bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Statistical analysis of thermal conductivity experimentally measured in water-based nanofluids
Authors: Tielke J. , Maas M. , Castillo M. , Rezwan K. , Avila M.
Published: June 2021

Nanofluids are suspensions of nanoparticles in a base heat-transfer liquid. They have been widely investigated to boost heat transfer since they were proposed in the 1990s. We present a statistical correlation analysis of experimentally measured thermal conductivity of water-based nanofluids available in the literature. The influences of particle concentration, particle size, temperature and surfactants are investigated. For specific particle materials (alumina, titania, copper oxide, copper, silica and silicon carbide), separate analyses are performed. The conductivity increases with the concentration in qualitative agreement with Maxwell’s theory of homogeneous media. The conductivity also increases with the temperature (in addition to the improvement due to the increased conductivity of water). Surprisingly, only silica nanofluids exhibit a statistically significant effect of the particle size, whereby smaller particles lead to faster heat transfer. Overall, the large scatter in the experimental data prevents a compelling, unambiguous assessment of these effects. Taken together, the results of our analysis suggest that more comprehensive experimental characterizations of nanofluids are necessary to estimate their practical potential.
Negative modulation of macroautophagy by HERPUD1 is counteracted by an increased ER-lysosomal network with impact in drug-induced stress cell survival
Authors: Vargas Gabriela , Cortes Omar Humberto , Arias-Munoz Eloisa Natalia , Hernandez-Galaz Sergio Felipe , Cerda-Troncoso Cristobal , Hernandez-Torres Laura , Gonzalez Alexis Enrique , Tatham Michael , Bustamante Hianara Aracelly , Retamal Claudio Enrique , Cancino Jorge , Varas-Godoy Manuel , Hay Ronald Thomas , Rojas-Fernandez Alejandro , Cavieres Viviana A , Burgos Patricia Veronica
Published: June 2021

Macroautophagy and the ubiquitin proteasome system work as an interconnected network in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Indeed, efficient activation of macroautophagy upon nutritional deprivation is sustained by degradation of preexisting proteins by the proteasome. However, the specific substrates that are degraded by the proteasome in order to activate macroautophagy are currently unknown. By quantitative proteomic analysis we identified several proteins downregulated in response to starvation but independently of ATG5 expression. Among them, the most significant was HERPUD1, an ER protein of short-half life and a well-known substrate of the proteasome. We found that increased HERPUD1 stability by deletion of its ubiquitin-like domain (UBL) plays a negative role on basal and induced macroautophagy. Moreover, we found it triggers ER expansion by reordering the ER in crystalloid structures, but in the absence of unfolded protein response activation. Surprisingly, we found ER expansion led to an increase in the number and function of lysosomes establishing a tight network with the presence of membrane-contact sites. Importantly, a phosphomimetic S59D mutation within the UBL mimics UBL deletion on its stability and the ER-lysosomal network expansion revealing an increase of cell survival under stress conditions. Altogether, we propose stabilized HERPUD1 downregulates macroautophagy favoring instead a closed interplay between the ER and lysosomes with consequences in cell stress survival.
Normative modeling of neuroimaging data using generalized additive models of location scale and shape
Authors: Dinga Richard , Fraza Charlotte J. , Bayer Johanna M.M. , Kia Seyed Mostafa , Beckmann Christian F. , Marquand Andre F.
Published: June 2021

Normative modeling aims to quantify the degree to which an individual’s brain deviates from a reference sample with respect to one or more variables, which can be used as a potential biomarker of a healthy brain and as a tool to study heterogeneity of psychiatric disorders. The application of normative models is hindered by methodological challenges and lacks standards for the usage and evaluation of normative models. In this paper, we present generalized additive models for location scale and shape (GAMLSS) for normative modeling of neuroimaging data, a flexible modeling framework that can model heteroskedasticity, non-linear effects of variables, and hierarchical structure of the data. It can model non-Gaussian distributions, and it allows for an automatic model order selection, thus improving the accuracy of normative models while mitigating problems of overfitting. Furthermore, we describe measures and diagnostic tools suitable for evaluating normative models and step-by-step examples of normative modeling, including fitting several candidate models, selecting the best models, and transferring them to new scan sites.
Timing of meristem initiation and maintenance determines the morphology of fern gametophytes
Authors: Wu Xiao , Yan An , McAdam Scott A.M. , Banks Jo Ann , Zhang Shaoling , Zhou Yun
Published: June 2021

The alternation of generations in land plants occurs between the sporophyte phase and the gametophyte phase. The sporophytes of seed plants develop self-maintained, multicellular meristems, and these meristems determine plant architecture. The gametophytes of seed plants lack meristems and are heterotrophic. In contrast, the gametophytes of seed-free vascular plants, including ferns, are autotrophic and free-living, developing meristems to sustain their independent growth and proliferation. Compared to meristems in the sporophytes of seed plants, the cellular mechanisms underlying meristem development in fern gametophytes remain largely unknown. Here, using confocal time-lapse live imaging and computational segmentation and quantification, we determined different patterns of cell divisions associated with the initiation and proliferation of two distinct types of meristems in fern gametophytes. Our results reveal how the simple timing of a switch between two meristems has considerable consequences for the divergent gametophyte morphologies of two closely related ferns from Pteridaceae (Pteris and Ceratopteris). Our result provides evolutionary insight into the function and regulation of gametophyte meristems in seed-free vascular plants.

