bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genomic heterogeneity and ploidy identify patients with intrinsic resistance to PD-1 blockade in metastatic melanoma
Authors: Tarantino Giuseppe , Ricker Cora A. , Wang Annette , Ge Will , Aprati Tyler J. , Huang Amy Y. , Madha Shariq , Chen Jiajia , Shi Yingxiao , Glettig Marc , Frederick Dennie T. , Freeman Samuel , Holovatska Marta M. , Manos Michael P. , Zimmer Lisa , Rösch Alexander , Zaremba Anne , Reardon Brendan , Park Jihye , Elmarakeby Haitham A. , Schilling Bastian , Giobbie-Hurder Anita , Vokes Natalie I. , Buchbinder Elizabeth I. , Flaherty Keith T. , Haq Rizwan , Wu Catherine J. , Boland Genevieve M. , Hodi F. Stephen , Van Allen Eliezer M. , Schadendorf Dirk , Liu David
Published: December 2022

While the introduction of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has dramatically improved clinical outcomes for patients with advanced melanoma, a significant proportion of patients develop resistance to therapy, and mechanisms of resistance are poorly elucidated in most cases. Further, while combination ICB has higher response rates and improved progression free survival compared to single agent therapy in the front line setting, there is significantly increased toxicity with combination ICB, and biomarkers to identify patients who would disproportionately benefit from combination therapy vs aPD-1 ICB are poorly characterized. To understand resistance mechanisms to single vs combination ICB therapy, we analyze whole-exome-sequencing (WES) of pre-treatment tumor and matched normals of 4 cohorts (n=140) of previously ICB-naïve aPD-1 ICB treated patients. We find that high intratumoral genomic heterogeneity and low ploidy identify patients with intrinsic resistance to aPD-1 ICB. Comparing to a melanoma cohort from a pre-targeted therapy and ICB time period (“untreated” cohort), we find that genomic heterogeneity specifically predicts response and survival in the ICB treated cohorts, but not in the untreated cohort, while ploidy is also prognostic of overall survival in the “untreated” (by targeted therapy or ICB) group. To establish clinically actionable predictions, we optimize a simple decision tree using genomic ploidy and heterogeneity to identify with high confidence (90% PPV) a subset of patients with intrinsic resistance to and significantly worse survival on aPD1 ICB treatment. We then validate this model in independent cohorts, and further show that a significant proportion of patients predicted to have intrinsic resistance to single agent aPD-1 ICB respond to combination ICB, which suggests that nominated patients may benefit disproportionately from combination ICB. We further show that the features and predictions of the model are independent of known clinical features and previously nominated molecular biomarkers. These findings highlight the clinical and biological importance of genomic heterogeneity and ploidy, and sets a concrete framework towards clinical actionability, broadly advancing precision medicine in oncology.
Sleep-like state during wakefulness induced by psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT in mice
Authors: Bréant Benjamin J B , Mengual José Prius , Hoerder-Suabedissen Anna , Patel Jasmin , Bannerman David M , Sharp Trevor , Vyazovskiy Vladyslav V
Published: December 2022

Psychedelics lead to profound changes in subjective experience and behaviour, which are typically conceptualised in psychological terms rather than corresponding to an altered brain state or a distinct state of arousal. Here, we performed chronic electrophysiological recordings from the cortex concomitant with pupillometry in freely moving adult male mice following an injection of a short-acting psychedelic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). We observed an acute induction of a dissociated state of arousal, characterised by prominent sleep-like slow waves in the cortex and marked pupil dilation in behaviourally awake, moving animals. REM sleep was markedly suppressed, similar to the effect of conventional antidepressants. We argue that the occurrence of a dissociated brain state combining features of waking and sleep may fundamentally underpin the known and hypothesised effects of psychedelics — from dream-like hallucinations to reopening of the critical period for plasticity.
Biasing AlphaFold2 to predict GPCRs and Kinases with user-defined functional or structural properties
Authors: Sala D. , Meiler J.
Published: December 2022

