bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Catenulispora pinistramenti sp. nov., novel actinobacteria isolated from pine forest soil in Poland
Authors: Świecimska Magdalena , Golińska Patrycja , Wypij Magdalena , Goodfellow Michael
Published: October 2021

The taxonomic status of two filamentous actinobacteria, isolates NF23 and NL8T, recovered from the litter layer of a pine forest soil in Poland was established in a genome-based polyphasic study. The isolates showed a combination of chemotaxonomic, morphological and physiological properties associated with their classification in the genus

Catenulispora

. They formed a well supported lineage within the

Catenulispora

16S rRNA gene tree and were most closely related to the type strains of

Catenulispora acidiphila

(99.1%),

Catenulispora pinisilvae

(99.9 %) and

Catenulispora rubra

(99.1 %), and like them, were found to have large genomes (10.8 and 11.5 Mbp, respectively). A phylogenomic tree based on the draft genomes of isolates NF23 and NL8T and their phylogenetic neighbours showed that they formed a distinct branch in the

Catenulispora

clade that was most closely related to

C. pinisilvae

DSM 111109T. The isolates shared a combination of genomic, genotypic and phenotypic features, and had high average nucleotide index (ANI) and digital DNA:DNA hybridization (dDDH) similarities consistent with their assignment to the same species. The isolates were distinguished from the C. acidiphila, C. pinisilvae and

C. rubra

strains by a wealth of taxonomic data and by low ANI (84.9–93.9 %) and dDDH (29.6–54.7 %) values. It is proposed that the isolates be classified in the genus

Catenulispora

as C. pinistramenti sp. nov. with isolate NL8T (=DSM 111110T=PCM 3045T) as the type strain. The genomes of strains NF23 and NL8T are rich in natural product-biosynthetic gene clusters hence these strains have the potential to synthesize new specialised metabolites.
Signatures of Brain Network Alteration in Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures: A Rest-EEG Study Based on Power Spectral Density and Phase Lag Index
Authors: Varone Giuseppe , Boulila Wadii , Giudice Michele Lo , Benjdira Bilel , Mammone Nadia , Ieracitano Cosimo , Dashtipour Kia , Neri Sabrina , Gasparini Sara , Morabito Francesco Carlo , Hussain Amir , Aguglia Umberto
Published: October 2021

The main challenge in the clinical assessment of Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES) is the lack of an electroencephalographic marker in the electroencephalography (EEG) readout. Although decades of EEG studies have focused on detecting cortical brain function underlying PNES, the principle of PNES remains poorly understood. To address this problem, electric potentials generated by large populations of neurons were collected during the resting state to be processed after that by Power Spectrum Density (PSD) for possible analysis of PNES signatures. Additionally, the integration of distributed information of regular and synchronized multi-scale communication within and across inter-regional brain areas has been observed using functional connectivity tools like Phase Lag Index (PLI) and graph-derived metrics. A cohort study of 20 PNES and 19 Healthy Control subjects (HC) were enrolled. The major finding is that PNES patients exhibited significant differences in alpha-power spectrum in brain regions related to cognitive operations, attention, working memory, and movement regulation. Noticeably, we observed that there exists an altered oscillatory activity and a widespread inter-regional phase desynchronization. This indicates changes in global efficiency, node betweenness, shortest path length, and small worldness in the delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. Finally, our findings look into new evidence of the intrinsic organization of functional brain networks that reflects a dysfunctional level of integration of local activity across brain regions, which can provide new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of PNES.
Downregulation of RyR and NCX in the neonatal rat ventricular myocyte modulates cytosolic [Ca2+]
Authors: Vazquez-Hidalgo Esteban , Zhang Xian , Barba David Torres , Paolini Paul , Katira Parag
Published: October 2021

Calcium (Ca2+) is necessary for cardiac muscle contraction. RyR, NCX, and SERCA are key regulatory protein channels for cytosolic Ca2+in cardiac myocytes. Expression levels of these proteins are a function of development, with protein expression shifting toward the adult phenotype over time. We investigated how downregulation by siRNAs of RyR and NCX affected expression levels of complimentary proteins and the corresponding intracellular Ca2+transients. We compared experimentally observed Ca2+transients to those predicted by mathematical models. Experiments show RyR downregulation decreased SERCA and increased NCX protein levels. The associated Ca2+transient had a decreased amplitude, increased time-to-peak, 50%, and 90% Ca2+removal with respect to the control cell. NCX downregulation increased SERCA production without significant changes in RyR expression levels. The corresponding [Ca2+] transient had increased amplitude, no change in time-to-peak and 50% Ca2+removal, and increased 90% Ca2+removal with respect to the control cell. Computational models that accurately predict the observed experimental data suggest compensatory changes occurring in the expression levels as well as biochemical activity of the regulatory proteins.
Client use of blockchain technology: exploring its (potential) impact on financial statement audits of Australian accounting firms
Authors: Dyball Maria Cadiz , Seethamraju Ravi
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The paper reports on a study that investigated the (potential) impact of client use of blockchain technology on financial statement audits of Australian accounting firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were primarily collected from semi-structured interviews with a range of stakeholders including audit partners from first- and second-tier accounting firms in Australia. The interviews focused on the perceived (potential) impact of blockchain on the stages of obtain (retain) engagement, engagement planning, risk assessment, audit evidence and reporting of financial statement audits of clients that use blockchain technology. Perceptions of changes to financial statement audits were interpreted using the logics of professionalism and commercialism.

