bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Probabilistic solvers enable a straight-forward exploration of numerical uncertainty in neuroscience models
Authors: Oesterle Jonathan , Krämer Nicholas , Hennig Philipp , Berens Philipp
Published: April 2021

Understanding neural computation on the mechanistic level requires models of neurons and neuronal networks. To analyze such models one typically has to solve coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs), which describe the dynamics of the underlying neural system. These ODEs are solved numerically with deterministic ODE solvers that yield single solutions with either no, or only a global scalar bound on precision. It can therefore be challenging to estimate the effect of numerical uncertainty on quantities of interest, such as spike-times and the number of spikes. To overcome this problem, we propose to use recently developed sampling-based probabilistic solvers, which are able to quantify such numerical uncertainties. They neither require detailed insights into the kinetics of the models, nor are they difficult to implement. We show that numerical uncertainty can affect the outcome of typical neuroscience simulations, e.g. jittering spikes by milliseconds or even adding or removing individual spikes from simulations altogether, and demonstrate that probabilistic solvers reveal these numerical uncertainties with only moderate computational overhead.
Spatio-temporal dynamics of growth and death within spherical bacterial colonies
Authors: Welker Anton , Hennes Marc , Bender Niklas , Cronenberg Tom , Schneider Gabriele , Maier Berenike
Published: April 2021

Bacterial growth within colonies and biofilms is heterogeneous. Local reduction of growth rates has been associated with tolerance against various antibiotics. However, spatial gradients of growth rates are poorly characterized in three-dimensional bacterial colonies. Here, we report two spatially resolved methods for measuring growth rates in bacterial colonies. As bacteria grow and divide, they generate a velocity field that is directly related to the growth rates. We derive profiles of growth rates from the velocity field and show that they are consistent with the profiles obtained by single cell counting. Using these methods, we reveal that even small colonies comprising a few thousand cells of the human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae develop a steep gradient of growth rates within two generations. Furthermore, we show that stringent response decelerates growth inhibition at the colony centre. Based on our results, we suggest that aggregation-related growth inhibition can protect gonococci from external stresses even at early biofilm stages.
QPromoters: Sequence based prediction of promoter strength inSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Liya Devang Haresh , Elanchezhian Mirudula , Pahari Mukulika , Anand Nithishwer Mouroug , Suresh Shivani , Balaji Nivedha , Jainarayanan Ashwin Kumar
Published: April 2021

Promoters play a key role in influencing transcriptional regulation for fine-tuning expression of genes. Heterologous promoter engineering has been a widely used concept to control the level of transcription in all model organisms. The strength of a promoter is mainly determined by its nucleotide composition. Many promoter libraries have been curated but few have attempted to develop theoretical methods to predict the strength of promoters from its nucleotide sequence.

Such theoretical methods are not only valuable in the design of promoters with specified strength, but are also meaningful to understand the mechanism of promoters in gene transcription. In this study, we present a theoretical model to describe the relationship between promoter strength and nucleotide sequence inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. We infer from our analysis that the −49 to 10 sequence with respect to the Transcription Start Site represents the minimal region that can be used to predict the promoter strength. We present an online toolhttps://qpromoters.com/that takes advantage of this fact to quickly quantify the strength of the promoters.
Plant detection and counting from high-resolution RGB images acquired from UAVs: comparison between deep-learning and handcrafted methods with application to maize, sugar beet, and sunflower
Authors: David Etienne , Daubige Gaëtan , Joudelat François , Burger Philippe , Comar Alexis , de Solan Benoit , Baret Frédéric
Published: April 2021

Progresses in agronomy rely on accurate measurement of the experimentations conducted to improve the yield component. Measurement of the plant density is required for a number of applications since it drives part of the crop fate. The standard manual measurements in the field could be efficiently replaced by high-throughput techniques based on high-spatial resolution images taken from UAVs. This study compares several automated detection of individual plants in the images from which the plant density can be estimated. It is based on a large dataset of high resolution Red/Green/Blue (RGB) images acquired from Unmanned Aerial Vehicules (UAVs) during several years and experiments over maize, sugar beet and sunflower crops at early stages. A total of 16247 plants have been labelled interactively on the images. Performances of handcrafted method (HC) were compared to those of deep learning (DL). The HC method consists in segmenting the image into green and background pixels, identifying rows, then objects corresponding to plants thanks to knowledge of the sowing pattern as prior information. The DL method is based on the Faster Region with Convolutional Neural Network (Faster RCNN) model trained over 2/3 of the images selected to represent a good balance between plant development stage and sessions. One model is trained for each crop.

