bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ethics, human rights and violence in Chihuahua’s digital journalism
Authors: Villanueva-Ledezma Armando , Machin-Mastromatteo Juan D. , González-Quiñones Fidel , Cordero-Hidalgo Aixchel , Flores-Flores Jorge
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper presents the findings of a project that aims to analyze the ethical treatment of the news, with special attention to the reporting of violent events, as it is carried out by digital news outlets from the State of Chihuahua (Mexico).

Design/methodology/approach

A media observatory was established to collect and analyze the 9,115 news reports of violent events from February to June 2019 and was published by 12 digital news outlets in Chihuahua. Quantitative data analysis was carried out using three analytical axes – ethics, human rights and violence. Each axis was, in turn, subdivided into three criteria, and this paper identifies how compliant were each news outlet and individual news report with those criteria.

Findings

Data analysis established that 5,385 of the news reports (59.1 per cent of the total news analyzed) met all the nine desirable criteria, whereas other subsets did not comply with up to a minimum five criteria. How the observed news outlets and their reports complied with the criteria used is specified in this paper.

Originality/value

The methodology used and the data analyzed seek to develop ethical and socially responsible journalism. Hence, this paper offers various possibilities, such as raising new questions related to journalistic deontology, helps engage responsible journalists and also represents an area of opportunity for library and information professionals who are immersed in digital environments (e.g. digital libraries and library professionals that are the ideal professionals to store, manage and disseminate the records produced by media observatories). Moreover, the data analyzed help to set a maximum limit for the non-compliance with each of the criteria analyzed, which can even lead to the development of an ethical and social responsibility accreditation that can be granted to news outlets with the best practices for journalism.
The influence on export performance of performance ambiguity among foreign sales agents
Authors: Mysen Tore , Tronvoll Bård
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the extent to which exporter difficulties in evaluating foreign sales agent performance affect export performance, either directly or as mediated by opportunism.

Design/methodology/approach

In developing the hypotheses, the study integrates transaction cost theory and principal-agent theory. The proposed relationships between the constructs (performance ambiguity, opportunism, and export performance) are examined for a multi-industry sample of Norwegian exporters in their dealings with foreign sales agents. A survey of 410 qualified key informants yielded 101 usable questionnaires – a response rate of 24.6%. Structural equation modeling is used for data analysis and hypothesis testing.

Findings

The analysis finds support for the hypothesis that sales agent performance ambiguity relates negatively to export performance. While performance ambiguity is positively related to sales agent opportunistic behavior, opportunism does not significantly influence export performance. It seems that the adaptation costs created by the evaluation problem are of greater importance in reducing export performance than the costs created by opportunistic behavior.

Research limitations/implications

In focusing on the core dimensions of sales agent performance in foreign markets, other factors influencing export performance are not included. The fact that small Norwegian firms dominate the sample, further limits application and generalization of the findings. Hence, results should be interpreted with caution and the study considered as investigative. Nevertheless, the results indicate to export managers and theory potentially deteriorating dimensions in the relationship between exporter and foreign independent sales agent.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine how performance ambiguity and opportunistic behavior among foreign sales agents affect export performance. By concentrating on basic deteriorating dimensions, the study adds to the few that focus on inhibiting drivers of exporter – foreign–sales–agent relationships.
Beyond the “like”: customer engagement of brand fans on Facebook
Authors: Maree Tania , van Heerden G.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore customer engagement (CE) in Facebook brand communities. It clusters Facebook brand fans to establish whether an existing typology holds in a diverse sample, and examines the differences in CE between the clusters. The predictive capabilities of CE on an important brand outcome, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), are determined.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 493 respondents participated in an online survey. A two-step cluster analysis was conducted to determine the fan types. ANOVA was used to assess the differences in CE between the clusters. Multiple regression determined the predictive capabilities of CE on eWOM.

Findings

This research confirms the Facebook fan typology on a more diverse sample. Significant differences exist between the fan types on CE (captivation and gratification) and CE significantly predicts eWOM.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could include motivations behind brand fan behavior. Using other CE measures may bring a different view. Theoretical perspectives other than social identity theory (SIT) may elicit other insights.

Practical implications

Insights into brand fan segments’ behavior and engagement allow brand managers to develop targeted marketing interactions. Gratification engagement is a stronger driver of eWOM, suggesting that brands should focus on marketing actions that will encourage gratification.

