bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integrated thinking in the integrated reports of public sector companies. Evidence and contextual factors
Authors: Tirado-Valencia Pilar , Cordobés-Madueño Magdalena , Ruiz-Lozano Mercedes , De Vicente-Lama Marta 
Published: September 2020

Purpose
This paper aims to improve the understanding of integrated thinking, as it is a central concept in the integrated reporting (IR) framework that has implications for sustainability reporting, as the holistic view of integrated thinking clarifies the value creation process of organisations and facilitates the incorporation of sustainability issues into the corporate mindset. The study investigates whether there are contextual factors that may be influencing the way integrated thinking is reflected in the reports. The paper focusses on public companies because integrated thinking in this sector plays an important role in terms of sustainability reporting, as these organisations must address more complex and diverse relationships with their stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach
The methodology is based on a content analysis of the IR reports issued by 21 public sector companies. For this analysis, this study proposed specific dimensions and variables that demonstrate this way of thinking. These allow us to develop an integrated thinking index (ITI) based on a frequency análisis. The influence of the country’s legal system, the sector of activity and the number of years of experience in IR is studied, by conducting t-test and ANOVA analyses and a correlation study.

Findings
The results demonstrate the existence of limited integrated thinking characterised by poor connectivity of information, lack of a clear link between materiality analysis and strategy and insufficient forward-looking perspective. The findings reveal that contextual and institutional factors have little influence on the levels of integrated thinking achieved.

Originality/value
The concept of integrated thinking has not been sufficiently explored to date, despite its importance in the IR conceptual framework. The study proposes specific dimensions and variables to be considered in preparing reports that exhibit this holistic way of thinking. The recommendations can help information preparers and improve the accountability and transparency of public sector companies.
The shape of the predator biomass distribution affects biological pest control services in agricultural landscapes
Authors: Ostandie Noémie , Muneret Lucile , Giffard Brice , Thiéry Denis , Rusch Adrien 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Understanding how community composition of service‐providing organisms affects ecosystem functioning is a key challenge in ecology. Although it has been proposed that taxonomic diversity and functional traits mediate this relationship, how several facets of community structure affect the delivery of key ecosystem services remains to be explored.

In this study, we investigated how abundance, taxonomic richness as well as the shape of biomass distribution in predator communities affect biological pest control services in vineyard landscapes. Our analyses were based on a dataset combining samples of arthropod predators, measures of predation rates of grape pests and characterization of environmental covariables for 42 fields located in South‐Western France.

We found that beside the abundance or the taxonomic richness of predators, the shape of biomass distribution (mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis of the distribution) influences the level of biological control. Predator communities largely dominated by low biomass species provided the bulk of biological control services. Lower levels of predation resulted from increased proportions of large biomass species and more evenly distributed biomass values in the communities.

Our results indicate that the top‐down control provided by low biomass species decreases as the relative proportion of large biomass species increases in the predator community. This suggests that biological control may be affected by negative interactions (e.g. intraguild predation, behavioural interactions) between predators arising from the recruitment of large individuals in the community.

Our study revealed that the shape of biomass distribution is a major aspect of functional diversity in predator communities providing insights into the mechanisms that link biodiversity and ecosystem services. While our study focuses on biomass, considering other traits involved in trophic interactions may increase our ability to predict the level of biological control in ecosystems.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
How do insects choose flowers? A review of multi‐attribute flower choice and decoy effects in flower‐visiting insects
Authors: Latty Tanya , Trueblood Jennifer S. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Understanding why animals (including humans) choose one thing over another is one of the key questions underlying the fields of behavioural ecology, behavioural economics and psychology. Most traditional studies of food choice in animals focus on simple, single‐attribute decision tasks. However, animals in the wild are often faced with multi‐attribute choice tasks where options in the choice set vary across multiple dimensions. Multi‐attribute decision‐making is particularly relevant for flower‐visiting insects faced with deciding between flowers that may differ in reward attributes such as sugar concentration, nectar volume and pollen composition as well as non‐rewarding attributes such as colour, symmetry and odour. How do flower‐visiting insects deal with complex multi‐attribute decision tasks?

Here we review and synthesise research on the decision strategies used by flower‐visiting insects when making multi‐attribute decisions. In particular, we review how different types of foraging frameworks (classic optimal foraging theory, nutritional ecology, heuristics) conceptualise multi‐attribute choice and we discuss how phenomena such as innate preferences, flower constancy and context dependence influence our understanding of flower choice.