Determining the three-dimensional structure of proteins in their native functional states has been a longstanding challenge in structural biology. While experimental methods combined with integrative structural biology has been the most effective way to get high accuracy structures and mechanistic insights for larger proteins, advances in deep machine-learning algorithms have paved the way to fully computational predictions. In this field, AlphaFold2 (AF2) pioneeredab initiohigh accuracy single chain modeling. Since then, different customizations expanded the number of conformational states accessible through AF2. Here, we further extended AF2 with the aim of enriching an ensemble of models with user-defined functional or structural features. We tackled two common protein families for drug discovery, G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and Kinases. Our approach automatically identifies the best templates satisfying the specified features and combines those with genetic information. We also introduced the possibility of shuffling the selected templates to expand the space of solutions. In our benchmark, models showed the intended bias and great accuracy. Our protocol can thus be exploited for modeling user-defined conformational states in automatic fashion.
Mesenchymal Progenitors set the homeostatic inflammatory milieu via the TAK1-NFkB axis
Authors: Marine Theret , Melina Messing , Zoe White , Wei Tung Lin , Lucas Rempel , Mark Hamer , Joshua Hashimoto , Fangfang Li , Julyanne Brasssar , Yicong Li , Elodie Sauge , Samuel Shin , Katie Day , Manjosh Uppal , Marcela Low , Christine Eisner , Sato Shintaro , Akira Shizuo , Michael Hughes , Pascal Bernatchez , McNagny Kelly M , Rossi Fabio M.V.
Published: December 2022

The ability of mesenchymal stromal cells to modulate inflammation is at the basis of the ongoing interest in their therapeutic potential. Yet, reliable success in clinical trials is limited, possibly due to a limited understanding of their impact on the inflammatory milieu in physiological conditions. Here we show that, at steady state, mesenchymal progenitors regulate the balance between type 1 and type 2 inflammatory milieus by acting on innate immune cells through the TAK1-NFkB pathway. Suppressing the constitutive activity of this pathway in MPs leads to skewing of the immune system toward systemic Type 2 inflammation (Th2). These changes have significant effects on diseases with an important inflammatory component, leading to a worsening of disease in a preclinical model of Th2-dependent Asthma, and a reduction of symptoms associated with Th1/Th17-dependent experimental autoimmune encephalitis.
TRAP1S-nitrosylation as a model of population-shift mechanism to study the effects of nitric oxide on redox-sensitive oncoproteins
Authors: Papaleo Elena , Tiberti Matteo , Arnaudi Matteo , Pecorari Chiara , Faienza Fiorella , Cantwell Lisa , Degn Kristine , Pacello Francesca , Battistoni Andrea , Lambrughi Matteo , Filomeni Giuseppe
Published: December 2022

S-nitrosylation is a post-translational modification in which nitric oxide (NO) binds to the thiol group of cysteine, generating anS-nitrosothiol (SNO) adduct.S-nitrosylation has different physiological roles, and its alteration has also been linked to a growing list of pathologies, including cancer. SNO can affect the function and stability of different proteins, such as the mitochondrial chaperone TRAP1. Interestingly, the SNO site (C501) of TRAP1 is in the proximity of another cysteine (C527). This feature suggests that theS-nitrosylated C501 could engage in a disulfide bridge with C527 in TRAP1, resembling the well-known ability ofS-nitrosylated cysteines to resolve in disulfide bridge with vicinal cysteines. We used enhanced sampling simulations and in-vitro biochemical assays to address the structural mechanisms induced by TRAP1S-nitrosylation. We showed that the SNO site induces conformational changes in the proximal cysteine and favors conformations suitable for disulfide-bridge formation. We explored 4172 knownS-nitrosylated proteins using high-throughput structural analyses. Furthermore, we carried out coarse-grain simulations of 44 proteins to account for protein dynamics in the analyses. This resulted in the identification of up to 1248 examples of proximal cysteines which could sense the redox state of the SNO site, opening new perspectives on the biological effects of redox switches. In addition, we devised two bioinformatic workflows (https://github.com/ELELAB/SNO_investigation_pipelines) to identify proximal or vicinal cysteines for a SNO site with accompanying structural annotations. Finally, we analyzed mutations in tumor suppressor or oncogenes in connection with the conformational switch induced byS-nitrosylation. We classified the variants as neutral, stabilizing, or destabilizing with respect to the propensity to beS-nitrosylated and to undergo the population-shift mechanism. The methods applied here provide a comprehensive toolkit for future high-throughput studies of new protein candidates, variant classification, and a rich data source for the research community in the NO field.
Sketch the Organoids from Birth to Death – Development of an Intelligent OrgaTracker System for Multi-Dimensional Organoid Analysis and Recreation
Authors: Du Xuan , Cui Wenhao , Song Jiaping , Cheng Yanping , Qi Yuxin , Zhang Yue , Li Qiwei , Zhang Jing , Sha Lifeng , Ge Jianjun , Li Yanhui , Chen Zaozao , Gu Zhongze
Published: December 2022

