bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Broad antiviral effects of Echinacea purpurea against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and potential mechanism of action
Authors: Vimalanathan Selvarani , Shehata Mahmoud , Sadasivam Kannan , Delbue Serena , Dolci Maria , Pariani Elena , D’Alessandro Sarah , Pleschka Stephan
Published: December 2021

Background

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) represent an alarming threat as they show altered biological behavior and may escape vaccination effectiveness. Some exhibit increased pathogenicity and transmissibility compared to the original wild type WUHAN (Hu-1). Broad-spectrum antivirals could complement and further enhance preventive benefits achieved through SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaigns

Methods

The anti-coronavirus activity of Echinacea purpurea (Echinaforce® extract, EF) against (i) VOCs B1.1.7 (alpha), B.1.351.1 (beta), P.1 (gamma), B1.617.2 (delta), AV.1 (Scottish) and B1.525 (eta), (ii) SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein-pseudotyped viral particles and reference strain OC43 as well as (iii) wild-type SARS-CoV-2 (Hu-1) were analyzed. Molecular dynamics (MD) were applied to study interaction of Echinacea’s phytochemical markers with known pharmacological viral and host cell targets.

Results

EF extract broadly inhibited propagation of all investigated SARS-CoV-2 VOCs as well as entry of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoparticles at EC50’s ranging from 3.62 to 12.03 µg/ml. Preventive addition of 20 µg/ml EF to epithelial cells significantly reduced sequential infection with SARS-CoV-2 (Hu-1) as well as with the common human strain OC43. MD analyses showed constant binding affinities to Hu-1, B1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1 and B1.617.2-typic S protein variants for alkylamides, caftaric acidand feruoyl-tartaric acid in EF extract. They further indicated that the EF extract could possibly interact with TMPRSS-2, a serine protease required for virus endocytosis.

Conclusions

EF extract demonstrated stable antiviral activity across 6 tested VOCs, which is likely due to the constant affinity of the contained phytochemical marker substances to all spike variants. A possible interaction of EF with TMPRSS-2 partially would explain cell protective benefits of the extract by inhibition of endocytosis. EF may therefore offer a supportive addition to vaccination endeavors in the control of existing and future SARS-CoV-2 virus mutations.
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant escapes neutralization by vaccinated and convalescent sera and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies
Authors: Ikemura Nariko , Hoshino Atsushi , Higuchi Yusuke , Taminishi Shunta , Inaba Tohru , Matoba Satoaki
Published: December 2021

The novel SARS-CoV-2 variant, Omicron (B.1.1.529) contains about 30 mutations in the spike protein and the numerous mutations raise the concern of escape from vaccine, convalescent sera and therapeutic drugs. Here we analyze the alteration of their neutralizing titer with Omicron pseudovirus. Sera of 3 months after double BNT162b2 vaccination exhibite ∼27-fold lower neutralization titers against Omicron than D614G mutation. Neutralization titer is also reduced in convalescent sera from Alpha and Delta patients. However, some Delta patients have relatively preserved neutralization activity up to the level of 3-month double BNT162b2 vaccination. Omicron escapes from the cocktail of imdevimab and casirivimab, whereas sotrovimab that targets the conserved region to prevent viral escape is effective to Omicron similarly to the original SARS-CoV-2. The ACE2 decoy is another modality that neutralize the virus independently of mutational escape and Omicron is also sensitive to the engineered ACE2.
Reactivation of transposable elements following hybridization in fission yeast
Authors: Tusso Sergio , Suo Fang , Liang Yue , Du Li-Lin , Wolf Jochen B.W.
Published: December 2021

Hybridization is thought to reactivate transposable elements (TEs) that were efficiently suppressed in the genomes of the parental hosts. Here, we provide evidence for this “genomic shock hypothesis” in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. In this species, two divergent lineages (Sp and Sk) have experienced recent, likely human-induced, hybridization. We used long-read sequencing data to assemble genomes of 37 samples derived from 31 S. pombe strains spanning a wide range of ancestral admixture proportions. A comprehensive TE inventory revealed exclusive presence of long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons. Sequence analysis of active full-length elements, as well as solo LTRs, revealed a complex history of homologous recombination. Population genetic analyses of syntenic sequences placed insertion of many solo LTRs before the split of the Sp and Sk lineages. Most full-length elements were inserted more recently, after hybridization. With the exception of a single full-length element with signs of positive selection, both solo LTRs and, in particular, full-length elements carry signatures of purifying selection indicating effective removal by the host. Consistent with reactivation upon hybridization, the number of full-length LTR retrotransposons, varying extensively from zero to 87 among strains, significantly increases with the degree of genomic admixture. This study gives a detailed account of global TE diversity in S. pombe, documents complex recombination histories within TE elements, and provides evidence for the “genomic shock hypothesis.”
The road towards industry 4.0: a comparative study of the state-of-the-art in the Italian manufacturing industry
Authors: Zheng Ting , Ardolino Marco , Bacchetti Andrea , Perona Marco
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This paper has two objectives: first, to investigate the state-of-the-art of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) adoption in Italian manufacturing firms and, second, to understand variations in technologies implemented and business functions involved, benefits perceived, and obstacles encountered in I4.0 implementation over a three-year period.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach adopted in this research is descriptive, nesting longitudinal features. The paper presents a descriptive survey of 102 Italian manufacturing companies. The authors also evaluated non-response biases. The longitudinal approach was achieved by comparing the responses of the 40 sub-samples in common with a second similar survey launched three years prior, which aimed to identify patterns of evolution in the adoption of the I4.0 paradigm.

