bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regulation of inflammation and protection against invasive pneumococcal infection by the long pentraxin PTX3
Authors: Porte Rémi , Silva-Gomes Rita , Theroude Charlotte , Parente Raffaella , Asgari Fatemeh , Sironi Marina , Pasqualini Fabio , Valentino Sonia , Asselta Rosanna , Recordati Camilla , Doni Andrea , Inforzato Antonio , Rodriguez-Gallego Carlos , Obando Ignacio , Colino Elena , Bottazzi Barbara , Mantovani Alberto
Published: April 2022

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major pathogen in children, elderly subjects and immunodeficient patients. PTX3 is a fluid phase pattern recognition molecule (PRM) involved in resistance to selected microbial agents and in regulation of inflammation. The present study was designed to assess the role of PTX3 in invasive pneumococcal infection. In a murine model of invasive pneumococcal infection, PTX3 was strongly induced in non-hematopoietic (particularly, endothelial) cells. The IL-1β/MyD88 axis played a major role in regulation of the Ptx3 gene expression. Ptx3-/- mice were more susceptible to invasive pneumococcal infection. Although high concentrations of PTX3 had opsonic activity in vitro, no evidence of PTX3-enhanced phagocytosis was obtained in vivo. In contrast, Ptx3-deficient mice showed enhanced recruitment of neutrophils and inflammation. Using P-selectin deficient mice, we found that protection against pneumococcus was dependent upon PTX3-mediated regulation of neutrophil inflammation. In humans, PTX3 genetic polymorphisms were associated with invasive pneumococcal infections. Thus, this fluid phase PRM plays an important role in tuning inflammation and resistance against invasive pneumococcal infection.
Identification of microRNAs in the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis
Authors: Kumar Deepak , Downs Latoyia P. , Embers Monica , Flynt Alex , Karim Shahid
Published: April 2022

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs involved in many biological processes, including the immune pathways that control bacterial, parasitic, and viral infections. Pathogens probably modify host miRNAs to facilitate successful infection, so they might be useful targets for vaccination strategies. There are little data on differentially expressed miRNAs in the black- legged tick Ixodes scapularis after infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease in the United States. Small RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR analysis were used to identify and validate differentially-expressed I. scapularis salivary miRNAs. Small RNA-seq yielded 133,465,828 (≥18 nucleotides) and 163,852,135 (≥18 nucleotides) small RNA reads from Borrelia- infected and uninfected salivary glands for downstream analysis using the miRDeep2 algorithm. Two hundred and fifty-four miRNAs were identified across all datasets, 25 of which were high confidence and 51 low confidence known miRNAs. Twenty-three miRNAs were differentially expressed in uninfected and infected salivary glands: 11 were upregulated and 12 were downregulated upon pathogen infection. This study provides new insights into the miRNAs expressed in I. scapularis salivary glands and pave the way for their functional manipulation to prevent or treat B. burgdorferi infection.
Immunogenic cell death in mice expressing caspase-resistant ROCK1 is not replicated by ROCK inhibitors
Authors: Naylor Gregory , Julian Linda , Watson-Bryce Steven , Mullin Margaret , Nibbs Robert J , Olson Michael F
Published: April 2022

The characteristic changes in morphology during apoptosis help facilitate “immunologically-silent” cell death by limiting the release of cellular contents and enabling efficient clearance of apoptotic cell bodies. Caspase-mediated cleavage of the ROCK1 protein kinase results in its constitutive activation, which drives the rapid and forceful contraction of apoptotic cells. We previously showed in Julian et al. [1] that when ROCK1 was mutated to render it caspase-resistant, there was greater liver damage and neutrophil recruitment after acute treatment with the hepatotoxin diethylnitrosamine (DEN). We now show that acute DEN-induced liver damage resulted in greater induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines, indicative of immunogenic cell death (ICD), in mice expressing non-cleavable ROCK1 (ROCK1nc). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumours in ROCK1nc mice had higher grade steatosis, and more neutrophils and CD8+ T cells relative to mice expressing wild-type ROCK1 (ROCK1wt), indicating that spontaneous tumour cell death also was more immunogenic. Since the induction of ICD has been proposed to be tumour-suppressive, the effects of two structurally distinct pharmacological ROCK inhibitors on HCC tumours was examined. Both fasudil and AT13148 significantly decreased tumour numbers and area, but neither treatment resulted in greater numbers of neutrophils or CD8+ T cells to be recruited. In the context of acute DEN-induced liver damage, AT13148 reduced circulating platelet and lymphocyte numbers, and inhibited the recruitment of dendritic, natural killer and CD8+ T cells to livers. These observations indicate that there is an important role for ROCK1 cleavage to limit immunogenic cell death which was not replicated by systemic administration of pharmacological ROCK inhibitors. As a result, adjuvant administration of ROCK inhibitors with cancer therapeutics would be unlikely to result in therapeutic benefit by inducing ICD to increase anti-tumour immune responses.
HER2 expression defines unique requirements for flotillin and c-Src for EGFR signaling
Authors: Abousawan John , Orofiamma Laura A. , Fairn Gregory D. , Antonescu Costin N.
Published: April 2022

