bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crystal structure of an inorganic pyrophosphatase from Chlamydia trachomatis D/UW-3/Cx
Authors: Maddy Jasmine , Staker Bart L. , Subramanian Sandhya , Abendroth Jan , Edwards Thomas E. , Myler Peter J. , Hybiske Kevin , Asojo Oluwatoyin A.
Published: February 2022

Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted infections globally and is one of the most commonly reported infections in the United States. There is a need to develop new therapeutics due to drug resistance and the failure of current treatments to clear persistent infections. Structures of potential C. trachomatis rational drug-discovery targets, including C. trachomatis inorganic pyrophosphatase (CtPPase), have been determined by the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease. Inorganic pyrophosphatase hydrolyzes inorganic pyrophosphate during metabolism. Furthermore, bacterial inorganic pyrophosphatases have shown promise for therapeutic discovery. Here, a 2.2 Å resolution X-ray structure of CtPPase is reported. The crystal structure of CtPPase reveals shared structural features that may facilitate the repurposing of inhibitors identified for bacterial inorganic pyrophosphatases as starting points for new therapeutics for C. trachomatis.
Motivating immersive BIM uptake through user attitude: analysis of initial solution using design science approach
Authors: Ramanayaka Chamil Dilhan Erik , Olatunji Oluwole Alfred , Weerasuriya Asiri U.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Beyond a mandated use, rationales behind executive choice to accept or reject building information modelling (BIM) are ambiguous. BIM acceptance is complex for organisations, and existing decision-making models are impractical to make realistic choices. A practical solution must assist a holistic reflection of internal and external BIM success factors. Nevertheless, extant literature is largely focused on software use and awareness. Thus, this paper aims to suggest a novel framework for assessing firm readiness, aimed at facilitating BIM uptake.

Design/methodology/approach

Extant explanatory studies are inadequate in assessing the soft nature of BIM uptake. Thus, a design science research was employed as an alternative methodology. A means-end analysis was utilised for solution incubation, and cross-disciplinary reasoning, the strategy to establish valid solutions on firm readiness. Previous studies were reviewed on BIM, technology acceptance (generally) and complexity.

Findings

“Technology attitude” is presented as involving more holistic variables than a simplistic reliance on software use to mirror BIM acceptance. Technology acceptance model (TAM) is appropriate to explain BIM attitude attributes, but its current use is sub-optimal. Selective information processing and unconscious thought theory were integrated into TAM to explain attitude formation from multiple perspectives, resulting in a novel BIM attitude scale (BIMAS). Upon verification, the proposed framework will facilitate an objective authentication of biases that associate with BIM acceptance.

Originality/value

Whilst BIM readiness is assessed largely with a primary focus on theory building, practical relevance must be at the forefront of BIM development. This study articulates that design science research can enhance the practical relevance of BIM adoption models. BIM acceptance attitude must be assessed through a verified scale contrary to the assessment of self-biases of executives in literature. BIMAS suggests a testable solution for this. Theory building research must be the future focus to enhance the relevance of this initial solution.
A novel multi-material topology optimization method for permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance motors
Authors: Hidaka Yuki
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a multi-material topology optimization method for permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motors.

Design/methodology/approach

In the proposed method, the optimization procedure consists of two steps. In the first step, the entire rotor area was selected for the design region and the distribution of the core and air materials was optimized. In the second step, the design region was limited to the air region of the former solution and the distribution of magnets and cores or magnets and air was optimized.

Findings

Because of the two-step process of the proposed method, the design parameters can be reduced compared to the conventional method. As a result, this study can prevent the solution space from becoming more complex and superior solutions can be founded effectively.

Research limitations/implications

Since limited case study is denoted in this paper, much more case studies, for example, three-dimensional optimization problems, are needed to be discussed.

Practical implications

The optimal solutions obtained by the proposed method have a smaller magnet volume and higher average torque than that of the conventional method.

Originality/value

In the proposed methods, optimization methodology, which consists of two-steps process, is differed from the conventional method.
“It’s hard for them to even understand what we are saying”(.) Language and power in the multinational workplace
Authors: Kim Kyoungmi , Angouri Jo
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of language ideologies in negotiating organisational relationships in a Korean multinational company (MNC). By adopting an interactional sociolinguistics (IS) approach, this paper illustrates how language becomes part of a mechanism of negotiating group membership and of perpetuating or challenging power asymmetries through social and ideological processes.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on interview data from an ethnographic case study of a Korean MNC to understand language ideologies in one working team. The interview data are analysed through an IS framework to connect the situated interaction to the broader social context.

