bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of malfunctioning quantum devices
Authors: Skotiniotis Michalis , Llorens Santiago , Hotz Ronja , Calsamiglia John , Muñoz-Tapia Ramon
Published: September 2024

We consider the problem of correctly identifying a malfunctioning quantum device that forms part of a network of N such devices, which can be considered as the quantum analog of classical anomaly detection. In the case where the devices in question are sources assumed to prepare identical quantum pure states, with the faulty source producing a different anomalous pure state, we show that the optimal probability of successful identification requires a global quantum measurement. We also put forth several local measurement strategies—both adaptive and nonadaptive—that achieve the same optimal probability of success in the limit where the number of devices to be checked is large. In the case where the faulty device performs a known unitary operation, we show that the use of entangled probes provides an improvement that even allows perfect identification for values of the unitary parameter that surpass a certain threshold. Finally, if the faulty device implements a known qubit channel, we find that the optimal probability for detecting the position of rank-one and rank-two Pauli channels can be achieved by product state inputs and separable measurements for any size of network, whereas for rank-three and general amplitude damping channels, optimal identification requires entanglement with N qubit ancillas.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Maintenance satellite modular docking mechanism design for on orbit servicing to nanosatellites
Authors: Toklu Melih
Published: September 2024

Purpose

As a result of space debris problem, it is necessary to deorbit uncontrollable satellites or repair them to extend mission duration to avoid sending a new satellite. The purpose of this paper is to develop a docking mechanism that can be easily customized for different missions, providing on-orbit servicing for nanosatellites.

Design/methodology/approach

This research outlines a system and mechanism design for the docking phase of on-orbit servicing to nanosatellites. The umbrella-inspired mechanism is designed with utmost simplicity to minimize the likelihood of failure. CAD, structural analyse and mechanism analyse tools are used for designing and analysing the system. To ensure that the design attains the desired durability, numerous iterations are conducted. A three-dimensional (3D)-printed prototype is generated for mechanism verification in laboratory conditions.

Findings

The aimed mechanism is generated successfully. A 3D-printed prototype is assembled to verify the mechanism. Also, an equation for customis the presented design is generated for different mission requirements in the future.

Practical implications

The usage of the proposed design can help increase the lifespan of satellites.

Originality/value

The primary innovation in this study is the development of a docking mechanism featuring a movable platform to provide servicing for nanosatellites in orbit. The mechanism presented can be displaced without initiating the unfolding process. This provides a customizable coupling distance for different mission requirements. Therefore, the presented mechanism can serve both different types of satellites and more than one satellite on-orbit with a cost-effective design. Also, the presented design can be easily customized to enable adaptation for the different mission requirements in the future.
Impact of national health insurance enrolment on farm investments in Sub-Saharan Africa: empirical evidence from Ghana
Authors: Asiedu Edward , Sowah Dorcas , Karimu Amin
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The study aims to explore the impact of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) enrolment on farm investments in a developing country setting. We classify farm investments into (1) soil and land investments and (2) hired adult labour.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used data on 5,883 farm households from the sixth round of the Ghana Living Standard Surveys (GLSS), which is nationally represented data at the household level. The data also includes a Labour Force Survey module. The sample frame was divided into a primary and secondary sampling unit, with interviews taking place in 1,200 enumeration areas (EAs). The estimation of impacts was carried out using ordinary least squares (OLS) estimations and addressed endogeneity concerns using propensity score matching (PSM) and instrumental variable (IV) estimators.

Findings

The study finds a strong positive association between the NHIS enrolment status of farm households and investments in agricultural land and soil health improvement. Precisely, farm households who are enroled in the health insurance system tend to invest about 32% more in soil and land improvement activities and 30% more in hired farm labour than households who are not enroled in NHIS.

Practical implications

The overall evidence from our study suggests that instead of high investments in fertilizer and other input subsidy programmes in Africa, sustainable smallholder agricultural investments can be achieved if concerns and issues of farmers’ health coverage are adequately addressed.

