bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bayesian inference of admixture graphs on Native American and Arctic populations
Authors: Nielsen Svend V , Vaughn Andrew H. , Leppälä Kalle , Landis Michael J. , Mailund Thomas , Nielsen Rasmus
Published: September 2022

Admixture graphs are mathematical structures that describe the ancestry of populations in terms of divergence and merging (admixing) of ancestral populations as a graph. An admixture graph consists of a graph topology, branch lengths, and admixture proportions. The branch lengths and admixture proportions can be estimated using numerous numerical optimization methods, but inferring the topology involves a combinatorial search for which no polynomial algorithm is known. In this paper, we present a reversible jump MCMC algorithm for sampling high-probability admixture graphs and show that this approach works well both as a heuristic search for a single best-fitting graph and for summarizing shared features extracted from posterior samples of graphs. We apply the method to 11 Native American and Siberian populations and exploit the shared structure of high-probability graphs to address the relationship between Saqqaq, Inuit, Koryaks, and Athabascans. Our analyses show that the Saqqaq is not a good proxy for the previously identified gene flow from Arctic people into the Na-Dene speaking Athabascans.

Author Summary

One way of summarizing historical relationships between genetic samples is by constructing an admixture graph. An admixture graph describes the demographic history of a set of populations as a directed acyclic graph representing population splits and mergers. The inference of admixture graphs is currently done via greedy search algorithms that may fail to find the global optimum. We here improve on these approaches by developing a novel MCMC sampling method, AdmixtureBayes, that can sample from the posterior distribution of admixture graphs. This enables an efficient search of the entire state space as well as the ability to report a level of confidence in the sampled graphs. We apply AdmixtureBayes to a set of Native American and Arctic genomes to reconstruct the demographic history of these populations and report posterior probabilities of specific admixture events. While some previous studies have identified the ancient Saqqaq culture as a source of introgression into Athabascans, we instead find that it is the Siberian Koryak population, not the Saqqaq, that serves as the best proxy for gene flow into Athabascans.
Angiotensin II differentially affects hippocampal glial inflammatory markers in young adult male and female mice
Authors: Milner Teresa A. , Chen Ryan X. , Welington Diedreanna , Rubin Batsheva R. , Contoreggi Natalina H. , Johnson Megan A. , Mazid Sanoara , Marques-Lopes Jose , Marongiu Roberta , Glass Michael J.
Published: September 2022

Hypertension is a risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders involving inflammation and inflammatory cytokine-producing brain cells (microglia and astrocytes) in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Here we investigated the effect of slow-pressor angiotensin II (AngII) on gliosis in the hippocampus and mPFC of young adult (2-mo-old) male and female mice. In males, AngII induced hypertension, and this resulted in an increase in the density of the astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the subgranular hilus and a decrease in the density of the microglial marker ionized calcium binding adapter molecule (Iba-1) in the CA1 region. Females infused with AngII did not show hypertension but, significantly, showed alterations in hippocampal glial activation. Compared with vehicle, AngII-infused female mice had an increased density of Iba-1 in the dentate gyrus and CA2/3a region. Like males, females infused with AngII exhibited decreased Iba-1 in the CA1 region. Neither male nor female mice showed differences in GFAP or Iba-1 in the mPFC following AngII infusion. These results demonstrate that the hippocampus is particularly vulnerable to AngII in young adulthood. Differences in gonadal hormones or the sensitivity to AngII hypertension may account for divergences in GFAP and Iba-1 in males and females.
Community services during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Norwegian county: impact on users with multiple, complex needs and their service providers – a qualitative study
Authors: Hørsrud Linda Kristin , Bakken Trine Lise
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how users with particularly complex needs including intellectual disability (ID) reacted to the changes and restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Design/methodology/approach

As few studies of changes during the pandemic include users with ID and multiple, complex needs, the authors adopted a qualitative approach, using a semistructured interview guide. Ten participants were leading ID nurses in residential facilities in community settings. The interviews were taped, transcribed and analyzed using a thematic analysis.

Findings

The thematic analysis generated six main themes, including both user and staff perspectives: daily routines, activities, facilitation of tasks and well-being, from the users perspectives, and use of working hours and positive staff experiences, from the staff perspectives.

Research limitations/implications

Ten residential facilities constituted a convenience sample of services for users with multiple, complex needs. Thus, the authors do not know whether the findings are representative. Further research should include user opinions based on the findings of this study.

Practical implications

The users represented in this study appeared to experience less stress during the pandemic, contrary to the expectations of professional caregivers. The findings indicated more well-being among users. It was noted that receiving services at home, largely flexible schedules, staying in bed a little longer in the morning and avoiding stressful situations, such as travelling in minibuses, was appreciated by the users.