Findings

Australian accounting firms have either obtained or considered engagements with clients with a cryptocurrency business or that use a blockchain platform although they are a small group. There is a view that blockchain technology is distinctive and therefore poses risks not encountered before in audit engagements. These risks would most likely shift how firms plan, design audit methodologies and execute financial statement audits. The study showed that the logics of professionalism and commercialism are not conflicting but instead complementary. They present both opportunities and challenges for firms to apply and develop audit expertise in an emerging area in audit.

Research limitations/implications

Being an exploratory study, the findings are tentative. A case study of an audit engagement with a cryptocurrency business will add to a nuanced understanding of the challenges posed to financial statement audits by blockchain technology.

Originality/value

This study is novel because of its focus on the impact of an evolving technology on the stages of financial statement audits.
Implicit vs explicit expression on advertising in a cross-cultural study: the mediating role of processing fluency and number of alternatives
Authors: Yoon JaeHyun , Kim Hanku
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the moderating effect of culture on the phrase expression type that affects product attitude. Moreover, to identify the mechanism by which these effects occur, the authors investigated the mediating role of processing fluency, and examined how such a mediating effect of processing fluency varies with number of alternatives.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experiments were conducted to verify the hypotheses presented in this study. Experiment 1 tested the effects of phrase expression type and culture on product attitude; a two-factor design (phrase expression type: explicit expression vs implicit expression) was applied, and culture was classified according to nationality. Experiment 2 tested the mediating effect of processing fluency on product attitude, using the same approach as Experiment 1. Experiment 3 tested the moderated mediating role of the number of alternatives, a between-group experimental design of 2 (phrase expression: explicit expression vs implicit expression) × 2 (number of alternatives: many vs few) was applied.

Findings

Experiment 1's results demonstrate that product attitude is more favorable when implicit expressions are used for Asians, whereas it is more favorable with explicit expressions for Westerners. Experiment 2 verifies that the interaction effect between phrase expression type and culture on product attitude is mediated by processing fluency. Experiment 3's results demonstrate that the number of alternatives moderates the mediating role of processing fluency for Westerners, but has no effect on the processing fluency for Asians.

Originality/value

This study provides novel insights and expands the field of study of phrase expression types by separating the ambiguous boundaries among phrase presentation types. Furthermore, this study provides practical guidelines for establishing effective advertising strategies for companies by suggesting suitable phrase expression types based on culture.
Promoting traditional local cuisines for tourists: evidence from Taiwan
Authors: Kan Tangchung , Hsu Po-Yi , Ku Edward C.S.
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the challenges facing tourism marketing, specifically traditional local cuisines. These challenges include communication with tourists, tourists' revisit behaviors mediated by place identity and perceived interactivity with service providers.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via random sampling in Taiwan. The model and hypothesis were tested using a structural equation modeling approach. One thousand participants were invited to respond to a questionnaire. After removing those that declined to participate or returned incomplete questionnaires, 411 valid questionnaire responses were received.

Findings

The findings of this study provide exciting insights into how traditional local cuisine strategies affect tourists' behavior. Governments can foster a destination image with a nostalgic aesthetic to attract more tourists. Moreover, destination marketers should provide mechanisms for instant interactions for tourists, such as mobile travel apps.

Research limitations/implications

This research sample focuses on promoting emotional connections between tourists and the experience of traditional local cuisines at the destination. An understanding of nostalgic cuisine could provide a better understanding of why tourists are willing to engage in unique travel experiences.