Originality/value

This is one of the first papers that have explored the impact of NHIS in developing countries on farm investments.
A decade of providing legal defence support for coca leaf cases in Spain
Authors: Sánchez Avilés Constanza , Bouso José Carlos
Published: September 2024

Purpose

In the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of people facing criminal proceedings related to the traditional use of the coca leaf in Spain. The profile of the defendants, in general, is similar: a migrant person, coming from a country where the traditional and cultural use of the coca leaf is widespread and legal, with few resources and contacts in Spain, and with little knowledge of the criminal justice system. The penalty requests they face are disproportionate, taking into account that they usually involve small quantities of leaves, intended for personal and traditional use. For a decade, the NGO International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service (ICEERS) has offered support to the legal defence of people facing charges for the traditional use of the coca leaf. This paper aims to offer a general overview and analysis of this work, within the framework of which the authors have deployed various arguments for the defence: the historical error represented by the international (and national) prohibition of the coca leaf, the frictions with the rights of migrants, as well as the questioning of the toxicological analysis methods that accompany the opening of these procedures.

Design/methodology/approach

This work is based on the analysis of the information contained in ICEERS’ database and the rulings of both the first instance courts and the Supreme Court. It includes, among other issues, the characteristics of these cases and some trends that the authors have identified. Based on this, some recommendations are offered for better political and judicial management of this social phenomenon.

Findings

The efforts by the authors have made possible the considerable reduction of some sentences, as well as greater understanding by justice system operators about the phenomenon of coca leaf traditional uses beyond native contexts. However, it is necessary to complement this work with a more political and international strategy within the debates on drug policy reform. Along with a review of the scientific evidence by the WHO, which adjusts the international control of coca leaf to the reality of the knowledge currently available, greater dialogue with affected communities and the involvement of governments of the countries of origin of the defendants are essential. This could be achieved through the involvement of the consulates or representatives of these communities in Spain, as well as by opening a space in the bilateral agendas. Finally, there is an urgent need for recognition by the international community that the traditional uses of psychoactive plants are no longer limited to certain geographies or populations, but are part of the collective knowledge of an interconnected world.

Originality/value

This paper is based on the authors’ own experience of more than ten years accompanying the defence of these type of cases.
The social contract theory meets cybersecurity: systematic literature review
Authors: Kleiner Jan
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of social contract theory (SCT) utilization in cybersecurity literature, elucidating the current state of research, identifying major applications and themes and highlighting gaps, particularly in empirical studies, and the integration of emerging technologies. The study also maps the contractual parties and governance tools discussed in SCT and cyberspace interactions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a systematic literature review to investigate the application of SCT within the cybersecurity domain. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative and qualitative content analysis with the Grounded Theory strategy, over 30,000 documents were initially screened. The final data set comprised 873 peer-reviewed papers from multiple databases. MAXQDA software facilitated coding and thematic analysis to identify key SCT applications, governance tools and research gaps.

Findings

The review revealed the following: emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain are sparsely researched within the SCT-cyberspace intersection, yet they offer solutions to various SCT-related issues; empirical studies are underrepresented, with theoretical explorations dominating the discourse; there is a notable gap in integrating emerging technologies such as AI within SCT frameworks; governance tools discussed are varied, including economic incentives, regulatory measures and informational strategies.

Originality/value

This study synthesizes SCT applications in cybersecurity, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature and potential for richer theoretical integration. By systematically mapping the literature, it identifies crucial gaps and offers a foundation for future empirical and theoretical research. The findings emphasize the importance of considering traditional SCT themes and contemporary technological contexts, contributing to the development of more robust frameworks for cyberspace governance.
Action research in LSCM since 2010 – the emergence of design science
Authors: Näslund Dag
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is the review of current status of action research (AR) and design science (DS) in logistics and supply chain management (SCM) and to compare AR and DS.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper’s approach comprises the literature review of AR and DS articles.

Findings

First, not much has changed in terms of number of published AR articles, despite frequent calls for more relevant research. One explanation is the academic system. Second, there is an increased focus on theory, which from a positive perspective is a sign of our field maturing, yet the academic system and current editorial philosophies may also contribute to this development. Third, DS is emerging as a potential replacement of AR.

Research limitations/implications

The study provides suggestion for both authors and editors when it comes to the increased focus on theory. Comparing AR and DS, the two approaches are similar. However, while the increased focus on theory is reflected in DS, it also seems to be an inferior approach for ill-defined change-focused problems, requiring in-depth, collaborative, data-rich, longitudinal studies.

Originality/value

This paper is the first article that reviews and compares AR and DS in LSCM.
The phenomenon of China’s carbon accounting policies and practices
Authors: Li Shuwen , Zakaria Zarina
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to explore China’s carbon accounting policies and practices to enhance its carbon accounting and trading practices and achieve carbon neutrality.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a phenomenological methodology to explore carbon accounting by setting the scope of the phenomenon, establishing research methods, conducting interviews with 30 participants from 14 emitting entities and four accounting firms and establishing methods for data analysis. Five themes were identified using a five-step coding method.

