bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Managerial ability and tax aggressiveness
Authors: Francis Bill B. , Sun Xian , Weng Chia-Hsiang , Wu Qiang
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to examine how managerial ability affects corporate tax aggressiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

The study follows the work of Demerjian, Lev, and McVay (2012) and quantifies managerial ability by calculating how efficiently managers generate revenues from given economic resources using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. The study uses a wide range of measures of tax aggressiveness. Firm fixed-effects regressions and a difference-in-differences approach using information regarding CEO turnover to control for endogeneity are used.

Findings

The study finds a negative relationship between managerial ability and corporate tax aggressiveness. Further tests show that this negative relationship is more pronounced for firms with higher investment opportunities or firms with more reputational concerns.

Originality/value

Given the significant costs associated with tax aggressiveness and the negative effect it can have on managerial reputation if discovered, the results suggest that more able managers invest less effort in aggressive tax avoidance activities. This study furthers the understanding of how managerial personal traits affect corporate decision-making.
Bond market information disclosure and industry spillover effect
Authors: Zhang Xiaochen , Yin Huifang
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of information disclosure by unlisted bond issuers on the stock price informativeness of listed firms in the same industry.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper takes advantage of information disclosure during the bond issuance and examines the spillover effect of unlisted bond issuers' information disclosure on listed firms in the stock market. The sample is composed of A-share firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2007 to 2018. All the data are obtained from the China Stock Market and Accounting Research and WIND databases. The impact of bond market information disclosure on price informativeness of listed firms in the same industry is identified through multivariate regression analyses.

Findings

Empirical results show that price informativeness of listed firms has a significantly positive association with the information disclosure of same-industry unlisted bond issuers. Further analyses show that the above finding is more significant when information disclosure of bond issuers is a more important channel for acquiring industry information (i.e. when industry is more concentrated, when economic uncertainty is high, and when industry information is less transparent) and understanding the industry competitive landscape (i.e. when bond issuers are relatively large, when bond issuers and listed firms have more direct product competition, when bond issuance firms are large-scale state-owned business groups), and when there are more cross-market information intermediaries (i.e. more cross-market institutional investors and more sell-side analysts). This paper indicates that information disclosure of bond issuers has a positive spillover effect on the stock market.

Originality/value

The novelty of the research is that the authors examine industry information spillover from unlisted firms to listed firms leveraging on unlisted firms' information disclosure in bond markets.
The dual effect of idiosyncratic volatility on stock pricing and return
Authors: Cheng Zhuo (June) , Fang Jing (Bob)
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine what underlies the estimated relation between idiosyncratic volatility and realized return.

Design/methodology/approach

Idiosyncratic volatility has a dual effect on stock pricing: it not only affects investors' expected return but also affects the efficiency of stock price in reflecting its value. Therefore, the estimated relation between idiosyncratic volatility and realized return captures its relations with both expected return and the mispricing-related component due to its dual effect on stock pricing. The sign of its relation with the mispricing-related component is indeterminate.

Findings

The estimated relation between idiosyncratic volatility and realized return decreases and switches from positive to negative as the estimation sample consists of proportionately more ex ante overvalued observations; it increases and switches from negative to positive as the estimation sample consists of proportionately more ex post overvalued observations. In sum, the relation of idiosyncratic volatility with the mispricing-related component dominates its relation with expected return in its estimated relation with realized return. Moreover, its estimated relation with realized return varies with research design choices and even switches sign due to their effects on its relation with the mispricing-related component.

Originality/value

The novelty of the study is evident in the implication of its findings that one cannot infer the sign of the relation of idiosyncratic volatility with expected return from its estimated relation with realized return.
Local public health officials and COVID-19: evidence from China
Authors: Jiang John Xuefeng , Wang Maobin
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Did Chinese cities whose public health departments are headed by medical professionals fare better in fighting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected the professional background of the directors of the public health departments of 350 Chinese cities, which include 87% of the Chinese population. Excluding Wuhan, the epicenter of COVID-19, the authors analyzed the infection rates and death rates from COVID-19 between 131 Chinese cities whose public health departments are led by medical professionals and 218 cities whose public health departments are led by nonprofessionals. The authors employed a multivariate regression controlling for the number of people that traveled from Wuhan to each city, the local economic development and the number of hospital beds.