Findings

Survey findings demonstrate that Italian manufacturing companies still have limited awareness of I4.0 technologies, and the adoption of I4.0 technologies differs per technology. Company size and information system coverage level are the two factors that impact the company's technology adoption level. The comparative study shows that knowledge and adoption increase in a three-year interval with an unbalanced involvement of business functions regarding the I4.0 transformation. Indeed, companies are still seeking I4.0 solutions to reduce costs and lead times primarily, and the benefits perceived by companies are shown to be related to the number of I4.0 technologies in use. Finally, when companies put the I4.0 technologies into practice, competence is constantly considered the most significant barrier.

Research limitations/implications

This paper aims at conducting a thorough investigation into the development of I4.0 adoption in manufacturing companies. The main limitation of this study concerns the limited number of subjects involved in the longitudinal study (40) and the focus on a limited geographical area (Italy). In addition, more I4.0 technologies could also be incorporated into the survey protocol to gain further insight into I4.0 development.

Originality/value

The authors provide one of the first attempts to assess the variations of I4.0 implementation concerning technology adoption, business function involvement, and the alteration of benefits and obstacles. Several studies presented in the literature highlight the lack of longitudinal studies investigating the development of the I4.0 paradigm in a specific manufacturing context: this paper is the attempt at filling this gap.
Entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, need for achievement and entrepreneurial intention among commerce students in Pakistan
Authors: Soomro Bahadur Ali , Shah Naimatullah
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The present study undertook an empirical investigation of entrepreneurship education, self-efficacy, need for achievement and entrepreneurial intention among Pakistan's commerce students.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors applied quantitative methods based on cross-sectional data. The commerce students of the different public sector universities are targeted through a random sampling technique. The authors used a survey questionnaire to attain the responses from respondents. Finally, 184 usable cases are utilized to assume the hypothesized paths.

Findings

By applying the structural equation modeling (SEM), the findings of the study demonstrate a significant positive effect of constructs of entrepreneurship education (EE), that is, opportunity recognition (OR) and entrepreneurship knowledge acquisition (EKA) on entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), entrepreneurial intention (EI) and need for achievement (NFA). Besides, ESE and NFA are found to be the robust predictors of EI.

Practical implications

The findings provide significant guidelines to policy-makers and university authorities for developing useful EE courses to uplift and boost students' skills to face today's considerable business and entrepreneurship challenges. The study also helps to generate eagerness among students in selecting entrepreneurship as a career option.

Originality/value

This study suggests the confirmation of EE's significant role in developing ESE, NFA and EI among commerce students.
Numerical analysis for wake flow field of Ahmed model based on a nonlinear-LRN/DES turbulence model
Authors: Zheng Le Dian , Yang Yi , Qiang Guang Lin , Gu Zhengqi
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a precise turbulence model for automobile aerodynamics simulation, which can predict flow separation and reattachment phenomena more accurately.

Design/methodology/approach

As the results of wake flow simulation with commonly used turbulence models are unsatisfactory, by introducing a nonlinear Reynolds stress term and combining the detached Eddy simulation (DES) model, this paper proposes a nonlinear-low-Reynolds number (LRN)/DES turbulence model. The turbulence model is verified in a backward-facing step case and applied in the flow field analysis of the Ahmed model. Several widely applied turbulence models are compared with the nonlinear-LRN/DES model and the experimental data of the above cases.

Findings

Compared with the experimental data and several turbulence models, the nonlinear-LRN/DES model gives better agreement with the experiment and can predict the automobile wake flow structures and aerodynamic characteristics more accurately.

Research limitations/implications

The nonlinear-LRN/DES model proposed in this paper suffers from separation delays when simulating the separation flows above the rear slant of the Ahmed body. Therefore, more factors need to be considered to further improve the accuracy of the model.