Highlight

Live-imaging of cell growth and division in apical initials and lateral meristems reveals that the timing of a switch between the two meristem identities drives morphology variation in fern gametophytes.
A pathogenic role for histone H3 copper reductase activity in a yeast model of Friedreich’s Ataxia
Authors: Campos Oscar A. , Attar Narsis , Mallipeddi Nathan V. , Cheng Chen , Vogelauer Maria , Schmollinger Stefan , Merchant Sabeeha S. , Kurdistani Siavash K.
Published: June 2021

Disruptions to iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters, essential cofactors for a broad range of proteins, cause widespread cellular defects resulting in human disease. An underappreciated source of damage to Fe-S clusters are cuprous (Cu1+) ions. Since histone H3 enzymatically produces Cu1+ to support copper-dependent functions, we asked whether this activity could become detrimental to Fe-S clusters. Here, we report that histone H3-mediated Cu1+ toxicity is a major determinant of cellular Fe-S cluster quotient. Inadequate Fe-S cluster supply, either due to diminished assembly as occurs in Friedreich’s Ataxia or defective distribution, causes severe metabolic and growth defects in S. cerevisiae. Decreasing Cu1+ abundance, through attenuation of histone cupric reductase activity or depletion of total cellular copper, restored Fe-S cluster-dependent metabolism and growth. Our findings reveal a novel interplay between chromatin and mitochondria in Fe-S cluster homeostasis, and a potential pathogenic role for histone enzyme activity and Cu1+ in diseases with Fe-S cluster dysfunction.

Teaser

Reduction of Cu1+ production by histone H3 restores cellular deficiencies caused by insufficient supply of iron-sulfur clusters.
Value-based decision-making between affective memories
Authors: Pulcu Erdem , Guinea Calum , Clemens Hannah , Harmer Catherine J , Murphy Susannah E
Published: June 2021

Affective biases can influence how past events are recalled from memory. However, the mechanisms underlying how discrete affective events shape memory formation and subsequent recall are not well understood. Further understanding this is important given the central role of negative biases in affective memory recall in depression and antidepressant drug action. In order to capture cognitive processes associated with affective memory formation and recall, we studied value-based decision-making between affective memories in two within-subject experiments (n=45 and n=74). Our findings suggest that discrete affective events, created by large magnitude Wheel of Fortune (WoF) outcomes, influence affective memory formation processes during reinforcement-learning (RL). After 24 hours, we show that healthy volunteers display stable preferences during value-based recall of affective memories in a binary decision-making task. Computational modelling of these preferences demonstrated a positive bias during value-based recall, induced by previously winning in the WoF. We further showed that value-based decision-making between affective memories engages the pupil-linked central arousal systems, leading to pupil constriction prior to, and differential pupil dilation after the decision onset depending on the valence of the chosen options. Taken together, we demonstrate that mechanisms underlying human affective memory systems can be described by RL and probability weighting models. This approach could be used as a translational assay to study the effects of novel antidepressants.
Dissecting the molecular basis of human interneuron migration in forebrain assembloids from Timothy syndrome
Authors: Birey Fikri , Li Min-Yin , Gordon Aaron , Thete Mayuri V. , Valencia Alfredo M. , Revah Omer , Pașca Anca M. , Geschwind Daniel H. , Pașca Sergiu P.
Published: June 2021

Defects in interneuron migration during forebrain development can disrupt the assembly of cortical circuits and have been associated with neuropsychiatric disease. The molecular and cellular bases of such deficits have been particularly difficult to study in humans due to limited access to functional forebrain tissue from patients. We previously developed a human forebrain assembloid model of Timothy Syndrome (TS), caused by a gain-of-function mutation in CACNA1C which encodes the L-type calcium channel (LTCC) Cav1.2. By functionally integrating human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived organoids resembling the dorsal and ventral forebrain from patients and control individuals, we uncovered that migration is disrupted in TS cortical interneurons. Here, we dissect the molecular underpinnings of this phenotype and report that acute pharmacological modulation of Cav1.2 can rescue the saltation length but not the saltation frequency of TS migrating interneurons. Furthermore, we find that the defect in saltation length in TS interneurons is associated with aberrant actomyosin function and is rescued by pharmacological modulation of MLC phosphorylation, whereas the saltation frequency phenotype in TS interneurons is driven by enhanced GABA sensitivity and can be restored by GABA receptor antagonism. Overall, these findings uncover multi-faceted roles of LTCC function in human cortical interneuron migration in the context of disease and suggest new strategies to restore interneuron migration deficits.
Temperature-Inducible Precision Guided Sterile Insect Technique
Authors: Kandul Nikolay P. , Liu Junru , Akbari Omar S.
Published: June 2021