Organoids are three-dimensionalin vitromodels that recreate the structure and physiology of their source organs or tissues in remarkable detail. Due to the diversity of organoids in shape and size and the three-dimensional growth environment, it is challenging to observe and analyze organoids periodically in the microscope to obtain their morphological or growth characteristics, especially in high-throughput experiments. Here, this paper first proposes OrgaTracker, a novel assembled architecture combining Yolov5 for object detection and U-net for semantic segmentation. The deep learning algorithm can track and segment organoids over time and effectively avoid the influence of bubbles and accurately capture and analyze organoid fusion. A two-stage object detection methodology was performed to achieve the crypt count of each mouse small intestinal organoid, and the skeleton of intestinal organoids was further extracted to describe the structural relationship between the absorption villi and the crypt. Next, we used the “sketch” to convey visual concepts, which led to the clear identification of organoids at different growth/treatment stages. Lastly, based on our designed GAN network, various organoid images could be generated by drawing sketches, which for the first time provided a direct and practical approach for biologists and researchers to create “artificial organoids” simulating organoid morphology and allowing the exchange of ideas on organoid development. In sum, this research reported and provided a comprehensive novel organoid analysis and generation methodology for organoid research.

Highlights

OrgaTracker can track organoids and capture and analyze the integration of organoids. The system was also able to identify the number of crypts in each intestinal organoid, as well as extract the skeleton of the organoid. It also allowed, for the first time, recreating “artificial organoids” from hand-drawn sketches.
Genetically engineered mesenchymal stem cells as a nitric oxide reservoir for acute kidney injury therapy
Authors: Huang Haoyan , Qian Meng , Liu Yue , Chen Shang , Li Huifang , Han Zhibo , Han Zhong-Chao , Chen Xiang-Mei , Zhao Qiang , Li Zongjin
Published: December 2022

Nitric oxide (NO), as a gaseous therapeutic agent, shows great potential for the treatment of many kinds of diseases. Although various NO delivery systems have emerged, the immunogenicity and long-term toxicity of artificial carriers hinder the potential clinical translation of this gas therapeutics. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with the capacities of self-renewal, differentiation, and low immunogenicity, have been used as living carriers. However, MSCs as gaseous signaling molecule (GSM) carriers have not been reported. In this study, MSCs were genetically modified to produce mutant β-galactosidase (β-GALH363A). Furthermore, a new NO prodrug, 6-methyl-galactose-benzyl-oxy NONOate (MGP), was designed. MGP can entrance into cell and selectively trigger the NO release from genetically engineered MSCs (eMSCs) in the presence of β-GALH363A. Moreover, our results revealed that eMSCs can release NO when MGP is systemically administered in a mouse model of acute kidney injury (AKI), which can achieve NO release in a precise spatiotemporal manner and augment the therapeutic efficiency of MSCs. This eMSC and NO prodrug system provides a unique and tunable platform for GSM delivery and holds promise for regenerative therapy by enhancing the therapeutic efficiency of stem cells.

Significance

Gaseous signaling molecules (GSMs), such as nitric oxide (NO), hold tremendous potential in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. However, the delivery of GSMs with stem cells to target tissues or organs in response to demand has never been reported. This study designed engineered mesenchymal stem cells (eMSCs) that produce mutant β-galactosidase (β-GALH363A) and trigger NO release when the NO prodrug is systemically administered, which can achieve NO release in a precise spatiotemporal manner and augment the therapeutic efficiency of MSCs in a mouse model of acute kidney injury (AKI). This eMSC and NO prodrug system provides a unique and tunable platform for GSM delivery and holds promise for regenerative therapy by enhancing the therapeutic efficiency of stem cells.

Graphical abstract
ATP-dependent restriction enzyme SauUSI fromStaphylococcus aureusis also abona fidesingle strand DNA endonuclease
Authors: Tumuluri Vinayak Sadasivam , Saikrishnan Kayarat
Published: December 2022

Restriction endonucleases cleave exogenous DNA thus restricting horizontal gene transfer and phage infection of host bacterium. This nucleolytic activity occurs on double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and is target site specific. Here we report that the Type IV ATP-dependent restriction endonuclease SauUSI fromStaphylococcus aureusalso possesses a hitherto unknown single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) endonuclease activity. We demonstrate that, unlike the dsDNA cleavage activity, ssDNA cleavage by SauUSI does not require divalent cation or ATP hydrolysis and is target-site and DNA methylation-status independent. Furthermore, we show that SauUSI can cut ssDNA gaps, overhangs, bubbles and loops but not ssRNA. The activity is inhibited at higher concentrations of magnesium ion, ATP, and the presence of single strand DNA binding protein. The ssDNA nuclease activity is thus tightly regulated and may protect the host DNA from damage by SauUSI.
Moving toward sustainability and circularity in hill road construction: a study of barriers, practices and performance
Authors: Khural Ram Asra , Shashi  , Ertz Myriam , Cerchione Roberto
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study explores the relationships among sustainability implementation barriers (resource, managerial and regulatory barriers), sustainability practices (sustainable construction materials, sustainable construction design, modern construction methods and environmental provisions and reporting) and sustainability performance (environmental, economic and social) in hill road construction (HRC).

