bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex- and age- dependent effect of pre-gestational chronic stress and mirtazapine treatment on neurobehavioral development of offspring
Authors: Mireia Viñas-Noguera , Kristína Csatlósová , Eva Šimončičová , Ezster Bögi , Eduard Ujházy , Michal Dubovický , Kristína Belovičová
Published: August 2021

Hormonal fluctuations, such as the perinatal period, may increase susceptibility of women to depression, which in turn exert a negative impact on child’s neurodevelopment, becoming a risk factor in development of neuropsychiatric disorders. Moreover, the use of antidepressants during this critical period presents a serious health concern for both the mother and the child, due to the consequences of treatment in terms of the reliability and safety for the proper neurodevelopment of the organism being not well known. Atypical antidepressants, such as mirtazapine, that targets both serotonergic and noradrenergic systems in the central nervous system (CNS), represent a novel focus of research due to its unique pharmacological profile. The aim of this work was to study the effects of maternal depression and/or perinatal antidepressant mirtazapine treatment on the neurobehavioral development of the offspring. Pre-gestationally chronically stressed or non-stressed Wistar rat dams were treated with either mirtazapine (10 mg/kg/day) or vehicle during pregnancy and lactation followed by analysis of offspring’s behavior at juvenile and adolescent age. We found mirtazapine induced alterations of nursing behavior. In offspring, pregestational stress (PS) had an anxiogenic effect on adolescent males and increased their active behavior in forced swim test. Interaction between pregestational stress and mirtazapine treatment variously induced anxiolytic changes of juvenile and adolescent females and impairment of spatial memory in adolescent females as well. Hippocampal density of synaptophysin, pre-synaptic protein marker, was decreased mainly by mirtazapine treatment. In conclusion, our results show mirtazapine induced alterations in maternal behavior and several sex- and age-dependent changes in neurobehavioral development of offspring caused by both prenatal mirtazapine treatment and/or chronic pregestational stress.
Utility of Occupancy Models with Environmental DNA (eDNA) from Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
Authors: Paight Christopher , Waddell Jenny , Galaska Matthew P
Published: August 2021

Adjacent to the spectacular, rugged coastline bordering the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) encompasses 8257 km2 of coastal waters that support one of North America’s most productive marine ecosystems. These rich waters support important recreational, commercial and subsistence fisheries for Washington state and four sovereign tribal governments: the Quinault Indian Nation and the Makah, Quileute and Hoh Tribes. Given its ecological, cultural and economic significance, managers from OCNMS are tasked with monitoring and management towards conserving the area’s ecological integrity. The development of metabarcoding with environmental DNA (eDNA) as an effective freshwater monitoring tool has potential applications in marine systems, but the statistical analysis and the interpretation of those eDNA results are still under development. One promising strategy to analyze eDNA is through the use of occupancy models. Occupancy models enable us to calculate probabilities of detection from each taxon sequenced and are designed to work with presence-absence data. To inform our long term monitoring design of this coastal ecosystem, we collected 44 eDNA samples at nine of OCNMS’ long term mooring sites in 2019 and tested four different molecular markers for species reported and taxonomic richness. Additionally, we assessed occupancy models for use with eDNA to estimate the number of samples required to accurately predict the presence of a species. Occupancy models show great promise for use in eDNA studies provided there is sufficient replication; additionally, the choice of molecular marker strongly influences a taxa’s probability of detection.

Author Summary

We show the utility of using occupancy models with eDNA in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary for monitoring near-shore marine biological communities. Based on probabilities of detection, long term coastal monitoring projects using eDNA would benefit from designs prioritizing sample number (10-20 samples per site) over sites sampled. With proper study design, occupancy models provide a statistical framework for comparisons between sites and over time. By accounting for simple non-detection vs true absence, occupancy models help to eliminate noise from eDNA studies, increasing detection of true shifts in community composition. We also demonstrate that marker choice is an important study design consideration not only for the types of taxa recovered, but also for consistency between samples and timepoints.
Kdm6a Deficiency Restricted to Mouse Hematopoietic Cells Causes an Age- and Sex-dependent Myelodysplastic Syndrome-Like Phenotype
Authors: Tian Ling , Chavez Monique , Chang Gue Su , Helton Nichole M. , Katerndahl Casey D.S. , Miller Christopher A. , Wartman Lukas D.
Published: August 2021

