bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of crude protein content on intake and digestion of coastal bermudagrass hay by horses
Authors: Spurgin Chelsey L , Coverdale Josie A , Leatherwood Jessica L , Redmon Larry A , Bradbery Amanda N , Wickersham Tryon A
Published: April 2021

This study was conducted to determine the effects of forage crude protein (CP) level on intake and digestion of Coastal bermudagrass hay by horses. Four cecally fistulated geldings were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with four treatments and four periods. Horses were fed one of four Coastal bermudagrass hays consisting of 7%, 10%, 13%, or 16% CP during each of the four 15-d periods. Intake and apparent digestibility were determined for each horse at the end of each period by total fecal collection. In addition, cecal fluid and blood samples were collected on the last day of each period for the determination of cecal ammonia, cecal pH, plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), and plasma glucose concentrations. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS. CP concentration of Coastal bermudagrass hay influenced equine intake and digestion. Increasing CP concentration linearly increased digestible organic matter intake (DOMI) from 3.79 to 5.98 kg/d for 7% and 16% CP hay, respectively (P = 0.04). Furthermore, as the forage CP level increased, CP intake increased linearly (P < 0.01). The forage CP level had no effect on forage dry matter intake. Quadratic effects (P ≤ 0.05) were observed for forage OM, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and digestible energy. Overall digestibility was lowest for the 7% CP hay and highest for the 10% CP hay. Cecal pH remained above 6.62 irrespective of treatment and time, indicating that cecal pH was suitable for microbial growth. As the forage CP level increased, cecal ammonia concentration increased linearly from 0.03 mM for the 7% to 1.74 mM for the 16% CP hay (P < 0.01). Concentration of plasma glucose also linearly increased (P = 0.04) from 68.77 to 73.68 mg/dL as CP concentration increased from 7% to 16% CP. PUN exhibited a quadratic effect as concentration increased (P < 0.01) from 4.34 to 5.61 mM for the 7% and 16% CP hays, respectively. Overall, the 10% CP hay had the highest digestibility due to its higher OM digestion. As forage OMI increased, digestible OM increased until physiological capacity for digestion is exceeded. At that point, digestion will decline with the decrease in OMI, explaining the lower digestion for other forages fed.
Effects of different diet alternatives to replace the use of pharmacological levels of zinc on growth performance and fecal dry matter of weanling pigs
Authors: Laskoski Fernanda , Tokach Mike D , Woodworth Jason C , DeRouchey Joel M , Dritz Steve S , Gebhardt Jordan T , Goodband Robert D , Faccin Jamil E G , Bortolozzo Fernando P
Published: April 2021

A total of 300 weanling pigs (Line 400 × 200, DNA, Columbus, NE, initially 4.83 kg) were used in a 46-d trial to evaluate the effects of different nutritional strategies to replace pharmacological levels of Zn, provided by zinc oxide (ZnO), in nursery diets on growth performance and fecal dry matter (DM). Six treatments with 10 replicate pens per treatment and 5 pigs per pen were used. Diets consisted of: (1) positive control (ZnO providing 3,000 mg/kg added Zn from d 0 to 7 and 2,000 mg/kg added Zn from d 8 to 25 and 21% crude protein, CP); (2) negative control (NC; no added ZnO); (3) NC plus 1.2% Na diformate; (4) NC with 4% coarse ground wheat bran; (5) NC but formulated to 18% CP; and (6) the combination of NC with 18% CP, 1.2% Na diformate, and 4% coarse ground wheat bran. The diets formulated to 18% CP contained 1.2% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys from d 0 to 25, whereas the 21% CP diets contained 1.4% SID Lys from d 0 to 7 and 1.35% SID Lys from d 7 to 25. From d 25 to 46, all pigs were fed a common diet. From d 0 to 7, no differences in any variables were observed between treatments. From d 7 to 25, pigs fed the diet with added ZnO had greater (P < 0.01) average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) than all other treatments. Pigs fed the diet formulated to 18% CP had decreased (P < 0.01) ADG when compared with pigs fed the other diets. From d 25 to 46, no previous treatment effects on ADG or gain to feed ratio (G:F) were observed. Overall (d 0 to 46), pigs fed the diet with added ZnO from d 0 to 25 had greater (P < 0.01) ADG, ADFI, and final body weight than pigs fed added Na Diformate, or 4% coarse ground wheat bran, or with the 18% CP diet, or with pigs fed the combination of the additives intermediate. There was no evidence for differences in overall G:F. Pigs fed the NC diet had the lowest fecal DM and highest fecal scores (P < 0.05), indicating the greatest incidence of loose stools. Pigs fed added ZnO had greater fecal DM than pigs fed the NC, 4% added wheat bran, or 18% CP diets, or with pigs fed the combination of additives intermediate (P < 0.01). These results suggest that adding pharmacological levels of Zn from ZnO improves nursery pig performance and increases DM content of feces when compared with pigs fed diets with either Na diformate, 4% course wheat bran, or 18% CP alone. However, a combination of all three alternatives appeared to be additive and partially restored growth performance similar to adding pharmacological levels of Zn.
High-frequency stable isotope signals in uneven-aged forests as proxy for physiological responses to climate in Central Europe
Authors: Vitali Valentina , Klesse Stefan , Weigt Rosemarie , Treydte Kerstin , Frank David , Saurer Matthias , Siegwolf Rolf T W
Published: April 2021

Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Fagus sylvatica (L.) are important tree species in Europe, and the foreseen increase in temperature and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) could increase the vulnerability of these species. However, their physiological performance under climate change at temperate and productive sites is not yet fully understood, especially in uneven-aged stands.

Therefore, we investigated tree-ring width and stable isotope chronologies (δ13C/δ18O) of these two species at 10 sites along a climate gradient in Central Europe. In these uneven-aged stands, we compared the year-to-year variability of dominant and suppressed trees for the last 80 years in relation to the sites’ spatial distribution and climate.

δ18O and δ13C were generally consistent across sites and species, showing high sensitivity to summer VPD, whereas climate correlations with radial growth varied much more and depended on mean local climate. We found no significant differences between dominant and suppressed trees in the response of stable isotope ratios to climate variability, especially within the annual high-frequency signals. In addition, we observed a strikingly high coherence of the high-frequency δ18O variations across long distances with significant correlations above 1500 km, whereas the spatial agreement of δ13C variations was weaker (~700 km). We applied a dual-isotope approach that is based on known theoretical understanding of isotope fractionations to translate the observed changes into physiological components, mainly photosynthetic assimilation rate and stomatal conductance. When separating the chronologies in two time windows and investigating the shifts in isotopes ratios, a significant enrichment of either or both isotope ratios over the last decades can be observed. These results, translated by the dual-isotope approach, indicate a general climate-driven decrease in stomatal conductance. This improved understanding of the physiological mechanisms controlling the short-term variation of the isotopic signature will help to define the performance of these tree species under future climate.
SARS-CoV-2 infections in airway epithelial cells from smokers versus non-smokers
Authors: Essaidi-Laziosi Manel , Torriani Giulia , Alvarez Catia , Kaiser Laurent , Eckerle Isabella
Published: April 2021

Whether smoking exacerbates Coronavirus disease 2019 is still debated. Ex-vivo Infection of reconstituted epithelial tissues from smoker versus non-smoker donors suggested comparable susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 in epithelia from both groups.
Physiological relevance, localization and substrate specificity of the alternative (type II) mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenases ofOgataea parapolymorpha
Authors: Juergens Hannes , Mielgo-Gómez Álvaro , Godoy-Hernández Albert , ter Horst Jolanda , Nijenhuis Janine M. , McMillan Duncan G. G. , Mans Robert
Published: April 2021

Mitochondria fromOgataea parapolymorphaharbor a branched electron-transport chain containing a proton-pumping Complex I NADH dehydrogenase and three alternative (type II) NADH dehydrogenases (NDH2s). To investigate the physiological role, localization and substrate specificity of these enzymes, growth of various NADH dehydrogenase mutants was quantitatively characterized in shake-flask and chemostat cultures, followed by oxygen-uptake experiments with isolated mitochondria. Furthermore, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreduction of the three NDH2s were individually assessed. Our findings show that theO. parapolymorpharespiratory chain contains an internal NADH-accepting NDH2 (Ndh2-1/OpNdi1), at least one external NAD(P)H-accepting enzyme and likely additional mechanisms for respiration-linked oxidation of cytosolic NADH. Metabolic regulation appears to prevent competition between OpNdi1 and Complex I for mitochondrial NADH. With the exception of OpNdi1, the respiratory chain ofO. parapolymorphaexhibits metabolic redundancy and tolerates deletion of multiple NADH-dehydrogenase genes without compromising fully respiratory metabolism.

Importance

To achieve high productivity and yields in microbial bioprocesses, efficient use of the energy substrate is essential. Organisms with branched respiratory chains can respireviathe energy-efficient proton-pumping Complex I, or make use of alternative NADH dehydrogenases (NDH2s). The yeastOgataea parapolymorphacontains three uncharacterized, putative NDH2s which were investigated in this work. We show thatO. parapolymorphacontains at least one ‘internal’ NDH2, which provides an alternative to Complex I for mitochondrial NADH oxidation, albeit at a lower efficiency. The use of this NDH2 appeared to be limited to carbon excess conditions and theO. parapolymorpharespiratory chain tolerated multiple deletions without compromising respiratory metabolism, highlighting opportunities for metabolic (redox) engineering. By providing a more comprehensive understanding of the physiological role of NDH2s, including insights into their metabolic capacity, orientation and substrate specificity this study also extends our fundamental understanding of respiration in organisms with branched respiratory chains.
Machine-Perception Nanosensor Platform to Detect Cancer Biomarkers
Authors: Yaari Zvi , Yang Yoona , Apfelbaum Elana , Settle Alex , Cullen Quinlan , Cai Winson , Roche Kara Long , Levine Douglas A. , Fleisher Martin , Ramanathan Lakshmi , Zheng Ming , Jagota Anand , Heller Daniel A.
Published: April 2021