Practical implications

This paper proposes a turbulence model that can more accurately simulate the wake flow field structure of automobiles, which is valuable for improving the calculation accuracy of the aerodynamic characteristics of automobiles.

Originality/value

Based on the nonlinear eddy viscosity method and the scale resolved simulation, a nonlinear-LRN/DES turbulence model including the nonlinear Reynolds stress terms for separation and reattachment prediction, as well as the wake vortex structure prediction is first proposed.
Defining and demonstrating a smart technology configuration to improve energy performance and occupant comfort in existing buildings: a conceptual framework
Authors: Newton Sidney , Shirazi Arezoo , Christensen Pernille
Published: December 2021

Purpose

To achieve the building and property by 2050, decarbonisation goals will now require a significant increase in the rate of improvement in the energy performance of buildings. Occupant behaviour is crucial. This study seeks to guide the application of smart building technology in existing building stock to support improved building energy performance and occupant comfort.

Design/methodology/approach

This study follows a logical partitioning approach to the development of a schema for building energy performance and occupant comfort. A review of the literature is presented to identify the characteristics that label and structure the problem elements. A smart building technology framework is overlaid on the schema. The framework is then applied to configure and demonstrate an actual technology implementation for existing building stock.

Findings

The developed schema represents the key components and relationships of building energy performance when combined with occupant comfort. This schema provides a basis for the definition of a smart building technologies framework for existing building stock. The study demonstrates a viable configuration of available smart building technologies that couple building energy performance with occupant comfort in the existing building stock. Technical limitations (such as relatively simple building management control regimes) and pragmatic limitations (such as change management issues) are noted for consideration.

Originality/value

This is the first development of a schema to represent how building energy performance can be coupled with occupant comfort in existing building stock using smart building technologies. The demonstration study applies one of many possible technology configurations currently available, and promotes the use of open source applications with push-pull functionality. The schema provides a common basis and guide for future studies.
A qualitative study of antecedents of enduring involvement and its role in dining experiences of tourists
Authors: Akhoondnejad Arman , Rosin Christopher , Brennan Charles
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Considering the importance of involvement in experience, this paper aims to understand what factors lead to enduring involvement and how this type of involvement influences the food experience of tourists in the restaurant context.

Design/methodology/approach

Twenty tourists who had a dining experience in the restaurants of Queenstown, New Zealand were interviewed using the purposive sampling method.

Findings

Using manual coding, 11 factors were found to contribute to enduring involvement. The findings also showed that enduing involvement influenced the food experience of tourists in a positive way including four consequences.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited to the restaurants of a specific destination and the findings should be generalised with caution. It, however, contributes to the existing research on involvement and experience in the hospitality and tourism literatures.

Practical implications

The findings provide guidelines on how restaurateurs understand the tourists’ perceptions and evaluations of their offerings to improve the dining experiences and manage their businesses effectively.

Originality/value

Previous research has not offered an understanding of what factors contribute to enduring involvement in the hospitality and tourism literatures and how this involvement impacts dining experiences of tourists.
Crowdfunding, gender and the promise of financial democracy: a systematic review
Authors: Serwaah Priscilla
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to review the literature at the intersection of crowdfunding and gender, while examining the extent to which crowdfunding has enhanced female financial inclusion and participation.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted across 47 studies from 2011 to April 2021.

Findings

Most studies suggest that the likelihood of success or failure of female-led campaigns depends on external factors associated with opportunities. The study points to a general trend where although female participation has not achieved its full potential, it is greater than in other channels, while enjoying higher chances of success for female fundraisers. The study highlights gaps in the literature and the associated opportunities for future research emerging from them.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt to summarise and sensitise the literature on crowdfunding and gender. The study highlights the importance of analysing the impact of context on the conceptualisation of gender in alternative finance.
Antecedents, mechanisms and effects of synchromodal freight transport: a conceptual framework from a systematic literature review
Authors: Pfoser Sarah , Kotzab Herbert , Bäumler Ilja
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to offer an overview of the current state of research in a specific field of transport, namely synchromodality. This includes a conceptual discussion of this innovative transport concept to differentiate it from previous concepts as well as the identification of the antecedents, mechanisms and effects of synchromodality.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper combines systematic and content analysis-based approaches to literature review to analyse and synthesise a final sample of 88 publications related to synchromodality.

Findings

Synchromodality is a transport concept in its infancy which suffers from ambiguous definitions and a lack of theoretical grounding. The paper identifies four mechanisms which differentiate synchromodality from other transport concepts: real-time switching, integrated network planning, horizontal collaboration and mode-free booking. Seven technical and six managerial antecedents for these mechanisms of synchromodality are defined.

Research limitations/implications

Existing research on synchromodality is largely focused on technical antecedents (e.g. information and communication technology, sophisticated planning systems). Suggestions for further research include managerial problems such as business models or measures to induce a mental shift and trust.

