bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Internet banking brand strategies amongst German commercial banks since the 1990s
Authors: Körnert Jan , Grube Klemens
Published: August 2021

Purpose

In the mid-1990s, market demands for around-the-clock (24/7) banking and financial transacting began to converge with advances in internet-based technologies. This confluence of forces gave rise to the birth of internet banking. Building upon the relevant literature, this paper aims to develop a set of propositions to address the following questions: what brand strategy or strategies were used at the birth of internet banking roughly 25 years ago? In the years since then, have merger and acquisition transactions involving internet or “direct” banking businesses only come to fruition where the direct bank was previously under a specific brand strategy? And finally, where there have been changes in internet banking brand strategy, have these invariably been in the ultimate direction of one particular brand strategy?

Design/methodology/approach

Because of the exploratory nature of the research question, this paper uses a case study examination as the research approach. In addition to gaining deeper insight into issues involving internet bank branding as these actually existed, this paper aims to propose preliminary and tentative conclusions that can later be tested empirically with larger sample size. The case studies specifically examine German commercial banks with direct bank businesses.

Findings

In the examination of the German commercial banks, this paper finds that their internet banking activities some 25 years ago were, in fact, never launched using an umbrella brand strategy but rather with a combined brand strategy or multi-brand strategy. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions involving internet-based direct banks were only consummated where the direct bank had previously been operated by the parent bank using a multi-brand strategy. Where the brand strategies of internet-based direct banks have been changed by their parent banks, this has invariably been in the direction of an umbrella brand strategy.

Originality/value

Within the marketing and banking literature, there are no in-depth examinations of internet banking brand strategies to be found. This paper, in addressing this research topic, marks the first full survey of German commercial banks with internet-based direct banking businesses. This survey, moreover, examines branding not only at the time that internet-based direct banks were first established starting in 1994 but also the subsequent development of internet banking brand strategies to the present day.
The family’s effect on knowledge sharing in family firms
Authors: Botero Isabel C. , Barroso Martínez Ascensión , Sanguino Galván , Binhote Juliana
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to understand how the family system plays a role in knowledge sharing (KS) within family firms. The authors argue that the family’s influence can occur through two routes. An external route in which the family affects the culture of the organization and through an internal route in which family leadership within the firm affects the practices and behaviors within the business.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this project came from the survey responses of 93 Spanish family firms.

Findings

The findings expand previous understanding about KS in family firms by outlining the two routes through which the family can have positive effect on KS within family firms. Results show that family system characteristics (i.e. next-generation commitment, family trust and intergenerational relationships) affect KS through their impact on the participative culture of a family firm. Additionally, when a family has been in control of the business for more generations, they place higher importance on family legacy and continuity, which is likely to strengthen the relationship between participative culture and KS in family firms.

Originality/value

Given the important role that the family system plays within the family business, this paper explored how family characteristics can influence KS in family firms. The authors contribute to the literature by highlighting the importance that the owning family can have in creating an environment that can facilitate KS in family firms.
The preferred type of financial intelligence for early detection of terrorist financing activities
Authors: Gowhor Hussain Syed
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to inform the readers about the preferred type of financial intelligence for early detection of terrorist financing activities.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature review methodology was adopted to find the existing approaches of financial intelligence and logical reasoning was applied to sort out what type of financial intelligence is more preferable for early detection of terrorist financing activities.

Findings

It was found that proactive financial intelligence executed through financial intelligence tools is the most preferred type of financial intelligence for early detection of terrorist financing activities.

Research limitations/implications

The research will pave the way for further research on how to design financial intelligence tools for the early detection of terrorist financing activities.

Practical implications

The financial intelligence units will use the preferred type of financial intelligence for the early detection of terrorist financing activities.

Social implications

It will help to establish peace in the society by thwarting terrorist conspiracies because early detection of terrorist financing through financial intelligence tools will stop the flow of funds to and from terrorists.

Originality/value

The originality of the paper lies in distinguishing proactive financial intelligence from reactive financial intelligence.
Environmental uncertainty and supply chain performance: the effect of agility
Authors: Inman R. Anthony , Green Kenneth W.
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Today's businesses are facing a world that is more complex, turbulent and unpredictable than in the past with increasing levels of environmental complexity. Rather than proposing environmental uncertainty as a mediator/moderator of the relationship between agility and performance as others have done, the authors offer an alternative view where supply chain agility is seen as mediating the relationship between environmental uncertainty and supply chain performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose that supply chain agility is a response to the effects of environmental uncertainty and, as such, environmental uncertainty should be seen as a driver of supply chain agility. Few studies test the direct relationship between uncertainty and supply chain performance, and none simultaneously test for agility's mediation and moderation effect between environmental uncertainty and agility.

