bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How to differentiate COVID-19 pneumonia from heart failure with computed tomography at initial medical contact during epidemic period
Authors: Zhu Zhaowei , Tang Jianjun , Chai Xiangping , Fang Zhenfei , Liu Qiming , Hu Xinqun , Xu Danyan , He Jia , Tang Liang , Tai Shi , Wu Yuzhi , Zhou Shenghua
Published: March 2020

OBJECTIVES

To compare chest CT findings in heart failure with those of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia.

BACKGROUND

During epidemic period, chest computed tomography (CT) has been highly recommended for screening patients with suspected COVID-19. However, the comparison of CT imaging between heart failure and COVID-19 pneumonia has not been fully elucidated.

METHODS

Patients with heart failure (n=12), COVID-19 pneumonia (n=12) and one patient with both diseases were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical information and imaging of chest CT were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

There was no difference of ground glass opacity (GGO), consolidation, crazy paving pattern, lobes affected and septal thickening between heart failure and COVID-19 pneumonia. However, less rounded morphology (8.3% vs. 67%, p=0.003), more peribronchovascular thickening (75% vs. 33%, p=0.041) and fissural thickening (33% vs. 0%, p=0.028), less peripheral distribution (33% vs. 92%, p=0.003) were found in heart failure group than that in COVID-19 group. Importantly, there were also more patients with upper pulmonary vein enlargement (75% vs. 8.3%, p=0.001), subpleural effusion and cardiac enlargement in heart failure group than that in COVID-19 group (50% vs. 0%, p=0.005, separately). Besides, more fibrous lesions were found in COVID-19 group although there was no statistical difference (25% vs. 0%, P=0.064)

CONCLUSIONS

Although there are some overlaps of CT imaging between heart failure and COVID-19, CT is still a useful tool in differentiating COVID-19 pneumonia.
The effectiveness of Ear Nose and Throat outreach programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a systematic review
Authors: Gotis-Graham Anna , Macniven Rona , Kong Kelvin , Gwynne Kylie
Published: March 2020

Background

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience a higher prevalence of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) diseases than non-Indigenous children. Many programs exist that aim to prevent and treat these diseases. Culturally appropriate and timely specialist outreach services may help improve access, service use, and outcomes but there has been a lack of rigorous evaluation of ENT outreach programs to date.

Objective

To examine the ability of ENT outreach programs to improve health outcomes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Methods

We performed a systematic literature search of nine databases (Medline, CINAHLS, PsychINFO, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus, Global health, Informit Rural health database and Indigenous collection) and grey literature sources for primary studies evaluating ENT outreach services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Two authors independently evaluated the eligible articles and extracted relevant information.

Results

Of the 506 studies identified, 15 were included in this review. These 15 studies evaluated eight different programs/activities. Studies were heterogeneous in design so a meta-analysis could not be conducted. Seven studies measured health-related outcomes in middle ear or hearing status; six reported overall positive changes one reported no clinically significant improvements. Five programs/activities and their corresponding studies involved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations in delivery and evaluation, but involvement in program or study design was unclear.

Conclusion

While some studies demonstrated improved outcomes, the overall ability of ENT programs/activities to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is unclear. The impact of ENT outreach may be limited by a lack of evidence quality, a lack of coordination of services, and the provision of potentially unsustainable services. Improvements in the quality of evidence, service coordination and sustainability would likely improve health outcomes.

Strengths and limitations of this study

Studies were identification based on a clearly defined and extensive search strategy based on a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria

Study appraisal was performed using a relevant tool for mixed methods studies

The involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in all aspects of programs and their evaluation was examined

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42019134757
Optimal Random Avoidance Strategy in Prey-Predator Interactions
Authors: Abe Masato S. , Kasada Minoru
Published: March 2020

It has recently been reported that individual animals, ranging from insects to birds and mammals, exhibit a special class of random walks, known as Lévy walks, which can lead to higher search efficiency than normal random walks. However, the role of randomness or unpredictability in animal movements is not very well understood. In the present study, we used a theoretical framework to explore the advantage of Lévy walks in terms of avoidance behaviour in prey-predator interactions and analysed the conditions for maximising the prey’s survival rate. We showed that there is a trade-off relationship between the predictability of the prey’s movement and the length of time of exposure to predation risk, suggesting that it is difficult for prey to decrease both parameters in order to survive. Then, we demonstrated that the optimal degree of randomness in avoidance behaviour could change depending on the predator’s ability. In particular, Lévy walks resulted in higher survival rates than normal random walks and straight movements when the physical ability of the predators was high. This indicates that the advantage of Lévy walks may also be present in random avoidance behaviour and provides new insights into why Lévy walks can evolve in terms of randomness.
Inferring Multiple Metagenomic Association Networks based on Variation of Environmental Factors
Authors: Yang Yuqing , Wang Xin , Xie Kaikun , Zhu Congmin , Chen Ning , Chen Ting
Published: March 2020

