bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of genes involved in the differentiation of R7y and R7p photoreceptor cells inDrosophila
Authors: Earl James B , Vanderlinden Lauren A , Saba Laura M , Britt Steven G
Published: August 2019

The R7 and R8 photoreceptor cells of theDrosophilacompound eye mediate color vision. Throughout the majority of the eye, these cells occur in two principal types of ommatidia. Approximately 35% of ommatidia are of the pale type and express Rh3 in R7 cells and Rh5 in R8 cells. The remaining 65% are of the yellow type and express Rh4 in R7 cells and Rh6 in R8 cells. The specification of an R8 cell in a pale or yellow ommatidium depends on the fate of the adjacent R7 cell. However, pale and yellow R7 cells are specified by a stochastic process that requires the genesspineless,tangoandklumpfuss. To identify additional genes involved in this process we performed a genetic screen using a collection of 480P{EP}transposon insertion strains. We identified genes that when inactivated and/or ectopically expressed in R7 cells resulted in a significantly altered percentage of Rh3 expressing R7 cells (Rh3%) from wild-type. 53 strains resulted in altered Rh3% in the heterozygous inactivation arm of the screen. 36 strains resulted in altered Rh3% in the ectopic expression arm of the screen, where the P{EP} insertion strains were crossed to asevEP-GAL4driver line. 4 strains showed differential effects between the two screens. Analyses of these results suggest that R7 cell fate specification is sensitive to perturbations in transcription, growth inhibition, glycoprotein ligand binding, WNT signaling, ubiquitin protease activity and Ser/Thr kinase activity, among other diverse signaling and cell biological processes.
Establishing ethicalGuanxi(interpersonal relationships) through confucian virtues ofXinyong (trust), Lijie (empathy)andRen (humanity)
Authors: Chen Michelle Sitong , Eweje Gabriel
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically how managers establish ethical guanxi (interpersonal relationships) with their business partners to prevent potential ethical incidences in Chinese and Western business contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study is guided by a qualitative, abductive approach and draws on in-depth interviews with ten senior managers in five urban New Zealand organisations.

Findings

The results point out that guanxi (interpersonal relationships) purely working through renqing (reciprocity) is not sustainable, because it perpetuates a never-ending cycle of favours, once exchanging favours stopped or disappeared, then business relationships dwindled. To establish an ethical guanxi model, the authors found that xinyong (trust) is the foundation, and its enlargement stimulates lijie (empathy) that transfers pure business relationships to a genuine friendship which enhances ethical decision-making. They also posit that once managers are embodied with lijie, then they will have the virtue of ren to behave like junzi (ideal Confucian ethical person) whose business actions tend to be intrinsically guided by a sense of obligation to do something right that will work for diverse stakeholders’ interests, for the prosperity of organisations and society.

Practical implications

This study suggests that managers should take Confucian virtues of xinyong (trust) and lijie (empathy), because they will trigger ren (humanity) as an intrinsic value. In this way, it is more likely for them to become junzi (ideal Confucian ethical person) whose business actions are intrinsically guided by a sense of obligation to do something right that benefits various stakeholders, organisations and society.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the extant literature on preventing ethical incidents of guanxi (interpersonal relationships) by drawing a framework of ethical guanxi, which is built on Confucian virtues of xinyong (trust), lijie (empathy) and ren (humanity). Further, this paper strongly suggests that companies should educate their staff to become more humane to make moral decisions in daily management practice.
The impact of organizational support for employees’ health on organizational commitment, intent to remain and job performance
Authors: Xiu Lin , Dauner Kim Nichols , McIntosh Christopher Richard
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employees’ perceptions of organizational support for employee health (OSEH) and employees’ turnover intention and job performance, with a focus on the possible mediating roles of affective commitment and wellness program participation in these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from surveys of employees at a public university that provides employees with a variety of wellness program options. Conditional procedural analysis was conducted to test the model.

Findings

Results showed that employees’ perceptions of OSEH positively related to both turnover intention and job performance and that affective commitment fully mediated the relationships between OSEH perceptions and both dependent variables.

Research limitations/implications

Cross-sectional data were collected on OSEH, affective commitment, employees’ intent to remain in the organization and job performance. Future studies based on panel data would be helpful to establish the causal relationships in the model.

Practical implications

Our findings show that employees’ perceptions of OSEH are likely to affect behavioral outcomes through affective commitment, suggesting that managers should ensure that employees are aware of organizational support for health promotion. Our findings also suggest that organizations move beyond a focus on design of wellness programs to include an emphasis on the overall OSEH.

