bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimized residue analysis method for broflanilide and its metabolites in agricultural produce using the QuEChERS method and LC-MS/MS
Authors: Noh Hyun Ho , Kim Chang Jo , Kwon Hyeyoung , Kim Danbi , Moon Byeong-chul , Baek Sujin , Oh Min-seok , Kyung Kee Sung
Published: June 2020

Since broflanilide is a newly developed pesticide, analytical methods are required to determine the corresponding pesticide residues in diverse crops and foods. In this study, a pesticide residue analysis method was optimized for the detection and quantification of broflanilide and its two metabolites, DM-8007 and S(PFH-OH)-8007, in brown rice, soybean, apple, green pepper, mandarin, and kimchi cabbage. Residue samples were extracted from the produce using QuEChERS acetate and citrate buffering methods and were purified by dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) using six different adsorbent compositions with varying amounts of primary secondary amine (PSA), C18, and graphitized carbon black. All the sample preparation methods gave low-to-medium matrix effects, as confirmed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry using standard solutions and matrix-matched standards. In particular, the use of the citrate buffering method, in combination with purification by d-SPE using 25 mg of PSA and a mixture of other adsorbents, consistently gave low matrix effects that in the range from −18.3 to 18.8%. Pesticide recoveries within the valid recovery range 70–120% were obtained both with and without d-SPE purification using 25 mg of PSA and other adsorbents. Thus, the developed residue analysis method is viable for the determination of broflanilide and its metabolites in various crops.
A regularized functional regression model enabling transcriptome-wide dosage-dependent association study of cancer drug response
Authors: Koukouli Evanthia , Wang Dennis , Dondelinger Frank , Park Juhyun
Published: June 2020

Cancer treatments can be highly toxic and frequently only a subset of the patient population will benefit from a given treatment. Tumour genetic makeup plays an important role in cancer drug sensitivity. We suspect that gene expression markers could be used as a decision aid for treatment selection or dosage tuning. Usingin vitrocancer cell line dose-response and gene expression data from the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) project, we build a dose-varying regression model. Unlike existing approaches, this allows us to estimate dosage-dependent associations with gene expression. We include the transcriptomic profiles as dose-invariant covariates into the regression model and assume that their effect varies smoothly over the dosage levels. A two-stage variable selection algorithm (variable screening followed by penalised regression) is used to identify genetic factors that are associated with drug response over the varying dosages. We evaluate the effectiveness of our method using simulation studies focusing on the choice of tuning parameters and cross-validation for predictive accuracy assessment. We further apply the model to data from fiveBRAFtargeted compounds applied to different cancer cell lines under different dosage levels. We highlight the dosage-dependent dynamics of the associations between the selected genes and drug response, and we perform pathway enrichment analysis to show that the selected genes play an important role in pathways related to tumourgenesis and DNA damage response.

Author Summary

Tumour cell lines allow scientists to test anticancer drugs in a laboratory environment. Cells are exposed to the drug in increasing concentrations, and the drug response, or amount of surviving cells, is measured. Generally, drug response is summarized via a single number such as the concentration at which 50% of the cells have died (IC50). To avoid relying on such summary measures, we adopted a functional regression approach that takes the dose-response curves as inputs, and uses them to find biomarkers of drug response. One major advantage of our approach is that it describes how the effect of a biomarker on the drug response changes with the drug dosage. This is useful for determining optimal treatment dosages and predicting drug response curves for unseen drug-cell line combinations. Our method scales to large numbers of biomarkers by using regularisation and, in contrast with existing literature, selects the most informative genes by accounting for drug response at untested dosages. We demonstrate its value using data from the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer project to identify genes whose expression is associated with drug response. We show that the selected genes recapitulate prior biological knowledge, and belong to known cancer pathways.
Constitutive activation of the PI3K-Akt-mTORC1 pathway sustains the m.3243A>G mtDNA mutation
Authors: Chung Chih-Yao , Singh Kritarth , Kotiadis Vassilios N , Valdebenito Gabriel E , Ahn Jee Hwan , Topley Emilie , Tan Joycelyn , Andrews William D , Bilanges Benoit , Pitceathly Robert D S , Szabadkai Gyorgy , Yuneva Mariia , Duchen Michael R
Published: June 2020

