bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supporting per-locus substitution rates improves the accuracy of species networks and avoids spurious reticulations
Authors: Cao Zhen , Ogilvie Huw A. , Nakhleh Luay
Published: January 2022

The development of statistical methods to infer species phylogenies with reticulation (species networks) has led to many discoveries of gene flow between distinct species. However, because the dimensionality of species networks is not fixed, these methods may compensate for kinds of model misspecification, such as assuming a single substitution rate for all genomic loci, by increasing the number of dimensions beyond the true value. The popular full Bayesian species network method MCMC_SEQ has previously made this assumption, so we have added support for the proven Dirichlet model for per-locus rates to enhance its accuracy and avoid spurious results. We studied the effects of this model using simulation and an empirical dataset from Heliconius butterflies.

We found that assuming a single substitution rate applies to all loci leads to the inference of spurious reticulation in simulated and empirical datasets when a full Bayesian method is used, however, the summary method InferNetwork_ML is robust to per-locus variation in substitution rates when set to ignore gene tree branch lengths. Our implementation of the model resolves this misspecification and successfully converges to the true species networks. It also infers far more accurate gene trees than assuming a single rate, or independent inference of gene trees.

Our implementation of the Dirichlet per-locus rates model is now available in PhyloNet, a software package for phylogenetic inference, open source on GitHub https://github.com/NakhlehLab/PhyloNet.
SARS-CoV-2 vaccination of convalescents boosts neutralization capacity against SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron that can be predicted by anti-S antibody concentrations in serological assays
Authors: Seidel Alina , Jahrsdörfer Bernd , Körper Sixten , Albers Dan , Maltitz Pascal von , Müller Rebecca , Lotfi Ramin , Wuchter Patrick , Klüter Harald , Schmidt Michael , Münch Jan , Schrezenmeier Hubert
Published: January 2022

Background

Recent data on immune evasion of new SARS-CoV-2 variants raise concerns about antibody-based COVID-19 therapies. Therefore in this study the in-vitro neutralization capacity against SARS-CoV-2 variants Wuhan D614G, Delta and Omicron in sera of convalescent individuals with and without boost by vaccination was assessed.

Methods and Findings

This in-vitro study included 66 individuals with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, divided into subgroups without (n=29) and with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (n=37). We measured SARS-CoV-2 antibody concentrations by serological assays (anti-SARS-CoV-2-QuantiVac-ELISA (IgG) and Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S) and neutralizing titers against Wuhan D614G, Delta and Omicron in a pseudovirus neutralization assay.

Sera of the majority of unvaccinated convalescents did not effectively neutralize Delta and Omicron (4/29, 13.8% and 19/29, 65.5%, resp.). Neutralizing titers against Wuhan D614G, Delta and Omicron were significantly higher in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated convalescents (p<0.0001) with 11.1, 15.3 and 60-fold higher geometric mean of 50%-neutralizing titers (NT50) in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated convalescents. The increase in neutralizing titers was already achieved by one vaccination dose. Neutralizing titers were highest in the first 3 months after vaccination. Concentrations of anti-S antibodies in the serological assays anti-SARS-CoV-2 QuantiVac-ELISA (IgG) and Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S predict neutralization capacity against Wuhan D614G, Delta and Omicron. While Wuhan D614G was neutralized in-vitro by Bamlanivimab, Casirivimab and Imdevimab, Omicron was resistant to these monoclonal antibodies.

Conclusions

These findings confirm substantial immune evasion of Delta and Omicron which can be overcome by vaccination of convalescents. This informs strategies for choosing of plasma donors in COVID-19 convalescent plasma programs that shall select specifically vaccinated convalescents with very high titers of anti-S antibodies.
Avobenzone, Guaiazulene and Tioxolone identified as potent autophagy inducers in a high-throughput image based screen for autophagy flux
Authors: Prajapat Surendra Kumar , Subramani Chandru , Sharma Puja , Vrati Sudhanshu , Kalia Manjula
Published: January 2022

