bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Direct evidence for decreased presynaptic inhibition evoked by PBSt group I muscle afferents after chronic SCI and recovery with step-training in the decerebrated rat
Authors: Caron Guillaume , Bilchak Jadwiga N. , Côté Marie-Pascale 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTSpinal cord injury (SCI) results in the disruption of supraspinal control of spinal networks and an increase in the relative influence of afferent feedback to sublesional neural networks, both of which contribute to enhancing spinal reflex excitability. Hyperreflexia occurs in ~75% of individuals with chronic SCI and critically hinders functional recovery and quality of life. It is suggested to result from an increase in motoneuronal excitability and a decrease in presynaptic and postsynaptic inhibitory mechanisms. In contrast, locomotor training decreases hyperreflexia by restoring presynaptic inhibition.Primary afferent depolarization (PAD) is a powerful presynaptic inhibitory mechanism that selectively gates primary afferent transmission to spinal neurons to adjust reflex excitability and ensure smooth movement. However, the effect of chronic SCI and step-training on the reorganization of presynaptic inhibition evoked by hindlimb afferents, and the contribution of PAD has never been demonstrated. The objective of this study is to directly measure changes in presynaptic inhibition through dorsal root potentials (DRPs) and its association to plantar H-reflex inhibition. We provide direct evidence that H-reflex hyperexcitability is associated with a decrease in transmission of PAD pathways activated by PBSt afferents after chronic SCI. More precisely, we illustrate that PBSt group I muscle afferents evoke a similar pattern of inhibition onto both L4-DRPs and plantar H-reflexes evoked by the tibial nerve in Control and step-trained animals, but not in chronic SCI rats. These changes are not observed after step-training, suggesting a role for activity-dependent plasticity to regulate PAD pathways activated by flexor muscle group I afferents.Key point summaryPresynaptic inhibition is modulated by supraspinal centers and primary afferents in order to filter sensory information, adjust spinal reflex excitability, and ensure smooth movements.After SCI, the supraspinal control of primary afferent depolarization (PAD) interneurons is disengaged, suggesting an increased role for sensory afferents. While increased H-reflex excitability in spastic individuals indicates a possible decrease in presynaptic inhibition, it remains unclear whether a decrease in sensory-evoked PAD contributes to this effect.We investigated whether the PAD evoked by hindlimb afferents contributes to the change in presynaptic inhibition of the H-reflex in a decerebrated rat preparation. We found that chronic SCI decreases presynaptic inhibition of the plantar H-reflex through a reduction in PAD evoked by PBSt muscle group I afferents.We further found that step-training restored presynaptic inhibition of the plantar H-reflex evoked by PBSt, suggesting the presence of activity-dependent plasticity of PAD pathways activated by flexor muscle group I afferents.
Chromosomal arrangement of synthetic lethal gene pairs: repulsion or attraction?
Authors: Hosseini Sayed-Rzgar , Wadie Bishoy , Petsalaki Evangelia 
Published: May 2020

