bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The contribution of rehabilitation settings to the cost of integrated continuum-care episodes for hip fracture: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Golinelli Davide , Boetto Erik , Mazzotti Antonio , Rosa Simona , Rucci Paola , Berti Elena , Ugolini Cristina , Fantini Maria Pia
Published: July 2020

Background

Hip fracture (HF) requires an intensive healthcare resources utilization. Long-term morbidity related to poor fracture management is associated with a significant increase in healthcare costs. Many factors may affect the costs and outcomes in patients with HF. Using a definition of integrated Continuum-Care Episode (CCE) that encompasses the hospital phase and the post-acute rehabilitation after a surgical procedure for HF, we investigated the costs of CCEs for HF and their determinants, with particular regard to the contribution of different rehabilitation settings.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study using data extracted from administrative databases of 5094 consecutive patients hospitalized for HF in 2017, aged ≥65 years, and resident in Emilia Romagna, Italy. To evaluate the overall costs of the CCE, we calculated the acute and post-acute costs from the date of the first hospital admission to the end of the integrated CCE. The determinants of costs were investigated using generalized linear regression models.

Results

After adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics, type of surgery (b=-0.340, p<0.001), and hospital bed-based rehabilitation in public or private healthcare facilities either followed by rehabilitation in a community hospital/temporary nursing home beds (b=0.372, p<0.001) or not (b=0.313, p<0.001) were the strongest determinants of costs, while rehabilitation in intermediate care facilities alone was associated with lower costs (0.163, p<0.001).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that CCE cost and its variability is mainly related to the rehabilitation settings. Cost-wise, intermediate care resulted to be an appropriate setting for providing post-acute rehabilitation for HF, representing the one associated with the lower cost of the overall CCE. Therefore, intermediate care settings should be privileged when planning HF rehabilitation pathways.
DIPPER: a spatiotemporal proteomics atlas of human intervertebral discs for exploring ageing and degeneration dynamics
Authors: Tam Vivian , Chen Peikai , Yee Anita , Solis Nestor , Klein Theo , Kudelko Mateusz , Sharma Rakesh , Chan Wilson CW , Overall Christopher M. , Haglund Lisbet , Sham Pak C , Cheah Kathryn SE , Chan Danny
Published: July 2020

The spatiotemporal proteome of the intervertebral disc (IVD) underpins its integrity and function. We present DIPPER, a deep and comprehensive IVD proteomic resource comprising 94 genomewide profiles from 17 individuals. To begin with, protein modules defining key directional trends spanning the lateral and anteroposterior axes were derived from high-resolution spatial proteomes of intact young cadaveric lumbar IVDs. They revealed novel region-specific profiles of regulatory activities, and displayed potential paths of deconstruction in the level- and location-matched aged cadaveric discs. Machine learning methods predicted a “hydration matrisome” that connects extracellular matrix with MRI intensity. Importantly, the static proteome used as point-references can be integrated with dynamic proteome (SILAC/degradome) and transcriptome data from multiple clinical samples, enhancing robustness and clinical relevance. The data, findings and methodology, available on a web interface, will be valuable references in the field of IVD biology and proteomic analytics.
Plasticity in prefrontal cortex induced by coordinated nucleus reuniens and hippocampal synaptic transmission
Authors: Banks Paul J , Warburton E Clea , Bashir Zafar I
Published: July 2020

The nucleus reuniens of the thalamus (NRe) is reciprocally connected to a range of higher order cortices including hippocampus (HPC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The physiological function of NRe is well predicted by requirement for interactions between mPFC and HPC, including associative recognition memory, spatial navigation and working memory. Although anatomical and electrophysiological evidence suggests NRe makes excitatory synapses in mPFC there is little data on the physiological properties of these projections, or whether NRe and HPC target overlapping cell populations and, if so, how they interact. We demonstrate inex vivomPFC slices that NRe and HPC afferent inputs converge onto more than two-thirds of layer 5 pyramidal neurons, show that NRe, but not HPC, undergoes marked short-term plasticity at theta, and that HPC, but not NRe, afferents are subject to neuromodulation by acetylcholine acting via muscarinic receptor M2. Finally, we demonstrate that pairing HPC followed by NRe (but not pairing NRe followed by HPC) at theta frequency induces associative, NMDA receptor dependent synaptic plasticity in both inputs to mPFC. These data provide vital physiological phenotypes of the synapses of this circuit and provide a novel mechanism for HPC-NRe-mPFC encoding.
Acute changes in systemic glycaemia gate access and action of GLP-1R agonist on brain structures controlling energy homeostasis
Authors: Bakker Wineke , Salinas Casper Gravesen , Imbernon Monica , Chao Daniela Herrera Moro , Hassouna Rim , Morel Chloe , Martin Claire , Gangarossa Giuseppe , Denis Raphael GP , Castel Julien , Peter Andreas , Heni Martin , Maetzler Walter , Nielsen Heidi Solvang , Duquenne Manon , Secher Anna , Hecksher-Sørensen Jacob , Åskov Pedersen Thomas , Prevot Vincent , Luquet Serge
Published: July 2020

