bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The dual role of TonB genes in turnerbactin uptake and carbohydrate utilization in the shipworm symbiontTeredinibacter turnerae
Authors: Naka Hiroaki , Haygood Margo G.
Published: February 2023

Teredinibacter turneraeis an intracellular bacterial symbiont that resides in the gills of shipworms, wood-eating bivalve mollusks. This bacterium produces a catechol siderophore, turnerbactin, required for the survival of this bacterium under iron limiting conditions. The turnerbactin biosynthetic genes are contained in one of the secondary metabolite clusters conserved amongT. turneraestrains. However, Fe(III)-turnerbactin uptake mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we show that the first gene of the cluster,fttAa homologue of Fe(III)-siderophore TonB-dependent outer membrane receptor (TBDR) genes is indispensable for iron uptake via the endogenous siderophore, turnerbactin, as well as by an exogenous siderophore, amphi-enterobactin, ubiquitously produced by marine vibrios. Furthermore, three TonB clusters containing fourtonBgenes were identified, and two of these genes,tonB1bandtonB2, functioned not only for iron transport but also for carbohydrate utilization when cellulose was a sole carbon source. Gene expression analysis revealed that none of thetonBgenes and other genes in those clusters were clearly regulated by iron concentration while turnerbactin biosynthesis and uptake genes were up-regulated under iron limiting conditions, highlighting the importance oftonBgenes even in iron rich conditions, possibly for utilization of carbohydrates derived from cellulose.
Parental childhood maltreatment associates with offspring left amygdala volume at early infancy
Authors: Tuulari Jetro J. , Pulli Elmo P. , Kataja Eeva-Leena , Perasto Laura , Lewis John D. , Karlsson Linnea , Karlsson Hasse
Published: February 2023

Background

Childhood maltreatment exposure (CME) and related trauma could be considered some of psychiatry’s greatest public health challenges. CME and early adversity have been associated with increased amygdala volume in exposed individuals. Emerging evidence implies that CME could also affect prenatal development of the offspring.

Methods

As part of the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, we measured bilateral amygdala volumes from MR images in 76 healthy infants at 2–5 weeks of gestation corrected age and obtained the Trauma and Distress Scale (TADS) questionnaire from both parents. The associations between neonatal amygdala volumes and TADS scores were examined in stepwise regression models.

Results

We found that maternal CME associated positively with infant left amygdala volume (p = .045) while the positive association for the paternal trauma score was only marginally significant (p = .099). Similar associations were not observed for the right amygdala. In the exploratory analyses, we used age ranges (0–6, 7–12, and 13–18 years) as estimate of the timing of the CME and included all three time points from both parents using left amygdala volume into the stepwise regression models. We found that maternal TADS scores from 13–18 years of age associated positively with infant left amygdala volumes (p = .008). Correspondingly, paternal TADS scores from 0–6 years of age associated positively with the infant left amygdala volumes (p = .014).

Conclusions

Our link the infant offspring amygdala volume with parental CME with some agreement with prior findings, and they also imply links paternal CME to infant amygdala volumes. Amygdala is one of the key brain structures associated with both early life exposures and later psychiatric health, which makes it crucially important to elucidate both the underlying mechanisms and the later relevance of these associations in future studies.
A compact model for cold tolerance entrainment based on the ICE1-CBF-COR pathway in plants
Authors: Huang Ting , Wu Yue , Lv Hengmin , Shu Yiting , Yu Linxuan , Yang Haoyu , Hou Xilin , You Xiong
Published: February 2023

Most temperate plants can tolerate both chilling and freezing temperatures. Plants have developed self-defense mechanisms to perceive cold signal, trigger the cold tolerance for the cold response ICE1-CBF-COR pathway by packing a cascade of kinase phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events into a functional module. Linked to the central ICE1-CBF-COR model, two sub-models were adopted for the second messenSger Ca2+-- a one-compartment model for Ca2+transient and a two-compartment model for a train of Ca2+spikes. Numerical simulation verified the expression patterns of the cold-induced genes as observed inArabidopsis thaliana, Brassica napaandSolanum lycopersicum, including wild types and mutants. Moreover, the desensitization and resensitization ofCBF3andCOR15Awere displayed as well as the dynamics in the gradually decreasing temperature response to cold stress. The duration of cold tolerance was predicted for approximate 10 days. Interpreting and predicting the dynamical behaviors of the cold signaling pathway are valuable and time-saving for understanding mechanisms of cold acclimation.