Identifying significant biological relationships or patterns is central to many metagenomic studies. Methods that estimate association networks have been proposed for this purpose, but they assume that associations are static, neglecting the fact that relationships in a microbial ecosystem may vary with changes in environmental factors, which can result in inaccurate estimations. We propose a computational model, k-Lognormal-Dirichlet-Multinomial model (kLDM), which estimates multiple association networks that correspond to specific environmental conditions according to values of environmental factors (EFs), and simultaneously infers microbe-microbe and environmental factor-microbe associations for each network. We showed the effectiveness of kLDM on synthetic data, a colorectal cancer dataset, as well as the TARA Oceans and American Gut project datasets. The results showed that the widely used Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (SCC) performed much worse than other methods, indicating the importance of separating samples by environmental conditions. We compared cancer fecal samples with cancer-free samples, and our estimation showed fewer associations among microbes but stronger associations between specific bacteria such as five colorectal cancer (CRC)-associated OTUs, indicating gut microbe translocation in cancer patients. Some environmental-factor-dependent associations were found within marine eukaryotic community, and gut microbial heterogeneity of irritable bowel disease (IBD) patients was detected. Results demonstrated that kLDM could successfully unravel the underlying biological associations. In summary, our study presents a computational framework that can elucidate the complex associations within microbial ecosystems. The kLDM program, R, and python scripts, together with all experimental datasets are all accessible at Github (https://github.com/tinglab/kLDM.git).
A dataset of speed-resolved blood perfusion and oxygen saturation in human skin response to thermal stimulation
Authors: Jia Shuyong , Song Xiaojing , Zhang Weibo , Wang Guangjun
Published: March 2020

The functional status of vessels can be determined by assessing blood perfusion. By integrating diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF), the speed-resolved blood perfusion and blood oxygen saturation can be measured simultaneously by Enhanced Perfusion and Oxygen Saturation (EPOS). The dataset presented in this descriptor contains EPOS data recorded from a forearm point exposed to different levels of thermal stimulation, the classical LDF at control points, the R-R time series and data regarding characteristics of subjects. All data were recorded from 60 recruited healthy subjects. Half of the subjects received different levels of thermal stimulation, and half of them were blank controls. We believe that this dataset will lead to the development of local blood perfusion methods that can be used to index vessel function assessments. This publicly available dataset will be beneficial to the microcirculation evaluation.
Learning from local to global - an efficient distributed algorithm for modeling time-to-event data
Authors: Duan Rui , Luo Chongliang , Schuemie Martijn J. , Tong Jiayi , Liang Jason C. , Chang Howard H. , Boland Mary Regina , Bian Jiang , Xu Hua , Holmes John H. , Forrest Christopher B. , Morton Sally C. , Berlin Jesse A. , Moore Jason H. , Mahoney Kevin B. , Chen Yong
Published: March 2020

Objectives

We developed and evaluated a privacy-preservingOne-shotDistributedAlgorithm to fit a multi-centerCox proportional hazard model (ODAC) without sharing patient-level information across sites.

Methods

Using patient-level data from a single site combined with only aggregated information from other sites, we constructed a surrogate likelihood function, approximating the Cox partial likelihood function obtained using patient-level data from all sites. By maximizing the surrogate likelihood function, each site obtained a local estimate of the model parameter, and the ODAC estimator was constructed as a weighted average of all the local estimates. We evaluated the performance of ODAC with (1) a simulation study, and (2) a real-world use case study using four datasets from the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) network.

Results

Our simulation study showed that ODAC provided estimates nearly the same as the estimator obtained by analyzing, in a single dataset, the combined patient-level data from all sites (i.e., the pooled estimator). The relative bias was less than 0.1% across all scenarios. The accuracy of ODAC remained high across different sample sizes and event rates. On the other hand, the metaanalysis estimator, which was obtained by the inverse variance weighted average of the sitespecific estimates, had substantial bias when the event rate is less than 5%, with the relative bias reaching 20% when the event rate is 1%. In the OHDSI network application, the ODAC estimates have a relative bias less than 5% for 15 out of 16 log hazard ratios; while the meta-analysis estimates had substantially higher bias than ODAC.

