bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spain's reputation in China: analysing its effects on attitudes towards Spanish olive oil
Authors: García Juan A. , Ruiz Belén
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to analyse the elements that influence Spain's reputation among Chinese consumers, and to evaluate to what extent this country's reputation has an impact on their perceived quality of Spanish olive oil (SOO) and their intentions to purchase and recommend SOO.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was carried out by surveying 399 potential olive oil consumers in China (256 of whom were familiar with olive oil and 143 of whom had no previous familiarity with the product, although they stated their intentions to consume it). The proposed hypotheses were tested using covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM).

Findings

The results show that: (1) Spain's reputation among Chinese consumers can be principally explained by its appealing environment and advanced economy; (2) reputation does not have a direct impact on intentions to purchase and recommend SOO (summary construct effect), but rather has an indirect impact thanks to the perceived quality of SOO (halo effect), and (3) familiarity with olive oil moderates these relationships.

Originality/value

No previous study has analysed this question for this food product category (olive oil), country of origin (Spain) and target market (China). This study, therefore, provides new empirical evidence regarding the formation process of Spain's reputation among Chinese olive oil consumers and the effect of the country of origin on the Chinese olive oil market. These results provide countries' policymakers with criteria for competitive country reputation management.
Wine consumption preferences among generations X and Y: an analysis of variability
Authors: Rodríguez-Donate Mª Carolina , Romero-Rodríguez Margarita E. , Cano-Fernández Víctor Javier
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This paper compares the socio-demographic features, wine consumption preferences and habits of individuals of Generations X and Y. The influence of age, as a life cycle effect, on individuals' consumption preferences from the same generation is analysed. In addition, the generational effect and period effect on consumption by each generation are studied to ascertain changes in preferences due to specific values of their birth cohort or period.

Design/methodology/approach

Mixed ordered logit models are estimated to identify which traits influence the probability of consuming a certain quantity of wine for each generation. The variability of the effects of different variables on the consumption decision is analysed in depth, as a reflection of the unobserved heterogeneity present in individuals' decisions. For this purpose, data from two exhaustive surveys carried out in Tenerife (Canary Islands) over a time interval of 13 years are used.

Findings

Individuals' age and period are relevant factors in the consumption decision. There are some similarities in the behaviour of both generations, although the variability of the effects of some individual traits is greater for Generation X.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to a better understanding of the profile of wine consumers from different generations through a joint analysis of age effects, period and cohort, which have rarely been addressed jointly in the literature. In addition, it provides an exhaustive analysis of the heterogeneity in consumption preferences that highlights the variability of the effects found.
Job stress and employee outcomes: employment practices in a charity
Authors: Wang Wen , Seifert Roger
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The study intends to examine employee relations with a changing workforce resulting from the business-like transformation in the charity sector. The authors investigated sector-specific employment practices that can alleviate job stress (as a given and which has been made worse by the transformation). Developed from the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation framework, the findings can inform human resource management practices in its new efficiency-seeking business model.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected both quantitative (through a staff survey and administrative records of sick leave in the previous 12 months) and qualitative data (through interviews and focus groups) from one branch of an internationally well-established and UK-based religious charity between 2017 and 2018.

Findings

The quantitative results support a strong mediating effect of job satisfaction between job stress and staff sick leave. The negative correlation shown between job stress and job satisfaction is subject to paid staff perception of meaningful work and their level of involvement in decision-making, with the latter having a stronger moderating effect. The qualitative data provides further contextualized evidence on the findings.

Practical implications

It is important for charities to uphold and reflect their charitable mission towards beneficiaries and paid staff during the shift to an efficiency-seeking business model. Charities should involve their new professional workforce in strategic decision-making to better shape a context-based operational model.

Originality/value

The study examined employee relations in the non-profit charity sector with a changing workforce during the transition to a more business-oriented model. In particular, the authors revealed sector-specific factors that can moderate the association between job stress and absenteeism, and thereby contribute to the understanding of human resource management practices in the sector.
Exploring the development of entrepreneurial identity in a learning-by-doing entrepreneurial project environment
Authors: Chen Shin-Horng , Wang Wei-Tsong , Lu Chih-Tsen
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Understanding the construction of individual entrepreneurial identity for entrepreneurship education is an important but understudied issue. Prior studies indicate that entrepreneurship learning is associated with not only learning critical entrepreneurial skills and knowledge but also facilitating the construction of a personal entrepreneurial identity. However, educators are constantly challenged by the task of facilitating such an identity within students via learning-by-doing processes in the context of entrepreneurial teams. Additionally, while effective conflict management is essential to productive entrepreneurial learning in entrepreneurial teams, studies that investigate the relationships between interpersonal conflicts of entrepreneurial teams and the students' entrepreneurial identity are absent.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach of an in-depth case study was adopted to achieve our research purpose.