Social implications

Daily schedules with activities throughout the day should be considered for users as represented in this study. Stressful events should also be considered.

Originality/value

The knowledge about pandemic experiences of users with ID and additional complex conditions and hence comprehensive needs is still sparse. This study may add to this knowledge.
Consumers' attitudes to gourmet burgers: the case of the NOMA cheeseburger
Authors: Leer Jonatan , Hoff-Jørgensen Camilla
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This article explores consumers' attitudes to the trend of gourmet burgers, notably the gourmet burgers' combination of highbrow food (gourmet) and lowbrow food (fast food). The authors use the case of the NOMA cheeseburger from the iconic New Nordic restaurant NOMA.

Design/methodology/approach

The data set consists of interviews (n = 20) with urban Danish consumers attending the NOMA burger pop-up.

Findings

The analysis highlights an acceptance among informants of “gourmetfied” burgers. This signals a change in the culinary status of burgers in Danish food culture. The authors also discovered some ambivalence in relation to the highbrow-lowbrow negotiations: while all informants celebrate the casualization of NOMA during the burger pop-up, half of the informants found the burger underwhelming: it did not live up to the edginess of the NOMA brand.

Practical implications

The authors believe this research can inform people working with culinary highbrow-lowbrow mix in their food designs, notably in relation to developing and matching the relation between symbolic and material aspects of the food design.

Originality/value

The authors argue that the concept of transgression can help us theorize how consumers accept, refuse, and negotiate boundaries in relation to gourmet burgers, and more generally between food consumption mixing highbrow and lowbrow elements. More particularly, the authors propose to distinguish between symbolic, social, and material transgressions. This perspective might also be interesting for practitioners in the field.
Sustainable women empowerment at the bottom of the pyramid through credit access
Authors: Pal Mukesh , Gupta Hemant
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The importance of gender in inclusive economic growth has been a growing area of research. Finance is seen as an efficacious instrument for social inclusion, and sustainable women empowerment (SWE). The lack of credit access often constrains women to scale up. The objective of this study is to examine the attributes influencing the decision of women to access the credit at the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) and the impact of this credit access on social, psychological and economic dimensions of SWE at the BoP in rural India.

Design/methodology/approach

The threshold theory of decision-making in the form of logistic regression (LR) is applied here to analyze the influence of four determinants, namely individual household level (IHLA), social attributes (SA), economic attributes (EA) and ownership of documents (OD) on women’s credit access. Likewise, the same method is applied to study the relationship between credit access and three dimensions of SWE.

Findings

The results have revealed a statistically significant relationship between credit access and studied four attributes. Subsequently, a positive relationship has been observed between credit access and dimensions of SWE.

Originality/value

The present study broadly addresses the concern of accessing credit by women at BoP level, which helps the government and policymakers to promote enabling an environment for women entrepreneurship and comprehensive financial policies for the BoP.
Customer harassment against LGBTQ workers: highlighting its uniqueness as a group-based customer harassment
Authors: Ueno Koji , Ritter Lacey J. , Ingram Randi , Jackson Taylor M. , Šaras Emily Daina , D'Amours Jason V. , Grace Jessi
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The authors aimed to identify the nature of customer harassment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) workers.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyzed data from in-depth interviews with 30 LGBTQ service workers in the United States who had recently experienced customer harassment.

Findings

Among various forms of customer harassment LGBTQ workers reported, some showed commonalities with previously reported cases of race-based and gender-based customer harassment. However, other cases highlighted unique aspects of LGBTQ-based customer harassment—customers morally condemned their LGBTQ identities, refused their service while displaying emotional disgust, and made sexual advances while imposing sexual stereotypes and fantasies about LGBTQ people. Experiences of customer harassment varied across subgroups of workers who had specific sexual and gender identities, and LGBTQ workers of color were harassed for their LGBTQ and racial identities simultaneously.

Originality/value

Past research on group-based customer harassment has focused on incidents against straight, cisgender women and workers of workers of color, but the present study identified the nature of customer harassment that targeted workers' LGBTQ status.
The impact of GDPR infringement fines on the market value of firms
Authors: Ford Adrian , Al-Nemrat Ameer , Ghorashi Seyed Ali , Davidson Julia
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the impact of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) infringement fine announcements on the market value of mostly European publicly listed companies with a view to reinforcing the importance of data privacy compliance, thereby informing cyber security investment strategies for organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

Previous studies have shown (varying degrees of) evidence of a negative impact of data breach announcements on the share price of publicly listed companies. Following on from this research, further studies have been carried out in assessing the economic impact of the introduction of legislation in this area to encourage firms to invest in cyber security and protect the privacy of data subjects. Existing research has been predominantly US centric.