Results show that simple DL methods generally outperforms simple HC, particularly for maize and sunflower crops. A significant level of variability of plant detection performances is observed between the several experiments. This was explained by the variability of image acquisition conditions including illumination, plant development stage, background complexity and weed infestation. The image quality determines part of the performances for HC methods which makes the segmentation step more difficult. Performances of DL methods are limited mainly by the presence of weeds. A hybrid method (HY) was proposed to eliminate weeds between the rows using the rules developed for the HC method. HY improves slightly DL performances in the case of high weed infestation. When few images corresponding to the conditions of the testing dataset were complementing the training dataset for DL, a drastic increase of performances for all the crops is observed, with relative RMSE below 5% for the estimation of the plant density.
Identification and Characterization of Human Activation-Induced ChAT+CD4+T Cells
Authors: Tarnawski L , Gallina AL , Kort EJ , Shavva VS , Zhuge Z , Martínez-Enguita D , Weiland M , Caravaca AS , Schmidt S , Wang FH , Färnert A , Weitzberg E , Gustafsson M , Eberhardson M , Hult H , Kehr J , Malin SG , Carlström M , Jovinge S , Olofsson PS
Published: April 2021

Vasodilation is a cornerstone of inflammation physiology. By regulating vasodilation and tissue entry of T cells, CD4+T lymphocytes expressing choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), a key enzyme for biosynthesis of the vasorelaxant acetylcholine (ACh), critically link immunity with vascular biology in mice. However, the characterization of primary human ChAT+T cells remained elusive. Here, we identified human ChAT+T cells and report thatChATmRNA was induced by activation. Functional studies demonstrated that T cell-derived ACh increased muscarinic ACh-receptor dependent NO-synthase activity and vasorelaxation. Further, single-cell RNA-sequencing revealedChAT+CD4+T cells in blood from patients with severe circulatory failure and a high relative frequency ofChAT+CD4+T cells correlated with better 30-day survival in this cohort. Our findings provide the first insights into ChAT biology in primary human T cells, linking ChAT+T cells with vasorelaxation as well as survival in a cohort of critically ill patients.
Molecular mechanism of proton-coupled ligand translocation by the bacterial efflux pump EmrE
Authors: Jurasz Jakub , Czub Jacek , Bagiński Maciej , Wieczór Miłosz
Published: April 2021

Abstract

The current surge in bacterial multi-drug resistance (MDR) is one of the largest challenges to public health, threatening to render ineffective many therapies we rely on for treatment of serious infections. Understanding different factors that contribute to MDR is hence crucial from the global “one health” perspective. In this contribution, we focus on the prototypical broad-selectivity proton-coupled antiporter EmrE, one of the smallest known ligand transporters that confers resistance to aromatic cations in a number of clinically relevant species. As an asymmetric homodimer undergoing an “alternating access” protomer-swap conformational change, it serves as a model for the mechanistic understanding of more complex drug transporters. Here, we present a free energy and solvent accessibility analysis that indicates the presence of two complementary ligand translocation pathways that remain operative in a broad range of conditions. Our simulations show a previously undescribed desolvated apo state and anticorrelated accessibility in the ligand-bound state, explaining on a structural level why EmrE does not disrupt the pH gradient through futile proton transfer. By comparing the behavior of a number of model charged and/or aromatic ligands, we also explain the origin of selectivity of EmrE towards a broad class of aromatic cations. Finally, we explore unbiased pathways of ligand entry and exit to identify correlated structural changes implicated in ligand binding and release, as well as characterize key intermediates of occupancy changes.
Ppargdrives luminal differentiation and luminal tumor formation in the urothelium
Authors: Tate Tiffany , Xiang Tina , Zhou Mi , Kim William Y. , Chen Xiao , Kim Hyunwoo , Batourina Ekatherina , Lin Chyuan-Sheng , Lu Chao , Wobker Sara E. , Mckiernan James M. , Mendelsohn Cathy Lee
Published: April 2021

