bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phylogenetic profiling and cellular analyses of ARL16 reveal roles in traffic of IFT140 and INPP5E
Authors: Dewees Skylar I. , Vargová Romana , Hardin Katherine R. , Turn Rachel E. , Devi Saroja , Linnert Joshua , Wolfrum Uwe , Caspary Tamara , Eliáš Marek , Kahn Richard A.
Published: October 2021

The ARF family of regulatory GTPases is ancient, with 16 members predicted to have been present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor. Our phylogenetic profiling of paralogs in diverse species identified four family members whose presence correlates with that of a cilium/flagellum: ARL3, ARL6, ARL13, and ARL16. No prior evidence links ARL16 to cilia or other cell functions, despite its presence throughout eukaryotes. Deletion of ARL16 in MEFs results in decreased ciliogenesis yet increased ciliary length. We also found Arl16 KO in MEFs to alter ciliary protein content, including loss of ARL13B, ARL3, INPP5E, and the IFT-A core component IFT140. Instead, both INPP5E and IFT140 accumulate at the Golgi in Arl16 KO lines, while other IFT proteins do not, suggesting a specific defect in traffic from Golgi to cilia. We propose that ARL16 regulates a Golgi-cilia traffic pathway and is required specifically in the export of IFT140 and INPP5E from the Golgi.

Phylogenetic analyses of ARF family GTPases predict that ARL16 is linked to cilia. This was confirmed using MEFs deleted for ARL16, resulting in defects in Golgi to cilium traffic, with accumulation of IFT140 and INPP5E at Golgi.
A functional SNP regulates E-cadherin expression by dynamically remodeling the 3D structure of a promoter-associated non-coding RNA transcript
Authors: Sharma Shrikant , Varani Gabriele
Published: October 2021

Transcription of E-cadherin, a tumor suppressor which plays critical roles in cell adhesion and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, is regulated by a promoter-associated non-coding transcript. This RNA includes a functional C/A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP rs16260). The A-allele is linked to decreased transcriptional activity and increased prostate cancer risk. This single nucleotide change affects recruitment of an iso-miRNA and epigenetic enzymes to regulate the promoter, yet it is distant from the isomiR-binding site in both primary sequence and secondary structure, raising the question of how regulation occurs. Here we report the 3D NMR structure of the domain of 90 nucleotides within the paRNA which includes the SNP and the isomiR-binding site. We show that the A->C mutation alters the locally dynamic structure of the paRNA, revealing that the mutation regulates the E-cadherin promoter through its effect on RNA structure.
AA

h
BN crystal, basic structure of boron nitride nanotubes
Authors: Lee Jae-Kap , Kim Jin-Gyu , Yu Seunggun , Lee Sang-Gil , Kim Yesong , Moon Dong Ju
Published: October 2021

AA

h
boron nitride (BN) crystal, assigned to an orthorhombic space group (No. 31, Pm21), is reported here. This new AA

h
BN crystal exhibits a `linear' morphology for high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and a (non-hexagonal) `diagonal' electron-diffraction pattern, which have been experimentally demonstrated in this article. It is also demonstrated that this new crystal is the basic structure of multi-walled BN nanotubes (BNNTs) existing in the form of a helix. The helical AA

h
BNNTs exist in a metastable phase owing to 〈200〉 texture growth of the orthorhombic crystal, where the energy is ∼15 meV higher than that of stable AB or AA′ BN. It is shown that the typical scanning electron microscope `fluffy cotton-like' morphology of BNNTs is due to secondary growth of diverse BN sheets (including mono-layers) on incoherently scrolled wall strands of BNNTs, providing further evidence for the helical structure with HRTEM evidence for a left-handed helix.
The dramaturgy of earnings guidance: an institutional analysis of a soft landing
Authors: King Thomas A. , Fogarty Timothy J.
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Much in accounting research depends upon equity valuation. Too often, what the stock of publicly traded companies trade at is taken at its face value. Knowing that valuation is a function of performance relative to consensus security analyst expectations, more needs to be known about how these expectations are created and changed. The paper aims to assert that the guidance provided by top-level company management is important to the work product of analysts. The paper develops information from managers involved in these interactions.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 high-level executives employed by large USA companies in several industries. What those companies provided was interpreted through the theoretical lens of institutional theory and amounts to a qualitative content analysis approach to the subject.

Findings

The authors find that institutional theory well describes the important features of analyst guidance. Participants are aware of the broad societal interest that exists in the outcome of the guidance process. The participants accept the need for independent analyst opinions about their companies and their future prospects. In many ways, executives provide analysts more than just raw information and employ strategic structuring for analysts to produce expectations that will allow their companies a favorable pathway to future success as such is judged by the markets. The result is understood as being in the best interests of all market participants, even if it disproportionately benefits current corporate leadership.

