bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Disentangling temporal and rate codes in primate somatosensory cortex
Authors: Callier Thierri , Gitchell Thomas , Harvey Michael A. , Bensmaia Sliman J. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractMillisecond-scale temporal spiking patterns encode sensory information in the periphery, but their role in cortex remains controversial. The sense of touch provides a window into temporal coding because tactile neurons often exhibit precise, repeatable, and informative temporal spiking patterns. In somatosensory cortex (S1), for example, responses to skin vibrations exhibit phase-locking that faithfully carries information about vibratory frequency. However, the respective roles of spike timing and rate in frequency coding are confounded because vibratory frequency shapes both the timing and rates of S1 responses. To disentangle the contributions of these two neural features, we measured S1 responses as animals performed a frequency discrimination task, in which differences in frequency were accompanied by behaviorally irrelevant variations in amplitude. We then assessed the degree to which the strength and timing of S1 responses could account for the animals’ performance on the task. First, we showed that animals can discriminate frequency, but their performance is biased by amplitude. Second, rate-based representations of frequency are susceptible to changes in amplitude, but in ways that are inconsistent with the animals’ behavior, calling into question a rate-based code for frequency. In contrast, timing-based representations are impervious to changes in amplitude, also inconsistent with the animals’ behavior. We account for the animals’ behavior with a model wherein frequency coding relies on a temporal code, but frequency judgments are biased by perceived magnitude. Our results constitute further evidence for the role of millisecond-scale spike timing in cortex.Significance statementWhile neurons in the cerebral cortex are known to produce temporally patterned responses with single-digit millisecond precision, the role of this patterning remains controversial. The alternative hypothesis is that the critical feature of neuronal responses is the rate at which spikes are emitted, and the distribution of the spikes in time only matters at much slower time scales (tens or hundreds of milliseconds). To disentangle these two putative neural codes, we trained animals to discriminate the frequency of skin vibrations while recording from somatosensory cortex. We show that only a timing-based representation of frequency can account for the performance of the animals, though overall population firing rate biases their frequency judgments.
Evidence for trans-synaptic propagation of oligomeric tau in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
Authors: McGeachan Robert I , Keavey Lois , Rose Jamie L , Simzer Elizabeth M , Chang Ya Yin , Spires-Jones Maxwell P , Gilmore Mollie , Ravingerova Natalia , Scutariu Cristina , Taylor Lewis , King Declan , Tzioras Makis , Tulloch Jane , Booker Sam A , Liaquat Imran , Hindley-Pollock Nicole , Geary Bethany , Smith Colin , Brennan Paul M , Durrant Claire S , Spires-Jones Tara L 
Published: September 2022

AbstractIn the neurodegenerative disease Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), tau pathology progresses through the brain in a stereotypical spatiotemporal pattern, and where tau pathology appears, synapses are lost. We tested the hypothesis that tau pathology spreads between brain regions in PSP by moving from pre- to post-synapses. Sub-diffraction-limit microscopy of human post-mortem brain samples revealed that oligomeric tau is present in synaptic pairs in PSP, with an 80-fold increased chance of post-synapses containing tau when they oppose a tau-containing pre-synapse. In living human brain slice cultures, PSP-derived oligomeric tau was taken up by post-synapses. Synaptic engulfment by astrocytes was observed in both post-mortem brain and human brain slice cultures challenged with PSP-derived tau. These data indicate that tau pathology spreads via synapses in PSP and that astrocytes contribute to synapse loss. Targeting synaptic tau and astrocyte-mediated phagocytosis of synapses are promising targets for attenuating synaptic loss and pathology propagation in PSP.
Deleterious heteroplasmic mitochondrial mutations increase risk of overall and cancer-specific mortality
Authors: Battle Stephanie L , Hong Yun Soo , Shi Wen , Puiu Daniela , Pillalamarri Vamsee , Pankratz Nathan , Lake Nicole J , Lek Monkol , Guallar Eliseo , Arking Dan E 
Published: September 2022