AbstractSynthetic lethal interactions are of paramount importance both in biology and in medicine, and hence increasing efforts have been devoted to their systematic identification. Our previous computational analysis revealed that in prokaryotic species, synthetic lethal genes tend to be further away in chromosomes than random (i.e. repulsion), which was shown to provide bacterial genomes with greater robustness to large-scale DNA deletions. To test the generalizability of this observation in eukaryotic genomes, we leveraged the wealth of experimentally determined synthetic lethal genetic interactions of yeast that are curated in the BioGRID (Biological General Repository for Interaction Datasets) database. We observed an opposite trend that is the genomic proximity of synthetic lethal gene pairs both on the 2D and 3D chromosomal space of the yeast genome (i.e. 2D and 3D attraction). To gain mechanistic insights into the origin of the attraction of synthetic lethal gene pairs inS. cerevisiae, we characterized four classes of genes, in which synthetic lethal interactions are enriched and partly explain the observed patterns of genomic attraction: i) gene pairs operating on the same pathways, 2) co-expressed genes, 3) gene pairs whose protein products physically interact and 4) the paralogs. However, our analysis revealed that the contribution of these four types of genes is not sufficient to fully explain the observed 2D and 3D attraction of synthetic lethal gene pairs and hence its evolutionary origin still remains as an open question.Significance statementUnravelling the organizing principles underlying gene arrangements is one of the fundamental questions of research in evolutionary biology. One understudied aspect of this organization is the relative chromosomal arrangement of synthetic lethal gene pairs. In this study, by analyzing a wealth of synthetic lethality data in yeast, we provide evidence that synthetic lethal gene pairs tend to be attracted to each other both on 2D and 3D chromosomal space of the yeast genome. This observation is in sharp contrast with the repulsion of synthetic lethal (metabolic) gene pairs that we observed previously in bacterial genomes. Characterizing the evolutionary forces underlying this genomic pattern in yeast can open the door towards an evolutionary theory of genome organization in eukaryotes.
Heterogeneity in consumer preferences for ready-to-eat pomegranate: an empirical study in Italy
Authors: Stiletto Alice , Giampietri Elisa , Trestini Samuele 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe present study aims at analysing consumer preferences for the pomegranate fruit, focussing on the effect of ready-to-eat format (i.e. packaged arils) on the purchasing choice, together with several products’ attributes as the origin, the packaging typology and the price.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a choice experiment (CE) among 626 Italian consumers from Veneto region through an online survey. The study estimates both a conditional logit (CL) and a latent class logit model (LCM).FindingsBy segmenting the sample based on the heterogeneous preferences of consumers, it can distinguish “eco-friendly consumers”, “time-saving lovers”, “nationalists” and “price sensitive” subjects. Interestingly, the marginal willingness to pay for ready-to-eat arils is positive for the “time-saving lovers” that are mainly young consumers. The Italian origin has always a positive effect on the choice, whereas a negative effect is found for the price. Finally, the eco-friendly package has both a negative and a positive effect.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample of this study is not representative of the population and the CE has a hypothetical nature. It follows that further research will link the economic analysis to a consumer test on a more representative sample.Practical implicationsThis study can be useful for the pomegranate producers and the industry because it provides original evidence that could drive their business and marketing strategies, for instance, the preference for ready-to-eat arils.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first seeking to determine the factors that affect consumers' preferences for pomegranate arils.
Cocreating social innovations between an agro-food company and rice farmers in Taiwan: exploring the process mechanisms
Authors: Huang Chao-Chin 
Published: May 2020

PurposeWhile literature discussed value cocreation, most still has its focus from customer perspective, this study fills up this gap by focusing on supplier perspective. Second, prior works discussed the outcomes of cocreation; however, the process mechanisms are still under-explored, this study thus aims to explore these process mechanisms that drive value co-creation in the agro-food industry.Design/methodology/approachCase study is used as the method; specifically, six in-depth interviews on an agro-food company and its suppliers (i.e. farmers) are conducted, and data are analyzed using the grounded theory approach.Findings(1). Agro-food company and its rice suppliers invest different resource types and resource density, and the agro-food company is a main actor, i.e. resource investor and integrator; (2). While motivations of the agro-food company and farmers are different, they are mutually fit in the sustainability value; (3). Both parties share similar process mechanisms, i.e. co-production, senses of identification and trust, mutual interaction and information sharing and (4). Both parties thus have similar consequences, i.e. sustainability, codevelopment.Originality/valueThis study (1) proposes an innovative model of what and how values are cocreated, particularly in the agro-food industry; (2). uses three theories, i.e. input–process–output (I–P–O) model (McGrath and Kelly, 1986), service-dominant logic (SD-L) (Vargo and Lusch, 2004), cocreation design framework (Frow et al., 2015), to understand this phenomenon and thus demonstrates and enriches these three theories, particularly applied in the agro-food contexts; (3).offfers practical suggestions to agro-food firms and social enterprises, particularly those having food safety and environment issues.
Benchmarking the relationship between supply chain risk mitigation strategies and practices: an integrated approach
Authors: Tarei Pradeep Kumar , Thakkar Jitesh J. , Nag Barnali 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between various risk management strategies and risk management practices in order to design and hence enact a suitable supply chain risk mitigation (RM) plan. Additionally, this study proposes a hierarchical framework to explain the mutual relationship between supply chain risk management (SCRM) practices and strategies by considering the underlying dimensions between them.Design/methodology/approachAn amalgamation of systematic literature analysis (SLA) and correspondence analysis (CA) has been performed to develop the conceptual framework. A real-life case of Indian petroleum supply chain has been considered to validate and explain the proposed model.FindingsThe results reveal three underlying dimensions, which associate the relationship between RM strategies. They are, riskadaptabilityof SC managers with a variance of34.71%, followed byresource capabilityof the firm and the degree ofsophisticationof RM practices, with variances of27.72and20.35%, respectively.Risk avoidancestrategy comprises of practices such assupplier evaluation, technology adaption, flexible processandinformation security. On the other extreme, therisk sharingstrategy includesrevenue sharing, insurance, collaboration, public–private partnership and so onas essential RM practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe study not only focuses on the distinction between RM strategies and practices, which were used interchangeably in the prior literature, but also provides an association between the same by exploring the underlying dimensions. These underlying dimensions perform a crucial role while developing a risk management plan. This study explicitly focuses on the RM step of SCRM process. Pre and post risk mitigation phases of SCRM process, such as risk assessment and risk monitoring, are beyond the scope of the current research.Originality/valueThe paper develops a framework for mapping various RM strategies with their corresponding practices by considering the Indian petroleum supply chain as a viable case study. Various theoretical and business implications are derived in the context of the developing country.
“Ownership structure and firm performance: the mediating role of board characteristics”
Authors: Rashid Md Mamunur 
Published: May 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of corporate board characteristics in the relationship between ownership structure and firm performance in the listed public limited companies of Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach
The study analyzed 527 annual reports of listed companies in Bangladesh for the years 2015-2017. The direct and indirect effect of ownership structure on firm performance was examined using AMOS 23. Baron and Kenny’s (1986) four steps procedure was used to establish the mediating role of board characteristics.