Findings

A conceptual model that describes the construction of the entrepreneurial identity of students of entrepreneurial teams in a learning-by-doing environment from the perspectives of conflicts and task characteristics are developed.

Research limitations/implications

The research findings highlight the preliminary relationships between task characteristics (i.e. task interdependence, task uncertainty, resource competition and tension regarding responsibility allocation) and interpersonal conflicts of entrepreneurial teams, and their impacts on the entrepreneurial identity of team members.

Originality/value

This study is among the first group of studies that especially explores the relationships among task characteristics of entrepreneurship projects, interpersonal conflicts and the development of students' entrepreneurial identity.
Housing price volatility: uncertainty, an asymmetric econometric analysis – some European country experiences
Authors: Ghosh Sudeshna
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the asymmetric impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on the volatility of the housing price index (RP) based on quarterly observations from major European countries, namely, France, Germany, Sweden, Greece Italy and the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

The nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model method is used to investigate the asymmetric impact of EPU on RP. In addition to considering EPU as the explanatory variable, industrial production (IP) (as a proxy for economic growth), interest rate (I), inflationary tendency (Consumer Price Index) and share prices (S) are included as major control variables. The period of the observations runs from 1996Q1 to 2019Q1.

Findings

The Wald test confirms the long-run asymmetric relationship for all countries. The alternative specification of the data sets reconfirms the asymmetric impact on RP in the long run, thereby verifying the robustness of the study.

Research limitations/implications

The study has implications for investors seeking to incorporate housing price behaviour within their portfolio structure. The analysis and findings are constrained by the availability of data.

Originality/value

This is one of the few studies on housing price dynamics related to the major economies of the European region that explore asymmetries. Additionally, it is the first to explore the asymmetry dynamics using the EPU variable.
Intelligent and efficient? An empirical analysis of human–AI collaboration for truck drivers in retail logistics
Authors: Loske Dominic , Klumpp Matthias
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Technological advances regarding artificial intelligence (AI) are affecting the transport sector. Although fully autonomous delivery, or self-driving trucks, are not operating currently, various AI applications have become fixed components of cargo vehicles. Since many research approaches primarily concentrate on the technical aspects of assistance systems (ASs), the economic question of how to improve efficiency is seldom addressed. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to apply an efficiency analysis to measure the performance of truck drivers supplying retail stores.

Design/methodology/approach

For this comparative study, 90 professional truck drivers in three groups are compared with (1) trucks without AS, (2) trucks with AS that cannot be turned off and (3) trucks with AS that can be turned off. First, we build a model investigating the impact of performance expectation, effort expectation, social influence and facilitating conditions on the behavioural intention to use AS. Second, we explore the impact of truck drivers' behavioural intention on actual technology use, misuse and disuse; operationalize these constructs; and merge them with our behavioural constructs to create one econometric model.

Findings

The human–AI system was found to be the most efficient. Additionally, behavioural intention to use ASs did not lead to actual usage in the AI-alone observation group, but did in the human–AI group. Several in-depth analyses showed that the AI-alone group used AS at a higher level than the human–AI group, but manipulations through, for example, kickdowns or manual break operations led to conscious overriding of the cruise control system and, consequently, to higher diesel consumption, higher variable costs and lower efficiency of transport logistical operations.

Research limitations/implications

Efficiency analysis with data envelopment analysis is, by design, limited by the applied input and output factors.

Originality/value

This study represents one of the first quantitative efficiency analyses of the impact of digitalization on transport performance (i.e. truck driver efficiency). Furthermore, we build an econometric model combining behavioural aspects with actual technology usage in a real application scenario.
The relationships between CEOs' psychological attributes, top management team behavioral integration and firm performance
Authors: Aljuhmani Hasan Yousef , Emeagwali Okechukwu Lawrence , Ababneh Bashar
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of chief executive officers' (CEO’s) core self-evaluation and grandiose narcissism on firm performance. This work combines bright and dark personality sides to explore how complex CEO's behavioral characteristics affect firms' outcomes. In addition, top management team (TMT) behavioral integration is considered as an organizational setting that acts as a conductive device bridging CEOs behavioral characteristics with firms' performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for this study are based on 187 respondents, including CEOs and TMTs, across medium and large firms in Turkey through an online survey using a questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data collected.

