bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Are weak dispersers more vulnerable than strong dispersers to land use intensification?
Authors: Martin Amanda E. , Lockhart Jessica K. , Fahrig Lenore
Published: January 2023

Ecologists often state that weak dispersers are particularly at risk from land use intensification, and that they therefore should be prioritized for conservation. We reviewed the empirical evidence, to evaluate whether this idea should be used as a general rule in conservation. While 89% of authors predicted that weak dispersers are more vulnerable to land use intensification (80 out of 90 papers), only 56% of reported tests (235 out of 422) were consistent with this prediction. Thirty per cent of tests (128 out of 422) were consistent with the opposite prediction, that strong dispersers are more vulnerable to intensification, and 60% of articles (45 out of 75) had at least one test where strong dispersers were most vulnerable. The likelihood of finding that weak dispersers are more vulnerable to intensification than strong dispersers varied with latitude, taxonomic group and type of land use intensification. Notably, the odds of finding that weak dispersers are more vulnerable to intensification than strong dispersers was higher if the study was nearer to the equator. Taken together, our results show that the prediction that weak dispersers are more vulnerable than strong dispersers to intensification is not sufficiently supported to justify using weak dispersal as a general indicator of species risk in human-modified landscapes.
Benefits of living closer to kin vary by genealogical relationship in a territorial mammal
Authors: Walmsley Sam F. , Boutin Stan , Dantzer Ben , Lane Jeffrey E. , Coltman David W. , McAdam Andrew G.
Published: January 2023

While cooperative interactions among kin are a key building block in the societies of group-living species, their importance for species with more variable social environments is unclear. North American red squirrels (
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
) defend individual territories in dynamic neighbourhoods and are known to benefit from living among familiar conspecifics, but not relatives. However, kin-directed behaviours may be restricted to specific genealogical relationships or strongly mediated by geographical distance, masking their influence at broader scales. Using distance between territories as a proxy for the ability of individuals to interact, we estimated the influence of primary kin (parents, offspring, siblings) on the annual survival and reproductive success of red squirrels. This approach revealed associations between fitness and access to kin, but only for certain genealogical relationships and fitness components. For example, females had enhanced annual survival when living closer to their daughters, though the reverse was not true. Most surprising was the finding that males had higher annual reproductive success when living closer to their father, suggesting possible recognition and cooperation among fathers and sons. Together, these findings point to unexpected nuance in the fitness consequences of kinship dynamics for a species that is territorial and largely solitary.
Functional and phylogenetic relationships link predators to plant diversity via trophic and non-trophic pathways
Authors: Chen Jing-Ting , Wang Ming-Qiang , Li Yi , Chesters Douglas , Luo Arong , Zhang Wei , Guo Peng-Fei , Guo Shi-Kun , Zhou Qing-Song , Ma Ke-Ping , von Oheimb Goddert , Kunz Matthias , Zhang Nai-Li , Liu Xiao-Juan , Bruelheide Helge , Schuldt Andreas , Zhu Chao-Dong
Published: January 2023

Human-induced biodiversity loss negatively affects ecosystem function, but the interactive effects of biodiversity change across trophic levels remain insufficiently understood. We sampled arboreal spiders and lepidopteran larvae across seasons in 2 years in a subtropical tree diversity experiment, and then disentangled the links between tree diversity and arthropod predator diversity by deconstructing the pathways among multiple components of diversity (taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional) with structural equation models. We found that herbivores were major mediators of plant species richness effects on abundance, species richness, functional and phylogenetic diversity of predators, while phylogenetic, functional and structural diversity of trees were also important mediators of this process. However, the strength and direction differed between functional, structural and phylogenetic diversity effects, indicating different underlying mechanisms for predator community assembly. Abundance and multiple diversity components of predators were consistently affected by tree functional diversity, indicating that the variation in structure and environment caused by plant functional composition might play key roles in predator community assembly. Our study highlights the importance of an integrated approach based on multiple biodiversity components in understanding the consequences of biodiversity loss in multitrophic communities.
Ecological impacts of unsustainable sand mining: urgent lessons learned from a critically endangered freshwater cetacean
Authors: Han Yi , Xu Wenjing , Liu Jiajia , Zhang Xinqiao , Wang Kexiong , Wang Ding , Mei Zhigang
Published: January 2023