Findings

Using event study techniques, a data set of 25 GDPR fine announcement events was analysed, and statistically significant cumulative abnormal returns of around 1% on average up to three days after the event were identified. In almost all cases, this negative economic impact on market value far outweighed the monetary value of the fine itself, and relatively minor fines could result in major market valuation losses for companies, even those having large market capitalisations.

Originality/value

This research would be of benefit to business management, practitioners of cyber security, investors and shareholders as well as researchers in cyber security or related fields (pointers to future research are given). Data protection authorities may also find this work of interest.
Appraisal of climate change mitigation and adaptation regulatory frameworks in Ethiopia and their congruency with the UN climate change convention
Authors: Bisare Bitire Bilate
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically investigate the Ethiopia’s climate change adaptation and mitigation regulatory frameworks and their congruency with the guiding principles under the United Nations (UN) Climate Convention, to show the alignment of the regulatory frameworks with the UN Climate Change rules. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall distribution, recurrent droughts and floods require robust climate change mitigation and adaptation policies and effective implementation in the country.

Design/methodology/approach

Through the doctrinal legal research method, the author has used a detailed analysis of primary sources, both national and international legislative enactments. Besides, the research has benefitted from secondary sources like research reports, online publications, scientific journals, international reports, books and journal articles.

Findings

The findings reveal that in Ethiopia, there is no national climate change-specific policy and legislation. Although there are scattered sectoral climate-related policies and strategies, they are not consistent with the principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Originality/value

This study argues that having comprehensive specific climate change policy and legislative frameworks consistent with UNFCCC guiding principles could help to mitigate and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change in the country.
Do efforts to address safety pay off? Evidence from the sharing economy in the post–pandemic world
Authors: Qi Rui , Chen Han
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Applying the value creation of corporate social responsibility (CSR), this study aims to investigate the direct effect of preventive measures in the postpandemic world on Airbnb consumers’ attitudes toward the host, which may further impact their behavioral intentions. It also examined the mediating role of perceived risk and perceived motives, as well as the moderating role of message strategies and risk tolerance in this process.

Design/methodology/approach

A 2 (preventive measures: basic versus enhanced) × 2 (message strategies: promotional social cause message [PSC] versus partake-in-our-cause message [PIOC]) between-subjects factorial design was conducted with a sample of 476 US Airbnb consumers through an online survey. PROCESS macro was used for hypothesis testing.

Findings

Results demonstrated that enhanced preventive measures had more positive impact on Airbnb consumers’ attitudes toward the host, which was positively related to positive word of mouth and booking intention. Perceived risk and perceived motives mediated the relationship between preventive measures and attitude toward Airbnb hosts. Positive relationships between attitude toward the host and behavioral intentions were strengthened when PIOC was used than PSC. The negative relationship between preventive measures and perceived risk was enhanced when PIOC was used than PSC. Risk tolerance did not interact with messages strategy to impact the relationship between preventive measures and perceived risk.

Originality/value

The study uncovered the mechanisms by which consumers form their responses toward different safety information of Airbnb accommodations postpandemic and the role of message strategies in the process. It provided implications for the Airbnb platform and hosts in the postpandemic period.
Exploring customers' switching from native to lightweight apps: a push–pull–mooring framework perspective
Authors: Chen Yuan , Li Xiaodong , Li Qi , Li Wenjie
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Lightweight apps such as WeChat mini programs (WMPs) are an emerging mobile channel (m-channel) touchpoint that have gained remarkable popularity among consumers. Despite the focus of migration research on traditional m-channel touchpoints (e.g. native apps and mobile websites), but few researchers have examined why consumers switch from native to lightweight apps. Drawing on the push-pull-mooring framework, this study aims to identify the key factors influencing consumers' switching related to lightweight apps.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected using a questionnaire survey of 416 WMP consumers and the proposed model was analyzed through structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results show that the push effect, specifically, high privacy concern, nudges consumers away from native apps, whereas the pull effects, including relative ease of use, convenience of access and exit and socially-oriented interaction, entice consumers to lightweight apps. Further, consumer switching intention is influenced by habit and perceived technology control, both of which reflect the mooring effects. Switching intention also stands as an important precedent of actual behavior.