Findings

The study finds that only CEO-TMT narcissism and TMT behavioral integration have a positive direct effect on firm financial performance. Contrary to expectations, CEO-TMT core self-evaluation has a negative direct effect on firm performance. Moreover, the results show that environmental dynamism interacts positively and significantly with CEO-TMT narcissism. Thus, the claim that TMT behavioral integration has a mediating effect is not supported in the context of medium and large firms in Turkey.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the upper echelons theory (UET) literature by highlighting the boundary conditions under which narcissistic CEOs can interact with more behaviorally integrated TMT members to exchange information, make joint decisions and collaborate in a relatively dynamic environment, as well as aggregating the bright side and dark side of CEOs personality traits and examining their effects alongside those of TMT behavioral integration on the firm performance. Finally, this study enriches the upper echelons literature by providing evidence from Turkey.
Engaging shoppers through mobile apps: the role of gamification
Authors: De Canio Francesca , Fuentes-Blasco Maria , Martinelli Elisa
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of several intrinsic motivations driving consumers' intention to buy using a mobile app, namely: shopping gamification, focussed attention, shopping enjoyment and socialness, through the mediating role of shopping engagement. The online shopping experience is investigated in its dual role as direct driver of the intention to buy using a mobile app and as moderator of the shopping engagement – intention to buy using a mobile app path.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical analysis was performed in China due to the extensive usage of mobile shopping apps amongst the Chinese population. A structural equation model was estimated on 893 valid and complete structured questionnaires collected amongst a sample of Chinese consumers.

Findings

Findings confirm that intrinsic motivations (i.e. shopping gamification, focussed attention, shopping enjoyment and socialness) indirectly influence the intention to buy using a mobile app channelled by shopping engagement. Most remarkably, results show that the online shopping experience positively moderates the shopping engagement – intention to buy using a mobile app path.

Originality/value

The novelty of the paper lies in the conceptual and empirical evidence provided on shopping gamification, within the retailing marketing domain. The study investigates other related intrinsic motivations that jointly with shopping gamification directly influence shopping engagement and indirectly impact mobile shopping intention. The paper provides insights into the moderating role of online shopping experience, a key aspect when the challenge concerning gamification is considered.
Interprofessional teamwork: the role of professional identity and signature pedagogy – a mixed methods study
Authors: Best Stephanie , Beech Christian , Robbé Iain J. , Williams Sharon
Published: March 2021

Purpose

One overlooked determinant of interprofessional teamwork is the mobilisation of professional identity. Taking a health or social care practitioner out of their professional silo and placing them in an interprofessional team setting will challenge their professional identity. The theory of signature pedagogy was used to investigate the challenges and what is needed to support practitioners to mobilise their professional identity to maximise teamwork.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional mixed methods study was undertaken in the form of three focus groups, with members of health and social care teams in Wales, UK. Using nominal group technique, participants explored and ranked the challenges and benefits of mobilising their professional identity within an interprofessional setting.

Findings

Findings on mobilising professional identity were found to be aligned closely with the three signature pedagogy apprenticeships of learning to think and to perform like others in their profession and to act with moral integrity. The biggest challenge facing practitioners was thinking like others in their profession while in an interprofessional team.

Research limitations/implications

The focus of this study is health and social care teams within Wales, UK, which may limit the results to teams that have a similar representation of professionals.

Practical implications

Healthcare leaders should be aware of the opportunities to promote mobilisation of professional identity to maximise teamwork. For example, at induction, by introducing the different roles and shared responsibilities. Such practical implications do have consequences for policy as regards interprofessional team development and organisational commitments to adult learning and evaluation.

Originality/value

This is the first study of professional identity of interprofessional healthcare and social professionals using signature pedagogy to gain a better understanding of teamwork.
Influence of estrogen exposure on systemic lupus erythematosus in Bangladeshi women: a case-control study scenario
Authors: Jabeen Sabrina , Flora Meerjady Sabrina , Rahman Ashraf Ur
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study was conducted to find out the association between estrogen exposure and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Bangladeshi women.

Design/methodology/approach

A case-control study was carried out from January to December 2015 among 128 intervention cases and 128 age-matched control group participants to find out the association with estrogen exposure and development of SLE.

Findings

Case group participants were five times (OR 5.14, 95% CI 2.14–12.33), three times (OR 3.40, 95% CI 1.25–9.21) and four times (OR 4.00, 95% CI 1.45–11.00) more likely to receive different higher levels of education compared to the control group. Exposure to estrogen showed a positive association with the development of SLE. The case group (12.63 ± 1.61 years) had a lower age at menarche than that of the control group (13.31 ± 1.47 years;p < 0.001) and their proportion (62.6%) of using oral contraceptive pills were more than that of the control group (45.6%;p < 0.01). After controlling the effect of the positively associated variables, SLE patients were found two times (adjusted OR 2.26; 95% CI 1.29–3.95) more likely to use oral contraceptive pills than the control group. The case group was more (adjusted OR 0.771; 95% CI 0.642–0.927) prone to have an earlier age at menarche compared to the control group.