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) controls many cellular functions. Upon binding its ligand, the receptor undergoes dimerization, phosphorylation, and activation of signals including the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt pathway. While some studies indicated that EGFR signaling may be controlled by signal enrichment within membrane raft nanodomains, others have found a limited effect of membrane raft disruption on EGFR signaling, suggesting that specific factor(s) may define context-specific control of EGFR signaling by membrane rafts. Ligand-bound EGFR can homodimerize, or instead undergo heterodimerization with the related receptor HER2 when the latter is expressed. We examined how EGFR signaling in the presence of HER2 distinctly requires membrane raft nanodomains. Induction of HER2 expression altered EGFR signaling duration consistent with EGFR/HER2 heterodimer formation. EGFR and c-Src localized within plasma membrane structures demarked by flotillin, a membrane raft protein, selectively in HER2-expressing cells. Consistently, HER2-expressing cells, but not cells lacking HER2, were dependent on flotillin and c-Src for EGFR signaling leading to Akt activation and cell proliferation. Hence, HER2 expression establishes the requirement of EGFR signaling for flotillin membrane rafts and c-Src, leading to Akt activation.

Summary statement

The role of membrane rafts in EGFR signaling may be context-specific. We find that the related receptor HER2 defines unique signaling requirements for EGFR for membrane rafts, flotillin, and c-Src.
Reward Bases: Instantaneous reward revaluation with temporal difference learning
Authors: Millidge Beren , Walton Mark , Bogacz Rafal
Published: April 2022

Abstract

An influential theory posits that dopaminergic neurons in the mid-brain implement a model-free reinforcement learning algorithm based on temporal difference (TD) learning. A fundamental assumption of this model is that the reward function being optimized is fixed. However, for biological creatures the ‘reward function’ can fluctuate substantially over time depending on the internal physiological state of the animal. For instance, food is rewarding when you are hungry, but not when you are satiated. While a variety of experiments have demonstrated that animals can instantly adapt their behaviour when their internal physiological state changes, under current thinking this requires model-based planning since the standard model of TD learning requires retraining from scratch if the reward function changes. Here, we propose a novel and simple extension to TD learning that allows for the zero-shot (instantaneous) generalization to changing reward functions. Mathematically, we show that if we assume the reward function is a linear combination ofreward basis vectors, and if we learn a value function for each reward basis using TD learning, then we can recover the true value function by a linear combination of these value function bases. This representational scheme allows instant and perfect generalization to any reward function in the span of the reward basis vectors as well as possesses a straightforward implementation in neural circuitry by parallelizing the standard circuitry required for TD learning. We demonstrate that our algorithm can also reproduce behavioural data on reward revaluation tasks, predict dopamine responses in the nucleus accumbens, as well as learn equally fast as successor representations while requiring much less memory.
Hijacking of Cellular Functions by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2. Permeabilization and Polarization of the Host Lipid Membrane by Viroporins
Authors: Bignon Emmanuelle , Marazzi Marco , Monari Antonio
Published: April 2022

As all viral infections, SARS-CoV-2 acts at multiple levels hijacking fundamental cellular functions and assuring its replication and immune system evasion. In particular, it has been observed that the viral 3’ Open Reading Frame (ORF3a) codes for a hydrophobic protein which embeds in the cellular membrane, where it acts as an ion viroporin and is related to strong inflammatory response. Here we report equilibrium and enhanced sampling molecular dynamic simulation of the SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a in a model lipid bilayer, showing how the protein permeabilizes the lipid membrane, via the formation of a water channel, which in turn assures ion transport. We report the free energy profile for both K+ and Cl- transfer from the cytosol to the extracellular domain. The important role of ORF3a in the viral cycle, and its highly conservation among coronaviruses, may also make it a target of choice for future antiviral development, further justifying the elucidation of its mechanism at the atomistic level.