Originality/value

This research study is the first empirical examination on the two possible channels through which organizational health support may influence employees’ intent to remain and job performance – participation in wellness programs and affective organizational commitment. The results are of value to researchers, human resource management managers, employees and executives who are seeking to develop practices that promote employee health at the workplace.
A hybrid method to update stress for perfect von-Mises plasticity coupled with Lemaitre damage mechanics
Authors: Tavoosi Maliheh , Sharifian Mehrdad , Sharifian Mehrzad
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a robust hybrid method for updating the stress and plastic internal variables in plasticity considering damage mechanics.

Design/methodology/approach

By benefiting the properties of the well-known explicit and implicit integrations, a new mixed method is derived. In fact, the advantages of the mentioned techniques are used to achieve an efficient integration.

Findings

The numerical studies demonstrate the high precision and robustness of the suggested algorithm.

Research limitations

The perfect von-Mises plasticity together with Lemaitre damage model is considered within the realm of small deformations.

Practical implications

Updating stress and plastic internal variables are of utmost importance in elastoplastic analyses of structures. The accuracy and efficiency of stress-updating methods significantly affect the final outcomes of nonlinear analyses.

Originality/value

The idea which is used to derive the hybrid method leads to an efficient integration method for updating the constitutive equations of the damage mechanics.
Pure and hybrid strategies in social enterprises: an empirical investigation
Authors: Salavou Helen , Manolopoulos Dimitris
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to shift the idea of competitive strategy from the for-profit to the non-profit context and to explain how social enterprises (SEs) get advantages over competitors within and outside the social sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Based upon a sample of 63 SEs located in Greece, the exploratory research employs factor analysis to answer which strategic options they have to compete. Subsequent analysis of variance and correlation analysis were performed to answer if competitive strategic options relate to impact SEs generate.

Findings

The empirical findings identify and empirically validate a variety of strategic options based on four pure (low cost, low cost sustainability, low cost focus and differentiation focus) and one hybrid (efficient differentiation) types of competitive advantage. Additional evidence shows that hybrid compared to pure strategic options link more influentially to impact in terms of positive environmental, social and economic contributions.

Research limitations/implications

Apart from providing some explanations of how mission-driven businesses compete, it helps widening the debate of pure vs hybrid strategies beyond the commercial sector. Contrary to what the authors already know, the evidence presented here shows that strategic purity and hybridization co-exist in the social sector.

Originality/value

This is the first study with empirical evidence on competitive strategies from businesses in the third sector emphasizing how SEs ensure competitive advantage along with impact potential. Consequently, the authors respond to recent calls for more survey-based, quantitative evidence in the social entrepreneurship field.
Computational analysis of nanofluid and hybrid nanofluid in Darcy’s squeezing flow with entropy optimization
Authors: Khan Muhammad Ijaz , Alsaedi Ahmed , Ahmad Salman , Hayat Tasawar
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to examine squeezing flow of hybrid nanofluid inside the two parallel rotating sheets. The upper sheet squeezes downward, whereas the lower sheet stretches. Darcy’s relation describes porous space. Hybrid nanofluid consists of copper (Cu) and titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and water (H2O). Viscous dissipation and thermal radiation in modeling are entertained. Entropy generation analysis is examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Transformation procedure is implemented for conversion of partial differential systems into an ordinary one. The shooting scheme computes numerical solution.

Findings

Velocity, temperature, Bejan number, entropy generation rate, skin friction and Nusselt number are discussed. Key results are mentioned. Velocity field increases vs higher estimations of squeezing parameter, while it declines via larger porosity variable. Temperature of liquid particles enhances vs larger Eckert number. It is also examined that temperature field dominates for TiO2-H2O, Cu-H2O and Cu-TiO2-H2O. Magnitude of heat transfer rate and skin friction coefficient increase against higher squeezing parameter, radiative parameter, porosity variable and suction parameter.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper is investigation of three-dimensional time-dependent squeezing flow of hybrid nanomaterial between two parallel sheets. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such consideration has been carried out in the literature.
Variable diffusion and conductivity change in 3D rotating Williamson fluid flow along with magnetic field and activation energy
Authors: Khan Mair , Salahuddin T. , Yousaf Muhammad Malik , Khan Farzana , Hussain Arif
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of the current flow configurations is to bring to attention the thermophysical aspects of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) Williamson nanofluid flow under the effects of Joule heating, nonlinear thermal radiation, variable thermal coefficient and activation energy past a rotating stretchable surface.

