bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Text-based Integration of Mutational Profiles for Classification and Biomarker Identification of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas
Authors: Nguyen Nam , Teer Jamie K. , Park Margaret A. , Beato Francisca , McDonald Patricia , Fleming Jason B. , Permuth Jennifer B. , Chen Kwang-Cheng , Karolak Aleksandra
Published: June 2023

Motivation

Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms (IPMNs) are a common cystic precursor for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Detecting these pre-malignant lesions poses a challenge for diagnostic tools due to their relatively low occurrence rate. However, a better understanding of the lesions’ composition could enable effective decision-making, risk assessment, treatment selection, and, most importantly, prevention.

Methods

In this work, we introduce a new framework for integrating information from mutational profiles using transformer-based models for stratification and biomarker identification in IPMNs vs. PDAC. We show that the numerical descriptor vectors can be used to construct highly predictive Artificial Neural Networks for disease classification. The derived mutational representations can be supported by other data types (here, mRNA) and further improve the accuracy of the classifiers. Besides the AI-driven methodology for biomarker discovery in cancer research, we also propose methods to maximize AI’s utility by recycling its knowledge to facilitate our limited understanding of the disease. We propose Natural Adversary Analysis – an AI-driven inference to detect IPMNs with a high probability of progression to malignancy.

Results

The proposed model supports 12 clinically relevant genetic biomarkers with high mutation rates (such asKRAS, GNAS, ARID1A, andCDKN2A) and suggests biomarkers not yet recognized (such asRADIL, TTN, andZNF287). We broaden the study’s scope by investigating rarely mutated genes and reveal 14 biomarkers with potential clinical importance. Several genes with low mutation rates, includingTMPRSS1, CDH22, CCND2, CYFIP2, CBLL1, andOPCML, are also addressed as potential biomarkers by our framework. Finally, the predictive robustness of the identified biomarker set is validated externally on the patient data from the Moffitt Cancer Center study, including six pairs of matched tumor and normal IPMN samples. We show that the presented mutational profile (MP-derived) gene panel has equivalent predictive power to clinically driven panels.

Conclusions

Here, we show the proof-of-concept that AI can serve the clinic and discover biomarkers beyond clinically known regimes. In line with that, we propose a translational AI-based approach for 1) disease stratification (IPMNs vs. PDAC), 2) biomarker identification, and 3) transferring the model knowledge to predict cysts’ risk of progression.
Molecular imaging with aquaporin-based reporter genes: quantitative considerations from Monte Carlo diffusion simulations
Authors: Chowdhury Rochishnu , Wan Jinyang , Gardier Remy , Rafael-Patino Jonathan , Thiran Jean-Philippe , Gibou Frederic , Mukherjee Arnab
Published: June 2023

Aquaporins provide a new class of genetic tools for imaging molecular activity in deep tissues by increasing the rate of cellular water diffusion, which generates magnetic resonance contrast. However, distinguishing aquaporin contrast from the tissue background is challenging because water diffusion is also influenced by structural factors such as cell size and packing density. Here, we developed and experimentally validated a Monte Carlo model to analyze how cell radius and intracellular volume fraction quantitatively affect aquaporin signals. We demonstrated that a differential imaging approach based on time-dependent changes in diffusivity can improve specificity by unambiguously isolating aquaporin-driven contrast from the tissue background. Finally, we used Monte Carlo simulations to analyze the connection between diffusivity and the percentage of cells engineered to express aquaporin, and established a simple mapping that accurately determined the volume fraction of aquaporin-expressing cells in mixed populations. This study creates a framework for broad applications of aquaporins, particularly in biomedicine and in vivo synthetic biology, where quantitative methods to measure the location and performance of genetic devices in whole vertebrates are necessary.
T- and L-type calcium channels maintain calcium oscillations in the murine zona glomerulosa
Authors: Dinh Hoang An , Volkert Marina , Secener Ali Kerim , Scholl Ute I. , Stölting Gabriel
Published: June 2023