Conventional molecular recognition elements, such as antibodies, present issues for the development of biomolecular assays for use in point-of-care devices, implantable/wearables, and under-resourced settings. Additionally, antibody development and use, especially for highly multiplexed applications, can be slow and costly. We developed a perception-based platform based on an optical nanosensor array that leverages machine learning algorithms to detect multiple protein biomarkers in biofluids. We demonstrated this platform in gynecologic cancers, which are often diagnosed at advanced stages, leading to low survival rates. We investigated the platform for detection in uterine lavage samples, which are enriched with cancer biomarkers compared to blood. We found that the method enables the simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers in patient samples, with F1-scores of ~0.95 in uterine lavage samples from cancer patients. This work demonstrates the potential of perception-based systems for the development of multiplexed sensors of disease biomarkers without the need for specific molecular recognition elements.
Rapid acquisition of internal models of stimulus patterns by Purkinje cells enables faster behavioral responses
Authors: Narayanan Sriram , Varma Aalok , Thirumalai Vatsala
Published: April 2021

The cerebellum is known to optimize behavioral responses via error minimization, yet how past sensory experience shapes cerebellar output is still poorly understood. We imaged cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) in larval zebrafish during a behavioral assay in which they learnt to expect the direction of optic flow stimulus. PCs encoded signals of expectation and a graded error signal when a deviant stimulus was encountered. The amplitude of the error signal scaled based on stimulus history over minute-timescales. Granule cells (GC) did not encode error, however, some GC types encoded putative expectation signals. When PC population-wide readouts of expectation and error signals were strong, swim latency was low and vice versa, indicating participation of these signals in motor planning. Consistent with this, lesioning the cerebellum abolished expectation-dependent modulation of swim latency. Based on these results we propose that PCs use expectation and error signals to acquire and update internal models of the world.

Highlights

Larval zebrafish learn to expect repeatedly encountered optic flow stimuli

Stimulus history over minutes contributes to an internal model of the sensory world

Purkinje neuron activity encodes deviations from expected direction of optic flow

The cerebellum uses learnt expectations to generate lower latency swim responses
ePlant in 2021: New Species, Viewers, Data Sets, and Widgets
Authors: Waese-Perlman Ben , Pasha Asher , Ho Chantal , Azhieh Amirahmad , Liu Yushan , Sullivan Alexander , Lau Vincent , Esteban Eddi , Waese Jamie , Ly George , Hooper Cornelia , Staton S. Evan , Brereton Nicholas , Le Cuong , Nelson Rex , Lumba Shelley , Goodstein David , Millar A. Harvey , Parkin Isobel , Lukens Lewis , Ehlting Juergen , Rieseberg Loren , Pitre Frédéric , Brown Anne , Provart Nicholas J.
Published: April 2021

ePlant was introduced in 2017 for exploring largeArabidopsis thalianadata sets from the kilometre to nanometre scales. In the past four years we have used the ePlant framework to develop ePlants for 15 agronomically-important species: maize, poplar, tomato,Camelina sativa, soybean, potato, barley,Medicago truncatula, eucalyptus, rice, willow, sunflower,Cannabis sativa, wheat and sugarcane. We also updated the interface to improve performance and accessibility, and added two new views to the Arabidopsis ePlant – the Navigator and Pathways viewers. The former shows phylogenetic relationships between homologs in other species and their expression pattern similarities, with links to view data for those genes in the respective ePlants. The latter shows Plant Reactome metabolic reactions. We also describe new Arabidopsis data sets including single cell RNA-seq data from roots, and how to embed ePlant eFP expression pictographs into any web page.
Prostacyclin as a Negative Regulator of Angiogenesis in the Neurovasculature
Authors: Womack Tasha R , Li Jiabing , Govyadinov Pavel A , Mayerich David , Eriksen Jason L
Published: April 2021