Sand mining, which has tripled in the last two decades, is an emerging concern for global biodiversity. However, the paucity of sand mining data worldwide prevents understanding the extent of sand mining impacts and how it affects wildlife populations and ecosystems, which is critical for timely mitigation and conservation actions. Integrating remote sensing and field surveys over 14 years, we investigated mining impacts on the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (
Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis
) in Dongting Lake, China. We found that sand mining presented a consistent, widespread disturbance in Dongting Lake. Porpoises strongly avoided mining sites, especially those of higher mining intensity. The extensive sand mining significantly contracted the porpoise's range and restricted their habitat use in the lake. Water traffic for sand transportation further blocked the species's river–lake movements, affecting the population connectivity. In addition, mining-induced loss of near-shore habitats, a critical foraging and nursery ground for the porpoise, occurred in nearly 70% of the water channels of our study region. Our findings provide the first empirical evidence of the impacts of unregulated sand extractions on species distribution. Our spatio-temporally explicit approach and findings support regulation and conservation, yielding broader implications for sustainable sand mining worldwide.
Single-cell transcriptome sequencing reveals
Wolbachia
-mediated modification in early stages of
Drosophila
spermatogenesis
Authors: Dou Weihao , Sun Baofa , Miao Yunheng , Huang Dawei , Xiao Jinhua
Published: January 2023

Wolbachia
are the most widely distributed intracellular bacteria, and their most common effect on host phenotype is cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). A variety of models have been proposed to decipher the molecular mechanism of CI, among which the host modification (HM) model predicts that
Wolbachia
effectors play an important role in sperm modification. However, owing to the complexity of spermatogenesis and testicular cell-type heterogeneity, whether
Wolbachia
have different effects on cells at different stages of spermatogenesis or whether these effects are linked with CI remains unknown. Therefore, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to analyse gene expression profiles in adult male
Drosophila
testes that were infected or uninfected by
Wolbachia
. We found that
Wolbachia
significantly affected the proportion of different types of germ cells and affected multiple metabolic pathways in germ cells. Most importantly,
Wolbachia
had the greatest impact on germline stem cells, resulting in dysregulated expression of genes related to DNA compaction, and
Wolbachia
infection also influenced the histone-to-protamine transition in the late stage of sperm development. These results support the HM model and suggest that future studies on
Wolbachia
-induced CI should focus on cells in the early stages of spermatogenesis.
Current and lagged climate affects phenology across diverse taxonomic groups
Authors: Prather Rebecca M. , Dalton Rebecca M. , barr billy , Blumstein Daniel T. , Boggs Carol L. , Brody Alison K. , Inouye David W. , Irwin Rebecca E. , Martin Julien G. A. , Smith Rosemary J. , Van Vuren Dirk H. , Wells Caitlin P. , Whiteman Howard H. , Inouye Brian D. , Underwood Nora
Published: January 2023

The timing of life events (phenology) can be influenced by climate. Studies from around the world tell us that climate cues and species' responses can vary greatly. If variation in climate effects on phenology is strong within a single ecosystem, climate change could lead to ecological disruption, but detailed data from diverse taxa within a single ecosystem are rare. We collated first sighting and median activity within a high-elevation environment for plants, insects, birds, mammals and an amphibian across 45 years (1975–2020). We related 10 812 phenological events to climate data to determine the relative importance of climate effects on species’ phenologies. We demonstrate significant variation in climate-phenology linkage across taxa in a single ecosystem. Both current and prior climate predicted changes in phenology. Taxa responded to some cues similarly, such as snowmelt date and spring temperatures; other cues affected phenology differently. For example, prior summer precipitation had no effect on most plants, delayed first activity of some insects, but advanced activity of the amphibian, some mammals, and birds. Comparing phenological responses of taxa at a single location, we find that important cues often differ among taxa, suggesting that changes to climate may disrupt synchrony of timing among taxa.
Beringia and the peopling of the Western Hemisphere
Authors: Hoffecker John F. , Elias Scott A. , Scott G. Richard , O'Rourke Dennis H. , Hlusko Leslea J. , Potapova Olga , Pitulko Vladimir , Pavlova Elena , Bourgeon Lauriane , Vachula Richard S.
Published: January 2023

Did Beringian environments represent an
ecological barrier
to humans until less than 15 000 years ago or was access to the Americas controlled by the spatial–temporal distribution of North American ice sheets? Beringian environments varied with respect to climate and biota, especially in the two major areas of exposed continental shelf. The East Siberian Arctic Shelf (‘Great Arctic Plain’ (GAP)) supported a dry steppe-tundra biome inhabited by a diverse large-mammal community, while the southern Bering-Chukchi Platform (‘Bering Land Bridge’ (BLB)) supported mesic tundra and probably a lower large-mammal biomass. A human population with west Eurasian roots occupied the GAP before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and may have accessed mid-latitude North America via an interior ice-free corridor. Re-opening of the corridor less than 14 000 years ago indicates that the primary ancestors of living First Peoples, who already had spread widely in the Americas at this time, probably dispersed from the NW Pacific coast. A genetic ‘arctic signal’ in non-arctic First Peoples suggests that their parent population inhabited the GAP during the LGM, before their split from the former. We infer a shift from GAP terrestrial to a subarctic maritime economy on the southern BLB coast before dispersal in the Americas from the NW Pacific coast.
Drivers and facilitators of the illegal killing of elephants across 64 African sites
Authors: Kuiper Timothy , Altwegg Res , Beale Colin , Carroll Thea , Dublin Holly T. , Hauenstein Severin , Kshatriya Mrigesh , Schwarz Carl , Thouless Chris R. , Royle Andrew , Milner-Gulland E. J.
Published: January 2023

