bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Post-Transcriptional Circadian Regulation in Macrophages Organizes Temporally Distinct Immunometabolic States
Authors: Collins Emily J , Cervantes-Silva Mariana P , Timmons George A , O’Siorain James R , Curtis Annie M , Hurley Jennifer M
Published: March 2020

Our core timekeeping mechanism, the circadian clock, regulates an astonishing amount of cellular physiology and behavior, playing a vital role in organismal fitness. While the mechanics of circadian control over cellular regulation can in part be explained by the transcriptional activation stemming from the positive arm of the clock’s transcription-translation negative feedback loop, research has shown that extensive circadian regulation occurs beyond transcriptional activation in fungal species and data suggest that this post-transcriptional regulation may also be preserved in mammals. To determine the extent to which circadian output is regulated post-transcriptionally in mammalian cells, we comprehensively profiled the transcriptome and proteome of murine bone marrow-derived macrophages in a high resolution, sample rich time course. We found that only 15% of the circadian proteome had corresponding oscillating mRNA and this regulation was cell intrinsic. Ontological analysis of oscillating proteins revealed robust temporal enrichment for protein degradation and translation, providing potential insights into the source of this extensive post-transcriptional regulation. We noted post-transcriptional temporal-gating across a number of connected metabolic pathways. This temporal metabolic regulation further corresponded with rhythms we observed in ATP production, mitochondrial morphology, and phagocytosis. With the strong interconnection between cellular metabolic states and macrophage phenotypes/responses, our work demonstrates that post-transcriptional circadian regulation in macrophages is broadly utilized as a tool to confer time-dependent immune function and responses. As macrophages coordinate many immunological and inflammatory functions, an understanding of this regulation provides a framework to determine the impact of circadian regulation on a wide array of disease pathologies.
Mutations, Recombination and Insertion in the Evolution of 2019-nCoV
Authors: Wu Aiping , Niu Peihua , Wang Lulan , Zhou Hangyu , Zhao Xiang , Wang Wenling , Wang Jingfeng , Ji Chengyang , Ding Xiao , Wang Xianyue , Lu Roujian , Gold Sarah , Aliyari Saba , Zhang Shilei , Vikram Ellee , Zou Angela , Lenh Emily , Chen Janet , Ye Fei , Han Na , Peng Yousong , Guo Haitao , Wu Guizhen , Jiang Taijiao , Tan Wenjie , Cheng Genhong
Published: March 2020

Background

The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV or SARS-CoV-2) has spread more rapidly than any other betacoronavirus including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. However, the mechanisms responsible for infection and molecular evolution of this virus remained unclear.

Methods

We collected and analyzed 120 genomic sequences of 2019-nCoV including 11 novel genomes from patients in China. Through comprehensive analysis of the available genome sequences of 2019-nCoV strains, we have tracked multiple inheritable SNPs and determined the evolution of 2019-nCoV relative to other coronaviruses.

Results

Systematic analysis of 120 genomic sequences of 2019-nCoV revealed co-circulation of two genetic subgroups with distinct SNPs markers, which can be used to trace the 2019-nCoV spreading pathways to different regions and countries. Although 2019-nCoV, human and bat SARS-CoV share high homologous in overall genome structures, they evolved into two distinct groups with different receptor entry specificities through potential recombination in the receptor binding regions. In addition, 2019-nCoV has a unique four amino acid insertion between S1 and S2 domains of the spike protein, which created a potential furin or TMPRSS2 cleavage site.

Conclusions

Our studies provided comprehensive insights into the evolution and spread of the 2019-nCoV. Our results provided evidence suggesting that 2019-nCoV may increase its infectivity through the receptor binding domain recombination and a cleavage site insertion.

One Sentence Summary

Novel 2019-nCoV sequences revealed the evolution and specificity of betacoronavirus with possible mechanisms of enhanced infectivity.
Pioneering meiotic recombination
Authors: Alavattam Kris G. , Abe Hironori , Namekawa Satoshi H.
Published: March 2020