In this study, multiple measures of angiogenic processes were assessed in murine brain endothelial (bEnd.3) cells after exposure to the stable prostacyclin analog, iloprost. Additionally, changes in the γ-secretase enzyme were evaluated after activation of prostacyclin signaling using PGI2overexpressing mouse brain tissue and immunohistology studies in bEnd.3 cells. A three-dimensional assay of tube formation revealed that iloprost inhibits normal formation by significantly reduced tube lengths and vessel mesh area. The iloprost-mediated inhibition of tube-like structures was ameliorated by a specific IP-receptor antagonist, CAY10449. Reductions in wound healing were observed with iloprost application in a dose-dependent manner and this effect was reversed using CAY10449. Iloprost did not exhibit anti-proliferative effects in the bEnd.3 cells. When subjected to a Transwell assay to evaluate changes in trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER), bEnd.3 cells displayed reduced TEER values in the presence of iloprost an effect that lasted over prolonged periods (24 hours). Again, CAY10449 was able to reverse iloprost-mediated reductions in TEER value. Surprisingly, the adenylyl cyclase activator, forskolin, produced higher TEER values in the bEnd.3 cells over the same time. The TEER results suggest that iloprost may not activating the Gs protein of the IP receptor to increase cAMP levels given by the opposing results seen with iloprost and forskolin. In terms of γ-secretase expression, PGI2overexpression in mice increased the expression of the APH-1α subunit in the hippocampus and cortex. In bEnd.3 cells, iloprost application slightly increased APH-1α subunit expression measured by western blot and interrupted the colocalization of Presenilin 1 and APH-1α subunits using immunohistochemistry. The results suggest that prostacyclin signaling within bEnd.3 cells is anti-angiogenic and further downstream events have effects on the expression and most likely the activity of the Aβ cleaving enzyme, γ-secretase.
Unraveling the critical growth factors for stable cultivation of (nano-sized) Micrarchaeota
Authors: Krause Susanne , Gfrerer Sabrina , Reuse Carsten , Dombrowski Nina , Villanueva Laura , Bunk Boyke , Spröer Cathrin , Neu Thomas R. , Kuhlicke Ute , Schmidt-Hohagen Kerstin , Hiller Karsten , Rachel Reinhard , Spang Anja , Gescher Johannes
Published: April 2021

Micrarchaeota are members of the archaeal DPANN superphylum. These so far poorly characterized archaea have been found to have reduced genomes and likely depend on interactions with host organisms for growth and survival. Here we report on the enrichment of the first stable co-culture of a member of the Micrarchaeota together with its host, as well as the isolation of the latter. Electron microscopic analysis suggest that growth is dependent on the physical interaction of the two organisms within a biofilm. The interaction seems to be ensured by the necessity to grow in form of a biofilm. Furthermore, transcriptomic analyses indicate a shift towards biofilm formation of the host as a result of co-cultivation. Finally, genomic, metabolomic, extracellular polymeric substance (EPSs) and lipid content analyses reveal that the Micrarchaeon symbiont relies on the acquisition of metabolites from its host and thereby provide first insights into the basis of symbiont-host interactions.
Unveiling the self-association and desolvation in crystal nucleation
Authors: Li Danning , Wang Yongli , Zong Shuyi , Wang Na , Li Xin , Dong Yuyuan , Wang Ting , Huang Xin , Hao Hongxun
Published: April 2021

As the first step in the crystallization process, nucleation has been studied by many researchers. In this work, phenacetin (PHEN) was selected as a model compound to investigate the relationship between the solvent and nucleation kinetics. Induction times at different supersaturation in six solvents were measured. FTIR and NMR spectroscopy were employed to explore the solvent–solute interactions and the self-association properties in solution. Density functional theory (DFT) was adopted to evaluate the strength of solute–solvent interactions and the molecular conformations in different solvents. Based on these spectroscopy data, molecular simulation and nucleation kinetic results, a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between molecular structure, crystal structure, solution chemistry and nucleation dynamics is discussed. Both the solute–solvent interaction strength and the supramolecular structure formed by the self-association of solute molecules affect the nucleation rate. The findings reported here shed new light on the molecular mechanism of nucleation in solution.
Rock versus pop: symbolic disputes at Rock in Rio music festival
Authors: Oliveira Medeiros Isabella , Evangelista Simone , Pereira de Sá Simone
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The paper aims to discuss the tensions between rock and pop genres at Rock in Rio, the most significant music festival in Brazil (which also has had international editions in Portugal, Spain and the USA), analyzing the construction and consolidation of Rock in Rio as a rock-related brand and mapping the disputes, negotiations and controversies between rock and pop music fans.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyze those facts from a framework composed by discussions about musical genres (Frith, 1996; Blacking, 1995), social constructions about rock and pop, as well as debates about taste as performance (Hennion, 2007) on digital platforms. The corpus consists of 58 posts published between 2018 and 2019 in the period prior to Rock in Rio 2019, analyzed qualitatively.

Findings

By recalling the history of Rock in Rio, the authors demonstrate that the discourses and strategies involving the festival are contradictory, which reflects on disputes about the meanings of festivals on social media. A diverse set of controversy was found, such as discussions about the artists' authenticity as well as arguments that refer to the social constructions linked to certain musical genres.