Practical implications

Traditional local cuisine providers should consider aesthetics, including their decoration, style, and markers. Further, it is important that service staff make tourists feel comfortable and satisfied with the traditional local cuisine experience.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the destination marketing of traditional local cuisines from the perspective of nostalgia. The findings of this study provide interesting insights into how traditional local cuisine strategies affect tourists' behaviors.
Multi-criteria decision-making model for EPC contractor prequalification: a hybrid approach
Authors: Amiri Omid , Rahimi Mahmoud , Ayazi Amir , Khazaeni Garshasb
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Nowadays, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts are being widely used to perform industrial and infrastructure projects because of several reasons like high speed of implementation. However, these contracts are always accompanied by high risks and uncertainties. Thus, selection of the right EPC contractor has significant importance. This paper aims to present a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model for EPC contractor prequalification.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the EPC contractor prequalification criteria are defined by using literature review and interviewing experts. Second, the weights of criteria are determined by interviewing experts. Then, each EPC contractor is evaluated in each criterion. Finally, fuzzy weighted average (FWA) approach is employed to select the right contractor among potential EPC contractors.

Findings

The proposed model is prepared as an applicable model for clients to select the right EPC contractors among contractors who want to conduct the project.

Originality/value

As a lack of applicable model does exist to assign the prequalification of EPC contractors, this study is one of the first research studies which proposed a fuzzy MCDM model for evaluation of EPC contractors. To cope with the uncertainty of the prequalification problem, fuzzy logic has been used. Using fuzzy sets leads to reaching more reliable results. Also, a real case study is provided to explain the proposed model.
Impact of trade openness, human capital, public expenditure and institutional performance on unemployment: evidence from OIC countries
Authors: Ali Sajid , Yusop Zulkornain , Kaliappan Shivee Ranjanee , Chin Lee , Meo Muhammad Saeed
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study examines the impact of trade openness, human capital, public expenditure and institutional performance on unemployment in various income groups of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Traditional panel data methodologies neglect the issue of cross-sectional dependence and provide ambiguous outcomes. A novel approach, “dynamic common correlated effects (DCCE)”, is utilized in this study to tackle with aforementioned issue. Pooled mean group (PMG) estimation is also applied to verify the robustness of the findings.

Findings

The long-run estimates show that trade openness has a significant and negative relationship with the unemployment rate in overall and lower-income OIC economies and a positive correlation with unemployment in higher-income OIC countries. Public expenditure is negatively and significantly correlated with unemployment in higher-income and overall OIC economies. Moreover, human capital reduces unemployment in higher-income and overall OIC countries while increases unemployment in lower-income OIC economies.

Practical implications

The research tends to endorse the argument for continuous trade openness policy along with efficient use of public expenditure and improved institutional performance to reduce unemployment in OIC countries.

Originality/value

The DCCE approach in this research considers heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence between cross-sectional units and thus gives robust outcomes.
Military expenditures and quality of life in ASEAN: exploring the unexplored
Authors: Tahir Muhammad , Khan Muhammad Mumtaz , Naseem Imran , Shah Syed Afzal Moshadi , Hayat Arshad
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Improving the quality of life of the masses is the prime objective of all policymakers of both developed and developing countries. However, the determinants of improved quality of life are not well explored in the empirical literature. This study has, therefore, tried to identify the determinants of quality of life by focusing on military expenditures.

Design/methodology/approach

Panel data from 1990 to 2017 are collected from internationally reliable sources for the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN hereafter) member countries, and suitable econometric techniques are employed to estimate the designed models.

Findings

The results show that military expenditures have affected the quality of life of the ASEAN member countries both negatively and significantly. Similarly, the inflation rate has also negatively affected the quality of life. In terms of magnitude, the negative impact of the inflation rate on quality of life has exceeded than the impact of military expenditures. On the other hand, trade openness, per capita income, urbanization and government expenditures have played a positive and significant role in improving the quality of life in the ASEAN region. Moreover, it is found that the positive impact of per capita income on quality of life is highest among other determinants.

Originality/value

This study provided comprehensive evidence about the relationship between military expenditures and quality of life in the ASEAN context. Consequently, the ASEAN member economies will benefit a lot from the results of this study.
Valuing traffic emissions' effect on historic buildings: environmental assessment to promote historic buildings’ sustainability
Authors: Sagheb Azadeh , Alrashydah Esra’a , Vafaeihosseini Ehsan
Published: October 2021

Purpose

With increased populations and movement of people worldwide, traffic emissions will lead to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions, which is one of the greenhouse gases. This will increase outdoor air pollution and other environmental risks that will impact people's health and livelihood, crops, as well as the built environment such as architecture, buildings and other structures. Few studies have been devoted to addressing the effect of air pollution on historic buildings. However, there is no specific study on the impact of traffic-related emissions.

