bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Volatiles fromSerratia marcescens, S. proteamaculans, andBacillus subtilisInhibit Growth ofRhizopus stoloniferand Other Fungi
Authors: Carter-House Derreck , Chung Joshua , McDonald Skylar , Mauck Kerry , Stajich Jason E 
Published: September 2020

ABSTRACTThe common soil bacteriaSerratia marcescens, Serratia proteamaculans, andBacillus subtilisproduce small molecular weight volatile compounds that are fungi-static against multiple species, including the zygomycete moldRhizopus stolonifer(Mucoromycota) and the model filamentous moldNeurospora crassa(Ascomycota). The compounds or the bacteria can be exploited in development of biological controls to prevent establishment of fungi on food and surfaces. Here, we quantified and identified bacteria-produced volatiles using headspace sampling and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We found that each bacterial species in culture has a unique volatile profile consisting of dozens of compounds. Using multivariate statistical approaches, we identified compounds in common or unique to each species. Our analysis suggested that three compounds, dimethyl trisulfide, anisole, and 2-undecanone, are characteristic of the volatiles emitted by these antagonistic bacteria. We developed bioassays for testing inhibition of each compound and found dimethyl trisulfide and anisole were the most potent. This work establishes a pipeline for translating volatile profiles of cultured bacteria into high quality candidate fungistatic compounds which may be useful in combination as antifungal control products.IMPORTANCEBacteria may benefit by producing fungistatic volatiles that limit fungal growth providing a mechanism to exclude competitors for resources. Volatile production is potentially mediating long distance biological control and competitive in-teractions among microbes, but the specific bioactive compounds are poorly characterized. This work provides evidence that fungistatic compounds in complex blends can be identified using machine-learning and multivariate approaches. This is the first step in identifying pathways responsible for fungistatic volatile production in order to phenotype and select natural strains for biocontrol ability, or engineer bacteria with relevant pathways.
Direct observation of RAG recombinase recruitment to chromatin and theIgHlocus in live pro-B cells
Authors: Lovely Geoffrey A , Braikia Fatima-Zohra , Singh Amit , Schatz David G. , Murre Cornelis , Liu Zhe , Sen Ranjan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe RAG1 and RAG2 proteins introduce double-strand DNA breaks at antigen-receptor loci in developing lymphocytes to initiate V(D)J recombination. How RAG proteins find the correct target locus in a vast excess of non-specific chromatin is not known. Here we measured dynamics of RAG1/RAG2 interactions with chromatin in living pro-B cells. We found that the majority of RAG1 or RAG1/RAG2 complex is in a fast 3D diffusive state, and the residual slow diffusive (bound) fraction was determined by a non-core portion of RAG1, and the PHD domain of RAG2. The RAG proteins exhibited distinct dynamics at theIgHlocus. In particular, RAG2 increased the probability of RAG1 binding toIgH, a property that likely explains its non-catalytic role in V(D)J recombination. Our observations reveal how RAG finds its targets in developing B cells.One Sentence SummarySingle-molecule imaging of the RAG recombinase reveals its search strategy for chromatin, H3K4me3 and antibody gene loci in living cells.
Enhancing design thinking approaches to innovation through gamification
Authors: Patrício Rui , Moreira Antonio Carrizo , Zurlo Francesco 
Published: September 2020

PurposeThe paper aims to explore the relationship between gamification and design thinking approach to innovation in the context of the early stage of innovation process (ESoIP). Design thinking is conceptually appropriate to support innovative, complex and uncertain business environments. Still, its practices have demonstrated some difficulties in managing the ESoIP, such as lack of structure and clarity around goals. This paper argues that gamification can enhance and complement design thinking in the management of firms' ESoIP.Design/methodology/approachGiven the need to achieve a deeper understanding of the linkages between gamification and design thinking, the paper follows an exploratory theory building approach for this complex reality of innovation. The case study research method was conducted in three firms (Trivalor, Novartis and Microsoft) that applied a gamification approach to the ESoIP.FindingsThe results demonstrate that gamification has the power to enhance and complement design thinking practices by getting tasks more organized and improving coordination and employees' engagement in the innovation process.Practical implicationsThe paper provides critical managerial contributions on how firms can use gamification to improve design thinking approaches to ESoIP. Its consequences are also crucial to innovation, R&D, and product/service development managers interested in using gamification to support the ideation and concept development of new solutions complementing traditional design thinking approaches.Originality/valueMerging the gamification and design thinking approaches is novel, particularly on firms' ESoIP. The paper provides a comprehensive discussion of design thinking shortcomings and the role that gamification can play in overcoming them.
Consumer segmentation and preference for indigenous chicken products
Authors: Bannor Richard Kwasi , Abele Steffen , Kuwornu John K.M. , Oppong-Kyeremeh Helena , Yeboah Ernest Darkwah 
Published: September 2020