The zona glomerulosa of the adrenal gland is responsible for the synthesis and release of the mineralocorticoid aldosterone. This steroid hormone regulates salt reabsorption in the kidney and blood pressure. The most important stimuli of aldosterone synthesis are the serum concentrations of angiotensin II and potassium. In response to these stimuli, voltage and intracellular calcium levels in the zona glomerulosa oscillate, providing the signal for aldosterone synthesis. It was proposed that the voltage-gated T-type calcium channel CaV3.2 is necessary for the generation of these oscillations. However,Cacna1hknockout mice have normal plasma aldosterone levels, suggesting additional calcium entry pathways. We used a combination of calcium imaging, patch clamp and RNA sequencing to investigate such pathways in the murine zona glomerulosa.Cacna1h-/-glomerulosa cells still showed calcium oscillations with similar concentrations as wild-type mice. No calcium channels or transporters were upregulated to compensate for the loss of CaV3.2. The calcium oscillations observed were instead dependent on L-type voltage-gated calcium channels. Furthermore, we found that L-type can also partially compensate for an acute inhibition of CaV3.2 in wild-type mice. Only inhibition of both, T- and L-type calcium channels abolished the increase of intracellular calcium caused by angiotensin II in wild-type. Our study demonstrates that T-type calcium channels are not strictly required to maintain glomerulosa calcium oscillations and aldosterone production and pharmacological inhibition of T-type channels alone will likely not significantly impact aldosterone production over time.
Rescuing missing data in connectome-based predictive modeling
Authors: Liang Qinghao , Jiang Rongtao , Adkinson Brendan D. , Rosenblatt Matthew , Mehta Saloni , Foster Maya L. , Dong Siyuan , You Chenyu , Negahban Sahand , Zhou Harrison H. , Chang Joseph , Scheinost Dustin
Published: June 2023

Recent evidence suggests brain-behavior predictions may require very large sample sizes. However, as the sample size increases, the amount of missing data also increases. Conventional methods, like complete-case analysis, discard useful information and shrink the sample size. To address the missing data problem, we investigated rescuing these missing data through imputation. Imputation is the substitution of estimated values for missing data to be used in downstream analyses. We integrated imputation methods into the Connectome-based Predictive Modeling (CPM) framework. Utilizing four open-source datasets—the Human Connectome Project, the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort, the UCLA Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics, and the Healthy Brain Network (HBN)—we validated and compared our framework with different imputation methods against complete-case analysis for both missing connectomes and missing phenotypic measures scenarios. Imputing connectomes exhibited superior prediction performance on real and simulated missing data as compared to complete-case analysis. In addition, we found that imputation accuracy was a good indicator for choosing an imputation method for missing phenotypic measures but not informative for missing connectomes. In a real-world example predicting cognition using the HBN, we rescued 628 individuals through imputation, doubling the complete case sample size and increasing explained variance by 45%. Together, our results suggest that rescuing data with imputation, as opposed to discarding subjects with missing information, improves prediction performance.
Kinetic modeling of leucine-mediated signaling and protein metabolism in human skeletal muscle
Authors: McColl Taylor J. , Clarke David C.
Published: June 2023

Skeletal muscle protein levels are governed by the relative rates of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and breakdown (MPB). The mechanisms controlling these rates are complex and their integrated behaviors are challenging to study through experiments alone. The purpose of this study was to develop and analyze a kinetic model of leucine-mediated mTOR signaling and protein metabolism in the skeletal muscle of young adults. Our model amalgamates published cellular-level models of the IRS1-PI3K-Akt-mTORC1 signaling system and of skeletal-muscle leucine kinetics with physiological-level models of leucine digestion and transport and insulin dynamics. The model satisfactorily predicts experimental data from diverse leucine feeding protocols. Model analysis revealed that basal levels of p70S6K are a primary determinant of MPS, insulin signaling substantially affects muscle net protein balance via its effects on MPB, and p70S6K-mediated feedback of mTORC1 signaling reduces MPS in a dose-dependent manner.
Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Performance in Triage of Ophthalmic Conditions
Authors: Lyons Riley J. , Arepalli Sruthi R. , Fromal Ollya , Choi Jinho D. , Jain Nieraj
Published: June 2023

Importance

Access to human expertise for affordable and efficient triage of ophthalmic conditions is inconsistent. With recent advancements in publicly available artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, individuals may turn to these tools for triage of ophthalmic complaints.

Objective

To evaluate the triage performance of AI chatbots for ophthalmic conditions

Design

Cross-sectional study

Setting

Single center

Participants

Ophthalmology trainees, OpenAI ChatGPT (GPT-4), Bing Chat, and WebMD Symptom Checker

Methods

Forty-four clinical vignettes representing common ophthalmic complaints were developed, and a standardized pathway of prompts was presented to each tool in March 2023.

Primary outcomes were proportion of responses with correct diagnosis listed in the top three possible diagnoses and proportion with correct triage urgency. Ancillary outcomes included presence of grossly inaccurate statements, mean reading grade level, mean response word count, proportion with attribution, most common sources cited, and proportion with a disclaimer regarding chatbot limitations in dispensing medical advice.

