bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sales growth or employment growth? Exporting conundrum for new ventures
Authors: Chen Mei , Ni Peijie , Reve Torger , Huang Jing , Lu Ren 
Published: March 2021

Purpose
Previous studies primarily focus on how to achieve better performance in the international markets, but few centers on whether internationalization is a promising strategy for new ventures’ growth and development. Based on two pioneering frameworks Conservative, Predictable, and Pacemaker (CPP) model and the 7-P model, this paper fills this gap by analyzing how exporting exert heterogeneous effects on two types of growth, sales growth and employment growth. Accordingly, this paper aims to favor market-oriented new ventures to make a strategy on expanding international markets.

Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on firm-level data from the Chinese Industrial Enterprises Database. The year 2005 was used as the shock year. By conducting the propensity score matching method, 793 couples of matched new ventures were collected with sales growth and 686 couples with employment growth. The difference-in-differences method was applied to analyze the various influences that exporting has on new ventures’ sales growth and employment growth.

Findings
The main finding of this paper is that new ventures that exported can achieve better sales growth than their counterparts that only operated domestically, whereas new ventures that remain in the domestic market have no difference in employment growth from those that exported.

Research limitations/implications
This study shows that exporting is especially beneficial for market-seeking new ventures. Because the study is based on Chinese data, scholars of international business can conduct further research on other countries with different economic structures.

Originality/value
Theoretically, this paper contributes to both international business theory and entrepreneurship theory by combining the CPP model and the 7-P model. Practically, this paper shows that exports mainly benefit the sales growth of new ventures. This suggests that business practitioners should consider their growth goals before they choose to enter the global market.
Male condition influences female post mating aggression and feeding in Drosophila
Authors: Bath Eleanor , Buzzoni Daisy , Ralph Toby , Wigby Stuart , Sepil Irem 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Mating changes female behaviour and physiology across a wide range of taxa, with important effects for male and female fitness. These changes are often induced by components of the male ejaculate, such as sperm and seminal fluid proteins.

However, males can vary significantly in their ejaculates, due to factors such as age, mating history or nutritional status. This male variation may therefore lead to variation in the strength of responses males can stimulate in females, with alterations in fitness outcomes for both sexes.

Using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, we tested whether three aspects of male condition shape an important, but understudied, post‐mating response—increased female–female aggression.

We found that females mated to old males fought less than females mated to young males. This effect was exacerbated in mates of old, sexually active males, but there was no effect of male starvation status on mating‐induced female aggression. There was also a significant effect of age and mating history on female post‐mating feeding duration.

Our results add to a growing body of literature that variation in male condition can shape sexual selection through post‐mating responses in females, including female–female interactions. Studying such variation may therefore be useful for understanding how the condition of one sex affects the behaviour of the other.

A free plain language summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Weak coordination between leaf drought tolerance and proxy traits in herbaceous plants
Authors: Májeková Maria , Hájek Tomáš , Albert Ágnes J. , de Bello Francesco , Doležal Jiří , Götzenberger Lars , Janeček Štěpán , Lepš Jan , Liancourt Pierre , Mudrák Ondřej 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Increased drought is predicted to have a major impact on plant performance under environmental change. Yet leaf hydraulic traits directly related to drought tolerance, such as leaf turgor loss point (πtlp), are under‐represented in trait‐based studies and have been largely overlooked within the main frameworks evaluating trait–trait coordination and trade‐offs—the leaf economics spectrum (LES) and the global spectrum of plant form and function.

Using 122 herbaceous species from the Central European temperate grasslands, we investigated (a) the coordination between πtlp and traits often used as proxies for drought tolerance, namely SLA, leaf area (LA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf thickness (LT), plant height and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE); (b) whether the strength of the trait–trait relationships differed across plant functional types (PFTs: graminoids and forbs) and depended on species phylogeny; and (c) whether single or multiple traits, combined with either PFTs or phylogenetic relatedness, provide a good prediction of πtlp.