Findings

Chinese cities whose public health departments are led by medical professionals had 21 fewer confirmed cases per 10 million as of January 31, 2020 [95% CI, −40 to −3], 58 fewer cases per 10 million in the next 10 days [95% CI, −116 to 0], similar new cases between February 11 and February 20, 2020, and 3 fewer deaths per 10 million as of February 20, 2020 [95% CI, −7 to 0].

Research limitations/implications

Association could not make a strong causal claim.

Practical implications

Local public health authorities are critical for combating a pandemic. The authors found that Chinese cities whose public health departments are headed by medical professionals were associated with lower infection rates and fewer death rates from COVID-19. The results were significant only at the start of the outbreak. This study’s results suggest that to better combat a pandemic, local public health authorities should be led by competent people who have a medical background.

Originality/value

The authors provide the first empirical evidence about the association between a local public health head's competence and the infection rate and death rate of COVID-19. The authors’ manually collected data also show that only 38% of the heads of the public health departments of Chinese cities have a medical background.
Real earnings management, corporate governance and stock price crash risk: evidence from China
Authors: Li Yuanhui , Kannan Yezen , Rau Stephen , Yang Shuning
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to provide additional insights on the association between real earnings management (REM) and crash risk, particularly from the perspective of an emerging market economy. It also examines the moderation role that internal and external corporate governance may play in this area.

Design/methodology/approach

Relying on archival data from the RESSET and CSMAR databases over a timeframe from 2010 to 2018 of China listed company, the authors test the hypotheses by regressing common measures of crash risk on the treatment variable (REM) and crash risk control variables identified in the prior crash risk literature. The authors also introduce monitoring proxies (internal controls as an internal governance and institutional ownership as an external governance) and assess how effective internal and external governance moderate the relation between REM and stock price crash risk.

Findings

The results suggest firms with higher REM have a significantly greater stock price crash risk, and that this association is mitigated by external monitoring. That is, greater institutional ownership, particularly pressure insensitive owners, mitigates the impact of REM on stock price crash risk. However, internal control does not mitigate the association between REM and stock price crash risk.

Originality/value

Following the passage of the Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) Act, prior research has documented an increase in the use of REM and a positive association between REM and cash risk. The authors demonstrate that they persist in one of the largest emerging markets where institutional regulations, market conditions and corporate behaviors are different from those in developed markets. Also, the assessment of the moderation effect of internal and external governance mechanisms could have meaningful implications for investors and regulators in Chinese and other emerging markets.
COVID-19 and CSR disclosure: evidence from New Zealand
Authors: Bahadar Stephen , Zaman Rashid
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Stakeholders' uncertainty about firms' value drives their urge to get information, as well as managerial disclosure choices. In this study, the authors examine whether and how an important source of uncertainty – the recent COVID-19 pandemic's effect on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure – is beyond managerial and stakeholders' control.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors develop a novel construct for daily CSR disclosure by employing computer-aided text analysis (CATA) on the press releases issued by 125 New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX) listed from 28 February 2020 to 31 December 2020. To capture COVID-19 intensity, the authors use the growth rate of the population-adjusted cumulative sum of confirmed cases in New Zealand on a specific day. To examine the association between the COVID-19 outbreak and companies' CSR disclosure, the authors employed ordinary least squares (OLS) regression by clustering standard error at the firm level.

Findings

The authors find a one standard deviation increase in the COVID-19 outbreak leads to a 28% increase in such disclosures. These results remained robust to a series of sensitivity tests and continue to hold after accounting for potential endogeneity concerns. In the channel analysis, the study demonstrates that the positive relationship between COVID-19 and CSR disclosure is more pronounced in the presence of a well-structured board (i.e. a large, more independent board and with a higher proportion of women on it). In further analysis, the authors find the documented relationship varies over the pandemic's life cycle and is moderated by government stringency response, peer CSR pressure and media coverage.

Originality/value

This paper is the first study that contributes to the scant literature examining the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on CSR disclosure. Prior research either investigates the relationship of the CSR-stock return during the COVID-19 market crisis or examines the relationship between corporate characteristics including the quality of financial information and the reactions of stock returns during COVID-19. The authors extend such studies by providing empirical evidence that managers respond to COVID-19 by increasing CSR disclosure.
The fine line between success and failure: an analysis of open innovation projects
Authors: Greco Marco , Strazzullo Serena , Cricelli Livio , Grimaldi Michele , Mignacca Benito
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Despite the multiple calls for research on the dark side of open innovation, very few studies have approached the topic so far. This study aims to analyse successful and unsuccessful open innovation projects.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses thematic analysis to describe the factors determining their (un)success. The researchers interviewed 27 managers and owners in the manufacturing sector. Then, the respondents were asked to discuss one successful and one unsuccessful open innovation project to explore the differences in triggers and setbacks, focusing on the causes that determined the failures.