Originality/value

This paper gives a structured overview of the research field of synchromodality and presents existing research from a content-focused perspective. It also indicates opportunities for future research and contributes to a generally accepted understanding of synchromodality.
The wage effects of overeducation across overall wage distribution on university graduates: incidence, heterogeneity and comparison
Authors: Sun Hongye , Kim Giseung
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the extent to which overeducation imposes wage effects on university graduates, taking into account the individual heterogeneity due to skills and innate ability.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Graduates Occupation and Mobility Survey (GOMS) 2019 and Korea Dictionary of Occupations (KDOT) 2019, the overeducated and adequately educated graduates are differentiated by the job analysis (JA) measure. To unveil the masked results, the unconditional quantile regression (UQR) accompanying skills and field of study mismatches is adopted to explore the wage effects of overeducation across the overall wage distribution.

Findings

Empirical evidence shows that the incidence of overeducation is high; however, overeducated graduates only suffer a 6.5% wage loss relative to their adequately matched peers. The findings indicate that regardless of being derived from either overskilled or field of study mismatch, genuine overeducation impose a higher wage penalty at all percentiles relative to the apparent overeducation. Meanwhile, high-ability men suffer lower-wage penalties than their low-ability peers, whereas the inverted “U” pattern is exhibited for women. The theoretical hypotheses differ depending on the estimated results by gender.

Research limitations/implications

Each measure of educational mismatch has been criticized for its insurmountable shortcoming. The recent graduates are likely to overstate the job requires of skills.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the insufficient evidence on the multiple aspects of wage effects of overeducation by providing new and rigorous examinations and by focusing on the country experiencing rapid economic growth, industrial upgrading and educational expansion.
Economic links and the wealth effects of layoff announcements along the supply chain
Authors: Qiu Yetaotao , Magnan Michel
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This paper investigates the effects of layoff announcement by customers on the valuation and operating performance of their supply chain partners.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collect corporate layoff announcements from 8-K filings submitted by US publicly-traded firms from 2004 to 2017. Using event study methodology, they examine the information externality of corporate layoffs on announcing firms' suppliers.

Findings

Results show that suppliers, on average, experience a negative stock price reaction around their major customers' layoff announcements. The negative price effect is exacerbated when industry rivals of layoff-announcing customers also suffer from negative intra-industry contagion effects. Additionally, supply chain spillover effects are asymmetric, with only “bad news” layoff announcements causing significant value implications for suppliers, but not “good news” announcements. Supplier firms also reduce their investments in and sales dependence on layoff-announcing customers in subsequent years.

Practical implications

This study shows that layoff decisions, often aimed at improving firms' efficiency and effectiveness, create uncertainty for the suppliers' operation and cause negative value implications on firms' upstream partners. Findings should be useful to corporate decision-makers in making layoff decisions.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to address the value implications of corporate layoffs on announcing firms' suppliers. It provides a more comprehensive picture of the economy-wide impact of achieving efficiency through employee layoffs.
Who should care? Exploring the views and experiences of individuals in negotiating solutions for health security
Authors: Yuda Tauchid Komara
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The Indonesian healthcare system has been reformed in tune with economic and political changes. The reform was pursued by encouraging growing reliance on individual contributions. Consolidating citizens' support has become increasingly important for the long-term sustainability of the programme. This study explores individual views and experiences in negotiating solutions for health security under the situation where pre-industrial modes of informal network remain intact, while private healthcare continues to be in demand by population segments targeted by the system.

Design/methodology/approach

Individual attitudes toward the current healthcare system were explored using online interviews (N = 75) in the cities of Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The qualitative exploratory approach resorted to personal views on the importance of the state, family and market in health risk management. Perceptions on who should be responsible for healthcare, and the political legitimacy of the welfare-state approach to healthcare were also observed. A thematic coding strategy was used for the data analysis.

Findings

Those interviewed value and support the formal system (either state and market), yet place reliance on informal support (family and relatives). Intertwining views of religious teaching, filial piety, moral obligation were the most common reasons for individuals to support such dual welfare systems. The findings reflect the common attitudes toward welfare in the context of changing realities of individualised society at the early stage.

Originality/value

This article represents a valuable contribution at the empirical level because it provides an assessment of individuals' attitudes toward Indonesia's recent health arrangements. Such individuals are those belonging to the targeted population of the contributory system. This study also offers an alternative framework for understanding the nature of the healthcare regime generated from the perspectives of individuals.
Factors affecting sukuk market development: empirical evidence from sukuk issuing economies
Authors: Aman Ameenullah , Naim Asmadi Mohamed , Isa Mohamad Yazid , Ali Syed Emad Azhar
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Both developed and developing countries, Muslim and non-Muslim, have been showing keen interest in sukuk financing. This interest was because of the lesson learned by both Asian and non-Asian economies that having a developed capital market is very essential to enable an economy resilient to the financial crisis. Therefore, this study aims to produce theoretical relationships and identify empirical support for the determinants of sukuk market development.