The control of body weight and glucose homeostasis are the bedrock of type 2 diabetes medication. Therapies based on co-administration of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) long-acting analogues and insulin are becoming popular in the treatment of T2D. Both insulin and GLP-1 receptors (InsR and GLP1-R, respectively) are expressed in brain regions critically involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis, suggesting a possible cooperative action. However, the mechanisms underlying the synergistic action of insulin and GLP-1R agonists on body weight loss and glucose homeostasis remain largely under-investigated. In this study, we provide evidence that peripheral insulin administration modulates the action of GLP-1R agonists onto fatty acids oxidation. Taking advantage of fluorescently labeled insulin and GLP-1R agonists, we found that glucoprivic condition, either achieved by insulin or by 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG), acts as a permissive signal on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) at circumventricular organs, including the median eminence (ME) and the area postrema (AP), enhancing the passage and action of GLP-1-R agonists. Mechanistically, this phenomenon relied on the release of tanycyctic vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and it was selectively impaired after calorie-rich diet exposure. Finally, we found that in human subjects, low blood glucose also correlates with enhanced blood-to-brain passage of insulin suggesting that changes in glycaemia also affect passage of peptide hormones into the brain in humans.

In conclusion, we describe a yet unappreciated mechanism by which acute variations of glycaemia gate the entry and action of circulating energy-related signals in the brain. This phenomenon has physiological and clinical relevance implying that glycemic control is critical to harnessing the full benefit of GLP-1R agonist co-treatment in body weight loss therapy.
Anxiety makes time pass quicker: neural correlates
Authors: Sarigiannidis I , Kieslich K , Grillon C , Ernst M , Roiser JP , Robinson OJ
Published: July 2020

Anxiety can be an adaptive process that promotes harm avoidance. It is accompanied by shifts in cognitive processing, but the precise nature of these changes and the neural mechanisms that underlie them are not fully understood. One theory is that anxiety impairs concurrent (non-harm related) cognitive processing by commandeering finite neurocognitive resources. For example, we have previously shown that anxiety reliably ‘speeds up time’, promoting temporal underestimation, possibly due to loss of temporal information. Whether this is due anxiety ‘overloading’ neurocognitive processing of time is unknown. We therefore set out to understand the neural correlates of this effect, examining whether anxiety and time processing overlap, particularly in regions of the cingulate cortex. Across two studies (an exploratory Study 1, N=13, followed by a pre-registered Study 2, N=29) we combined a well-established anxiety manipulation (threat of shock) with a temporal bisection task while participants were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Consistent with our previous work, time was perceived to pass more quickly under induced anxiety. Anxiety induction led to widespread activation in cingulate cortex, while the perception of longer intervals was associated with more circumscribed activation in a mid-cingulate area. Importantly, conjunction analysis identified convergence between anxiety and time processing in the insula and mid-cingulate cortex. These results provide tentative support for the hypothesis that anxiety impacts cognitive processing by overloading already-in-use neural resources. In particular, overloading mid-cingulate cortex capacity may drive emotion-related changes in temporal perception, consistent with the hypothesised role of this region in mediating cognitive affective and behavioural responses to anxiety.
Agonal factors distort gene-expression patterns in human postmortem brains
Authors: Dai Jiacheng , Chen Yu , Chen Chao , Liu Chunyu
Published: July 2020

Agonal factors, the conditions that occur just prior to death, can impact the molecular quality of postmortem brains, influencing gene expression results. Nevertheless, study designs using postmortem brain tissue rarely, if ever, account for these factors, and previous studies had not documented nor adjusted for agonal factors. Our study used gene expression data of 262 samples from ROSMAP with the following terminal states recorded for each donor: surgery, fever, infection, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing, and mechanical ventilation. Performed differential gene expression and weighted gene co-expression network analyses (WGCNA), fever and infection were the primary contributors to brain gene expression changes. Fever and infection also contributed to brain cell-type specific gene expression and cell proportion changes. Furthermore, the gene expression patterns implicated in fever and infection were unique to other agonal factors. We also found that previous studies of gene expression in postmortem brains were confounded by variables of hypoxia or oxygen level pathways. Therefore, correction for agonal factors through probabilistic estimation of expression residuals (PEER) or surrogate variable analysis (SVA) is recommended to control for unknown agonal factors. Our analyses revealed fever and infection contributing to gene expression changes in postmortem brains and emphasized the necessity of study designs that document and account for agonal factors.
Distributed control of motor circuits for backward walking inDrosophila
Authors: Feng Kai , Sen Rajyashree , Minegishi Ryo , Dübbert Michael , Bockemühl Till , Büschges Ansgar , Dickson Barry J.
Published: July 2020