Findings

Findings show that many interviewees are reluctant to identify failure cases, which somewhat explains the paucity of studies on the topic, and others do so when the failure is recognised by a third party (such as a public institution not granting funds to the project). This study discussed how this phenomenon is linked with the paradoxical relation between innovation success and failure. It is also found that triggers and setbacks determining the project's (un)success are markedly differently based on the technological intensity of the firm. Implications for scholars and practitioners are also drawn.

Originality/value

This study provides a balanced view between open innovation successes and failures to offer informative recommendations to practitioners. Furthermore, it contributes to filling the scarcity of studies related to risks and failures of open innovation projects. This gap has been addressed by studying the factors that determine the success and unsuccess of an open innovation project.
The role of threat-based awe and construal level in charitable advertising
Authors: Septianto Felix , Nasution Reza Ashari , Arnita Devi , Seo Yuri
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how charitable advertising effectiveness in response to threat-based awe, an emotional response that typically arises in the presence of natural disasters, is likely to depend on the construal level.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experimental studies were conducted to examine the positive and negative effects of threat-based awe on charitable advertising effectiveness. Further, the moderating role of construal level was tested and the underlying mechanisms established.

Findings

Consumers who experience a high (vs low) level of threat-based awe donate more when evaluating a disaster-relief advertisement processed at a high construal level (e.g. when an advertisement is framed as a “why” message) but donate less when evaluating a disaster-relief advertisement processed at a low construal level (e.g. when an advertisement is framed as a “how” message). Further, the authors established two distinct mechanisms underlying these divergent effects. At a high construal level, consumers are driven by concern for others, whereas at a low construal level, consumers are driven by feelings of powerlessness.

Research limitations/implications

The present research contributes to the literature on how emotions influence charitable advertising effectiveness by establishing the divergent effects of threat-based awe and the moderating role of construal level.

Practical implications

This paper offers managerial implications for nonprofits and charities in developing effective charitable advertising strategies in the context of natural disaster-relief campaigns.

Originality/value

The present research provides a novel perspective on when and why threat-based awe, a unique emotion arising in the case of natural disasters, can lead to positive or negative effects on charitable advertising effectiveness.
Increased financial literacy and inclusion indexes versus the number of unlicensed financial institutions in Indonesia
Authors: Christiani Theresia Anita , Kastowo Chryssantus
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This study aims to provide and find an alternative solution to achieving literacy indexes and financial inclusion that exceeded the target in 2019.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses a normative research type. Secondary data becomes the primary data and uses the method of qualitative data analysis.

Findings

The results showed that public literacy and financial institutions’ inclusion were dependent on public trust in financial institutions. The Financial Services Authorities’ (FSA) arrangement’s weakness lies in the limited scope of the FSA’s authority in carrying out legal actions against unlicensed financial institutions and the low critical power of the community in choosing a credible financial institution.

Research limitations/implications

Based on the research findings, results are expected to have implications for the concept of FSA’s authority.

Practical implications

Based on the research findings, results are expected to have implications for expanding the FSA’s authority to conduct oversight of financial institutions so that the high literacy and financial inclusion of the public can achieve public welfare.

Social implications

The research implication for the community is that the results of this study find weaknesses in the financial literacy and inclusion policies to find the causes of the problems and find solutions to these problems. The practical research implications are for policymakers; research results can be used as a basis for determining solutions to problems in regulations. The results of this study can also have implications for the development of a boy of knowledge in the field of business economic law, especially economic law.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there are no researches that have similarities with this paper.
Firm-level political risk and corporate innovation: evidence from US listed firms
Authors: Ahmed Huson Ali , Muttakin Mohammad Badrul , Khan Arifur
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The study examines the association between firm-level political risk and corporate innovation and also this study explores how financial constraint and growth level of a firm influence this association.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 14,140 firm-year observations of the US firms from 2003 to 2020 is used. Unlike prior studies, this study uses a firm-level measure of political risk recently developed by Hassan et al. (2019) and measure innovation by patent and patent citation data and a text-based measure. A regression technique is used for empirical testing.