Originality/value

This study identified the association between estrogen exposure and SLE. Contraceptive pills should be used cautiously and both consumers and service providers need to be aware of their effects.
Unsuccessful treatment outcome and associated factors among smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Kepong district, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Authors: Arsad Fadly Syah , Ismail Noor Hassim
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to assess tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes among new smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients and identify the risk factors of unsuccessful treatment outcomes in Kepong district, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using registry-based data from the Tuberculosis Information System (TBIS) between 2014 and 2018. Simple random sampling was used to select 734 males and 380 females from the TBIS registry. Smear-positive PTB patient's sociodemographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics were extracted and analyzed. Logistic regression was used to find the possible independent risk factors for unsuccessful treatment outcomes.

Findings

The treatment success rate was 77.20% (n = 860) which was still below the target set by the WHO (>90%). In total, 254 patients showed an unsuccessful treatment outcome: 106 died, 99 defaulted, 47 not evaluated and 2 showed treatment failure. Unsuccessful treatment outcome was significantly associated with older age, male gender, non-citizen, unemployment and being HIV positive.

Originality/value

The study focuses on all these contributing factors of unsuccessful treatment outcome for a better risk assessment and stratification of TB patients and identify effective surveillance and management strategies to strengthen the control programs of tuberculosis in Kepong district.
Do economic endeavors complement sustainability goals in the emerging economies of South and Southeast Asia?
Authors: Sharma Rajesh , Sinha Avik , Kautish Pradeep
Published: March 2021

Purpose

In the present study, the authors intended to investigate whether the economic growth drivers such as per capita income, financial development, nonrenewable energy solutions and trade expansion have invigorated the level of environmental pollution in the eight developing nations of South and Southeast Asia.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering the possibility of the cross-sectional dependency, the authors employed relatively new econometric approaches, that is, the Westerlund cointegration test and cross-sectional augmented distributed lag mean estimation (CS-DL) for the period of 1990–2015.

Findings

The simulation results of the study confirmed an N-shaped environmental Kuznets curve, which raised a question on the existing economic policies in these nations. Further, the study reported that the improvements in the financial sector, nonrenewable energy consumption and trade expansion contributed to increasing the level of CO2 emissions in the long run.

Originality/value

Based on the results, the authors intended to provide a unique policy framework because the present policies are generating a trade-off between economic and environmental goals. If the suggested framework is employed across sectors, the given countries may likely achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030.
Using criminological theory to explain police misconduct: a state-of-the-art review
Authors: Donner Christopher M. , Maskály Jon , Jennings Wesley G. , Guzman Cynthia
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the extant published literature using traditional criminological theories in an effort to explain police misconduct.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reflects a narrative meta-review of through a search of several academic databases (e.g. Criminal Justice Abstracts, Criminology: A SAGE Full Text Collection, EBSCO Host and PsychInfo). Twenty-nine studies, across six theoretical perspectives, were identified and reviewed.

Findings

The extant research generally suggests that traditional criminological theory is useful in explaining misconduct.

Practical implications

The findings call on agencies to continually strengthen their recruiting and hiring processes to select recruits with suitable characteristics, and to improve their early warning systems to detect officers with patterns of problematic behavior. Also, the findings call for multiple avenues of future scholarship, namely, in theory development/integration and in refining the measurement of police misconduct.

Originality/value

This paper will be useful for researchers who wish to further explore the etiology of misconduct, and for police administrators who wish to reduce the prevalence of such behavior.
Hepatic and renal expression of Oatp1 in obstructive uropathy. First detection of Oatp1 in urine, a potential biomarker
Authors: Campagno Romina V. , Nosetto Evangelina C. , Brandoni Anabel , Torres Adriana M.
Published: March 2021

