bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The office of the prefect apostolic, Clemente Fernandez, o.p. (1913–1920) in difficulties: analysis on Jean de Guébriant's report to Propaganda fide
Authors: Chen Tsung-ming
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The study discovers a crisis of authority and administration in Catholic mission of Taiwan during 1910 and 1920s. It aims to discover the reasons and the significance of the problem.

Design/methodology/approach

The author works on the reports and correspondence of Jean de Guébriant, apostolic visitor of China missions in 1919–1920. He received some reports from the Dominican Prefect Apostolic of Formosa, Clemente Fernandez.

Findings

The author discovers a severe problem of authority brought about some conflicts between the Prefect Apostolic Clemente Fernandez, o.p. and some Dominican missionaries in the mission, conflicts reflecting ambiguous status of this prefecture apostolic with regard to not only the Dominican Provincia del Santo Rosario, headquarters of Dominican missions in East Asia, but also the Dominican apostolic vicariate of Southern Fujian in China, and even the Japanese Catholic church, because Taiwan had been conceded to the Japanese empire since 1895 until 1945.

Research limitations/implications

The author has not yet consulted the archives in Propaganda Fide in Vatican circle and in Dominican archives. Still, some questions remain unanswered for lack of related archives. This study calls for further works in the future.

Originality/value

Very few relevant studies are found on the Dominican mission in Taiwan during 1860–1949. This study reveals a serious problem on the structure of Catholic mission due to an unclear status of Taiwan. It reflects, in fact, the delicate situation in ecclesial and political aspects between China, Japan and Spanish missions in Manila, Philippines.
How online reviews affect purchase intention: a new model based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework
Authors: Zhu Linlin , Li He , Wang Feng-Kwei , He Wu , Tian Zejin
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The relationship between online reviews and purchase intention has been studied in previous research. However, there was little knowledge about the effect of information quality and the social presence of online reviews on purchase intention based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework. The purpose of this study is to explore the intrinsic relationship between the stimulus (perceived information quality and social presence) generated from online reviews and the response (purchase intention).

Design/methodology/approach

This study developed a research model by applying the S-O-R framework to test the proposed hypotheses. A combination of a web-based experiment and an online survey was employed to collect data. Hypotheses were empirically tested using Smart PLS.

Findings

The PLS analysis shows that both perceived information quality and the social presence of online reviews positively affect trust. Moreover, satisfaction with online reviews affects purchase intention, whereas trust has a positive impact on satisfaction, playing a mediating role between two stimuli and satisfaction. Besides, perceived information quality of positive online reviews is found to have a more significant impact on trust, satisfaction and purchase intention.

Originality/value

The results of this study are of great value for expanding both theoretical research and practical applications of online reviews in relation to purchase intention. This study with a new research model reveals the understanding of how the purchase intention will be motivated by online reviews. Meanwhile, the moderating effects and the mediating effects are also discussed.
Predicting intention to share information on commercial websites based on personality traits
Authors: Soltani-Nejad Nima , Mirezati Seyedeh Zahra , Saberi Mohammad Karim
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The growing popularity of e-commerce, in recent years, has led to an increase in sharing information in cyberspace. Personality traits are one of the most effective personal factors in sharing information on business websites. This study aims to investigate the relationship between personality traits and intention to share information on commercial websites.

Design/methodology/approach

In this survey study, structural equation modeling was used. The statistical population of this study consisted of 385 Iranian students. Two questionnaires, i.e. personality traits and intention to share information, were used to collect the required data. The validity of the research instruments was estimated by calculating the average variance extracted. Furthermore, the reliability was assessed and confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and composite reliability. Data analysis was performed with AMOS and partial least squares statistical software.

Findings

The results indicated that the components of personality traits including authoritarianism, self-esteem, locus of control and adaptation had a significant positive effect on intention to share information.

Originality/value

In this study, the authors designed a model to examine the effect of personality traits on intention to share information on commercial websites.
Influence of board characteristics on TBL reporting
Authors: Nursimloo Sandira , Ramdhony Dinesh , Mooneeapen Oren
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the influence of board characteristics on triple bottom line (TBL) reporting, both at aggregate and component level (environment, social and economic) for the top 50 companies in New Zealand.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis is used to create reporting indexes for 2016 and 2017, which serve as proxy for TBL reporting. Regression analysis is then used to investigate the association between board characteristics and TBL reporting, along with its separate components.

Findings

This paper finds significant positive associations of TBL with profitability and firm size; environmental bottom line with board size and profitability; social bottom line with board size, profitability and firm size; and economic bottom line (ECO) with firm size. A significant negative association is found between ECO and leverage.