Findings

This paper shows that participants’ discourse of linguistic differentiation becomes an interactional resource in challenging the organisational status quo. Linguistic superiority/inferiority is constructed through particular sequencing and the systematic production of a dichotomy between two groups – expatriate managers and local employees – at various levels of their company structure. Group membership is enacted temporarily in positioning the self and the others.

Originality/value

This paper offers a methodological contribution to international business language-sensitive research on language and power by conducting interactional analysis of interview talk. Through the lens of IS, it provides insights into how discourse becomes a primary site of negotiating power and status and a multi-level approach to the study of organisational power dynamics and the complex linguistic landscape of any workplace.
Quantifying the evolutionary mechanism of COVID-19 impact on international construction multi-projects: a risk driver perspective
Authors: Jin Feng , Xiang Wenwu , Ji Zheng , Zhang Bochen
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the evolutionary mechanism of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impact on international construction multi-projects.

Design/methodology/approach

From three concepts of complexity, stressor and detractor risks, a multi-project simulation model under COVID-19 outbreak is proposed to study the characteristics of contingency with three peaks of ordered and disordered states. Specially, COVID-19 brings forth mitigation fee, epidemic prevention fee, holdup fee and schedule delay fee of multi-projects. By integrating parametric model, Monte Carlo and chaos theory, a comparative analysis of its contingency with or without COVID-19 is conducted. Summarizing the simulated results, their total contingencies at certain risk tolerance are obtained at two status of static at one-time point and dynamic over time. Meanwhile, some major risks including detractors, complexities and stressors are screened out for mitigation, especially for epidemic prevention and control. Eventually, the real case is illustrated to demonstrate its validity.

Findings

It provides a quantitative analysis framework for the impact of epidemic, a once-in-a-century black swan event with a long tail, on construction multi-projects.

Practical implications

It conduct an effective model to quantify impacts of COVID-19 on international construction multi-projects for implementing effective counter-measures, which lay foundation for claims among different stakeholders.

Originality/value

The term of detractor risk is applied to describe COVID-19 and quantify its impact upon international construction multi-projects. Further, a hybrid model by integrating parametric model and Monte Carlo in type I/II model is proposed to simulate their contingencies at disordered states. Finally, the simulated outcomes of these models are used to guide effective risk control to meet the requirements by the client.
Returning to historic neighborhoods: exploring the role of architectural identity elements on the formation of physical identity
Authors: Farhad Sharareh , Maghsoodi Tilaki Mohammad Javad , Hedayati Marzbali Massoomeh
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The study aims to evaluate the relationship among architectural identity, physical identity and neighborhood attachment in a residential neighborhood in the core of Sanandaj, Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

This quantitative study conducted a survey of 208 residents in a historic neighborhood. The study hypothesized the mediating role of physical identity on the relationship between architectural identity and neighborhood attachment. Structural equation modeling using analysis of a moment structures (AMOS) software was used to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

Research findings show the reliability and validity of the proposed model. The results indicate a significant relationship between architectural and physical identity and a significant direct relationship between physical identity and neighborhood attachment. However, no significant direct relationship is found between architectural identity and neighborhood attachment, and only a significant indirect effect is found through physical identity. Therefore, architectural identity elements contribute to increasing physical identity and subsequently attach to the neighborhood.

Originality/value

Given the necessity for revitalizing the neighborhoods in the historical core of the cities to prevent the migration from old neighborhoods and the destruction of the valuable fabrics, establishing emotional relationships between residents and the place and improving interactions among residents is required. The mental values of residents change over time. Although the identification and use of identity elements in residential buildings is a significant way to revitalize the historic residential fabrics, only a few studies have experimentally assessed the impact of architectural identity elements in the creation of physical identity on the residents’ attachment to the historic neighborhood.
Developing secondary schools as learning organisations: a systemic contribution
Authors: Barnard Peter Alexander
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to explain the link between traditional same-age school structure and the impact this has on a school’s capacity for individual and organisational learning; second, to explain why attempts to develop schools as learning organisations (LOs) invariably reify existing structures and practice, and finally, to provide an example of how and why schools that have adopted a multi-age form of organisation, a vertical tutoring (VT) system, have stumbled upon an embryonic form of LO.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper draws on a critical review of the LO literature and its defining characteristics. The paper adopts a multi-disciplinary approach combining autopoiesis and complexity science to explore differences in learning capacity between traditional same-age schools (year or grade-based structure) and schools that have transitioned to multi-age organisation (vertical tutoring system).