Originality/value

This study is among the first theoretical explorations of consumer switching across m-channel touchpoints in the context of mobile commerce. For information system practice, these findings provide new insights for both incumbent providers and newcomers on how to retain existing shoppers as well as attract potential shoppers effectively.
Robot programming by demonstration with a monocular RGB camera
Authors: Wang Kaimeng , Tang Te
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to present a new approach for robot programming by demonstration, which generates robot programs by tracking 6 dimensional (6D) pose of the demonstrator’s hand using a single red green blue (RGB) camera without requiring any additional sensors.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed method learns robot grasps and trajectories directly from a single human demonstration by tracking the movements of both human hands and objects. To recover the 6D pose of an object from a single RGB image, a deep learning–based method is used to detect the keypoints of the object first and then solve a perspective-n-point problem. This method is first extended to estimate the 6D pose of the nonrigid hand by separating fingers into multiple rigid bones linked with hand joints. The accurate robot grasp can be generated according to the relative positions between hands and objects in the 2 dimensional space. Robot end-effector trajectories are generated from hand movements and then refined by objects’ start and end positions.

Findings

Experiments are conducted on a FANUC LR Mate 200iD robot to verify the proposed approach. The results show the feasibility of generating robot programs by observing human demonstration once using a single RGB camera.

Originality/value

The proposed approach provides an efficient and low-cost robot programming method with a single RGB camera. A new 6D hand pose estimation approach, which is used to generate robot grasps and trajectories, is developed.
An explainable attention-based bidirectional GRU model for pedagogical classification of MOOCs
Authors: Sebbaq Hanane , El Faddouli Nour-eddine
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is, First, to leverage the limitation of annotated data and to identify the cognitive level of learning objectives efficiently, this study adopts transfer learning by using word2vec and a bidirectional gated recurrent units (GRU) that can fully take into account the context and improves the classification of the model. This study adds a layer based on attention mechanism (AM), which captures the context vector and gives keywords higher weight for text classification. Second, this study explains the authors’ model’s results with local interpretable model-agnostic explanations (LIME).

Design/methodology/approach

Bloom's taxonomy levels of cognition are commonly used as a reference standard for identifying e-learning contents. Many action verbs in Bloom's taxonomy, however, overlap at different levels of the hierarchy, causing uncertainty regarding the cognitive level expected. Some studies have looked into the cognitive classification of e-learning content but none has looked into learning objectives. On the other hand, most of these research papers just adopt classical machine learning algorithms. The main constraint of this study is the availability of annotated learning objectives data sets. This study managed to build a data set of 2,400 learning objectives, but this size remains limited.

Findings

This study’s experiments show that the proposed model achieves highest scores of accuracy: 90.62%, F1-score and loss. The proposed model succeeds in classifying learning objectives, which contain ambiguous verb from the Bloom’s taxonomy action verbs, while the same model without the attention layer fails. This study’s LIME explainer aids in visualizing the most essential features of the text, which contributes to justifying the final classification.

Originality/value

In this study, the main objective is to propose a model that outperforms the baseline models for learning objectives classification based on the six cognitive levels of Bloom's taxonomy. In this sense, this study builds the bidirectional GRU (BiGRU)-attention model based on the combination of the BiGRU algorithm with the AM. This study feeds the architecture with word2vec embeddings. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed model, this study compares it with four classical machine learning algorithms that are widely used for the cognitive classification of text: Bayes naive, logistic regression, support vector machine and K-nearest neighbors and with GRU. The main constraint related to this study is the absence of annotated data; there is no annotated learning objective data set based on Bloom’s taxonomy's cognitive levels. To overcome this problem, this study seemed to have no choice but to build the data set.
Interconnections and continuity among planning documents of Kota Lama Semarang development within the context of urban heritage conservation
Authors: Kartikasari Anisa Nurul , Wibisono Bambang Hari
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Urban conservation is an integral part of urban development planning and it is incorporated into land use rules and plans. In order to achieve the goals of an ideal heritage conservation policy, there are spatial plans, building codes and relevant regulations that should be well prepared as reference for development projects. Kota Lama Semarang (Old City of Semarang) area has been recognized as part of the origin of the development of Semarang City, the capital city of Central Java. This area has been designated as a cultural heritage area both at the city and national level since 2020. The Heritage City Conservation Program (P3KP) encourages Kota Lama Semarang Area to experience fairly massive development since 2013. On one hand, to control and manage the area, the Semarang City Government issued several official planning documents, i.e. (a) Kota Lama Semarang Area RTBL documents (2003); (b) Kota Lama Semarang Grand Design (2011); and (c) Kota Lama Semarang Site RTBL (2020), which consecutively were used as references of development projects. On the other hand, the results of development projects indicated that there are no coherent physical improvements in the area. The study was conducted to show whether there are consistencies or mismatches between the three planning documents.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a qualitative deductive method with content analysis technique to compare three planning documents, using the predetermined variables.