Practical implications

This study provides incentives for companies to adopt TBL reporting as the findings show a positive association between the extent of reporting and profitability. This implies that companies should improve their level of reporting while ensuring that voluntary disclosures show a true and fair view to maintain a healthy relationship with their stakeholders.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt to investigate TBL reporting along with its separate dimensions in the NZ context. It takes into account recent changes that occurred in the corporate environment in New Zealand as well as new practices that emerged in the world, especially the diffusion of the Global Reporting Initiative and the International Integrating Reporting Council Framework.
Information processing for end-of-life coordination: a multiple-case study
Authors: van den Berg Marc , Voordijk Hans , Adriaanse Arjen
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore how demolition contractors coordinate project activities for buildings at their end-of-life. The organizations are thereby conceptualized as information processing systems facing uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiple-case study methodology was selected to gain in-depth insights from three projects with different end-of-life strategies: a faculty building (material recycling), a nursing home (component reuse) and a psychiatric hospital (element reuse). Using a theory elaboration approach, the authors sought to explain how and why demolition contractors process information for end-of-life coordination.

Findings

End-of-life strategies differ in the degree of building, workflow and environmental uncertainty posed to the demolition contractor. Whether or not a strategy is effective depends on the (mis)match between the specific levels of uncertainty and the adopted coordination mechanisms.

Research limitations/implications

The explanatory account on end-of-life coordination refines information processing theory for the context of (selective) demolition projects.

Practical implications

The detailed case descriptions and information processing perspective enable practitioners to select, implement and reflect on coordination mechanisms for demolition/deconstruction projects at hand.

Originality/value

Reflecting its dual conceptual-empirical and inductive-deductive focus, this study contributes with new opportunities to explain building end-of-life coordination with a refined theory.
New digital background calibration method for pipelined ADCs
Authors: Zia Ehsan , Farshidi Ebrahim , Kosarian Abdolnabi
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are widely used in electronic circuits. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new digital background calibration method to correct the capacitor mismatch, finite direct current (DC) gain and nonlinearity of residue amplifiers in pipelined ADCs.

Design/methodology/approach

The errors are corrected by defining new functions based on generalized Newton–Raphson algorithm. Although the functions have analytical solutions, an iterative procedure is used for calibration. To accelerate the calibration process, proper initialization for the errors is identified by using evaluation estimation block and solving inverse matrix.

Findings

Several behavioral simulations of a 12-bit 100MS/s pipelined ADC in MATLAB indicate that signal-to-(noise + distortion) ratio (SNDR) and spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) are improved from 30dB/33dB to 70dB/79dB after calibration. Calibration is achieved in approximately 2,000 clock cycles.

Practical implications

The digital part of the proposed method is implemented on field-programmable gate array to validate the performance of the pipelined ADC. The experimental result shows that the degradation of SNDR, SFDR, integral nonlinearity, differential nonlinearity and effective number of bits is negligible according to fixed-point operation vs floating-point in simulation results.

Originality/value

The novelty of this study is to use Newton–Raphson algorithm combined with appropriate initialization to reduce the number of divisions as well as calibration time, which is suitable in the recent nano-meter complementary metal oxide semiconductor technologies.
Introducing the socialbot: a novel touchpoint along the young adult customer journey
Authors: Wilson-Nash Carolyn , Goode Amy , Currie Alice
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the special issue theme by exploring customer response to automated relationship management tactics on social media channels.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 17 in-depth interviews of young adults, ranging from the age of 19 to 26, were conducted. From this, customer journey maps were compiled incorporating socialbots as a valuable touch point along the service delivery cycle.

Findings

The research frames the socialbot as a valued customer service agent to young adults with some favouring this over telephone and email communication methods. Younger consumers respond positively to the quick resolution offered by the socialbot mechanism with most acknowledging that the bot is only able to manage simplified requests. Human-to-human customer relationship management is preferential when the query reaches critical mass.

Research limitations/implications

Socialbots on Facebook Messenger provided the research context for this study; therefore, other platforms and owned website bots should be considered in future studies.

Practical implications

This research identifies the younger generation as a key target market for the development of customer service-related bots.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the socialbot as an automated touch point in the customer journey and contributes knowledge to the growing body of literature focussed on artificial intelligence in customer service. Moreover, it provides valuable qualitative insights into how socialbots influence the customer experience and related outcome measures.
Productivity increase in a large size slaughterhouse: a simulation approach applying lean manufacturing
Authors: Fernandes Junior Carlos Coutinho , Pinto Leonel Teixeira
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to develop a study of the determination of the most appropriate execution steps, necessary for the construction of modelling, simulation and optimization for the specific area of slaughter line balancing. And through the developed model to demonstrate the application of simulation to increase productivity in a large-size swine slaughterhouse, focusing on operator stations balancing. The built model may be applied to support the management of the plant, allowing to evaluate and decide the optimized scenario that meets current needs considering operational cost, production demand and productivity.