Conclusions

ODAC is a privacy-preserving and non-iterative method for implementing time-to-event analyses across multiple sites. It provides estimates on par with the pooled estimator and substantially outperforms the meta-analysis estimator when the event is uncommon, making it extremely suitable for studying rare events and diseases in a distributed manner.
Competitive mapping allows to identify and exclude human DNA contamination in ancient faunal genomic datasets
Authors: Feuerborn Tatiana R. , Palkopoulou Elle , van der Valk Tom , von Seth Johanna , Munters Arielle R. , Pečnerová Patrícia , Dehasque Marianne , Ureña Irene , Ersmark Erik , Lagerholm Vendela Kempe , Krzewinska Maja , Rodríguez-Varela Ricardo , Götherström Anders , Dalén Love , Díez-del-Molino David
Published: March 2020

Background

After over a decade of developments in field collection, laboratory methods and advances in high-throughput sequencing, contamination remains a key issue in ancient DNA research. Currently, human and microbial contaminant DNA still impose challenges on cost-effective sequencing and accurate interpretation of ancient DNA data.

Results

Here we investigate whether human contaminating DNA can be found in ancient faunal sequencing datasets. We identify variable levels of human contamination, which persists even after the sequence reads have been mapped to the faunal reference genomes. This contamination has the potential to affect a range of downstream analyses.

Conclusions

We propose a fast and simple method, based on competitive mapping, which allows identifying and removing human contamination from ancient faunal DNA datasets with limited losses of true ancient data. This method could represent an important tool for the ancient DNA field.
CDR3 and V- genes show distinct reconstitution patterns in T-cell repertoire post allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
Authors: Tickotsky-Moskovitz N , Dvorkin S , Rotkopf A , Kuperman A.A. , Efroni Sol , Louzoun Y
Published: March 2020

Background

Restoration of T-cell repertoire diversity after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) is crucial for immune recovery. T-cell diversity is produced by rearrangements of germline gene segments (V (D) and J) of the T-cell receptor (TCR) α and β chains, and selection induced by binding of TCRs to MHC-peptide complexes. This diversity can be measured by many measures. We here focus on the V gene usage and the CDR3 sequences of the beta chain. We compared multiple T-cell repertoires to follow T cell repertoire changes post allo-BMT in HLA-matched related donor and recipient pairs.

Results

Our analyses of the differences between donor and recipient complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) beta composition and V-gene profile show that the CDR sequence composition does not change during restoration, implying its dependence on the HLA typing. In contrast, V gene usage followed a time-dependent pattern, got following the donor profile post transplant and then shifting back to the recipients’ profile. The final long-term repertoire was more similar to that of the recipient’s original one than the donor’s.; some recipients converged within months while others took multiple years.

Conclusion

Based on the results of our analyses, we propose that donor-recipient V-gene distribution differences may serve as clinical biomarkers for monitoring immune recovery.
m6A RNA methylation regulates promoter proximal pausing of RNA Polymerase II
Authors: Akhtar Junaid , Renaud Yoan , Albrecht Steffen , Ghavi-Helm Yad , Roignant Jean-Yves , Silies Marion , Junion Guillaume
Published: March 2020

RNA Polymerase II (RNAP II) pausing is essential to precisely control gene expression and is critical for development of metazoans. Here, we show that the m6A RNA modification regulates promoter-proximal RNAP II pausing. The m6A methyltransferase complex (MTC), with the nuclear reader Ythdc1, are recruited to gene promoters. Depleting the m6A MTC leads to a decrease in RNAP II pause release and in Ser2P occupancy on the gene body, and affects nascent RNA transcription. Tethering Mettl3 to a heterologous gene promoter is sufficient to increase RNAP II pause release, an effect that relies on its m6A catalytic domain. Collectively, our data reveal an important link between RNAP II pausing and the m6A RNA modification, thus adding another layer to m6A-mediated gene regulation.
Molecular characterization of clonal human renal forming cells
Authors: Osnat Cohen-Zontag , Rotem Gershon , Orit Harari-Steinberg , Itamar Kanter , Dorit Omer , Oren Pleniceanu , Gal Tam , Sarit Oriel , Herzl Ben-Hur , Guy Katz , Dotan Zohar , Tomer Kalisky , Benjamin Dekel , Naomi Pode-Shakked
Published: March 2020

The adult kidney replaces its parenchymain vivoin steady state and during regeneration by segment-specific clonal cell proliferation.

To understand human adult kidney clonal cell growth, we derived tissue from human nephrectomies and performed limiting dilution to establish genuine clonal cultures from one single cell.

Clonal efficiency of the human kidney was x%. Remarkably, a single renal cell could give rise to up to 3.3*10(6) cells. Phenotypically, two types of clonal cultures were apparent; a stably proliferating cuboidal epithelial-like appearing (EL) and a rapidly proliferating fibroblast-like appearing (FL). RNA sequencing of all clonal cultures separated FL from EL cultures according to proximal-distal/collecting renal epithelial tubular identity, respectively. Moreover, distinct molecular features in respect to cell-cycle, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, oxidative phosphorylation, BMP signaling pathway and cell surface markers were observed for each clone type. Surprisingly, clonal expansion (>3 months) was sustained in EL clones harboring markers of mature kidney epithelia (high CD24, CDH1, EpCAM, EMA) in contrast to de-differentiated FL clones (high NCAM1, serpine1), which showed fast lineage amplification and exhausted in a few weeks.