Pparg, a nuclear receptor, is downregulated in basal subtype bladder cancers that tend to be muscle invasive and amplified in luminal subtype bladder cancers that tend to be non-muscle invasive. Bladder cancers derive from the urothelium, one of the most quiescent epithelia in the body which is composed of basal, intermediate, and superficial cells. We find that expression of an activated form of Pparg (VP16;Pparg) in basal progenitors induces formation of superficial cells in situ, that exit the cell cycle, and do not form tumors. Expression in basal progenitors that have been activated by mild injury however, results in luminal tumor formation. We find that tumors are immune deserted, which may be linked to downregulation of Nf-kb, a Pparg target. Interestingly, some luminal tumors begin to shift to basal subtype tumors with time, downregulating Pparg and other luminal markers. Our findings have important implications for treatment and diagnosis bladder cancer.
Immune microenvironment subtypes and association with tumor cell mutations and antigen expression in follicular lymphoma
Authors: Han Guangchun , Deng Qing , Dai Enyu , Dang Minghao , Ma John , Yang Haopeng , Kudryashova Olga , Meerson Mark , Isaev Sergey , Kotlov Nikita , Nomie Krystle , Bagaev Alexander , Parmar Simrit , Hagemeister Fredrick , Ahmed Sairah , Iyer Swami , Samaniego Filepe , Steiner Raphael , Fayad Luis , Lee Hun , Fowler Nathan , Vega Francisco , Flowers Christopher R. , Strati Paolo , Westin Jason R. , Neelapu Sattva S. , Nastoupil Loretta J. , Wang Linghua , Green Michael R.
Published: April 2021

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a B-cell lymphoma with a complex tumor microenvironment that is rich in non-malignant immune cells. We applied single-cell RNA-sequencing to characterize the diverse tumor and immune cell populations of FL and identified major phenotypic subsets of FL T-cells including a novel cytotoxic CD4 T-cell population. Their relative proportions of T-cells defined four major FL subtypes, characterized by differential representation or relative depletion of distinct T-cell subsets. By integrating exome sequencing, we observed that somatic mutations are associated with, but not definitive for, reduced antigen presentation on FL cells. In turn, expression of MHC class II genes by FL cells was associated with significant differences in the proportions and targetable immunophenotypic characteristics. This provides a classification framework of the FL microenvironment, their association with FL genotypes and antigen presentation, and informs different potential immunotherapeutic strategies based upon tumor cell MHC class II expression.

Statement of significance

We have characterized the FL-infiltrating T-cells, identified cytotoxic CD4 T-cells as an important component, showed that the abundance of these T-cell populations is associated with tumor-cell-intrinsic characteristics, and identified sets of targetable immune checkpoints on T-cells that differed between FLs with normal versus low antigen presentation.
Evaluating performance management of COVID-19 reality in three European countries: a pragmatic constructivist study
Authors: Mitchell Falconer , Nørreklit Hanne , Nørreklit Lennart , Cinquini Lino , Koeppe Frederik , Magnacca Fabio , Mauro Sara Giovanna , Jakobsen Morten , Korhonen Tuomas , Laine Teemu , Liboriussen Jakob Mathias
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The study aims to assess the COVID-19 event in three European countries (Germany, Italy and the UK) by investigating the quality of their performance management of it.

Design/methodology/approach

Pragmatic constructivism (PC) is employed as a lens through which the performance management of each country can be examined and compared over a period encompassing the first wave of COVID-19.

Findings

Official statistics show that one of the countries has a significantly lower death rate. It developed and operated a more detailed and precise system of performance management. From the perspective of PC, this system supported efforts to build a functioning reality construction integrating facts, possibilities, values and communication.

Originality/value

The evaluation of different national approaches to the performance management of the COVID-19 reality is novel to the literature on management accounting. PC is used as a diagnostic tool to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses of the performance management of public sector activities in different countries.
Occupants' perceived importance and satisfaction with the indoor environmental quality of a green building
Authors: Agyekum Kofi , Hammond Samuel Fiifi , Salgin Burcu
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This study examines occupants' satisfaction with the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of a green-certified building [The Green Star South Africa (SA) Building] in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

Views of 300 respondents are solicited on 15 IEQ (obtained through a critical review of the literature and complemented with a pilot interview on the subject) parameters. Data obtained are analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics.

Findings

Findings suggest that occupants are generally satisfied with five critical aspects of IEQ. The results also indicate that the occupants perceive five key IEQ parameters to have high levels of importance. Further inferential analysis of the parameters revealed that two core IEQs require the highest levels of improvement actions.

Research limitations/implications

The study was conducted in Ghana and analysed occupants' perceptions of working within one green-certified building. Again, the collection of the occupants' responses was not linked with the direct measurement of physical characteristics of the IEQ parameters of the building. Hence, the findings cannot be generalised.

