bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unilateral Isolated Paucisymptomatic Optic Disc Edema
Authors: Hawy Eman , Sharma Rahul A. , Peragallo Jason H. , Dattilo Michael , Newman Nancy J. , Biousse Valérie
Published: December 2020

Background:

Unilateral isolated optic disc edema (UIODE) represents a challenging clinical presentation that frequently precipitates an extensive diagnostic work-up. Patients without an apparent diagnosis despite appropriate investigations are often categorized as having “papillophlebitis,” an entity that is poorly defined in the existing literature. Our aim was to describe the characteristics of a series of patients with paucisymptomatic UIODE, determine the optimal diagnostic approach to such cases, and clarify the clinical features of presumed papillophlebitis.

Methods:

We retrospectively identified 29 patients with UIODE who were seen by neuro-ophthalmologists at a single center between 2005 and 2019. Each patient presented with isolated, unilateral disc edema that was either entirely asymptomatic or associated with minimal visual symptoms. Patients underwent a comprehensive neuro-ophthalmic evaluation and several ophthalmic and systemic investigations. Data from the initial visit and all subsequent clinical visits were collected, including patient demographics, examination findings, and details of the diagnostic work-up.

Results:

Our 29 patients with UIODE were found to have a variety of underlying diagnoses including unilateral papilledema due to idiopathic intracranial hypertension (10 patients), optic nerve sheath meningioma (5), incipient nonarteritic anterior ischemic neuropathy (4), vitreopapillary traction (3), orbital masses (2), a peripapillary choroidal neovascular membrane (1), and presumed papillophlebitis (4). The duration of disc edema varied considerably based on the etiology, but most patients had favorable visual outcomes.

Conclusions:

A systematic approach to the evaluation of UIODE, combined with long-term follow-up, led to a definite diagnosis in a majority of patients, with only 4 patients presumed to have papillophlebitis, a diagnosis the actual existence of which remains controversial.
Making gene drive biodegradable
Authors: Zapletal Josef , Najmitabrizi Neda , Erraguntla Madhav , Lawley Mark A. , Myles Kevin M. , Adelman Zach N.
Published: December 2020

Gene drive systems have long been sought to modify mosquito populations and thus combat malaria and dengue. Powerful gene drive systems have been developed in laboratory experiments, but may never be used in practice unless they can be shown to be acceptable through rigorous field-based testing. Such testing is complicated by the anticipated difficulty in removing gene drive transgenes from nature. Here, we consider the inclusion of self-elimination mechanisms into the design of homing-based gene drive transgenes. This approach not only caused the excision of the gene drive transgene, but also generates a transgene-free allele resistant to further action by the gene drive. Strikingly, our models suggest that this mechanism, acting at a modest rate (10%) as part of a single-component system, would be sufficient to cause the rapid reversion of even the most robust homing-based gene drive transgenes, without the need for further remediation. Modelling also suggests that unlike gene drive transgenes themselves, self-eliminating transgene approaches are expected to tolerate substantial rates of failure. Thus, self-elimination technology may permit rigorous field-based testing of gene drives by establishing strict time limits on the existence of gene drive transgenes in nature, rendering them essentially biodegradable.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases'.
WolbachiastrainwAlbB maintains high density and dengue inhibition following introduction into a field population ofAedes aegypti
Authors: Ahmad Noor Afizah , Mancini Maria-Vittoria , Ant Thomas H. , Martinez Julien , Kamarul Ghazali M. R. , Nazni Wasi A. , Hoffmann Ary A. , Sinkins Steven P.
Published: December 2020

Aedes aegyptimosquitoes carrying thewAlbBWolbachiastrain show a reduced capacity to transmit dengue virus.wAlbB has been introduced into wildAe. aegyptipopulations in several field sites in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where it has persisted at high frequency for more than 2 years and significantly reduced dengue incidence. Although these encouraging results indicate thatwAlbB releases can be an effective dengue control strategy, the long-term success depends onwAlbB maintaining high population frequencies and virus transmission inhibition, and both could be compromised byWolbachia–host coevolution in the field. Here,wAlbB-carryingAe. aegypticollected from the field 20 months after the cessation of releases showed no reduction inWolbachiadensity or tissue distribution changes compared to awAlbB laboratory colony. ThewAlbB strain continued to induce complete unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility, showed perfect maternal transmission under laboratory conditions, and retained its capacity to inhibit dengue. Additionally, a field-collectedwAlbB line was challenged with Malaysian dengue patient blood, and showed significant blocking of virus dissemination to the salivary glands. These results indicate thatwAlbB continues to inhibit currently circulating strains of dengue in field populations ofAe. aegypti, and provides additional support for the continued scale-up ofWolbachiawAlbB releases for dengue control.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases’.
Differential attraction in mosquito–human interactions and implications for disease control
Authors: Martinez Julien , Showering Alicia , Oke Catherine , Jones Robert T. , Logan James G.
Published: December 2020