Design/methodology/approach

A mathematical model is examined to study the heat and mass transport analysis of steady MHD Williamson fluid flow past a rotating stretchable surface. Impact of activation energy with newly introduced variable diffusion coefficient at the mass equation is considered. The transport phenomenon is modeled by using highly nonlinear PDEs which are then reduced into dimensionless form by using similarity transformation. The resulting equations are then solved with the aid of fifth-order Fehlberg method.

Findings

The rotating fluid, heat and mass transport effects are analyzed for different values of parameters on velocity, energy and diffusion distributions. Parameters like the rotation parameter, Hartmann number and Weissenberg number control the flow field. In addition, the solar radiation, Joule heating, Prandtl number, thermal conductivity, concentration diffusion coefficient and activation energy control the temperature and concentration profiles inside the stretching surface. It can be analyzed that for higher values of thermal conductivity, Eckret number and solar radiation parameter the temperature profile increases, whereas opposite behavior is noticed for Prandtl number. Moreover, for increasing values of temperature difference parameter and thermal diffusion coefficient, the concentration profile shows reducing behavior.

Originality/value

This paper is useful for researchers working in mathematical and theoretical physics. Moreover, numerical results are very useful in industry and daily-use processes.
Gender, social capital and adaptive capacity to climate variability
Authors: Omolo Nancy , Mafongoya Paramu L.
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between gender and social capital in adapting to climate variability in the arid and semi-arid regions in Turkana in Kenya.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper undertook literature review of secondary data sources, conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs). The statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze data for the quantitative part of the paper.

Findings

Vulnerability is influenced by age, gender, education and disability. Elderly women are considered to be the most vulnerable to climate variability and change because they are the poorest in the community, followed by elderly men, the disabled, female-headed households, married women, men and, finally, the youth. Less than 30 per cent of women and men in both Katilu and Loima are able to read and write. The cross-tabulation results show that there is a statistical significant relationship between gender, age and education level and climate change vulnerability. This implies that gender, age and education level have a significant effect on climate change vulnerability.

Research limitations/implications

The research coverage was limited to only two regions in Turkana because of time and economic constraints.

Practical implications

The lack of attention to gender in the climate change literature has time and again resulted in an oversimplification of women’s and men's experience of climate risks. Improved development assistance, investments and enhanced targeting of the truly vulnerable within pastoral societies demand an acceptance of underdevelopment in arid and semi-arid regions in Kenya because of historical imbalances in investment; the recognition that vulnerability of pastoralists is neither uniform nor universal and the need to consider differences like age, gender and education. Policy-makers should understand that pastoralists in the past have used indigenous knowledge to cope with and adapt to climate change. The current-recurrent and intensity droughts require investment in modern technology, equipping pastoralists with relevant information and skills to make them resilient to climate change and implementing existing and relevant policies for northern Kenya.

Social implications

This paper draws from several other efforts to show the critical relationships between gender, social capital and climate change. They are tracking adaptation and measuring development framework; ending drought emergencies common programme framework; and feminist evaluation approach.

Originality/value

This paper is important in identifying the link between gender, social capital and adaptation to climate change.
A meta-regression on the effect of online ratings on hotel room rates
Authors: Hu Xingbao (Simon) , Yang Yang , Park Sangwon
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Online ratings (review valence) have been found to exert a strong influence on hotel room prices. This study aims to systematically synthesize research estimating the impact of online ratings on room rates using a meta-analytical method.

Design/methodology/approach

From major academic databases, a total of 163 estimates of the effects of online ratings on room rates were coded from 22 studies across different countries through a systematic review of relevant literature. All estimates were converted into elasticity-type effect sizes, and a hierarchical linear meta-regression was used to investigate factors explaining variations in the effect sizes.

Findings

The median elasticity of online ratings on hotel room rates was estimated to be 0.851. Meta-regression results highlighted four categories of factors moderating the size of this elasticity: data characteristics, research settings, variable measures and publication outlet. Among sub-ratings, results revealed value rating and room rating to exert the largest impact on room rates, whereas staff and cleanliness ratings demonstrated non-significant impacts.

Practical implications

This study provides practical implications on the relative importance of different types of online ratings for online reputation and revenue management.