Author summary

In higher organisms,CBF3transcriptional level are output in a pulse andCOR15Atranscriptional level are maintained at a high homeostatic level to respond cold stress, which is determined by a complex set of regulatory mechanisms. Feedback loops from Ca2+perception onto CaM, kinases, cold-acclimated genes in sequence, which have been experimentally reported, are thought to induceCOR15Atranscript accumulation under cold temperature exposure. The cold response pathway has been modeled based on a computational model. However, protein kinase cascades made the model relatively complicated and the cold-response geneCOR15Awas absent. Here, we develop a compact model with cold tolerance target geneCOR15A. We show that this model could reproduce the temporal dynamics and characteristics of the core gene variables in different plants with wild type and mutant. Reduction of CaM proportion and augment of negative feedback control by ZAT12 in the model results in the desensitization ofCBF3andCOR15A. Less than 24-hr warm treatment loses the ability of resensitization ofCBF3andCOR15Aafter 14-day cold exposure. We further predict that the duration of cold tolerance is maintained at about 10 days in our model.
Beyond ingredients: Supramolecular structure of lipid droplets in infant formula affects metabolic and brain function in mouse models
Authors: Oosting Annemarie , Harvey Louise , Ringler Silvia , van Dijk Gertjan , Schipper Lidewij
Published: February 2023

Human milk beneficially affects infant growth and brain development. The supramolecular structure of lipid globules in human milk i.e., large lipid globules covered by the milk fat globule membrane, is believed to contribute to this effect, in addition to the supply of functional ingredients.

Three preclinical (mouse) experiments were performed to study the effects of infant formula mimicking the supramolecular structure of human milk lipid globules on brain and metabolic health outcomes. From postnatal day 16 to 42, mouse offspring were exposed to a diet containing infant formula with large, phospholipid-coated lipid droplets (structure, STR) or infant formula with the same ingredients but lacking the unique structural properties as observed in human milk (ingredient, ING). Subsequently, in Study 1, the fatty acid composition in liver and brain membranes was measured, and expression of hippocampal molecular markers were analyzed. In Study 2 and 3 adult (Western style diet-induced) body fat accumulation and cognitive function were evaluated.

Animals exposed to STR compared to ING showed improved omega-3 fatty acid accumulation in liver and brain, and higher expression of brain myelin-associated glycoprotein. Early exposure to STR reduced fat mass accumulation in adulthood; the effect was more pronounced in animals exposed to a Western style diet. Additionally, mice exposed to STR demonstrated better memory performance later in life.

In conclusion, early life exposure to infant formula containing large, phospholipid-coated lipid droplets, closer to the supramolecular structure of lipid globules in human milk, positively affects adult brain and metabolic health outcomes in pre-clinical animal models.
The Planemo toolkit for developing, deploying, and executing scientific data analyses in Galaxy and beyond
Authors: Bray Simon , Chilton John , Bernt Matthias , Soranzo Nicola , van den Beek Marius , Batut Bérénice , Rasche Helena , Čech Martin , Cock Peter J.A. , Grüning Björn , Nekrutenko Anton
Published: February 2023

There are thousands of well-maintained high-quality open-source software utilities for all aspects of scientific data analysis. For more than a decade, the Galaxy Project has been providing computational infrastructure and a unified user interface for these tools to make them accessible to a wide range of researchers. To streamline the process of integrating tools and constructing workflows as much as possible, we have developed Planemo, a software development kit for tool and workflow developers and Galaxy power users. Here we outline Planemo's implementation and describe its broad range of functionality for designing, testing, and executing Galaxy tools, workflows, and training material. In addition, we discuss the philosophy underlying Galaxy tool and workflow development, and how Planemo encourages the use of development best practices, such as test-driven development, by its users, including those who are not professional software developers.
Characterization of network hierarchy reflects cell state specificity in genome organization
Authors: Wang Jingyao , Xue Yue , He Yueying , Quan Hui , Zhang Jun , Gao Yi Qin
Published: February 2023

Dynamic chromatin structure acts as the regulator of transcription program in crucial processes including cancer and cell development, but a unified framework for characterizing chromatin structural evolution remains to be established. Here, we performed graph inferences on Hi-C data sets and derived the chromatin contact networks. We discovered significant decreases in information transmission efficiencies in chromatin of colorectal cancer (CRC) and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) compared to corresponding normal controls through graph statistics. Using network embedding in the Poincaré disk, the hierarchy depths of chromatin from CRC and T-ALL patients were found to be significantly shallower compared to their normal controls. A reverse trend of change in chromatin structure was observed during early embryo development. We found tissue-specific conservation of hierarchy order in chromatin contact networks. Our findings reveal the top-down hierarchy of chromatin organization, which is significantly attenuated in cancer.
Credit constraint and agricultural technology adoptions: evidence from Ethiopia
Authors: Lemecha Megersa Endashaw
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This paper investigates constraints to yield enhancing technology adoptions, highlighting credit using data pooled from the first three waves of the Ethiopian socio-economic surveys.