How do descending inputs from the brain control leg motor circuits to change the way an animal walks? Conceptually, descending neurons are thought to function either as command-type neurons, in which a single type of descending neuron exerts a high-level control to elicit a coordinated change in motor output, or through a more distributed population coding mechanism, whereby a group of neurons, each with local effects, act in combination to elicit a global motor response. TheDrosophilaMoonwalker Descending Neurons (MDNs), which alter leg motor circuit dynamics so that the fly walks backwards, exemplify the command-type mechanism. Here, we identify several dozen MDN target neurons within the leg motor circuits, and show that two of them mediate distinct and highly-specific changes in leg muscle activity during backward walking: LIN156 neurons provide the hindleg power stroke during stance phase; LIN128 neurons lift the legs at the end of stance to initiate swing. Through these two effector neurons, MDN directly controls both the stance and swing phases of the backward stepping cycle. MDN exerts these changes only upon the hindlegs; the fore-and midlegs follow passively through ground contact. These findings suggest that command-type descending neurons can also operate through the distributed control of local motor circuits.
The Contribution of Environmental Enrichment to Phenotypic Variation in Mice and Rats
Authors: Kentner Amanda C. , Speno Amanda V. , Doucette Joanne , Roderick Ryland C.
Published: July 2020

The reproducibility and translation of neuroscience research is assumed to be undermined by introducing environmental complexity and heterogeneity. Rearing laboratory animals with minimal (if any) environmental stimulation is thought to control for biological variability but may not adequately test the robustness of our animal models. Standard laboratory housing is associated with reduced demonstrations of species typical behaviors and changes in neurophysiology that may impact the translation of research results. Modest increases in environmental enrichment (EE), mitigate against insults used to induce animal models of disease, directly calling into question the translatability of our work. This may in part underlie the disconnect between preclinical and clinical research findings. Enhancing environmental stimulation for our model organisms promotes ethological natural behaviors but may simultaneously increase phenotypic trait variability. To test this assumption, we conducted a systematic review and evaluated coefficients of variation between EE and standard housed mice and rats. Given findings of suboptimal reporting of animal laboratory housing conditions, we also developed a methodological reporting table for enrichment use in neuroscience research. Our data show that animals housed in environmental enrichment were not more variable than those in standard housing. Therefore, environmental heterogeneity introduced into the laboratory, in the form of enrichment, does not compromise data integrity. Overall, human life is complicated and by embracing such nuanced complexity into our laboratories we may paradoxically improve upon the rigor and reproducibility of our research.

Significance Statement

Environmental complexity is thought to increase phenotypic variability, undermining research translation. We conducted a systematic review and compared coefficients of variation between environmentally enriched and standard housed laboratory animals. Despite there being no differences in variability across several phenotypic traits, there are stark contrasts in the display of ethological natural behaviors between these housing conditions. Environmental enrichment is recognized as being beneficial for animal welfare and mitigates against insults used to induce animal models of disease. In contrast, standard laboratory cages are recognized as being impoverished and ‘unnatural’. From these observations, it is apparent that our current “gold standard” caging system is not a true control condition as it does not adequately test the robustness of our animal models.
Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Aging is Initiated at Middle Age Through Decline in Local Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1)
Authors: Young Kira , Eudy Elizabeth , Bell Rebecca , Loberg Matthew , Stearns Tim , Velten Lars , Haas Simon , Trowbridge Jennifer J.
Published: July 2020

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are responsible for lifelong maintenance and regeneration of the blood system. With aging, loss of HSC function is a major contributor to decline in overall hematopoietic function, leading to increased rate of infection, poor vaccination response, clonal hematopoiesis, and increased risk of hematologic malignancies. While cellular and molecular hallmarks of HSC aging have been defined1–3, the lack of understanding of the nature and timing of the initiating events that cause HSC aging is a barrier to achieving the goal of extending healthy hematopoietic function into older age. Here we discover that hallmarks of HSC aging and myeloid-biased hematopoiesis accumulate by middle age in mice, and that the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment at middle age induces and is indispensable for hematopoietic aging phenotypes. Using unbiased transcriptome-based approaches, we identify decreased production of IGF1 by cells in the middle-aged BM microenvironment as a factor causing hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell aging and show that direct stimulation with IGF1 rescues hallmarks of hematopoietic aging. Declining IGF1 in the BM microenvironment at middle age represents a compelling target for intervention using prophylactic therapies to effectively extend healthspan and to prevent functional decline during aging.
Bayesian Markov models improve the prediction of binding motifs beyond first order
Authors: Ge Wanwan , Meier Markus , Roth Christian , Söding Johannes
Published: July 2020