Design/methodology/approach

By using panel data analysis, the study covers the period from 1993 until 2017, and includes 13 sukuk issuing economies as per the availability of data.

Findings

The findings of the study revealed that the stage of economic development, banking system, money supply and current account balance are positively associated with sukuk market. Interestingly, economic size and exports appear to be negatively associated with sukuk.

Practical implications

To flourish the domestic sukuk market, authorities need to strengthen the existing financial system and economic development.

Originality/value

The study contributes in a limited body of knowledge on determinants of sukuk market development by exploring novel determining factors of foreign capital inflows as well as macroeconomic and financial factors.
A theory of venture capital family business: a governance trajectory
Authors: Ljungkvist Torbjörn , Boers Börje
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand venture capital family businesses (VCFBs) governance of portfolio companies through the deal process.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applies a theory-developing approach. A model of VCFB governance is developed whose key aspects are illuminated by four examples (cases) of VCFBs.

Findings

Recent research suggests that a venture capital firm's corporate deal processes can be divided into the pre-deal, deal and post-deal phases. Based on the age, size and succession dimensions, propositions for how a governance trajectory develops for VCFBs, affecting the deal process of target family firms (TFFs), are presented. These propositions highlight how the family owners' actions and behavior are related to VCFB governance, which in turn, influences the three phases involved in making an investment.

Originality/value

The propositions suggest how personal and administrative VCFBs' governance of the deal process of portfolio companies is significantly affected by centrifugal and centripetal forces that drive the respective types of governance where third-generation family owners appear as changers of governance approach.
It's all in the past: how do colonial legacies between host and home countries affect the expatriate experience?
Authors: Richardson Christopher
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Within the expatriation subset of the wider IB literature, the focus of research has been on contemporary contextual factors. The purpose of this paper is to link the present to the past by investigating how the individual expatriate experience may be affected by a colonial legacy between host and home countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Given the exploratory nature of this study, a qualitative interview-based approach eliciting thick, detailed descriptions of the practical experiences of seven Japanese expatriate managers working in Malaysia was adopted. These were supplemented by additional interviews with three host-country nationals who work alongside some of the expatriates. The data were analysed through a two-stage coding process.

Findings

The expatriate respondents were largely unanimous in their view that the colonial past between the two countries had no negative impact on their experiences in Malaysia, and the Malaysian interviewees corroborated this. On the contrary, the majority of the expatriates actually spoke positively about their experiences. This was especially true for expatriates in both the tourism and education/research field whose work was linked in some way to the period of Japanese occupation.

Research limitations/implications

The small, single-context nature of the investigation limits generalisation. There are also many particularities in this study (the nature of Japanese-Malaysian postcolonial relations, cultural values of the Malaysians and Japanese, and so on) that are perhaps not easily relatable to other contexts. Having said this, qualitative research is not always geared towards generalisability but rather towards contextual intricacies and nuances.

Originality/value

While most of the extant literature on expatriation has examined largely contemporary factors, this paper explores the impact of more historical events on the expatriate experience. Although such events may seem distant from an expatriate's current activities, this study suggests that in certain circumstances, they may have a lingering effect.
A qualitative investigation into crowdfunding framework as a source of financing for waqf land development
Authors: Hapsari Meri Indri , Bin Mohd Thas Thaker Mohamed Asmy , Mohammed Mustafa Omar , Duasa Jarita
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to inquire about the opinions and recommendations of various experts on the crowdfunding waqf model (CWM), particularly in terms of its suitability, applicability and prospect in the market.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper used primary data which are collected from semi-structured interviews conducted with several experts from various backgrounds. For examining the data, this paper has used thematic analysis.

Findings

The experts support the suitability of CWM in providing financing resource to develop waqf lands. They highlight the importance of establishing, managing and operating CWM under the aegis of the State Islamic Religious Council in Malaysia and supervising by the Wakaf, Zakat or Hajj Department (JAWHAR). They further point out that the donors or crowdfunders, interesting project, promotion and regulation are key factors that influence the sustainability of CWM.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the literature on waqf land and crowdfunding, especially from the Malaysian context. This paper validates the CWM in terms of its suitability, applicability and prospect in the market by interviewing experts from various backgrounds.
Short- and long-term effects of responsible investment growth on equity returns
Authors: Ferrat Yann , Daty Frédéric , Burlacu Radu
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The growth of socially responsible assets has been exponential over the last decade, they now account for almost a third of professional investments. As the growth persists, faith and conviction investors reshape the equity markets. To fully comprehend the impact of socially conscious participants on security returns, this paper attempts to provide insights on how responsible investment growth has impacted the returns of sustainable stocks. The examination is split by investment horizon to account for short and long effects.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an exclusive dataset of non-financial ratings, provided by MSCI ESG research, the authors examine the cross-sectional returns of US and European sustainability-leading and lagging corporations between 2007 and 2019. Panel models robust to country, firm-year and industry effects were then employed to examine the impact of responsible investment growth on future stock returns.