Findings

The results showed that the consistency between the three planning documents was not fully demonstrated, but they are mutually interconnected.

Research limitations/implications

The research focused only on three formal planning documents, for which comparative analysis was undertaken using content analysis to identify consistencies and inconsistencies based on determined 9 variables.

Practical implications

Good planning documents should be consistent, since they are used as development references. Inconsistencies among planning documents produced segmented urban environments in Kota Lama Semarang Area/Site, which are mostly due to the different institutions preparing the documents.

Social implications

The segmented urban development in the area has reduced the historical and cultural values of the area. Revitalization program that was undertaken has some implication to the sustainability of the local economy.

Originality/value

The paper explores both the consistencies and mismatches among the three planning documents, which have been used as references in implementing development projects in Kota Lama Semarang Area. Failures in maintaining consistencies among documents are supposed to produce inconsistent physical development in the area, unless adjustment to current development has to be made.
Digital media recording and broadcasting classroom using Internet intelligent image positioning and opinion monitoring in communication
Authors: Wu Huanchao
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The digital media recording and broadcasting classroom using Internet real-time intelligent image positioning and opinion monitoring in communication teaching is researched and analyzed.

Design/methodology/approach

First, spatial grid positioning and monitoring and image intelligent recognition technologies were used to extract and analyze teaching images by mastering Internet of Things (IoT) technology and establishing an intelligent image positioning and opinion monitoring digital media recording and broadcasting system framework. Next, a positioning node algorithm was utilized to measure the image distance, and then a moving node location model under the IoT was established. In addition, a radial basis function (RBF) neural network was used to realize the signal transmission function. The experimental data of the adopted RBF based on the optimization of the adaptive cuckoo search (ACS-RBF) neural network, particle swarm algorithm neural network, and method of least squares optimization were compared and analyzed. In addition, a more efficient RBF neural network was adopted. Finally, the digital media recording and broadcasting classroom scheme of real-time intelligent image positioning and opinion monitoring was designed. In addition, the application environment of digital media actual teacher teaching was detected, and recording and broadcasting pictures were analyzed and researched.

Findings

The actual value, predicted value, and the number of predicted samples of the ACS-RBF model were all better than those of the two other neural networks. According to the analysis and comparison of the sampling optimization Monte Carlo localization (SOMCL), Monte Carlo, and genetic algorithm optimization-based Monte Carlo positioning algorithms, the SOMCL algorithm showed better robustness, and its positioning efficiency was superior to that of the two other algorithms. In addition, the SOMCL algorithm greatly reduced the positioning and monitoring energy consumption.

Originality/value

The application of real-time intelligent image positioning and monitoring technology in actual communication teaching was realized in the study.
Statistical assessment of COVID-19 lockdowns on ambient air quality, Himachal Pradesh and learnings for implementing clean technologies: insight from industrial town, India
Authors: Sharma Puneet , Ghosh Arpita , Patra Pradipta
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The current study investigates the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown restrictions on air quality in an industrial town in Himachal Pradesh (HP) (India) and recommends policies and strategies for mitigating air pollution.

Design/methodology/approach

The air quality parameters under study are particulate matter10 (PM10), PM2.5, SO2 and NO2. One-way ANOVA with post-hoc analysis and non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test, and multiple linear regression analysis are used to validate the data analysis results.

Findings

The findings indicate that the lockdown and post-lockdown periods affected pollutant levels even after considering the meteorological conditions. Except for SO2, all other air quality parameters dropped significantly throughout the lockdown period. Further, the industrial and transportation sectors are the primary sources of air pollution in Paonta Sahib.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should include other industrial locations in the state to understand the relationship between regional air pollution levels and climate change. The findings of this study may add to the discussion on the role of adopting clean technologies and also provide directions for future research on improving air quality in the emerging industrial towns in India.

Originality/value

Very few studies have examined how the pandemic-induced lockdowns impacted air pollution levels in emerging industrial towns in India while also considering the confounding meteorological factors.

Graphical abstract
A novel model on nonlocal thermoelastic rotating porous medium with memory-dependent derivative
Authors: Said Samia M. , Othman Mohamed I.A. , Eldemerdash Mohamed G.
Published: September 2022

Purpose

In the present article, the three-phase-lag (3PHL) model and the Green-Naghdi theory of types II, III with memory-dependent derivative is used to study the effect of rotation on a nonlocal porous thermoelastic medium.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study normal mode analysis is used to obtain analytical expressions of the physical quantities. The numerical results are given and presented graphically when mechanical force is applied.