Originality/value

This study represents the first research effort to understand factors moderating the effects of online ratings on hotel room rates based on a quantitative review of the literature. Moreover, this study provides beneficial insights into the specification of empirical hedonic pricing models and data-collection strategies, such as the selection of price variables and choices of model functional forms.
A holistic approach of quality: a case of UK chocolate manufacturing
Authors: Sibanda Nhlanhla , Ramanathan Usha
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This research is elucidating quality control theories to reduce variation in chocolate manufacturing process in the UK food company that will help maintain the processes stable and predictable. The purpose of this paper is to reduce defects of the output; to identify the root causes of variation; to establish and implement solutions to this variation problem; and to establish a control system to monitor and report any variation in the process.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use experimental case study of a chocolate company to achieve the objective. In this paper, the authors predominantly use established theory define–measure–analyse–improve–control, customised to the case of the chocolate factory to reduce variations in production processes.

Findings

The results confirm that customised-traditional theoretical quality models will support manufacturing companies to maintain customer satisfaction while enhancing quality and reliability.

Practical implications

Implementation of customised approach reduced the rate of defect from 8 to 3.7 per cent. The implications of reduced variation are improved product quality; reprocessing elimination; and a more stable process that support sustainability and reliability in producing chocolates to meet customer needs.

Social implications

The authors used an experimental-based case study approach to test with one company. Testing in multiple case companies may help to generalise results.

Originality/value

The research study experimentally tested quality approach with a real case company and hence the findings of this study can be applied to other cases working in similar settings.
Sustainable clothing: perspectives from US and Chinese young Millennials
Authors: Su Jin , Watchravesringkan Kittichai (Tu) , Zhou Jianheng , Gil Maria
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand US and Chinese young Millennials’ perceptions of and consumption behaviour towards sustainable apparel products.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative research was conducted, and empirical data were collected from 590 US college students and 379 Chinese college students.

Findings

For both US and Chinese young Millennials, this study provides consistent empirical results of the positive and significant effects of young Millennials’ apparel sustainability knowledge and personal values on consumer attitude towards sustainable clothing, which in turn positively and strongly impacts purchase intention. In addition, a cross-cultural comparative analysis reveals similarities and differences regarding apparel sustainability knowledge and values between young Millennial consumers in the US and China.

Originality/value

The scale of environmental and social impacts from global apparel production and consumption makes sustainability increasingly important in the contemporary business environment. Young Millennials in the US and China represent large and influential consumer segments for sustainable consumption. This study contributes to the literature by surveying young Millennials in the US (developed market) and China (emerging market) in a cross-cultural context. The study offers insights into the global apparel industry in developing strategies for expanding sustainable apparel markets in the US and China.
Electronic integration and capability widening for OEM suppliers
Authors: Hsiao Cheng-Chieh , Tan Danchi , Chiou Jyh-Shen
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of original equipment manufacturing (OEM) suppliers’ electronic integration with global customers on their capability widening, following the literature on electronic integration, firm innovativeness, product modularity and dynamic capabilities. It also examines the moderating roles of supplier innovativeness and product modularity in the proposed relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducts empirical examination on a sample of OEM suppliers in Taiwan. It collects 201 self-reported responses via mailed surveys of 1,069 electronics companies listed in the 5000 Largest Firms in Taiwan, and the archival data are obtained from theTaiwan Economic Journaldatabase.

Findings

The results show that electronic integration with global customers affects capability widening negatively, whereas supplier innovativeness affects capability widening positively. In addition, product modularity plays a moderating role in the relationship between electronic integration and capability widening.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the electronic integration literature by providing empirical evidences on how OEM suppliers’ electronic integration affects their capability widening. This study also adds to the supply chain management literature by demonstrating the relationship between OEM suppliers’ innovativeness and their move into higher value-added activities, as well as how product modularity interplays with electronic integration between customers and suppliers on suppliers’ capability widening in global supplier‒customer relationships.

Practical implications

For OEM suppliers with a low level of product modularity, they may widen their capabilities by exploring other value-added activities (e.g. original design manufacturing or original brand manufacturing). For OEM suppliers with a high level of product modularity, the improvement of their manufacturing capabilities is a helpful approach to create competitive advantage.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to examine the interplay between electronic integration and product modularity on capability widening of OEM suppliers from an emerging market. Meanwhile, this study provides support for the relationship between supplier innovativeness and innovative activities in the global supply chain context.
The perceived effectiveness of overt versus covert promotions
Authors: Fong Yee Chan Fanny
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study contributes to literature on marketing communications by empirically contrasting the effectiveness of a new form of covert promotions (product placement in recipes) and an overt promotion (traditional advertisement). The mediating role of perceived believability of promotional materials and the moderating roles of advertising skepticism and brand awareness were examined based on a conceptual model.