Originality/value

This research expands on Facebook brand fan typologies and explores CE as a multi-dimensional construct, rather than as a mere “like” action. Additionally, it determines the predictive capabilities of CE dimensions on eWOM. The findings suggest that SIT could be useful when examining CE in brand communities.
Dynamic capabilities for firm performance under the information technology governance framework
Authors: Khalil Sabine , Belitski Maksim
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the role of dynamic capabilities in the Information Technology (IT) Governance view framework and explores the relationship between three domains of IT governance (Strategy, Management and Operations) and firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the authors used a mixed methods approach and using a survey instrument and its validation with interviews, to collect data from 134 successful European SMEs in the multi-country setting of Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain and the UK.

Findings

The findings show that various IT governance mechanisms function as dynamic capabilities and are directly associated with firm performance. The impact of each mechanism is different.

Originality/value

This study highlights the relationship between IT governance acumens and organisational performance. It contributes to the field of IT Governance Framework in management, and the results may be generalisable to wider economies and different organisation types.
Corporate failure prediction models in the twenty-first century: a review
Authors: Veganzones David , Severin Eric
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Corporate failure remains a critical financial concern, with implications for both firms and financial institutions; this paper aims to review the literature that proposes corporate failure prediction models for the twenty-first century.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper gathers information from 106 published articles that contain corporate failure prediction models. The focus of the analysis is on the elements needed to design corporate failure prediction models (definition of failure, sample approach, prediction methods, variables and evaluation metrics and performance). The in-depth review creates a synthesis of current trends, from the view of those elements.

Findings

Both consensus and divergences emerge regarding the design of corporate failure prediction models. On the one hand, authors agree about the use of bankruptcy as a definition of failure and that at least two evaluation metrics are needed to examine model performance for each class, individually and in general. On the other hand, they disagree about data collection procedures. Although several explanatory variables have been considered, all of them serve as complements for the primarily used financial information. Finally, the selection of prediction methods depends entirely on the research objective. These discrepancies suggest fundamental advances in discovery and establish valuable ideas for further research.

Originality/value

This paper reveals some caveats and provides extensive, comprehensible guidelines for corporate failure prediction, which researchers can leverage as they continue to investigate this critical financial subject. It also suggests fruitful directions to develop further experiments.
Phishing web site detection using diverse machine learning algorithms
Authors: Zamir Ammara , Khan Hikmat Ullah , Iqbal Tassawar , Yousaf Nazish , Aslam Farah , Anjum Almas , Hamdani Maryam
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to present a framework to detect phishing websites using stacking model. Phishing is a type of fraud to access users’ credentials. The attackers access users’ personal and sensitive information for monetary purposes. Phishing affects diverse fields, such as e-commerce, online business, banking and digital marketing, and is ordinarily carried out by sending spam emails and developing identical websites resembling the original websites. As people surf the targeted website, the phishers hijack their personal information.

Design/methodology/approach

Features of phishing data set are analysed by using feature selection techniques including information gain, gain ratio, Relief-F and recursive feature elimination (RFE) for feature selection. Two features are proposed combining the strongest and weakest attributes. Principal component analysis with diverse machine learning algorithms including (random forest [RF], neural network [NN], bagging, support vector machine, Naïve Bayes and k-nearest neighbour) is applied on proposed and remaining features. Afterwards, two stacking models: Stacking1 (RF + NN + Bagging) and Stacking2 (kNN + RF + Bagging) are applied by combining highest scoring classifiers to improve the classification accuracy.

Findings

The proposed features played an important role in improving the accuracy of all the classifiers. The results show that RFE plays an important role to remove the least important feature from the data set. Furthermore, Stacking1 (RF + NN + Bagging) outperformed all other classifiers in terms of classification accuracy to detect phishing website with 97.4% accuracy.

Originality/value

This research is novel in this regard that no previous research focusses on using feed forward NN and ensemble learners for detecting phishing websites.
An evolution simulation framework for ecological structure of crowd networks
Authors: Wang Jiwu , Sun Hongbo
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to obtain optimal specialization mode and level for complex network or system structures. In the e-commerce system, this paper studies the changes of each transaction subject in the process of ecological structure based on the income level of each transaction subject.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper aims to research the change of transaction efficiency evolution process of intermediaries. With the improvement of transaction efficiency, intermediaries interact with other transaction subjects at given modes in e-commerce systems. This paper analyzes the relationship between the factors of production and trade and explains the quantitative relationship between them in the form of mathematical modeling. An evolution simulation framework is established to elaborate the simulation process and method of crowd network in e-commerce ecosystem and then sets up the simulation experiment.