Design/methodology/approach

Direct elicitation methodology is used to identify household's non-price credit rationing status. The panel selection model specified to examine causal effects of credit constraint on adoption variables allows us to tackle self-selection into adoptions and potential endogeneity of credit constraint while controlling for unobserved heterogeneity in both the selection and main equations.

Findings

Results show that about 54% of sample households face credit rationing, predominantly demand-side risk rationing. There is a negative association between measures of credit constraint status and adoption variables. The effect is stronger when the demand-side credit rationing is accounted for and when within household variation in credit constraint status overtime is considered as opposed to across constrained and unconstrained households.

Practical implications

Expanding physical access to institutional credit alone may not necessarily spur increased uptake of credit and instant investment by farm households. For a majority of them to take advantage of available credit and improved technology, interventions should also aim at minimizing downside risks.

Originality/value

This paper incorporates the role of downside risk in influencing farmer's decisions to uptake credits and subsequently his/her adoption behaviors. The researcher approached the topic by state-of-the-art method which allows obtaining more reliable results and hence more specific contributions to research and practice.
Light magic at workplace due to empowering leadership: situation strength conceptions for intrapreneurial behaviour
Authors: Alam Muhammad Zubair , Rafiq Muhammad , Nasir Sobia , Abdul Rehman Chaudhary
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The present study enriches the person-situation debate by developing and testing a theoretical model on the nexus between empowering leadership (EL) and intrapreneurial behaviour (IB) in the presence of a strong organisational situation of perceived organisational support (POS).

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional survey data collected from 237 engineers working for Pakistani automakers were used to evaluate the suggested theoretical framework. The survey results were analysed using the partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method.

Findings

The results from the analysed data revealed a significant and positive relationship between EL and IB. POS significantly moderate the relationship between EL and IB as per the conceptualisation of situation strength theory (SST) and is established as a strong organisational situation that generates situational cues for IB outcomes from employees.

Originality/value

The present study provides new insights into determining employees' workplace behaviour as viewed from the organisational situations. Hence, top management in organisations can create a conducive environment by improving employees' POS for valued work behaviours like IB.
A guide for a guide: using UIA publications for an SDG-focused studio
Authors: Akgun Yenal , Erdoğdu Erkarslan Özlem , Neşeliler Pınar
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to present a data mapping analysis that can be used for aligning the studio course with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by teaching professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), released in 2015, has received global attention from various disciplines and sectors. Professional organizations in architecture have accelerated the engagement between their members and SDGs. This paper analyzes the two volumes of the Architecture Guide to the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals prepared by the efforts of professional organizations or consortiums and published by the UIA between 2018 and 2020. The buildings presented as best practices in these guidebooks were analyzed to demonstrate various ways of capturing the SDGs in the architectural studio when designing the course content, process and teaching materials.

Findings

The analysis presents the kinship among the SDGs and architectural concepts, which are retrieved from the sample buildings in the guidebooks. The findings also refer to the targets for each goal to generate an easily applicable pedagogical path in architectural education. The results are presented as a model approach for SDG-focused studio teaching.

Originality/value

An in-depth review of the literature reveals the need for research based on SDG-focused pedagogies and the UN Architecture Guide.
Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the dietary sources of healthy fats and essential oil supplements
Authors: Ruta Florina , Calin Avram , Timus Mihai , Sipos Remus , Ciucan-Rusu Liviu
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and consumption of healthy foods, respectively, of oils as sources of omega-3 and dietary supplements with omega-3, among a population of young people in the center of Romania. With the objectives of identifying the factors that can influence the consumption of healthy fats and the orientation toward actions to promote less known food resources, in order to diversify the healthy food intake, the long-term improvement of the health-related effects of food.