Findings
The results demonstrated that foreign ownership and director ownership have significant positive influence on both accounting and market based firm’s performance, while institutional ownership exhibits positive influence only on accounting-based performance (return on assets). With respect to mediating effect, the results show that board size and board independence partially mediate the relationship between ownership structure and firm performance.

Research limitations/implications
The major limitation of the study is that it focuses only on three years data in examining the hypothesized relationship among the variables.

Practical implications
Investors, regulators and managers can get evocative insights, particularly who seek to improve their company’s performance in the capital market through restructuring their ownership structure and board composition.

Originality/value
The study focuses on both direct and indirect effect of ownership structure on firm performance in the context of an emerging and developing economy. In examining the indirect effect, the study uses board size and board independence as the mediating variables.
Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility interface: a case study of private equity
Authors: Süsi Virgo , Jaakson Krista 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis paper aims to explore why private equity (PE) cares about corporate social responsibility (CSR) of its investees given their relatively short investment time-horizon and how it designs corporate governance (CG) bundle to achieve both financial and CSR goals of the private firms it invests in.Design/methodology/approachCase study design is applied to get deeper insights on the why and how questions posed. Analysis is based on triangulation of secondary data and in-depth interviews with both PE and their investee firms.FindingsThe authors find that long-term sustainability supported by CSR increases firm value. They also outline specific CG bundle that the PE uses to achieve both its financial and CSR goals. CG mechanisms appeared to reflect agency theory, but even more resource dependence theory.Practical implicationsThe outlined CG bundle could be used as a template for all types of private firm owners to improve both financial and CSR performance of the firm.Originality/valueThe paper adds to fragmented area of CG and CSR interface. The authors specifically focus on several under-researched contexts of this interface: private small and medium size firms (SMEs), emerging markets and PE investors.
Exploring the influence of project complexity on the mega construction project success: a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method
Authors: Ma Li , Fu Hongwei 
Published: May 2020