Mosquito-borne diseases are a major burden on human health worldwide and their eradication through vector control methods remains challenging. In particular, the success of vector control interventions for targeting diseases such as malaria is under threat, in part due to the evolution of insecticide resistance, while for other diseases effective control solutions are still lacking. The rate at which mosquitoes encounter and bite humans is a key determinant of their capacity for disease transmission. Future progress is strongly reliant on improving our understanding of the mechanisms leading to a mosquito bite. Here, we review the biological factors known to influence the attractiveness of mosquitoes to humans, such as body odour, the skin microbiome, genetics and infection by parasites. We identify the knowledge gaps around the relative contribution of each factor, and the potential links between them, as well as the role of natural selection in shaping vector–host–parasite interactions. Finally, we argue that addressing these questions will contribute to improving current tools and the development of novel interventions for the future.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases'.
The use of molecular xenomonitoring for surveillance of mosquito-borne diseases
Authors: Cameron Mary M. , Ramesh Anita
Published: December 2020

The scientific community recognizes that molecular xenomonitoring (MX) can allow infected mosquitoes to serve as a proxy for human infection in vector-borne disease surveillance, but developing reliable MX systems for programmatic use has been challenging. The primary aim of this article is to examine the available evidence to recommend how MX can best be used for various purposes. Although much of the literature published within the last 20 years focuses on using MX for lymphatic filariasis elimination, a growing body of evidence supports its use in early warning systems for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). An MX system design must consider the goal and target (e.g. diseases targeted for elimination versus EIDs), mosquito and pathogen characteristics, and context (e.g. setting and health system). MX is currently used as a ‘supplement’ to human surveillance and will not be considered as a ‘replacement’ until the correlation between pathogen-infection rates in human and mosquito populations is better understood. Establishing such relationships may not be feasible in elimination scenarios, due to increasingly dwindling human infection prevalence after successful control, but may still be possible for EIDs and in integrated disease surveillance systems.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases'.
Assessing the impact of low-technology emanators alongside long-lasting insecticidal nets to control malaria
Authors: Hellewell Joel , Sherrard-Smith Ellie , Ogoma Sheila , Churcher Thomas S.
Published: December 2020

Malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa relies on the widespread use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) or the indoor residual spraying of insecticide. Disease transmission may be maintained even when these indoor interventions are universally used as some mosquitoes will bite in the early morning and evening when people are outside. As countries seek to eliminate malaria, they can target outdoor biting using new vector control tools such as spatial repellent emanators, which emit airborne insecticide to form a protective area around the user. Field data are used to incorporate a low-technology emanator into a mathematical model of malaria transmission to predict its public health impact across a range of scenarios. Targeting outdoor biting by repeatedly distributing emanators alongside LLINs increases the chance of elimination, but the additional benefit depends on the level of anthropophagy in the local mosquito population, emanator effectiveness and the pre-intervention proportion of mosquitoes biting outdoors. High proportions of pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes diminish LLIN impact because of reduced mosquito mortality. When mosquitoes are highly anthropophagic, this reduced mortality leads to more outdoor biting and a reduced additional benefit of emanators, even if emanators are assumed to retain their effectiveness in the presence of pyrethroid resistance. Different target product profiles are examined, which show the extra epidemiological benefits of spatial repellents that induce mosquito mortality.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases’.
When to retrieve and encode episodic memories: a neural network model of hippocampal-cortical interaction
Authors: Lu Qihong , Hasson Uri , Norman Kenneth A.
Published: December 2020

Recent human behavioral and neuroimaging results suggest that people are selective in when they encode and retrieve episodic memories. To explain these findings, we trained a memory-augmented neural network to use its episodic memory to support prediction of upcoming states in an environment where past situations sometimes reoccur. We found that the network learned to retrieve selectively as a function of several factors, including its uncertainty about the upcoming state. Additionally, we found that selectively encoding episodic memories at the end of an event (but not mid-event) led to better subsequent prediction performance. In all of these cases, the benefits of selective retrieval and encoding can be explained in terms of reducing the risk of retrieving irrelevant memories. Overall, these modeling results provide a resource-rational account of why episodic retrieval and encoding should be selective and lead to several testable predictions.
Structural refinement of the auditory brainstem neurons in baboons during perinatal development
Authors: Kim Eun-Jung , Nip Kaila , Blanco Cynthia , Kim Jun Hee
Published: December 2020