To induce cell type-specific forms of gene regulation, pioneer factors open tightly packed, inaccessible chromatin sites, enabling the molecular machinery to act on functionally significant information encoded in DNA. While previous studies of pioneer factors have revealed their functions in transcriptional regulation, pioneer factors that open chromatin for other physiological events remain undetermined. In this issue of Genes & Development, Spruce and colleagues (pp. 398–412) report the functional significance of a “pioneer complex” in mouse meiotic recombination. This complex, comprised of the zinc finger DNA-binding protein PRDM9 and the SNF2 family chromatin remodeler HELLS, exposes nucleosomal DNA to designate the sites of DNA double-strand breaks that initiate meiotic recombination. Both HELLS and PRDM9 are required for the determination of these recombination hot spots. Through the identification of a pioneer complex for meiotic recombination, this study broadens the conceptual scope of pioneer factors, indicating their functional significance in biological processes beyond transcriptional regulation.
[…] you feel there’s nowhere left to go: the barriers to support among women who experience substance use and domestic abuse in the UK
Authors: Fox Sarah
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Domestic abuse victimisation is a common experience among women with problematic substance use, but support provision for both issues is siloed within the UK. Research on the topic focuses on practitioner responses, dominating women’s voices within research, policy and practice. As such, knowledge about women’s experiences of help-seeking is missing. This study therefore aims to fill a gap in knowledge by exploring the lived experiences of supporting seeking among women impacted by domestic abuse and substance use.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 women who had a history of co-occurring problematic substance use and domestic abuse. Influenced by interpretive phenomenological analysis and feminist research praxis, the study explored how women with dual needs navigated support and help seeking and the barriers they faced.

Findings

The women reported the biggest barrier was the disconnect between substance use and domestic abuse support, including a gap in the communication of information. This resulted in them having to choose which of their needs to seek support for. None of the women received support for their combined experiences, and most of the women never received support for their domestic abuse experiences alone.

Originality/value

This is the first piece of research from the UK to explore, in-depth, women’s journey through support for their co-occurring substance use and domestic abuse victimisation. Previous research has not consulted with women to understand how they navigate the complex support systems available. This paper is, therefore, important, because it demonstrates the journeys to services these women take and the barriers they have to overcome.
Performance of TV programs: a robust MCDM approach
Authors: Andrade Liz Hassad de , Antunes Jorge Junio Moreira , Wanke Peter
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to provide an approach to analyze the performance of TV programs and to identify what can be done to improve them.

Design/methodology/approach

The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), the Ng-model, Grey relational analysis (GRA), and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to evaluate the programs, using audience, share, and duration as the performance criteria.

Findings

By comparing TOPSIS to the Ng-model, PCA, and GRA, we verified that SVD and bootstrap SVD TOPSIS provide a good balance between equal-weights TOPSIS and the other models. This is because SVD and bootstrap SVD TOPSIS break down the data to a higher degree, but are less impacted by outliers compared to the long tail models.

Practical implications

To determine which TV programs should be replaced or modified is a complex decision that has not been addressed in the literature. The advantage of using a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach is that analysts can choose as many criteria as they want to rank TV programs, rather than relying on a single criterion (e.g., audience, share, target rating point).

Originality/value

This work represents the first time that robust MCDM methodology is applied to an audience data set to analyze the performance of TV programs and to identify what can be done to improve them. This study shows the application of a detailed methodology that is useful for the improvement of TV programs and other entertainment industry content.
Benchmarking enablers to achieve growth performance: a conceptual framework
Authors: Bhattacharya Sanjay , Momaya Kirankumar S. , Iyer K. Chandrasekhar
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To suggest a conceptual framework to benchmark enablers of growth and link them to performance metrics, duly supported theoretically with definitions and literature review. The sub-objectives of the study are the following:

To identify enablers based on theories and antecedents of growth

To establish key leads on how the identified enablers have been deployed by leading construction companies, basis their stages of growth and economic context

To identify which enablers have higher potential to contribute to competitiveness and growth in an effort to benchmark performance

To establish if the enablers deployed is dependent on the market maturity and economic context

Design/methodology/approach

The enabler-mix-based approach is evolved through literature review, inputs from industry practitioners, and subsequent empirical analysis. To explore relationships, the primary methodology suggested is building theory from practice, justified in specific industry and regional economic context. Content analysis has been used for validation of the framework.

Findings

Traditional strategy literature suffers from the limitations in terms of applicability and specific contextual settings. In a rapidly changing and varied environment coupled with the context of emerging countries, there is a need for a benchmarked framework for strategy and growth. The evidence toward utility of the framework has been established through a quick analysis of leading construction companies. Capabilities for “operational and process excellence,” “unique products and services,” and “visionary leadership” emerged to be the higher ranked core growth enablers. However, the deployment of these enablers is dependent on the maturity of the company and its economic context.

Research limitations/implications

This simpler and generic framework analyzes the relative impact on performance, as well as the inter-enabler interaction and substitution effects, in the context of construction companies.

Practical implications

In the context of industries that are volatile in nature (like the construction industry), strategy tools need to be simple and generic towards practical and uncomplicated application for the managers, to achieve positive outcomes.