Design/methodology/approach

A Web-based experiment with 2 (form of promotion: overt versus covert) × 2 (brand awareness: low versus high) between-subjects full factorial design was used. A public sample of 537 participants had participated in the study. The conceptual model was further tested on 106 participants using stimuli of a fictitious brand.

Findings

A two-stage moderated mediation analysis shows that the perceived believability of promotional materials was a significant mediator of the form of promotion and brand evaluations. Consumers showed a higher level of believability toward covert promotion, which, in turn, led to more positive evaluations of the promoted brand. Advertising skepticism and brand awareness were found to significantly moderate the relationship between form of promotion and attitudes toward the promoted brands. A similar pattern of results was obtained when stimuli of a fictitious brand were used.

Originality/value

This research addresses an important issue in marketing communication and extends the understanding of the perception of overt and covert promotions by examining the underlying mediating and moderating variables, which have rarely been explored before. The results guide marketers in developing effective marketing communication strategies for well-known, less well-known and even new brands. It also directs policymakers to consider whether integrated branded content in recipes should be disclosed to protect consumers from surreptitious promotions, which may help to lower consumers’ skepticism toward advertising in the long run.
Does unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) reduce resistance and anxiety of individuals towards a new system?
Authors: Donmez-Turan Aygul
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Technology acceptance is an incremental approach that has developed over the years. Taking technology acceptance or adoption literature into consideration, the paper aims to investigate the mediating role of adoption readiness, constructed on the basis of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), on the relationship between user resistance as well as user anxiety and attitude toward using a system.

Design/methodology/approach

In consideration of previous studies, the public personnel’s adaptation of electronic document management systems is within the scope of the present research. Gathering data from 262 administrative personnel working in a public university, explanatory and second-order confirmatory factor analyses were done for the UTAUT scale. In addition, reliability and construct validity were tested for each scale; UTAUT, user resistance, user anxiety and attitude toward using. Relationships among variables of the research were controlled by the measurement model and then the structural model was tested.

Findings

Confirming previous research, the scales of UTAUT, user resistance, user anxiety and attitude toward using were found to have acceptable reliability and internal consistency. In addition, the implications of the paper showed user resistance influenced attitude toward using indirectly, by affecting adoption readiness. It also indicated that adoption readiness fully mediated the relationship between user anxiety and attitude toward using.

Originality/value

Negative behavioral antecedents of UTAUT are the focus of the paper. Reducing the negative effects of resistance as well as anxiety of individuals on their attitudes using a system is emphasized in the technology acceptance literature. Furthermore, defining each dimension of UTAUT as a single construct, adoption readiness, and proving the intervening role of adoption readiness between user resistance, as well as anxiety, on the attitude toward using a system are contributions to the literature.
Inter-project knowledge transfer in project-based organizations: an organizational context perspective
Authors: Ren Xu , Yan Zi , Wang Zhaojing , He Jingwen
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Numerous studies highlight the importance of knowledge transfer between projects, but the influence factors are still debated. As a contribution to the identified gap, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of organizational context, project characteristics and social relations in the inter-project knowledge transfer within the project-based organizations (PBOs).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper collects the data through 268 sample questionnaires from Chinese construction sectors and applies the structure equation modeling to analyze knowledge transfer between projects in PBOs.

Findings

The results indicate the organizational context (meeting system, reward system and shared culture) and project characteristics (similarity and urgency) are antecedents affecting social relations (communication, trust and reciprocity) between project teams, and their social relations further influence the effectiveness of inter-project knowledge transfer.

Originality/value

The study highlights the role of organizational context and effect of social relations for inter-project knowledge transfer in PBOs, and provides valuable suggestions for knowledge and project management in PBOs.
The disruptive and transformative potential of new technologies for accounting, accountants and accountability
Authors: Marrone Mauricio , Hazelton James
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the extent to which technology and disruption has been considered within the accounting literature, to introduce the five papers which compose this special issue and to provide an agenda for future research on technology and disruption.

Design/methodology/approach

To explore previous works on the disruptive potential of technology in accounting, the study compares topics in accounting research articles that contain variations of the term “disrupt” with those articles containing variations of the term “technology”. Based on the method first proposed in Marrone and Hammerle (2016), an entity linker application was used to extract key topics from the top 50 accounting journals, and these topics were then compared to determine the extent of thematic intersection.