Design/methodology/approach

A thorough analysis has been conducted in selecting eight historic districts (HDs) among all of 31 located within the city of San Antonio. Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) software has been utilized to process the data collected from the average annual daily traffic (AADT) and vehicle operational speeds and evaluate the amounts of emissions for each HD.

Findings

MOVES outcomes showed that HDs are under the threat of deterioration caused by traffic emissions. Therefore, transportation and environmental planners need to implement sustainable solutions to reduce the impact of CO2 emissions on HDs and, ultimately, historic buildings.

Originality/value

This study will help policymakers plan a better course of action for the future conditions associated with the increased traffic volumes. It is also beneficial for the developers, preservationists, architects and all other stakeholders willing to preserve the history of a country.
Assessment of vulnerability and site adaptive capacity to the risk of climate change: the case of Tchogha Zanbil World Heritage earthen site in Iran
Authors: Nakhaei Ashtari Masoud , Correia Mariana
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The aim of this research is to evaluate the vulnerability of earthen heritage when facing climate change, by focusing on Tchogha Zanbil site as a case study – an outstanding example of an earthen site that recurrently faces extreme climatic events. Moreover, the adaptive capacity of traditional knowledge and ancient systems is also evaluated, in order to contribute for future climate change adaptation planning.

Design/methodology/approach

The vulnerability of cultural heritage to climate change was considered as the degree to which an identified cultural heritage value was susceptible to, or would be adversely affected by, the effects of climate change, including climate variability and extreme temperatures. In order to establish a vulnerability assessment, this paper will assess different definitions regarding vulnerability, exposure and sensitivity, crossing it with indicators of physical parameters, in order to propose an adaptive capacity for the site, based on ancient traditional knowledge.

Findings

Nonetheless, the entailed research helped establish a framework that contributes to outline the vulnerability and the potential for adaptive capacity of World Heritage properties, especially earthen sites located in regions exposed to rising climate change impact.

Research limitations/implications

The research faced some limitations regarding access to data and to site visits, due to COVID-19 restrictions that were in place.

Originality/value

This research presents a methodological assessment of climate change risk in Tchogha Zanbil, a World Heritage earthen site in Iran, representative of a property highly exposed to risk and vulnerability.
The effect of motivating language and management effectiveness: empirical evidence from Waqf institutions in Malaysia
Authors: Mohd Sharip Sharfizie , Awang Marinah , Ismail Ramlee
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study aims to extend the investigation on leader communication by assessing the usage of motivating language (ML) by leaders in Waqf institutions in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

Data analysis was carried out using structural equation modelling via the partial least squares. The probability sampling technique was deemed more suitable for this study as the available data was definable for constructing the sampling frame.

Findings

Management effectiveness was shown to have a significant effect on direction-giving and meaning-making language (MML), but not on empathetic language (EL). The findings demonstrate that increasing use of directive and MML leads to greater management performance; however, increased use of EL has no such effect.

Research limitations/implications

The findings should not be taken as a comprehensive solution for improving the management effectiveness of all Waqf institutions. As the study only focused on the aspect of leader communication in Waqf institutions, the findings cannot be generalized to other contexts. Additionally, this study had only examined religious-based non-profit organizations (NPOs) with affiliations to a religious body, mission statements that incorporate religious values, financial support from religious sources and governance structure and employee selection based on religious processes. Hence, the findings cannot be used as a reference in the context of non-religious NPOs.

Practical implications

This paper contributes to the theoretical enhancement of existing literature about leader communication towards improving institutional effectiveness. The current study has empirically tested the model through the integration of the ML theory. Thus, the leader’s choice of language improves employee motivation and ultimately institutional productivity and effectiveness.

Originality/value

There is a glaring gap in empirical studies on the relationship between ML usage by leaders and management effectiveness specifically in the context of Malaysian organizations. Based on rigorous searches using the Scopus and Web of Sciences databases, it was found that past studies investigating the said relationship had focused more on Western countries. This is a crucial gap that must be addressed to gain a deeper understanding of the effect of ML on management effectiveness, especially in the Malaysian setting.
Confronting the nameless-faceless: a duoethnography of navigating turnover and early career socialization
Authors: López Norma , Morgan Demetri L.
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this duoethnography was to share our narratives as a left-behind early career faculty (ECF) and graduate student with minoritized identities and reflect on academic socialization processes. Specifically, when many scholars are raising alarms about the retention and success of faculty with minoritized identities, it is crucial to recognize the dimensions of socialization within the organizational context of academia.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors sought an approach that would facilitate the interrogation of the overlap and divergence of the authors’ perspectives. Duoethnography research design was chosen for its focus on self-reflection as well as on the importance of the expression and consideration of those diverging perspectives. The goal was collaboration to generate a discussion that deepens a complex understanding of socialization in and professional commitment to academia.