Results

The physician respondents, ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and WebMD listed the appropriate diagnosis among the top three suggestions in 42 (95%), 41 (93%), 34 (77%), and 8 (33%) cases, respectively. Triage urgency was appropriate in 38 (86%), 43 (98%), and 37 (84%) cases for the physicians, ChatGPT, and Bing Chat, correspondingly.

Conclusions and Relevance

ChatGPT using the GPT-4 model offered high diagnostic and triage accuracy that was comparable to the physician respondents, with no grossly inaccurate statements. Bing Chat had lower accuracy, some instances of grossly inaccurate statements, and a tendency to overestimate triage urgency.
Diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care testing (POCT) devices for postpartum haemorrhage: A protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Nakamura Eishin , Mihara Takahiro , Kondo Yuriko , Noma Hisashi , Shimizu Sayuri
Published: June 2023

Introduction

In postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), coagulation factors, mainly fibrinogen, are exhausted early during the course of the disease, which can easily lead to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and cause maternal mortality. Although some studies have reported the efficacy of point-of-care testing (POCT) devices in detecting hypofibrinogenaemia, little research has been conducted on their usefulness in the diagnosis of PPH. We plan to perform a systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of existing POCT devices for the diagnosis of hypofibrinogenaemia in PPH.

Methods and analysis

We plan to identify studies using POCT devices for PPH and perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of their accuracy of diagnosing hypofibrinogenaemia. The results of fibrinogen measurements using the conventional Clauss method are used as reference standards. Literature searches will be conducted using electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Database, and Web of Science), and two reviewers will screen independently from the search results. The eligible literature will be used to synthesise true positive, false positive, true negative, and false negative results for the diagnosis of hypofibrinogenaemia. We will estimate the diagnostic accuracy of POCT devices for diagnosing hypofibrinogenaemia in patients with PPH using the Reitsma-type bivariate random-effects synthesis model and the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve.

Ethics and dissemination

This systematic review will be conducted through the secondary use of literature extracted from electronic databases. There are no ethical issues associated with this research. The final integrated results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

Protocol registration

The study protocol was registered with University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials (UMIN000048272) and PROSPERO (CRD42023394785).

Strengths and limitations of the study

Studies on the usefulness of POCT devices in the diagnosis of PPH are limited. Our study will perform a systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of existing POCT devices for the diagnosis of hypofibrinogenaemia in PPH.

The study will estimate the diagnostic accuracy of POCT devices using the Reitsma-type bivariate random-effects synthesis model and the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve.

The threshold for diagnosing hypofibrinogenaemia, the definition of PPH, and the POCT devices used may vary between studies and could be a potential source of heterogeneity. Since most primary studies are observational, it is expected that many unpublished studies will exist.

The applicability of the study results may be limited since this systematic review only pertains to the use of POCT devices in pregnant patients with PPH. The number of studies may be limited since there is a wide variety of POCT devices used in PPH.
Minimum entropy framework identifies a novel class of genomic functional elements and reveals regulatory mechanisms at human disease loci
Authors: Betti Michael J. , Aldrich Melinda C. , Gamazon Eric R.
Published: June 2023

We introduce CoRE-BED, a framework trained using 19 epigenomic features in 33 major cell and tissue types to predict cell-type-specific regulatory function. CoRE-BED identifies nine functional classesde-novo, capturing both known and new regulatory categories. Notably, we describe a previously undercharacterized class that we term Development Associated Elements (DAEs), which are highly enriched in cell types with elevated regenerative potential and distinguished by the dual presence of either H3K4me2 and H3K9ac (an epigenetic signature associated with kinetochore assembly) or H3K79me3 and H4K20me1 (a signature associated with transcriptional pause release). Unlike bivalent promoters, which represent a transitory state between active and silenced promoters, DAEs transition directly to or from a non-functional state during stem cell differentiation and are proximal to highly expressed genes. CoRE-BED’s interpretability facilitates causal inference and functional prioritization. Across 70 complex traits, distal insulators account for the largest mean proportion of SNP heritability (∼49%) captured by the GWAS. Collectively, our results demonstrate the value of exploring non-conventional ways of regulatory classification that enrich for trait heritability, to complement existing approaches forcis-regulatory prediction.
Contributions of rare and common variation to early-onset and atypical dementia risk
Authors: Wright Carter A. , Taylor Jared W. , Cochran Meagan , Lawlor James M.J. , Moyers Belle A. , Amaral Michelle D. , Bonnstetter Zachary T. , Carter Princess , Solomon Veronika , Myers Richard M. , Love Marissa Natelson , Geldmacher David S. , Cooper Sara J. , Roberson Erik D. , Cochran J. Nicholas
Published: June 2023

