bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tactile innervation densities across the whole body
Authors: Corniani Giulia , Saal Hannes P.
Published: April 2020

The skin is our largest sensory organ and innervated by afferent fibers carrying tactile information to the spinal cord and onto the brain. The density with which different classes of tactile afferents innervate the skin is not constant but varies considerably across different body regions. However, precise estimates of innervation density are only available for some body parts, such as the hands, and estimates of the total number of tactile afferent fibers are inconsistent and incomplete. Here we reconcile different estimates and provide plausible ranges and best estimates for the number of different tactile fiber types innervating different regions of the skin, using evidence from dorsal root fiber counts, microneurography, histology, and psychophysics. We estimate that the skin across the whole body is innervated by approximately 230,000 tactile afferent fibers (plausible range: 200,000-270,000). 15% innervate the palmar skin of both hands and 19% the region surrounding the face and lips. Around 60% of all tactile fibers are slowly-adapting, while the rest are fastadapting. Innervation density correlates well with psychophysical spatial acuity across different body regions, and additionally, on hairy skin, with hair follicle density. Innervation density is also weakly correlated with the size of the cortical somatotopic representation, but cannot fully account for the magnification of the hands and the face.
Perturbed structural dynamics underlie inhibition and altered specificity of the multidrug efflux pump AcrB
Authors: Reading Eamonn , Ahdash Zainab , Fais Chiara , Ricci Vito , Kan Xuan Wang , Grimsey Elizabeth , Stone Jack , Malloci Giuliano , Lau Andy M. , Findlay Heather , Konijnenberg Albert , Booth Paula J. , Ruggerone Paolo , Vargiu Attilio V. , Piddock Laura J. V. , Politis Argyris
Published: April 2020

Resistance-nodulation-division (RND) efflux pumps play a key role in inherent and evolved multidrug-resistance (MDR) in bacteria. AcrB is the prototypical member of the RND family and acts to recognise and export a wide range of chemically distinct molecules out of bacteria, conferring resistance to a variety of antibiotics. Although high resolution structures exist for AcrB, its conformational fluctuations and their putative role in function are largely unknown, preventing a complete mechanistic understanding of efflux and inhibition. Here, we determine these structural dynamics in the presence of AcrB substrates using hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, complemented by molecular modelling, drug binding and bacterial susceptibility studies. We show that the well-studied efflux pump inhibitor phenylalanine-arginine-β-naphthylamide (PAβN) potentiates antibiotic activity by restraining drug-binding pocket dynamics, rather than preventing antibiotic binding. We also reveal that a drug-binding pocket substitution discovered within an MDR clinical isolate, AcrBG288D, modifies the plasticity of the transport pathway, which could explain its altered substrate specificity. Our results provide molecular insight into drug export and inhibition of a major MDR-conferring efflux pump and the important directive role of its dynamics.
Ropinirole, a dopamine agonist with high D3 affinity, reduces proactive inhibition: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy adults
Authors: Rawji Vishal , Rocchi Lorenzo , Foltynie Tom , Rothwell John C. , Jahanshahi Marjan
Published: April 2020

Response inhibition describes the cognitive processes mediating the suppression of unwanted actions. A network involving the basal ganglia mediates two forms of response inhibition: reactive and proactive inhibition. Reactive inhibition serves to abruptly stop motor activity, whereas proactive inhibition is goal-orientated and results in slowing of motor activity in anticipation of stopping. Due to its impairment in several psychiatric disorders, the neurochemistry of response inhibition has become of recent interest. Dopamine has been posed as a candidate mediator of response inhibition due to its role in functioning of the basal ganglia and the observation that patients with Parkinson’s disease on dopamine agonists develop impulse control disorders. Although the effects of dopamine on reactive inhibition have been studied, substantial literature on the role of dopamine on proactive inhibition is lacking. To fill this gap, we devised a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 1 mg ropinirole (a dopamine agonist) on response inhibition in healthy volunteers. We found that whilst reactive inhibition was unchanged, proactive inhibition was impaired when participants were on ropinirole relative to when on placebo. To investigate how ropinirole mediated this effect on proactive inhibition, we used hierarchical drift-diffusion modelling. We found that ropinirole impaired the ability to raise the decision threshold when proactive inhibition was called upon. Our results provide novel evidence that an acute dose of ropinirole selectively reduces proactive inhibition in healthy participants. These results may help explain how ropinirole induces impulse control disorders in susceptible patients with Parkinson’s disease.
ToxoplasmaFER1 is a versatile and dynamic mediator of differential microneme trafficking and microneme exocytosis
Authors: Tagoe Daniel N.A. , Ribeiro E Silva Adeline , Drozda Allison A. , Coppens Isabelle , Coleman Bradley I. , Gubbels Marc-Jan
Published: April 2020