Findings

The traditional form of same-age organisational “grammar” used in secondary schools is highly resistant to change, and any attempts at reform that fail to focus on organisation only reify existing systemic behaviour. VT schools change their form of organisation enabling them to create the capacity needed to absorb the unheard voices of participant actors (staff, students, and parents) and promote individual and organisational learning (constituent features of the LO).

Originality/value

This conceptual paper argues that for secondary schools to develop any semblance of an LO, they must abandon the restrictions on learning caused by their same-age form of organisation. The VT system provides the kind of organisational template needed.
The relationship between socioeconomic development, renewable energies and the innovative process
Authors: Sousa Saymon Ricardo de Oliveira , da Silva Wesley Vieira , Kaczam Fabíola , Cruz Nicholas Joseph Tavares da , Veiga Claudimar Pereira da , Zanini Roselaine Ruviaro
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the relationships between socioeconomic development, renewable energy and the innovative process by providing: a descriptive analysis; a co-occurrence analysis of terms, thematic mapping and conceptual structure; and the typology of the textual corpus.

Design/methodology/approach

To analyze the relationship between “renewable energies, socioeconomic development and the innovative process,” it is necessary to build a theoretical foundation that contains the relevant scientific studies and reflects the current state of the art on the subject. For this, this study developed a systematic literature review (SLR) using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses research protocol to answer the relationship on the theme.

Findings

Research shows a global understanding of the need to invest in developing studies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve economic growth. The main contributions lie in providing a typology of the state of the art, identifying the joint relationships between themes, insights into the key themes and indicating themes that must be developed. This study may also support future empirical studies as it provides a theoretical foundation for formulating hypotheses, which can be tested through qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Originality/value

The innovative character consists of addressing a shortage of SLRs on this theme. Thus, this paper fills this gap by providing a theoretical foundation for future scientific and academic knowledge generation. Furthermore, regarding the interdisciplinary aspects of this research as contributions, this paper presented different approaches and theoretical perspectives.
Construing drivers of firm competitiveness: coalescing pursuit of excellence with entrepreneurial competencies
Authors: Biswas Abhijeet
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The burgeoning population has an adverse impact on the employability prospects in the emerging economies and has triggered entrepreneurial activities to steer this predicament. The purpose of this study is to explicate the major entrepreneurial competencies that drive firm competitiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

Three industrial estates were selected from the two major industrial districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. The study used a cross-sectional design and responses from micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) entrepreneurs were collected by employing a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was applied to empirically validate the proposed hypotheses in the study.

Findings

The study discerns the enablers of firm competitiveness and pursuit of excellence. The results reveal that the need for achievement and locus of control competencies strikingly augment firm competitiveness while risk-taking capability and innovativeness competencies aggrandize pursuit of excellence competency. The study further adduces that pursuit of excellence partially mediates between the liaison of risk-taking capability and innovativeness on the one end and firm competitiveness on the other.

Research limitations/implications

The study demonstrates the compelling determinants of firm competitiveness and pursuit of excellence that might embolden training institutes and banks to emphasize the identified competencies for enhancing firm competitiveness and advancing loans.

Originality/value

There is a paucity of literature on “pursuit of excellence” and “firm competitiveness” regarding the MSME sector in India. Therefore, the study contributes to the literature by synthesizing these constructs in an epigrammatic conceptual model. The study is distinctive because it is one of the rare studies to explore the mediating effects of the pursuit of excellence entrepreneurial competency.
From two-track to tessellation: a revised circulation of power model
Authors: Widdersheim Michael M.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to test and, if necessary, refine a model of the public sphere known as the circulation of power model. The model faces several criticisms and was applied in a case study only once. It has not yet been applied to an American context.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the circulation of power model as a framework in a historical case study of a regional public library system in the United States. The temporal boundaries of the case are from 1924 to 2016.

Findings

This study resulted in a new and modified model called the tessellation model. New concepts in the tessellation model include circuits, tessellations, formal decisions and decision cycles. New distinctions in the model include narrowcast/broadcast and coalesced public/diffuse public.

Research limitations/implications

The tessellation model and its associated concepts offer a new way to describe and analyze deliberative systems over time. The model requires further testing in other contexts.