Findings

The model is illustrated in the context of the Green-Naghdi theory of types II, III and the three-phase lags model. Expressions for the physical quantities are solved by using the normal mode analysis and represented graphically.

Originality/value

Comparisons are made with the results predicted in the absence and presence of the rotation as well as a nonlocal parameter. Also, the comparisons are made with the results of the 3PHL model for different values of time delay.
Modelling apartments values in the Nairobi metropolitan area, Kenya
Authors: Museleku Erastus Kiita
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the most significant factors influencing apartment values in Nairobi Metropolitan Area (NMA), Kenya and develop a valuation model using the identified variables. The paper is thus promoting the adoption of advanced, more reliable and accurate valuation methods in developing economies such as Kenya. Therefore, the paper demonstrates the potential of the hedonic pricing method (HPM) in property valuation by making objective adjustments to comparable sales data.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper utilizes a case study design by analysing recent (January 2020 to December 2021) apartment sales and apartment attributes in NMA. A sample size of 264 transactions was analysed using the HPM.

Findings

The study identified six significant factors affecting apartment values in the study area: apartment size, location, floor finishes, provision of shopping facilities, swimming pool and gym. A valuation model has been developed using the six variables.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is contributing to the ongoing global debate on the accuracy, reliability and validity of property valuations with particular emphasis on the developing economies to adopt the more accurate, efficient and reliable valuation approaches.

Practical implications

The findings are useful to property valuers and estate managers in determining the most statistically significant attributes affecting apartment values in the NMA hence enabling them to offer informed professional advice. However, the findings of the study are limited to the study area since real estate is heterogeneous.

Social implications

Property investors, financiers and other stakeholders in the society will benefit from the findings of this study in their decision-making process. Additionally, wide adoption of the more reliable and accurate valuation approaches would foster public confidence in valuation and estate management professional services leading to enhanced consumption of these services by the society and promoting public care.

Originality/value

The paper is promoting valuation accuracy, efficiency and reliability in the developing economies by advocating for advanced valuation methods. It is the first attempt to develop a valuation model for apartments in the NMA, the capital city of Kenya and the business hub of East and Central Africa.
Reconciling field-level logics and management control practices in research management at Austrian public universities
Authors: Frei Judith , Greiling Dorothea , Schmidthuber Judith
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how Austrian public universities (APUs) respond to the challenge of maintaining academic freedom while complying with legal requirements and enhancing competitiveness by using Management Control Systems (MCSs). Specifically, it examines how APUs respond to the co-presence of academic, government and business logic.

Design/Methodology/Approach

The perspective of institutional logics as a theoretical lens and the framework of MCSs by Malmi and Brown (2008) serve to analyse how APUs respond to the existence of different institutional field-level logics. In-depth expert interviews from the perspective of APUs’ research management are conducted to identify the applied management control practices (MCPs) and APUs’ responses to the different institutional field-level logics.

Findings

This study identifies how academic, government and business logic are represented in field-level-specific MCPs and field-level-specific corresponding narratives. Reflecting upon APUs’ responses to the co-existence of academic and government logic, compliance or rather, selective coupling with government logic or decoupling from government logic became obvious.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study at higher education institutions representing academic, government and business logic in the applied MCPs in research management. The study reveals that APUs have developed specific responses and narratives regarding the existence of different institutional field-level logics.
Pigment molecular composition reveals significant information for visual communication
Authors: Galván Ismael
Published: September 2022

Melanins are the most common pigments in vertebrates and, as such, fufill multiple adaptive functions, including honest signalling. This is the case of male pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca, whose dorsal plumage, composed of black and grey feathers pigmented by eumelanin, is sexually selected by females regarding the proportion of black.

However, the basis of such mating preferences and other associations with life‐history traits are unknown.

Here, I take the advantage of recent advances in Raman spectroscopy analysis to investigate the monomeric composition of eumelanin, constituted by 5,6‐dihydroxyindole (DHI) and 5,6‐dihydroxyindole‐2‐carboxylic acid (DHICA) subunits, in male pied flycatchers.

I found that plumage blackness (percentage of dorsal black feathers) increases with the DHICA:DHI ratio of the constituent black freathers, but not with that of grey feathers. The repeatability of DHICA:DHI measurements in black feathers is two times that in grey feathers.