Ivory poaching continues to threaten African elephants. We (1) used criminology theory and literature evidence to generate hypotheses about factors that may drive, facilitate or motivate poaching, (2) identified datasets representing these factors, and (3) tested those factors with strong hypotheses and sufficient data quality for empirical associations with poaching. We advance on previous analyses of correlates of elephant poaching by using additional poaching data and leveraging new datasets for previously untested explanatory variables. Using data on 10 286 illegally killed elephants detected at 64 sites in 30 African countries (2002–2020), we found strong evidence to support the hypotheses that the illegal killing of elephants is associated with poor national governance, low law enforcement capacity, low household wealth and health, and global elephant ivory prices. Forest elephant populations suffered higher rates of illegal killing than savannah elephants. We found only weak evidence that armed conflicts may increase the illegal killing of elephants, and no evidence for effects of site accessibility, vegetation density, elephant population density, precipitation or site area. Results suggest that addressing wider systemic challenges of human development, corruption and consumer demand would help reduce poaching, corroborating broader work highlighting these more ultimate drivers of the global illegal wildlife trade.
Mitochondrial complex III deficiency drives c-MYC overexpression and illicit cell cycle entry leading to senescence and segmental progeria
Authors: Purhonen Janne , Banerjee Rishi , Wanne Vilma , Sipari Nina , Mörgelin Matthias , Fellman Vineta , Kallijärvi Jukka
Published: January 2023

Accumulating evidence suggests mitochondria as key modulators of normal and premature aging, yet whether primary deficiency of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) can cause progeroid disease remains unclear. Here, we show that mice with severe isolated respiratory complex III (CIII) deficiency display nuclear DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, aberrant mitoses, cellular senescence, and laminopathy-like nuclei in the affected organs such as liver and kidney, and a systemic phenotype strikingly resembling juvenile-onset laminopathic and DNA repair-deficient progeroid syndromes. Mechanistically, CIII deficiency triggered presymptomatic cancer-like c-MYC upregulation followed by excessive anabolic metabolism and illicit cell proliferation against lack of energy and biosynthetic precursors. CIII-independent coenzyme Q oxidation dampened mitochondrial integrated stress response and the c-MYC induction, suppressed the illicit proliferation, and prevented juvenile lethality despite that canonical OXPHOS-linked functions remained uncorrected. Inhibition of c-MYC by expression of a dominant-negative Omomyc protein relieved the DNA damage in CIII-deficient hepatocytesin vivo. Our results unequivocally connect primary OXPHOS deficiency to genomic instability and progeroid disease and suggest that targeting c-MYC and aberrant cell proliferation may provide novel therapeutic strategies in mitochondrial diseases.
Comparing rapid rule-learning strategies in humans and monkeys
Authors: Goudar Vishwa , Kim Jeong-Woo , Liu Yue , Dede Adam J. O. , Jutras Michael J. , Skelin Ivan , Ruvalcaba Michael , Chang William , Fairhall Adrienne L. , Lin Jack J. , Knight Robert T. , Buffalo Elizabeth A. , Wang Xiao-Jing
Published: January 2023

Inter-species comparisons are key to deriving an understanding of the behavioral and neural correlates of human cognition from animal models. We perform a detailed comparison of macaque monkey and human strategies on an analogue of the Wisconsin Card Sort Test, a widely studied and applied multi-attribute measure of cognitive function, wherein performance requires the inference of a changing rule given ambiguous feedback. We found that well-trained monkeys rapidly infer rules but are three times slower than humans. Model fits to their choices revealed hidden states akin to feature-based attention in both species, and decision processes that resembled a Win-stay lose-shift strategy with key differences. Monkeys and humans test multiple rule hypotheses over a series of rule-search trials and perform inference-like computations to exclude candidates. An attention-set based learning stage categorization revealed that perseveration, random exploration and poor sensitivity to negative feedback explain the under-performance in monkeys.
Travel vlogs influencing tourist decisions: information preferences and gender differences
Authors: Cheng Wenyi , Tian Ruwen , Chiu Dickson K.W.
Published: January 2023

Purpose

As independent travel has become increasingly popular in recent years, factors influencing users’ attitudes and behaviors should be explored. Besides, the rise of video platforms like YouTube, Bilibili and TikTok has led to the flourishing of user generated content (UGC), among which travel vlogs have become convenient and essential references for tourists before and while they travel on their own.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used quantitative analysis through a survey designed for young people, as most vlog viewers are in those age groups, to explore the attitudes and perceptions of vlog preference, attitudes and cognizance of travel vlogs among different gender, guided by the decision-making theory and preference theory with 455 participants.

