hospitalised patients with heart failure in Hong Kong between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2016, with the last follow-up of 31 December 2019. The primary outcomes were AF and stroke. The secondary outcomes were all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. ECG-only, non-ECG-only and multimodal models were built to assess feature importance. Four machine learning classifiers and seven performance measures were used to evaluate the performance.

Results

There are in total 2,868 subjects with heart failure upon admission, among them 1,150 (40.10%) had new onset AF, 668 (23.29%) had new onset stroke/TIA. It was found that accurate and sensitive machine learning models can be created to predict stroke and AF from multimodal data. XGBoost, which was the best algorithm tested, achieved a mean (over 10 iterations) accuracy, AUROC, AUPRC, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 0.89, 0.80, 0.74, 0.99 and 0.88, respectively, for stroke and 0.78, 0.82, 0.77, 0.77 and 0.79, respectively, for AF. The predictive models, built using multimodal data, were easy to use and had high accuracy.

Conclusion

Multi-modal machine learning models could be used to predict future stroke and AF occurrences in patients hospitalised for heart failure.
Size-refocusing fitting of small-angle X-ray scattering from polydisperse nanoparticles for shape determination
Authors: Wu Siyu , Zuo Xiaobing , Sun Yugang
Published: November 2023

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) which records reciprocal-space signals with characteristic Bessel-type oscillations is a powerful technique for studying nanoparticles. However, the size polydispersity (or size distribution) of nanoparticles in an ensemble sample smears the oscillational peaks and valleys in the SAXS profile, making it difficult to extract accurate real-space information (e.g. three-dimensional geometry) on the nanoparticles. In this work, a method capable of eliminating the size-distribution-induced smearing effect from SAXS profiles by taking the known size-distribution function into consideration has been developed. The method employs a penalized iterative regression to fit the pair distance distribution function (PDDF) derived from a SAXS profile, recovering the representative PDDF of the nanoparticles. The method has been evaluated with a series of nanoparticle systems of various shapes and size distributions, showing their PDDF profiles to have high fidelity to the reference ideal PDDF profiles. Inverse Fourier transformation of the recovered PDDF profiles gives SAXS profiles presenting the characteristic Bessel-type oscillations, enabling reconstruction of the representative three-dimensional geometry of the nanoparticles. This method will help in the use of SAXS to image synthesized colloidal nanoparticles where size polydispersity is inevitable.
Design and synthesis of diverse Cd2+/Zn2+/Cu2+ coordination polymers tuned by dicarboxylate and auxiliary 1,4-bis(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)piperazine ligands with luminescence and Hirshfeld surface analyses
Authors: Jin Nanhao , Liu Yuqi , Dai Siyu , Li Yanghua , Wang Xinying , Zhao Yue , Liu Xiaoming , Chen Han , Luo Huilong , Li Wei
Published: November 2023

