bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Deep Active Inference and Scene Construction
Authors: Heins R. Conor , Mirza M. Berk , Parr Thomas , Friston Karl , Kagan Igor , Pooresmaeili Arezoo 
Published: April 2020

AbstractAdaptive agents must act in intrinsically uncertain environments with complex latent structure. Here, we elaborate a model of visual foraging – in a hierarchical context – wherein agents infer a higher-order visual pattern (a ‘scene’) by sequentially sampling ambiguous cues. Inspired by previous models of scene construction – that cast perception and action as consequences of approximate Bayesian inference – we use active inference to simulate decisions of agents categorizing a scene in a hierarchically-structured setting. Under active inference, agents develop probabilistic beliefs about their environment, while actively sampling it to maximise the evidence for their internal generative model. This approximate evidence maximization (i.e. self-evidencing) comprises drives to both maximise rewards and resolve uncertainty about hidden states. This is realised via minimization of a free energy functional of posterior beliefs about both the world as well as the actions used to sample or perturb it, corresponding to perception and action, respectively. We show that active inference, in the context of hierarchical scene construction, gives rise to many empirical evidence accumulation phenomena, such as noise-sensitive reaction times and epistemic saccades. We explain these behaviours in terms of the principled drives that constitute theexpected free energy, the key quantity for evaluating policies under active inference. In addition, we report novel behaviours exhibited by these active inference agents that furnish new predictions for research on evidence accumulation and perceptual decision-making. We discuss the implications of this hierarchical active inference scheme for tasks that require planned sequences of information-gathering actions to infer compositional latent structure (such as visual scene construction and sentence comprehension). Finally, we propose experiments to contextualise active inference in relation to other formulations of evidence accumulation (e.g. drift-diffusion models) in tasks that require planning in uncertain environments with higher-order structure.
Phylogenetic Analysis of the Novel Coronavirus Reveals Important Variants in Indian Strains
Authors: Joshi Aditi , Paul Sushmita 
Published: April 2020

