bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biochemical deconstruction and reconstruction of Nuclear Matrix reveals the layers of nuclear organization
Authors: Bihani Ashish , Avvaru Akshay K. , Mishra Rakesh K.
Published: January 2023

Nuclear Matrix (NuMat) is the fraction of the eukaryotic nucleus insoluble to detergents and high-salt extractions that manifests as a pan-nuclear fiber-granule network. NuMat consists of ribonucleoprotein complexes, members of crucial nuclear functional modules, and DNA fragments. Although NuMat captures the organization of non-chromatin nuclear space, very little is known about component organization within NuMat. To understand the organization of NuMat components, we subfractionated it with increasing concentrations of the chaotrope Guanidinium Hydrochloride (GdnHCl) and analyzed the proteomic makeup of the fractions. We observe that the solubilization of proteins at different concentrations of GdnHCl is finite and independent of the broad biophysical properties of the protein sequences. Looking at the extraction pattern of the Nuclear Envelope and Nuclear Pore Complex, we surmise that this fractionation represents easily-solubilized/loosely-bound and difficultly-solubilized/tightly-bound components of NuMat. Microscopic analyses of the localization of key NuMat proteins across sequential GdnHCl extractions ofin situNuMat further elaborate on the divergent extraction patterns. Furthermore, we solubilized NuMat in 8M GdnHCl and upon removal of GdnHCl through dialysis,en masserenaturation leads to RNA-dependent self-assembly of fibrous structures. The major proteome component of the self-assembled fibers comes from the difficultly-solubilized, tightly-bound component. This fractionation of the NuMat reveals different organizational levels within it which may reflect the structural and functional organization of nuclear architecture.
Bacterial vaginosis is associated with increased amylolytic activity
Authors: Hertzberger Rosanne , Himschoot Lisa , Bruisten Sylvia , Steenbergen Leon , Lewis Warren , Cools Piet , Kort Remco
Published: January 2023

Glycogen is the most abundant vaginal carbohydrate in reproductive aged women. Reduced vaginal glycogen is associated with lower levels ofLactobacillus crispatus, overgrowth of fastidious anaerobes such asGardnerella vaginalisand increased risk of adverse reproductive and sexual health outcomes. Here we show thatGardnerella vaginalis, Lactobacillus inersandLactobacillus crispatuscan autonomously utilize glycogen as a source for growth. Using an ungelatinized and labeled form of raw amylose, a more degradation-resistant α-1,4-glucan, we were able to discriminate between the alpha-glucosidase activities of common vaginal bacterial species. The bacteriaLactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus iners, Gardnerella piotiias well as several other common vaginal species were not capable of raw amylose degradation, whileGardnerella vaginalis, Gardnerella swidsinskiiandGardnerella leopoldiiwere, with the latter two having the highest degradation rates. In contrast to the glycogen-degrading activity we previously identified inLactobacillus crispatus, thisGardnerellaalpha-glucosidase activity was not cell-bound and not repressed in the presence of glucose. Raw amylose degradation activity in vaginal swabs was strongly associated with bacterial vaginosis as assessed by Nugent scoring. Overall, our results show that the dysbiotic microbiota of bacterial vaginosis is associated with increased amylolytic activity, which is also found in pure cultures ofGardnerellaspecies, but not in other common vaginal bacteria.
Geodesic theory of long association fibers guidance on the human fetal cortex
Authors: Horibe Kazuya , Taga Gentaro , Fujimoto Koichi
Published: January 2023

Association fibers connect different areas of the cerebral cortex over long distances and integrate information to achieve higher brain functions, particularly in humans. Prototyped association fibers are developed to the respective tangential direction throughout the cerebral hemispheres in the subplate layer during the fetal period. However, the directional guidance principle for forming association fibers is unknown. Because the subplate is located below the cortical surface, the tangential direction of the fibers may be biased by the curved surface geometry due to Sylvian fissure and cortical poles. The fiber length can be minimized if the tracts follow the shortest paths (geodesics) of the curved cortical surface. Here, we propose and examine a theory that geodesics guide the tangential direction of long association fibers by analyzing how geodesics are spatially distributed on the fetal human brains. Unlike the homogeneous distribution on spherical surfaces, we found that the geodesics were dense on the saddle-shaped surface of the perisylvian region and sparse on the dome-shaped cortical poles. The geodesics corresponded with the positions of five typical association fibers, supporting the geodesic theory. Thus, the geodesic theory provides directional guidance and suggests that long association fibers emerge from minimizing their tangential length on fetal brains.
Rapid and accurate taxonomic classification of cpn60 amplicon sequence variants
Authors: Ren Qingyi , Hill Janet E.
Published: January 2023