Toxoplasma gondiiis a polarized cell concentrating several secretory organelles at the apical pole. The secretory micronemes come in two sub-populations differentiated by dependence on the Rab5A/C in their biogenesis. Calcium-dependent exocytosis of micronemes occurs at the very apical tip and is critical for parasite egress from its host cell, adhesion and invasion of the next cell. Ferlins represent a protein family with roles in exocytosis containing multiple Ca2+-sensing C2 domains. We determined thatT. gondii’s ferlin 1 (FER1) localized dynamically to the parasite’s secretory pathway. FER1 function was dissected by dominant negative overexpression strategies. We demonstrated that FER1 traffics microneme organelles along the following trajectories:1. From thetrans-Golgi-endosomes network to the subpellicular cortex; 2. Along the cortex to the apical end; 3. To the apical tip for fusion with the plasma membrane; 4. Retrograde transport allowing microneme recycling from mother to daughter; 5. Differential microneme sub-population traffic. Finally, FER1 overexpression triggers a microneme exocytosis burst, supporting the notion that the radially organized micronemes at the apical tip comprise a readily-releasable microneme pool. In summary, FER1 is pivotal for dynamic microneme trafficking, acts differently on the two microneme subpopulations, and acts on the plasma membrane fusion step during microneme exocytosis.
Understanding the effects of contact structures and information sharing on the FMD transmission among beef cattle farms
Authors: Yi Chunlin , Yang Qihui , Scoglio Caterina M.
Published: April 2020

Moving infected animals and sharing contaminated vehicles are considered as the most potent ways for between-farm disease transmission. The objective of this study is to develop a network-based simulation model to investigate the effects of direct contact, indirect contact, and their combination on a hypothetical foot-and-mouth disease spreading between beef-cattle farms in southwest Kansas, US, and explore the effect of different types of information-sharing networks on preventing the disease spreading. Based on synthetic cattle and truck movement data in southwest Kansas, we build a farm-level contact network with three layers, a cattle movement layer (direct contact), a truck movement layer (indirect contact), and an information-sharing layer. Through scenario analyses, we compare the disease transmission dynamics, the distribution of outbreak epidemic size, and the disease breakout percentage of different contact structures – only direct contact, only indirect contact, and their combination. In addition, we evaluate different types of information sharing methods by comparing the epidemic size and the estimated economic loss. Simulation results show that neither direct contact nor indirect contact individually can result in a massive outbreak of the disease, but their combination plays a significant role. Additionally, we detect different probabilities of disease outbreaks by starting the simulations at different farms; starting at some farms with high capacity increases the probability of disease outbreaks. Three different information sharing-networks are developed and found effective in preventing the disease from spreading and reducing the economic loss. The information-sharing layer based on trading records has the best performance when compared with a random network and a geographic network.
Forest canopy cover composition and landscape influence over bryophytes communities inNothofagusforests of southern Patagonia
Authors: Toro Manríquez Mónica DR. , Ardiles Víctor , Promis Álvaro , Herrera Alejandro Huertas , Soler Rosina , Lencinas María V. , Martínez Pastur Guillermo J.
Published: April 2020

Understanding the influence environmental drivers on understory vegetation is important for conservation efforts under climate change. Bryophytes are one of the most diverse groups in temperate forests but also the least known. In addition, the environmental drivers (e.g., forest structure, microclimate, soil conditions or substrate) influencing over bryophyte community amongNothofagusforest types are poorly known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of forest canopy-layer composition on the structure (cover) and the composition (richness and diversity) of bryophyte communities (mosses and liverworts) in two contrast landscape types (coast and mountain) in southern Patagonia. Three naturalNothofagusforest types (pure deciduous, pure evergreen, and mixed deciduous-evergreen) in two landscapes (coast < 100 m.a.s.l.; mountain > 400 m.a.s.l.) were selected (N = 60 plots). In each forest plot, we established one linear transect (10 m length) to measure bryophyte cover (point-intercept method). The data were evaluated using ANOVAs, Chi-square test and multivariate analyses. The mosses were mostly austral-antarctic origin, and the liverworts were all endemics. The principal substrates for the bryophytes development in the forest floor were litter and decaying woods. Moreover, many bryophytes species act as a substrate for natural tree regeneration. The forest structure was the main driver of bryophytes community in the coast landscape, while the slope was the principal driver of bryophytes in the mountain landscape. These differences were mainly explained for the microclimate into the forests (e.g., soil moisture and air temperature), and for the regional climate in the landscapes (e.g., air temperature and soil conditions). Notably, the mixed forest, mainly in the coast, presented exclusive species that were not present in the deciduous and evergreen pure forests. The conservation efforts should include management considerations both the stand and landscape levels based on the potential climate-change impact over bryophyte communities.
Diversity of dominant soil bacteria increases with warming velocity at the global scale
Authors: Kanzaki Yoshiaki , Takemoto Kazuhiro
Published: April 2020