Thus, the human adult kidney harbors progenitor cell function in which segment identity and the level of epithelial differentiation dictate clonal characteristics.
7,000 years of turnover: historical contingency and human niche construction shape the Caribbean’s Anthropocene biota
Authors: Kemp Melissa E. , Mychajliw Alexis M. , Wadman Jenna , Goldberg Amy
Published: March 2020

The human-mediated movement of species across biogeographic boundaries—whether intentional or accidental—is dramatically reshaping the modern world. Yet, humans have been reshaping ecosystems and translocating species for millennia, and acknowledging the deeper roots of these phenomena is important for contextualizing present-day biodiversity loss, ecosystem functioning, and management needs. Here, we present the first database of terrestrial vertebrate species introductions spanning the entire anthropogenic history of a system: the Caribbean. We employ this ~7,000 year dataset to assess the roles of historical contingency and priority effects in shaping present-day community structure and conservation outcomes, finding that serial human colonization events contributed to habitat modifications and species extinctions that shaped the trajectories of subsequent species introductions by other human groups. We contextualized spatial and temporal patterns of species introductions within cultural practices and population histories of Indigenous, colonial, and modern human societies, and show that the taxonomic and biogeographic diversity of introduced species reflects diversifying reasons for species introductions through time. Recognition of the complex social and economic structures across the 7,000-year human history of the Caribbean provides the necessary context for interpreting the formation of an Anthropocene biota.
Neuron-specific increase in lamin B1 disrupts nuclear function in Huntington’s disease
Authors: Alcalá-Vida Rafael , Garcia-Forn Marta , Creus-Muncunill Jordi , Ito Yoko , Blanco Enrique , Castany-Pladevall Carla , Crespí-Vázquez Killian , Parry Aled , Slater Guy , Samarajiwa Shamith , Peiró Sandra , Di Croce Luciano , Narita Masashi , Pérez-Navarro Esther
Published: March 2020

Lamins are crucial proteins for nuclear functionality. Here, we provide new evidence showing an involvement of increased lamin B1 levels in the pathophysiology of Huntington’s disease (HD), a CAG repeat-associated neurodegenerative disorder. Through fluorescence-activated nuclear suspension imaging we demonstrate that nucleus from striatal medium-sized spiny and CA1 hippocampal neurons display increased lamin B1 levels, in correlation with altered nuclear morphology and nucleocytoplasmic transport disruption. Moreover, ChIP-sequencing analysis shows an alteration of lamin-associated chromatin domains in hippocampal nuclei, which could contribute to transcriptional alterations we determined by RNA sequencing. Supporting lamin B1 alterations as a causal role in mutant-huntingtin mediated neurodegeneration, pharmacological normalization of lamin B1 levels by betulinic acid administration in the R6/1 mouse model of HD restored nuclear homeostasis and prevented motor and cognitive dysfunction. Collectively, our work point out increased lamin B1 levels as a new pathogenic mechanism in HD and provides a novel target for its intervention.
Effect of sample-preparation history on domain and crystal structure in a relaxor-ferroelectric single crystal
Authors: Jeon Jongchul , Oh Soong Ju , Kim Kyou-Hyun
Published: March 2020

The effect of sample-preparation procedures on single crystals of the relaxor-based ferroelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–31%PbTiO3 (PMN–31%PT) has been investigated. PMN–31%PT single crystals were treated using the general sample-preparation methods of mechanical polishing and Ar-ion milling. Similar domain structures were artificially induced in both the mechanically polished and the Ar-ion milled PMN–31%PT; this domain structure was not observed in the original PMN–31%PT single crystal. Macroscopic structural investigation using X-ray diffraction showed that these general sample-preparation methods induce a structural change from a monoclinic-like to a tetragonal-like structure. A study of local symmetry also indicated that Ar-ion milling induces a structural change from the original monoclinic-like crystal symmetry to a tetragonal-like crystal symmetry. It is also demonstrated that the conventional sample-preparation methods induce a poling-like effect on PMN–31%PT.
General approaches for shear-correcting coordinate transformations in Bragg coherent diffraction imaging. Part I
Authors: Maddali S. , Li P. , Pateras A. , Timbie D. , Delegan N. , Crook A. L. , Lee H. , Calvo-Almazan I. , Sheyfer D. , Cha W. , Heremans F. J. , Awschalom D. D. , Chamard V. , Allain M. , Hruszkewycz S. O.
Published: March 2020