Children born prematurely suffer from learning disabilities and exhibit reading, speech, and cognitive difficulties, which are associated with an auditory processing disorder. However, it is unknown whether gestational age at delivery and the unnatural auditory environment in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) collectively affect proper auditory development and neuronal circuitry in premature newborns. We morphologically characterized fetal development of the medial superior olivary nucleus (MSO), an area important for binaural hearing and sound localization, in the auditory brainstem of baboon neonates at different gestational ages. Axonal and synaptic structures and the tonotopic differentiation of ion channels in the MSO underwent profound refinements after hearing onset in the uterus. In preterm baboon neonates, these developmental refinements of the MSO were significantly altered by limited maternal sound inputs from the isolated and unnatural environment in the NICU. Thus, the maternal environment, including auditory stimuli in uterus, is essential for auditory nervous system development during the last trimester of pregnancy and critically affects the anatomic and functional formation of synapses and neural circuitry in the preterm newborn brain.
Bioinformatics Analysis of Key Genes and Pathways for Obesity Associated Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as a Therapeutic Target
Authors: Vastrad Basavaraj , Tengli Anandkumar , Vastrad Chanabasayya , Kotturshetti Iranna
Published: December 2020

Obesity associated type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most common metabolic disorder worldwide. The prognosis of obesity associated type 2 diabetes mellitus patients has remained poor, though considerable efforts have been made to improve the treatment of this metabolic disorder. Therefore, identifying significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated in metabolic disorder advancement and exploiting them as new biomarkers or potential therapeutic targets for metabolic disorder is highly valuable. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out from gene expression omnibus (GEO) dataset (GSE132831) and subjected to GO and REACTOME pathway enrichment analyses. The protein - protein interactions network, module analysis, target gene - miRNA regulatory network and target gene - TF regulatory network were constructed, and the top ten hub genes were selected. The relative expression of hub genes was detected in RT-PCR. Furthermore, diagnostic value of hub genes in obesity associated type 2 diabetes mellitus patients was investigated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Small molecules were predicted for obesity associated type 2 diabetes mellitus by using molecular docking studies. A total of 872 DEGs, including 439 up regulated genes and 432 down regulated genes were observed. Second, functional enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs are mainly involved in the axon guidance, neutrophil degranulation, plasma membrane bounded cell projection organization and cell activation. The top ten hub genes (MYH9, FLNA, DCTN1, CLTC, ERBB2, TCF4, VIM, LRRK2, IFI16 and CAV1) could be utilized as potential diagnostic indicators for obesity associated type 2 diabetes mellitus. The hub genes were validated in obesity associated type 2 diabetes mellitus. This investigation found effective and reliable molecular biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis by integrated bioinformatics analysis, suggesting new and key therapeutic targets for obesity associated type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Single-cell characterization of subsolid and solid lesions in the lung adenocarcinoma spectrum
Authors: Yanagawa J. , Tran L.M. , Fung E. , Wallace W.D. , Prosper A.E. , Fishbein G.A. , Shea C. , Hong R. , Liu B. , Salehi-Rad R. , Deng J. , Gower A.C. , Campbell J.D. , Mazzilli S.A. , Beane-Ebel J. , Kadara H. , Lenburg M.E. , Spira A.E. , Aberle D.R. , Krysan K. , Dubinett S.M.
Published: December 2020

Determining the clinical significance of CT scan-detected subsolid pulmonary nodules requires an understanding of the molecular and cellular features that may foreshadow disease progression. We studied the alterations at the transcriptome level in both immune and non-immune cells, utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing, to compare the microenvironment of subsolid, solid, and non-involved lung tissues from surgical resection specimens. This evaluation of early spectrum lung adenocarcinoma reveals a significant decrease in the cytolytic activities of natural killer and natural killer T cells, accompanied by a reduction of effector T cells as well as an increase of CD4+regulatory T cells in subsolid lesions. Characterization of non-immune cells revealed that both cancer-associated alveolar type 2 cells and fibroblasts contribute to the deregulation of the extracellular matrix, potentially affecting immune infiltration in subsolid lesions through ligand-receptor interactions. These findings suggest a decrement of immune surveillance in subsolid lesions.
Deep Template-based Protein Structure Prediction
Authors: Wu Fandi , Xu Jinbo
Published: December 2020

Motivation

TBM (template-based modeling) is a popular method for protein structure prediction. When very good templates are not available, it is challenging to identify the best templates, build accurate sequence-template alignments and construct 3D models from alignments.

