bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex-Dependent Effects of Chronic Microdrive Implantation on Acquisition of Trace Eyeblink Conditioning
Authors: Rapp Amy P , Hark Timothy J , Power John M , Savas Jeffrey N , Oh M Matthew , Disterhoft John F
Published: August 2021

Neuroscience techniques, including in vivo recording, have allowed for a great expansion in knowledge; however, this technology may also affect the very phenomena researchers set out to investigate. Including both female and male mice in our associative learning experiments shed light on sex differences on the impact of chronic implantation of tetrodes on learning. While previous research showed intact female mice acquired trace eyeblink conditioning faster than male and ovariectomized females, implantation of chronic microdrive arrays showed sexually dimorphic effects on learning. Microdrive implanted male mice acquired the associative learning paradigm faster than both intact and ovariectomized females. These effects were not due to the weight of the drive alone, as there were no significant sex-differences in learning of animals that received “dummy drive” implants without tetrodes lowered into the brain. Tandem mass tag mass spectrometry and western blot analysis suggest that significant alterations in the MAPK pathway, acute inflammation, and brain derived neurotrophic factor may underlie these observed sex- and surgery-dependent effects on learning.
Evolutionary dynamics of indels in SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein
Authors: Prasad Rao R. Shyama , Ahsan Nagib , Xu Chunhui , Su Lingtao , Verburgt Jacob , Fornelli Luca , Kihara Daisuke , Xu Dong
Published: August 2021

SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic that claimed over 4.2 million lives, belongs to a class of enveloped viruses that undergo quick evolutionary adjustments under selection pressure. Numerous variants have emerged in SARS-CoV-2 that are currently posing a serious challenge to the global vaccination effort and COVID-19 management. The evolutionary dynamics of this virus are only beginning to be explored. In this work, we have analysed 1.79 million spike glycoprotein sequences of SARS-CoV-2 and found that the virus is fine-tuning the spike with numerous amino acid insertions and deletions (indels). Indels seem to have a selective advantage as the proportions of sequences with indels were steadily increasing over time, currently at over 89%, with similar trends across countries/variants. There were as many as 420 unique indel positions and 447 unique combinations of indels. Despite their high frequency, indels resulted in only minimal alteration, including both gain and loss, of N-glycosylation sites. As indels and point mutations are positively correlated and sequences with indels have significantly more point mutations, they have implications in the context of evolutionary dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein.
Performance of three molecular tests for SARS-CoV-2 on a university campus estimated jointly with Bayesian latent class modeling
Authors: Perkins T. Alex , Stephens Melissa , Barrios Wendy Alvarez , Cavany Sean , Rulli Liz , Pfrender Michael E.
Published: August 2021

Accurate tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been critical in efforts to control its spread. The accuracy of molecular tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been assessed numerous times, usually in reference to a gold standard diagnosis. One major disadvantage of that approach is the possibility of error due to inaccuracy of the gold standard, which is especially problematic for evaluating testing in a real-world surveillance context. We used an alternative approach known as Bayesian latent class modeling (BLCM), which circumvents the need to designate a gold standard by simultaneously estimating the accuracy of multiple tests. We applied this technique to a collection of 1,716 tests of three types applied to 853 individuals on a university campus during a one-week period in October 2020. We found that reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing of saliva samples performed at a campus facility had higher sensitivity (median: 0.923; 95% credible interval: 0.732-0.996) than RT-PCR testing of nasal samples performed at a commercial facility (median: 0.859; 95% CrI: 0.547-0.994). The reverse was true for specificity, although the specificity of saliva testing was still very high (median: 0.993; 95% CrI: 0.983-0.999). An antigen test was less sensitive and specific than both of the RT-PCR tests. These results suggest that RT-PCR testing of saliva samples at a campus facility can be an effective basis for surveillance screening to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a university setting.
Both consumptive and non-consumptive effects of predators impact mosquito populations and have implications for disease transmission
Authors: Russell Marie C. , Herzog Catherine M. , Gajewski Zachary , Ramsay Chloe , El Moustaid Fadoua , Evans Michelle V. , Desai Trishna , Gottdenker Nicole L. , Hermann Sara L. , Power Alison G. , McCall Andrew C.
Published: August 2021