Originality/value

The tessellation model is a new and validated way to describe the public sphere in an American political context.
The impact of COVID-19 on financial structure and performance of Islamic banks: a comparative study with conventional banks in the GCC countries
Authors: El-Chaarani Hani , Ismail Tariq H. , El-Abiad Zouhour , El-Deeb Mohamed Samy
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The aim of this paper has twofold: (1) to explain and compare the financial evolution of Islamic and conventional banking sector in the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) to explore the key success factors that might affect Islamic and conventional banks performance before and mainly during COVID-19 pandemic period.

Design/methodology/approach

Orbis Bank Focus database and annual financial reports are used to collect financial information of Islamic and conventional banks in GCC countries over four years: 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Descriptive statistics, T-test, multiple regression, and 2SLS and GMM models are employed to analyze the financial structure and performance of Islamic and conventional banks before and during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Findings

Results of this study reveal that (1) there is a significant difference between Islamic banks and conventional banks during the crisis of COVID-19, where the conventional banks have presented a higher level of financial performance and financial liquidity than their Islamic counterparts, (2) conventional banks have revealed higher capacity to manage their financial risk during the crisis period, and (3) a high level of non-performing loan, high inflation rate and high percentage of non-important cost have a negative impact on the financial performance of Islamic banks mainly during the pandemic period of COVID-19. However, the result indicates that a high level of liquidity risk increased the performance of Islamic banks but this impact falls sharply during the pandemic period.

Originality/value

This study provides information that supports investors, regulators and executive managers in GCC countries. A well-structured balance sheet would improve the financial performance and risk management of the banking sector in GCC countries, especially in times of crisis and pandemics.
The influence of institutions on early-stage entrepreneurial activity: a comparison between men and women in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Aljarodi Abdullah , Thatchenkery Tojo , Urbano David
Published: February 2022

Purpose

To date, insufficient research has been conducted on gender differences in entrepreneurial activity among entrepreneurs in developing countries. This study aims to analyse the influences of formal and informal institutional factors on entrepreneurial activity among men and women in the context of Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach

This research involves a quantitative analysis of recently collected primary data. Hypotheses are formulated and tested using the Mann–Whitney U test and a binomial logistic regression analysis. Also, the present study draws on institutional economics as a framework to explore how formal and informal institutional factors influence whether Saudi Arabian men and women become entrepreneurs.

Findings

The results revealed that compared to the effects of formal institutional factors, the effects of informal institutional factors are more reliable predictors of women’s entrepreneurship behaviour. Specifically, women are more likely than men to be stereotyped and more likely to benefit from networking.

Practical implications

Regarding policy implications, this study suggests several checks for different institutions to increase entrepreneurship among each gender.

Originality/value

The findings presented here advance entrepreneurial research by empirically examining factors that influence men’s and women’s desires to become entrepreneurs in a fast-growing emerging economy. The findings show a substantial shift in the institutional environment and indicate an extremely collectivist society. This study provides a basis for future studies on factors within the institutional environment and their impacts on whether men and women become entrepreneurs in Eastern nations. Regarding policy implications, this study suggests several ways for different institutions to increase entrepreneurship among each gender.
Property taxation: the encouraging factors for payment among the taxpayers
Authors: Abdullah Shardy , Abdul Wahab Muhammad Rosmizan , Abdul Razak Arman , Hanafi Mohd Hanizun
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study was identifying factors that encourage property tax payment among property owners, specifically from the residential property segment within the Malaysian context. This aim is derived from existing evidence which clearly indicates a steady annual increase in property tax arrears from non-complying property owners as reported by the local governments (LGs).

Design/methodology/approach

This research was conducted using a survey method where a questionnaire was used as the research instrument in garnering the necessary study data. The collected data was analyzed through quantitative means towards gleaning study findings to fulfil the set objectives. The analyses used within this study were reliability analysis, descriptive analysis and factor analysis.

Findings

Research findings indicate that there are five factors that encourage property tax payment, namely, the proactive action capability of LGs; stimulation of payment; quality of staff and service; reliable tax foundation and governance; and smart expenditure. The identification of these factors has the potential to act as a mitigation mechanism for LGs to alleviate the issue of property tax arrears.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study may be used by LGs in developing a comprehensive action plan to encourage property owners to pay taxes. The study findings are exploratory in nature, based on the locality of the LG selected in this study, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP). As such, the findings may not be considered as a generalization of the property tax situation throughout Malaysia as study data was only collected from the administrative region of MBPP. However, these findings can still be used as a basis in establishing similar studies within other LGs which demonstrate similar characteristics with MBPP.