Obstructive renal diseases affect renal function and kidney integrity. Nevertheless, little is known about its systemic or extra‐renal effects. The organic anion transporting polypeptide 1 (Oatp1) is a carrier expressed in liver and kidneys. In this study, the hepatic and renal expression of Oatp1 was evaluated in rats with obstructive nephropathy. Moreover, the urinary excretion of Oatp1 (Oatp1u) was evaluated as a potential biomarker for this pathology. Male Wistar rats with bilateral ureteral obstruction for 5 hours (BUO5), 24 hours (BUO24) or sham operated were used. After 24 hours of ureteral releasing, liver and kidney functional parameters, histopathology, Oatp1 tissular expression and Oatp1u were evaluated. For Oatp1u evaluation two groups were added; BUO1 and BUO2 (1 and 2 hours of ureteral obstruction, respectively). Both liver and kidney functional parameters and histopathological studies showed alterations in BUO5 and BUO24. In hepatic homogenates, Oatp1 significantly decreased in BUO groups and in total liver membranes no modifications were observed. In renal homogenates, Oatp1 significantly decreased in BUO groups, but in apical kidney membranes, its expression was increased. Oatp1u was only detected in BUO groups, even in those (BUO1, BUO2) in which no alterations in the traditional parameters of renal function were observed. Modulations in liver and renal expression of Oatp1 could be an organism strategy to attenuate the effects of the disease and an attempt to maintain the complex organ cross‐talk between liver and kidneys. Oatp1u could be a new, early and specific biomarker of obstructive nephropathy.
Venture Capital Winners: A Configurational Approach to High Venture Capital‐Backed Firm Growth
Authors: Standaert Thomas , Knockaert Mirjam , Manigart Sophie
Published: March 2021

The positive effect of venture capital (VC) on firm growth has been widely documented. However, there exists a large variation in growth of VC‐backed firms, with only a small number reaching a substantial size. Prior studies have linked the variation in growth of VC‐backed firms to differences in resource endowments of the entrepreneurial top management team, the firm or the venture capitalist, without considering their potentially complex interactions. In addition, the literature has taken strong growth aspirations in VC‐backed firms as a given, without examining potential variations thereof and their potential implications. Therefore, this study aims to examine which configurations of resource portfolios and growth aspirations lead to high VC‐backed firm growth. In order to do so, we take an inductive, theory‐building approach and build on fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Our results show that strong growth aspirations of the entrepreneurial top management team are a necessary condition for high VC‐backed firm growth. Furthermore, we identify four configurations which, in combination with strong growth aspirations, may lead to high VC‐backed firm growth.
Increased xerotolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during an osmotic pressure ramp over several generations
Authors: Guyot Stéphane , Pottier Laurence , Bertheau Lucie , Dumont Jennifer , Dorelle Hondjuila Miokono Eminence , Dupont Sébastien , Ragon Mélanie , Denimal Emmanuel , Marin Ambroise , Hallsworth John E. , Beney Laurent , Gervais Patrick
Published: March 2021

Although mechanisms involved in response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to osmotic challenge are well described for low and sudden stresses, little is known about how cells respond to a gradual increase of the osmotic pressure (reduced water activity; aw) over several generations as it could encounter during drying in nature or in food processes. Using glycerol as a stressor, we propagated S. cerevisiae through a ramp of the osmotic pressure (up to high molar concentrations to achieve testing‐to‐destruction) at the rate of 1.5 MPa day‐1 from 1.38 to 58.5 MPa (0.990–0.635 aw). Cultivability (measured at 1.38 MPa and at the harvest osmotic pressure) and glucose consumption compared with the corresponding sudden stress showed that yeasts were able to grow until about 10.5 MPa (0.926 aw) and to survive until about 58.5 MPa, whereas glucose consumption occurred until 13.5 MPa (about 0.915 aw). Nevertheless, the ramp conferred an advantage since yeasts harvested at 10.5 and 34.5 MPa (0.778 aw) showed a greater cultivability than glycerol‐shocked cells after a subsequent shock at 200 MPa (0.234 aw) for 2 days. FTIR analysis revealed structural changes in wall and proteins in the range 1.38–10.5 MPa, which would be likely to be involved in the resistance at extreme osmotic pressure.
Unravelling the thioesterases responsible for propionate formation in engineered Pseudomonasputida KT2440
Authors: Ma Chao , Shi Ya’nan , Mu Qingxuan , Li Rongshan , Xue Yanfen , Yu Bo
Published: March 2021

Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is becoming a new robust metabolic chassis for biotechnological applications, due to its metabolic versatility, low nutritional requirements and biosafety status. We have previously engineered P. putida KT2440 to be an efficient propionate producer from L‐threonine, although the internal enzymes converting propionyl‐CoA to propionate are not clear. In this study, we thoroughly investigated 13 genes annotated as potential thioesterases in the KT2440 mutant. One thioesterase encoded by locus tag PP_4975 was verified to be the major contributor to propionate production in vivo. Deletion of PP_4975 significantly decreased propionate production, whereas the performance was fully restored by gene complement. Compared with thioesterase HiYciA from Haemophilus influenza, thioesterase PP_4975 showed a faster substrate conversion rate in vitro. Thus, this study expands our knowledge on acyl‐CoA thioesterases in P. putida KT2440 and may also reveal a new target for further engineering the strain to improve propionate production performance.
Chromosome‐level genome reference and genome editing of the tea geometrid
Authors: Pan Yunjie , Fang Gangqi , Wang Zhibo , Cao Yanghui , Liu Yongjian , Li Guiyun , Liu Xiaojing , Xiao Qiang , Zhan Shuai
Published: March 2021