Findings

The results show no uniformity in the accounting treatment of carbon trading; however, common characteristics exist, and they have generally adopted simplified and conservative accounting methods under China’s emission trading scheme. Their common characteristics are that the granted allowances are not recognised as assets by most emitting entities, emissions allowance assets are measured using the historical cost method, most emitting entities only conduct accounting when there are actual cash flows or outflows with regard to carbon emissions allowance trading, and only a few emitting entities disclose carbon trading information in their financial statements or corporate social responsibility reports.

Originality/value

This study highlights accountants’ crucial role in carbon activities by guiding emitting entities’ low-carbon initiatives and culture and transforming managers’ mindsets. It also introduces the China Accounting Standards Committee-based accounting methods for allowances and obligations, aiding carbon disclosure quality and sustainability. These findings also inform the carbon accounting standards that may enhance corporate accountability and address climate change.
Connectedness of global energy markets with global agricultural, natural resources, and socially responsible investments using extended GFI
Authors: Shahid Muhammad Naeem
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The study aims to investigate the risk transmission from COVID-19 to global agriculture, energy, natural resources/mining and environmentally/socially responsible investments. Additionally, it explores the connectedness of global energy indices with global agriculture, natural resources/mining and environmentally/socially responsible investments. The study develops a new COVID-19-based Global Fear Index (GFI) to achieve the objectives, thus contributing to the prevailing literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The data of Global indices are selected from January 2020 to December 2021. The study uses multivariate BEKK-GARCH and TVP-VAR models to explore COVID-19 risk transmission and connectedness between global indices.

Findings

Significant shock and volatility transmissions from COVID-19 to all global indices are observed. Results show that global agriculture, natural resource/mining markets and environmentally and socially responsible investments are safe havens during COVID-19. Furthermore, these global investment choices are barely connected with global energy indices.

Practical implications

Portfolio managers and investors should invest in global indices to gauge the risk-adjusted return during the pandemic and upcoming health-related risks. Investors in energy sectors are advised to diversify the risk by adding safe-haven assets to their portfolios.

Social implications

The findings shed light on the importance of environmentally and socially responsible investments as a separate asset class where ecologically friendly and socially sentimental investors could invest in diversifying the risk of their portfolios.

Originality/value

The paper offers valuable insights to policymakers and investors regarding asset pricing, risk management and financial market stability during pandemic-type emergencies.
The effect of personality type, audit firm size and age on the professional judgment of Iraqi auditors
Authors: Moradi Mahdi , Salehi Mahdi , Mahdi Balah Salah Faleeh
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the factors affecting the professional judgment of auditors in Iraq (personality type, audit firm size and age).

Design/methodology/approach

The statistical population includes 1,750 participants, and the sample size was determined to be 309 participants using Cochran’s sampling formula. The required data has been collected through a questionnaire. Regression factor analysis, Kolmogorov–Smirnov, t and Friedman(f) tests were used to analyze the variables and examine their relationships.

Findings

The results show a significant relationship between neuroticism, extroversion, flexibility, agreeableness and conscientiousness and auditors’ professional judgment. No relationship was observed between the size of the auditing firm and professional judgment. The results also showed a significant relationship between seniority and auditors’ professional judgment.

Originality/value

This study will help increase the knowledge of investors and regulators, providing information to researchers and those interested in auditors’ professional judgment. It can also be a starting point for research in this field. This research investigates the auditor characteristics, including personality traits of auditors, audit firms’ size and age and their impact on auditors’ professional judgment.
Resource mobilization and technology adoption by small firms to co-create opportunities in uncertain environments
Authors: Karami Masoud , Hossain Mokter , Ojala Arto , Mehrara Nikan
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Resource mobilization and technology adoption by small firms are mainly studied separately, although considering them together is crucial for understanding how resources are accessed and mobilized to address uncertainty. Moreover, the authors know little about how small firms pursue new opportunities in a constantly changing environment. The purpose of this study is to investigate how small firms adopt technologies to engage different stakeholders and facilitate the access and mobilization of key resources in the opportunity co-creation process.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applied a qualitative case study method and conducted 14 interviews with co-founders or top managers of five small firms in Iran.

Findings

The findings reveal how small firms adopt technologies to access and mobilize social, human, psychological and financial resources in a highly uncertain environment to co-create new opportunities.