Findings

The model was statistically assessed using partial-least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS/SEM) by analyzing survey data from manufacturing managers in 136 US firms. The study results did not indicate a significant relationship between environmental uncertainty and supply chain performance. However, the authors did find a significant positive relationship between agile manufacturing and supply chain performance using measures that were primarily operations-centered rather than financial. Additionally, the authors found that agile manufacturing fully mediates the relationship between environmental uncertainty and supply chain performance.

Originality/value

The authors’ model, though simple, provides a base for future research for them and other researchers who can incorporate other impacting variables into the model. The study results show that uncertainty can be a force for good and that utilizing agile manufacturing can be a new source of opportunity.
Translating transparency into value: an approach to design IoT solutions
Authors: Colli Michele , Nygaard Uhrenholt Jonas , Madsen Ole , Waehrens Brian Vejrum
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This research proposes and demonstrates a framework that can be used to systematically address the idiosyncratic design of Internet of Things (IoT)-based solutions, and to match the explorative aspects of introducing a new technology to the exploitative needs, to improve the performance of production operations.

Design/methodology/approach

Due to the applied nature of this research, a design science research (DSR) framework was adopted in order to ensure both the rigor and applicability of the outcomes.

Findings

A process excellence perspective, operationalized through a business process management approach, is applied to scope the solution space according to its exploitative potential. The mapping of the information flow that needs to be established defines the technological infrastructure of the solution.

Research limitations/implications

The theoretical generalizability of the proposed framework is limited by a testing sample of a single case. The research implications are related to a call for the contextualization of IoT applications. Further research will involve the application of this approach to a diverse range of industrial settings. While the domain is far from saturated, a framework that can facilitate such investigations has been provided.

Practical implications

The proposed framework provides practitioners with an approach to designing IoT solutions that can consistently address their needs for operational performance improvements.

Originality/value

This research proposes a framework that links the enabling of transparency via the integration of IoT in production operations to contextual characteristics and business potential. Furthermore, it highlights the developmental drivers of IoT solutions, which emerged during the empirical demonstration of this framework.
Implementation of a new childcare Workforce Background Check system
Authors: Abujarad Fuad , Desloge Allissa , Carlson Kristina , Swierenga Sarah J.
Published: August 2021

Purpose

As child abuse and neglect in childcare settings continue to occur, a quality childcare workforce is imperative. This paper aims to describe how an efficient and effective childcare Workforce Background Check system was developed and implemented to protect both children and childcare staff in the state of Michigan.

Design/methodology/approach

The user-centered design (UCD) approach was used in the creation and statewide implementation of a new acceptable and usable system, the Michigan childcare background check (CCBC) system. The authors conducted focus groups to obtain user feedback and performed several usability evaluations. This approach was used as guidance for the development process and to evaluate the concept designs for the web application that was created.

Findings

This paper discusses the overall process of implementing the CCBC program, focusing on successes, barriers and lessons learned in the planning, designing and execution phases. By May 2019, more than 92,069 background checks were conducted on personnel in 8,740 licensed childcare facilities across Michigan. Collaboration across stakeholders in different sectors facilitated the implementation of the new system, while structural barriers and stigma provided barriers to implementation.

Practical implications

Having individuals with various roles, abilities and technical expertise assist with the development and implementation of the system ensured the usability and acceptability of the new system by all types of users.

Social implications

The general public expects childcare providers to ensure that their employees meet the highest professional standards. Developing effective, easy-to-use fingerprint-based criminal history background check systems to identify ineligible applicants and monitor current employees is one component of an overall strategy to promote child safety and minimize child abuse and neglect in the childcare environments.

Originality/value

This paper provides a practical example of how a CCBC system can be developed, implemented and scaled to be used statewide. This approach can be used by other states or other disciplines with a similar context.

Plain language summary

As child abuse and neglect in childcare settings continue to occur, a quality childcare workforce is imperative. This paper shows how this study uses the UCD approach to create an acceptable and usable system and complete statewide implementation of a new Michigan CCBC program. This resulted in an efficient and effective Workforce Background Check system that is essential to protect both children and childcare staff.
Digital transformation in the economics of complexity: the role of predictive models in strategic management
Authors: Iscaro Valentina , Castaldi Laura , Maresca Paolo , Mazzoni Clelia
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the role of predictive models in the learning and decision-making processes of strategic management. The rapid advancement of digitalisation has contributed to increasing the complexity of the worldwide economy and led to various new competitive dynamics.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this purpose, a literature review has been carried out and a predictive model based on Watson, an IBM supercomputer, is presented as a qualitative process model.