Understanding global soil bacterial diversity is important because of the key roles soil bacteria play in the global ecosystem. Given the effects of environmental changes (e.g., climate change and human effect) on the diversity of animals and plants, effects on soil bacterial diversity are expected; however, they have been poorly evaluated to date. Thus, in this study, we focused on the soil dominant bacteria because of their global importance and investigated the effects of warming velocity and human activities on their diversity. Using a global dataset of bacteria, we performed spatial analysis to evaluate the effects, while statistically controlling for the potential confounding effects of current climate and geographic parameters with global climate and geographic data. It was demonstrated that the diversity of the dominant soil bacteria was influenced globally by warming velocity (showing significant increases) in addition to aridity index (dryness) and pH. The effects of warming velocity were particularly significant in forests and grasslands. An effect from human activity was also observed, but it was secondary to warming velocity. These findings provide robust evidence, and advance our understanding of the effects of environmental changes (particularly global warming) on soil bacterial diversity at the global scale.
METTL5, an 18S rRNA-specific m6A methyltransferase, modulates expression of stress response genes
Authors: Chen Hao , Liu Qi , Yu Dan , Natchiar Kundhavai , Zhou Chen , Hsu Chih-hung , Hsu Pang-Hung , Zhang Xing , Klaholz Bruno , Gregory Richard I. , Cheng Xiaodong , Shi Yang
Published: April 2020

RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is present in different RNA molecules, including protein-coding mRNAs and non-coding RNAs such as ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs). Previous studies identified m6A in both the 18S and 28S rRNAs, but the roles of these methylation events are poorly understood due to the lack of knowledge of the responsible methyltransferases. Here, we report that mammalian METTL5, a member of a highly conserved methyltransferase family, specifically methylates adenosine 1832 (A1832) in the 18S rRNAin vivoandin vitro. We identify TRMT112 as a near stoichiometric partner of METTL5 important for the enzymatic activity of METTL5. By mapping the positions of translating ribosomes (Ribo-seq), we found translation of multiple stress response-related mRNAs, including Atf4 mRNA, is selectively reduced in the Mettl5 knockout (KO) mouse B16 melanoma cells. Atf4 is a key transcription factor that mediates the Integrated Stress Response (ISR), as exemplified by the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress. Consistently, transcription of ISR effector genes is reduced in Mettl5 KO cells during ER stress, suggesting a compromised ISR. Our findings reveal a new mechanism that regulates expression of stress response genes and suggest that chemical modifications of ribosomal RNAs may play a key role in selectively impacting translation and possibly ISR.
Structure of MlaFB uncovers novel mechanisms of ABC transporter regulation
Authors: Kolich Ljuvica , Chang Ya-Ting , Coudray Nicolas , Giacometti Sabrina I. , MacRae Mark R. , Isom Georgia L. , Teran Evelyn M. , Bhabha Gira , Ekiert Damian C.
Published: April 2020

ABC transporters facilitate the movement of a diverse array of molecules across cellular membranes, using power from ATP hydrolysis. While the overall mechanism of the transport cycle has been characterized in detail for several important members of this transporter family, it is less well understood how the activity of ABC transporters is regulated in the cell post-translationally. Here we report the X-ray crystal structure of MlaFB fromE. coli, an ABC nucleotide binding domain (MlaF) in complex with its putative regulatory subunit (MlaB). MlaFB constitutes the cytoplasmic portion of the larger MlaFEDB ABC transporter complex, which drives phospholipid transport across the bacterial envelope and is important for maintaining the integrity of the outer membrane barrier. Our data show that the regulatory subunit MlaB, a STAS domain protein, binds to the nucleotide binding domain and is required for its stability. Our structure also implicates a unique C-terminal tail of the ABC subunit, MlaF, in self-dimerization. Both the C-terminal tail of MlaF and the interaction with MlaB are required for the proper assembly of the MlaFEDB complex and its function in cells. This work leads to a new model for how the activity of an important bacterial lipid transporter may be regulated by small binding proteins, and raises the possibility that similar regulatory mechanisms may exist more broadly across the ABC transporter family, from bacteria to humans.
Biochemical Basis for the Regulation of Biosynthesis of Antiparasitics by Bacterial Hormones
Authors: Kapoor Iti , Olivares Philip , Nair Satish K.
Published: April 2020

