bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A real-test and simulation combined platform for developing intelligent tracking control of multirotors
Authors: Bajelani Mohammad , Tayefi Morteza , Zhu Man
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study aims to minimize the risk of costly failures of flight tests during the path tracking control design, and a noble approach has been proposed in this study to put the whole vehicle-in-the simulation loop. Working with the real system is essential for developing intelligent and data-driven controllers for multirotor drones which needs learning the drones' nonlinear complicated dynamics. The vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) platform developed in this paper is a safe and effective solution to deal with this problem.

Design/methodology/approach

To avoid risky flight test during controller design, the multirotor is hinged to a shaft that allows the multirotor's angular motion but restricts translational motion. The test-bed includes the real system attitude dynamics and the simulation of the position dynamics to model the complete flight based on real-time reactions of the vehicle. For the authors' case study, a hexacopter angular motion provides the real-time attitude data in translational motion simulation loop. To test the set-up, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) and a brain emotional learning-based intelligent controller (BELBIC) is implemented for tracking of circle and 8-shape flight trajectories.

Findings

The results show that the platform helps the intelligent controller to learn the system dynamics without worrying about the failure in the early stages of the design and in the real-world flight test. Although the hexacopter translational dynamics is modeled in simulation, the authors still have highly accurate attitude dynamics matching the requirement of the control loop design. The comparison of the two controllers also shows that the performance of BELBIC is better than PID in this test.

Originality/value

The research background is reviewed in the introduction section. The other sections are originally developed in this paper.
Investors’ financial aspirations excite investment decisions: current income, future inheritance expectations, and short-term and long-term decisions—The Matthew Effect in Pakistan’s emerging markets
Authors: Chaudary Samra , Zafar Sohail , Tang Thomas Li-Ping
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Following behavioral finance and monetary wisdom, the authors theorize: Decision-makers (investors) adopt deep-rooted personal values (the love-of-money attitudes/avaricious financial aspirations) as a lens to frame critical concerns (short-term and long-term investment decisions) in the immediate-proximal (current income) and distal-omnibus (future inheritance) contexts to maximize expected utility and ultimate serenity across context, people and time.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected data from 277 active equity traders (professional money managers and individual investors) in Pakistan’s two most robust investment hubs—Karachi and Lahore. The authors measured their love-of-money attitude (avaricious monetary aspirations), short-term and long-term investment decisions and demographic variables and collected data during Pakistan's bear markets (Pakistan Stock Exchange, PSX-100).

Findings

Investors’ love of money relates to short-term and long-term decisions. However, these relationships are significant for money managers but non-significant for individual investors. Further, investors’ current income moderates this relationship for short-term investment decisions but not long-term decisions. The intensity of the aspirations-to-short-term investment relationship is much higher for investors with low-income levels than those with average and high-income levels. Future inheritance moderates the relationships between aspirations and short-term and long-term decisions. Regardless of their love-of-money orientations, investors with future inheritance have higher magnitudes of short-term and long-term investments than those without future inheritance. The intensity of the aspirations-to-investments relationship is more potent for investors without future inheritance than those with inheritance. Investors with low avaricious monetary aspirations and without inheritance expectations show the lowest short-term and long-term investment decisions. Investors' current income and future inheritance moderate the relationships between their love of money attitude and short-term and long-term decisions differently in Pakistan's bear markets.

Practical implications

The authors help investors make financial decisions and help financial institutions, asset management companies, brokerage houses and investment banks identify marketing strategies and investor segmentation and provide individualized services.

Originality/value

Professional money managers have a stronger short-term orientation than individual investors. Lack of wealth (current income and future inheritance) motivates greedy investors to take more risks and become more vulnerable than non-greedy ones—investors’ financial resources and wealth matter. The Matthew Effect in investment decisions exists in Pakistan’s emerging economy.
Institutional distance and cross-border acquisitions into emerging markets: the moderating effect of context experience
Authors: Depperu Donatella , Galavotti Ilaria , Baraldi Federico
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the multidimensional nature of institutional distance as a driver of acquisition decisions in emerging markets. Then, this study aims to offer a nuanced perspective on the role of its various formal and informal dimensions by taking into account the potential contingency role played by a firm’s context experience.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on institutional economics and organizational institutionalism, this study explores the heterogeneity of institutional distance and its effects on the decision to enter emerging versus advanced markets through cross-border acquisitions. Thus, institutional distance is disentangled into its formal and informal dimensions, the former being captured by regulatory efficiency, country governance and financial development. Furthermore, our framework examines the moderating effect of an acquiring firm’s experience in institutionally similar environments, defined as context experience. The hypotheses are analyzed on a sample of 496 cross-border acquisitions by Italian companies in 41 countries from 2008 to 2018.