Transcription factors (TFs) regulate gene expression by binding to specific DNA motifs. Accurate models for predicting binding affinities are crucial for quantitatively understanding transcriptional regulation. Motifs are commonly described by position weight matrices, which assume that each position contributes independently to the binding energy. Models that can learn dependencies between positions, for instance, induced by DNA structure preferences, have yielded markedly improved predictions for most TFs onin vivodata. However, they are more prone to overfit the data and to learn patterns merely correlated with rather than directly involved in TF binding. We present an improved, faster version of our Bayesian Markov model software, BaMMmotif2. We tested it with state-of-the-art motif discovery tools on a large collection of ChIP-seq and HT-SELEX datasets. BaMMmotif2 models of fifth-order achieved a median false-discovery-rate-averaged recall 13.6% and 12.2% higher than the next best tool on 427 ChIP-seq datasets and 164 HT-SELEX datasets, respectively, while being 8 to 1000 times faster. BaMMmotif2 models showed no signs of overtraining in cross-cell line and cross-platform tests, with similar improvements on the next-best tool. These results demonstrate that dependencies beyond first order clearly improve binding models for most TFs.
Generating Ensembles of Gene Regulatory Networks to Assess Robustness of Disease Modules
Authors: Lim James T. , Chen Chen , Grant Adam D. , Padi Megha
Published: July 2020

The use of biological networks such as protein-protein interaction and transcriptional regulatory networks is becoming an integral part of biological research in the genomics era. However, these networks are not static, and during phenotypic transitions like disease onset, they can acquire new “communities” of genes that carry out key cellular processes. Changes in community structure can be detected by maximizing a modularity-based score, but because biological systems and network inference algorithms are inherently noisy, it remains a challenge to determine whether these changes represent real cellular responses or whether they appeared by random chance. Here, we introduce Constrained Random Alteration of Network Edges (CRANE), a computational method that samples networks with fixed node strengths to identify a null distribution and assess the robustness of observed changes in network structure. In contrast with other approaches, such as consensus clustering or established network generative models, CRANE produces more biologically realistic results and performs better in simulations. When applied to breast and ovarian cancer networks, CRANE improves the recovery of cancer-relevant GO terms while reducing the signal from non-specific housekeeping processes. CRANE is a general tool that can be applied in tandem with a variety of stochastic community detection methods to evaluate the veracity of their results.
Chromatin topology and the timing of enhancer function at thehoxdlocus
Authors: Rodríguez-Carballo Eddie , Lopez-Delisle Lucille , Willemin Andréa , Beccari Leonardo , Gitto Sandra , Mascrez Bénédicte , Duboule Denis
Published: July 2020

TheHoxDgene cluster is critical for proper limb formation in tetrapods. In the emerging limb buds, different sub-groups ofHoxdgenes respond first to a proximal regulatory signal, then to a distal signal that organizes digits. These two regulations are exclusive from one another and emanate from two distinct TADs flankingHoxD, both containing a range of appropriate enhancer sequences. The telomeric TAD (T-DOM) contains several enhancers active in presumptive forearm cells and is divided into two sub-TADs separated by a CTCF-rich boundary, which defines two regulatory sub-modules. To understand the importance of this particular regulatory topology to controlHoxdgene transcription in time and space, we either deleted or inverted this sub-TAD boundary, eliminated the CTCF binding sites or inverted the entire T-DOM to exchange the respective positions of the two sub-TADs. The effects of such perturbations on the transcriptional regulation ofHoxdgenes illustrate the requirement of this regulatory topology for the precise timing of gene activation. However, the spatial distribution of transcripts was eventually resumed, showing that the presence of enhancers sequences, rather than either their exact topology or a particular chromatin architecture, is the key factor. We also show that the affinity of enhancers to find their natural target genes can overcome the presence of both a strong TAD border and an unfavourable orientation of CTCF sites.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Many genes important for vertebrate development are surrounded by series of remote enhancer sequences. Such regulatory landscapes and their target genes are usually located within the same chromatin domains, which appears to constrain the action of these regulatory sequences and hence to facilitate enhancer-promoter recognition and gene expression. We used theHoxDlocus to assess the impact of modifying the regulatory topology upon gene activation in space and time. A series of chromosomal re-arrangements involving deletions and inversions reveals that the enhancer topology plays a role in the timing of gene activation. However, gene expression was often recovered, subsequently, illustrating the intrinsic capacity of some enhancers to find their target promoters despite an apparently adverse chromatin topology.
Crowdsourcing Machine Intelligence Solutions to Accelerate Biomedical Science: Lessons learned from a machine intelligence ideation contest to improve the prediction of 3D domain swapping
Authors: Shah Yash , Sharma Deepak , Sharma Rakesh , Singh Sourav , Thakur Hrishikesh , John William , Marakkar Shamsudheen , Suravajhala Prashanth , Sundararajan Vijayaraghava Seshadri , Valadi Jayaraman , Shameer Khader , Sowdhamini Ramanathan
Published: July 2020