Research limitations/implications

First, the study applies a cross-sectional approach. Therefore, it does not capture longitudinal aspects that might impact resource mobilization and technology adoption over time. Second, the selected five case firms represent rather successful firms, each of which adopted different technologies to challenge the established structure of the market. That is, this study did not focus on unsuccessful cases that would enrich the theory further.

Originality/value

This study reveals how small firms adopt new technologies to mobilize resources and co-create opportunities in highly uncertain environments. It reveals that small firms employ technology adoption strategies to utilize operant resources and accelerate operand resource mobilization. Active learning plays a critical role in this process.
The effect of green perceived values on urban homeowners’ greening intention: the mediating role of green attitude
Authors: Adams Matilda , Tweneboah-Koduah Ernest Yaw , Braimah Stephen Mahama , Odoom Raphael
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of urban homeowners’ green perceived values (i.e. green functional, emotional, ecological and aesthetic values) on their greening behavioural intention. The study further tested the mediating role of green attitude in the relationship between the green perceived value dimensions and greening intention through the theoretical lens of the customer value theory (CVT) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB).

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative survey design was employed for this study. Empirical data were drawn from 501 households in Ghana using a purposive sampling technique. The hypothesized relationships were analysed using structural equation modelling.

Findings

The results of this study revealed that urban homeowners’ intention to adopt greening behaviour is directly influenced by their perception of green functional, ecological and aesthetic values. In addition, the study found that green attitude partially mediated the links between homeowners’ green functional, ecological and aesthetic values and their greening intention. Green emotional value on the other hand did not have a significant direct effect on homeowners’ greening intention. However, it had an indirect effect on greening intention through green attitude. Thus, we can conclude that green attitude fully mediated urban homeowners’ perception of green emotional value and their greening intention.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to attempt to integrate the CVT and the TPB to understand urban homeowners’ greening intention. The study which focuses on Ghana provides new insights into the pathway for promoting voluntary greening behaviour within a developing country
Navigating AI and chatbot applications in education and research: a holistic approach
Authors: N. Abhishek , Devesh Sonal , M.L. Ashoka , Suraj Neethu , Acharya Parameshwara , M.S. Divyashree
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study aimed to identify factors influencing AI/chatbot usage in education and research, and to evaluate the extent of the impact of these factors.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative methods. It is based on both primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected through an online survey. In total, 177 responses from teachers were included in this study. The collected data were analyzed using a statistical package for the social sciences.

Findings

The study revealed that the significant factors influencing the perception of the academic and research community toward the adoption of AI/interactive tools, such as Chatbots/ChatGpt for education and research, are challenges, benefits, awareness, opportunities, risks, sustainability and ethical considerations.

Practical implications

This study highlighted the importance of resolving challenges and enhancing awareness and benefits while carefully mitigating risks and ethical concerns in the integration of technology within the educational and research environment. These insights can assist policymakers in making decisions and developing strategies for the efficient adoption of AI/interactive tools in academia and research to enhance the overall quality of learning experiences.

Originality/value

The present study adds value to the existing literature on AI/interactive tool adoption in academia and research by offering a quantitative analysis of the factors impacting teachers' perception of the usage of such tools. Furthermore, it also indirectly helps achieve various UNSDGs, such as 4, 9, 10 and 17.
Brewing a service-identity: management controls in craft beer servitization
Authors: Wu Julia Yonghua , Akroyd Chris , Ng Frederick
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the management controls that support (and fail to support) a craft brewery’s servitization journey from start-up, through growth, to maturity. It enriches our understanding of how management controls can facilitate the discovery of a service-identity that provides the foundation for servitization.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on in-depth interviews, fieldwork and secondary data analyses, this paper reports on a longitudinal case study of a craft brewery. The authors trace the case company’s servitization journey using a service-dominant logic theoretical perspective. This perspective focuses us on how the value of a product is cocreated with customers, rather than being created by the firm and then distributed.

Findings

The study found that many management controls emerged at the craft brewery from start-up to maturity. Some management controls supported a goods logic, while others supported a service logic. The findings highlight how people and cultural controls in particular enabled the company to move toward a service logic focused on servitization. These management controls informed the evolution of offerings, structure reconfiguration and resources at the craft brewery necessary to support servitization.

Originality/value

Studying a craft brewery contributes an alternative type of manufacturing context and shows how service-identity features such as craftiness, collectiveness, neolocalism and innovation affect a company’s servitization journey.
The psychophysiological effects of travel: a horizon 2050 paper
Authors: Petrick James F. , Wang Xiaoxu
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the state of the literature related to the psychophysiological effects of travel, to identify gaps in the literature and to propose a vision to guide research between now and 2050.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was guided by a systematic literature review which started with more than 2,100 papers. The extant review and its findings are written in a conceptual nature with the concluding propositions, for the year 2050, guided by the systematic review and the authors’ personal knowledge.