Research limitations/implications

Results are dependent upon the interview process, needing the correct questions to be asked and the willingness of interviewees to speak their lived truth. The paper calls into question traditional capital markets studies that evaluate quantitative relationships between projected accounting balances and subsequent stock market prices as a literal truth or as the result of scientific calculation.

Practical implications

Market participants should be somewhat more skeptical about companies that are routinely able to meet analyst expectations. To a large extent, such displays do not just happen but instead are manufactured to take place by virtual of a careful dance that is mindful of excesses on several sides.

Social implications

The antagonistic interests of two important groups in the stock market is actually an unrecognized symbiotic dependency that prioritizes continued permission.

Originality/value

The accounting literature is very dependent on the work product of analysts. This is a rare opportunity to peak behind the curtain of their expertise in a critical fashion. The paper breaks ranks with the literature by trying to understand the thinking behind the narratives of capital market participants.
Exploring sector-specific sustainability indicators: a content analysis of sustainability reports in the logistics sector
Authors: Jayarathna Chamari Pamoshika , Agdas Duzgun , Dawes Les , Miska Marc
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Businesses produce corporate sustainability information in support of the decision-making of their stakeholders through sustainability reporting. However, the use of such information has been limited because of the broadness of sustainability indicators used in sustainability reports. This study aims to identify sector-specific sustainability indicators and priorities based on the material issues of the logistics sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted an exploratory study using 64 sustainability reports from the logistics sector. Qualitative content analysis was performed using Leximancer software to identify key themes and material concepts of sustainability reports.

Findings

The results showed that the most important indicators of the logistics sector are economic performance and energy, yet sustainability reports appear to focus more on reporting social sustainability information. Of the several sustainability measures, environmental and social factors dominated the reporting (8 economic, 62 environmental and 58 social). This discrepancy can also imply inconsistencies in sustainability reporting.

Practical implications

Identifying sector-specific indicators enables assessing the impact of sustainability issues on value creation and performance comparison among similar organizations. This is also beneficial in ensuring consistency of sustainability reporting, which is a prerequisite for policymaking in sustainable logistics.

Originality/value

Prior studies emphasized that no sector-specific sustainability indicators were established in the literature and standardized indicators are needed to ensure the comparability of results. This study addresses this gap by identifying sector-specific sustainability indicators based on the material issues of the logistics sector.
Construction of surrogate models for predicting the buckling strength of stiffened panels through DoE and RSM methods
Authors: Papanikolaou Nikolaos , Anyfantis Konstantinos
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Experimental mid/large scale testing of ship-like stiffened panels in compression is a quite expensive exercise that is not standard. Numerical simulations are preferred instead. Because of being relatively inexpensive (cost and time wise), most authors perform an exhaustive design space exploration arriving at a significant number of runs. This work demonstrates that the buckling response with respect to the nondimensional slenderness ratios may well be fitted with nine runs per stiffener geometry.

Design/methodology/approach

Efficient derivation of buckling strength formulas for stiffened panels through the employment of design of experiments (DoE) and response surface methodology (RSM) combined with numerical nonlinear experimentation over the entire range of practical geometries.

Findings

The surrogate model developed for T-bar stiffeners predicts accurately enough the ultimate stress in the practical design area, while the surrogate models for angle bars and flat bars demonstrate difference between 10 and 30% from common structural rules (CSR).

Originality/value

To the authors' best knowledge, the statistical-based formal and rigorous approach of DoE and RSM to obtaining buckling surfaces for stiffened panels is performed for the first time. The number of required observations per stiffener type has not been addressed yet as each work selects its own sampling scheme without formal reasoning. This work comes to frame the number of observations for efficient surrogate model building.
How do formal and informal institutional distance affect the reverse knowledge spillover of Chinese MNCs?
Authors: She Yi , Hong Jin , Ji Chuwei
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study examines the impact of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) of Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) and formal and informal institutional distances between the home and host countries on the innovation performance of parent company.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses panel data to conduct an empirical analysis on the data of 59 mature Chinese MNCs and their 872 overseas subsidiaries over the past 11 years and draws interesting results.

Findings

Results show that OFDI and formal and informal institutional distances between countries exert a significant positive impact on the innovation performance of the parent company and formal and informal institutional distances negatively moderate the impact between OFDI and the parent company's innovation performance.