Four new coordination polymers, including 1D, 2D and 3D structures, were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using Cd2+/Zn2+/Cu2+ metal salts as nodes. These polymers were formed through self-assembly of four different dicarboxylic acid ligands, namely adamantane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (H2adc), glutaric acid (H2glu), 5-hydroxyisophthalic acid (H2hip) and fumaric acid (H2fum), in conjunction with the auxiliary ligand [1,4-bis(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)piperazine (bpmp). The corresponding formulae are [Cd3(adc)2(bpmp)Cl2(H2O)2]
n
(1), {[Cd2(glu)2(bpmp)2(H2O)2]·8H2O·2CH3OH}
n
(2), [Zn(hip)(bpmp)(H2O)]
n
(3) and [Cu(fum)(bpmp)(H2O)2]
n
(4). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the Cd2+ centers in complex 1 all adopt a six-coordinate mode but two distinct {CdO2N2Cl2} and {CuO5Cl} units. The 3D network of complex 1 can be simplified to a binodal (4.6)-connected underlying net with the point symbol (3·42·5·62)4(32·62·72·88·10). Each Cd2+ cation in complex 2 adopts a seven-coordinate {CdO5N2} center, forming an asymmetric pentagonal bipyramidal coordination. Its stacking structure is formed by the interaction of hydrogen bonds between 2D supramolecular layers, with the adjacent layers exhibiting mirror symmetry. Each Zn2+ ion in complex 3 displays a {ZnO3N} four-coordinate unit. Its stacking structure is formed by one-dimensional [Zn(hip)(bpmp)(H2O)]
n
chains connected through hydrogen bonds. On the other hand, complex 4 features a Jahn–Teller distorted {CuO4N2} octahedral coordination. Subsequently, the thermal stability of these complexes was investigated. The solid-state fluorescence spectroscopy was employed to analyze complexes 1, 2 and 3. Additionally, a Hirshfeld surface analysis was performed on complex 3.
Does knowledge collecting and donating enhance a bank's salesperson performance?
Authors: Herjanto Halimin , Amin Muslim , Fatimah Cut Erika
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study investigates the role of knowledge collecting and donating in enhancing relationship proneness and intimacy and improving a bank's salesperson satisfaction and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the snowball technique, 315 online questionnaires were collected from commercial banks. A total of 300 useable questionnaires were included for further analysis.

Findings

The findings demonstrated that knowledge collecting affects relationship proneness and salesperson performance, while knowledge donating affects relationship proneness but not satisfaction. The results also suggested that relationship proneness is responsible for salesperson intimacy. Furthermore, intimacy was found to affect salesperson performance and satisfaction. Finally, salesperson satisfaction was found to affect salesperson performance positively.

Practical implications

The findings help bankers understand and utilize the power of their knowledge management in improving their sales performance and developing suitable training and strategies to strengthen salesperson intimacy.

Originality/value

This study incorporated knowledge management, relationship proneness and intimacy to enhance a better understanding of how these indicators will affect the salesperson's satisfaction and performance.
Study on mechanical properties of corrugated steel support tunnel under fault sliding
Authors: Zhang Hong-tao , Liu Shan , Sun Lan-xi , Zhao Yu-fei
Published: November 2023

Purpose

There have been limited investigations on the mechanical characteristics of tunnels supported by corrugated plate structures during fault dislocation. The authors obtained circumferential and axial deformations of the spiral corrugated pipe at various fault displacements. Lastly, the authors examined the impact of reinforced spiral stiffness and soil constraints on the support performance of corrugated plate tunnels under fault displacement.

Design/methodology/approach

By employing the theory of similarity ratios, the authors conducted model tests on spiral corrugated plate support using loose sand and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) spiral corrugated PE pipes for cross-fault tunnels. Subsequently, the soil spring coefficient for tunnel–soil interaction was determined in accordance with ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) specifications. Numerical simulations were performed on spiral corrugated pipes with fault dislocation, and the results were compared with the experimental data, enabling the determination of the variation pattern of the soil spring coefficient.

Findings

The findings indicate that the maximum axial tensile and compressive strains occur on both sides of the fault. As the reinforced spiral stiffness reaches a certain threshold, the deformation of the corrugated plate tunnel and the maximum fault displacement stabilize. Furthermore, a stronger soil constraint leads to a lower maximum fault displacement that the tunnel can withstand.

Research limitations/implications

In this study, the calculation formula for density similarity ratio cannot be taken into account due to the limitations of the helical corrugated tube process and the focus on the deformation pattern of helical corrugated tubes under fault action.

Originality/value

This study provides a basis for the mechanical properties of helical corrugated tube tunnels under fault misalignment and offers optimization solutions.
An analysis of users’ continuous use intention of academic library social media using the WeChat public platform as an example
Authors: Meng Yuan , Lin Hongwei , Gong Weijing , Guan Rui , Dong Li
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study aims to discover the factors which influence user satisfaction levels and their continuous use intention (CUI) of academic library social media, and then considers how to promote and improve further work on library social media to reduce user churn and increase user satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

An updated DeLone and McLean information systems success (D&M ISS) model and the expectation confirmation model for information systems continuance (ECM-ISC) with new variables of emotions are used to examine the factors which influence user satisfaction levels and CUI of academic library social media through 445 questionnaires. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data and presented in tables.