Predator-prey interactions influence prey traits through both consumptive and non-consumptive effects, and variation in these traits can shape vector-borne disease dynamics. Meta-analysis methods were employed to generate predation effect sizes by different categories of predators and mosquito prey. This analysis showed that multiple families of aquatic predators are effective in consumptively reducing mosquito survival, and that the survival ofAedes, Anopheles, andCulexmosquitoes is negatively impacted by consumptive effects of predators. Mosquito larval size was found to play a more important role in explaining the heterogeneity of consumptive effects from predators than mosquito genus. Mosquito survival and body size were reduced by non-consumptive effects of predators, but development time was not significantly impacted. In addition,Culexvectors demonstrated predator avoidance behavior during oviposition. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that predators limit disease transmission by reducing both vector survival and vector size, and that associations between drought and human West Nile virus cases could be driven by the vector behavior of predator avoidance during oviposition. These findings are likely to be useful to infectious disease modelers who rely on vector traits as predictors of transmission.
Evolutionary analysis of THAP9 transposase: conserved regions, novel motifs
Authors: Rashmi Richa , Nandi Chandan , Majumdar Sharmistha
Published: August 2021

THAP9 is a transposable element-derived gene that encodes the THAP9 protein, which is homologous to the Drosophila P-element transposase (DmTNP) and can cut and paste DNA. However, the exact functional role of THAP9 is unknown. Here, we perform evolutionary analysis and extensive in silico characterization of THAP9, including predicting domains and putative post-translational modification sites. We predict previously unreported mammalian-specific post-translational modification sites that may play a role in the subcellular localization of THAP9. We also observe that although THAP9 has evolved under a strong pervasive purifying selection, yielding high conservation of THAP9, there are distinct class-specific conservation patterns of key functional residues in certain domains. Furthermore, investigation of THAP9 expression profiles in various cancer and matched normal datasets demonstrated underexpression and overexpression in testicular cancers and thymic epithelial tumors, respectively, thus suggesting a possible role of THAP9 in cancer.
Deep Transfer Learning of Drug Responses by Integrating Bulk and Single-cell RNA-seq data
Authors: Chen Junyi , Wu Zhenyu , Qi Ren , Ma Anjun , Zhao Jing , Xu Dong , Li Lang , Ma Qin
Published: August 2021

Massively bulk RNA sequencing databases incorporating drug screening have opened up an avenue to inform the optimal clinical application of cancer drugs. Meanwhile, the growing single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data contributes to improving therapeutic effectiveness by studying the heterogeneity of drug responses for cancer cell subpopulations. There is a clear significance in developing computational biology approaches to predict and interpret cancer drug response in single cell data from clinical samples. Here, we introduce scDEAL, a deep transfer learning framework for cancer drug response prediction at single-cell level by integrating large-scale bulk cell line data. The true innovation of scDEAL is to translate cancer cell line drug responses into predicting clinical drug responses via learning relations of gene expressions and drug responses at bulk-level and transfer to predict drug responses in scRNA-seq. Another innovation is the integrated gradient feature interpretation to infer a comprehensive set of signature genes to reveal potential drug resistance mechanisms. We benchmarked scDEAL on six scRNA-seq datasets and indicate its model interpretability through these case studies. We believe that this work may help study cell reprogramming, drug selection, and repurposing for improving therapeutic efficacy.
Transcriptomes of Electrophysiologically Recorded Dbx1-derived Inspiratory Neurons of the preBötzinger Complex in Neonatal Mice
Authors: Kallurkar Prajkta S. , Picardo Maria Cristina D. , Sugimura Yae K. , Saha Margaret S. , Smith Gregory D. Conradi , Del Negro Christopher A.
Published: August 2021

Breathing depends on interneurons in the preBötzinger complex (preBötC) derived from Dbx1-expressing precursors. Here we investigate whether rhythm- and pattern-generating functions reside in discrete classes of Dbx1 preBötC neurons. In a slice model of breathing with ∼5 s cycle period, putatively rhythmogenic Type-1 Dbx1 preBötC neurons activate 100-300 ms prior to Type-2 neurons, putatively specialized for output pattern, and 300-500 ms prior to the inspiratory motor output. We sequenced Type-1 and Type-2 transcriptomes and identified differential expression of 123 genes including ionotropic receptors (Gria3 and Gabra1) that may explain their preinspiratory activation profiles and Ca2+ signaling (Cracr2a, Sgk1) involved in inspiratory and sigh bursts. Surprisingly, neuropeptide receptors that influence breathing (e.g., µ-opioid and bombesin-like peptide receptors) were only sparsely expressed, which suggests that cognate peptides and opioid drugs exert their profound effects on a small fraction of the preBötC core. These data in the public domain help explain breathing’s neural origins.
Hidden in the deep: distinct benthic trajectories call for monitoring of mesophotic reefs
Authors: Hernandez-Agreda A , Sahit FM , Englebert N , Hoegh-Guldberg O , Bongaerts P
Published: August 2021