Mutations of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) cause a range of profoundly debilitating clinical conditions for which treatment options are very limited. Most mtDNA diseases show heteroplasmy – tissues express both wild-type and mutant mtDNA. While the level of heteroplasmy broadly correlates with disease severity, the relationships between specific mtDNA mutations, heteroplasmy, disease phenotype and severity are poorly understood. We have carried out extensive bioenergetic, metabolomic and RNAseq studies on heteroplasmic patient derived cells carrying the most prevalent disease related mtDNA mutation, m.3243A>G. These studies reveal that the mutation promotes changes in metabolites which is associated with the upregulation of the PI3K-Akt-mTORC1 axis in patient-derived cells and tissues. Remarkably, pharmacological inhibition of PI3K, Akt, or mTORC1 activated mitophagy, reduced mtDNA mutant load and rescued cellular bioenergetic function. The rescue was prevented by inhibition of mitophagy. The PI3K-Akt-mTORC1 axis thus represents a potential therapeutic target that may benefit people suffering from the consequences of the m.3243A>G mutation.
Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 4-{2,2-dichloro-1-[(E)-2-(4-methylphenyl)diazen-1-yl]ethenyl}-N,N-dimethylaniline
Authors: Özkaraca Kadriye , Akkurt Mehmet , Shikhaliyev Namiq Q. , Askerova Ulviyya F. , Suleymanova Gulnar T. , Mammadova Gunay Z. , Mlowe Sixberth
Published: June 2020

In the tile compound, C17H17Cl2N3, the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 62.73 (9)°. In the crystal, there are no classical hydrogen bonds. Molecules are linked by a pair of C—Cl...π interactions, forming an inversion dimer. A short intermolecular HL...HL contact [Cl...Cl = 3.2555 (9) Å] links the dimers, forming a ribbon along the c-axis direction. The Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional fingerprint plots reveal that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are from H...H (45.4%), Cl...H/H...Cl (21.0%) and C...H/H...C (19.0%) contacts.
The crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and energy frameworks of 2-[2-(methoxycarbonyl)-3,6-bis(methoxymethoxy)phenyl]acetic acid
Authors: Tiouabi Mustapha , Tabacchi Raphaël , Stoeckli-Evans Helen
Published: June 2020

In the title compound, C14H18O8, (I), the methoxycarbonyl [–C(=O)OCH3] and the acetic acid [–CH2C(=O)OH] groups are inclined to the benzene ring by 79.24 (11) and 76.71 (13)°, respectively, and are normal to each other with a dihedral angle of 90.00 (13)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked by a pair of O—H...O hydrogen bonds forming the familiar acetic acid inversion dimer. The dimers are linked by two C—H...O hydrogen bonds and an offset π–π interaction [intercentroid distance = 3.6405 (14) Å], forming layers lying parallel to the (10\overline{1}) plane. The layers are linked by a third C—H...O hydrogen bond and a C—H...π interaction to form a supramolecular framework.
Di-μ-aqua-bis[aqua(2,2′-bipyridine)(4-nitrobenzoato)cobalt(II)] bis(4-nitrobenzoate)
Authors: Srinivasan Bikshandarkoil R. , Harmalkar Sarvesh S. , D'Souza Luann R. , Dhuri Sunder N.
Published: June 2020

The title compound, [Co2(C7H4NO4)2(C10H8N2)2(H2O)4](C7H4NO4)2, consists of a centrosymmetric bimetallic complex charge-balanced by free 4-nitrobenzoate anions. The CoII ion exhibits a distorted cis-CoN2O4 octahedral coordination environment and the Co...Co separation is 3.326 (2) Å. In the crystal, the dications and anions are linked by O—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds.
Use of Scrum in the rehabilitation of a commercial building in Peru
Authors: Ormeño Zender Ysmael , García de Soto Borja
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This study seeks to break the current paradigm that Scrum, as an agile framework, is only applicable for information technologies (IT) projects and to confirm the feasibility of its application in the construction sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The rehabilitation of a shopping mall in Piura (Peru) is used as a case study to implement Scrum in a construction project. In addition, a thorough literature review is performed to establish the state-of-the-art and practice in this field and set the foundation of the elements applied during the case study.

Findings

The results of this study show the great versatility of Scrum in the construction sector. The key findings include a reduction of the construction duration that provided value to the owner, flexibility for the inclusion of changes (induced by the client or by the complexity of the context in which the project is developed), risk control in high uncertainty scenarios and general satisfaction for all stakeholders.