Findings

The results show that information quality, system quality and emotions affect user satisfaction and CUI, and reveal that emotions can affect that most obviously.

Research limitations/implications

The WeChat public platform is mainly used in China, so the study only focuses on Chinese academic libraries. There are still limitations on the settings of observed variables which cannot cover all the causes of users’ positive and negative emotions. In addition, although the respondents of this questionnaire can represent academic library users, 445 samples are still fairly low in contrast to the great number of academic library WeChat public platform users.

Originality/value

This study integrates ECM-ISC and D&M ISS models, adds positive and negative emotions as new variables, to broaden the application scope of these models, and demonstrates the applicability of these two models in the fields of researching academic library social media, expanding and deepening related theories above. This also provides practical reference for academic libraries on how to improve user satisfaction and CUI of academic library social media and academic library WeChat public platforms, promoting the development of academic library social media.
Impact of employee well-being on performance in the context of crisis-induced remote work: role of boundary control and professional isolation
Authors: Jaiswal Akanksha , Prabhakaran Neethu
Published: November 2023

Purpose

COVID-19 forced employees to work remotely. Since this shift from physical to remote working was sudden and unprecedented, the authors aimed to examine the impact of employee well-being on performance in the context of remote work. Further, the authors explored how feelings of professional isolation and employees' control over their personal and professional boundaries (i.e. boundary control) moderated the well-being and performance link. The authors invoke the equity theory and boundary theory to augment their hypotheses.

Design/methodology/approach

With 218 full-time employees representing large information technology organisations in India, the authors tested the hypothesised relationships using regression and double moderation in the PROCESS macro.

Findings

Results indicate that well-being has a significant positive impact on employee performance as they worked remotely. Further, the authors found that professional isolation and boundary control moderated the link between well-being and performance such that when boundary control is high and professional isolation is low, the aforementioned relationship strengthened and vice versa.

Research limitations/implications

The authors extend the boundary theory as the crisis-induced remote work highlighted the employees' need for deploying alternating boundary management styles to balance their personal and professional lives.

Practical implications

Organisations must develop flexible work policies to facilitate remote work and managers must efficiently craft the overall management of professional isolation and employees' boundaries to boost their well-being and performance.

Originality/value

The authors not only examine the impact of employee well-being on performance in the context of remote work but also, in a first, examine the role of boundary control and professional isolation in this relationship.
A program evaluation of an international, intercultural e-community-engagement initiative
Authors: Falk Audrey F. , Jordaan Martina , Saeed Sameerah T. , Bhaskara Rao Madasu , El Houda Chaoui Nour
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This program evaluation aimed to investigate the benefits and challenges of an international, intercultural, e-community-engagement experience involving youth and higher education students. The authors sought to understand the meaning that participants would make of an international, intercultural, e-community-engagement experience.

Design/methodology/approach

The program evaluation component of this project was qualitative, participatory and action-oriented. It was composed of online reflection sessions with small, international groups of higher education students from Iraq, India, Morocco, South Africa and the USA immediately following each of five interactive exchange sessions with youth from South Africa. It also included one culminating reflection session to which all of the higher education student participants were invited and a written questionnaire that was completed by the youth participants at the conclusion of the project. The reflection sessions were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts and survey data were reviewed for emergent themes.

Findings

Cultural exposure emerged as the primary theme with participants valuing the opportunity to learn about different cultures and to connect with individuals from across the globe.

Research limitations/implications

This program evaluation was not designed as a generalizable study. This pilot initiative provides evidence of the potential value and importance of international, intercultural e-community-engagement experiences for youth and higher education students.

Practical implications

The potential value of technology to build exchange opportunities for young people is immense and largely untapped. International, intercultural e-community-engagement initiatives can be made available to students globally with relatively limited resources. A highly structured and focused plan provides clarity about expectations and requirements for students. A high level of commitment is required by all participants, including the faculty coordinators.