Findings

A key finding is that accounting academic articles featuring “disruption” are rarely linked with “technology”. The concept of “disruption” has been largely synonymous with crisis, and the crises endured to date have had predominantly social or environmental causes (e.g. the GFC and natural disasters). The literature on technology has coalesced around three broad themes – creation, deployment and protection – which have not been identified as crises triggers so far. This finding underscores the importance of the papers comprising this special issue, which explore enhanced data visualisation, blockchain and social media, as well as considering how such technologies might be managed and their potential for either emancipation or enslavement.

Research limitations/implications

In relation to the review of prior literature, the primary limitation is that a quantitative approach was taken. Whilst this allows for a greater sample size and replication, a qualitative thematic review may reveal additional findings. The primary implication of this research and this special issue collectively is that there is much more to be done in exploring both the potential benefits and limitations of new technologies for accounting.

Originality/value

In relation to the review of prior literature, no previous studies have undertaken a quantitative analysis of the intersection of technology disruption in accounting research. In relation to this special issue, these papers collectively provide a multi-faceted view of how technology can and will transform the practice and potential of accounting in the years ahead. Finally, the provision of a thematic framework and research agenda will assist future researchers in exploring this dynamic and important field.
Work-life support: the key to managers’ happiness
Authors: Chen Ming-Huei , Krishna Shwetha M. , Yu Chan-Yuan
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Building on the conservation of resource theory, the authors posit work-life support as an essential resource for middle managers. This paper aims to explore the positive association between work-life support, positive emotion, job satisfaction and happiness. The paper also assesses the moderating role of work pressure on work-life support and positive emotion relationship on the one hand and flextime on positive emotion and job satisfaction on the other.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected from 512 middle managers of small and medium-sized firms including manufacturing, service and finance sectors in Taiwan were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results reveal that work pressure strengthens the effect of work-life support on positive emotions, whereas time flexibility weakens the effect of positive emotion on job satisfaction. Work-life support positively influences happiness through the intervening variables of positive emotion and job satisfaction.

Practical implications

The paper highlights the importance of creating a positive work environment, as empowering middle managers with work-life support can help them handle work pressure and work-life conflict. The negative influence of flextime on positive emotion and job satisfaction highlights the need for effective handling of flextime.

Originality/value

This paper examines the work-life support and happiness of middle managers in the Chinese cultural context which has been under-explored. This paper expands the external validity of previous research results of Western samples by finding the positive influence of work pressure on work-life fit and positive emotion and negative influence of flextime on positive emotion and job satisfaction link.
Open hole tensile testing of 3D printed parts using in-house fabricated PLA filament
Authors: Dave Harshit K. , Prajapati Ashish R. , Rajpurohit Shilpesh R. , Patadiya Naushil H. , Raval Harit K.
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is being increasingly used in automotive and aerospace industries because of its ability to produce specimens having difficult geometrical shape. However, owing to lack of critical information regarding the reliability and mechanical properties of FDM-printed parts at various designs, the use of 3D printed parts in these industries is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of process parameters of FDM on the tensile strength of open-hole specimen printed using in-house-fabricated polylactic acid (PLA).

Design/methodology/approach

In the present study, three process parameters, namely, raster angle, layer thickness and raster width, are selected for investigation of tensile strength. To produce the tensile specimens in the FDM machine, the PLA filament is used which is fabricated from PLA granules using a single-screw extruder. Further, the experimental values are measured and critically analysed. Failure modes under tests are studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Findings

Results indicate that the raster angle has a significant effect on the tensile strength of open-hole tensile specimen. Specimens built with 0° raster angle, 200-µm layer thickness and 500-µm raster width obtained maximum tensile strength.

Originality/value

In this work, a new concept of testing a plate that has a rectangular shape and a circular hole at the centre is tested. Open-hole tensile test standard ASTM D5766 has been implemented for the first time for the FDM process.
Organizational unlearning: the challenges of a developing phenomenon
Authors: Becker Karen
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a synthesis of the contributions to this special issue focusing on organizational unlearning.

Design/methodology/approach

The papers were examined in depth to identify the key contributions and areas of ongoing concern for those researching unlearning.

Findings

Each paper was noted as making a unique contribution to the unlearning debate, and the authors’ understanding of this critical issue, however, areas of divergence or contradiction remain. Although the special issue called for a range of disciplines to engage with the topic, it is clear that some disciplines and contexts have embraced the concept of unlearning more than others, and that there are some key issues that remain problematic for advancing research of this phenomenon. Two key imperatives include clarifying and aligning terminology and advancing stronger underpinning empirical research of unlearning.

