bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study protocol: Medium throughput, deep proteomic characterization of children with PIMS-TS, and identification of candidate diagnostic biomarkers
Authors: Roarty Cathal , Mills Clare , Tonry Claire , Cosgrove Peter , Norman-Bruce Hannah , Groves Helen , Watson Chris , Waterfield Tom
Published: December 2022

SARS-CoV-2 infection in children results in a wide range of clinical outcomes. Paediatric Multisystem Inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19(PIMS-TS) occurs weeks after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, and results in severe illness. This protocol describes a study to fully characterize the circulating proteome of children who have PIMS-TS, the proteome of healthy children who have previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the proteome of febrile children with a confirmed invasive infection. Orthogonal proteomic techniques will be utilized to provide a deep proteomic characterization.
The Effects of the Timing of Diuretic Administration and Other Covariates on Urine Volume in Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Abbaspour Sara , Aguirre Aaron D. , Westover M. Brandon , Klerman Elizabeth B.
Published: December 2022

“What time should I take my medicine?” is an increasingly important question. Current knowledge of time-of-day effects for specific medications in hospitalized patients with cardiovascular disease is very limited. In such patients, increased medication efficiency could potentially reduce dose use and/or the length of time in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and/or hospital – potentially improving patient outcomes and patient and family quality of life, and reducing financial costs. We studied whether the time of day or night a patient is given a diuretic affects urine volume response. In this observational study, data were from 7,704 patients (63% male, 18 to 98 years old) admitted to one hospital’s acute care cardiac units, cardiac ICUs, cardiac surgery ICUs, and/or non-cardiac ICUs, who received intravenous furosemide (a diuretic), had measurements of urine volume, were hospitalized for ≥ 3 days between January 2016 to July 2021 and were older than 18 years. We used machine learning (ML) techniques to analyze the data. The ML technique identified factors that were expected to predict urine volume response to the diuretic: sex, age, medication dose and time, creatinine concentration, diagnosis, and hospital unit. The ML technique also identified medication administration time 00:00–06:00 as a predictor of higher urine volume response. Randomized controlled trials should be conducted to quantify the relative effect of modifiable factors, such as time of medication administration.
A machine learning based image classification method to estimate fish sizes from images without a specified reference object
Authors: Silva Catarina NS , Dainys Justas , Simmons Sean , Audzijonyte Asta
Published: December 2022

Most fish populations around the world are unassessed and their status is unknown. Size based methods could provide fast and transparent assessments, but they require information on fish sizes. Citizen science programs, social media and smart phone applications generate millions of georeferenced fish images globally. Machine learning based fish species and size identification could help turn these images into valuable data for population status assessments. We present a machine learning, image classification based method to identify fish size classes from photos of anglers holding fish. To train the model we group images into ten 5-10 cm size classes, similar to classes used in underwater visual fish surveys. The model was trained using 2602 images from angler citizen science platforms MyCatch and FishSizeProject. Although the number of images was limited, the model achieved an overall accuracy of ~50%. Importantly, the misidentification of size classes was consistent across 20 separate model training rounds, each conducted with an independent, random allocation of images for training and test datasets. Our method suggests that photo based fish size class identification is feasible, and that prediction uncertainty should be incorporated into subsequent analysis, as it is done with fish ageing errors in fisheries stock assessments.
Patterns and drivers of the diving behavior of large pelagic predators
Authors: Nuno Amy , Guiet Jérome , Baranek Brooke , Bianchi Daniele
Published: December 2022

Many large pelagic predators, including shark, tuna, and billfish, periodically dive to deep oceanic layers, connecting the surface and mesopelagic ecosystems. However, the patterns and drivers of deep dives across species remain poorly understood. To close this gap, we conduct a meta-analysis of the diving behavior of 24 pelagic predator species from the global ocean, resulting in 671 independent diving depth estimates from 87 tagging studies. Our analysis reveals consistent large-scale patterns in diving depths, with predators diving deeper offshore and during the day, and shallower closer to the coast and during the night. Deep diving species show similar diving depths during the night, with deeper dives for sharks, and shallower dives for tuna and swordfish. These patterns are reversed during the day, widening the gap between day and night vertical ranges for these groups. In contrast, shallow diving species show smaller variations between day and night dives, with sharks diving slightly deeper on average, followed by tuna and billfish. Correlations with co-located environmental variables suggest an important predictive role for proxies of prey abundance and light availability, as well as variables that influence physiology, such as oxygen and temperature. These relationships are more robust for deep divers during the day, and shallow divers at night. Our analysis highlights the value of tagging observations for the development of a mechanistic, quantitative characterization of vertical habitat use of large marine predators and its environmental constraints.
Early excitatory and inhibitory modifications in the motor cortex following skill learning support motor memory consolidation and cortical plasticity overnight
Authors: Eisenstein Tamir , Furman-Haran Edna , Tal Assaf
Published: December 2022