Findings

It was found that research related to the psychophysiological effects of travel has greatly progressed over the past two decades. Findings include evidence that travel reduces both perceived and actual stresses and that taking more vacations has the ability to make people healthier. The study also revealed that travel can have negative effects on physiological health. The overall results led to a call for research on the psychophysiological benefits of travel between now and 2050.

Research limitations/implications

The systematic review of literature was limited to studies conducted in English and to studies that included the words “travel” or “tourism” and “benefits”, stress, “health” and “wellness”. Results provide a discussion of theories that should guide the research agenda.

Practical implications

The review and proposed vision for research provide a detailed guide for researchers to follow. Should the proposed research come to fruition, tourism practitioners globally will have results to aid in engineering tourism experiences that could provide health benefits to visitors.

Social implications

The proposed vision could have profound social implications, as the understanding of the positive and negative effects of travel should make travel experiences healthier for all. The study also proposes a call for research to determine ways to make the benefits of travel available to both the “haves” and “have nots” so that the benefits of travel can be more inclusive.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this manuscript is that it proposes 11 propositions for research between now and 2050 based on a thorough review of gaps related to the psychophysiological benefits of travel. The resultant propositions provide a clear and unique call for research in this area of inquiry.
The combination of high leaf hydraulic safety and water use efficiency allows alpine shrubs to adapt to high‐altitude habitats
Authors: Yao Guang‐Qian , Qi Shi‐Hua , Li Yan‐Ru , Duan Yu‐Na , Jiang Chao , Nie Zheng‐Fei , Liu Xu‐Dong , Hasan Md. Mahadi , Xu Dang‐Hui , Jing Wen‐Mao , McAdam Scott , Fang Xiang‐Wen
Published: September 2024

Leaf hydraulic traits are considered the key determinants of gas exchange and therefore affect species distributions along environmental gradients, but the patterns of leaf hydraulic traits and their associations with gas exchange across altitudinal gradients remain largely unknown.

Here, we measured leaf hydraulic traits, gas exchange, leaf anatomical traits and plant size traits in two dominant alpine shrubs (Caragana jubata and Salix gilashanica) across an altitudinal gradient from 3100 to 3700 m.

The findings indicated that with increasing altitude, both shrub species exhibited an increase in leaf hydraulic safety (more negative Kleaf P50), a decrease in leaf hydraulic efficiency (Kleaf‐max) and an increase in intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi), thus allowing them to adapt to higher altitude habitats. The more negative Kleaf P50 was associated with a greater ratio of major to minor vein density (VLAmaj/VLAmin), the lower Kleaf‐max was associated with a lower minor vein density (VLAmin) and greater increase in WUEi arose from the small decrease in the photosynthetic rate relative to the stomatal conductance. However, C. jubata was consistent with the ‘hydraulic safety strategy’ with a great decrease in Kleaf P50, a small decrease in Kleaf‐max and a small increase in WUEi along with decreasing plant height and leaf area with increasing altitude. Whereas S. gilashanica was consistent with the ‘photosynthetic efficiency strategy’ with a small decrease in Kleaf P50, a greater decrease in Kleaf‐max and a greater increase in WUEi along with an increasing plant height and unchanged leaf area with increasing altitude.

Overall, these findings provide new insights to improve understanding how shift in leaf hydraulic traits and their associations with gas exchange and plant size allow plants to adapt to high‐altitude habitats.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Linking landscape structure, floral resource distribution, pollen use and movement distances of a generalist predator
Authors: González E. , Bianchi F. J. J. A. , Eckerter P. W. , Entling M. H.
Published: September 2024

Understanding the habitat use and movement patterns of natural enemies in agricultural landscapes is essential for enhancing biological pest control. Since many natural enemies rely on floral resources, the distribution of these resources in combination with movement behaviour likely influence biological control in field crops. Nevertheless, few studies have assessed natural enemy movement at the landscape scale.

Here we estimated minimal movement distances of the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea based on consumed pollen and the spatial distribution of the respective plant species in 24 agricultural landscapes (500 m radius). Lacewings were sampled using sticky traps in the centre of each landscape, and the consumed pollen were identified. The location of the most important pollen‐providing plants was mapped in each landscape. Distances to potential sources of pollen consumed by 346 lacewings were used to derive minimal movement distances.