Social implications

Although the project was brief, exposure to numerous countries and cultures allowed participants to challenge their assumptions about different peoples and places in the world. The potential benefits for greater compassion and understanding of communities and cultures in an international context are high.

Originality/value

This program evaluation contributes to and extends the literature on the possibilities and challenges of international e-community-engagement; it demonstrates the potential for e-community-engagement across multiple countries to broaden students' exposure to and interest in global perspectives.
Transformation of school leaders’ understandings and practices of change leadership, deeper learning and equity through participation in a leadership academy
Authors: Umpstead Regina R. , Hacker Nicole L. , Akanwa Emmanuel E.
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The authors of this study examined how four leadership teams participating in a year-long deeper learning leadership academy understood and adapted key practices for change leadership, deeper learning and equity in their PK-12 schools.

Design/methodology/approach

This multiple-site case study used interviews, observations and documents to investigate how four school leadership teams developed deeper learning initiatives in their schools.

Findings

This study highlights how participants recast the leadership academy’s three pillars (change leadership, deeper learning and equity) as they engaged in educational reform for ambitious teaching and learning in their own contexts. Three themes emerged: transforming the culture, teaching the whole child and restructuring for collaboration. Overall, the authors found that district leaders must be fully committed to deeper learning for the culture to truly be transformed in schools under their purview.

Originality/value

This article contributes to the literature on supporting school leaders to enact equity-centered deeper learning initiatives using robust professional development. It is useful for understanding key deeper learning strategies and designing future training.
Mineral rents, conflict, population and economic growth in selected economies: empirical focus on Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Ajayi Temitope Abraham
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effects of mineral rents, conflict and population growth on countries' growth, with a specific interest in 13 selected economies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a combination of research methods: the pooled ordinary least squares (OLS), the fixed effect and the system generalized method of moment (GMM). The consistent estimator (system GMM), which provides the paper's empirical findings, remedies the inherent endogeneity bias in the model formulation. The utilized panel dataset for the study spans from 1980 to 2022.

Findings

The study suggests that mineral rents positively affect countries' growth by about 0.407 percentage points in the short run. The study further demonstrates the long-run negative impacts of population growth rates and prevalence of civil war on economic growth. The empirical work of the study reveals that an increase in the number of international borders within the group promotes mineral conflicts, which impedes economic growth. Evidence from the specification tests performed in the study confirmed the validity of the empirical results.

Social implications

Mineral rents, if well managed and conditioned on good institutions, are a blessing to an economy, contrary to the assumptions that mineral resources are a curse. The utilization of mineral rents in Sub-Saharan Africa for economic growth depends on several factors, notably the level of mineral conflicts, population growth rates, institutional factors and the ability to contain civil war, among others.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt in the post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era to revisit the investigation of the impacts of mineral rents, conflict and population growth rates on the countries' growth while controlling for the potential implications of the qualities of institutions. One of the significant contributions of the study is the identification of high population growth rates as one of the primary drivers of mineral conflicts that impede economic growth in the states with enormous mineral deposits in Sub-Saharan Africa. The crucial inference drawn from the study is that mineral rents positively impact countries' growth, even with inherent institutional challenges, although the results could be better with good institutions.
Impact of entrepreneurial orientation on performance and moderating role of crisis perception: multi-method examination
Authors: Suder Marcin
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the role of the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) under turbulent market conditions and reveal the role of an entrepreneur's perception of a crisis in shaping the impact of EO on firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), multiple linear regression (MLR) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The study sample was comprised of 117 one- and two-star hotels that were operating in Poland.

Findings

The results showed that proactiveness and risk-taking significantly affected firm performance. Furthermore, the results revealed that an entrepreneur's perception of a crisis moderated the impact of risk-taking and proactiveness on firm performance. In particular, the findings suggested that, in firms where the crisis strongly influenced their operations, performance was affected by proactiveness, while in those firms where the crisis influenced their operations to a low or moderate degree, performance was affected by risk-taking. Furthermore, fsQCA unveiled the role of innovativeness, which (along with risk-taking) is a sufficient condition that leads to firm performance.

