bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Correlation of the epidemic spread of COVID-19 and urban population migration in the major cities of Hubei Province, China
Authors: Chen Qun , Yan Jiao , Huang Helai , Zhang Xi 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
This study analyses the relationship between the epidemic spread of COVID-19 and urban population migration in Hubei Province, China. Based on an improved gravity model, the population inflow numbers for each city from 10 January to 23 February are estimated. A correlation analysis is done to reveal the impact of population inflow on the number of infected people in the 14 days after 23 January, the day Wuhan was locked down. The results show that: (i) the population outflow from Wuhan was mostly distributed between Xiaogan, Huanggang, Ezhou and Huangshi in Hubei Province; (ii) the number of accumulated confirmed patients is closely associated with inflows from Wuhan, which displayed by correlation coefficient 1 with a mean of 0.88 and a maximum of 0.93. Meanwhile, there is a weak correlation between the number of people that came from cities except Wuhan and accumulated confirmed patients, which indicated by correlation coefficient 2 with a mean of 0.65 and a maximum of 0.75; and (iii) the total population inflow is a greater predictor of epidemic spread than the population inflow from Wuhan.
Vibrational resonances in driven oscillators with position-dependent mass
Authors: Roy-Layinde T. O. , Vincent U. E. , Abolade S. A. , Popoola O. O. , Laoye J. A. , McClintock P. V. E. 
Published: January 2021

The vibrational resonance (VR) phenomenon has received a great deal of research attention over the two decades since its introduction. The wide range of theoretical and experimental results obtained has, however, been confined to VR in systems with constant mass. We now extend the VR formalism to encompass systems with position-dependent mass (PDM). We consider a generalized classical counterpart of the quantum mechanical nonlinear oscillator with PDM. By developing a theoretical framework for determining the response amplitude of PDM systems, we examine and analyse their VR phenomenona, obtain conditions for the occurrence of resonances, show that the role played by PDM can be both inductive and contributory, and suggest that PDM effects could usefully be explored to maximize the efficiency of devices being operated in VR modes. Our analysis suggests new directions for the investigation of VR in a general class of PDM systems.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Vibrational and stochastic resonance in driven nonlinear systems (part 1)’.
Amplification of optical signals in a bistable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser by vibrational resonance
Authors: Chizhevsky V. N. 
Published: January 2021

The paper presents the results of the experimental study of an application of the phenomenon of vibrational resonance (VR) for enhancement of the response of a bistable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) to the effect of optical modulating signals. Specifically, two different cases were investigated: (a) the control of all-optical switching caused by a modulated orthogonal optical injection from another VCSEL and (b) the amplification of autodyne signals from a vibrating diffusely reflecting surface in the self-mixing optical interferometry. It is experimentally demonstrated that an application of the phenomenon of VR in both cases studied leads to a strong amplification of the input optical signals by a factor from 10 to 200 depending on the experimental conditions with respect to the initial values. The effect of the asymmetry of a bistable potential on the amplification factor was also studied. The results obtained can be used to improve all-optical switchings for application in communication systems and enhancement of autodyne signals in self-mixing optical interferometry.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Vibrational and stochastic resonance in driven nonlinear systems (part 1)’.
Luminance texture boundaries and luminance step boundaries are segmented using different mechanisms
Authors: DiMattina Christopher 
Published: January 2021

ABSTRACTIn natural scenes, two adjacent surfaces may differ in mean luminance without any sharp change in luminance at their boundary, but rather due to different relative proportions of light and dark regions within each surface. We refer to such boundaries asluminance texture boundaries(LTBs), and in this study we investigate whether LTBs are segmented using different mechanisms thanluminance step boundaries(LSBs). We develop a novel method to generate luminance texture boundaries from natural uniform textures, and using these natural LTB stimuli in a boundary segmentation task, we find that observers are much more sensitive to identical luminance differences which are defined by textures (LTBs) than by uniform luminance steps (LSBs), consistent with the possibility of different mechanisms. In a second and third set of experiments, we characterize observer performance segmenting natural LTBs in the presence of masking LSBs which observers are instructed to ignore. We show that although there may be some masking of LTB segmentation by LSBs, it is far less than that observed in a control experiment where both the masker and target are LSBs, and far less than that predicted by a model assuming identical mechanisms. Finally, we perform a fourth set of boundary segmentation experiments using artificial LTB stimuli comprised of differing proportions of white and black dots on opposite sides of the boundary. We find that these stimuli are also highly robust to masking by supra-threshold LSBs, consistent with our results using natural stimuli, and with our earlier studies using similar stimuli. Taken as a whole, these results suggest that the visual system contains mechanisms well suited to detecting surface boundaries that are robust to interference from luminance differences arising from luminance steps like those formed by cast shadows.
Spontaneous thought and microstate activity modulation by social imitation
Authors: Tomescu Miralena I. , Papasteri Claudiu C. , Sofonea Alexandra , Boldasu Romina , Kebets Valeria , Poalelungi Catalina , Podina Ioana R. , Nedelcea Catalin I. , Berceanu Alexandru I. , Carcea Ioana 
Published: January 2021