We collected and analyzed genomic sequencing data from individuals with clinician-diagnosed early-onset or atypical dementia. Thirty-two patients were previously described, with 68 newly described in this report. Of those 68, 62 patients self-reported white, non-Hispanic ethnicity and 6 reported as African–American, non-Hispanic. Fifty-three percent of patients had a returnable variant. Five patients harbored a pathogenic variant as defined by the American College of Medical Genetics criteria for pathogenicity. A polygenic risk score (PRS) was calculated for Alzheimer's patients in the total cohort and compared to the scores of a late-onset Alzheimer's cohort and a control set. Patients with early-onset Alzheimer's had higher non-APOEPRSs than patients with late-onset Alzheimer's, supporting the conclusion that both rare and common genetic variation associate with early-onset neurodegenerative disease risk.
Machine learning for classifying narrow-beam electron diffraction data
Authors: Matinyan Senik , Demir Burak , Filipcik Pavel , Abrahams Jan Pieter , van Genderen Eric
Published: June 2023

As an alternative approach to X-ray crystallography and single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, single-molecule electron diffraction has a better signal-to-noise ratio and the potential to increase the resolution of protein models. This technology requires collection of numerous diffraction patterns, which can lead to congestion of data collection pipelines. However, only a minority of the diffraction data are useful for structure determination because the chances of hitting a protein of interest with a narrow electron beam may be small. This necessitates novel concepts for quick and accurate data selection. For this purpose, a set of machine learning algorithms for diffraction data classification has been implemented and tested. The proposed pre-processing and analysis workflow efficiently distinguished between amorphous ice and carbon support, providing proof of the principle of machine learning based identification of positions of interest. While limited in its current context, this approach exploits inherent characteristics of narrow electron beam diffraction patterns and can be extended for protein data classification and feature extraction.
Synthesis, crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of bis(caffeinium) hexachloridoplatinum(IV) in comparison with some related compounds
Authors: Zagidullin Karim A. , Novikov Anton P. , Zelenina Daria A. , Grigoriev Mikhail S. , German Konstantin E.
Published: June 2023

The molecular and crystal structure of the title compound, (C8H11N4O2)2[PtCl6], synthesized from hexachloroplatinic acid and caffeine in methanol, was studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The caffeinium cations form a double layer via hydrogen bonds and π-stacking interactions. The Hirshfeld surface analysis showed that the largest contribution to the crystal packing is made by H...H (31.2%), H...Cl/Cl...H (22.6%), O...H/H...O (21.9%) contacts for the cation and H...Cl/Cl...H (79.3%) contacts for the anion.
Do board characteristics moderate capital adequacy regulation and bank risk-taking nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Authors: Asiamah Sampson , Appiah Kingsely Opoku , Agyemang Badu Ebenezer
Published: June 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether board characteristics moderate the relationship between capital adequacy regulation and bank risk-taking of universal banks in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses 700 bank-year observations of universal banks in SSA between 2009 and 2019. The paper further uses the two-step generalized method of moments as the baseline estimator.

Findings

The paper finds that capital adequacy regulation is positively related to overall bank and liquidity risks. Nonetheless, capital adequacy regulation increases credit risk in the sampled banks. The paper further reports that board characteristics individually and significantly moderate the relationship between capital adequacy regulation and risk-taking.

Practical implications

The findings have implications for regulators of universal banks that board characteristics matter for capital adequacy regulation to impact risk-taking behavior.

Originality/value

The paper extends the existing literature on the effect of board characteristics on the capital adequacy regulations and risk-taking behavior nexus of universal banks.
Crisis management in public–private partnerships: lessons from the global crises in the XXI century
Authors: Castelblanco Gabriel , Guevara Jose , De Marco Alberto
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Global crises have become increasingly recurrent events that jeopardize public-private partnerships (PPPs). In this context, the purpose of this paper is to expose the PPP-crisis research agenda by combining bibliometric and network analyses.

Design/methodology/approach

The PPP literature associated with global crises between the 2008 global financial crisis and 2022 was analyzed in three stages: (1) paper selection and screening for the inclusion/exclusion of articles relevant to this research, (2) semantic network development for examining thematic relationships among selected papers by considering the co-occurrence of keywords within the chosen studies and (3) calculation of network metrics for analysis.