Results

This paper presents a new method NDThreader (New Deep-learning Threader) to address the challenges of TBM. DNThreader first employs DRNF (deep convolutional residual neural fields), which is an integration of deep ResNet (convolutional residue neural networks) and CRF (conditional random fields), to align a query protein to templates without using any distance information. Then NDThreader uses ADMM (alternating direction method of multipliers) and DRNF to further improve sequence-template alignments by making use of predicted distance potential. Finally NDThreader builds 3D models from a sequence-template alignment by feeding it and sequence co-evolution information into a deep ResNet to predict inter-atom distance distribution, which is then fed into PyRosetta for 3D model construction. Our experimental results on the CASP13 and CAMEO data show that our methods outperform existing ones such as CNFpred, HHpred, DeepThreader and CEthreader. NDThreader was blindly tested in CASP14 as a part of RaptorX server, which obtained the best GDT score among all CASP14 servers on the 58 TBM targets.

Availability and Implementation

available as a part of web server athttp://raptorx.uchicago.edu

Contact

jinboxu@gmail.com

Supplementary Information

Supplementary data are available online.
Solubility product constant directs the formation of biomolecular condensates
Authors: Chattaraj Aniruddha , Blinov Michael L. , Loew Leslie M.
Published: December 2020

Biomolecular condensates, formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), are important cellular structures. Using stochastic network-free kinetic models, we establish a physical-chemical basis for the concentration threshold of heterotypic multivalent molecules required for LLPS. We associate phase separation with a bimodal partitioning of the cluster distribution into small oligomers vs. huge polymers. The simulations reveal that LLPS obeys the solubility product constant (Ksp): the product of monomer concentrations, accounting for ideal stoichiometries, does not exceed a threshold no matter how much additional monomer is added to the system – additional monomer is funneled into large clusters. The Ksp applies over a range of valencies and stoichiometries. However, consistent with the importance of disordered domains for LLPS, removing flexible linker domains funnels valency-matched monomers into a “dimer trap”, and Ksp no longer defines a threshold for large cluster formation. We propose Ksp as a new tool for elucidating biomolecular condensate biophysics.
Innovation-driven development strategy and research development investment: a case study of Chinese sport firms
Authors: Chen Gang , Mao Luke L. , Pifer Nathan David , Zhang James J.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study investigated the effectiveness and applicability of China’s innovation-driven policies on encouraging sports firms to invest in research and development (R&D) activities.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a series of multiple linear regression models, this study examined the direct and interaction effects of innovation-driven polices and firm characteristics on R&D investment for sport firms listed on the New Third Board in China.

Findings

Results showed that financing constraints and certification as a high-tech enterprise were not themselves significant predictors of R&D investment; instead, the number of R&D staff and a firm's total assets were identified as key internal factors predicting the level of a firm's R&D investment. Other effective policy tools for stimulating Chinese sport firms' R&D investments included pre-tax deductions of R&D expenses, government R&D subsidies and income tax relief for high-tech enterprises, although their effects were heterogeneous.

Research limitations/implications

This study observes a new theoretical discovery that when the financing constraints do not limit R&D investment, innovation-driven strategies remain effective tools to stimulate the R&D investment of sports firms.

Practical implications

The findings provided practical guidance for both government–industry policymakers and sport business managers to prioritize the identified areas of significance when promoting R&D.

Originality/value

First, this study focused on sport firms, which constitute a quickly growing industrial sector in China. The findings offered important insights for the government as well as corporate management with regard to promoting new industries and new enterprises. Second, this paper analyzed the effects of three special innovation-driven policies on R&D investment and explored enterprise innovation development in more detail. Third, this paper discussed not only the effects of innovation-driven policies on R&D investment but also the heterogeneity of their effects. The related conclusions could help improve the development, implementation and assessment of innovation-driven policies.
The growth of cyber entrepreneurship in the food industry: virtual community engagement in the COVID-19 era
Authors: Tajvidi Rana , Tajvidi Mina
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The sustainable development goals are the plans to accomplish a recovering and more sustainable future for all. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges are more for achieving these goals by entrepreneurship. With the pandemic challenges, new technological advancements have become the foundation of an emerging form of entrepreneurship known as cyber entrepreneurship. Although a small segment of burgeoning literature on this topic has been recently tended to study cyber entrepreneurship, it offers only a partial understanding of those concepts, especially for community engagement in the food industry during the pandemic. This paper aims to explore cyber entrepreneurship in the food industry and its opportunities for entrepreneurs in epidemics such as COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach

This study using a case study approach identifies and explores the fundamental aspects of cyber entrepreneurship. This study employs empirical research with a holistic overview of the existing literature to define the different forms of entrepreneurship in the current digital age, focusing on COVID-19 implications for cyber entrepreneurship.

Findings

The result of this paper provides a better understanding of a new form of entrepreneurship in cyberspace as innovative practice for firms. This study reveals that cyber entrepreneurship can develop community engagement during pandemic circumstances, such as COVID-19 in the food industry.

Originality/value

This research demonstrates entrepreneurial processes around sustainable business behaviours by focusing on community engagement. It opens a window into the exploration of cyber entrepreneurship in the food industry.
Analyzing bidding competitiveness and success rate of contractors competing for public construction projects
Authors: Alkhateeb Ahmad M. , Hyari Khaled Hesham , Hiyassat Mohammed A.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and evaluate bidding competitiveness and success rate of contractors bidding for public construction projects (PCPs). Additionally, this research determines the effect of work sector, contractor’s classification category (experience), project size and number of bidders on contractors’ bidding competitiveness, and the influence of work sector and classification category on their success rate.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through 2,296 bidding attempts for 289 tender projects that were announced by the Government Tenders Department in Jordan between 2013 and 2016. The research uses bid competitiveness percentage (BCP) to evaluate contractors’ bidding competitiveness. Pearson correlation is used to investigate the correlation among variables. Hypothesis testing using ANOVA was conducted to evaluate the effect of the abovementioned factors on contractors’ bidding competitiveness, and their success rate.

Findings

The results of the analysis indicate that contractors’ average BCP and success rate in Jordanian PCPs are 83.8% and 13.3%, respectively. The analysis also reveals that work sector, contractor’s classification category, project size and number of bidders significantly affect contractors’ bidding competitiveness, whereas classification category and work sector do not affect bidding success rate. Therefore, experience of contractors affects their bidding competitiveness, but does not affect their success rate.

Originality/value

The present research uses contractors’ bidding success rate as a measure to evaluate their bidding competitiveness for PCPs. The novel model of this research can be applied in any country, after considering local regulations, to measure and evaluate contractors’ bidding competitiveness, and success rate when bidding for PCPs. Also, contractors cannot depend on their experience (i.e. classification category) or increasing bidding attempts to win bids and improve bidding success rate, rather than enhance their bidding strategy.
The role of intellectual capital in financial development: evidence from the banking sector of Turkey
Authors: Uslu Hakan
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The objective of this study is to explore and compare intellectual capital (IC) and its three components in deposit, investment and participation banks operating in Turkey’s banking sector, and to analyze empirically the relationship between intellectual capital and financial performances of the banks.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a panel data of 46 banks operating in the Turkish banking system during the period of 2005–2019. To measure intellectual capital, value-added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) is used, consisting of the efficiency of a firm’s three types of capital – that is human, structural and employed capitals. To examine the proposed research hypotheses for each bank type separately, multiple regression analysis methods are used.

Findings

The findings of this paper reveal a positive and statistically significant relationship between IC and financial performance of the banks. Specifically, two of the components of IC, namely, employed and human capital efficiencies, are the most influential value drivers for the financial profitability of the banks, whereas structural capital efficiency has less importance in the profitability of the banks. The financial performance of the banks in Turkey is affected mostly by human capital. Therefore, if banks plan to increase their profitability, they need to pay more attention to human capital than structural and employed capitals.

Originality/value

The current study can be considered as one of the most comprehensive studies on analyzing the relationship between intellectual capital and financial performances of businesses in the Turkish banking sector. The previous studies analyzed either the banks individually or all banks as one group. The paper provides a valuable framework for executives, managers and policymakers in managing IC within the Turkish context as the most comprehensive study in the relevant literature.
A holistic review of research studies on financial risk management in public–private partnership projects
Authors: Akomea-Frimpong Isaac , Jin Xiaohua , Osei-Kyei Robert
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Globally, the management of financial risks has gained much attention in the public–private partnerships (PPP) market in recent years. Existing studies rank financial risks among the topmost risk factors that determine the success or failure of a PPP project. As essential for managing financial risks, a systematic review of previous studies on financial risk management of PPP from 1995 to 2019 (inclusive of both years) has been presented in this paper.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper undertakes a systematic analysis of 49 relevant and available studies on financial risk management of PPP projects.