PurposeThis study examined consumer preference and willingness to pay a premium price for indigenous chicken products in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained from 240 consumers in Ghana through the administration of a structured questionnaire. Probit regression was used to examine the factors influencing consumer preference for indigenous chicken products in Ghana. Ordered probit regression was employed to examine the factors influencing the percentage premium price a consumer is willing to pay for indigenous chicken products whereas the cluster analysis was used to segment the consumers.FindingsDifferent sets of factors were identified to have influenced the decision to purchase indigenous chicken products and the willingness to pay for a premium price. In total, four market segments were identified in this study: shopper consumer segment, the conventional or ethnocentric consumer segment, the privilege consumer segment and the pleasure-seeker consumer segment.Research limitations/implicationsThe important factors to learn from this study are the following: examining the critical success factors for the promotion of indigenous chicken products in Ghana is an excellent opportunity for future research. Second, the choice of locally-produced exotic breeds/strains of chicken meat has not been examined in this study. Therefore, a comparative study of consumer preference of the locally-produced exotic breeds/strains of chicken in Ghana is another great opportunity for further research.Originality/valueRegardless of the seemly opportunities in regional marketing, Ghana has not leveraged on this to promote a regional marketing brand for its local products – like indigenous chicken products – over imported chicken products. Besides, regionalism studies on agricultural products have received less attention in Ghana; therefore, this study contributes to a better understanding of consumer choice of indigenous chicken products, potentially, and the marketing of regional food products in Ghana.
The role of reputation in the business cooperation process: multiple case studies in small and medium-sized enterprises
Authors: Franco Mário , Haase Heiko 
Published: September 2020

PurposeThis study aims to identify the main reasons for forming a cooperation agreement in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and understand the role of reputation in this business process.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve these objectives, a qualitative research approach was adopted, specifically the case study method. The context of analysis studied here was formed of five SMEs (cases) located in an inland region of Portugal. Data-collecting instruments were individual interviews and documentary analysis, and the data treatment technique was content analysis.FindingsFrom the results obtained, it is concluded that SMEs have different reasons for entering a cooperation agreement and that the criterion of reputation, in the partner selection process, was quite frequently mentioned. In addition, the study found trust to be another important criterion when choosing a partner. This means that besides the resources a partner may possess, the most important aspect is that there should be mutual trust.Practical implicationsThis study seeks to help SME managers to characterise and understand the phenomenon of cooperation and show the main criteria to consider when choosing their partner(s).Originality/valueThis study is innovative because it will help to characterise and understand business cooperation in SMEs and contribute to choosing a suitable partner, so that SMEs can achieve good performance, major market expansion and improve relations with their partners, in an increasingly competitive environment.
Characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID‐19 admitted to ICU in a tertiary hospital in Stockholm, Sweden
Authors: Larsson Emma , Brattström Olof , Agvald‐Öhman Christina , Grip Jonathan , Campoccia Jalde Francesca , Strålin Kristoffer , Nauclér Pontus , Oldner Anders , Konrad David , Persson Björn P. , Eriksson Lars I. , Mårtensson Johan ,   Karolinska Intensive Care COVID‐19 Study Group
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundInformation on characteristics and outcomes of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with COVID‐19 remains limited. We examined characteristics, clinical course and early outcomes of patients with COVID‐19 admitted to ICU.MethodsWe included all 260 patients with COVID‐19 admitted to nine ICUs at the Karolinska University Hospital (Stockholm, Sweden) between 9 March and 20 April 2020. Primary outcome was in‐hospital mortality among patients with definite outcomes (discharged from ICU or death), as of 30 April 2020 (study end point). Secondary outcomes included ICU length of stay, the proportion of patients receiving mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy, and hospital discharge destination.ResultsOf 260 ICU patients with COVID‐19, 208 (80.0%) were men, the median age was 59 (IQR 51‐65) years, 154 (59.2%) had at least one comorbidity, and the median duration of symptoms preceding ICU admission was 11 (IQR 8‐14) days. Sixty‐two (23.8%) patients remained in ICU at study end point. Among the 198 patients with definite outcomes, ICU length of stay was 12 (IQR, 6‐18) days, 163 (82.3%) received mechanical ventilation, 28 (14.1%) received renal replacement therapy, 60 (30.3%) died, 62 (31.3%) were discharged home, 47 (23.7%) were discharged to ward, and 29 (14.6%) were discharged to another health care facility. On multivariable logistic regression analysis, older age and admission from the emergency department was associated with higher mortality.ConclusionThis study presents detailed data on clinical characteristics and early outcomes of consecutive patients with COVID‐19 admitted to ICU in a large tertiary hospital in Sweden.
Levothyroxine and subclinical hypothyroidism in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss
Authors: Yoshihara Hiroyuki , Sugiura‐Ogasawara Mayumi , Goto Shinobu , Kitaori Tamao 
Published: September 2020