Findings

Specific insights derived from a review of the literature highlight organisations' need to modify their decision- and strategy-making processes, which are increasing in speed and frequency, thus also leading to the formulation of emergent and trigger event strategies based on the identification of conditions that require the revision of all or part of the firm's strategy. Predictive models, acting as filters, transform data into informative knowledge that decision-makers can interpret based on individual domain knowledge.

Originality/value

From a theoretical point of view, this paper contributes to the field of digital transformation by proposing the economics of complexity as a paradigm through which to observe and study the issue of predictive models in strategic management. Additionally, the authors analyse the phenomenon from a cognitive perspective, defining the new learning dynamics of digital transformation and the social learning cycle triggered by big data and predictive models. From a managerial and policy-making point of view, this suggests the need to re-shape traditional education contents and dynamics and foster skills that are multi-disciplinary, multi-domain, multi-empathic, multi-interaction and multi-communication between people and things.
N-face GaN substrate roughening for improved performance GaN-on-GaN LED
Authors: Alias Ezzah Azimah , Samsudin Muhammad Esmed Alif , DenBaars Steven , Speck James , Nakamura Shuji , Zainal Norzaini
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to focus on roughening N-face (backside) GaN substrate prior to GaN-on-GaN light-emitting diode (LED) growth as an attempt to improve the LED performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The N-face of GaN substrate was roughened by three different etchants; ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH), a mixture of NH4OH and H2O2 (NH4OH: H2O2) and potassium hydroxide (KOH). Hexagonal pyramids were successfully formed on the surface when the substrate was subjected to the etching in all cases.

Findings

Under 30 min of etching, the highest density of pyramids was obtained by NH4OH: H2O2 etching, which was 5 × 109 cm–2. The density by KOH and NH4OH etchings was 3.6 × 109 and 5 × 108 cm–2, respectively. At standard operation of current density at 20 A/cm2, the optical power and external quantum efficiency of the LED on the roughened GaN substrate by NH4OH: H2O2 were 12.3 mW and 22%, respectively, which are higher than its counterparts.

Originality/value

This study demonstrated NH4OH: H2O2 is a new etchant for roughening the N-face GaN substrate. The results showed that such etchant increased the density of the pyramids on the N-face GaN substrate, which subsequently resulted in higher optical power and external quantum efficiency to the LED as compared to KOH and NH4OH.
Are data repositories fettered? A survey of current practices, challenges and future technologies
Authors: Khan Nushrat , Thelwall Mike , Kousha Kayvan
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore current practices, challenges and technological needs of different data repositories.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was designed for data repository managers, and contact information from the re3data, a data repository registry, was collected to disseminate the survey.

Findings

In total, 189 responses were received, including 47% discipline specific and 34% institutional data repositories. A total of 71% of the repositories reporting their software used bespoke technical frameworks, with DSpace, EPrint and Dataverse being commonly used by institutional repositories. Of repository managers, 32% reported tracking secondary data reuse while 50% would like to. Among data reuse metrics, citation counts were considered extremely important by the majority, followed by links to the data from other websites and download counts. Despite their perceived usefulness, repository managers struggle to track dataset citations. Most repository managers support dataset and metadata quality checks via librarians, subject specialists or information professionals. A lack of engagement from users and a lack of human resources are the top two challenges, and outreach is the most common motivator mentioned by repositories across all groups. Ensuring findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) data (49%), providing user support for research (36%) and developing best practices (29%) are the top three priorities for repository managers. The main recommendations for future repository systems are as follows: integration and interoperability between data and systems (30%), better research data management (RDM) tools (19%), tools that allow computation without downloading datasets (16%) and automated systems (16%).

Originality/value

This study identifies the current challenges and needs for improving data repository functionalities and user experiences.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-04-2021-0204
Advancing empowerment research in management control: the effects of access to information and deadlines
Authors: Bicudo de Castro Vincent , Sridharan VG
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to capture the effects of access to information and deadlines on empowerment and subordinate managers’ effectiveness. The purpose is to contribute to the growing empowerment-related discourse within the management control discipline.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypotheses derived from empowerment theory, this paper collects survey data from 103 middle-level managers. Using a path model that describes all the potential theoretical relations, this study tests the survey data using a boot-strapped linear regression approach.