Findings

From the results, high-interest charges, increased construction costs and increased market risks are some of the key financial risks hampering the success of PPP projects. Techniques used to assess financial risks include Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) and Net Present Value (NPV). Financial risks control adopted by project managers include minimum revenue guarantee and real option pricing. Extremely limited studies on financial risk management in PPP projects in developing economies was revealed.

Practical implications

Project managers in developing financial risk management models may use the outcome of this paper to improve the financial success of PPP projects. Holistically, researchers will be guided to investigate and heighten the pertinent issues on financial risk management of PPP projects in academia.

Originality/value

The results provide a rare guide to project managers in controlling financial risks of PPP projects which is an unexplored topic. It is also the first paper to highlight the issues of financial risk management in PPP projects research.
Influence of social media use at work on construction managers' work performance: the knowledge seeker's perspective
Authors: Jia Jianyao , Ma Guofeng , Jiang Shan , Wu Ming , Wu Zhijiang
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Although social media use at work has made great impact on employee work performance, little is known about the effect of social media use at work on construction employees, especially construction managers. In this way, the purpose of this study aims to investigate the impact of social media use at work on construction managers' work performance based on the enabler-process-intermediate outcome-performance framework.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts the knowledge seeker's perspective to empirically investigate the mechanism through which social media use at work impacts construction managers' work performance. Questionnaire survey was conducted with 210 construction managers to test the research model proposed in this study. A component-based structural equation modeling technique was employed to analyze the data.

Findings

Results show that social media use at work positively influences knowledge acquisition both internally and externally, and knowledge acquisition promotes task self-efficacy and creativity, which in turn improve construction managers' work performance. In addition, the interaction of task self-efficacy and creativity is found to negatively influence work performance.

Originality/value

These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding about the impact of social media use at work on construction managers' work performance. This research also provides informative insights for practitioners on how to improve work performance.
The Working Conditions Questionnaire: cross-cultural validation and scale refinement in six Ibero-American countries
Authors: Ochoa Pacheco Paola , Coello-Montecel David
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Working conditions constitute an important predictor of worker's wellbeing and, consequently, of organizational outcomes. The Working Conditions Questionnaire is derived from a theoretical framework in which working conditions within the organization are formulated as a triple relationship between the environment, the method and the individual. Previous studies have assessed the psychometric properties of this instrument, but its measurement invariance has not been evaluated before. In this context, this study's objective was to examine and validate the dimensionality of the questionnaire and to evaluate its measurement invariance across six Ibero-American countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected from 7,404 professionals from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Spain were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis.

Findings

Construct validity and reliability were confirmed. Also, results allowed to propose a refined version of the instrument in Spanish and Portuguese and confirmed its measurement invariance across six Ibero-American countries.

Originality/value

The study extends the current research by demonstrating the cross-cultural applicability of this instrument, improving future research in these six Ibero-American countries.
Evidence of impact of public equity instruments on firms’ outputs
Authors: Szkuta Katarzyna , Stamenov Blagoy , Cunningham Paul
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of public support through equity instruments on firm performance, as measured by growth in employment, turnover and innovative activities.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on available academic literature and policy evaluation studies and using a mixed-method approach based on evaluation synthesis.

Findings

The key findings reflect positive, albeit quantifiably small, outcomes for this type of policy intervention for employment and turnover and no effect on innovation. There is some concentration of positive results, which is also dependent on the number and quality of the available target companies.

Research limitations/implications

The evaluations used in this study vary considerably in their design, nature and the input and output variables used and, thus, limit a robust comparison of their outputs. Most of the evaluations examined in this paper did not control for multiple simultaneous treatment effects and/or subsequent funding rounds.

Practical implications

The evaluations are rarely designed to compare the treatment effects of alternative policy choices. Only seldom is an evaluation designed to assess the impact of the scheme in the context of the broader policy mix (with its framework conditions, etc.) which would provide more fine-grained policy implications.