Findings

This study finds that firm-level political risk is negatively associated with innovation and also document that firm-level political risk has a negative impact on innovation for financially constrained and high growth firms. The overall results are robust after addressing the issue of potential endogeneity using entropy balancing and two-stage least squares regression techniques. This study also documents qualitatively consistent results after using alternative measures of innovation as well as firm-level political uncertainty.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study could help the managers to make better investment decision and improve economic efficiency through understanding the effect of firm-level political risk on innovation activities.

Originality/value

The study concentrates on firm-level political risk and innovation and presents new insights that political risk at the microlevel is an important determinant for investment in innovative activities.
Companions to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Sweden – experiences of Swedish families
Authors: Bjerneld Magdalena , Puthoopparambil Soorej Jose
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Many unaccompanied children have sought asylum in Sweden during recent years. They needed different kinds of support not only from the authorities but also from the local community. The purpose of this paper is to explore how families from local communities can support the children and be the neutral companion they long for.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews was adopted for this descriptive study. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Findings

The families wanted to know more about unaccompanied children than the information presented in the mass media. They showed deep engagement in getting to know the boys and strong affection for them because they got a sense of how difficult their lives were. Families with experience as parents can play an important role to guide the children into the Swedish society and be trustful adults who can complement the professionals in the authorities and accommodations. The families in this project needed more support through information and strategies about how to handle difficult situations during the children’s asylum process.

Research limitations/implications

This study describes a pilot project in a small municipality in Sweden. The participating families described the support given to a group of boys. More studies should focus on support for girls in similar situation.

Originality/value

There are limited studies on how families in local communities can support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
Organizational context, use of performance management practices and their effects on organizational performance: an empirical look at these interrelationships
Authors: Gomes Patrícia , Mendes Sílvia M.
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This paper investigates organizational performance effects by using performance management (PM) practices (both quality and internal managerial practices) and the moderating effects of the organizational context (cultural aspects and government pressures) on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Interrelationships are studied based on data collected by a unique survey administered to Portuguese government agencies. A combination of the economic theory (and the New Public Management [NPM] assumptions) with the institutional theory (inspired by the old institutional economy [OIE] and the new institutional sociology [NIS]) provides a plausibly adequate theoretical framework.

Findings

These support the hypothesis about the positive effects of PM practices use (both internal and quality-oriented practices) on organizational performance which validates economic and NPM assumptions. The regression results also show that performance would improve if PM practices were aligned with the organizational culture (at least partially). Looking at the moderating effects, the study finds that agencies more oriented to the use of internal management practices aligned with a citizen-centred approach would have improvements in internal performance, reinforcing OIE assumptions. In addition, findings confirm expectations about the insignificant impact on performance when agencies use PM practices under great government pressures (NIS in the isomorphism perspective).

Research limitations/implications

The limitations appointed in the literature regarding the use of the survey method also apply to this study.

Originality/value

This paper innovates by the research on the interrelationships between the organizational context, the use of PM practices and the organizational performance. The use of different theories in a complementary way (economic and institutional theories) in the explanation of performance consequences provides new insights into the body of performance management in the public sector.
Communication visibility and employee voice: mediating role of feedback-seeking
Authors: Deng Manting
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Organizations have widely adopted enterprise social media (ESM) to realize workplace communication visibility linked to employee knowledge management and in-role job performance. Managers still face challenges in understanding whether communication visibility in the workplace stimulates employee extra-role voice behavior. In this study, self-regulation theory is applied to explore the mediating role of feedback-seeking on the association between communication visibility and employee voice.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was carried out on 219 working professionals in China who use ESM in their respective organizations.

Findings

Results show that employee feedback inquiry considerably mediates the relationship between communication visibility and voice. However, employee feedback monitoring shows no mediating role.

Research limitations/implications

Practitioners and managers must pay greater attention to the effects of communication visibility on employee extra-role voice behavior. In addition, when adopting ESM, employee self-regulation strategies can be implemented to gain the value of communication visibility.