The learning of new motor skills constitutes an inseparable part of our lives. Motor consolidation refers to the offline processing of motor memories following the acquisition of new motor skills. The animal literature suggests that the primary motor cortex (M1) plays a key role in motor memory consolidation, and structural and functional plasticity in M1 following motor consolidation have been demonstrated. However, the mechanisms supporting motor memory consolidation and plasticity in the human M1 are not well understood. Initial human neuroimaging studies show that the initial stages of motor learning in humans are accompanied by short-term temporal dynamics of the brain’s main excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters – Glutamate (Glu) and GABA – in M1, but it remains unclear how these relate to the question of motor memory consolidation.

Here, we show that early Glu and GABA modifications in M1 following motor skill learning may play vital roles in supporting motor memory consolidation and neural plasticity that take place over longer time scales. Using a multimodal magnetic resonance approach implemented on ultra-high field 7T scanner in healthy young adults (n=36), we found increased Glu and decreased GABA in M1 during the initial offline period following learning to support consolidation-related local and inter-regional functions of M1, such as motor memory reactivation and increased functional connectivity with the striatum. These neurochemical changes also correlated with overnight structural and functional plasticity expressed as increased M1 grey matter volume and functional connectivity, while Glu modifications also correlated with adaptive behavior, as reflected by improvements in skill performance.

Our results provide intriguing microscale mechanistic evidence to the potential distinctive roles of Glu and GABA in promoting motor memory consolidation and plasticity in the human M1. They also highlight a role for early neurochemical modifications to memory consolidation and plasticity in the human brain and may hold important clinical implications in rehabilitative settings such as in stroke and brain injury.
A 3D Clinical Face Phenotype Space of Genetic Syndromes using a Triplet-Based Singular Geometric Autoencoder
Authors: Mahdi Soha S. , Caldeira Eduarda , Matthews Harold , Vanneste Michiel , Nauwelaers Nele , Yuan Meng , Gong Shunwang , Bouritsas Giorgos , Baynam Gareth S , Hammond Peter , Spritz Richard , Klein Ophir D , Bronstein Michael , Hallgrimsson Benedikt , Peeters Hilde , Claes Peter
Published: December 2022

Clinical diagnosis of syndromes benefits strongly from objective facial phenotyping. This study introduces a novel approach to enhance clinical diagnosis through the development and exploration of a low-dimensional metric space referred to as the clinical face phenotypic space (CFPS). As a facial matching tool for clinical genetics, such CFPS can enhance clinical diagnosis. It helps to interpret facial dysmorphisms of a subject by placing them within the space of known dysmorphisms. In this paper, a triplet loss-based autoencoder developed by geometric deep learning (GDL) is trained using multi-task learning, which combines supervised and unsupervised learning approaches. Experiments are designed to illustrate the following properties of CFPSs that can aid clinicians in narrowing down their search space: a CFPS can 1) classify syndromes accurately, 2) generalize to novel syndromes, and 3) preserve the relatedness of genetic diseases, meaning that clusters of phenotypically similar disorders reflect functional relationships between genes. The proposed model consists of three main components: an encoder based on GDL optimizing distances between groups of individuals in the CFPS, a decoder enhancing classification by reconstructing faces, and a singular value decomposition layer maintaining orthogonality and optimal variance distribution across dimensions. This allows for the selection of an optimal number of CFPS dimensions as well as improving the classification capacity of the CFPS.
Comparative genetic study of the colony structure and colony spatial distribution between the higher termiteAmitermes parvulusand the lower, subterranean termiteReticulitermes flavipesin an urban environment
Authors: Eyer Pierre-André , Moran Megan N. , Richardson Steven , Shults Phillip T. , Liu Kuan-Ling Kelly , Blumenfeld Alexander J. , Davis Robert , Vargo Edward L.
Published: December 2022

In insects, ecological competition has often resulted in phenotypic changes and modifications to foraging areas. In termites - and social insects as a whole - colonies cannot easily escape competition through the relocation of their colony. In these species, the outcomes of inter and intra-specific competition are influenced by different life history traits, such as colony size, breeding system (number and types of reproductives), food preference, tunneling patterns, nest site selection, and antagonism between colonies.