Originality/value

The paper identifies the current contradictions and questions relating to organizational unlearning and argues that it is time for clarity and more empirical research about this critical topic.
The role of job rotation in enhancing employee performance in the Egyptian travel agents: the mediating role of organizational behavior
Authors: Al-Romeedy Bassam Samir
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a conceptual model that explores the effect of job rotation on employees' performance through the mediating role of organizational behavior (namely, motivation, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, job involvement and job burnout).

Design/methodology/approach

Data are gathered from employees in the tourism and aviation departments at travel agents category A in Egypt. In total, 788 questionnaires are analyzed using regression-based partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using Smart PLS 3.21.

Findings

The results indicate that organizational behavior (motivation, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, job involvement and job burnout) plays mediation roles in the relationship between job rotation and employees' performance.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the current literature by linking job rotation to employees' performance through organizational behavior (motivation, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, job involvement and job burnout). The findings of the study hold practical and theoretical implications for tourism and hospitality organizations.
Interaction between extreme weather events and mega‐dams increases tree mortality and alters functional status of Amazonian forests
Authors: Moser Pamela , Simon Marcelo Fragomeni , de Medeiros Marcelo Brilhante , Gontijo Alexandre Bahia , Costa Flávia Regina Capelotto
Published: August 2019

Forest responses to changes in drought frequency is a critical matter for the future of Amazon forests under climate change, but equally important is the much less studied response to large floods, which may also increase tree mortality and change forest functionality. Further, forest vulnerability to flood is being exacerbated by large hydroelectric dams on Amazon rivers that put upland environments not adapted to flood at unique risk.

To address this critical knowledge gap, we evaluated the effects of the extreme 2014 rainfall coupled with the newly constructed Jirau hydroelectric dam on tree survival and forest functionality, in the upper Madeira River basin. We used surveys of campinarana white‐sand forests (stems >1 cm in seven 1 ha plots) conducted before and after the extreme flood to test trait‐based ecological theory predictions of the impact of flood on overall community function.

We found that flooding increased mortality by nearly five‐fold (from 3.2% to 15.1%), mostly in smaller trees. This large mortality induced significant and consistent shifts in community function, towards species with conservative life strategies: direct comparison of trait differences between surviving and dying trees showed that survivors had smaller, high density stomata, and higher leaf dry matter content, wood density and root tissue density (RTD). Size and density of stomata and RTD were the most important predictors of species mortality rates.

Synthesis and applications. Although focused on a single event in one type of forest, this work highlights the general importance, and need for further study, of interaction between climate change and mega‐dams in Amazon forests. In particular, we expect that continued expansion of hydroelectric dams in Amazonia will likely intensify the impact of large floods on forests made newly vulnerable by these dams, with substantial effect on future forest functionality in expanded floodplain areas across the Basin. Hence, these interaction analyses should be required in the Brazilian legal instruments such as the environmental impact assessments and its accompanying Environmental Impacts Reports for large infrastructure projects in Amazon.
Effect of placental growth factor in models of experimental pre‐eclampsia and trophoblast invasion
Authors: Chau Katrina , Bobek Gabriele , Xu Bei , Stait‐Gardner Timothy , Price William , Hennessy Annemarie , Makris Angela
Published: August 2019

Placental growth factor (PlGF) is decreased in early gestation of pregnant women who subsequently develop pre‐eclampsia. In this study, pre‐emptive treatment with PlGF to prevent pre‐eclampsia was evaluated in an in vivo rodent model of experimental pre‐eclampsia (EPE) induced by TNF‐α and in an in vitro model of human first‐trimester trophoblast invasion. Pregnant C57/BL6 mice were treated with recombinant mouse placental growth factor‐2 (rmPlGF‐2) 100 μg/kg/day IP from gestational day (gd) 10. Animals had EPE induced by continuous TNF‐α infusion on gd 13 and were subject to either continuous blood pressure monitoring by radiotelemetry throughout pregnancy or live placenta T2‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to demonstrate placental function on gd 17. There was no difference in BP (P > .99), proteinuria (P = .9) or T2 values on MRI (P = .9) between control and rmPlGF‐2‐treated animals. On gd 13, animals treated with rmPlGF‐2 demonstrated increased placenta PlGF (P = .01) and Toll‐like receptor‐3 (P = .03) mRNA expression as compared with controls. Fluorescent‐labelled human uterine microvascular endothelial cells and HTR8/SVNeo cells were co‐cultured on Matrigel™ and treated with recombinant human PlGF (rhPlGF) (10 ng/mL) and/or TNF‐α (0.5 ng/mL). Trophoblast integration into endothelial networks was reduced by added TNF‐α (P = .006), as was rhPlGF concentration in conditioned media (P < .0001). Cell integration was not ameliorated by addition of rhPlGF (P > .9). Although TNF‐α‐induced EPE was not reversed with pre‐emptive rmPlGF‐2, a further trial of pre‐emptive rhPlGF in vivo is required to determine whether the absence of effect of rhPlGF demonstrated in vitro precludes PlGF as a preventative therapy for pre‐eclampsia.
Comparison of ice‐on and ice‐off abiotic and biotic parameters in three eutrophic lakes
Authors: Kalinowska Krystyna , Napiórkowska‐Krzebietke Agnieszka , Bogacka‐Kapusta Elżbieta , Stawecki Konrad
Published: August 2019