Eumelanin chemistry may thus constitute the basis of signal honesty in pied flycatchers, as females preferentially mate with males with higher relative DHICA feather contents and this may be related to the lower pro‐oxidant effect of DHICA. Given the the ubiquitous nature of melanin‐based pigmentation phenotypes, the monomeric composition of eumelanin should therefore be considered, instead of eumelanin as a whole, for a better understanding of how and why phenotypes are linked to life‐history traits in animals.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Impact of access to electricity on internal conflicts in Africa: Does income inequality matter?
Authors: Ongo Nkoa Bruno Emmanuel , Tekam Oumbé Honoré , Ngnouwal Eloundou Georges , Asngar Mamadou Thierry
Published: September 2022

This paper examines the impact of access to electricity on internal conflicts in Africa. Using income inequality as a transition variable and a sample of 36 countries, we estimate a panel data model by several regressions, including fixed effects, random effects, generalized least squares and the Driscoll–Kraay method from 1990 to 2017. Our findings show that regardless of the considered dimension, access to electricity reduces the risk of internal conflicts in Africa. However, its effects differ depending on whether a given area is urban or rural. The findings also suggest that income inequality is crucial to reducing internal conflicts in Africa.
Land use and dingo baiting are correlated with the density of kangaroos in rangeland systems
Authors: DAWSON Stuart J. , KREPLINS Tracey L. , KENNEDY Malcolm S. , RENWICK Juanita , COWAN Mark A. , FLEMING Patricia A.
Published: September 2022

Rangelands worldwide have been subject to broadscale modification, such as widespread predator control, introduction of permanent livestock water and altered vegetation to improve grazing. In Australia, these landscape changes have resulted in kangaroos (i.e. large macropods) populations increasing over the past 200 years. Kangaroos are a key contributor to total grazing pressure and in conjunction with livestock and feral herbivores have been linked to land degradation. We used 22 years of aerial survey data to investigate whether the density of 3 macropod species in the southern rangelands of Western Australia was associated with: (i) land use, including type of livestock, total livestock, density of feral goats, type of land tenure, and kangaroo commercial harvest effort; (ii) predator management, including permitted dingo control effort, estimated dingo abundance, and presence of the State Barrier Fence (a dingo exclusion fence); and (iii) environmental variables: ruggedness, rainfall, fractional cover, and total standing dry matter. Red kangaroos (Osphranter rufus) were most abundant in flat, open vegetation, on pastoral land, where area permitted for dingo control was high, and numbers were positively associated with antecedent rainfall with a 12‐month delay. Western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) were most abundant on flat, agricultural land, but less abundant in areas with high permitted dingo control. Euros (Osphranter robustus) were most abundant in rugged pastoral land with open vegetation, where permitted dingo control was high. While environmental variables are key drivers of landscape productivity and kangaroo populations, anthropogenic factors such as land use and permitted dingo control are strongly associated with kangaroo abundance.
Binge and high‐intensity drinking—Associations with intravenous alcohol self‐administration and underlying risk factors
Authors: Plawecki Martin H. , Boes Julian , Wetherill Leah , Kosobud Ann E. K. , Stangl Bethany L. , Ramchandani Vijay A. , Zimmermann Ulrich S. , Nurnberger John I. , Schuckit Marc , Edenberg Howard J. , Pandey Gayathri , Kamarajan Chella , Porjesz Bernice , Foroud Tatiana , O'Connor Sean
Published: September 2022

Some styles of alcohol consumption are riskier than others. How the level and rate of alcohol exposure contribute to the increased risk of alcohol use disorder is unclear, but likely depends on the alcohol concentration time course. We hypothesized that the brain is sensitive to the alcohol concentration rate of change and that people at greater risk would self‐administer faster. We developed a novel intravenous alcohol self‐administration paradigm to allow participants direct and reproducible control over how quickly their breath alcohol concentration changes. We used drinking intensity and the density of biological family history of alcohol dependence as proxies for risk. Thirty‐five alcohol drinking participants aged 21–28 years provided analytical data from a single, intravenous alcohol self‐administration session using our computer‐assisted alcohol infusion system rate control paradigm. A shorter time to reach 80 mg/dl was associated with increasing multiples of the binge drinking definition (p = 0.004), which was in turn related to higher density of family history of alcoholism (FHD, p = 0.04). Rate‐dependent changes in subjective response (intoxication and stimulation) were also associated with FHD (each p = 0.001). Subsequently, given the limited sample size and FHD range, associations between multiples of the binge drinking definition and FHD were replicated and extended in analyses of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism database. The rate control paradigm models binge and high‐intensity drinking in the laboratory and provides a novel way to examine the relationship between the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of alcohol and potentially the risk for the development of alcohol use disorders.
Mechanisms regulating neutrophil responses in immunity, allergy, and autoimmunity
Authors: Özcan Alaz , Boyman Onur
Published: September 2022