Here, we investigated variation in breeding system and spatial distribution among colonies of a higher termiteAmitermes parvulusand a subterranean termiteReticulitermes flavipeswithin an urban landscape. We first developed microsatellite markers as a tool to study these life history traits inA. parvulus. Second, we assessed competitive exclusion or tolerance ofA. parvulusandR. flavipescolonies by determining their fine-scale distribution using monitoring stations on a grid site, and their large-scale distribution across an urban landscape. Third, we investigated the breeding system ofA. parvuluscolonies. We showed that the numerous colonies ofR. flavipesinhabiting a restricted area contrast with the few, but spatially expansive colonies ofA. parvulus, suggesting these species face different degrees of intra-specific competition. We showed that colonies ofA. parvulusfrequently merged together, and all of them were headed by inbred neotenic reproductives, two characteristics rarely observed in higher termites. Overall, our study revealed drastic differences in colony structure, breeding systems and foraging ranges between the two species. These differences may reflect differences in food preference and food availability between the two species allowing their co-existence within the same urban environment.
Computational and structural insights into the pre- and post-hydrolysis states of bovine multidrug resistance associated protein 1 (MRP1)
Authors: Tóth Ágota , Crespi Veronica , Janaszkiewicz Angelika , Di Meo Florent
Published: December 2022

ATP-binding cassette C-family drug membrane transporters play an important role in local pharmacokinetics,i.e., drug concentration in cellular compartments. From the structural point of view, only the bovine ortholog of the multidrug-resistance associated protein 1 (bMRP1) has been resolved. We here used μs-scaled molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the structure and dynamics ofbMRP1 in pre- and post-hydrolysis functional states. The present work aims to examine the slight but likely relevant structural differences between pre- and post-hydrolysis states of outward-facing conformations as well as the interactions between MRP1 and the surrounding lipid bilayer. Global conformational dynamics show unfavourable extracellular opening associated with nucleotide binding domain dimerization indicating that the post-hydrolysis state adopts a close-cleft conformation rather than an outward-open conformation. Our present simulations also highlight persistent interactions with annular cholesterol molecules and the expected active role of lipid bilayer in the allosteric communication between distant domains of MRP1 transporter.
Lumped Parameter Liver Simulation to Predict Acute Hemodynamic Alterations Following Partial Resections
Authors: Tithof Jeffrey , Pruett Timothy L. , Rao Joseph Sushil
Published: December 2022

Partial liver resections are routinely performed in living donor liver transplantation and to debulk tumors in liver malignancies, but surgical decisions on vessel reconstruction for adequate inflow and outflow are challenging. Pre-operative evaluation is often limited to radiological imaging, which fails to account for post-resection hemodynamic alterations. Substantial evidence suggests post-surgical increase in local volume flow rate enhances shear stress, signaling hepatic regeneration, but excessive shear stress has been postulated to result in small for size syndrome and liver failure. Predicting hemodynamic alterations throughout the liver is particularly challenging due to the dendritic architecture the vasculature, spanning several orders of magnitude in diameter. Therefore, we developed a mathematical lumped parameter model with realistic heterogeneities capturing inflow/outflow of the human liver to simulate acute perfusion alterations following surgical resection. Our model is parameterized using clinical measurements, relies on a single free parameter, and accurately captures established perfusion characteristics. We quantify acute changes in volume flow rate, flow speed, and wall shear stress following variable, realistic liver resections and make comparisons to the intact liver. Our numerical model runs in minutes and can be adapted to patient-specific anatomy, providing a novel computational tool aimed at assisting pre- and intra-operative surgical decisions for liver resections.
Preservation of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential is Necessary for Lifespan Extension from Dietary Restriction
Authors: Berry Brandon J. , Mjelde Evan , Carreno Fatima , Gilham Kathryn , Hanson Emily J. , Na Emily , Kaeberlein Matt
Published: December 2022