Lacewings consumed mostly pollen from insect‐pollinated plants that were present within 500 m from the sampling location. The distance to the nearest source of consumed pollen exceeded 200 m in 31% of lacewing individuals, demonstrating the relevance of the landscape scale to understand their population dynamics.

Distances were shorter to insect‐pollinated than to wind‐pollinated plants, and shorter early than late in the season. Mean and median distances to pollen sources were negatively associated to flower availability and edge density in the landscape, but this was not the case for minimal distances.

Synthesis and applications. Our findings suggest that the spatial distribution of flowering wild plants can inform movement patterns of lacewings and other flower‐visiting insects in agricultural landscapes. In addition, the location of floral resources in the landscape is important for its capacity to sustain natural enemies. Given the strong reliance of lacewings on pollen from nearby insect pollinated woody plants, the promotion of native shrubs and trees, such as Prunus, Salix and Castanea, should be prioritized for natural enemy enhancement in agricultural landscapes. Doing this in the form of hedgerows or agroforestry systems would lead to only minimal reduction in production areas and provide additional benefits such as biodiversity conservation.
Insecticide and low food quality treatments reduce health and pollination services of two key pollinator taxa
Authors: Birkenbach Markus , Straub Florian , Weihermüller Paul , Wilfert Lena , Ayasse Manfred , Kuppler Jonas
Published: September 2024

Pesticides and the lack of floral resources are key drivers of insect decline in agricultural areas. Both land‐use stressors can have a variety of synergistic and sublethal effects on pollinators, affecting their health and foraging behaviour. Pollinating insects include species with vastly different life histories, giving them potentially different vulnerability and resilience to stressors. However, most research has generally focused on bees. Here, we contrast synergistic effects of nutritional stress and pesticide use on social bumblebees and solitary hoverflies.

We experimentally tested the effects of the neonicotinoid acetamiprid and low‐quality food on health traits of Bombus terrestris workers and Episyrphus balteatus adults (ovarian development, body size and colony development or survival). The foraging behaviour of treated pollinators was recorded in a semi‐field setup and, for B. terrestris, we measured the pollen amount on the body surface and the pollen deposited on stigmata after a single floral visit.

Both stressors affected bumblebee health. Additionally, insecticide‐treated workers showed increased flower handling times and flight durations, while low‐quality food reduced the amount of pollen on the surface of bumblebees and the pollen deposited on stigmata. Syrphids were mostly affected by low‐quality food, which decreased their survival probability and changed their foraging behaviour. Furthermore, we found an interactive effect between the two stressors, reducing E. balteatus ovary development.

Synthesis and applications. Insecticide and food stress affected fitness traits of both bumblebees and syrphid flies, possibly reducing pollinator populations under natural conditions. Especially for bumblebees, long‐term exposure led to a reduction in the provision of pollination services, both by changing their behaviour and reducing pollen transfer. We found differences between the two pollinator groups, showing that results gained from single groups like bees should not be extrapolated to all pollinators. Interactive effects indicate potential buffering effects of high‐quality food against other stressors and highlight the importance of considering synergies between multiple stressors in risk assessments. This further emphasizes the relevance of floral resources such as wild flower strips in agricultural areas to conserve pollinators and pollination services.
Water controls the divergent responses of terrestrial plant photosynthesis under nitrogen enrichment
Authors: He Yicheng , Geng Yiyi , Han Bing , Shi Lina , Shao Xinqing , Liu Kesi
Published: September 2024

Quantifying leaf photosynthetic response to nitrogen (N) deposition under contrasting water conditions is important for reliably modelling terrestrial carbon and water cycles, a topic that has not been well understood.

Here, we analysed 737‐paired observations from 102 publications to assess the response of 11 leaf photosynthesis‐related properties to N addition under different water conditions. Our research includes global experiments, with 19 conducted in the field and 83 in greenhouses. Treatments without water reduction were classified as ‘no water change’, while those with reduced water or precipitation causing physiological drought were categorized as ‘drought’.

