bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The United States
Authors: Jorgensen Malcolm
Published: March 2021

This chapter assesses the role of the United States (US) in the development of the international law of global security. It begins by reflecting on competing US conceptions of the relationship between national security and global order as they evolved across the twentieth century. The chapter then focuses on three significant trends defining the contemporary field. First are US attitudes towards multilateral institutions and global security, and the ongoing contest between beliefs that they are mutually reinforcing versus beliefs that US security and global institutions sit in zero-sum opposition. Second is the impact of the generational ‘War on Terror’, which has yielded more permissive interpretation and development of laws governing the global use of violence. The final trend is that towards competitive geopolitical interests restructuring international law, which is evident across diverse areas ranging from global economics, to cybersecurity, to the fragmentation of global order into spheres of influence.
The Role of the United Nations in Shaping Global Security Law
Authors: Day Adam , Malone David M.
Published: March 2021

This chapter argues that the United Nations (UN) has contributed to the international law of global security in three related ways: (1) as a lawmaker, or something very much like it, with the UN Security Council (UNSC) empowered through the Charter to adopt decisions binding on all Member States; (2) as an interpreter of international law, with significant impact on the law of global security; and (3) as an agenda-setter, establishing norms and shaping international responses to new security challenges. In all of these, the role of the UNSC has predominated, particularly in the post-Cold War period when the pace of its engagement and its willingness to intervene in a wide range of settings increased dramatically. This does not mean that the UN is always the best, or even the appropriate, actor when it comes to making, shaping, and enforcing international law. The chapter then considers the political limitations of the UN as an actor shaping global law, and the attendant risks this contested role poses to effective management of international peace and security. Just as it adapted in the post-Cold War period to new conflict dynamics and power constellations, the UN is likely to remain a key player in the global legal order in some respects and will need to calibrate its decisions accordingly, which it has not always done in the past.
Combatants and Non-Combatants
Authors: Fleck Dieter
Published: March 2021

This chapter examines the regulation of combatant status in treaty law and the many challenges for combatant status in recent armed conflicts. The primary status under international law of persons in an international armed conflict will be one of two categories of persons: ‘combatants’ and ‘civilians’. Combatants may fight within the limits imposed by international law applicable in international armed conflict, that is, they may participate directly in hostilities, which members of medical or religious personnel and ‘non-combatants’ may not do because they are excluded—by international law and by a legal act of their party to the conflict—from the authorization to take a direct part in hostilities. The chapter then discusses ‘unlawful combatants’, or what may be considered the better term: ‘unprivileged belligerents’. The term ‘unlawful enemy combatant’ was particularly used after 11 September 2001, to introduce a third category of persons which under existing law may be either combatants or civilians, but are denied such status as not fulfilling essential conditions. To use this third category in order to reduce the individual protection below the minimum standard of human rights is under no circumstances legally acceptable.
Occupation
Authors: Fleck Dieter
Published: March 2021

This chapter addresses the present state of the law of occupation, highlighting also the increasing importance of human rights for the protection of civilians in occupied territories. International law on belligerent occupation determines the rights and obligations of a party to an armed conflict which occupies territory of the adverse party. It also codifies the rights and duties of the residents of such occupied territory. The treatment of the population of an occupied territory is measured against standards set by international humanitarian law and human rights law concurrently. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) left no doubt that as a rule, the specific provisions of GC IV and relevant rules of customary law relating to belligerent occupation take precedence over human rights law, as law specifically drawn up for issues arising out of belligerent occupation (lex specialis). In an exceptional case, it may be determined that a human rights rule offers greater protection to the inhabitants of an occupied territory. When assessing the interplay between international humanitarian law and human rights law, this must be done on a right-by-right or case-by-case basis, respecting the special situation of occupation, rather than in a wholesale manner.
Protection of Cultural Property
Authors: Fleck Dieter
Published: March 2021

This chapter provides a commentary on the protection of cultural property in armed conflicts, which covers recent developments in treaty law and international practice. The Second World War spurred the eventual conclusion of the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the Regulations for its execution, along with a separate optional Protocol, now known as the First Protocol. The preamble to the former declares that ‘damage to cultural property belonging to any people whatsoever means damage to the cultural heritage of all mankind, since each people makes its contribution to the culture of the world’. While the 1954 Convention applies during international armed conflict (whether or not a legal state of war exists between the belligerents, as well as to all cases of partial or total occupation of the territory of a party), its provisions relating to respect for cultural property also apply to non-international armed conflict occurring within the territory of one of the parties. Meanwhile, the 1977 Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions, too, embody brief provisions specifically relating to respect for cultural property. In parallel with these treaty regimes, a body of customary international law has developed over the years to protect cultural property in armed conflict.
The Law of Non-International Armed Conflict
Authors: Fleck Dieter
Published: March 2021