A more negative πtlp (higher leaf drought tolerance) was coordinated with higher LDMC and higher iWUE. This pattern was consistent among PFTs and also after accounting for phylogenetic relatedness. However, the coordination of πtlp with other traits was weak. For LT and height, it was driven by the differences between PFTs. For SLA and LA, it was only observed after accounting for phylogenetic relatedness.

The most parsimonious model predicting πtlp as a function of other traits retained LDMC and LA (adj. R2 = 0.37). Since πtlp showed a strong phylogenetic signal, accounting for the influence of phylogenetic relatedness further improved πtlp prediction by 17%.

In herbaceous temperate plants, there is relatively weak coordination between leaf drought tolerance (πtlp) and traits representing key dimensions of the LES and the global spectrum of plant form and function. None of the proxy traits considered here, alone or in combination, provided a strong prediction of πtlp across a large number of grassland plant species. Therefore, our work emphasizes the need for direct measurements of leaf hydraulics when estimating plant drought responses to better understand and predict species responses to environmental change.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Latitudinal clines in sexual selection, sexual size dimorphism and sex‐specific genetic dispersal during a poleward range expansion
Authors: Dudaniec Rachael Y. , Carey Alexander R. , Svensson Erik I. , Hansson Bengt , Yong Chuan Ji , Lancaster Lesley T. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Range expansions can be shaped by sex differences in behaviours and other phenotypic traits affecting dispersal and reproduction.

Here, we investigate sex differences in morphology, behaviour and genomic population differentiation along a climate‐mediated range expansion in the common bluetail damselfly (Ischnura elegans) in northern Europe.

We sampled 65 sites along a 583‐km gradient spanning the I. elegans range in Sweden and quantified latitudinal gradients in site relative abundance, sex ratio and sex‐specific shifts in body size and mating status (a measure of sexual selection). Using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data for 426 individuals from 25 sites, we further investigated sex‐specific landscape and climatic effects on neutral genetic connectivity and migration patterns.

We found evidence for sex differences associated with the I. elegans range expansion, namely (a) increased male body size with latitude, but no latitudinal effect on female body size, resulting in reduced sexual dimorphism towards the range limit, (b) a steeper decline in male genetic similarity with increasing geographic distance than in females, (c) male‐biased genetic migration propensity and (d) a latitudinal cline in migration distance (increasing migratory distances towards the range margin), which was stronger in males. Cooler mean annual temperatures towards the range limit were associated with increased resistance to gene flow in both sexes. Sex ratios became increasingly male biased towards the range limit, and there was evidence for a changed sexual selection regime shifting from favouring larger males in the south to favouring smaller males in the north.

Our findings suggest sex‐specific spatial phenotype sorting at the range limit, where larger males disperse more under higher landscape resistance associated with cooler climates. The combination of latitudinal gradients in sex‐biased dispersal, increasing male body size and (reduced) sexual size dimorphism should have emergent consequences for sexual selection dynamics and the mating system at the expanding range front. Our study illustrates the importance of considering sex differences in the study of range expansions driven by ongoing climate change.
Higher sample sizes and observer inter‐calibration are needed for reliable scoring of leaf phenology in trees
Authors: Liu Guohua , Chuine Isabelle , Denéchère Rémy , Jean Frédéric , Dufrêne Eric , Vincent Gaëlle , Berveiller Daniel , Delpierre Nicolas 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Reliable phenological observations are needed to quantify the impact of climate change on tree phenology. Ground observations remain a prime source of phenological data, but their accuracy and precision have not been systematically quantified. The high subjectivity of ground phenological observations affects their accuracy, and the high within‐population variability of tree phenology affects their precision. The magnitude of those effects is unknown to date.

We first explored the inter‐observer variability in the timing of bud development and leaf senescence in trees using a unique dataset of seven observer inter‐calibration sessions. Then, using tree phenological data collected in three European forests (n = 2,346 observations for budburst, n = 539 for leaf senescence), we quantified how the ‘observer uncertainty’ (accuracy of the observations) and the ‘population sampling uncertainty’ (precision of the observations) combine to affect the estimates of the budburst and the leaf senescence dates.