Design/methodology/approach

Primary data were collected from the 313 HRC practitioners with the help of a questionnaire, and research hypotheses were tested employing structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings reveal a mixed effect of sustainability implementation barriers. Resource (managerial) barriers are negatively related to all practices except environmental provisions and reporting (sustainable construction materials), while regulatory barriers only negatively impact modern construction methods. On the other hand, all sustainability practices positively impact environmental performance, whereas economic (social) performance is positively influenced by all practices, except environmental provisions and reporting (modern construction methods), and positively affects economic performance.

Originality/value

In order to transform HRC toward sustainability, the barriers to sustainability implementation, sustainability practices and performance need to be understood by practitioners; however, the relationships have not previously been empirically assessed in extant literature. Besides, past research appears to be predominantly focused on the environmental aspect, thereby neglecting economic and social aspects. This study is a modest attempt to bridge these research gaps.
Critical factors influencing the failure of joint ventures in the South African construction industry: a confirmatory factor analysis approach
Authors: Ikuabe Matthew Osivue , Aigbavboa Clinton Ohis , Thwala Wellington Didibhuku , Chiyangwa Donald , Oke Ayodeji Emmanuel
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Joint ventures (JVs) serve as a viable tool in mitigating some of the challenges posed to the effective delivery of construction projects. However, JVs are highly susceptible to failure in most developing countries. Therefore, this study seeks to unravel the critical factors influencing the failure of JVs in the South African construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach was adopted for the study using a well-structured questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. Respondents for the study were built environment professionals in Gauteng province in South Africa. Data elicited from respondents were analyzed using a four-pronged process which included descriptive statistics, one sample t-test, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.

Findings

Resulting from the analysis conducted, four critical components emerged as the major factors influencing the failure of JVs in the South African construction industry, which are inefficient financial framework, divergent organizational culture, poor project governance and inadequacies from project stakeholders.

Practical implications

The outcome of this study presents a roadmap for stakeholders in the construction industry with the requisite knowledge of the critical factors leading to the failure of JVs, consequently providing a clear path for the successful delivery of JV mandates.

Originality/value

Evidence from literature suggests that several studies have been conducted on the various aspects of JVs in the South African construction industry; however, none has focused on the leading factors attributed to the failure of JVs. Also, the findings of this study cultivate a good theoretical platform for future studies on JVs.
Research on the construction safety risk assessment of prefabricated subway stations in China
Authors: Luo Zhenhua , Guo Juntao , Han Jianqiang , Wang Yuhong
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Prefabricated technology is gradually being applied to the construction of subway stations due to its characteristic of mechanization. However, the prefabricated subway station in China is in the initial stage of development, which is prone to construction safety issues. This study aims to evaluate the construction safety risks of prefabricated subway stations in China and formulate corresponding countermeasures to ensure construction safety.

Design/methodology/approach

A construction safety risk evaluation index system for the prefabricated subway station was established through literature research and the Delphi method. Furthermore, based on the structure entropy weight method, matter-element theory and evidence theory, a hybrid evaluation model is developed to evaluate the construction safety risks of prefabricated subway stations. The basic probability assignment (BPA) function is obtained using the matter-element theory, the index weight is calculated using the structure entropy weight method to modify the BPA function and the risk evaluation level is determined using the evidence theory. Finally, the reliability and applicability of the evaluation model are verified with a case study of a prefabricated subway station project in China.

Findings

The results indicate that the level of construction safety risks in the prefabricated subway station project is relatively low. Man risk, machine risk and method risk are the key factors affecting the overall risk of the project. The evaluation results of the first-level indexes are discussed, and targeted countermeasures are proposed. Therefore, management personnel can deeply understand the construction safety risks of prefabricated subway stations.

Originality/value

This research fills the research gap in the field of construction safety risk assessment of prefabricated subway stations. The methods for construction safety risk assessment are summarized to establish a reliable hybrid evaluation model, laying the foundation for future research. Moreover, the construction safety risk evaluation index system for prefabricated subway stations is proposed, which can be adopted to guide construction safety management.
Mental health challenges of manual and trade workers in the construction industry: a systematic review of causes, effects and interventions
Authors: Duckworth Jonah , Hasan Abid , Kamardeen Imriyas
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Data from different countries suggest a higher prevalence of anxiety, depression and suicides among manual and trade workers in the construction industry than in the general population. The present review examines the causes and effects of poor mental health and the effectiveness of interventions to improve manual and trade workers' mental health in the construction industry. It also identifies gaps in research and makes several suggestions for practice and future research.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted to examine and consolidate evidence reported in 54 relevant journal articles published between 2010 and 2021 on the mental health of manual and trade workers.