This chapter provides an overview of the law of non-international armed conflicts and its progressive development. The law of armed conflict, as it has developed in the last part of the nineteenth and the first part of the twentieth century, deals predominantly with wars between states. Its basic principles and rules are, however, likewise relevant for non-international armed conflicts: in all armed conflicts, elementary considerations of humanity must be respected under all circumstances, in order to protect victims, to reduce human sufferings, and to minimize damages to objects vital for survival. Therefore, the parties to the conflict do not have an unlimited choice of the means and methods of conducting hostilities, nor of selecting the targets to be attacked, and they must protect the victims from the effects and consequences of war. This concept is reflected in the principles and rules of international humanitarian law, to be respected by all and, while taking military necessity into account, limiting the use of force for humanitarian reasons. Parties to the conflict respecting these principles and rules are considered as respecting the international order, while those seriously violating them will commit internationally wrongful acts and perpetrators are liable to punishment.
Obligations of the Reinsurer
Authors: Edelman Colin , Burns Andrew
Published: March 2021

This chapter evaluates the obligations of the reinsurer. A reinsurer is obliged to indemnify its reinsured where a loss falls within the cover of the policy reinsured and within the cover created by the reinsurance. In the absence of any express provision in the reinsurance policy to the contrary, the burden of proof is on the reinsured to prove that the underlying insured’s loss fell as a matter of law within the risks covered and that it was as a matter of fact liable to the underlying insured in respect of that loss. A reinsurer is not obliged to pay its reinsured more than the reinsured has paid its underlying insured. Over the years, insurers have sought (with varying degrees of success) to relieve themselves of the responsibility of proving that they were as a matter of fact liable to their underlying insured and of proving the quantum of such liability by inserting in policies of reinsurance a clause requiring the reinsurer to follow the settlements or fortunes of the reinsured.
Why Can’t There Be Numbers?
Authors: Builes David
Published: March 2021

Platonists affirm the existence of abstract mathematical objects, and Nominalists deny the existence of abstract mathematical objects. While there are standard arguments in favor of Nominalism, these arguments fail to account for the necessity of Nominalism. Furthermore, these arguments do nothing to explain why Nominalism is true. They only point to certain theoretical vices that might befall the Platonist. The goal of this paper is to formulate and defend a simple, valid argument for the necessity of Nominalism that seeks to precisify the widespread intuition that mathematical objects are somehow ‘spooky’ or ‘mysterious’.
Collaboration Between Tele-ICU Programs Has the Potential to Rapidly Increase the Availability of Critical Care Physicians—Our Experience Was During Coronavirus Disease 2019 Nomenclature
Authors: Chandra Saurabh , Hertz Craig , Khurana Hargobind , Doerfler Martin E.
Published: March 2021

Objectives:

Implement a connected network between two Tele-ICU programs to support staffing and rounding during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the United States.

Design:

Proof of Concept model.

Setting:

Northwell Health; a 23 Hospital, 40 ICU (500 ICU beds) healthcare organization serving the downstate NY area. During the initial coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, Northwell Health rapidly expanded to greater than 1,000 ICU beds. The surge in patients required redeployment of noncritical care providers to the ICU bedside. The Tele-ICU program expanded from covering 176 beds pre pandemic to assisting with care for patients in approximately 450 beds via deployment of Wi-Fi-enabled mobile telehealth carts to the newly formed ICUs.

Patients:

Critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 patients hospitalized at Northwell Health, NY, at any point from March 2020 to June 2020.

Interventions:

To offset the shortage of critical care physicians, Northwell Health established a collaboration with the Tele-ICU program of Providence, St. Joseph Health in the state of Washington, which enabled the critical care physicians of Providence, St. Joseph Health to participate in virtual rounding on critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 patients at Northwell Health.

Main Results:

We developed an innovative hybrid model that allowed for virtual rounding on an additional 40–60 patients per day by a remote critical care physician at Providence, St. Joseph Health. This was accomplished in approximately 3 weeks and provided remote care to complex patients.

Conclusions:

Our findings demonstrate the proof of concept of establishing a network of connected Tele-ICU programs as a rapidly scalable and sustainable paradigm for the provision of support from critical care physicians for noncritical care teams at the bedside.
Prioritizing Injury Prevention: Cause of Injury Text Analysis
Authors: Bechtel Kaitlin E. , Sharrah Mark L. , Hood Jessica M. , Carney Daniel E.
Published: March 2021

Background:

Motor vehicle (MVCs) and motorcycle crashes (MCCs) continue to be among the most prevalent mechanisms of trauma injury and mortality. We sought to identify specific populations and factors associated with MVCs and MCCs for local injury prevention efforts. A novel, yet easily performed, research method was utilized—a qualitative content analysis of text narratives describing each patient's cause of injury.