The tea geometrid is a destructive insect pest on tea plants, which seriously affects tea production in terms of both yield and quality and causes severe economic losses. The tea geometrid also provides an important study system to address the ecological adaptive mechanisms underlying its unique host plant adaptation and protective resemblance. In this study, we fully sequenced and de novo assembled the reference genome of the tea geometrid, Ectropis grisescens, using long sequencing reads. We presented a highly continuous, near‐complete genome reference (787.4 Mb; scaffold N50: 26.9 Mb), along with the annotation of 18,746 protein‐coding genes and 53.3% repeat contents. Importantly, we successfully placed 97.8% of the assembly in 31 chromosomes based on Hi‐C interactions and characterized the sex chromosome based on sex‐biased sequencing coverage. Multiple quality‐control assays and chromosome‐scale synteny with the model species all supported the high quality of the presented genome reference. We focused biological annotations on gene families related to the host plant adaptation and camouflage in the tea geometrid and performed comparisons with other representative lepidopteran species. Important findings include the E. grisescens‐specific expansion of CYP6 P450 genes that might be involved in metabolism of tea defensive chemicals and unexpected massive expansion of gustatory receptor gene families that suggests potential polyphagy for this tea pest. Furthermore, we developed an efficient genome editing system based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology and successfully implement mutagenesis of a Hox gene in the tea geometrid. Our study provides key genomic resources both for exploring unique mechanisms underlying the ecological adaptation of tea geometrids and for developing environment‐friendly strategies for tea pest management.
Resilience, Psychological Distress, and Academic Burnout among Accounting Students*
Authors: Smith Kenneth J. , Emerson David J.
Published: March 2021

This study's objective is to examine the role of resilience in the dynamic between academic burnout and psychological distress using a sample of US undergraduate accounting majors. It extends prior research—that is, García‐Izquierdo et al. (2018), who examine these relationships using a sample of Spanish nursing students. For this study, a survey instrument was concurrently administered to 443 accounting majors at four geographically dispersed universities. Two alternative models are tested. The first model positions resilience as an exogenous predictor, and dimensions of academic burnout antecedent to psychological distress. The results indicate a significant negative association between resilience, psychological distress, and each of the three academic burnout dimensions. In addition, emotional exhaustion and academic inefficacy have a significant positive association with psychological distress. The alternative model positions psychological distress antecedent to each of the academic burnout dimensions. The results indicate that resilience has a significant negative association with psychological distress, cynicism, and academic inefficacy, but not emotional exhaustion. Moreover, psychological distress has significant positive associations with each academic burnout dimension. In the alternative model specification, resilience is also found to moderate the association between psychological distress and academic inefficacy. This single moderating effect notwithstanding, the findings suggest that the primary role of resilience is that of a compensatory mechanism by acting as an independent exogenous predictor of distress and burnout.
Policy influence and the legalized cannabis industry: learnings from other addictive consumption industries
Authors: Adams Peter J. , Rychert Marta , Wilkins Chris
Published: March 2021

Background and aim

New Zealand has recently legalized medicinal cannabis and has explored the possibility of legalizing large‐scale recreational cannabis supply. In the process, concerns have emerged regarding whether corporations involved in the large‐scale production and sale of legalized cannabis will invest in tactics of influence with policymakers and the public. This paper aimed to examine the various ways a legalized cannabis industry could seek to influence governments and the public in the New Zealand reform context.

Method

Based on the study of industry tactics with alcohol, tobacco and gambling, we applied a three‐chain model of industry influence that breaks tactics into the ‘public good’, ‘knowledge’ and ‘political’ chains.

Results

Exploratory analysis of the nascent cannabis industry's activity in New Zealand provided signs of industry influence strategies related to all three chains. The medicinal cannabis industry has associated the establishment of a legal cannabis sector with regional economic development and employment, supported lobbying for recreational law reform, funded NGOs involved in lobbying for law reform, established research partnerships with universities, invited ex‐politicians on advisory boards, and participated in government public sector partnerships.