Findings

Three major themes emerged in the review of the 54 journal articles: causes of poor mental health, effects of poor mental health and interventions to improve mental health. The leading causes of poor mental health among construction manual and trade workers are poor work-life balance, high job demand, poor cultural norms and mental health stigma, chronic bodily pain, lack of social support, workplace injustice and job insecurity. The prominent effects of poor mental health are suicidality, drug and alcohol addiction, poor workplace safety and poor work performance. Moreover, the study found that some of the strategies recently implemented in the construction industry to improve mental health are deemed ineffective, or their effectiveness remains inconclusive.

Research limitations/implications

The review's scope is limited to research on manual and trade workers, and it did not investigate the mental health of construction professionals and construction management students.

Originality/value

The review provides valuable insights into the causes and effects of poor mental health among manual and trade workers and the effectiveness of mental health interventions in the construction industry.
Do we innovate atop giants' shoulders?
Authors: Luan Fushu , Chen Yang , He Ming , Park Donghyun
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to explore whether the nature of innovation is accumulative or radical and to what extent past year accumulation of technology stock can predict future innovation. More importantly, the authors are concerned with whether a change of policy regime or a variance in the quality of technology will moderate the nature of innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examined a dataset of 3.6 million Chinese patents during 1985–2015 and constructed more than 5 million citation pairs across 8 sections and 128 classes to track knowledge spillover across technology fields. The authors used this citation dataset to calculate the technology innovation network. The authors constructed a measure of upstream invention, interacting the pre-existing technology innovation network with historical patent growth in each technology field, and estimated measure's impact on future innovation since 2005. The authors also constructed three sets of metrics – technology dependence, centrality and scientific value – to identify innovation quality and a policy dummy to consider the impact of policy on innovation.

Findings

Innovation growth is built upon past year accumulation and technology spillover. Innovation grows faster for technologies that are more central and grows more slowly for more valuable technologies. A pro-innovation and pro-intellectual property right (IPR) policy plays a positive and significant role in driving technical progress. The authors also found that for technologies that have faster access to new information or larger power to control knowledge flow, the upstream and downstream innovation linkage is stronger. However, this linkage is weaker for technologies that are more novel or general. On most occasions, the nature of innovation was less responsive to policy shock.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the debate on the nature of innovation by determining whether upstream innovation has strong predictive power on future innovation. The authors develop the assumption used in the technology spillover literature by considering a time-variant, directional and asymmetric matrix to model technology diffusion. For the first time, the authors answer how the nature of innovation will vary depending on the technology network configurations and policy environment. In addition to contributing to the academic debate, the authors' study has important implications for economic growth and industrial or innovation management policies.
“Live in the present” or “focus on the future”: the effects of ambidextrous marketing capabilities on entrepreneurial performance
Authors: Li Wei , Ming Hewen , Song Jianmin
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Although the published studies have noted that ambidextrous marketing capabilities (AMCs) could improve firm performance, they seem to ignore the differences between mature corporations and new ventures (NVs). Generally, it is impossible for NVs to simultaneously possess two types of marketing capabilities such as marketing exploitation and marketing exploration. They have to make a trade-off between the present market and the future market. This paper seeks to investigate the causal relationship between AMCs (exploitation-dominated AMCs and exploration-dominated AMCs) and entrepreneurial performance in the context of NVs. Furthermore, this paper attempts to explore the internal interaction of entrepreneurial orientation and the external interaction of competitive intensity.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper develops a theoretical framework according to configuration theory and investigates the causal relationship between AMCs (exploration-dominated AMCs and exploitation-dominated AMCs) and entrepreneurial performance as well as the moderating roles played by entrepreneurial orientation and competitive intensity based on the survey data collected from 257 Chinese NVs.

Findings

The results show that both the exploration-dominated AMCs and the exploitation-dominated AMCs have significant positive effects on entrepreneurial performance. However, the moderating roles played by entrepreneurial orientation and competitive intensity in the causal relationships are different and complicated. Specifically, entrepreneurial orientation negatively moderates the relationship between exploitation-dominated AMCs and entrepreneurial performance and positively moderates the relationship between exploration-dominated AMCs and entrepreneurial performance; competitive intensity positively moderates the relationship between exploitation-dominated AMCs and entrepreneurial performance and negatively moderates the relationship between exploration-dominated AMCs and entrepreneurial performance.