Machine intelligence methods, including natural language processing, computer vision, machine vision, artificial intelligence, and deep learning approaches, are rapidly evolving and play an essential role in biomedicine. Machine intelligence methods could help to accelerate image analyses aid in building complex models capable of interpretation beyond cognitive limitations and statistical assumptions in biomedicine. However, irrespective of the democratization via accessible computing and software modules, machine intelligence handiness is scarce in the setting of a traditional biomedical research laboratory. In such a context, collaborations with bioinformatics and computational biologists may help. Further, the biomedical diaspora could also seek help from the expert communities using a crowdsourcing website that hosts machine intelligence competitions. Machine intelligence competitions offer a vast pool of seasoned data scientists and machine intelligence experts to develop solutions through competition portals. An alternate approach to improve the adoption of machine intelligence in biomedicine is to offer machine intelligence competitions as part of scientific meetings. In this paper, we discuss a structured methodology employed to develop the machine intelligence competition as part of an international bioinformatics conference. The competition leads to developing a novel method through crowdsourcing to solve a challenging problem in biomedicine – predicting probabilities of proteins that undergo 3D domain swapping. As a biomedical science conference focused on computational methods, the competition received multiple entries that ultimately helped improve the predictive modeling of 3D domain swapping using sequence information.
Enhancers with cooperative Notch binding sites are more resistant to regulation by the Hairless co-repressor
Authors: Kuang Yi , Pyo Anna , Eafergan Natanel , Cain Brittany , Gutzwiller Lisa M. , Axelrod Ofri , Gagliani Ellen K. , Weirauch Matthew T. , Kopan Raphael , Kovall Rhett A. , Sprinzak David , Gebelein Brian
Published: July 2020

Notch signaling controls many developmental processes by regulating gene expression. Notch-dependent enhancers recruit activation complexes consisting of the Notch intracellular domain, theCbf/Su(H)/Lag1 (CSL) transcription factor (TF), and the Mastermind co-factor via two types of DNA sites: monomeric CSL sites and cooperative dimer sites calledSu(H)pairedsites (SPS). Intriguingly, the CSL TF can also bind co-repressors to negatively regulate transcription via these same sites. Here, we tested how enhancers with monomeric CSL sites versus dimeric SPSs bindDrosophilaSu(H) complexesin vitroand mediate transcriptional outcomesin vivo. Our findings reveal that while the Su(H)/Hairless co-repressor complex similarly binds SPS and CSL sites in an additive manner, the Notch activation complex binds SPSs, but not CSL sites, in a cooperative manner. Moreover, transgenic reporters with SPSs mediate stronger, more consistent transcription and are more resistant to increased Hairless co-repressor expression compared to reporters with the same number of CSL sites. These findings support a model in which SPS containing enhancers preferentially recruit cooperative Notch activation complexes over Hairless repression complexes to ensure consistent target gene activation.
Cyanate – a low abundant but actively cycled nitrogen compound in soil
Authors: Mooshammer M. , Wanek W. , Jones S. H. , Richter A. , Wagner M.
Published: July 2020

Cyanate (NCO-) can serve as a nitrogen and/or carbon source for different microorganisms and even additionally as an energy source for autotrophic ammonia oxidizers. Despite the widely distributed genetic potential for direct cyanate utilization among bacteria, archaea and fungi, the availability and environmental significance of cyanate is largely unknown, especially in terrestrial ecosystems. We found relatively low concentrations of soil cyanate, but its turnover was rapid. Contrary to our expectations, cyanate consumption was clearly dominated by biotic processes, and, notably, cyanate was producedin-situat rates similar to that of cyanate formation from urea fertilizer, which is believed to be one of the major sources of cyanate in the environment. Our study provides evidence that cyanate is actively turned over in soils and represents a small but continuous nitrogen/energy source for soil microbes, potentially contributing to a selective advantage of microorganisms capable of direct cyanate utilization.