Abstract

Kdm6a/Utx, a gene on the X chromosome, encodes a histone K27me3 demethylase that has an orthologue on the Y chromosome (Uty)[1]. We previously identified inactivating mutations of Kdm6a in approximately 50% of mouse acute promyelocytic leukemia samples; however, somatic mutations of KDM6A are more rare in human AML samples, ranging in frequency from 2-15% in different series of patients, where their role in pathogenesis is not yet clear. In this study, we show that female Kdm6aflox/flox mice (with allele inactivation initiated by Vav1-Cre in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) have a sex-specific phenotype that emerges with aging, with features resembling a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Female Kdm6a-knockout (KO) mice have an age-dependent expansion of their HSPCs with aberrant self-renewal, but they did not differentiate normally into downstream progeny. These mice became mildly anemic and thrombocytopenic, but did not develop overt leukemia, or die from these cytopenias. ChIP-seq and ATAC-seq studies showed only minor changes in H3K27me3, H3K27ac, H3K4me, H3K4me3 and chromatin accessibility between Kdm6a-WT and Kdm6a-KO mice. Utilizing scRNA-seq, Kdm6a loss was linked to the transcriptional repression of genes that mediate hematopoietic cell fate determination. These data demonstrate that Kdm6a plays an important role in normal hematopoiesis, and that its inactivation may contribute to AML pathogenesis by altering the epigenetic state of HSPCs.
Default Mode Network Connectivity Predicts Individual Differences in Long-Term Forgetting: Evidence for Storage Decay, not Retrieval Failure
Authors: Xu Yinan , Prat Chantel , Sense Florian , van Rijn Hedderik , Stocco Andrea
Published: August 2021

Despite the importance of memories in everyday life and the progress made in understanding how they are encoded and retrieved, the neural processes by which declarative memories are maintained or forgotten remain elusive. Part of the problem is that it is empirically difficult to measure the rate at which memories fade, even between repeated presentations of the source of the memory. Without such a ground-truth measure, it is hard to identify the corresponding neural correlates. This study addresses this problem by comparing individual patterns of functional connectivity against behavioral differences in forgetting speed derived from computational phenotyping. Specifically, the individual-specific values of the speed of forgetting in long-term memory (LTM) were estimated for 33 participants using a formal model fit to accuracy and response time data from an adaptive fact learning task. Individual speeds of forgetting were then used to examine participant-specific patterns of resting-state fMRI connectivity, using machine learning techniques to identify the most predictive and generalizable features. Our results show that individual speeds of forgetting are associated with resting-state connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) as well as between the DMN and cortical sensory areas. Cross-validation showed that individual speeds of forgetting were predicted with high accuracy (r= .78) from these connectivity patterns alone. These results support the view that DMN activity and the associated sensory regions are actively involved in maintaining memories and preventing their decline, suggesting that forgetting is better understood as a result of storage decay, rather than retrieval failure.
Contribution of single mutations to selected SARS-CoV-2 emerging variants Spike antigenicity
Authors: Gong Shang Yu , Chatterjee Debashree , Richard Jonathan , Prévost Jérémie , Tauzin Alexandra , Gasser Romain , Bo Yuxia , Vézina Dani , Goyette Guillaume , Gendron-Lepage Gabrielle , Medjahed Halima , Roger Michel , Côté Marceline , Finzi Andrés
Published: August 2021

Towards the end of 2020, multiple variants of concern (VOCs) and variants of interest (VOIs) have arisen from the original SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1 strain. Mutations in the Spike protein are highly scrutinized for their impact on transmissibility, pathogenesis and vaccine efficacy. Here, we contribute to the growing body of literature on emerging variants by evaluating the impact of single mutations on the overall antigenicity of selected variants and their binding to the ACE2 receptor. We observe a differential contribution of single mutants to the global variants phenotype related to ACE2 interaction and antigenicity. Using biolayer interferometry, we observe that enhanced ACE2 interaction is mostly modulated by a decrease in off-rate. Finally, we made the interesting observation that the Spikes from tested emerging variants bind better to ACE2 at 37°C compared to the D614G variant. Whether improved ACE2 binding at higher temperature facilitates emerging variants transmission remain to be demonstrated.
BET inhibitors synergize with anti-PD1 by rescuing TCF1+ progenitor exhausted CD8+ T cells in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Romine Kyle A. , Cho Hyun-jun , Kosaka Yoko , Byrd Kaelan H. , Coy Jesse L. , Flynn Patrick A. , Newman Matthew T. , Loo Christopher , Scott Jaime , Lind Evan F.
Published: August 2021