Originality/value

The paper analyzes the Rock in Rio music festival from a perspective that is not observed very often, offering insights about the relevance of music genres as mediators of the perception of the festival as a brand and the controversies involving fans and anti-fans.
How does daily family-supportive supervisor behavior relieve subordinates' job stress? The effect of ethical leadership and positive emotions
Authors: Liu Chongrui , Wang Cong , Wang Hongjie , Xu Donghua
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Relying on a multilevel approach, this paper investigates the day-to-day variations in family-supportive supervisor behaviors influencing subordinates' job stress, as well as the mediating role of positive emotions and the moderating role of ethical leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the experience-sampling methodology, the study collected the data from 137 civil servants in China who responded to one daily survey for 10 working days.

Findings

With a total of 1,370 surveys, results supported the hypothesized model linking daily family-supportive supervisor behaviors to daily job stress via subordinates' daily positive emotions. In addition, the study found a moderating effect for ethical leadership positively in the indirect relationship between family-supportive supervisor behaviors and job stress.

Practical implications

The findings in this study serve practitioners in organizational and leadership development. For one thing, this study contributes to raising awareness about the importance of improving family-related support in the workplace in generating subordinates' positive emotions and relieving their job stress. For another, the findings highlight the necessity of cultivating ethical leadership for leaders.

Originality/value

This study fulfills an identified need to clarify how and when daily family supportive supervisor behaviors influence subordinates' daily job stress. This study moves beyond previous research by adopting the experience sampling method and demonstrating important cross-level effects of ethical leadership on the within-individual relationship between family supportive supervisor behaviors and job stress.
Robust cross-lingual knowledge base question answering via knowledge distillation
Authors: Wang Shaofei , Dang Depeng
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Previous knowledge base question answering (KBQA) models only consider the monolingual scenario and cannot be directly extended to the cross-lingual scenario, in which the language of questions and that of knowledge base (KB) are different. Although a machine translation (MT) model can bridge the gap through translating questions to the language of KB, the noises of translated questions could accumulate and further sharply impair the final performance. Therefore, the authors propose a method to improve the robustness of KBQA models in the cross-lingual scenario.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose a knowledge distillation-based robustness enhancement (KDRE) method. Specifically, first a monolingual model (teacher) is trained by ground truth (GT) data. Then to imitate the practical noises, a noise-generating model is designed to inject two types of noise into questions: general noise and translation-aware noise. Finally, the noisy questions are input into the student model. Meanwhile, the student model is jointly trained by GT data and distilled data, which are derived from the teacher when feeding GT questions.

Findings

The experimental results demonstrate that KDRE can improve the performance of models in the cross-lingual scenario. The performance of each module in KBQA model is improved by KDRE. The knowledge distillation (KD) and noise-generating model in the method can complementarily boost the robustness of models.

Originality/value

The authors first extend KBQA models from monolingual to cross-lingual scenario. Also, the authors first implement KD for KBQA to develop robust cross-lingual models.
Stability and accuracy of deterministic project duration forecasting methods in earned value management
Authors: Barrientos-Orellana Alexis , Ballesteros-Pérez Pablo , Mora-Melia Daniel , González-Cruz Maria Carmen , Vanhoucke Mario
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Earned Value Management (EVM) is a project monitoring and control technique that enables the forecasting of a project's duration. Many EVM metrics and project duration forecasting methods have been proposed. However, very few studies have compared their accuracy and stability.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an exhaustive stability and accuracy analysis of 27 deterministic EVM project duration forecasting methods. Stability is measured via Pearson's, Spearman's and Kendall's correlation coefficients while accuracy is measured by Mean Squared and Mean Absolute Percentage Errors. These parameters are determined at ten percentile intervals to track a given project's progress across 4,100 artificial project networks with varied topologies.

Findings

Findings support that stability and accuracy are inversely correlated for most forecasting methods, and also suggest that both significantly worsen as project networks become increasingly parallel. However, the AT + PD-ESmin forecasting method stands out as being the most accurate and reliable.

Practical implications

Implications of this study will allow construction project managers to resort to the simplest, most accurate and most stable EVM metrics when forecasting project duration. They will also be able to anticipate how the project topology (i.e., the network of activity predecessors) and the stage of project progress can condition their accuracy and stability.

Originality/value

Unlike previous research comparing EVM forecasting methods, this one includes all deterministic methods (classical and recent alike) and measures their performance in accordance with several parameters. Activity durations and costs are also modelled akin to those of construction projects.
Emerging contractor's management and planning skills to overcome business risk factors
Authors: Amoah Christopher , Bikitsha Linda
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Emerging construction companies often liquidate due to their inability to institute strategies to handle their business risks. This study investigated the skills and strategies adopted by emerging contractors to overcome business risk factors to make their businesses sustainable.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research approach was adopted for the study. Semi-structured interview questions were used to solicit information from emerging contractors within the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Grade one (1) to four (4) in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The data gathered were analysed using qualitative content analysis to identify the main themes.