Long-term monitoring studies are central to coral reef ecology and conservation management. However, ongoing monitoring programs are almost exclusively focused on shallow depths, and it remains unclear to what extent those are representative of the whole ecosystem. Here, we present a temporal comparison (2012-2017) of directly adjacent shallow and mesophotic benthic communities across seven sites from the Great Barrier Reef and Western Coral Sea. We found a positive correlation initially between shallow and mesophotic coral cover, with higher cover at shallow depths. However, this correlation broke down after multiple disturbances, with coral cover declining only at shallow depths. Point-based tracking revealed the dynamic nature of mesophotic communities, with their consistent coral cover reflecting a net balance between substantial growth and mortality. Overall, the divergent trajectories highlight the urgency to expand monitoring efforts into mesophotic depths, to decipher the processes governing these habitats and enable better-informed management of the overall ecosystem.
The beneficial rhizobacterium Bacillus velezensis acquires iron from roots via a type VII secretion system for colonization
Authors: Liu Yunpeng , Shu Xia , Chen Lin , Zhang Huihui , Feng Haichao , Sun Xiting , Xiong Qin , Li Guangqi , Xun Weibing , Xu Zhihui , Zhang Nan , Pieterse Corné M.J. , Shen Qirong , Zhang Ruifu
Published: August 2021

Niche colonization is the key for bacterial adaptation to the environment, and competition for iron largely determines root colonization by rhizosphere microbes. Pathogenic and beneficial symbiotic bacteria use various unique secretion systems to support plant colonization or acquire limited resources from the environment. However, ubiquitous nonsymbiotic beneficial rhizobacteria have never been reported to use a unique secretion system to facilitate colonization. Here, we show that the type VII secretion system (T7SS) of the beneficial rhizobacterium Bacillus velezensis SQR9 contributes to root colonization. Knocking out T7SS and the major secreted protein YukE in SQR9 caused a significant decrease in root colonization. Moreover, the T7SS and YukE caused iron loss in plant roots in the early stage after inoculation, which contributed to root colonization by SQR9. Interestingly, purified YukE, but not inactivated YukE, could change the permeability of root cells. We speculated that secreted YukE might be directly inserted into the root cell membrane to cause iron leakage, indicating that the bacterial protein and root cell membrane interact directly. Moreover, a bacterial siderophore and the T7SS may be coordinately involved in iron acquisition by B. velezensis SQR9 for efficient root colonization. We showed that the beneficial rhizobacterium B. velezensis SQR9 could acquire iron from roots via the T7SS for rapid colonization. These findings provide the first insight into the function of the unique secretion system in nonsymbiotic beneficial rhizobacteria and reveal a novel mutualism in which plants and bacteria might share iron in a sequential manner.
Development and Characterization of PAR-Trackers: New Tools for Detecting Poly(ADP-ribose) In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Challa Sridevi , Ryu Keun W. , Whitaker Amy L. , Abshier Jonathan C. , Camacho Cristel V. , Kraus W. Lee
Published: August 2021

Abstract

ADP-ribosylation (ADPRylation) is a reversible post-translation modification resulting in the covalent attachment of ADP-ribose (ADPR) moieties on substrate proteins. Naturally-occurring protein motifs and domains, including WWEs, PBZs, and macrodomains, act as “readers” for protein-linked ADPR. Although recombinant, antibody-like ADPR detection reagents containing these readers have facilitated the detection of ADPR, they are limited in their ability to capture the dynamic nature of ADPRylation. Herein, we describe and characterize a set of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) Trackers (PAR-Ts) - optimized dimerization-dependent or split-protein reassembly PAR sensors in which a naturally occurring PAR binding domain, WWE, was fused to both halves of dimerization-dependent GFP (ddGFP) or split Nano Luciferase (NanoLuc), respectively. We demonstrate that these new tools allow the detection and quantification of PAR levels in extracts, living cells, and living tissues with greater sensitivity, as well as temporal and spatial precision. Importantly, these sensors detect changes in cellular ADPR levels in response to physiological cues (e.g., hormone-dependent induction of adipogenesis without DNA damage), as well as xenograft tumor tissues in living mice. Our results indicate that PAR Trackers have broad utility for detecting ADPR in many different experimental and biological systems.
Exploring workplace experiences of transgender individuals in the USA
Authors: Goryunova Elizabeth , Schwartz Anna K , Turesky Elizabeth Fisher
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the workplace experiences and access to career-enhancing opportunities of transgender employees and to apprise organization leaders of opportunities to create an all-inclusive workplace environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This phenomenological study used semi-structured interviews with transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in the US. Study participants (n = 12) varied slightly in racial and ethnic identities, the highest level of formal education completed and the industry sector they were employed at the time of interviews.