Practical implications

Practically, the study contributes to providing all stakeholders involved in the Green Star SA Ghana certification system with the relevant feedback for their decision-making on current and future projects to be certified under this certification system.

Originality/value

This study provides valuable information on the performance of IEQ parameters of the building and points out potential IEQ areas that need improvement efforts, especially concerning current and future facilities certified under this certification system.
Social entrepreneurship education: changemaker training at the university
Authors: García-González Abel , Ramírez-Montoya María Soledad
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This study aims to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge about teaching and promoting social entrepreneurship in higher education institutions (HEIs) based on a measurement before and after concluding an educational experience.

Design/methodology/approach

It tests hypotheses to draw conclusions from analyzing the pre- and post-test results of three study cases with different training experiences, to know the characteristics of the 304 participants.

Findings

The study indicated that incorporating transversal social entrepreneurship projects in various courses resulted in students feeling more capable regarding their social entrepreneurship potential.

Originality/value

The study presents the analysis of social entrepreneur training in three different curricular study cases. The information obtained adds value to social entrepreneurship education research that takes social entrepreneurship beyond business schools.
Essential employable skill sets in management graduates for finance job roles in India
Authors: Srinivasan Shruti , Thangaraj Ravikumar
Published: April 2021

Purpose

There has been an increase in the number of highly qualified management graduates specialized in finance from various esteemed universities in India, thus increasing the competition for finance job roles in the country. This, therefore, brings in the need for the employees or the prospective candidates to mold their soft skills so as to make them desirable by the companies and hence employable. The purpose of this paper is to provide a list of skills required by management graduates to become employable for finance job roles from the perspective of corporate executives. This list will enable prospective candidates to prepare themselves for a career in the field of finance.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was carried out through the collection of data from 117 finance professionals with a minimum work experience of 5 years with the help of structured questionnaires. This was then analyzed through factor analysis and the list of 15 factors was obtained.

Findings

A list of 15 essential factors was obtained through the analysis of the data. The essential skills included empathetic and judicious behavior, professional etiquette and employee well-being, ethical behavior, conflict management, change analysis and prediction; practicality and organizational presence of mind; social and moral presence of mind; self-confidence and effective written communication; effective interpersonal communication and employee value systems; responsibility and self-awareness; problem diagnosis and problem-solving; real-time work and activity experience; professional development and advancement; technology rationalization and effective information generation. The findings also included that a candidate should be able to effectively present crucial information and should possess practical advisory skills.

Originality/value

The study will be highly beneficial for management graduates who have specialized in finance to secure finance job roles in India. This paper will enable the students to prepare themselves in the essential soft skills required for these job roles apart from technical knowledge and hard skills.
Understanding emotional empathy at postgraduate business programmes: what does the use of EEG reveal for future leaders?
Authors: Lambert Steve , Dimitriadis Nikolaos , Taylor Michael , Venerucci Matteo
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This paper focusses on the leaders' ability to recognise and empathise with emotions. This is important because leadership and particularly transformational leadership are principally focussed on an individual's social interactions and their ability to identify emotions and to react empathetically to the emotions of others (Psychogios and Dimitriadis, 2020). Many leadership theorists suggest the ability to have and display empathy is an important part of leadership (Bass, 1990; Walumbwaet al., 2008).

Design/methodology/approach

To examine the extent to which those who work in jobs with a significant element of leadership education can recognise and empathise with emotions, 99 part-time postgraduate executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) students took part in an emotional recognition test. First, all participants were shown a sequence of pictures portraying different human facial expressions and the electrical activity in the brain as a result of the visual stimuli were recorded using an electroencephalogram (EEG). The second stage of the research was for the participants to see the same seven randomised images, but this time, they had to report what emotion they believed they had visualised and the intensity of it on a self-reporting scale.

Findings

This study demonstrated that the ability to recognise emotions is more accurate using EEG techniques compared to participants using self-reporting surveys. The findings from this study provide academic departments with evidence that more work needs to be done with students to develop their emotional recognition skills. Particularly for those students who are or will go onto occupy leadership roles.

Originality/value

The use of neuroscientific approaches has long been used in clinical settings. However, few studies have applied these approaches to develop the authors’ understanding of their use in social sciences. Therefore, this paper provides an original and unique insight into the use of these techniques in higher education.
Developing a manageable system of internationalization indicators for universities in Asia
Authors: Watabe Yuki , Ota Hiroshi
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This study aims to construct a system of indicators for measuring the internationalization of universities allowing comparative self-assessment by universities in Asia.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the aforementioned research purpose, the authors conducted three surveys and held an expert roundtable discussion. Two surveys were conducted, one in Japan and the other in Asia, to identify important indicators for measuring the internationalization of universities. Additionally, a survey of experts was conducted to identify effective indicators for benchmarking internationalization among universities in Asia. An analysis of each survey was examined during the roundtable discussion, and a system of internationalization indicators was constructed.