Neutrophil granulocytes, or neutrophils, are the most abundant circulating leukocytes in humans and indispensable for antimicrobial immunity, as exemplified in patients with inborn and acquired defects of neutrophils. Neutrophils were long regarded as the foot soldiers of the immune system, solely destined to execute a set of effector functions against invading pathogens before undergoing apoptosis, the latter of which was ascribed to their short life span. This simplistic understanding of neutrophils has now been revised on the basis of insights gained from the use of mouse models and single‐cell high‐throughput techniques, revealing tissue‐ and context‐specific roles of neutrophils in guiding immune responses. These studies also demonstrated that neutrophil responses were controlled by sophisticated feedback mechanisms, including directed chemotaxis of neutrophils to tissue‐draining lymph nodes resulting in modulation of antimicrobial immunity and inflammation. Moreover, findings in mice and humans showed that neutrophil responses adapted to different deterministic cytokine signals, which controlled their migration and effector function as well as, notably, their biologic clock by affecting the kinetics of their aging. These mechanistic insights have important implications for health and disease in humans, particularly, in allergic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis and allergic asthma bronchiale, as well as in autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Hence, our improved understanding of neutrophils sheds light on novel therapeutic avenues, focusing on molecularly defined biologic agents.
Resensitization in suspected penicillin allergy
Authors: Doña Inmaculada , Guidolin Lucia , Bogas Gádor , Olivieri Elisa , Labella Marina , Schiappoli Michele , Sáenz de Santa María Rocío , Dama Annarita , Salas María , Senna Gianenrico , Bonadonna Patrizia , Torres María José
Published: September 2022

Background

The diagnosis of allergic reactions to penicillins (AR‐PEN) is very complex as there is a loss of sensitization over time, which leads to negative skin tests (STs) and specific IgE in serum, and even to tolerance to the drug involved. However, STs may become positive after subsequent exposure to the culprit drug (resensitization), with the risk of inducing potentially severe reactions. The exact rate of resensitization to penicillins is unknown, ranging from 0% to 27.9% in published studies.

Objectives

To analyze the rate of resensitization in patients with suggestive AR‐PEN by repeating STs (retest) after an initial evaluation (IE).

Material and Methods

Patients with suspected AR‐PEN were prospectively evaluated between 2017 and 2020. They underwent STs, and a randomized group also underwent a drug provocation test (DPT) with the culprit. Only patients with negative STs and/or DPT were included. All included cases were retested by STs at 2–8 weeks.

Results

A total of 545 patients were included: 296 reporting immediate reactions (IRs) and 249 non‐immediate reactions (NIRs). Eighty (14.7%) cases had positive results in retest (RT+): 63 (21.3%) IRs and 17 (6.8%) NIRs (p < 0.0001). The rate of RT+ was higher in anaphylaxis compared with all other reactions (45.8% vs 9.1%,p < 0.0001). The risk of RT+ was higher from the fifth week after IE (OR: 4.64, CI: 2.1–11.6;p < 0.001) and increased with the patient's age (OR: 1.02; CI: 1.01–1.04;p = 0.009).

Conclusions

Due to the high rate of resensitization, retest should be included in the diagnostic algorithm of IRs to penicillins after an initial negative study, especially in anaphylaxis, to avoid potentially severe reactions after subsequent prescriptions of these drugs.
A General Modeling Framework for Open Wildlife Populations Based on the Polya Tree Prior
Authors: Diana Alex , Matechou Eleni , Griffin Jim , Arnold Todd , Tenan Simone , Volponi Stefano
Published: September 2022

Wildlife monitoring for open populations can be performed using a number of different survey methods. Each survey method gives rise to a type of data and, in the last five decades, a large number of associated statistical models have been developed for analyzing these data. Although these models have been parameterized and fitted using different approaches, they have all been designed to either model the pattern with which individuals enter and/or exit the population, or to estimate the population size by accounting for the corresponding observation process, or both. However, existing approaches rely on a predefined model structure and complexity, either by assuming that parameters linked to the entry and exit pattern (EEP) are specific to sampling occasions, or by employing parametric curves to describe the EEP. Instead, we propose a novel Bayesian nonparametric framework for modeling EEPs based on the Polya tree (PT) prior for densities. Our Bayesian nonparametric approach avoids overfitting when inferring EEPs, while simultaneously allowing more flexibility than is possible using parametric curves. Finally, we introduce the replicate PT prior for defining classes of models for these data allowing us to impose constraints on the EEPs, when required. We demonstrate our new approach using capture–recapture, count, and ring-recovery data for two different case studies.