Originality/value

This paper offers fresh perspectives to benchmarking literature in terms of enablers to deliver growth performance, in the context of construction companies. It attempts to fill the gap in evolving simple strategy tools to ensure sustainable growth performance in industries having nascent research support and less availability of data so far. In the context of industries that are volatile in nature (like the construction industry), strategy tools need to be simple and generic toward practical and uncomplicated application for the managers to achieve positive outcomes.
Taxonomy of business value underlying motivations for e-HRM adoption
Authors: Poba-Nzaou Placide , Uwizeyemunugu Sylvestre , Gaha khadija , Laberge Mélanie
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to develop a taxonomy of organizations based on business value (BV) underlying electronic human resource management (e-HRM) adoption motivations.

Design/methodology/approach

A taxonomy was developed using cluster analysis of the online case stories of 146 firms. Results were validated using discriminant analysis. Differences in organization and environmental characteristics across clusters were examined.

Findings

Seven meaningful and distinct clusters were uncovered showing asymmetry in the consideration of strategic BV underlying the motivations of e-HRM adoption. Statistical tests revealed that the seven clusters have high internal validity. Statistically significant differences in organizational conditions were found among clusters.

Research limitations/implications

This research offers an empirically and conceptually grounded taxonomy of organizations that reveals strategic and nonstrategic BV that organizations actually put forward and the way they combine together to form different profiles. This research is based on secondary data, that is, data initially gathered for a distinct goal different from this research.

Practical implications

The developed taxonomy provides human resource (HR) managers, executives, researchers and consultants a useful way to describe and understand motivations underlying e-HRM adoption. The taxonomy may also facilitate valid and systematic assessment of e-HRM effectiveness.

Originality/value

This research moves the debate beyond normative arguments to a more analytic assessment of the actual practice of organizations regarding e-HRM adoption and expected BV.
Day-level job crafting and service-oriented task performance
Authors: Hulshof Inge L. , Demerouti Evangelia , Le Blanc Pascale M.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study examines whether job crafting is related to service-oriented task performance (i.e. performance aimed at providing high-quality services) through meaningful work and work engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 156 employees of a Dutch unemployment agency (4 days, 531 observations). Multilevel SEM was used to analyze the data.

Findings

Results showed that job crafting was related to service-oriented task performance via meaningful work and work engagement. Specifically, seeking resources and seeking challenges were positively related to service-oriented task performance via meaningful work and work engagement, whereas reducing demands was negatively related to service-oriented task performance via meaningful work and work engagement.

Originality/value

The study concludes that seeking resources and seeking challenges are beneficial for service-oriented task performance.
Laminar entry region mixed convection heat transfer from an inclined rectangular fin array
Authors: Roy Krishna , Giri Asis , Das Biplab
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The paper aims to investigate the influence of the angle of inclination on mixed convection heat transfer from rectangular plated shrouded fin array computationally. This study has got applications in the various thermal field such as cooling, solar thermal and so on.

Design/methodology/approach

A computational study is made to evaluate the thermal performance in an inclined channel.

Findings

Increase in clearance from 0.01 to 0.25 results in an increase of local Nusselt number by is as high as 15% near the exit. At a higher value of Gr with an increase in C* from 0.10, Nu is found to increase by 5.5%. Increase in Gr by 1.37 times results in enhancement of Nu by a maximum of 25-30%. Around 10% increase in overall Nu value is observed with an increase in inclination (i.e. from 30° to 60°).

Practical implications

This study has got applications in the various thermal field such as cooling, solar thermal and so on.

Originality/value

Entry region mixed convection in a shrouded inclined finned channel is performed.
Do sin firms engage in real activities manipulation to meet earnings benchmarks?
Authors: Ogilby Suzanne M. , Xie Xinmei , Xiong Yan , Zhang Jin
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Recent literature suggests that sin firms (firms in tobacco, gambling and alcohol industries) have lower institutional ownership, fewer analysts following, higher abnormal returns and higher financial reporting quality. This study aims to investigate empirically how sin firms engage in real activities manipulation (RAM) to meet earnings benchmarks in comparison to non-sin firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examine two types of RAM, namely, Cutting discretionary expenditures including research and development (R&D), SG&A and advertising to boost earnings. Extending deep discount or lenient credit terms to boost sales and/or overproducing to decrease COGS to increase gross profit. Consistent with Roychowdhury (2006), the authors use abnormal discretionary expenditures as the proxy for expenditure reduction manipulation and abnormal production costs as the proxy for COGS manipulation.