Findings

The study's findings indicate that emerging contractors face business risk factors that impact their project execution hugely. Thus to overcome these risk factors, they implement various strategies to curtail the risk they encounter in their businesses. These strategies include; human resource management (employing experienced and skilled labour and training of staff); communication management (with other employees about set goals); financial management (effective pricing of tender documents); procurement management (ensuring materials are available as and when necessary in their projects) and quality management (ensuring effective work supervision); among others.

Research limitations/implications

Although the study concentrated on the emerging construction firms in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, the findings may be applicable in other provinces and beyond South Africa.

Practical implications

In order for emerging contractors to prevent the collapse of their businesses, there is the need to be educated on effective project risk management to identify potential business risk, the mirage associated with the notion of the construction business profitability, effective tender pricing and strategic business partnership. These strategies, if well thought, will help sustain their businesses and growth in the construction industry.

Originality/value

The study has identified the management strategies used by emerging contractors to sustain their businesses in the construction industry. Thus, the finding will guide both emerging contractors who are already in the construction business and those planning to enter the construction market.
The stability of dividends and its predictability: a cross-country analysis
Authors: Pathak Rajesh , Gupta Ranjan Das
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The authors examine the stability of dividend payout and the consistency in its predictability using sample of firms from 18 different countries amid their prevailing heterogeneous formal institutions (such as the legal system, corporate governance), the distinct state of economic development (developing vs developed) and changing times (during the crisis vs the noncrisis periods).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use tobit regression models with distinct specifications for the authors’ investigations. The authors alternately analyze the study’s results using Fama–Macbeth (FM) (1973) and generalized least square (GLS) regressions.

Findings

The authors show a sharply declining stability in dividend payout with time using DeAngelo and Roll’s (2015) framework. In terms of predictive consistency, the authors report that only a few idiosyncratic factors predict dividends consistently, and these results hold qualitatively true across the robustness analysis. The firm's liquidity appears to be the most consistent predictor of dividends payout, whereas firm's size being on the other extreme. The results signify that the idiosyncratic factors that matter for firm's dividend policy are not country specific. Instead, it reveals commonality of predictors grounded on characteristics of countries such as legal environment, investor's protection, economic state (ES) and economic cycle.

Originality/value

The authors contribute to the dividends literature by providing the evidence of dividend instability through time and disapproving the stylized fact of sticky dividends. Besides, the authors provide international evidence of inconsistent predictability of dividends.
Affordable luxury consumption: an emerging market's perspective
Authors: Shahid Shadma , Islam Jamid Ul , Farooqi Rahela , Thomas George
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This study aims to focus on proposing and empirically validating a model that captures certain critical socio-psychological factors that nurture consumers' attitude towards affordable luxury brands in an emerging market context of India.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected via a cross-sectional questionnaire survey from 491 customers of different fashion accessory luxury products in India. The data were analyzed through structural equation modelling (SEM) using AMOS 23.0 SEM software.

Findings

The findings of this study reveal that conspicuousness, status consumption, brand name consciousness, need for uniqueness and hedonism positively affect consumer attitude towards affordable luxury, which consequently affects consumers' purchase intention. The findings further reveal that age acts as a moderator in driving consumers' neo-luxury consumption.

Originality/value

By uniting various socio-psychological factors with consumer attitude and purchase intention in a conceptual model, along with studying the moderating role of age, this study responds to the calls for further research regarding affordable luxury and offers a more granular understanding of specific consumer motivations that guide Indian consumers' affordable luxury consumption.
Board composition and value relevance of Ghanaian firms: a seemingly unrelated regression approach
Authors: Agyemang Badu Ebenezer , Nyarko Assabil Ebenezer
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the connection between board composition and value relevance of financial information in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a panel data of 144 firm-year observations of listed firms in Ghana.

Findings

The study finds that a higher fraction of independent directors is associated with lower firm value. The study further finds that board size is positively related to firm value, whereas duality is negatively associated with firm value.

Practical implications

The practical implication of this paper is that investors and regulators should be mindful that specifying governance composition should not only be based on “so-called” codes of best practices but also the level of the country's or the sector's development and local institutional structures.

Originality/value

This study uses five different measurements of market share and considers the impact of the provision of the Code of Best Practices in Ghana.
Mapping the scientific research on alternative momentum investing: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Singh Simarjeet , Walia Nidhi , Saravanan Sivagandhi , Jain Preeti , Singh Avtar , jain Jinesh
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This study aims to recognize the current dynamics, prolific contributors and salient trends and propose future research directions in the area of alternative momentum investing.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a blend of electronic database and forward reference searching to ensure the incorporation of all the significant studies. With the help of the Scopus database, the present study retrieves 122 research papers published from 1999 to 2020.