Conclusion

There is emerging evidence that the legal cannabis industry is using strategies to influence the regulatory environment in New Zealand.
Does the preparation for intravenous administration affect the composition of heroin injections? A controlled laboratory study
Authors: Andersen Jannike M. , Bogen Inger Lise , Karinen Ritva , Brochmann Gerd Wenche , Mørland Jørg , Vindenes Vigdis , Boix Fernando
Published: March 2021

Aims

To study whether the preparation procedure, and its acidic and heating conditions, used by heroin users to prepare heroin for intravenous administration affects the final composition of the fluid to be injected.

Methods

Samples from different seizures of illegal heroin provided by the Norwegian police were prepared by adding water and ascorbic acid before heating under controlled conditions in the laboratory. Further, three seizures were prepared with different amounts of ascorbic or citric acid relative to their diacetylmorphine content. Pure diacetylmorphine base or salt was also submitted to the procedure applying two different heating intensities. The seizures and the final product after preparation were analysed for diacetylmorphine, 6‐acetylmorphine and morphine using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS‐MS).

Results

After preparation, a decrease of 19.8% (25th and 75th percentiles = −29.2 and −15.3) in the initial diacetylmorphine content was observed. Both the 6‐acetylmorphine and morphine content increased but, due to their low content in the initial product, diacetylmorphine still represented 83.9% (25th and 75th percentiles = 77.3 and 88.0) of the sum of these three opioids in the final solution. The loss of water during preparation caused an increase in the concentration of diacetylmorphine, 6‐acetylmorphine and morphine, depending on the heating intensity applied. The content of these opioids was affected by the quantity and type of acid added in relation to the heroin purity and the level of diacetylmorphine dissolved being proportional to the amount of ascorbic acid, but not citric acid, in the sample with high heroin purity.

Conclusions

Preparation of heroin for intravenous injection appears to change the amount or concentration of diacetylmorphine and its active metabolites, 6‐acetylmorphine and morphine in the final product, depending on heroin purity, amount and type of acid used or heating conditions. These circumstances can contribute to unintentional variations in the potency of the final injected solution, and therefore affect the outcome after injection.
Internet Addiction Increases in the General Population During COVID‐19: Evidence From China
Authors: Li Yang‐Yang , Sun Yan , Meng Shi‐Qiu , Bao Yan‐Ping , Cheng Jia‐Lu , Chang Xiang‐Wen , Ran Mao‐Sheng , Sun Yan‐Kun , Kosten Thomas , Strang John , Lu Lin , Shi Jie
Published: March 2021

Background and Objectives

COVID‐19‐related quarantine and stress have likely escalated the crisis of Internet addiction. This study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on Internet use and related risk factors among the general public in China.

Methods

A large‐sample cross‐sectional online survey was conducted from March 24 to April 30, 2020, in China, and 20,472 participants completed the survey. We investigated the prevalence and severity of Internet addiction based on the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and explored the risk factors related to increases in time spent on Internet use and severity of Internet addiction, as well as severe Internet addiction.

Results

The overall prevalence of Internet addiction was 36.7% among the general population during the pandemic, and that of severe Internet addiction was 2.8%, according to IAT scores. Time spent on recreational Internet use had significantly increased during the pandemic, and almost half of participants reported increases in the severity of Internet addiction. Risk factors for increases in time spent on Internet use and severity of Internet addiction and severe Internet addiction included having fewer social supporters, perceiving pressure and impact on mental health status due to COVID‐19, and being over‐engaged in playing videogames.

Discussion and Conclusions

The COVID‐19 pandemic adversely impacted Internet use and increased the prevalence and severity of Internet addiction among the general population in China, especially in vulnerable populations.

Scientific Significance

This study provides evidence for policymakers to refine public health policies to control the pandemic and make efforts to provide population‐specific prevention and interventions for people at risk of developing Internet addiction. (Am J Addict 2021;00:00–00)
Automated motility and morphology measurement of live spermatozoa
Authors: Dai Changsheng , Zhang Zhuoran , Jahangiri Sahar , Shan Guanqiao , Moskovstev Sergey , Librach Clifford , Jarvi Keith , Sun Yu
Published: March 2021

Background

Automated sperm analysis has wide applications in infertility diagnosis. Existing systems are not able to measure sperm count and both motility and morphology of individual live spermatozoa. Morphology measurement requires invasive staining, making the spermatozoa after morphology measurement not applicable to infertility treatment.

Objective

To evaluate the reproducibility and reliability of automated measurement of individual live sperm's motility and morphology.