The “universal target” region of the gene encoding the 60 kDa chaperonin protein (cpn60, also known as groEL or hsp60) is a proven sequence barcode for bacteria and a useful target for marker gene amplicon-based studies of complex microbial communities. To date, identification of cpn60 sequence variants from microbiome studies has been accomplished by alignment of queries to a reference database. Naïve Bayesian classifiers including the RDP classifier offer an alternative identification method that provides variable rank classification and shorter analysis times. We curated a set of cpn60 barcode sequences to train the RDP classifier and tested its performance on data from previous human microbiome studies. Results showed that sequences accounting for 79%, 86% and 92% of the observations (read counts) in saliva, vagina and infant stool microbiome data sets were classified to the species rank. We also established a threshold confidence value of 0.6 at phylum rank for filtering non-target amplicon sequences from study data and demonstrated that trimming the training sequences to match the lengths of the queries is not needed for accurate cpn60 sequence classification. Successful implementation of a naïve Bayesian classifier for cpn60 sequences will facilitate future microbiome studies and open opportunities to integrate cpn60 amplicon sequence identification into existing analysis pipelines.
Spectro-temporal acoustical markers differentiate speech from song across cultures
Authors: Albouy Philippe , Mehr Samuel A. , Hoyer Roxane S. , Ginzburg Jérémie , Du Yi , Zatorre Robert J.
Published: January 2023

Humans produce two forms of cognitively complex vocalizations: speech and song. It is debated whether these differ based primarily on culturally specific, learned features, or if acoustical features can reliably distinguish them. We study the spectro-temporal modulation patterns of vocalizations produced by 369 people living in 21 urban, rural, and small-scale societies across six continents. Specific ranges of spectral and temporal modulations, overlapping within categories and across societies, significantly differentiate speech from song. Machine-learning classification shows that this effect is cross-culturally robust, vocalizations being reliably classified solely from their spectro-temporal features across all 21 societies. Listeners unfamiliar with the cultures classify these vocalizations using similar spectro-temporal cues as the machine learning algorithm. Finally, spectro-temporal features are better able to discriminate song from speech than a broad range of other acoustical variables, suggesting that spectro-temporal modulation—a key feature of auditory neuronal tuning—accounts for a fundamental difference between these categories.

Two-Sentence Summary

What distinguishes singing from speaking? The authors show that consistent acoustical spectro-temporal features are sufficient to distinguish speech and song reliably across different societies throughout the world.
HEXOKINASE-dependent regulation of WRKY transcription factors in Arabidopsis
Authors: Boyte Joshua M. , Xie Runyu , Liu Yandong , Li Xiang , Buckley Christopher R. , Haydon Michael J.
Published: January 2023

Sugars are the major product of photosynthesis and provide the stored energy and basic building blocks for all living cells. Sugars also act as dynamic signals throughout the plant life cycle to regulate growth, development and interactions with the biotic and abiotic environment. From a previous RNA-seq experiment, we have identified eight sugar-regulatedWRKYtranscription factor genes. Focusing on four, we find thatWRKY11, WRKY17, WRKY60andWRKY72are upregulated by sucrose, glucose or fructose by a superoxide signalling pathway.WRKYgene expression is downregulated by 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) or mannose, which are inhibitors of hexokinase (HXK), and inhxk1-3mutants. Mutants inWRKY17, WRKY60orWRKY72have reduced hypocotyl growth in response to sucrose, but do not have altered circadian period. Our data suggest that HXK1-dependent regulation ofWRKYgenes by sugars represents a superoxide-activated transcriptional subnetwork that influences plant growth.

Highlight

WRKY11, WRKY17, WRKY60andWRKY72are upregulated by a sugar-activated superoxide signalling pathway in a HKX1-dependent manner. These sugar-regulatedWRKYsrepresent a transcriptional subnetwork promoting plant growth.
Syntheses and structures of ammonium transition-metal dialuminium tris(phosphate) dihydrates (NH4)MAl4(PO4)3·2H2O (M = Mn and Ni)
Authors: Tokuda Makoto , Tanaka Keita , Sugiyama Kazumasa
Published: January 2023

The structures of ammonium manganese(II) dialuminium tris(phosphate) dihydrate, (NH4)MnAl2(PO4)3·2H2O, and ammonium nickel(II) dialuminium tris(phosphate) dihydrate, (NH4)NiAl2(PO4)3·2H2O, were determined using single-crystal diffraction data. The structures of title compounds are isotypic to cobalt aluminophosphate, (NH4)CoAl2(PO4)3·2H2O (LMU-3) [Panz et al. (1998). Inorg. Chim. Acta, 269, 73–82], in which a three-dimensional network of vertex-sharing AlO5 and PO4 moieties delineate twelve-membered channels in which ammonium, NH4
+, and transition-metal cations (M = Mn2+ and Ni2+) reside as charge compensators for the anionic [Al2(PO4)3]3– aluminophosphate framework. In both structures, the N atom of the ammonium cation, the transition-metal ion and one of the P atoms lie on crystallographic twofold axes.
Redetermination of the crystal structure of di-μ2-hydroxido-bis[di-tert-butylchloridotin(IV)] at 100 K
Authors: Reuter Hans
Published: January 2023