Findings

The data reveals a lingering presence of dominant narrative (cissexism) in US organizations and its adverse impact on workplace experience and access to career-enhancing opportunities of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. The participants’ narratives reveal recommendations for effective organizational practices for a transgender-inclusive workplace.

Research limitations/implications

The challenge of recruiting qualified participants from the marginalized group along with the selection criteria of English proficiency and legally adult age resulted in a relatively limited sample (n = 12) nevertheless adequate for the study.

Practical implications

Results of this study point at the urgent need to increase visibility and acceptance of the represented population and expand workplace diversity policies to create inclusive, just and equitable organizations for all individuals that will translate into job satisfaction and improved productivity.

Social implications

This study contributes to developing a culture of inclusion and prevention of discrimination in the workplace thus ensuring respect, safety and agency for gender minority employees.

Originality/value

This study contributes to a better understanding of workplace experiences, access to career-enhancing opportunities of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals and best practices for a transgender-inclusive workplace.
Effect of female executives on Chinese cultural media enterprise efficiency
Authors: Li Ying , Chiu Yung-Ho , Lin Tai-Yu , Cen Hongyi
Published: August 2021

Purpose

As more women are now being appointed to senior and top management positions and invited to sit on boards of directors, they are now directly participating in strategic company decision-making. As female directors have been found to provide new ideas, increase company competitiveness, efficiency and performance and bring a greater number of external resources to a company than male directors, this paper aims to put female directors as a variable into the data envelopment analysis (DEA) and statistical models to explore the effect of female directors on operating performances. The DEA first quantified and measured the company efficiencies, after which the statistical model analyzed the correlations between the variables to specifically identify the impact of female decision makers on the operating efficiencies in state-owned and private enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

A novel two-stage, meta-hybrid dynamic DEA was developed to explore Chinese cultural media company efficiencies under optimal input and output resource allocations, after which Tobit Regression was applied to determine the effect of female executives on these efficiencies.

Findings

From 2012 to 2016, the overall efficiencies in Chinese state-owned cultural media enterprises were better than in the private cultural media enterprises. The overall technology gaps (TGs) in the state-owned cultural media enterprises were better than in the private cultural media enterprises.

Originality/value

Previous research has tended to focus on the causal relationships between female senior executives and business performances; however, there have been few studies on the relationships between female executives and company performance from an efficiency perspective (optimal resource allocation). This paper, therefore, is the first to develop a novel two-stage, meta-hybrid dynamic DEA to examine Chinese cultural media enterprise efficiencies, and the first to apply Tobit Regression to assess the effect of female executives on those efficiencies.
Place attachment and brand loyalty: the moderating role of customer experience in the restaurant setting
Authors: Nyamekye Michael Boadi , Adam Diyawu Rahman , Boateng Henry , Kosiba John Paul
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the effects of place attachment on brand loyalty. This study further ascertains whether the effects of emotion-based attachment on brand loyalty are stronger for customers who have a positive experience with a restaurant brand. Additionally, the authors investigate whether emotion-based attachment mediates the relationships between identity-based attachments, place dependence and brand loyalty in the restaurant setting.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors administered the questionnaire to customers (diners) of restaurants in Ghana, and they were completed via a paper and pencil/pen approach. The authors tested their hypotheses using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings show that identity-based and emotion-based attachment enhances brand loyalty within a restaurant setting. The results also show that place dependence attachment promotes emotional bonding with restaurant brands. The study's findings also show that place dependence attachment does not have a direct and positive significant effect on brand loyalty except when an emotional response is produced.

Originality/value

Place attachment studies in a restaurant setting are rare. This study thus contributes to the place attachment literature in restaurants setting.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical climate and pride in membership moderated by casino dealers’ customer orientation
Authors: Hyun Martin Yongho , Gao Lisa , Lee Seoki
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to develop a theoretical framework that specifies how corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ethical climate (ETHIC) affect pride in membership (PRIDE), and in turn, attitudinal responses (i.e. job satisfaction and turnover intention) among employees, solely focusing on dealers in the casino industry. In addition, the moderating role of customer orientation is examined for internally motivated enjoyment (ENJOY) and externally motivated needs (NEED).

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a non-probability convenience-sampling method by distributing 400 individual questionnaires to respondents. A total of 358 responses are used for data analysis using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Furthermore, this study tests the proposed hypotheses using structural equation modeling.

Findings

This study finds the effect of CSR on ETHIC and the effect of ETHIC on PRIDE along with the subsequent effect on attitudinal responses. Findings also reveal a significant moderating role of ENJOY (NEED) on the relationship between ETHIC (CSR) and PRIDE (PRIDE).