This two-part article series provides a generalized description of the scattering geometry of Bragg coherent diffraction imaging (BCDI) experiments, the shear distortion effects inherent in the 3D image obtained from presently used methods and strategies to mitigate this distortion. Part I starts from fundamental considerations to present the general real-space coordinate transformation required to correct this shear, in a compact operator formulation that easily lends itself to implementation with available software packages. Such a transformation, applied as a final post-processing step following phase retrieval, is crucial for arriving at an undistorted, correctly oriented and physically meaningful image of the 3D crystalline scatterer. As the relevance of BCDI grows in the field of materials characterization, the available sparse literature that addresses the geometric theory of BCDI and the subsequent analysis methods are generalized here. This geometrical aspect, specific to coherent Bragg diffraction and absent in 2D transmission CDI experiments, gains particular importance when it comes to spatially resolved characterization of 3D crystalline materials in a reliable nondestructive manner. This series of articles describes this theory, from the diffraction in Bragg geometry to the corrections needed to obtain a properly rendered digital image of the 3D scatterer. Part I of this series provides the experimental BCDI community with the general form of the 3D real-space distortions in the phase-retrieved object, along with the necessary post-retrieval correction method. Part II builds upon the geometric theory developed in Part I with the formalism to correct the shear distortions directly on an orthogonal grid within the phase-retrieval algorithm itself, allowing more physically realistic constraints to be applied. Taken together, Parts I and II provide the X-ray science community with a set of generalized BCDI shear-correction techniques crucial to the final rendering of a 3D crystalline scatterer and for the development of new BCDI methods and experiments.
Examining associations between university students' mobile social media use, online self-presentation, social support and sense of belonging
Authors: Pang Hua
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The primary objectives of the article are to systematically investigate the effects of differentiated functions of WeChat use (social use and recreational use) on university students' online self-presentation, social support and sense of belonging.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from a web-based survey on a sample of 485 university students in mainland China. Correlation analyses and structural equation modeling (SEM) were implemented to address the corresponding hypotheses.

Findings

The results demonstrate that the social use of WeChat is positively related to online self-presentation, whereas recreational use is unrelated to such behavior. Additionally, the findings verify that online self-presentation is a significant predictor of both social support and sense of belonging. Furthermore, online self-presentation could mediate the influence of social use of WeChat on social support and sense of belonging.

Research limitations/implications

Theoretically, the study represents an initial effort to elucidate the joint impact of differentiated functions of WeChat use and online self-presentation on social support and sense of belonging. Practically, these findings identify the crucial mediation role of online self-presentation in assisting individuals to acquire social support and promote sense of belonging.

Originality/value

Although mobile social media has brought dramatic revolutions in interaction and interpersonal behaviors, the empirically studies regarding the potential influences of its utilization are equivocal. These outcomes may shed meaningful light on the comprehending of unique characteristics of WeChat communication and how it could impact people's psychosocial development in the digital era.
Factors affecting consumer preferences for “natural wine”
Authors: Migliore Giuseppina , Thrassou Alkis , Crescimanno Maria , Schifani Giorgio , Galati Antonino
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The aim of this study is to understand which wine quality characteristics, consumers' attitudes and socio-demographic characteristics affect the consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) a premium price for a bottle of natural wine.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is experimental and investigated the purchasing intentions of 613 Italian wine consumers within a hypothetical setting. In order to elicit WTP for natural wine, a multiple price list (MPL) in a comparison with one bottle of conventional wine, with an average price of €5 was adopted. To understand which quality attributes of wine affect the consumers' WTP for natural wine, a Tobit regression model was implemented.

Findings

The findings reveal that drink frequency and occasion, organic production method, the content of sulfites, income and the attitudes towards healthy eating and the environment are positively associated with a higher WTP for natural wine.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this study is related to both the convenient sample and the limited geographical area. However, identifying which quality attributes of natural wine are most appreciated by consumers and which attitudes affect this behaviour is fundamental in order to develop successful marketing strategies for product development and the design of advertising and communication campaigns.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to analyse the consumer behaviour towards natural wines contributing to enrich that part of the economic literature which states that consumers have a positive attitude towards sustainable wines.
Connections between organisational culture and financial performance in Estonian service and production companies
Authors: Reino Anne , Rõigas Kärt , Müürsepp Merily
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper elaborates on connections between organisational culture (OC) and financial performance in production and service companies in Estonia.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional study analyses the organisational culture of 19 SMEs and large service and production companies with 2,256 respondents. The questionnaire based on the Competing Values Framework (CVF) was used to map organisational culture. Six different performance indicators from annual reports in the Estonian Business Register database were used over a four-year period. A confirmatory factor analysis and non-parametric Spearman rank correlation were applied in the study.