Design/methodology/approach

For the research development, the selected software supports the characteristics of the evaluated process, in this case, a discreet simulation with stochastics variables. The studied plant was modelled door by door, from the swine reception until the packaging area. The research methodology was based on lean manufacturing (LM) principles, particularly in workstations balancing, by optimizing the idle time of the operators, comparing with the cycle time of each task, in the evaluated workstations.

Findings

The achieved result with the modelling and simulation was the increase of 11.89% in plant productivity through manpower optimization. The study indicates that the simulation applied with LM concepts as operative stations balancing and value stream map can be a very useful tool to support decision-making for productivity improvement.

Originality/value

This study approaches how modelling and simulation can support decision-making to implement improvements associated to workforce balancing optimization, especially in the studied area (agribusiness, animal slaughter). The studied process presents great variability associated with the processing time of each phase, making the analysis and modelling more complex. The number of workstations involved, with more than 800 employees, is an important point in the research, considering that cases with higher values than the case presented were not identified in literature.
The effect of card payments on VAT revenue in the euro area: evidence from a panel VECM
Authors: Hondroyiannis George , Papaoikonomou Dimitrios
Published: June 2020

Purpose

A growing amount of micro-data analyses has highlighted the importance of information trails, such as generated by card transactions, for improving tax compliance. Yet, time series evidence indicating a positive effect of card payments on VAT revenue performance has been scarce. This paper revisits the question of the effect of card payments on VAT revenue by using annual and quarterly panel data for the 19 euro area member states, covering the period 2000–2016.

Design/methodology/approach

A panel VECM is employed in order to address endogeneity issues and to account for common stochastic trends, which, is shown to be crucial in revealing the anticipated positive effect of card use on the performance of VAT.

Findings

The analysis confirms that a higher share of card payments in private consumption increases VAT revenue and the efficiency of revenue collection. Higher gains are estimated for countries with above average self-employment.

Originality/value

The contribution of the paper is twofold. First, to our knowledge it provides the first confirmation of the well-established literature on information trails using aggregate macroeconomic time series in a multi-country setting. Second, it has very timely policy implications, as low-hanging fruit are identified in euro-area economies with much to gain from strengthening the credibility of their fiscal performance, such as Greece.
Evidence of customer sophistication behaviour in deposit markets: the case of Qatar
Authors: Abu Asab Noura
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The paper investigates the interest rate policy transmission mechanism and the role of market structure of the banking industry in Qatar.

Design/methodology/approach

Competitiveness indexes are used to measure the degree of market power in the banking industry in Qatar. The momentum threshold autoregressive model is applied over the monthly period from January 2005 to June 2018 to examine the magnitude of intermediation and adjustment to disequilibria in the deposit market. In addition, to model interest rate volatility and overcome the problem of heteroscedastic errors in the error correction standard models, an asymmetric EC-EGARCH-M model is applied.

Findings

The findings suggest incomplete pass-through and asymmetric response to monetary shocks. The asymmetric adjustment mechanism is found to be downward rigid which suggests a high degree of customer sophistication and an elastic supply of deposits. The results of the EC-EGARCH-M show that the impact of monetary policy shocks has a significant positive impact on deposit interest rates and that negative monetary shocks trigger more conditional interest rate volatility in the next period than positive monetary shocks for a short maturity rate.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to highlight the behaviour of the interest rate pass through channel and measures the degree of competitiveness of the banking industry for the case of a small, rich country. In addition, using recent data, the paper applies different econometric methodologies and overcomes the problem of heteroskedastic errors by modelling the interest rate volatility using the EC-EGARCH-M model.
Does religiosity matter for customer loyalty? Evidence from halal cosmetics
Authors: Suhartanto Dwi , Dean David , Sarah Ira Siti , Hapsari Raditha , Amalia Fatya Alty , Suhaeni Tintin
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to assess customer loyalty towards halal cosmetics using three integrated loyalty routes of product quality, emotional attachment and religious determinants.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for this study were gathered from 457 s cosmetics customers. Variance-based structural equation modelling was applied to assess the association between product quality, emotional attachment, religiosity, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

Findings

This study reveals that for halal cosmetics, customer loyalty is driven more by emotional attachment and product quality than by religiosity. Further, the religiosity does not moderate the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Finally, this study reveals that the impact of emotional attachment and product quality on customer loyalty is partly through strengthening customer satisfaction.