Findings

Survey results showed that both genders have common choices regarding travel vlog preference, attitudes, sharing and cognizance. Yet, gender differences appear in some cognition of travel vlogs and specific preferences, such as information searching habits, trusty travel and information sources.

Originality/value

Existing studies focus on the influence of platforms on users, but scant studies focus on user perceptions of vlogs as a new information carrier for young people in East Asia, especially regarding gender differences, which is crucial in media-based marketing. This research provides practical suggestions to marketers and vloggers to attract and engage different genders of young people and theoretical implications on decision and preference theories.
Corporate social responsibility commitment of women directors through audit committees: evidence from international firms
Authors: Pucheta-Martínez María Consuelo , Bel-Oms Inmaculada , Gallego-Álvarez Isabel
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This paper explores the impact of some audit committees' characteristics (executive and independent directors and directors' attendance at audit committee meetings) on CSR reporting. Moreover, it also aims to test the moderating effect of women directors on boards on the association between audit committees' characteristics and CSR disclosure.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses an international sample comprising 13,264 firm-year observations of non-financial firms from 2007 to 2018.

Findings

The results show that executive and independent directors on audit committees have a negative impact on CSR reporting, while the directors' attendance at audit committees meetings is positively associated with CSR disclosure. This study’s results also provide convincing evidence that female directors on corporate boards positively moderate the negative association between executive and independent directors on audit committees and CSR disclosure. Finally, the findings also show that female directors on corporate boards do not moderate the positive impact of directors' attendance at audit committees' meetings on CSR information.

Research limitations/implications

This study is focused on attributes of audit committees based on a sample of international listed non-financial firms.

Originality/value

This is the first study analyzing the moderating role of female directors on boards on the relations between both executive directors on audit committees and CSR reporting and the average attendance of directors at audit committees' meetings and CSR disclosure.
A novel improved teaching and learning-based-optimization algorithm and its application in a large-scale inventory control system
Authors: Chen Zhixiang
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel improved teaching and learning-based algorithm (TLBO) to enhance its convergence ability and solution accuracy, making it more suitable for solving large-scale optimization issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilizing multiple cooperation mechanisms in teaching and learning processes, an improved TBLO named CTLBO (collectivism teaching-learning-based optimization) is developed. This algorithm introduces a new preparation phase before the teaching and learning phases and applies multiple teacher–learner cooperation strategies in teaching and learning processes. Applying modularization idea, based on the configuration structure of operators of CTLBO, six variants of CTLBO are constructed. For identifying the best configuration, 30 general benchmark functions are tested. Then, three experiments using CEC2020 (2020 IEEE Conference on Evolutionary Computation)-constrained optimization problems are conducted to compare CTLBO with other algorithms. At last, a large-scale industrial engineering problem is taken as the application case.

Findings

Experiment with 30 general unconstrained benchmark functions indicates that CTLBO-c is the best configuration of all variants of CTLBO. Three experiments using CEC2020-constrained optimization problems show that CTLBO is one powerful algorithm for solving large-scale constrained optimization problems. The application case of industrial engineering problem shows that CTLBO and its variant CTLBO-c can effectively solve the large-scale real problem, while the accuracies of TLBO and other meta-heuristic algorithm are far lower than CLTBO and CTLBO-c, revealing that CTLBO and its variants can far outperform other algorithms. CTLBO is an excellent algorithm for solving large-scale complex optimization issues.

Originality/value

The innovation of this paper lies in the improvement strategies in changing the original TLBO with two-phase teaching–learning mechanism to a new algorithm CTLBO with three-phase multiple cooperation teaching–learning mechanism, self-learning mechanism in teaching and group teaching mechanism. CTLBO has important application value in solving large-scale optimization problems.
The future of leadership: new digital skills or old analog virtues?
Authors: Gilli Katharina , Lettner Nicole , Guettel Wolfgang
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Business leaders are facing a change of role as digitalization continues to intensify in organizations. As technological change is bringing back supposedly old virtues of leadership, this study aims to explain the impact digital transformation has on leadership due to organizational size.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-border study with experts from multinational enterprises (MNEs) in Austria and small and medium companies (SMEs) in Italy.