Findings

Findings indicate that at an increasing distance in terms of regulatory efficiency and financial development, acquiring firms are less likely to enter emerging markets, while informal institutional distance is positively associated with such acquisitions. Context experience mitigates the negative effect of formal distance and enhances the positive effect of informal distance.

Originality/value

This study contributes to institutional distance literature in multiple ways. First, by bridging institutional economics and organizational institutionalism and second, by examining the heterogeneity of formal and informal dimensions of distance, this study offers a finer-grained perspective on how institutional distance affects acquisition decisions. Finally, it offers a contingency perspective on the role of context experience.
Locally produced food for restaurants: a theoretical approach for the supply chain network design
Authors: Paciarotti Claudia , Mazzuto Giovanni , Torregiani Francesco , Fikar Christian
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This paper evaluates the feasibility and benefits of a local food distribution system, which connects farmers and restaurant owners from a logistics perspective. This paper considers a platform to improve operations and investigates various schemes for delivering locally produced food to restaurants using a food hub.

Design/methodology/approach

To compare distribution scenarios and derive managerial implications, a simulation model has been developed and executed in Matlab 2019a©. The model evaluates various settings of business connections between farmers and restaurateurs.

Findings

Results of computational experiments highlight great potentials of such a system, particularly to reduce travel distances. To obtain these positive externalities, the local system requires specific attention during the design of logistical aspects and needs to be planned following a specific structure.

Practical implications

The developed simulation model can be used to improve understanding of related short food supply chains by analyzing specific cases where the main actors involved differ in terms of type, number, and location.

Originality/value

The paper analyzes the feasibility and the effects of a new distribution system that can connect supply chain actors directly. The analyses focus on logistics aspects, a topic that is often neglected in sustainable consumption research. Furthermore, the paper does not focus of a single case study but develops a customizable model to be used in various settings.
Corruption, cash holdings and firm performance: empirical evidence from an emerging market
Authors: Magerakis Efstathios , Tzelepis Dimitris
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of corruption on firm performance considering the interventional role of cash policy in the emerging market of Greece.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study utilizes a sample of 142,079 firm-year observations for the period 2006–2014. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression analyses and robustness checks are used to test the study's hypotheses.

Findings

The results reveal that firm performance is positively related to the control of institutional corruption, implying that firms perform better when operating in a low-corruption environment. All other things being equal, we also find that firm cash holding strengthens the positive association between control of corruption and corporate financial performance.

Research limitations/implications

This research paper takes a more holistic approach by considering institutional factors in conjunction with corporate financial policies and outcomes. In a pervasive corrupt environment, the article illustrates how firm-level mechanisms can preclude political rent-seeking to improve corporate performance. The study's main limitation is that it focuses exclusively on a single country setting, based on the extreme-critical case's logic.

Practical implications

The findings might be useful for business executives and regulators seeking a better understanding of the planning and implementation of firms' asset allocation strategies and anti-corruption policies.

Originality/value

The study augments the relevant literature on the firm-level implications of corruption by providing empirical evidence for the interventional role of cash management in the relation between corruption and firm performance, in the context of an emerging economy.
Who are the 100 largest scientific publishers by journal count? A webscraping approach
Authors: Nishikawa-Pacher Andreas
Published: October 2022

Purpose

How to obtain a list of the 100 largest scientific publishers sorted by journal count? Existing databases are unhelpful as each of them inhere biased omissions and data quality flaws. This paper tries to fill this gap with an alternative approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The content coverages of Scopus, Publons, DOAJ and SherpaRomeo were first used to extract a preliminary list of publishers that supposedly possess at least 15 journals. Second, the publishers' websites were scraped to fetch their portfolios and, thus, their “true” journal counts.

Findings

The outcome is a list of the 100 largest publishers comprising 28.060 scholarly journals, with the largest publishing 3.763 journals, and the smallest carrying 76 titles. The usual “oligopoly” of major publishing companies leads the list, but it also contains 17 university presses from the Global South, and, surprisingly, 30 predatory publishers that together publish 4.517 journals.

Research limitations/implications

Additional data sources could be used to mitigate remaining biases; it is difficult to disambiguate publisher names and their imprints; and the dataset carries a non-uniform distribution, thus risking the omission of data points in the lower range.

Practical implications

The dataset can serve as a useful basis for comprehensive meta-scientific surveys on the publisher-level.

Originality/value

The catalogue can be deemed more inclusive and diverse than other ones because many of the publishers would have been overlooked if one had drawn from merely one or two sources. The list is freely accessible and invites regular updates. The approach used here (webscraping) has seldomly been used in meta-scientific surveys.
Information and the understanding of objective knowledge: a phenomenological study
Authors: Yu Liangzhi
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how understanding of objective knowledge (as defined by Karl Popper) is experienced by the knowledge recipient and the role that information plays in such understanding.