Many acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients exhibit hallmarks of immune exhaustion, such as increased myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), suppressive regulatory T cells (Tregs) and dysfunctional T cells. We have developed a mouse model of AML driven by Flt3-ITD and Tet2 deficiency displays these immune-related features, including CD8+ T cells exhibiting a terminally exhausted phenotype (TEx). This T cell subset has been shown to be refractory to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) monotherapy. Here we show that small molecule inhibitors which target bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) proteins affect both tumor-intrinsic factors but also rescue T cell exhaustion and ICB resistance. Ex vivo treatment of cells from AML mice and AML patients with BET inhibitors (BETi) reversed CD8+ T cell exhaustion by restoring proliferative capacity and expansion of the more functional precursor exhausted T cells (TPEx). This reversal is enhanced by combined BETi and anti-PD1 treatment. Finally, we show that BETi synergizes with anti-PD1 in vivo, resulting in the reduction of circulating leukemia cells, enrichment of CD8+ T cells in the bone marrow, and increased expression of Tcf7, Slamf6, and Cxcr5 in CD8+ T cells. In total, we show the potential efficacy of combining BETi and ICB therapy in the treatment of AML.
Petascale neural circuit reconstruction: automated methods
Authors: Macrina Thomas , Lee Kisuk , Lu Ran , Turner Nicholas L. , Wu Jingpeng , Popovych Sergiy , Silversmith William , Kemnitz Nico , Bae J. Alexander , Castro Manuel A. , Dorkenwald Sven , Halageri Akhilesh , Jia Zhen , Jordan Chris , Li Kai , Mitchell Eric , Mondal Shanka Subhra , Mu Shang , Nehoran Barak , Wong William , Yu Szi-chieh , Bodor Agnes L. , Brittain Derrick , Buchanan JoAnn , Bumbarger Daniel J. , Cobos Erick , Collman Forrest , Elabbady Leila , Fahey Paul G. , Froudarakis Emmanouil , Kapner Daniel , Kinn Sam , Mahalingam Gayathri , Papadopoulos Stelios , Patel Saumil , Schneider-Mizell Casey M. , Sinz Fabian H. , Takeno Marc , Torres Russel , Yin Wenjing , Pitkow Xaq , Reimer Jacob , Tolias Andreas S. , Reid R. Clay , Costa Nuno Maçarico da , Seung H. Sebastian
Published: August 2021

3D electron microscopy (EM) has been successful at mapping invertebrate nervous systems, but the approach has been limited to small chunks of mammalian brains. To scale up to larger volumes, we have built a computational pipeline for processing petascale image datasets acquired by serial section EM, a popular form of 3D EM. The pipeline employs convolutional nets to compute the nonsmooth transformations required to align images of serial sections containing numerous cracks and folds, detect neuronal boundaries, label voxels as axon, dendrite, soma, and other semantic categories, and detect synapses and assign them to presynaptic and postsynaptic segments. The output of neuronal boundary detection is segmented by mean affinity agglomeration with semantic and size constraints. Pipeline operations are implemented by leveraging distributed and cloud computing. Intermediate results of the pipeline are held in cloud storage, and can be effortlessly viewed as images, which aids debugging. We applied the pipeline to create an automated reconstruction of an EM image volume spanning four visual cortical areas of a mouse brain. Code for the pipeline is publicly available, as is the reconstructed volume.
Retinal degeneration: Multilevel protection of photoreceptor and ganglion cell viability and function with the novel PKG inhibitor CN238
Authors: Tolone Arianna , Haq Wadood , Fachinger Alexandra , Rentsch Andreas , Herberg Friedrich W. , Schwede Frank , Paquet-Durand François
Published: August 2021

Hereditary retinal degeneration (RD) is often associated with excessive cGMP-signaling in photoreceptors. Previous research has shown that inhibition of cGMP-dependent protein kinase G (PKG) can slow down the loss of photoreceptors in different RD animal models. In this study, we identified a novel PKG inhibitor, the cGMP analogue CN238, with strong protective effects on photoreceptors in retinal degenerationrd1andrd10mutant mice. In long-term organotypic retinal explants, CN238 preservedrd1andrd10photoreceptor viability and function. Surprisingly, in explanted retinae CN238 also protected retinal ganglion cells from axotomy induced retrograde degeneration and preserved their functionality. Together, these results confirm the strong neuroprotective capacity of PKG inhibitors for both photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells, thereby significantly broadening their potential applications for the treatment of retinal diseases and possibly neurodegenerative diseases in general.
Size-scaling promotes senescence-like changes in proteome and organelle content
Authors: Cheng Ling , Chen Jingyuan , Kong Yidi , Tan Ceryl , Kafri Ran , Björklund Mikael
Published: August 2021

Senescent cells typically have an enlarged cell size but the reason for this has not been fully elucidated. As abnormal cell size may alter protein concentrations and cellular functionality, we used proteomic data from 59 unperturbed human cell lines to systematically characterize cell-size dependent changes in intracellular protein concentrations and organelle content. Increase in cell size leads to ubiquitous transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally regulated reorganization and dilution of the proteome. Many known senescence proteins display disproportionate size-scaling consistent with their altered expression in senescent cells, while lysosomes and the endoplasmic reticulum expand in larger cells contributing to the senescence phenotype. Analysis of organelle proteome expression identifies p53 and retinoblastoma pathways as mediators of size-scaling, consistent with their role in senescence. Taken together, cell size can alter cellular fitness and function through cumulative reorganization of the proteome and organelle content. An extreme consequence of this pervasive size-scaling appears to be senescence.
Autophagy suppression by TORC1 maintains epithelial plasma membrane integrity and inhibits syncytium formation
Authors: Kakanj Parisa , Bhide Sourabh , Moussian Bernard , Leptin Maria
Published: August 2021

