bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparisons between the Hydro Distillation and the Steam Distillation in the Extraction of Volatile Compounds from and the Anti-oxidative Activity of Prunella Vulgaris
Authors: Keung Mak William Chi 
Published: July 2022

AbstractObjectiveIn this article, the aim is to verify a suggestion in our earlier study to explain the extraction dynamics of volatile compounds, being extracted from the herb Prunella vulgaris (PV) using the method of steam distillation. Then, the antioxidative property of PV is explored.MethodsBecause our earlier study suggested that the inefficient extraction using steam distillation was due to the mass of herb in the path of steam flow acting as an obstacle, we used hydro distillation which tried to eliminate this obstacle. We used gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to characterize the volatile compounds extracted during the distillation process. Then, by treating the cancer cells from the cell line SCC154 with the distillate, the cancer cell cytotoxicity was assessed using the tetrazolium salt-based colorimetric test reagent, the Cell Counting Kit-8. The results provided the bases for comparisons. To assess the anti-oxidative activity of the PV distillate, Folin-Ciocalteu reagent was used.ResultsWe successfully showed that the removal of the obstacle, formed by the mass of herb in the flow path of the uprising steam, enhanced the efficiency of volatile compound extraction and more volatile compounds could be extracted. Also, it was shown that the PV distillate did not exhibit anti-oxidative activity.ConclusionsHydro distillation is a more efficient method than steam distillation to extract volatile compounds from the PV herb. However, mild heating, which did not provide sufficient energy to the convection of the boiling water, did not move the floating herb on top of the boiling water; so, the obstacle still existed and limited the efficiency of extraction. For another issue of the antioxidant effect of the volatile compounds from PV, it was studied using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. It showed that the PV volatile compounds did not possess antioxidant property.
Early Life Exposure to Queen Mandibular Pheromone Mediates Persistent Transcriptional Changes in the Brain of Honey bee Foragers
Authors: Peng Tianfei , Kennedy Anissa , Wu Yongqiang , Foitzik Susanne , Grüter Christoph 
Published: July 2022

AbstractHow behavior in insect societies is regulated remains a fundamental question in sociobiology. In hymenopteran societies, the queen plays a crucial role in regulating group behavior by affecting individual behavior, physiology, and lifespan through worker gene expression. Honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens signal their presence via the queen mandibular pheromone (QMP). While QMP has been shown to influence the behavior of young workers, we know little about its long-term molecular impacts on workers and whether these pheromone effects depend on an early sensitive period in the life of a worker. Here we demonstrate that QMP treatment strongly impacts long-term forager gene expression in the mushroom bodies, antennal lobes, and antennae, but only if bees were treated early in life (1-2 days of age). Contrary to our expectation, foraging activity was not impacted by QMP treatment in the long-term, but genes important for division of labor, learning, chemosensory perception and aging were differentially expressed in the antennae and brain tissues, suggesting that QMP influences diverse physiological and behavioral processes in workers. Overall, our study suggests a sensitive period early in the life of workers, where the queens’ presence or absence has strong and potentially livelong effects on transcriptional activity in the central and peripheral nervous system.Significance statementDespite our increasing understanding of how social cues affect gene expression and behavior in social animals, we still know little about the importance of sensitive periods in cue perception for the long-term regulation of gene expression. Honey bees live in complex societies and queen pheromones play a central role in the regulation of worker behavior and division of labor. We tested the exposure to queen pheromone presence and found that there is a sensitive period in the early adult life of workers. Understanding and identifying sensitive periods and their effect on long-term gene transcription in workers in response to changes in the environment will lay an important foundation for a better understanding of how queens shape colony life.
Axial encoding schematics of neural representations of 3D space in freely navigating goldfish
Authors: Cohen Lear , Vinepinsky Ehud , Donchin Opher , Segev Ronen 
Published: July 2022