Findings

During simulation processes, the changes of data are observed and analyzed to obtain the optimal evolution paths and specialization modes. Furthermore, this paper provides solid supports for the research of the quantitative analysis of ecological structure evolutions.

Originality/value

Evolution simulation of ecological structure is first proposed in the topic of crowd network. It is with the aid of the concept of ecology, the theory and method, simulation of complex network structure and system structure. This paper analyses and researches the evolution process of optimal specialization modes and intelligent level of crowd networks with transaction efficiency changing. The ecological structure optimal evolution paths can be obtained by trend of simulations.
Adoption intention and usage behavior of mHealth services in Bangladesh and China
Authors: Alam Mohammad Zahedul , Hu Wang , Hoque Md Rakibul , Kaium Md Abdul
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to explore the comparative influential factors affecting the behavioral intention and actual usage of mHealth services in two distinct national environments, i.e. China and Bangladesh, in relation to the international expansion of mHealth services.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, widely accepted Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with two additional variables, i.e. Perceived Reliability and Price Value have been selected as a theoretical framework. Primary data were collected from existing mHealth users among generation Y in both China and Bangladesh. A total of 296 and 250 questionnaires were deemed as usable for data analysis for Bangladesh and China, respectively.

Findings

Performance expectancy and social influence had significant impact on the adoption intention of mHealth services for both countries. Effort expectancy and price value were insignificant factors for Bangladesh, whereas facilitating condition and perceived reliability were insignificant for China.

Practical implications

The insights from this study could benefit mHealth services providers and those policymakers who seek to enter the Chinese and the Bangladeshi healthcare market. The dimensions identified in the study are based on a full assessment of mHealth usages experiences. Global service providers can use the dimensions identified by the paper to better assess their service performance on an international level.

Originality/value

The paper is unique in that it is one of the first cross-country examinations of influential factors affecting the adoption of mHealth services in two different countries. This study confirms the applicability of extended UTAUT model in the context of mHealth services among the generation Y in developing countries such as China and Bangladesh.
The role of procrastination in students’ consumer behavior
Authors: Parfenova Angelina , Romashova Sofya
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This research paper is devoted to the academic procrastination, and the purpose of this paper is to reveal the role of academic procrastination in the consumer behavior of students.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted within the framework of a mixed methodology: series of semi-structured interviews and an online survey. In the first stage, 20 interviews were conducted with students from different countries to obtain the broader picture for the academic procrastination process and its association with consumer behavior. In the second stage, an online survey was conducted, in which 336 students from different countries participated. This paper describes existing approaches to understanding and measuring academic procrastination, as well as its role in the economic behavior of individuals.

Findings

As a result of the qualitative stage, the role of procrastination in such aspects of consumer behavior as budget planning and inclination to making unplanned purchases was emphasized. The role of the student’s inner circle in his procrastination and consumer behavior was also highlighted. As a result of the quantitative stage, a significant connection between the level of academic procrastination and the above aspects of consumer behavior of students, as well as a significant contribution of social expectations in the change of procrastination level and impulsivity of consumption was revealed.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt to describe procrastination within the macro-approach of sociology and to confirm at the empirical level the correlation between procrastination and consumer behavior.
How does online doctor–patient interaction affect online consultation and offline medical treatment?
Authors: Xing Wen , Hsu Ping Yu , Chang Yu-Wei , Shiau Wen-Lung
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors that influence the patients’ intentions to visit doctors face-to-face for consultations from the perspective of online doctor–patient interaction. Justice theory, SERVQUAL and the halo effect are integrated to develop a research model based on the performance-evaluation-outcome framework. The authors hypothesize that perceived justice and service quality are the significant factors in reflecting the performance of online doctor–patient interaction, which influences patient satisfaction evaluation and online and offline behavioral intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted an online survey to collect data. Patients on a healthcare consulting website were invited to participate in the survey. The research model and hypotheses were tested with 254 collected data from patients and analyzed using the partial least squares method.

Findings

The results show that perceived justice and service quality have a positive effect on patient satisfaction, and satisfaction and the intention of online consultation have a positive effect on the intention of face-to-face consultation.

Practical implications

This study offers suggestions on how doctors interact with patients and build their brand image. The findings also offer effective insights into improving doctors’ online services to retain patients and even encourage patients to go to clinics.