Originality/value

This paper plays a pioneering role in enriching the theoretical connotation of AMCs, improving the theoretical framework of AMCs and expanding the theoretical application of AMCs by analyzing and confirming the causal relationships between AMCs and entrepreneurial performance in the context of NVs, which is different from the previous studies. In addition, this paper also makes a valuable contribution to management practices, such as leading NVs, to match different types of AMCs with internal and external conditions for improving entrepreneurial performance.
Exploring student engagement in virtual classrooms: a person-centred approach using cluster analysis
Authors: Gupta Kriti Priya
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify student clusters based on patterns of behavioural, cognitive, emotional, collaborative and social engagement in virtual classrooms, within the context of higher education. The study also attempts to explore the differences amongst the student clusters with respect to various motivating and demotivating teaching behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

The study relies on the self-determination theory to describe the dynamics related to various motivating and demotivating teaching behaviours and five different dimensions of student engagement in virtual classrooms. The data were collected from a convenience sample of 831 students from higher educational institutions in the Delhi – National Capital Region of India. Cluster analysis was performed to classify students into mutually exclusive groups based on five student engagement dimensions.

Findings

The findings revealed three student clusters: ‘fully-engaged’, ‘externally-engaged’ and ‘individually-engaged’ students. The findings also provided insights into varied correlations between specific dimensions of motivating/demotivating teaching behaviours and student engagement.

Originality/value

Considering the multi-dimensionality of student engagement as well as teaching behaviours, the study adopts a person-centred approach to understand different clusters of students in virtual classrooms and investigate the relationship between teaching behaviours and student engagement dimensions.
Understanding and predicting the determinants of blockchain technology adoption and SMEs' performance
Authors: Bag Surajit , Rahman Muhammad Sabbir , Gupta Shivam , Wood Lincoln C.
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The success of SMEs' financial and market performance (MAP) depends on the firms' level of blockchain technology adoption (BCA) and identifying the crucial antecedents that influence SMEs' adoption. Therefore, this research attempts to develop an integrated model to understand and predict the determinants of BCA and its effect on SMEs' performance. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical foundations are the technology–organization –environment (TOE) framework and the resource-based view (RBV) perspective. The authors distributed a survey to SMEs in South Africa and received 311 responses. The covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) followed by the artificial neural network (ANN) technique was used for the data analysis.

Findings

The SEM results showed that SMEs' relative advantage, compatibility, top management support (TMS), organizational readiness (ORD), competitive pressures (COP), external support, regulations and legislation significantly influence SMEs' BCA. However, complexity negatively impacts SMEs' BCA. The analysis results also revealed that SMEs' BCA significantly influences the financial performance of the firms, followed by MAP. Furthermore, model determinants were input to an ANN modeling. The ANN results showed that TMS is the most critical predictor of SMEs' BCA, followed by ORD, COP, external support, and regulations and legislation.

Practical implications

The results provide valuable information for SMEs when maneuvering their adoption strategies in the scope of blockchain technology. Additionally, from the perspective of an emerging market, the study has successfully contributed the TOE framework and the RBV.

Originality/value

This study is the first work to explore the determinants of BCA in the context of SMEs from a developing country. This paper is also one pioneer in attempts to develop a causal and predictive statistical model for predicting the determinants of BCA in SMEs' performance.
Blockchain technology implementation challenges in supply chains – evidence from the case studies of multi-stakeholders
Authors: Yadlapalli Aswini , Rahman Shams , Gopal Pinapala
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The aim of the research is to identify and prioritise the implementation challenges of blockchain technology and suggests ways for its implementation in supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

Underlined by the technology, organisational, and external environment model, a conceptual framework with four challenge categories and sixteen challenges is proposed. Data collected from three stakeholder groups with experience in the implementation of blockchain technology in India is analysed by employing an analytical hierarchy process method-based case study. Further, a criticality–effort matrix analysis is performed to group challenges and suggest ways for implementation.

Findings

The analysis revels that all stakeholders perceive complexity challenge associated with the technology, organisational structure, and external environment, and issues of compatibility with existing systems, software, and business practices to be high on the criticality and effort scales, which thus require meticulous planning to manage. Likewise, top-management support issues related to insufficient understanding of how technology fits with the organisation’s policy and benefits offered by the technology requires high effort to address this challenge.

Research limitations/implications

The results were obtained by focusing on the Indian context and therefore may not apply to other nations’ contexts.