Originality/value

Although international business research pays increasing attention to transnational differences in institutions and cultures, research on the relationship between technology spillover and distance is relatively limited. In addition, few studies consider the impact of FID and IFID on transnational reverse knowledge spillovers. This research fills these research gaps, and the conclusions have certain practical significance for multinational companies.
An empirical study on the adoption of blockchain-based games from users’ perspectives
Authors: Gao Shang , Li Ying
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of the research is to investigate users’ adoption of blockchain-based games in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This research applied existing technology diffusion theories to develop a research model to examine users’ adoption of blockchain-based games. As a result, a research model with nine research hypotheses was developed. The developed research model was empirically tested using data collected from a survey of 210 blockchain-based games users. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyse the collected data.

Findings

The results indicated that seven of nine research hypotheses were supported. It was found that trust, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and perceived ease of use were key determinants for users’ behavioural intention to use blockchain-based games. The most influential relationship in the research model appeared to be the effect of perceived usefulness on users’ behavioural intention to use blockchain-based games. However, subjective norms did not have significant positive impacts on users’ behavioural intention to use blockchain-based games.

Practical implications

The regulatory support from governmental authorities is essential to provide additional legal certainty to build users’ trust in playing blockchain-based games. Blockchain-based games providers should arrange the training program targeted to the general users to enhance their understanding of the key features associated with blockchain-based games. Blockchain-based games developers should come up with good design solutions to maximize user enjoyment with blockchain-based games by considering additional entertainment elements.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is first of its kind in investigating the adoption of blockchain-based games from users’ perspectives. This study contributes to the existing literature on the adoption of blockchain technology.
Two-stage multi-level equipment grey state prediction model and application
Authors: Li Qiang , Liu Sifeng , Javed Saad Ahmed
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a new approach for equipment states prediction and provide a method for early warning of possible trouble states.

Design/methodology/approach

A new two-stage multi-level equipment state classification system was proposed to forecast equipment operation status. The first stage involves predicting the equipment's normal state, and the second stage involves forecasting the equipment's abnormal status. Meanwhile, the equipment state classification is done according to the manufacturing company's internal specifications to define various equipment statuses. Then, the trouble state and waiting state were predicted by grey state prediction model.

Findings

A new two-stage multi-level equipment status classification system and a new approach for equipment states prediction has been proposed in this paper.

Practical implications

The application on a real-world case shown that the model is very effective for predicting equipment state. The equipment's major failure risk can be reduced significantly.

Originality/value

The proposed approach can help improve the effective prediction of the equipment's various operation states and reduce the equipment's major failure risk and thus maintenance costs.
Sentiment analysis in aspect term extraction for mobile phone tweets using machine learning techniques
Authors: Naramula Venkatesh , A. Kalaivania
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on extracting aspect terms on mobile phone (iPhone and Samsung) tweets using NLTK techniques on multiple aspect extraction is one of the challenges. Then, also machine learning techniques are used that can be trained on supervised strategies to predict and classify sentiment present in mobile phone tweets. This paper also presents the proposed architecture for the extraction of aspect terms and sentiment polarity from customer tweets.

Design/methodology/approach

In the aspect-based sentiment analysis aspect, term extraction is one of the key challenges where different aspects are extracted from online user-generated content. This study focuses on customer tweets/reviews on different mobile products which is an important form of opinionated content by looking at different aspects. Different deep learning techniques are used to extract all aspects from customer tweets which are extracted using Twitter API.

Findings

The comparison of the results with traditional machine learning methods such as random forest algorithm, K-nearest neighbour and support vector machine using two data sets iPhone tweets and Samsung tweets have been presented for better accuracy.

Originality/value

In this paper, the authors have focused on extracting aspect terms on mobile phone (iPhone and Samsung) tweets using NLTK techniques on multi-aspect extraction is one of the challenges. Then, also machine learning techniques are used that can be trained on supervised strategies to predict and classify sentiment present in mobile phone tweets. This paper also presents the proposed architecture for the extraction of aspect terms and sentiment polarity from customer tweets.
Social relationships and communication as key characteristics of social franchising in Africa
Authors: Perrigot Rozenn
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This paper, using a case study on Jibu, a water distribution chain that distributes bottled water in Africa, aims to underline the importance of social relationships and communication within franchise chains operating in the social sector in developing countries and their contribution to the clarification of the concept of social franchising.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on a case study of Jibu, a water distribution chain composed of 122 franchised units and 2,100 independent retailers. The primary data were gathered through an analysis of in-depth interviews with 67 people (Jibu co-founder, headquarters staff, franchisees, micro-franchisees and customers) in Uganda and Rwanda.