Releases of sterile males are the gold standard for many insect population control programs, and precise sex sorting to remove females prior to male releases is essential to the success of these operations. To advance traditional methods for scaling the generation of sterile males, we previously described a CRISPR-mediated precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT), in which Cas9 and gRNA strains are genetically crossed to generate sterile males for release. While effective at generating F1 sterile males, pgSIT requires a genetic cross between the two parental strains which requires maintenance and sexing of two strains in a factory. Therefore, to further advance pgSIT by removing this crossing step, here we describe a next-generation Temperature-Inducible pgSIT (TI-pgSIT) technology and demonstrate its proof-of-concept in Drosophila melanogaster. Importantly, we were able to develop a true-breeding strain for TI-pgSIT that eliminates the requirement for sex sorting, a feature that may help further automate production at scale.
Here be dragons: important spatial uncertainty driven by climate data in forecasted distribution of an endangered insular reptile
Authors: Dubos Nicolas , Augros Stephane , Deso Gregory , Probst Jean-Michel , Notter Jean-Cyrille , Roesch Markus A.
Published: June 2021

The effect of future climate change is poorly documented in the tropics, especially in mountainous areas. Yet, species living in these environments are predicted to be strongly affected. Newly available high-resolution environmental data and statistical methods enable the development of forecasting models. Nevertheless, the uncertainty related to climate models can be strong, which can lead to ineffective conservation actions. Predicted studies aimed at providing conservation guidelines often account for a range of future climate predictions (climate scenarios and global circulation models). However, very few studies considered potential differences related to baseline climate data and/or did not account for spatial information (overlap) in uncertainty assessments. We modelled the environmental suitability forPhelsuma borbonica, an endangered reptile native to Reunion Island. Using two metrics of species range change (difference in overall suitability and spatial overlap), we quantified the uncertainty related to the modelling technique (n = 10), sample bias correction, climate change scenario, global circulation models (GCM) and baseline climate (CHELSAversusWorldclim). Uncertainty was mainly driven by GCMs when considering overall suitability, while for spatial overlap the uncertainty related to baseline climate became more important than that of GCMs. The uncertainty driven by sample bias correction and variable selection was much higher when assessed based on spatial overlap. The modelling technique was a strong driver of uncertainty in both cases. We eventually provide a consensus ensemble prediction map of the environmental suitability ofP. borbonicato identify the areas predicted to be the most suitable in the future with the highest certainty. Predictive studies aimed at identifying priority areas for conservation in the face of climate change need to account for a wide panel of modelling techniques, GCMs and baseline climate data. We recommend the use of multiple approaches, including spatial overlap, when assessing uncertainty in species distribution models.
A Versatile Linker for Probes Targeting Hydrolases via In Situ labeling
Authors: Liu Jun , Chen Zixin , Cui Chao , Sigler Ashton L. , Cui Lina
Published: June 2021

Hydrolases are important molecules that are involved in a wide range of biological functions and their activities are tightly regulated in healthy or diseased states. Detecting or imaging the activities of hydrolases, therefore, can reveal underlying molecular mechanisms in the context of cells to organisms, and their correlation with different physiological conditions can therefore be used in diagnosis. Due to the nature of hydrolases, substrate-based probes can be activated in their catalytic cycles, and cleavage of covalent bonds frees reporter moieties. For test-tube type bulk detection, spatial resolution is not a measure of importance, but for cell- or organism-based detection or imaging, spatial resolution is a key factor for probe sensitivity that influences signal-to-background ratio. One strategy to improve spatial resolution of the probes is to form a covalent linkage between the reporter moiety and intracellular proteins upon probe activation by the enzyme. In this work, we developed a generalizable linker chemistry that would allow in situ labeling of various imaging moieties via quinone methide species. To do so, we synthesized probes containing a monofluoromethyl or a difluoromethyl groups for β-galactosidase activation, while using fluorescein as a fluorescent reporter. The labeling efficacy of these two probes was evaluated in vitro. The probe bearing a monofluormethyl group exhibited superior labeling efficiency in imaging β-galactosidase activity in living cells. This study provides a versatile linker for applying quinone methide chemistry in the development of hydrolase-targeting probes involving in situ labeling.
Asynchronous rates of lineage, phenotype, and niche diversification in a continental-scale adaptive radiation
Authors: Stone Benjamin W. , Wolfe Andrea D.
Published: June 2021