Originality/value

The waterfall or traditional management methodologies are not always effective in construction projects, and their application depends on the features and complexity of the environment in which they are developed. This study provides a case study showing the application of Scrum in the construction industry. The positive results obtained from the application can be used by researchers and practitioners looking to incorporate Scrum (or other agile tools) to enhance the management of construction projects.
Emerging regional innovation policies for industry 4.0: analyzing the digital innovation hub program in European regions
Authors: Hervas-Oliver Jose-Luis , Gonzalez-Alcaide Gregorio , Rojas-Alvarado Ronald , Monto-Mompo Silvia
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Industry 4.0 or digitization, from a regional innovation system (RIS) and policy perspective to improve regional innovation, is over-looked. Specifically, this paper aims to focus on analyzing the nascent European Commission (EC) digital innovation hub (DIH) program, designed for fostering transition into Industry 4.0 in regions and facilitating new path development.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirically, 10 Spanish DIH is explored through interviews and secondary data analysis.

Findings

The results suggest that DIHs despite their emerging and trial-and-error stage are designed for promoting multi-actor collaborative platforms including non-local actors to stimulate transition into Industry 4.0 by promoting place-based collaboration alliances that respond to local/regional contextual specificities and demands. These regional-based platforms facilitate public-private partnerships that co-design policy initiatives resulting from co-participation and negotiation of spatially-bounded oriented initiatives for digitizing.

Originality/value

The authors answer: what are the key characteristics of emerging European-level regional innovation policies aimed at facilitating Industry 4.0 in regions? This is the first study on the topic.
Public aid for ultra-fast broadband development in archipelagos. The Canary Islands case
Authors: Hernández Pedro Fuentes , Aguilar Chinea Rosa María , Baquero Pérez Pedro
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to study the results of the public aid programmes, through supply-side subsidies, for ultra-fast next generation access (NGA) broadband deployment that have been developed in The Canary Islands since 2013. These findings will, in turn, hopefully help the policymakers of archipelagos define their own ultra-fast broadband development plans.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical approach has been used, based on the observation of the historical results obtained in the archipelago and the way broadband was diffused throughout the territory.

Findings

Results show that the broadband has developed asymmetrically in the archipelago, which, in turn, has caused the onset of a triple spatial digital divide. It was also observed that some aspects of the current way that such programmes are created and, consequently, the way that public funds are allocated, that could be improved and might help prevent geographical discrimination. Lastly, several insights have been presented for further investigation.

Originality/value

A large amount of scientific research has been carried out studying ultra-fast broadband NGA networks deployment. Less literature can be found on this topic when considering the specificities of fragmented territories like archipelagos. This paper tries to contribute with some empirical insights about such specific scenarios.
How much firms “give” to CSR vs how much they “gain” from it: inequity perceptions and their implications for CSR authenticity
Authors: Tarabashkina Liudmila , Quester Pascale G. , Tarabashkina Olga
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to answer the call for additional detailed research on factors that influence corporate social responsibility (CSR) authenticity by examining how the former is affected by the commonly reported CSR spending allocations expressed as percentages of annual profits. It integrates equity and attribution theories to propose a new construct of inequity perceptions to explain how CSR spending allocations influence CSR authenticity. Inequity perceptions form from smaller allocations that are perceived disproportionate compared to the potential reputational gains from the executed CSR communication, which, in turn, prompts lower authenticity inferences.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experiments were performed. Study 1 examines how different CSR spending allocations influence inequity perceptions and how the latter relate to CSR authenticity. Study 2 examines how inequity perceptions are affected by firm size. Study 3 examines whether psychological distance (being a customer or non-customer) affects information processing by predisposing customers to forming higher inequity perceptions.

Findings

Study 1 shows that lesser allocations produce higher inequity perceptions. Study 2 demonstrates that inequity perceptions are enhanced when numerically small allocations are reported by a large as opposed to a small firm. Study 3 shows that both customers and non-customers form similar inequity perceptions from smaller percentage allocations without support for the psychological distance effect.

Research limitations/implications

This study shows that the percentage of profits allocated to CSR, as well as firm size, can affect authenticity inferences via inequity perceptions. These findings point to different implications of CSR communication that features percentage allocations that multiple firms may not be aware of.

Practical implications

Marketers can benefit from the reported findings by understanding when and how CSR communication that features percentage allocations may be counter-productive by generating lesser CSR authenticity.