Findings

The findings showed that the extent and richness of social relationships and communication existing within the Jibu chain are not limited to top-down and build a feeling of belonging to a family. These social relationships and communication are key characteristics of social franchising.

Practical implications

This research can assist franchise experts, franchisors and franchisees to better assess the importance of social relationships and communication in social franchise chains in developing countries and help national and local governments better understand how franchising works in the social sector.

Social implications

Franchising is not limited to hotels, restaurants and retail businesses. Franchising can be applied to businesses that have social goals, in addition to profit goals. For example, the Jibu franchise is a relevant and efficient solution to providing the African people with access to drinking water at an affordable resale price. This paper, thus, contributes to increasing the awareness of this franchising phenomenon in social sectors in developing countries and in Africa, in particular.

Originality/value

Access to drinking water is an important issue in many developing countries, above all in African countries. Franchised water services are an innovation in terms of a business model in developing countries with micro-treatment plants run by franchisees and small units run by micro-franchisees or retailers, both franchisees and micro-franchisees being local entrepreneurs.
Circularity and sustainability within waste management in universities: case study of waste management plans (WMPs) in Brazilian public universities
Authors: Ottoni Marianna , Fonseca Diego Luiz , Pertel Monica
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This study aims to discuss to what extent are WMPs practical tools for circular and sustainable waste management in universities, presenting, therefore, a case study of the usage of WMP in the Brazilian public universities and comparing this scenario with the international context.

Design/methodology/approach

The WMPs were identified by online search and analyzed according to qualitative indicators (spatial-temporal distribution, year, extent and virtual availability), and through circularity and sustainability criteria, using a proposed checklist.

Findings

Even being mandatory instruments, only 17% of the 103 public universities in Brazil had a WMP identified, and, among these plans, 55% were restricted to healthcare services waste, only 15% covered all university campuses. Although most of the available plans indicate measures for more sustainable waste management (e.g., recyclable waste collection on campus), they lack specific deadlines for presented goals on waste management, treating waste management at a more emergency pace than in well-structured long-term planning.

Originality/value

Numerous studies have discussed waste management strategies for universities worldwide, but few have addressed the usage and structure of WMPs. A case study of the Brazilian situation in light of the international scenario is of great value in understanding the differences between universities in terms of waste management, and with strong potential to support the structuring of more solid environmental policies in universities, especially in developing countries.
Experimental study on bending behavior of glulam beams strengthened with bamboo scrimber
Authors: Wang Tong , Di Jing , Zuo Hongliang
Published: October 2021

Purpose

In view of the defects of glued wood beams, a new composite member – reconstituted bamboo board reinforced glued wood beams is proposed to improve the bearing capacity of glued wood beams.

Design/methodology/approach

The bending test studied the ordinary glulam beams and the reinforced glulam beams with different layer numbers and different layer thicknesses by comparing with six kinds of glulam beams strengthened with bamboo scrimber and one kind of ordinary glulam beams and used the method of third-point stepwise loading on the glulam beams strengthened with bamboo scrimber.

Findings

The bamboo scrimber improved the bending behavior of the ordinary glulam beams. The 10 mm bamboo scrimber layer can meet the requirements of the maximum ultimate bending capacity and minimize the defects. So 10 mm bamboo scrimber layer was the optimal thickness. During the loading process, the strain change of the normal section of the reconstituted bamboo board reinforced glued wood beam basically conforms to the plane section assumption.

Originality/value

The bending rigidities of the glulam beams strengthened with bamboo scrimber increased up to 28.25%, 8.53% and 76.67%, and the ultimate bending capacity increased from 83.44% to 99.34% with the increase of the bamboo scrimber plate layers (the replacement rate). The ultimate bending capacities and the bending rigidities of the glulam beams strengthened with bamboo scrimber increased to 52.32%∼60.18% and 90.07%∼99.34% with the changing of the bamboo scrimber thicknesses from 7.1 mm to 25 mm.
Does banking regulatory regime affect the quality of bank earnings in the East African region?
Authors: Mathuva David , Nyangu Moses
Published: October 2021

Purpose

In this paper, the authors examine the association between the banking regulatory regime and the quality of bank earnings. We further investigate whether the banking agency regulatory characteristics moderate the association between banking regulation and earnings quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Using panel data spanning 29 years over the period 1991 to 2019, the authors model bank earnings quality as a function of scores for banking regulation for 170 banks in the East African region using both the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) and generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation methods.