Rapidly diversifying clades are central to the study of diversification dynamics. This central importance is perhaps most apparent when rapid evolution occurs across several axes of diversification (e.g., lineage, phenotype, and niche); such clades facilitate investigations into the interplay between adaptive and non-adaptive diversification mechanisms. Yet, empirical evidence from rapidly evolving clades remains unclear about the relationships, if any, across diversification axes. This is especially apparent regarding the timing of diversification rate shifts. We address this knowledge gap through comparisons of the rate and timing of lineage, phenotypic, and niche diversification inPenstemon, a rapidly-evolving angiosperm genus. We find that diversification rate shifts inPenstemonare asynchronous; while we identify a burst and subsequent slowdown in lineage diversification rate ∼2.0-2.5 MYA, shifts in phenotypic and niche diversification rates either lagged behind temporally or did not occur at all. We posit that this asynchronicity in diversification rate shifts is the result of initial niche-neutral diversification followed by adaptive, density-dependent processes. Our findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that asynchronous shifts in diversification rates may be common and question the applicability of expectations for diversification dynamics across disparate empirical systems.
Localization and phosphorylation in the Snf1 network is controlled by two independent pathways
Authors: Österberg Linnea , Welkenhuysen Niek , Persson Sebastian , Hohmann Stefan , Cvijovic Marija
Published: June 2021

AMPK/SNF1 is the master regulator of energy homeostasis in eukaryotic cells and has a key role in glucose de-repression. If glucose becomes depleted, Snf1 is phosphorylated and activated. Activation of Snf1 is required but is not sufficient for mediating glucose de-repression indicating a second glucose-regulated step that adjusts the Snf1 pathway. To elucidate this regulation, we further explore the spatial dynamics of Snf1 and Mig1 and how they are controlled by concentrations of hexose sugars. We utilize fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to study the movement of Snf1 and how it responds to external glucose concentrations. We show that the Snf1 pathway reacts to the presence of glucose. Furthermore, we identify a negative feedback loop regulating Snf1 activity. Our data offer insight into the true complexity of regulation of this central signaling pathway by one signal (glucose depletion) interpreted by the cell in different ways.
Subregions of DLPFC display graded yet distinct structural and functional connectivity
Authors: Jung JeYoung , Lambon Ralph Matthew A. , Jackson Rebecca L.
Published: June 2021

The human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC, approximately corresponding to Brodmann areas 9 and 46) has demonstrable roles in diverse executive functions such as working memory, cognitive flexibility, planning, inhibition, and abstract reasoning. However, it remains unclear whether this is the result of one functionally homogeneous region or whether there are functional subdivisions within the DLPFC. Here, we divided the DLPFC into seven areas along with rostral-caudal and dorsal-ventral axes anatomically and explored their respective patterns of structural and functional connectivity.In vivoprobabilistic tractography and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were employed to map out the patterns of connectivity from each DLPFC subregions. Structural connectivity demonstrated graded intra-regional connectivity within the DLPFC. The patterns of structural connectivity between the DLPFC subregions and other cortical areas revealed that he dorsal-rostral subregions was restricted to connect to other frontal and limbic areas, whereas the ventral-caudal region was widely connected to frontal, temporal, parietal, and limbic cortex. Functional connectivity analysis demonstrated that subregions of DLPFC were strongly interconnected to each other. The dorsal subregions were associated with the default mode network (DMN), while middle dorsal-rostral subregions were linked with the multiple demand network (MDN), respectively. Similar to the results of structural connectivity, the ventral-caudal subregion showed increased functional coupling with both DMN and MDN. Our results suggest that DLPFC may be subdivided by the diagonal axis of the dorsal-ventral axis and rostral-caudal axis, which support the patterns of connectivity the parts of the DLPFC reflects its integrative executive function.
Protective efficacy of rhesus adenovirus COVID-19 vaccines against mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Tostanoski Lisa H. , Gralinski Lisa E. , Martinez David R. , Schaefer Alexandra , Mahrokhian Shant H. , Li Zhenfeng , Nampanya Felix , Wan Huahua , Yu Jingyou , Chang Aiquan , Liu Jinyan , McMahan Katherine , Dinnon Kenneth H. , Leist Sarah R. , Baric Ralph S. , Barouch Dan H.
Published: June 2021