Findings

The paper identified six research avenues for the PPP-crisis agenda: public interest, relational governance, risk management, user-pay PPPs, crisis management and financial performance. The PPP-crisis literature has spread significantly in the last five years driven by the case study approaches on a national or regional basis. Conversely, non-crisis periods generate room to strengthen user-pay PPPs and relational governance. The pandemic and post-pandemic times shared the priorities of the 2008 financial crisis but also strengthened the management of the risks and the structural drivers of the global crisis.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates that during global crisis periods, the public interest and financial performance gain relevance in a detriment of structural solutions to social legitimacy erosion of PPPs because of the urgency of giving tools to the public and private sectors to tackle the financial issues, which steer future issues for PPPs.
Capital assets and poverty transitions in rural China
Authors: Han Hongyun , Si Fan
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This article aims to examine the role of capital assets in rural household poverty transitions of poverty escape and poverty descent over periods of 2014–2016 and 2016–2018.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the sustainable livelihood approach, this paper uses binary logit model to explore the influence of multidimensional capital assets on poverty transitions and use instrumental variable estimation to solve the endogeneity between total net asset and poverty transitions.

Findings

Capital assets have significant impacts on household poverty transitions. The role of capital assets in households' poverty escape and poverty descent are not symmetrical. The authors verify that rural households with rich total net asset are more likely to escape poverty and less likely to descend into poverty by using instrumental variable estimation. The authors verify that there is a mediation effect that total net asset can help households' escaping poverty and prevent them from falling into poverty through promoting rural households to engage in business activities.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to explore how capital assets affect poverty transitions in rural China based on the sustainable livelihood approach. The findings of this research can provide valuable policy implications for the pursuit of common prosperity in China and references for other developing countries.
Challenges and considerations for building executive presence in North American female professionals of Asian descent
Authors: Shelton Charlotte D. , Wu Monica Haisheng
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This study aims to identify the specific challenges that North American female professionals of Asian descent face in building executive presence and make recommendations for mitigating those challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 female executives of Asian descent in diverse U.S. and Canadian organizations. The goal was to explore their perceptions of Asian organizational stereotypes and identify how these perceptions, shaped by their cultural and gender identities, have created unique challenges relating to executive presence. Interviewees provided in-depth examples of their challenges and detailed recommendations for neutralizing them. Interview data were coded and analyzed using the Gioia methodology.

Findings

Results revealed that deferential, reserved and hardworking are the top three perceptions attributed to female professionals of Asian descent working in North America. These perceptions are not commendatory or derogatory by themself. They can be associated with either positive or negative leadership qualities, depending on the specific behaviors exhibited and how those behaviors are interpreted. The authors’ analysis maps the relationship between these perceptions and behaviors associated with the executive presence literature. The respondents’ three key recommendations for neutralizing the negative connotations of these perceptions are discussed.

Practical implications

The results of this study reinforce the need to develop influence, communication and relational skills (e.g. executive presence) in women of Asian ethnicity. The study respondents’ recommendations provide a foundational curriculum guide for doing so. The results also support the need to train hiring managers to become ever more aware of their cultural biases, focusing on how these biases impact their hiring, performance evaluation and promotion practices.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of research regarding the career experiences of Asian women working in North American corporations. This qualitative study provides insight into relationships between cultural identity, executive presence and career success and lays the groundwork for future quantitative studies that deepen a theoretical understanding of the relationship of executive presence to impression management and cross-cultural theories.
Popular diffusion as an instrument for overcoming barriers to digital health in Iran: the critical role of the pandemic
Authors: Ashtarian Kioomars , Etemadi Manal
Published: June 2023

Purpose

The importance of champion leaders including tech-savvy leaders to digital government has been highlighted in the literature. Meanwhile, what was in the authors’ interest to explore was the role of business-savvy leaders or non-governmental digital champions as units of analysis, those who mobilized people's interest in digitalization and bypassed governmental barriers through this popular mobilization. They could be considered policy entrepreneurs for understanding policy change in the digitalization of the health sector. This study sought to shed light on the barriers and drivers of digital health in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers conducted interviews with actors of digital health businesses in Iran, including the Health Information Technology Center affiliated to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) administrative body and authorities, private companies active in digital health and health service providers. The purposive sampling method was applied, and 15 experts with relevant and valuable experiences as well as maximum variation to obtain representativeness and rich data were interviewed. Trustworthiness criteria were also used to assure the quality of the results. The data were analyzed based on directed content analysis using the MAXQDA10 software.

Findings

It was found out how popular diffusion was effective to overcome barriers to health digitalization. Access to the internet and diffusion of information technology helped the net-enabled businesses to connect directly to people and provide services to them. Diffusion of these services forced the public sector to adjust itself, and thus MOHME banned digital consultation services because of the so-called “insecure and unknown physicians”, following the increased popularity of digital services diffusion, but they were not able to resist popular diffusion of new technology. Hence, it was allowed to work. The main barriers to telemedicine spreading in Iran have been divided into five main categories including government incapacity for digital health governance, conflict of interest, professional obligations for information transparency, protection of patients' rights and data security and privacy.