We found that, compared to the control group, N addition significantly increased leaf photosynthetic rate (Pn; 20.9%), leaf transpiration (E; 8.3%) and stomatal conductance (gs; 14.1%). However, the decrease in Pn (−11.6%), E (−24.7%) and gs (−23.9%) under the combination of N addition and drought indicated that N addition could not offset the negative effects of drought. Furthermore, N addition significantly enhanced water‐use efficiency (WUE) by 19.8% under no water change conditions and by 21.1% under drought conditions. Within plant functional groups, herbaceous species exhibited greater susceptibility to N addition than woody species, especially under drought conditions. The observed patterns of increase in Pn with longer experimental duration and WUE with higher N rate under drought conditions showed that plants would gradually adapt to long‐term water stress in the context of N deposition. Furthermore, our results showed that drought could strengthen the correlations between leaf photosynthetic properties. Lastly, our study demonstrated that N addition and drought significantly impacted leaf nitrogen content and SPAD, respectively, and further affected gs, Pn and WUE.

Synthesis. Our results emphasize the crucial role of water conditions in shaping the response of leaf photosynthesis to nitrogen (N) enrichment and also acknowledge the significance of leaf functional traits in regulating the dynamics of leaf photosynthetic processes.
Exploring intraspecific and interspecific variation of coral reef algae using a novel trait‐based framework
Authors: Cosca C. M. , Kong A. Y. , Mar M. Z. , Min I. A. , Lin M. , Stump S. H. , Zepecki C. B. , Grier S. R. , Fong P.
Published: September 2024

The development of trait‐based approaches has accelerated our understanding of how communities assemble, respond to environmental change and may best be managed in the Anthropocene. Understanding the magnitude and pattern of interspecific variability forms a critical underpinning of trait‐based approaches while exploring intraspecific variability can identify the potential of species to adapt to changing environmental drivers. Our work is motivated by the critical need for a novel conceptual framework for understanding the functional ecology of macroalgae, as the current paradigm is still mired in functional group models developed in the 1980s.

Our objective was to quantify interspecific and intraspecific functional trait variability in three common and morphologically diverse species of tropical marine macroalgae by exploring traits relating to the ecological functions of resource acquisition, resistance to herbivory, and resistance to physical disturbance and the trade‐offs between them.

We quantified intraspecific and interspecific variability of 11 functional traits for three common and morphologically diverse species of tropical macroalgae from five fringing reefs of Mo'orea, French Polynesia that were likely to capture a wide range of environmental variability. Differences in traits among species and sites were determined with PERMANOVA, visualised with non‐metric multidimensional scaling, and trade‐offs between pairs of traits explored with correlation. Finally, spatial patterns among select traits across all species were quantified.

Species clustered together in distinctly different trait spaces driven by trade‐offs among suites of functional traits. Two of three species had considerable intraspecific variability, though this variability occurred at different scales, while one clustered tightly. Exploration of individual traits across species and sites revealed trade‐offs between two strategies for resource acquisition, growing tall and strong versus investing in large surface area.

Synthesis. We captured novel patterns of interspecific and intraspecific variability for tropical marine macroalgae. We found fundamental differences in traits between species that may represent ecological strategies while considerable intraspecific variability demonstrates a wide range in abilities to respond to environmental drivers. Overall, our work provides novel insights into intra and interspecific trait variation that form an essential underpinning for using a trait‐based framework in a taxon that is increasingly dominant on tropical reefs.
Rent‐seeking and optimal fiscal‐monetary policy rules in Nigeria: A DSGE approach
Authors: Queen Esther Oye , Adams Adeiza
Published: September 2024

This study examines the conduct of optimal fiscal and monetary policy in Nigeria under the assumption of a rent‐seeking government. To answer this question, a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model featuring a rent‐seeking fiscal authority is calibrated. The study also conducted a sensitivity analysis to compare the welfare effect of optimal simple policy rules under a corrupt versus benevolent regime. The results from the study showed that optimal monetary policy should target the double mandate of price and output stabilization when the government is a rent‐seeker. The study also found that it is optimal for the Central Bank to commit to an active monetary stance. The optimal fiscal policy rule in a rent‐seeking economy is passive and pro‐cyclical. Furthermore, welfare is negligibly better off in the benevolent economy. From a policy perspective, rent‐seeking activities are triggered by the proportion of rent‐seeking agents. This induces inefficiencies in government spending, which constrains growth in a developing economy. Furthermore, rent‐seeking can “coerce” the Central Bank of Nigeria to focus on a double mandate to stabilize both prices and output. Therefore, it is desirable for the monetary authority to possess due independence in controlling prices without interference from the fiscal authority.
A Suite of Pathogens Detected in Ticks Sampled From Wildlife Hosts in Central Kenya
Authors: McFarland Derek , Fredericks L. Page , Hedlund Tyler , Jones Sharon , Keesing Felicia , Mutinda Mathew , Allan Brian F.
Published: September 2024