The structure of the dimeric title compound, [Sn2(C4H9)4Cl2(OH)2], was redetermined at 100 K by use of an area detector to provide new data to improve the structural parameters for detailed analysis. Noteworthy is the folding of the central, non-symmetric, four-membered [SnO]2 ring [dihedral angle about the O...O axis = 1.09 (3)°], as well as the elongation of the Sn—Cl bonds [mean value = 2.5096 (4) Å], as a result of intermolecular O—H...Cl hydrogen bonds; the latter lead to a chain-like arrangement of dimeric molecules along [101].
Drivers for economic recovery: analysis of family expenditure on catering services
Authors: de Esteban Curiel Javier , Antonovica Arta , Rodríguez Herráez Beatriz
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Catering services play important role in the Spanish economy, accounting for 6.2% of GDP in 2021. To overcome the adverse economic impacts of COVID-19, catering services are considered one of the drivers to stimulate economic growth. Hence, the main aim of this paper is to analyse the sociodemographic profile of the family's main breadwinner who allocates most of his expenditure budget on different catering services before and during the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 in Spain.

Design/methodology/approach

The official Family Budget Survey in Spain was used. This offers information on expenditure by families in 2019 and 2020. CHAID multivariate analysis was employed. This has proved a valuable tool in predicting expenditure, as well as determining the cause–effect relationship of this expenditure.

Findings

Findings establish the main breadwinner's expenditure on catering services based on predictors such as “year” affected by the pandemic; “type of employment contract”; “gender”; and “age”. A gender “pub-gap” in consumption in bars and cafes has been revealed, and families with a male breadwinner, on a permanent contract, between the age of 40 and 60 spent the most on catering services.

Originality/value

This research presents a new interdisciplinary approach to family breadwinners as a company whose spend on catering is shaping the economic recovery and leading to new answers for hospitality management. Identified factors can lead to improved decision-making and contextualisation of economic models for food service providers in a post-pandemic future.
The relationship between stressors and Chinese employees' innovative work behavior: the role of task crafting and psychological detachment
Authors: Yu Jinmeng , Liu Jinlan , Lin Sheng , Chi Xianglan
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study aims to explore the boundary conditions of the relationship between challenge-hindrance stressors and innovative work behavior via task crafting and psychological detachment.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from 238 questionnaires in five technology R&D enterprises in Tianjin, China. The paper utilized structural equation modeling and cross-sectional design to test hypotheses by AMOS and examined the mediating and moderating effects using the bootstrapping method by SPSS.

Findings

Challenge stressors indirectly improved innovative work behavior via task crafting, while hindrance stressors did not affect task crafting or innovative work behavior. Psychological detachment moderated the relationship between challenge stressors and innovative work behavior. When psychological detachment was high, innovative work behavior did not change regardless of challenge stressors. When psychological detachment was low, innovative work behavior increased with the increase of challenge stressors.

Originality/value

The study explains the link mechanism between stressors and innovative work behavior. It enriches the research on psychological detachment as a moderator and provides a new frame for enterprises to develop employees' innovation.
Tax avoidance, CSR performance and financial impacts: evidence from BRICS economies
Authors: Du Meng , Li Yang
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyse the recently highly debated topics of the Tax avoidance–Corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance nexus and to further investigate the impacts of engaging in socially responsible activities on financial performance and bank debt financing constraints, at a disaggregate level (firm level).

Design/methodology/approach

The sample for this study includes all publicly listed companies headquartered in BRICS countries from 2014 to 2020. The study employs detailed financial accounting information and the Environmental, Social and Governance scores released by Thomas Reuters EIKON database, which is regarded as the most authoritative indicator of CSR performance. Both pooled and panel data regression models are employed, and robustness tests that use a wide range of model specifications, measures and estimators are performed.

Findings

The study finds robust evidence that corporate tax avoidance is negatively associated with CSR performance. The authors also find that firms with better CSR performance have healthier financial performance and lower costs of bank debt. Overall, the research findings are supportive of the corporate culture theory, which suggests that firms behave ethically consistent in both CSR practices and tax payment.