Originality/value

Online health consultation is one of the most popular online health services and is growing quickly. After patients consult online doctors, they are able to visit their doctors in person for further diagnosis and treatment if they have the need. This study investigates how patients’ online interactive experience influences their offline behavioral intentions, which are different from most of the past literature on eHealth.
The size and growth of firms: new evidence on law of proportionate effect from Asia
Authors: Yadav Inder Sekhar , Pahi Debasis , Goyari Phanindra
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between firm size and growth under the framework of Law of Proportionate Effect (LPE) for Asian firms.

Design/methodology/approach

An unbalanced panel data for about 12,001 unique non-financial listed and active firms from 1995 to 2016 for 12 industrial and emerging Asian economies was examined. Total assets and net sales were used as size variables. Firm-specific variables such as return on equity, leverage and liquidity ratio were used along with macroeconomic variables such as GDP growth and two financial development indicators. The fixed effects and random effects approach were used to estimate the dynamic growth model after taking into account econometric issues such as correlation between the cross-country-specific error component and the regressors and heteroscedasticity.

Findings

The estimated coefficient of firm size was found to be always significant and negative rejecting the Gibrat’s law for Asian firms confirming that the small-sized firms are growing faster than larger-sized firms. Also, the persistence of growth coefficient suggested that a positive persistence of firm growth does not exist for the selected Asian firms. Gibrat’s LPE was also rejected across small, medium- and large-sized companies. For the aggregate sample, the coefficient of leverage was found to be negative and significant, whereas liquidity ratio, GDP growth, banking sector and stock market variables are found to have positive and significant relationship with growth of firms. For individual economies, a mix of positive and negative (significant and insignificant) estimated coefficient was observed.

Practical implications

At macro-level, the examination of firm growth is likely to have significant policy implications for the regulators and various government agencies as firm growth may increase economic activity in general and employment opportunities in particular. The policymakers can control economic and employment activity by designing specific firm growth policies. At micro-level, the study will have significant implications for managerial decision-making.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to test the validity of Gibrat’s LPE for large Asian economies and firms using recent data under a dynamic growth framework using firm-specific and macroeconomic variables. Also, persistence of growth of firms under LPE (that growth does not persist from one period to the next) is uniquely examined for Asian firms.
How to win friends and influence the right people: designing the corporate government affairs unit
Authors: Pereda Asier , Barron Andrew
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This study aims to explore how firms can design their government affairs (GAs) units in ways that improve their ability to monitor and influence legislative developments in their firms’ corporate political environments.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual work is informed by existing research into organizational design, brought to life with illustrative examples of firms’ political actions derived from interviews conducted with practitioners in the field.

Findings

In line with organizational design thinking, the authors find that high-performing GA units need to be designed and built using a blend of mutually reinforcing organizational mechanisms. GA units should be staffed by autonomous managers with mixed skills-sets. Moreover, they should not be constrained by formal rules, but instead given autonomy and support to create lateral relations with other business units.

Practical implications

This study provides a “recipe” that managers can follow to create opportunities for the exchange of political information within their firms and enable and motivate GAs practitioners to monitor and influence political developments more effectively.

Originality/value

This research exposes important, organizational antecedents of firms’ political strategies, which have not been systematically explored in the existing literature.
Enhancing forensic exposures in residency training
Authors: Wasser Tobias , Chandra Saksham , Michaelsen Katherine
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the impact of a new, brief forensic rotation for general psychiatry residents on the variety of residents’ forensic exposures.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors surveyed residents who trained before and after the implementation of the new rotation to assess the impact of the rotation on the residents’ forensic experiences during training across a variety of domains.

Findings

Even in a highly clinical forensic setting, residents participating in the required rotation reported significantly greater variety of forensic experiences than those who had not completed the required rotation, including types of settings and assessments, Rotation completers reported greater exposure to various types of settings and assessments, and courtroom-related experiences, as well as the overall number of forensic exposures. The two groups did not differ in their forensic exposures in general psychiatry settings, civil-forensic evaluations or diverse forensic populations. Secondary analyses showed that increased exposure to court-based experiences and multiple forensic settings was associated with forensic fellowship interest.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates that a brief, mandatory forensic clinical rotation may increase residents’ exposure to forensic settings, assessments and courtroom-related experiences and that increased exposure to courtroom-based experiences in particular may increase interest in forensic fellowship. While not surprising, the results demonstrate that residents were not otherwise having these forensic experiences and that even time-limited forensic rotations can enhance the breadth of residents’ forensic exposures. Further, the rotation achieved these outcomes without using typical forensic sites but instead highly clinical sites, which may be particularly encouraging to residency programs without ready access to classic forensic rotation sites. This study contributes to the small but expanding body of the literature describing the value of increasing psychiatry residents’ training in clinical forensic psychiatry.
The contents of the National Audit Office of Finland performance audits, 2001–2016
Authors: Ahonen Pertti , Koljonen Juha
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a qualitative, computationally assisted examination of prominent content patterns in the 2001–2016 National Audit Office of Finland (NAOF) performance audit reports and foremost changes in these patterns.