Autophagy is a conserved intracellular degradation pathway that is essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Given its critical role in several disease conditions, recent studies are focussed on identifying drugs/small molecules with autophagy modulating capacity for potential clinical applications. Here, we describe the development and characterisation of a quantitative image-based high content screening platform for autophagy flux measurements using the human melanoma A375 cell line that stably expresses the GFP-LC3-RFP probe. The GFP-LC3 is incorporated into autophagosomes, while RFP serves an internal control. The GFP/RFP fluorescence intensity ratio gives an accurate indication of autophagy induction (low ratio) vs blockage of autophagy flux (high ratio), and was validated with the autophagy inducer Torin1 and inhibitor Bafilomycin A1. This assay was used to screen the Spectrum collection library comprising of 2560 compounds, to identify autophagy modulators. In addition to known autophagy effectors, several novel autophagy inducers and inhibitors were identified in our study. Further three FDA approved drugs that are widely used in skin-care products: Avobenzone, Guaiazulene and Tioxolone, were validated as potent autophagy inducers that function in an mTOR independent manner.
Bayesian stroke modeling details sex biases in the white matter substrates of aphasia
Authors: Kernbach Julius M. , Hartwigsen Gesa , Lim Jae-Sung , Bae Hee-Joon , Yu Kyung-Ho , Schlaug Gottfried , Bonkhoff Anna , Rost Natalia S. , Bzdok Danilo
Published: January 2022

Ischemic cerebrovascular events often lead to aphasia. Previous work provided hints that such strokes may affect women and men in distinct ways. Women tend to suffer strokes with more disabling language impairment, even if the lesion size is comparable to men. In 1,401 patients, we isolated data-led representations of anatomical lesion patterns and hand-tailored a Bayesian analytical solution to carefully model the degree of sex divergence in predicting language outcomes ∼3 months after stroke. We located lesion-outcome effects in the left-dominant language network that highlight the ventral pathway as a core lesion focus across different tests of language performance. We provide newly detailed evidence for sex-specific brain-behavior associations in the domain-general networks associated with cortico-subcortical pathways, with unique contributions of the fornix in women and cingular fiber bundles in men. Our collective findings suggest diverging white matter substrates in how stroke causes language deficits in women and men. Clinically acknowledging such sex disparities has the potential to improve personalized treatment for stroke patients worldwide.
Domain-adaptive neural networks improve cross-species prediction of transcription factor binding
Authors: Cochran Kelly , Srivastava Divyanshi , Shrikumar Avanti , Balsubramani Akshay , Hardison Ross C. , Kundaje Anshul , Mahony Shaun
Published: January 2022

The intrinsic DNA sequence preferences and cell type–specific cooperative partners of transcription factors (TFs) are typically highly conserved. Hence, despite the rapid evolutionary turnover of individual TF binding sites, predictive sequence models of cell type–specific genomic occupancy of a TF in one species should generalize to closely matched cell types in a related species. To assess the viability of cross-species TF binding prediction, we train neural networks to discriminate ChIP-seq peak locations from genomic background and evaluate their performance within and across species. Cross-species predictive performance is consistently worse than within-species performance, which we show is caused in part by species-specific repeats. To account for this domain shift, we use an augmented network architecture to automatically discourage learning of training species–specific sequence features. This domain adaptation approach corrects for prediction errors on species-specific repeats and improves overall cross-species model performance. Our results show that cross-species TF binding prediction is feasible when models account for domain shifts driven by species-specific repeats.
Stress and memory encoding: What are the roles of the stress-encoding delay and stress relevance?
Authors: Shields Grant S. , Hunter Colton L. , Yonelinas Andrew P.
Published: January 2022

The effects of acute stress on memory encoding are complex. Recent work has suggested that both the delay between stress and encoding and the relevance of the information learned to the stressor may modulate the effects of stress on memory encoding, but the relative contribution of each of these two factors is unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we manipulated (1) acute stress, (2) the delay between stress and encoding, and (3) the relevance of the information learned to the stressor. The results indicated that stress during encoding led to better memory for study materials that were related to the stressor relative to memory for study materials that were unrelated to the stressor. This effect was numerically reduced for materials that were encoded 40 min after stressor onset (23 min after the stressor had ended) compared with items encoded at the time of the stressor, but this difference was not significant. These results suggest that the relevance of the information learned to the stressor may play a particularly important role in the effects of stress on memory encoding, which has important implications for theories of stress and memory.
Na3MgB37Si9: an icosahedral B12 cluster framework containing {Si8} units
Authors: Morito Haruhiko , Ikeda Takuji , Katsura Yukari , Yamane Hisanori
Published: January 2022