Design/methodology/approach

Husserl's phenomenological approach is applied to a sample of undergraduate students' lived experiences of understanding, collected through diaries and interviews.

Findings

This study finds that understanding of certain objective knowledge develops as the knowledge appears and eventually gives itself to consciousness through the information conveying it; different degrees of givenness of the knowledge in consciousness is experienced by the mind as different levels of understanding; a relatively solid understanding is achieved when the knowledge emerges as an erected knowledge-object in consciousness. Understanding of complex objective knowledge requires not only adequate amount (dose) of information but also corroboration of manifold information sources and formats.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study apply to the understanding of objective knowledge as defined by Popper. Further research is needed to examine other types of understanding.

Practical implications

This study informs educators and LIS professionals the typical phases in the lived experience of understanding objective knowledge, and the role of information in facilitating the understanding; it urges the two professions to take such experience into consideration when designing courses and information products/services, respectively.

Originality/value

Drawing on Husserl's phenomenological approach, this study provides an intuitive account of understanding of objective knowledge, and clarifies a number of conceptual confusions within LIS concerning understanding. It may also have some cross-disciplinary relevance for reflecting education objectives and explaining the Aha! experience in psychology.
The impact of declining birth rates on future infrastructure maintenance costs per capita
Authors: McCollough John D. , Sargsyan Gevorg , Luo Zhe
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This paper focuses on one vital consequence which is that future infrastructure maintenance cost per capita will increase. Using a sample of 23 developed countries, this paper looks at rail line maintenance cost per capita in the year 2020 versus rail line maintenance cost per capita in the year 2100. This analysis can be applied to most other infrastructure maintenance costs in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

However, this paper focuses on one vital consequence which is that future infrastructure maintenance cost per capita will increase. Using a sample of 23 developed countries, this paper looks at rail line maintenance cost per capita in the year 2020 versus rail line maintenance cost per capita in the year 2100. This analysis can be applied to most other infrastructure maintenance costs in the future.

Findings

The findings show that trail line maintenance costs per capita in the year 2100 will increase significantly for most developed countries.

Research limitations/implications

This research shows the negative consequences of declining birth rates in a very vital and important area.

Practical implications

Despite declining birth rates and population decline in the future, many infrastructure systems still need to be maintained.

Social implications

Maintaining the infrastructure will extract increasing amounts of vital national resources away from other societal concerns.

Originality/value

From an extensive literature review, very little, if any, has been written on this subject. Yet, this topic is highly important and will continue to get more focus in the future.
Why Over-Guarantee Crises Always Cluster? Exploring Peer Effect in Financial Distress
Authors: Xu Pan , Wu Bao
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This paper attributes the clustered occurrence of over-guarantee crises of Chinese listed firms to behavioural interactions among them when engaged in guarantee decisions, verifying the existence of the peer effect (PE) and its role in the formation mechanism of such crises.

Design/methodology/approach

Reviewing the literature, the authors constructed a panel dataset of Chinese listed firms from 2011 to 2019 to empirically verify two types of PE by constructing industrial and regional PE indicators. The authors conduct grouped regressions according to firm heterogeneity and managers’ individual characteristics to explain the motives for the over-guaranteeing PE and also analysed the interaction between the financial market and the PE to reveal the external governance mechanism.

Findings

The authors find that the over-guarantee behaviour of Chinese listed firms exhibits strong industrial and regional correlations, which may lead to guarantee crises clustering. Firms with lower information quality, smaller asset size, and higher managerial overconfidence will be more likely to be influenced by other listed firms to over-guarantee. A favourable financial market environment can effectively inhibit listed firms from imitating the guaranteeing behaviour of peer firms.

Research limitations/implications

This study’s results challenge the traditional theoretical perspective of independent financial decision-making, describe the interaction among listed firms in decision-making, and expand the existing theoretical literature on over-guaranteeing. The stickiness of guarantee behaviour may affect the accuracy of the authors’ estimations, and the differences between the industrial and regional PE require further research.

Practical implications

The PE of over-guaranteeing shows that a single firm has a “spill-over effect” on the guarantee decisions of other firms in the same industry or region. Improving the information environment of listed firms financing decision-making and establishing a more demanding guarantee access mechanism may reduce this dependence on listed firms’ decisions. Firms should also appropriately strengthen decision-making constraints on managers to avoid istortions in financial decisions due to managers’ personal cognitive biases.

