bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Commissioning and first-year operational results of the MAX IV 3 GeV ring
Authors: Tavares Pedro F. , Al-Dmour Eshraq , Andersson Åke , Cullinan Francis , Jensen Brian N. , Olsson David , Olsson David K. , Sjöström Magnus , Tarawneh Hamed , Thorin Sara , Vorozhtsov Alexey
Published: August 2018

The MAX IV 3 GeV electron storage ring in Lund, Sweden, is the first of a new generation of light sources to make use of the multibend-achromat lattice (MBA) to achieve ultralow emitance and hence ultrahigh brightness and transverse coherence. The conceptual basis of the MAX IV 3 GeV ring project combines a robust lattice design with a number of innovative engineering choices: compact, multifunctional magnet blocks, narrow low-conductance NEG-coated copper vacuum chambers and a 100 MHz radio-frequency system with passively operated third-harmonic cavities for bunch lengthening. In this paper, commissioning and first-year operational results of the MAX IV 3 GeV ring are presented, highlighting those aspects that are believed to be most relevant for future MBA-based storage rings. The commissioning experience of the MAX IV 3 GeV ring offers in this way an opportunity for validation of concepts that are likely to be essential ingredients of future diffraction-limited light sources.
Inversion dimers dominate the crystal packing in the structure of trimethyl citrate (trimethyl 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate)
Authors: Morjan Rami Y. , El-Kurdi Said M. , Azarah Jannat N. , Eleiwa Neda A. , Abu-Teim Omar S. , Awadallah Adel M. , Raftery James , Gardiner John M.
Published: August 2018

Trimethyl citrate, C9H14O7 (systematic name: trimethyl 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate), 2, was prepared by the esterification of citric acid and methanol in the presence of thionyl chloride at 273 K. The bond lengths and angles in 2 compare closely with those observed in citric acid. The C—C bonds adjacent to the terminal carboxyl groups are significantly shorter than those around the central C atom. The central carboxylate group and the hydroxy group occur in the normal planar arrangement with an r.m.s. deviation of 0.0171 Å from the mean plane involving all six atoms in the central unit. The crystal structure is almost completely dominated by the formation of inversion dimers through an O—H...O hydrogen bond, together with an extensive array of weaker C—H...O contacts. These generate a three-dimensional network structure with molecules stacked along the c-axis direction.
Na1.85Mg1.85In1.15(PO4)3 and Ag1.69Mg1.69In1.31(PO4)3 with alluaudite-type structures
Authors: Ould Saleck Ahmed , Assani Abderrazzak , Saadi Mohamed , Mercier Cyrille , Follet Claudine , El Ammari Lahcen
Published: August 2018

Single crystals of two new phosphates, sodium magnesium indium(III) tris(orthophosphate) and silver magnesium indium(III) tris(orthophosphate), were obtained from solid-state reactions. The two phosphates are isotypic and exhibit alluaudite-type structures. They are characterized by a cationic disorder of the Mg and In sites and a partial occupation of the Na and Ag sites, respectively. The structure of both phosphates is made up of chains of edge-sharing [(Mg,In)O6] octahedra extending parallel to [10\overline{1}]. Adjacent chains are linked by PO4 tetrahedra to form a three-dimensional framework delimiting two types of channels parallel to [001] in which the monovalent cations are situated. The coordination numbers of the Na+ cations are 6 and 8, and for both Ag+ cations 6. The corresponding coordination spheres are considerably distorted.
A cross-cultural consumers’ perspective on social media-based short food supply chains
Authors: Elghannam Ahmed , Arroyo Julian , Eldesouky Ali , Mesias Francisco J.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to get a consumer’s cross-cultural insight on the potential of using social networking sites as short food supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach, using free listing tasks and sentence completion techniques, was adopted in this research. The research group decided to apply the study in three countries with different cultural backgrounds, namely, Mexico, Spain and Egypt. The final sample consisted of 424 respondents in total, including 209 Spanish, 111 Mexicans and 104 Egyptians, all of them actual users of social networks.

Findings

The most significant result that emerges from this study is that a high percentage of consumers within the three countries might be interested in these new short food chains. Also, the study offers food companies the most relevant motivations and barriers of consumers for their engagement to this initiative. Also, the study provides categories of foods that consumers would purchase via these chains in each country.