Diffusible small molecule microbial hormones drastically alter the expression profiles of antibiotics and other drugs in actinobacteria. For example, avenolide (a butenolide) regulates production of avermectin, derivatives of which are used in the treatment of river blindness and other parasitic diseases. Butenolides and γ-butyrolactones control production of pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites by binding to TetR family transcriptional repressors. Here, we describe a concise, 22-step synthetic strategy for the production of avenolide. We present crystal structures of the butenolide receptor AvaR1 in isolation, and in complex with avenolide, as well as AvaR1 bound to an oligonucleotide derived from its operator. Biochemical studies guided by the co-crystal structures enable identification of 90 new actinobacteria that may be regulated by butenolides, two of which are experimentally verified. These studies provide a foundation for understanding regulation of microbial secondary metabolite production, which may be exploited for the discovery and production of novel medicines.
The Fedorov–Groth law revisited: complexity analysis using mineralogical data
Authors: Krivovichev Sergey V. , Krivovichev Vladimir G.
Published: April 2020

The Fedorov–Groth law points out that, on average, chemical simplicity corresponds to higher symmetry, and chemically complex compounds usually have lower symmetry than chemically simple compounds. Using mineralogical data, it is demonstrated that the Fedorov–Groth law is valid and statistically meaningful, when chemical complexity is expressed as the amount of Shannon chemical information per atom and the degree of symmetry as the order of the point group of a mineral.
Experimental and computational study of ice accretion effects on aerodynamic performance
Authors: G. Prasad , J. Bruce Ralphin Rose
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse an actual representation of ice accretions, which are important during the certification process.

Design/methodology/approach

Ice accretion experiments are conducted in a low-speed subsonic wind tunnel testing facility to evaluate the influence of various ice shapes around the airfoil sections. Ice accumulation changes the shapes of local airfoil sections and thereby affects the aerodynamic performance characteristics of the considered NACA 23012 profile. The ice profiles are impregnated using balsa wood with glace, horn and mixed ice accretion cases for the detailed experimental investigation.

Findings

Computational fluid dynamics analysis is done to compute the influence of different ice shapes on the aerodynamic coefficients (Cl and Cd) while ice accretion occurs at the leading edge of the airfoil sections. It is observed that the Cl and Cd modified immediately more than 40% as compared to the clean wing configuration. In the same fashion, the skin friction coefficient also abruptly changes for different ice shapes that have the potential to induce flutter at the critical speed of the airplane. The computational solutions are further validated through wind tunnel experiments and recent literature concerning certification for flight in icing conditions.

Social implications

The ice accretion study on the aerodynamic surfaces can also be extended for wind turbine blades installed at different cold regions around the globe. Further, the propeller icing influences the entire rotorcraft aerodynamics at low temperature conditions and the findings of this study are strongly connected with such problems.

Originality/value

The aerodynamic characteristics of the baseline airfoil are greatly affected by the ice accretion problem. Although flight through icing condition endures for a short duration, the takeoff path and decision speed are determined based on airplane drag as per federal aviation regulations. Hence, the proposed study is focussed on a cost-effective approach to predict the effect of ice accretion to achieve optimum performance.
Developing a collaborative culture for radical and incremental innovation: the mediating roles of tacit and explicit knowledge sharing
Authors: Le Phong Ba , Lei Hui , Le Thanh Trung , Gong Jiexi , Ha Anh ThiLan
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the influence of collaborative culture on employee’s knowledge sharing and how it associated with radical and incremental innovation in Chinese firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used the quantitative approach and structure equation model to test hypotheses with data collected by questionnaire from 371 participants in 68 Chinese firms.

Findings

The research findings indicated that collaborative culture positively fosters the KS behaviors of employees for radical and incremental innovation. The findings confirm the mediating role of tacit and explicit knowledge sharing and reveal that collaborative culture has a significant impact on incremental innovation, whereas knowledge sharing behaviors have greater impacts on radical and incremental innovation.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should investigate the impact of collaborative culture on innovation under moderating effects of ownership form or mediating roles of behavioral variables to have better understanding on the relationship among them.

Practical implications

This study offers leaders a deeper understanding of the necessary factors and new pathways to stimulate employees’ tacit and explicit knowledge sharing for innovation.

Originality/value

The paper has significant contributed to theoretical and practical initiatives on the theory of innovation which highlighted the crucial role of collaborative culture in facilitating a positive climate for knowledge sharing and innovation.
Investigation of nanoparticles shape effects on MHD nanofluid flow and heat transfer over a rotating stretching disk through porous medium
Authors: Rashid Umair , Liang Haiyi
Published: April 2020

Purpose

In this article, we consider the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) nanofluid flow over a rotating stretchable disk through porous medium. For porous medium, Darcy’s relation is used. It also encompassed the impact of nanoparticles shape on MHD nanofluid flow and heat transfer. The effect of thermal radiation and Joule heating is also being considered.