AbstractRecently classified as a pandemic by WHO, novel Corononavirus 2019 has affected almost every corner of the globe causing human deaths in a range of hundred thousands. The virus having its roots in Wuhan (China) has been spread over the world by its own property to change itself accordingly. These changes correspond to its transmission and pathogenicity due to which the concept of social distancing appeared into the picture. In this paper, a few findings from the whole genome sequence analysis of viral genome sequences submitted from India are presented. The data used for analysis comprises 440 collective genome sequences of virus submitted in GenBank, GISAID, and SRA projects, from around the world as well as 28 viral sequences from India. Multiple sequence alignment of all genome sequences was performed and analysed. A novel non-synonymous mutation 4809C>T (S1515F) in NSP3 gene of SARS-CoV2 Indian strains is reported along with other frequent and important changes from around the world: 3037C>T, 14408C>T, and 23403A>G. The novel change was observed in samples collected in the month of March, whereas was found to be absent in samples collected in January with the respective persons’ travel history to China. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the sequences with this change as one separate clade. Mutation was predicted as stabilising change by insilco tool DynaMut. A second patient in the world to our knowledge with multiple (Wuhan and USA) strain contraction was observed in this study. The infected person is among the two early infected patients with travel history to China. Strains sequenced in Iran stood out to have different variants, as most of the reported frequent variants were not observed. The objective of this paper is to highlight the similarities and changes observed in the submitted Indian viral strains. This helps to keep track on the activity, that how virus is changing into a new subtype. Major strains observed were European with the novel change in India and other being emergent clade of Iran. Its important to observe the changes in NSP3 gene, as this gene has been reported with extensive positive selection as well as potential drug target. Extensive Positive Selection Drives the Evolution of Nonstructural Proteins. With the limited number of sequences this was the only frequent novel non-synonymous change observed from Indian strains, thereby making this change vulnerable for investigation in future. This paper has a special focus on tracking of Indian viral sequences submitted in public domain.
Horizontal gene transfer barrier shapes the evolution of prokaryotic pangenomes
Authors: Sela Itamar , Wolf Yuri I. , Koonin Eugene V. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe genomes of bacteria and archaea evolve by extensive loss and gain of genes which, for any group of related prokaryotic genomes, result in the formation of a pangenome with the universal, asymmetrical U-shaped distribution of gene commonality. To elucidate the evolutionary factors that define the specific shape of this distribution, we investigate the fit of simple models of genome evolution to the empirically observed gene commonality distributions and genomes intersections for 33 groups of closely related bacterial genomes. The combined analysis of genome intersections and gene commonality shows that at least one of the two simplifying assumptions that are usually adopted for modeling the evolution of the U-shaped distribution, those of infinitely many genes and constant genome size, is invalid. The violation of both these assumptions stems from the horizontal gene transfer barrier,i.e. the cost of accommodation of foreign genes by prokaryotes.
A multi-layered and dynamic apical extracellular matrix shapes the vulva lumen inCaenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Cohen Jennifer D. , Sparacio Alessandro P. , Belfi Alexandra C. , Forman-Rubinsky Rachel , Hall David H. , Maul-Newby Hannah M. , Frand Alison R. , Sundaram Meera V. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBiological tubes must develop and maintain their proper diameter in order to transport materials efficiently. These tubes are molded and protected in part by apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) that line their lumens. Despite their importance, aECMs are difficult to imagein vivoand therefore poorly understood. TheC. elegansvulva has been a paradigm for understanding many aspects of organogenesis. Here we describe the vulva luminal matrix, which contains chondroitin proteoglycans, Zona Pellucida (ZP) domain proteins, and other glycoproteins and lipid transporters related to those in mammals. Confocal and transmission electron microscopy revealed, with unprecedented detail, a complex and dynamic aECM. Different matrix factors assemble on the apical surfaces of each vulva cell type, with clear distinctions seen between Ras-dependent (1°) and Notch-dependent (2°) cell types. Genetic perturbations suggest that chondroitin and other aECM factors together generate a structured scaffold that both expands and constricts lumen shape.
LSD1 inhibitors induce neuronal differentiation of Merkel cell carcinoma by disrupting the LSD1-CoREST complex and activating TGFβ signaling
Authors: Leiendecker Lukas , Jung Pauline S. , Neumann Tobias , Wiesner Thomas , Obenauf Anna C. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive, neuroendocrine skin cancer that is either associated with the clonal integration of the Merkel cell polyomavirus or with chronic sun exposure1,2. Immunotherapy is initially effective in many patients with metastatic MCC, but the response is rarely durable3,4. MCC lacks actionable mutations that could be utilized for targeted therapies, but epigenetic regulators, which govern cell fate, provide unexplored therapeutic entry points. Here, we performed a pharmacological screen in MCC cells, targeting epigenetic regulators. We discovered that the lysine-specific histone demethylase 1A (LSD1/KDM1A) is required for MCC growthin vitroandin vivo. HMG20B (BRAF35), a poorly characterized subunit of the LSD1-CoREST complex, is also essential for MCC proliferation. LSD1 inhibition in MCC disrupts the LSD1-CoREST complex, directly induces the expression of key regulators of the neuronal lineage and of members of the TGFβ pathway, and activates a gene expression signature corresponding to normal Merkel cells. Our results provide a rationale for evaluating LSD1 inhibitors, which are currently being tested in patients with leukemia and solid tumors, in MCC.
Specific splice junction detection in single cells with SICILIAN
Authors: Dehghannasiri Roozbeh , Olivieri Julia Eve , Salzman Julia 
Published: April 2020

AbstractPrecise splice junction calls are currently unavailable in scRNA-seq pipelines such as the 10x Chromium platform but are critical for understanding single-cell biology. Here, we introduce SICILIAN, a new method that assigns statistical confidence to splice junctions from a spliced aligner to improve precision. SICILIAN’s precise splice detection achieves high accuracy on simulated data, improves concordance between matched single-cell and bulk datasets, increases agreement between biological replicates, and reliably detects un-annotated splicing in single cells, enabling the discovery of novel splicing regulation.
Capitalising teamwork for enhancing project delivery and management in construction: empirical study in Malaysia
Authors: Yap Jeffrey Boon Hui , Leong Wen Jie , Skitmore Martin 
Published: April 2020