One-sentence summary

Cyanate represents a small but continuously available nitrogen source for soil microbes, contributing to a selective advantage of microorganisms capable of direct cyanate utilization.
Individual identification of Japanese macaques(Macaca fuscata)using a face recognition system and a limited number of learning images
Authors: Otani Yosuke , Ogawa Hitoshi
Published: July 2020

Individual identification is an important technique in animal research that requires researcher training and specialized skillsets. Face recognition systems using artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning have been put into practical use to identify in humans and animals, but a large number of annotated learning images are required for system construction. In wildlife research cases, it is difficult to prepare a large amount of learning images, which may be why systems using AI have not been widely used in field research. To investigate the development of a system that identifies individuals using a small number of learning images, we constructed a system to identify individual Japanese macaques(Macaca fuscata yakui)with a low error rate from an average of 20 images per individual. The characteristics of this system were augmentation of data, simultaneous determination by four individual identification models and identification from a majority of five frames to ensure reliability. This technology has a high degree of utility for various stakeholders and it is expected that it will advance the development of individual identification systems by AI that can be widely used in field research.
Political connections and banking performance: the moderating effect of gender diversity
Authors: Proença Catarina , Augusto Mário , Murteira José
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the role of board gender diversity in explaining the effects of board members’ political connections on banking performance in the Eurozone.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyses panel data on 83 banks supervised by the European Central Bank (ECB) for the period 2013–2017, using a generalized moment method-type estimation methodology.

Findings

Results suggest that when gender diversity is high, there is a U-shaped nonlinear relationship between political connections and banking performance. Empirical evidence also indicates that differentiating characteristics of women, such as greater ethical concern and risk aversion, help mitigate the negative effects of political connections on banking performance, safeguarding the institutions’ interests from the adverse effects of personal agendas. In addition, these results also suggest that a minimum of 14% of gender diversity can contribute to greater social justice and beneficial structural change.

Research limitations/implications

The period studied may not yet fully reflect the impact of the assessment of the board members’ suitability.

Practical implications

The paper contributes to the growing literature on political connections and gender diversity, providing greater insight into their role as determinants of banking performance. The study also suggests the benefits and possible limitations of the regulator’s two impositions – gender diversity quotas and members’ repute (members’ political connections).

Originality/value

The effect of gender diversity on the impact of board members’ political connections on banking performance has not been studied, as these relationships have not been analysed separately for banks directly supervised by the ECB.
The association between independent directors and company value. Confronting evidence from two emerging markets
Authors: Aluchna Maria , Mahadeo Jyoti Devi , Kamiński Bogumił
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to advance the understanding of the links between the presence of independent directors (IDs) on boards and the company value in the specific context of concentrated ownership. The authors apply the framework of agency theory to identify the monitoring effect of IDs in two legal systems – common law and civil law.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors test formulated hypotheses using a unique sample of 50 Mauritian and Polish companies listed during the years 2007 to 2015, amounting to a total of 394 observations adopting the fixed effect panel model.

Findings

The results of the panel model show a negative relationship between independent directors on boards and company value. Specifically, the effect remains negative for companies operating in the civil law system, whereas the stronger protection offered by common law offsets the effect of concentrated ownership, resulting in a non-correlation between independent directors on board and firm value.

Originality/value

This study expands the understanding of the value added by independent directors, addressing their monitoring role in the unfavorable context of concentrated ownership. It also reveals that different legal frameworks of civil law and common law may impact the monitoring performed by independent directors.
Developing a framework for evaluating sustainability index for logistics service providers: graph theory matrix approach
Authors: Gupta Anchal , Singh Rajesh Kumar
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify sustainability practices and to propose a framework for evaluating the sustainability index of logistics service providers (LSPs).

Design/methodology/approach

Sustainable practices followed by LSPs are identified through literature review and analysis of a case study. Thirteen such sustainable practices are identified. Thereafter, with expert inputs, nine sustainable practices are shortlisted and considered for the evaluation of the sustainability index in the proposed framework. Graph Theory Matrix Approach has been applied to evaluate the sustainability index of an LSP.

Findings

Major practices identified for evaluating sustainability index include the use of recyclable packaging, use of renewable energy sources, green procurement, reduction in carbon emissions, use of CNG/electric vehicles, rainwater harvesting and so on. The sustainability index of an LSP is evaluated by using the proposed framework.

Practical implications

LSPs can benchmark their sustainability index with respect to the best in the industry. Based on it, LSPs can also identify potential areas for improvement.

Originality/value

Novelty of the study lies in the proposed framework for evaluation of sustainability index which can be used to develop strategies for green logistics. LSPs can also improve their performance in terms of sustainability measures by adopting green logistics.
The effect of information technology assimilation on firm performance in B2B scenarios
Authors: Martínez-Caro Eva , Cepeda-Carrión Gabriel , Cegarra-Navarro Juan G. , Garcia-Perez Alexeis
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The spread of the Internet in the business world has led to the development of new business-to-business (B2B) settings. Although a large number of companies have adopted B2B strategies, many of these fail to implement such strategies effectively. The most common barriers encompass the technology assimilation by users. This study investigates how IT assimilation can encourage potential and realised absorptive capacity and how these can, in turn, facilitate organisational agility and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted in Spanish companies that make use of Editran, a platform to support B2B strategies. In total, 110 valid responses were obtained. Advanced analytical methods of PLS-SEM as fit measures and prediction procedure recently developed by Shmueliet al.(2019) were used.