Originality/value

This study presents the relationships among communication visibility, feedback-seeking and employee voice. Knowledge of communication visibility is extended by exploring its effects on employee voice. The current study also reveals the mediating mechanism underlying the associations between communication visibility and employee voice based on self-regulation theory.
Brushing up on time-honored sales skills to excel in tomorrow’s environment
Authors: Razmak Jamil , Pitzel Joseph William , Belanger Charles , Farhan Wejdan
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Determining the skills required for salespersons to maximize their effectiveness was the main driver for conducting the present study. In order to identify those necessary skills, this study aims to review various research techniques drawn from multiple disciplines and applied that knowledge to salespersons.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a mixed-method methodology. This study began by conducting a literature review and then interviewed experienced salespersons with varied backgrounds to develop a comprehensive list of sales skills and themes and categorize them into competency categories. This study then conducted a quantitative analysis to determine the respective importance of the skills and themes by surveying a sample of internal stakeholders of a multinational company. Finally, this study calculated the reliability and validity of the themes.

Findings

A total of 206 relevant skills (later reduced to 110) and 28 themes were identified and grouped into three competency categories: conceptual, human/interpersonal and technical. Survey respondents rated the skills and themes higher than the “somewhat important” score of 3 out of 5, with the overall mean importance for skills being in the “important” range (score of 4.27 out of 5). All identified skills were believed to be important to a salesperson’s success.

Originality/value

This study’s expanded list of sales skills will improve employability, reduce turnover among employees and build better groundwork for fostering learning through work, resulting in better performance. These skills represent a 2020 updated list that could be used for future academic research and training and research in the business world.
Deep learning with small and big data of symmetric volatility information for predicting daily accuracy improvement of JKII prices
Authors: Ledhem Mohammed Ayoub
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to predict the daily accuracy improvement for the Jakarta Islamic Index (JKII) prices using deep learning (DL) with small and big data of symmetric volatility information.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the nonlinear autoregressive exogenous (NARX) neural network as the optimal DL approach for predicting daily accuracy improvement through small and big data of symmetric volatility information of the JKII based on the criteria of the highest accuracy score of testing and training. To train the neural network, this paper employs the three DL techniques, namely Levenberg–Marquardt (LM), Bayesian regularization (BR) and scaled conjugate gradient (SCG).

Findings

The experimental results show that the optimal DL technique for predicting daily accuracy improvement of the JKII prices is the LM training algorithm based on using small data which provide superior prediction accuracy to big data of symmetric volatility information. The LM technique develops the optimal network solution for the prediction process with 24 neurons in the hidden layer across a delay parameter equal to 20, which affords the best predicting accuracy based on the criteria of mean squared error (MSE) and correlation coefficient.

Practical implications

This research would fill a literature gap by offering new operative techniques of DL to predict daily accuracy improvement and reduce the trading risk for the JKII prices based on symmetric volatility information.

Originality/value

This research is the first that predicts the daily accuracy improvement for JKII prices using DL with symmetric volatility information.
Anti-money laundering regulations and financial inclusion: empirical evidence across the globe
Authors: Ofoeda Isaac
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of anti-money laundering (AML) regulations on financial inclusion using a comprehensive measure of AML regulations developed by the Basel Institute on Governance. Again, this study investigates the existence of threshold effects in the AML regulations–financial inclusion nexus.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses panel data across 212 economies (developed, developing and Africa) of the globe-spanning from 2012 to 2019. This study uses the dynamic panel threshold estimation technique proposed by Seo et al. (2019).

Findings

In general, the results indicate that AML regulations promote financial inclusion across the globe. However, AML regulations spur financial inclusion below the threshold of AML regulations, whereas, above the thresholds, AML regulations have damaging effects on financial inclusion. Further, the author finds that AML regulations have a detrimental impact on financial inclusion for developed economies. In contrast, AML regulations promote financial inclusion at all levels of AML regulations for African countries.

Practical implications

The findings of this study imply that countries must make conscious efforts in combating the incidence of money laundering by establishing sound AML regulatory regimes as a means of promoting financial inclusiveness. However, there is a need for regulators to ensure cost-effective and efficient implementation of AML regulations.

Originality/value

The value of this paper is its contribution to literature as it is a major attempt in empirically assessing the impact of AML regulations on financial inclusion. Again, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to examine the non-linear relationship between AML regulations and financial inclusion.
Amplifying and promoting the “S” in ESG investing: the case for social responsibility in supply chain financing
Authors: Baid Vaishali , Jayaraman Vaidyanathan
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to amplify the importance of social responsibility in supply chain finance to promote the “S” in environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing and and highlight key methods deployed to quantify and measure social impact.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides an insightful exploratory study based on a framework for supply chain financing to accomplish ESG goals that is based on literature review, current policies and practitioner's observations.