Findings

With increasing digitalization, leadership is becoming more important. In times of social distance, it is essential that leaders actively foster the management of relationships with their employees, manage social processes in their teams and shape change processes. This requires a bundle of skills consisting of effective leadership skills, strong change management skills and conceptual digitization skills.

Practical implications

Digital transformation is not mainly about implementing new technologies; it is about developing an appropriate strategy in which people are key. Organizations regardless of size need to recognize that digital transformation requires not less, but even more active shaping of the relationships between leaders and their team members. Consequently, they need active leaders who drive, communicate and implement technological change. As leadership and change require time, resources and, above all, attention, executive selection and qualification are critical for the broad integration of digitalization ideas into an organization.

Originality/value

People, not technology, drive digital transformation, and organizations require leaders, not necessarily technological specialists, to manage the complex changes that comprise an organization’s digital transformation. Technical and methodological skills can be substituted with the use of new technologies, but leaders’ interactional, social, strategic and conceptual skills are gaining in importance.
Dynamic association of economic policy uncertainty with oil, stock and gold: a wavelet-based approach
Authors: Soni Rajat Kumar , Nandan Tanuj , Chatnani Niti Nandini
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This research unfolds a holistic association between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and three important markets (oil, stock and gold) in the Indian context. To do same, the current study uses the monthly dataset of each variable spanning from November 2005 to March 2022.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have portrayed the wavelet-based coherence, correlation and covariance plots to explore the interaction between EPU and markets' behavior. Then, a wavelet-based quantile on quantile regression model and wavelet-based Granger causality has been applied to examine the cause-and-effect relation and causality between the EPU and markets.

Findings

The authors’ findings report that the Indian crude oil buyers do not need to consider Indian EPU while negotiating the oil deals in the short term and medium term. However, in case of the long-term persistence of uncertainty, it becomes difficult for a buyer to negotiate oil deals at cheap rates. EPU causes unfavorable fluctuation in the stock market because macroeconomic decisions have a substantial impact on it. The authors have also found that gold is a gauge for economic imbalances and an accurate observer of inflation resulting from uncertainty, showing a safe haven attribute.

Originality/value

The authors’ work is original in two aspects. First, their study solely focused on the Indian economy to investigate the impact and causal power of Indian EPU on three major components of the Indian economy: oil, stock and gold. Second, they will provide their findings after analyzing data at a very microlevel using a wavelet-based quantile on quantile and wavelet-based Granger causality.
Green libraries: barriers to concept development
Authors: Fedorowicz-Kruszewska Małgorzata
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The library community is considerably active in environmental issues, but the body of scientific and professional literature in the library and information science (LIS) related to environmental issues is growing slowly. The author attempts to indicate the reasons for the still-low interest in the issue of green libraries on a global scale by pointing to barriers in the development of the green libraries concept in both theoretical and practical dimensions.

Design/methodology/approach

The desk research method was used in this study.

Findings

Barriers to the development of the green libraries concept include an ambiguous definition of green libraries, a lack of guidelines for green libraries, a lack of criteria for evaluating green libraries, insufficient dissemination of the essence and goals of environmental education, a lack of developed tools for monitoring progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an environmental aspect at a national level and insufficient integration of environmental topics in LIS curricula at the higher-education level.

Originality/value

Although, since the 1990s, the body of literature on sustainable development from an environmental perspective has been growing, LIS researchers' activities do not reflect the importance of this issue. The originality of the article lies in the indication of the reasons for the still-low interest in environmental issues in LIS literature. To date, this issue has not been discussed in the literature.
Unveiling the present status of open access repositories: a comparative analysis of India and China
Authors: Parray Umer Yousuf , Khan Aasif Mohammad , Mir Aasif Ahmad , Mir Shahid Maqbool
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Open access repository is an essential element of an organization's strategy for enhancing the visibility and accessibility of its intellectual output to a global audience. Owing to its importance, the study aims to explore the current status of open access repositories in India and China by analyzing the different characteristic features of repositories.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for the study is collected from OpenDoar which is labeled as a quality assured repository directory across the globe. The country-wise contribution of Asian repositories is extracted from OpenDoar using various filtration options available in the repository. Further, the URL of every Indian and Chinese repository was manually accessed to gather the following metadata: Repository Type, Software Usage, Repository Interface Language, Year of Development, Subject Coverage, Content Coverage, and the utilization of Web 2.0 tools by repositories.

Findings

The findings of the study highlights that among the Asian countries, India is at 4th rank while China is at 5th rank in terms of repository count. The study depicts that India has shown more promising growth than China.  However, both the countries mainly focused on institutional repositories while disciplinary, aggregated, and governmental repositories are very few in number, therefore building such repositories is the need of an hour. Dspace as the preferred software and English as a dominant interface language occupy the prominent places in the repositories of both countries. Moreover, the repositories of both countries have embraced web 2.0 tools like RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0 and Atom with little presence of social media tools.