AbstractProblemThe association between subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) remains unclear. We evaluated whether SCH affects subsequent live births and whether levothyroxine is effective in improving the live birth rate in patients with RPL.Method of studyThis observational cohort study included 1418 pregnancies of 1014 patients with a history of 2 or more pregnancy losses, who were euthyroid or had hypothyroidism, and had at least one subsequent pregnancy outcome. Some patients with SCH, as defined as a TSH >2.5 mIU/L, were treated with levothyroxine, and these comprised the levothyroxine group. The prevalence of SCH, subsequent live birth rates per patient and per pregnancy were compared among patients with SCH treated with and without levothyroxine and patients with euthyroid.ResultsThe prevalence of SCH was 14.4%. Subsequent live birth rates were 75.0% for the levothyroxine group, 68.6% for the untreated SCH group, and 70.1% for the euthyroid group. After excluding miscarriages with abnormal karyotypes, live birth rates were 89.2%, 90.0%, and 91.1%. The adjusted odds ratio (95%CI) was 0.95 (0.23‐3.83) after controlling covariables when comparing SCH patients with and without treatment. The live birth rates per pregnancy were 93.1%, 85.7%, and 90.9%, respectively. The adjusted OR was 0.95 (0.23‐3.83).ConclusionLevothyroxine has no effect on improving the live birth rate in patients with RPL associated with SCH. Treatment in patients with RPL and SCH raised TSH levels (2.5‐10mIU/L) might not be beneficial in improving the live birth rate.
Beyond MAP: A guide to dimensions of rainfall variability for tropical ecology
Authors: Schwartz Naomi B. , Lintner Benjamin R. , Feng Xue , Powers Jennifer S. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractTropical ecologists have long recognized rainfall as the key climate filter shaping tropical ecosystem structure and function across space and time. Still, tropical ecologists have historically had a limited toolkit for characterizing rainfall, largely relying on simple metrics like mean annual precipitation (MAP) and dry season length to characterize rainfall regimes that vary along many more dimensions. Here, we review methods for quantifying dimensions of rainfall variability on multiple time scales, with a focus on ecological applications of these methods. We also discuss key considerations for tropical ecologists looking to use rainfall metrics that better align with hypothesized biological or ecological mechanisms or that more effectively describe rainfall variability in the systems we study and provide a toolkit (R scripts and gridded datasets) to do so. We argue that incorporating more sophisticated approaches to quantify rainfall variability into study design and statistical analyses will enhance our understanding of past, ongoing, and future changes in tropical ecosystems.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Juggling options: Manipulation ease determines primate optimal fruit‐size choice
Authors: Dias da Silva Renann H. P. , Castro Sa Matheus J. , Baccaro Fabricio B. , Tománek Pavel , Barnett Adrian A. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractOptimal foraging theory predicts that animals will seek simultaneously to minimize food processing time and maximize energetic gain. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated whether a specialist seed‐predator primate forages optimally when choosing among variable‐sized thick‐husked fruits. Our objects of study were the golden‐backed uacari (Cacajao ouakary, Pitheciidae) and single‐seeded pods of the macucu tree (Aldina latifolia, Fabaceae). We predict that golden‐backed uacari will consume fruits of the size class that requires the least time to obtain, handle, and ingest. We used scan sampling, ad libitum to record feeding observations, and measured fruits, their penetrability, and the size of taxidermized C. ouakary hands. To test whether uacaris selected for optimal characteristics, we compared 8 metrics from 75 eaten and 105 uneaten seeds/fruits collected. Uacaris selected fruits of medium size and weight disproportionately to their abundance. Processing large fruits took six times longer than did medium‐sized fruits, but seeds were only four times as large, that is, for energetic yield per unit time, thus choosing medium‐sized pods was optimal. Disproportionate selection by C. ouakary of fruits of medium size and mass in relation to their abundance suggests active sub‐sampling of the available weight–size continuum. This selectivity probably maximizes trade‐offs between the energy derived from a seed, and time and energy expended in processing fruit to access this, so following optimal foraging theory predictions. The greater time spent processing large pods is attributed to difficulties manipulating objects five to seven times the size of the animal's palm and one‐sixth its own body weight.
Chemical defenses shift with the seasonal vertical migration of a Panamanian poison frog
Authors: Basham Edmund W. , Saporito Ralph A. , González‐Pinzón Macario , Romero‐Marcucci Angel , Scheffers Brett R. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractDendrobatid poison frogs sequester lipophilic alkaloids from their arthropod prey to use as a form of chemical defense. Some dendrobatid frogs seasonally migrate between the leaf litter of the forest floor in the dry season to the canopy in the wet season, which may yield differences in prey (arthropods) and therefore alkaloid availability over space and time. Here, we document a seasonal vertical migration of Andinobates fulguritus (the yellow‐bellied poison frog) from ground to canopy between dry and wet seasons. We observed turnover in alkaloid composition between seasons and found that dry season frogs contained a lower relative quantity of alkaloids; however, there was no change in alkaloid richness between seasons. The 77 alkaloids of 13 structural classes identified in this population appear to be derived mostly from mites and ants, though the two most common alkaloids were mite derived. Our observed shifts in defensive profiles are consistent with well‐documented turnover in mite and ant communities between seasons and vertical strata. As climate change is expected to lengthen and strengthen dry seasons in many tropical regions, our results suggest that arboreal poison frogs forced to the ground for longer periods of time may see a shift in the abundance of alkaloids, possibly decreasing their defensive potential. This study provides further predictions for the wide‐reaching effects of climate change, even as nuanced as charismatic poison frogs losing their poisons.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Functional diversity and redundancy of tropical forest mammals over time
Authors: Gorczynski Daniel , Beaudrot Lydia 
Published: September 2020