Findings

With this paper, the authors have started the journey to discuss the importance to look at the social side of supply chain with a goal to attain and fulfill the ESG objectives and discuss different methodologies that can be deployed to translate qualitative information into quantitative data for ESG purposes.

Research limitations/implications

The research focuses on the growing legal and regulatory focus on organizations to address the adverse impacts their supply chains have on environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) related issues. This research has brought in light methods to measure social impact within the supply chain that will help to accelerate the ESG objectives. A global lens will provide a holistic view of the ESG framework.

Practical implications

The social responsibility framework for supply chain financing and identified methodologies will facilitate managerial decision making that will expedite the integration of “S” in the ESG.

Originality/value

This research highlights the criticality of looking at social aspects in ESG. The research also presents a social responsibility framework for supply chains to accomplish ESG goals.
A3 methodology: going beyond process improvement
Authors: Santos Filho Geraldo Maciel , Simão Luiz Eduardo
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This technological article deals with a case study to implement an improvement to reduce the machine setup of an industrial process, in addition to the development of people using the A3 methodology for problem-solving.

Design/methodology/approach

As a research method, action research was used in a single-case study applied to a motorcycle production company, using the concept of the A3 report for problem-solving as the theoretical basis.

Findings

The implementation of the improvement in the process resulted in a reduction of 70.4% of the preparation time (setup) of the machines, thus eliminating the need to add a third production shift.

Research limitations/implications

It has been applied to only one company, so it lacks a feasibility check to be implemented in other companies.

Practical implications

Regarding its practical contribution, the authors first consider that the proposed method can also be applied in small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), since the investment in this problem-solving approach is low without necessarily implementing the lean production system that, it is usually complex, time-consuming and requires the allocation of a substantial amount of resources by companies. The second practical contribution of this work is that the proposed A3 problem-solving methodology can serve as a guide for managers to implement or improve different industrial and service processes.

Originality/value

It has been applied to only one company, so it lacks a feasibility check to be implemented in other companies.
Clinical characteristics of pustulotic arthro‐osteitis in Korea
Authors: Kim Minsu , Kim Minjae , Kim Jee‐Woo , Kim Bo Ri , Youn Sang Woong
Published: May 2022

Pustulotic arthro‐osteitis (PAO) has been studied primarily in Japan. However, there is a lack of research regarding its clinical features among large populations in other countries and it is often believed to be similar to psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Although the association between psoriasis (PsO) and palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) is debatable, differences in the clinical characteristics between PsA and PAO might support the notion that PsO and PPP are distinct entities. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of PAO in Korean patients and to compare them with those of PsA. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients diagnosed with PPP, PAO, and PsA. Among 266 patients with PPP, 13.2% had PAO. Unlike Japanese patients with PAO, Korean patients had a relatively lower involvement of the chest wall. PAO patients demonstrated lower age of onset, higher proportion of females, and higher severity of cutaneous eruptions compared to PPP patients without PAO, but the differences were not statistically significant. Female predominance was prominent in PAO compared to PsA. Cutaneous eruptions occurred earlier than joint symptoms in 83.5% of the patients with PsA and in 42.9% of the patients with PAO. PAO involved axial joints more frequently compared to PsA, especially the chest wall and spine. PsA mainly involved the peripheral joints, especially the metacarpophalangeal joints and distal interphalangeal joints of the hands and feet. In conclusion, PAO and PsA exhibited different demographics and locations of joint involvement, supporting the notion that PPP and PsO are separate disorders. Many PAO patients presented with joint symptoms before the appearance of skin eruptions, underlining the important role of dermatologists in recognizing PAO among PPP patients. Physicians should be aware of the characteristics of PAO while treating patients with PPP.
Concordance in judgment of clinical borders of basal cell carcinomas in Japanese patients: A preliminary study of JCOG2005 (J‐BASE‐MARGIN)
Authors: Kamimura Anna , Nakamura Yasuhiro , Takenouchi Tatsuya , Matsushita Shigeto , Omodaka Toshikazu , Yamamura Kentaro , Uchi Hiroshi , Yoshikawa Shusuke , Yanagisawa Hiroto , Ito Takamichi , Kiyohara Yoshio , Nakamura Yoshio , Aoki Megumi , Ishizuki Shoichiro , Oashi Kohei , Miyagawa Takuya , Maeda Taku , Ogata Dai , Hatta Naohito , Ohe Shuichi , Isei Taiki , Takahashi Akira , Umeda Yoshiyasu , Yamaguchi Buntaro , Ishikawa Masashi , Horimoto Kohei , Fujsawa Yasuhiro , Uehara Jiro , Shibayama Yoshitsugu , Kiniwa Yukiko , Kawahara Yu , Matsuya Taisuke , Uhara Hisashi , Kato Junji , Nakamura Yoshiyuki , Murakami Takuo , Namikawa Kenjiro , Yoshino Koji , Funakoshi Takeru , Takatsuka Sumiko , Matsui Yu , Sasaki Jin , Koga Hiroshi , Yokota Kenji , Komori Takaya , Fukushima Satoshi , Yamazaki Naoya
Published: May 2022