AbstractNavigation is one of the most fundamental cognitive skills for the survival of fish, the largest vertebrate class, and almost all other animal classes. A critical component of the neural basis of navigation is the encoding of space in the activity of single neurons. To study this basic cognitive component in fish, we recorded the activity of single neurons in the central area of the goldfish telencephalon while the fish were freely navigating in a 3D water tank. We found neurons with firing patterns that gradually increased or decreased along spatial axes distributed in all directions. Some of these cells exhibited beta rhythm oscillations. This type of axial coding for spatial representation in the brains of fish is unique among space encoding cells in vertebrates and provides insights into spatial cognition in this lineage.
Sensory adaptation in the barrel cortex during active sensation in the awake, behaving mouse
Authors: Colins Rodriguez Andrea , Loft Michaela S. E. , Schiessl Ingo , Maravall Miguel , Petersen Rasmus 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSensory adaptation (SA) is a prominent aspect of how neurons in anaesthetised animals respond to sensory signals, ubiquitous across species and modalities. However, SA depends on the activation state of the brain and it has been doubted whether SA is expressed in behaving animals. Here, we addressed this question by training mice to detect an object using their whiskers and recording neuronal activity from barrel cortex whilst simultaneously imaging the whiskers in 3D. We found that neuronal responses decreased during the course of whisker-object touch sequences but that this was due to two factors. First, a motor effect, whereby, during a sequence of touches, later touches were mechanically weaker than early ones. Second, a sensory encoding effect, whereby neuronal tuning to touch became progressively less sensitive during the course of a touch sequence. The sensory encoding effect was whisker-specific. These results show that SA does occur during active whisker sensing and suggest that SA is fundamental to sensation during natural behaviour.
Environmental and enviroeconomic impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on commercial flights
Authors: Akyüz Mehmet Kadri 
Published: July 2022

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine and compare the total and per passenger HC, CO, NOxand CO2emissions from aircraft landing and takeoff (LTO) cycle before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, it is aimed to determine the global warming potential (GWP), environmental impacts (EIs) and enviroeconomic cost (eco-cost) of these emissions in total and per passenger.Design/methodology/approachAnalyses were carried out with the help of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Engine Emission Databank, using real flight data recorded by the airport authority.FindingsDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, total pollutant emissions (HC, CO, NOxand CO2) decreased between 23.7% and 30.8% compared with the pre-pandemic period. In addition, per passenger pollutant emissions increased during the pandemic. Compared with the pre-pandemic period, GWP, EI and eco-cost values decreased by 24.1%, 23.89% and 23.93%, respectively, in the pandemic. However, the per passenger GWP, EI and eco-cost values increased by about 10% compared with the pre-pandemic period.Practical implicationsThis study reveals the effects of COVID-19 in terms of EIs and environmental costs caused by aircraft in the LTO cycle.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is to calculate the pollutant emissions caused by aircraft in the LTO cycle with real flight data and to reveal the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The novelty of this study is the determination and comparison of total and per passenger pollutant emissions, GWP, EI and eco-cost before and during the pandemic.
Do industry specialist auditors enhance accounting quality in the EU? Evidence from the pre-IFRS and mandatory post-IFRS periods
Authors: Lopez Dennis M. , Schuldt Michael A. , Vega Jose G. 
Published: July 2022

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the association between auditor industry specialization and accounting quality in the European Union (EU).Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a difference-in-differences design and explores audit quality from different industry specialist perspectives and different accounting standard regimes. Specifically, this study examines accounting quality among audits performed by non-industry specialists, EU member country-level industry specialists (EUM-level), EU community-level industry specialists (EUC-level), as well as joint industry specialists.FindingsThis study finds evidence of an improvement in accounting quality among audits performed by non-industry specialists post-IFRS. There is also evidence of an improvement in accounting quality among audits performed by EUC-level industry specialists post-IFRS. In addition, accounting quality among audits performed by EUM-level industry specialists seems to be greater than that of audits performed by non-industry specialists in either the pre-IFRS period or the post-IFRS period. Overall, the mandatory adoption of IFRS in the EU appears to be associated with an improvement in accounting quality among some auditor groups.Research limitations/implicationsIndustry specialization and accounting quality are not directly observable constructs; this study inevitably employs proxy measures for both. The findings of this study are location-specific and apply to mandatory IFRS adopters only.Practical implicationsThis study informs regulators with respect to the importance of industry specialist auditors and financial reporting quality, particularly within the context of the EU. The findings suggest that industry specialists were a significant accounting quality determinant during the mandatory adoption of IFRS. The findings have implications for regulators in the EU and beyond.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to investigate the impact of auditor specialization on accounting quality in the EU, particularly in connection with the adoption of IFRS.
Innovation strategies and organisational performance: the moderating role of company size among small- and medium-sized companies
Authors: Cheah Jeffrey , Leong Sweet Ying , Fernando Yudi 
Published: July 2022