We find that multi‐attribute decision‐making is a complex process that can be influenced by innate preferences, flower constancy, the composition of the choice set and economic reward value. We argue that to understand and predict flower choice in flower‐visiting insects, we need to move beyond simplified choice sets towards a view of multi‐attribute choice which integrates the role of non‐rewarding attributes and which includes flower constancy, innate preferences and context dependence. We further caution that behavioural experiments need to consider the possibility of context dependence in the design and interpretation of preference experiments.

We conclude with a discussion of outstanding questions for future research. We also present a conceptual framework that incorporates the multiple dimensions of choice behaviour.
Intra‐ and interspecific variation in the responses of insect phenology to climate
Authors: Gutiérrez David , Wilson Robert J. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractPhenological change is the most widely documented biological impact of climate change, but shows marked variation in magnitude among populations and species. Thus, quantifying the environmental factors and organismal differences driving this intra‐ and interspecific variability in phenology is vital to understand and forecast the ecological consequences of climate change.Here, we test intra‐ and interspecific differences for a set of butterfly species in the organismal sensitivity of flight phenology and its dependence on environmental factors, using as our model system an elevation gradient in a Mediterranean mountain range where temperature and relative humidity vary substantially over space and time.We use field‐collected meteorological data, and butterfly counts for 20 univoltine species over 14 years, to test the relative effects on phenology of temperature and relative humidity, the sensitivity of phenology to spatial and temporal variation in temperature and whether ecological traits account for inter‐specific variation in sensitivity.For all species, temperature in the months immediately preceding adult emergence had the strongest relationship with phenology. All species appeared earlier in warmer years, with those flying earlier in the season showing the greatest sensitivity to annual (temporal) variation in temperature. However, only a minority of species showed evidence of plastic, space‐for‐time responses to temperature. Instead, most species showed strong evidence that phenology was more sensitive to temporal than spatial variation in temperature.Our results support the dominant influence of temperature on phenology, even in Mediterranean environments suffering summer drought. They also suggest that accurate forecasts of species' phenological shifts could require the isolation of spatial from temporal components of temperature variation, because the sensitivity of populations and species may differ across these two dimensions. The factors driving synchronisation of phenology over space merit particular research in the context of climate change, given their potential to expose populations simultaneously to environmental extremes.
Temporal beta diversity of lake plants is determined by concomitant changes in environmental factors across decades
Authors: Lindholm Marja , Alahuhta Janne , Heino Jani , Toivonen Heikki 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

To comprehensively understand the impact of anthropogenic activities on biodiversity, we must understand how biodiversity has changed over time and what are the underlying processes. A growing body of evidence has shown that beta diversity reveals more about temporal changes in biodiversity compared with alpha diversity. Temporal beta diversity indicates, for example, degrees of change in species composition at single locations through time.

We examined whether freshwater plant communities showed different patterns in temporal beta diversity in relation to concomitant changes in environmental conditions across decades. To do this, we used presence–absence data of lake plants for five decades (1940s–2010s) from southern Finland and calculated temporal beta diversity indices (TBI) for each lake between pairs of decades to the whole community, hydrophytes and helophytes. To get insights into possible processes behind the observed trends, we decomposed TBIs into beta diversity contributed by either temporal losses or temporal gains of species. We related TBIs and their loss and gain components to lake landscape position and changes in environmental variables.

Based on comparisons of TBIs between the survey decade pairs, the temporal change in aquatic plant communities was modest through decades. Hydrophyte assemblages have changed more than helophyte assemblages. The main changes in temporal beta diversity occurred from the 1940s to the 1970s, when the gain of new species was the dominant process in the lakes throughout the landscape. Following that period, there was only modest changes, but from the 2000s to the 2010s, the dominant process was the loss of species. Temporal changes in environmental conditions played a key role in explaining the TBI.