Originality/value

Using PE theory, the authors explain the influence mechanisms of financial distress of Chinese listed firms due to industrial and regional clustering of over-guarantee behaviour from the perspective of behavioural interaction.
A perceptual study of relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance among higher education sector employees in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Nasir Shuana Zafar , Bamber David , Mahmood Nasir
Published: October 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to investigate faculties' perceptions of emotional intelligence about job performance (task and contextual performance (TP and CP)) in the higher education sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach

This research employed an explanatory research design method. A quantitative design approach is adopted by implementing a survey-based study. Quantitative data have been collected anonymously from faculty members (n = 277) working in different higher educational institutes in Saudi Arabia.

Findings

The research findings revealed a positive relationship between others' emotions appraisal and use of emotions with CP, whilst all the dimensions of emotional intelligence, namely self-emotions appraisal (SEA), others' emotions appraisal (OEA), use of emotions (UOE) and regulation of emotions (ROE) revealed a significant positive relationship with the TP. Nevertheless, the research supports the argument that emotional intelligence is considered an essential contributor to faculty members' job performance.

Practical implications

This research study provides empirical support for the argument that emotional intelligence is a direct driver for enhancing job performance through the appraisal, use and regulation of emotions. In terms of practical implications, the research findings will encourage higher education institutions to take specific actions that will help to enhance awareness of and build emotional intelligence skills amongst faculty staff.

Originality/value

This study is the first that has sought to investigate the impact of emotional intelligence on employees' performance in the Saudi Arabian higher education sector. Additionally, this study has developed a new psychometric scale that is useful in the higher education sector.
Prior partnering experience and preferred alliance partner diversity of small firms
Authors: Lidström Johan , Vanyushyn Vladimir
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study investigates how small firms develop preferences for varying levels of alliance partner diversity by applying a behavioral perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via an original survey administered by the Swedish National Bureau of Statistics (SCB) of 1,026 Swedish firms with 50 employees or less. Hypotheses were tested by specifying a series of fractional response regressions.

Findings

The results show a U-shaped relationship between experienced and preferred alliance partner diversity in small firms and further show moderating effects of firm age, prior growth and environmental dynamism. The findings suggest that preferences towards diverse alliance portfolios in small firms may arise, not only from well-informed deliberate strategic thinking based on prior experience, but also as a consequence of cognitive bias.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that (1) small firms considering a wide variety of alliance partners should carefully investigate whether they are, in fact, capable of mastering a highly diverse alliance portfolio or if they are overconfident novices. (2) Holders of homogenous alliance portfolios should recurringly investigate whether homogeneity is due to informed strategy or inertia.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on alliance partner diversity and behavioral alliance portfolio configuration by shedding light on the learning mechanisms that shape alliance portfolio strategies of small firms by explicating the complexity of how different experience levels of partner variety affect current alliance portfolio preferences.
Supply chain resilience and its key performance indicators: an evaluation under Industry 4.0 and sustainability perspective
Authors: Patidar Akshay , Sharma Monica , Agrawal Rajeev , Sangwan Kuldip Singh
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Creating visibility in the supply chain (SC) helps in making it resilient. Integrating the SC with Industry 4.0 key enabling technologies creates visibility and sustainability in SCs. It also fosters intelligent decision-making, thereby making a SC smart. However, how Industry 4.0 technologies affect key performance indicators (KPIs) of a resilient SC and may help achieve sustainability is rarely studied.

Design/methodology/approach

Sixteen KPIs were identified from the literature review and analyzed using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) using expert opinions. Further, a sensitivity analysis was conducted for the KPIs by varying the weightage of the criteria. Later, KPIs results were analyzed, and (1) how and which Industry 4.0 technology helps improve the KPI? (2) Resilience relationship with sustainability? were discussed.

Findings

The analyses show that the time-oriented (TO) is an essential criterion and organizational (OR) is the less important comparatively. Lead time, time to market and risk assessment frequency are the top KPIs that need a focus. Blockchain, Big Data and Cyber-physical systems enhance KPI's value and, in turn, foster economic, environmental and social sustainability of the SC and help in better decision making in terms of smart contracts, better forecasting and enhanced real-time information sharing.