Single crystals of a novel sodium–magnesium boride silicide, Na3MgB37Si9 [a = 10.1630 (3) Å, c = 16.5742 (6) Å, space group R\overline{3}m (No. 166)], were synthesized by heating a mixture of Na, Si and crystalline B with B2O3 flux in Mg vapor at 1373 K. The Mg atoms in the title compound are located at an interstitial site of the Dy2.1B37Si9-type structure with an occupancy of 0.5. The (001) layers of B12 icosahedra stack along the c-axis direction with shifting in the [–a/3, b/3, c/3] direction. A three-dimensional framework structure of the layers is formed via B—Si bonds and {Si8} units of [Si]3—Si—Si—[Si]3.
Cannabis tourists' perceived constraints to engaging in commercial cannabis tourism overseas: a comparison of first-time and repeat tourists
Authors: Wen Jun , Kozak Metin , Ying Tianyu
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Given the increasing number of tourists exposed to commercially available cannabis, it is important to understand visitors' perceived constraints to cannabis consumption while travelling. This study aims to compare cannabis tourists' perceived constraints between first-time and repeat tourists to gain comprehensive understanding.

Design/methodology/approach

This study involved 32 conversational field interviews (5–10 min) with Chinese tourists who had smoked cannabis in coffee shops in Amsterdam to identify perceived constraints to engaging in cannabis tourism. The hierarchical constraint model (HCM) informed qualitative data coding using a deductive approach to compare first-time and repeat tourists. Content analysis was conducted manually.

Findings

Results showed that both tourist groups faced intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural perceived constraints to cannabis consumption. Differences in first-time and repeat cannabis tourists' perceived constraints were explained using the neutralization technique framework and psychological tactics, such as the defence of necessity, claims of entitlement, normal practice and claims of relative acceptability. In addition, social exchange theory was employed to explain why repeat cannabis tourists perceived fewer constraints than first-time tourists.

Practical implications

Although the current study did not intend to address the importance of cannabis tourism in places where cannabis is commercially available, findings offer empirical guidance for industry practitioners and policymakers regarding cannabis use education, prevention and policy in tourism contexts; related efforts can promote the sustainable development of this tourism market while protecting cannabis tourists' physical and psychological well-being.

Originality/value

This study makes important theoretical contributions regarding travel constraints in the unique context of cannabis tourism between first-time and repeat tourists. Findings will also enable academics, industry operators, policymakers and local residents of cannabis tourism destinations to better understand how these tourists decide whether to consume cannabis overseas. Differences in these perceived constraints between first-time and repeat tourists are discussed to highlight the dynamic nature of travel constraints.
Work engagement, affective commitment, and career satisfaction: the mediating role of knowledge sharing in context of SIEs
Authors: Singh Anupriya
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine linkages between work engagement, affective commitment, and career satisfaction, while probing the mediating role of knowledge sharing in context of self-initiated- expatriates (SIEs).

Design/methodology/approach

A mediation model was tested using survey data from 266 SIEs working in US information technology (IT) multinational corporations (MNCs).

Findings

The results revealed significant direct and indirect effects of work engagement on affective commitment and career satisfaction through knowledge sharing.

Research limitations/implications

Although common method bias and validity of measurement were assessed in this study, the survey data were cross-sectional. Rigorous testing of the proposed mediated model through longitudinal design must be undertaken to allow for stronger inferences about causation.

Practical implications

The results suggest that organizations must nurture a knowledge sharing culture to promote knowledge exchange amongst SIEs. This study also underscores the importance of SIEs' work engagement as an enabler of knowledge sharing. Managers have a critical role in creating the right work environment, where SIEs feel engaged in their work and motivated to share knowledge.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine interlinkages between work engagement, knowledge sharing, affective commitment and career satisfaction in SIEs' context.
Towards an analysis of the determinants of exports in Brazil: the perspective of exporting companies
Authors: Mataveli Mara , Ayala Juan Carlos , Gil Alfonso J.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Few studies have analysed the determinants of exports in emerging economies, which are critical in the exporting reality of firms. Two variables decisively affect the export performance of firms – their size and their export experience. This paper analyses the relationship between size and export experience in the export intensity of Brazilian firms. In addition, it considers two variables (location and sector) that identify firms in Brazil and could affect their export intensity. This research answers the question of which characteristics of Brazilian companies determine their export intensity.

Design/methodology/approach

A statistically significant sample of 318 firms is collected from Brazilian exporting companies. Regression analysis is performed, and data describing the relationship between the export determinants and the export intensity of Brazilian firms are presented. Three evaluation models are proposed. In the first, the location and sector variables are considered. In the second, the firm size, firm location and sector are presented. In the third, the firm size, export experience, location and sector are proposed.

Findings

The results of the third model confirm that only export experience is statistically significant. Therefore, there is no relationship between firms' size, location and sector and export intensity for companies in Brazil.