Practical implications

This study provides an opportunity for halal cosmetics managers to increase customer loyalty through the development of emotional attachment and product quality. To develop customer loyalty towards their halal cosmetic products, this study suggests that halal cosmetics managers should offer high-quality products and continuously innovate their cosmetic products.

Originality/value

This is an early empirical study attempting to examine the link between religiosity and customer loyalty in halal cosmetic products.
Mediated and moderated model of the willingness to pay for halal transportation
Authors: Ngah Abdul Hafaz , Gabarre Serge , Eneizan Bilal , Asri Nabihah
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the factors of willingness to pay for halal transportation among Muslim consumers in Malaysia by extending the theory of planned behaviour with knowledge and religiosity.

Design/methodology/approach

Applying a purposive sampling method, data were gathered from questionnaires distributed to Muslim consumers at Malls in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. From 250 Muslims who were approached, 200 respondents agreed to answer the questionnaire. SMART-PLS 3.2.8. was used to analyse the data for this study using a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach.

Findings

Attitude (ATT), Subjective Norm (SN) and Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC) have a positive relationship with the Willingness to Pay (WTP). However, religiosity is found as an insignificant factor towards the WTP. Knowledge and religiosity are significant predictors of the attitude. Attitude is found to have a mediating effect on the relationship between knowledge and the WTP, and for religiosity towards the WTP. Awareness moderates the positive relationship between ATT and the WTP for halal transportation services. Meanwhile, awareness is found as an insignificant moderator between SN and the WTP, and for the PBC and the WTP.

Practical implications

The findings provide useful information on the WTP for halal transportation. Related parties such as the government, halal transport service providers and customers can use these findings to plan further action to enhance the WTP for halal transportation

Originality/value

The study reveals the capability of the TPB to identify the factors of WTP for halal transportation among Muslim consumers in Malaysia. The findings also show the moderation effects of awareness on the TPB. The findings also enrich the literature on the WTP in halal studies
Inertia, group conformity and customer loyalty in healthcare in the information age
Authors: Gonçalves Fábio M.R.R. , Cândido Carlos J.F. , Feliciano Isabel Maria Pereira Luís
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose is to analyse the influence of inertia and group conformity on loyalty in healthcare.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation model developed from the literature and tested with cross-sectional data from a patient online survey.

Findings

Inertia is a significant antecedent of loyalty and has a stronger effect in healthcare than in other service sectors. Group conformity has no significant effect in healthcare.

Research Implications

The strength of the impact of inertia [group conformity] on loyalty depends on the importance of the customer need that the service industry satisfies, in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Where inertia (stability need) is equally or more [less] important than the customer need, the influence of inertia on loyalty should be positive and strong [weak or insignificant]. In services that satisfy needs more [equally or less] important than group conformity (belonging need), there may be an insignificant [significant] influence of group conformity on customer loyalty, even [especially] in credence services.

Practical implications

Healthcare providers can exploit the stronger effect of inertia in healthcare through development of inertia-based loyalty policies. Regulatory authorities should be vigilant to ensure that these policies are not detrimental to patients. ‘Inert’ patients must become responsible for assessing their loyalties. Authorities and reference groups must stimulate customer loyalty assessments, and assist by providing impartial information.

Originality/value

This is the first study to address the influence of inertia and group conformity on loyalty in the healthcare sector and, from the perspective of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, it is the first to do so in any service sector.
Improving and extending activities of university and research libraries in Iran: the role of Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (Irandoc)
Authors: Rajabali Beglou Reza , Akhshik Somaye Sadat
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to define the need to a center for improving and extending university and research libraries in Iran, and identifying capabilities and position of Iranian Research Institute for Science and Technology (Irandoc) for accepting possible roles.

Design/methodology/approach

This research was documentary with scoping review in which the scope of research defined with internal and external organizational documents, related research studies in National Information System (NATIS) and international successful organizations in this field.

Findings

Findings show that Irandoc can play roles in developing a standard, establishing experts and professional network, developing information and knowledge sharing process, facilitating access to the scholarly contents, leadership and change management, developing infrastructures for research data management, gathering information and statistics of these libraries and developing interlibrary collaborations in these libraries.

Originality/value

This research is one of the seldom research studies related to clarification of an organization' role and position in NATIS in universities and improving and also extending activities of university and research libraries in Iran.
Innovative use of technologies to enhance knowledge management
Authors: Anduvare Everlyn M'mbone , Holmner Marlene
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The study aims to identify and recommend to the Marist International University College (MIUC) technologies that enhance knowledge management, with a particular focus on collaborative and distributed learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Nine senior full-time academic staff members were purposively selected for the study. The study employed a qualitative research design that involved the use of Google forms to conduct an online survey to collect data from the target population, and it achieved a 100% response rate. Using content analysis, data were analysed, interpreted and presented in a mini-dissertation.