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer, and surgical excision with clear margins is the standard of care. Surgical margins are determined based on risk factors (high or low risk) for recurrence according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Japanese basal cell carcinoma guidelines. The clarity of the clinical tumor border (well‐defined or poorly defined) is considered a risk factor, and significant discrepancies in the judgment of clinical tumor borders among dermato‐oncologists may occur. Therefore, we analyzed the dermato‐oncologists’ concordance in judging the clinical tumor border of basal cell carcinoma. Forty‐seven dermato‐oncologists (experts: 37; young trainees: 10) participated in this study. The datasets of clinical and dermoscopic photographs of 79 Japanese cases of head and neck basal cell carcinoma were used to determine the concordance in the judgment of clinical tumor border. The probability of the border that was selected more often was used to calculate the rater agreement rate for each dataset. Correct judgment was defined as a more frequently selected border, and the concordance rate of clarity of clinical tumor border for each dermato‐oncologist was calculated based on the definition of the correct judgment. A median concordance rate of 85% or higher for all dermato‐oncologists was predefined as an acceptable rate for clinical use. Of the 79 datasets, rater agreement rates were 80–100%, 60–79%, and 51–59% for 55, 19, and five datasets, respectively. The median concordance rate for all dermato‐oncologists was 86% (interquartile range: 82–89%). There was no significant difference in the concordance rate between the experts and the trainees (median, 87% vs. 85.5%; p = 0.58). The concordance rates of dermato‐oncologists for all datasets were relatively high and acceptable for clinical use.
Spatial scaling of gregarious host populations and nonlinearities in infectious disease transmission
Authors: Cattadori Isabella M.
Published: May 2022

Research Highlight: Lunn, T. J., Peel, A. J., Eby, P., Brooks, R., Plowright, R. K., Kessler, M. K., & McCallum, H. (2021). Counterintuitive scaling between population abundance and local density: Implications for modelling transmission of infectious diseases in bat populations. Journal of Animal Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365‐2656.13634. Quantifying the transmission of an infectious disease is often difficult and for natural animal systems it can be a major challenge. Animals move over time and space changing their degree of aggregation and rate of contact, which, in turn, affects the risk of infection and the onward spread of the pathogen. Capturing the fundamentals of these processes requires the identification of both the correct spatial scale at which the processes take place and what constitutes a meaningful host population unit. Lunn et al. collected data on the gregarious Pteropus (flying foxes) bats from roost sites in Australia and investigated whether total bat abundance at the roost level, the spatial scale commonly used to model pathogen spread in bat populations, was representative of bat measurements at the tree level, the scale at which pathogen transmission between bats most likely occurs. Their findings showed that bat population measurements at the sub‐plot level were strong predictors for potential transmission at the tree scale, while roost‐level measurements were less robust. This study suggests that bat abundance at roost is inadequate to capture the gregarious structure of bat populations and the fundamental processes of transmission at lower scale.
The effect of sanitation and safe drinking water on child mortality and life expectancy: Evidence from a global sample of 100 countries
Authors: Ummalla Mallesh , Samal Asharani , Zakari Abdulrasheed , Lingamurthy Sathu
Published: May 2022