Originality/value

As a game changer in digital health governance in Iran, popular diffusion will determine the future of digital health. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first ones to explore digital health governance in relation to the private digital health business in Iran with a public policy approach.
Employers' perception of downsides to flexible staffing arrangements: exploring the role of strategic motives
Authors: Rouvroye Lin , van Dalen Hendrik P. , Henkens Kène , Schippers Joop J.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Flexible staffing arrangements have become a permanent feature of employment in many industrial societies. This article examines how employers perceive the consequences of using flexible staffing arrangements. It presents and assesses theoretically informed hypotheses on organisational situations in which negative consequences are more likely to be perceived.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses data (n = 761) from a bespoke employers survey, fielded in the Netherlands in 2019. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to measure and explain employers' perception of downsides to flexible staffing arrangements.

Findings

Employers report distinct downsides to the use of flexible staffing arrangements in terms of performance, management and employee well-being. Model estimates show that employers using flexible staffing arrangements to acquire specific expertise or to follow other organisations in their sector perceive more downsides.

Originality/value

Empirical research on employers' perception of the disadvantageous consequences of using flexible staffing arrangements is scarce. This article highlights that this practice can discourage investments in human capital and lead to a sense of insecurity among young workers. It draws attention to the relevance of distinguishing between strategic motives when trying to understand organisational behaviour regarding non-standard forms of employment.
Determining the predictive importance of the core dimensions of nation brands
Authors: Lahrech Abdelmounaim , Aldabbas Hazem , Juusola Katariina
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Informed by the resource-based and resource-advantage theories, this study, a comparative study, aims to examine the core dimensions of nation brands – culture, tourism, exports, foreign direct investment, migration and governance – from the company-based brand equity perspective in a sample of 48 countries clustered into three groups (strong, moderate and weak nation brands) from 2011 to 2019 to identify the most critical predictors of nation brand strength in each cluster.

Design/methodology/approach

A clustering technique was applied to the modified Country Brand Index to cluster the included countries into strong, moderate and weak nation brands. The authors were then able to analyze each cluster in an effort to explore the relative importance of the predictor variables and determine if that importance varied across the clusters.

Findings

This approach revealed novel findings of great importance to policymakers and academics. The results indicate the resources that contribute the most to nation brand equity in each cluster. Such information can guide policymakers in effectively leveraging these strategic resources. First, the cultural dimension was a more critical predictor concerning countries with moderate and weak nation brands than countries with strong brands. Second, tourism exhibited the highest predictive importance concerning all the clusters. For academics, these findings help foster a better understanding of the determinants of nation brand strength, as aligned with the resource-based and resource-advantage theories.

Originality/value

The findings of this study contribute to the literature concerning nation brand management, particularly the stream related to nation brand equity monetization.
A systematic literature review of startup survival and future research agenda
Authors: Azeem Mohd , Khanna Ashu
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a brief review of the work on startup survival and a conceptual framework of factors influencing a startup firm’s survival. In addition, it lists significant gaps and recommends avenues for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper conducted a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles indexed in Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCO databases using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A total of 140 articles published in 72 journals between 1993 and 2021 were considered for the review.

Findings

The comprehensive review revealed that most of the studies have applied a single theoretical lens and have taken place in advanced economies, with a narrow focus on emerging economies. Empirical research has prominently applied regression-based models to analyse the relationship between the antecedents and the outcomes. Internal resources such as human capital, financial capital and physical capital and non-financial performance measures such as survival, growth and employment are the studies’ prominently used antecedents and outcome variables. However, a limited number of studies have used mechanisms of mediation and moderation.

Originality/value

Despite the substantial scientific and practical discussion on startup survival, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no comprehensive review has been undertaken to date, which provides a systematic and comprehensive compilation of the knowledge on the topic. This study aims to develop a unique landscape of scientific advancement by methodically reviewing, categorising and synthesising the current body of knowledge on the topic.
Youth marketing development of special libraries in the digital era: viewpoint from the Taste Library with 7Ps marketing mix
Authors: Kwan Ying Kit Cherry , Chan Mei Wa , Chiu Dickson K.W.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation and a heightened emphasis on library marketing. Special libraries, in particular, rely heavily on patrons for survival, often due to their private ownership and limited resources. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the Taste Library, a special library in Hong Kong, and analyzes its current practices based on an interview with its founder, website content, and social media presence. The 7Ps Marketing Mix model is employed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the library's current market position.