Originality/value

The multicultural perspective of this study might open new opportunities for food businesses around the world, especially for SMEs, to develop new short food supply chains enabling them to increase sale levels and, therefore, increase profitability and reduce costs.
Innovation in construction firms of different sizes: drivers and strategies
Authors: Meng Xianhai , Brown Andrew
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The importance of innovation has been increasingly highlighted in construction as a large and complex industry sector that is more challenging than ever before. To bridge the knowledge gap about how firm size affects innovation in construction, the purpose of this paper is to explore firm-level innovation through an empirical investigation and compare innovation in construction firms of different sizes in terms of drivers and strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

This research adopts a combination of a literature review, a group of qualitative interviews and a quantitative questionnaire survey. In this research, the questionnaire survey is the main instrument to collect empirical data. Main contractors, subcontractors and specialist contractors as well as suppliers of labor, material and equipment are used in this research to represent construction firms of different sizes. On the other hand, client organizations, design firms and management consultants are not included in this research.

Findings

This research provides clear evidence for the embrace of innovation in construction. Many forces can drive construction firms to innovate and many strategies can be applied to construction innovation. Innovation drivers can be either internal or external. On the other hand, innovation strategies fall into four categories: technology, resource, marketing and management. For innovation drivers and strategies, both commonalities and differences can be found among construction firms of different sizes.

Originality/value

The finding of commonalities describes the general trend of innovation development in construction. It also encourages all construction firms to innovate regardless of firm size. On the other hand, the finding of differences enables construction firms of different sizes to realize what forces better drive their innovation and what strategies are more appropriate for their innovation. A thorough understanding of innovation drivers and strategies offers an important framework for construction organizations and practitioners to pursue best practice.
Open-plan office post-occupancy evaluation: inquiring Algerian gender specificity
Authors: Benammar Abdelkrim , Anouche Karima , Lesgaa Hasnia , Hamza Cherif Yamina
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of an open-plan office (OPO) space organisation on a user’s attitude in the Algerian context; more specifically, it investigates gender differences in the occupants’ perception of such working environment. It, principally, aims to explore the employees’ reaction towards OPO and sees how much such local office type complies with indoor environment quality (IEQ) and psychological comfort.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical framework of the study is mainly related to environmental psychology referring to the interaction between users and their environment. Post-occupancy evaluation was carried out using exploratory study and questionnaires, followed by statistical analyses. It was performed on a large-scale sample of employees (296 employees) working in recently built OPO situated in Oran (Algeria).

Findings

Fundamentally, women appear to show more concern regarding comfort. They do not show much reluctance to be mixed with men in a large office space as opposed to more conservative reaction towards mixing up in outdoor public space environment. As for environmental factors (IEQ), indicators have shown the inadequacy of most buildings in terms of thermal, light or noise comfort. The study has also revealed that a majority of users recognise the professional advantages of the OPO, although it is suggested that their preferred type would be the individual office.

Originality/value

The paper provides a concise starting point for future research interested in developing Algerian context OPO design in terms of both indoor environmental and psychological comfort.
Does the political regime favor economic growth?
Authors: Guadalupe-Lanas Jorge , Cruz-Cárdenas Jorge , Arévalo-Chávez Patricio , Palacio-Fierro Andrés
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the influence of political regime on economic growth.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology was based on an inter-period comparison of the evolution of macroeconomic fundamentals in three different political regimes in Ecuador, a South American country.

Findings

The results showed that what determines the evolution of macroeconomic fundamentals is not the political regime that oversees it, but the size of a positive exogenous shock on the price of raw materials, which, by providing higher incomes, considerably increases the level of investment and net exports. However, the political regime does affect the distribution of income in sectors such as health and education.

Originality/value

As far as the authors know, this may be the first paper to explore the importance of a positive exogenous shock on a political regime for the case of primary-exporting Latin American economies, which are price takers subject to exogenous shocks.
The development and critique of validated assessment tools for pre-hospital resuscitation skills
Authors: Seymour-Walsh Amy
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of clinically credible skill practice and assessment guides for intraosseous (IO) needle insertion and laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion as two essential components of advanced life support (ALS) training.

Design/methodology/approach

A modified Delphi approach was used to determine expert consensus in the application of IO and LMA devices for the pre-hospital and emergency setting. Nine pre-hospital clinical specialists were recruited to participate in this Delphi study to determine consensus of clinical expert practice.

Findings

Two rounds were required to obtain a performance and assessment checklist for each skill. Both lists were then further modified to maximise their useability. However, the development of a “validated” checklist using a pre-determined process such as a Delphi approach is challenged. Rather, the implementation of these tools in a stated context, and analysis of the data they generate, is an essential aspect of validation which the Delphi approach does not address.

Research limitations/implications

Participant feedback regarding the rationale for their scores was limited in this study in order to minimise participant input and maximise completion of all rounds of the study. Further, devices used in the study may no longer be first-line choices with the advent of more modern devices including semi-automatic IO devices and LMAs which do not have inflatable cuffs. The refined checklists are able to be adapted to these newer devices.