Findings

The results show that there is a positive relationship between the three preceding constructs (IT assimilation, potential and realised absorptive capacity) and organisational agility. This study also finds support for a direct relationship between organisational agility and firm performance.

Originality/value

This study provides a further understanding and forecasting through the theoretical development and empirical investigation of the role of IT assimilation on firm performance in a B2B scenario by: (1) examining the link between IT and the firm's absorptive capacity and, more specifically, with the two subsets of potential and realised absorptive capacity, which have not received much attention from previous literature; and (2) exploring how an improvement in potential and realised absorptive capacity may place firms in a better position to develop their organisational agility.
Post-merger branding strategies and market power in the Brazilian brewing industry
Authors: Cerqueira Malú N.P.S. , Aguiar Danilo R.D. , Figueiredo Adelson Martins
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate firm strategies and the exertion of market power in the brewing sector in Brazil following a merger between the two largest brewers (Brahma and Antarctica) that created Ambev and given that the existing literature is inconclusive on this subject

Design/methodology/approach

In this study the authors apply cointegration analysis to price series of beer brands. The authors use the reduced form vector error correction (VEC) model to measure the price responses of beer brands in terms of direction, magnitude and speed. The authors use monthly retail prices for the primary brands of beer in the city of São Paulo, Brazil's largest consumer market. Specifically, the authors use two sets of retail prices, one from bars (the main point of beer sales, with roughly 50% of market share) and another from supermarkets. The series range from 1994 to 2014, depending on the brand.

Findings

This study indicates that Ambev's two major brands (Skol and Brahma) behave as market leaders, while its third brand (Antarctica) has been used to challenge the low-price competitor (Nova Schin). The authors also found evidence that the pricing policies of Brahma and Antarctica have changed toward cooperation following the creation of Ambev.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this article is that the authors only had access to retailer data. As the merger involved brewers, the authors would ideally use manufacturer beer prices in their econometric analysis. However, the consistency of our results suggests that retailers have been passively transmitting brand strategies launched at a manufacturer level.

Social implications

As the dominant firm created following the merger of the two largest brewers appears to use one of its brand to restrict entry of competitors and the premium brands to enjoy high profits, consumers tend to be harmed by high beer prices and lack of options. Furthermore, small and medium-size companies cannot grow due to entry barriers created by the dominant firm.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to apply cointegration analysis to examine the effect of mergers on pricing strategies. The robustness of this study suggests that this approach could be used for antitrust agencies to monitor post-merger strategies.
Integrating the voluntary sector in personalised care: mixed methods study of the outcomes from wellbeing co-ordination for adults with complex needs
Authors: Gradinger Felix , Elston Julian , Asthana Sheena , Myers Chloe , Wroe Sue , Byng Richard
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This integrated care study seeks to highlight how voluntary sector “wellbeing co-ordinators” co-located in a horizontally and vertically integrated, multidisciplinary community hub within one locality of an Integrated Care Organisation contribute to complex, person-centred, co-ordinated care.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a naturalistic, mixed method and mixed data study. It is complementing a before-and-after study with a sub-group analysis of people receiving input from the wider hub (including Wellbeing Co-ordination and Enhanced Intermediate Care), qualitative case studies, interviews, and observations co-produced with embedded researchers-in-residence.

Findings

The cross-case analysis uses trajectories and outcome patterns across six client groups to illustrate the bio-psycho-social complexity of each group across the life course, corresponding with the range of inputs offered by the hub.

Research limitations/implications

To consider the effectiveness and mechanisms of complex system-wide interventions operating at horizontal and vertical interfaces and researching this applying co-produced, embedded, naturalistic and mixed methods approaches.

Practical implications

How a bio-psycho-social approach by a wellbeing co-ordinator can contribute to improved person reported outcomes from a range of preventive, rehabilitation, palliative care and bereavement services in the community.

Social implications

To combine knowledge about individuals held in the community to align the respective inputs, and expectations about outcomes while considering networked pathways based on functional status, above diagnostic pathways, and along a life-continuum.

Originality/value

The hub as a whole seems to (1) Enhance engagement through relationship, trust and activation, (2) Exchanging knowledge to co-create a shared bio-psycho-social understanding of each individual’s situation and goals, (3) Personalising care planning by utilising the range of available resources to ensure needs are met, and (4) Enhancing co-ordination and ongoing care through multi-disciplinary working between practitioners, across teams and sectors.
A structural analysis approach to identify technology innovation and evolution path: a case of m-payment technology ecosystem
Authors: Kumar Vimal , Lai Kuei-Kuei , Chang Yu-Hsin , Bhatt Priyanka Chand , Su Fang-Pei
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The evolution of technology has become the mainstream of the current technological innovation era. Technological change is organized in its unique pattern and a new approach that takes place in a systematic and selective manner. Such change is generally molded with the amalgamation of various factors, namely, economic, social or scientific and technological. This paper aims to focus on identifying technological trajectories in a technological ecosystem with the case of m-payment technology.