Findings

This research paper presents the findings relating to the innovative use of technologies to enhance collaborative and distributive learning. The findings confirm the existence of informal knowledge management practices at the MIUC and recommend technologies established through a review of the literature to expedite these practices.

Practical implications

The proposed technologies are thought to be useful in enhancing collaborative and distributed learning in academic institutions as technologies act as enablers in knowledge management within academia.

Originality/value

As technologies continue to emerge, there is a chance for universities to hit a stalemate in terms of identifying appropriate technologies to enable knowledge management. This paper contributes by identifying not only KM practices at the university under study but also specific multimedia, social media, media sharing and brainstorming technologies from the literature that would be ideal in enhancing collaborative and distributed learning.
Improving maritime safety through enhancing marine process management: the application of balanced scorecard
Authors: Lin Wen-Cheng , Cheng Hsin-Hung
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This research aims to deal with the analysis of the concept of balance scorecard (BSC) integrated maritime process management in a marine course.

Design/methodology/approach

Several research studies found that managers lacked a basic understanding of a BSC approach to evaluate a maritime course. This paper analyzes the theoretical and practical approach of strategic BSC tool, analyzing the risks and threats regarding marine accidents.

Findings

The conclusion is that the BSC can be applied as a maritime process management to course design. Students were assigned a BSC project in a foundational course and completed a survey to establish if the BSC enhanced their knowledge and understanding of maritime process within a maritime safety process.

Research limitations/implications

Future research would be advised to include a more geographically and randomly selected maritime accident sample.

Practical implications

Based on the application of BSC, it was concluded that a better understanding of how maritime safety process management operates holistically was attained.

Originality/value

This research sheds light on a phase of the maritime safety process that has been neglected so far in the maritime education training and generates insights for maritime industry how they can formalize this process and how they can deal with it more systematically.
“Business is business”: a journey into a French suburban drug-dealing bureaucratic gang
Authors: Sorreda Thomas , Philippe Xavier
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Illegal companies remain an underexplored research avenue. Indeed, although extant literature has already discussed organizational analysis of illicit businesses from a marketing or an entrepreneurial point of view, few papers have focused on it. The purpose of this study is to explore and uncover the bureaucratic aspects of this kind of structure. To do so, this study intends to demonstrate that even the most hidden organizations in a given society are shaped by common representations orienting them toward well-disseminated models.

Design/methodology/approach

An ethno-sociological study was conducted, thanks to a long non-participant immersion (over one year) by observing a drug-dealing organization in a French suburban area located near Paris.

Findings

This study illustrates that illicit organizations reproduce traditional organizational schemes that help them to ensure efficiency and sustainability. Indeed, they fit into modern bureaucratic models within which procedures remain highly normative and formal, but also within which interactions between members are both constrained by a regulative framework and, at the same time, enable a certain amount of autonomy and creativity at work.

Social implications

The business case in this study analyzes the implications of seeing illicit businesses as organizations like any others. The counterintuitive results show that these organizations set and normalize processes allowing the establishment of a formal hierarchy, and specific yet strict rules.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper comes from its unit of analysis and specific subject.
A new approach for ranking efficient DMUs with data envelopment analysis
Authors: Banihashemi Sayyid Ali , Khalilzadeh Mohammad
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Classical models of data envelopment analysis (DEA) calculate the efficiency of decision-making units do not differentiate between efficient units. The purpose of this paper is to present a new method for ranking efficient units and compare it with the other methods presented in this field.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a new method is presented for ranking efficient units. To validate the proposed method, a real case, which was studied by Li et al. (2016) is examined and the rankings of the efficient units are compared with four other methods including the Andersen and Petersen’s super-efficiency, game theory and the concept of Shapley value and the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution methods.

Findings

The results show that there is a high correlation between the rankings of efficient units obtained by the new proposed method and the other methods such as Andersen and Petersen’s super-efficiency, game theory and Shapley value methods.