Design/methodology/approach

One of the most important aspects of health is nutrition and its role in reducing the incidence of chronic diseases is supported by scientific data. In this research, the authors analyzed the level of information and the factors determining food choices with particular reference to the consumption of healthy fats and/or supplements from these fats, in order to highlight the behavior of individuals in relation to food. For this purpose, a questionnaire about food and healthy fats (omega-3) consumption and frequency was applied to the food groups of interest, along with other factors pertaining to lifestyle. The questionnaire distributed online mainly included questions related to the consumption of fats and the respondents' knowledge about them. The interest in participating in the study was manifested mainly in the young age segment. The collected data were analyzed statistically was done through Graph Pad Prism ver. 9 software with the establishment of a statistical significance threshold of 0.05.

Findings

There is a certain degree of superficiality in the knowledge of the importance and use of foods rich in omega-3. The statistically significant association has been identified both between age and the rules established in the family for observing the schedule of meals and between age and benefiting from an evaluation of the eating behavior. Statistically significant association has also been observed between the level of education and the knowledge on the health benefits of vegetable oils. The statistically significant association was also present between the level of education and the respondents' appreciation of the essential role of eating behavior in disease prevention.

Originality/value

Identifying the consumer profile in relation to their attitude toward healthy foods, especially fats, in order to adapt nutritional interventions with the aim to promote healthy food choices that have an impact on the health of the individual and also of the population.
Internal factors, external factors and behavioral intention toward food delivery apps (FDAs)
Authors: Ng Kenneth Shiu Pong , Zhang Jiru , Wong Jose Weng Chou , Luo Kennis Kaiqi
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Food delivery apps (FDAs), as a well-known technology, have been widely adopted by restaurants and customers. Different from existing studies in this field that mainly focused on the technical (internal) parts, the study aims to introduce a new framework by linking up technical (internal) factors and service-related (external) factors in the context of FDAs. This study also empirically analyzes a comprehensive model that identifies the impacts of internal and external factors in FDAs on the continuous use intention.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes a comprehensive model integrating internal and external factors with a sample of 498 respondents who had ordered or purchased food through delivery apps for the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis.

Findings

The results of the study show that time-saving is the most significant factor on customers' perceptions, and various food choices and usefulness have also direct positive impacts on perceived value and satisfaction. In addition, perceived value shows a stronger effect than satisfaction on customers' continuous usage.

Originality/value

These findings provide a new perspective on FDAs, which not only simplify the elements of FDAs but also classify internal and external factors to foster the theoretical and practical development. Ultimately, the model proposed and validated in this study can serve as the basis for future FDAs and other service apps development.
Investigating the factors affecting the intention to adopt cloud-based ERP systems during the COVID-19 era: evidence from Jordan
Authors: Qutaishat Fadi , Abushakra Ahmad , Anaya Luay , Al-Omari Mohammad
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Generally, the use of cloud-based services has proliferated all around the world. This tendency increased dramatically during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic when many people were obliged to conduct business remotely. This research study aims to investigate the intentions to adopt (IA) cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in Jordan, as this sort of research is scarce in developing countries. Specifically, this research study combined the model of Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) and the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, in addition to looking at COVID-19 as a moderating variable.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 60 participants working in Jordanian companies that currently use, or have the intention to use, cloud-based ERP systems. An online questionnaire was developed and used to collect responses. The study hypotheses were examined statistically using simple regression analysis and hierarchical multiple regression.

Findings

The study results clearly indicate that complexity, observability, employee information technology (IT) skills, organizational culture (OC) and top management support significantly affect the intention to adopt cloud-based ERP systems. In contrast, relative advantage (RA), compatibility, trialability, regulatory environment and competitive pressure had no significant effect on adoption intention. Interestingly, the advent of COVID-19 increased the intention to adopt cloud-based ERP systems.

Research limitations/implications

The study's findings will provide theoretical and practical suggestions for the effective adoption of cloud ERP in Jordan, as well as aiding other developing nations in comparable situations in implementing cloud-based ERP systems.

Originality/value

The study enriches the knowledge and further examines the underlying reasons for adopting cloud-based ERP systems in a developing country.
Synthetic images generation for semantic understanding in facility management
Authors: Rampini Luca , Re Cecconi Fulvio
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This study aims to introduce a new methodology for generating synthetic images for facility management purposes. The method starts by leveraging the existing 3D open-source BIM models and using them inside a graphic engine to produce a photorealistic representation of indoor spaces enriched with facility-related objects. The virtual environment creates several images by changing lighting conditions, camera poses or material. Moreover, the created images are labeled and ready to be trained in the model.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper focuses on the challenges characterizing object detection models to enrich digital twins with facility management-related information. The automatic detection of small objects, such as sockets, power plugs, etc., requires big, labeled data sets that are costly and time-consuming to create. This study proposes a solution based on existing 3D BIM models to produce quick and automatically labeled synthetic images.