Materials and methods

Fresh semen samples were obtained from twenty male partners attending for fertility investigations. The system firstly measured motility for all the spermatozoa within the field of view under a low magnification (20×), then a spermatozoa of interest is selected by the user and automatically relocated by the system after switching to a high magnification (100×) for morphology measurement. Reproducibility of sperm measurements was evaluated by intraclass correlation coefficients on consecutive measurement. Reliability of motility and morphology measurement was evaluated by tracking error rate and limits of agreement, respectively, with manual measurement as benchmark.

Results

Measurement of all motility and morphology parameters had intraclass correlation coefficients higher than 0.94. Sperm motility measurement had a tracking error rate of 2.1%. Limit of agreement analysis indicated that automated measurement and manual measurement of sperm morphology were interchangeable. Automated measurement of all morphology parameters was not statistically different from manual measurement, as confirmed by the paired sample t test.

Discussion

Automated motility and morphology measurement of single sperm revealed high reproducibility and reliability. The system also achieved a high efficiency for motility and morphology measurement. In addition to the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) samples with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), the developed sperm measurement technique is also effective for analyzing semen and washed samples. The system provides a valuable tool for quantitative measurement and selection of single spermatozoa for ICSI. It can also be used for sperm motility and morphology analysis in andrology laboratories.
Preoperative prediction of granulation pattern subtypes in GH‐secreting pituitary adenomas
Authors: Heng Lijun , Liu Xiaoyan , Jia Dong , Guo Wei , Zhang Shuo , Gao Guodong , Gong Li , Qu Yan
Published: March 2021

Objective

The aim of this study was to establish a preoperative prediction method for sparsely granulated (SG) growth hormone (GH)‐secreting pituitary adenoma, an aggressive tumour subtype with high recurrence risk, in acromegaly patients.

Methods

Eighty‐three patients with GH‐secreting pituitary adenomas were included in this study. GH measurements, cytokeratin immunostaining and electron microscopy were performed to detect granulation patterns. Preoperative factors, including general, radiological and endocrinological features and acute octreotide suppression test outcomes, were compared between SG and densely granulated (DG) groups. The predictive capabilities of these features were analysed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the most predictive features were combined to establish a grading scale.

Results

Thirty‐nine of the 83 patients had SG GH‐secreting pituitary adenomas; 44 had DG tumours. SG tumours tended to occur in younger patients and have larger diameters and volumes, higher Knosp grades, lower GH indexes and normalized insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) level, and a lower ∆GH% after octreotide treatment. The tumour size, Knosp grade, GH index and ∆GH% after octreotide treatment had good predictive performance, with area under the curve (AUC) values ranging from 0.70 to 0.80. Combining four parameters, including diameter, Knosp grade, GH index and ∆GH% after octreotide treatment, we established a grading scale for predicting SG GH‐secreting pituitary adenomas with an AUC of 0.84 and relatively high sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusions

We propose a predictive method for distinguishing SG and DG GH‐secreting pituitary adenomas preoperatively. This method will help physicians identify candidates for presurgical medical treatment and neurosurgeons determine radical surgical strategies for high‐risk tumours.
The effect of somatosensory alpha transcranial alternating current stimulation on pain empathy is trait empathy and gender dependent
Authors: Wang Peipei , Zhu Minjia , Mo Shaohua , Li Xiaoli , Wang Jing
Published: March 2021

Background

Pain empathy enables a person to experience and understand other's pain state by observing others in pain condition. Such prosocial ability is deficient in many psychopathological disorders. Somatosensory alpha suppression is considered as neural correlates of pain empathy and is hypothesized as a target for enhancement of pain empathy. Researches demonstrated that alpha suppression could be enhanced by transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at alpha frequency non‐invasively.

Aims

We applied alpha tACS over the primary somatosensory cortex of healthy subjects to investigate whether alpha tACS is able to enhance the pain empathy performance.

Results

The results showed that there was no difference of pain empathy performance between alpha tACS and sham tACS either when tACS was applied during the task or before task. While in the alpha tACS group, the pain empathy performance was positively correlated with empathic concern of male subjects, the sub‐component of personal trait empathy.

Conclusions

Alpha tACS cannot alter the empathy performance overall, but the modulation effect of alpha tACS on pain empathy is dependent on the gender and trait empathy of subjects.
Rules of origin and trade preference utilization among least developed countries
Authors: Sytsma Tobias
Published: March 2021

This article assesses how the utilization of trade agreements responds to rules of origin revisions that allow for more foreign content in exported products. Using the revision of the rules of origin for apparel products under the European Union's generalized system of preferences as a case study, and a triple‐difference empirical framework, the results indicate that rules of origin act as a significant bottleneck to least developed countries' (LDCs) use of trade preferences. However, heterogeneity in the response of utilization rates across products and LDCs suggests rules of origin revisions may not be a panacea.