Originality/value

The recent literature (Duruflé et al., 2017, Da Rin et al., 2011) highlights the dearth of studies exploring the role of government policies supporting venture and, more broadly, equity investments beyond comparisons of the efficiency of independent venture capital and government-backed venture capital. Most studies explore the impact in terms of exits, initial public offering and leverage effects whereas fewer studies look at output effects on companies such as turnover and employment growth. The paper aims to collect the existing evidence including less analysed policy evaluation studies and draw lessons for public policy.
A new grey prediction model considering the data gap compensation
Authors: Chang Che-Jung , Chen Chien-Chih , Dai Wen-Li , Li Guiping
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a small data set forecasting method to improve the effectiveness when making managerial decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

In the grey modeling process, appropriate background values are one of the key factors in determining forecasting accuracy. In this paper, grey compensation terms are developed to make more appropriate background values to further improve the forecasting accuracy of grey models.

Findings

In the experiment, three real cases were used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the accuracy of grey predictions. The results further indicate that background values determined by the proposed compensation terms can improve the accuracy of grey model in the three cases.

Originality/value

Previous studies determine appropriate background values within the limitation of traditional grey modeling process, while this study makes new background values without the limitation. The experimental results would encourage researchers to develop more accuracy grey models without the limitation when determining background values.
Mobile banking adoption: a systematic review
Authors: Souiden Nizar , Ladhari Riadh , Chaouali Walid
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study is a systematic review of mobile banking services. Its main objective is to provide a state-of-the-art review of this particular growing type of services. It inventories and assesses the most significant determinants of and barriers to consumers' adoption of mobile banking. Moreover, it identifies the most common consequences of this adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

By using three major academic databases (ABI/INFORM global, Web of Science and Business Source Premier), this paper selected 76 manuscripts and produced a systematic review that exposes the main theories, conceptual frameworks and models used to explain consumers' adoption of mobile banking.

Findings

The results show that the TAM (technology of acceptance model), followed by the UTAUT (unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology), are still the main conceptual frameworks and models adopted and adapted by scholars to explain consumers' use or intention of using mobile banking. Using the vote counting method, a myriad of antecedents and consequences that are frequently used in the literature of mobile banking are reported. These were categorized into five main perspectives: (1) m-banking attributes-based perspective, (2) customer-based perspective, (3) social influence-based perspective, (4) trust-based perspective and (5) barriers-based perspective.

Originality/value

An integrated model regrouping and relating the five perspectives is proposed, leading to intriguing implications for both academics and practitioners.
Impact of organizational mistreatment on employee performance in the hotel industry
Authors: Sarwar Aisha , Muhammad Lakhi
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that can hinder employee performance. Thereof, this study also investigates the mediating role of perceived incivility and the moderating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) to address “why” and “when” employee performance is undermined.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 485 employees of hotel industry were gathered in two-time intervals (T1 and T2) by conducting a survey. The time interval gap between Time 1 and Time 2 was 15 days. The data of the respondents were analyzed by using Smart PLS3.

Findings

The results revealed that injustice perceptions led to perceived incivility, while organizational dehumanization and perceived incivility decreased employee performance. Perceived incivility mediated the relationship between interactional injustice and employee performance. Moreover, PsyCap played the moderating role in curbing the effect of stressor.

Practical implications

This study offers hotel managers a valuable insight to formulate effective strategies that can enhance performance and PsyCap amongst their employees, aside from minimizing stressors within the context of hotel industry.

Originality/value

This research contributes to literature by focusing on factors that can undermine employee performance. The study outcomes have essential implications for students, researchers and practitioners. The valuable insights facilitate researchers to focus on factors that lead to deterioration of employee performance, instead of investigating the often-sought employee performance increment factors. This study aids fresh research endeavor by establishing a new avenue for investigation. Hotel managers may find this study insightful to minimize adverse stressors that could deteriorate employee performance.
Is resilience a unique extension rather than a rejection of neoliberalism? A critical reading of David Chandler’s writings on resilience
Authors: Samaraweera H. Unnathi S.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to engage with the concept of resilience as theorized by David Chandler in his book Resilience: The Governance of Complexity by drawing from the theory of governmentality presented by Michel Foucault and Jonathan Joseph.

Design/methodology/approach

Evolving from classical liberalism to neoliberalism and from natural sciences to social sciences, the term “resilience” raises many questions about its sustainability in terms of its meaning and complexity. While most scholars tend to underscore the significance and practicality of the term, a few scholars argue that it is a failed dogma with neoliberal characteristics. As this is a theory-based study, its methodology involves close readings of academic texts produced mainly by David Chandler, Michel Foucault and Jonathan Joseph.