Originality/value

This study provides a novel perspective on how consumers evaluate CSR authenticity in a marketplace where awareness of firms’ vested interests is increasing.
Crude oil price prediction based on LSTM network and GM (1,1) model
Authors: Yao Tianxiang , Wang Zihan
Published: June 2020

Purpose

According to the problem of crude oil price forecasting, the purpose of this paper is to propose a multi-step prediction method based on the empirical mode decomposition, long short-term memory network and GM (1,1) model.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the empirical mode decomposition method is used to decompose the crude oil price series into several components with different frequencies. Then, each subsequence is classified and synthesized based on the specific periodicity and other properties to obtain several components with different significant characteristics. Finally, all components are substituted into a suitable prediction model for fitting. LSTM models with different parameters are constructed for predicting specific components, which approximately and respectively represent short-term market disturbance and long-term influences. Rolling GM (1,1) model is constructed to simulate a series representing the development trend of oil price. Eventually, all results obtained from forecasting models are summarized to evaluate the performance of the model.

Findings

The model is respectively applied to simulate daily, weekly and monthly WTI crude oil price sequences. The results show that the model has high accuracy on the prediction, especially in terms of series representing long-term influences with lower frequency. GM (1,1) model has excellent performance on fitting the trend of crude oil price.

Originality/value

This paper combines GM (1,1) model with LSTM network to forecast WTI crude oil price series. According to the different characteristics of different sequences, suitable forecasting models are constructed to simulate the components.
Too far east is west: tax risk, tax reform and investment timing
Authors: Chen Wanyi
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Tax risk refers to the uncertainty of future corporate taxation. Tax reform is a key issue in major current tax system adjustments that seriously affect a firm's tax risk. In response to changes in the economic environment, many countries are actively executing tax reform. Long-term reforms implemented for a smooth transition may instead increase corporate risk. This study examines the relationship among tax risk, tax reform and investment timing.

Design/methodology/approach

Selecting the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange A-share listed companies' panel data from 2008 to 2017, the paper used survival analysis and the propensity score matching-difference in difference models.

Findings

The results show that a higher corporate tax risk results in more deferred investments, which are further examined using the latest Chinese value-added tax reform as a natural experiment.

Originality/value

The conclusion serves as an important reference for governments to balance reform time and to support enterprises in effectively identifying and managing tax risk under tax reform.
A production recovery plan in manufacturing supply chains for a high-demand item during COVID-19
Authors: Paul Sanjoy Kumar , Chowdhury Priyabrata
Published: June 2020

Purpose

A recent global pandemic, known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), affects the manufacturing supply chains most significantly. This effect becomes more challenging for the manufacturers of high-demand and most essential items, such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer. In a pandemic situation, the demand of the essential products increases expressively; on the other hand, the supply of the raw materials decreases considerably with a constraint of production capacity. These dual disruptions impact the production process suddenly, and the process can collapse without immediate and necessary actions. To minimize the impacts of these dual disruptions, we aim to develop a recovery model for making a decision on the revised production plan.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors use a mathematical modeling approach to develop a production recovery model for a high-demand and essential item during the COVID-19. The authors also analyze the properties of the recovery plan, and optimize the recovery plan to maximize the profit in the recovery window.

Findings

The authors analyze the results using a numerical example. The result shows that the developed recovery model is capable of revising the production plan in the situations of both demand and supply disruptions, and improves the profit for the manufacturers. The authors also discuss the managerial implications, including the roles of digital technologies in the recovery process.

Originality/value

This model, which is a novel contribution to the literature, will help decision-makers of high-demand and essential items to make an accurate and prompt decision in designing the revised production plan to recover during a pandemic, like COVID-19.
What is value? Impact assessment of cultural heritage
Authors: Reher Guillermo S.
Published: June 2020

Purpose

There are currently various methodologies used for carrying out impact assessments of cultural heritage. This paper aims to critically explore the reasons for this diversity and ascertain their varying consistency.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper does a comparative analysis of the methodologies used, exploring how they measure up to the theoretical underpinnings of the ecosystem services approach and the cultural values model, considered to be the most comprehensive strategies for assessing the impact of cultural heritage.

Findings

The study reveals that there are few methodologies, and they only inconsistently work upon the theoretical perspectives mentioned earlier. In addition, from the public policy perspective, surprisingly few areas endowed with cultural heritage have been, in one way or another, assessed for impact, perhaps in part due to the lack of adequate methodologies.

Research limitations/implications

The methods analysed are those that have been made public, which can be found in English. Also, they may be exploratory themselves, so some of the conclusions reached here may have also been found by the analysts themselves. This research serves to provide some scientific groundings for developing a more comprehensive impact assessment method.