Design/methodology/approach

Three categories of nanoparticles are taken into deliberation, i.e. copper, silver and titanium oxide. The nanofluid is made of pure water and various types of sphere- and lamina-shaped nanoparticles. By using appropriate similarity transformation, the governing partial differential equations are transformed to ordinary one. The coupled ordinary differential equations system is tackled numerically by bvp4c method.

Findings

The impact of various pertinent parameters, i.e. solid volume fraction, Hartman number, thermal radiations parameter, Reynolds number, Eckert number, porosity parameter and ratio parameter, on flow and Nusselt number with a fixed value of Prandtl number at 6.2 is discussed in details. The obtained results are presented in the concluding section. The lamina shape of nanoparticles in silver-water performed an excellent role on temperature distribution. The heat transfer rate of lamina shape in copper-water was found to be greater in the system of flow regime.

Originality/value

The authors have discussed the shape effect of nanoparticles on MHD nanofluid flow over a rotating stretchable disk through porous medium using three categories of nanoparticles, such as copper, silver and titanium oxide. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on mass and heat transfer nanofluid flow and no such study is yet published in literature. A detailed mathematical analysis has also to be carried out to prove the regularity of model. The authors believe that the numerical results are original and have not been copied from any other sources.
Stability and convergence of iterative finite element methods for the thermally coupled incompressible MHD flow
Authors: Yang Jinting , Zhang Tong
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose three iterative finite element methods for equations of thermally coupled incompressible magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) on 2D/3D bounded domain. The detailed theoretical analysis and some numerical results are presented. The main results show that the Stokes iterative method has the strictest restrictions on the physical parameters, and the Newton’s iterative method has the higher accuracy and the Oseen iterative method is stable unconditionally.

Design/methodology/approach

Three iterative finite element methods have been designed for the thermally coupled incompressible MHD flow on 2D/3D bounded domain. The Oseen iterative scheme includes solving a linearized steady MHD and Oseen equations; unconditional stability and optimal error estimates of numerical approximations at each iterative step are established under the uniqueness condition. Stability and convergence of numerical solutions in Newton and Stokes’ iterative schemes are also analyzed under some strong uniqueness conditions.

Findings

This work was supported by the NSF of China (No. 11971152).

Originality/value

This paper presents the best choice for solving the steady thermally coupled MHD equations with different physical parameters.
Ontology enhancement using crowdsourcing: a conceptual architecture
Authors: Kiptoo Chepkoech C.
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the use of crowdsourcing in the enhancement of an ontology of taxonomic knowledge. The paper proposes a conceptual architecture for the incorporation of crowdsourcing into the creation of ontologies.

Design/methodology/approach

The research adopted the design science research approach characterised by cycles of “build” and “evaluate” until a refined artefact was established.

Findings

Data from a case of a fruit fly platform demonstrates that online crowds can contribute to ontology enhancement if engaged in a structured manner that feeds into a defined ontology model.

Research limitations/implications

The research contributes an architecture to the crowdsourcing body knowledge. The research also makes a methodological contribution for the development of ontologies using crowdsourcing.

Practical implications

Creating ontologies is a demanding task and most ontologies are not exhaustive on the targeted domain knowledge. The proposed architecture provides a guiding structure for the engagement of online crowds in the creation and enhancement of domain ontologies. The research uses a case of taxonomic knowledge ontology.

Originality/value

Crowdsourcing for creation and enhancement of ontologies by non-experts is novel and presents opportunity to build and refine ontologies for different domains by engaging online crowds. The process of ontology creation is also prone to errors and engaging crowds presents opportunity for corrections and enhancements.
The correlation and volatility between bitcoin and the blockchain index
Authors: Qi Tuotuo , Wang Tianmei , Zhu Jianming , Bai Ruyu
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The encrypted money market has attracted the attention of investors all over the world. Among the encrypted currency, bitcoin is undoubtedly the most popular. Because blockchain technology is the crucial support of bitcoin, exploring the relationship between bitcoin and the blockchain index is necessary.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the Granger causality test to explore the correlation between bitcoin and the blockchain index. Furthermore, their volatility is analyzed by a GARCH-class model.

Findings

The results show that no significant correlation exists between bitcoin and the blockchain index; external shocks aggravate the volatility of bitcoin and the blockchain index, and the volatility has a certain degree of sustainability; and blockchain index has obvious leverage, namely, its decline has a stronger impact.