Epithelial wound healing inDrosophilainvolves the formation of multinucleate cells surrounding the wound. We show that autophagy, a cellular degradation process often deployed in stress responses, is required for the formation of a multinucleated syncytium during wound healing. In addition, uncontrolled autophagy in the unwounded epidermis leads to the degradation of endo-membranes and the lateral plasma membrane, while the apical and basal membranes and the epithelial barrier function remain intact. Proper functioning of TORC1 is needed to prevent autophagy from destroying the larval epidermis, which depends on membrane isolation and phagophore expansion, but does not require the fusion of autophagosomes to lysosomes. Our findings reveal a function for TORC1-mediated regulation of autophagy in maintaining membrane integrity and homeostasis in the epidermis and during wound healing. Finally, autophagy can counteract experimentally induced nuclear defects resembling laminopathies.

Key findings

A novel role for TORC1/autophagy pathway to control plasma membrane integrity and homeostasis.

Autophagy as the only known necessary and sufficient inducer of syncytium formation in the epithelium and during wound healing.
Non-GAAP earnings quality in firms with data breach incident
Authors: Nie Dongfang , Xu Chunhao
Published: August 2021

Purpose

After the massive data breach incident in 2017, Equifax voluntarily disclosed non-GAAP earnings that beat earnings targets by eliminating breach-related charges and used non-GAAP metrics to determine its executives' compensations. However, it is unclear whether its non-GAAP earnings exclusions and the use of non-GAAP earnings in compensation plans are justified. The purpose of this study is to examine non-GAAP earnings quality in firms with data breach incidents.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors identified data breach firms from incidents reported in Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (privacyrights.org) during the period 2004–2017. The authors separate the victim firms into six groups based on financial status and non-GAAP earnings disclosure. Quarterly manager non-GAAP earnings per share data is retrieved from the database created by Bentley et al. (2018). Ordinary linear regression models are used in this study to test the authors’ hypothesis.

Findings

The authors find that, in general, the informativeness of non-GAAP earnings is higher than that of GAAP earnings in data breach firms. However, non-GAAP earnings quality vary in data breach firms with different financial health status. The quality of non-GAAP earnings in loss firms with data breach is higher than those in profit firms. Loss converters (i.e. data breach firms with negative GAAP earnings but positive non-GAAP earnings) disclose low quality non-GAAP earnings, which is different from the findings in prior studies.

Practical implications

The findings are particularly useful to analysts who want to make accurate earnings forecasts of data breach firms by incorporating managers' non-GAAP earnings disclosures.

Originality/value

The authors are among the first to comprehensively analyze the quality of non-GAAP earnings in firms with data breaches. The findings in this study address the analysts' concern that data breach firms use non-GAAP earnings metrics to determine executives' compensation after the massive data breach incidents. Next, the authors provide evidence that the financial status of data breach firms affects the quality of non-GAAP earnings.
A compact broadband high power quasi-MMIC GaN power amplifier
Authors: Liu Lin-sheng , Lin Qian , Wu Hai-feng , Chen Yi-Jun , Hu Liu-Lin
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The design and implementation of a broadband quasi-monolithic microwave integrated circuit (q-MMIC) power amplifier (PA) is presented for 0.2 to 2.2 GHz applications.

Design/methodology/approach

To obtain an efficient, high-gain and high-power performance with in a compact and low-cost size, the prototype is based on Gallium nitride (GaN) on SiC 0.25-µm transistors, whereas the passive matching networks are realized on an AlN substrate as thin film circuit.

Findings

Measured results of the q-MMIC PA across the 0.2 to 2.2 GHz band show at least 32 ± 3 dB small-signal gains, an output power of 7 to 12 W and an average power add efficiency greater than 54%. The q-MMIC occupies an area of 12.8 × 14.5 mm2.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work reports the first full integrated PA which covers the frequency range of 0.2 to 2.2 GHz and achieves the combination of highest gain, about 10 W output power, together with the smallest component size among all published GaN PAs to date.
Towards digital sustainability: the long journey to the sustainable development goals 2030
Authors: Sparviero Sergio , Ragnedda Massimo
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to suggest that, to build a digital sustainable society, core terminal and instrumental values of sustainability and sustainable development should be followed across different worldviews, and in the formulation of policies or other initiatives form private and public stakeholders. These values are normative, they support the coordination of efforts of different stakeholders and can serve as guidelines for driving the development trajectory of technologies contributing to a sustainable society.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper defines digital sustainability from the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. From the Rio Process (1992), through the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), this paper analyzes and theoretically discusses the intersection between digital aspects of human life and wider sustainability concerns for humanity and the planet. Technologies and digital processes are functional catalysts to the achievement of the UN 2030 SDGs and crucial for individuals’ everyday life, but their adoptions is also conditional to a variety of conflicting worldviews.