Originality/value

This work shows the organisational characteristics that affect export performance in Brazil from the firm’s perspective; these are aspects that have been analysed less in emerging economies.
Informal communication in organizations: work time wasted at the water-cooler or crucial exchange among co-workers?
Authors: Koch Thomas , Denner Nora
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Previous research assumes that informal communication may be highly relevant for organizations, but little is known about its actual relevance for employees or its functions and effects. The article aims to examine functions, types and effects of informal communication in organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Research on internal communication usually focuses on formal strategic communication with or among employees. Informal communication between employees in organizations has received far less attention, although a great deal of communication in organizations is informal. Therefore, the present study analyses informal communication in organizations. The authors conducted a quantitative online survey of employees working for different organizations in Germany.

Findings

The authors show that five types of employee can be differentiated regarding their informal communication behavior: the chatterer, the focuser, the strategist, the small-talker and the networker. Moreover, the study demonstrates that informal communication significantly increases employees' perceptions of being informed, as well as their affective commitment, both of which increase job satisfaction. Finally, results show that informal communication does not decrease employees' productivity, but instead helps them to carry out their jobs more effectively.

Originality/value

Although previous studies indicate that a large part of the communication among employees within an organization is informal, research has rarely dealt with this phenomenon, instead focusing especially on formal communication. This is one of the first papers that focuses on informal communication among employees using quantitative survey data.
Alfa pineapple: an entrepreneur’s dilemma
Authors: George Josemon , Dhaigude Amol S. , Padhi Sidhartha S.
Published: January 2022

Learning outcomes

The case depicts an opportunity for students to be exposed to the decision theory concept. The study aims to encourage them to use the data given in the case and exhibits to explore as follows: decision-making under uncertainty; decision-making under risk; compare and contrast uncertainty and risk; and evaluate the value of perfect information EVPI and understand its application in decision-making.

Case overview/synopsis

Vikas Teerth, a budding entrepreneur, wanted to venture out into the pineapple business. He had three land plots available, but he would like to take up a single plot after analyzing the possible returns factoring the volatile prices and other impending constraints. He wanted to use the decision-making approaches with the aid of probability to arrive at the best decision. This case helps the instructors to introduce the concept of decision-making under risk and under uncertainty which comes under the preview of decision theory. Students can use the data given in the case and exhibits to do the necessary calculations required and thereby get an insight into the process of calculated decision-making.

Complexity academic level

This case can teach decision theory in undergraduate-level and graduate-level courses in operations research, decision-making and industrial engineering. It can also be used to discuss issues and challenges faced in start-ups or SME entrepreneurship.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 7: Management Science.
The role of leadership–member exchange relationships in the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards by Greek public hospitals
Authors: Dalla Konstantia , Lois Petros , Makrygiannakis Georgios
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the quality of relations within upper-level management in Greek public hospitals (GPHs), as well as to specify the extent to which these facilitate or hinder the forthcoming International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) adoption and implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted on a sample of 143 upper-management professionals drawn from across the 125 GPHs. A multivariate structural equation model (SEM) is used to investigate the degree of interdependence of the level of convenience of implementation under the view of the leader-member exchange (LMX) scale.

Findings

The findings suggest that the established leader-member relations in the GPHs facilitate reforms. However, these relationships are of little benefit to IPSAS adoption and implementation mainly due to the low degrees of competence and commitment to IPSAS. The passive adoption of IPSAS is the most likely outcome.

Originality/value

The study recontextualizes the LMX model to public sector research. The findings have value to hospital leadership and to policymakers, as well as to researchers studying the difficulties of IPSAS adoption and implementation.
Do politically connected, economically powerful firms comply with labor laws in China?
Authors: Chen Ying , Sun Yuanyuan
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study investigates, from a resource dependence perspective, the effects of domestic private firms' political connections and economic power on their labor law compliance in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used data from a large-scale nationwide survey on Chinese domestic private firms, the Chinese Private Enterprise Survey collected from 2004 to 2012, to examine factors of interest that affect firms' compliance to labor laws. Hypotheses were tested using OLS regression models with robust standard errors.

Findings

The results indicate that domestic private firms' institutional political connections specified by the presence of a union or a Chinese Communist Party committee is positively related to firms' labor law compliance, and firm owners' formal political connections indicated by their membership in the People's Congress or the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference have a somewhat negative effect. The post-hoc analysis shows that firm owners' political representation at the county and city levels is negatively related with labor law compliance, while the political representation at the national level is positively related to labor law compliance. Moreover, the economic power of a domestic private firm is related positively to its labor law compliance. Finally, although the authors did not find evidence that the 2008 Labor Contract Law increased labor contract coverage, it did increase pension coverage after 2008.