Objective:

To determine target populations for local MVC and MCC injury prevention.

Methods:

A retrospective descriptive analysis was performed using registry data from a Level I trauma center. The registry was queried for all trauma patients presenting with MVC or MCC injuries between June 8, 2014, and June 7, 2019. Cases were then reviewed via their respective text narratives of injury causation. Common themes were identified, coded by independent raters, and assessed for interrater reliability using Cohen's κ. Frequencies and proportions are reported for each preventable factor and patient characteristic.

Results:

There were a total of 2,861 cases studied, of which 2,330 (81.4%) were MVC and 531 (18.6%) were MCC. Demographics varied by mechanism of injury. Driver drug or alcohol use was involved in 97 (3.4%), protective devices were not used in 776 (27.1%), distracted driving was involved in 30 (1%), excessive speeding was involved in 152 (5.3%), and driver sleeping/syncope/medical condition was present in 113 (3.9%) cases.

Conclusions:

Content analysis of cause of injury text narratives can detect target populations and preventable factors to direct injury prevention efforts specific to the local population.
Improving a Mature Palliative Care Program at a Level I Trauma Center
Authors: Moran Mary E. , Soltis Melissa , Politis Themos , Gothard M. David , George Richard L.
Published: March 2021

Background:

Similar to the significant rise in the geriatric population in the United States, trauma centers have seen an increase in geriatric trauma patients. These patients present with additional challenges such as a higher likelihood of undertriage, mortality, and frailty. In addition, the varying presence of advanced directive documentation increases the importance of early palliative care consultations for geriatric trauma patients.

Objective:

In 2018, a Level I trauma center in the Midwest reviewed the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program's Palliative Care Best Practice Guideline to identify opportunities for improvement to strengthen the collaboration between the palliative care consult service and trauma program.

Methods:

The guideline drove improvements, which included documentation changes (i.e., expansion of palliative care consultation triggers, frailty assessment, advanced directives questions, depression screening, and addition of palliative care consultation section on the performance improvement program form) and training (1-hr lecture on palliative care and 5-hr palliative care simulation training) opportunities.

Results:

A 3-month manual chart review (March 2019 through May 2019) revealed that by May 2019, 87.2% of admitted geriatric trauma patients received frailty assessments, which surpassed the benchmark (≥85%). In addition, advanced care planning questions (i.e., health care power of attorney, do not resuscitate order, or living will) exceeded the benchmarks set forth by the guideline (≥90%), with all of the questions being asked and documented in 95.7% of those same patient charts by May 2019.

Conclusion:

This quality improvement project has applicability for trauma centers that treat geriatric trauma patients; using the guidelines can drive changes to meet individual institution needs.
Phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors for erectile dysfunction following nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy
Authors: Yang Jie , Jian Zhong-Yu , Wang Jia
Published: March 2021

Background:

To verify which phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5is) strategy is better for erectile dysfunction (ED) following nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (NSRP).

Methods:

This systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Science and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials database to identify eligible studies from the startup of these databases to 1 November, 2019. The ED recovery rate was the main outcome. Traditional pair-wise meta-analysis and multivariate random-effects network meta-analysis (NMA) were performed to explore direct and indirect comparisons, respectively. The surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) probabilities was used to evaluate the efficacy of treatments.

Results:

A total of 14 randomized controlled trials with four kinds of PDE5is were included. Further pooled evidence suggested that PDE5is followed by NSRP had a benefit for penile rehabilitation compared to placebo using traditional pair-wise meta-analyses. Our NMA showed that Avanafil 200 mg on demand might be most likely to be the best treatment option according to the first rank of SUCRA both in NMA (SUCRA 83.5) and sensitivity analysis (SUCRA 90.2).

Conclusion:

Avanafil 200 mg on demand has the highest probability of being the best intervention among PDE5is in treating ED following NSRP. However, more randomized controlled trials are needed to validate this in consideration of the published data regarding Avanafil is relatively small scale.
Rat dorsal horn neurons primed by stress develop a long-lasting manifest sensitization after a short-lasting nociceptive low back input
Authors: Singaravelu Sathish Kumar , Hoheisel Ulrich , Mense Siegfried , Treede Rolf-Detlef
Published: March 2021

Background:

A single injection of nerve growth factor (NGF) into a low back muscle induces a latent sensitization of rat dorsal horn neurons (DHNs) that primes for a manifest sensitization by a subsequent second NGF injection. Repeated restraint stress also causes a latent DHN sensitization.

Objective:

In this study, we investigated whether repeated restraint stress followed by a single NGF injection causes a manifest sensitization of DHNs.