Research limitations/implications

This study provides meaningful contributions to extant casino CSR literature, as well as opportunities for future research. The topic may be further explored from cross-cultural perspectives and adapt a methodology to enhance the generalizability and applicability of the findings.

Originality/value

This study attempts to explore the CSR effectiveness on casino dealers, in whom past empirical examination has found little interest. Moreover, according to the multi-experience model, this study investigates the relationships among CSR, ethical climate and pride in membership that have been rarely verified in the past literature. Finally, this study reveals a significant moderating role of ENJOY and NEED that has not been explored, particularly among casino dealers.
Envy climate and group performance in full-service hotels: the roles of intragroup relationship conflict and competitive climate
Authors: Wu Wen , Ni Dan , Wu Shaoxue , Lu Lu , Zhang Xijing , Hao Shengyue
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The extant literature mainly focuses on the antecedents and outcomes of envy at the individual level. Workgroups have become ideal units for research on envy given the ubiquitous teamwork in organizations. This study aims to examine whether, how and when envy climate can influence group performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyzed data collected in three waves from a sample of 72 groups with 475 team members in full-service hotels in China.

Findings

Envy climate was negatively associated with group performance via intragroup relationship conflict. Furthermore, competitive climate moderated the effect of envy climate on intragroup relationship conflict and the indirect effect of envy climate on group performance through intragroup relationship conflict.

Practical implications

The present research offers organizations valuable insights into how to minimize the climate of envy and competition within a group and relieve the relationship conflict that may damage group performance.

Originality/value

Drawing on a social functional perspective of emotions, this study enriches the envy research by conceptualizing envy climate as a collective perception and clarifying its effect on group performance. The authors extend the understanding of envy climate by showing how a climate of envy embedded in a group influences group performance and also explain when group members may be more likely to act in a destructive way to respond to such a climate.
The after-shock effects of high-performers turnover in hotel industry: a multi-level study
Authors: Khan Ali Nawaz , Khan Naseer Abbas , Bodla Ali Ahmad
Published: August 2021

Purpose

High-performing employees are a hotel’s most important asset: they care for what they do, go beyond and beyond the scope of duty and continually strive to do better. The purpose of this multi-level study is to look into the influence of high-talent turnover on organizational reputation via social capital and trust deficits. Furthermore, the current research explores the influence of human capital investment (HCI) on the mediating effects of trust deficit and social capital in the association between high talent turnover rate and organizational reputation using human resource theory and social capital theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examined the hypotheses using multi-source and multi-times data of 805 respondents (including senior human resources officers and employees) from 85 hotels.

Findings

The present study revealed interesting findings that the HCI failed to buffer the interfering role of trust deficit in the negative association between high-performing personnel turnover rate and organizational reputation.

Practical implications

High-performing personnel turnover and underlying mechanisms play a significant role in eroding a hotel’s reputation in the hotel industry. Hotel management should focus on reducing high-performing talent turnover and underlying mechanisms to maintain and improve the hotel’s reputation.

Originality/value

This study provides better understating into the process by exploring that high-performer turnover can damage an organization’s reputation, which has been overlooked by academics who researched the hotel industry.
An embedded bandit algorithm based on agent evolution for cold-start problem
Authors: Qiu Rui , Ji Wen
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Many recommender systems are generally unable to provide accurate recommendations to users with limited interaction history, which is known as the cold-start problem. This issue can be resolved by trivial approaches that select random items or the most popular one to recommend to the new users. However, these methods perform poorly in many cases. This paper aims to explore the problem that how to make accurate recommendations for the new users in cold-start scenarios.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors propose embedded-bandit method, inspired by Word2Vec technique and contextual bandit algorithm. The authors describe user contextual information with item embedding features constructed by Word2Vec. In addition, based on the intelligence measurement model in Crowd Science, the authors propose a new evaluation method to measure the utility of recommendations.

Findings

The authors introduce Word2Vec technique for constructing user contextual features, which improved the accuracy of recommendations compared to traditional multi-armed bandit problem. Apart from this, using this study’s intelligence measurement model, the utility also outperforms.

Practical implications

Improving the accuracy of recommendations during the cold-start phase can greatly raise user stickiness and increase user favorability, which in turn contributes to the commercialization of the app.

Originality/value

The algorithm proposed in this paper reflects that user contextual features can be represented by clicked items embedding vector.
London Fire Brigade's screen and treat approach to the Grenfell Tower incident
Authors: Steel Craig , Travers Zoe , Meredith Lynette , Lee Deborah , Conti Michael , Scoging Anne
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose is to report on the mental health response to the Grenfell incident within the London Fire Brigade (LFB).