Practical implications

The results of this paper highlight certain glaring absences from current methodologies which invite the development of more definitive cultural impact assessment models. This is possible given the current state of the art, and further research and practice are necessary to develop a more comprehensive cultural values model–based research assessment.

Social implications

By focussing on the absence of certain indicators on behalf of impact assessment methodologies, this paper sheds light on the overlooked (or under-measured) benefits derived from cultural heritage. Many of the benefits derived from this type of resource find an opportunity to come out in the open, greatly affecting researchers, cultural heritage planners and local communities.

Originality/value

This paper also serves to substantiate a glaring absence within the ecosystem services framework, which is the lack of practical methodologies for measuring some of these service values.
Transgender sex offenders: gender dysphoria and sexual offending
Authors: Sahota Kirpal Kaur
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Transgender sex offenders are a small, complex and atypical group. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the issues in relationship to the assessment of gender dysphoria in transgender sex offenders and approaches to risk management.

Design/methodology/approach

Clinical and research experience as a Gender Specialist and Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist who has managed sex offender populations has informed this publication.

Findings

Little is known about the relationship between gender dysphoria and criminality. More research is required to develop a typology of transgender sex offenders and develop actuarial risk instruments. Protective factors in relation to gender affirmative care are also important to understand.

Research limitations/implications

There is little empirical research to guide gender specialists and criminal justice professionals in the management of gender dysphoria and address risk and recidivism in transgender offender populations. The treatment of gender dysphoria could result in improved well-being and better psychosocial adjustment but cannot be relied to reduce future recidivism.

Practical implications

There is no evidence that treatment of gender dysphoria reduces risk and recidivism in transgender sex offenders and that research is required to identify specific gender related dynamic risk factors.

Social implications

Recommendations are directly relevant to the work of prison and probation staff, community supervisors and gender identity specialists.

Originality/value

As far as the author is aware it is the first paper on the assessment and management of gender diverse sex offenders integrating approaches to gender dysphoria assessment and treatment and risk management. It has implication for gender identity specialists, criminal justice professionals, research and policy.
An impact of simulation labs on engineering students' academic performance: a critical Investigation
Authors: Jasti Naga Vamsi Krishna , Kota Srinivas , P.B. Venkataraman
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the impact of simulation laboratory on continuing education engineering students’ academic performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The investigation consists of establishing the student learning levels then mapping the student learning levels (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) through program outcomes with appropriate evaluation components. 270 continuing education students enrolled during six years were selected to be observed as part of this study. These students were divided into two subgroups, one with 135 students who were offered simulation lab (G2) and the other 135 students were not offered simulation lab (G1) in this investigation. Subsequently, a comparative analysis was carried out on these two groups to assess the student performance in multiple evaluation components with respect to student learning level and program outcome achievement.

Findings

It was identified that student performance in the application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation learning levels has improved for the group with simulation lab, and no change or minimal change was observed for the group without simulation lab. It was revealed that the simulation lab practice problems needs to be aligned with the theoretical concepts in the course to get a better performance from the students.

Originality/value

The study was conducted in one of the leading institutes with 270 students’ performance observed over a period of six years. It is the comprehensive work done on a complete program with data collated over a period of six years in multiple courses and multiple assessments.
Going green? How skepticism and information transparency influence consumers' brand evaluations for familiar and unfamiliar brands
Authors: Bhaduri Gargi , Copeland Lauren
Published: June 2020

Purpose

To help brands persuasively communicate their environmentally responsible initiatives, this study aims to involve two experiments, examining the impact of brand schema, information transparency and skepticism toward climate change for brands both familiar and unfamiliar to US consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

Two online experiments were designed recruiting a total of 510 participants. The design incorporates both message and treatment variance to increase internal and external validity of the study. Data collected were analyzed using PROCESS, a regression-based conditional path analysis technique.

Findings

The results indicated that for both familiar and unfamiliar brands, increased congruity of consumers' schemas to information presented in brands' pro-environmental messages led consumers to evaluate the messages as more persuasive, have more positive opinions about brands' environmentally responsible initiatives as well as behavioral intentions toward the brand. Also, presence of high information transparency on environmental responsibility-related messages influenced consumers' schemas positively, and in turn, their evaluations were more favorable. However, consumers’ climate change skepticism seemed to influence unfamiliar, not familiar brands.