The median observer uncertainty was 8 days for budburst (BBCH = 7) and 15 days for leaf senescence (BBCH = 95). As expected, the population sampling uncertainty decreased with increasing sample size, and was about 6 days for budburst and 10 days for leaf senescence for a sample of 10 individuals monitored per population (corresponding to the median sample size in the phenological literature). As a whole, the overall uncertainty of phenological observations could reach up to 2 weeks for budburst and 1 month for leaf senescence.

Synthesis. This paper quantifies for the first time the accuracy and precision of ground phenological observations in forest trees and as such offers tables to estimate the uncertainty of phenological data. We show that reliable estimates of budburst and leaf senescence require three times (n = 30) to two times (n = 20) larger sample sizes as compared to sample sizes usually considered in phenological studies. We further call for an increased effort of observer inter‐calibration, required to increase the accuracy of phenological observations. These recommendations reduce the uncertainty of phenological data, thereby improving the estimation of phenological trends over time, the response of phenology to temperature or the inference of phenological model parameters.
Soil actinobacteria tend to have neutral interactions with other co‐occurring microorganisms, especially under oligotrophic conditions
Authors: Yan Bingfa , Liu Ning , Liu Minghao , Du Xueyuan , Shang Fei , Huang Ying 
Published: March 2021

SummaryActinobacteria produce a variety of secondary metabolites that can influence the survival or behaviour of other organisms. The understanding of the ecological roles of actinobacteria has significantly improved in the past decades, but a systematic insight into the interactions between actinobacteria and other microbes in nature is warranted. Here, we studied the pairwise effects of actinobacteria on other microbes isolated from red soils under different nutritional conditions. We found that neutral effects dominated the interactions, accounting for 68.1% of the interactions in eutrophic conditions and for a significantly higher proportion (86.2%) in oligotrophic conditions. High nutrient levels boosted active metabolism of actinobacteria and generally made them more aggressive, supporting the stress gradient hypothesis. The secondary metabolites produced by actinobacteria played a pivotal role in interference competition with other microbes, of which the role of desferrioxamine siderophores could not be ignored. Niche overlap seemed to be another cause of competition, notably under oligotrophic conditions. Moreover, the large‐scale phylogeny had a much greater impact on the interaction than the location origin of the microbes. These results provide an understanding of the coexistence of actinobacteria with other microbes in nature and suggest neutrality as a key mechanism for maintaining microbial diversity in soils.
In vitro phenols bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity of goat milk yogurt fortified with Rhus coriaria leaf powder
Authors: Simonetti Amalia , Perna Annamaria , Grassi Giulia , Gambacorta Emilio 
Published: March 2021