Findings

The central insight that surfaced from the analysis of our duoethnography data is the enhanced understanding of the “nameless-faceless” dimension of academic socialization. Endeavoring to understand why faculty leave and how those who are left behind make sense of that departure led the authors to examine the unknown entities the authors are responsible to and for so they may better understand their commitment to academia.

Research limitations/implications

The authors’ findings reveal that the nameless–faceless element is just a generalized behavior adopted in the interest of restricted and individual advantage. Diversity and equity practices are touted as a priority, but frequently, institutions act in ways that establish their own self-interests. The authors argue that we are all the nameless–faceless when they participate in academic norms that work to uphold and perpetuate traditional practices in academia.

Practical implications

The authors’ findings point to intentional mentoring and integration of responsibility in faculty roles as potential recruitment and retention tools.

Originality/value

The authors extend the importance of collaboration and mentorship in retaining graduate students and EFC to the concept of intertwined professional commitment, or the theory that it is not simply the outcomes that are influenced by the support and cooperation between faculty with minoritized identities but that our professional commitment to academia is strengthened by that collaboration and witnessing each other's purpose and motivation to remain in academia.
Footsie, yeah! Share prices and worker wellbeing
Authors: Bryson Alex , Clark Andrew , Green Colin
Published: October 2021

Purpose

A small literature has shown that individual wellbeing varies with the price of company stock, but it is unclear whether this is due to wealth effects amongst those holding stock, or more general effects on sentiment, with individuals taking rising stock prices as an indicator of improvements in the economy. The authors contribute to this literature by using two data sets to establish the relationship between share prices on the one hand and worker wellbeing on the other.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors use over 20 years of British panel data to show that employee happiness and job satisfaction moves with share prices among those whose pay is partly determined by company fortunes. The authors then examine share price movements and employee stock holding in a single corporation and provide suggestive evidence that an increase in the firm’s stock price increases the well-being of those who belong to its employee share purchase plan (ESPP). These effects are greatest among those making the largest monthly contributions to the program who have the most to gain (or lose) from stock price fluctuations. There is also tentative evidence that the well-being effects of a higher share price are larger for those who hold more shares. Taken together these results suggest that, although stock price movements have little effect on well-being in the population at large, the well-being of those holding stock in their own company rises when the price of that stock is higher, suggesting the effects of share prices work at least partly via changes in wealth.

Findings

Taken together these results suggest that the wellbeing effects of share prices work at least partly via changes in wealth.

Research limitations/implications

The authors cannot be certain that the job satisfaction movements they see are causally linked to share plan participation and bonus receipt. Future research might fruitfully examine the mechanisms at play, and whether the effects identified here are linked to differences in employee motivation and effort over the business cycle.

Practical implications

Firms may wish to consider the appropriateness of linking their workers’ pay to firm performance through share plans or profit shares to establish whether this improves worker wellbeing.

Social implications

The utility of workers may increase where firms offer some compensation via a share plan or profit share.

Originality/value

The literature suggests a link between share price movements and worker wellbeing, but the reasons for the link are contested. Using two very different data sources, the authors are able to show that share price increases induce higher worker wellbeing, at least in part, through wealth effects.
Performance of commercial and residential real estate investments in Ibadan property market, Nigeria
Authors: Ojo Olatoye , Dabara Daniel Ibrahim , Ajayi Michael Tolulope Adeyemi
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study examined the performance of commercial and residential real estate investments in the Ibadan property market to provide information for investment decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a mixed research design (qualitative and quantitative). Data were obtained employing in-depth interviews with randomly selected sixteen estate surveyors and valuers practising in the Ibadan property market. Data for the study were analysed using the phenomenological thematic content analysis. Similarly, data on rental and capital values were translated to income, capital and holding period returns. The Kwiatkowski–Phillips–Schmidt–Shin (KPSS) and Philip–Perron (PP) models were used for unit root analysis. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression model was used to test for inflation-hedging characteristics, and the Granger causality tests were carried out to analyse the causal relationship between the variables.

Findings

The study revealed that the Ibadan property market is still immature. For the return components, the study found that the Ibadan property market provided mean holding period returns of 10.82%, 14.31 and 8.29% for office, shop and residential property types, respectively. The study also revealed that the selected property types are perverse hedges against inflation. Similarly, the study showed a unidirectional causal relationship between inflation and returns on the selected property types.

