Complementary Drivers Research Articles

Multiple resiliency metrics reveal complementary drivers of ecosystem persistence: An application to kelp forest systems.

Human-caused global change produces biotic and abiotic conditions that increase the uncertainty and risk of failure of restoration efforts. A focus of managing for resiliency, that is, the ability of the system to respond to disturbance, has the potential to reduce this uncertainty and risk. However, identifying what drives resiliency might depend on how one measures it. An example of a system where identifying how the drivers of different aspects of resiliency can inform restoration under climate change is the northern coast of California, where kelp experienced a decline in coverage of over 95% due to the combination of an intense marine heat wave and the functional extinction of the primary predator of the kelp-grazing purple sea urchin, the sunflower sea star. Although restoration efforts focused on urchin removal and kelp reintroduction in this system are ongoing, the question of how to increase the resiliency of this system to future marine heat waves remains open. In this paper, we introduce a dynamical model that describes a tritrophic food chain of kelp, purple urchins, and a purple urchin predator such as the sunflower sea star. We run a global sensitivity analysis of three different resiliency metrics (recovery likelihood, recovery rate, and resistance to disturbance) of the kelp forest to identify their ecological drivers. We find that each metric depends the most on a unique set of drivers: Recovery likelihood depends the most on live and drift kelp production, recovery rate depends the most on urchin production and feedbacks that determine urchin grazing on live kelp, and resistance depends the most on feedbacks that determine predator consumption of urchins. Therefore, an understanding of the potential role of predator reintroduction or recovery in kelp systems relies on a comprehensive approach to measuring resiliency.

Comparative Performance of Trade Openness and Sovereign Debt Accumulation in Fostering Economic Growth of Sub-Saharan African Countries

In the last four decades, sub-Saharan African countries have witnessed a substantial increase in trade openness and sovereign debt (foreign public debt and domestic public debt). The direct and interactive effects of these factors on economic growth are investigated in this study. The investigation covers the period 1980–2020 and employs the generalised method of moment methodology. The estimation results reveal that the direct effect of trade openness and domestic public debt is significantly favourable. The direct effect of foreign public debt is, however, found to be unfavourable. The results also reveal that the interactive effect of trade openness and domestic public debt is significantly favourable, whereas the interactive effect of trade openness and foreign public debt is fairly favourable. The estimation results thus imply that trade openness and sovereign debt are complementary drivers of economic growth in sub-Saharan African countries. In spite of the favourable role of trade openness and sovereign debt, economic growth has yet to achieve the desired level, which does not augur well for employment and welfare. The prospects of growth could be enhanced by strengthening the impact of trade openness and sovereign debt. However, policy makers should be aware of the direct negative impact of foreign public debt on economic growth, and the need to put measures in place to manage it. JEL Codes: F23, H63, F43, O55

Quantifying the Selective, Stochastic, and Complementary Drivers of Institutional Evolution in Online Communities.

Institutions and cultures usually evolve in response to environmental incentives. However, sometimes institutional change occurs due to stochastic drivers beyond current fitness, including drift, path dependency, blind imitation, and complementary cooperation in fluctuating environments. Disentangling the selective and stochastic components of social system change enables us to identify the key features of long-term organizational development. Evolutionary approaches provide organizational science with abundant theories to demonstrate organizational evolution by tracking beneficial or harmful features. In this study, focusing on 20,000 Minecraft communities, we measure these drivers empirically using two of the most widely applied evolutionary models: the Price equation and the bet-hedging model. As a result, we find strong selection pressure on administrative and information rules, suggesting that their positive correlation with community fitness is the main reason for their frequency change. We also find that stochastic drivers decrease the average frequency of administrative rules. The result makes sense when viewed in the context of evolutionary bet-hedging. We show through the bet-hedging result that institutional diversity contributes to the growth and stability of rules related to information, communication, and economic behaviors.

Why do exports react less to real exchange rate depreciations than to appreciations? Evidence from Pakistan

We examine if and why export responses to real exchange depreciations are lower than those to appreciations. We document this asymmetric response using macro-level data for Pakistan and show that export adjustments after depreciations are less than one-third as fast as those to appreciations. We use product-destination level data to examine three complementary drivers of this asymmetry: (i) information frictions that increase the search costs of finding new clients; (ii) supply constraints related limited access to credit that reduce exporters’ capacity to scale up after relative prices become more favorable; and (iii) reduced prices in US dollars offered by international buyers after local currency depreciations, akin to a pricing-to-market mechanism. We find evidence of the three drivers explaining the dampened export response to depreciations. Policymakers in developing countries should consider addressing these issues to maximize export responses to real depreciations.