Practical implications

By investigating the challenges that the developers, consultants, and client organisations need to address, this study assists managers in developing plans to facilitate coordination among these organisations for successful blockchain implementation.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge this study is the first to identify and prioritise the challenges from the perspectives of multiple stakeholder groups with experience in blockchain technology implementation.
On the economic design of optimal sampling plan under accelerated life test setting
Authors: Chakrabarty Jimut Bahan , Roy Soumya , Chowdhury Shovan
Published: December 2022

Purpose

In order to reduce avoidably lengthy duration required to test highly reliable products under usage stress, accelerated life test sampling plans (ALTSPs) are employed. This paper aims to build a decision model for obtaining optimal sampling plan under accelerated life test setting using Type-I hybrid censoring scheme for products covered under warranty.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary decision model proposed in this paper determines ALTSP by minimizing the relevant costs involved. To arrive at the decision model, the Fisher information matrix for Type-I hybrid censoring scheme under accelerated life test setting is derived. The optimal solution is attained by utilizing appropriate techniques following a nonlinear constrained optimization approach. As a special case, ALTSP for Type-I censoring is obtained using the same approach. ALTSP under Type-I hybrid censoring using the variance minimization approach is also derived.

Findings

On comparing the optimal results obtained using the above mentioned approaches, it is found that the cost minimization approach does better in reducing the total cost incurred. Results also show that the proposed ALTSP model under cost function setting has considerably lower expected testing time. Interesting findings from the sensitivity analysis conducted using a newly introduced failure dataset pertaining to locomotive controls are highlighted.

Originality/value

The research introduces a model to design optimum ALTSP for Type-I hybrid censoring scheme. The practical viability of the model makes it valuable for real-life situations. The practical application of the proposed model is exemplified using a real-life case.
Unethical customer behaviour: causes and consequences
Authors: Mayr Kathrin , Schwendtner Teresa , Teller Christoph , Gittenberger Ernst
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Unethically behaving customers deviating from morally acceptable norms have posed an additional challenge to retailers, frontline employees (FLEs) and other customers in recent crisis-dominant environments. While research concerning customer behaviour ethicality focusses on purchasing modes and consumption behaviour, unethicality in all its facets receives limited attention, leaving dimensions of unethical customer behaviour (UCB) and effective managerial strategies unexplored. The purpose of this paper is to describe dimensions of UCB, investigate its causes, explore its consequences for customers and FLEs and infer practical implications for retail management by collecting customers' and FLEs' views in collaboration of each other.

Design/methodology/approach

Due to the explorative nature of this research, qualitative semi-structured interviews with 45 customers and 51 FLEs were conducted, following a content analytical approach and the establishment of inter-rater reliability coefficients.

Findings

The findings reveal multiple UCB dimensions operating on situational and individual behavioural levels, targeting mainly employees, followed by customers. The reasons for UCB arising correspond to customers' attitudes, social influences and egoistic motives. UCB imposes risks of financial losses for retailers, due to the wasting of resources as a consequence of employees' stress and emotional exhaustion, demanding managerial boundary-spanning activities. Further, it negatively impacts customers' shopping behaviours, provoking online shopping and shopping avoidance.

Originality/value

The study fills the research gap regarding perceived unethicality of customer behaviour by describing and explaining differing forms of UCB, considering customers' and FLEs' views in retail stores. It develops a UCB framework, identifies UCB dimensions beyond current academic research and derives specific practical implications to make the phenomenon manageable for retailers. The originality of this paper lies in the synthesis of the three UCB dimensions, consisting of antecedents, forms of UCB and consequences for customers and FLEs.
Determinants of agricultural households to join farmer producer organisations (FPOs) in Northeast India: evidence from Sikkim
Authors: Gurung Rajiv , Choubey Manesh
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Government of India has launched FPOs to organise small and marginal farmers into farmer collectives called FPOs. These FPOs, through economies of scale, aim to provide better collective strength to farmers for better access to production technology, value-addition services, high-quality inputs and marketing services for improving their incomes. Recently, the government has launched a scheme for creation and promotion of 10,000 more FPOs in the country. Despite potential benefits of FPOs and encouragement from the Government, there are many farmers in India, particularly Sikkim, who do not join the FPOs. This study aims to identify the major determinants that motivate farmers to join FPOs.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary data for this study was collected during October, 2019–February, 2020 from 560 farm households in all four districts of Sikkim, India. The study used two-sample t-test and FPO participation probit model for determining the factors influencing a household's decision to participate in an FPO.

Findings

The results of this study illustrate that education, farming experience, farming as the primary occupation, size of landholding, access to Internet, distance to the nearest market, medium level of social participation, extension contact, transportation facility and plan to expand the scale of operation in future are the major explanatory variables that have statistically significant impact on the farm households' participation in FPOs.

Research limitations/implications

This study was based on a cross-sectional survey. As a result, the findings may be subjected to some limitations though the study made all possible efforts to minimise the limitations.