Findings

The Taste Library's existing practices exhibit limitations in attracting young patrons. To address this issue, we propose marketing strategies focused on enhancing social network presence, offering digitized content, and engaging in school outreach.

Practical implications

By concentrating on youth marketing, this study offers valuable insights for special libraries in developing strategic plans for transitioning and maintaining sustainability.

Originality/value

Few studies concentrate on marketing small special libraries, particularly in the East, within today's digitized economy.
Factors affecting the performance of micro-level women entrepreneurs: a comparative study between UAE and India
Authors: Rao Srinivasa A. , Kareem Abdul Waheed , Kadam Raavee , Singh Abhilasha
Published: June 2023

Purpose

The study investigates the impact of various factors that affect the business performance of micro-level women entrepreneurs in the UAE and India.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual model including the factors that impact the performance of micro-level women entrepreneurs is proposed. The proposed model was validated with data collected through a structured questionnaire based on a cross-sectional survey conducted in the UAE and India. The collected data was analyzed using the structural equations modeling approach.

Findings

Findings revealed that factors such as competitive aggressiveness, incubation, innovativeness, market orientation and risk-taking propensity have a positive impact on business performance and growth in both countries. Factors like training, learning and finance orientation did not affect business performance.

Originality/value

Gender plays an essential and influential role in developing countries with regard to entrepreneurship. This research attempts to uncover the often-neglected area of women entrepreneurship.
Bank diversification and earnings management: the moderating effect of female directors
Authors: Merzki Nozha , Ben Rejeb Mouna
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the effect of banking activities diversification on earnings management practices and the effect of female directors on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a sample of 122 banks operating in Middle East and North African countries from 2006 to 2018, we use dynamic panel model estimated with generalized method of moments approach to deal with endogeneity issues surrounding the diversification decision.

Findings

The results show that diversification increases earnings management and that the presence of female directors on board moderates this relationship. In particular, female managers tend to reduce earnings management practices in diversified banks. Further, diversified conventional banks appear to be more impacted on the earnings management practices than on Islamic banks.

Originality/value

The study extends previous research by investigating the relationship between earnings management and diversification of banking activities in emerging countries where earnings management cannot be easily detected and diversification strategy is widely used. It, also, explains this relationship via the moderating effect of female directors as a banks’ internal governance mechanism.
Contrasting responses to climate variability generate seasonal priority effects between native and invasive forest herbs
Authors: Buonaiuto D. M. , Wolkovich E. M.
Published: June 2023

Invasive plants are often characterized by rapid germination and precocious phenology. Theory suggests that early germination may provide invaders with a competitive advantage over slower germinating natives, but the relative contribution of rapid germination versus other intrinsic competitive traits (e.g. rapid growth, high fecundity, broad environmental tolerance) to the success of invaders is poorly understood. Depending on the relationship between germination and competition, shifts in germination phenology due to climate change may increase the dominance of invaders or buffer communities against their impacts.

We investigated the link between temperature variation, germination phenology and competitive interactions with a sequence of controlled environment experiments. First, we evaluated the relationships between temperature variation and germination phenology for two herbaceous species found in North American woodlands, the non‐native Hesperis matronalis and native Cryptotaenia canadensis. We then leveraged temperature‐response differences to manipulate the relative germination phenology of these taxa and quantified the effects of their phenological differences on competition.

Seeds of the invasive H. matronalis germinated rapidly, reaching 50% germination in under 10 days in all treatment combinations. C. canadensis did not reach 50% germination with less than 7 weeks of cold stratification. However, with more than 10 weeks of cold stratification and low (20/10°C) incubation temperatures, the germination phenology of C. canadensis was well‐matched to that of H. matronalis. When grown together, we found that precocious germination phenology doubled the competitive impact of H. matronalis relative to its other intrinsic competitive traits. Phenological advantage of just 2–3 days relative to C. canadensis was enough to secure competitive dominance at the seedling stage.

Synthesis. This study revealed that the mechanistic link between the germination phenology and competitive success of an invasive plant can be strongly mediated by climate sensitivity differences between introduced and native species. Climate change will likely exacerbate these differences, especially in regions where warming reduces cold stratification. Our findings suggest that phenological diversity in native plant communities is an important property of invasion resistance. The relationship between environmental variation, germination dynamics and competition provides a path forward for forecasting climate change impacts on seasonal community assembly and highlights the need to incorporate phenological diversity in restorations.
Farmers' adoption of ecological practices: A systematic literature map
Authors: Thompson Bethan , Leduc Gaëlle , Manevska‐Tasevska Gordana , Toma Luiza , Hansson Helena
Published: June 2023