Originality/value

The study provides both theoretical and managerial implications. The findings are important for established apparel brands that suffer from negative reputations, but are willing to revitalize their images, and for new ventures who want to establish their image as environmentally responsible.
Predictors of undernutrition and anemia among children aged 6–24 months in a low-resourced setting of Ghana: a baseline survey
Authors: Appiah Collins Afriyie , Mensah Faustina O. , Hayford Frank E. A. , Awuuh Vincent A. , Kpewou Daniel Edem
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors of child undernutrition and anemia among children 6–24 months old in the East Mamprusi district, Northern region, Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional study recruited 153 children and their mothers. Weight, height and hemoglobin levels of the children were measured. A structured questionnaire based on the World Health Organization's indicators for assessing infant and young child feeding practices was used to collect data on parents' socioeconomic status, household characteristics, hygiene and sanitation practices, mothers' knowledge on feeding practices such as child's meal frequency and dietary diversity and child morbidity within the past two weeks. Predictors of child nutritional status were determined using multinomial logistic regression analysis.

Findings

Underweight in the children was significantly predicted by maternal knowledge on protein foods (AOR = 0.045, p = 0.008), time of initiation of complementary feeding (AOR = 0.222, p = 0.032) and maternal age (AOR = 9.455, p = 0.017). Feeding child from separate bowls (AOR = 0.239, p = 0.005), minimum meal frequency per child's age (AOR = 0.189, p = 0.007) and time of initiation of complementary feeding (AOR = 0.144, p = 0.009) were significant determinants of stunting among the children. Exclusive breast feeding (AOR = 7.975, p = 0.012) and child's past morbidity (AOR = 0.014, p = 0.001) significantly contributed to anemia among the children.

Research limitations/implications

This is a cross-sectional study and cannot establish causality. The small sample size also limits the generalizability of study findings. However, findings of the study highlight factors which could potentially influence the high rate of child undernutrition in the study setting.

Practical implications

This study identifies determinants of undernutrition in the East Mamprusi district, an underresourced area in Ghana. This information could inform the development/reformulation of locally sensitive key messages and targeted intervention strategies to curb the high levels of child undernutrition in the East Mamprusi district of Ghana.

Originality/value

This study identifies maternal care practices as key potential drivers of undernutrition in a low-resource setting known for high prevalence of child undernutrition. It suggests insight for large-scale studies on the predictors of child undernutrition in Northern Ghana and other resource-poor settings.
Knowledge, attitude and practice of pesticide use and serum cholinesterase levels among rice farmers in Nakhon Nayok Province, Thailand
Authors: Santaweesuk Sapsatree , Boonyakawee Paisit , Siriwong Wattasit
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The study purposes were to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice of pesticide use and to determine the levels of serum cholinesterase among rice farmers in Nakhon Nayok province, Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional study was carried out in communities in Nakhon Nayok Province, Thailand. Multistage random sampling was employed, selecting one person per each rice farmer household. Data was collected from 188 rice farmers using a structured face-to-face interview questionnaire. A reactive-paper finger-blood test was used to determine SChE levels. Chi-square test was used to determine the relationship between the practice of pesticide use and SChE levels.

Findings

The results indicated that the rice farmers had a fairly good knowledge and a neutral attitude toward the practice of pesticide use. Most of the respondents had a fairly proper practice of pesticide use. However, serum cholinesterase levels of the farmers were unsafe and risky. It signified that 68.1% of the farmers had a health risk from using pesticides. The prevalence of abnormal SChE levels among rice farmers with improper use was significantly higher than that among rice farmers who had a proper use.

Research limitations/implications

The result provided a guideline for operational planning and control and prevention of health effects from pesticides use in farmers or other agriculturists who use pesticides in cultivation.

Practical implications

Concerned local agencies especially health-related agencies are able to conduct a training to educate and build safety awareness including monitoring continuously the safety behaviors toward pesticides use. It can be implemented by establishing leaders from health promoting hospitals led by village health volunteers, community leaders and participation from farmers to collaboratively monitor proper use of pesticides beginning with health surveillance in the abnormal SChE group to be screened for pesticide exposure every six months or one year.

Social implications

Farmers gained knowledge and understanding of pesticides use and used it properly, which resulted in a reduction of pesticide residues in body as well as in the environment. In addition, the government policy should legislate measures for related agencies to promote proper use of pesticides. For instance, Department of Agriculture, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives should regularly supervise, monitor and inspect the production and distribution of pesticides in local shops and also systematically encourage agriculturists to adopt using pesticides that are less harmful.