Findings

The three survey results showed similarities and differences between the relative importance accorded to 53 internationalization indicators by universities in Japan and in other Asian countries, as well as in the experts' perspectives on the effectiveness of each indicator for benchmarking. An analysis of those surveys resulted in 24 core internationalization indicators categorized into six key dimensions of university internationalization.

Originality/value

This study proposed a system of internationalization indicators based on an analysis of empirical research targeting universities in Asia. The resulting system reflects not only the opinions of academic experts but also the perspectives of its potential users, administrators in Asian universities. It consists of six internationalization dimensions with a manageable number of indicators, 24. These include both quantitative indicators and checklists of internationalization activities which can be used as quantitative or qualitative indicators.
Researching entrepreneurship: an approach to develop subjective understanding
Authors: Rajasinghe Duminda , Aluthgama-Baduge Chinthaka , Mulholland Gary
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Entrepreneurship is a complex social activity. Hence, knowledge production in the field requires inclusivity and diversity within research approaches and perspectives to appreciate the richness of the phenomenon. However, the dominance of positivist research in the field is visible, and the current qualitative research is also predominantly restricted to popular templates. This seems to have limited the understanding of entrepreneurship. This paper critically discusses the appropriateness of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as an innovative qualitative research methodology that facilitates a fuller appreciation of the richness and diversity of entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper critically evaluates IPA's relevance for the stated purpose by reviewing both entrepreneurship and IPA literature. It discusses how IPA's philosophical underpinnings facilitate scholars to appreciate the wholeness of the phenomenon and provides literature informed data analysis guidance, thereby addressing some of the weaknesses of the qualitative research within the field.

Findings

Critical evaluation of the literature suggests that IPA is an appropriate research methodology for entrepreneurship. It has the potential to address some interesting and timely questions to elaborate, deepen and qualify existing theory or to study relatively unexplored areas within the field. The laid-out guidance helps scholars to develop informed rationale for their research decisions and to ensure quality and rigour in qualitative research.

Originality/value

This paper promotes the analysis of how people make sense of their experience as a valid way of knowing. IPA has a unique identity as it incorporates phenomenology, hermeneutics and idiography as a way to explore first-hand human experience to uncover qualitative understanding of entrepreneurship. The clear guidance and justifications in the paper promote scholarly confidence and address some preconceptions related to rigour, quality and validity of qualitative studies. Incorporating IPA into entrepreneurship, the paper also contributes to the demand for diversity, inclusivity and pluralism in qualitative research perspectives and approaches.
Novel Taguchi scheme–based DEMATEL methods and DEMATEL method for the principal performance indicators of maintenance in a food processing industry
Authors: Maduekwe Victor Chidiebere , Oke Sunday Ayoola
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Key performance indicators (KPIs) of maintenance systems serve as benchmarks to workers and organizations to compare their goals for decision-making purposes. Unfortunately, the effects of one KPI on the other are least known, restraining decisions on prioritization of KPIs. This article examines and prioritizes the KPIs of the maintenance system in a food processing industry using the novel Taguchi (T) scheme-decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method, Taguchi–Pareto (TP) scheme–DEMATEL method and the DEMATEL method.

Design/methodology/approach

The causal association of maintenance process parameters (frequency of failure, downtime, MTTR, MTBF, availability and MTTF) was studied. Besides, the optimized maintenance parameters were infused into the DEMATEL method that translates the optimized values into cause and effect responses and keeping in view the result of analysis. Data collection was done from a food processing plant in Nigeria.

Findings

The results indicated that downtime and availability have the most causal effects on other criteria when DEMATEL and T-DEMATEL methods were respectively applied to the problem. Furthermore, the frequency of failure is mostly affected by other criteria in the key performance indication selection using the two methods. The combined Taguchi scheme and DEMATEL method is appropriate to optimize and establish the causal relationships of factors.