Ocean currents shape the genetic structure of a kelp in southwestern Africa

AbstractAimDrivers of extant population genetic structure include past climate‐driven range shifts and vicariant events, as well as gene flow mediated by dispersal and habitat continuity. Their integration as alternative or complementary drivers is often missing or incomplete, potentially overlooking relevant processes and time scales. Here we ask whether it is the imprint of past range shifts or habitat connectivity driven by oceanographic transport that best explain genetic structure in a poorly understood model, a forest‐forming African kelp.LocationSouthwestern coast of Africa (Benguela current region).TaxonLaminaria pallida.MethodsWe estimated genetic variability along the species distributional range using 14 microsatellite markers. This genetic variability was compared to estimates of past range shifts derived from species distribution modelling for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the mid‐Holocene (MH) and the present, and estimates of habitat connectivity derived from oceanographic biophysical modelling.ResultsThe species is structured in two clusters, a southern cluster with much richer (allelic richness A: 10.40 ± 0.33) and unique (private alleles PA: 56.69 ± 4.05) genetic diversity, and a northern cluster (A: 4.75 ± 0.17; PA: 6.70 ± 1.45). These clusters matched well‐known biogeographical regions and their transition coincided with a dispersal barrier formed by upwelled offshore transport. No major range shifts or vicariant events were hindcasted along the present range, suggesting population stability from the LGM to the present.Main conclusionsHabitat connectivity, rather than past range shifts, explains the extant population structure. Future environmental requirements of the species along the Benguela upwelling system are projected to persist or even intensify, likely preserving the observed genetic patterns for the years to come. Yet, the differentiation and endemicity between clusters, and the isolation structured by the regional oceanography, implies high conservation value for genetic biodiversity, and even more if considering the ecological, social and economic services provided by kelp forests.

Ageing and interferon gamma response drive the phenotype of neutrophils in the inflamed joint

ObjectiveNeutrophils are typically the most abundant leucocyte in arthritic synovial fluid. We sought to understand changes that occur in neutrophils as they migrate from blood to joint.MethodsWe performed RNA sequencing...

Improving targeting of farmers for enrollment in agri‐environmental programs

AbstractAgricultural cost‐share research and planning tend to focus on one program at a time, and hence overlook additional efficiencies that might be obtained by considering the possibility that enrollment decisions are related across different programs. Models of multiple‐program participation decisions enable these relationships to be considered as part of conditional enrollment predictions, providing more complete and accurate understanding of enrollment behavior. Analysis of data from farmer surveys in Maryland and Ohio show complementary drivers across program participation. Results are consistent with economies of scale and/or scope among different agri‐environmental programs. The data also show the gains in prediction accuracy when the model accounts for participation in other programs, thereby enabling improved targeting and program design. For instance, enrollment in commodity‐type programs causes a much larger marginal increase (12.6%) in the probability of Maryland cover crops participation than does the increase from Conservation Reserve Program enrollment (4.4%).

Farmer empowerment in agriculture and its association with smallholder farm incomes in Kenya

Poverty in its various forms is widespread among smallholder farmers, including income poverty, rendering interventions that improve household income relevant. We employ a linear model on crosssectional data collected from October to December 2015, with the preceding 12 months as the reference period. The data was from 835 smallholder farmers in Kenya to assess the effect of farmer empowerment in agriculture on farm income. This is a departure from numerous previous studies, which considered the intra-household empowerment of women relative to men on the assumption that men are empowered, which may not always be the case – as we show in this study. The results show that farmer empowerment in agriculture increases per capita farm incomes. Unlike male farmers, who benefit from the overall empowerment in agriculture, female farmers do not, possibly due to constraints in complementary drivers of farm income such as access to productive resources. Interestingly, improving the income domain for female farmers increases their farm incomes more than for their male counterparts. We conclude that farmer empowerment in agriculture is a necessary driver of farm incomes, with the production, leadership and income domains being the viable impact pathways. Thus, development interventions should target specific empowerment domains while controlling for sex differences among the target farmers.