Research limitations/implications

The present study reveals a more refined relationship between domestic private firm owners’ political connections and the degree of labor law compliance. It also demonstrates that the economic power of domestic private firms has a positive effect on their labor law compliance. This implies the importance of the contribution of domestic private firms to economic and social development in China, warranting continued support of the development of the private sector in China.

Originality/value

This study adds to the sparse literature on the determinants of domestic private firms' labor law compliance in China. It also sheds light on whether political connections and the rising economic power of Chinese domestic private firms influence their compliance with labor laws.
Impact of financial inclusion on food security: evidence from developing countries
Authors: Arshad Ameena
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The paper empirically investigates the impact of financial inclusion on food security. Subsequently, it examines the overall effect of various dimensions of financial inclusion on food security of developing countries using the panel data for the time period of 2004–2019.

Design/methodology/approach

To overcome the problem of endogeneity, the study has used a fixed-effect model, two-stage least-square and system generalized method of moments estimation techniques. Secondary data was collected from various websites such as WDI, FAO, UNICEF and UNESCO.

Findings

It was found in the study that there is a significant effect of financial inclusion on food security. The evidence shows that if there is more financial inclusion in the country, it will help poor people to cope with difficult situations they face and provide them food security. Financial development, per capita income, agriculture growth and education positively affect food security, while militarization and urbanization have a negative impact on food security. The crux of the analysis is that any country's financial sector is an integral part of any country that supports food security.

Originality/value

The literature does not clearly show the impact of financial inclusion dimensions on developing countries' food security. Therefore, there is a need to use all the dimensions of financial inclusion to check the overall impact on food security. For this purpose, the financial inclusion index is developed. A new dimension of non-life insurance is introduced that has not been used previously by any researcher to check financial inclusion impact.
Banning markets for moral reasons: is the abolition of slavery a role model for the future of animal production?
Authors: Mann Stefan
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The market for slaves is one of the few cases where trade is banned for moral reasons in every country. While animal activists often link animal production to slavery, they fail to answer the question about why animal production persists in every country, while slavery is banned everywhere.

Design/methodology/approach

The purpose of this paper is to show both parallels and differences between slavery and animal production, both from a historic and systematic perspective.

Findings

It can be shown that the claim about the many philosophical parallels between slavery and animal production is justified, but that the political economy between the cases differs strongly, particularly regarding the distribution of benefits.

Practical implications

The paper argues that the food industry will play a decisive role in the future of animal production.

Social implications

The loss of jobs would certainly be an issue if animal production was banned, whereas the labor market effects of abolition were more complex.

Originality/value

While the comparison is not new, this is the first holistic evaluation of it.
Can you see opportunity knocking? An examination of technology-based political skill on opportunity recognition in online communities for MTurk workers
Authors: Di Gangi Paul M. , McAllister Charn P. , Howard Jack L. , Thatcher Jason Bennett , Ferris Gerald R.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Political skill has emerged as a concept of interest within the information systems literature to explain individual performance outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to adapt political skill to technology-mediated contexts. Specifically, the authors seek to understand political skill's role in shaping microtask workers' opportunity recognition when utilizing online communities in microtask work environments.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors tested their research model using a survey of 348 Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers who participate in microtask-related online communities. MTurk is a large, popular microtasking platform used by thousands of microtask workers daily, with several online communities supporting microtask workers.

Findings

Technology-based political skill plays a critical role in shaping the resources microtasking workers rely upon from online communities, including opportunity recognition and knowledge sharing. The ability to develop opportunity recognition positively impacts a microtask worker's ability to leverage online communities for microtask worker performance. Tenure in the community acts as a moderator within the model.

Originality/value

The present study makes several contributions. First, the authors adapt political skill to an online community to account for how microtask workers understand a community's socio-technical environment. Second, the authors demonstrate the antecedent role of political skill for opportunity recognition and knowledge sharing. Third, the authors provide empirical validation of the link between online communities and microtask worker performance.
Modern slavery, accountability and technology: evidence from a West Asian context
Authors: Diab Ahmed
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to present an institutional analysis of modern slavery to understand the accountability status for domestic workers in the West Asian context, notably Lebanon. This study also aims to explore how today’s modern age – where Internet technologies and social media platforms are highly dominant – affects modern slavery.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on conversations and secondary data such as previous studies, Internet websites and media reports published in the West Asian region, especially Lebanon.