SummaryMitochondria are involved in energetic, biosynthetic, and homeostatic processes in eukaryotic cells. Mitochondria carry their own circular genome and disruption of the quantity or quality of mitochondrial genome is associated with various aging-related diseases1–3. Unlike the nuclear genome, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can be present at 1,000s to 10,000s copies in somatic cells and variants may exist in a state of heteroplasmy, where only a fraction of the DNA molecules harbor a particular variant. We used MitoHPC, a bioinformatics pipeline, to accurately quantify mtDNA heteroplasmy from whole genome sequencing data in 194,871 participants in the UK Biobank. We found that the presence of heteroplasmy is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.50-fold; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14, 1.98, when comparing participants with 4 or more heteroplasmies to those without any heteroplasmy). In addition, we functionally characterized mtDNA single nucleotide variants (SNVs) using a novel constraint-based score, Mitochondrial local constraint (MLC) score sum (MSS), which demonstrated that SNVs at highly constrained sites were strongly associated with all-cause mortality (aHR for a 1-unit increase in MSS 1.28; 95% CI 1.20, 1.37) and cancer-related mortality (aHR 1.36; 95% CI 1.24,1.49), particularly lung and breast cancers, lymphoma, and leukemia. MSS was also associated with prevalence and incidence of lung cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia. Moreover, among individuals with prevalent leukemia, high MSS was strongly associated with leukemia mortality (adjusted HR 4.03; 95% CI 1.34, 12.11). These results indicate that mitochondria may have a functional role in certain cancers and mitochondrial heteroplasmic SNVs have the potential to serve as a prognostic markers for cancer incidence and outcome, especially for leukemia.
Integrated microRNA and proteome analysis of cancer datasets with MoPC
Authors: Lovino Marta , Ficarra Elisa , Martignetti Loredana 
Published: September 2022

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small molecules that play an essential role in regulating gene expression by post-transcriptional gene silencing. Their study is crucial in revealing the fundamental processes underlying pathologies and, in particular, cancer. To date, most studies on miRNA regulation consider the effect of specific miRNAs on specific target mRNAs, providing wet-lab validation. However, few tools have been developed to explain the miRNA-mediated regulation at the protein level. In this paper, the MoPc computational tool is presented, that relies on the partial correlation between mRNAs and proteins conditioned on the miRNA expression to predict miRNA-target interactions in multi-omic datasets. MoPc returns the list of significant miRNA-target interactions and plot the significant correlations on the heatmap in which the miRNAs and targets are ordered by the chromosomal location. The software was applied on three TCGA/CPTAC datasets (breast, glioblastoma, and lung cancer), returning enriched results in three independent targets databases.Author summaryAccording to the central dogma of molecular biology, DNA is transcribed into RNA and subsequently translated into proteins. However, many molecules affect the amount of protein produced, including microRNAs (miRNAs). They can inhibit the translation or intervene by implementing the decay of target mRNAs. In literature, most works focus on describing the effect of miRNAs on mRNA targets, while only a few tools integrate protein expression profiles. MoPc predicts miRNA-targets interaction by considering the expression of mRNA, proteins, and miRNAs simultaneously. The method is based on the partial correlation measure between mRNAs and proteins conditioned by the expression of the miRNAs. The results on TCGA/CPTAC datasets prove the relevance of the MoPc method both from a computational and a biological point of view.
Generational knowledge transfer and retention strategies
Authors: Cox Victoria , Overbey Julie A. 
Published: September 2022

Purpose
This study reviews strategies organizational leaders and human resource practitioners can deploy to develop knowledge transfer and retention succession planning strategies for older employees to mitigate generational organizational knowledge loss prior to retirement.

Design/methodology/approach
This study used a questionnaire with 28 baby boomer employees and leaders of baby boomers at a large federal agency. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used. Questions asked participants about knowledge transfer, retention strategies and how challenges to counter baby boomer knowledge loss are addressed in the workplace.

Findings
Develop succession plans using standard operating procedures and job aids to reduce knowledge loss and enhance retention. Deploy hands-on training to share historical knowledge, enhance relationship building, mentoring programs, cross-training opportunities, retention incentives and document process improvement. The strategies are supported by organizational learning and knowledge management theories.