The Interplay of Brand, Brand Origin and Brand User Stereotypes in Forming Value Perceptions

AbstractAlthough the importance of various brand‐related stereotypes held by consumers has been acknowledged in the marketing literature, their interplay has not yet been considered. We derive four alternative theoretical models of the relationships between brand, brand origin and brand user stereotypes and their effects on consumers’ value perceptions. The four models are subsequently tested on two nationally representative samples in Germany and Serbia, respectively. The best‐performing model in both studies predicts that brand origin and brand user stereotypes act as complementary drivers of the brand stereotype. In turn, value perceptions mediate the positive impact of the brand stereotype on purchase intent. This investigation is the first to: (a) juxtapose and empirically assess alternative theoretical perspectives on the interplay of brand‐related stereotypes; (b) reveal the combined influence of multiple stereotypes on consumers’ value perceptions and through them, on intentions to buy the brand; (c) determine the relative influence of distinct stereotype content dimensions (i.e. warmth vs. competence) on consumers’ perceptions of value; and (d) highlight the extent to which the interplay among different stereotypes in influencing consumer outcomes is stable across different market settings. Implications of the findings are considered and future research directions identified.

Planktivores as trophic drivers of global coral reef fish diversity patterns

One of the most prominent features of life on Earth is the uneven number of species across large spatial scales. Despite being inherently linked to energetic constraints, these gradients in species richness distribution have rarely been examined from a trophic perspective. Here we dissect the global diversity of over 3,600 coral reef fishes to reveal patterns across major trophic groups. By analyzing multiple nested spatial scales, we show that planktivores contribute disproportionally to the formation of the Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) marine biodiversity hotspot. Besides being "hotter" at the hotspot, planktivorous fishes display the steepest decline in species numbers with distance from the IAA when compared to other trophic groups. Surprisingly, we did not detect differences in diversification, transition, and dispersal rates in extant species phylogenies that would explain this remarkable gradient in planktivorous fish richness. Thus, we identify two potential complementary drivers for this pattern. First, exceptional levels of partitioning among planktivorous coral reef fishes were driven by temporally stable oceanographic conditions and abundant planktonic resources in the IAA. Second, extinctions of planktivores outside the IAA have been particularly pronounced during Quaternary climate fluctuations. Overall, our results highlight trophic ecology as an important component of global species richness gradients.

CHD1 and SPOP synergistically protect prostate epithelial cells from DNA damage.

Recent genomic profiling has identified a subtype of prostate cancer (PCa) characterized by two key genetic alterations: missense mutation of speckle-type POZ protein (SPOP) and homozygous deletion of chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 1 (CHD1). Mutually exclusive with E26 transformation-specific (ETS) rearrangements, this subtype displays high genomic instability. Previous studies indicate that deficient SPOP or CHD1 alone leads to feeble prostate abnormalities and each protein is involved in DNA damage response (DDR). It remains to be determined whether CHD1 and SPOP cooperate to suppress prostate tumorigenesis and DDR. Prostate-specific single or double knockout of Spop and Chd1 was generated with the Cre/loxP system in mice. Wild-type or mutant SPOP (F102C, F133V) overexpression and CHD1 knockdown with short hairpin RNA were created in human benign prostatic hyperplasia cell line BPH1. The levels of DNA damage and homologous recombination repair were measured by immunofluorescence staining of γH2AX and RAD51, respectively. Spop/Chd1 double-knockout mice displayed prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia at both young (3 months) and old (12 months) ages and failed to generate prostate adenocarcinoma. Compared with wild-type or single-knockout mice, the double-knockout prostate harbored moderately higher proliferating cells and dramatically augmented the level of γH2AX staining, although androgen receptor-positive cells and apoptotic cells remained at a similar level. In BPH1 cell line, SPOP mutant overexpression and CHD1 silencing synergistically sensitized the cells to DNA damage by camptothecin, an inducer of double-strand breaks. Our results indicate that SPOP and CHD1 can synergistically promote repair of naturally occurring or chemically induced DNA damages in prostate epithelial cells. Regarding the progression of the SPOP/CHD1 subtype of PCa, other functionally complementary drivers warrant further identification. The clinical implication is that this subtype of PCa may be particularly sensitive to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors or DNA-damaging agents.

High resolution FPGA pulse width modulation control of full‐bridge DC–DC converters

This study describes a field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) based technique, which aims to significantly improve the resolution of complementary drivers in full-bridge DC–DC converters. An algorithm for precise adjustment of both the duty cycle and the frequency of the pulse width modulator (PWM) is presented. It is experimentally verified by software simulation and FPGA hardware implementation. The results prove that the designed 12-bit digital PWM is able to provide switching frequency of 100 kHz in the range of 99.61 [99.51–99.70] kHz [mean value (95% confidence interval)] using clock frequency of just 160 MHz. In comparison, the conventional counter-based PWM gives the same output resolution at operating frequency of 410 MHz. In addition, the proposed algorithm is scalable and could be used to provide better resolution even at higher clock frequencies >400 MHz. For example, if phase-locked loop is 480 MHz then the conventional counter for 100 kHz PWM has a resolution slightly >12 bits, while the proposed algorithm could extend the resolution up to 14 bits. Due to the high reliability of the FPGA technology, the proposed PWM control is applicable in highly critical medical systems, such as electrosurgical devices.