Originality/value

Hardly any studies have reported the joint optimization and causal relationship of maintenance system parameters. However, the current study achieves this goal using the T-DEMATEL, TP-DEMATEL and DEMATEL methods for the first time. The applied methods effectively ease decisions on prioritization of KPIs for enhancement.
Do different political connections affect firms' distress risk differently?
Authors: Nguyen Thang Xuan , Hoang Khanh , Nguyen Cuong Cao , Bach Thang Ngoc
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This paper investigates how different types of corporate political connection, including government-linked investment (GLI), former officials as politically-connected directors (PCD), cronyism (CRO) and government leaders' family ties (FAM), influence financial distress risk in Malaysian firms.

Design/methodology/approach

We separate political connections into four distinct categories and investigate their relationship with firm distress risk and compare the results with the one-size-fits-all treatment which is popular in the literature. We apply a battery of sensitivity test to ensure that our inferences are robust to a wide range of test specifications, endogeneity concern and sample selection methods.

Findings

The empirical results show that the effect of political connections on distress risk is strongly heterogeneous. GLI and PCD firms tend to have higher distress risk via increased risk-taking behaviors because of the different incentives of the connections, while this nexus does not directly exhibit in CRO and FAM firms. Further analyses reveal that CRO and FAM firms are more likely to venture into risky international diversification, thus indirectly amplifying their distress risk.

Originality/value

Our findings are novel and provide practical implications for financial analysts, investors and portfolio managers operating in the capital markets.
The Belt and Road Initiative and East African small and medium-sized enterprises: benefits, drivers and particular sectors
Authors: Gyamerah Samuel , He Zheng , Ampaw Enock Mintah , Asante Dennis , Asare-Kyire Lydia
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Drawing upon the institutional theory, the present study investigated whether or not small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in East Africa benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and how the latter influences the internationalization of the former.

Design/methodology/approach

An in-depth interview was conducted by using 26 SME managers/owners who are engaged in international activities in the “Belt and Road” countries. The sample was chosen from four East African countries across three industries. The theoretical framework emerged from the grounded theory analysis of the primary data.

Findings

The authors found that the BRI as a formal institutional force generates both direct and indirect influences on SMEs' internationalization. Three key driving forces, namely partnerships, specialized services and innovativeness underpin the internationalization of SMEs. Additionally, sectoral analysis of the similarities and differences in responses reveals no remarkable differences in the drivers and impact of the BRI on SMEs in all the three industries investigated.

Research limitations/implications

The internationalization process of East African SMEs could be augmented through formal institutions like the BRI, and the internationalization of SMEs along the “Belt and Road” countries mimic an integrative approach. The theoretical framework demonstrates significant potential for further benefits that SMEs may obtain through the BRI by taking advantage of certain BRI opportunities and adopting crucial strategies to internationalize rapidly.

Originality/value

This is the first study to employ a qualitative approach to study the influence of the BRI at the firm-level. Specifically, the paper covered the hub of BRI countries in East Africa. Hence, the study makes substantial theoretical and policy contributions to the literature.
A cross-national investigation into the effects of religion on gender equality
Authors: Yeganeh Hamid
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the effects of religion on gender equality at the national level.

Design/methodology/approach

The study distinguishes between the concepts of religiosity and religious affiliation and introduces a measure of religious diversity. The study defines religiosity and gender equality as multidimensional concepts and relies on a wide range of secondary data from credible sources such as the World Value Survey, the United Nations, Gender Gap Report and the World Economic Forum to analyze the effect of religious factors on gender equality in more than 70 countries.

Findings

The analyses show that after controlling for the effects of socio-economic development, religiosity tends to impede gender equality. It is found that Muslim and Hinduism affiliations are negatively and Protestant affiliation is positively associated with gender equality. Furthermore, Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox affiliations and religious diversity do not significantly affect gender equality.

Originality/value

At the theoretical level, this study distinguishes between religious affiliations and religiosity and relies on the modernization theory to offer valuable insights into the relationship between religion and gender equality. This study's findings could serve managers and policymakers in dealing with gender disparities in different spheres of social life at the practical level.
Google Meet as a synchronous language learning tool for emergency online distant learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: perceptions of language instructors and preservice teachers
Authors: Ironsi Chinaza Solomon
Published: April 2021

Purpose

There are currently no studies concerning the use of Google Hangout in North Cyprus. Thus, this study examines the perceptions of preservice teacher and language instructors on the use of Google Meet (GM) as a synchronous language learning tool for a distant online program in Cyprus.

Design/methodology/approach

To elicit information on the perception of preservice teachers and language instructors on this issue, a quantitative research design was used for this study.