AbstractGlobally, tropical rain forests comprise some of the most diverse and functionally rich ecosystems but are increasingly degraded by human impacts. Protected areas have been shown to conserve species diversity, but their effectiveness at maintaining functional diversity over time is less well known, despite the fact that functional diversity likely reveals more ecological information than taxonomic diversity. By extension, the degree to which species loss decreases functional diversity within protected areas is also unknown; functional redundancy may buffer communities from loss of functional diversity from some local extinctions. Using eight years of camera trap data, we quantified annual functional dispersion of the large mammal community in the Volcán Barva region of Costa Rica and tested for changes in functional dispersion over time in response to environmental and anthropogenic predictors. We quantified functional redundancy based on simulated declines in functional dispersion with species loss. Observed functional dispersion did not change significantly over time and was not associated with measured environmental or anthropogenic predictors. Quantitative modeling of observed functional traits over time did not identify significant changes. We did however find qualitative trends in relative trait proportions, which could be indicative of functional change in the future. We found high functional redundancy, with average simulated functional dispersion declining significantly only after 9 out of 21 large mammal species were lost from the community. We cautiously suggest that protected tropical rain forests can conserve functional diversity over the course of a decade even in heavily fragmented landscapes.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Getting Fewer “Likes” Than Others on Social Media Elicits Emotional Distress Among Victimized Adolescents
Authors: Lee Hae Yeon , Jamieson Jeremy P. , Reis Harry T. , Beevers Christopher G. , Josephs Robert A. , Mullarkey Michael C. , O’Brien Joseph M. , Yeager David S. 
Published: September 2020

Three studies examined the effects of receiving fewer signs of positive feedback than others on social media. In Study 1, adolescents (N = 613, Mage = 14.3 years) who were randomly assigned to receive few (vs. many) likes during a standardized social media interaction felt more strongly rejected, and reported more negative affect and more negative thoughts about themselves. In Study 2 (N = 145), negative responses to receiving fewer likes were associated with greater depressive symptoms reported day‐to‐day and at the end of the school year. Study 3 (N = 579) replicated Study 1’s main effect of receiving fewer likes and showed that adolescents who already experienced peer victimization at school were the most vulnerable. The findings raise the possibility that technology which makes it easier for adolescents to compare their social status online—even when there is no chance to share explicitly negative comments—could be a risk factor that accelerates the onset of internalizing symptoms among vulnerable youth.
Can a Domain‐General Spatial Intervention Facilitate Children’s Science Learning? A Lesson From Astronomy
Authors: Bower Corinne A. , Liben Lynn S. 
Published: September 2020

Correlational studies link spatial‐test scores and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics achievement. Here we asked whether children’s understanding of astronomical phenomena would benefit from a prior intervention targeting a core component of children’s projective spatial concepts—understanding that viewers’ visual experiences are affected by vantage point. Children (8–9 years; N = 66) received outdoor and indoor experiences that did (Experimental) or did not (Control) focus on how scene appearance is affected by viewers' positions and movements. All then received an astronomy lesson about celestial motions (e.g., Sun apparent motion). Experimental‐group children scored higher on immediate and 1‐week perspective‐taking tests and explained celestial phenomena more accurately than did control‐group children. Data demonstrate that general spatial training—divorced from specific science content—can aid children’s subsequent learning of scientific phenomena.