Originality/value

In the Malaysian scenario, the focus of the previous studies on property tax arrears revolves around actions that have been taken by LGs to encourage the payment of property tax. However, in this study, the determination of encouraging factors is no longer referred to LG perspectives but was investigated from the taxpayer dimension. This approach allows new mitigating ideas to be developed and adds value in the context of a different perspective towards establishing a more practicable action plan in reducing property tax arrears.
Antecedents of customer loyalty in Islamic banking: evidence from Tanzania
Authors: Tegambwage Amani Gration , Kasoga Pendo Shukrani
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the association between relationship quality, service quality, customer satisfaction, switching barriers and Islamic banking customer loyalty using evidence from Tanzania.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used correlational research design to test the hypotheses. Completed questionnaires were received from 572 Islamic bank customers in three major cities of Tanzania (Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Zanzibar).

Findings

There is a significant positive relationship between relationship quality, service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Switching barriers have an insignificant effect on customer loyalty. Further, the four antecedents contribute differentially to customer loyalty, with service quality having the most significant contribution.

Practical implications

The findings of the study can help managers of Islamic banks build and maintain customer loyalty through high service quality, high customer satisfaction and high-quality bank–customer relationships and attain a competitive advantage that would enable Islamic banks to grow and succeed in a competitive banking environment.

Originality/value

This study provides new insights on Islamic banking consumer loyalty by comparing the levels of contributions of the customer loyalty antecedents in a single study. This knowledge would enable Islamic banks to identify antecedents that have the highest contribution to customer loyalty and where best to target marketing attention and limited corporate resources.
Knowledge sharing in project work: the dynamic interplay of knowledge domains and skills
Authors: Li Shuyang , Martins Jorge Tiago , Vasconcelos Ana Cristina , Peng Guochao
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aims to illuminate the currently poorly understood inflow of knowledge originating from project managers across the value chain of construction projects. The primary purpose is to identify the domains of knowledge that project managers’ need to share in their management activities, the skills they need to develop in their sharing practices and how these relate to each other across different phases of a construction project.

Design/methodology/approach

Knowledge domains, skills and the relationships between them were identified following an inductive methodology, a combination of grounded theory and case study, and through the analysis of semi-structured interviews with 21 project managers and participants within a single construction project.

Findings

The outcome is a novel framework that theorizes the dynamic interplay between knowledge domains and the skills that facilitate knowledge sharing (KS) for successful project work throughout the construction project.

Originality/value

The combined effects of task heterogeneity, knowledge interdependencies and temporariness require paying increased attention to how knowledge domains and KS skills impact project performance. This paper addresses gaps in developing an integrative understanding of the nature of the domains of knowledge that need to be shared in a project context, the key skills contributing to KS and more importantly, how they evolve and are interpreted and reinterpreted throughout the project and assist KS practice in projects.
Corporate governance and stakeholder capitalism
Authors: Shahrokhi Manuchehr , Parhizgari Ali M. , Hashemijoo Mohammad , Okafor Collins E. , Nishikawa Yuka , Dastan Alireza
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The authors revisit the inquiry into the primacy of shareholders vis-à-vis stakeholders that has been debated since 19th Century. The authors consider B-business firms as the closest groups of firms that have considerable similarities to stakeholders' firms. The authors model the impact of being certified as stakeholders (B-business) firms in a worldwide environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Employing daily returns data of B-corporations in a global setting during 2010–2021, the authors quantify and compare the firms' performance in the pre- and post-certified periods, measure the effect of their environmental social governance (ESG) scores on their performance and gauge the entire results on a standardized approach that yields easy interpretation.

Findings

Subject to some caveats arising from limited coverage and the lack of data on proper control variables, the findings, based on the statistical significance of the estimated coefficients, do not indicate any changes in B-corporations' performance in their post-certification dates. Notwithstanding that, market factor appears to be the driving force consistently.

Originality/value

Prior studies on B-corporations are overwhelmingly qualitative. The current study is the first study that evaluate performance of B-corporations' returns at firm level with daily data.
Customer integration and customer value: contingency roles of innovation capabilities and supply chain network complexity
Authors: Fianko Alexander Otchere , Essuman Dominic , Boso Nathaniel , Muntaka Abdul Samed
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Prior research assumes that customer integration enhances customer value. However, the mechanisms and conditions under which customer integration contributes to customer value are less understood. This study aims to draw insight from the resource-based view (RBV) to conceptualize customer integration as an input resource that triggers product and process innovation capabilities to enhance customer value. The study further draws on the contingent RBV to examine supply chain network complexity (SCNC) conditions under which customer integration contributes to customer value through product and process innovation capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study’s conceptual framework is tested on primary data from 335 firms in Ghana. PROCESS and ordinary least square regression analyses were used to test the study hypotheses. Additional analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling and two-stage least square regression analysis.