Findings

The paper presents a conceptual model for creating synthetic images to increase the performance in training object detection models for facility management. The results show that virtually generated images, rather than an alternative to real images, are a powerful tool for integrating existing data sets. In other words, while a base of real images is still needed, introducing synthetic images helps augment the model’s performance and robustness in covering different types of objects.

Originality/value

This study introduced the first pipeline for creating synthetic images for facility management. Moreover, this paper validates this pipeline by proposing a case study where the performance of object detection models trained on real data or a combination of real and synthetic images are compared.
How high-involvement work practices, leadership and job crafting influence nurses’ innovative work behavior
Authors: Alwali Joather
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This study determines the effects of high-involvement work practices (HIWPs) and servant leadership (SL) on job crafting (JC). It also investigates the effect of JC on innovative work behavior (IWB). It further examines the mediating role of JC in the relationship between HIWPs and IWB, as well as between SL and IWB based on self-determination theory and conservation of resources theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected in two waves with a one-week interval (Time 1 and Time 2) from 138 nurses from seven public hospitals in Baghdad through survey design. The data analysis was done through structural equation modeling using smart partial least squares.

Findings

This study reveals that HIWPs and SL have significant effects on JC, while JC has a significant relationship with IWB. It also shows that JC has a significant mediating role in the relationship between HIWPs and IWB. Finally, the relationship between SL and IWB is significantly mediated by JC.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the extant literature by revealing the direct effects of JC on IWB. It further unveils the mediating effect of JC on the nexus between HIWPs and IWB, as well as between SL and IWB. This mediating effect has been overlooked in the empirical literature.
An adaptive Kriging method based on K-means clustering and sampling in n-ball for structural reliability analysis
Authors: Wang Jinsheng , Cao Zhiyang , Xu Guoji , Yang Jian , Kareem Ahsan
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Assessing the failure probability of engineering structures is still a challenging task in the presence of various uncertainties due to the involvement of expensive-to-evaluate computational models. The traditional simulation-based approaches require tremendous computational effort, especially when the failure probability is small. Thus, the use of more efficient surrogate modeling techniques to emulate the true performance function has gained increasingly more attention and application in recent years. In this paper, an active learning method based on a Kriging model is proposed to estimate the failure probability with high efficiency and accuracy.

Design/methodology/approach

To effectively identify informative samples for the enrichment of the design of experiments, a set of new learning functions is proposed. These learning functions are successfully incorporated into a sampling scheme, where the candidate samples for the enrichment are uniformly distributed in the n-dimensional hypersphere with an iteratively updated radius. To further improve the computational efficiency, a parallelization strategy that enables the proposed algorithm to select multiple sample points in each iteration is presented by introducing the K-means clustering algorithm. Hence, the proposed method is referred to as the adaptive Kriging method based on K-means clustering and sampling in n-Ball (AK-KBn).

Findings

The performance of AK-KBn is evaluated through several numerical examples. According to the generated results, all the proposed learning functions are capable of guiding the search toward sample points close to the LSS in the critical region and result in a converged Kriging model that perfectly matches the true one in the regions of interest. The AK-KBn method is demonstrated to be well suited for structural reliability analysis and a very good performance is observed in the investigated examples.

Originality/value

In this study, the statistical information of Kriging prediction, the relative contribution of the sample points to the failure probability and the distances between the candidate samples and the existing ones are all integrated into the proposed learning functions, which enables effective selection of informative samples for updating the Kriging model. Moreover, the number of required iterations is reduced by introducing the parallel computing strategy, which can dramatically alleviate the computation cost when time demanding numerical models are involved in the analysis.
Impact of digital inclusive finance on household tourism consumption: evidence from China
Authors: Wu Xiaojun , Chang Huijia
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the role of digital inclusive finance (DIF) in influencing household tourism consumption, whether this influence differs between households with different characteristics and determining the intermediate mechanisms that influence the relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual framework of this study was designed on the basis of the research on DIF in residential consumption practices. The China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) and the Peking University DIF Index were used in the study, which included four years of unbalanced panel data from 25 provinces in China. A fixed effects model was used to validate the conceptual framework and hypothesis testing.

Findings

Both hypothesis paths proposed in this study were supported. Results of this study show that DIF has a significant contribution to household tourism consumption and shows a positive impact in terms of both breadth of coverage and depth of use, and that Internet usage is an important mediating mechanism for DIF to promote household tourism consumption. Thus, the use of DIF as a tool can have a positive impact on tourism consumption.