Findings

Though the language instructors deemed GM effective and efficient as a language learning tool, the preservice teachers thought otherwise.

Research limitations/implications

It was difficult to collect data during this pandemic outbreak. Obtaining ethical consent from the participants was difficult as well and so the sample size was small.

Practical implications

The study was able to demonstrate that the use of GM was somewhat effective as a language learning tool for the online distant program, though the level of efficiency and effectiveness varies from preservice teachers to the language instructors. Also, the study was able to highlight the use of GM could be very effective if it is well managed by the teachers to stimulate student engagement during lessons. The study showcased that the unavailability of Internet data, poor Internet connection are possible constraints to the efficiency of GM. Recently, a university in Northern Cyprus has decided to partner with a telecommunication network (Turkcell) toward providing free Internet access for all registered students within a particular period of learning. This is a welcomed approach that can be emulated by other educational facilities in bridging the gap created by poor Internet connection in a remote online learning setting.

Originality/value

There are no studies within the context of North Cyprus on the use of GM as a synchronous language learning tool for online distant programs. Though the use of GM is adjured effective and efficient, this contextual overview of GM is a new insight into academia.
Enhancing fieldwork learning experiences for the architectural conservation curriculum
Authors: Theodossopoulos Dimitris , Calderon Edwar
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Fieldwork in architectural conservation education is a proven practice to develop skills in documenting current conditions and start methodological engagements with a site's architectural and historical values. It is a vehicle to generate intensive learning experiences in comprehensive degrees or short courses. Review of the practice within conservation education is not extensive and the purpose of this paper is to reflect on enhancing pedagogy further.

Design/methodology/approach

This reflection was triggered by a major case study, a workshop to generate UG teaching capacity for an Architecture school in Colombia. This led to mapping the fieldwork spectrum, reviewing the authors' experiences (PG courses and external workshops) and activities planned in other MSc programmes. Fieldwork is often seen as skills training, so enhancement is explored through the affiliate geography and architecture UG curricula.

Findings

The Colombia workshop provoked strong engagement among students and tutors, and their commitment to make heritage meaningful to their projects is a measure of this pedagogy's success. Fieldwork around a site's essence, beyond skills development can induce conservation students into critical enquiries by motivating them to develop personalised contexts and enhance engagement with the unexpected through inversion of linear learning processes. Setting up site exercises early on PG programmes can encourage curiosity in exploring historic environments and contextualise surveying methods.

Research limitations/implications

Student reaction to these ideas has still to be tested by designing new activities. The educational methods of this implementation need deeper analysis, beyond the paper's scope.

Originality/value

The paper maps the academic value of fieldwork in conservation education, investigating enhancement and cross-fertilisation from architecture and geography.
Review of differences between listed and unlisted family business research trends: a corporate governance context
Authors: Azila-Gbettor Edem M. , Honyenuga Ben Q. , Blomme Robert Jan , Kil Ad
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This review assesses state of knowledge by critically comparing empirical literature on relationships between corporate governance and performance with regards to listed and unlisted family business.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies a systematic review approach to assess 159 corporate governance and performance studies on family business published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2016.

Findings

Results from the review demonstrate heterogeneity in definition of family business, limited study of indicators of ownership and board dimensions of corporate governance in unlisted family businesses and over concentration on financial measures by listed family business studies. Possible solution was offered for potential research gaps.

Originality/value

This is the first review that comprehensively compares studies in listed and unlisted family business from the perspectives of corporate governance. Findings from this review may contribute to promoting research in corporate governance in the context of listed and unlisted family businesses.
Host country language proficiency and identity: Spanish self-initiated expatriate nurses in Germany
Authors: Rosa González Juan Miguel , Barker Michelle , Shah Dhara
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Despite over 50 years of expatriation research, the implications of expatriation for identity remains an under-researched topic in mainstream international human resource management (IHRM) literature. Expatriation can cause disruption to expatriates' familiar sociocultural environment, which can often pose challenges to their self-concept and identity. The study underpinned by identity and social identity theories explores the perceptions of Spanish self-initiated expatriate (SIE) nurses living in Germany and other Spanish nurses who repatriated from Germany to understand the influence of expatriation on their self-concept and identity.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Spanish SIE nurses in Germany (n = 20) and others who had repatriated from Germany (n = 10). Data analysis was assisted by NVivo software.

Findings

The study identified that low proficiency in the host country language (HCL) and the problematic workplace interactions that ensued, challenged the participants' self-conceptions as competent professionals and prompted their reliance on social networks of fellow Spaniards for social validation.