PurposeNot all innovative ideas or approaches commonly implemented by larger companies apply to smaller firms in all regions. Innovation that does not imply company achievements might exhaust their limited resources and cause the market to be uncompetitive. This paper aims to answer two research questions: (1) Do innovation strategies, such as process, marketing and social innovation, affect the performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? (2) Does company size moderate the relationship between social and marketing innovations with SMEs' performance?Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposed three innovation strategies (i.e. social, marketing and process innovations) influencing Malaysian SMEs' performance. There were 123 valid respondents from SMEs, and the data were analysed using a structural equation modelling partial least square (SEM-PLS) technique.FindingsThe research findings advocate that process innovation directly impacts SMEs' performance, not marketing innovation. Interestingly, the influence of social innovation on organisation performance is only significant when the company size becomes more prominent. Companies can provide consistent and continuous social enhancement that arouses public trust and reputation with more resources and capabilities. Also, smaller companies might concentrate their scarce resources on process innovation with instant beneficial potential instead of a sophisticated marketing strategy.Originality/valueThere is limited empirical research examining how different innovation strategies, especially social innovation, affect SMEs' performance in developing countries. Furthermore, the second-generation analysis (PLS-SEM) technique provides more systematic and comprehensive results.
Do trade flows interact in space? Spatial origin-destination modeling of gravity
Authors: Luo Shali , Choi Seung-Whan 
Published: July 2022

PurposeThis study proposes spatial origin-destination threshold Tobit to address spatial interdependence among bilateral trade flows while accounting for zero trade volumes.Design/methodology/approachThis model is designed to capture multiple forms of spatial autocorrelation embedded in “directional” trade flows. The authors apply this improved model to export flows among 32 Asian countries in 1990.FindingsThe empirical results indicate the presence of all three types of spatial dependence: exporter-based, importer-based and exporter-to-importer-based. After further considering multifaceted spatial correlation in bilateral trade flows, the authors find that the effect of conventional trade variables changes in a noticeable way.Research limitations/implicationsThis finding implies that the standard gravity model may produce biased estimates if it does not take spatial dependence into account.Originality/valueThis paper attempts to offer an improved model of the standard gravity model by taking spatial dependence into account.
The dynamic relationship of cryptocurrencies with supply chain and logistics stocks – the impact of COVID-19
Authors: Daglis Theodoros 
Published: July 2022

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic is known to have affected the logistics and supply chains; however, there is no adequate empirical evidence to prove in which way it has affected the relationship between the stocks related to this field with the corresponding cryptocurrencies. This paper aims to test the dynamic relationship of cryptocurrencies with supply chain and logistics stocks.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the author tests the causal and long-run relationship between logistics and supply chain stocks with the corresponding cryptocurrencies related to these fields, or those that are known to exhibit characteristics that can be utilized by these fields, testing also whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected this relationship. To do so, the author performs the variable-lag causality to test the causal relationship, and examines if this relationship changed due to COVID-19. The author then implements the multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis to investigate the characteristics of a possible long-run relationship, testing also whether they changed due to COVID-19.FindingsThe results indicate that there is a positive long-run relationship between each logistics and supply chain stocks and the corresponding cryptocurrencies, before and also during COVID-19, but during COVID-19 this relationship becomes weaker, in most cases. Moreover, before COVID-19, the majority of the cases indicate a causal direction from cryptocurrencies to the stocks, while during COVID-19, the causal relationships decrease in multitude, and most cases unveil a causal direction from the stocks to cryptocurrencies.Originality/valueThe causal pattern changed during COVID-19, and the long-run relationship became weaker, showing a change in the dynamics in the relationship between logistics and supply chain stocks with cryptocurrencies.
Watershed‐scale liming reveals the short‐ and long‐term effects ofpHon the forest soil microbiome and carbon cycling
Authors: Sridhar Bhavya , Lawrence Gregory B. , Debenport Spencer J. , Fahey Timothy J. , Buckley Daniel H. , Wilhelm Roland C. , Goodale Christine L. 
Published: July 2022