Findings

The results for the abnormal discretionary expense model suggest that sin firms do not engage in RAM of advertising, R&D, SG&A expense to just meet earnings benchmarks. The results for the production costs model suggest that sin firms do not engage in COGS manipulation to just meet earnings benchmarks. The results are robust after controlling accrual-based earnings management (AEM). Overall, in this setting, these results suggest that managers of sin firms engage less in RAM to meet earnings benchmarks.

Originality/value

The findings are of interest to investors, auditors, regulators and academics with respect to financial statement analysis and earnings quality.
Prediction and categorization of fabric drapability for 3D garment virtualization
Authors: Kim Jimin , Kim Yun Jeong , Shim Myounghee , Jun Youngmin , Yun Changsang
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study aims to create a classification system enabling users of 3D virtualization software to intuitively perceive the drapability of fabrics.

Design/methodology/approach

1,001 fabrics were used, and thickness, bending property, and tensile strength were identified as main mechanical properties influencing drapability; they have been set as independent variables in the model established to predict drape coefficient.

Findings

A system to classify fabrics into eight groups by drapability was suggested by a cluster analysis, and a multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to set a model that allows users to predict which group a fabric belongs to from its mechanical properties.

Originality/value

This paper provided basic materials for the construction of a virtual clothing simulation system, which is believed to contribute to cost and time savings in decision-making by reducing the number of trials and errors required by the conventional approach.
A thermal EHL investigation on plate-pin hinge pairs in silent chains using a narrow finite line contact
Authors: Zhang Mingyu , Wang Jing , Cui Jinlei , Yang Peiran
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to numerically study the variations of oil film pressure, thickness and temperature rise in the contact zone of plate-pin pair in silent chains.

Design/methodology/approach

A steady-state thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) model is built using a Ree–Eyring fluid. The contact between the plate and the pin is simplified as a narrow finite line contact, and the lubrication state is examined by varying the geometry and the plate speed.

Findings

With increase in the equivalent radius of curvature, the pressure peak and the central film thickness increase. Because the plate is very thin, the temperature rise can be neglected. Even when the influence of the rounded corner region is less, a proper design can beneficially increase the minimum film thickness at both edges of the plate. Under a low entraining speed, strong stress concentration results in close-zero film thickness at both edges of the plate.

Originality/value

This study reveals the EHL feature of the narrow finite line contact in plate-pin pairs for silent chains and will support the future works considering transient effect, surface features and wear.
Effects of cue congruence and perceived cue authenticity in online group buying
Authors: Kao Karen C. , Rao Hill Sally , Troshani Indrit
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The study investigates how the congruence of online deal popularity and star rating influences service quality expectation in online group buying (OGB) websites. It also investigates the role of authenticity perceptions of online cues.

Design/methodology/approach

Two experiments are used to assess the effects of congruence between deal popularity and star rating on service quality expectation for service deals in an OGB website.

Findings

The findings suggest that a combination of congruently high deal popularity and high star rating has a stronger effect on expected service quality than a combination of congruently low cues. The findings further suggest that expected service quality is greater under the combination of high deal popularity and low star rating than the combination of low deal popularity and high star rating, showing the differences between incongruent cue combinations. The findings also show the moderating effect of consumer authenticity perceptions of cues on the expected service quality.

Originality/value

The novel contribution of the study is to extend cue congruence theory to explain how congruent online information cues and the consumers' authenticity perceptions of the cues influence consumers' judgment of online deals. The contribution is validated empirically in the context of OGB. The findings advance current knowledge concerning how consumers use online information cues.
The role of augmented reality in robotics
Authors: Bogue Robert
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into how augmented reality (AR) technologies are being applied to robotics.

Design/methodology/approach

Following an introduction and a brief historical background to AR, this first provides examples of AR applications in robot programming. It then gives examples of recent research into AR-based robot teleoperation. Research activities involving the virtual fixtures (VF) technique are then discussed and finally, brief conclusions are drawn.

Findings

Because AR concepts were first investigated in the 1990s, applications involving robotics have been widely studied. Programming with the aid of AR devices, such as the HoloLens headset, can be simplified and AR methods, including the VF technique, can improve the accuracy and speed of teleoperation, manipulation and positional control tasks. They can also provide visual or haptic feedback which leads to more intuitive operation and significantly reduces the cognitive load on the operator.

Originality/value

This provides an insight into the growing role of AR in robotics by providing examples of recent research in a range of applications.
Individual difference on reading ability tested by eye-tracking: from perspective of gender
Authors: Zhan Zehui , Wu Jun , Mei Hu , Wu Qianyi , Fong Patrick S.W.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the individual difference on digital reading, by examining the eye-tracking records of male and female readers with different reading ability (including their pupil size, blink rate, fixation rate, fixation duration, saccade rate, saccade duration, saccade amplitude and regression rate).