TOC GRAPHICS
Meiotic Nuclear Pore Complex Remodeling Provides Key Insights into Nuclear Basket Organization
Authors: King Grant A. , Wettstein Rahel , Varberg Joseph M. , Chetlapalli Keerthana , Walsh Madison E. , Gillet Ludovic , Hernández-Armenta Claudia , Beltrao Pedro , Aebersold Ruedi , Jaspersen Sue L. , Matos Joao , Ünal Elçin
Published: April 2022

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are large proteinaceous assemblies that mediate nuclear compartmentalization. NPCs undergo largescale structural rearrangements during mitosis in metazoans and some fungi. However, our understanding of NPC remodeling beyond mitosis remains limited. Using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, we discovered that NPCs undergo two mechanistically-separable remodeling events during budding yeast meiosis whereby parts or all of the nuclear basket transiently dissociate from the NPC core during meiosis I and II, respectively. Meiosis I detachment, observed for Nup60 and Nup2, is driven by Polo kinase-mediated phosphorylation of Nup60 at its interface with the Y-complex. Subsequent reattachment of Nup60-Nup2 to the NPC core is mediated by a lipid-binding amphipathic helix in Nup60. Preventing Nup60-Nup2 reattachment causes misorganization of the entire nuclear basket in gametes. Strikingly, meiotic nuclear basket remodeling also occurs in the distantly related fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Our study reveals a conserved and developmentally programmed aspect of NPC plasticity, providing key mechanistic insights into nuclear basket organization.

King and Wettstein et al. reveal that nuclear pore complexes undergo two distinct remodeling events during budding yeast meiosis: partial and full nuclear basket detachment. By dissecting the regulation of these events, the study provides mechanistic insights into NPC organization.
What the hippocampus tells the HPA axis: Hippocampal output attenuates acute stress responses via disynaptic inhibition of CRF+ PVN neurons
Authors: Cole Anthony B. , Montgomery Kristen , Bale Tracy L. , Thompson Scott M.
Published: April 2022

The hippocampus exerts inhibitory feedback on the release of glucocorticoids. Because the major hippocampal efferent projections are excitatory, it has been hypothesized that this feedback inhibition is mediated by populations of inhibitory neurons in the hypothalamus or elsewhere. These regions would be excited by hippocampal efferents and project to corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) cells in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). A direct demonstration of the synaptic responses elicited by hippocampal outputs in PVN cells or upstream GABAergic interneurons has not been provided previously. Here, we used viral vectors to express channelrhodopsin (ChR) and enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) in pyramidal cells in the ventral hippocampus (vHip) in mice expressing tdTomato in GABA-or CRF-expressing neurons. We observed dense innervation of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) by labelled vHip axons and sparse labeling within the PVN. Using whole-cell voltage-clamp recording in parasagittal brain slices containing the BNST and PVN, photostimulation of vHip terminals elicited monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) and disynaptic inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSCs) in both CRF+ and GAD+ cells. The balance between synaptic excitation and inhibition were maintained in CRF+ cells during 20 Hz stimulus trains. Photostimulation of hippocampal afferents to the BNST and PVN in vivo inhibited the rise in blood glucocorticoid levels produced by acute restraint stress. We thus provide functional evidence that hippocampal output to the BNST results in a net inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, gaining further mechanistic insights into this process using methods with enhanced spatial and temporal resolution.
Context-dependent sensory modulation underlies Bayesian vocal sequence perception
Authors: Sainburg Tim , McPherson Trevor S , Arneodo Ezequiel M. , Rudraraju Srihita , Turvey Michael , Thielman Brad , Marcos Pablo Tostado , Thielk Marvin , Gentner Timothy Q
Published: April 2022

Vocal communication in both songbirds and humans relies on categorical perception of smoothly varying acoustic spaces. Vocal perception can be biased by expectation and context, but the mechanisms of this bias are not well understood. We developed a behavioral task in which songbirds, European starlings, are trained to to classify smoothly varying song syllables in the context of predictive syllable sequences. We find that syllable-sequence predictability biases perceptual categorization following a Bayesian model of probabilistic information integration. We then recorded from populations of neurons in the auditory forebrain while birds actively categorized song syllables, observing large proportions of neurons that track the smoothly varying natural feature space of syllable categories. We observe that predictive information in the syllable sequences dynamically modulates sensory neural representations. These results support a Bayesian model of perception where predictive information acts to dynamically reallocate sensory neural resources, sharpening acuity (i.e. the likelihood) in high-probability regions of stimulus space.

One-Sentence Summary

Predictive information in vocal sequences biases Bayesian categorical perception through rapid sensory reorganization.