Findings

This study finds that, beyond the significant direct positive association between customer integration and customer value, product and process innovation capabilities mediate the association between customer integration and customer value. Evidence further shows that the indirect associations between customer integration and customer value through product and process innovations are strengthened when SCNC increases.

Originality/value

This research validates the presumed relationship between customer integration and customer value and provides theoretical arguments and empirical evidence to demonstrate how process and product innovation capabilities uniquely and in interaction with SCNC transform this relationship.
Does coming out matter? A serial mediation model from outness to reduced psychological distress among Chinese gay men
Authors: Zhou Jianan , Wang Yunxia
Published: February 2022

Coming out of the closet refers to the self‐disclosure of one's sexual orientation to other people. A majority of gay men in mainland China are hesitant about coming out. Considerable research in Western contexts has demonstrated that coming out can alleviate gay men's psychological distress. The current study thus aims to understand the psychological impacts of coming out for gay men in mainland China. We employed a serial mediation model to examine the relationship between overall outness and psychological distress, with internalized homonegativity as the first‐order mediator and perceived discrimination based on same‐sex sexual orientation (hereafter “perceived discrimination”) as the second‐order mediator. An online sample of 251 Chinese adult gay men (Mage = 25.25 years, SD = 5.28 years) completed self‐report measures of outness, internalized homonegativity, perceived discrimination, and psychological distress. Results showed that the negative association between overall outness and psychological distress was partially mediated by internalized homonegativity (indirect effect = −0.057, bias‐corrected 95% confidence interval [−0.153, −0.011]), and serially mediated by internalized homonegativity and then perceived discrimination (indirect effect = −0.019, bias‐corrected 95% confidence interval [−0.048, −0.007]), controlling for age. Additionally, we did not find the simple mediating effect of perceived discrimination between overall outness and psychological distress, which may be because coming out reduced oversensitivity and perception bias but increased the probability of actual discriminatory experiences. These results contribute to our understanding of how coming out affects psychological distress among Chinese gay men. Furthermore, this study may illuminate the design of psychological crisis intervention focusing on this group in mainland China.
Homocysteine levels correlate with velocimetric parameters in patients with erectile dysfunction undergoing penile duplex ultrasound
Authors: Salvio Gianmaria , Ciarloni Alessandro , Cordoni Simone , Cutini Melissa , Delli Muti Nicola , Finocchi Federica , Firmani Francesca , Giovannini Lara , Perrone Michele , Balercia Giancarlo
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Hyperhomocysteinemia may contribute to the development of endothelial dysfunction and, consequently, atherosclerosis, a systemic disease involving the vessels that may affect the cavernous arteries leading to vasculogenic erectile dysfunction. Our study aims therefore to explore the relationship between homocysteine levels and velocimetric parameters detected by basal penile duplex ultrasound such as peak systolic velocity and flaccid penile acceleration in patients with erectile dysfunction.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted collecting clinical, metabolic, hormonal, and instrumental (basal penile duplex ultrasound) data in patients affected by vasculogenic erectile dysfunction.

Results

Data of 126 subjects affected by erectile dysfunction were collected. Mean age was 52.1 ± 12.6 years, whereas mean body mass index was 25.6 ± 4.0 kg/m2. Basal penile duplex ultrasound showed peak systolic velocity values of 13.1 ± 2.9 cm/s and mean flaccid penile acceleration of 2.28 ± 0.70 m/s2, with a strong correlation among these two parameters (r = 0.690; p < 0.001). Frankly pathological values of peak systolic velocity and flaccid penile acceleration were detected in 39.7% and 4.8% of the subjects examined, respectively. Mean homocysteine levels were 14.9 ± 9.5 μmol/l. Homocysteine values >15 μmol/l were found in 26% of the subjects with erectile dysfunction. Peak systolic velocity values and homocysteine levels showed an inverse correlation (r = –0.213; p = 0.03). Similarly, flaccid penile acceleration values were inversely correlated to homocysteine levels (r = –0.199; p = 0.05). In addition, an inverse correlation was found between both peak systolic velocity and flaccid penile acceleration and body mass index, atherogenic lipid pattern, and age. Homocysteine and metabolic parameters showed no significant correlations.