Findings

The authors found that OC types are connected to each other and theoretical opposites in the CVF are not mutually exclusive. Strong correlations exit between Clan and Adhocracy cultures, also confirmed by previous studies. Surprisingly, Market and Hierarchy types correlated more strongly in our sample compared to previous studies. As expected, Clan–Adhocracy and Market types exhibited a strong positive correlation with financial indicators, but contrary to the authors’ hypothesis, the Hierarchy type also had positive connections to performance indicators. The Market culture was only significantly related to performance in years when the Hierarchy type was also positively correlated with performance. Correlations that were positive in some years under investigation became insignificant in other years.

Originality/value

First, The authors use multiple objective financial performance indicators to reveal relationships between OC and performance. Second, this study did not only rely on the managers' opinion of OC, but the sample also consists of respondents from all levels of the organisational hierarchy. Third, the authors expand on existing research into the link between OC and performance by exploring a country from the former Soviet Union (FSU), where the number of similar studies is low, but where the specific context has an impact on connections between OC and financial performance of the firms.
Family, community, and globalization: Wayuu indigenous entrepreneurs as n-Culturals
Authors: Tretiakov Alexei , Felzensztein Christian , Zwerg Anne Marie , Mika Jason Paul , Macpherson Wayne Gordon
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To explore the cultural context of Indigenous family entrepreneurs and to apply to them the concept of n-Culturals, thus contributing to validating the concept.

Design/methodology/approach

Interview data collected from Wayuu entrepreneurs in La Guajira region of Colombia and from Māori entrepreneurs in the Rotorua region of New Zealand were analyzed qualitatively. The analysis primarily focused on Wayuu entrepreneurs, with the results for Māori entrepreneurs used for comparison, to help to interpret the Wayuu data.

Findings

For Wayuu entrepreneurs, family members play a range of crucial roles in enterprise operations, with the family and the kin-centered local Indigenous community emerging as an informal organization surrounding the enterprise. Family is the source of Indigenous culture, while the mainstream culture is centered on global Western business culture, rather than the culture of the country. The Indigenous entrepreneurs integrate the values of the two cultures in managing their enterprises, thus acting as n-Cultural. Māori entrepreneurs who managed enterprises with a strong Indigenous character were similar in this respect to Wayuu entrepreneurs.

Social implications

As n-Culturals integrating the values of Indigenous culture and the mainstream culture, Indigenous entrepreneurs develop valuable traits, becoming a valuable component of the human capital in their regions, even when their enterprises fail.

Originality/value

Existing research on multicultural individuals is largely limited to immigrants and expatriates. By characterizing Indigenous family entrepreneurs as n-Culturals, the present study contributes to validating the concept and opens the way for further research on how Indigenous entrepreneurs manage their multicultural identities.
When career dissatisfaction leads to employee job crafting
Authors: Wang Hai-jiang , Chen Xiao , Lu Chang-qin
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Career dissatisfaction can be defined as an unpleasant or a negative emotional state that results from the appraisal of one’s career. This negative affective appraisal might motivate an individual to take actions to improve the situation. This paper examines career dissatisfaction as a trigger for employee job crafting in terms of altering the task and the relational boundaries of the work.

Methodology/methodology/approach

The paper further theorizes that employee contextual resource (i.e., job social support) and personal resource (i.e., occupational self-efficacy) will interact with career dissatisfaction to result in job crafting. Two-wave data were collected from a sample of 246 Chinese employees.

Findings

As hypothesized, employees with career dissatisfaction exhibited the highest levels of task and relational job crafting when they received adequate support from coworkers and supervisors and were confident about their occupational abilities.

Originality/value

The findings suggest that under certain conditions employee career dissatisfaction could be transformed into proactive work behavior (i.e., job crafting).
Learning how to lead from King David?
Authors: Ben-Hador Batia , Lebel Udi , Ben-Shalom Uzi
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The initial purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of intra-organizational training for developing leadership skills and the techniques used to assimilate course content. The study aims to understand incongruities in training and assess their impacts on training effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative research methods were used to assess a five-day course in the Israeli Defense Forces entitled, “Developing leadership skills in the spirit of the Bible.” Triangulation of data was achieved through observations, interviews and conversations with participants. Grounded theory and thematic analysis were used, respectively, to interpret and analyze the data.

Findings

Results suggest that the course did not support the development of leadership skills. The analysis revealed two themes representing different domains: form (training techniques) and content (values). Combining the two themes indicates an incongruity between the declared and actual content of the training course. Further, this incongruity is supported by the training techniques that were used in this course.

Practical implications

A clash of values may ensue that leads to long-term confusion and difficulties for participants of the training course and the organization.