Findings

This paper focused on the role of digital technologies in innovation and transformation and their impact on the environment, individuals, society and economy, from a theoretical point of view. Digital technologies have changed the way in which people communicate, study, work, interact and even look for friends, relationships and love. It is, therefore, important to reflect upon the impact that this revolution would have on the individuals and on the wider socio-economic, political and environment context. In this vein, this paper attempted to reflect on the sustainability of this revolution, by sketching the concept of digital sustainability drawing upon the concept of sustainability.

Originality/value

Digital sustainability – like sustainability – relies on three universal values: equality, harmony, self-determination. In fact, to be sustainable, the use of digital technologies should be led by the equality value, namely, the need to not compromise the future generations, both in terms of exploitation of natural resources to produce them and in terms of to create and nor reduce job opportunities for future generations. Second, digital technologies might help tackling both the ecological and social crises through a universal collaboration according to the harmony’s value. Finally, the third value for digital sustainability is self-determination. It applies to individuals and social formations and it refers to the capability of being in control of your destiny.
Towards an entity relation extraction framework in the cross-lingual context
Authors: Yu Chuanming , Xue Haodong , Wang Manyi , An Lu
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Owing to the uneven distribution of annotated corpus among different languages, it is necessary to bridge the gap between low resource languages and high resource languages. From the perspective of entity relation extraction, this paper aims to extend the knowledge acquisition task from a single language context to a cross-lingual context, and to improve the relation extraction performance for low resource languages.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes a cross-lingual adversarial relation extraction (CLARE) framework, which decomposes cross-lingual relation extraction into parallel corpus acquisition and adversarial adaptation relation extraction. Based on the proposed framework, this paper conducts extensive experiments in two tasks, i.e. the English-to-Chinese and the English-to-Arabic cross-lingual entity relation extraction.

Findings

The Macro-F1 values of the optimal models in the two tasks are 0.880 1 and 0.789 9, respectively, indicating that the proposed CLARE framework for CLARE can significantly improve the effect of low resource language entity relation extraction. The experimental results suggest that the proposed framework can effectively transfer the corpus as well as the annotated tags from English to Chinese and Arabic. This study reveals that the proposed approach is less human labour intensive and more effective in the cross-lingual entity relation extraction than the manual method. It shows that this approach has high generalizability among different languages.

Originality/value

The research results are of great significance for improving the performance of the cross-lingual knowledge acquisition. The cross-lingual transfer may greatly reduce the time and cost of the manual construction of the multi-lingual corpus. It sheds light on the knowledge acquisition and organization from the unstructured text in the era of big data.
Awareness, use and attitudes of students towards e-books: differences based on gender, discipline and degree level
Authors: Jbeen Akira , Ur Rehman Shafiq , Mahmood Khalid
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the level of awareness, use and attitudes of students regarding e-books.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a quantitative research design based on the survey method. A structured questionnaire was designed and used for data collection from four different universities of Pakistan. A total of 305 responses were collected from a sample of 400, and 303 of those responses were used for data analysis.

Findings

The results of this study indicated that students were aware of e-books and used them in their daily lives. Most of the respondents had a positive attitude towards e-books and indicated that they considered e-books are easy to find and support them in their assignments. Online features of e-books were important to them. There was a significant difference of opinion found among students of different disciplines regarding the use of e-books.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited to four disciplines in four universities, one discipline per university. Therefore, its findings may not be applied to other universities or other disciplines.

Practical implications

This paper offers a new idea to academic libraries related to purchasing e-books. This study will provide guidelines to information professionals for development of their e-book collection and implementation of innovative approaches in library services or e-books services to facilitate their users according to their need.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on the level of awareness, use and attitudes of university students towards e-books in Pakistan.
Does government support matter in the relationship between future orientations on women’s effective leadership
Authors: Gorondutse Abdullahi Hassan , Al Shdaifat Fayez Hamed , Hilman Haim , Alajmi Rajeh , Ahmed Fais
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand emerging future orientations, women’s effective leadership and further examine its impact on government support in the context of higher education institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey with 500 full-time women employees, working in Saudi Arabia Public University, was selected using a quantitative approach and analysed on the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The initial prediction was that future orientations is significant on women’s leadership effectiveness as well as on government support, to the extent that it is associated with women’s leadership effectiveness where it tends to have a stronger relationship. Surprisingly, the indirect effect of government support on the relationship between future orientations on women’s leadership effectiveness was not significant.