AbstractGoat yogurt samples fortified with 20% (w/v) Rhus coriaria leaf powder were in vitro digested in order to evaluate the total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AA), and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds in the digestate. After digestion, TPC and AA values of the R. coriaria‐fortified yogurts increased compared to the undigested yogurts (P < 0.001). In particular, TPC has increased about twice; whereas, AA values have increased about 10 and 6 times, for ABTS and FRAP assays, respectively. The bioaccessibility index was well above the 100% for all identified phenols; except for (‐)‐epicatechin (82.04%), rutin (51.51%), and gallic acid (5.42%). This different behavior highlighted that the bioaccessibility was modulated by both the yogurt‐polyphenol complexes and phenol stability under digestion system. These findings can contribute to elucidate the influence of in vitro digestion on antioxidant capacity and polyphenols recovery infortified yogurts, and may help in the design of dairy products with better functional qualityPractical ApplicationRhus coriaria L. (Sumac) is a polyphenol‐rich Mediterranean plant that may be used as functional ingredient to enrich fermented food such as yogurt. However, in fortified yogurts the evaluation of bioaccessibility, that is, the compounds released from the yogurt and stable in the digestive environment, thus able to exert their biological effects on the gastrointestinal system, is more important than the content of these compounds in the corresponding food. This study highlighted the phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds in goat milk yogurt fortified with R. coriaria leaf powder after simulated gastro‐pancreatic digestion.
Evaluation of the efficacy of probiotic VSL#3 and synbiotic VSL#3 and yacon‐based product in reducing oxidative stress and intestinal permeability in mice induced to colorectal carcinogenesis
Authors: Cruz Bruna Cristina dos Santos , de Sousa Moraes Luís Fernando , De Nadai Marcon Letícia , Dias Kelly Aparecida , Murad Leonardo Borges , Sarandy Mariáurea Matias , Conceição Lisiane Lopes da , Gonçalves Reggiani Vilela , Ferreira Célia Lúcia de Luces Fortes , Peluzio Maria do Carmo Gouveia 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of probiotic VSL#3 isolated or associated with a yacon‐based product (synbiotic) on oxidative stress modulation and intestinal permeability in an experimental model of colorectal carcinogenesis. Forty‐five C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups: control (standard diet AIN‐93 M); probiotic (standard diet AIN‐93 M and multispecies probiotic VSL#3, 2.25 × 109 CFU), and synbiotic (standard diet AIN‐93 M with yacon‐based product, 6% fructooligosaccharides and inulin, and probiotic VSL#3, 2.25 × 109 CFU). The experimental diets were provided for 13 weeks. The probiotic and the yacon‐based product showed antioxidant activity, with the percentage of DPPH radical scavenging equal to 69.7 ± 0.4% and 74.3 ± 0.1%, respectively. These findings contributed to reduce hepatic oxidative stress: the control group showed higher concentration of malondialdehyde (1.8‐fold, p = 0.007 and 1.5‐fold, p = 0.035) and carbonylated protein (2‐fold, p = 0.008 and 5.6‐fold, p = 0.000) compared to the probiotic and synbiotic groups, respectively. Catalase enzyme activity increased 1.43‐fold (p = 0.014) in synbiotic group. The crypt depth increased 1.2‐fold and 1.4‐fold with the use of probiotic and synbiotic, respectively, compared to the control diet (p = 0.000). These findings corroborate the reduction in intestinal permeability in the probiotic and synbiotic groups, as measured by the percentage of urinary lactulose excretion (CON: 0.93 ± 0.62% × PRO: 0.44 ± 0.05%, p = 0.048; and CON: 0.93 ± 0.62% × SYN: 0.41 ± 0.12%, p = 0.043). In conclusion, the probiotic and synbiotic showed antioxidant activity, which contributed to the reduction of oxidative stress markers. In addition, they protected the mucosa from damage caused by chemical carcinogen and reduced intestinal permeability.Practical ApplicationThe relationship between intestinal health and the occurrence of various organic disorders has been demonstrated in many studies. The use of probiotics and prebiotics is currently one of the main targets for modulation of intestinal health. We demonstrated that the use of a commercial mix of probiotic bacteria (VSL#3) isolated or associated with a yacon‐based prebiotic, rich in fructooligosaccharides and inulin, is able to reduce the oxidative stress and intestinal permeability in a colorectal carcinogenesis model. These compounds have great potential to be used as a food supplement, or as ingredients in the development of food products.
Thermal Behavior and Determination of the Heated Structure of 11Å Anomalous Tobermorite by in situ X‐ray Diffraction