Findings

This study finds evidence for both direct and indirect positive effects between access to information and subordinate managers’ performance, which supports the view that empowerment has a partial mediating effect on performance. The study also finds that though the effect of access to information on empowerment is not moderated by the specification of deadlines, empowerment is negatively affected when priorities change with new deadlines.

Originality/value

This study offers two new insights as follows: First, in addressing the concern relating to the lack of clarity in the extant literature on the role of empowerment, this study finds that empowerment partially mediates the relation between access to information and performance. Second, the study finds that time-based performance targetsper sedo not affect empowerment as much as the task uncertainty, which arises with frequent changes to such a target.
The effect of change readiness of economies on international M&A flows
Authors: Moeini Gharagozloo M. Mahdi , Chen Chen , Sabz Ali Pour Farinaz
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how a country’s change readiness impacts international mergers and acquisitions (M&A) capital flows on a national level toward host countries. The authors unpack the construct of change readiness and identify how its different dimensions impact international M&As (IMA). The authors provide a theoretical framework based on the resource-based view to facilitate an understanding of this concept.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a fixed-effect analysis to study a sample of 2,970 IMAs announced by publicly traded US companies during 2013–2017.

Findings

The authors propose that higher levels of change readiness would help foreign firms to cope with risks and uncertainties generated by the changes and shocks in the environment of a host country. The authors find support for their hypotheses showing that higher levels of change readiness increase the number of IMAs that a country receives every year. This characteristic of the host country shows a significant influence, especially in technology-intensive IMA flows.

Practical implications

This study provides implications for business executives and policymakers both in terms of risk mitigation strategies and investment attraction. Understanding the fact that when it comes to foreign investment in the form of IMAs business executives are aware of the importance of change readiness in host countries might lead to motivate the governments and host country officials to provide better infrastructure to boost the change readiness in their economy.

Originality/value

Overall, this study improves our knowledge about mechanisms through which change readiness of host countries might impact firms' strategies for international expansion. As we are indeed living in the era of global disruptions and strong shocks caused by political turmoil, climate change and the spread of new diseases, this study contributes to the literature on risk mitigation in international business and is one of the first to look closely at the role of host countries' change readiness and the effect it might have on attracting international M&As.
Visual presentation for monitoring layer-wise curing quality in DLP 3D printing
Authors: Wu Lifang , Liu Zechao , Guan Yupeng , Cui Kejian , Jian Meng , Qin Yuanyuan , Li Yandong , Yang Feng , Yang Tianqin
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to address the problem of uncertain product quality in digital light processing (DLP) three-dimensional (3D) printing, a scheme is proposed to qualitatively estimate whether a layer is printed with the qualified quality or not cured .

Design/methodology/approach

A thermochromic pigment whose color fades at 45°C is prepared as the indicator and it is mixed with the resin. A visual surveillance framework is proposed to monitor the visual variation in a period of the entire curing process. The exposure region is divided into 30 × 30 sub-regions; gray-level variation curves (curing curves) in all sub-regions are classified as normal or abnormal and a corresponding printing control strategy is designed to improve the percentage of qualified printed objects.

Findings

The temperature variation caused by the releasing reaction heat on the exposure surface is consistent in different regions under the homogenized light intensity. The temperature in depth begins to rise at different times. The temperature in the regions near the light source rises earlier, and that far from the light source rises later. Thus, the color of resin mixed with the thermochromic pigment fades gradually over a period of the entire solidification process. The color variation in the regions with defects of bubbles, insufficient material filling, etc., is much different from that in the normal curing regions.

Originality/value

A temperature-sensitive organic chromatic chemical pigment is prepared to present the visual variation over a period of the entire curing process. A novel 3D printing scheme with visual surveillance is proposed to monitor the layer-wise curing quality and to timely stop the possible unqualified printing resulted from bubbles, insufficient material filling, etc.
Selective laser melting: lessons from medical devices industry and other applications
Authors: Fé-Perdomo Iván La , Ramos-Grez Jorge Andres , Beruvides Gerardo , Mujica Rafael Alberto
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline some key aspects such as material systems used, phenomenological and statistical process modeling, techniques applied to monitor the process and optimization approaches reported. All these need to be taken into account for the ongoing development of the SLM technique, particularly in health care applications. The outcomes from this review allow not only to summarize the main features of the process but also to collect a considerable amount of investigation effort so far achieved by the researcher community.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews four significant areas of the selective laser melting (SLM) process of metallic systems within the scope of medical devices as follows: established and novel materials used, process modeling, process tracking and quality evaluation, and finally, the attempts for optimizing some process features such as surface roughness, porosity and mechanical properties. All the consulted literature has been highly detailed and discussed to understand the current and existing research gaps.