Originality/value

The study makes several theoretical contributions to the literature focusing on the importance of congruence between declared and real training content, and between form and content.
Does institutional ownership affect the value relevance of accounting information?
Authors: Omran Mohamed , Tahat Yasean A.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Drawing upon agency theory, this study aims to assess the value relevance (VR) of accounting information released by non-financial firms listed on the Kuwait stock exchange for the period of 2015-2018. Also, the influence of institutional ownership level and other explanatory variables, namely, book value per share, earnings per share, growth in assets and changes in financial leverage on share prices is examined.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypotheses, the Ohlson (1995) model is extended. This study uses panel data analysis and applies appropriate statistical techniques to measure empirical relationships.

Findings

The results show that the VR of accounting information released by the Kuwaiti non-financial listed firms varies over the period of 2015-2018. Book value and earnings have significant and positive effects on share prices. In recent years, the VR of book value information has been growing, while that of earnings information has been declining. Institutional ownership level has a significant and positive influence on the VR of accounting information released by the Kuwaiti non-financial listed firms. The findings confirm a positive power, signalling growth in assets regarding the share prices. However, no significant relationship between changes in financial leverage and share prices is found.

Practical implications

The findings of the study provide evidence of the linkage between VR and institutional ownership level, which promotes the understanding of the influence of institutional investors on a firm’s market value. Empirical evidence from Kuwait will have international implications and can serve as a guide for accounting researchers studying other emerging markets. Capital market regulators can provide guidelines in the form of information characteristics and elements of financial statements that need improvement. Finally, the findings assist non-financial listed firms to enhance the quality of accounting information by identifying the strengths and weaknesses in their financial reports.

Originality/value

This study extends the previous literature by investigating a relatively new set of data in more depth than that has been examined by prior research, which focusses on the relationship between accounting information and the firm’s market value.
Assessment of behavior-based performance in banking and insurance sector
Authors: Habeeb Shaad
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Although individual work performance (IWP) has been the subject of research by many authors, most of them have explored work performance as an outcome. However, IWP can also be viewed as conducive job behaviors. On the other hand, as employee behavior is contextual, it must be analyzed from various angles, especially in regard to a national culture of employees. In line with that, the purpose of this study was to explore the behavior-based IWP in the banking and insurance sector in New Delhi (India) by testing the original tool and modifying it into a proposed instrument for its assessment in a Hindi–English environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a quantitative approach and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, specific items for the work performance assessment were selected. The specific steps involved in these processes and resulting item inclusion are discussed in detail.

Findings

Although employees display a positive behavior-related work performance, there is a difference between private and public company workers. The study proposes modification to the original scale used.

Originality/value

The originality of the study is the assessment of IWP as a result of job behaviors in the non-Western context, in banking and insurance companies. The study has both theoretical and practical value.
Pippi's posthuman power
Authors: Lundström Markus
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study aims to probe the ambiguity of posthuman heroism by revisiting the remarkable story of the children's literature icon Pippi Longstocking. The purpose is to explore with Pippi a non-anthropocentric living in the more-than-human world.

Design/methodology/approach

The study’s critical posthumanist analysis is empirically based on the American English translation of the Pippi book trilogy from the 1950s, as well as the Swedish TV series produced in 1969.

Findings

Pippi's posthuman power serves to conceptualize a move beyond the anthropocentric savior complex. The analysis exhibits a power used to defy, mock and resist authority, but always with the purpose of securing agency for Pippi and her community. This power to, rather than power over, becomes a creative force that builds a posthuman community between inorganic matter, human and nonhuman animals.

Originality/value

Instead of showcasing a heroism to save our planet, Pippi animates how to relate differently to the more-than-human world. She is a productive fantasy, an idea materialized – a posthuman figuration – that extends the notion of community, opens up the demos and forcefully challenges anthropocentric normativity.
Using gamification for engaging surveyors: a case study in Statistics Indonesia
Authors: Rosmansyah Yusep , Isdiyanto Isdiyanto , Hardi Ariq Bani , Putri Atina
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the gamification impact on surveyors learning engagement in a case study carried out at Statistics Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted the design research methodology (DRM) research framework. The problem to be solved was analyzed and structured into a DRM’s impact model. A proposed solution was hypothesized and implemented as a Web-based online learning system. Evaluative data of users were collected and analyzed in the forms of logs, questionnaires, pre-test and post-test. Further, a quantitative statistical evaluation was performed to measure the engagement and knowledge gain of surveyors after using the gamified online learning system prototype.

Findings

This research showed a positive effect on the engagement of surveyors when using the proposed gamified system. In this case study, the gamified system performed better in enhancing surveyors’ knowledge and engagement, compared to the conventional method.

Research limitations/implications

This research was based on Statistics Indonesia's case study. For future research, other case studies can be performed to generalize the gamification impacts in other organizations and other learning subjects.

Practical implications

Based on the results study, an organization such as Statistics Indonesia is recommended to involve gamification in their online learning activities because it enhances significantly surveyors' engagement and knowledge gain.