Originality/value

Identification of the KPIs, the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies and the impact on sustainability; this kind of interplay is rarely evident in the literature. Understanding the findings of this research will help managers develop smart systems that may work intelligently to overcome risks associated and enhance sustainability. Academicians can use the findings and conduct future research that can overcome the limitations of this research.
Does promoters' ownership reduce the firm's financial distress? Evidence from non-financial firms listed in India
Authors: Kanoujiya Jagjeevan , Singh Kuldeep , Rastogi Shailesh
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Ownership concentration (OC) is an essential element of corporate governance (CG) for a firm's performance. The purpose of the study is to investigate the connectivity of OC (particularly considering promoters' holdings) with the firm's financial distress (FD) of non-financial firms (NFF) listed in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The panel data regression analysis (applying quantile regression for the 25th quantile, 50th quantile, and 75th quantile) is employed to inspect the connection between OC (promoters' holdings) and the firm's FD (computed using Altman Z-scores). The data for a cross-section of 78 listed firms (non-financial) in India, considering the time frame of five years (2015–16 to 2019–20), are cumulated for the study. The leverage (leverage ratio), competition (Lerner index), valuation (mcap), sales, and profitability (net profit margin) variables are incorporated as control variables.

Findings

The study's findings reveal that OC (promoters' holdings) positively relates to the firm's FD because OC negatively associates with Zscore (as Zscore is inverse to FD). Additionally, the non-linear association also indicates positive connectivity of OC and Zscore (a U shape association), alternatively showing a negative non-linear connection of OC (promoters' holdings) with the firm's FD (inverse U shape association). This result implies that initially, promoters' holdings enhance the firm's FD, and after a maximum threshold, promoters' holdings start reducing FD in non-financial listed firms in India. The findings also show an interesting aspect of OC at different quantiles. The results indicate that a higher OC is powerful when distress is both high and low to achieve stability. Conversely, less OC among promoters is required to achieve such stability when the distress is medium (50th quantile).

Research limitations/implications

The scope of the study is limited to NFFs listed in India, which is one of the limitations of the present paper. Hence, this does not provide evidence for financial firms. Only one aspect of OC (promoters' holdings) is considered in the current study. However, OC can also be explored for FD in terms of institutional and retail investors. These limitations can be considered as the present study's future scope.

Originality/value

Most of the studies regarding OC have explored the broader aspect of OC. However, the current study has narrowed the OC to promoters' holdings. No other study exclusively examines the association of OC (as promoters' holdings) with the firm's FD. Promoters' holdings have a more significant role in a firm's CG practices because of direct involvement of promoters' holdings in business activities. Thus, the present study's findings have notable implications for managers, policymakers, and investors concerned with the financial health of firms.
Doing well while doing good? Gender effects in pro-social peer-to-peer lending
Authors: Gonzalez Laura
Published: October 2022

Purpose

The 2008 and 2020 crises reinvigorated discussions on the need to deepen financial inclusion through fintech. Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending facilitates pro-social direct lending to less “bankable” strangers while providing returns to at-times less experienced lenders. Information asymmetries and credit risk are substantial, and previous research finds suboptimal heuristics in for-profit lenders (Gonzalez, 2022). This study examines further the role of gender to facilitate “doing well while doing good”.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines 663 pro-social lending decisions by finance students on a mock P2P site. Testimonials were used to condition participants towards pro-social decision-making. Each participant was asked to make three lending decisions. The three loan applications were identical except for a female or male headshot (vs a control icon), and a randomly assigned difference in the trustworthiness or popularity of the male vs female loan applications among other lenders. Loan popularity is reported as a lower number of days needed to fund half the identical loan amount requested in the three loan applications (3 vs 11 days for headshot applications, and 7 days for control one).

Findings

Self-recognition in similar-age borrowers is more pronounced for lenders who have experienced financial trauma. Second, male lenders report higher confidence in their financial literacy and cash collateral. Third, cash collateral increases lending only to female borrowers. Fourth, higher perception of one's financial literacy increases confidence only when lending to females.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine the role of gender, financial literacy, identification with borrowers, and collateral perception in pro-social P2P lending.
The coming of age for paid digital campaigning: equalization or normalization in the 2019 Belgian federal elections?
Authors: Vanden Eynde Gunther , Put Gert-Jan , Maddens Bart
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Paid digital campaigning tools play an increasingly pivotal role in individual election campaigns worldwide. Extant literature often juxtaposes the equalization theory, which argues that these tools create a level playing field, and the normalization theory, which contends that strong and resource-rich politicians benefit most from digital tools. This article aims to inform this debate by looking at it from a campaign expenditure perspective beyond the Anglo-American bias of most research on the subject.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use an original dataset on campaign expenditures and resources of 1,798 candidates running for 13 Belgian parties in the 2019 federal parliamentary election. Relying on multilevel statistical models, the authors link the candidates' digital campaign expenses to their incumbency status, which is expected to affect digital campaigning.