The structure and abundance of winter planktonic communities are limited by environmental conditions that are unfavorable to life, but do not stop biological processes. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that the abundance of planktonic groups of organisms in temperate lakes can be higher during winter under ice cover than during the ice‐free seasons. Physical (ice/snow cover, temperature), chemical (organic carbon, chlorophyll a, phosphorus, nitrogen) and biological parameters (phytoplankton, protozooplankton, zooplankton) were investigated in three eutrophic lakes during two consecutive years in winter, spring, summer and autumn. The results of this study showed that in all lakes chlorophyll a concentrations were usually lower in winter than in other seasons, while total nitrogen concentrations were higher in winter than in autumn. All groups of planktonic organisms were able to reach similar or even higher abundances in winter under‐ice than in other ice‐free periods, depending on the lake morphometry and the year of the study. Winter taxonomic structure of phytoplankton was similar to the spring (medium‐sized Lake Dgał Wielki with the dominance of cryptophytes), summer (small‐sized Lake Dgał Mały with cyanobacteria as a dominant group) or autumn (the shallow lake with the dominance of diatoms) structure, depending on the lake. In all lakes, the structure of the ciliate community was the most similar to that of the spring with the clear dominance of Oligotrichida. Our results show that some species among all the studied groups of organisms can lead an active and dynamic life under the ice cover.
Metatranscriptomic and metabolite profiling reveals vertical heterogeneity within a Zygnema green algal mat from Svalbard (High Arctic)
Authors: Rippin Martin , Pichrtová Martina , Arc Erwann , Kranner Ilse , Becker Burkhard , Holzinger Andreas
Published: August 2019

Within streptophyte green algae Zygnematophyceae are the sister group to the land plants that inherited several traits conferring stress protection. Zygnema sp., a mat‐forming alga thriving in extreme habitats, was collected from a field site in Svalbard, where the bottom layers are protected by the top layers. The two layers were investigated by a metatranscriptomic approach and GC–MS‐based metabolite profiling. In the top layer, 6569 genes were significantly upregulated and 149 were downregulated. Upregulated genes coded for components of the photosynthetic apparatus, chlorophyll synthesis, early light‐inducible proteins, cell wall and carbohydrate metabolism, including starch‐degrading enzymes. An increase in maltose in the top layer and degraded starch grains at the ultrastructural levels corroborated these findings. Genes involved in amino acid, redox metabolism and DNA repair were upregulated. A total of 29 differentially accumulated metabolites (out of 173 identified ones) confirmed higher metabolic turnover in the top layer. For several of these metabolites, differential accumulation matched the transcriptional changes of enzymes involved in associated pathways. In summary, the findings support the hypothesis that in a Zygnema mat the top layer shields the bottom layers from abiotic stress factors such as excessive irradiation.
Role of Nanomaterials for Forensic Investigation and Latent Fingerprinting—A Review
Authors: Prasad Vandana , Lukose Sally , Agarwal Prashant , Prasad Lalit
Published: August 2019

The imminent nanotechnology and progressive instrumentations together have vast applications in the field of forensic science. Few prominent examples are gold nanoparticles for improvising the efficiency of polymerase chain reaction and atomic force microscopy for examining ink and bloodstains. Characteristics like distinct ridge details of fingerprints could be obtained by applying different nanoparticles such as silver, zinc oxide, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, gold (with silver physical developer), europium, fluorescent carbon, and amphiphilic silica on a range of object surfaces, and among all, gold is most commonly used. Fingerprint is considered noteworthy evidence in any crime scene, and nano‐based techniques hold immense future potential in fingerprint investigations. Therefore, this paper focuses on the applications of nanoparticles in developing and detecting the latent fingerprints.