Findings

With this review, there is a prevailing need for further investigation on copper alloys, particularly when conformal cooling, antibacterial and antiviral properties are sought after. Moreover, artificial intelligence techniques for modeling and optimizing the SLM process parameters are still at a poor application level in this field. Furthermore, plenty of research work needs to be done to improve the existent online monitoring techniques.

Research limitations/implications

This review is limited only to the materials, models, monitoring methods, and optimization approaches reported on the SLM process for metallic systems, particularly those found in the health care arena.

Practical implications

SLM is a widely used metal additive manufacturing process due to the possibility of elaborating complex and customized tridimensional parts or components. It is corroborated that SLM produces minimal amounts of waste and enables optimal designs that allow considerable environmental advantages and promotes sustainability.

Social implications

The key perspectives about the applications of novel materials in the field of medicine are proposed.

Originality/value

The investigations about SLM contain an increasing amount of knowledge, motivated by the growing interest of the scientific community in this relatively young manufacturing process. This study can be seen as a compilation of relevant researches and findings in the field of the metal printing process.
Workplace spirituality, self-compassion and mindfulness as antecedents of employee mental wellbeing
Authors: K Jnaneswar , Sulphey M.M.
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Mental wellbeing brings in multiple benefits to employees and their organizations like better decision-making capacity, greater productivity, resilience and so on. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship of a few antecedents of mental wellbeing like workplace spirituality, mindfulness and self-compassion, using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Design/methodology/approach

Using the convenience sampling method, data were collected from 333 employees of various organizations in India and SEM was performed using the R Program to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Results suggest that mindfulness and self-compassion influenced the mental wellbeing of employees. It was also observed that workplace spirituality has a significant influence on both mindfulness and self-compassion.

Originality/value

An in-depth review of the literature revealed that no previous studies had examined the complex relationship between workplace spirituality, mindfulness, self-compassion and the mental wellbeing of employees. This research suggests that workplace spirituality, mindfulness and self-compassion are important factors that influence employees' mental wellbeing, and it empirically tests this in a developing country context. The present study enriches the literature studies on mental wellbeing, mindfulness, self-compassion and workplace spirituality by integrating “mindfulness to meaning theory”, “socio-emotional selectivity theory”, and “broaden and build theory”.
Pharmaceutical supply chains and management innovation?
Authors: Papalexi Marina , Bamford David , Nikitas Alexandros , Breen Liz , Tipi Nicoleta
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the implementation of innovative programmes within the downstream domain of the pharmaceutical supply chain (PSC), with the aim of informing improved service provision.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-method approach was used to assess to what extent innovation could be adopted by hospital and community pharmacies to improve the delivery process of pharmaceutical products. Unstructured interviews and 130 questionnaires were collected and analysed to identify factors that facilitate or prevent innovation within PSC processes.

Findings

The analysis led to the creation of the innovative pharmaceutical supply chain framework (IPSCF) that provides guidance to health-care organisations about how supply chain management problems could be addressed by implementing innovative approaches. The results also indicated that the implementation of Lean and Reverse Logistics (RL) practices, supported by integrated information technology systems, can help health-care organisations to enhance their delivery in terms of quality (products and service quality), visibility (knowledge and information sharing), speed (response to customers and suppliers needs) and cost (minimisation of cost and waste).

Practical implications

The study’s recommendations have potential implications for supply chain theory and practice, particularly for pharmacies in terms of innovation adoption. The IPSCF provides guidance to pharmacies and health-care organisations to develop more efficient and effective supply chain strategies.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the academic literature as it adds novel theoretical insights to highly complex delivery process innovation.
Chineseness and behavioural complexity: rethinking Chinese tourist gaze studies
Authors: Li Mohan , Tucker Hazel , Chen Ganghua
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to reconsider Chinese tourist gaze studies, examining the extent to which extant studies and theoretical models relating to the Chinese tourist gaze have overcome the Eurocentric limits of John Urry’s concept of the tourist gaze and elaborated the complexity of Chinese tourists’ gazes and visual practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis is carried out, examining research articles, books, book chapters and PhD and MSc theses collected from multiple English and Chinese databases.