Design/methodology/approach

Without ex ante researcher decisions on which content elements are important, the authors use computational content analysis of topic modelling for detecting content patterns and their changes in the performance audit reports.

Findings

In the content patterns, professional effectiveness auditing stands out, whereas efficiency auditing is more weakly present. Other content patterns correspond to the NAOF institutional position and its audit mandate, the institutional characteristics of Finland’s public sector, and independent NAOF decisions in orienting its work. The authors can discern both ascendant, ascendant and stabler content patterns.

Research limitations/implications

As the paper emphasises textual analysis, examining from where changes in the content patterns derive is secondary. Implications for both more intensive and extensive future research are drawn.

Practical implications

The authors argue that together with other approaches the approach has potential in monitoring Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) performance auditing in the level of its contents.

Social implications

Knowing how an SAI orients its performance auditing has potential to support SAI monitoring by stakeholders – Parliament, the government, the citizens and others.

Originality/value

This is a comprehensive examination of the content patterns of the performance audit reports of an SAI since the 2001 introduction of its present institutional position.
Quantitative representation of perception and evaluation method for service quality in university library under 4-D space
Authors: Wang Jingyi , Yuan Run , Shi Hongwei
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the service quality of university library more accurately and dynamically and improve the service efficiency of library. The paper realizes quantified representation of library service quality and overcomes the shortcoming of the traditional library evaluation system, which does not consider reader’s identity and cannot be evaluated separately. In addition, according to the function configuration of each department of library, a relation between library evaluation parameter and its organization structure is built. According to the evaluation results and the chain of relations, some suggestions for improving library service can be put forward; thus, it can improve the quality of library service and management efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a four-dimensional (4-D) representation method is put forward to express four kinds of parameters, namely, the category of participants, the number of people evaluated, the rating level and the weight of parameters, which is expressed by chromaticity and a three-dimensional column coordinate space. Considering the existing evaluation methods such as LibQUAL+TM, the content of evaluation parameters, the grade of evaluation parameters and the weight of evaluation parameters are modified. Using the volume and the equivalent number of people under this evaluation system, the evaluation grade can be quantified and the total results can be evaluated quantitatively.

Findings

The evaluation model proposed in this paper is a 4-D system that is based on content parameters to evaluate the number of participants, score segments, evaluation content weights and reader information. It gives full consideration to the good advice of many scholars and combines the actual operation of domestic libraries. The situation effectively integrates successful experience abroad. Both the undergraduate and teacher sampling evaluation results and their analysis in this paper show the accuracy and credibility of the method.

Originality/value

Although the satisfaction index model has a good effect in foreign countries, taking into account that readers of university libraries in China are different from those in foreign countries in the evaluation methods of the tutorial, professional multi-level evaluation will produce greater errors in practical applications. The traditional four-level method based on Chinese education evaluation (excellent, good, pass and fail) has reached consensus among teachers and students in practical application, and it is easy to achieve consistency. Therefore, this paper also adopts four-level evaluation, that is, very satisfied, satisfied, generally satisfied and very dissatisfied. The embedded application will be able to perform dynamic evaluation and thus can be used in China. The evaluation of service quality in university libraries provides an effective new method.
Digitized historical content for teaching: library of congress primary sources training
Authors: Kowalsky Michelle
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to teach educators a variety of ways to navigate the digital collections of the Library of Congress, which include primary source materials from the past which can be used to instruct students of all grade levels from elementary through college.

Design/methodology/approach

Workshops for preservice teachers, practicing teachers and their college-level and librarian counterparts focused on advanced searching skills and pedagogical structures which help students access primary sources and use them as evidence to draw conclusions about historical events in history.

Findings

Many of the Library of Congress’ holdings have been digitized, described and categorized for ease of access (subject, keyword and metadata descriptors) and for ease of rights management (copyright, ownership and permissions indicated for each digital object).