Dietary restriction (DR) increases lifespan in many organisms, but its underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Mitochondria play a central role in metabolic regulation and are known to undergo changes in structure and function in response to DR. Mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) is the driving force for ATP production and mitochondrial outputs that integrate many cellular signals. One such signal regulated by Δψmis nutrient-status sensing. Here, we tested the hypothesis that DR promotes longevity through preserved Δψmduring adulthood. Using the nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans, we find that Δψmdeclines with age relatively early in the lifespan, and this decline is attenuated by DR. Pharmacologic depletion of Δψmblocked the longevity and health benefits of DR. Genetic perturbation of Δψmand mitochondrial ATP availability similarly prevented lifespan extension from DR. Taken together, this study provides further evidence that appropriate regulation of Δψmis a critical factor for health and longevity in response to DR.
Developmental stage-dependent effects of perceived predation risk on physiology and fledging success of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)
Authors: McNew Sabrina M. , Taff Conor C. , Zimmer Cedric , Uehling Jennifer J. , Ryan Thomas A. , van Oordt David Chang , Houtz Jennifer L. , Injaian Allison S. , Vitousek Maren N.
Published: December 2022

The risk of predation directly affects physiology, behavior, and fitness of wild birds. Social interactions with conspecifics may affect how individuals respond to stressors such as predators. Strong social connections could help individuals recover from a stressful experience; however, competitive interactions also have the potential to exacerbate stress. Few studies have investigated the interaction between environmental stressors and the social landscape in wild bird populations. Here, we experimentally simulated predation attempts on breeding female tree swallows (Tachicyneta bicolor). At the same time, we manipulated female breast plumage color, a key social signal. Simulated predation events on tree swallows negatively affected their nestlings’ condition, telomere lengths, and fledging success. However, the effects of experimental manipulations were timing-dependent: simulated predation during the early nestling period was more detrimental than “predation” during incubation. Contrary to our expectations, manipulation of the social environment did not affect the response of tree swallows to simulated predation. However, manipulating female plumage during the nestling period did affect nestling size, indicating an effect of the social environment on reproductive success. Our data demonstrate that transient stressors on breeding female birds can have carry-over effects on their nestlings, some of which may be long-lasting.
A machine learning-based human resources recruitment system for business process management: using LSA, BERT and SVM
Authors: Tian Xiaoguang , Pavur Robert , Han Henry , Zhang Lili
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Studies on mining text and generating intelligence on human resource documents are rare. This research aims to use artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to facilitate the employee selection process through latent semantic analysis (LSA), bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) and support vector machines (SVM). The research also compares the performance of different machine learning, text vectorization and sampling approaches on the human resource (HR) resume data.

Design/methodology/approach

LSA and BERT are used to discover and understand the hidden patterns from a textual resume dataset, and SVM is applied to build the screening model and improve performance.

Findings

Based on the results of this study, LSA and BERT are proved useful in retrieving critical topics, and SVM can optimize the prediction model performance with the help of cross-validation and variable selection strategies.

Research limitations/implications

The technique and its empirical conclusions provide a practical, theoretical basis and reference for HR research.

Practical implications

The novel methods proposed in the study can assist HR practitioners in designing and improving their existing recruitment process. The topic detection techniques used in the study provide HR practitioners insights to identify the skill set of a particular recruiting position.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first study that uses LSA, BERT, SVM and other machine learning models in human resource management and resume classification. Compared with the existing machine learning-based resume screening system, the proposed system can provide more interpretable insights for HR professionals to understand the recommendation results through the topics extracted from the resumes. The findings of this study can also help organizations to find a better and effective approach for resume screening and evaluation.
Parents' support for children's entrepreneurial behavior: incentivizing the next generation of entrepreneurs
Authors: García-Rodríguez Francisco J. , Gutiérrez-Taño Desiderio , Ruiz-Rosa Inés
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an explanatory model of the factors that determine parental support for possible entrepreneurial initiatives of the parents' children. This is one of the most important challenges to promote the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Design/methodology/approach

A perspective based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) is adopted, and the model is extended to integrate the antecedents of personal attitude toward children's entrepreneurship. The model is tested on a sample of 400 parents.

Findings

Perceived behavioral control (PBC), namely the perception that parents have about the readiness of the children to be entrepreneurs plays the greatest effect on the intention of supporting children's entrepreneurial behavior. In addition, parents' perceptions of how people from the immediate surroundings value the children's possible entrepreneurial behavior are the second most influential variable in the parents' intention to support such behavior. Finally, a parent's personal attitude toward the parent's children's entrepreneurship is the third most relevant variable to explain intention to support, practically with the same weight as subjective norms (SNs).