Findings

The research results manifest that, overall, the previous studies, mobilise cultural essentialism, with an overestimation of the “Chineseness” of Chinese tourists’ behavioural patterns, which are widely believed to be framed by, but also constituting of, unique Chinese culture. Overdependence on Chinese cultural values and traditional philosophies as sources for rationale has resulted in a handful of theoretical frameworks, which appear to be of insufficient magnitude both in terms of their contribution to the original tourist gaze model and in their manifesting of the complexity of Chinese tourists’ visual behaviour. Indeed the divide that once deliberately set apart West and East, or more precisely Western and Chinese tourist gazes, seems to become accentuated in most attempts to study and write about Chinese tourist gaze(s). The previous studies thus largely serve to mirror the Eurocentrism of Urry’s gaze, rather than challenging it.

Research limitations/implications

This study has a few limitations, especially, as this study only reviews and analyses the studies of the Chinese tourist gaze. It means that the conclusion might not well be generalised to either the investigation of the tourist gaze in another culture or the Chinese tourist studies, at large, which might exhibit a different pattern deserving more academic attention in future. Moreover, the authors recommend the future researchers, who are eager to probe Chinese tourists’ behavioural pattern, to seek for new pathways and alternative paradigms, which would be useful in overcoming the limits of cultural representations and in reducing the problematic Sino-Western divide.

Originality/value

Despite not aiming to reconceptualise the Chinese tourist gaze, this review paper contributes to the field of tourist gaze studies by engaging critically with the bias and theoretical insufficiencies that have emerged, while this concept is appropriated and re-formulated to explain Chinese tourists’ gazes and visual practices. On this basis, the authors suggest a critical redirection of the extant Chinese tourist gaze studies, which would be rather significant to those researchers in future with an interest to research what the Chinese tourists prefer to see in travel and how they engage with the gazee.
The impact of contextual information on decision‐making in footwear examination: An eye‐tracking study
Authors: Yu Yang , Luo Yaping , Huang Lu , Quan Yongzhi
Published: August 2021

In order to investigate whether context factors and expectations might potentially influence the decision‐making of forensic footwear examiners, we collected the gaze process of experts examining the shoeprint image sets through the eye‐tracking recorder. Additional to eye movement data as an objective measure, questionnaires were completed, and survey was conducted afterwards. Twenty‐three qualified examiners assessed the similarity among shoe images for 22 different cases, including three sets were laterally reversed. We divided the experiment into two sessions, and then compared the examiners’ performance with and without contextual information. The results showed the effects of contextual bias manipulate on both behavioral data and eye tracking data. The consensus and accuracy of examiners with contextual information were higher than those without contextual information. In the eye‐tracking data, there is a significant difference between fixation counts and saccadic counts under contextual information. In addition, we found that the contextual information produced significant changes in inter‐examiner consistency as measured by the Earth Mover Distance metric. However, there is no significant statistic differences in saccadic amplitude and total fixation duration of the examiners after exposure to contextual information. Our research results are instructive for understanding the cognitive process of shoeprint examination involved in real cases. In this process, stimuli related to context factors may affect decision‐making and behavior. Implications for contextual effect causes are discussed.
The uneven distribution of futurity: Slow emergencies and the event of COVID‐19
Authors: Grove Kevin , Rickards Lauren , Anderson Ben , Kearnes Matthew
Published: August 2021

The ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic strains conventional temporal imaginaries through which emergencies are typically understood and governed. Rather than a transparent and linear temporality, a smooth transition across the series event/disruption–response–post‐event recovery, the pandemic moves in fits and starts, blurring the boundary between normalcy and emergency. This distended temporality brings into sharp relief other slow emergencies such as racism, poverty, biodiversity loss, and climate change, which inflect how the pandemic is known and governed as an emergency. In this article, we reflect on COVID‐19 responses in two settler colonial societies—Australia and the United States—to consider how distinct styles of pandemic responses in each context resonate and dissonate across the racially uneven distribution of futurity that structures liberal order. In each case, the event of COVID‐19 has indeed opened a window that reveals multiple slow emergencies; yet in these and other responses this revelation is not leading to meaningful changes to address underlying forms of structural violence. In Australia and the United States, we see how specific slow emergencies—human‐induced climate change and anti‐Black violence in White supremacist societies, respectively—become intensified as liberal order recalibrates itself in response to the event of COVID‐19.
Epigenetic age prediction
Authors: Simpson Daniel J. , Chandra Tamir
Published: August 2021