Practical implications

Pre-hospital education contexts which may not have access to expert assessors who are skilled in providing global judgements now have access to clinically relevant skill-specific assessment tools for IO and LMA insertion.

Originality/value

Worldwide, ALS accreditation and competence is demanded of countless health professionals, and to date, validated practice and assessment guides specifically developed for the emergency setting for which they are used, are not available in the published literature. This paper proposes to fill that gap, in addition to guiding clinical education researchers in strategies to develop valid assessment tools through rigorous critique.
Ethanol production in Brazil: empirical evidence based on persistence
Authors: Barros Carlos , Gil-Alana Luis A. , Wanke Peter
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the production of sugar cane ethanol in Brazil for the time period 1983-2016, separating the data by geographical location.

Design/methodology/approach

For this purpose, the authors use techniques based on the concept of fractional integration.

Findings

The authors show that the data corresponding to the total production is highly persistent, with an integration order smaller than 1 but close to it. In fact, the unit root hypothesis cannot be rejected implying that shocks have a permanent nature, and thus requiring policy measures to recover the level from exogenous shocks. Separating the data into two sub-regions, namely, North–Northeast and Central–South, higher levels of persistence are detected in the latter, while the former presents some evidence of mean reverting behavior, implying that shocks will disappear by themselves in the long run in the former regions. These results are obtained from all the different methods used.

Originality/value

The originality is based on the time series techniques used in the paper that departs from the classical methods based on unit roots and integer degrees of differentiation.
Exploring supply chain sustainability research in Latin America
Authors: Fritz Morgane Marie Caroline , Silva Minelle E.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The majority of the supply chain sustainability (SCS) literature is based on research perspectives and findings from studies conducted in developed countries. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the current Latin American publications on SCS (2007–2016) to explore whether another perspective exists.

Design/methodology/approach

As part of a structured literature review, 123 peer-reviewed articles published in four Latin American databases were scanned. This literature review was combined with a qualitative content analysis using an inductive and deductive approach to move away from top–down approaches and to illuminate the Latin American perspective on SCS.

Findings

The analysis of the scientific literature demonstrates that the traditional three pillars of sustainability are not enough to understand the specificities of the region. This review shows that cultural and institutional dimensions enhance the understanding of SCS locally. In addition, three major triggers for SCS in Latin American economies were found: green supply chain management practices, local development and stakeholder engagement.

Research limitations/implications

A deeper understanding of the Latin American perspective can support scholars worldwide in developing the field of SCS in relevant directions and in comprehending the specificities of their own countries by infusing cultural and institutional elements into their conceptualisations of SCS.

Originality/value

This paper provides an unexplored perspective on SCS because it analyses Latin American publications and presents a mapping of current SCS issues and research gaps that offers insights to guide future research in the field.
Tolerating and managing extreme speech on social media
Authors: Johnson Brett G.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This study seeks to understand the opinions of internet users toward extreme speech on social media platforms and their willingness to censor such speech. The purpose of this paper is to examine how norms of freedom of expression are changing in an online communication environment dominated by these platforms.

Design/methodology/approach

Four focus groups were conducted in this study. Participants needed to use at least one social media platform daily. Groups were homogeneous in terms of race and gender: African-American females, African-American males, white females and white males.

Findings

Participants in general did not report a strong willingness to censor extreme speech on social media platforms. Rather, they expressed apathy and cynicism toward both their own and social media companies’ ability to combat extreme speech and make online discourse more positive. Female participants tended to value the overall health of public discourse and protection of more vulnerable social media users on social media platforms. African-American female participants called for platforms to recognize a special duty to protect minority users, whom they saw as responsible for the platforms’ success.

Research limitations/implications

Focus groups are useful for providing exploratory rather than generalizable data. However, by increasing the understanding of how individuals define extreme speech on social media, these data can reveal how individuals rhetorically shape the social media platforms and interpret their role in democratic discourse.

Originality/value

This research takes the rich field of studying tolerance toward extreme speech to new territory: the online realm where public discourse (and especially extreme discourse) is hosted more and more.
The dark side of news community forums: opinion manipulation trolls
Authors: Mihaylov Todor , Mihaylova Tsvetomila , Nakov Preslav , Màrquez Lluís , Georgiev Georgi D. , Koychev Ivan Kolev
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the dark side of news community forums: the proliferation of opinion manipulation trolls. In particular, it explores the idea that a user who is called a troll by several people is likely to be one. It further demonstrates the utility of this idea for detecting accused and paid opinion manipulation trolls and their comments as well as for predicting the credibility of comments in news community forums.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors are aiming to build a classifier to distinguish trolls vs regular users. Unfortunately, it is not easy to get reliable training data. The authors solve this issue pragmatically: the authors assume that a user who is called a troll by several people is likely to be such, which are called accused trolls. Based on this assumption and on leaked reports about actual paid opinion manipulation trolls, the authors build a classifier to distinguish trolls vs regular users.