AbstractSocial imitation increases well-being and closeness by mechanisms that remain poorly understood. We propose that imitation impacts behavioural states in part by modulating post-imitation mind-wandering. The human mind wanders spontaneously and frequently, revisiting the past and imagining the future of self and of others. External and internal factors can influence wandering spontaneous thoughts, whose content predicts subsequent emotional states. In 43 young subjects, we find that imitating the arm movements of an actor alters the dynamics and the content of subsequent resting-state spontaneous thoughts. Imitation-sensitive features of spontaneous thoughts correlate with both behavioural states and salivary oxytocin levels. EEG microstate analysis reveals that global patterns of correlated neuronal activity predict imitation-induced changes in spontaneous thoughts. Thus, imitation can modulate ongoing activity in specific neural networks to change spontaneous thought patterns as a function of oxytocin levels, and to ultimately orchestrate behavioural states.
Protective Effects of Matrine on Acute Myocardial Hypertrophy Induced by Isoproterenol via Akt/mTOR/p70S6K/eIF4E Signaling Pathway in Rats
Authors: Ma Hui , Dang Hongwan , Wei Shijie , Yang Xiaoying , Zhang Wenping 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate whether matrine (Ma) attenuates isoproterenol (ISO)-induced acute myocardial hypertrophy via activating Akt/mTOR/p70S6K/eIF4E signaling pathway in rats. We collected 42 male Sprague–Dawley rats weighing 300±20g, randomly divided into seven groups (n=6). The myocardial hypertrophy (MH) model was well established by 85 mg/kg ISO. Changes in hemodynamic parameters were recorded using electrocardiogram after 24h with ISO injection. Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to evaluate the expression of Akt, mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), p70S6K, and eIF4E. Tissue arrangement of the 200 and 100 mg/kg Ma+ISO groups was regularly smaller than that of the ISO group. For the protein expression, Akt values in the 200 and 100 mg/kg Ma+ISO groups were 1.57- and 1.81-fold higher than in the ISO group, respectively. Moreover, compared with the ISO group, the expression trends of mTOR in the 200, 100, and 50 mg/kg Ma+ISO groups significantly downregulated. The levels of p70S6K and eIF4E reduced in the 200, 100, and 50 mg/kg Ma+ISO groups according to the ISO group (P<0.05). MRNA expression of p70S6K and eIF4E in the ISO group were 1.90- and 6.38-fold higher compared with that in the 100 mg/kg Ma+ISO group. Ma exerted neuroprotective effects against pachyntic injury. Akt activity was accelerated, but activities of mTOR, p70S6K, and eIF4E were inhibited by Ma. Activation of the Akt/mTOR/p70S6K/eIF4E signaling pathway might be the targets for the protective effects of Ma on acute myocardial hypertrophy in rats.
Characterization of developmental changes in spontaneous electrical activity of superior olivary neurons before hearing onset under injectable or volatile anesthesia
Authors: Di Guilmi Mariano Nicolás , Rodríguez-Contreras Adrián 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn this work we studied the impact of two widely used anesthetics on the electrical activity of auditory brainstem neurons during development. The spontaneous electrical activity in neonate rats of either sex was analyzed under the injectable mix of ketamine/xylazine (K/X mix) and the volatile anesthetic isoflurane (ISO). We used a ventral craniotomy in mechanically ventilated pups to carry out electrophysiology recordings in the superior olivary complex (SOC) between birth (postnatal day 0, P0) and P12. To characterize neuronal activity of single and ensembles of neurons, we performed patch clamp and multi-electrode experiments under different anesthetic conditions. Our results provide the first study that compares K/X mix and ISO in the same rodent species. We demonstrate that electrical activity of SOC neurons ramps up during development, and that the firing pattern of single units recorded in K/X mix was similar to that reported in ISO anesthetized rat pups. However, ISO displayed a large scatter on its suppressing effects on electrical activity when delivered at 1.5% in the presence or the absence of K/X mix. Taken together, our results shed light on the use of anesthetics for future studies to enable electrophysiology or optical imaging studiesin-vivoto obtain functional information on the activity of medial olivochoclear neurons and their role in auditory development.
Muscle contraction as a Markov Process - II: x-ray interference data (M3 & M6 reflections) imply myosin cross-bridge motions are controlled by structural transitions along actin filaments