Research limitations/implications

The study has limitations, and results should be interpreted with caution. The comparison between the two countries is based on only one data source, i.e. OpenDoar. However, there is a possibility that future studies can take various repository directories as a data source that will give a clear picture of comparison.

Originality/value

The study can be beneficial to the policymakers and the administrators of these two regions as it will provide them a vivid picture of the diffrent characteristic features of their repositories so that they can formulate better policies that will be helpful to foster green open access.
Fostering strategic entrepreneurship of SMEs: the role of organisational change forces
Authors: Luu Tien Dung
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Strategic entrepreneurship (SE) exemplifies the interconnection of strategic management and entrepreneurship, inferring that organisations could yield tremendous wealth by synchronously pursuing advantage- and opportunity-seeking behaviour. This study examines how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) thrive SE by leveraging organisational change forces.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a covariance-based structural equation model (CB-SEM) based on 477 key role employees in 95 import and export SMEs in Vietnam.

Findings

SE in SMEs requires organisational change forces, namely leadership, employee engagement and buffering foundation of adaptive culture (AC). In particular, transformational leadership (TL) is beneficial and significantly influences SE behaviour via the mediating role of organisational change commitment. In addition, the adaptable culture of SMEs can serve as a buffer, allowing TL concepts to permeate and transfer to administrative bodies, thereby encouraging SE.

Practical implications

This paper describes why and how SME leaders can make decisions and manage SE to generate a comparative edge. Leaders must understand and assess organisational change forces that play a crucial role in thriving SE, which must pay considerable attention to employees' commitment to change and create an AC.

Originality/value

The findings indicate that achieving SE in SMEs requires a blend of core organisational change forces, such as leadership, cohesive employees and an environment that facilitates adaptation.
Structural analysis of paper substrate for flexible microfluidics device application
Authors: Yadav Supriya , Singh Kulwant , Gupta Anmol , Kumar Mahesh , Sharma Niti Nipun , Akhtar Jamil
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to predict a suitable paper substrate which has high capillary pressure with the tendency of subsequent fluid wrenching in onward direction for the fabrication of microfluidics device application.

Design/methodology/approach

The experiment has been done on the WhatmanTM grade 1, WhatmanTM chromatography and nitrocellulose paper samples which are made by GE Healthcare Life Sciences. The structural characterization of paper samples for surface properties has been done by scanning electron microscope and ImageJ software. Identification of functional groups on the surface of samples has been done by Fourier transform infrared analysis. A finite elemental analysis has also been performed by using the “Multiphase Flow in Porous Media” module of the COMSOL Multiphysics tool which combines Darcy’s law and Phase Transport in Porous Media interface.

Findings

Experimentally, it has been concluded that the paper substrate for flexible microfluidic device application must have large number of internal (intra- and interfiber) pores with fewer void spaces (external pores) that have high capillary pressure to propel the fluid in onward direction with narrow paper fiber channel.

Originality/value

Surface structure has a dynamic impact in paper substrate utilization in multiple applications such as paper manufacturing, printing process and microfluidics applications.
Drivers and outcomes of sustainable export marketing strategies in international environments
Authors: Silva Graça Miranda , Dias Álvaro Lopes , Lisboa Ana Cadima , Silva Filipa Pereira
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the relationship between market-oriented environmental sustainability (MES) and green export-related resources and capabilities, analyzes the impact of these resources and capabilities on the eco-friendly export marketing strategy and assess the influence of such strategy on export performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses survey data from 241 manufacturing export firms analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results show a positive influence of MES on green export-related resources and capabilities. Further, while green export-related capabilities directly affect eco-friendly export marketing strategy, resources only influence it indirectly through capabilities. The results also show that the adoption of an eco-friendly export marketing strategy contributes to firm’s export performance.

Originality/value

This study makes an important contribution to sustainability and exporting literature by evaluating the behavior of firms in terms of MES and eco-friendly export marketing strategy.
Pursuing student success in the library: a case study in peer mentor program transition, training and engagement
Authors: Maxwell Julia , Rusk Faith , Nielsen Jordan , Guidara Andrea , Borges Elizabeth , Lamberti Jamie
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This article shares an academic library's transition from traditional reference services to a peer support model during a campus reopening post-COVID-19 closure. It examines the conception, implementation and implications of the Peer Mentor program amidst shifts in campus priorities, Library research and reference paradigms and the Library workforce, from the perspectives of library faculty and staff, alongside feedback from student workers.