Originality/value

The volatility of bitcoin and the blockchain index is crucial for investors.
An X-ray tomography approach to calculate air volume present in an insulation system sewn with lockstitch and spacer stitch
Authors: Saeed Hassan , Krzywinski Sybille
Published: April 2020

Purpose

Sewing is the most widely used and preferred method for manufacturing clothing products for extreme weather conditions and other industrial insulation systems. Multiple layers of functional fabrics in combination with insulation materials are used to thermally insulate precious body heat from its surrounding cold environment. The sewing process fixes the insulation material between the fabric layers. During conventional sewing, the insulation material is compressed along the stitch line. With the compression of the insulation material, entrapped air is forced to leave the insulation material internal structure, and heat loss occurs along the entire length of the stitch line. It results in the deterioration of thermal properties of the end product along the stitch line.

Design/methodology/approach

The amount of air, which is a decisive factor for thermal properties of any insulation system, was investigated at the level of a unit stitch length of a lockstitch. Conventional microscopy methods are not suitable to study the compression along the stitch line. With the help of X-ray tomography, the three-dimensional data of a stitch was taken and studied to measure the volume of air. The samples were prepared with conventional lockstitch sewing and a newly developed innovative sewing method “Spacer Stitching.” The results are compared with each other in terms of the amount of air present in a unit stitch length.

Findings

Calculations based on X-ray tomography images of lockstitch and spacer stitch revealed that, in the case of lockstitch, a unit stitch has a 15% of its volume made up of material and 85% of its volume by air. In comparison, the spacer stitch with the same sewing and fabric parameters has a material volume of 4.6 % and an air volume of 95.4% in a single stitch.

Practical implications

The research can positively improve the thermal properties of sewn material made for insulating purposes of conventional clothing as well as of industrial insulations.

Originality/value

There is no literature available which investigates and calculates the amount of air and material present along with a stitch line.
Ethical challenges in the relationship between the pharmacist and patient in Iran
Authors: Delpasand Kourosh , Nazari Tavakkoli Saeid , Kiani Mehrzad , Abbasi Mahmoud , Afshar Leila
Published: April 2020

Purpose

Based on the developmental process of pharmacy in medical relationships, it is essential to pay attention to ethical issues in this field and develop a good pharmacist–patient relationship. The present study aimed to mention the frequency of ethical challenges of pharmacy in Iran as a fundamental step towards designing a practical ethical guideline for professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

In this observational study, data were collected using a two-part questionnaire with 64 items developed after examining relevant texts and conducting unstructured interviews with pharmacy specialists. The first part determined the frequency of ethical challenges that the pharmacist confronts, using 43 short scenarios, whereas the second part comprised 21 questions with short answers. For validation, the questionnaire was sent to 20 medical ethics specialists who were familiar with issues in pharmacy ethics.

Findings

Data were collected from 48 members of the Iranian Association of Pharmacists (Working Group of Hospital Pharmacists). and the frequency of ethical challenges was determined. The most frequent issues were patient's request for over-the-counter drugs, asking about their lab results, asking drug for another person and returning the drug.

Research limitations/implications

One of the limitation of our study is its population, there were hospital pharmacist, other pharmacist such as community pharmacist may face different challenges.

Practical implications

The finding of this study could lead the policymakers to develop ethical guidelines for pharmacy practices.

Social implications

The pharmacist–patient relationship is one of the important aspects of health system, and therefore regulating this relationship based on the professional ethics guidelines could have a positive impact on therapeutic relationships.

Originality/value

Results showed that designing codes of ethics and practical guidelines based on the frequency of the noted challenges enhances the quality of treatment, improves the pharmacist–patient relationship, increases the level of cooperation and decreases patient complaints.
Corporate governance mechanisms and corporate investments: evidence from India
Authors: Suman Samridhi , Singh Shveta
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the influence of corporate governance variables relating to the board of directors, audit and ownership on the agency problems that inflict a firm's investments in capital and research and development (R&D) expenditures. This study posits that the R&D investments are inflicted by the agency problem of “quiet life” whereas “empire-building” agency problem affects capital expenditure decisions.

Design/methodology/ approach

This study analyses the investment behaviour of non-financial and non-utility firms listed on NIFTY 200 from FY 2009 to FY 2018 using a static and dynamic model.

Findings

The results from the static model suggest that ownership concentration mitigates the agency problem of the “quiet life” that affects R&D expenditures. However, no corporate governance attribute has a significant impact on R&D investments under the assumption of the dynamic model. In respect of capital expenditures, the analysis of static model yields that audits by large auditor firms and usage of non-audit services ameliorate the agency problem of “empire-building”. The results from the dynamic model show that independent boards worsen it. They also continue to provide empirical evidence in favour of large auditors.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on the corporate governance-investment association by simultaneously examining the impact of multiple corporate governance attributes on the agency problems of “quiet life” and “empire-building” that affect R&D and capital expenditures, respectively, in a static and dynamic context for a sample of Indian firms.
Omni-channel capability and customer satisfaction: mediating roles of flexibility and operational logistics service quality
Authors: Sorkun Metehan Feridun , Yumurtacı Hüseyinoğlu Işık Özge , Börühan Gülmüş
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This study aims to reveal how omni-channel capability leads to customer satisfaction by examining the mediating roles of flexibility and operational logistics service quality (LSQ).