Authors: Schutt Clarence E , Gelfand Vladimir , Paster Eli 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe unit underlying the construction and functioning of muscle fibers is the sarcomere. Tension develops in fibers as thousands of sarcomeres arranged in series contract in unison. Shortening is due to the sliding of actin thin filaments along antiparallel arrays of myosin thick filaments. Remarkably, myosin catalytic heads situated across the center M-line of a sarcomere are separated by a distance that is a half integral of the 14.5 nm spacing between successive layers of myosin heads on the thick filaments. This results in the splitting of the 14.5 nm meridional reflection in X-ray diffraction patterns of muscle fibers. Following a quick drop in tension, changes in the relative intensities of the split meridional peaks provide a sensitive measure of myosin head movements. We use published data obtained with the x-ray interference method to validate a theory of muscle contraction in which cooperative structural transitions along force-generating actin filaments regulate the binding of myosin heads. The probability that an actin-bound myosin head will detach is represented here by a statistical function that yields a length-tension curve consistent with classical descriptions of the recovery of contracting muscle fibers subjected to millisecond drops in tension.
Inhibition of mitochondrial dynamics preferentially targets pancreatic cancer cells with enhanced tumorigenic and invasive potential
Authors: Courtois Sarah , de Luxán-Delgado Beatriz , Penin-Peyta Laure , Royo-García Alba , Parejo-Alonso Beatriz , Jagust Petra , Alcalá Sonia , Rubiolo Juan A. , Sánchez Laura , Sainz Bruno , Heeschen Christopher , Sancho Patricia 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest tumors, partly due to its intrinsic aggressiveness, metastatic potential, and chemoresistance of the contained cancer stem cells (CSCs). Pancreatic CSCs strongly rely on mitochondrial metabolism to maintain their stemness, therefore representing a putative target for their elimination. Since mitochondrial homeostasis depends on the tightly controlled balance between fusion and fission processes, namely mitochondrial dynamics, we aimed to study this mechanism in the context of stemness. In human PDAC tissues, the mitochondrial fission geneDNM1L(DRP1) was overexpressed and positively correlated with the stemness signature. Moreover, we observed that primary human CSCs display smaller mitochondria and a higher DRP1/MFN2 expression ratio, indicating activation of mitochondrial fission. Interestingly, treatment with the DRP1 inhibitor mDivi-1 induced dose-dependent apoptosis, especially in CD133+CSCs, due to accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria and subsequent energy crisis in this subpopulation. Mechanistically, mDivi-1 inhibited stemness-related features, such as self-renewal, tumorigenicity and invasiveness, and chemosensitized the cells to the cytotoxic effects of Gemcitabine. In summary, mitochondrial fission is an essential process for pancreatic CSCs and represents an attractive target for designing novel multimodal treatments that will more efficiently eliminate cells with high tumorigenic potential.Simple SummaryDue to their intrinsic aggressiveness, cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent an essential target for the design of effective treatments against pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest tumors. As pancreatic CSCs are particularly dependent on the activity of their mitochondria, we here focus on mitochondrial dynamics as a critical process in the homeostasis of these organelles. We found that pancreatic CSCs rely on mitochondrial fission, and its pharmacological inhibition by mDivi-1 resulted in the accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria, provoking energy crisis and cell death in this subpopulation. Consequently, mDivi-1 blocked cellular functions related to cancer aggressiveness such asin vivotumorigenicity, invasiveness and chemoresistance. Our data suggest that inhibition of mitochondrial fission represents a promising target for designing new multimodal therapies to fight pancreatic cancer.
Gender characteristics and labor market of Macao: insight from the gaming sector classification
Authors: Tang Chi Chong 
Published: January 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of gender characteristics in the labor market of Macao and in gaming companies' employee-selection process.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses logistic regression to test the statistical significance of gender characteristics in the labor market and the employee-selection process, while data are drawn from the Statistics and Census Service of Macao. The marginal effects of gender characteristics on the probability of working in the gaming sector and non-gaming sector are calculated for practical significance.FindingsGender characteristics are statistically significant in the labor market. For the age groups of 45–54 and 55–64 years, females with educational attainment (senior secondary or below) tend to have a higher probability of working in the gaming industry, while for the young age groups of 25–34 and 35–44 years, the impact of gender characteristics tends to be much smaller, suggesting that gender inequality is less severe in young age groups. This can be explained by the change in focus of the gaming industry from the traditional gaming component in the past to non-gaming components in recent years.Originality/valueThis paper is intended to give information about the impact of gender characteristics on the labor market of Macao, after controlling for age and educational attainment. Scholars may utilize the insights from this paper to make comparisons between different economies and Macao and investigate whether the findings related to gender characteristics are consistent.
Followership in athletics why follower-centric spaces perform better
Authors: Armstrong Toni 
Published: January 2021