Findings

The results, which are robust for endogeneity among other checks, reveal a positive impact of bank regulatory mechanisms on the quality of bank earnings. The authors further establish differential impact of specific regulatory mechanisms, with some contributing positively toward earnings management while others contributing negatively toward earnings management. The differential impacts of banking regulation on earnings quality are also manifested in the country-level analyses.

Research limitations/implications

First, the study utilises a mix of bank-specific, country-specific as well as economy-specific variables in one dataset. Second, the authors utilise survey-based data using the World Bank's Bank Regulation and Supervision Surveys (BRSS) for the periods 1999 to 2019. The authors assume that the bank regulatory mechanisms in place pre-1999 are close to the mechanisms in place as per the 1999 BRSS. Given limitations in data availability, the authors are not able to control for banks engaging in multiple activities such as insurance, underwriting of securities, FinTechs, among others.

Practical implications

The results are useful in bridging the gap between theory and practice regarding the expected effect of strict banking regulations on the quality of earnings in Eastern African Banks. For the positive impact of banking regulation on bank earnings quality to be felt, the institutional, social and environmental specificities of the five selected countries need to be adequately developed and taken into consideration.

Originality/value

This study is perhaps the first to utilise a large dataset of commercial banks from countries in a developing region characterised by relatively lower enforcement and dynamism in the banking regulation. Further, in-depth studies on the association between banking regulation and earnings quality remain sparse.
Deep learning based affective computing
Authors: Kumar Saurabh
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Decision-making in human beings is affected by emotions and sentiments. The affective computing takes this into account, intending to tailor decision support to the emotional states of people. However, the representation and classification of emotions is a very challenging task. The study used customized methods of deep learning models to aid in the accurate classification of emotions and sentiments.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study presents affective computing model using both text and image data. The text-based affective computing was conducted on four standard datasets using three deep learning customized models, namely LSTM, GRU and CNN. The study used four variants of deep learning including the LSTM model, LSTM model with GloVe embeddings, Bi-directional LSTM model and LSTM model with attention layer.

Findings

The result suggests that the proposed method outperforms the earlier methods. For image-based affective computing, the data was extracted from Instagram, and Facial emotion recognition was carried out using three deep learning models, namely CNN, transfer learning with VGG-19 model and transfer learning with ResNet-18 model. The results suggest that the proposed methods for both text and image can be used for affective computing and aid in decision-making.

Originality/value

The study used deep learning for affective computing. Earlier studies have used machine learning algorithms for affective computing. However, the present study uses deep learning for affective computing.
A case study on inter-organisational technology transfer in the defence industry
Authors: Bezuidenhout Saija , Bean Wilna L.
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to establish a systematically constructed defence offset technology transfer (TT) process description and to identify the process pain points and critical success factors from the supplier perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

A novel integrated case study and Straussian grounded theory approach under the interpretative assumptions and purposive sampling in a global defence industry organisation are presented.

Findings

The TT is approached from the process modelling point of view, and a detailed operations description covering the end-to-end TT process across a defence industrial participation project is presented. The findings suggest that local recipient’s management, financial resources and planning, supply chain management and local production planning are the main factors of an efficient process.

Research limitations/implications

This is a single case study, only reflecting the supplier view. Future research could explore the other dimensions of the process to confirm the identified factors playing a role over time.

Originality/value

To date, the body of TT research has focused on the factors influencing the technology absorption and the identification of meta mechanisms between the supplier and recipient organisations in a context of a multinational corporation and as an intra-firm activity, providing little insight to the actual practical operational level TT process. This study seeks to fill this gap by advancing a more profound understanding of the process activities and the main factors through which the local recipient organisation can best influence the project’s success and manage the inter-organisational TT operations more effectively in a highly technologically complex operational environment.
Cloud-based services and customer satisfaction in the small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)
Authors: Gao Shurui , Meng Weidong
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Cloud-based technologies are reliably improving Information Technology (IT) environment incorporating changes and modifications to the present business structure. Cloud computing enables small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to organize and exchange pertinent data and information in real time. This study checks out the influence of cloud-based services (IT infrastructure, expenses of cloud services, cloud data security and IT knowledge of human resources) on customers' satisfaction in SMBs.

Design/methodology/approach

Cloud computing offers a way to coordinate and share organizational and personal information and data. The adoption of cloud services is one of the most emerging technological advances in the current competitive business environment. Cloud-based services allow start-ups or SMBs to take advantage of technological advancements and respond more quickly to changing consumer demands. In the available literature, cloud computing has received a lot of attention. However, there is also a research gap in creating a paradigm that links the value development drivers in the electronic industry with the leveraging impact of cloud and intercloud computing resources for start-ups and SMBs. A hypothetical model was constructed based on a literature review, and the associations between the latent variables were investigated utilizing structural equations.