Graphical Abstract
Differences in learning and memory between middle-aged female and male rats
Authors: Colettis Natalia Claudia , Habif Martín , Oberholzer María Victoria , Filippin Federico , Jerusalinsky Diana Alicia
Published: April 2022

We observed differences in cognitive functions between middle-aged female and male Wistar rats. Both (like youngsters) discriminated new versus familiar objects, showing similar short- and long-term memory (STM and LTM, respectively). Only females show robust LTM for new location of an object. Both successfully form LTM of inhibitory avoidance, though males appeared to be amnesic for memory persistence. Habituation, locomotion, horizontal exploration, “stereotypies,” fear, and anxiety-like behavior were similar for both, while vertical exploration was significantly higher in middle-aged and younger females. Therefore, sex-dependent differences in some cognitive functions and behaviors must be considered when designing and interpreting learning and memory studies.
Performance analysis of electrical flight control actuation system in a commercial transport aircraft
Authors: Ercan Hamdi , Akın Mustafa
Published: April 2022

Purpose

In more than 100 years of aviation, significant progress has been made in flight control systems. The aircrafts that have entered service for the past ten years tend towards power-by-wire flight control with electrical actuators. The purpose of this study is to analyse the effects of electrical actuation on power consumption, weight and fuel consumption on a commercial transport aircraft.

Design/methodology/approach

The Airbus A321-200 aircraft was chosen as a case study for analysing the effects of electrical actuation on the flight control actuation system (FCAS) architecture, and Pacelab SysArc software was used for design, modelling and analysis. As alternatives to the existing system, hybrid and all-electric models are built to a set of design guidelines with certain limitations.

Findings

Compared to the existing FCAS architecture model, 80 kg weight savings in the hybrid FCAS architecture model and 171 kg weight savings in the all-electric FCAS architecture model were observed. In terms of fuel consumption, it has been observed that there is 0.25% fuel savings in the hybrid FCAS architecture model, and 0.48% fuel savings in the all-electric FCAS architecture model compared to the existing FCAS architecture model at 3200 NM.

Practical implications

In line with the data obtained from this study, it is predicted that electrical actuation is more preferable in aircraft, considering its positive effects on weight and fuel consumption.

Originality/value

In this study, three different models were created: the existing FCAS architecture of a commercial transport aircraft, the hybrid FCAS architecture and the all-electric FCAS architecture. Hybrid and all-electric models are built according to a set of design guidelines, with certain limitations. Then, similar flight missions consisting of the same flight conditions are defined to analyse the effects of power consumption, weight, and fuel consumption comparatively.
Income inequality and distribution patterns in the cassava value chain in the Oyo State, Nigeria: a gender perspective
Authors: Donkor Emmanuel , Onakuse Stephen , Bogue Joe , de los Rios Carmenado Ignacio
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This study analyses income inequality and distribution patterns among key actors in the cassava value chain. The study also identifies factors that influence profit of key actors in the cassava value chain.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted in Oyo State, Nigeria, using primary data from 620 actors, consisting of 400 farmers, 120 processors and 100 traders in the cassava value chain. The Gini coefficient was used to estimate income inequalities within and between actors. Multiple linear regression was applied to identify factors that influence the profit of the actors in the cassava value chain.

Findings

The result shows a gender pattern in the participation in the cassava value chain: men dominate in the production, whereas women mostly engage in processing and marketing of processed cassava products. We also find that incomes are unequally distributed among actors, favouring traders and processors more than farmers in the value chain. Women are better off in processing and trading of value-added products than in the raw cassava production. Spatial differences also contribute to income inequality among farmers in the cassava value chain. An increase in farmers and processors’ incomes reduces inequality in the value chain while an increase in traders’ income widens inequality. Age is significantly negatively correlated with actors’ profit at 1%, while educational level significantly increases their profit at 5%. Processors and traders with large households have a higher profit. We also find that farm size, experience and labour input have significant positive effects on farmers’ profit only at 5%. Membership in an association increases farmers and processors’ profit at 1 and 10%, respectively.

Practical implications

The study recommends that agricultural policies that promote agrifood value chains should aim at minimizing income inequality by targeting vulnerable groups, particularly female farmers to achieve sustainable development in rural communities.

Originality/value

Existing studies recognise income inequality in agricultural value chains in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there are few rigorous quantitative studies that address this pressing issue. Our paper fills this knowledge gap and suggests ways to minimise income inequality in the agri-food value chain, using the example of the cassava value chain in Nigeria.
Chinese microentrepreneurs in industrial cluster in Italy: analysis of the ethnic microenterprises’ performance
Authors: Biggeri Mario , Braito Lisa
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the distinctive economic and social dynamics of ethnic quasi-enclave industrial sub-clusters and to econometrically analyse the main factors affecting the economic performance of Chinese-migrant microentrepreneurs with a specific focus on social capital.

Design/methodology/approach

An interpretative framework that encompasses sustainable local human development and mixed embeddedness is applied to a case study of Wenzhounese migrant socioeconomic quasi-enclave leather industrial sub-clusters located adjacent to the industrial district area of Florence, Italy. Given the complexity of the phenomenon, the research study adopted a mixed-method approach encompassing both qualitative and quantitative methods. The econometric analysis was based on data collected via a survey administered to a random sample of enterprises.