Design/methodology/approach

Consumers who had previously shopped from any particular retailer's both online and physical stores were surveyed to collect data on research constructs. Structural equation modelling and bootstrapping were employed to test research hypotheses.

Findings

This study shows the double mediation of flexibility and operational LSQ in the effect of omni-channel capability on customer satisfaction. Despite this indirect effect, omni-channel capability does not directly affect customer satisfaction, implying the full mediations of flexibility and operational LSQ. However, these mediating effects could not be verified for certain types of retailers (e.g. electronic retailers).

Originality/value

By using the theoretical lens of capability–service quality–performance triad (C-SQ-P), this study shows how omni-channel capability and flexibility affect customer satisfaction through operational LSQ. Hence, an original finding is that developing omni-channel capability may not be sufficient for customer satisfaction and that it may need to be supported by flexibility and operational LSQ. It additionally reveals that the mediations of flexibility and operational LSQ hinge on the type of retailing industry examined. Thus, this study draws on the necessity of investigating the contingent roles of flexibility and operational LSQ in omni-channel retailing for customer satisfaction.
Efficiency analysis of viticulture systems in the Portuguese Douro region
Authors: Santos Micael Queiroga dos , Rodríguez Xosé A. , Marta-Costa Ana
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to estimate and analyse the technical efficiency (TE) component of productivity for a sample of winegrowers from the Douro Demarcated Region in Portugal.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through face-to-face surveys and includes a sample of 110 farmers’ vineyards with specific input-output information and other data about production systems during the year of 2017. The authors use a two-stage data envelopment analysis using bootstrap techniques to obtain TE scores in the farmers’ vineyards and to examine the determinants of its efficiency.

Findings

The results show that some farmers’ vineyards have a low efficiency level and that there are essential determinants of the production system, which can influence its efficiency. This suggests considerable opportunities for improvement of wine grape productivity through better use of available resources considering the state of technology.

Originality/value

This work has overcome the lack of data in the farmers’ vineyards, the lack of efficiency studies in the region and also allowed to evaluate the production systems and to assess their impact on efficiency.
RDF graph mining for cluster-based theme identification
Authors: Eddamiri Siham , Benghabrit Asmaa , Zemmouri Elmoukhtar
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a generic pipeline for Resource Description Framework (RDF) graph mining to provide a comprehensive review of each step in the knowledge discovery from data process. The authors also investigate different approaches and combinations to extract feature vectors from RDF graphs to apply the clustering and theme identification tasks.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed methodology comprises four steps. First, the authors generate several graph substructures (Walks, Set of Walks, Walks with backward and Set of Walks with backward). Second, the authors build neural language models to extract numerical vectors of the generated sequences by using word embedding techniques (Word2Vec and Doc2Vec) combined with term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF). Third, the authors use the well-known K-means algorithm to cluster the RDF graph. Finally, the authors extract the most relevant rdf:type from the grouped vertices to describe the semantics of each theme by generating the labels.

Findings

The experimental evaluation on the state of the art data sets (AIFB, BGS and Conference) shows that the combination of Set of Walks-with-backward with TF-IDF and Doc2vec techniques give excellent results. In fact, the clustering results reach more than 97% and 90% in terms of purity andF-measure, respectively. Concerning the theme identification, the results show that by using the same combination, the purity andF-measure criteria reach more than 90% for all the considered data sets.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lies in two aspects: first, a new machine learning pipeline for RDF data is presented; second, an efficient process to identify and extract relevant graph substructures from an RDF graph is proposed. The proposed techniques were combined with different neural language models to improve the accuracy and relevance of the obtained feature vectors that will be fed to the clustering mechanism.
Importance of meaningful co-operation in preventing and interdicting economically motivated crime and misconduct
Authors: Abeyagoonasekera Asanga
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper will attempt to depict the importance of meaningful co-operation in preventing and interdicting economically motivated crime and misconduct in Sri Lanka while exploring the challenges faced by the state, its bureaucracy, extremist threat, war on drugs and anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) mechanisms.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative and secondary data.

Findings

While mechanisms to introduce legislation and implement the national actions plan on combating bribery and corruption will add significant value to the entire system, Sri Lanka will need to improve co-operation among domestic and international agencies to overcome the challenges. For domestic co-operation educating the bureaucracy is essential in this regard who would take a central role in advising the policymakers.