Findings

Findings from the study confirmed the validity of the proposed model for customer satisfaction assessment. Besides, the results showed that customer satisfaction is affected by cloud-based services in SMBs. The results illustrated that IT infrastructure influences customer satisfaction significantly and positively, with a T-value of 2.42. Also, the results confirmed that the cost of cloud services with a T-value of 2.68 affects customer satisfaction significantly and positively. Cloud data security also impacts customer satisfaction with a T-value of 5.20. The results also showed that the IT knowledge of human resources affects customer satisfaction with a T-value of 3.01.

Originality/value

The main originality of this research is proposing a new conceptual model to assess the impact of cloud-based services on the satisfaction of the customers in SMBs.
Does the preference of family board seats allocation influence corporate investment efficiency?
Authors: Su Chun , Liu Xing , Shao Huan
Published: October 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the influence of over-allocation and under-allocation of family board seats on the corporate investment efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the perspective of altruistic behavior, this paper theoretically analyzes the relationship between the preference of family board seats allocation and corporate investment efficiency, and designs the research. On this basis, we use STATA14.0 as an analysis tool to empirically test the relationship between the preference of family family board seats allocation and corporate investment efficiency, and consider the impact of different governance scenarios.

Findings

This study finds that firms with a higher over-allocation degree of family board seats invest more efficiently, evidenced by significantly suppressed over-investment rather than mitigated under-investment. However, we do not find evidence that the higher degree of under-allocation of family board seats contribute to lower corporate investment efficiency. Additionally, this study finds that the positive relationship between the over-allocation degree of family board seats and corporate investment efficiency is more pronounced for firms with higher separation of cash flow rights and control rights, and weaker regional law system environment. Our mechanism discussion shows that the higher over-allocation level of family board seats contributes to the mitigation of agency costs for family firms by reducing the tendency for non-family boards to vote “against board proposals” and the appropriation behavior of the controlling family, and eventually improving corporate investment efficiency.

Originality/value

This paper examines the relationship between the preference of family board seats allocation and corporate investment efficiency from the perspective of altruistic behavior. Unlike previous studies, this paper distinguishes the governance effects arising from over-allocation and under-allocation of family board seats. Additionally, different governance scenarios are incorporated into the decision-making mechanism of the board of family firms, and the influences of the divergence of cash-flow and control rights and a weaker regional law system on the governance effect of the preference of family board seat allocation are analyzed.
Insider/outsider researcher positionality impact: lessons from researching the social construction of HIV stigma and sexual health-seeking behaviour within black sub-Sahara African communities
Authors: Nyashanu Mathew
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The paper aims to show the impact of insider/outsider researcher positionality and the lessons from researching the social construction of HIV stigma and sexual health-seeking behaviour within black sub-Sahara African communities (BSSA).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a reflection on the impact of researcher positionality based on lessons learnt following a research study on the social construction of HIV stigma and sexual health-seeking behaviour within BSSA communities.

Findings

Researcher positionality has a direct impact on the quality and nature of study outcomes. Depending on the nature and circumstances of a given research study, the researcher status in terms of position (insider or outsider) can be dynamic and instrumental in the level of participation by research participants. In this paper, the authors consider three important interdependent aspects central to conducting research including researcher identity, research participants and the research topic to assess the impact of researcher status on the quality and nature of the information provided by the research participants.

Originality/value

A researcher who is viewed as both an insider/outsider can either positively or negatively influenced the quality and nature of the information given by the research participants.
Mediating role of hedonic and utilitarian brand attitude between eWOM and purchase intentions: a context of brand fan pages in Facebook
Authors: Kunja Sambashiva Rao , Kumar Arvind , Rao Bramhani
Published: October 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to adopt stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory to reveal the impact of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on buying intentions of young consumers in the presence of hedonic brand attitude (HBA) and utilitarian brand attitude (UBA) as mediators, among smartphone customers in the context of brand fan pages in Facebook.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a single cross-sectional design to survey a sample of 326 young online customers present in leading smartphone brand fan pages on Facebook in India. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data and replies were recorded on a Likert scale (five-point). The data was subjected to structural equation modelling for model and hypotheses testing.

Findings

eWOM has a significantly positive influence on the buying intentions of the young. Both HBA and UBA partially mediate the influence of eWOM on buying intentions.

Research limitations/implications

The study examines only the personal-oriented functions of attitude and does not investigate the role of social dimensions of attitudes. Its scope is confined to smartphones in the consumer electronics segment and only Facebook among social networking sites.