Findings

The results reveal that alternative momentum investing is an emerging area in the field of momentum investing. However, this area has witnessed an exponential growth in last ten years. The study also finds that North American, West European and East Asian countries dominate in total research publications. Through network citation analysis, the study identifies five major clusters: industrial momentum, earnings momentum, 52-week high momentum, time-series momentum and risk-managed momentum.

Research limitations/implications

The present review will serve as a guide for financial researchers who intend to work on alternative momentum approaches. The study proposes several unexplored research themes in alternative momentum investing on which future studies can focus.

Originality/value

The study embellishes the existing literature on momentum investing by contributing the first bibliometric review on alternative momentum approaches.
Analysis of the factors influencing adoption of 3D design digital technologies in Colombian firms
Authors: Henao‐Ramírez Ana María , López-Zapata Esteban
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyse the factors influencing intention to adopt 3D design digital technologies (3DDTs) by Colombian firms.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual framework was developed using technology-organization-environment (TOE) and technology acceptance model (TAM) theoretical frameworks. From a sample of 138 firms, a structural equation model was analysed with partial least squares (SEM-PLS).

Findings

The study identified that perceived usefulness in the technological dimension; technological competence and top management support in the organizational dimension; and competitive pressures in the environmental dimension, are variables affecting intention to adopt 3DDT. The effects of the mediating variables with respect to intention to adopt the technology are also analysed, such as perceived usefulness on the effect of ease of use; top management support on the effect of technological competence and financial readiness; and competitive pressures on the effect of stakeholder pressure. The model explained 71.1% of the 3DDT intention to adopt.

Practical implications

The model can be used as a guideline to ensure a positive outcome of the 3DDT adoption in organizations. The results could be useful to understand a technological adoption process for digital transformation.

Originality/value

The proposed model integrates some contributions from the TAM and TOE theories and identifies some novel mediating effects that improve its predictive and explanatory power. Furthermore, this is a pioneering study in empirical research on 3DDT in the context of a developing country, specifically in Colombia. The findings from this study provide a foundation for other studies, as well as constructive insights for digital transformation, due to its infancy in an emerging economy.
A novel heuristic approach for sustainable social and economic development based on green computing technology and big data
Authors: Wu Xiaoman , Liu Jun , Peng Yulian
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Without damaging and consuming natural resources, green computing technology can meet the needs of society for a long time. This paper discusses how to realize the sustainable development of social economy through the innovation of green computing technology.

Design/methodology/approach

For the green computing technology and sustainable social and economic development problems, it builds back propagation (BP) neural network model and analyzes the topological structure of the network model as well as the impact of the training errors allowed by the network on its performance.

Findings

By optimizing the number of input nodes, the number of hidden nodes and the target value, the genetic algorithm (GA) can get the optimal neural network model. The simulation experiment proves that the proposed model is effective.

Originality/value

It can not only reduce the possibility of falling into local optimum, but also optimize the initial weights and thresholds of BP neural network and further improve the stability and test effect of BP neural network model.
You can't make me! The role of self-leadership in enhancing organizational commitment and work engagement
Authors: Knotts Kevin G. , Houghton Jeffery D.
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of self-leadership in enhancing work engagement through the mediating mechanisms of affective, normative and continuance organizational commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected from 258 transportation workers were examined in a parallel mediation model in PROCESS.

Findings

The results of these analyses suggest that the positive relationship between self-leadership and work engagement is partially mediated by affective commitment and normative commitment, but not by continuance commitment.

Research limitations/implications

The findings imply that organizational decision makers should implement practices designed to increase self-leadership in the workplace and enhance employee work engagement. These practices include empowering leadership, recruitment and selection of self-leading employees, and self-leadership training interventions. The study was subject to limitations common to attitudinal survey research.

Originality/value

This study responds calls to explore the mediating mechanisms through which self-leadership affects organizational outcomes and helps explain why self-leadership affects employee work engagement.
Halal logistics in a rentier state: an observation
Authors: Ab Talib Mohamed Syazwan , Wahab Siti Norida
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Brunei Darussalam, a rentier state, aims to be one of the leading nations in the global halal industry, and logistics play a key role in realising the goal. However, even though logistics is a vital aspect of the halal supply chain, little is known about the halal logistics scene in Brunei. Therefore, this paper aims to discuss and uncover the various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats surrounding the country's halal logistics sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs a subjective environmental scanning approach and a SWOT analysis technique through the author's observation of Brunei's halal logistics ecosystem from both intrinsic and extrinsic lenses.