Research limitations/implications

Results of this study will help researchers and tourism businesses understand the relationship and mechanisms at play between DIF and household tourism consumption and leverage financial tools to drive tourism revival. However, the lack of third-country data for comparative analysis may render the conclusions inapplicable to every economy.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine the relationship between DIF and household tourism consumption, using an “individual + time + region” fixed effects model to conduct specific empirical tests.
Students' perception of environmental sustainability (ES) exercises at higher education institutions (HEIs) in Bangladesh
Authors: Haque Md. Nazmul , Abtahee Muhallil , Islam Afra Anika , Sadiq Md. Ashhab
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Environmental sustainability (ES) is a vital issue in recent times as higher education institutions (HEIs) are expected to have significant environmental impacts. This study aims to explore the ES attitudes in three different HEIs in Bangladesh based on student perception.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary data from 200 respondents of 3 HEIs through a questionnaire survey has been collected. The questionnaire was designed to collect data on six criteria: awareness, concern, attitude, willingness to participate and recommendations about campus ES. Pearson's chi-square (χ2), Fisher's exact test statistic, one-way analysis of variance and Spearman's correlation have been used to measure difference and correlation in SPSS.

Findings

Though students are aware of ES, only 21% are concerned about the issue. In total, 68% of respondents agreed that campus ES is not a responsibility of authority alone and that others have a role to play; 24% of students do not even know about recycling practices; and 73% of the respondents suggested that knowledge-sharing seminars/conferences could be the best way to improve the campus's ES.

Practical implications

A top-down planning approach excludes students from decision-making and direct engagement in Sustainable Campus building. Including student perceptions in planning assists policymakers and smooths the path to a more sustainable campus.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insight into students' perceptions of sustainability practices in the campus environment.
Artificial intelligence: the way ahead for employee engagement in corporate India
Authors: Saxena Manisha , Mishra Dharmesh K.
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Employee engagement (EE) can result in multiple positive impacts not only on the individual and his/her team but also on the organisational and financial outcome of the business. If artificial intelligence (AI) can be used as a tool to facilitate EE, organisations will be more than satisfied to adopt it. The paper aims to study the penetration of AI for EE in corporate India.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the information gathered through secondary research, a framework of questions was built and sent to some senior people in the area of AI and HR to check for its completeness. Respondents based on inclusion criteria were selected through random purposive sampling to be a part of the study. A total of 23 respondents participated in the study. Qualitative data analysis of the transcripts was conducted using MAXQDA 2022 (Verbi Software, Berlin, Germany), which is a qualitative data analysis software. Multiple readings were undertaken to identify the patterns and relationships in the data.

Findings

The participants described a variety of issues while using or planning to use AI for EE. Some of the issues mentioned were related to cost, challenges, mindsets and attitudes, demography of employees, comfort in the use of technology, size of the organisation, change management strategies, software vendors and vendor support. The most common responses were grouped into headings such as Organisation, Process, Employee and Software Choice Related aspects.

Originality/value

Lately, the overall work environment, work and personal life balance, and quality of life have become more desirable than earning a good salary. AI is becoming a part of various aspects of business but its role in HR is yet to be explored. AI’s capabilities to predict may result in more employee work satisfaction. The paper explores the possibility of using AI as a tool in every aspect of employee life cycle, thereby attempting to make HR processes more productive and enhance EE.
Investigating the impact of servant leadership on service excellence: the mediating role of PsyCap as a personal resource and buffering role of conscientiousness
Authors: Qamar Faisal , Soomro Shuaib Ahmed
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Applying servant leadership theory, this study aims to investigate whether servant leadership predicts service excellence of bank employees through mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap). It also tests buffering role of conscientiousness in boosting service excellence.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses data collected from 224 bank employees. SPSS and jamovi statistics were used for data analysis.

Findings

Study findings suggest a significant relationship between servant leadership, service excellence and PsyCap. PsyCap emerged as a mediator, and conscientiousness moderated the nexus between servant leadership and service excellence.