Originality/value

The problem of ranking efficient units with the DEA method is an important issue for researchers. Extensive studies have been proposed to provide methods for ranking efficient units. This paper proposes a simple and fast method for ranking efficient units that achieves better results.
The Wider Impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the NHS*
Authors: Propper Carol , Stoye George , Zaranko Ben
Published: June 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has had huge impacts on the National Health Service (NHS). Patients suffering from the illness have placed unprecedented demands on acute care, particularly on intensive care units (ICUs). This has led to an effort to dramatically increase the resources available to NHS hospitals in treating these patients, involving reorganisation of hospital facilities, redeployment of existing staff and a drive to bring in recently retired and newly graduated staff to fight the pandemic. These increases in demand and changes to supply have had large knock‐on effects on the care provided to the wider population. This paper discusses likely implications for healthcare delivery in the short and medium term of the responses to the coronavirus pandemic, focusing primarily on the implications for non‐coronavirus patients. Patterns of past care suggest those most likely to be affected by these disruptions will be older individuals and those living in more deprived areas, potentially exacerbating pre‐existing health inequalities. Effects are likely to persist into the longer run, with particular challenges around recruitment and ongoing staff shortages.
One panel to rule them all: DArTcap genotyping for population structure, historical demography, and kinship analyses, and its application to a threatened shark
Authors: Feutry Pierre , Devloo‐Delva Floriaan , Tran Lu Y Adrien , Mona Stefano , Gunasekera Rasanthi M. , Johnson Grant , Pillans Richard D. , Jaccoud Damian , Kilian Andrzej , Morgan David L. , Saunders Thor , Bax Nicholas J. , Kyne Peter M.
Published: June 2020

With recent advances in sequencing technology, genomic data are changing how important conservation management decisions are made. Applications such as Close‐Kin Mark‐Recapture demand large amounts of data to estimate population size and structure, and their full potential can only be realised through ongoing improvements in genotyping strategies. Here we introduce DArTcap, a cost‐efficient method that combines DArTseq and sequence capture, and illustrate its use in a high resolution population analysis of Glyphis garricki, a rare, poorly known and threatened euryhaline shark. Clustering analyses and spatial distribution of kin pairs from four different regions across northern Australia and one in Papua New Guinea, representing its entire known range, revealed that each region hosts at least one distinct population. Further structuring is likely within Van Diemen Gulf, the region that included the most rivers sampled, suggesting additional population structuring would be found if other rivers were sampled. Coalescent analyses and spatially explicit modelling suggest that G. garricki experienced a recent range expansion during the opening of the Gulf of Carpentaria following the conclusion of the Last Glacial Maximum. The low migration rates between neighbouring populations of a species that is found only in restricted coastal and riverine habitats show the importance of managing each population separately, including careful monitoring of local and remote anthropogenic activities that may affect their environments. Overall we demonstrated how a carefully chosen SNP panel combined with DArTcap can provide highly accurate kinship inference and also support population structure and historical demography analyses, therefore maximising cost‐effectiveness.
adiv: An r package to analyse biodiversity in ecology
Authors: Pavoine Sandrine
Published: June 2020

R is an open‐source programming environment for statistical computing and graphics structured by numerous contributed packages. The current packages used for biodiversity research focus on limited, particular aspects of biodiversity. Most packages focus on the number and abundance of species.

I present an r package named adiv that provides additional methods to measure and analyse biodiversity. adiv contains approaches to quantify species‐based, trait‐based (functional) and phylogenetic diversity (a) within communities (α diversity), (b) between communities (β diversity) and (c) to partition it over space and time (α, β and γ levels of diversity). Partitioning approaches allow evaluating whether the levels of α and β diversity could have been obtained by chance. Moreover, groups of biological entities (e.g. species of the same clade or with similar biological characteristics) that drive each level of diversity (α, β and γ) can be identified via ordination analyses.

Although the package focuses on interspecific diversity in its current state, the developed approaches can also be applied to analyse intraspecific diversity or, at another level, ecosystem diversity. More generally, the functions can be applied in any discipline interested in the concept of diversity, such as economics or linguistics. Indeed, all available approaches can be easily applied at other scales and to other disciplines provided that the data have the required format: a matrix of abundance or presence/absence data of some entities in some collections and information on the differences between the entities.

adiv aims to complement existing r packages to provide scientists with a wide variety of diversity indices, as each index reflects a very specific facet of biodiversity. adiv will grow in the future to integrate as many validated approaches for biodiversity analysis as possible, not yet available in r. As it includes both traditional and recent viewpoints on how biodiversity should be evaluated, adiv offers a promising platform where methods to analyse biodiversity can be developed and compared in terms of their statistical behaviour and biological relevance. Applications of the most relevant tools for a given study aim will eventually improve research on human‐driven variations in biodiversity.
Sexual Aggression Analogues Used in Alcohol Administration Research: Critical Review of Their Correspondence to Alcohol‐Involved Sexual Assaults
Authors: Abbey Antonia , Helmers Breanne R.
Published: June 2020

Background

Alcohol administration studies are crucial because causal questions about alcohol's role in human behavior can only be answered through experimental research that randomly assigns participants to drink conditions. The primary goal of this review was to catalogue the characteristics of experimental analogues used in alcohol administration research to assess men's sexual aggression proclivity and evaluate the extent to which they represent the scope of alcohol‐involved sexual aggression. Although this review focuses on sexual aggression analogues, the identified methodological issues are relevant to a wide range of alcohol administration studies.