The global COVID-19 pandemic has sparked intense interest in the rapid development of vaccines as well as animal models to evaluate vaccine candidates and to define immune correlates of protection. We recently reported a mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 virus strain (MA10) with the potential to infect wild-type laboratory mice, driving high levels of viral replication in respiratory tract tissues as well as severe clinical and respiratory symptoms, aspects of COVID-19 disease in humans that are important to capture in model systems. We evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of novel rhesus adenovirus serotype 52 (RhAd52) vaccines against MA10 challenge in mice. Baseline seroprevalence is lower for rhesus adenovirus vectors than for human or chimpanzee adenovirus vectors, making these vectors attractive candidates for vaccine development. We observed that RhAd52 vaccines elicited robust binding and neutralizing antibody titers, which inversely correlated with viral replication after challenge. These data support the development of RhAd52 vaccines and the use of the MA10 challenge virus to screen novel vaccine candidates and to study the immunologic mechanisms that underscore protection from SARS-CoV-2 challenge in wild-type mice.

Importance

We have developed a series of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines using rhesus adenovirus serotype 52 (RhAd52) vectors, which exhibits a lower seroprevalence than human and chimpanzee vectors, supporting their development as novel vaccine vectors or as an alternative Ad vector for boosting. We sought to test these vaccines using a recently reported mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 (MA10) virus to i) evaluate the protective efficacy of RhAd52 vaccines and ii) further characterize this mouse-adapted challenge model and probe immune correlates of protection. We demonstrate RhAd52 vaccines elicit robust SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses and protect against clinical disease and viral replication in the lungs. Further, binding and neutralizing antibody titers correlated with protective efficacy. These data validate the MA10 mouse model as a useful tool to screen and study novel vaccine candidates, as well as the development of RhAd52 vaccines for COVID-19.
statSuma: automated selection and performance of statistical comparisons for microbiome studies
Authors: Leigh R.J. , Murphy R.A. , Walsh F.
Published: June 2021

There is a reproducibility crisis in scientific studies. Some of these crises arise from incorrect application of statistical tests to data that follow inappropriate distributions, have inconsistent equivariance, or have very small sample sizes. As determining which test is most appropriate for all data in a multicategorical study (such as comparing taxa between sites in microbiome studies), we present statsSuma, an interactive Python notebook (which can be run from any desktop computer using the Google Colaboratory web service) and does not require a user to have any programming experience. This software assesses underlying data structures in a given dataset to advise what pairwise or listwise statistical procedure would be best suited for all data. As some users may be interested in further mining specific trends, statSuma performs 5 different two-tailed pairwise tests (Student’s t-test, Welch’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Brunner-Munzel test, and a pairwise Kruskal-Wallis H-test) and advises the best test for each comparison. This software also advises whether ANOVA or a multicategorical Kruskal-Wallis H-test is most appropriate for a given dataset and performs both procedures. A data distribution-vs-Gaussian distribution plot is produced for each taxon at each site and a variance plot between all combinations of 2 taxa at each site are produced so Gaussian tests and variance tests can be visually confirmed alongside associated statistical determinants.
Protein turnover in the developing Triticum aestivum grain
Authors: Cao Hui , Duncan Owen , Millar A. Harvey
Published: June 2021

Protein abundance in cereal grains is determined by the relative rates of protein synthesis and protein degradation during grain development. Through combining in vivo stable isotope labelling and in-depth quantitative proteomics, we have measured the turnover of 1400 different types of proteins during wheat grain development. We demonstrate that there is a spatiotemporal pattern to protein turnover rates which explain part of the variation in protein abundances that is not attributable to differences in wheat gene expression. We show that approximately 20% of total grain ATP production is used for grain proteome biogenesis and maintenance, and nearly half of this budget is invested exclusively in storage protein synthesis. We calculate that 25% of newly synthesized storage proteins are turned over during grain development rather than stored. This approach to measure protein turnover rates at proteome scale reveals how different functional categories of grain proteins accumulate, calculates the costs of protein turnover during wheat grain development and identifies the most and the least stable proteins in the developing wheat grain.
The effect of audit committee quality on the conventional and Islamic banks' financial performance between subprime and Corona crises
Authors: Haddad Achraf , El Ammari Anis , Bouri Abdelfattah
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to test empirically the differences between Islamic and conventional banks in terms of impacts of the audit committees' quality on financial performance between Subprime and Corona crises.

Design/methodology/approach

The variables are articulated in four hypotheses tested by the GLS analysis. The data were collected via DATASTREAM and from banks' annual reports. The collected data covered four continents: America, Asia, Africa and Europe. The financial performance measures and audit committee's determinants of the conventional and Islamic banks concerned 112 banks of each type after the Subprime crisis and before the Corona crisis (2010–2019).