Practical implications

Findings highlight important implications for organisational practitioners. Because servant leadership leads to service excellence, practitioners should consider adopting servant leadership at every organizational level. Further, servant leaders could enhance followers’ PsyCap for creating service excellence. Organisations should use customized training programs and development interventions to enhance service excellence.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few studies to investigate the mediating role of PsyCap as a personal resource and buffering role of conscientiousness for service sector employees. Study generates new insights on employee experiences working in service sectors.
Nexus between financial inclusion and women empowerment: evidence from developing countries
Authors: Arshad Ameena
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to conduct an empirical investigation of how financial inclusion impacts women empowerment. Then, it examines the overall effect of various dimensions of financial inclusion on women empowerment in developing countries using the panel data for the time period of 2004–2019.

Design/methodology/approach

To overcome the problem of endogeneity, the study has used a fixed-effect model, two-stage least square GMM estimation techniques. Secondary data was collected from various websites such as WDI, UNICEF and UNESCO.

Findings

The results show that generally, the influence of financial inclusion on women empowerment is positive, confirming previous empirical literature results. The study found evidence that if there is more financial inclusion in the country, it will benefit women by enabling them to see their qualities and skills, which make them strong and dominant. Proper development and enhancement of those skills are only possible if proper education, awareness and space are given to express oneself. According to the results, financial development, gender parity index and women's employment positively affects women empowerment, while gender discrimination has a negative impact on women empowerment. The study highlights that to encourage women empowerment in developing countries. Governments and policymakers have to carefully check and reconsider that what are the most optimal financial inclusion programs that will help to improve the women empowerment in the country.

Practical implications

The study highlights that to encourage women empowerment in developing countries, governments and policymakers have to carefully check and reconsider what are the most optimal financial inclusion programs that will help to improve women empowerment in the country.

Originality/value

The literature does not clearly show the impact of financial inclusion dimensions on women empowerment in developing countries. Therefore, there is a need to use all the dimensions of financial inclusion to check the overall impact on women empowerment in developing countries. For this purpose, the financial inclusion index is developed. A new dimension of non-life insurance is introduced, which has not been used previously by any researcher to check financial inclusion impact.
Impacts of using discrete and continuous porous layers on the cooling performance of confined multiple slot jet impingement under partially active magnetic field
Authors: Selimefendigil Fatih , Oztop Hakan
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of using discrete and continuous porous layers on the convective heat transfer improvement for multiple slot jet impingement onto a flat surface under magnetic field.

Design/methodology/approach

In the domains which are separated by the porous layers, uniform magnetic field with different strengths is used and as the solution technique finite element method is used. The numerical study is conducted considering different values of parameters: Reynolds number (250–1000), strength of magnetic field in different domains (Hartmann number between 0 and 20), permeability of discrete or continuous layers (Darcy number between 105 and 102) and number of layers in discrete case (2–10). Artificial neural network is used for performance estimation of systems equipped with different types of porous layers.

Findings

It is observed that significant differences occur in the local Nu between the discrete and continuous layer case, especially at lower Re, while peak Nu value is 77% higher in discrete layer configurations as compared to continuous one at Re = 250. Upper domain magnetic field results in average Nu enhancement, while the trend is opposite for the lower domain magnetic field strength. The increment amount becomes 10%, while the reduction amount is obtained as 38% at the highest magnetic field strengths. The permeability of layers in both cases and number of layers in discrete porous layer case provide effective solution for the cooling performance control. A modeling approach based on artificial neural networks provides fast thermal performance estimations of multiple impinging jets equipped with discrete and continuous porous layers.

Originality/value

Outcomes of the study are useful in development and optimization of new cooling systems in many thermal engineering systems encountered in photovoltaic panels, micro-electro-mechanical systems, metal processing and many others.
Persistent economic inequalities in menstrual hygiene practices in India: a decomposition analysis
Authors: Pradhan Jalandhar , Patra Kshirabdhi Tanaya , Behera Sasmita
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the socio-economic inequalities that exist in the use of unhygienic menstrual practices in India and its states, as well as to identify the contribution of various socio-economic factors that leads to these inequalities.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–21) for 240,285 menstruating women aged 15–24 years is used to examine the above objectives. The concentration index for unhygienic menstrual practices is calculated to measure the socio-economic inequalities, which are then decomposed into their determining factors.

Findings

The state of Punjab experiencing the highest level of economic inequality, followed by Telangana and Haryana. The results from decomposition analysis suggest that rural residence (13%), illiteracy (7%), poor economic status (53%), not reading newspaper (12%) and not watching TV (14%) contribute 99% to the total socio-economic inequality in using unhygienic menstrual practices in India. The contribution of economic status to total inequalities is more in all the states except for Kerala and Mizoram, where caste and residence play an important role.