Social implications

One important implication of the research is that the proposed solution is relatively easy and inexpensive to be introduced and appended into the existing online learning system at Statistics Indonesia. If all surveyors are well equipped with proper knowledge and skill, all surveys conducted by any national statistical organization will have an accurate description and condition about any subject being surveyed in the nation. This information is important for the ruling government in deciding what the best policy and strategy are to improve the nation's condition regarding the subject.

Originality/value

The proposed gamification system showed a better online training process and learning outcome. Statistical valuation indicated that there was an increased surveyors’ academic performance in terms of engagement and knowledge gain.
Inequality of opportunity in Brazil: decomposition of the sources of injustice between 2001 and 2014
Authors: Adamczyk Willian Boschetti , Fochezatto Adelar
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This article aims to measure inequality of income and opportunities at the national and state levels in Brazil, highlighting their acceptable and unacceptable components.

Design/methodology/approach

To this end, a lower-bound estimate of income inequality (MLD) and inequality of opportunity (IOp) was developed using data from the National Household Sample Survey between 2001 and 2014.

Findings

It shows that the disparity of income measured by the MLD decreased 26.7 percent, while IOp measured by the IOp decreased 25.6 percent during that period. The decline in total inequality can be attributed to a 48.5 percent decrease of its unfair component and 51.5 percent decrease of its fair component. The average income of the most disadvantaged group (non-white women working in the informal sector) is shown to be only 29.5 percent of the income of the most advantaged group (formally employed white men). The groups at the greatest disadvantage were most benefited by the increase in income.

Originality/value

Beyond comparisons among countries, analysis at the subnational level make it possible to identify how the process that generates inequality acts in each state, revealing patterns undetected in the aggregate analysis. Its decomposition generates two products that are useful to policy-makers. The first is a base estimate of the degree of IOp present in society, which may be expressed as an indicator of the degree of IOp. The second examines the portion of total inequality attributable to IOp.
Interpreting the dynamic performance effect of intellectual capital through a value-added-based perspective
Authors: Ting Irene Wei Kiong , Ren Chunya , Chen Fu-Chiang , Kweh Qian Long
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The question of whether intellectual capital (IC) is beneficial to firm performance is debatable because of the diverse effects of IC and its components on firm performance. Building on the concept of pay–performance relation, this study aims to provide new insights into how changes in IC affect changes in firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data envelopment analysis is employed to measure firm performance, and value-added intellectual coefficient (VAIC™) is selected to evaluate the IC and its components, namely human capital efficiency (HCE), structural capital efficiency (SCE), and capital employed efficiency (CEE). Ordinary least squares regression is applied to study the relationship between changes in IC and changes in firm performance using 6,408 firm-year observations of electronics companies listed in Taiwan from 2006 to 2017.

Findings

Empirical results suggest that IC efficiency and CEE significantly and negatively affect firm performance, thereby suggesting a contradictory common sense with the resource-based view on the beneficial effects of IC. However, changes in IC efficiency and HCE are significantly and positively related to changes in firm performance, including changes in firm efficiency and sales growth.

Practical implications

This study suggests that managers should continuously pay attention to adjusting their IC, especially human capital (HC) for better decisions that help grow firm performance. Moreover, investors can grasp how sensitive firm performance is to IC.

Originality/value

This study argues the relationship between IC and firm performance in the same vein as a pay-for-performance link, suggesting that future studies should account for increases or decreases in IC.
Evaluating the effectiveness of Google, Parsijoo, Rismoon, and Yooz to retrieve Persian documents
Authors: Zeynali Tazehkandi Mahdi , Nowkarizi Mohsen
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of Google (as an international search engine) as well as of Parsijoo, Rismoon, and Yooz (as Persian search engines).

Design/methodology/approach

In this research, Google search engine as an international search engine, and three local ones, Parsijoo, Rismoon, and Yooz, were selected for evaluation. Likewise, 32 subject headings were selected from the Persian Subject Headings List, and then simulated work tasks were assigned based on them. A total of 192 students from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad were asked to search for the information needed for simulated work tasks in the selected search engines, and then to copy the relevant website URLs in the search form.

Findings

The findings indicated that Google, Parsijoo, Rismoon, and Yooz had a significant difference in the precision, recall, and normalized discounted cumulative gain. There was also a significant difference in the effectiveness (average of precision, recall, and NDCG) of these four search engines in the retrieval of the Persian resources.

Practical implications

Users using an efficient search engine will attain more relevant documents, and Google search engine was more efficient in retrieving the Persian resources. It is recommended to use Google as it has a more efficient search.

Originality/value

In this research, for the first time, Google has been compared with local Persian search engines considering the new approach (simulated work tasks).