Findings

The authors compare the profiles of paid trolls vs accused trolls vs non-trolls, and show that a classifier trained to distinguish accused trolls from non-trolls does quite well also at telling apart paid trolls from non-trolls.

Research limitations/implications

The troll detection works even for users with about 10 comments, but it achieves the best performance for users with a sizable number of comments in the forum, e.g. 100 or more. Yet, there is not such a limitation for troll comment detection.

Practical implications

The approach would help forum moderators in their work, by pointing them to the most suspicious users and comments. It would be also useful to investigative journalists who want to find paid opinion manipulation trolls.

Social implications

The authors can offer a better experience to online users by filtering out opinion manipulation trolls and their comments.

Originality/value

The authors propose a novel approach for finding paid opinion manipulation trolls and their posts.
The bidirectional mistrust
Authors: Björkman Annica , Salzmann-Erikson Martin
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe online communication about the experiences and attitudes toward Swedish Healthcare Direct, a national telephone advice nursing (TAN) service.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive research design was adopted using a six-step netnographic method. Three Swedish forums were purposefully selected and data from the virtual discussions were collected.

Findings

Three themes emerged: expectancy and performativity of the nurses, absurdity in accessibility and the scrutinizing game. The most prominent finding was the scrutinizing game, which included aspects of bidirectional mistrust from both nurses and callers. Another salient finding was the attitudes that callers held toward nurses who used a technique interpreted as “passing the buck.”

Research limitations/implications

The use of a nethnographic method is novel in this area of research. Consequently, the body of knowledge has regarding telephone advise nursing service has significantly been broadened. A limitation in this study is that demographic data for the posters are not available.

Practical implications

Bidirectional distrust is an important issue that must be acknowledged by TAN services, since it might damage the service on a fundamental level. Healthcare providers, politicians, and researchers should account for the power and availability of virtual discussions when seeking consumers’ opinions and evaluating the quality of the care provided.

Originality/value

This analysis of the ongoing discussions that take place on the internet provides insight into callers’ perceptions of a national TAN service. The bidirectional mistrust found from both the nurses and the callers might be a threat to callers’ compliance with the advice given and their care-seeking behavior.
Manufacturing and mechanical characterization of square bar made of aluminium scraps through friction stir back extrusion process
Authors: Gelaw Mengistu , Ramulu Perumalla Janaki , Hailu Dagmawi , Desta Tariku
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to manufacture an aluminium square cross-sectional bar by using conventional lathe machine from aluminium scraps through friction stir back extrusion (FSBE) process and study the viability of the process to produce the square bar.

Design/methodology/approach

The important tasks involved in this work are as follows: designing and manufacturing the chamber and plunger components used for experimental work, experimentally studying the thermo-mechanical progression of FSBE process on adapted conventional lathe machine and analyzing the relation between controlled parameter (like rotational speed and consolidation time) and response parameter (like extrusion time, extrusion rate, grain structure and hardness).

Findings

Preliminary results show that increasing or decreasing rotational speeds results in defects. Cold crack and twisting defect were shown on square bar fabricated using low rotational speed, and hot crack defects were observed on surface of the bars produced by higher rotational speed. The manufactured square bars were tested using optical microscope and Vickers hardness tester. Microstructural studies reveal that initial grains of aluminium wire undergo significant refinement and result in equiaxed and recrystallized grains in the square bar fabricated through FSBE method. The hardness tests show almost even distribution of hardness in the specimen, but hardness was lower than parent aluminium; in comparison, uneven distribution of hardness was seen in parent aluminium.

Originality/value

FSBE process is the new method to produce the bars and rods with better mechanical properties. The ambition of this work is to convert the existing scrap materials to useful products. Based on the literature review, the work has planned to perform extrusion process with the minimum effort and limited sources. In this manner, the work is highly original and under scientific mandate.
Does inflation targeting matter for the behavior of inflation and output growth? Some regime-based evidence for Asian economies
Authors: Valera Harold Glenn A. , Holmes Mark J. , Hassan Gazi M.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider whether or not the introduction of inflation targeting (IT) impacts on the mean-reversion properties of inflation and output growth.