Originality/value

Having knowledge, understanding and proper practices toward pesticides use, farmers can reduce health effects of pesticides use in themselves and family members.
Halal standard implementation in food manufacturing SMEs: its drivers and impact on performance
Authors: Giyanti Ida , Indrasari Anita , Sutopo Wahyudi , Liquiddanu Eko
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the drivers of the depth of halal standard implementation in the halal-certified food manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The second aim of this paper is to empirically examine the effect of halal standard practices on the SME’s performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Of the 143 halal-certified SMEs in Solo Raya, Province of Central Java, Indonesia, 83 were willing to take part in the present research. The survey was carried out by an on-site visit to the targeted respondents. A structured questionnaire was used to gather primary data. Partial least square structural equation model was then used to analyze the collected data.

Findings

The results proved that internal motivation and organization commitment positively affect halal standard implementation, while external pressures do not. The external pressures influence the depth of halal standard implementation through internal motivation as a mediating variable. Furthermore, the depth of halal standard implementation leads to the improvement of operational performance. The improvement of operational performance can further encourage the increase of market performance and financial performance.

Research limitations/implications

The first limitation of this research is about the samples in which they are small-sized and restricted to food manufacturing SMEs. Another limitation is the subjectivity of SME’s managers when evaluating performance, which may provide imprecise measures of performance.

Practical implications

The findings suggest the notion that success of halal standard implementation depends on the capabilities of SMEs to convert the external pressures into internal motivation. Moreover, food-manufacturing SMEs should consider halal standard as an innovative tool to be applied in their daily operation and production as the halal standard has a significant role in influencing SME’s performance.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first attempt in integrating drivers, halal standard implementation and performance in the specific context of food manufacturing SMEs in Indonesia.
Modelling the supply chain risk variables using ISM: a case study on Indian manufacturing SMEs
Authors: Babu Harish , Bhardwaj Prabhas , Agrawal Anil K.
Published: June 2020

Purpose

In the Indian manufacturing SMEs context, supply chains have a complex structure having multiple echelons, multiple partners and multiple locations. Due to these complexities, most of the Indian manufacturing SMEs face several types of supply chain risks. This paper aims to identify the dominant risk variables and to develop the interrelationship among these risk variables.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the literature review and experts’ opinion, nine dominant risk variables faced by an Indian manufacturing SMEs have been identified. An interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach has been adopted to establish the interrelationship among the risk variables. These risk variables have been classified by using MICMAC analysis. Based on ISM-MICMAC approach, a case study on three Indian manufacturing SMEs has been carried out.

Findings

This study would help the supply chain managers to understand and prioritize the significant risk variables. Nine significant risks variables of Indian manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been studied. External risk, information technology risk and financial risk have identified as most influencing risk variables, while delay risk and market risk have emerged as the most dependent risk variables. These results will provide a guideline to supply chain managers for implementation of supply chain risk management (SCRM).

Research limitations/implications

In this study, an ISM-based model is developed based on the opinion of experts from a group of Indian manufacturing SMEs; as such, this model may be biased and limited to a selected company. This framework can be extended further by adding more risk variables and sub-risk variables from the other sectors/organizations.

Originality/value

Many SCRM models are available in past literature, but no model has been proposed for the Indian Manufacturing SMEs. This research finding can be useful for managers to understand the characteristics and interrelationships among the risk variables for building a robust supply chain. These results will also help the supply chain managers in making proactive plans for SCRM, especially in the Indian SMEs context.
University foundations: an examination of the extent of their mandatory disclosures on their webpages
Authors: Conesa Maria , Martinez–Martinez Domingo , Andrades Javier , Larran Manuel
Published: June 2020

Purpose

This paper examines the level of mandatory information disclosed by Spanish university foundations on their websites.

Design/methodology/approach

A content analysis on the Spanish university foundations' websites is performed based on the mandatory reporting requirements indicated in the Spanish Law 19/2013 on Transparency and Good Governance.

Findings

The results of this paper reveal that the amount of mandatory information disclosed by Spanish university foundations remains low. When compared to the prior empirical research, the authors find remarkable differences in the levels of information disclosure. The level of mandatory disclosures by Spanish university foundations is rather low compared to the voluntary disclosure of information by other NPOs. Meanwhile, such differences are smaller when compared to previous studies focused on mandatory disclosures.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the very limited literature focused on the level of transparency of mandatory information of public foundations. Most of prior empirical research examined the level of voluntary disclosures of corporate or fundraising foundations.
Associational decomposition: After‐life traits and interactions among decomposing litters control during‐life aggregation of plant species
Authors: Barbe Lou , Mony Cendrine , Jung Vincent , Uroy Léa , Prinzing Andreas
Published: June 2020

While species may coexist at population level, their individuals may still segregate, at least temporarily, and hence interact little. Aggregation among heterospecific individuals may require particular during‐life traits, for example, traits limiting competition for space or resources. But is aggregation also facilitated by after‐life traits accelerating decomposition of plant litters, notably through synergy among co‐decomposing litters?