Practical implications

The results seem to confirm the importance of entrepreneurship development policies that focus on family characteristics and mindsets rather than on more traditional formal institutional support, such as business advice or financial resources. Family emerges as a key mediator to transfer the rules of normative and cultural-cognitive dimensions. Moreover, the results indicate the important role of entrepreneurship education in enhancing entrepreneurship not only due to the positive direct impact on students' entrepreneurial intentions, but also by changing parents' perceptions regarding the children's capabilities and, therefore, influencing the support for entrepreneurial behavior.

Originality/value

Previous studies have analyzed the influence of support from the immediate environment, especially the family, on young people's entrepreneurial behavior and have defined the types of support the family environment can provide. However, there is a missing link in the literature regarding the determinants of family support, despite the determinants' importance in configuring the normative and cultural-cognitive dimensions and the determinants' impact on society, promoting entrepreneurship.
Exploring the psychometric properties of the Cyberbullying Attitude Scale (CBAS) and its relation with teasing and gratitude in Indian collegiates
Authors: Bansal Suhans , Garg Naval , Singh Jagvinder
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Cyberbullying Attitude Scale (CBAS) in Indian college students with the help of two independent studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The first study investigated the factorial validity of the scale using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), resulting in a seven-item, two-component model of CBAS. Two statements were excluded owing to inadequate factor loading. The second study evaluated the reliability and criterion validity of the model extracted after CFA using the Weight-Based Teasing Scale (WBTS), PhQ9 as convergent indices and Gratitude Questionnaire 6 (GQ6) as divergent indices.

Findings

It was observed that the Indian version of the scale differs from the original version in two ways. First, the Indian CBAS comprised seven items, while the original CBAS consisted of nine items. Second, in the original CBAS, two factors of cyberbullying, i.e. hostile cyberbullying attitudes (HCA) and general cyberbullying characteristics (GCC), contained five and four statements, respectively. However, the Indian CBAS comprised five and two statements, respectively. Further, the Indian CBAS showed convergence with WBTS and PhQ9 and divergence with GQ6.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to explore the psychometric properties of Indian CBAS and its relations with teasing and gratitude.
A longitudinal study on logistics strategy: the case of a building contractor
Authors: Haglund Petter , Rudberg Martin
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Contingency studies within logistics and supply chain management have shown a need for longitudinal studies on fit. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the logistics strategy from a process of establishing fit perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

A large Swedish building contractor's logistics strategy process was analysed using a longitudinal single-case study for a period of 11 years (2008–2019).

Findings

The case study reveals three main constraints to logistics strategy implementation: a dominant purchasing organisation, a lack of incentives and diverging top-management priorities. This suggests that logistics strategy fit is not a conscious choice determined by contextual factors.

Research limitations/implications

Establishing fit is a continuous cycle of regaining fit between the logistics context and logistics strategy components. Fit can be achieved by a change to the logistics context or to logistics strategy components.

Practical implications

Logistics managers may need to opt for satisfactory fit in view of the costs incurred by changing strategy versus the benefits to be gained from a higher degree of fit.

Originality/value

This paper adopts a longitudinal case design to study the fit between the logistics context and strategy, adding to the body of knowledge on organisational design and strategy in logistics and supply chain management.
Detection IoT attacks using Lasso regression algorithm with ensemble classifier
Authors: Sheelavathy K.V. , Udaya Rani V.
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Internet of Things (IoT) is a network, which provides the connection with various physical objects such as smart machines, smart home appliance and so on. The physical objects are allocated with a unique internet address, namely, Internet Protocol, which is used to perform the data broadcasting with the external objects using the internet. The sudden increment in the number of attacks generated by intruders, causes security-related problems in IoT devices while performing the communication. The main purpose of this paper is to develop an effective attack detection to enhance the robustness against the attackers in IoT.

Design/methodology/approach

In this research, the lasso regression algorithm is proposed along with ensemble classifier for identifying the IoT attacks. The lasso algorithm is used for the process of feature selection that modeled fewer parameters for the sparse models. The type of regression is analyzed for showing higher levels when certain parts of model selection is needed for parameter elimination. The lasso regression obtains the subset for predictors to lower the prediction error with respect to the quantitative response variable. The lasso does not impose a constraint for modeling the parameters caused the coefficients with some variables shrink as zero. The selected features are classified by using an ensemble classifier, that is important for linear and nonlinear types of data in the dataset, and the models are combined for handling these data types.

Findings

The lasso regression with ensemble classifier–based attack classification comprises distributed denial-of-service and Mirai botnet attacks which achieved an improved accuracy of 99.981% than the conventional deep neural network (DNN) methods.