Originality/value
This study contributes to organizational leaders’ and human resource practitioners’ knowledge transfer and retention succession planning strategies to counter generational knowledge loss.
Corporate governance and performance in the UK insurance industry pre, during and post the global financial crisis
Authors: Abdoush Tony , Hussainey Khaled , Albitar Khaldoon 
Published: September 2022

PurposeDue to stakeholders’ concerns on the contribution of corporate governance in monitoring insurance companies during financial crisis, this study aims to investigate whether and how various corporate governance practices would have affected firm performance of listed and non-listed insurance firms in the UK during financial crisis.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a unique manually collected data set from listed and non-listed insurance firms in the UK and applies different regressions models to test the hypotheses and to address the endogeneity problem.FindingsThe findings show that board non-duality and the presence of a majority shareholder improve firm performance in insurance companies. Furthermore, the findings for the sub-samples indicate a stronger positive association between board of directors and firm performance in listed insurance companies after the financial crisis, while a positive impact has been found between large shareholders and external audit firms in non-listed insurance companies before and during the crisis.Practical implicationsThe results offer important practical implications for the government, management, shareholders and policymakers. For example, regulators and policymakers should benefit from these results to revise the recommendations for corporate governance mechanisms that prove to be effective on firm performance, as well as those mechanisms that have different or unexpected effects among listed or non-listed firms and/or during the turbulent periods. Investors should be aware of those specific corporate governance mechanisms that would have higher effect on performance of UK insurance firms in which they are considering to invest in.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the current literature by exploring the effect of corporate governance on financial performance by comparing between listed and non-listed insurance companies during financial crisis. Further, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to use two new insurance-related performance measures, the revenue growth ratio and the adjusted combined ratio, as performance proxies to explore whether these new variables create any insights.
Exploring the consequences of mindfulness at work: the impact of mindful organizing on employee attitudes and behavior toward work and organization
Authors: Gajda Daniel , Zbierowski Przemysław 
Published: September 2022

PurposeDrawing on the social exchange theory, the authors extend the high-reliability literature by examining employees' subjective experience of working in contexts engaging in mindful organizing (MO). Ultimately, they ask the question about how MO affects employees' attitudes and behavior toward work and organization, such us organizational commitment (OC), motivation to work and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), in ordinary business settings. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue.Design/methodology/approachThe authors surveyed 307 employees from various industries, using paper-and-pencil questionnaires. A series of hierarchical regression analyses and structural equation modeling were performed to test our hypotheses.FindingsThe authors found that MO is positively related to employees' affective and normative commitment to an organization, and that affective commitment is positively related to motivation to work and OCB. The study also reveals that the affective commitment has a partially mediating role in the MO – motivation and MO – OCB relations. Although several researchers argue that the effectiveness of MO may be higher in an uncertain environment, the authors’ study indicates that the environment does not moderate the relationship between MO and OC.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first attempts to explore the effects of MO in a traditional (i.e. nonhigh reliability) business context. Furthermore, their findings prove that MO not only leads to higher reliability and greater safety, as previous studies show, but it also positively affects performance-related attitudes and behavior.
Agricultural intensification with seasonal fallow land promotes high bee diversity in Afrotropical drylands
Authors: Lasway Julius V. , Peters Marcell K. , Njovu Henry K. , Eardley Connal , Pauly Alain , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf 
Published: September 2022

Abstract

The exponential increase in the human population in tandem with increased food demand has caused agriculture to be the global‐dominant form of land use. Afrotropical drylands are currently facing the loss of natural savannah habitats and agricultural intensification with largely unknown consequences for bees. Here we investigate the effects of agricultural intensification on bee assemblages in the Afrotropical drylands of northern Tanzania. We disentangled the direct effects of agricultural intensification and temperature on bee richness from indirect effects mediated by changes in floral resources.

We collected data from 24 study sites representing three levels of management intensity (natural savannah, moderate intensive and highly intensive agriculture) spanning an extensive gradient of mean annual temperature (MAT) in northern Tanzania. We used ordinary linear models and path analysis to test the effects of agricultural intensity and MAT on bee species richness, bee species composition and body‐size variation of bee communities.

We found that bee species richness increased with agricultural intensity and with increasing temperature. The effects of agricultural intensity and temperature on bee species richness were mediated by the positive effects of agriculture and temperature on the richness of floral resources used by bees. During the off‐growing season, agricultural land was characterized by an extensive period of fallow land holding a very high density of flowering plants with unique bee species composition. The increase in bee diversity in agricultural habitats paralleled an increasing variation of bee body sizes with agricultural intensification that, however, diminished in environments with higher temperatures.