Design/methodology/approach

Focusing on eight Asian countries of which four are inflation-targeters, the authors employ a two-state Markov-switching model which characterizes the behavior of inflation and output growth as regime-dependent based on periods of stationarity or non-stationarity.

Findings

In contrast to a literature that offers mixed findings, the authors find the presence of stationary inflation and output growth in one regime for all IT countries, except for South Korea which is characterized by stationary output growth in both regimes. In the cases of South Korea and Thailand, IT reduces the probability of inflation remaining in a non-stationary regime. IT increases the probability of South Korea remaining in a regime of low persistence output growth. While IT is important in understanding behavior, so are other considerations such as exchange rate volatility, as well as the Asian and global financial crises.

Originality/value

In contrast to other unit root tests of inflation and output growth, a novelty of the approach is that the authors obtain new insights in terms of two concepts of stationarity that allow for inflation and output growth to switch between stationary and non-stationary regimes (partial stationarity), or between stationary regimes of differing degrees of persistence (varied stationarity).
Value versus growth in PIIGS stock markets
Authors: Garcia Maria Teresa Medeiros , Oliveira Ricardo António Abreu
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to construct and evaluate value and growth portfolios in Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain, which are commonly known as the EU PIIGS, from 2003 to 2015. Previous research evidence suggests that stocks trading at a lower price relative to their fundamentals (value stocks) tend to outperform stocks that trade at higher prices (growth stocks) in the long run. Although this market anomaly has been studied immensely worldwide, especially for the US stock market, there is no clear evidence whether such an assertion is applicable in less-renowned countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper utilises Fama and Macbeth (1973) regressions and its model extensions.

Findings

This paper finds a significant value premium in these countries, which is compatible with previous studies conducted worldwide.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to examine this asset pricing anomaly in the PIIGS.
Technical change, variable elasticity of substitution and economic growth
Authors: Gamlath Sharmila , Lahiri Radhika
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the properties of the variable elasticity of substitution (VES) production function, and examine the dynamics of growth associated with it.

Design/methodology/approach

The VES production function is incorporated into an otherwise standard Diamond overlapping generations model.

Findings

Depending on parameter combinations, the economy can achieve a unique and stable steady state akin to that observed in the Solow-Swan model, reach a poverty trap or transition towards an upper bound of per capita capital stock. A special case of the VES production function is also consistent with unbounded growth.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is theoretical in nature. Further empirical analysis could shed deeper insights into the results presented in this study.

Practical implications

The VES production function, when applied to the context of the Diamond model, can capture a variety of growth experiences observed in the empirical literature.

Social implications

In the context of the Diamond model, a higher value of a particular parameter in the production function leads to greater intergenerational income and consumption inequality. Hence, the study provides a potential explanation for intergenerational inequalities observed in practice.

Originality/value

The study demonstrates the empirical value of the VES production function in explaining observed differences in factor shares, rewards and elasticities within and between countries over time.
The impact of FDI on Nigeria’s export performance: a sectoral analysis
Authors: Okechukwu Obiora G. , De Vita Glauco , Luo Yun
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the foreign direct investment (FDI)–exports relationship in Nigeria using disaggregated FDI and export data.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies the autoregressive distributed lag cointegration approach in examining the long-run relationship between FDI and exports.

Findings

The results suggest that aggregate FDI has a positive and statistically significant long-run impact on total exports. Once exports are disaggregated into oil and non-oil exports, the positive, cointegrating relationship holds only for oil exports. When disaggregated by sector, primary sector and manufacturing sector FDI have a positive and significant long-run relationship with both total exports and oil exports but service sector FDI does not appear to have any significant influence on Nigerian exports.

Originality/value

This is the first paper that employs both sectoral FDI and disaggregated export data to examine the FDI–exports nexus in Nigeria.
“Sometimes you don’t know how to move” cultural savviness and learning the ropes of bureaucracy
Authors: Lang Luciana
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Recent works by organisational anthropologists have identified bureaucracy as a major challenge for unskilled workers in the global economy. Daily encounters with bureaucratic processes only enhance general feelings of inadequacy, frustration and insecurity experienced by social groups who have to rely on precarious work. However, a focus on people’s homespun strategies and on the role of the non-profit sector in helping them to navigate bureaucracy is still incipient. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The research, ethnographic in its approach, unveils some of these challenges by drawing on 29 interviews with migrant workers in a third sector organisation in Manchester, UK. It explores migrants’ work experiences and aspirations, and the strategies used to navigate the bureaucracy embedded in the organisation of their lives. Informed by the different roles the researcher performed at the centre and by the inter-disciplinary nature of the projects, the methodology includes interviews, participative observation, analysis of life story narratives and drawings, and participation in community workshops.