Findings

The paper argues that substantial institutional support is an apparent strength, but the lack of halal logistics experts is a distinct weakness. Meanwhile, the growing use of technology presents an opportunity for the industry, but formidable regional competition poses a significant threat.

Research limitations/implications

Despite the paper's qualitative approach, insights from it could offer a better understanding of halal logistics in Brunei and serve a platform for future research endeavours.

Originality/value

Being a rentier state that depends on a non-renewable source, this paper offers an alternative strategy to diversify the economy and venture into the halal economy.
Pulling levers in New Haven, CT: an analysis of the TimeZup initiative and its impact on murder, robbery, and assault
Authors: Levchak Philip J.
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This study examines the effect of TimeZup – a lever pulling strategy designed to reduce gun violence in New Haven, Connecticut.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of ARIMA and dynamically complete models are estimated to determine if TimeZup was associated with any significant changes in New Haven's murder, firearm robbery and firearm assault rates. A quasi-experimental design is also used to compare New Haven to six, similarly situated cities in the Northeastern United States.

Findings

The results indicate that New Haven experienced a significant decrease in its firearm robbery rate in the summer of 1997 – a date that preceded TimeZup but coincided with other lever pulling strategies implemented by the New Haven Police Department.

Originality/value

Although an older program, TimeZup was not rigorously analyzed. After the conclusion of the program, basic pre- and post-comparisons suggested TimeZup was effective. Using a rigorous methodology, this study shows it was not. This study points out that interventions such as TimeZup often coincide with pre-existing crime reduction strategies. Evaluators should account for those pre-existing strategies because it may be those strategies – and not the intervention being examined – that are impacting crime rates.
EFL students' attitudes toward corrective feedback: a study conducted at undergraduate level
Authors: Halim Tanzina , Wahid Rizwana , Halim Shanjida
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is mainly to find out the EFL learners' attitude towards corrective feedback. This paper also investigates types of learners who prefer the online or offline corrective feedback, and how feedback should be tailored to the needs of the learners.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted on sixty female participants who were students of levels 7 and 8 of the B. A. program (English) at King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. They were administered a questionnaire comprising eight questions about corrective feedback from teachers individually and independently so that they could identify their own choices without any influence from other participants. The items in the questionnaire were closed items.

Findings

It was found that both types of feedbacks are essential to enhance learners' linguistic accuracy. Learners have shown their positive attitude towards teachers' corrective feedback because they consider it a motivating learning tool. Not only that the learners have expressed the view that corrective feedback is very useful in enhancing the learning process for EFL learners. On the other hand, some of the learners are not serious about going through corrective feedback given by teachers because sometimes they are unable to differentiate between what helps or hampers progress towards language learning. However, they preferred both online (immediate/automated) feedback and offline (delayed) feedback. In general, the results state that the learners have expressed the view that corrective feedback is very useful in enhancing the learning process for EFL learners.

Research limitations/implications

This study has some limitations. The first one is the sample size. Only students from levels 7 and 8 (undergraduates) were taken into consideration. The second limitation is that the researchers focused on only one university in Saudi Arabia. The third limitation is that no male students participated in this study. The results might be different if the male students participated as well.

Originality/value

One vital point in employing CF in the language classrooms is timing. Considering the timing of corrective feedback, teachers face the problem of whether CF should be immediate (online) or delayed (offline).
Direct transfer of zinc between plants is channelled by common mycorrhizal network of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and evidenced by changes in expression of zinc transporter genes in fungus and plant
Authors: Cardini Alessio , Pellegrino Elisa , Declerck Stéphane , Calonne‐Salmon Maryline , Mazzolai Barbara , Ercoli Laura
Published: April 2021

The role that common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) play in plant‐to‐plant transfer of zinc (Zn) has not yet been investigated, despite the proved functions of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in crop Zn acquisition. Here, two autotrophic Medicago truncatula plants were linked by a CMN formed by Rhizophagus irregularis. Plants were grown in vitro in physically separated compartments (Donor‐C and Receiver‐C) and their connection ensured only by CMN. A symbiosis‐defective mutant of M. truncatula was used as control in Receiver‐C. Plants in both compartments were grown on Zn‐free medium, and only the leaves of the donor plants were Zn fertilized. A direct transfer of Zn was demonstrated from donor leaves to receiver shoots mediated by CMN. Direct transfer of Zn was supported by changes in the expression of fungal genes, RiZRT1 and RiZnT1, and plant gene MtZIP2 in roots and MtNAS1 in roots and shoots of the receiver plants. Moreover, Zn transfer was supported by the change in expression of MtZIP14 gene in AM fungal colonized roots. This work is the first evidence of a direct Zn transfer from a donor to a receiver plant via CMN, and of a triggering of transcriptional regulation of fungal‐plant genes involved in Zn transport‐related processes.