Our results showed that relying on only two survey points in time can result in limited knowledge of the ecological phenomenon under study and, for example, an exceptional year in terms of weather conditions can hinder detecting overall long‐term trends in compositional changes. Therefore, future studies should try to combine data from several decades to overcome the typical limitations of temporal information.
Activation of PKCα participates in the reduction of Ikur in atrial myocytes induced by tumour necrosis factor‐α
Authors: Zhou Hui‐shan , Peng De‐wei , Lai Ying‐yu , Li Qian , Zhao Jun‐fei , Deng Chun‐yu , Yang Hui , Li Teng , Wang Zhao‐yu , Xu Yu‐wen , Xue Yu‐mei , Wu Shu‐lin , Guo Hui‐ming , Rao Fang 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe atrial‐specific ultra‐rapid delayed rectifier K+ current (Ikur) plays an important role in the progression of atrial fibrillation (AF). Because inflammation is known to lead to the onset of AF, we aimed to investigate whether tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) played a role in regulating Ikur and the potential signalling pathways involved. Whole‐cell patch‐clamp and biochemical assays were used to study the regulation and expression of Ikur in myocytes and in tissues from left atrial appendages (LAAs) obtained from patients with sinus rhythm (SR) or AF, as well as in rat cardiomyocytes (H9c2 cells) and mouse atrial myocytes (HL‐1 cells). Ikur current density was markedly reduced in atrial myocytes from AF patients compared with SR controls. Reduction of Kv1.5 protein levels was accompanied by increased expression of TNF‐α and protein kinase C (PKC)α activation in AF patients. Treatment with TNF‐α dose‐dependently reduced Ikur and protein expression of Kv1.5 but not Kv3.1b in H9c2 cells and HL‐1 cells. TNF‐α also increased activity of PKCα. Specific PKCα inhibitor Gö6976 alleviated the reduction in Ikur induced by TNF‐α, but not the reduction in Kv1.5 protein. TNF‐α was involved in the electrical remodelling associated with AF, probably by depressing Ikur in atrial myocytes via activation of PKCα.
Toward more data publication of long‐term ecological observations
Authors: Shin Nagai , Shibata Hideaki , Osawa Takeshi , Yamakita Takehisa , Nakamura Masahiro , Kenta Tanaka 
Published: September 2020

AbstractData papers, such as those published by Ecological Research, encourage the retrieval and archiving of valuable unpublished, undigitized ecological observational data. However, scientists remain hesitant to submit their data to such forums. In this perspective paper, we describe lessons learned from the Long‐Term Ecological Research, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and marine biological databases and discuss how data sharing and publication are both powerful and important for ecological research. Our aim is to encourage readers to submit their unpublished, undigitized ecological observational data then the data may be archived, published and used by other researchers to advance knowledge in the field of ecology. Coupling data sharing and syntheses with the development of innovative informatics would allow ecology to enter the realm of big science and provide seeds for a new and robust agenda of future ecological studies.
Distinguishing between homicide and suicide knots and ligatures: A comparative analysis of case and survey data
Authors: Chisnall Robert C. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractDistinguishing between suicide and homicide can be challenging owing to ambiguous and confusing case details. In particular, there is a paucity of useful information comparing homicide and suicide knots and ligatures in the literature. Multiple knot and ligature characteristics have not been recognized previously because complete and accurate information has been lacking. Ninety external tying cases (mainly homicide) and 56 cases involving self‐tying (mainly suicide) were reviewed to compare multiple knot and ligature characteristics. Additionally, 189 survey volunteers performed four standardized external tying tasks and two self‐tying tasks, yielding comparison data from more than 1500 knots. Using all available data, it was determined that the differences between external and self‐tying included types of knots, ligature configurations, ligature tensions, wrist gaps, wend lengths, knot access, external anchoring, and other indicators. These differences are presented in a proposed analysis checklist inspired by medical and psychiatric protocols. The checklist contains 14 potential characteristics for head and neck bindings, 14 potential characteristics for wrists and arms, nine ankle and leg characteristics, and four linkage details. The proposed checklist can be expanded and fine‐tuned as more data are accumulated. It offers experienced knot analysts an additional tool to assist in drawing conclusions, which then can be related to other case evidence by investigators.
Cuticular hydrocarbons as a tool for determining the age of Chrysomya rufifacies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) larvae
Authors: Sharma Anika , Drijfhout Falko P. , Tomberlin Jeffery K. , Bala Madhu 
Published: September 2020