Originality/value

Here, an efficient lasso regression algorithm is developed for extracting the features to perform the network anomaly detection using ensemble classifier.
Does a woman's life before marriage affect her empowerment level? – Perspective from rural India
Authors: Banerjee Sudatta , Alok Swati , Kumar Rishi , Lakhtakia Supriya
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Women's empowerment is a crucial gender issue and more so in developing countries. Women's empowerment has far-reaching consequences at individual, household, societal and global levels. In this study, the authors focus on the effect of their childhood and pre-marriage conditions on the present level of empowerment in the rural setting in the southern part of India controlling for relevant variables.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on the primary data collected from 700 women in southern India's villages. The authors used chi-square to understand the bivariate association between the level of women's empowerment and their socio-economic characteristics including their pre-marriage conditions. Further, multiple regression was used to find out the association between her pre-marriage characteristics and empowerment.

Findings

The study finds a positive association between mothers' education on their daughters' empowerment. Freedom of movement during childhood also had a positive relationship with the current level of empowerment. The study finds a positive effect of self-esteem and self-efficacy on women's empowerment. The authors also found that property in their names and knowledge about their legal rights were associated with higher empowerment. Other important indicators related to higher women's empowerment are household assets and their employment.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is a unique attempt to study the effect of conditions before marriage on women's empowerment, especially in the Indian context. The study looks into the relationship between childhood conditions of women in a rural set up including their parents' education and jobs, discrimination faced and upbringing conditions and their current level of empowerment.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at:https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-05-2022-0329
Advertising intensity and firm performance: the influences of firm age and cultural communication styles
Authors: Semenov Alexey V. , Randrianasolo Arilova
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Advertising intensity is treated either as a resource that allows firms to create competitive advantages (intangible asset view) or as an investment to build advertising resource (investment expense view). This current research supports the investment expense view. The authors do so by examining the moderating role of firm age (a proxy for knowledge) in the relationship between advertising intensity and performance as well as the influence of cultural communication styles on this moderation.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary data were collected from multiple sources. With a sample of 262 companies from 10 countries (149 firms from high-context cultures and 113 firms from low-context cultures), ordinary least squares was used to estimate the regression coefficients to test the hypotheses. An instrumental variable approach with two-stage least squares estimates was used to address an endogeneity bias. Average industry advertising intensity excluding the focal firm was used as an instrumental variable.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that firm age significantly moderates the advertising intensity/performance relationship, but this moderation is only significant in high-context cultures. These findings imply that firms within high-context cultures must continually invest in advertising expenditures, while firms in low-context cultures may not need to do so to increase performance.

Practical implications

The results of this study provide insight into the debate of whether advertising expenditures boost performance, as well as provide international marketing managers with a clearer picture on how to invest in advertising within their respective markets.

Originality/value

A majority of the studies that examine the advertising intensity/performance link rely solely on the resource-based view. The authors utilize a multi-theoretical perspective to provide a fine-grained understanding of this relationship. Moreover, the authors apply the investment expense view to examine advertising intensity as an investment to build advertising resources, rather than a resource. This investment must be incorporated with the knowledge to properly employ the investment to develop advertising resources. Further, the authors find that firms expanding into high-context cultures must devote more effort into developing advertising capabilities to properly employ advertising resources than firms in low-context cultures.
The impact of ignorance and bias on information security protection motivation: a case of e-waste handling
Authors: Chen Hao , Yuan Yufei
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Protection motivation theory (PMT) explains that the intention to cope with information security risks is based on informed threat and coping appraisals. However, people cannot always make appropriate assessments due to possible ignorance and cognitive biases. This study proposes a research model that introduces four antecedent factors from ignorance and bias perspectives into the PMT model and empirically tests this model with data from a survey of electronic waste (e-waste) handling.

Design/methodology/approach

The data collected from 356 Chinese samples are analyzed via structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The results revealed that for threat appraisal, optimistic bias leads to a lower perception of risks. However, factual ignorance (lack of knowledge of risks) does not significantly affect the perceived threat. For coping appraisal, practical ignorance (lack of knowledge of coping with risks) leads to low response efficacy and self-efficacy and high perceptions of coping cost, but the illusion of control overestimates response efficacy and self-efficacy.