Does governance quality moderate the finance-renewable energy-growth nexus? Evidence from five major regions in the world.

This paper investigates the moderating role of governance quality on the finance-renewable energy-growth nexus in five major regions in the world, including 123 countries from 1990 to 2017. In a disaggregated approach, we used several financial variables denoting financial depth, financial efficiency, financial inclusion, and financial stability, which represent the different components of financial development. In an aggregated approach, we constructed composite indexes of governance quality and financial development following the principal component analysis (PCA). Next, we applied the two-stage least squares, difference-GMM, and system-GMM methods, as well as the Granger non-causality test in (Dumitrescu and Hurlin Econ Model 29(4):1450-1460, 2012). First, the results show that financial development and improved governance quality are complementary drivers of economic growth in all regions, except in America and Europe and Central Asia in most cases. Similarly, renewable energy consumption and enhanced governance quality are interrelated factors in strengthening economic growth in the Asia Pacific, MENA, and SSA regions, as opposed to the Americas and Europe and Central Asia. Second, there is bidirectional causality between financial development and economic growth in all areas, while the two-way causality between renewable energy consumption and growth is only confirmed in America and SSA regions, respectively. This study reveals the threshold effect of governance quality on the renewable energy-finance-growth nexus across regions. Therefore, policymakers should improve the level of governance quality and the efficiency of financial systems and renewable energy consumption to promote sustainable development in the different regions, especially in the Asia Pacific, MENA, and SSA zones.

An Assessment of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) Using the OECD Principles on Water Governance

This paper uses the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) water governance principles to assess the governance of the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), with a focus on the eutrophication segment. Whilst governance assessments can be used as auditing functions, this study was done with the goal of stimulating reflection, in order to investigate whether the governance systems have made any improvements. This is especially needed, since the BSAP is to be renewed in 2021, so that any assessment of it at this moment is timely. This review has focused on the 12 principles of water governance and the three complementary drivers into which the principles are grouped: Effectiveness, efficiency and trust, and engagement. This paper focuses on national implementation actions. It uses qualitative thematic analysis to analyze the content of the national implementation plans for Baltic Sea Coastal countries. It identifies gaps in water governance and makes recommendations for enhancing effectiveness, efficiency and trust, and engagement in the governance of the Baltic Sea, including improved stakeholder participation, the establishment of a permanent lead agency for the implementation of BSAP, increased funding for implementation actions, and a better governance of trade-offs.

Complementary Activity of ETV5, RBPJ, and TCF3 Drives Formative Transition from Naive Pluripotency.

SummaryThe gene regulatory network (GRN) of naive mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) must be reconfigured to enable lineage commitment. TCF3 sanctions rewiring by suppressing components of the ESC transcription factor circuitry. However, TCF3 depletion only delays and does not prevent transition to formative pluripotency. Here, we delineate additional contributions of the ETS-family transcription factor ETV5 and the repressor RBPJ. In response to ERK signaling, ETV5 switches activity from supporting self-renewal and undergoes genome relocation linked to commissioning of enhancers activated in formative epiblast. Independent upregulation of RBPJ prevents re-expression of potent naive factors, TBX3 and NANOG, to secure exit from the naive state. Triple deletion of Etv5, Rbpj, and Tcf3 disables ESCs, such that they remain largely undifferentiated and locked in self-renewal, even in the presence of differentiation stimuli. Thus, genetic elimination of three complementary drivers of network transition stalls developmental progression, emulating environmental insulation by small-molecule inhibitors.

CaDrA: A Computational Framework for Performing Candidate Driver Analyses Using Genomic Features.