Practical implications

Results of this study revealed the peculiar nature of the Ibadan property market; findings from the survey can be used as a guide for investment decisions by foreign and domestic investors. Shrewd investors can take advantage of the high returns provided by the real estate assets in the Ibadan property market (by investing in the property market) to obtain high returns and expand their investment portfolio.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine, in an eclectic and comparative context, the performance of commercial and residential properties in the Ibadan property market from the perspective of its market maturity level, returns profile, as well as its inflation-hedging characteristics. Findings from the study will equip both individual and institutional investors with valuable information for investment decisions.
Conceptualisation of sustainable consumer behaviour: converging the theory of planned behaviour and consumption cycle
Authors: Sheoran Monika , Kumar Divesh
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This article attempts to explore the theoretical model and structural dimensions of sustainable consumer behaviour to develop a “sustainable consumer behaviour scale” for sustainable electronic products. Further, this study has tried to elaborate sustainable consumer behaviour by considering the complete consumption cycle which includes purchase, usage and disposal of the sustainable electronic products.

Design/methodology/approach

The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) has been employed to understand the multidimensional nature of sustainable consumer behaviour with the help of qualitative and quantitative methods. With the help of a pilot study followed by a main study, a sustainable consumer behaviour scale for sustainable electronic products has been tested and validated for its factor study, reliability, validity and model fit, etc. Moreover, the influence of demographic variables has also been examined with the help of multi-group analysis.

Findings

This study highlights that the perceived control behaviour and subjective norms are the major factors that influence sustainable consumer behaviour. Moreover, the results also indicate that female consumers, mid income consumers, young consumers (age below 30) and consumers who have studied up to senior secondary level are more sustainable.

Research limitations/implications

The results can be used by policymakers and managers to identify and target particular subjective norms and factors impacting perceived control behaviour along with a specific set of demographics to increase sustainability amongst consumers and businesses. The results of the current study can help in increasing the focus of the academic research towards sustainable consumer behaviour. It will also encourage firms to include sustainable electronic products in their product line.

Originality/value

To the best of authors' knowledge, the current article is the first empirical study to develop a sustainable consumer behaviour scale by including all the different stages of the consumption cycle using TPB for sustainable electronic products. Although multiple efforts have been made by researchers to analyse sustainable consumer behaviour, there is a scarcity in literature in which research has been done to analyse sustainable consumer behaviour by considering the whole consumption cycle (purchase, usage and disposal).
Employee exit and its relationship with multidimensional knowledge retention: the moderating role of organizational structure
Authors: Farooq Rayees
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study aims to test the relationship between employee exit and knowledge retention. The study also tests the moderating role of organizational structure on the relationship between employee exit and knowledge retention.

Design/methodology/approach

A purposive sample of 310 in India was used. The hypotheses were tested using the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), structural equation modeling and moderating analysis using SmartPLS.

Findings

The results showed that employee exit positively affects knowledge retention. Moreover, the organizational structure does not moderate the relationship between employee exit and knowledge retention. Two factors were identified through the EFA, of which knowledge-based systems were found to be the most important, followed by management support.

Originality/value

The study attempts to test the relationship between employee exit and knowledge retention and also develops and validates the multidimensional measure of knowledge retention.
Evolution under low antibiotic concentrations: a risk for the selection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa multidrug‐resistant mutants in nature
Authors: Sanz‐García Fernando , Hernando‐Amado Sara , Martínez José Luis
Published: October 2021

Antibiotic pollution of non‐clinical environments might have a relevant impact on human health if resistant pathogens are selected. However, this potential risk is often overlooked, since drug concentrations in nature are usually below their minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Albeit, antibiotic resistant bacteria can be selected even at sub‐MIC concentrations, in a range known as the sub‐MIC selective window. Using short‐term evolution experiments, we have determined the sub‐MIC selective windows of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa for seven antibiotics of clinical relevance, finding the ones of quinolones to be the widest, and the ones of polymyxin B and imipenem, the narrowest. Clinically relevant multidrug‐resistant mutants arose within the sub‐MIC selective windows of most antibiotics tested, being some of these phenotypes mediated by efflux pumps' activity. The fact that the concentration of antibiotics reported in aquatic ecosystems – colonizable by P. aeruginosa – are, in occasions, higher than the ones that select multidrug‐resistant mutants in our assays, has implications for understanding the role of different ecosystems and conditions in the emergence of antibiotic resistance from a One‐Health perspective. Further, it reinforces the importance of procuring accurate information on the sub‐MIC selective windows for drugs of clinical value in pathogens with environmental niches.
Improving children's sense of belonging through group‐orientated individualisation
Authors: Karlsudd Peter
Published: October 2021