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 74 participants were selected according to 6,520 undergraduate students’ university entrance exam scores and the follow-up reading assessments. Half of them are men and half are women, with the top 3% good readers and the bottom 3% poor readers, from different disciplines.

Findings

Results indicated that the major gender differences on reading abilities were indicated by saccade duration, regression rate and blink rate. The major effects on reading ability have a larger effect size than the major effect on gender. Among all the indicators that have been examined, blink rate and regression rates are the most sensitive to the gender attribute, while the fixation rate and saccade amplitude showed the least sensitiveness.

Originality/value

This finding could be helpful for user modeling with eye-tracking data in intelligent tutoring systems, where necessary adjustments might be needed according to users’ individual differences. In this way, instructors could be able to provide purposeful guidance according to what the learners had seen and personalized the experience of digital reading.
A protocol for the estimate of the social rate of time preference: the case studies of Italy and the USA
Authors: Nesticò Antonio , Maselli Gabriella
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to characterize an evaluation protocol of the social discount rate (SDR). This is based on the social rate of time preference (SRTP) principles, according to which the investment selection process must tend to maximize the utility of the community.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical reference of the evaluation protocol is represented by the Ramsey formula. It is widely used in many countries with advanced economics for the SRTP estimation, through the maximization of the Social Welfare Function (SWF).

Findings

The protocol structure and the protocol applications to the Italian and US economies explain how the SDR value is influenced by the socio-economic structure of the single nation.

Research limitations/implications

The strong variability of the results of the SDR according to the theoretical approach of reference and the operating path that follows can lead to judgments decidedly divergent on the acceptability of the public project, hence, the important policy implications for the entire allocation process of public resources.

Practical implications

The applications allow to highlight the important operational problems that must be resolved with regard to the choice of the time intervals of the evaluations, as well as logical-operational tools to be used to express estimates of parameters.

Social implications

They are relevant in relation to the effects of a more equitable allocation of the resources.

Originality/value

The protocol for the SDR estimation is based both on solid disciplinary principles and on objective data of non-complex availability and representative of the economic and socio-demographic context of the country in which the decision-making process is implemented.
Foreign productivity improvements and domestic welfare effects
Authors: Karavidas Dionysios
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to shed light on two mechanisms that show how foreign productivity improvement affects domestic welfare.

Design/methodology/approach

First, this study applies a general equilibrium model that takes into account how wages respond to productivity improvements. Second, this study uses a monopolistic competition model that shows how benefits or losses from foreign productivity changes are distributed within domestic economy.

Findings

First of all, this study shows that a region’s productivity improvement is beneficial for the region itself as well as for its trading partner. Moreover, the study finds that productivity improvement in a developing region is beneficial for the entire economy, benefits all unskilled workers in the economy and skilled workers in the developing region and hurts those in the developing region’s trading partner.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature in two key aspects. First, the study applies a two-region, two-factor, one-sector general equilibrium model with flexible wages, and second, the study uses a two-region, two-factor, two-sector monopolistic competition model, relaxing the single-factor (labor) assumption, which is used in other works. Under the single-factor assumption, foreign productivity changes do not have any impact on domestic income distribution. In reality, however, any productivity change between countries creates losers and winners within each country. Hence, the author believes that it is imperative to study how benefits or losses that come from foreign productivity changes are distributed between domestic production factors.
Commentary: exposing a research bias or a relic of research practice
Authors: Russell-Bennett Rebekah , Rosenbaum Mark Scott , McAndrew Ryan
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to represent a response to issues raised in the continuing quantitative-qualitative debate by Valtakoski (2020). Which appeared in a Journal of Services Marketing (JSM) special issue on qualitative research in service-oriented research.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors performed a content analysis of 1,268 papers that were published in JSM (1987-2019). In addition, the authors had data that is held in JSM’s manuscript central submission portal.

Findings

The analysis shows that while there is a dominance of quantitative methods in the journal, the proportion of qualitative papers is growing. During 2014-2019, 83.4 per cent of submitted papers to JSM represented quantitative research and 14 per cent represented qualitative research; however, 75 per cent of accepted papers were quantitative and 25 per cent were qualitative/mixed methods. Thus, the proportion of published qualitative studies are increasing and have a higher chance of receiving an acceptance decision compared to quantitative studies. Additionally, the largest percentage of qualitative papers published in JSM derive from corresponding authors outside of North America.