Originality/value

CSR performance and the engagement of tax avoidance activities have been documented in the literature to be vital elements investors care about. This study focuses specifically on the association between them and further elaborates their impacts in the financial markets. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study which investigates the nexus in a sample that includes the most powerful emerging markets in the world. The results of this study are generalisable in terms of the implications of CSR management to many other emerging markets.
Hedging the bet on digital transformation in strategic supply chain management: a theoretical integration and an empirical test
Authors: Fang Mingjie , Liu Feng , Xiao Shufeng (Simon) , Park Kwangtae
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study conceptualizes the digital transformation (DT) strategy in a supply chain context, identifies its drivers from intra- and inter-organizational perspectives and examines the effect of the DT strategy on the strategic agility and financial performance of Chinese manufacturing firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors constructed a theoretical model by synthesizing the diffusion of innovation and organizational information processing theory (OIPT) and provided a set of hypotheses. The authors empirically tested the arguments using partial least squares structural equation modeling using data from a sample of 200 manufacturing firms in China.

Findings

The findings indicate that while supply chain connectivity positively affects DT adoption and DT routinization, data analytics capability and organizational learning positively influence DT adoption but not DT routinization. The mediation analysis also shows that DT strategy has significant direct effects on financial performance and a stronger indirect influence on financial performance via improved strategic agility.

Research limitations/implications

This study responds to repeated calls for a new understanding of supply chain DT strategy. In addition, the study offers important contributions to the literature by identifying the potential discord between the existing DT strategy and the supply chain context and proposes a new framework that provides essential theoretical underpinnings.

Originality/value

This study enriches the literature by conceptualizing and validating the dimensions, driving factors and performance implications of DT strategy in strategic supply chain management.
Which antecedents contribute most to the loyal behaviour of online second-hand market shoppers?
Authors: Llach Josep , Vila-Brunet Neus , Manresa Alba
Published: January 2023

Purpose

In the last 15 years, online sales of second-hand products have grown substantially due to changes in the economy, increasing interest in sustainability and the new opportunities offered by the alternative markets. However, little is known about the antecedents of customer retention in this particular online market. To this effect, the aim of this research is to bring new insights about what retains shoppers and creates loyal behaviour in this market by presenting a loyalty model based on expectancy-value theory and building on Olsen's satisfaction-loyalty model.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a survey comprised of 507 respondents who had purchased second-hand products via an online platform during 2020 was used to test the model.

Findings

The results validate both the satisfaction-loyalty model and the mediator role of the fulfilment of expectations between perceived quality and satisfaction. The results also indicate that customer fulfilment of expectations depends only on the perception of product quality. Perceived product quality was also the dimension that most influenced satisfaction, followed by perceived vendor quality. Last, the dimensions that contributed most to loyal behaviour were satisfaction with the vendor and with the website.

Originality/value

The originality of this research lies in the validation of the unique satisfaction-loyalty model for online second-hand purchases. The value of this research is that it adds knowledge about effective strategies for platform owners and sellers to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty in online second-hand markets.
Unmasking the bright–dark duality of social media use on psychological well-being: a large-scale longitudinal study
Authors: Lin Yanqing , Fu Shaoxiong , Zhou Xun
Published: January 2023

Purpose

As the number of social media users continues to rise globally, a heated debate emerges on whether social media use improves or harms mental health, as well as the bidirectional relation between social media use and mental health. Motivated by this, the authors’ study adopts the stressor–strain–outcome model and social compensation hypothesis to disentangle the effect mechanism between social media use and psychological well-being. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

To empirically validate the proposed research model, a large-scale two-year longitudinal questionnaire survey on social media use was administered to a valid sample of 6,093 respondents recruited from a university in China. Structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis.

Findings

A longitudinal analysis reveals that social media use positively (negatively) impacts psychological well-being through the mediator of nomophobia (perceived social support) in a short period. However, social media use triggers more psychological unease, as well as more life satisfaction from a longitudinal perspective.

Originality/value

This study addresses the bidirectional relation between social media use and psychological unease. The current study also draws both theoretical and practical implications by unmasking the bright–dark duality of social media use on psychological well-being.
Earnings management during the COVID-19 crisis: evidence from the Brazilian and American capital markets
Authors: da Silva Flores Eduardo , Sampaio Joelson Oliveira , Beiruth Aziz Xavier , Brugni Talles Vianna
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated earnings management among publicly traded companies in Brazil and the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyzed the above-mentioned effects based on 22,244 observations of Brazilian companies and 139,856 observations of American companies from 1998 to 2020. The proxy used to detect earnings management based on discretionary accruals (DAC) was obtained by using the Modified Jones Model (MJM) (Dechow et al., 1995), with adjustments suggested by Kothari et al. (2005). In accordance with previous studies (e.g. Brown et al., 2015; Enomoto et al., 2015; Galdi et al., 2020; Huang and Sun, 2017; Roychowdhury, 2006), the authors also employed a second proxy to detect earnings management through real activities associated with unusual losses for fixed assets (property, plant and equipment (PPE)).