Design/methodology/approach

The LFB implemented screening for the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 28 days, 3 months and 6 months for all personnel directly involved in the incident.

Findings

The prevalence of PTSD within frontline personnel was 13.4% at 28 days, falling to 7.6% at 6 months. The LFB's internal Counselling and Wellbeing Service offered treatment to those scoring above the cut-off for PTSD along with accepting self-referral and referrals from line managers and occupational health. There were 139 referrals within the 12-month period following the incident.

Research limitations/implications

The outcomes for those who engaged in treatment are broadly in line with other studies evaluating post-disaster interventions. Issues for consideration within national guidelines are discussed.

Practical implications

The screen and treat approach adopted by LFB was shown to be a feasible approach to use within such a scenario.

Originality/value

The current study reports on a screen and treat approach to one of the largest single incidents in the UK in recent years.
Students’ perception and satisfaction of services provided by public and private higher education institutes: a case study in Albania
Authors: Kruja Drita , Ha Huong , Tabaku Elvira
Published: August 2021

Purpose

There have been many research studies on students’ satisfaction of services in universities in developed countries. However, students’ expectation and satisfaction of public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) with regard to service quality in Eastern Europe have been under-researched. Therefore, this study aims to offer an empirical examination of student satisfaction of the service quality of public and private HEIs in Albania by evaluating the gap between students’ expectation and perception and the effect of student satisfaction on retention in HEIs.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey instrument used in this study was the student satisfaction inventory in the USA. Primary data were collected from a survey of students in two private and four public HEIs in Albania. A total of 554 valid responses were collected from the survey.

Findings

The findings suggested that there were performance gaps between public and private HEIs. Public universities performed well in terms of concern for the individual, campus support services, student-centeredness and instructional effectiveness. Private HEIs scored well in terms of concern for the individual, academic advising effectiveness, instructional effectiveness and safety and security (parking). There is a significant difference in students’ perception of the overall satisfaction of HEIs. Students’ overall satisfaction positively impacts their retention.

Originality/value

Overall, this study provides valuable insights to private and public HEIs’ administrators regarding to student satisfaction and retention. The findings will have far-reaching managerial implications for all groups of stakeholders in terms of the service delivery by universities in Albania and Eastern Europe.
Why discontinue Facebook usage? An empirical investigation based on a push–pull–mooring framework
Authors: Fu Shaoxiong , Li Hongxiu , Liu Yong
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Social media platforms are currently facing the challenge of declining user activity. Building on the push–pull–mooring (PPM) framework, the current study developed a research model to evaluate factors that affect Facebook discontinuance.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed research model assessed how push factors (e.g. Facebook fatigue and dissatisfaction), a pull factor (e.g. alternative attractiveness) and mooring factors (e.g. personal norms and habit of using Facebook) affected the discontinued usage behavior regarding Facebook. The proposed research model was validated using empirical data (n = 412) collected from Facebook users.

Findings

Facebook fatigue, dissatisfaction and alternative attractiveness significantly and positively affected discontinued Facebook usage. Personal norms and habit of using Facebook had a converse influence in this regard. Dissatisfaction had a stronger positive impact than Facebook fatigue and alternative attractiveness on the discontinued usage behavior regarding Facebook. Habits of using Facebook had a greater negative effect than personal norms of using Facebook on the discontinued usage behavior regarding Facebook by users.

Originality/value

This study extends extant literature on social media discontinuance to identify the antecedents of discontinuous usage behavior in social media. This study enriches the literature on social media discontinuance by shedding light on the different degrees of effect of the push, pull and mooring factors on discontinuous social media usage behavior.
Covid-19, disrupted vegetable supply chain and direct marketing: experiences from India
Authors: Tripathi Amarnath , Bharti Nisha , Sardar Sucheta , Malik Sushant
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper examines the impact of the Covid-19 induced lockdown on selected vegetables to confirm if the vegetable supply chain was disrupted during that period. It attempts to see if direct marketing via FPOs/FPCs helped Indian farmers to cope with adverse situations aroused in vegetable marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

This study opted for mixed methods research. First, a granular data set comprising daily observation on wholesale price and the market arrival of vegetables were analysed. Descriptive statistics and Kalmogorov-Smirnov test were used to understand the severity of disruptions in the vegetable supply chain in India during the lockdown. Then, qualitative information from different stakeholders engaged in the vegetable marketing was collected through a phone survey and assessed using content analysis to comprehend how FPOs have helped farmer’s during this crisis.