Findings

Results showed that the audit committee reduced the profitability of two bank types. Moreover, it harmed the conventional banks' efficiency, but reported an unclear effect within Islamic banks. Even so, the authors noticed that the audit committee had a positive impact for the conventional banks' liquidity, while the same effect was apparently ambiguous on the Islamic banks' liquidity. For solvency, the audit committee positively influenced conventional banks, while it affected that of Islamic banks.

Research limitations/implications

Empirically, the authors’ results can serve as a reference for decision-makers allowing to clarify the data on the financial competitiveness of two bank types to facilitate the planning of strategic performance programs based on the audit committee quality. Theoretically, researchers found that the differences between the results are due to the audit committee quality of each bank type or to the financial performance evaluation method. However, there are further factors that are related to the research peculiarities, the methodology, the data and the interpretation.

Originality/value

Based on the comparative literature review between conventional and Islamic banks, this study is the first conditional and comparative research between the audit committee quality and the financial performance of conventional and Islamic banks in a specific period (after Subprime and before Corona crises).
Whose international experience matters more? Decision-makers with international experience in Chinese family firms
Authors: Hao Jie , Xie Zhenzhen , Sun Kunpeng
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine if the international experience of a family firm’s chairman, second-generation managers and other top managers all have impacts of different strengths using information about Chinese family firms’ international expansion.

Design/methodology/approach

Matching tactics and dynamic Heckman 2-stage analysis were applied to data on 766 publicly-listed Chinese family businesses covering 2008–2014.

Findings

The international experience of the chairman, second-generation family managers and other senior managers all were found to correlate with the proportion of a firm’s revenue earned abroad, as well as with the number of its cross-border mergers and acquisitions. The impact of a chairman’s international experience is stronger than the impact of the other two groups when internationalization is measured in terms of the proportion of revenue earned overseas. The second-generation managers’ international experience is the most influential when internationalization is measured in terms of the number of cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

Originality/value

This paper bridges agency theory with upper echelons theory in the context of the family business. The findings contribute to the scholarly understanding of family business by illuminating the mechanisms through which second-generation managers may influence family firms’ internationalization. They also enrich the knowledge of family firms in China.
The epidemic burden on prisons in Lombardy (Italy) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: the transmission and measures of prevention in detention facilities
Authors: Giuliani Ruggero , Mazzilli Sara , Sebastiani Teresa , Cocca Giorgia , Bortolotti Raffaella , Cairone Cristina , Scardina Giuditta , Arzilli Guglielmo , Tavoschi Lara , Ranieri Roberto
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community highlighted a potential risk of epidemics occurring inside prisons. Consequently, specific operational guidelines were promptly released, and containment measures were quickly implemented in prisons. This paper aims to describe the spread of COVID-19 in detention facilities within the Lombardy region of Italy during March to July 2020, and the impact of the prevention and control measures implemented.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive retrospective analysis of case distribution was performed for all COVID-19 cases identified among people in detention (PiD) and prison officers (POs). A comparison of the epidemic burden affecting different populations and a correlation analysis between the number of cases that occurred and prevention measures implemented were also carried out.

Findings

From this study, it emerged that POs were at a high risk of contracting COVID-19. This study observed a delay in the occurrence of cases among PiD and substantial heterogeneity in the size of outbreaks across different prisons. Correlation between reported cases among PiD and registered sick leave taken by POs suggested the latter contributed to introducing the infection into prison settings. Finally, number of cases among PiD inversely correlated with the capacity of each prison to identify and set up dedicated areas for medical isolation.

Originality/value

Prevention and control measures when adopted in a timely manner were effective in protecting PiD. According to the findings, POs are a population at high risk for acquiring and transmitting COVID-19 and should be prioritized for testing, active case finding and vaccination. This study highlights the critical importance of including prison settings within emergency preparedness plans.
Exploring the precipitators of violent conflict in Central Nigeria: a mixed methodology approach
Authors: Ojewale Oluwole
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the mutually reinforcing drivers of violent conflict in rural and urban communities in Central Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative research methodology through multi-stage sampling technique. This involved the purposive selection of Benue and Plateau States in Central Nigeria. The combination of household data collection and Geographic Information System led to the identification of 2,772, 117, 2,668 and 106 grids in Jos, Barkin Ladi, Makurdi and Gbajimba, respectively. This proportion constituted the clusters where household heads were chosen for questionnaire administration. Furthermore, a total of ten in-depth interviews were conducted.

Findings

The prominent precipitators of violent conflicts were: rise of criminal groups and criminal activities, hate speech, state’s inability to protect most citizens against violent crime, political intimidation by ruling party, over militarization of the public space. Others are rising population pressure, proliferation of small arms and light weapons and ban of open grazing.