Practical implications

A theoretical contribution to eWOM literature is made by studying it under the lens of S-O-R theory and functional theory of attitudes. Measurement of two different dimensions of attitude, i.e. hedonic and utilitarian, may facilitate managers to comprehend the source of variance in consumers’ decision-making behaviour in the online context.

Originality/value

The only study to explore brand attitude as a mediator in its multi-dimensional form, in the context of social eWOM.
The multidimensional (and contrasting) effects of environmental warming on a group of montane tropical lizards
Authors: Muñoz Martha M. , Feeley Kenneth J. , Martin Patrick H. , Farallo Vincent R.
Published: October 2021

Mountains are cradles for biodiversity and crucibles for climate‐driven species loss, particularly for tropical ectotherms. Constriction on activity and amplified heat stress are two key sources of warming‐driven vulnerability in tropical montane ectotherms. These threats, however, might be counterbalanced if rising temperatures also release organisms from limits on activity induced by cold stress.

We used biophysical modelling to estimate activity patterns and thermal stress under warming in a group of summit‐dwelling Anolis lizards (A. armouri and A. shrevei) endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Activity is currently constrained by the prevalence of temperatures too cold for activity. Under warming, our models predict expanded hours of potential activity and reduced cold stress, especially under a high emission scenario. Crucially, release from cold stress does not come at the expense of heightened exposure to heat stress. This result arises from a steep mismatch between these species’ warm‐adapted ecology and the surprisingly cold environments they occupy.

Yet, resilience in some dimensions belies vulnerability along others, particularly with regard to critical macrohabitat. We capitalized on a long‐term monitoring dataset to predict forest distributions under warming. Our models predict upslope shifts in montane cloud forests that may constrict the high‐elevation pine forests to which these lizards are inexorably linked. Warming‐driven macrohabitat loss can ‘pin’ the montane endemics into progressively shrinking ranges, especially since a rising cloud forest also facilitates upslope transport of a close relative, A. cybotes (a species associated with broadleaf forests).

Many tropical ectotherms (including these anoles) are adapted to forest edges, a feature often associated with a relatively warm‐adapted ecophysiology. When such species are also found in cool environments, such as those found on mountaintops, warming‐amplified thermal stress is surprisingly limited. Therefore, the direct effects of warming on tropical ectotherms are quite broad, and can even include potential benefits to fitness‐based activities.

Rising temperatures may often present a dual‐edged sword: warming simultaneously releases these organisms from constraints on activity while exposing them to other threats. Whether due to the direct or indirect effects of climate warming, exceptional vulnerability may indeed reside where biodiversity is highest.
Numerical determination of pressure‐dependent effective thermal conductivity in Berea sandstone
Authors: Siegert Mirko , Gurris Marcel , Finger Claudia , Saenger Erik H.
Published: October 2021

In this paper, the methods of digital rock physics are applied to determine pressure‐dependent effective thermal conductivity in rock samples. Simulations are performed with an in‐house three‐dimensional finite volume code. In the first step, four numerical models are derived from a given tomographic scan of Berea sandstone. Consequently, simulations of the thermal conductivity at ambient conditions are performed and validated with experimental data. In a second step, a new workflow for the determination of the pressure‐dependent thermal conductivity in rock samples is elaborated, tested and calibrated. Results originating from the derived workflow show very good agreement with experimental data.
Third and fourth trophic level composition shift in an aphid–parasitoid–hyperparasitoid food web limits aphid control in an intercropping system
Authors: Jeavons Emma , van Baaren Joan , Le Ralec Anne , Buchard Christelle , Duval Franck , Llopis Stéphanie , Postic Estelle , Le Lann Cécile
Published: October 2021

Understanding how resource diversification affects ecological interactions, food web structure and ecosystem functioning is essential in both fundamental and applied ecology. While plant diversification strategies (either in‐field or around‐field) are often proposed in agricultural landscapes as practices to improve the biological control of herbivores by natural enemies, results remain variable and unsure.

Here, we studied the effect of an in‐field diversification practice (the intercropping of leguminous crops within cereal fields, an increasingly common practice but with inconsistent results on biological control) on cereal aphid control and the structure of a cereal aphid–parasitoid–hyperparasitoid food web for 2 years.

We report that aphid control was not increased in mixed fields, nor was cereal parasitoid diversity and food web complexity. Nevertheless, the provision of alternative hosts in mixed fields led to a functional community composition shift, favouring generalist parasitoid species over specialist ones.

Moreover, we observed a higher hyperparasitism rate in mixed fields, suggesting that secondary parasitoids were favoured by alternative resources, which may have disrupted aphid control by primary parasitoids.

Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates that parasitoid community composition shift and increased top‐down control by the fourth trophic level can impact parasitoid efficiency to control herbivores. These results highlight the necessity to study fine‐scale mechanisms within food webs to be able to set up efficient methods to support biodiversity and associated ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.
Ecological requirements drive the variable responses of wheat pests and natural enemies to the landscape context
Authors: González Ezequiel , Bianchi Felix Jan Joost Antoine , Eckerter Philipp W. , Pfaff Verena , Weiler Sarah , Entling Martin H.
Published: October 2021

Semi‐natural habitats (SNH) are considered essential for pest‐suppressive landscapes, but their influence on crop pests and natural enemies can be highly variable. Instead of SNH per se, the availability of resources, such as pollen and nectar, may be more relevant for supporting pest control.

Here, we assessed the spatiotemporal variation of multiple insect pests (cereal leaf beetles and aphids) and natural enemies (predators and aphid parasitoids) in wheat fields and their responses to landscape context and flower availability. We combined detailed information on pollen use by natural enemies with the specific distribution of pollen‐providing plants across a gradient of landscape composition and configuration.

The abundance of wheat pests was tightly linked to wheat development stage. Syrphids colonised the fields early in the season, while the abundance of other enemies increased later in the season. The responses of pests to landscape structure were variable and, while some pests had low abundances in landscapes with high edge density and SNH cover, Sitobion avenae abundance was positively associated with SNH cover. Lacewings, syrphids and cereal leaf beetles were abundant in landscapes with diverse and abundant flower resources, whereas the abundance of parasitoids and Nabis sp. was driven by aphid abundance. We detected no significant indirect effects of landscape on pests via natural enemies.

Synthesis and applications. Our findings highlight the need for conservation biological control to go beyond ‘one size fits all’ and consider the specific ecology of the involved organisms, even for a single crop type. Landscapes with high edge density and flowering woody plants may support natural enemies, in particular syrphids, which colonised the fields early in the season. Incentives for pest‐suppressive landscapes should focus on tailored strategies that disfavour dominant cereal pests and simultaneously enhance natural enemies according to their ecological requirements.
A common garden super‐experiment: An impossible dream to inspire possible synthesis
Authors: Huxman Travis E. , Winkler Daniel E. , Mooney Kailen A.
Published: October 2021

Global change threatens plant diversity and disrupts its interrelationship with ecosystem structure and function. This disruption in turn undermines confidence in the knowledge ecologists produce, and whether it will translate into multidisciplinary research settings or guide the effective management of natural lands.

To address this challenge, ecology needs to consider the interactions between different levels of biological hierarchy, especially how they feedback on, and are mediated by, plant diversity. Doing so will require conducting empirical work and developing theory that simultaneously considers multiple disciplinary perspectives and units of study.

Here we advocate the use of common gardens to integrate ecology, evolutionary biology and ecosystem science through an explicit focus on simultaneous measurement of response variables at multiple levels of biological organization. This approach will provide opportunities to evaluate assumptions important to prediction, such as space‐for‐time substitution, and tackle the integration of physicochemical and eco‐evolutionary foundations to understanding plants and ecosystems.

Synthesis. We summarize the large body of research on Sonoran Desert winter annuals to demonstrate how experimental designs that employ common gardens to integrate processes across scales hold special promise. This includes refining trait‐based theories of plant strategies, providing insight into ecosystem responses to global change and collaborating effectively with other scientific disciplines.
Gilbert and George's 1980 Pictures and the Spectre of Nationalism in Postcolonial Britain
Authors: Bigman Alexander
Published: October 2021

With their hallucinatory juxtapositions of medieval English iconography, imperial‐era public statuary, and indicators of contemporary urban unrest, Gilbert and George's monumental 1980 Pictures marked what many initial critics perceived as an unsettlingly political turn in the duo's work – even, some alleged, a gesture of identification with Britain's neo‐fascist right. In fact, this essay argues, much of Gilbert and George's preceding work, including their collages of Edwardian‐era picture postcards, and their canonical performances of The Singing Sculpture, was similarly oriented toward questions of national identity and belonging in a manner more philosophical than propagandistic. At a moment marked by an ascendant if internally contested effort by the political right to reconceptualize ‘Britishness’ for a postcolonial age, the artists used their self‐appointed roles as ‘living sculptures’ to emphasize the discontinuities, contradictions, and instabilities inherent to the construct of British identity, stoking an emerging set of anxieties regarding the street‐level legibility of political partisanship in a highly polarized London.