Findings

This paper confirms disruptions in the vegetable supply chain. Quantities of chosen vegetables arriving in the mandis were significantly lower than in the previous year for all phases of lockdown. Consequently, prices were much higher than in 2019–2020 for both the lockdown and subsequent phases unlock. Results further suggest that those farmers who are already in networks of FPOs/FPCs are able to get benefited. It was also observed that direct marketing through institutional supports is being more explored in the regions where FPOs/FPCs already exist.

Research limitations/implications

Since it is an exploratory study involving a small sample, the research results may lack generalisability.

Originality/value

This study provides scope for direct marketing through FPOs/FPCs in improving the food supply chain.
The effect of external factors in use of technology among Ha’il university academic faculty: evidence from Saudi Arabia
Authors: Khan Imran , Khan Najmonnisa , Jazim Fawaz , Al-Mamary Yaser Hasan , Abdulrab Mohammed , Al-Ghurbani Abdullah Mohammed
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore external factors: organization technical support, organization administrative support, organization infrastructure and resources, and organization ICT policy’s effect on the commitment in use of technology among the faculty staff Hail university, Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey approach was used to collect data. A sample of 300 fulltime employees, having administrative and teaching responsibilities participated using a self-completion questionnaire. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), correlation and multiple regressions to determine the impact of external factors on the commitment in use of technology.

Findings

Overall, the results provided evidence that organization technical support, organization administrative support, and organization infrastructure and resources have a significant positive impact on the commitment in use of technology. However, organization ICT policy has an insignificant negative impact on the commitment in use of technology. The findings could be generalized on other public sector universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Research limitations/implications

The data were collected from one public sector university of Hail province, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Only four external factors were taken into consideration in investigating its influence on the commitment in use of technology. There could be other external/environmental factors which might be useful to underpin the theory and advance literature.

Practical implications

In-service and trainee faculties should take an advantage of using learning management system. Faculty should create a positive learning environment in their online classes so the learners can take a benefit out of the immense investment on ICT by ministry of higher education. Apart from giving training to teaching staff in use of technology, learners should also be given a platform to increase and improve their digital literacy. Workshops can be conducted frequently for both faculties and learners. Faculty can offer additional and out of the class support to their reluctant and weak students in order to assist them in the use of technology.

Originality/value

Technology integration after COVID-19 outbreak has significantly changed the education sector throughout the world. The use of technology now is unavoidable at primary, secondary and at tertiary level. This study provides an exclusive viewpoint concerning the external/environmental evidence based findings that have not been investigated empirically in the Saudi Arabian context. The current study also provides statistically a theoretical five-component model to understand the phenomena in the field of information communication technology.
The effect of macroeconomic variables on the robustness of the traditional Fama–French model. A study for Mexico using different portfolios
Authors: Saucedo Eduardo , González Jorge
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Fama–French model (FFM) has been successful in helping to predict the financial markets, but investors have been interested in creating more sophisticated models to better predict the performance of the stock market. The objective of the extended version is to create a more robust econometric model to better predict the performance of the Mexican Stock Market.

Design/methodology/approach

The study divides the Mexican Stock Market into six different portfolios. The criteria to build those portfolios are the same one used in Fama–French (1992). The study comprises 78 stocks listed in the Mexican Stock Market that are analyzed monthly during 1997–2018. The study analyzes the period before and after the 2008–2009 financial crisis to identify whether there are important changes. The estimation applies the traditional and an extended version of the FFM that include macroeconomic variables such as country risk, economic activity, inflation rate, and exchange rate and some financial variables recommended in the literature.

Findings

Results indicate that classic FFM variables are statistically significant in most cases, but relevant macroeconomic variables such as the interest rate, exchange rate and country risk stand out for being weakly relevant in most of the portfolios. However, it is noticed that some of these macroeconomic variables became relevant for different portfolios only after the 2008–2009 crisis, especially in portfolios which include small market capitalization firms.

Research limitations/implications

The study includes the stocks listed in the Mexican Stock Market. One limitation is the small number of stocks available, which reduces the possibility of creating well diversified portfolios. This study includes 78 stocks. The stocks removed from the sample are from firms that were not listed during six consecutive months or whose market capitalization did not change in the same period. Outlier data were removed from the sample to capture in better way the general performance of the stock market.

Practical implications

The objective of the extended version is to create a more robust econometric model than the traditional model. It is expected that such estimations can be helpful to investors to make better decisions when they try to predict performance in the stock market.