Methods:

Rats were stressed repeatedly in a narrow plastic restrainer (1 hour on 12 consecutive days). Control animals were handled but not restrained. Two days after stress paradigm, behavioral tests and electrophysiological in vivo recordings from single DHNs were performed. Mild nociceptive low back input was induced by a single NGF injection into the lumbar multifidus muscle just before the recording started.

Results:

Restraint stress slightly lowered the low back pressure pain threshold (Cohen d = 0.83). Subsequent NGF injection increased the proportion of neurons responsive to deep low back input (control + NGF: 14%, stress + NGF: 39%; P = 0.041), mostly for neurons with input from outside the low back (7% vs 26%; P = 0.081). There was an increased proportion of neurons with resting activity (28% vs 55%; P = 0.039), especially in neurons having deep input (0% vs 26%; P = 0.004).

Conclusions:

The results indicate that stress followed by a short-lasting nociceptive input causes manifest sensitization of DHNs to deep input, mainly from tissue outside the low back associated with an increased resting activity. These findings on neuronal mechanisms in our rodent model suggest how stress might predispose to radiating pain in patients.
Streptomyces ureilyticus sp. nov. and Streptomyces mesophilus sp. nov., two novel Actinobacteria with antimicrobial activity isolated from lake sediment
Authors: Tokatli Ali , Idil Onder , Saygin Hayrettin , Sahin Nevzat
Published: March 2021

Two novel

Actinobacteria

, designated strains YC419T and YC504T, were isolated from a sediment sample collected from Lake Yeniçağa, Bolu Province, Turkey. Chemotaxonomic and morphological characteristics of isolates were found to be typical of members of the genus

Streptomyces

. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain YC419T was most closely related to

Streptomyces vastus

NBRC 13094T (99.0 %) and ‘Streptomyces xiangluensis’ NEAU-LA29 (98.6 %), and strain YC504T was to most closely related to

Streptomyces caldifontis

NCCP-1331T (98.6 %) and

Streptomyces indicus

IH32-1T (98.0 %). The cell walls of the two strains contained ll-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid and the whole-cell hydrolysates were glucose, mannose and ribose. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H8) and MK-9(H6) in both strains. The major polar lipids of strain YC419T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol, while strain YC504T had a similar profile but lacking diphosphatidylglycerol. The G+C contents of the genomic DNAs were 69.6 and 70.3 mol% for strains YC419T and YC504T, respectively. The phenotypic and genotypic data indicated that these two strains were readily distinguished from one another and the type strains of the other species classified in the genus

Streptomyces

. Therefore, the strains are suggested to represent two novel species of the genus

Streptomyces

, for which the names Streptomyces ureilyticus sp. nov. and Streptomyces mesophilus sp. nov. are proposed. The type strains are YC419T (=DSM 102299T=KCTC 39757T) and YC504T (=DSM 102300T=KCTC 39756T), respectively.
The emergence and ongoing convergent evolution of the N501Y lineages coincides with a major global shift in the SARS-CoV-2 selective landscape
Authors: Martin Darren P , Weaver Steven , Tegally Houryiah , San Emmanuel James , Shank Stephen D , Wilkinson Eduan , Lucaci Alexander G , Giandhari Jennifer , Naidoo Sureshnee , Pillay Yeshnee , Singh Lavanya , Lessells Richard J ,   NGS-SA,   COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK), Gupta Ravindra K , Wertheim Joel O , Nekturenko Anton , Murrell Ben , Harkins Gordon W , Lemey Philippe , MacLean Oscar A , Robertson David L , de Oliveira Tulio , Kosakovsky Pond Sergei L
Published: March 2021

The emergence and rapid rise in prevalence of three independent SARS-CoV-2 “501Y lineages’’, B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1, in the last three months of 2020 prompted renewed concerns about the evolutionary capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to adapt to both rising population immunity, and public health interventions such as vaccines and social distancing. Viruses giving rise to the different 501Y lineages have, presumably under intense natural selection following a shift in host environment, independently acquired multiple unique and convergent mutations. As a consequence, all have gained epidemiological and immunological properties that will likely complicate the control of COVID-19. Here, by examining patterns of mutations that arose in SARS-CoV-2 genomes during the pandemic we find evidence of a major change in the selective forces acting on various SARS-CoV-2 genes and gene segments (such as S, nsp2 and nsp6), that likely coincided with the emergence of the 501Y lineages. In addition to involving continuing sequence diversification, we find evidence that a significant portion of the ongoing adaptive evolution of the 501Y lineages also involves further convergence between the lineages. Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring how members of these known 501Y lineages, and others still undiscovered, are convergently evolving similar strategies to ensure their persistence in the face of mounting infection and vaccine induced host immune recognition.
riboCIRC: a comprehensive database of translatable circRNAs
Authors: Li Huihui , Xie Mingzhe , Wang Yan , Yang Ludong , Xie Zhi , Wang Hongwei
Published: March 2021