PurposeUnderstanding the impact of project complexity on the mega construction project success will help improve the efficiency of project management. However, the influencing mechanism of project complexity on project success has not been clearly depicted. This paper aims to divide project complexity and project success into five dimensions, trying to explore the impact of different complexity combinations on mega construction project success.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method to find out the impact of the combinations of different project complexities on the every dimension of mega construction project success. First, 21 cases were interviewed and scored in five categories of project complexities and five aspects of project success. Second, with the QCA program, the combinations of different project complexities influencing every aspect of mega construction project success was obtained.FindingsThis research found that high organizational complexity or a combination of high environmental complexity and goal complexity can lead to serious schedule delays of mega construction projects, high technological complexity and goal complexity are important reasons for cost overrun, high technological complexity or a combination of high environmental complexity and low organizational complexity usually lead to low quality of mega construction projects, high goal complexity and cultural complexity are important factors affecting the key stakeholders' satisfaction and high technological complexity and environmental complexity are the reasons for the poor sustainability of mega construction projects.Originality/valueThis study clearly reveals the influencing mechanism of project complexity on mega construction project success, which can help the project managers to understand and assess the complexity of mega construction projects and accurately predict their negative impacts on the mega construction projects.
Workplace diversity and job satisfaction
Authors: Hauret Laetitia , Williams Donald R. 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis article estimates the empirical relationship between workplace diversity in terms of nationality and individual worker job satisfaction in the context of a multicultural country. It also examines the role of the level of communication between coworkers in moderating this relationship.Design/methodology/approachUsing merged survey and administrative data, the paper estimates OLS and ordered Probit regression estimates of the correlations between two measures of workplace diversity and self-reported job satisfaction.FindingsThe relationship between nationality diversity and job satisfaction is negative. While there is some evidence of a nonlinear relationship, it depends on the specification and measure of diversity used. Contrary to expectations, the level of interaction between colleagues does not moderate this relationship.Practical implicationsThe research highlights the need for employers to actively manage the diversity within their firms.Originality/valueThe paper adds to the diversity and job satisfaction literature by focusing on the nationalities of coworkers. It also is the first to measure the impact of the levels of interactions with coworkers on the diversity-satisfaction relationship.
Authenticity and exclusivity appeals in luxury advertising: the role of promotion and prevention pride
Authors: Septianto Felix , Seo Yuri , Sung Billy , Zhao Fang 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how the effectiveness of luxury advertising can be improved by matching the emotional (promotion pride vs prevention pride) and luxury value (authenticity vs exclusivity) appeals within advertising messages.Design/methodology/approachThree experiments were conducted. Studies 1A and 1B establish the influence of incidental emotions and regulatory focus on consumer preferences for divergent luxury value appeals (exclusivity vs authenticity) within advertisements. Study 2 shows the match-up effects of congruent emotional and luxury value appeals on advertising effectiveness.FindingsThe authors offer causal evidence that promotion pride increases the preference for exclusivity appeals, whereas prevention pride increases the preference for authenticity appeals in luxury advertising.Research limitations/implicationsThe study offers a novel perspective into the ways consumers evaluate different value appeals in luxury advertising and establishes the important role played by emotions within such evaluations.Practical implicationsMarketers of luxury products can increase the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns by considering the fit between emotional and luxury value appeals. Specifically, the authors show that the congruent matching of promotion pride with exclusivity appeals and of prevention pride with authenticity appeals within advertising messages can elicit more favorable consumer responses.Originality/valueThe study is the first to illustrate novel “match-up” effects: it shows when and how different luxury value appeals (exclusivity vs authenticity) and emotions (promotion pride vs prevention pride) influence the effectiveness of luxury advertising.
Does perceived organizational support and employee development influence organizational citizenship behavior?
Authors: Jehanzeb Khawaja 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS), employee development and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) while considering the moderating effect of person–organization (P–O) on this association.Design/methodology/approachUsing a stratified sampling technique, the data was collected from 331 employees working in different bank branches located in five metropolitan cities of Pakistan. To test the hypotheses, the structural equation modeling technique was applied using AMOS 21.0.FindingsThe results of the study strongly supported the relationship between POS, employee development and organizational commitment. However, an insignificant relationship was found between POS, employee development and OCB. The results also reported a significant relationship between organizational commitment and OCB. Moreover, the relationship between organizational commitment and OCB was found to be moderated by P–O fit.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the study can be useful for banking organizations and policymakers responsible for employee and organizational productivity. The findings of the study can also assist the organizational leaders in working on long-term employee support programs to maximize their commitment to the organization. The study also provides the scope and space for potential scholars and researchers for carrying out further research.Originality/valueWhile there is extensive literature is available on POS, employee development and its impact on OCB. However, it appears that very little work has been done to examine the moderating role of the P–O fit in the relationship between organizational commitment and OCB. Therefore, this study can be considered as original and of great value in understanding its relationships between various constructs in the scenario of Pakistan.