Originality/value

This paper is based on or a novel data set, collected specifically to examine the determinants of membership in Sikkim, India that has not been studied before. Moreover, this study has identified the importance of information and awareness initiatives among the farmers as responsible for farmers' participation in FPOs. The findings of this study will have important implications and lessons to draw from for the Central Government's effort towards Formation and Promotion of 10,000 new FPOs, especially in the hilly states of India.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-04-2022-0216.
Interplay between cyber supply chain risk management practices and cyber security performance
Authors: Gani Anisha Banu Dawood , Fernando Yudi , Lan Shulin , Lim Ming K. , Tseng Ming-Lang
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine whether the cyber supply chain risk management (CSCRM) practices adopted by manufacturing firms contribute to achieving cyber supply chain (CSC) visibility. Studies have highlighted the necessity of having visibility across interconnected supply chains. Thus, this study examines the extent of CSCRM practices enabling CSC visibility to act as a mediator in achieving CSC performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey method was used to obtain data from the electrical and electronics manufacturing firms registered with the Federations of Malaysian Manufacturers directory. Data from 130 respondents were analysed using IBM SPSS and PLS-SEM.

Findings

This study empirically proves a dedicated governance team's integral role in setting the security tone within its CSC. The result also confirms the significant role that CSC visibility plays in achieving CSC performance. As theorised in the literature, there is also a strong direct relationship between CSC visibility and CSC performance, assuring manufacturing firms that investments and policies devised to improve CSC visibility are fruitful.

Originality/value

The significance of supply chain visibility in an integrated supply chain is recognised and studied using analytical models, behavioural techniques and case studies. Substantial empirical evidence on the CSCRM practices which contributes towards achieving supply chain visibility is still elusive. This study's major contribution lies in identifying CSCRM practices that can contribute towards achieving CSC visibility, and the mediating role CSC visibility plays in achieving CSC performance.
Quality differentiation with manufacturer encroachment: is first mover always an advantage for retail platform?
Authors: Zhou Lixi , Fan Tijun , Zhang Lihao , Chang Luyu
Published: December 2022

Purpose

With the development of e-commerce and mobile payment, platform sales become unstoppable, and many manufacturers also encroach on online market by establishing direct selling channels. Channel conflict intensifies in online market and quality differentiation and is widely used in business practice as an effective way to alleviate such a competition. The authors study a retail platform's sales strategy and interactions with an upstream manufacturer's encroachment strategy in this paper. Unlike most online marketplace and encroachment research, product quality selection is also engaged in the present research to capture the motivation above.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyze a game-theoretical model that the platform as the first/second mover participates in strategic decision-making, and then jointly decides the product quality level with manufacturer.

Findings

The authors find that encroachment always profits the manufacturer and almost hurts the platform. Interestingly, the first-mover advantage can help the platform guide the manufacturer encroachment and promote a “win–win” situation when product quality level is relatively slight or obvious. Nevertheless, the second-mover advantage can help the platform alleviate the profit loss caused by encroachment when product quality level is moderate. Furthermore, suffered from encroachment loss, the platform can make a credible threat by sales termination to restrain manufacturer encroachment.

Originality/value

This paper innovatively explores the strategic interaction between manufacturer encroachment and quality differentiation in a platform supply chain, and further analyzes the first-mover advantage in this interaction, which fills the gaps of previous platform research and has great significances to enterprise production and operational decision in business practice.
Power use, cooperative behavior and alliance performance: evidence from contract farming supply chains in China
Authors: Fu Shaoling , He Guangyao , Wang Qianwen , Huo Baofeng , Ding Yalan
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study aims to explore the relationship among five types of power (expert, referent, legitimate, reward and coercive power), two dimensions of cooperative behavior (specific investments and communication) and three types of alliance performance (alliance stability, income increase and cost decrease) in contract farming. By investigating the dyadic perspectives of companies and contract farmers, the authors examine how power use influences cooperative behavior, which further enhances alliance performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors construct a theoretical model grounded on resource dependence theory (RDT). Data from 202 companies and 462 farmers in China are used to test the proposed hypotheses using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The authors' results show that the five types of power play different roles in cooperative behavior. On the one hand, farmers' expert, reward and coercive power enhance the company's specific investments; farmers' expert power enhances the company's communication but farmers' coercive power harms the company's communication. Also the company's specific investments enhance communication that is positively related to alliance ability, income increase and cost decrease. On the other hand, the company's expert, referent and legitimate power enhance farmers' communication, while the company's coercive power harms farmers' communication; the company's reward and coercive power enhance farmers' specific investments. Moreover, farmers' communication is positively related to alliance ability, income increase and cost decrease, but farmers' specific investments do not significantly influence such.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on contract farming supply chain management by examining the relationships among power use, cooperative behavior and alliance performance from the dyadic perspective of companies and farmers. These findings have practical implications for agricultural companies and farmers promoting cooperative behavior and alliance performance through appropriate power use in contract farming supply chains.