Social implications

An extended version of the FFM can be helpful to investors to make better decisions when they try to predict performance in the stock market.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge there are no more studies in the literature of the Mexican financial market that apply the same methodology.
Do manufacturing firms in Bangladesh engage in earnings management to avoid losses? Further evidence using the governance elements as monitors
Authors: Adhikary Bishnu Kumar , Mitra Ranjan Kumar , Meah Mohammad Rajon
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the earnings management practices of the listed manufacturing firms in Bangladesh and assess the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on such earnings management behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies the real earnings management (REM) model developed by Dechow et al. (1998) and implemented by Roychowdhury (2006) and modified Jones model (1991) for the proxy of accrual-based earnings management (AEM). It uses a pooled ordinary least square regression model corrected with robust standard errors for empirical analysis.

Findings

The study finds that firms with small positive earnings per share are engaged in AEM to avoid losses. Also, firm managers craft discretionary expenses to manage real earnings. For governance factors, the institutional shareholders tend to play a significant role in limiting both REM and AEM embedded in generally accepted accounting principles or International Financial Reporting Standards. Also, factors such as foreign ownership and board size significantly restrict REM, whereas director ownership encourages the same. The paper does not reveal any significant monitoring role for other governance factors in curbing either REM or AEM practices by Bangladeshi firms.

Research limitations/implications

The paper studies the monitoring role of governance mechanisms on listed manufacturing firms’ earnings management. A study of separating the listed firms into family and non-family ones could be interesting for future research.

Practical implications

The paper unveils earning management techniques used by firms in Bangladesh and provides critical policy implications to the corporate governance mechanisms that effectively limit earnings management practice.

Social implications

The social significance is to aware constituents of financial reporting about the earnings management behavior by firms in emerging economies.

Originality/value

The study adds to evidence that the manufacturing firms in Bangladesh adopt both REM and AEM techniques to avoid losses. Simultaneously, the paper highlights some critical governance factors that can restrict misleading earnings management behavior by firms in an emerging economy to assist in policymaking.
Corporate governance and firm performance: empirical evidence from Jordan
Authors: Alodat Ahmad Yuosef , Salleh Zalailah , Hashim Hafiza Aishah , Sulong Farizah
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to assess the effect of director board and audit committee attributes and ownership structure on firm performance. In general, resource dependency and agency theories have underlined the superior performance of firms equipped with stronger Corporate Governance (CG) versus those of deficient governance. Concurrently, the study delineated the provisions of ownership structure provision, specifically foreign ownership and institutional ownerships, thus describing the component denoting the structural significance in explicating firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study implemented an empirical approach involving the construction of extensive CG measures thus, subjected to 81 non-financial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange spanning the period of 2014–2018.

Findings

The current study identified the positive and significant relationship between the board of directors and audit committee characteristics with the firm performance measures tested, namely, return on equity (ROE) and Tobin’s Q. In terms of ownership structure, both foreign and institutional ownerships yielded a significant and positive relationship with ROE. Meanwhile, Tobin’s Q led to an insignificant and negative relationship between both ownership types and firm performance measures.

Practical implications

The analytical outcomes substantiate the possibility of enhanced performance shown by growing global firms because of the implementation of CG mechanisms, specifically because of the practices resulting in minimised agency costs.

Originality/value

The current study offers novel evidence detailing the impact of CG effectiveness towards performance and its implementation in emerging markets following the minimal amount of scholarly efforts on the topic. It is a timely contribution towards the current understanding of the relationship linking governance and performance for the purpose of ensuring the adoption and imposition of a strong corporate governance code by the government.
Does financial performance moderate the relationship between board attributes and corporate social responsibility in French firms?
Authors: Dakhli Anissa
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study how board attributes impact corporate social responsibility (CSR). In particular, this paper aims to empirically examine the impact of financial performance on the relationship between board attributes and CSR. Board attributes such as board size, board independence, female board representation and CEO-chair duality are included.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses panel data set of 200 French companies listed during 2007–2018 period. The direct and moderating effects were tested by using multiple regression technique.

Findings

The results indicate that significant direct relationships exist among board attributes and CSR. Board independence and female board representation are positively linked with CSR. However, board size and CEO duality are negatively associated with CSR. Findings show, also, that corporate financial performance accentuates significantly the effect of board size, board independence and CEO-duality on CSR, but does not moderate the relationship between female board representation and CSR.

Practical implications

The findings may be of interest to different stakeholders and policy-makers and regulatory bodies interested in enhancing CG initiatives to strengthen corporate social responsibility because it suggests thinking about implementing a broadly accepted framework of good CG practices to meet the demand for greater transparency and accountability. As an extension to this research, further study can examine the impact of ownership structure and audit quality on CSR issues.

Originality/value

This study extends the dynamic relationship between CG mechanisms and CSR by offering new evidence on how corporate financial moderates this relationship.