riboCIRC is a translatome data-oriented circRNA database specifically designed for hosting, exploring, analyzing, and visualizing translatable circRNAs from multi-species. The database provides a comprehensive repository of computationally predicted ribosome-associated circRNAs, a manually curated collection of experimentally verified translated circRNAs, an evaluation of cross-species conservation of translatable circRNAs, a systematic de novo annotation of putative circRNA-encoded peptides, including sequence, structure, and function, and a genome browser to visualize the context-specific occupant footprints of circRNAs. It represents a valuable resource for the circRNA research community and is publicly available at http://www.ribocirc.com.
The mRNA-LNP platform’s lipid nanoparticle component used in preclinical vaccine studies is highly inflammatory
Authors: Ndeupen Sonia , Qin Zhen , Jacobsen Sonya , Estanbouli Henri , Bouteau Aurélie , Igyártó Botond Z.
Published: March 2021

Vaccines based on mRNA-containing lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are a promising new platform used by two leading vaccines against coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19). Clinical trials and ongoing vaccinations present with very high protection levels and varying degrees of side effects. However, the nature of the reported side effects remains poorly defined. Here we present evidence that LNPs used in many preclinical studies are highly inflammatory in mice. Intradermal injection of these LNPs led to rapid and robust inflammatory responses, characterized by massive neutrophil infiltration, activation of diverse inflammatory pathways, and production of various inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. The same dose of LNP delivered intranasally led to similar inflammatory responses in the lung and resulted in a high mortality rate.

In summary, here we show that the LNPs used for many preclinical studies are highly inflammatory. Thus, their potent adjuvant activity and reported superiority comparing to other adjuvants in supporting the induction of adaptive immune responses likely stem from their inflammatory nature. Furthermore, the preclinical LNPs are similar to the ones used for human vaccines, which could also explain the observed side effects in humans using this platform.
Modeling expression ranks for noise-tolerant differential expression analysis of scRNA-seq data
Authors: Gupta Krishan , Lalit Manan , Biswas Aditya , Sanada Chad D. , Greene Cassandra , Hukari Kyle , Maulik Ujjwal , Bandyopadhyay Sanghamitra , Ramalingam Naveen , Ahuja Gaurav , Ghosh Abhik , Sengupta Debarka
Published: March 2021

Systematic delineation of complex biological systems is an ever-challenging and resource-intensive process. Single-cell transcriptomics allows us to study cell-to-cell variability in complex tissues at an unprecedented resolution. Accurate modeling of gene expression plays a critical role in the statistical determination of tissue-specific gene expression patterns. In the past few years, considerable efforts have been made to identify appropriate parametric models for single-cell expression data. The zero-inflated version of Poisson/negative binomial and log-normal distributions have emerged as the most popular alternatives owing to their ability to accommodate high dropout rates, as commonly observed in single-cell data. Although the majority of the parametric approaches directly model expression estimates, we explore the potential of modeling expression ranks, as robust surrogates for transcript abundance. Here we examined the performance of the discrete generalized beta distribution (DGBD) on real data and devised a Wald-type test for comparing gene expression across two phenotypically divergent groups of single cells. We performed a comprehensive assessment of the proposed method to understand its advantages compared with some of the existing best-practice approaches. We concluded that besides striking a reasonable balance between Type I and Type II errors, ROSeq, the proposed differential expression test, is exceptionally robust to expression noise and scales rapidly with increasing sample size. For wider dissemination and adoption of the method, we created an R package called ROSeq and made it available on the Bioconductor platform.
Structural and functional analysis of the Klebsiella pneumoniae MazEF toxin–antitoxin system
Authors: Jin Chenglong , Kang Sung-Min , Kim Do-Hee , Lee Bong-Jin
Published: March 2021

Bacterial toxin–antitoxin (TA) systems correlate strongly with physiological processes in bacteria, such as growth arrest, survival and apoptosis. Here, the first crystal structure of a type II TA complex structure of Klebsiella pneumoniae at 2.3 Å resolution is presented. The K. pneumoniae MazEF complex consists of two MazEs and four MazFs in a heterohexameric assembly. It was estimated that MazEF forms a dodecamer with two heterohexameric MazEF complexes in solution, and a truncated complex exists in heterohexameric form. The MazE antitoxin interacts with the MazF toxin via two binding modes, namely, hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions. Compared with structural homologs, K. pneumoniae MazF shows distinct features in loops β1–β2, β3–β4 and β4–β5. It can be inferred that these three loops have the potential to represent the unique characteristics of MazF, especially various substrate recognition sites. In addition, K. pneumoniae MazF shows ribonuclease activity and the catalytic core of MazF lies in an RNA-binding pocket. Mutation experiments and cell-growth assays confirm Arg28 and Thr51 as critical residues for MazF ribonuclease activity. The findings shown here may contribute to the understanding of the bacterial MazEF TA system and the exploration of antimicrobial candidates to treat drug-resistant K. pneumoniae.
Supramolecular structures of NiII and CuII with the sterically demanding Schiff base dyes driven by cooperative action of preagostic and other non-covalent interactions
Authors: Shiryaev Alexey A. , Burkhanova Tatyana M. , Mitoraj Mariusz P. , Kukulka Mercedes , Sagan Filip , Mahmoudi Ghodrat , Babashkina Maria G. , Bolte Michael , Safin Damir A.
Published: March 2021