Findings

The study’s findings indicate that the discretionary accruals of Brazilian companies varied in a more accentuated manner during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it possible to deduce that a recent history of economic depression may entail greater incentives for earnings management in an emerging economy. In addition, the authors verified that the effects of the current crisis on earnings management proxies denote a signal that is distinct from previous economic crises, which may be interpreted as an attempt to postpone the effects of the pandemic on financial statements, especially those of the Brazilian capital markets.

Originality/value

Unlike previous crises, this pandemic has led to direct restrictions on a wide variety of economic segments rather than indirect contagion due to anomalies in the financial markets, making it a phenomenon with the characteristics of a quasi-natural experiment for studies related to the quality of accounting information. Considering that both Brazil and the USA provide an opportune economic contrast, given their discrepancies in terms of economic growth over the past two decades, the researchers believe that there is an unusual opportunity to understand how earnings management can be an incentive for managers in environments where crises arose from natural causes.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel cryptocurrency and stock market performances: an event-study approach
Authors: Kim Hwang
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of travel cryptocurrency and stock markets over a long period during the pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model was developed for 6 travel cryptocurrencies and the top 10 hotel, 7 airline and 26 restaurant stocks listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. An event-study approach was applied to the emergence of the novel coronavirus and its variant, Omicron. Additionally, abnormal returns of the respective assets in response to such events were estimated.

Findings

Results indicated that the travel cryptocurrency market did not respond to the early stage of the pandemic, but NASDAQ hotel, restaurant and airline stocks revealed abnormal negative returns when the pandemic manifested in the USA. Upon the official US declaration of a pandemic, both cryptocurrencies and tourism stocks showed abnormal negative returns, but these were considerably greater among stocks than cryptocurrencies. Conversely, in response to the Omicron variant, only hotel, restaurant and airline stocks showed abnormal negative returns.

Practical implications

These results imply that travel cryptocurrencies are a financial instrument independent of hotel, restaurant or airline stocks. Thus, adopting travel cryptocurrencies may help investors and businesses diversify risk during long-duration crises such as COVID-19.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first empirical study to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the recently emerging travel cryptocurrency market using an event-study approach to investigate how it differs from tourism stock performances.
Co-creation in healthcare: framing the outcomes and their determinants
Authors: Fusco Floriana , Marsilio Marta , Guglielmetti Chiara
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Understanding the outcomes of co-creation (CC) in healthcare is increasingly gaining multidisciplinary scientific interest. Although more and more service management scholars have pointed out the benefits of cross-fertilization between the various research fields, the literature on this topic is still scattered and poorly integrated. This study aims to summarize and integrate multiple strands of extant knowledge CC by identifying the outcomes of health CC and the determinants of these outcomes and their relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A structured literature review was conducted per PRISMA guidelines. A total of 4,189 records were retrieved from the six databases; 1,983 articles were screened, with 161 included in the qualitative thematic analysis.

Findings

This study advances a comprehensive framework for healthcare CC based on a thorough analysis of the outcomes and their determinants, that is, antecedents, management activities and institutional context. Extant research rarely evaluates outcomes from a multidimensional and systemic perspective. Less attention has been paid to the relationship among the CC process elements.

Research limitations/implications

This study offers an agenda to guide future studies on healthcare CC. Highlighting some areas of integration among different disciplines further advances service literature.

Practical implications

The framework offers an operational guide to better shape managerial endeavors to facilitate CC, provide direction and assess multiple outcomes.

Originality/value

This is the first extensive attempt to synthesize and integrate multidisciplinary knowledge on CC outcomes in healthcare settings by adopting a systematic perspective on the overall process.
Risk–return paradox? The moderating effects of risk-taking capabilities
Authors: Tsai Hsiu Fen , Fang Shih-Chieh
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the phenomenon of the risk–return paradox from the resources side of the firm. The authors emphasize the moderating role of risk-taking capabilities in investigating the relationship between risk-taking and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on the disciplines of the resource-based view, the moderating effects of risk-taking capabilities on performance were tested by using Taiwan listed companies' data from information technology and electronics industries. Based on the data from 216 firms for periods from 2003 to 2007, this study runs a hierarchical moderated regression analysis to test the hypotheses in the context of diversification.

Findings

The results of this study emphasize that risk-taking and its relationship with performance are context-specific. Significantly, it is contingent on the firm's risk-taking capabilities endowment. The findings also indicate that some aspects of risk-taking capabilities moderate the relationship between risk-taking and performance.