Findings

The study found a context where different institutional factors are influential with no specific definition of accountability. The context specificities, including the misuse of Internet technologies, contributed to the migrant domestic workers’ precarious life and the absence of resistance and actions from the domestic workers’ side (account holders). Further, weak institutional settings and indigenous cultural factors have contributed to the lack of accountability and responsibility from power holders such as households and employers’ governments.

Originality/value

This study provides insights to researchers and other stakeholders concerned with socioeconomic issues in West Asia. Further, it has a social implication by highlighting the humanitarian problem of marginalised migrant domestic workers traveling from poor African and South Asian countries to West Asian countries and indicating to the broader society’s social responsibility or duty concerning this problem.
Financial intelligence (monitoring) of the transactions with virtual assets: new legislation and best practices of foreign countries
Authors: Utkina Maryna , Samsin Roman , Pochtovyi Maksym
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to illustrate how virtual assets are used in such criminal offenses as money laundering and seeks to study the role of financial intelligence (monitoring) of transactions with virtual assets effectively in combating money laundering.

Design/methodology/approach

This research methodology includes system and structural methods that help analyze the theoretical, organizational and legal bases of the financial intelligence (monitoring) of transactions with virtual assets. The authors use the doctrinal legal research approach to analyze and describe the legislation connected to the financial intelligence (monitoring) operations with virtual assets. To identify critical issues of understanding the “virtual assets” and “cryptocurrency” essence, the peculiarities of the scientific community views on the given definitions, the authors use the method of terminological analysis and concepts operationalization. The authors use the extrapolation method to determine the possibility of implementing the analyzed best practices of foreign countries in the domestic practice of financial intelligence (monitoring) of transactions with virtual assets as an effective way in combating money laundering.

Findings

This study demonstrates the role of financial intelligence (monitoring) of transactions with virtual assets as an effective way to combat money laundering.

Originality/value

The article is devoted to comprehensively studying “virtual assets” and “cryptocurrency” concepts. The authors carried out a comparative analysis of these two concepts with the definition of their features and the main characteristics and features that separate them from each other. The authors also stressed the need for countries to strengthen the requirements for situations and activities with virtual assets, where there is a high level of risk in a risk-based approach.
Effects of leadership and reward systems on employees' motivation and job satisfaction: an application to the Portuguese textile industry
Authors: Leitão Mariana , Correia Ricardo Jorge , Teixeira Mário Sérgio , Campos Susana
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study explores the perception of employees in textile industry firms in Northern Portugal regarding the influence of leadership and reward systems (RS) on their motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) and job satisfaction (JS).

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was addressed to the employees of 12 firms, obtaining a sample of 256 valid responses, for which a structural equation model was estimated.

Findings

The results showed that leadership and RS influence JS only through the mediating effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Originality/value

This study makes empirical and theoretical contributions, testing the relationship between leadership and employees' JS and how this relationship can be mediated by RS, and motivation – both intrinsic and extrinsic. Moreover, this study was conducted in Portugal, country where these issues have not been researched jointly before.
Responding to crises: rewilding accounting education for the Anthropocene
Authors: Powell Lisa , McGuigan Nicholas
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Responding to COVID-19, this conceptual paper uses rewilding to interrupt anthropocentric and human/nature dualist properties of accounting education. Through rewilding accounting education, informed by posthumanist and ecofeminist thought, this paper aims to develop an accounting pedagogy that shapes greater ecocentric narratives. Accounting educators can contribute to addressing crises by evolving new pedagogies that radically transform the education of future accounting professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors take a critical stance in analysing the human-centred accounting education model. They explore how this model can be reimagined through rewilding accounting education, resulting in learning interventions that foster an understanding of intrinsic value, complexity of systems and collective disposition with all species and the natural world.

Findings

Rewilding learning interventions embed an ecocentric approach in accounting curricula design to extend beyond a human focus. Rewilding learning interventions practically explored with application to accounting include learning with and from nature, Indigenous knowledge perspectives, play as a common language and empathy as a dialogical bridge.

Social implications

The authors present an accounting pedagogy that fosters among accounting students and educators a relational orientation and ecological consciousness that encompasses compassion and openness to others, including non-human species and nature. This will ensure that accounting graduates are better prepared for addressing future crises that stem from our disconnect with nature.