SummarySoil microbial community composition routinely correlates with pH, reflecting both direct pH effects on microbial physiology and long‐term biogeochemical feedbacks. We used two watershed‐scale liming experiments to identify short‐ (2 years) and long‐term (25 years) changes in the structure and function of bacterial and fungal communities in organic horizons (Oeand Oa) of acid forest soils. Liming increased soil pH, extractable calcium, and soil carbon stocks, reduced biomass‐specific respiration, and caused major changes in the soil microbiome in the short and long term. More taxa responded to liming in the short term (70%) than in the long term (30%), with most showing consistent directional responses at both sites. The ratio of change in relative abundance between limed and reference sites was twofold higher at the long than the short‐term site, indicating that the effects of liming grew over time. Liming impacts were most pronounced in fungi, as steep declines of dominant ectomycorrhizal fungi (CenococcumandRussula) occurred at both sites. Liming favoured neutrophilic bacteria over acidophilic populations according to estimated environmental pH optima. Collectively, these results demonstrate that a liming‐induced change of one pH unit has an immediate and persistent effect on the structure and function of microbial communities in acid forest soils. The corresponding suppression of respiration indicates that anthropogenic alterations of soil pH, as driven by acid deposition or liming, can affect forest floor C stocks due to pH‐driven shifts in community structure.
Assessing public debt sustainability under COVID‐19 uncertainty: Evidence from Côte d'Ivoire
Authors: Napo Sassire 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThis article investigates public debt sustainability, in the context of a novel exogenous shock, by proposing a realistic forecasting procedure. The procedure implies the combination of a Bayesian VAR model and a nonlinear fiscal reaction model to derive a large number of simulated public debt paths and construct a probabilistic debt sustainability indicator. Annual data covering the period from 1970 to 2019 are used in the African context, with Côte d'Ivoire as a case study. Forecasts suggest low probabilities of non‐increasing trend and well‐contained upside risks (16%–27%) in Côte d'Ivoire for the forecasting period 2021–2024, regardless of the scenario underlying the evolution of COVID‐19 and suggesting that the country remains vulnerable to debt distress risks. Government should promote a sound and reliable debt management system to mitigate such risks. Results also highlight the importance of domestic resources mobilization in reducing the country's fiscal vulnerability and building a sustainable post‐COVID recovery.
De‐prosecution and death: A synthetic control analysis of the impact of de‐prosecution on homicides
Authors: Hogan Thomas P. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractResearch SummaryDe‐prosecution is a policy not to prosecute certain criminal offenses, regardless of whether the crimes were committed. The research question here is whether the application of a de‐prosecution policy has an effect on the number of homicides for large cities in the United States. Philadelphia presents a natural experiment to examine this question. During 2010–2014, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office maintained a consistent and robust number of prosecutions and sentencings. During 2015–2019, the office engaged in a systematic policy of de‐prosecution for both felony and misdemeanor cases. The city recorded the fewest number of criminal prosecutions in modern history, with a 70% reduction in the number of criminal sentencings. Philadelphia experienced a concurrent and historically large increase in homicides. This article employs a difference‐in‐differences analysis using a synthetic control method to estimate the effects of de‐prosecution on the number of homicides in Philadelphia. The potential donor pool is composed of the prosecutors’ offices for the 100 largest cities in the United States over a 10‐year period, with a quantitative categorization of the prosecutors’ offices used both as a variable and to exclude cities that may have been subject to a similar de‐prosecution treatment. The synthetic control model estimates that de‐prosecution has been associated with a statistically significant increase of 74.79 homicides per year in Philadelphia during 2015–2019.Policy ImplicationsAs various prosecution policies such as de‐prosecution are being implemented across the United States, such policies should be tested for downstream results. The broadscale de‐prosecution policy of Philadelphia—particularly for firearm and drug trafficking offenses—appears to have a causal association with a large increase in homicides. The public in Philadelphia will have to make a normative choice between a reduction in the number of prosecutions and an increase in homicides. The government of Philadelphia may consider whether significantly decreased prosecutions by the district attorney's office should result in a decrease in the budget for those services. The overall relationship between de‐prosecution and homicides should be reviewed by prosecutors across the nation for consideration in exercising their prosecutorial discretion, given unique local considerations in each jurisdiction.
Role of dietary fiber in promoting immune health—An EAACI position paper
Authors: Venter Carina , Meyer Rosan W. , Greenhawt Matthew , Pali‐Schöll Isabella , Nwaru Bright , Roduit Caroline , Untersmayr Eva , Adel‐Patient Karine , Agache Ioana , Agostoni Carlo , Akdis Cezmi A. , Feeney Mary , Hoffmann‐Sommergruber Karin , Lunjani Nonhlanhla , Grimshaw Kate , Reese Imke , Smith Peter K. , Sokolowska Milena , Vassilopoulou Emilia , Vlieg‐Boerstra Berber , Amara Shriya , Walter Jens , O'Mahony Liam 
Published: July 2022

AbstractMicrobial metabolism of specific dietary components, such as fiber, contributes to the sophisticated inter‐kingdom dialogue in the gut that maintains a stable environment with important beneficial physiological, metabolic, and immunological effects on the host. Historical changes in fiber intake may be contributing to the increase of allergic and hypersensitivity disorders as fiber‐derived metabolites are evolutionarily hardwired into the molecular circuitry governing immune cell decision‐making processes. In this review, we highlight the importance of fiber as a dietary ingredient, its effects on the microbiome, its effects on immune regulation, the importance of appropriate timing of intervention to target any potential window of opportunity, and potential mechanisms for dietary fibers in the prevention and management of allergic diseases. In addition, we review the human studies examining fiber or prebiotic interventions on asthma and respiratory outcomes, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and overall risk of atopic disorders. While exposures, interventions, and outcomes were too heterogeneous for meta‐analysis, there is significant potential for using fiber in targeted manipulations of the gut microbiome and its metabolic functions in promoting immune health.