Conclusion

Hyperhomocysteinemia is highly prevalent in erectile dysfunction patients. The results of our study show that homocysteine levels correlate with velocimetric parameters assessed by basal penile duplex ultrasound, confirming the role of hyperhomocysteinemia in the genesis of erectile dysfunction of arterial origin.
A new method for detecting sticky rice in ancient mortar based on ELISA
Authors: Zhang Di , Wu Meng , Zhu Hui , Zhang Bingjian , Zhu Longguan
Published: February 2022

As a common organic additive in organic–inorganic composite mortar, sticky rice significantly augments the strength, toughness, and waterproof properties of the mortar. In China, sticky rice mortar has been used for more than 1,500 years. However, the traditional iodine‐starch method cannot achieve quantitative detection, and the colour of the mortar itself interferes with detection results, causing failures in detecting trace amounts of sticky rice in cultural relic samples. In this paper, we present a new approach where extracting and purifying protein from sticky rice and subsequently the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is used to recognize sticky rice in the mortar. The studies performed showed that the ELISA detection limit based on sticky rice is two orders of magnitude lower than that of the iodine‐starch method and can identify traces of sticky rice in mortar.
Moral attentiveness as a boundary condition: Servant leadership and the impact of supervisor affiliation on pro‐group unethical behavior
Authors: Ouyang Yang , Qu Yuanmei (Elly) , Hu Hua , Yang Mengxi
Published: February 2022

Based on social exchange theory, this research aims to develop and test a model in which supervisor affiliation mediates the impact of servant leadership on employees’ pro‐group unethical behavior a highly competitive intergroup environment. Using a sample of 239 employees from 39 groups in four foreign‐owned engineering enterprises, we found that supervisor affiliation mediated the positive relationship between servant leadership and employees’ pro‐group unethical behavior. Our results also revealed that employees’ moral attentiveness weakened the positive impact of supervisor affiliation on pro‐group unethical behavior. The current study contributes to business ethics research by advancing our understanding of antecedents of pro‐group unethical behavior as well as how servant leadership leads to employees’ unethical behaviors. Implications for theory, practice, and directions for future research are discussed.
Birth during the Covid‐19 pandemic: What childbearing people in the United States needed to achieve a positive birth experience
Authors: Combellick Joan L. , Basile Ibrahim Bridget , Julien Tamika , Scharer Kirsten , Jackson Kierra , Kennedy HP
Published: February 2022

Background

The COVID pandemic exposed many inadequacies in the maternity care system in the United States. Maternity care protocols put in place during this crisis often did not include input from childbearing people or follow prepandemic guidelines for high‐quality care. Departure from standard maternity care practices led to unfavorable and traumatic experiences for childbearing people. This study aimed to identify what childbearing people needed to achieve a positive birth experience during the pandemic.

Methods

This mixed‐methods, cross‐sectional study was conducted among individuals who gave birth during the COVID pandemic from 3/1/2020 to 11/1/2020. Participants were sampled via a Web‐based questionnaire that was distributed nationally. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were analyzed. Thematic and content analyses of qualitative data were based on narrative information provided by participants. Qualitative and convergent quantitative data were reported.

Results

Participants (n = 707) from 46 states and the District of Columbia completed the questionnaire with 394 contributing qualitative data about their experiences. Qualitative findings reflected women's priorities for (a) the option of community birth, (b) access to midwives, (c) the right to an advocate at birth, and (d) the need for transparent and affirming communication. Quantitative data reinforced these findings. Participants with a midwife provider felt significantly better informed. Those who gave birth in a community setting (at home or in a freestanding birth center) also reported significantly higher satisfaction and felt better informed. Participants of color (BIPOC) were significantly less satisfied and more stressed while pregnant and giving birth during the pandemic.

Conclusions

High‐quality maternity care places childbearing people at the center of care. Prioritizing the needs of childbearing people, in COVID times or otherwise, is critical for improving their experiences and delivering efficacious and safe care.
United States community births increased by 20% from 2019 to 2020
Authors: MacDorman Marian F. , Barnard‐Mayers Ruby , Declercq Eugene
Published: February 2022

Background

Anecdotal and emerging evidence suggested that the 2020 COVID‐19 pandemic may have influenced women's attitudes toward community birth. Our purpose was to examine trends in community births from 2019 to 2020, and the risk profile of these births.

Methods

Recently released 2020 birth certificate data were compared with prior years’ data to analyze trends in community births by socio‐demographic and medical characteristics.