Findings

While earlier work on majoritarian cases often showed contradicting results, this study on the Belgian flexible-list proportional representation (PR) case provides strong support for the equalization theory by demonstrating that incumbents are not only less inclined to spend on digital tools than challengers, but also spend a smaller part of their budget on these tools.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature by exploring the equalization versus normalization debate from a campaign expenditure perspective using a made to purpose dataset in a non-Anglo-American context.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-12-2021-0679
A global study on applicability of ISO 18404:2015 for SMEs: an exploratory qualitative study
Authors: Antony Jiju , Swarnakar Vikas , Salentijn Willem , Shokri Alireza , Doulatabadi Mehran , Bhat Shreeranga , McDermott Olivia , Jayaraman Raja , Sony Michael
Published: October 2022

Purpose

ISO 18404:2015 standard defines the proficiencies to the attainment of distinct competency levels with either Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma or separately combined strategy Lean Six Sigma (LSS). The purpose of this paper is to perform a detailed investigation of the applicability of current LSS competency standard in SMEs and examine the need for further improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative-based semi-structured interview method was utilized globally by interviewing a group of LSS professionals with knowledge about the LSS implementation working in different leading organizations. All participants were asked to review the standard before the interview process to ensure that they are familiar with the standard.

Findings

The results reveal that the current ISO 18404:2015 standard does not fit SMEs to implement the LSS approach as it has several shortfalls that need to be fixed before its adoption or an urgent need to develop a more customized LSS standard for SMEs. The outcome further helps organizations understand theoretical knowledge about ISO 18404:2015, its role in operational excellence implementation, pros, cons, critical success factors and required changes for further improvement within the standard.

Research limitations/implications

There were very limited baseline studies in the literature. A mixed method strategy that includes qualitative and quantitative data would yield better data so that more robust outcomes can be derived from the research.

Originality/value

To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical research on the applicability of ISO 18404:2015 for SMEs, which encapsulate opinions of LSS professionals working in several SMEs.
Genomic profiling with whole‐exome sequencing revealed distinct mutations and novel pathways in Asian melanoma
Authors: Chiu Yu‐Jen , Weng Hui‐Ying , Lin Yen‐Yu , Lin Yung‐Feng , Yeh Yi‐Chen , Perng Chern‐Kang , Ma Hsu , Tsai Shih‐Feng , Chou Teh‐Ying
Published: October 2022

The clinical characteristics of malignant melanoma are highly variable between patient populations of different ethnicities. To explore the underlining genetic variations, we reviewed the clinical data of 242 malignant melanoma cases from Taiwan and among them submitted formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue samples from 37 patients for whole‐exome sequencing to identify the mutational signatures, tumor mutation burden and specific gene mutations. The genomic profiles and clinical outcomes were compared with the information derived from the publicly available TCGA and TGEN databases. Mutation signature 12 was the dominant signature in Taiwanese patients and represented approximately 45% of the mutation signatures observed. In contrast, mutation signature 7 was the most prominent among cases available in the TCGA database. Common gene mutations found in the TCGA melanoma dataset were not frequently found in melanomas from Taiwanese patients. There were a significant number of specific gene mutations that exclusively occurred in acral subtype but not in non‐acral subtype melanomas, and vice versa. While certain common mutations form a shared core of genetic features, there appear to be specific genetic pathways that are involved in the occurrence of melanomas that grow in non‐UV‐exposed areas. Our findings have shed light on the tumorigenesis pathways involved in malignant melanoma.
UVA1 radiation attenuates pro‐inflammatory functions in human monocytes
Authors: Peters Anna Franziska , Kusche Yvonne , Gerdkamp Henrike , Nattkemper Eva , Vischedyk Kerstin , Münck Niels‐Arne , Weishaupt Carsten , Roth Johannes , Barczyk‐Kahlert Katarzyna , Sunderkötter Cord , Ehrchen Jan Mauno
Published: October 2022

UVA1 therapy is effective in the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases. The mode of action of UVA1 therapy is not completely understood and especially data on cells of the innate immune system like monocytes, which are critically involved in many inflammatory processes, are sparse. We wanted to answer the question whether UVA1 irradiation alters functional properties of human monocytes. We treated human peripheral blood monocytes in vitro with 2 J/cm2 UVA1 light, incubated the cells for 48 h and examined both functional properties and alterations in the gene and protein expression profile. While UVA1 did not alter cell viability or susceptibility to apoptosis inducing agents, it decreased the capacity of monocytes for phagocytosis and to eliminate infectious agents like Leishmania major. Moreover, we measured a significantly reduced production of interleukin (IL)‐1β mRNA in lipopolysaccharide activated monocytes after UVA1 treatment. Importantly, UVA1‐treated monocytes not only produce less IL‐1β, but also upregulate expression of the anti‐inflammatory IL‐1β decoy receptor. Our data provide evidence that UVA1 radiation not only interferes with fundamental monocyte properties like phagocytosis, pathogen killing and activation, but could also specifically attenuate pro‐inflammatory IL‐1 effects. This might constitute a hitherto unknown anti‐inflammatory mechanism of UVA1 in human monocytes.
The Back of Her Head: The Fashionable Wartime Ruins of Cecil Beaton
Authors: Brandon‐Salmon Altair
Published: October 2022