Purpose
“Athlete experience” is a huge focus in modern-day American collegiate athletics, and is beginning to hold as much, if not more, weight than an athlete’s or team’s performance. With new emphasis on athlete well-being, coaches are more motivated to use healthy leader/follower dynamics. This paper aims to examine the follower-centric space of American collegiate athletics to understand how coaches train and develop followership.

Design/methodology/approach
Contemporary organization psychology and leadership/followership theories are highlighted in partnership with modern collegiate athletic programming. Author experiences after years of athletic participation and consulting are included, as well as illustrative practical applications beyond athletics.

Findings
Although sports have unique leader/follower dynamics, three common cultures are identifiable: personal development, co-collaboration and cohesion. These cultures define followership development in athletics.

Practical implications
Understanding how coaches improve “athlete experience,” increase retention and improve team performance through a follower-centric structure sheds new light on the value of followership in athletics and highlights unique systems in place for corporate settings.

Social implications
Recognizing the value American collegiate athletics place on healthy followership changes the stigma of followership behavior in a perceived hierarchical structure, changes perceptions of how coaches motivate athlete performance and allows recognition that followership development (as opposed to leadership development) empowers teams to succeed long term.

Originality/value
American collegiate athletics are unknowingly ahead of their time regarding student athlete well-being through followership development. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first to explore how coaches emphasize and develop followership through sport.
Abusive supervision and work-family conflict: an empirical investigation of Indian professionals
Authors: Pradhan Sajeet , Gupta Prashant 
Published: January 2021

PurposeThe study aims to investigate the direct and indirect effect of subordinate’s perceived abusive supervision (AS) on his/her work–family conflict (WFC) and family–work conflict (FWC). Although prior studies have empirically explored the direct effect, but the role of mediators like compulsory citizenship behavior, burnout and stress transfer explaining the indirect effect has seldom been reported.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws cross-sectional dyadic data from multiple sources (both job incumbent and the spouse). A final sample of 188 was used to test the hypotheses using SmartPLS.FindingsThe result reports positive relationship between AS and inter-role conflict (WFC and FWC). The findings also reported compulsory citizenship behavior (CCB) partially mediating the positive relationship between AS and WFC and AS and FWC. Also, the positive relationship between AS and WFC is partially (serial) mediated by CCB and burnout, and similarly, the association between AS and FWC is partially (serial) mediated by CCB and stress transmission.Originality/valueThe study makes several valuable contributions to the extant literature; first, it is the only study to explore the direct and indirect effect of AS on inter-role conflict (WFC and FWC) in Indian organizations. Second, the mediational role of CCB (as explained by the conservation of resources theory) and burnout and stress transmission (as explained by the spillover and crossover theory) offers rare insight about the process that explains the relationship between the focal constructs.
Are female-led firms disadvantaged in accessing bank credit? Evidence from transition economies
Authors: Aristei David , Gallo Manuela 
Published: January 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the presence of gender-based discrimination in formal credit markets during the global financial crisis. Specifically, the study tests for gender differences in the probability of being credit-rationed, in the likelihood of being a discouraged borrower and in the price conditions of bank financing.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses the fifth wave of the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS), which provides detailed micro data on firms from 26 transition economies in Europe and Central Asia. The empirical analysis employs linear and non-linear sample selection regression models and extended Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition techniques to assess gender differences in access to credit.FindingsControlling for a large set of observable firm characteristics and for endogenous selectivity, we find that female-led firms are more likely to face financing constraints and to be discouraged from applying for credit than their male counterparts. Conditional on having obtained a loan, female-led firms also face significantly higher interest rates. Furthermore, the observed gender gaps are mainly due to unexplained factors, supporting the hypothesis that banks discriminate against women-led firms in their credit-granting decision.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights on gender discrimination in formal credit markets, highlighting that gender differentials in access to credit significantly vary across countries and strongly depend upon the definition of the firm's gender structure. From a policy perspective, the evidence obtained stresses the need for policies aimed at promoting the role of women in the economic environment in order to reduce discrimination and raise competition in credit markets. Moreover, public interventions should support lending to creditworthy female enterprises in order to improve their perceptions about banks' willingness to grant credit and reduce their propensity to be discouraged from applying.