AbstractCalliphoridae are one of the most important insect groups encountered as evidence collected from a crime scene. Age determination of the immature stages of these necrophagous flies is an important step toward estimating the time of colonization and inferring a minimum postmortem interval (PMImin) in most instances. To determine if the cuticular hydrocarbons could be used to establish whether the development stages yield characteristics profiles, allowing for age estimation, hydrocarbons were extracted from 1st and 2nd, as well as feeding and post‐feeding 3rd instar Chrysomya rufifacies, the hairy maggot blow fly. Extracted hydrocarbons were analyzed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with the aim to investigate the changes in chemical profiles of each larval stage. A total of 23 compounds were identified with most of them being alkanes (65%) with carbon chain lengths of 9–33 carbons, alkenes (18%), and methyl‐branched alkanes (17%). All the hydrocarbons except pentadecane (C15), hexadecane (C16), and nonacosane (C29) showed significant differences in their expression throughout larval development. For 1st instars, nonane was the most abundant (17% of the total hydrocarbons content) compound. Accounting for 11% and 10% of the cuticular hydrocarbons, tricosane and pentacosane, respectively, were the notable hydrocarbons in 2nd instars. For post‐feeding 3rd instars, hentriacontane and tritriacontane were present with relative abundances 18% and 15%, respectively. On average, there was a shift from low to high molecular weight hydrocarbons as the larvae aged. These results indicate the change in hydrocarbons makeup as larvae age and could potentially be used to determine the age of immature C. rufifacies and hence aid in PMImin estimations. However, future research is needed to validate these results under natural conditions in the field.
Distribution of the minutiae in palmprints: Topological and sexual variability
Authors: Rivaldería Noemí , Gutiérrez‐Redomero Esperanza 
Published: September 2020

AbstractPalmprints have been systematically less studied than fingerprints, despite being of great use in the identification process. In Spain, they were not included in Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) until 2009. Very few investigations performed within the field of palmprints have assessed the sexual and population variability of the number and distribution of minutiae on its surface, despite the fact that these particularities are the basis for personal identification in forensic science. That is why a study was conducted to assess total, bimanual, and sexual density per morphological regions (superior or distal, thenar, and hypothenar) and per counting areas of 1 cm2 on 120 palmprints obtained from 30 male and 30 female individuals of Spanish nationality. Also, the frequency in the location of each type of delta or triradius (a, b, c, d, and t) per count area was calculated. Results have shown a topological variability in the distribution of the density of minutiae, which is similar between sexes and a specular effect between both hands. The most frequent locations of the deltas coincide with areas of high minutiae density. It has also been shown that there are sexual differences in the total number of minutiae, which cannot be due to sexual dimorphism in adult hand size, since minutiae are established at an early stage of fetal development and their number will not change during later postnatal growth. These differences can only be attributed to genetic factors related to sexual determination.
Domestication‐related changes in sexual performance of Queensland fruit fly
Authors: Pérez Jeanneth , Mendez Vivian , Yuval Boaz , Taylor Phillip W. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIn Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programs, massive numbers of insects are reared, sterilized, and released in the field to impede reproduction of pest populations. The domestication and rearing processes used to produce insects for SIT programs may have significant evolutionary impacts on life history and reproductive biology. We assessed the effects of domestication on sexual performance of laboratory reared Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, by comparing an old (49 generations) and a young colony (5 generations). We evaluated mating propensity, mating latency, copula duration, sperm transfer, and ability to induce sexual inhibition in mates. Overall, both males and females from the old colony had greater mating propensity than those from the young colony. Copula duration was longer when females were from the old colony. There was no evidence of sexual isolation between the colonies as males and females from the two colonies had similar propensity to mate with flies from either colony. Males from the old colony transferred more sperm regardless of which colony their mate was from. Finally, males from both colonies were similarly able to induce sexual inhibition in their mates and were also similarly able to secure copulations with already‐mated females. Positive effects of domestication on sperm transfer, coupled with maintained ability to induce sexual inhibition in mates and to secure copulations with previously mated females, highlights that domestication may have little effect, or even positive effects, on some aspects of sexual performance that may advantage mass‐reared B. tryoni in SIT programs.
Momentarily immobile: Backpacking, farm work, and hostels in Bundaberg, Australia
Authors: Barry Kaya 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe Working Holiday Maker visa encourages young people from 44 nations to live and work for up to three years in Australia, contributing immensely to the temporary migrant workforce in regional areas. However, the conditions they experience while completing 88 days of mandatory ‘farm work’ to apply for visa extensions often place them in vulnerable situations and states of immobility that are counter to the perception of backpackers as mobile. Types of accommodation specifically for temporary migrant farm workers are known as working hostels and in some cases the ways in which they are administered have perpetuated the precarious and immobile situations in which backpackers find themselves. This article explores the lived experiences of backpackers who have undertaken farm work in the Bundaberg region, a new ‘hot spot’ for seasonal migrant labour. Drawing on ethnographic observations and interviews with 35 working holiday makers, the article advances the suggestion that recent shifts in hostelling accommodation practices and increased competition for agricultural jobs in the region place individuals in increasingly precarious states of immobility.