PurposeTeamwork in the construction industry has attracted much attention from both academic and industrial circles. Most importantly, improving team effectiveness will increase the likelihood of successful project delivery. Recognising the factors influencing team dynamics is important for enhanced team performance.Design/methodology/approachBased on a detailed literature review, a survey questionnaire containing 10 aspects and 25 attributes of teamwork relevant to construction is used to collect feedback from Malaysian construction practitioners from client, consultant and contractor organisations to prioritise these hypothesised variables. The data are then subjected to reliability analysis, descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, and frequencies), a one-sample t-test, the Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA and exploratory factor analysis.FindingsThe significance of these aspects and attributes is then presented. The three most crucial aspects are “project performance”, “decision-making capability” and “problem-solving ability”. The most influential attributes are “effective communication between project team members”, “efficient team leadership”, “well-defined team responsibilities and roles”, “clear team goals and objectives” and “good collaboration between all project leaders”. The Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA reveals five attributes having statistically significant differences with respect to company size, namely “clear team goals and objectives”, “commitment to the project”, “adequate resources”, “team or task processes” and “creativity and innovation”. Six underlying dimensions are found, comprising (1) participative engagement and task commitment; (2) team responsibility structure and accountability; (3) culture of trust and respect; (4) leader's skills and abilities; (5) top management support; and (6) synergic working environment.Practical implicationsThe identification of these dimensions for team effectiveness provides rigorous basis for formulating useful team-building strategies for integrating a collaborative environment among project stakeholders and consequently improving project performance.Originality/valueThis paper bridges the identified knowledge gap concerning the dimensionality of teamwork attributes in construction-based setting and adds to existing knowledge of how team effectiveness can be leveraged to improve project performance in the construction management literature.
Corporate social responsibility disclosure and firms' performance in Mediterranean countries: a stakeholders' perspective
Authors: Buallay Amina , Kukreja Gagan , Aldhaen Esra , Al Mubarak Muneer , Hamdan Allam Mohammed 
Published: April 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and firms' operational, financial and market performance (measured in the form of return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and Tobin's Q (TQ), respectively) in the Mediterranean countries from a stakeholder perspective.Design/methodology/approachResearch is quantitative in nature, based on a cross-sectional and time-series analysis of 203 firms listed in six Mediterranean countries for 10 years from 2008 to 2017, with 1,689 observations. The theoretical model is built on a stakeholder theory. The practical model is built on the independent variable (CSR) and the dependent variables ROA, ROE and TQ.FindingsThe findings deduced from the empirical results indicated that CSR disclosure negatively affects operational and market performance but does not affect financial performance.Practical implicationsStudying the relationship between CSR disclosure and firms' operational, financial and market performance, with the consideration of variations, can bring many benefits internally by being more conscious of important activities that should be undertaken and externally by detecting what regulators and other stakeholders want for better sustainable development.Originality/valueThis research adds value to the existing limited literature of CSR disclosure on firm's performance in the Mediterranean countries, and it gives tips of advice for firms to manage CSR disclosure wisely.
How live chat assistants drive travel consumers’ attitudes, trust and purchase intentions
Authors: McLean Graeme , Osei-Frimpong Kofi , Wilson Alan , Pitardi Valentina 
Published: April 2020

Purpose
By adopting a social presence theory perspective, this study aims investigate the influence of perceived usefulness of live chat services and of their unique human attributes on customer attitudes, beliefs and behaviours in the context of online travel shopping.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on a cross-sectional survey research involving 8 travel provider websites and 631 travel consumers, this work applies structural equation modelling to analyse the data.

Findings
The results illustrate that the perceived usefulness from the communication with a human live chat assistant positively influences customer attitudes and trust towards the website as well as increasing purchase intention. The findings further illustrate the role of the human social cues conveyed by live chat facilities, namely, human warmth, human assurance, human attentiveness and human customised content in positively moderating this effect.

Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to specific human attributes. Future research could investigate the role of other human characteristics as well as assess the ability of artificial intelligent powered chatbots in replicating the human elements outlined in this research.

Originality/value
The study provides a unique contribution to the travel literature by offering empirical insights and conceptual clarity into the usefulness of human operated live chat communication on travellers’ attitudes, trust towards the website and purchase intentions.
Winescape through the lens of organized travel – a netnography study
Authors: Terziyska Ilinka , Damyanova Radina 
Published: April 2020

Purpose
Winescape is the space where wine experiences occur, consisting of both tangible and intangible elements, and its understanding is very important for both the wine and the tourism industry. The purpose of this study is to define the attributes of winescape as seen from the perspective of organized travel.

Design/methodology/approach
The study uses the netnography approach by analyzing online user-generated content. A total of 118 TripAdvisor reviews for a wine tour company in Piemont, Italy, were coded using NVIVO12 software.

Findings
Six major elements of winescape were identified: tour guiding, core wine product, tour planning and logistics, complementary activities, food and dining and nature and scenery prominent. When compared to previous research, the findings show that the type of travel (organized versus independent travel) has a significant impact on the perceived winescape.