This work reports on synthesis and extensive experimental and theoretical investigations on photophysical, structural and thermal properties of the NiII and CuII discrete mononuclear homoleptic complexes [Ni(L
I,II)2] and [Cu(L
I,II)2] fabricated from the Schiff base dyes o-HOC6H4—CH=N—cyclo-C6H11 (HL
I) and o-HOC10H6—CH=N—cyclo-C6H11 (HL
II), containing the sterically crowding cyclohexyl units. The six-membered metallocycles adopt a clearly defined envelope conformation in [Ni(L
II)2], while they are much more planar in the structures of [Ni(L
I)2] and [Cu(L
I,II)2]. It has been demonstrated by in-depth bonding analyses based on the ETS-NOCV and Interacting Quantum Atoms energy-decomposition schemes that application of the bulky substituents, containing several C—H groups, has led to the formation of a set of classical and unintuitive intra- and inter-molecular interactions. All together they are responsible for the high stability of [Ni(L
I,II)2] and [Cu(L
I,II)2]. More specifically, London dispersion dominated intramolecular C—H...O, C—H...N and C—H...H—C hydrogen bonds are recognized and, importantly, the attractive, chiefly the Coulomb driven, preagostic (not repulsive anagostic) C—H...Ni/Cu interactions have been discovered despite their relatively long distances (∼2.8–3.1 Å). All the complexes are further stabilized by the extremely efficient intermolecular C—H...π(benzene) and C—H...π(chelate) interactions, where both the charge-delocalization and London dispersion constituents appear to be crucial for the crystal packing of the obtained complexes. All the complexes were found to be photoluminescent in CH2Cl2, with [Cu(L
II)2] exhibiting the most pronounced emission – the time-dependent density-functional-theory computations revealed that it is mostly caused by metal-to-ligand charge-transfer transitions.
“Effect of milk thistle addition (Silybum MarianumL.) on marinated herring (Clupea HarengusL.) meat”
Authors: Ochrem Andrzej , Kułaj Dominika , Pokorska Joanna , Żychlińska-Buczek Justyna , Zapletal Piotr , Drąg-Kozak Ewa , Łuszczek-Trojnar Ewa
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The aim of the study was to analyse the quality changes in marinated herring meat depending on the moment of adding milk thistle.

Design/methodology/approach

One control (C) and two experimental groups were investigated: MH (milk thistle added to a marinade solution) and FH (fillets rubbed with milk thistle before marination). The basic chemical composition, the meat colour, heavy metals concentration, fatty acids profile, quality of lipids and antioxidant capacity were determined.

Findings

The occurrence of Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn was higher in the experimental group than in the control group throughout the marinating process. The peroxide value was higher from the first day in the control group than in the experimental groups. On the last day of the study, the peroxide value in the control group exceeded the maximum acceptable value. The highest level of Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances was determined in the control group on the first day, and the lowest in the FH group. On the first day, the highest percentage of DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical quenching was recorded in the FH group.

Originality/value

The results are the first to find that the addition of milk thistle to herring fillets in marinating process maintains or even improves the quality of the marinades. The process of previously coating the fillets in milk thistle and then marinating achieves a lower peroxide value, higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and a higher content of elements such as iron and manganese, which are very valuable for human health.
Navigating EtonHouse through crises: the paradoxical leadership of Ng Gim Choo
Authors: Lee Jean , Ju Huirong , Tan Leah
Published: March 2021

Study level/applicability

This case study can be used in graduate- and executive-level.

Subject Area

This case study can be used in entrepreneurship, leadership, crisis management, business succession, organizational behaviour and business expansion.

Case overview

In 2020, the EtonHouse International Education Group (EtonHouse) celebrated its 25th anniversary. Under the leadership of Ng Gim Choo, founder and managing director, EtonHouse has become a renowned education provider noted for its well-designed inquiry-based curriculum. Since its initial expansion in Singapore, the institution has spread across the world. Throughout its history, EtonHouse has faced many crises. However, employing paradoxical leadership, Ng Gim Choo has managed to accommodate conflicting demands and guide EtonHouse away from adversity. In early 2020, the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) posed an unprecedented challenge to EtonHouse. In addition to developing business strategies in response to COVID-19, Ng Gim Choo has been considering whether the time is ripe to hand over the reins to Ng Yi Xian, her son and EtonHouse successor.