Results

In 2020, there were 71 870 community births in the United States, including 45 646 home births and 21 884 birth center births. Community births increased by 19.5% from 2019 to 2020. Planned home births increased by 23.3%, while birth center births increased by 13.2%. Increases occurred in every US state, and for all racial and ethnic groups, particularly non‐Hispanic Black mothers (29.7%), although not all increases were statistically significant. In 2020, 1 of every 50 births in the United States was a community birth (2.0%). Women with planned home and birth center births were less likely than women with hospital births to have several characteristics associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, including teen births, smoking during pregnancy, obesity, and preterm, low birthweight, and multiple births. More than two‐thirds of planned home births were self‐paid, compared with one‐third of birth center and just 3% of hospital births.

Conclusions

It is to the great credit of United States midwives working in home and birth center settings that they were able to substantially expand their services during a worldwide pandemic without compromising standards in triaging women to optimal settings for safe birth.
Gamma, alpha, and beta diversity of ant assemblages response to a gradient of forest cover in human‐modified landscape in Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Costa Marília Maria Silva da , Schmidt Fernando Augusto
Published: February 2022

The partitioning of gamma diversity into its alpha and beta components has been used to quantify the effects of natural habitat reduction on species diversity and distribution. Ant assemblages respond to anthropogenic changes, allowing their use as an indicator of biodiversity conservation in human‐modified landscapes. We investigated the responses of gamma, alpha, and beta diversity of ant assemblages to a forest cover gradient in southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Our prediction was that increasing forest cover would increase gamma diversity, which in turn is driven more by increasing beta diversity than alpha diversity along the forest cover gradient. Additionally, we expected that increasing beta diversity would be mainly driven by species replacement. We sampled ants within 12 circular areas (radius: 500 m) with different forest cover percentages in Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, state of Acre, southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Gamma and beta diversity, but not alpha diversity, responded positively to the forest cover gradient. Additionally, species replacement was the main driver of beta diversity along the forest cover gradient. Areas with low levels of forest cover probably offer limited variation in habitats, resources, and conditions and, thus, harbor a low number of ant species that can easily disperse spatially and leading to species composition simplification. We recommend the use of diversity partitioning for indicator groups as an efficient way to monitor biodiversity and control the process of biota simplification at the human‐modified landscapes, showing the response of species diversity and distribution to human impacts.

Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.
English‐speaking international students’ perceptions and experiences in a bilingual university: A geographical approach to linguistic capital
Authors: Wu Xiaohao , Veronis Luisa
Published: February 2022

In this study, we adopt Bourdieu's notion of linguistic capital to investigate English‐speaking international students’ diverse language experiences in the unique bilingual context of the University of Ottawa, the world's largest English‐French bilingual university. Our aim is to advance understanding of the role of linguistic capital and its convertibility into cultural and economic capital by paying close attention to the linguistic power dynamics in different social spaces (on/off campus) and spheres of activity (e.g., academic studies, employment, language learning). We adopted a qualitative methodology and conducted 13 semi‐structured interviews with English‐speaking international graduate students from diverse countries of origin, with varied language skills, and enrolled in a variety of academic programs. We discuss four main themes: 1) preparation for and transition to a bilingual university, 2) employment and bilingualism, 3) perceptions of linguistic power dynamics in different social spaces, and 4) motivations and opportunities to acquire new linguistic capital.
Exosomes reveal the dual nature of radiotherapy in tumor immunology
Authors: Hu Xinru , Qiu Yuyue , Zeng Xiaoping , Wang Hongmei
Published: February 2022

Radioresistance is the potential cause of cancer metastasis and recurrence. Radiation‐induced changes in exosomes can partially explain the undesirable prognosis of radiotherapy (RT). Exosomes, newly discovered ways of cell communication, carry the characteristics of their origin, resulting in their diversity. Various exosomes in the tumor microenvironment exert different function in immune response. In this review, the dual effect of RT on the immune system was described, and the effect of radiotherapy on tumors via exosomes was explored. The molecules in exosomes after RT were described to play immunosuppressive and immunocompetent roles: immune‐related receptors and cell signaling molecules involved in both adaptive and innate immune system were present. CD69, TIGIT, TIM‐3, LAG‐3 and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family that signal to T cells were shown to be regulated by exosomes after irradiation. The change in innate immunity‐derived like receptors, Leukocyte Immunoglobin‐Like Receptors (LILR) was described, as well as B7‐H3, V‐domain containing Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA), and CD155 on tumor cells. These changed molecules inhibit and activate the immune system through different mechanisms. By analyzing the relationship between exosome‐derived molecules and immunity, this review shows that radiotherapy can induce immunosuppression and immune clearance through exosomes, thereby treating tumors and improving patient prognosis.