Cecil Beaton's 1941 photograph Fashion is indestructible, published by British Vogue, depicts a model in a couture suit looking at Blitz ruins. The image claims fashion as timeless, contrasting it with ruins, which in their destruction hold out a promise for future rebuilding, time manifesting itself in the rubble of bombsites and the fabric of clothing. By reading the photograph as a historical document, we confront photography's complex relationship with time and the ambiguous boundaries between past, present, and future which defined the experience of the Home Front.
Interrogating nonsuicidal self‐injury disorder through a feminist psychiatric disability theory framework
Authors: Redikopp Sarah , Smith Sarah
Published: October 2022

This article explores the proposed psychiatric diagnostic category of nonsuicidal self‐injury disorder (NSSID) through the lens of feminist psychiatric disability theory. Mobilising insights from labelling theory’s accounts of stigma and recovery, in conjunction with critical and feminist disability theory’s attention to emotional and physical pain, we suggest that a feminist psychiatric disability approach to NSSID can illuminate the limits of a fully demedicalised engagement with self‐injury. While remaining critical of psychiatrisation processes, we explore the implications of ‘strategic (dis)identifications’ with illness labels as mechanisms through which to manage and access care, treatment and recovery. Such a nuanced account engenders more deeply material considerations of pain, stigma, treatment and ‘cure’ at the site of NSSID, opening new avenues of engagement with self‐injury for sociologists and critical disability scholars alike.
(When) do electoral mandates set the agenda? Government capacity and mandate responsiveness in Germany
Authors: GUINAUDEAU BENJAMIN , GUINAUDEAU ISABELLE
Published: October 2022

In democracies, electoral mandates are meant to shape public policy. But how much leeway do elected representatives actually have to implement it? Influential scholars think that (horizontal and vertical) institutional hurdles, budget constraints and political pressure dilute mandate responsiveness, but empirical evidence for this important claim remains scarce. This article provides a theoretical model and an empirical account of the extent to which different types of constraints limit the capacity of governing parties to set their electoral priorities on the agenda. Using fixed‐effects Poisson regression on German electoral and legislative priorities over a period of over three decades (1983–2016), we conclude that policies reflect electoral priorities to a greater extent than scholarship has acknowledged so far. We do confirm, however, the constraining effects of Europeanization, shrinking budget leeway, intra‐coalition disagreement and low executive popularity. We elaborate on the implications for theories of public policy, democratic representation and comparative politics.
Multimedia stream hashing: A forensic method for content verification
Authors: Wales Gregory S. , Smith Jeff M. , Lacey Douglas S. , Grigoras Catalin
Published: October 2022

Forensic examination of digital audio, video, and images frequently requires transforming multimedia data from one format to another. The transformative activity may cause changes to the administrative elements of the file but leave the multimedia streams unchanged and intact. However, the forensic science community has a method knowledge gap in accurately determining if the multimedia streams changed or remained the same in the transformative processes. This paper illustrates the practical use of multimedia stream hashing as a forensic method for verifying multimedia content. A universal stream hashing tool decodes the multimedia stream data at rest in a file container. Subsequently, it calculates the data stream hash using reference video, audio, and image codecs. This paper illustrates that the multimedia stream hashing method can accurately confirm the integrity of digital images, videos, and audio following transmission, transcoding, or re‐containerization. Our findings confirmed that stream hashing could accurately detect changes in multimedia streams during transcoding. Furthermore, the stream hashing method can also accurately detect matching multimedia streams. In addition, this paper verified the forensic use of the multimedia stream hash method while establishing the error rate for its use. The hash algorithms used in stream hashing have zero false negative rates by design. However, the false positive (error rate) is extremely low and depends on hashing algorithm. Finally, we recommend the forensic science community adopt the multimedia stream hashing method as an initial testing method. The method can verify a multimedia stream's conversion (transcoding) from one codec to another using FFmpeg.
The impact of institutional investors on ESG: Evidence from China
Authors: Liu Jinchi , Xiong Xiong , Gao Ya , Zhang Jin
Published: October 2022

This paper studies the influence of institutional ownership on the Chinese A‐shares' ESG performance. Findings reveal the positive improvement from institutional investors, and this impact is stronger in firms with better‐expected ESG performance and low initial ESG performance. Besides, heterogeneous institutional investors have different influences, and only a pressure‐resistant institution plays the promotion role. Further studies based on the period following the financial crisis and when emphasising the environmental protection policy reveal that financial motivation and reputation motivation could be the reason for institutional holding. Our findings are robust after using the instrumental variable analysis, controlling for firm fixed effects, and replacing institutional holdings, and could be beneficial for the governance of firms in China.
Market sentiment to COVID‐19 and the Chinese stock market
Authors: Xu Liao , Chen Jilong , Xu Hao
Published: October 2022