Synthesis and applications. Our study reveals that bee assemblages in Afrotropical drylands benefit from agricultural intensification in the way it is currently practiced. However, further land‐use intensification, including year‐round irrigated crop monocultures and excessive use of agrochemicals, is likely to exert a negative impact on bee diversity and pollination services, as reported in temperate regions. Moreover, several bee species were restricted to natural savannah habitats. To conserve bee communities and guarantee pollination services in the region, a mixture of savannah and agriculture, with long periods of fallow land should be maintained.
“They just won't listen”—The role of blame in narratives of past extreme weather events for anticipating future crisis
Authors: Jasmina Schmidt , Nikola Tietze , Lars Gerhold , Thomas Kox 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe phase before an extreme weather event is crucial for the actual reaction to the impacts of such an event. In this phase, professionals in the field of civil protection and emergency management anticipate the intensity and impact of the event and use these expectations for action. We argue that anticipation is—beyond others—shaped by the organizations’ shared narratives of past crisis that resulted from extreme weather events. The findings focus on the frame of ‘blame’ in the narration and are based on two fields of study, road maintenance services and forest fire control. Qualitative group discussions and semistructured interviews show two very different views on blame depending on the organization: human factors and fate. This contrast can be traced back to the character of the weather events itself, but also with the self‐image of the organization and perceived external expectations. Depending on the narrative plot and threshold of the event, narratives can affect and alter practices of anticipation through narrations of renewal. Findings contribute to the understanding of organizational sensemaking through narratives of blame and consequences.
Ethnicity in housing markets: Buyers, sellers and agents
Authors: Bikmetova Natalya , Turnbull Geoffrey K. , Zahirovic‐Herbert Velma 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThis paper examines how ethnicity related to cultural differences arising from ethnic background affects housing market transactions in the Atlanta metro area. Using both the US Census and Wikipedia approaches to infer ethnicity from individuals' names, we find that the interplay of buyer, seller, and agent ethnicity composition affects interaction in the housing market. Sellers working with listing agents in the same ethnic group set higher listing prices and enjoy higher selling prices and quicker sales. Agents working with same ethnicity buyers yield higher prices and liquidity. Even though sellers only communicate with buyers through their agents, houses sold by sellers to buyers of same ethnicity have higher prices and sell faster. And while the ethnic mix of agents and their clients matter, the ethnic mix of agents in the transaction does not.
Export credit agencies delivering finance for the green transition in times of crisis
Authors: Lundquist Peder 
Published: September 2022

AbstractExport credit agencies (ECAs) have an important and effective toolbox for accelerating and shaping development through financing and dealing with risk. Being a public finance provider involved in global trade and connecting with both suppliers (exporters) and buyers (governments, public buyers, and private corporations), EKF has gained insight into the perspective of the buyer, supplier and, in project finance, sponsors, of what it takes to make a deal materialise across international borders. This is a valuable insight for work with green technologies. However, to truly deliver on the green transition we need all parts of government and society to adapt in order to increase demand and supply for green solutions at a global level. Governments must also commit to constant adaptation and improvement of policies if we are to succeed in the short time we are facing. EKF has demonstrated how export credit finance can support the global expansion of wind energy and that providing financial incentives makes a difference. I believe that ECAs are ready to take up this next challenge by managing even larger risks, providing long‐term funding, and working together on improving our climate impact, which is key to achieving sustainable green development.
Managing the green transition: The role of the OECD export credit arrangement
Authors: Jansen Marion 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits has the potential to make a sizeable impact on the energy‐related aspects of the green transition because energy‐related projects have traditionally represented a significant share of the overall amount of support provided in accordance with the Arrangement. Export credits supported according to the Arrangement (except those provided under the aircraft sector understanding) amounted to USD 717 billion over the period 2007–2021, or an average of approximately USD 50 billion annually.
Japan: Political Developments and Data in 2021
Authors: HINO AIRO , OGAWA HIROKI , FAHEY ROBERT A. , LIU LING 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe year 2021 saw the resignation of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga after just a year in office, following steep declines in his government's approval ratings due to public dissatisfaction with aspects of his handling of the COVID‐19 pandemic and the Tokyo Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. His successor, former Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida, was nonetheless able to limit the ruling party's losses in a general election in late October, preventing the left‐wing opposition parties from making any advances. The centre‐right Japan Innovation Party/Nippon Ishin no Kai, however, gained 30 seats to become the third‐largest party in the Diet, consolidating its political grip on the region surrounding Japan's second‐largest city, Osaka.