Authors: YAN Yu , WANG Hejing 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis article presents the thermal transitions of a tobermorite‐bearing sample when heated from 30°C up to 1200° C, both in vacuum and in static air, including tobermorite transforming to wollastonite, aragonite to calcite and calcite to lime. Characteristics obtained by in situ high temperature X‐ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy analyses jointly indicate that the investigated tobermorite is anomalous. The variations along the a, b, c axes and the volume changes of tobermorite with increasing temperature are described, and its thermal shrinkage coefficients therefore determined. The comparison between the refined structures at 30°C and 800°C demonstrates that the shrinkage degree (Δa/a0) along the a axis is higher than those (Δb/b0, Δc/c0) along the b and c axes. The wollastonite is formed in two ways: Tobermorite converting to wollastonite and lime reacting with quartz to form wollastonite.
Application of Optically Stimulated Luminescence Technique in Exploring a Concealed Sandstone‐type Uranium Deposit
Authors: KANG Huan , CHEN Yuelong , XUE Guoliang , ZHAO Junxiang , ZHANG Na , ZHANG Yangyang 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIdentifying ore‐induced geochemical anomalies at the surface that indicate concealed deposits in buried areas remains a significant challenge in geochemical exploration. In this study, in order to trace the source of the geochemical anomalies, systematic luminescence intensity analyses were conducted on quartz grains from the Quaternary regolith at the Hadatu sandstone‐type uranium deposit in the Erenhot Basin. The optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages were much older than the depositional ages of the Quaternary regolith. Moreover, quartz OSL ages were closely related to both borehole grades and sampling depths. Thus, the abnormal mineral OSL ages from near‐surface sediments were ultimately controlled by the sandstone‐type uranium deposits. This is identical to the rapid changes of quartz OSL ages (0.063 ka/cm) and equivalent doses (0.19 Gy/cm) with depths in a given sampling site. The instantaneous soil radon concentration was positively correlated with the quartz OSL apparent age, indicating their ore‐induced origin and, as a result, their effectiveness in the exploration of concealed uranium deposits. Other parameters, including mobile‐state uranium and 210Po contents, were poorly correlated with quartz OSL ages and therefore should only be used with caution for geochemical exploration. This is the first time an attempt has been made to discriminate the ore‐induced sources for different surface anomaly parameters, including instantaneous soil radon, mobile‐state uranium and 210Po contents for concealed sandstone‐type uranium deposits.
A Preliminary Study on the Aghbolaq (Fe, Cu) Skarn Deposit, Oshnavieh, NW Iran: Constraints on Metasomatic Fluid Evolution
Authors: SIAHCHESHM Kamal , KHAJEMOHAMMADLO Nasrin , CALAGARI Ali Asghar , ABEDINI Ali 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe Aghbolaq skarn deposit is located in the Urumieh‐Golpayegan plutonic belt, NW Iran. The garnetite skarn (stage I) has been intensely cross‐cut by the magnetite‐garnet skarn (stage II) which were, in turn, cut and offset by the ore‐hosting quartz veins/veinlets (stage III). The predominance of andradite (Adr82.5–89.1) and its high Fe3+/Al ratio (up to 1685) apparently supports the high fO2, salinity and prevalence of magmatic/hydrothermal fluids involved, rather than meteoric waters, during the magnetite‐garnet skarn formation. Two major groups of fluid inclusions, namely aqueous (LV, LVS) and aqueous–carbonic (LVC, LLCVC), were recognized in garnet and quartz veins that, especially in growth zones and along intra‐granular trails, better display fluid inclusion assemblages (FIAs) than those in clusters. The prograde magnetite‐garnet skarn was formed by the metasomatic fluid at relatively high Th (209–374°C), under a lithostatic pressure of ∼200 bars. The retrograde mineralized quartz veins were formed at temperatures ranging from 124°C to 256°C, by dilute and less saline (2.57–11.93 wt% NaCl eq.) hydrothermal fluids under a hydrostatic pressure of ∼80 bars. The fluid evolution of the Aghbolaq skarn began with an earlier simple cooling of metasomatic fluid during the prograde stage, followed by the later influx of low salinity meteoric fluids during the retrograde stage.
Finding Mr. Schumpeter: technology adoption in the cement industry
Authors: Macher Jeffrey T. , Miller Nathan H. , Osborne Matthew 
Published: March 2021

AbstractWe examine the adoption of fuel‐efficient precalciner kilns in the cement industry using the universe of adoption decisions in the United States over 1973–2013. We find that cement plants are more likely to adopt the technology if fuel costs are high, nearby competitors are few, and local demand conditions are favorable. We relate the findings to the Schumpeterian and induced innovation hypotheses regarding the effects of competition and factor prices. Our results suggest firms may be most responsive to factor prices under advantageous competitive and demand conditions.