Practical implications

Academic scholars/leaders in higher education should realize that the development of women leadership has a positive effect on future orientations. Policymakers and leaders of higher education institutions should focus on women leaders to improve their leadership effectiveness.

Originality/value

From the perspective of emerging nations, this paper extends the knowledge regarding the complexity leadership theory which explains the development of women’s leadership effectiveness and provides empirical evidence.
Flood susceptibility analysis of the Panjkora Valley Northern Pakistan, using frequencyratio approach
Authors: Afreen Munazza , Haq Fazlul , Mukhtar Zarka
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Floods are considered as one of the most lethal natural disasters having the potential to cause havoc to entire communities. Pakistan is the land of wide topographic and climatic variations which make it vulnerable to floods. The purpose of this paper is to identify flood susceptible zones in the Panjkora Basin using frequency ratio model.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of seven parameters or flood conditioning factors were considered, and weights were assigned according to the frequency ratio technique. For the preparation of layers, satellite imageries and digital elevation model data were used. Frequency ratio was calculated using correlation between these parameters and flood. Flood susceptibility index map was divided into five zones through quantile method in ArcMap.

Findings

Findings of the study reveal that near half of the area (43%) is located in the very high susceptible zone, while only 20% area is classified as low to very low susceptible.

Originality/value

This paper is entirely based on original research. The approach used in this study has not been applied to the study area before.
Does educational progress impact energy consumption? A causality test for India
Authors: Rej Soumen , Nag Barnali
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Both energy and education have been positioned as priority objectives under the itinerary of UN development goals. Hence, it is necessary to address the implicit inter relationship between these two development goals in the context of developing nations such as India who are trying to grow in both per capita income and socio economic factors whilst struggling with the challenges of a severe energy supply constrained economy.

Design/methodology/approach

In the present study, the causal relationship between energy consumption per capita and education index (EI) as a proxy of educational advancement is investigated for India for 1990–2016 using the Johansen-Juselius cointegration test and vector error correction model.

Findings

The empirical results infer although energy consumption per capita and EI lack short run causality in either direction, existence of unidirectional long run causality from EI to per capita energy consumption is found for India. Further, it is observed that energy consumption per capita takes around four years to respond to unit shock in EI.

Research limitations/implications

The findings from this study imply that with the advancement of education, a rise in per capita energy consumption requirement can be foreseen on the demand side, and hence, India’s energy policy needs to emphasize further its sustainable energy supply goals to meet this additional demand coming from a population with better education facilities.

Originality/value

The authors hereby confirm that this manuscript is entirely their own original study and not submitted elsewhere.
The impact of energy consumption and merchandise exports on CO2emission in the United Nations geoscheme regions
Authors: Senarathne Chamil W. , Jayasinghe Prabhath
Published: August 2021

Purpose

While sustainable development policies are mostly set based on United Nations (UN) geoscheme classification, no study attempts to examine the impact of influential economic variables such as energy consumption (EC) and merchandise exports (ME) on carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in the UN geoscheme regions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible impact of EC and ME on CO2emission in UN geoscheme classification regions such as Africa, America, Arab, Asia and Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), Pedroni panel cointegration and panel Granger causality methodologies covering an annual panel data sampling period from 1971 to 2014.

Findings

The results show that there is bidirectional causality between all three variables in the European and American panel except for the non-causality from CO2to EC in the American panel. These findings suggest possible consequences of weaker energy efficiency (even under environmental policy tightening) and strong demand for energy-intensive economic activities in those regions. Developed countries with higher environmental policy tightening (America and Europe) show significant estimates from the chosen tests supporting the Porter hypothesis. EC and ME have a long-run impact on CO2emission in American and European panels. The African region has the least environmental impact of pollution from ME.

Practical implications

The ME and EC have a direct significant impact on CO2emission in America and Europe. As these causalities, co-integrations and their impacts share a long-run equilibrium relationship, policymakers must design long-term industry policies such as cleaner production techniques focusing on environmentally sustainable practices. Also, it is suggested that the policymakers must ensure that they implement more robust policies and standards for environmental-friendly export production.

Originality/value

This is the first paper that examines the impact of EC and ME on CO2emission in UN geoscheme regions. The findings of this paper provide theoretical implications supporting Porter hypothesis and practical implications for policymaking.
Dynamic effects and spatial heterogeneity of land supply on housing price: evidence from Nanchang, China
Authors: Wu Zhijiang , Wang Yongxiang , Liu Wei
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Economic fundamentals are recognized as determining factors for housing on the city level, but the relationship between housing price and land supply has been disputed. This study aims to examine what kind of impact housing prices have on land supply and whether there is heterogeneity in different regional spaces.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collects the relevant data of land supply and housing prices in Nanchang from 2010 to 2018, constructs a vector autoregression (VAR) model, including one external factor and four internal factors of land supply to explore the dynamic effects and spatial heterogeneity of land supply on housing prices through regression analysis. Also, the authors use the geographic detector to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of housing prices in Nanchang.