A sense of belonging is essential for children in preschool. During the past decade, there has been a striking change in the orientation of the Swedish preschool environment. Now more child observations tend to focus on individual skills and assessment of ability to handle future schooling. A new discourse is clear; one that moves from a group orientation to a more individual approach. School‐related skills are now more clearly the focus, within which an individualised discourse easily leads to grouping by levels and special programmes. In this action research study, a model of inclusive individualisation was tested, in which individual opportunities were anchored in a group‐orientated teaching method. Nine preschool departments from four preschools participated in the study. The work involved about 45 preschool staff. At work meetings, nine departments spent about two hours each, processing and evaluating the model. The results show that the majority of the staff felt that the model opened up new issues, ideas and perspectives. It was clear that the staff were eager to plan early interventions. Communication and social skills for the children were the areas exclusively focused upon in the work with the model.
Identification and validation of an individualized prognostic signature of lung squamous cell carcinoma based on ferroptosis‐related genes
Authors: Diao Xiayao , Guo Chao , Liu Lei , Wang Guige , Li Shanqing
Published: October 2021

Background

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), one of the main pathological types of lung cancer, has led to consequential socioeconomic burden. Ferroptosis is an iron‐dependent form of cell death process with potentials for therapeutic target in various kinds of tumors. However, whether ferroptosis‐related genes (FRGs) are associated with the prognosis of LUSC patients is still unclear. The aim of this study was to establish a FRGs‐based signature which could stratify patients with LUSC.

Methods

The RNA sequencing profiles and corresponding clinical data of LUSC patients were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. A FRG‐based signature was developed using the TCGA‐LUSC cohort and validated in the GEO cohort. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and analysis of immune cell characteristics were conducted to assess the relationship between FRGs and biological function or immune status. A nomogram based on selected clinical factors and the risk scores which were generated from the FRG‐based signature was developed using the TCGA cohort and validated in the GEO cohort.

Results

A set of 16 FRGs, significantly associated with overall survival (OS) in the TCGA cohort, was identified and could classify LUSC patients into two risk groups. Kaplan–Meier analysis illustrated that the survival rate of the high‐risk group was significantly lower than the low‐risk group. Assessment and external validation of the signature showed that the survival predictive performance of this signature was adequate. Additionally, multiple pathways and functions were enriched through GSEA and the analysis of immune cell characteristics showed significantly different abundances of immune cells among the two risk groups. Finally, a nomogram integrating the FRG‐based signature and selected clinical factors was also developed and assessed in both the TCGA and GEO cohort.

Conclusion

This study indicated the association between the FRGs and prognosis of patients with LUSC. Targeting ferroptosis may serve as a novel potential therapeutic alternative for LUSC.
What Was the Point of Equality?
Authors: Bejan Teresa M.
Published: October 2021

Political theorists often turn to seventeenth‐century England and the Levellers as sources of egalitarian insight. Yet by the time the Levellers were active, the claim that human beings were “equal” by nature was commonplace. Why, in Leveller hands, did a long‐standing piety consistent with social hierarchy became suddenly effectual? Inspired by Elizabeth Anderson, this article explores what equality—and the related concept of parity—meant for the Levellers, and what “the point,” as they saw it, was. I argue that the Levellers’ key achievement was subsuming a highly controversial premise of natural parity within the existing language of natural equality. This suggests that modern basic equality is the product of two, potentially contradictory, principles. This, in turn, has important normative, as well as historical and conceptual, implications for how theorists understand “the point” of equality for egalitarian movements today.
In Mourning: Sociocultural Anthropology in 2020
Authors: Berry Maya J.
Published: October 2021

This year‐in‐review article places 2020 sociocultural works within the portal formed by pandemic loss. Moving in the mode of Black feminist praxis, the article stays with wake work (Sharpe) as an analytic to consider articles and born digital media for how they were moved by the situated practices and affects produced through dying from normality and the horizons they summon and grieve. Specifically, Sharpe's formulation of wake work as a labor of vigilant attendance is upheld as a method for how anthropology might mourn the dead while reckoning with Black being in modernity. Prevalent keywords from popular discourse in 2020 organize the article conceptually, putting the force of public debates around “preexisting conditions,” “law and order,” “staying at home,” and being “all in this together” to bear on anthropological analyses of patriarchy, settler colonialism, and racial capitalism. Overwhelmingly, the feelings that shape and are shaped by the violent delineations that make human and nonhuman forms of life more or less risky in capitalist modernity were persistently resurrected across these virtual dialogues. The inability to do anthropology as usual afforded an important moment for pause to consider more deeply the political and material investments at the core of the discipline's raison d’être in 2020. Rather than rush toward a return to normality, the article propounds staying in the wake. Such a labor demands that anthropology feel for how to be relevant to coalitions in the making, not as experts but as fellow processioners through a threshold still becoming. In this mode, the future may be gleaned not only by what we are ready to fight for but also for whom and how we mourn. [sociocultural anthropology, wake work, uprisings, care, pandemic, portal]
Guardians of the forest or evil spirits?
Authors: SCHEER CATHERINE
Published: October 2021