Originality/value

This paper adds to limited research investigating accounting and the Anthropocene. Investigations into the Anthropocene’s human-centred discourse in accounting education are vital to respond adequately to crises. This paper extends social and environmental accounting education literature to encompass less anthropocentric discourse and greater relational learning.
Utilisation of Diospyros kaki L. (persimmon) as a functional ingredient to produce functional foods: a review
Authors: Kaur Naman , Kumari Anjana , Agarwal Aparna , Sabharwal Manisha , Dipti Saumya
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to discuss the nutritional value and potential nutraceutical properties of Diospyros kaki L. (DKL); to encapsulate recent studies conducted across the world to develop functional foods using different parts of Persimmon fruit to emphasise on the need for further research on Persimmon fruit.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of the study involved surveying primary and secondary information generated in the respective field of interest. The papers found most suited for the research problem and objective of the study were selected. The perspectives taken by different studies and researchers were synthesised to generate a solution to the research problems and to bridge the research gaps in the field.

Findings

As a result of the global rise in the prevalence of metabolic disorders, researchers are aimed at identifying nutrient rich foods and techniques to develop functional foods for the population. Researchers have recognised the role of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and probiotics, are now interested in leveraging these foods by incorporating them in conventional foods, such as breads, jams, pastas and yoghurts as functional ingredients. One such food that has gained the interests of various researchers is DKL. Owing to its rich macro-and micro-nutrient, as well as phytochemical content various studies have been conducted to explore the possibility of using it as a functional ingredient to develop a range of foods.

Research limitations/implications

A limited studies are available that have investigated the effect of the functional foods developed using different parts of Persimmon fruit on different ailments.

Originality/value

This study collected the data/information from recently published research in the field of health and medicinal benefits of Persimmon fruits and its utilisation to develop functional food.
Real‐world safety and effectiveness of adalimumab in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa: 12‐week interim analysis of post‐marketing surveillance in Japan
Authors: Hayashi Nobukazu , Hayama Koremasa , Takahashi Kenzo , Kurokawa Ichiro , Okazaki Masateru , Kashiwagi Tomoko , Iwashita Eri , Terui Tadashi
Published: January 2022

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a painful chronic skin disease characterized by abscesses, nodules, and tunnels in the skin. Adalimumab, a monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor‐α, is approved for the treatment of HS in Europe, the USA, and Japan. This multicenter, open‐label, post‐marketing, observational study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03894956) evaluated the safety and effectiveness of adalimumab in routine clinical practice in Japan (March 2019–May 2021). Patients with HS were treated with s.c. doses of adalimumab according to the dosage described in the package insert. The primary end‐point was safety (data cut‐off, December 2020). Secondary end‐points assessed effectiveness, including HS Clinical Response (HiSCR), skin pain, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and C‐reactive protein (CRP). Here, we report 12‐week interim effectiveness results. A total of 84 eligible patients from 65 sites were enrolled; 83 patients were included in this analysis. Mean age was 42.0 years, mean body mass index was 26.9 kg/m2, 78.3% of patients were male, 61.4% had Hurley stage III disease, 39.8% had a disease duration ≥10 years, and 7.2% had a family history of HS. The most common affected sites were the axilla (60.2%), buttocks (59.0%), and the inguinal and femoral regions (47.0%). Mean abscess and inflammatory nodule count was 13.0 (standard deviation, 12.0). Among patients with a comorbidity (57.8%), the most common were diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. No patient reported a serious infection or any safety event of special interest. One patient died from a serious adverse event of cardiac failure unrelated to adalimumab. At week 12, 57.4% of patients achieved HiSCR, and significant reductions from baseline in skin pain, DLQI (both p < 0.0001), and CRP (p = 0.0029) were observed. These results support the administration of adalimumab as a well‐tolerated and effective treatment for Japanese patients with HS in real‐world clinical practice.
Do social protection cash transfers reduce poverty in Rwanda? Evidence from an econometric analysis of Vision Umurenge Program Direct Support
Authors: Nirere Maurice
Published: January 2022

Countries across the world continue to invest in social protection programs with the goal of ending poverty by 2030. It is important to examine these programs to know whether they are serving the purpose of reducing poverty. In Rwanda, the impact of the Vision Umurenge Program (VUP) regarding poverty‐related outcomes has not been consistently revealed. This leads to uncertainty about the program's effectiveness in achieving the stated goals. This paper intends to fill this gap by estimating the impact of the VUP Direct Support on poverty outcomes. It uses the Propensity Score Matching method to compare the effects of the VUP with a counterfactual outcome. The findings show that the program is benefitting households in response to economic risks. However, the scheme is not lifting them above the national poverty lines. The main contribution of the paper is that it uses a novel method using the latest statistics to evaluate the VUP. In addition, it uses the most recent household data. The study provides a significant contribution to evaluation of the effectiveness of anti‐poverty interventions in Rwanda, as well as the Sub‐Saharan region, where the journey towards achieving the goal of reducing poverty is demanding.
Shared secrecy: teasing, attachment, and children's emotional management in rural southern Mongolia
Authors: Michelet Aude
Published: January 2022