Findings

While acknowledging that bureaucracy can keep people in liminal spaces and enhance their sense of insecurity, this paper reveals how personal aspirations and the ability to make connections across different social networks provide the much needed drive that enables migrants to acquire language skills, a tool that helps them to learn the ropes of bureaucratic processes, become culturally savvy, and leave the stage of quasi-citizenship.

Originality/value

Responses highlight the significance of recent welfare reforms and reveal adaptive mechanisms to deal with resulting uncertainties, which include the use of a variety of social networks, learning hew digital and language skills, and seeking specialized knowledge found in organisations in the third sector. The study also questions the taken-for-granted rationality of bureaucracy, unveiling its messy and ambiguous logic.
Securities class action filings: 2017 year in review
Authors: Gould John , Grundfest Joseph , Aganin Alexander
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an analysis of securities class action filings in 2017 along with related trends over time and a comprehensive current view of the securities class action landscape.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper details 2017 securities class actions and related trends by measures including the number and size of filings; market capitalization losses; litigation likelihood for US versus non-US exchange-listed companies; status and outcomes of filings (settled, dismissed, continuing); core versus merger and acquisition filings; individual versus institutional investors as lead plaintiffs; and concentration of class action activity by industry sector, stock exchange and court circuit.

Findings

The number of federal securities class action lawsuits filed in 2017 reached a record high for the second straight year. The jump was spurred by a sharp increase in lawsuits targeting mergers and acquisitions. The 412 securities class action filings in 2017 represented a more than 50 per cent increase from the previous record of 271 filings in 2016.

Originality/value

This paper details analysis by legal and industry experts.
Competition at home and foreign market entry timing
Authors: Powell K. Skylar
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Research has identified inverted U-shaped relationships between domestic competitive position, often cast in terms of home-country market share or relative profitability, and speed of entry into a foreign market. However, in some industries, firms may be especially attentive and responsive to competition between firms in their local-home market (i.e. sub-national). Hence, this study aims to explore the effect of local-home market competitive intensity on the relationship between a firm’s overall competitive position and speed of entry into a foreign market.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 114 large US corporate law firms from 1992 through 2008 were used for Cox proportional-hazards regression models to estimate the moderating effect of local-home market competitive intensity on the relationship between relative profitability at the national level and speed of entry (i.e. hazard rate) into China.

Findings

Less-dominant firms from highly competitive local-home markets entered China more quickly than less-dominant firms from less-competitive local-home markets. In addition, first-movers from highly competitive local-home markets tended to have more advantageous competitive profiles, as reflected in profitability, than first-movers from less-competitive local-home markets.

Originality/value

This research explores an important contingency in the relationship between a firm’s competitive position at home and timing of entry into a foreign market. Additionally, the results suggest that first-movers from less-competitive local-home markets may face immediate competition from better-positioned first-movers from more competitive locations within the same home market when they enter new markets.
Older people’s experiences of getting help from neighbours
Authors: Grime Janet Claire
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate older people’s views and experiences of getting help from neighbours in order to consider whether such help is situated within neighbourliness and the implications for social care policy which seeks to harness help from neighbours.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study in which 15 older people from the North of England were interviewed to explore relationships with neighbours, managing day to day life and experiences of getting help from neighbours.

Findings

Relationships with helper neighbours were reciprocal, dynamic and preceded the start of getting help. The help offered was not negotiated but evolved in response to changes in circumstances and was commensurate with normative views of neighbourliness, i.e. reciprocated sociability and helpfulness but also respect for privacy. Respondents were reluctant to ask for help. Underpinning such reluctance were perceptions of imposing on neighbours, suggestive of anticipated asymmetry in the give-and-take of neighbourliness.

Social implications

Policy makers who see the help from neighbours as an output of household production and available as a source of informal care for older people must appreciate that whether help is offered or taken up is dependent on the development of a reciprocal relationship which itself depends on observing and respecting normative boundaries, such as in relation to help giving or receiving and due respect for privacy.