Originality/value

This paper emphasizes that risk-taking capability is an essential factor in investigating the risk–return paradox. It constructs the dimensions of risk-taking capability in terms of absorptive capacity, network resources and organizational slack. Firms equipped with a high level of risk-taking capabilities benefit from risk-taking activities and should, therefore, embrace risk.
Tunisian corporate bond market liquidity: a qualitative approach
Authors: Berrich Olfa , Dabbou Halim
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study aims to explore the failures of Tunisian secondary corporate bond market liquidity to understand the determinants of corporate bond market liquidity at large.

Design/methodology/approach

We adopted a qualitative approach to studying the Tunisian Stock Exchange. Dealers’ perceptions were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews; the data was recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.

Findings

Secondary corporate bond market failures are due, in part, to microstructural choices – especially the use of an over-the-counter market as a trading venue. The absence of a corporate bond yield curve, a narrow investor base, market participants’ lack of financial education and authorities’ attitudes are equally responsible.

Research limitations/implications

This study is useful to researchers, policymakers and practitioners, as it identifies microstructural and other factors affecting the Tunisian secondary corporate bond market. We interviewed only Tunisian dealers while ignoring other categories of market participants. Furthermore, a focus group discussion could have improved our understanding of the determinants of the Tunisian secondary corporate bond market.

Originality/value

This paper aimed to qualitatively discuss several issues related to the Tunisian secondary corporate bond market. To date, little academic research has addressed this topic in the illiquid and non-transparent corporate bond markets.
A comparison of low-cost housing units for varying climatic regions in South Africa: a knowledge management approach
Authors: van Tonder Francine , Rwelamila P.D.
Published: January 2023

Purpose

One of the greatest challenges faced by the 1994 post-apartheid government in South Africa is the housing problem that has persisted for almost 30 years into democracy. Innovation in research and practice is required to address this problem. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objective.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an argument for housing knowledge management as one part of a much larger system of housing provision and critically compares information variations on one hypothetical, low-cost housing unit adapted for varying climatic regions. It aims to enquire if there is an overlap in information.

Findings

The findings do confirm a noteworthy overlap in the information of the varying units. Therefore, knowledge management of the information would prove effective and may contribute in part to housing provision.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to assessing the information changes made to the contract documentation of the housing unit.

Social implications

The paper argues that knowledge management of this overlapping information could impact housing provision by providing knowledge power to those affected by the housing problem.

Originality/value

The findings are a unique perspective presented through a knowledge management lens. In addition, the said knowledge management lens provides a platform to raise additional questions. When seeking answers to these questions, it is expected that research sub-themes would be identified focussing further research studies towards finding answers.
Predation cues amplify the effects of parasites on the personality of a keystone grazer
Authors: Salerno Christina M. , Buck Julia C. , Kamel Stephanie J.
Published: January 2023

Parasites can alter species interactions either by modifying infected host behaviour or by influencing behavioural responses in uninfected individuals. Salt marsh ecosystems are characterized by a predator–prey interaction between the keystone grazer, Littoraria irrorata, and its main predator, Callinectes sapidus, both integral players in mediating the productivity of these habitats.

Littoraria also acts as the first intermediate host for at least four species of digenetic trematode. Parasite infection has been shown to decrease grazing and climbing in populations of Littoraria, although effects on infected host response to predators have not been investigated. Moreover, how infection might increase or decrease among‐individual variation in behaviour (i.e. animal personality) is still unknown. Here we ask how trematode infection affects the expression of boldness in the anti‐predator responses of L. irrorata in both the absence and presence of a predator cue.

We find that individual boldness varies substantially, and repeatability tends to increase as the number of stressors increases, with infected individuals exposed to a predator cue showing the strongest expression of behavioural types.

Parasitism amplifies this effect, although the parasite itself does not appear to directly induce behavioural changes: infected snails show no evidence of decreased climbing or differences in refuge use as compared to their uninfected counterparts. Infection might therefore drive the expression of condition‐dependent personality differences evident only under high‐risk conditions.

Group infection status strongly influenced behavioural reaction norms: uninfected individuals grouped with an infected snail were more responsive to predation risk, exhibiting increased climbing behaviour and spending less time in the water. Here parasites are influencing personality indirectly by inducing avoidance behaviours in healthy individuals, although only in high‐risk environments.

The potential for exposure to parasites and predators fluctuates greatly across marsh ecosystems. Given the ecological importance of this predator–prey relationship, trematode infection can act as an important, although indirect, determinant of overall salt marsh community structure, health and function.
The influence of human activity on predator–prey spatiotemporal overlap
Authors: Van Scoyoc Amy , Smith Justine A. , Gaynor Kaitlyn M. , Barker Kristin , Brashares Justin S.
Published: January 2023

Despite growing evidence of widespread impacts of humans on animal behaviour, our understanding of how humans reshape species interactions remains limited.