The identification of genetic alteration combinations as drivers of a given phenotypic outcome, such as drug sensitivity, gene or protein expression, and pathway activity, is a challenging task that is essential to gaining new biological insights and to discovering therapeutic targets. Existing methods designed to predict complementary drivers of such outcomes lack analytical flexibility, including the support for joint analyses of multiple genomic alteration types, such as somatic mutations and copy number alterations, multiple scoring functions, and rigorous significance and reproducibility testing procedures. To address these limitations, we developed Candidate Driver Analysis or CaDrA, an integrative framework that implements a step-wise heuristic search approach to identify functionally relevant subsets of genomic features that, together, are maximally associated with a specific outcome of interest. We show CaDrA’s overall high sensitivity and specificity for typically sized multi-omic datasets using simulated data, and demonstrate CaDrA’s ability to identify known mutations linked with sensitivity of cancer cells to drug treatment using data from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE). We further apply CaDrA to identify novel regulators of oncogenic activity mediated by Hippo signaling pathway effectors YAP and TAZ in primary breast cancer tumors using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), which we functionally validate in vitro. Finally, we use pan-cancer TCGA protein expression data to show the high reproducibility of CaDrA’s search procedure. Collectively, this work demonstrates the utility of our framework for supporting the fast querying of large, publicly available multi-omics datasets, including but not limited to TCGA and CCLE, for potential drivers of a given target profile of interest.

Erratum: Albort-Morant, G., et al. Potential and Realized Absorptive Capacity as Complementary Drivers of Green Product and Process Innovation Performance. Sustainability 2018, 10, 381

The corresponding author wishes to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

Early insularity and subsequent mountain uplift were complementary drivers of diversification in a Melanesian lizard radiation (Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus)

Regions with complex geological histories present a major challenge for scientists studying the processes that have shaped their biotas. The history of the vast and biologically rich tropical island of New Guinea is particularly complex and poorly resolved. Competing geological models propose New Guinea emerged as a substantial landmass either during the Mid-Miocene or as recently as the Pliocene. Likewise, the estimated timing for the uplift of the high Central Cordillera, spanning the length of the island, differs across models. Here we investigate how early islands and mountain uplift have shaped the diversification and biogeography of Cyrtodactylus geckos. Our data strongly support initial colonisation and divergence within proto-Papuan islands in the Early- to Mid-Miocene, with divergent lineages and endemic diversity concentrated on oceanic island arcs in northern New Guinea and the formerly isolated East-Papuan Composite Terrane. At least four lineages are inferred to have independently colonised hill- and lower-montane forests, indicating that mountain uplift has also played a critical role in accumulating diversity, even in this predominantly lowland lineage. Our findings suggest that substantial land in northern New Guinea and lower-montane habitats date back well into the Miocene and that insular diversification and mountain colonisation have synergistically generated diversity in the geologically complex Papuan region.

Absorptive capacity and relationship learning mechanisms as complementary drivers of green innovation performance

PurposeThis paper aims to explore in depth how internal and external knowledge-based drivers actually affect the firms’ green innovation performance. Subsequently, this study analyzes the relationships between absorptive capacity (internal knowledge-based driver), relationship learning (external knowledge-based driver) and green innovation performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study relies on a sample of 112 firms belonging to the Spanish automotive components manufacturing sector (ACMS) and uses partial least squares path modeling to test the hypotheses proposed.FindingsThe empirical results show that both absorptive capacity and relationship learning exert a significant positive effect on the dependent variable and that relationship learning moderates the link between absorptive capacity and green innovation performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper presents some limitations with respect to the particular sector (i.e. the ACMS) and geographical context (Spain). For this reason, researchers must be thoughtful while generalizing these results to distinct scenarios.Practical implicationsManagers should devote more time and resources to reinforce their absorptive capacity as an important strategic tool to generate new knowledge and hence foster green innovation performance in manufacturing industries.Social implicationsThe paper shows the importance of encouraging decision-makers to cultivate and rely on relationship learning mechanisms with their main stakeholders and to acquire the necessary information and knowledge that might be valuable in the maturity of green innovations.Originality/valueThis study proposes that relationship learning plays a moderating role in the relationship between absorptive capacity and green innovation performance.

Potential and Realized Absorptive Capacity as Complementary Drivers of Green Product and Process Innovation Performance

Nowadays, companies need to absorb new knowledge from external sources to grasp environmental issues. However, the internal mechanisms through which external knowledge is turned into green innovations remain scarcely addressed. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the relationships between the two dimensions of absorptive capacity (potential and realized) with green products and process innovation performance. This study contributes to the literature by disentangling how companies need to acquire, assimilate, transform and exploit external environmental knowledge to develop green innovations. To this aim, this empirical study is based on a sample shaped by 112 firms belonging to the Spanish automotive components manufacturing sector. The results provide evidence to show that potential and realized absorptive capacities are positively related to both green product innovation performance and green process innovation performance.