Originality/value

There has been little research into older people’s perspectives on getting help from neighbours despite diminishing public services and neighbours viewed as a potential source of care.
Royalty and Opposition to Blood Sports in Twentieth‐Century Britain: From Imperial Spoils to Wildlife Conservation?
Authors: TICHELAR MICHAEL
Published: August 2018

This article explores the relationship between the British royal family, the growth of opposition to blood sports and the influence of wildlife conservation during the twentieth century. It explores the way in which public attitudes to the British monarchy in relation to hunting have changed over time, reflecting the growing strength of public opposition to blood sports in the twentieth century. It will argue that the royal family's patronage of the wildlife conservation movement from the 1960s provided a new justification for hunting in a post imperialist world by the preservation of endangered species in nature reserves, but that this had very little impact on the trend of public opinion. It will highlight the paradox that while members of the royal family increasingly used wildlife conservation as a scientific justification for hunting after 1950, in terms of the general trend of public opinion such arguments had little influence and tended to work against the interests of sport hunting.
Competency for Chinese Handwriting and Signature Examination
Authors: Li Chi‐keung
Published: August 2018

Chinese characters had their root some 4000 years ago and, with the growth in population, are used by over 1.3 billion people worldwide today; it is inevitable that document examiners would encounter cases involving the examination of Chinese handwriting regardless of their location. Although there are extensive studies on the examination of English handwriting in the literature, similar studies on Chinese handwriting are relatively limited. We are seeking to explore the obstacles and challenges for a document examiner who is unfamiliar with Chinese characters to apply the principles of identification and elimination of authorship described in the literature to examine Chinese handwriting, and how can these document examiners demonstrate their competency for conducting Chinese handwriting examination. This study provides a review of the literature, compares the methodology and key features in English and Chinese handwriting examination, and describes various workshops and proficiency testing programs organized to assist document examiners seeking development in Chinese handwriting and signature examination.
‘In the eyes of the beholder’: the influence of academic performance and extracurricular activities on the perceived employability of Chinese business graduates
Authors: Pinto Luísa H , He Kena
Published: August 2018

We examine whether the academic performance and the participation in extracurricular activities (ECAs) affect the perceived employability of Chinese business graduates by employing an experimental between‐subjects factorial design. Three hundred and sixty Chinese working adults rated the employability of eight fictitious résumés of business graduates from the Peking University, varying in academic performance, participation in ECAs and gender. The results showed that the participation in ECAs, alone and combined with academic performance, resulted in higher rates of job suitability and employability skills. Moreover, the findings revealed an outgroup favouritism towards the applicants with high academic performance and participation in ECAs. These findings are relevant for employers, higher education institutions and graduates because an increasing number of new entrants are seeking to distinguish themselves in the transition to the labour market.
The effect of entry on R&D networks
Authors: Petrakis Emmanuel , Tsakas Nikolas
Published: August 2018

We investigate the effect of potential entry on the formation and stability of R&D networks considering farsighted firms. The presence of a potential entrant often alters the incentives of incumbents to collaborate. Incumbent firms may form an otherwise undesirable collaboration to deter entry of a new firm. Moreover, an incumbent may refrain from establishing an otherwise desirable collaboration, expecting to form a more profitable link with the entrant. Finally, potential entry may lead an inefficient incumbent to exit the market. Welfare analysis shows market and social incentives to be often misaligned. We propose a subsidy scheme that encourages welfare‐improving entry.
The role of abiotic factors in the pupation of Thaumatotibia leucotreta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in the soil
Authors: Love Claire N. , Moore Sean D. , Hill Martin P.
Published: August 2018

A key focus area of the South African citrus industry is the improved control of the phytosanitary citrus pest Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

New methods of control for this pest are continually being sought and the use of entomopathogens as biological control agents of the soil-dwelling life stages of T. leucotreta has shown great promise. Current understanding of T. leucotreta pupation biology, behaviour and survival is limited; thus, improving upon this knowledge would be useful for the biological control of this life stage.

Abiotic factors, namely soil texture class, ground cover, soil compaction and soil moisture, were investigated in the laboratory, aiming to determine the effects of these on T. leucotreta pupation variables. The investigations consisted of an examination of the wandering behaviour of larvae prior to pupation site selection, the pupation behaviour after selecting a pupation site, and eclosion biology and success.

These abiotic factors often had a limited influence on T. leucotreta pupation. Interesting consistencies included limited wandering behaviour, the shallowness of T. leucotreta pupation and a high eclosion success in sandy loam soils in certain cases. These factors are likely to have both positive and negative implications for entomopathogenic biological control programmes.
Lactobacillus crispatus accelerates re‐epithelialization in vaginal epithelial cell line MS74
Authors: Takada Kazuhide , Komine‐Aizawa Shihoko , Kuramochi Tomoya , Ito Shun , Trinh Quang Duy , Pham Ngan Thi Kim , Sasano Mari , Hayakawa Satoshi
Published: August 2018

Problem

The functions of vaginal lactobacilli in susceptibility to infectious diseases as regards epithelial barrier integrity and wound healing remain incompletely understood.