Here, we present a framework that draws on key concepts from behavioural and community ecology to outline four primary pathways by which humans can alter predator–prey spatiotemporal overlap.

We suggest that predator–prey dyads can exhibit similar or opposite responses to human activity with distinct outcomes for predator diet, predation rates, population demography and trophic cascades. We demonstrate how to assess these behavioural response pathways with hypothesis testing, using temporal activity data for 178 predator–prey dyads from published camera trap studies on terrestrial mammals.

We found evidence for each of the proposed pathways, revealing multiple patterns of human influence on predator–prey activity and overlap. Our framework and case study highlight current challenges, gaps, and advances in linking human activity to animal behaviour change and predator–prey dynamics.

By using a hypothesis‐driven approach to estimate the potential for altered species interactions, researchers can anticipate the ecological consequences of human activities on whole communities.
On the Ethicality of Islamic Banks’ Business Model
Authors: Jatmiko Wahyu , Iqbal Abdullah , Ebrahim M. Shahid
Published: January 2023

This paper scrutinizes the ethicality of Islamic banks’ (IBs’) business model by employing the ‘objectives of Islamic law’ (Maqāsid al‐Sharī’ah). This necessitates developing an ethical framework to construe two primary injunctions of Islamic finance, namely ribā and gharar. The former embodies financial decoupling (aggravating risk‐shifting) and unjust price gouging (provoking economic stagnation and financial exclusion), while the latter involves asymmetric information and excessive risk‐taking behaviour (exacerbating financial fragility and thus systemic risk). We empirically and theoretically illustrate that these unethical issues are still prevalent in the IBs’ modes of financing, despite the Sharī’ah‐compliant endorsement of religious scholars (i.e. Sharī’ah supervisory boards). This affirms that ethicality is merely an impression management exercise of IBs instead of their true business identity. The way forward is to conceptualize IBs’ modes of financing beyond just Sharī’ah compliance by scrutinizing their ethical impact on society at large. This would require updating centuries‐old Islamic rulings (Fatāwā) on financial transactions and consulting finance academics and practitioners.
Nondestructive testing methods for pesticide residue in food commodities: A review
Authors: Sindhu Sindhu , Manickavasagan Annamalai
Published: January 2023

Pesticides play an important role in increasing the overall yield and productivity of agricultural foods by controlling pests, insects, and numerous plant‐related diseases. However, the overuse of pesticides has resulted in pesticide contamination of food products and water bodies, as well as disruption of ecological and environmental systems. Global health authorities have set limits for pesticide residues in individual food products to ensure the availability of safe foods in the supply system and to assist farmers in developing the best agronomic practices for crop production. Therefore, the use of nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for pesticide residue detection is gaining interest in the food supply chain. The NDT techniques have several advantages, such as simultaneous measurement of chemical and physical characteristics of food without destroying the product. Although numerous studies have been conducted on NDT for pesticide residue in agro‐food products, there are still challenges in real‐time implementation. Further study on NDT methods is needed to establish their potential for supplementing existing methods, identifying mixed pesticides, and performing volumetric quantification (not surface accumulation alone).
Case of systemic sclerosis overlapping with psoriasis
Authors: Xie Yihang , Hua Xia , Tan Hong , Rao Lang , Zhou Peimei
Published: January 2023

Coexistence of the skin manifestations of systemic sclerosis and psoriasis is rare. The link between systemic sclerosis and psoriasis has been poorly investigated. We report a case of a 70‐year‐old woman, who was diagnosed with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis and psoriasis vulgaris and was treated with oral azathioprine (50 mg/d) and prednisolone (10 mg/d), topical corticosteroids, and calcipotriols. The erythema and plaques almost disappeared after 1 week, and the symptoms of discoloration in cold, regurgitation, and dysphagia abated after 3 months.
Artificial Scarcity in Housebuilding and the Impact on Affordability: The Return of Absolute Rent
Authors: Bradley Quintin
Published: January 2023

The slow response of volume housebuilders to changes in demand has been cited as a contributing cause of a global crisis of housing affordability and allegations of land banking have persistently dogged the industry. This article reviews the supply responsiveness of speculative housebuilders in the United Kingdom and Australia through the neglected Marxian analytic category of absolute rent. Absolute rent directs attention to the relationship between the value of land and the cost of housing and models a market in which landowners may withdraw land from supply to inflate prices. Through the lens of absolute rent, the real estate practices of the housebuilding industry can be understood as a strategy of artificial scarcity straddling land and housing markets. The findings of this investigation demonstrate the insights to be gained by a return to absolute rent that valuably expand the current debate on the supply and cost of housing.
Subalpine vegetation changes in the Eastern Sudetes (1973–2021): Effects of abandonment, conservation management and avalanches
Authors: Klinkovská Klára , Kučerová Anna , Pustková Štěpánka , Rohel Jaroslav , Slachová Karolína , Sobotka Vojtěch , Szokala Daniel , Danihelka Jiří , Kočí Martin , Šmerdová Eva , Chytrý Milan
Published: January 2023