Research limitations/implications
As the study refers to a particular type of destination (Piedmont, Italy), and a specific product (private or small group tours), findings may not fully apply to wine regions and market segments of a different kind.

Practical implications
The proposed winescape model can be used by both practitioners (for enhancing the quality of their products) and researchers (for comparative studies or as a basis for customer satisfaction models specifically tailored to wine tours).

Originality/value
Organized wine tours as a specific aspect of wine tourism have been neglected in research so far. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to focus on winescape as seen through the lens of organized wine tourists, and the resulting model differs significantly from the existing ones.
Subjective well-being among victimized university students: comparison between cyber dating abuse and bullying victimization
Authors: Víllora Beatriz , Yubero Santiago , Navarro Raul 
Published: April 2020

PurposePrevious research has documented a negative association between subjective well-being and different forms of victimization. The present study aims to examine differences in well-being among university student victims of cyber dating abuse and bullying after controlling for acceptance of dating violence.Design/methodologyThis a cross-sectional study involving 1,657 Spanish university students (62.1% females, 37.1% males) using a quantitative approach.FindingsThe multiple regression analysis results showed that the university students who reported low bullying victimization and low acceptance of dating violence also reported higher emotional, social and psychological well-being, although the association between bullying and well-being was weak. No relationship was found between cyber dating abuse victimization and the well-being dimensions examined (emotional, social and psychological). Indeed, the participants not involved in any form of abuse and the cyber dating abuse victims presented the highest level of emotional, social and psychological well-being compared to the bullying victims and the combined victims.Practical implicationsPrevention and intervention programs need to specifically address bullying and cyber dating abusive in university, with a special focus on normative beliefs about both types of victimization and offering different sources of support to overcome negative consequences on mental health.Originality/valueThis paper analyzes the subjective well-being correlates simultaneously in victims of cyber dating abuse and bullying among university students without assuming that every form of victimization has the same mental health outcomes.
Labor division and advantages and limits of participation in creation of intangible assets in industry 4.0: humans versus machines
Authors: Lobova Svetlana V. , Alekseev Alexander N. , Litvinova Tatiana N. , Sadovnikova Natalia A. 
Published: April 2020

PurposeThe purpose of the work is to solve the set problem and to study the competition and perspectives of division of labor of humans and machines during creation of intangible assets in Industry 4.0.Design/methodology/approachThe research is performed with the help of regression and comparative analysis by building regression curves and with the help of the qualitative structural and logical analysis.FindingsThe authors perform an overview of the factors that determine the advantages and limits of participation in creation of intangible assets in Industry 4.0, determine the perspectives and compile recommendations for division of human and machine labor during creation of intangible assets in Industry 4.0.Originality/valueThe results of the performed research confirmed the general hypothesis that machine technologies allow improving the innovative, marketing and organizational and managerial activities and activities in the sphere of R&D through automatization of certain stages of the process of creation of intangible assets. The authors determine the factors that define the contribution of machine technologies in this process and their competitive advantages as compared to human intellectual capital during creation of intangible assets. These advantages prove the possibility and expedience of division of human and machine labor during creation of intangible assets.
The relationship between abusive supervision and unethical pro-organizational behavior: linear or curvilinear?
Authors: Guo Limin , Zhao Hongdan , Cheng Ken , Luo Jinlian 
Published: April 2020

PurposeBased on social exchange theory and research on proactive personality, this study aims to explore the relationship between abusive supervision and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB), taking proactive personality as a boundary condition.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted a two-wave questionnaire survey and used data from 353 Chinese employees of a diversified company to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThe relationship between abusive supervision and UPB varied with proactive personality. Specifically, abusive supervision had an inverted U-shaped effect on UPB when proactive personality was high, while abusive supervision was negatively related to UPB when proactive personality was low.Research limitations/implicationsMore research are encouraged to replicate our study in different cultural contexts. Besides, future research can gather data from dyads (e.g. supervisor–subordinate dyad and coworker–subordinate dyad) so as to increase the objectivity and validity of the data.Practical implicationsManagers should reduce abusive supervision and elevate proactive employees' moral awareness.Social implicationsThis study hopes that the authors’ findings will help practitioners to devote greater attention to managing proactive personality, abusive supervision and UPB in the organization.Originality/valueFirst, this study enriches the abusive supervision literature by identifying UPB as a consequence of abusive supervision. Second, this study provides a better understanding of the coping tactics used to combat abusive supervision. Third, this study uncovers a dark side of proactive personality by verifying the moderating effect of proactive personality.