Research limitations/implications

This study could be strengthened if broadened to include communities with different socioeconomic realities. Hence, the view presented in this paper may not be considered generalizable to other parts of the country with different cultural settings.

Originality/value

The methodology offers a reliable alternative to combine sampling approaches for household surveys that can help address problems occasioned by the lack of census data.
Detecting the probability of financial fraud due to earnings manipulation in companies listed in Athens Stock Exchange Market
Authors: Maniatis Andreas
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to detect whether there are companies listed in the general index of Athens Stock Exchange Market that possibly conduct earnings manipulation during 2017–2018.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based upon the Beneish model (M-score), which consists of eight variables to examine the probability of financial statement fraud related to earnings manipulation for 40 companies listed in the Athens Stock Exchange Market. Any company with an M-score −2.22 or above is likely to be a manipulator whereas any company that scores −2.22 or less is unlikely to conduct earnings manipulation.

Findings

After calculating the M-score for each company, it was found that 33 (out of 40) companies had M-score values lower than −2.22. Therefore, 82.5% of the sample is considered rather unlikely to conduct earnings manipulation whereas 17.5% of the companies listed in the general index of Athens Stock Exchange Market is likely to manipulate its earnings.

Research limitations/implications

In this paper, all institutions related to financial services were left out of the sample because of the fact that M-score cannot provide reliable results when applied on similar companies.

Originality/value

Beneish model offers a probability of financial fraud and can be therefore used as a supplementary test for auditors, fraud examiners or even national regulators such as the Hellenic Accounting and Auditing Standards Oversight Board or the Hellenic Capital Market Commission. The results of this paper can contribute to the literature concerning financial fraud in Greece during 2017–2018 because no relevant recent researches have been published yet.
Reputation and cost benefits for attitude and adoption intention among potential customers using theory of planned behavior: an empirical evidence from Pakistan
Authors: Maryam Sayeda Zeenat , Ahmad Ashfaq , Aslam Nauman , Farooq Sadia
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of attitude and adoption intention of Islamic banking among the potential customers in Pakistan. The conceptual framework is investigating the influence of salient beliefs (consisting of personal factors and external factors) and theory of planned behavior (TPB) construct, i.e. attitude and social influence on Islamic banking adoption intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

To realize the objective of the research, 500 questionnaires were distributed among the potential customers of Islamic banking in Pakistan. A purposive sampling technique was used; 375 questionnaires were returned, whereas only 300 were used for analysis. To test the model, structural equation modeling was conducted by using an algorithm and bootstrapping techniques, and the most important factor is identified through the importance performance map analysis model.

Findings

The findings of the research revealed that the attitude has immense importance. It is a strong determinant of Islamic banking adoption intention among potential customers. Second, it is fully mediating the relation of cost benefits, reputation and support for business and the adoption intentions of Islamic banking. However, attitude is partially mediating the relation of religious obligations, social influence and the criterion variable.

Research limitations/implications

This research is articulating literature by incorporating external and personal factors along with TPB’s constructs, i.e. attitude and social influence and tested the attitude as an intervening variable to explain the relation with adoption intention of Islamic banking. The unfolding results spring up a broad spectrum to policymakers and practitioners of Islamic banking by suggesting the push and pull strategies.

Originality/value

Numerous studies conducted to find the influencing factors of adoption intention of Islamic banking, but this research is identifying the determinant of attitude along with adoption intentions. This research is contributing to the existing research by taking reputation (brand image), cost benefits and government support along with religiosity, which is an important factor but is ignored in previous research. Theoretically, this research is contributing to the TPB by giving a scenario of salient beliefs along with attitude and social influence because beliefs play an important role in building the adoption intention of the subject.
Are overqualified individuals hiding knowledge: the mediating role of negative emotion state
Authors: Ma Bei , Zhang Jing
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Despite manager’s investments in facilitating knowledge sharing, such as hiring employees with lots of knowledge, knowledge hiding remains prevalent in organizations. It may stem from that less attention has been paid to the relationship between perceived overqualification and knowledge hiding. Drawing on emotion theory, this study aims to build a mediation framework to examine effects of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding via negative emotion state and moderating role of team positive affective tone.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a two-wave survey study among 398 knowledge workers from 106 teams in knowledge-intensive industries and tests the hypotheses by performing a series of hierarchical linear modeling analyzes.

Findings

The results show that a negative emotion state mediates the U-shaped relationship between employees’ perceived overqualification and knowledge hiding behavior. Team positive affective tone moderates the U-shaped relationship between negative emotions and employees’ knowledge hiding behavior.