Originality/value

First, this study addresses a new type of information security problem in e-waste handling. Second, this study extends the PMT model by exploring the roles of ignorance and bias as antecedents. Finally, the authors reinvestigate the basic constructs of PMT to identify how rational threat and coping assessments affect user intentions to cope with data security risks.
Outlier leadership in Alabama: resource challenged schools and principal practices
Authors: Rushing Kimberly Joy , Pendola Andrew
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Schools in resource challenged communities require principal approaches that break patterns of low expectations and low student achievement. This study identifies Alabama’s “outlier” schools that have been consistently successful in attaining higher student outcomes than their neighboring schools despite their similar community conditions. Then, it describes the perspectives and practices of principals leading these outlier schools. The purpose of this paper is to discuss findings on principal leadership in five of Alabama's outlier schools.

Design/methodology/approach

In a sequential, explanatory mixed-methods design, the authors first use state administrative data to identify which Alabama schools had better results than their peers as evidenced by standardized testing between 2016 and 2020. Then, through semi-structured interviews, they examine the beliefs and approaches of five principals who are currently leading an outlier school. The frame of contextual leadership provides a deeper understanding of how these principals navigate successful schools in the midst of challenging community influences.

Findings

The evidence demonstrated that (1) community factors of low education, high unemployment, single-parent households and generational poverty are associated with considerably lower levels of student growth and achievement; (2) measured school and community factors do not explain student growth and achievement in these outlier schools; (3) outlier principals have a realistic view of their community’s challenges but focus on supporting students through a context sensitive, relational approach that emphasizes assets over limitations.

Originality/value

While research has attended to leadership in turnaround schools and effective schools, there is little literature on principals leading in positive outlier schools. This study contributes to the literature on school leadership in resource challenged contexts by identifying high performing, resource challenged schools and then showing the perspectives and practices of principals who lead in schools that have consistently achieved better than expected student outcomes. It extends the construct of “outlier leadership” in education and connects it to contextual leadership in schools.
How do technology-based accelerators build their legitimacy as new organizations in an emerging entrepreneurship ecosystem?
Authors: Beyhan Berna , Akcomak Ibrahim Semih , Cetindamar Dilek
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to understand technology-based accelerators’ legitimation efforts in an emerging entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on qualitative inductive methodology using ten Turkish technology-based accelerators.

Findings

The analysis indicates that accelerators’ legitimation efforts are shaped around crafting a distinctive identity and mobilizing allies around this identity; and establishing new collaborations to enable collective action. Further, the authors observe two types of technology-based accelerators, namely, “deal flow makers” and “welfare stimulators” in Turkey. These variations among accelerators affect how they build their legitimacy. Different types of accelerators make alliances with different actors in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Accelerators take collective action to build a collective identity and simultaneously imply how they are distinguished from other organizations in the same category and the ones in the old category.

Originality/value

This study presents a framework to understand how accelerators use strategies and actions to legitimize themselves as new organizations and advocate new norms, values and routines in an emerging entrepreneurship ecosystem. The framework also highlights how different accelerators support legitimacy building by managing the judgments of diverse audiences and increasing the variety of resources these audiences provide to the ecosystem.
Do tenure and age of board chair matter for R&D investment?
Authors: Azzam Ala’a , Alhababsah Salem
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine whether the age and tenure of the chair of the board of directors are related to research and development (R&D) investment in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses A-share manufacturing firms that traded on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchange between 2009 and 2018. This study uses OLS regressions, controls for self-selection bias, and uses an instrumental variable to alleviate the concern of endogeneity.

Findings

This study finds that chair tenure has a negative relationship with R&D investment. This study does not find a significant relationship between chair age and R&D investment.

Originality/value

This study contributes to corporate governance and strategic management literature by highlighting chair tenure as a new factor affecting R&D investments. It also adds a significant contribution to the limited literature on the chair’s role in strategic decisions. Moreover, companies that are eager to strengthen corporate governance and maintain sustained innovation may reconsider the chair tenure. Given that many proposals for board governance reform explicitly stress the importance of limiting board tenure, this study contributes to policymakers by providing evidence in support of these proposals.
Evaluating the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire among medical staff in Taiwan
Authors: Tang Yung-Tai , Wu Hsin-Hung , Lee Yii-Ching , Huang Chih-Hsuan
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The rapid changes that the healthcare services industry is undergoing pose a challenge to obtaining accurate measurements of the delivery of medical services to patients. Current Chinese measures of patient safety culture may not adequately capture how medical staff perceives the promotion of patient safety. This study aims to construct a valid and applicable patient safety culture instrument by re-estimating the Chinese version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) with medical staff in Taiwan.