Practical implications

Digitized primary sources help students create deeper understandings of historical events and periods and allow for multiple perspectives on the same events, thus teaching students valuable skills in drawing conclusions based on primary and secondary information sources.

Originality/value

Online collections from the Library of Congress are free for use by teachers, students and the general public, and the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program makes available free training for teachers in how to use the materials, as well as provides lesson plans, project ideas and thematic units for use in K-12 schools and beyond.
Evaluating aerial pollution using rainwater chemistry for sustainable environmental development
Authors: Adegunwa Abiodun , Adebiyi Festus Mayowa , Asubiojo Olabode
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use rainwater quality parameters as indicators of pollution to assess the level of aerial pollution for sustainable environmental development.

Design/methodology/approach

Rainwaters were collected in open spaces within commercial, industrial and residential areas in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria during onset, peak and late rainy season. Values of NO3−, NH4+, Cl−, SO42−, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid, total acidity and total alkalinity were determined using certified wet chemistry procedures, whereas those of Ca2+, Na+, K+ and Mg2+ were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

Findings

Overall results showed that the concentrations of the physical parameters, anions and cations, were comparatively higher at the onset of the rainy period than the latter periods, indicating washout of the pollutants as the rainy season progressed. Results of Pearson correlation matrix and Cluster analysis results showed that many of the parameters have similar source(s). Analysis of variance and t-test results indicated significant difference between the concentrations of the analyzed parameters at different rainy periods, whereas ratio values of sea salt fraction were higher than non-sea salt fraction for all species, depicting anthropogenic influences.

Originality/value

From the findings, the study concluded that the quality of the rainwaters was substandard due elevated levels of most of the analyzed quality parameters; this method proved to be economical, effective and simple compared to the conventional methods; it also proved rainwater quality to be a reliable pointer of aerial pollution and the concept can be used to assess the pollution level of areas of similar settings.
Student trauma experiences, library instruction and existence under the 45th
Authors: Gohr Michelle , Nova Vitalina A.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

By historicizing the broader system of education contextualized under the 45th presidential administration, this paper aims to provide a nuanced discussion regarding the condition of information literacy and librarianship as capitalist institutions in service to the state. In response, tools to oppose systemic racism and minimize harm in the classroom as well as recommendations for change and resistance are addressed.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper focuses on historical analysis of libraries as institutions within larger educational systems and draws heavily on critical theories as a method of critique.

Findings

This paper demonstrates that the 45th presidential administration is a logical progression of neoliberalism and institutionalized discrimination, which has had adverse effects on the health and safety of (primarily marginalized) students, library workers and library practice, but that critical reflection and information seeking on part of librarians may provide solutions.

Practical implications

This paper can be used as a guide for librarians seeking to contextualize the educational environment and apply a critical praxis to information literacy programs.

Social implications

The reflection presented in this paper can aid in expanding awareness in LIS surrounding issues of equity and justice, and impart urgency and need for institutional change.

Originality/value

Given the lack of diversity in library and information science, this paper provides critical interventions for information literacy practice. The authors’ unique practical and theoretical backgrounds allow for nuanced discussion and pedagogical creation which directly impacts and addresses key issues of justice and equity in the classroom.
Fake or for real? A fake news workshop
Authors: Hanz Katherine , Kingsland Emily Sarah
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper seeks to provide an in-depth overview of a series of fake news information literacy library workshops, which were offered 19 times over the course of 2 years. It examines the results of a fake news game, which was played with a wide variety of audiences.

Design/methodology/approach

This case study examines workshops offered by two librarians at [name of institution], a major research institution in [city], [country]. It describes the workshops in detail and demonstrates how others may adopt this model.

Findings

The authors found that while high school students proved to be the most adept at recognizing fake news, the literature suggests that mere exposure to digital media is not sufficient in preparing Generation Z in their digital literacy critical assessment skills.

Practical implications

Library and information professionals are provided with the tools to adapt this workshop to suit the needs of their respective users.

Originality/value

This paper examines how a workshop can be adapted to seven unique audiences, spanning from high school students to university alumni. It incorporates the Association of College and Research Libraries framework and the latest literature into informing its practice.
Conflicting authority
Authors: Lynch Katherine , Hunter Shaunna
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to suggest that librarians’ traditional methods of source evaluation – guided by the “Authority is Constructed and Contextual Frame” of the Framework for Information Literacy – do not adequately address today’s post-truth reality.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors will use the specific example of the release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) National Climate Assessment report on November 23, 2018 and the subsequent Fact Check News Release published by EPA Headquarters on November 28 as a lens to explore the difficulty of teaching the Authority is Constructed and Contextual Frame in an era of alternative facts and fake news.