This paper aims to answer two important questions: first, does child mortality reduce with better access to sanitation and safe drinking water? second, does life expectancy improve by adopting safer sanitation and drinking water facilities? The study also accounts for other important variables in the models, such as household final consumption expenditure, per capita income, and urbanisation. The study employs robust panel econometric techniques to achieve the study objectives using annual data of 100 countries from 1990 to 2015. Our findings establish that sanitation and safe drinking water facilities have a significant negative and positive impacts on child mortality and life expectancy, respectively. Our results also suggest that the effect is more from safe drinking water facilities than the sanitation across both models. The robustness check results confirm that access to sanitation and water facilities in rural and urban areas also plays a vital role in reducing child mortality and improving quality of life by increasing life expectancy. Our study provides some policy suggestions and adds value to the body of knowledge.
Systematic review and meta‐analysis: Water type and temperature affect environmental DNA decay
Authors: Lamb Philip D. , Fonseca Vera G. , Maxwell David L. , Nnanatu Chibuzor C.
Published: May 2022

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has been used in a variety of ecological studies and management applications. The rate at which eDNA decays has been widely studied but at present it is difficult to disentangle study‐specific effects from factors that universally affect eDNA degradation. To address this, a systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted on aquatic eDNA studies. Analysis revealed eDNA decayed faster at higher temperatures and in marine environments (as opposed to freshwater). DNA type (mitochondrial or nuclear) and fragment length did not affect eDNA decay rate, although a preference for <200 bp sequences in the available literature means this relationship was not assessed with longer sequences (e.g. >800 bp). At present, factors such as ultraviolet light, pH, and microbial load lacked sufficient studies to feature in the meta‐analysis. Moving forward, we advocate researching these factors to further refine our understanding of eDNA decay in aquatic environments.
Evaluating the accuracy of variant calling methods using the frequency of parent‐offspring genotype mismatch
Authors: Jasper Russ J. , McDonald Tegan Krista , Singh Pooja , Lu Mengmeng , Rougeux Clément , Lind Brandon M. , Yeaman Sam
Published: May 2022

The use of next‐generation sequencing (NGS) data sets has increased dramatically over the last decade, but there have been few systematic analyses quantifying the accuracy of the commonly used variant caller programs. Here we used a familial design consisting of diploid tissue from a single lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) parent and the maternally derived haploid tissue from 106 full‐sibling offspring, where mismatches could only arise due to mutation or bioinformatic error. Given the rarity of mutation, we used the rate of mismatches between parent and offspring genotype calls to infer the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping error rates of FreeBayes, HaplotypeCaller, SAMtools, UnifiedGenotyper, and VarScan. With baseline filtering HaplotypeCaller and UnifiedGenotyper yielded more SNPs and higher error rates by one to two orders of magnitude, whereas FreeBayes, SAMtools and VarScan yielded lower numbers of SNPs and more modest error rates. To facilitate comparison between variant callers we standardized each SNP set to the same number of SNPs using additional filtering, where UnifiedGenotyper consistently produced the smallest proportion of genotype errors, followed by HaplotypeCaller, VarScan, SAMtools, and FreeBayes. Additionally, we found that error rates were minimized for SNPs called by more than one variant caller. Finally, we evaluated the performance of various commonly used filtering metrics on SNP calling. Our analysis provides a quantitative assessment of the accuracy of five widely used variant calling programs and offers valuable insights into both the choice of variant caller program and the choice of filtering metrics, especially for researchers using non‐model study systems.
Emerging Powers, Leadership, and South–South Solidarity: The Battle Over Special and Differential Treatment at the WTO
Authors: Hopewell Kristen
Published: May 2022

Emerging powers, such as China and India, have used claims of developing world leadership and South–South solidarity to strengthen their bargaining position in WTO negotiations. Yet analysis of the growing battle over special and differential treatment (SDT) suggests that such claims are increasingly tenuous. The question of how emerging economic powers should be classified and treated under global trade rules has become an acute source of conflict in the trade regime. The emerging powers insist on access to SDT as an unconditional right of developing countries. But in a debate dominated by the emerging and established powers, the interests of most developing countries have been largely overlooked. Drawing on the cases of agriculture and fisheries – two areas of international trade of particular importance to the developing world – I show that extending SDT to the emerging powers is increasingly problematic for global development. In these areas, many emerging economies are now among the world's largest subsidizers, and the harmful effects of their policies are felt most keenly by other developing countries. Granting SDT to exempt emerging subsidizers from WTO disciplines would therefore undermine efforts to use global trade rules to promote global development, as well as to protect the environment.