Research limitations/implications

Service researchers who opt to use inductive research methods, which tend to use qualitative research, will not confront discrimination based solely upon the use of a research methodology among editors or reviewers at JSM.

Practical implications

JSM welcomes qualitative research that has rich practical implications.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to provide authors with a detailed analysis and responses to the qualitative-quantitative debate in marketing.
Assessing the ICT exploitation in EU energy policy: a multicriteria evaluation
Authors: Andreopoulou Zacharoula , Koliouska Christiana , Zopounidis Constantin
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to present and assess the EU energy policies regarding their dependence on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) implications and the level of complexity of the applied ICT implications using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity of Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. The used criteria have been retrieved from the official “ICT Implication Assessment method of EU Legislation”.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology approach deals with the ranking representation of EU energy policies according to the ICT exploitation. The data for the study were collected from the official website of the European Union (EU) (www.europa.eu). According to these data, the subtopics of the EU energy policies regard the internal energy market, the European energy policy, the energy efficiency, the nuclear energy, the security of energy supply, the external dimension, the enlargement and the renewable energy sources. The EU energy policies were assessed using the TOPSIS multicriteria analysis. The TOPSIS is widely used to solve real-world decision-making problems due to its characteristic to deal with different information types.

Findings

According to the results of the research, the EU energy policies achieve a good level of dependence on ICT implications and of complexity of the applied ICT implications but not the optimum. However, EU policy-makers should take into account the ICT factors while updating an existing one or while designing a new energy policy. The results of this research can provide an overview of the current situation regarding the current legislation while moving toward a sustainable eEurope. There is a need for stronger incubation efforts for a wide range of innovations to be ready in due time.

Originality/value

This is the first time that EU energy policies are presented and assessed regarding their dependence on ICT implications and the level of complexity of the applied ICT implications using the TOPSIS method.
Generation Y investment decision: an analysis using behavioural factors
Authors: Rahman Mahfuzur , Gan Soon Sheng
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the behavioural factors that affect individual investment decisions among Generation Y in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

Five human behaviours such as trait anger, trait anxiety, overconfidence, herding factor and self-monitoring have been examined using a sample of 502 respondents.

Findings

The results reveal that trait anxiety and overconfidence are negatively related to investment decisions while self-monitoring is positively associated. Trait anger and herding behaviour do not significantly affect investment decision. The results also show that investment decision-making is significantly distinct when examined by gender, employment status and income allocation. Among these three variables, the result shows that only self-employed individuals and those in the 5–10 per cent income allocation group are marginally positive vis-à-vis investment decision-making.

Originality/value

The outcomes of this study will expand investors' knowledge about the financial decision-making process.
Investigation of communication in budgetary accountability routines
Authors: Mutiganda Jean-Claude , Grossi Giuseppe , Hassel Lars
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the role of communication in shaping the mechanisms of accountability routines.

Design/methodology/approach

Conceptual elements of the theory of communicative action and the literature on routines were used to conduct a field study in two hospital districts in Finland, from 2009 to 2015. Data were based on interviews, document analysis, observed meetings and repeated contact with key informants.

Findings

The findings explain how accountability routines take different forms – weak or strong – in different organisations and at different hierarchical levels. Differences depend on the generative structures and mechanisms of the communicative process – relational and normative – used to give and ask information to and from organisation members involved in accountability relationships. An explorative finding is that discourse-based communication plays an important role in bridging the gap between weak and strong accountability routines. The main theoretical contribution is to conceptualise and show the role of communicative rationalities in shaping the mechanisms of accountability routines.

Practical implications

The implication for practitioners and policymakers is to show to what extent the organisation policies and communicative rationalities used in accountability have potential to improve or not to improve the practices of accountability routines. Mutual understanding, motivation and capacity of organisation members to do as expected and agreed upon without pressure improve accountability routines.

Originality/value

The value of this study is to explain how accountability routines take different forms in practice (weak or strong) in different organisations and at different hierarchical levels, depending on the generative structures of the communicative process used in practicing accountability routines.
Future research avenues of cost of quality: a systematic literature review
Authors: Dimitrantzou Christina , Psomas Evangelos , Vouzas Fotios
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the future research suggestions which have been made by several authors with regard to cost of quality (CoQ) and to group them into respective themes.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was based on a systematic literature review (SLR) of 97 peer-reviewed journal articles in the field of CoQ published in well-known academic databases, such as Emerald, Elsevier, SpringerLink, Taylor & Francis, Wiley and Scopus. The time horizon for reviewing the literature was 9 years, particularly in the period between 2010 and 2018. The “Affinity diagram” was applied to group the future research suggestions into logical themes and the “Pareto diagram” to further categorize and prioritize these themes.