Findings

Ethnic social capital plays a central role in ethnic entrepreneurship. The results confirm the relevance of social networks in the context analysed and reveal the importance of ethnic and non-ethnic business social capital as one of the main factors affecting enterprise’s economic performance.

Practical implications

The findings propose potential policies to upgrade the ethnic enterprises especially in terms of increasing their formality and inclusion in the Italian social and economic systems of production.

Originality/value

This analysis contributes to existing literature on migrant entrepreneurship and communities, adding new evidence related to ethnic enterprises and the importance of social capital in terms of performance and working conditions of the community of entrepreneurs.
Origin artisan coffee: growth challenges faced by a niche brand in South Africa
Authors: Pavlovic Petra , Reyneke Mignon , Boyd Sarah
Published: April 2022

Learning outcomes

Identify the advantages and disadvantages of being first-to-market with a new product in a new environment. Explain the differences between business-to-business (B2B) and B2C markets, how they are interconnected in the speciality consumer good category and the challenges of developing a balanced strategy for both. Assess the competitive positions of different market players within both B2B and B2C. Analyse the role of brand in a niche market and how brand perception influences consumer behaviour. Identify and assess the different strategies for growth in an evolving niche market.

Case overview/synopsis

Origin Coffee is an artisan coffee roaster in South Africa grappling with rising competition, evolving consumer tastes and brand management concerns. As an early entrant, Origin largely created the niche market for speciality coffee across the country as both a retail coffee shop and a wholesale supplier to independent shops and businesses. This case follows founder Joel Singer 15 years later, in August 2020, as he contemplates how to scale the business, which has cultivated a brand synonymous with quality and excellence. Repeated efforts to expand the Origin footprint have met with disappointment and the business is still operating exclusively from its original roastery-café in Cape Town. Yet, the customer perception is that Origin is an industry giant – an established player that has outgrown its plucky upstart status. Origin also faces an increasingly crowded competitive landscape of local artisan roasters and larger chains. The case showcases the power of entrepreneurial innovation to cultivate a new niche market, as well as the risks of playing in a market that is very narrow and immature. Students are left to determine what Origin’s place in the future of South African coffee can and should be.

Complexity academic level

This case is appropriate for students enrolled in postgraduate programmes such as Master of Business Administration and Executive Education programmes. Although the case learnings are transferrable, this case will be particularly useful to students with interests in entrepreneurship, B2B and B2C market strategies and niche market strategy.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 11: Strategy.
How simulated home influences Chinese expatriates: the partial mediating role of organizational embeddedness and organizational identification
Authors: Huang Hao , Liu Hong , Zhao Xingguang , He Hanrong , Ding Yusen
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this research study is to explore the influence of perceived organizational support (POS) on organizational embeddedness and organizational identification in the simulated home environment. Another objective of this study is to provide an effective cross-cultural adjustment model adopted by many Chinese enterprises operating overseas. Furthermore, it examines the mediating effects of organizational embeddedness and organizational identification on POS and expatriate adjustment.

Design/methodology/approach

The data of this quantitative research study was acquired from a questionnaire survey completed by 326 expatriates from Chinese enterprises in a power station in Bangladesh, and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS software.

Findings

The study found that POS of expatriates is positively correlated with their organizational embeddedness and organizational identification, and it positively impacts expatriate adjustment. Moreover, the study also evaluated that organizational embeddedness and organizational identification positively influence expatriate adjustment. Finally, it was demonstrated that organizational embeddedness mediates the relationship among living POS, emotional POS and expatriate adjustment. Organizational identification mediates the relationships among work POS, emotional POS and work adjustment. Organizational identification mediates the relationships between work POS and interaction adjustment.

Practical implications

The research results demonstrate that the living, work and emotional support to the expatriates from the projects department of Chinese enterprises is of particular importance for their better adjustment in overseas engineering projects. Furthermore, these results are particularly conducive to the successful management of employees accommodated in fully-closed and semi-closed simulated homes.

Originality/value

In the setting of a simulated home in the overseas engineering projects, this research study has demonstrated for the first time that the living, work and emotional support provided by an organization can effectively help its expatriate workers acclimatize during their overseas placement.
Exploring students' learning and motivation in a lesson study for learning community (LSLC) environment: a new perspective
Authors: Ng Betsy , Latife Aneesah
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The present qualitative paper examined the changes in students' motivation before and after lesson study for learning community implementation at a primary school in Singapore.

Design/methodology/approach

Student focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with six students from each of the classes involved in the research lessons. Students were asked specific questions relating to the research lessons and teachers.