Design/methodology/approach

This study constructs a patent citation network for mobile payment service technology through patent citation data and identifies the main evolution process using the main path analysis of the network. The scope of this study focuses on key innovation using social network analysis and patent citation network, validated using the case of a mobile payment system and analyzing its technological trajectory.

Findings

Analyzing technology evolution provides a greater insight of the overall technology landscape to the researcher and practitioner. Analyzing the m-payment technology landscape gives three main categories of m-payment systems: the mobile financial transaction system), the payee mobile device payment selection system and e-wallet services.

Originality/value

The novelty of this research lies in the process of identifying technological evolution using social network and patent citation network analysis. The case of m-payment technology ecosystem is studied quantitatively which is not explored by previous researchers. This research provides a way to develop the main path technology of innovative products or services to identify technology evolution using the case of m-payment landscape.
External knowledge search and firms’ incremental innovation capability: the joint moderating effect of technological proximity and network embeddedness
Authors: Shi Xiaoxiao , Zheng Zuolong , Zhang Qingpu , Liang Huakang
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the extent to which the influence of external knowledge search activities on firms’ incremental innovation capability, and the moderating roles of the relatedness between the partners’ technological bases and a firm’s network embeddedness in the innovation network.

Design/methodology/approach

In this empirical research, the authors collected a sample of patents in the UAV industry over the period of 2004–2018. Then the authors examined the direct role of external knowledge search on firms’ incremental innovation capability and the joint moderating effects of technological proximity and network embeddedness.

Findings

We found that external knowledge search in innovation networks positively affects firms’ incremental innovation capability. Moreover, we discovered that high technological proximity to other peers positively strengthens the impact of firms’ external knowledge search on their incremental innovation capability. Finally, the findings suggested that the relationship between a firm’s external knowledge search activities and its incremental innovation capability is stronger for high technological proximity coupled with high network centrality or poor structural holes in innovation networks.

Originality/value

This study adds value to open innovation literature by pointing out a positive relationship between external knowledge search and firm incremental innovation capability. Furthermore, this study reinforces the key joint contingent roles of technological proximity and network embeddedness. This study provides a valuable theoretical framework of incremental innovation capability determinants by connecting the different perspectives.
Impact of environmental performance and policy on firm environmental reputation
Authors: De Miguel De Blas Marta
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This study investigates the impact of corporate environmentalism on corporate environmental reputation. Corporate environmentalism comprises both environmental performance and environmental policy, thus distinguishing a firm's actual environmental performance from the intent of its environmental policy. The moderating effect of advertising is also investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

The study derives four hypotheses from the literature and tests these by means of a Tobit model and a unique combination of databases.

Findings

Results show a link between environmental policy and corporate environmental reputation, but not between environmental performance and corporate environmental reputation. Additionally, results reveal the moderating effect of advertising to be negative, suggesting that advertising contributes only marginally toward improving corporate environmental reputation.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to investigate the complementary effect of environmental management, environmental policy and advertising on corporate reputation.
Finding a way towards high-quality, accessible tourism: the role of digital ecosystems
Authors: Cassia Fabio , Castellani Paola , Rossato Chiara , Baccarani Claudio
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Despite a growing interest in accessible tourism, delivering high-quality tourism experiences to people with disabilities (PwD) remains a major challenge. Beyond a number of acknowledged barriers (e.g. cultural, architectural, relational), the main issue is the lack of coordination amongst the many actors participating in the co-creation of tourism experiences. This paper intends to advance available knowledge on this issue by conceptually suggesting a solution that draws on the concepts of the tourism experience and digital ecosystems.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is developed as a conceptual contribution, drawing also on an illustrative example that considers a tourist with mobility disability as the focal actor.

Findings

The results indicate that a digital ecosystem could contribute to making tourism locations more accessible by enabling information sharing and coordination amongst all actors that co-create the tourism experiences. Moreover, the analysis underlines that tourism locations should be designed to be useable by all people, drawing on the principles of the universal design.

Research limitations/implications

This paper describes a path to fostering accessible tourism, drawing on local authorities, particularly municipalities and universities. The suggested solution would benefit from future empirical analyses to assess its strengths and weaknesses.

Originality/value

By drawing on the concept of digital ecosystems, this paper is amongst the first studies to suggest a path to making tourism locations more accessible to all tourists (with or without disabilities) based on technology.