Design/methodology/approach

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on data collected from a sample of 448 medical workers at a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan, and data from 804 participants at a medical center were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The distribution of the questions among the dimensions was different from that in the Chinese version of the SAQ.

Findings

The authors' results confirm that 3 correlated first-order factors, including 11 items, can be used to measure collaboration and safety, stress recognition and emotional exhaustion (EE). The authors' data suggest that the cooperation mechanism, patient safety promotion, stress management and emotional management are drivers of patient safety and should be prioritized when seeking to evaluate the perceptions of hospital staff toward patient safety culture in hospitals in Taiwan.

Originality/value

To improve the quality and safety of patient care, the measurement scale should be revisited and modified as the industry changes over time and to take account of cultural variation. The authors restructured the current Chinese version of the SAQ developed by the Joint Commission of Taiwan (JCT) to offer more precise measures that increase the sensitivity of the measurement of the level of care in items of patient safety and that serve as a diagnostic instrument to review patient safety management.
Evaluating visitor–therapist relationship in Indian spa and wellness resorts
Authors: Mishra Dibya Nandan , Panda Rajeev Kumar
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This research examines the role of a therapist’s attributes, namely, expertise, sociability, likability and mind-set similarity, in building trust, satisfaction and commitment amongst visitors in Indian wellness resorts and hotels.

Design/methodology/approach

The text mining approach was adopted to collect a large corpus of 3,94,373 online reviews from TripAdvisor, Google Reviews and hotels.com. Reviews were taken from 1,677 resorts and hotels that deal in spa and wellness care across India. This study uses unsupervised Naïve Bayes classification and n-gram lexical TF-IDF vectorizer method to classify and find the sentiment of the reviews shared by the visitors of the wellness resorts. Additionally, multiple linear regression is performed to understand the impact of the therapist’s identified attributes on the visitor’s relationship quality.

Findings

The research found positive sentiment towards the therapist’s likability, and visitors seemed satisfied with the overall wellness service. The sentiment towards trust and commitment is low. The study also found significant links between likability and expertise in building the relationship quality between the therapist and the visitors. The expertise of the therapist enhances visitors’ trust and willingness to return. The therapist’s likability nature helps in increasing visitor satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

This study helps to understand the service personnel's level of relationship with the customer in hospitality services. Further, the study empirically verifies the important factors that build relationship quality in Indian wellness services.

Practical implications

The present study argues the need for greater clarity in understanding the customer perception of the services provided by wellness therapists in Indian wellness resorts and hotels. The study guides hotel managers to perform training of wellness therapists to improve customer satisfaction. Using the findings of the current study, managers can prioritize therapists’ attributes and realign their core strategies and provide satisfying wellness services to customers.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates the essential qualities a therapist should develop to enhance the relationship with the resort visitors and foster trust, commitment and satisfaction. The study goes a step further by using a vast database of online data for deep insights into the visitor’s view and the use of machine learning for amplifying results.
The role of religious advertising and personal selling in enhancing mutual fund purchase intention and sales in Pakistan: a managerial perspective
Authors: Waqas Muhammad , Mian Sarmad Jan , Nazir Nabila
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to fill a gap in the literature of marketing communication by exploring the role of different nudges implemented through advertising and personal selling in enhancing purchase intention and sales of mutual funds in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected by 20 semi-structured individual qualitative interviews in Pakistan were subjected to thematic analysis.

Findings

This study reveals the way managers apply different nudges in the form of Islamic beliefs and values in advertising and personal selling to enhance purchase intention and sales of mutual fund products among Muslim customers. Nudges that can be used in marketing communication may include religious cues, religious beliefs, religious values, spiritual elements, halal aspects of investment plans, religious icons and symbols, cultural music and images, appropriateness and correctness of sales messages and communicating halal aspects of mutual funds.

Research limitations/implications

The conclusions are based on findings from a relatively small number of respondents from one investment firm, but they offer an empirical basis for future research on the effect of advertising and personal selling on the sales and purchase intention of mutual fund products in an Islamic society.

Practical implications

This study offers practitioners a better understanding of the marketing communication tools likely to influence consumers’ purchase intention of mutual fund products, with positive implications in creating advertising and sales management in Pakistan.

Originality/value

Despite the prevalence of promoting mutual fund products, little research-based analysis has been available to academics or practitioners.