Findings

The authors find evidence that the impact of responsible investment growth is dual contingent upon the timeframe considered. In the short run, sustainability-leading and lagging firms display similar stock returns. However, the spread in returns is negative over long horizons and increasing over time.

Originality/value

The examination performed in this study highlights the significant effect of responsible investment growth on future stock returns. Overall, the authors’ findings are consistent with the price pressure hypothesis in the short run and the cost of capital alteration over longer horizons.
Open innovation: a growth powerhouse when integrated with dynamic digital technologies
Authors: Lipp Anthony , Marshall Anthony , Dencik Jacob
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The more recent emergence of advanced digital technologies and the acceleration of process digitization, combined with rising stakeholder expectations, have created an urgent imperative for organizations to embrace open innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis in this paper is based on a survey 2,379 executives representing 24 industries and 26 countries conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value. IBV researchers used descriptive statistics to understand innovation trends. To understand the role of open innovation for business performance IBV researchers segmented the sample based on two criteria: extent to which the organization sees open innovation as important for their growth strategy and the extent to which they are effective in advancing open innovation.

Findings

Ecosystems are key to success with open innovation, creating value opportunities within and across the value chains. 10;

Practical/implications

Open and interoperable technologies like hybrid cloud, APIs, blockchain and AI allow for many more ways to create value by unlocking hidden potential in existing relationships.

Originality/value

Open innovation drives growth; new research found that 84 percent of executives think open innovation is important for their future growth strategy.
Salmon louse infestation levels on sea trout can be predicted from a hydrodynamic lice dispersal model
Authors: Bøhn Thomas , Nilsen Rune , Gjelland Karl Øystein , Biuw Martin , Sandvik Anne Dagrun , Primicerio Raul , Karlsen Ørjan , Serra‐Llinares Rosa Maria
Published: December 2021

The abundance of the parasitic salmon louse has increased with the growth in aquaculture of salmonids in open net pens. This represents a threat to wild salmonid populations as well as a key limiting factor for salmon farming. The Norwegian ‘traffic light’ management system for salmon farming aims to increase aquaculture production while securing sustainable wild salmonid populations. However, this system is at present solely focusing on mortality in wild Atlantic salmon, while the responses of sea trout with different ecological characteristics are not included.

We analyse lice counts on sea trout from surveillance data and use Bayesian statistical models to relate observed lice infestations to the environmental lice infestation pressure, salinity and current speed. These models can be used in risk assessment to predict when and where lice numbers surpass threshold levels for expected serious health effects in wild sea trout.

We find that in production areas with the highest density of salmon farms (West coast), more than 50% of the sea trout experienced lice infestations above the levels of expected serious health effects.

We also observed high lice infestations on sea trout in areas with salinities below louse tolerance levels, indicating that fish had been infested elsewhere but were returning to low‐saline waters to delouse. This behavioural response may over time disrupt anadromy in sea trout.

The observed infestations on sea trout can be explained by the hydrodynamic lice dispersal model, which provides continuous estimates of lice exposure along the whole Norwegian coast. These estimates, which are used in Atlantic salmon research and management, can also be used for sea trout.

Synthesis and applications. Wild sea trout, spending its entire feeding migration in fjords and coastal areas, is at higher risk than wild Atlantic salmon to lice infestations from industrial salmon farming. The high levels of lice infestation we observed on sea trout question the environmental sustainability of the current aquaculture industry in areas with intensive farming. We discuss the complex responses of sea trout to salmon lice and how the Norwegian ‘traffic light’ management system may include data on sea trout.
Assessment of plant diversity and foliar chemistry on the Sri Lankan ultramafics reveals inconsistencies in the metal hyperaccumulator trait
Authors: Fernando Denise R. M. , van der Ent Antony , Weerasinghe Asiri S. , Wijesundara Douglas Siril A. , Fernando Gunawarna W. A. Rohan , Fernando Anthony E. , Iqbal Mohamed C. M. , Miranda Charlotte H. , Gosse Jordan M. , Samithri Sadhana , Rajakaruna Nishanta
Published: December 2021