Understanding the factors associated with adoption of ecological farming practices is a well‐established topic of interest to agricultural economists. As the transition to more sustainable agriculture has become a policy priority for the European Union, broad and balanced reviews of this literature are important. We develop a systematic map of quantitative observational studies which describes the ecological practice(s) adopted, the frequency of inclusion and significance of a range of independent variables, and how the dependent variable is measured. We also conduct a quality assessment. We find that while socio‐demographic variables and farm structural variables are frequently included, they were insignificant more often than they were significant. For behavioural factors we find stronger evidence for the importance of cognitive or attitudinal variables compared to dispositional attitudinal variables. We also find a growing interest in social factors which will be valuable for researchers to explore further and reflect on the policy implications of our findings.
Current physical techniques for the degradation of aflatoxins in food and feed: Safety evaluation methods, degradation mechanisms and products
Authors: Peng Zekang , Zhang Yue , Ai Ziping , Pandiselvam Ravi , Guo Jiale , Kothakota Anjineyulu , Liu Yanhong
Published: June 2023

Aflatoxins are the most toxic natural mycotoxins discovered so far, posing a serious menace to the food safety and trading economy of the world, especially developing countries. How to effectively detoxify has persistently occupied a place on the list of “global hot‐point” concerns. Among the developed detoxification methods, physical methods, as the authoritative techniques for aflatoxins degradation, could rapidly induce irreversible denaturation of aflatoxins. This review presents a brief overview of aflatoxins detection and degradation product structure identification methods. Four main safety evaluation methods for aflatoxins and degradation product toxicity assessment are highlighted combined with an update on research of aflatoxins decontamination in the last decade. Furthermore, the latest applications, degradation mechanisms and products of physical aflatoxin decontamination techniques including microwave heating, irradiation, pulsed light, cold plasma and ultrasound are discussed in detail. Regulatory issues related to “detoxification” are also explained. Finally, we put forward the challenges and future work in studying aflatoxin degradation based on the existing research. The purpose of supplying this information is to help researchers have a deeper understanding on the degradation of aflatoxins, break through the existing bottleneck, and further improve and innovate the detoxification methods of aflatoxins.
Thermal stability and interfacial rheology of whey protein–corn oil emulsions: The effect of l‐arginine fortification
Authors: Chen Hui , Sheng Yuanyuan , Shao Jie , Zhou Xuxia , Ding Yuting
Published: June 2023

The effect of l‐arginine (Arg) on the thermal stability of whey protein–corn oil emulsions was investigated to determine its role in improving emulsion stability. The results indicated that with an increase in Arg concentration, the emulsion stability index, emulsification activity index, and absolute ζ‐potential increased initially and decreased after high‐temperature sterilization. However, the mean particle size, apparent viscosity, creaming indices, and dynamic interfacial pressure of the emulsions first decreased and then increased, and the performance of samples that only showed an increase in pH could also improve the emulsification stability. These results clarify the mechanism by which Arg increases the thermal stability of emulsions.
Germany: Political Developments and Data in 2022
Authors: ANGENENDT MICHAEL , KINSKI LUCY
Published: June 2023

Against the background of the Russian war on Ukraine, the new traffic light coalition of the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democrats (FDP) led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called a new era (Zeitenwende) in German foreign and security policy. The discussions on military support for Ukraine significantly shaped public debate in Germany in 2022. While the Left Party and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) rejected arms deliveries, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) criticized the federal government for hesitating. In addition to the German presidential election that saw the re‐election of Frank‐Walter Steinmeier, there were four regional elections in Saarland, Schleswig‐Holstein, North Rhine‐Westphalia, and Lower Saxony.
Decentralising for local information? Evidence from state‐owned listed firms in China
Authors: Gu Qiankun , Kim Jeong‐Bon , Liao Ke , Si Yi
Published: June 2023

This study investigates the effect of decentralisation of SOEs on stock price crash risk. In so doing, we test two competing hypotheses. Under the Political Influence Hypothesis, decentralisation aggravates local government's expropriation of minority shareholders (type II agency conflict), and thus increases crash risk. Under the Local Information Hypothesis, decentralisation decreases monitoring distance (type I agency conflict), strengthens external monitoring and thus decreases crash risk. We find robust evidence supporting the Political Influence Hypothesis. Cross‐sectional analyses show that our baseline results are more pronounced when firms are decentralised to the provincial level and politicians have greater incentives to pursue their political objectives. We further show that bad news hoarding and risk‐taking are two potential channels through which SOE decentralisation increases crash risk. Taken together, our results imply that the decentralisation exacerbates the type II agency conflict rather than ameliorates the type I agency conflict in SOEs.