Findings

Findings suggest that there are some changes in students' perception of classroom climate and their motivation to learn after the implementation of lesson study for learning community. Together with self-determination theory, lesson study for learning community may be viewed as a social and collaborative model as well as a supportive learning climate, promoting students' adaptive outcomes and needs satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

Teachers need to be provided support to plan their lessons and to become familiar with the lesson study for learning community approach. There is also a major challenge of teacher “buy-in” whether they would undertake the practice of lesson study for learning community voluntarily.

Originality/value

This study provides evidence of the existence of an approach via listening pedagogy for the teaching of listening that focuses on students' motivation to listen and learn in class.
Young entrepreneurs and skills mismatch in school-to-work transition: empirical evidence from innovation processes managed in Italian NTBFs
Authors: Matricano Diego
Published: April 2022

Purpose

Diversity in entrepreneurship has become a noteworthy topic of research since consistent differences – and few similarities, if any – exist among entrepreneurial profiles. The present paper aims to compare different entrepreneurial profiles managing innovation processes in new technology-based firms (NTBFs). In particular, attention is focussed on young entrepreneurs who are in a critical phase of their lifelong learning, the school-to-work transition.

Design/methodology/approach

Statistical elaborations are based on data retrieved from Italian Ministry of Economic Development in January 2021 and carried out through stochastic frontier analyses. Respectively, 1,699 young entrepreneurs, 1,079 female entrepreneurs, 205 ethnic entrepreneurs and 8,224 stereotyped entrepreneurs are considered.

Findings

Factors affecting the performance of innovation processes managed in NTBFs are the same for stereotyped and female entrepreneurs, but they consistently differ for young and ethnic entrepreneurs. Achieved results are not in the position to offer a complete analysis of the phenomenon but – hopefully – can corroborate a very interesting and up-to-date research path that merits further development. In particular, young entrepreneurs disclose an unexpected skills mismatch that should be investigated in-depth.

Originality/value

Most contributions offer a narrow view of entrepreneurial profiles since they focus on one profile per time. The present paper, instead, considers four entrepreneurial profiles and compares them. Moreover, young entrepreneurs reveal an unexpected skills mismatch that underlines the relevance of specific activities of on-the-job training and apprenticeships in order to try to overcome it and improve the results achievable by young entrepreneurs.
Coronavirus: choking global and Indian tourism economy and leaving industry on the ventilator
Authors: Sujood  , Hamid Sheeba , Bano Naseem
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This study examines the economic crisis caused by coronavirus on the global tourism industry in general and the Indian tourism industry in particular. This paper highlights the strategies that tourism companies should implement in times of crisis to reduce the negative impact. It also discovers the business opportunities which can be offered amid this deadly pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a systematic literature review. The literature has been explored by utilizing the keywords “economic crises,” “coronavirus,” “Indian tourism industry,” “Global tourism industry” on the three most popular databases namely Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. In this study, statistics, current events, published research papers and a synthesis of news transmitted by various media sources were used to assess the economic crisis caused by coronavirus.

Findings

The obtained findings demonstrate that coronavirus severely affected the economy of the world and India. The pandemic has hit the economies that are dependent on tourism the worst. These countries are expected to bear the brunt of the crisis's consequences for longer than other economies. This coronavirus outbreak indicates that the tourism industry was unprepared to deal with such a pandemic, which affected and crippled the economy.

Research limitations/implications

This study demonstrates economic crisis, management strategies and business opportunities during any crisis, chaos and disaster, in addition to its academic contribution to the existing body of the literature. Policymakers and industry practitioners might be offered suggestions based on the findings of current study to design futuristic strategies for better economic crisis management. The data given in this study is timely because taking an exact idea of tourism losses through the data is difficult, as the data changes as quickly as the virus spreads.

Originality/value

This paper forms its originality by concentrating on the aspects of economic crisis, strategies to mitigate the negative impact of coronavirus on the tourism economy and detailing the business opportunities which these crises can offer. This paper provides an evaluation of the current status of the tourism economy of the world and India as well.
Promoting social resilience in service communities: a molecular biology perspective
Authors: Tang Elina , Blocker Christopher
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This research aims to examine pathways for providers to facilitate social resilience in service communities to promote collective well-being and engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

Using abductive and metaphorical analysis, this study develops insights leveraging: the transdisciplinary field of molecular biology where 150 years of research demonstrates how cells build resilience through clustering together in a hostile environment; and case data collected with nonprofit service communities to help ground and elaborate upon the metaphorical analogues of cellular concepts.

Findings

This analysis uncovers the emergent processes of communal protection, communal adaptation and communal training within customer-to-customer service interactions. Findings identify novel drivers, such as the sharing of vulnerability markers and pre-training for community stressors, as well as pathways through which social resilience within service communities promotes habitual and transformative value, as well as collective well-being.

Practical implications

Service leaders can build upon the ideas in this research to understand the nature of social resilience and to intentionally design communal experiences and interactions that promote greater well-being and brand engagement.