Originality/value

This study extends current knowledge management literature by introducing perceived overqualification as an individual predictor of employees’ knowledge hiding behavior and revealing the both light and dark sides of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding, as well as its intervening mechanism. The research findings help practitioners to curb such counterproductive behaviors.
Modelling the financial intermediation function of banks and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Yakubu Ibrahim Nandom , Abdallah Iliasu
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of financial intermediation functions of banks on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs data from 11 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 1970–2016. Using broad money supply, bank credit to the private sector and bank deposits as financial intermediation measures, the authors apply the random effects (RE) technique based on the recommendation of the Breusch–Pagan test.

Findings

The results show that except for bank deposits, broad money supply and bank credit to the private sector significantly influence economic growth. While broad money has a negative relationship with growth, bank credit to the private sector and bank deposits are positively correlated with economic growth.

Originality/value

The relationship between financial intermediation and economic growth remains unsettled, as results vary across countries. Besides, in developing countries' perspective, extant studies are largely focused on individual countries to investigate the financial intermediation-growth nexus. In this study, the authors take a different direction by employing a panel approach and thus adding to the few cross-country studies on the subject matter. Also, unlike other studies that have focused on a single indicator of financial intermediation, this study uses three indicators of financial intermediation which broadly reflect the intermediation functions of banks.
Maximizing design potential: investigating the effects of utilizing opportunistic and restrictive design for additive manufacturing in rapid response solutions
Authors: Prabhu Rohan , Masia Jordan Scott , Berthel Joseph T. , Meisel Nicholas Alexander , Simpson Timothy W.
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous innovative engineering design solutions, several of which leverage the rapid prototyping and manufacturing capabilities of additive manufacturing. This paper aims to study a subset of these solutions for their utilization of design for AM (DfAM) techniques and investigate the effects of DfAM utilization on the creativity and manufacturing efficiency of these solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study compiled 26 COVID-19-related solutions designed for AM spanning three categories: (1) face shields (N = 6), (2) face masks (N = 12) and (3) hands-free door openers (N = 8). These solutions were assessed for (1) DfAM utilization, (2) manufacturing efficiency and (3) creativity. The relationships between these assessments were then computed using generalized linear models to investigate the influence of DfAM utilization on manufacturing efficiency and creativity.

Findings

It is observed that (1) unique and original designs scored lower in their AM suitability, (2) solutions with higher complexity scored higher on usefulness and overall creativity and (3) solutions with higher complexity had higher build cost, build time and material usage. These findings highlight the need to account for both opportunistic and restrictive DfAM when evaluating solutions designed for AM. Balancing the two DfAM perspectives can support the development of solutions that are creative and consume fewer build resources.

Originality/value

DfAM evaluation tools primarily focus on AM limitations to help designers avoid build failures. This paper proposes the need to assess designs for both, their opportunistic and restrictive DfAM utilization to appropriately assess the manufacturing efficiency of designs and to realize the creative potential of adopting AM.
Good governance matters for well-being: the case of Kazakhstan
Authors: Serikbayeva Balzhan , Abdulla Kanat
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the impact of the perceived performance of the government on subjective well-being based on the individual-level survey data of Kazakhstan. Having implemented substantial economic and public administration reforms over nearly three decades since independence in 1991 Kazakhstan presents an interesting case to explore how people perceive the outcomes of the reforms.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper estimates the relationship between life satisfaction and its determinants with the ordered logit model making use of the ranking information in the response variable.

Findings

This paper establishes that satisfaction with public service delivery, living conditions and personal and economic factors that are subject to public policy, along with trust in government institutions contribute to life satisfaction. The more satisfied individuals are with the quality, affordability and accessibility of public services, the more satisfied they are with their lives as a whole. A higher level of trust in government institutions increases individual well-being.

Originality/value

There is still a lack of research on subjective well-being in the less developed world. This study will help reveal important determinants of subjective well-being in the context of a developing country. Also, this study is valuable in terms of examining the impact of citizen satisfaction with public service delivery on subjective wellbeing based on rich individual-level data of the national quality of life (QoL) survey.
Social disruption of the tourism and hospitality industries: implications for post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery
Authors: Chapman Connor M. , Miller DeMond Shondell , Salley Geremy
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how societal disruptions in the wake of disasters and crises also disrupt the tourism and hospitality industries.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper takes a case-study approach. First, the literature on disasters/crises is reviewed; then three cases in which disasters impacted local, regional and global tourism and hospitality industries are examined: Hurricane Katrina, Arab Spring and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

Three principles are proposed to assist in mitigating the impacts of disaster on the tourist industry. These principles also serve as a means of potentially re-orienting and guiding the tourism and hospitality industries toward a sustainable and equitable future.

Originality/value

In addition to the three guiding principles offered in this paper; the examination of COVID-19 offers a novel case in which tourism is impacted globally by a singular disaster. Findings and implications from this case will guide recovery and, potentially, allow for a reconceptualization of the tourism and hospitality industries.