Since the emergence of a new land law in Cambodia, “indigenous minorities” have recurrently substantiated their rights claims by referring to the powerful spirit‐gods that live in their territories. This appearance of spirits on the official stage can be read as “provincializing” a Euro‐modern ontology that does not take nonhumans seriously as political actors. But when spirits come to be integrated into a politics of recognition, questions arise about the effects that such a politicized ontology might have on those who do not appear to conform to it. This is the case for Protestant Bunong, who have long repudiated local spirit‐gods as evil. During the struggle for their rights, they not only faced Cambodian authorities attempting to delegitimize their claims to qualify as an “indigenous minority,” but also had to reconsider their ways of seeing the world and relating to those who inhabit it. [political ontology, indigeneity, Christianization, politics of recognition, nonhumans, moral struggles, Cambodia, Southeast Asia]
Berberine ameliorates erectile dysfunction in rats with streptozotocin‐induced diabetes mellitus through the attenuation of apoptosis by inhibiting the SPHK1/S1P/S1PR2 and MAPK pathways
Authors: Liu Kang , Sun Taotao , Luan Yang , Chen Yinwei , Song Jingyu , Ling Le , Yuan Penghui , Li Rui , Cui Kai , Ruan Yajun , Lan Ruzhu , Wang Tao , Wang Shaogang , Liu Jihong , Rao Ke
Published: October 2021

Background

The population with diabetes mellitus‐induced erectile dysfunction is increasing rapidly, but current drugs are not effective in treating erectile dysfunction. Studies of the traditional Chinese medicine extract berberine on diabetes and its complications provide us with new ideas.

Objectives

To evaluate the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of berberine on the erectile function of diabetic rats.

Materials and methods

Fifty male Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly grouped, and 42 rats were injected intraperitoneally with streptozotocin to establish a diabetes model. Erectile dysfunction rats were screened out through the apomorphine test and randomly divided into the diabetes mellitus and berberine groups, and these animals were administered berberine (200 mg/kg/day) and normal saline by gavage for 4 weeks. Primary corpus cavernous smooth muscle cells from healthy rats were cultured and treated with berberine.

Results

Fasting blood glucose in the diabetes mellitus group was significantly increased, while berberine showed no significant effect on glucose. Erectile function was obviously impaired in the diabetes mellitus group, and berberine administration partially rescued this impairment. The expression of sphingosine kinase 1, S1PR2, and sphingosine‐1‐phosphate in the diabetes mellitus group was increased. Berberine partially inhibited the expression of sphingosine kinase 1 and S1PR2, but the decrease in sphingosine‐1‐phosphate was not significant. Moreover, mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway factor expression was upregulated and eNOS activity was decreased in the diabetes mellitus group. Berberine treatment could partially reverse these alterations. Severe fibrosis and apoptosis were detected in diabetic rats, accompanied by higher expression of TGFβ1, collagen I/IV, Bax/Bcl‐2, and caspase 3 than in the other groups. However, supplementation with berberine inhibited the expression of these proteins and attenuated fibrosis and apoptosis.

Conclusions

Berberine ameliorated erectile dysfunction in rats with diabetes mellitus, possibly by improving endothelial function and inhibiting apoptosis and fibrosis by suppressing the sphingosine kinase 1/sphingosine‐1‐phosphate/S1PR2 and mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathways.
Anomalous aortic origin of coronary artery: For a challenging diagnosis, a transthoracic echocardiogram is recommended
Authors: Tessitore Antimo , Caiffa Thomas , Bobbo Marco , D'Agata Mottolese Biancamaria , Barbi Egidio , Chicco Daniela
Published: October 2021

Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA), especially the interarterial course of the right or left coronary artery, predisposes paediatric patients to myocardial ischaemia. This rare condition is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death. General paediatricians face challenges when diagnosing this anomaly, and they should pay particular attention to the recurrence of exercise‐related syncope without prodromal symptoms, chest pain and dyspnoea. An accurate transthoracic echocardiogram with Doppler colour flow mapping is the best method to use to identify AAOCA.

Conclusion

Identifying an AAOCA is challenging, and we provide advice on clinical red flags and diagnostic approaches for general paediatricians.