Originality/value

Sri Lankan perspective has not been discussed on challenges faced by the state, its bureaucracy, extremist threat, war on drugs and AML/CFT mechanisms. Paper was presented at the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime 2019.
Fuzzy model for assessing delays in Egyptian residential projects
Authors: El-Rasas Tarek , Marzouk Mohamed
Published: April 2020

Purpose

Construction delays are a common problem in the Egyptian construction industry. Frequent delays in a project can lead to disputes and litigation. This paper aims to study and analyze the causes of construction delays.

Design/methodology/approach

This research identifies delay causes in residential projects in Egypt and analyzes these causes with the relative importance index method. The feedback of construction experts was obtained through interviews. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey was prepared. Fifty-six different delay causes were identified and categorized into eight categories based on a literature review and interviews with 36 experts from the construction industry who represent owners, consultants and contractors.

Findings

According to the highest values of the relative importance index, the top ten delay causes of residential projects in Egypt are determined. Statistical analysis is carried out using the analysis of variance method to test delay causes obtained from the survey, which revealed a good correlation between residential projects parties with respect to most of the delay causes. A fuzzy logic model using MATLAB is developed for determining the probability of delay of residential projects, and the model was tested in a real case study and was found to be satisfactory.

Originality/value

Delay causes in residential projects in Egypt were identified, and these causes were analyzed using the relative importance index method and fuzzy logic.
The market for socially responsible investing: a review of the developments
Authors: Camilleri Mark Anthony
Published: April 2020

Purpose

This study aims to explain how socially responsible investing (SRI) has evolved in the past few decades and sheds light on its latest developments. It describes different forms of SRI in the financial markets, and deliberates on the rationale for the utilization of positive and negative screenings of listed businesses and public organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive literature review suggests that the providers of financial capital are increasingly allocating funds toward positive impact and sustainable investments. Therefore, this descriptive paper provides a factual summary of the proliferation of SRI products in financial markets. Afterwards, it presents the opportunities and challenges facing the stakeholders of SRI.

Findings

This research presents a historic overview on the growth of SRI products in the financial services industry. It clarifies that the market for responsible investing has recently led to an increase in a number of stakeholders, including contractors, non-governmental organizations and research firms who are involved in the scrutinization of the businesses’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) behaviors.

Originality/value

This discursive contribution raises awareness on the screenings of positive impact and sustainable investments. The researcher contends that today’s socially responsible investors are increasingly analyzing the businesses’ non-financial performance, including their ESG credentials. In conclusion, this paper puts forward future research avenues in this promising field of study.
Optimizing enrichment of deadwood for biodiversity by varying sun exposure and tree species: An experimental approach
Authors: Vogel Sebastian , Gossner Martin M. , Mergner Ulrich , Müller Jörg , Thorn Simon
Published: April 2020

The enrichment of deadwood is essential for the conservation of saproxylic biodiversity in managed forests. However, existing strategies focus on a cost‐intensive increase of deadwood amount, while largely neglecting increasing deadwood diversity.

Deadwood objects, that is logs and branches, from six tree species were experimentally sun exposed, canopy shaded and artificially shaded for 4 years, after which the alpha‐, beta‐ and gamma‐diversity of saproxylic beetles, wood‐inhabiting fungi and spiders were analysed. Analyses of beta‐diversity included the spatial distance between exposed deadwood objects. A random‐drawing procedure was used to identify the combination of tree species and sun exposure that yielded the highest gamma‐diversity at a minimum of exposed deadwood amount.

In sun‐exposed plots, species numbers in logs were higher than in shaded plots for all taxa, while in branches we observed the opposite for saproxylic beetles. Tree species affected the species numbers only of saproxylic beetles and wood‐inhabiting fungi. The beta‐diversity of saproxylic beetles and wood‐inhabiting fungi among logs was influenced by sun exposure and tree species, but beta‐diversity of spiders by sun exposure only. For all saproxylic taxa recorded in logs, differences between communities increased with increasing spatial distance.

A combination of canopy‐shaded Carpinus logs and sun‐exposed Populus logs resulted in the highest species numbers of all investigated saproxylic taxa among all possible combinations of tree species and sun‐exposure treatments.

Synthesis and applications. We recommend incorporating the enrichment of different tree species and particularly the variation in sun exposure into existing strategies of deadwood enrichment. Based on the results of our study, we suggest to combine the logs of softwood broadleaf tree species (e.g. Carpinus, Populus), hardwood broadleaf tree species (e.g. Quercus) and coniferous tree species (e.g. Pinus) under different conditions of sun exposure and distribute them spatially in a landscape to maximize the beneficial effects on overall diversity.