Findings

A brief analysis of human psychology, modern learning theories and Patrick Wilson’s work on cognitive authorities demonstrates that to provide effective information literacy instruction, librarians must do more to incorporate the social and emotional factors that individual students bring to the learning environment into current instruction practices.

Practical implications

This paper can be used as a resource for librarians seeking new strategies for information literacy instruction in the post-truth era.

Originality/value

Although a large body of literature exists to discuss the prevalence and implications of fake news in the post-truth era, few scholars have proposed solutions beyond a rededication to teaching critical source evaluation. This paper points to at least one new resource for source evaluation instruction which includes self-reflection among learners and points readers in a new direction to develop more.
Significant relationship between temporal hair loss and other scalp areas in female pattern hair loss
Authors: Heo Ji Hye , Yeom Seung Dohn , Byun Ji Won , Shin Jeonghyun , Choi Gwang Seong
Published: January 2020

Female pattern hair loss affects the central scalp, sparing the frontal hairline. The temporal area can also be affected by hair loss. We investigated the degree of temporal hair loss and correlation of other sites of scalp hair loss in Korean female pattern hair loss patients. A total of 109 women with female pattern hair loss were enrolled in this retrospective analysis. We measured hair density and thickness in five scalp sites including the frontal, vertex, occipital and bilateral temporal areas by phototrichogram. Frontal and vertex area hair loss were classified according to the Basic and Specific (BASP) classification, and temporal scalp and occiput areas were also assessed. Eighty‐nine patients showed temporal hair loss. The mean of the hair density was lowest in the temporal area among all scalp areas. Total and thick hair densities of the frontal scalp were correlated with those of the vertex, temporal scalp and occiput in descending order, and hair thickness of the frontal scalp was more related with that of the temporal scalp than the vertex. In this study, temporal involvement is evident in female pattern hair loss. We suggest that temporal involvement should be added to pattern hair loss classification, especially BASP classification.
Assessing the potential to reduce deaths and injuries from mass shootings through restrictions on assault weapons and other high‐capacity semiautomatic firearms
Authors: Koper Christopher S.
Published: January 2020

Research Summary

This article examines the use, impacts, and regulation of assault weapons and other high‐capacity semiautomatic firearms as they pertain to the problem of mass shootings in the United States. High‐capacity semiautomatics (which include assault weapons as a subset) are used in between 20% and 58% of all firearm mass murders, and they are used in a particularly high share of public mass shootings. Mass shootings perpetrated with these firearms result in substantially more fatalities and injuries than do attacks with other firearms, and these differences are especially pronounced for the number of victims with nonfatal gunshot injuries. The federal ban on assault weapons and large‐capacity (>10 rounds) ammunition magazines of 1994 had exemptions and loopholes that limited its short‐term effects, but its expiration in 2004 was followed by an increase in the use of these weapons in mass shootings and other crimes. Growing evidence suggests that state‐level restrictions on large‐capacity magazines reduce mass shootings, but further research is needed on the implementation and effects of these laws.

Policy Implications

Restrictions on large‐capacity magazines are the most important provisions of assault weapons laws in part because they can produce broader reductions in the overall use of high‐capacity semiautomatics that facilitate high‐volume gunfire attacks. Data on mass shooting incidents suggest these magazine restrictions can potentially reduce mass shooting deaths by 11% to 15% and total victims shot in these incidents by one quarter, likely as upper bounds. It may take several years for the effects of these laws to be fully realized, however, depending on their specific provisions, especially with regard to treatment of pre‐ban weaponry.
Shifts in reclamation management strategies shape the role of exopolysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide‐producing bacteria during soil formation
Authors: Vuko Miljenka , Cania Barbara , Vogel Cordula , Kublik Susanne , Schloter Michael , Schulz Stefanie
Published: January 2020