Aims

The summit grasslands of many European mountain ranges were historically used for summer grazing, which ceased in the 20th century. These grasslands are changing, partly through succession after abandonment and partly owing to environmental changes. Subalpine vegetation is also affected by artificially reduced avalanche frequency. Recent conservation efforts have attempted to reverse the negative trends of change. We ask: (1) How has subalpine vegetation changed following the abandonment and avalanche control? (2) Was conservation management able to reverse the post‐abandonment trend of vegetation change? (3) Did avalanche disturbance have a positive effect on plant species diversity?

Location

Summit area of the Hrubý Jeseník Mountains (1,491 m a.s.l.), Eastern Sudetes, Czech Republic.

Methods

Vegetation plots sampled in the 1970s were resurveyed in the 2000s and again in 2021. Subalpine vegetation was classified into six types, and transitions between these types over time were quantified. Vascular plant species richness and the proportion of threatened species were compared between periods, between areas with and without conservation management, and between areas affected vs unaffected by a large avalanche from 2019. Species composition was analysed using principal coordinate analysis and distance‐based redundancy analysis.

Results

Vegetation types remained relatively stable except for species‐rich grasslands, some of which changed to heathlands or tall‐forb vegetation. Some competitive species have increased, and species specialized to threatened habitats declined. Conservation management systematically implemented after 2010 slowed the decline of habitat‐specialized species but did not reverse it. Disturbance by an avalanche positively affected species richness but not the number of threatened species.

Conclusions

Subalpine vegetation is slowly losing its plant diversity owing to grazing cessation and possibly acidification from past atmospheric deposition. Recently implemented conservation management and restoration of avalanche activity are essential to stop this trend, but future monitoring is needed to evaluate the success of management actions.
The ethics of COVID‐19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers: Public health and clinical perspectives
Authors: Gur‐Arie Rachel , Hutler Brian , Bernstein Justin
Published: January 2023

COVID‐19 vaccine uptake among healthcare workers (HCWs) remains of significant public health concern due to the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic. As a result, many healthcare institutions are considering or have implemented COVID‐19 vaccine mandates for HCWs. We assess defenses of COVID‐19 vaccine mandates for HCWs from both public health and professional ethics perspectives. We consider public health values, professional obligations of HCWs, and the institutional failures in healthcare throughout the COVID‐19 pandemic which have impacted the lived experiences of HCWs. We argue that, despite the compelling urgency of maximizing COVID‐19 vaccine uptake among HCWs, the ethical case for COVID‐19 vaccine mandates for HCWs in the United States is complex, and, under current circumstances, inconclusive. Nevertheless, we recognize that COVID‐19 vaccine mandates for HCWs have already been and will continue to be implemented across many healthcare institutions. Given such context, we provide suggestions for implementing COVID‐19 vaccine mandates for HCWs.
The Rory Morrison WMUK Registry for Waldenström macroglobulinaemia: The growth of a national registry for a rare disorder
Authors: Uppal Encarl , Khwaja Jahanzaib , Bomsztyk Joshua , McCarthy Helen , Kothari Jaimal , Walton Peter , Scorer Harriet , Kyriakou Charalampia , El‐Sharkawi Dima , D'Sa Shirley
Published: January 2023

National registries are used globally to characterise patient demographics, treatment choices and mortality to inform and improve clinical management. Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM) is a rare, treatment‐responsive B‐cell lymphoproliferative disorder with diverse clinical features and variable outcomes. To prospectively chart changes in the management of WM in the UK, the Rory Morrison Registry (RMR) was developed to systematically collect real‐world data. Here we describe the development of the RMR, demonstrate its feasibility and describe preliminary observations. The RMR was devised as a collaborative project between patients and clinicians, under the auspices of the UK Charity for WM in 2016. Patients may be registered after the point of diagnosis and those with historic diagnosis were also eligible. Data collection fields were compiled by focus groups of clinicians, patients, industry and commissioning partners. The RMR launched in November 2017 and as of March 2022, there were 22 participating centres and 1305 patients registered. Median follow‐up was 6.4 years, five‐year overall survival 90.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 88.4%–92.5%) and 10‐year overall survival 79.3% (95% CI 75.7%–82.4%). There has been a clear evolution in treatments including a rapid growth in the use of Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors in relapsed disease since their availability in the UK.