Design/methodology/approach

The article uses a case study approach to detail the Library's Peer Mentor Program by authors involved in various stages of the program's lifespan and discusses the beginnings, implementations and challenges of the program and introduces the unique curriculum used to train student Peer Mentors.

Findings

The authors chronicle their own experience after two semesters of the Peer Mentor program alongside qualitative feedback from the first cohort of Peer Mentors. The Peer Mentor feedback points to positive impacts in other academic pursuits and in gaining a greater understanding of the information landscape and the library field.

Originality/value

The case study presented is a valuable example for academic librarians considering beginning peer-to-peer learning models within their own research and reference services units, especially those who may be creating these peer learning networks in the wake of library service disruption or restructure (such as due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
The impacts of tourism development on income inequality: how does tourism capital investment contribute to income distribution? Tourism Agenda 2030
Authors: Kumail Tafazal , Sadiq Muhammad , Ali Wajahat , Sadiq Farah
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study aims to analyze tourism development's (TOD) role in demoting income inequality in South Asia from 1996 to 2020. To this end, this study explored the connection between TOD, tourism investment, economic growth (GDP), trade globalization (TGL) and income inequality.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used various techniques, including cross-sectional dependence, unit root, cointegration techniques, long-term elasticity estimators and short-term causality between the study variables. This study adopted Driscoll–Kraay standard errors and Dumitrescu Hurlin panel causality estimations.

Findings

This study’s results reveal that tourism has an inverted U-shaped association with income inequality in the long run, which supports the Kuznets Curve hypothesis. In contrast, capital investment in tourism (CIT) has a significant negative association with income inequality. At the same time, growth and TGL positively and significantly affect income inequality. Moreover, TOD has a bidirectional feedback causality of income inequality. These results also support tourism's “price effect” on income inequality. Hence, this study provides more practical implications regarding policymaking in tourism and income inequality in developing economies to target Agenda 2030.

Originality/value

This study is unique by considering the cross-sectional dependence in estimating the model that has been ignored in previous studies and provides new insights into the existing literature by investigating how TOD and CIT contribute to income inequality concentrating on the understudied South Asian economies from 1996 to 2020. As a result, this study has more practical implications for policymaking in the tourism industry and income inequality in emerging economies.
Warmer temperatures result in maladaptive learning of sexual preferences
Authors: Holveck Marie‐Jeanne , Muller Doriane , Visser Bertanne , Timmermans Arthur , Colonval Lidwine , Jan Fabrice , Crucifix Michel , Nieberding Caroline M.
Published: January 2023

The impact of learning ability and sexual selection on the climate and biodiversity crisis is currently unclear.

Using the African butterfly Bicyclus anynana, which shows strong phenotypic plasticity (i.e., polyphenism) in response to temperature, we tested whether learning affects mate preferences under climate warming.

We first modelled climate warming scenarios and then showed experimentally that temperature becomes an unreliable cue to the onset of the dry season, adult butterflies displayed the wet season rather than the dry season form.

Experienced females that were exposed to different male seasonal phenotypes during sexual maturation changed sexual preferences.

Female fertilization success was reversed for naive compared with experienced females, likely reducing female fitness following climate warming.

Our results emphasize the importance of sexual selection, learning, and their fitness consequences for understanding (mal)adaptation of natural populations to climate warming.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
A Family Member or a Professional Manager? The Role of Trust in the Choice of CEO in Family Firms
Authors: Wang Chengfang , Ye Tingting , Li Jiyuan , Zeng Changli
Published: January 2023

Using a sample of Chinese family firms from 2008–2015, we investigate the impact of trust on the choice of whether to hire a family member or a professional manager as CEO. We find that the presence of a professional CEO is negatively associated with a higher level of trust in family members. In contrast, it is positively associated with a higher level of trust in non‐family members. Our findings suggest that the trust mode in Chinese family firms is like the ‘differential mode of association’, which describes Fei's (1992) social structure of Chinese society. Moreover, a higher level of trust in family members is associated with native entrepreneurial activities, which strengthens the negative relationship between trust in family and the presence of a professional CEO. Furthermore, the role of trust in family firms’ appointment decisions is more pronounced in regions with relatively weak legal protection and firms with relatively poor governance. Our results hold when we control for endogeneity and after a series of robustness checks. This research links the governance of family firms to the informal institution of trust, enriching the literature on trust and family firm behaviours.
Influence of nest box design on internal microclimate: Comparisons of plastic prototypes
Authors: Callan Michael N. , Johnson Alexander , Watson David M.
Published: January 2023