Originality/value

Two characteristics make this study original: first, it investigates EO under turbulent market conditions, and second, it analyzes the role of an entrepreneur's perception of crisis consequences for business operations. The study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship and crisis management with findings on the different roles of EO dimensions under crisis conditions and an observation about the moderating role of an entrepreneur's perception of the impact of a crisis on operational management and how this perception differentiates the impact of risk-taking and proactiveness on firm performance.
GraphEx: visualizing and managing customer experience in its multidimensionality
Authors: Sahhar Yasin , Loohuis Raymond , Henseler Jörg
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Customer experience has become a vital premise in service theory and practice. Despite researchers' and managers' growing interest, the customer experience remains a complex and multidimensional concept that is challenging for service providers to understand. This study aims to graph the experience in its multidimensionality by categorizing and proposing matching practices for service marketing managers to channel and foster customer experiences in customer journeys.

Design/methodology/approach

To support the predominantly conceptual nature of the study, an abductive approach underpinned by the authors' vast experience in academia and practice, real-life autohermeneutic phenomenological experience tales and theory on customer experience and its management by providers is deployed to craft a model that addresses and highlights the multidimensionality of experience.

Findings

This study introduces the “GraphEx” (Graph Experience) hip-pocket model, which expresses customer experience in a simple yet multidimensional fashion and offers managerial practices to foster the customer's experience. The model contains three dimensions (valence, type of experience and visceral intensity) and five managerial practices (urgent patchwork, restoring, activating and stimulating desire, bolstering and safeguarding appreciation).

Originality/value

This study contributes to the service literature by creating granularity in the multidimensionality of customer experience. This study advances customer experience management in practice by providing service managers with novel possibilities for understanding and managing customer experiences intelligently. This can help service providers streamline and innovate customer experience strategies during customer journeys and foster customer loyalty.
The Road to Victory Runs Through Scotland? Prospects for Labour in the Post‐Sturgeon Era
Authors: Brown Swan Coree
Published: November 2023

Scottish Labour, once viewed as the most divided party in the UK, appears buoyant, the result of the growing popularity of its leader, Anas Sarwar, a more positive relationship with UK Labour, and most notably, significant gains in the polls. The party has sought to find a centre ground in a political system defined by opposing visions of Scotland's political future, a strategy which has previously left it squeezed between more assertive nationalist and unionist rivals. However, with little prospect of another independence referendum in the near term, this centre ground may yet prove fruitful. The party has an opportunity to position itself as a viable alternative in a dramatically changed political landscape. While Labour's optimism is not unfounded, its polling perhaps speaks more to the weaknesses of its political rivals than the strength of the party itself; and questions persist about Scottish Labour's political vision and constitutional offering in a political system which remains bifurcated.
Value‐based health care in translation: From global popularity to primary care for Dutch elderly patients
Authors: Steinmann Gijs , van de Bovenkamp Hester , de Bont Antoinette , Delnoij Diana
Published: November 2023

In this article we examine the fragmented interpretation and implementation of a remarkably popular concept, value‐based health care (VBHC). By building on a case study of a project team working on the development of value‐based primary care services for elderly patients, we shed new light on the way in which VBHC transitions from theory to practice. The concept of ‘translation’ is used to theoretically frame our analysis. Between June 2021 and May 2022, we gathered data through participant observation (50 h), semi‐structured interviews (n = 20) and document analysis (n = 16). Our findings show how VBHC inspired new ways of working, and that, in line with previous studies, parts of the original concept have been neglected, while others have been modified. We identified three reasons for VBHC’s locally varied applications: VBHC transforms to enable a growing support base, the originally radical idea is applied conservatively and the concept tends to get mixed up with other policy objectives. In all, VBHC appears to be successful in catalysing cross‐disciplinary interaction aimed at improving value for patients.