We classify the market sentiment to COVID‐19 into expected and unexpected components and then examine their particular impacts on the stock market. We find that unexpected sentiment causes fluctuations in the stock market more than expected sentiment does. However, unexpected sentiment cannot affect stock market informativeness despite the remarkable informational effect of expected sentiment. Moreover, the relation between expected sentiment and stock market fluctuation or informativeness is one‐way, whereas there exists a two‐way interaction between unexpected sentiment and stock market fluctuation. This further confirms that expected sentiment is informational, whereas unexpected sentiment is quite noisy and informationally harmful.
Presence and development of diabetic retinopathy in 153 238 patients with type 2 diabetes in the Danish Registry of Diabetic Retinopathy
Authors: Grauslund Jakob , Pedersen Frederik Nørregaard , Andersen Nis , Andresen Jens , Bek Toke , Dinesen Sebastian , Hajari Javad , Heegaard Steffen , Højlund Kurt , Laugesen Caroline Schmidt , Kawasaki Ryo , Möller Sören , Schielke Katja Christina , Thykjær Anne Suhr , Stokholm Lonny
Published: October 2022

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and incidence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) along with associated markers in patients with type 2 diabetes in the Danish DR‐screening programme.

Methods

We included all persons with type 2 diabetes in the Danish Registry of Diabetic Retinopathy, who had attended at least one episode of DR screening in 2013–2018. DR was classified as levels 0–4 indicating increasing severity. Data were linked with various national health registries to retrieve information on diabetes duration, marital status, comorbidity and systemic medication.

Results

Among 153 238 persons with type 2 diabetes, median age and duration of diabetes were 66.9 and 5.3 years and 56.4% were males. Prevalence and 5‐year incidences of DR, 2‐step‐or‐more progression of DR and progression to proliferative DR (PDR) were 8.8%, 3.8%, 0.7% and 0.2%, respectively. In multivariable models, leading markers of incident DR and progression to PDR were duration of diabetes (HR 1.98, 95% CI 1.87–2.09; HR 2.89, 95% CI 2.34–3.58 per 10 years of duration) and use of insulin (HR 1.88, 95% CI 1.76–2.01; HR 2.40, 95% CI 1.84–3.13), while the use of cholesterol‐lowering medicine was a protecting marker (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.81–0.93; HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.52–0.93). From 2013 to 2015, 3‐year incidence rates of PDR decreased from 1.22 to 0.45 events per 1000 person‐years.

Conclusion

Nationally, among Danish individuals with type 2 diabetes attending DR screening, we identified duration of diabetes and use of insulin as the most important predictor for the development of DR, while cholesterol‐lowering medicine was a protective factor.
Facing academic problems: Longitudinal relations between parental involvement and student academic achievement from a self‐determination perspective
Authors: Teuber Ziwen , Sielemann Lena , Wild Elke
Published: October 2022

Background

The relation between parental involvement and student achievement has been of research interest for many decades. Although the idea of reciprocal processes between parent and child was proposed 40 years ago, very few efforts have been made to investigate reciprocal relations between parental involvement and student achievement.

Aims

Using self‐determination theory, this study investigated the longitudinal associations of the manner of parental involvement (i.e., autonomy‐supportive or controlling) in children's academic problems with children's academic achievement. This study further addressed the recently intensely debated methodological issue of examining reciprocal relations by comparing a random‐intercept cross‐lagged panel model (RI‐CLPM) with the traditional cross‐lagged panel model (CLPM).

Sample and Methods

A RI‐CLPM and a traditional CLPM were applied to 5‐year longitudinal data including 1465 secondary school students (Mage at T1 = 10.82 years, SD = 0.62). In both models, we controlled for students' gender, school type, socioeconomic status and cognitive ability.

Results

The results show that the RI‐CLPM fitted the data better than the CLPM. Trait‐like stability was found for both forms of parental involvement and academic achievement. At the between‐person level, controlling involvement related to lower achievement, whereas no correlation between autonomy‐supportive involvement and achievement was found. At the within‐person level, there were positive reciprocal relations between autonomy‐supportive involvement and achievement, whereas controlling involvement was not associated with achievement.

Conclusions

This study contributes substantially to the understanding of the relations between parental involvement in children's academic problems and children's academic achievement by simultaneously taking between‐person differences and within‐person processes into consideration.