In recent decades, anthropologists have scrutinized psychologists’ claim that humans process information about others by imputing mental states. The debate remains open whether cross‐cultural variability in how people conceive of minds and inner states reflects differences in their folk theories only, or whether it engenders deep‐grained psychological differences. In this article, I look at the very onset of children's apprenticeship in emotional management to examine its cognitive consequences. In the context of rural Mongolia in the late 2000s, questions about homesickness prompted by adults raised children's awareness of the existence of a private self and by the very same process discouraged verbalization or public display of personal feelings. I start by presenting interactions where children were routinely teased about homesickness, and invited to deny that they missed their family. I contextualize this teasing routine within local conceptions about emotional control and linguistic ideology to unveil how it introduced children to the performative power of words while also making them face moral dilemmas. The irreconcilable tension between behaving according to expectations of self‐control and experiencing separation induced children's discovery of the possibility of disconnecting intimate feelings from public self‐presentation, thus transforming the experience of separation into an experience of secret connection. I speculate that the secrecy that hallows homesickness contributed to making it all the more poignant. The way adults constantly checked on whether children were missing their home prompted children to actually identify some emotional state or aspect of their experience as ‘missing home’. It gave a name to a personal experience which thus became social and guaranteed that it became a shared feeling, albeit a secret one.
Site‐based payment differentials for ambulatory services among individuals with commercial insurance
Authors: Sen Aditi P. , Singh Yashaswini , Anderson Gerard F.
Published: January 2022

Objective

To compare prices paid by commercial insurers for ambulatory services in physician office and hospital outpatient settings.

Data Sources

MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database obtained from Truven Health Analytics.

Study Design

We examined ambulatory service claims for a sample of privately insured individuals who were continuously enrolled in a health maintenance organization plan, preferred provider organization plan, high‐deductible/consumer‐driven health plan, or exclusive provider organization plan in 2018. We categorized services into five categories: Evaluation & Management, Medical Services & Procedures, Pathology/Lab, Radiology, and Surgical. We identified services commonly provided in both outpatient and office settings and computed the price differential between outpatient and office services overall and for each service category, controlling for observable patient characteristics and geography.

Data Collection

We examined 89 services (defined by Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] code) that were provided in both office and outpatient settings in our sample (102.7 million claims, 8.3 million individuals).

Principal Findings

Adjusting for patient and geographic characteristics and across all services, total payment for an ambulatory service was, on average, 145% higher in a hospital outpatient department than the same service in a physician office. Out‐of‐pocket spending was 109% higher. Price differences between outpatient and office services were highest for pathology/laboratory services. Patients receiving services in outpatient departments had higher mean risk scores and received more services on the date of their visit (in addition to the index CPT being studied) than patients receiving the same index CPT in a physician's office.

Conclusions

Payments in hospital outpatient departments were significantly higher than payments for the same services in physician offices among commercially insured patients. Policies such as site‐neutral payment would lower costs and could reduce incentives for further consolidation in health care markets. Care must be given to adjusting for patient severity across settings.
The Next CAP will Disappoint Farmers and Not Green the Markets
Authors: Osinga Klaas Johan
Published: January 2022

The new CAP integrates both CAP Pillars in one National Strategic Plan. Basic area payments, eco‐schemes and agri‐environmental measures are its three important cornerstones. There remains a direct payment per hectare but the ‘new conditionality’ raises the bar for farmers. This is like putting the horse behind the cart! The CAP should see a transition from measures (compliance) to outcomes (performance) but for the moment, farmers are facing more rules. The budget remains the limiting factor for the many ambitions of the CAP. Transferring more money from direct payments to environmental measures undermines the income safety net for farmers but is politically attractive. Income support is still a key objective of the CAP but it seems sometimes to be forgotten. Growers of high value crops such as vegetables, ornamental crops and seed potatoes will, in particular, carefully consider if the next CAP is still something to sign up to. Social conditionality is new with the possibility of deduction of direct payments if minimum labour standards are not met. The arrival of the new Commission with its Green Deal ambitions may further jeopardise farm incomes, particularly if land has to be taken out of production. We now wait to see how EU Member States will shape their National Strategic Plans. We accept the need for transition but the economics must also work for our farmers to make it happen.