Originality/value

This paper signifies the role of economic inequality in the use of unhygienic menstrual practices in India as well as the contribution of various socio-economic factors contributing towards these inequalities. The results from decomposition analysis suggest the need for unique health intervention strategies for different states following the evidence of major contributions to total inequalities in the use of unhygienic menstrual practices.
Shared mental models in multi-team systems: improving enterprise system implementation
Authors: Wu Xiaosong Jason , Jiang Randi , Tsai Jacob Chia-An , Klein Gary
Published: February 2023

Purpose

An enterprise system (ES) implementation proceeds as a multi-team system (MTS), with multiple project teams spanning time and business functions to meet organization-wide goals. Thus, the focus shifts from the output of a single project team to the outcomes of all ES project teams as part of the larger MTS. This study extends concepts of shared mental models (SMMs) in aspects of goals and plans in both MTS level and project team level and further examines SMMs' interactive impact on the MTS-based project performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study tests the model with survey data from 140 MTS-based ES implementations in China. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS SEM) served to test the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

SMMs of project team-level goals and plans contribute to the cooperation and coordination in the ES implementation and thereby improve final implementation efficiency either directly or in combination. However, SMMs of MTS-level goal and plans contribute integration only when considered with achievements at the project level.

Originality/value

Prior literature suggests a critical role of integration among ES project teams but finds challenges in achieving such integration. By leveraging shared mental model theory, the authors' results show that both common goal and plan understandings in the integration team critically influence integration in ES implementation and, thus, the final ES implementation efficiency, though not in a strictly linear relationship.
A review on fatigue monitoring of structures
Authors: García-Fernández Natalia , Aenlle Manuel , Álvarez-Vázquez Adrián , Muniz-Calvente Miguel , Fernández Pelayo
Published: February 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to review the existing fatigue and vibration-based structural health monitoring techniques and highlight the advantages of combining both approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

Fatigue monitoring requires a fatigue model of the material, the stresses at specific points of the structure, a cycle counting technique and a fatigue damage criterion. Firstly, this paper reviews existing structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques, addresses their principal classifications and presents the main characteristics of each technique, with a particular emphasis on modal-based methodologies. Automated modal analysis, damage detection and localisation techniques are also reviewed. Fatigue monitoring is an SHM technique which evaluate the structural fatigue damage in real time. Stress estimation techniques and damage accumulation models based on the S-N field and the Miner rule are also reviewed in this paper.

Findings

A vast amount of research has been carried out in the field of SHM. The literature about fatigue calculation, fatigue testing, fatigue modelling and remaining fatigue life is also extensive. However, the number of publications related to monitor the fatigue process is scarce. A methodology to perform real-time structural fatigue monitoring, in both time and frequency domains, is presented.

Originality/value

Fatigue monitoring can be combined (applied simultaneously) with other vibration-based SHM techniques, which might significantly increase the reliability of the monitoring techniques.
Blockchainembedded supply chain finance solutions for Indian MSMEs: a TISM and MICMAC approach
Authors: Sahoo P.S. Biswa Bhusan , Thakur Vikas
Published: February 2023

Purpose

To stabilise the financial flow and ensure the smooth operations of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), supply chain finance (SCF) is one of the efficient alternative solutions suggested by various researchers and practitioners. The application of blockchain technology (BT) could maximize the capability and performance of the SCF throughout the supply chain. Therefore, this study aims to identify and analyse the factors of implementing BT-embedded SCF solutions for Indian MSMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

The total interpretative structural modeling (TISM) methodology is applied to explore the hierarchical as well as non-hierarchical relationships among the factors of implementing BT-embedded SCF solutions in Indian MSMEs. Thereafter, the fuzzy-cross-impact matrix-multiplication (F-MICMAC) approach is opted to classify all the factors into four groups depending upon their driving and dependence powers in the overall TISM hierarchy.

Findings

The result of this study revealed that “real-time exchange of information” and “transparent platform” are the most influential factors and play important role in the application of blockchain in SCF in Indian MSMEs. The real-time exchange of information ensures the easy and quick access to data by any partner across the supply chain and, also the data and information remain secure.

Practical implications

The findings of this study help the MSMEs and supply chain managers to implement the blockchain-embedded solutions to overcome the traditional SCF challenges and obstructions by setting up short-term as well as long-term policies and will open the door for future research work.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s/authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind, where the data is collected from field experts to identify the factors influencing the blockchain-embedded SCF adoption in Indian MSMEs’ perspectives, to tackle the flaws of SCF and strengthen the MSMEs.