Expected learning outcomes

By presenting the dilemma of business succession in crises, the case study facilitates in-depth discussion of several issues related to family business succession, succession planning and crisis management. Students will be able to explore the following issues: 1. The concept and implications of paradoxical leadership and its application in business decisions. 2. How to lead during crises. 3. The tension between succession plans and crisis management. 4. The characteristics and implications of woman entrepreneurship.

Subject code

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
Analytics Pros: taking digital to the next level
Authors: Leleux Benoit , Whitmore Charlotte , Ligai Natalia , Manolikas Theofanis
Published: March 2021

Study level/applicability

The case provides a great illustration of women leadership in crisis times. A failed merger forced a deep review of the firm strategy and a realization that the legacy leadership arrangement was not optimal anymore. The hustand-and-wife team ended up swapping executive positions, with Charlotte resolutely taking on the CEO position.

Subject area

The case is designed as an integrative case looking simultaneously at key subjects such as leadership, entrepreneurship and management of a fast growing service firm, strategy as applied to IT consulting and finally gender studies, with the possibility to discuss the impact of gender roles.

Case overview

The case investigates Charlotte's efforts at building an original Search Engine Optimization firm in Seattle, progressively taking control from her husband to save the firm from bad strategic decisions.

Expected learning outcomes

The case is written to convey the emotional rollercoaster lived by Charlotte and key decisions she had to make as the leader of this fast growing data analytics firm. Learning outcomes focus on what is expected of a leader in such situation, in particular a female leader in a male-dominated technology environment.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Social Implications

Consulting in general, and data analytics consulting in particular, are male-dominated worlds where a female leader faces many obstacles to realize their potential. Charlotte provides a masterful example of how to contribute to and lead a fast-growing firm and manage the family and the relationship to a partner who also happens to be the co-founder of the firm.

Subject code

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship
Impact of employee pro-organizational unethical behavior on performance evaluation rated by supervisor: a moderated mediation model of supervisor bottom-line mentality
Authors: Zhan Xiaohui , Liu Yun
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The topic of employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) has attracted more and more interest in both practice and academic fields. However, previous studies have mainly investigated the antecedents of UPB and little research has discussed the outcome variables. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effect mechanism of UPB on employee performance evaluation rated by a supervisor through a leader-member exchange (LMX) and the moderating role of supervisor bottom-line mentality (BLM).

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a sample consisting of 304 employees and 96 supervisors in several manufacturing firms in China. The authors used hierarchical linear modeling to test the hypotheses, as this was cross-level research. In addition, this paper also uses Mplus7.4 to test the moderating effects of supervisor BLM on the indirect effects between the UPB and performance evaluation by a moderated path analysis.

Findings

The results confirm that UPB is positively related to performance evaluation rated by supervisors. Additionally, the mediating effect of LMX in the relationship between UPB and performance evaluation is successfully demonstrated. Furthermore, supervisor BLM cross-levelly moderates the relationship between UPB and LMX, as well as moderates the mediation effect of LMX on the correlation between UPB and performance evaluation.

Research limitations/implications

The primary contribution of this research is building a cross-level model for the effect of UPB on followers’ performance evaluation scored by the supervisor and thereby extending the nomological networks of both UPB and performance evaluation literature. Another contribution the study makes to the literature is that it provides a new perspective to understand how UPB relates to followers’ performance evaluation.

Originality/value

This is the first study about how and when UPB predicts followers’ performance evaluation rated by the supervisor.
Landlords with no lands: a systematic literature review on hybrid multi-sided platforms and platform thinking
Authors: Trabucchi Daniel , Buganza Tommaso
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This article is based on a systematic and comprehensive review of the literature on two-sided platforms, the business structure based on the concept of matchmaking groups of customers (e.g. Uber or Airbnb). The research aims to identify gaps in the existing literature while providing a structured summary of the existing knowledge in the field. Finally, we propose a conceptual framework enabling platform thinking, the ability to see hybrid multi-sided platforms as a useful resource-orchestration structure to unveil innovation opportunities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a bibliometric approach, combing co-citation and text mining analyses of 196 papers, also implementing a longitudinal analysis that highlights the evolution of the field since its inception till today.

Findings

The novel aspect of the paper consists in taking a purely managerial stance of a very peculiar kind of platform, merging existing knowledge in comprehensive frameworks while providing potential avenues for research.

Research limitations/implications

From an academic perspective, this research highlights the double nature of two-sided platforms: as an operational choice or as a way to exploit (digital) assets and reach the economic sustainability. A research agenda is proposed, based on three pillars: a side-based standpoint, a business model perspective and an evolutionary stance to see how these businesses may evolve.