Originality/value

The recent COVID-19 pandemic, along with the UN Development Goal for building a more resilient society, highlights the acute needs for a deeper understanding of social resilience. However, resilience-related research in marketing primarily focuses on individual-level coping. This research provides a deeper understanding of the drivers and outcomes of social resilience in service communities and offers a catalyst for future research on the topic.
Blockchain in accounting practice and research: systematic literature review
Authors: Bellucci Marco , Cesa Bianchi Damiano , Manetti Giacomo
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This study aims to review the academic literature on the utilization of blockchain in accounting practice and research to identify potential opportunities for further scientific investigation and to provide a framework for how accounting practices are impacted by blockchain.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a systematic literature review (SLR) of 346 research products available on Scopus, which were mapped with bibliometric analyses and critically discussed in relation to three main topics: the impact of blockchain on accounting and auditing, cryptoassets and finance, business models and supply chain management.

Findings

Blockchain has many potential implications for accounting practice and research. In addition to providing the state-of-the-art of accounting research on blockchain and additional avenues for further studies, this study discusses why practitioners are interested in this technology: triple-entry bookkeeping, the inalterability of transactions, the automation of repetitive tasks that do not require discretionary choices, the representation of cryptocurrencies in financial statements, value-chain management, social and environmental auditing and reporting and business model innovation.

Originality/value

The novel contribution of this study is integrated and threefold. First, this SLR provides a clear picture of the state of the accounting research on blockchain using bibliographic and narrative analyses. Second, it investigates how accounting and auditing practices are impacted by blockchain. Third, it contributes to the accounting literature with its discussion of the potential future research trends related to blockchain for accounting.
The effect of bank reputation on loyalty – the moderating role of bank type
Authors: Sharma Rashmi , Joshi Richa
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the role of bank reputation (via its proposed dimensions) in influencing bank trust and its subsequent effect on the loyalty of the customer. The study has also explored the moderating role of bank type (public vs private bank) in the relationship between the dimensions of bank reputation and bank trust.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 651 questionnaires were distributed to the customers of public and private bank, whereas only 375 usable responses were obtained. Questionnaires were given to the respondents through the visit of few interviewers to several private and public banks in Delhi and NCR region during December 2019 to February 2020. A screening question was included in the beginning of the questionnaire (i.e. Do you trust your bank?). Non-random sampling technique was used for data collection, and the research design was cross-sectional. The proposed framework was tested with the help of structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings of the study show that all the proposed dimensions (i.e. service quality, stability, customer centricism and corporate performance) of corporate reputation/bank reputation significantly affect bank trust. Also, the effect of bank trust on loyalty was found significant. Bank type emerged as a significant moderator between the dimensions of bank reputation and bank trust. It shows that the effect of service quality, stability, customer centricism and corporate performance on bank trust significantly differs in public vs private banks. Customer centricism is perceived to be high in private banks, whereas all the other three dimensions are obtained to be higher in public sector banks according to the findings of the study.

Practical implications

The presented framework in the study has covered all the significant antecedents of bank trust and its subsequent effect on loyalty. The findings of the paper are useful to several stakeholders, including bank managers, regulators, investors and depositors. The study shows that bank reputation affects trust and loyalty in the long run. This relationship can be used by bank managers for gaining the trust of customers and building loyalty. It also helps in making strategies by banks for targeting customers. Stability is a very crucial factor for a developing economy. The bank regulators can use these results for ensuring the soundness of the banking system and for providing a stable environment for customers. Bank depositors and investors can also use the findings of the study for analyzing the factors that affect their bank selection decision.

Originality/value

The present research shows that bank type moderates the relationship of the dimensions of bank reputation and bank trust in an emerging economy in Asia.
Price recovery after the flood: risk to residential property values from climate change‐related flooding*
Authors: Nguyen Quyen , Thorsnes Paul , Diaz‐Rainey Ivan , Moore Antoni , Cox Simon , Stirk‐Wang Leon
Published: April 2022

We take advantage of a combination of a severe weather event from 3 to 4 June 2015 and a local policy, to investigate the housing market response to climate change‐related flooding hazard. The study focuses on a residential area in a low‐lying coastal suburb of Dunedin, New Zealand, where the groundwater level is shallow and close to sea level. An unusually heavy rain event in June 2015 resulted in flooding of a significant portion of land in especially low‐lying areas. The city council responded by reviewing processes for storm‐water management and by imposing minimum‐floor‐level [MFL] requirements on new construction in the low‐lying areas previously identified as at risk of flooding. Applying a ‘diff‐in‐diff‐in‐diff’ strategy in hedonic regression analyses, we find that houses in the MFL zone sell for a discount of about 5 per cent prior to the flood. This discount briefly tripled in the area that flooded, but disappeared within 15 months, indicating either very short memory among homebuyers or no long‐run change in perception of hazard.
Are small businesses better prepared for crises? Czech case
Authors: Mikušová Marie , Horváthová Petra
Published: April 2022