Some of the largest expanses of ultramafic soils occur in South Asia, but knowledge of the plant diversity and biogeochemistry of these systems in Sri Lanka is very limited. This study aimed to assess the plant diversity and bedrock and foliar chemistry of all known Sri Lankan ultramafic outcrops. The field survey yielded a total of 132 plant taxa from 44 families. The enigmatic nickel hyperaccumulator Rinorea bengalensis (Violaceae), first reported in Sri Lanka over four decades ago, was rediscovered at a newly surveyed ultramafic site, however, it did not hyperaccumulate nickel. No new metal hyperaccumulator plants were identified, suggesting that R. bengalensis is a facultative nickel hyperaccumulator. This study is the first to highlight the floristic diversity of all known Sri Lankan ultramafic outcrops while revealing the facultative nature of nickel and copper hyperaccumulation among some of Sri Lanka's ultramafic plants.
Experimental evolution of Pseudomonas putida under silver ion versus nanoparticle stress
Authors: Dong Feng , Quevedo Ana C. , Wang Xiang , Valsami‐Jones Eugenia , Kreft Jan‐Ulrich
Published: December 2021

Whether the antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are simply due to the release of silver ions (Ag+) or, additionally, nanoparticle‐specific effects, is not clear. We used experimental evolution of the model environmental bacterium Pseudomonas putida to ask whether bacteria respond differently to Ag+ or AgNP treatment. We pre‐evolved five cultures of strain KT2440 for 70 days without Ag to reduce confounding adaptations before dividing the fittest pre‐evolved culture into five cultures each, evolving in the presence of low concentrations of Ag+, well‐defined AgNPs or Ag‐free controls for a further 75 days. The mutations in the Ag+ or AgNP evolved populations displayed different patterns that were statistically significant. The non‐synonymous mutations in AgNP‐treated populations were mostly associated with cell surface proteins, including cytoskeletal membrane protein (FtsZ), membrane sensor and regulator (EnvZ and GacS) and periplasmic protein (PP_2758). In contrast, Ag+ treatment was selected for mutations linked to cytoplasmic proteins, including metal ion transporter (TauB) and those with metal‐binding domains (ThiL and PP_2397). These results suggest the existence of AgNP‐specific effects, either caused by sustained delivery of Ag+ from AgNP dissolution, more proximate delivery from cell‐surface bound AgNPs, or by direct AgNP action on the cell's outer membrane.
Precambrian Tectonic Affinity of the Southern Langshan Area, Northeastern Margin of the Alxa Block: Evidence from Zircon U‐Pb Dating and Lu‐Hf Isotopes
Authors: NIU Pengfei , QU Junfeng , ZHANG Jin , ZHANG Beihang , ZHAO Heng
Published: December 2021

The Alxa Block is the westernmost part of the North China Craton (NCC), and is regarded as one of the basement components of the NCC. Its geological evolution is of great significance for the understanding of the NCC. However, the Precambrian basement of the Alxa Block is still poorly studied. In this study, we present new in situ LA‐ICP‐MS zircon U‐Pb and Lu‐Hf isotope data from the Diebusige Metamorphic Complex (DMC) which located in the eastern Alxa Block. Field and petrological studies show that the DMC consists mainly of metamorphic supracrustal rocks and minor metamorphic plutonic rocks and has experienced amphibolite‐granulite facies metamorphism. Zircon U‐Pb dating results suggested that the amphibolite sample yields a crystallization age of 2636 ± 14 Ma and metamorphic ages of 2517–2454 Ma and 1988–1952 Ma, proving the existence of exposed Archean rocks in the Langshan area and indicating that late Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic metamorphic events existed in the Alxa Block. Two paragneiss samples show that the magmatic detrital zircons from the DMC yield 207Pb/206Pb ages ranging from 2.48 Ga to 2.10 Ga with two youngest peaks at 2.13 Ga and 2.16 Ga, respectively, and they were also overprinted by metamorphic events at 1.97–1.90 Ga and 1.89–1.79 Ga. Compilation of U‐Pb ages of magmatic detrital and metamorphic zircons suggested that the main part of the DMC may have been formed at 2.1–2.0 Ga. Zircon Lu‐Hf isotope data show that the source materials of the main part of the DMC were originated from the reworking of ancient Archean crust (3.45–2.78 Ga). The Hf isotope characteristics and the tectonothermal event records exhibit different evolution history with the Khondalite Belt and the Yinshan Block and the other basements of the Alxa Block, indicating that the Langshan was likely an independent terrain before the middle Paleoproterozoic and was subjected to the middle to late Paleoproterozoic tectonothermal events with the Khondalite Belt as a whole.
Treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors after EGFR‐TKIs in EGFR‐mutated lung cancer
Authors: Ito Takashi , Nagashima Hiromi , Akiyama Masachika , Utsumi Yu , Sato Hideomi , Chiba Shinji , Sugai Mayu , Ube Kenji , Mori Yoshiaki , Watanabe Kana , Fukuhara Tatsuro , Maemondo Makoto
Published: December 2021

Background

Epidermal growth factor receptor‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR‐TKIs) have become the gold standard for EGFR‐mutated non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been developed for the treatment of several malignancies, including lung cancer. However, it is known that ICIs have poorer efficacy in EGFR‐mutated NSCLC.