Methods

Online databases were searched for published studies that randomly assigned participants to drink conditions and assessed participants' sexual aggression proclivity with an experimental analogue. Characteristics of the analogues were coded by both authors.

Results

Seventeen studies were identified that used 12 unique experimental analogues. All of the analogues depicted a completed or potential sexual assault in an apartment between a male perpetrator and female victim who did not know each other well. This information was presented in written (n = 7), audio (n = 1), video (n = 3), or virtual simulation (n = 1) format. Sexual aggression proclivity was measured through participants' self‐reports (n = 10) and behavioral responses (n = 2). Perpetrators primarily used physical force which the woman verbally and physically resisted. Only one analogue depicted behavioral signs of the woman's alcohol impairment; none included signs of the man's alcohol impairment.

Conclusions

These analogues were designed to address important theoretical questions; however, they do not represent the full range of alcohol‐involved sexual assaults. This hampers the development of evidence‐based prevention and treatment programs because we do not know whether these findings generalize to other types of sexual assaults (e.g., with incapacitated victims, within serious relationships, with sexual and other gender minorities). Funding agencies need to support more alcohol administration research in order to provide a strong foundation for the development of effective interventions.
Brief Report: Relationship Between Cotinine Levels and Peripheral Endogenous Concentrations of Oxytocin, β‐Endorphin, and Orexin in Individuals With Both Alcohol and Nicotine Use Disorders
Authors: Haass‐Koffler Carolina L. , Perciballi Roberta , Brown Zoe E. , Lee Mary R. , Zywiak William H. , Kurtis Jonathan , Swift Robert M. , Leggio Lorenzo
Published: June 2020

Background and Objectives

In this secondary analysis of a pilot clinical trial with individuals with alcohol and nicotine use disorders, we investigate the relationship between serum concentrations of oxytocin, β‐endorphin, melatonin, α‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone, substance P, and orexin, with objective biomarkers (salivary cotinine and serum γ‐glutamyl transferase [GGT]) as well as with self‐reported smoking and alcohol drinking.

Methods

Biomarkers for a total of N = 19 participants were analyzed using multiplexed, competitive format immune‐assay (peptides) and enzyme competitive immunoassay (saliva). A regression analysis using Pearson's correlation coefficient was utilized to determine correlations. We controlled for multiple comparisons, checked for collinearities, and ran two‐sided statistical tests.

Results

We found significant positive correlations for cotinine and oxytocin (P = .002), β‐endorphin (P = .008), and orexin (P < .001), but not for either GGT or self‐reported smoking or alcohol drinking.

Conclusion and Scientific Significance

These preliminary results suggest a relationship between cotinine and oxytocin, β‐endorphin, and orexin, which opens up new potential hypotheses on the potential role of these endocrine pathways in tobacco smokers. (Am J Addict 2021;30:88–91)
Systematic review with meta‐analysis: liver transplant provides survival benefit in patients with acute on chronic liver failure
Authors: Abdallah Mohamed A. , Waleed Muhammad , Bell Matthew G. , Nelson Morgan , Wong Robert , Sundaram Vinay , Singal Ashwani K.
Published: June 2020

Background

Data on liver transplantation (LT) in acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) are scanty.

Aim

To perform meta‐analysis on outcomes after LT for ACLF compared with ACLF patients not receiving LT or with LT recipients for indications other than ACLF.

Methods

We pooled data from 12 studies on LT outcomes among ACLF patients.

Results

Among nine studies, 22 238 LT recipients for ACLF vs 30 791 for non‐ACLF were younger by 1.1 years, less males (64% vs 66.4%), and higher model for end‐stage disease score by 14.5 (14.4‐14.6), P < 0.01 for all. Post‐transplant patient survival at 30 day, 90 day, 6 months, 1 year and 5 years was lower in ACLF: 96.2% vs 98.1%, 92.6% vs 96.2%, 89.9% vs 94.4%, 86.0% vs 91.9%, 66.9% vs 80.7% respectively, P < 0.01 for all. ACLF patients stayed longer in hospital and ICU by 5.7 and 10.5 days respectively, P < 0.001, with similar post‐transplant complications [74.4% vs 55.5%, P = 0.12]. Among three studies, 441 LT recipients for ACLF vs 301 ACLF patients not selected for LT had better 30 day and 1 year survival: 95.2% vs 60% and 85.3% vs 28.2% respectively, P < 0.001. Outcomes were worse in ACLF‐3 and better for ACLF‐1 and ACLF‐2 patients at the time of LT.