Small businesses often suffer from a lack of resources, which in many cases they cite as a reason why they cannot prepare for crises. Increasingly frequent threats may have forced them to rethink their thinking. The aim of this study is to compare data from 2009, 2012, 2019 and 2021 and thus provide the basis for the non/confirmation of the hypothesis of continuously increasing crisis preparedness in small enterprises. A questionnaire survey was conducted within Czech small businesses in the mentioned years. More than 1000 respondents participated in the research each year. The outputs were statistically processed. Different prevention approach strategies in each year, barriers that complicate preparation and understanding of the not/importance of prevention have been identified. A basic hypothesis could not be confirmed. However, in the context of how highly the importance of crisis preparedness is assessed, actual active prevention is still low. Managers still do not consider crisis preparedness to be part of their competitiveness. The practical benefit of the research is to initiate their reflection on the necessity of crisis prevention. Theoretical contribution is its comparative character over time, allowing to monitor the evolution of the approach of small business managers.
Managing human resource management tensions in project‐based organisations: Evidence from Bangalore
Authors: Mathew Jossy , Srinivasan Vasanthi , Croucher Richard , Gooderham Paul N.
Published: April 2022

We examine human resource management (HRM) in a large Bangalore project‐based software company. Diverse adaptations of organisation‐level HRM exist in projects, generating heterogeneous HRM practices across the organisation, resulting in management–employee tensions. Paradoxes are managed through a comprehensive, detailed and complementary set of structural and relational coping mechanisms, designed to promote employee commitment. These mechanisms were only partially successful, largely because of ongoing client interventions in project management. The motivations for and directions of client interventions are closely linked to the type of work undertaken in projects. Service market imperatives limit managers' scope to negotiate such interventions.
Customer concentration, leverage adjustments, and firm value
Authors: Rehman Obaid Ur , Liu Xiaoxing , Wu Kai , Li Junfeng
Published: April 2022

We examine the relationship between customer concentration and capital structure adjustment speed using a sample of US listed firms from 1977 to 2020. We found that the customer‐concentrated firms have a lower speed of leverage adjustment. Customer concentration affects leverage adjustment speed mainly through increased cash flow volatility and asset specificity. The negative association is more pronounced in firms with high relationship‐specific investments and low switching costs for their customers. Stock market reacts to leverage deviation strongly for firms with concentrated customers. Our findings highlight the vital role of customers as key stakeholders in capital structure decisions.
Random Projection Ensemble Classification with High-Dimensional Time Series
Authors: Zhang Fuli , Chan Kung-Sik
Published: April 2022

Multivariate time-series (MTS) data are prevalent in diverse domains and often high dimensional. We propose new random projection ensemble classifiers with high-dimensional MTS. The method first applies dimension reduction in the time domain via randomly projecting the time-series variables into some low-dimensional space, followed by measuring the disparity via some novel base classifier between the data and the candidate generating processes in the projected space. Our contributions are twofold: (i) We derive optimal weighted majority voting schemes for pooling information from the base classifiers for multiclass classification and (ii) we introduce new base frequency-domain classifiers based on Whittle likelihood (WL), Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence, eigen-distance (ED), and Chernoff (CH) divergence. Both simulations for binary and multiclass problems, and an Electroencephalogram (EEG) application demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methods in constructing accurate classifiers with high-dimensional MTS.
Factors and experiences that influence school mobility for autistic students: A systematic review
Authors: Mitchelson Hayley , Adams Dawn , Simpson Kate
Published: April 2022

Background

Autistic students are reported to move schools at a high rate, but little is understood about why this is happening. What is known is that the effects of school mobility can negatively impact both short‐ and long‐term outcomes, particularly the child's learning, behaviours, mental health and school retention.

Aims

The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the research on factors and experiences which influence the family's decision to move their autistic child to another school.

Methods

A protocol was registered with PROPERO (ID: CRD4202120794). Searches were conducted with ERIC, Scopus and Web of Science and seven studies were identified.

Results

The studies focused on three main types of mobility: mainstream‐to‐mainstream school moves, moving between mainstream and segregated schools, and moving between mainstream and homeschool. Parents’ concerns for their child's learning, social experiences and mental health, as well as their own interactions with their child's school, influenced the decision to leave. Whilst there were similarities across the studies for reasons to move, there were also differences based upon the settings between which students moved.

Conclusion

The findings highlight the need for further research across all school mobility types to better understand the reasons underpinning high rates of school mobility for autistic students.