Advanced age is the main common risk factor for cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration. Yet, more is known about the molecular basis of any of these groups of diseases than the changes that accompany ageing itself. Progress in molecular ageing research was slow because the tools predicting whether someone aged slowly or fast (biological age) were unreliable. To understand ageing as a risk factor for disease and to develop interventions, the molecular ageing field needed a quantitative measure; a clock for biological age. Over the past decade, a number of age predictors utilising DNA methylation have been developed, referred to as epigenetic clocks. While they appear to estimate biological age, it remains unclear whether the methylation changes used to train the clocks are a reflection of other underlying cellular or molecular processes, or whether methylation itself is involved in the ageing process. The precise aspects of ageing that the epigenetic clocks capture remain hidden and seem to vary between predictors. Nonetheless, the use of epigenetic clocks has opened the door towards studying biological ageing quantitatively, and new clocks and applications, such as forensics, appear frequently. In this review, we will discuss the range of epigenetic clocks available, their strengths and weaknesses, and their applicability to various scientific queries.
YAP prevents premature senescence of astrocytes and cognitive decline of Alzheimer's disease through regulating CDK6 signaling
Authors: Xu Xingxing , Shen Xiya , Wang Jiaojiao , Feng Wenjin , Wang Mianxian , Miao Xuemeng , Wu Qian , Wu Lihao , Wang Xiaoning , Ma Yimin , Wu Shuang , Bao Xiaomei , Wang Wei , Wang Ying , Huang Zhihui
Published: August 2021

Senescent astrocytes accumulate with aging and contribute to brain dysfunction and diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), however, the mechanisms underlying the senescence of astrocytes during aging remain unclear. In the present study, we found that Yes‐associated Protein (YAP) was downregulated and inactivated in hippocampal astrocytes of aging mice and AD model mice, as well as in D‐galactose and paraquat‐induced senescent astrocytes, in a Hippo pathway‐dependent manner. Conditional knockout of YAP in astrocytes significantly promoted premature senescence of astrocytes, including reduction of cell proliferation, hypertrophic morphology, increase in senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase activity, and upregulation of several senescence‐associated genes such as p16, p53 and NF‐κB, and downregulation of Lamin B1. Further exploration of the underlying mechanism revealed that the expression of cyclin‐dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) was decreased in YAP knockout astrocytes in vivo and in vitro, and ectopic overexpression of CDK6 partially rescued YAP knockout‐induced senescence of astrocytes. Finally, activation of YAP signaling by XMU‐MP‐1 (an inhibitor of Hippo kinase MST1/2) partially rescued the senescence of astrocytes and improved the cognitive function of AD model mice and aging mice. Taken together, our studies identified unrecognized functions of YAP‐CDK6 pathway in preventing astrocytic senescence in vitro and in vivo, which may provide further insights and new targets for delaying brain aging and aging‐related neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.
Climate change would prevail over land use change in shaping the future distribution of Triturus marmoratus in France
Authors: Préau Clémentine , Bertrand Romain , Sellier Yann , Grandjean Frédéric , Isselin‐Nondedeu Francis
Published: August 2021

Climate and land use/land cover (LULC) change are two major global change factors driving shifts in the location of suitable areas for many species. Here, we assessed if a low‐vagility newt, Triturus marmoratus, can track displacement of suitable areas by 2100, and tested whether climate or LULC changes are primary drivers of the species’ future distribution. We combined niche modelling with the process‐based model simRShift to improve biological relevance and simulate species dispersal by 2100 under scenarios of climate and LULC changes at high spatial resolution. Our results show that T. marmoratus could lose a significant part of its current French range in the coming decades, and that the range loss will primarily be driven by climate change, with LULC change playing a secondary role. The species seems unlikely to be able to track the northern shift of its suitable habitat as rapidly as required given the rate of climate warming during the 21st century. This is due to insufficient dispersal ability, which is compounded by the magnitude of habitat fragmentation in the human‐dominated landscape. We highlight the need to assess vulnerability and anticipate threats arising from global change even for species that are not currently considered endangered. We identified areas where the species is most likely to occur and be extinct in the future, which can serve as a guide for population monitoring. Our framework can support conservation strategy development by defining ecological corridors that would assist species to track their required habitats in the face of global change.
Fruit fly parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in south‐east Queensland, Australia
Authors: Mahat Kiran , Clarke Anthony R
Published: August 2021