Research limitations/implications

Although focused on a specific context, the study not only enhances practical understanding of Spanish SIE nurses in Germany but also offers valuable insights to organisations working with SIEs. It adds to extant knowledge on language and identity in the expatriation context and discusses the implications for global HRM related to underutilisation of SIEs' knowledge and skills within organisations.

Originality/value

The study contributes to theory building on the under-researched link between expatriation and identity, while adding to the growing literature on SIEs.
Health care providers' experiences with delivering person centred care in an Integrated Care Program for thoracic surgery patients in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Kornas Kathy , O'Neill Meghan , Liang Catherine Y. , Diemert Lori , Ayanian Tsoleen , Chang Melissa , Rosella Laura
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand health care providers' experiences with delivering a novel Integrated Care (IC) Program that co-ordinates hospital-based clinical services and home care for thoracic surgery patients, including perceptions on the provision of person-centred care and quality of work life.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a process evaluation using qualitative methods to understand provider experiences in the Integrated Care (IC) Program and to identify areas for programme improvement. Study data were collected using a focus group with thoracic surgeons, open-ended survey with home care providers, and semi-structured interviews with lead thoracic surgeons and IC leads, who are nurses serving as the primary point of contact for one consistent care team. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

The IC Program was successful in supporting a partnership between health care providers and patients and caregivers to deliver a comprehensive and person-centred care experience. Informational continuity between providers was facilitated by IC leads and improved over time with greater professional integration and adaptation to the new care delivery processes. Differential impacts were found on quality of work life for providers in the IC Program.

Originality/value

This study describes provider experiences with delivering integrated and person-centred care across the hospital to home continuum, which can inform future integrated care initiatives.
Leadership challenge: lateral systems integration for healthcare
Authors: Martin Livia
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Government imperatives that drive integrated care are challenging corporate executive leadership. Conspicuous by its absence in both government's imperatives and the literature, is any reference to corporate executive leadership in transitioning a hierarchically oriented health system to a laterally integrated health system referred to, in this paper, as an integrated health system. This lack of reference to executive leadership involvement conveys either significant consequences or opportunities for corporate healthcare executives. The purpose of this qualitative, multi-case study is to explore corporate executive leadership in transitioning a hierarchically oriented health system to an integrated health system.

Design/methodology/approach

Between December 2017 and February 2018, a qualitative methodology and multi-case study design facilitated one hour telephone interviews with 11 presidents and four senior vice presidents. Critical case sampling was used to select the study sample from a target population of 246 corporate healthcare executives representing Ontario's major acute healthcare organizations/systems.

Findings

Corporate healthcare executives possess the requisite skills and knowledge to transition a hierarchically oriented to a laterally integrated the health system but are constrained by an undefined partnership role with government and fear of government changes.

Originality/value

This paper provides corporate executive leaders with a systematic leadership approach to organizational readiness, in transitioning to an integrated health system. Features and outcomes of the approach are illustrated.
Urban afforestation and its ecosystem balance contribution: a bibliometric review
Authors: Wiesel Patrik Gustavo , Dresch Elias , de Santana Eduardo Rodrigo Ramos , Lobo Eduardo Alcayaga
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Urbanization is characterized mainly by changes in land use and conversion of natural areas into built environments, as well as by a series of impacts, such as loss of biodiversity, which interfere with the proper functioning of ecological networks.

Design/methodology/approach

Thus, the authors apply a bibliometric analysis using the term “Urban Trees” in the “Web of Science” database, between 2009 and 2019, as a keyword to include all urban green structures and identify the main aspects of urban ecological relationships. They found 8,367 published articles.

Findings

This review identified the main countries and research institutions that operate in urban afforestation. In general, developing countries seek to understand the environmental benefits that urban afforestation can provide, demonstrating the importance of maintaining existing green areas in urban centers to promote the balance of the ecosystem. It depends directly on the flow of ecosystem services provided by green infrastructures in the city, contributing significantly to carbon sequestration, retention of particulate matter, mitigation of heat islands and reduction of surface runoff, directly favoring the health and well-being of the population. The authors conclude that the actions currently implemented in urban afforestation, especially to increase the richness and abundance of species, will be decisive for the future of urban centers and the construction of more sustainable and egalitarian cities.

Originality/value

This work sought to develop a bibliographic research based on information obtained by bibliometric analysis that has the ability to identify trends and volumes of scientific production in a given area of knowledge.