Methods

We collected data for patients with EGFR‐mutated NSCLC receiving monotherapy with ICIs after EGFR‐TKIs between December 2015 and March 2020 in three institutions, and retrospectively analyzed the association between patient characteristics and efficacy of ICIs.

Results

A total of 25 patients were included in this study. We defined responders as patients undergoing 90 days or longer of ICI treatment. Comparing characteristics between responders and non‐responders, more tumors with L858R EGFR mutation were observed in responders than in non‐responders (L858R: 66.7% and 25.0%, respectively, p < 0.05). There was no difference in incidence of T790M resistance mutation before ICI treatment. The PD‐L1 positive rate was slightly higher in responders but not statistically significant (22.2% and 12.5%, respectively). Median duration of EGFR‐TKI pretreatment was shorter in ICI responders compared with nonresponders (13.3 and 19.9 months, respectively). The survival of patients with L858R tumors was significantly longer than that of patients with exon 19 deletion (HR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.13–0.93, p = 0.026).

Conclusions

ICI treatment tends to have better efficacy in patients with L858R‐mutated tumors. This study suggests that patients with L858R‐mutated NSCLC are candidates for ICI treatment after EGFR‐TKI treatment.
BoomBox: An Automated Behavioural Response (ABR) camera trap module for wildlife playback experiments
Authors: Palmer Meredith S. , Wang Chris , Plucinski Jacinta , Pringle Robert M.
Published: December 2021

Camera traps (CTs) are a valuable tool in ecological research, amassing large quantities of information on the behaviour of diverse wildlife communities. CTs are predominantly used as passive data loggers to gather observational data for correlational analyses. Integrating CTs into experimental studies, however, can enable rigorous testing of key hypotheses in animal behaviour and conservation biology that are otherwise difficult or impossible to evaluate.

We developed the 'BoomBox', an open‐source Arduino‐compatible board that attaches to commercially available CTs to form an Automated Behavioural Response (ABR) system. The modular unit connects directly to the CT’s passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor, playing audio files over external speakers when the sensor is triggered. This creates a remote playback system that captures animal responses to specific cues, combining the benefits of camera trapping (e.g. continuous monitoring in remote locations, lack of human observers, large data volume) with the power of experimental manipulations (e.g. controlled perturbations for strong mechanistic inference).

Our system builds on previous ABR designs to provide a cheap (~100USD) and customizable field tool. We provide a practical guide detailing how to build and operate the BoomBox ABR system with suggestions for potential experimental designs that address a variety of questions in wildlife ecology. As proof‐of‐concept, we successfully field tested the BoomBox in two distinct field settings to study species interactions (predator–prey and predator–predator) and wildlife responses to conservation interventions.

This new tool allows researchers to conduct a unique suite of manipulative experiments on free‐living species in complex environments, enhancing the ability to identify mechanistic drivers of species' behaviours and interactions in natural systems.
Rapid alignment updating with Extensiphy
Authors: Field Jasper Toscani , Abrams A. Jeanine , Cartee John C. , McTavish Emily Jane
Published: December 2021

High‐throughput sequencing has become commonplace in evolutionary studies. Large, rapidly collected genomic datasets are used to capture biodiversity and for monitoring global and national scale disease transmission patterns, among many other applications. Updating homologous sequence datasets with new samples is cumbersome, requiring excessive program runtimes and data processing. We describe Extensiphy, a bioinformatics tool to efficiently update multiple sequence alignments with whole‐genome short‐read data. Extensiphy performs reference based sequence assembly and alignment in one process while maintaining the alignment length of the original alignment. Input data‐types for Extensiphy are any multiple sequence alignment in fasta format and whole‐genome, short‐read fastq sequences.

To validate Extensiphy, we compared its results to those produced by two other methods that construct whole‐genome scale multiple sequence alignments. We measured our comparisons by analysing program runtimes, base‐call accuracy, dataset retention in the presence of missing data and phylogenetic accuracy.

We found that Extensiphy rapidly produces high‐quality updated sequence alignments while preventing alignment shrinkage due to missing data. Phylogenies estimated from alignments produced by Extensiphy show similar accuracy to other commonly used alignment construction methods.

Extensiphy is suitable for updating large sequence alignments and is ideal for studies of biodiversity, ecology and epidemiological monitoring efforts.