Conclusion

In this pooled analysis with a large sample size across the globe, LT for select patients with ACLF provided survival benefit. However, larger prospective studies are needed to further refine selection criteria, especially for ACLF‐3 patients as basis for improving outcomes and optimal utilisation of scarce donor pool.
The Application of the Reporting Entity Concept by Australian Charities
Authors: Saj Phil , Cheong Chee
Published: June 2020

We provide evidence on the application of the reporting entity concept by Australian charities by correlating the type of financial report with the indicators of reporting entity status posited under Statement of Accounting Concepts 1 (SAC1). In addition, we present evidence on the quality of charity financial reporting by investigating compliance with certain requirements of Australian accounting and auditing standards. We examine a random sample of 574 charities, comprising 10% of large charities that lodged financial reports with the Australian Charities and Not‐for‐Profits Commission in 2014. We find that while some indicators of reporting status are statistically significant in explaining reporting choice, their economic significance is weak. Consequently, we conclude that the application of the reporting entity concept is inconsistent, and raise questions about the effectiveness of SAC1 and the quality of charity financial reporting.
Cladribine modifies functional properties of microglia
Authors: Jørgensen L Ø , Hyrlov K H , Elkjaer M L , Weber A B , Pedersen A E , Svenningsen Å Fex , Illes Z
Published: June 2020

Cladribine (CdA), an oral prodrug approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis, selectively depletes lymphocytes. CdA passes the blood–brain barrier, suggesting a potential effect on central nervous system (CNS) resident cells. We examined if CdA modifies the phenotype and function of naive and activated primary mouse microglia, when applied in the concentrations 0·1–1 μM that putatively overlap human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations. Primary microglia cultures without stimulation or in the presence of proinflammatory lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or anti-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-4 were treated with different concentrations of CdA for 24 h. Viability was assessed by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay. Phagocytotic ability and morphology were examined by flow cytometry and random migration using IncuCyte Zoom and TrackMate. Change in gene expression was examined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and protein secretion by Meso Scale Discovery. We found that LPS and IL-4 up-regulated deoxycytidine kinase (DCK) expression. Only activated microglia were affected by CdA, and this was unrelated to viability. CdA 0·1–1 μM significantly reduced granularity, phagocytotic ability and random migration of activated microglia. CdA 10 μM increased the IL-4-induced gene expression of arginase 1 (Arg1) and LPS-induced expression of IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and Arg1, but protein secretion remained unaffected. CdA 10 μM potentiated the increased expression of anti-inflammatory TNF receptor 2 (TNF-R2) but not TNF-R1 induced by LPS. This suggests that microglia acquire a less activated phenotype when treated with 0·1–1 μM CdA that putatively overlaps human CSF concentrations. This may be related to the up-regulated gene expression of DCK upon activation, and suggests a potential alternative mechanism of CdA with direct effect on CNS resident cells.
Exercise, brain plasticity, and depression
Authors: Zhao Jin‐Lei , Jiang Wan‐Ting , Wang Xing , Cai Zhi‐Dong , Liu Zu‐Hong , Liu Guo‐Rong
Published: June 2020

Depression is a common mental disorder characterized by high incidence, high disability, and high fatality, causing great burden to the society, families, and individuals. The changes in brain plasticity may be a main reason for depression. Recent studies have shown that exercise plays a positive role in depression, but systematic and comprehensive studies are lacking on brain plasticity changes in depression. To further understand the antidepressive effect of exercise and the changes in brain plasticity, we retrieved related literatures using key words “depression,” “depressive disorder,” “exercise,” “brain plasticity,” “brain structure,” and “brain function” from the database of Web of Science, PubMed, EBSCO host, and CNKI, hoping to provide evidence for exercise in preventing and treating depression. Increase in exercise has been found negatively correlated with the risk of depression. Randomized controlled experiments have shown that aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, and mind‐body exercise can improve depressive symptoms and levels. The intensity and long‐term effect of exercise are now topical research issues. Exercise has been proven to reshape the brain structure of depression patients, activate the function of related brain areas, promote behavioral adaptation changes, and maintain the integrity of hippocampal and white matter volume, thus improving the brain neuroprocessing and delaying cognitive degradation in depression patients. Future studies are urgently needed to establish accurate exercise prescriptions for improving depressive symptoms, and studies on different depressive populations and studies using multimodal brain imaging combined with multiple analytical methods are also needed.