Findings

This study found that the interaction between land supply and housing price is extremely complex because of the significant differences in the study area; the variables of land supply have both positive and negative effects on housing price, and the actual effect varies with the region; and residential land and GDP are the two major factors leading to the spatial heterogeneity in housing price.

Research limitations/implications

The dynamic effects of land supply on housing price are mainly reflected in the center and edge of the city, the new development area, and the old town, which is consistent with the spatial pattern of the double core, three circles and five groups in Nanchang.

Originality/value

This is a novel work to analyze the dynamic effects of land supply on house prices, instead of a single amount of land supply or land prices. Furthermore, the authors also explore the spatial heterogeneity according to the regional characteristics, which is conducive to targeted policymaking.
Flood risk and buyer search behavior in Ho Chi Minh City
Authors: Nguyen Hong Thi Bich , Miller Norman G. , Pham Nam Khanh , Truong Hiep Thanh
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate countries without national property insurance and see how experience affects behavior toward higher-risk flood prone property.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a unique data set that captures the flood experiences of homeowners that search for new housing, the authors examine the premiums or discounts of such experience on homes at risk. The authors use hedonic property modeling to estimate the effects of experience on values.

Findings

The authors find that such experiences play a strong role in convincing buyers of the real risks imposed by climate change and sea level rise and the authors expect these demand-side behavioral changes to persist. This finding is unlike more developed markets where insurance may be subsidized and negative effects on value dissipate within a few years.

Research limitations/implications

The world is starting to pay more attention to climate risk and the results in developed countries have been biased by the extensive insurance provided by the government or emergency funding.

Practical implications

Providing market transparency on climate risks will result in permanent market effects, if not otherwise subsidized.

Social implications

The governments should encourage market disclosure.

Originality/value

No one has ever had a data set like this before where the authors get to observe the behavior of those already experiencing property losses from flooding.
The design of a seasonal heat storage system with a geothermal heat pump for a residential building in Tehran
Authors: Alidadi Shamsabadi Akbar , Jahangiri Mehdi , Rezaei Tayebeh , Yadollahi Farsani Rouhollah , Seryani Ali , Hakim Siavash
Published: August 2021

Purpose

In this study, a solar water heating system along with a seasonal thermal energy storage and a heat pump is designed for a villa with an area of 192 m2 in Tehran, the capital of Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

According to the material and the area of the residential space, the required heating of the building was calculated manually and then the thermodynamic analysis of the system and simulation was done in MATLAB software. Finally, regarding the waste of system, an efficient solar heating system, providing all the required energy to heat the building, was obtained.

Findings

The surface area of the solar collector is equal to 46 m2, the capacity of the tank is about 2,850 m3, insulation thickness stands at 55 cm and the coefficient of performance in required heat pump is accounted to about 9.02. Also, according to the assessments, the maximum level of received energy by the collector in this system occurs at a maximum temperature of 68ºC.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, in the present work, for the first time, using mathematical modeling and analyzing of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, as well as using of computational code in MATLAB software environment, the solar-assisted ground source heat pump system is simulated in a residential unit located in Tehran.
Coping with the Covid-19 pandemic: an exploration of the strategies adopted by construction firms
Authors: Salami Babatunde A. , Ajayi Saheed O. , Oyegoke Adekunle S.
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has tested the resilience of the construction industry, putting the safety of workers and overall businesses at risk. This study aims to explore the different strategies adopted by construction companies to protect the health and well-being of employees, security of the construction sites and projects, and keep the overall business operational amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A preliminary study that involves field study and survey research was used to collect data for the study. The results from the preliminary analysis served as inputs for constructing the questionnaire, which was analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis.

Findings

The results reveal that the key underlying measures put in place by construction businesses include restricted site access, support bubbling of office and site staff, enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocol, contract risk identification and mitigation, self-isolation measures and heightened construction site safety. Along with a further discussion of the underlying measures, the top-rated strategies that were adopted by construction firms are also discussed in the paper.

Originality/value

As many construction companies remained opened handling essential projects amid the pandemic, the study presents the effective and efficient strategies that were used in plowing through the trying times. This study provides the opportunity for construction companies that escaped the early impacts of Covid-19 due to site closure and policymakers to learn from the strategies adopted by construction companies that were operational amid the pandemic.
A review of the role of digitalization in health risk management in extractive industries – a study motivated by COVID-19
Authors: Nguyen Trung , Gosine Ray , Warrian Peter
Published: August 2021

Purpose

While disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the failure of some companies, others embraced innovative digital technologies to face the challenge posed by COVID-19. The COVID-19 crisis is also an opportunity for the extractive industry (EI) sectors to review their digitalization processes. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic review of infectious disease mitigation in EI and to evaluate the resilience of these industries as they address pandemic prevention and control.