Findings

A plethora of future research suggestions identified in the literature are analytically presented. Moreover, the analysis showed that the future research suggestions in the field of CoQ can be grouped under eleven meaningful themes, which are further categorized into two broad categories, meaning the vital and the useful.

Research limitations/implications

This SLR was based on only fully accessed English articles published in international, peer-reviewed journals of the selected publishers. The restricted number of keywords used and the subjectivity in applying the “affinity diagram” are also limitations of this study.

Practical implications

This paper provides insights into the future research perspectives in the field of CoQ. Thus, this analysis can serve as a resource for both researchers and practitioners to further develop this area according to the future research suggestions and the respective themes revealed.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first SLR presenting and analyzing the future research suggestions of CoQ.
Fostering the development of Oman’s knowledge economy pillars through ICT
Authors: Al-Busaidi Kamla Ali
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Information and communications technology (ICT) is the driving force and key enabler of a knowledge economy. The purpose of this study is to identify the critical ICT indicators that foster the development of the knowledge economy and its main pillars (education, innovation and economic and institutional regimes) in Oman.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a qualitative approach and conducted four Delphi studies on four groups of experts (ICT experts, educators, innovation experts and economists) in Oman.

Findings

The results indicated that the most commonly top-listed ICT indicators of a boost in the country’s knowledge economy are related to the national level (total research and development expenditure on ICT, ICT patents as a percentage of national total and ICT as an overall priority for the government), firm level (the proportion of businesses using the internet, the proportion of businesses using computers and the proportion of businesses with a Web presence), and inhabitant level (mobile phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants, internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants and personal computers per 100 inhabitants).

Originality/value

ICT is the driving pillar of a knowledge economy. The literature indicated that most of the ICTs for development studies are conducted in developed countries; hence, there is a great need for investigations in the context of less developed economies such as Oman. This study can provide insights for the country on how to develop and exploit ICT to boost the development of the overall knowledge economy and its pillars and to provide guidance for exploiting ICT to gain economic value. Oman’s vision for 2020 and 2040 aims at economic diversification; the knowledge economy is a critical aspect of the country’s economic diversification. In addition, the literature indicated that the relationship between ICT and development is still not clear; hence, this study provided some insights into the context of knowledge economy development.
Reflections on the theme issue outcomes the fourth industrial revolution
Authors: Ajagunna Ibrahim , Pinnock Fritz , Johnson Evette Smith , Teare Richard
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to profile the WHATT theme issue: “The fourth industrial revolution: What are the realities for maritime- and tourism-dependent countries?”, with reference to the experiences of the theme editors and writing team.

Design/methodology/approach

Structured questions were used to enable the theme editors to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process.

Findings

This paper identifies the ways in which both industry and education need to change and embrace emerging technologies with particular reference to tourism and maritime provision and infrastructure in the Caribbean region.

Practical implications

The theme issue outcomes provide indicators and action points for tourism and maritime industry stakeholders and for academics involved in planning and delivering learning support to these industries.

Originality/value

This paper draws on discussion and applied research with industry to identify and assess the likely impact of the fourth industrial revolution in tourism- and maritime-dependent countries. Taken together, the theme issue collection of articles provides a rich picture of the changes occurring and prospects for the future.
Early‐life learning ability predicts adult social structure, with potential implications for fitness outcomes in the wild
Authors: Langley Ellis J. G. , van Horik Jayden O. , Whiteside Mark A. , Beardsworth Christine E. , Weiss Michael N. , Madden Joah R.
Published: March 2020

Social environments influence important ecological processes and can determine how selection acts on traits. Cognitive abilities can shape these social environments and in turn, affect individuals' fitness.

To understand how cognitive abilities evolve, we need to understand the complex interplay between an individual's cognitive abilities, the social environment that they inhabit and the fitness consequences of these relationships.

We measured the associative learning ability of pheasant chicks, Phasianus colchicus, then released them into the wild where we quantified their social position by observing their associations at feeding stations and monitored the number of days survived.

We observed disassortative mixing by learning performance at the population level, and poor learners had more associates than good learners. Learning was beneficial for survival when focal individuals had fewer than four associates, but survival probability across learning abilities equalized for individuals with more than four associates.