Polymeric substances produced by microbes play a key role for the development of soil aggregates. Here, we investigated the dynamics of bacterial families contributing to the formation of exopolysaccharides and lipopolysaccharides, major constituents of polymeric substances, at a managed land reclamation site of a post‐mining area. We collected soil samples from the initial and the agricultural management phase and expected a peak in the abundance of bacteria capable for exopolysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide production at the points of the biggest disturbances. We used shotgun metagenomic sequencing in combination with measurements of exopolysaccharide concentrations. Our results underline the importance of exopolysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide‐producing bacteria after nutrient input combined with structural disturbance events, caused here by the initial planting of alfalfa and the introduction of a tillage regime together with organic fertilization in the agricultural management phase. Moreover, the changes in management caused a shift in the exopolysaccharide/lipopolysaccharide‐producing community. The initial phase was dominated by typical colonizers of oligotrophic environments, specifically nitrogen fixers (Rhizobiaceae, Comamonadaceae, Hyphomicrobiaceae), while bacteria common in agricultural soils, such as Sphingomonadaceae, Oxalobacteraceae and Nitrospiraceae, prevailed in the agricultural management phase.
LncRNA NNT‐AS1 promotes non‐small cell lung cancer progression through regulating miR‐22‐3p/YAP1 axis
Authors: He Wenlong , Zhang Yeying , Xia Shulan
Published: January 2020

Background

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related mortality worldwide. Studies have demonstrated that long noncoding RNA nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase‐antisense RNA1 (NNT‐AS1) functioned as an oncogene in most malignancies, including non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of NNT‐AS1 in NSCLC progression.

Methods

The levels of NNT‐AS1, miR‐22‐3p and Yes‐associated protein (YAP1) were detected by qRT‐PCR in NSCLC tissues and cells. Kaplan‐Meier analysis was conducted to analyze the correlation between NNT‐AS1 expression and overall survival of NSCLC patients. Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay. Cell migration and invasion were assessed using transwell assay. The protein levels of YAP1 and EMT‐related proteins were detected by western blot. The molecular mechanism was predicted by starBase2.0 and validated by dual‐luciferase reporter assay or RNA pull‐down assay. Xenograft analysis was carried out to analyze tumor growth in vivo.

Results

We found that the levels of NNT‐AS1 and YAP1 were enhanced, while miR‐22‐3p expression was decreased in NSCLC tissues and cells. High NNT‐AS1 expression was correlated with poor prognosis. NNT‐AS1 knockdown impeded proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of NSCLC cells. NNT‐AS1 targeted miR‐22‐3p, and YAP1 was a target of miR‐22‐3p in NSCLC cells. Furthermore, NNT‐AS1 facilitated the progression of NSCLC by regulating miR‐22‐3p/YAP1 axis. NNT‐AS1 knockdown repressed tumor growth in vivo.

Conclusion

NNT‐AS1 facilitated proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of NSCLC cells by sponging miR‐22‐3p and regulating YAP1 expression, which might provide a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for NSCLC.
Hypoxia induced changes in miRNAs and their target mRNAs in extracellular vesicles of esophageal squamous cancer cells
Authors: Chen Fangyu , Chu Li , Li Jie , Shi Yu , Xu Bing , Gu Junjie , Yao Xijuan , Tian Meng , Yang Xi , Sun Xinchen
Published: January 2020

Background

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are endogenous membrane vesicles with a diameter of 30–200 nm. It has been reported that hypoxic cancer cells can release numerous EVs to mediate multiple regional and systemic effects in the tumor microenvironment.

Methods

In this study, we used ultracentrifugation to extract EVs secreted by TE‐13, an esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC) cell line during normoxia and hypoxia and performed high‐throughput sequencing to detect exosomal miRNAs. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analyses were used to reveal pathways potentially regulated by the miRNAs.

Results

A total of 10 810 miRNAs were detected; 50 were significantly upregulated and 34 were significantly downregulated under hypoxic environment. GO analysis identified enrichment of protein binding, regulation of transcription (DNA‐templated), and membrane as molecular function, biological process, and cellular component, respectively. KEGG pathway analysis revealed cancer‐associated pathways, phospholipase D signaling pathway, autophagy, focal adhesion and AGE‐RAGE signaling as the key pathways. Further verification experiment from qRT‐PCR indicated that miR‐128‐3p, miR‐140‐3p, miR‐340‐5p, miR‐452‐5p, miR‐769‐5p and miR‐1304‐p5 were significantly upregulated in EVs from hypoxia TE‐13 cells while miR‐340‐5p was significantly upregulated in two other ESCC cells, ECA109 and TE‐1.

Conclusion

This study, for the first time reveals changes in the expression of exosomal miRNAs in hypoxic ESCC cells and these findings will act as a resource to study the hypoxic tumor microenvironment and ESCC EVs.