Design/methodology/approach

Multi-case studies including digital and organizational responses to COVID-19 were analyzed to evaluate the readiness of health risk management (HRM) and resilience of EIs against the pandemic. The evaluation uses Google Scholar and Trends searches to compare the level of relevant activity in EIs with other industries.

Findings

Although EI sectors have various plans for minimizing pandemic impacts, unexpected disruptions and delays of the COVID-19 responses revealed many limitations of the existing HRM system. Digital technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence-based public health monitoring, digital collaboration, wearable health tracking and 3D printing) demonstrated their remarkable benefits in the pandemic responses and nontechnical elements affecting technology adoption (TA).

Originality/value

Lessons learned from the deployment of digital technologies against the pandemic help to improve the organizational capacity to deal effectively with future outbreaks and suggest lessons for the future trajectory of TA in these industries.
Bank’s battle against insider frauds ignitors and mitigators: an emerging nation experience
Authors: Roy Neha Chhabra , Basu Sankarshan
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Banks are exposed to many challenges to name a few i.e. growing market competition, political environment, market forces of demand and supply, technological changes, frauds and poor management. The banking sector devasted experiences of fraud have impacted all facets of the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance. In continuation, this study aims to revolve around themes of different types of frauds, especially insider frauds that have gained mainstream attention in recent major value fraud events with prominent Indian banks. This study will identify the types and drivers of insider frauds.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology opted for the study is through confidential primary survey and focused group discussion with risk officers of banks who are associated with Indian banks for more than three years, further to understand the relation between type of Insider frauds and originating drivers were paired based on the principal component analysis.

Findings

Finally, the paper concludes with the conceptual mitigation framework for different types of insider fraud and driver pairs within the scope of this paper. This paper thought will support policymakers of the Indian banking system to create a more robust environment within the banking system via timely detection of frauds so that up to an extent it can be squared before it appears.

Originality/value

The study is innovative in the area of banks’ internal fraud management, where original data collected through a primary survey contributes to the conclusion of fraud management for various Indian banks.
Fire risk of apparel manufacturing buildings in Sri Lanka
Authors: Rathnayake R.M.D.I.M. , Sridarran P. , Abeynayake M.D.T.E.
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The total essence of apparel manufacturing buildings (AMBs) is highly influenced by fire incidents which are caused direct or indirect impacts to the present building structure or even in old age. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the fire risk of AMBs in Sri Lanka.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was conducted to explore the local and international fire incidents in AMBs and identify 24 factors that contribute to fire risk of AMBs. A questionnaire survey with professionals who have the knowledge and experience related to past fire incidents and 18 interviews with professionals of fire safety management were carried out. Content analysis was involved to evaluate interviewees’ opinions and relative importance index was involved to rank identified factors that contribute to the fire risk of AMBs.

Findings

The results revealed that due to the business nature of AMBs hold a high risk for fire incidents. The study discovered 83.4% of high fire risk prevailing in AMBs in Sri Lanka. Faulty wiring, welding work with electrical sparks and accumulation of waste fabric, paper and other garbage recognized as the top three factors that contribute to the fire risk of AMBs in Sri Lanka. Finally, the strategies proposed to eliminate identified all 41 factors that contribute to the fire risk of AMBs in Sri Lanka.

Originality/value

The paper helps to guide facility owners regarding the fire safety of AMBs in Sri Lanka.
Ethical leadership and knowledge hiding: testing the mediating and moderating mechanisms
Authors: Koay Kian Yeik , Lim Pang Kiam
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Recent scholars have established that knowledge hiding does not equate to the lack of knowledge sharing. Due to a scarcity of papers on knowledge hiding, this paper aims to understand the mechanisms through which ethical leadership influences knowledge hiding based on social learning theory and social cognitive theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The field study involves 243 employees from public listed companies in Malaysia. Partial least square structural equation modelling is used to test the hypothesised relationships.

Findings

The results indicate that moral disengagement mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and knowledge hiding. Furthermore, organisational commitment moderates the negative relationship between ethical leadership and knowledge hiding, such that the negative relationship is stronger when organisational commitment is high.

Originality/value

This study is the first to investigate the influence of ethical leadership on knowledge hiding through the mediating effect of moral disengagement. Moreover, organisational commitment is an important boundary condition for the relationship between ethical leadership and knowledge hiding. The implications for practice and future research are also discussed.