Hollow‐dependent fauna are declining worldwide, due primarily to the widespread clearing of hollow‐bearing trees. Artificial cavities such as timber and plywood boxes are commonly used to increase hollow availability, yet there is increasing evidence that they are poor facsimiles of natural cavities, characterized by lower insulative properties and a shorter field life. We evaluated whether plastic materials could create a nest box with a stable thermal profile that more closely resembles the complex shapes and textures of natural tree hollows while containing fewer mechanical joins that represent potential failure points when installed. We developed three sets of prototype nest boxes comprising various combinations of plastic density (10%, 25% and 50%), insulation (single vs. double wall with or without sawdust between them), nesting chamber (with or without timber inserts) and bedding (with or without decomposed heartwood) and compared their thermal performance in a temperature‐controlled laboratory to compare internal temperature and relative humidity. We found double‐walled plastic nest box with an internal timber‐lined chamber was best able to buffer ambient temperature fluctuations, consistently recording internal temperatures of 6+°C below maximum ambient temperature, maintaining high levels of relative humidity (76%–92%) when furnished with decomposed timber heartwood. This design also performed better during a simulated hot day; internal temperatures exhibiting twice the lag time of single‐walled designs, noting that plastic density had little influence on internal conditions. While the recruitment and protection of hollow‐bearing trees must be a priority, this work shows significant potential in improving the design and functionality of artificial hollows that are critical to the conservation of hollow‐dependent species.
Feasibility and safety of a robotic approach to diverticular disease: a retrospective series of short‐term outcomes
Authors: Bromley Luke , Huang Dora , Mohan Helen , Rajkomar Amrish , Larach José Tomas , Heriot Alexander , Smart Philip , Warrier Satish
Published: January 2023

Backgrounds

Robotic colorectal surgery is a method of performing complex surgery in a minimally invasive manner. In diverticular disease, chronic inflammation obscures tissues planes and increases difficulty of resection. This study aims to assess feasibility and safety of application of a robotic approach to diverticular disease, by reviewing short‐term outcomes from a series of diverticular resections.

Methods

Forty‐one patients underwent robotic colorectal surgery for diverticular disease across three centres within Melbourne from June 2016 to June 2022. Demographic, operative, and clinicopathological data were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate primary and secondary outcomes. Comparative analysis between simple and complex diverticular disease was performed to identify differences in groups regarding short term outcomes. The primary outcome in this study is to determine conversion rate from minimally invasive to open surgery. Secondary outcomes include major complication rates and length of stay.

Results

Of the 41 patients, 24 (58.5%) had simple disease, and 17 (41.5%) had complex disease. One patient (2.4%) required conversion to open resection. The median length of stay for complex disease was 7 days, for simple disease 5 days (P = 0.05). Four surgical Clavien‐Dindo III or above complications occurred (9.8%), one patient required return to theatre. There were no anastomotic leaks or collections requiring radiological drainage. Thirteen patients (31.7%) underwent ureteric stenting and intraoperative indocyanine green dye ureteric identification.

Conclusion

Robotic diverticular resections in this series are safe and associated with a low conversion rate of 2.4%. Robotic resection of complex disease was feasible with an acceptable safety profile.
Surgery for phyllodes tumour of the breast. What should be surgical margins?
Authors: Tukenmez Mustafa , Mollavelioglu Baran , Onder Semen , Emiroglu Selman , Velidedeoglu Mehmet , Ergun Sefa , Cabioglu Neslihan , Muslumanoglu Mahmut
Published: January 2023

Backgrounds

Optimal and tailored surgical treatment of phyllodes tumour(PT) of the breast is controversial. This study aims to determine the appropriate surgical margin in the treatment of PT.

Methodology

The data of 132 patients who underwent breast surgery with the diagnosis of PT at the Breast Unit of Istanbul Faculty of Medicine from 2000 to 2022 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

Median age was 38 and patients with benign PT were younger than others(median age was 34, 44, and 43 for benign, borderline, and malignant, respectively) (P = 0.001). Local recurrence was observed in 7 (5.3%) patients, systemic recurrence was observed in 3 (2.3%) patients, and disease‐related death was observed in 2 (1.5%) patients. Local recurrence occurred in 1.4% (n = 1) of benign tumours, 8.3% (n = 2) of borderline tumours, and 10.3% (n = 4) of malignant tumours. All of the systemic recurrences and deaths were seen in the malignant group. The local recurrence rate was found to be higher in borderline and malignant tumours with surgical margins less than 10 mm (44.4% versus 3.7%, P = 0.003), and tumours larger than 5 cm (11.8% versus 1.3%, P = 0.015). In comparison, there was no correlation between the surgical margin proximity, tumour diameter, and local recurrence rates in benign PT (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

According to our findings, negative surgical margins seem to be sufficient in the treatment of benign phyllodes tumours. Furthermore at least 1 cm negative surgical margins must be achieved for malignant and borderline phyllodes tumours to avoid local recurrence.