We investigated the role of leaf traits, litter traits and litter‐mixture decomposition in the spatial aggregation of individuals of pairs of grassland species in a long‐term mesocosm experiment. We related aggregation between pairs of species to mean and dissimilarity in (a) during‐life traits related to resource‐acquisition and clonal dispersal, (b) after‐life traits related to decomposition and (c) rate and synergy of decomposition.

In most years, aggregation of heterospecific individuals strongly increased with means of (a) during‐life clonal traits reducing competition for space, and (b) after‐life traits increasing litter decomposition. Trait dissimilarities had comparatively less influence. Interestingly, in the last year, synergistic decomposition among litters improved species aggregation.

Overall, after‐life interactions due to fast and synergistic decomposition appear to increase during‐life aggregation between individuals of different plant species. We introduce the concept of ‘associational decomposition’, equivalent to associational resistance, but mediated via decomposers rather than enemies.

A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Nocturnal dispersal flight of crickets: Behavioural and physiological responses to cool environmental temperatures
Authors: Sun Bao‐Jun , Huebner Christopher , Treidel Lisa A. , Clark Rebecca M. , Roberts Kevin T. , Kenagy G. J. , Williams Caroline M.
Published: June 2020

Flight of nocturnal insects may be limited by cool nighttime environmental temperatures. We used laboratory and field experiments to explore the thermal basis of nocturnal flight in wing‐polymorphic Gryllus lineaticeps crickets consisting of long‐winged (LW), flight‐capable morphs and short‐winged (SW), flight‐incapable morphs. These crickets are a model for life history evolution and loss of flight, but their thermal requirements for flight have been unknown. We hypothesized that LW crickets achieve warm body temperatures required for flight through a combination of behavioural thermoregulation, producing heat endogenously (either by initiating muscular thermogenesis or increasing resting metabolic rate) and minimizing heat loss (by circulatory adjustments or insulation).

Summer evening air temperatures in the field gradually declined from 25 to 18°C during the hours of nighttime cricket activity. Laboratory LW crickets did not fly at a body temperature of 18°C, and 60% flew at 25°C. In an experimental thermal gradient, spontaneous flight did not occur until body temperature exceeded 35°C, confirming that nocturnal field air temperature limits flight in this species.

In a thermal gradient, LW crickets preferred higher temperatures (~36°C) than SW crickets (~32.5°C). In the field, all crickets were warmer than air temperature but considerably cooler than their preferred temperatures. LW crickets had higher field body temperatures (24.3°C) than SW crickets (22.3°C). LW crickets spontaneously initiated muscular thermogenesis through wing vibrations, increasing body temperature to a pre‐flight maximum of 35°C. Muscular thermogenesis was limited below 25°C. LW crickets cooled more slowly and had higher metabolic rates than SW crickets.

We conclude that LW crickets prepare to fly on cool nights by gaining heat from warm substrates, activating endogenous muscular thermogenesis and reducing their cooling rate. These mechanisms are absent or less pronounced in SW crickets. The overall thermoregulatory strategy we report represents a previously unrecognized component of insect dispersal polymorphism. We suggest that thermal constraints on nocturnal flight may have contributed to evolutionary loss of flight in other insect groups.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Public sector innovation in the Asia‐pacific trends, challenges, and opportunities
Authors: van der Wal Zeger , Demircioglu Mehmet Akif
Published: June 2020

Public organizations face a multitude of challenges that force them to innovate existing processes, policies, programs, and products. Indeed, in recent years, innovation has become a core topic of study in public administration. However, the vast majority of the public sector innovation literature stems from the United States and Western Europe. The lack of Asia‐Pacific studies is particularly striking given that countries like Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan consistently rank high on public sector innovation. This special issue brings together state of the art empirical research on public sector innovation in the Asia‐Pacific region that examines a range of drivers and outcomes of innovation, including studies comparing Asia‐Pacific countries and countries in the East and the West. The findings show that public sector employees in the studied countries all seek opportunities to innovate, whereas cultural norms and values either constrain or enable innovative behaviour and affect the extent to which employees experience leadership support for displaying such behaviour.