Opiine braconids include natural enemies of tephritid fruit flies, and interest in their greater utilisation for fruit fly control is growing. However, there is a lack of basic data on the prevalence and impact of these wasps for most regions of Australia. We sampled fruit fly host fruits from urbanised and peri‐urban locations of south‐east Queensland and reared out parasitoids and their host flies to determine the regional parasitoid community and how parasitism varied across time and habitat type. A total of 4969 fruits were collected from which 21 277 tephritid puparia were obtained. Of 12 601 fruit flies that emerged, the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, was the dominant species. A total of 5736 parasitoids, representing four species, were recovered from both suburban and peri‐urban sites. For all samples combined, the average parasitism rate was 30%. The exotic, egg–larval–pupal parasitoid Fopius arisanus represented 81% of the parasitoids collected and was recovered from all of the 13 host fruit species sampled. The second most common species, the native larval–pupal parasitoid, Diachasmimorpha kraussii, represented 15% of recovered parasitoids and was collected from a smaller range of host fruit species. The remaining two parasitoids, Diachasmimorpha tryoni and Psyttalia fijiensis, were rare in samples. Parasitoid infestation was highly variable across samples, with higher rates of parasitism observed from October to May. A targeted field experiment to measure differences in parasitism by D. kraussii between urban and peri‐urban habitats detected no variation in the abundance of D. kraussii across habitats, a result consistent with the general survey. The data show that for south‐east Queensland, parasitoids are a significant fruit fly mortality factor in both peri‐urban and urban landscapes. Any manipulation of parasitoids for regional pest management should focus on conservation of F. arisanus.
Review article: non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular diseases: associations and treatment considerations
Authors: Polyzos Stergios A. , Kechagias Stergios , Tsochatzis Emmanuel A.
Published: August 2021

Background

There are increasing data on the association between non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Aim

To summarise evidence on the association between NAFLD and CVD in the clinical setting and provide potential therapeutic implications.

Methods

We searched PubMed. Evidence was primarily derived from meta‐analyses. and then, if data were insufficient, from clinical trials, and then from observational studies.

Results

NAFLD has been linked to arterial hypertension, arterial stiffness, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and aortic valvular sclerosis. Advanced liver fibrosis is a crucial prognostic factor for end‐stage liver disease and for cardiovascular and overall mortality. Weight loss through lifestyle modifications (diet and exercise) remains the cornerstone of the management of both NAFLD and CVD, but is difficult to achieve and possibly more difficult to sustain long term. Therefore, pharmacological management of NAFLD seems to be important, although no licenced medication currently exists. Pioglitazone, proposed for non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) by most guidelines, increases weight and should be avoided in congestive heart failure. Statins should not be avoided in NAFLD patients at risk for CVD. Glucagon‐like peptide 1 receptor agonists and sodium‐glucose cotransporter‐2 inhibitors, two classes of anti‐diabetic drugs, have shown promising results in NAFLD and CVD, but more studies with hard end points are needed. Obeticholic acid, a promising medication for NASH under investigation, should be carefully considered, owing to its adverse effect on lipid profile.

Conclusions

NAFLD is associated with CVD, which may have certain clinical and therapeutic implications.
Individual and ‘national’ healthcare rights: Analysing the potential conflicts
Authors: Da Silva Michael
Published: August 2021

Individual rights to healthcare (RTHCs) are increasingly common in law. Yet even plausible theoretical defences thereof raise a classic problem in the philosophy of rights: How do individual rights relate to ‘collective’ rights within the same domain? Collective rights are common in international law and in the domestic laws of states that recognize RTHCs. These collective rights often include health‐related components. There are at least prima facie plausible reasons to think that such collective ‘health rights’ should exist. A complete account of health rights should thus explain how individual and collective health rights claims relate to one another and what one should do in cases where the claims conflict. This work contributes to our understanding of health rights by analysing the relationship between individual RTHCs and a plausible candidate collective health right, namely a sub‐state national right to control healthcare law and policy. It argues that concerns about rights conflicts in this context make sense, but genuine conflicts between individual health rights and national control over healthcare are rare. The strongest cases for sub‐state national ‘self‐determination’ rights do not implicate healthcare, or tend not to provide reasons to override any individual RTHCs. Conflicts are possible in rare cases and may even favour fulfilling the collective rights claims. Yet individual RTHCs remain important even in those cases. Individual rights remain useful measures for evaluating the exercise of collective rights: exercises that violate (or even fail to fulfil) individual health rights are worse for so doing.