Practical implications

The research identifies different literature streams that may help practitioners in identifying how two-sided platforms may help them in fostering innovation.

Originality/value

The identification of two-sided platforms as a different way to create value (transaction platforms) or to capture value (non-transaction platform), enhancing the debate on this innovative business model. A research agenda to bring the field forward is proposed.
Modeling multi-state system reliability analysis in a power station under fatal and nonfatal shocks: a simulation approach
Authors: Pourhassan Mohammad Reza , Raissi Sadigh , Apornak Arash
Published: March 2021

Purpose

In some environments, the failure rate of a system depends not only on time but also on the system condition, such as vibrational level, efficiency and the number of random shocks, each of which causes failure. In this situation, systems can keep working, though they fail gradually. So, the purpose of this paper is modeling multi-state system reliability analysis in capacitor bank under fatal and nonfatal shocks by a simulation approach.

Design/methodology/approach

In some situations, there may be several levels of failure where the system performance diminishes gradually. However, if the level of failure is beyond a certain threshold, the system may stop working. Transition from one faulty stage to the next can lead the system to more rapid degradation. Thus, in failure analysis, the authors need to consider the transition rate from these stages in order to model the failure process.

Findings

This study aims to perform multi-state system reliability analysis in energy storage facilities of SAIPA Corporation. This is performed to extract a predictive model for failure behavior as well as to analyze the effect of shocks on deterioration. The results indicate that the reliability of the system improved by 6%.

Originality/value

The results of this study can provide more confidence for critical system designers who are engaged on the proper system performance beyond economic design.
Intellectual capital and bank branches' efficiency: an integrated study
Authors: Ting Irene Wei Kiong , Chen Fu-Chiang , Kweh Qian Long , Sui Hai Juan , Le Hanh Thi My
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the association between intellectual capital (IC) and bank efficiency of Taiwanese bank branches.

Design/methodology/approach

This study manually collects sample data from 107 non-public financial reports of the bank branches of Taiwan Business Bank Company Limited. As this study concerns bank branches, this study uses questionnaires related to IC to measure the implementation of IC at branch level. This study employs data envelopment analysis (DEA) models (BCC, EBM and BootBCC) to identify bank branches' efficiency. This study uses partial least square-based structural equation modeling analysis to assess the impact of IC and bank efficiency.

Findings

Result reveals that relational capital (RC) significantly and negatively impacts bank efficiency. Findings also imply that human capital (HC) and structural capital (SC) do not contribute to bank efficiency in Taiwan.

Practical implications

Spending effort in building relationships with customers diverts banks' resources. More inputs that are used may not be converted to outputs immediately. Bank branches should focus on enhancing their service quality to attract customers to use the facilities provided by branches.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this empirical study is the first to examine the association between IC and bank branches' efficiency in Taiwan by integrating primary and secondary data. For IC components, this study conducts a survey by designing the questionnaires related to IC to assess the implementation of IC at bank branches in Taiwan. In terms of efficiency, this study uses bank financial data and DEA models to identify bank branches' efficiency.
Dynamic managerial capabilities, organisational capacity for change and organisational performance: the moderating effect of attitude towards change in a public service organisation
Authors: Widianto Sunu , Lestari Yetty Dwi , Adna Beta Embriyono , Sukoco Badri Munir , Nasih Mohammad
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The aim of this study is to explore dynamic managerial capabilities (DMCs) and their effect on public organisational performance. While the previous research has focused on how leadership style impacts on organisational performance, the authors have investigated how the dynamic managerial capabilities of middle managers and their organisational capacity for change as well as their attitude towards the change are linked to organisational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The dataset was gathered during the field research carried out in a large public Indonesian government institution. In total, 313 managers and their direct followers participated in this study. The authors have employed structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results of this study demonstrate the role of the dynamic capabilities of the middle managers associated with organisational performance. The results show that dynamic managerial capabilities and organisational performance are mediated by the organisational capacity for change.

Practical implications

Middle managers should equip and develop their capabilities in order to embrace change in the organisation through the communication between the different staff levels, uniting the vision and mission with the organisational members. Further, the organisation should empower the role of the middle managers by increasing their authority and participation in the policy-making that is part of the change process. In addition, the workplace could implement interventions to optimise the dynamic managerial capabilities held by the middle manager and employees through assessments and mentoring. Finally, particular training programmes could be implemented to boost the employees' skills and flexibility, thereby keeping them agile in the context of the changes in the work environment.

Originality/value

The role of the dynamic managerial capabilities of the middle manager is a prominent factor when facilitating a high level of organisational performance in a public organisation. However, the role of dynamic managerial capabilities does not have a direct effect on organisational performance if the organisation does not have the capacity to change, particularly in the Indonesian context.