Findings

The central argument in this paper is though Chandler convincingly explains the paradigm shift of the term resilience from classical to neoliberal, his theorizing lacks the understanding that the type of power and governmentality involved in individual freedom, autonomy and complexity are actually parts of the neoliberal state. Hence, the buzzword resilience today is actually an extension of the same neoliberal thought.

Originality/value

First, the author attempts to critically engage with the term resilience from a sociological point of view using purposively selected academic literature. Second, the paper attempts to bring Chandler’s conceptualization on resilience into the disaster context and evaluates its practicality within the tenets of neoliberalism by drawing on Joseph’s and Foucault’s theorizations.
The work readiness–career resilience linkage: implications for project talent management
Authors: Borg Jessica , Borg Naomi , Scott-Young Christina M. , Naderpajouh Nader
Published: December 2020

Purpose

There is a need for project management practitioners to adapt and thrive in today's volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) project-based workplaces. In this paper, the linkage between work readiness and career resilience is developed, presenting both concepts as critical for effective strategic responses and adaptation to the changing labor market in organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The resource-based view (RBV) and integrated dynamic capabilities (IDCs) are the theoretical lenses that are used to link the concepts of work readiness and career resilience across the individual and organizational levels.

Findings

A framework and model are proposed to establish a holistic understanding of catalysts for addressing the VUCA context that organizations face. The proposed conceptual linkage adds a chronological dimension to the formation of the interrelated dynamic capabilities during the early career phase of project management practitioners.

Practical implications

The contribution to the project management literature includes a theoretically driven conceptual framework that links two complementary concepts to address the career challenges faced by project managers. Work readiness is positioned as an enabler of career resilience and together they constitute vital attributes which foster talent retention in the current VUCA work environment.

Originality/value

Work readiness and career resilience are underexplored topics in the project management literature, both individually and in conjunction. Specifically, there is a research gap in view of linking these two concepts to present them as a catalyst for project management talent sustainability, and the proposed framework is an initial step in addressing these gaps.
Progressive mean exponentially weighted moving average control chart for monitoring the process location
Authors: Ajadi Nurudeen Ayobami , Asiribo Osebekwin , Dawodu Ganiyu
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study aims to focus on proposing a new memory-type chart called progressive mean exponentially weighted moving average (PMEWMA) control chart. This memory-type chart is an improvement on the existing progressive mean control chart, to detect small and moderate shifts in a process.

Design/methodology/approach

The PMEWMA control chart is developed by using a cumulative average of the exponentially weighted moving average scheme known as the progressive approach. This scheme is designed based on the assumption that data follow a normal distribution. In addition, the authors investigate the robustness of the proposed chart to the normality assumption.

Findings

The variance and the mean of the scheme are computed, and the mean is found to be an unbiased estimator of the population mean. The proposed chart's performance is compared with the existing charts in the literature by using the average run-length as the performance measure. Application examples from the petroleum and bottling industry are also presented for practical considerations. The comparison shows that the PMEWMA chart is quicker in detecting small shifts in the process than the other memory-type charts covered in this study. The authors also notice that the PMEWMA chart is affected by higher kurtosis and skewness.

Originality/value

A new memory-type scheme is developed in this research, which is efficient in detecting small and medium shifts of a process mean.
Views of fishers and decision-makers on the motivations for compliance in fisheries: a case study from Oman
Authors: Al-Qartoubi Ibrahim Abdullah , Al-Masroori Hussein Samh
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study integrates fishers’ and decision-makers’ views on the critical factors for non-compliance in the artisanal fisheries of Oman.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was implemented covering all coastal governorates of Oman. The questionnaires for fishers and decision-makers contained 46 and 43 questions, respectively, divided into various sections based on the Table of Eleven. Compliance factors were divided into spontaneous factors and enforcement factors. The data were collected through 1,242 questionnaires (1,125 fishers and 117 decision-makers).

Findings

The results indicated that spontaneous compliance factors (e.g. financial/economic, level of knowledge and social norms) and enforced compliance factors (e.g. social control, sanction certainty and sanction severity) have a significant influence on fishers' motivation to comply with regulations. The chi-square test (X2) was used to show that the differences between the means of responses of fishers and decision-makers in regard to the factors that influence non-compliance in the fishery were insignificant.

Originality/value

This consistency of opinions has an essential policy inference for the regulatory institutions in that it delivers assistance and trust in fisheries management authority's efforts to create effective compliance plans for the fisheries.