Opportunistic sampling of ticks from animals during veterinary treatment offers important insights about wildlife exposure to pathogens. Here, we report pathogens and other tick‐borne organisms detected in ticks sampled from 10 animal species in and near Laikipia County, Kenya, in 2014–2016. Pathogen analysis was performed using a combination of Fluidigm PCR and Illumina sequencing. We detected a suite of important pathogens affecting human and domestic and wild animal health, including Anaplasma marginale, Rickettsia africae and Theileria parva. These findings expand our limited understanding of wildlife exposure to tick‐borne pathogens and potential ramifications for animal health and conservation.
An attempt at exhausting a place in Shetland: (field)notes from a (very) small island
Authors: Armstrong Justin
Published: September 2024

In what follows, I outline the possibility of directly applying Georges Perec's An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris (2010) to the practice of ethnography. Based on 2 weeks of anthropological fieldwork on the remote Shetland Island of Foula, I attempt a translation of Perec's careful observations of an urban square in Paris in the 1970s into the context of an ethnography in this remote, rural location. After outlining the connections between Perec's book and my work as an anthropologist, I provide readers with my “raw” field notes so that they might then draw out their own analysis in the same way that I believe Perec intended his work to be understood.
The over‐education wage penalty across the wage distribution: a case study of STEM PhD holders in South Korea
Authors: Park Kihong
Published: September 2024

To date the analysis on the wage penalty faced by over‐educated doctorate holders is surprisingly scarce. Being focused on college graduates, the existing literature has primarily tended to adopt a standard ordinary least squares regression technique that allows measuring the impact of over‐education on the conditional mean of the wage distribution. This paper aims to fill this gap, not only by assessing the extent to which the prevalence of over‐educated doctorate holders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in South Korea is distributed across the wage distribution, but also by examining the extent to which their wage penalty relative to what they could have earned in a job corresponding to their level of education may have varied across the wage distribution. The main findings reveal that there is no evidence to support the notion that over‐education and ability are inversely related among STEM doctorate holders in Korea. Based on the empirical evidence, this article suggests that it is an oversimplification to characterise both the incidence and the wage effects of over‐education as merely reflecting lower‐ability levels, at least in the Korean context.
The uncanny COVID‐19 pandemic: The traumatic impact on our sense of the familiar
Authors: Zhang Yanxiu
Published: September 2024

In the shadow of the COVID‐19 pandemic, familiar life may be said to have become unequivocally altered as a result of the diffuse death threat posed by the virus and the unprecedented experience of a global lockdown. The unexpected superposition of familiarity and unfamiliarity can be linked to the psychoanalytic notion of the uncanny. For Freud, the uncanny was considered a derivative of the reappearance of the repressed, whose context is dominated by the alien nature of the repression. I suggest that a further perspective can be implied—that the sudden disruption of what is familiar is traumatic and engenders a sense of the uncanny. Reflecting on the COVID‐19 pandemic, this dynamic can be identified in the following aspects: (i) an overwhelming intrusion of an unfamiliar virus upon familiar life, encouraging paranoid denial and projection of the threat and increasing the tendency to stigmatise; (ii) a continuous re‐manifestation of hidden familiarities, both repressed individual conflicts and collective inequalities, illustrating the fragility of the ‘norm’; and (iii) the sudden disruption of an adopted belief (that the virus is beatable), and re‐confrontation with the threat of death following lockdown failure.
A Generative Adversarial Network for Upsampling of Direct Volume Rendering Images
Authors: Jin Ge , Jung Younhyun , Fulham Michael , Feng Dagan , Kim Jinman
Published: September 2024

Direct volume rendering (DVR) is an important tool for scientific and medical imaging visualization. Modern GPU acceleration has made DVR more accessible; however, the production of high‐quality rendered images with high frame rates is computationally expensive. We propose a deep learning method with a reduced computational demand. We leveraged a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN) to upsample DVR images (a rendered scene), with a reduced sampling rate to obtain similar visual quality to that of a fully sampled method. Our dvrGAN is combined with a colour‐based loss function that is optimized for DVR images where different structures such as skin, bone, etc. are distinguished by assigning them distinct colours. The loss function highlights the structural differences between images, by examining pixel‐level colour, and thus helps identify, for instance, small bones in the limbs that may not be evident with reduced sampling rates. We evaluated our method in DVR of human computed tomography (CT) and CT angiography (CTA) volumes. Our method retained image quality and reduced computation time when compared to fully sampled methods and outperformed existing state‐of‐the‐art upsampling methods.