Method of study

Lactobacillus crispatus, one of the most common Lactobacillus species in the vagina and among the most protective against sexually transmitted infections, was cocultured with an immortalized human vaginal epithelial cell line (MS74), and a scratch assay was performed to evaluate re‐epithelialization. The concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF) was measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). An immunofluorescence assay was performed to locate the expression of VEGF and VEGF receptor (VEGFR) 1 and 2. The effects of the bacterial supernatant of L. crispatus were also evaluated.

Results

Lactobacillus crispatus significantly accelerated re‐epithelialization of MS74 cells, accompanied by an increase in VEGF concentration. In contrast, heat‐killed L. crispatus did not show this effect. The bacterial supernatant of L. crispatus also induced re‐epithelialization. The immunoreactivity of VEGF was higher at the scratched edge, whereas VEGFR1 and 2 stained site‐independently. Recombinant VEGF induced cell migration in a dose‐dependent manner. The bacterial supernatant of L. crispatus also significantly accelerated re‐epithelialization in MS74 cells and increased the concentration of VEGF in the culture 24 hours after the scratch.

Conclusion

These results may enhance our knowledge of the importance of L. crispatus in the healing of damaged vaginal epithelium and protection against the consequent risk of pathogenic infections, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and improve our understanding of vaginal epithelial barrier integrity maintenance by this bacterium.
Prejudice, Strategic Discrimination, and the Electoral Connection: Evidence from a Pair of Field Experiments in Brazil
Authors: Driscoll Amanda , Cepaluni Gabriel , Guimarães Feliciano de Sá , Spada Paolo
Published: August 2018

Can electoral incentives mitigate racial and class prejudices toward underrepresented groups? We use a pair of large‐scale field experiments to investigate the responsiveness of Brazilian legislative candidates to information requests from fictitious voters before and after the 2010 elections. Our panel study design allows us to examine how politicians’ electoral incentives and prejudices jointly affect their responsiveness to voters with randomly assigned socioeconomic and partisan characteristics. Distinguishing between prejudiced and strategic discrimination in responsiveness, we find that socioeconomically privileged and competitive candidates are equally responsive to underrepresented voters in advance of the election, yet less responsive once in office.
Using remote sensing to model tree species distribution in Peruvian lowland Amazonia
Authors: Pérez Chaves Pablo , Ruokolainen Kalle , Tuomisto Hanna
Published: August 2018

Species distribution models for Amazonian trees have mostly been produced at scales and resolutions that are too broad and coarse for practical use in either conservation or forestry. On the other hand, several studies have shown that elevation and the medium‐resolution remote sensing data available via Landsat imagery can be successfully used to detect differences in plant species composition in Amazonia. Therefore, it seems likely that the same data can also be used to predict geographical distributions of individual taxa. Here we use remotely sensed data and a maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt) to generate landscape‐scale distribution models at 30‐m‐resolution for five economically important timber tree genera (Apuleia, Amburana, Crepidospermum, Dipteryx, and Manilkara). Individual Landsat Thematic Mapper bands and normalized difference vegetation index yielded acceptable model performance, and the use of averaging filters (3 × 3 and 5 × 5 pixel low‐pass filters) improved model performance further. Including elevation as a predictor also improved model performance for all the genera. Our results suggest that it is possible to use Landsat bands and elevation as predictors for modeling the potential distribution of tree species in lowland Amazonia at a fine enough resolution to facilitate the practical management of forest resources.
Design and synthesis of 5‐(5‐nitrothiophen‐2‐yl)‐3‐phenyl‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazole derivatives with improved solubility and potential antituberculosis activity
Authors: Khambete Mihir , Kundaikar Harish , Raju Archana , Lonkar Sachin , Degani Mariam , Ray Mukti Kanta
Published: August 2018

We report the design‐synthesis of several nitrothiophene containing molecules as antituberculosis agents. The molecules were designed on the basis of previously reported nitrofuran molecules in our laboratory, and the α,β‐unsaturated linker was modified to cyclized linker in order to overcome the challenge of low solubility and possible toxicity. The stereo‐electronic properties such as HOMO, LUMO, and HOMO‐LUMO gap along with other properties such as aqueous solvation energies and QPLogS values were studied. The designed molecules were synthesized and tested for in vitro antituberculosis activity, and some molecules were found to be highly active comparable to standard drugs. Further, the aqueous solubility was determined using visual inspection method and the designed molecules were found to be more soluble than their chalcone counterparts. Cytotoxicity studies were performed and the molecules were found to be non‐cytotoxic. Electroanalytical studies proved nitro reduction as the mechanism of action for these molecules. Thus, this study provides potential nitrothiophene containing hits with improved solubility and reduced chances of toxicity.