While the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain to be determined, the patterns of association exhibited by pheasants at feeders can be predicted by individual variation in cognitive performances and we suspect these patterns are related to differences in information use. Critically, these resulting patterns of association have fitness consequences for individuals that cannot be explained directly by their cognitive ability, but which could mediate selection on cognition.
Justifying Social Impact as a Form of Impression Management: Legitimacy Judgements of Social Enterprises’ Impact Accounts
Authors: Molecke Greg , Pinkse Jonatan
Published: March 2020

This paper investigates how social enterprises construct accounts to gain legitimacy from the social impact generated by their products and operations. The paper finds that social impact accounts are framed to appeal to two distinct forms of judgement about legitimacy: cognitive and evaluative. Cognitive forms of judgement qualify how well an enterprise shares attributes with an individual's schemas of established actors or roles in society. Evaluative forms of judgement tend to operate more analytically to make comparisons of the relative appropriateness and desirability of multiple enterprises to achieve an audience's goals. The findings show that although legitimizing the social aspects of an enterprise involved justifications aimed at both forms of judgement, legitimizing an enterprise's professionalism relied almost exclusively on evaluative judgements. Moreover, the justifications created to appeal to evaluative judgements relied almost exclusively on financial and operational data, using operational scale as a proxy.
Significant, replicable, and functional associations between KTN1 variants and alcohol and drug codependence
Authors: Luo Xingguang , Guo Xiaoyun , Luo Xingqun , Tan Yunlong , Zhang Ping , Yang Kebing , Xie Ting , Shi Jing , Zhang Yong , Xu Jianying , Zuo Lingjun , Li Chiang‐Shan R.
Published: March 2020

The gray matter volume (GMV) of the putamen has been reported to be regulated by kinectin 1 gene (KTN1). As a hub of the dopaminergic circuit, the putamen is widely implicated in the etiological processes of substance use disorders (SUD). Here, we aimed to identify robust and reliable associations between KTN1 SNPs and SUD across multiple samples. We examined the associations between SUD and KTN1 SNPs in four independent population‐based or family‐based samples (n = 10,209). The potential regulatory effects of the risk alleles on the putamen GMVs, the effects of alcohol, nicotine, marijuana and cocaine on KTN1 mRNA expression, and the relationship between KTN1 mRNA expression and SUD were explored. We found that a total of 23 SNPs were associated with SUD across at least two independent samples (1.4 × 10−4 ≤ p ≤ 0.049), including one SNP (rs12895072) across three samples (8.8 × 10−3 ≤ p ≤ 0.049). Four other SNPs were significantly or suggestively associated with SUD only in European‐Australians (4.8 × 10−4 ≤ p ≤ 0.058). All of the SUD‐risk alleles of these 27 SNPs increased (β > 0) the putamen GMVs and represented major alleles (f > 0.5) in Europeans. Twenty‐two SNPs were potentially biologically functional. Alcohol, nicotine and cocaine significantly affected the KTN1 mRNA expression, and the KTN1 mRNA was differentially expressed between nicotine or cocaine dependent and control subjects. We concluded that there was a replicable and robust relationship among the KTN1 variants, KTN1 mRNA expression, putamen GMVs, molecular effects of substances, and SUD, suggesting that some risk KTN1 alleles might increase kinectin 1 expression in the putamen, altering putamen structures and functions, and leading to SUD.
Safety guideline: neurological monitoring associated with obstetric neuraxial block 2020
Authors: Yentis S. M. , Lucas D. N. , Brigante L. , Collis R. , Cowley P. , Denning S. , Fawcett W. J. , Gibson A.
Published: March 2020

Serious neurological lesions such as vertebral canal haematoma are rare after obstetric regional analgesia/anaesthesia, but early detection may be crucial to avoid permanent damage. This may be hampered by the variable and sometimes prolonged recovery following ‘normal’ neuraxial block, such that an underlying lesion may easily be missed. These guidelines make recommendations for the monitoring of recovery from obstetric neuraxial block, and escalation should recovery be delayed or new symptoms develop, with the aim of preventing serious neurological morbidity.
Four different ileorectal anastomotic configurations following total colectomy
Authors: Jolly Samantha , Dudi‐Venkata Nagendra N. , Hanna‐Rivero Nicole , Kroon Hidde M. , Reid Fiona S. W. , Sammour Tarik
Published: March 2020

Ileorectal and ileosigmoid anastomoses are typically performed following total colectomy and subtotal colectomy, respectively. The current literature provides extensive description of more common anastomoses such as after right hemicolectomy or anterior resection. However, there is little focus in the literature on the ileorectal or ileosigmoid anastomotic technique, despite these anastomoses having a relatively high complication rate. The purpose of the current study is to describe four standardized ileorectal or ileosigmoid anastomotic configurations, with commentary on specific challenges and theoretical advantages and disadvantages of each.