bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment of Recurrent Axillary Osmidrosis
Authors: Chen Bo , Ren Chong , Lu Hui , Ma Li , Ji Kai , Qi Yanwen , Qi Huijie
Published: June 2021

Objective

The aim of this study was to explore the clinical effect of treatment for recurrent axillary osmidrosis (AO) after small-incision minimally invasive surgery by trimming and electrocoagulation of apocrine glands under direct vision through double incisions parallel to axillary creases.

Methods

This was a retrospective study. From September 2012 to January 2019, 75 axillae in 48 cases of recurrent AO after small-incision minimally invasive surgery were treated using trimming and electrocoagulation of apocrine glands under direct vision through double incisions parallel to axillary creases. Patient data, such as sex, age, original surgery method, the severity of underarm malodor before and after the operation, and occurrence of complications, were collected and analyzed.

Results

For the follow-up of at least 12 months after the surgery, all patients' underarm malodor disappeared or was significantly reduced. Patients with preoperative severity of grade I did not show a recurring AO, whereas the recurrence rate of grade II and grade III AO was 7.9% and 14.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the AO recurrence rate was 9.1% for those younger than 18 years and 6.2% in those 18 years or older. Subcutaneous hematomas appeared on 3 axillae (4.0%), and the contraction of subdermal fibrotic bands appeared on 5 axillae (6.7%).

Conclusions

Patients with recurring AO after small-incision minimally invasive surgery achieved good treatment results by trimming and electrocoagulation of apocrine glands under direct vision through double incisions parallel to axillary creases.
Heart rate as a measure of emotional arousal in evolutionary biology
Authors: Wascher Claudia A. F.
Published: June 2021

How individuals interact with their environment and respond to changes is a key area of research in evolutionary biology. A physiological parameter that provides an instant proxy for the activation of the automatic nervous system, and can be measured relatively easily, is modulation of heart rate. Over the past four decades, heart rate has been used to assess emotional arousal in non-human animals in a variety of contexts, including social behaviour, animal cognition, animal welfare and animal personality. In this review, I summarize how measuring heart rate has provided new insights into how social animals cope with challenges in their environment. I assess the advantages and limitations of different technologies used to measure heart rate in this context, including wearable heart rate belts and implantable transmitters, and provide an overview of prospective research avenues using established and new technologies, with a special focus on implications for applied research on animal welfare.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part II)’.
A multisite genomic epidemiology study of Clostridioides difficile infections in the USA supports differential roles of healthcare versus community spread for two common strains
Authors: Miles-Jay Arianna , Young Vincent B. , Pamer Eric G. , Savidge Tor C. , Kamboj Mini , Garey Kevin W. , Snitkin Evan S.
Published: June 2021

Clostridioides difficile

is the leading cause of healthcare-associated infectious diarrhoea. However, it is increasingly appreciated that healthcare-associated infections derive from both community and healthcare environments, and that the primary sites of

C. difficile

transmission may be strain-dependent. We conducted a multisite genomic epidemiology study to assess differential genomic evidence of healthcare vs community spread for two of the most common

C. difficile

strains in the USA: sequence type (ST) 1 (associated with ribotype 027) and ST2 (associated with ribotype 014/020). We performed whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses on 382 ST1 and ST2

C. difficile

isolates recovered from stool specimens collected during standard clinical care at 3 geographically distinct US medical centres between 2010 and 2017. ST1 and ST2 isolates both displayed some evidence of phylogenetic clustering by study site, but clustering was stronger and more apparent in ST1, consistent with our healthcare-based study more comprehensively sampling local transmission of ST1 compared to ST2 strains. Analyses of pairwise single-nucleotide variant (SNV) distance distributions were also consistent with more evidence of healthcare transmission of ST1 compared to ST2, with 44 % of ST1 isolates being within two SNVs of another isolate from the same geographical collection site compared to 5.5 % of ST2 isolates (P-value=<0.001). Conversely, ST2 isolates were more likely to have close genetic neighbours across disparate geographical sites compared to ST1 isolates, further supporting non-healthcare routes of spread for ST2 and highlighting the potential for misattributing genomic similarity among ST2 isolates to recent healthcare transmission. Finally, we estimated a lower evolutionary rate for the ST2 lineage compared to the ST1 lineage using Bayesian timed phylogenomic analyses, and hypothesize that this may contribute to observed differences in geographical concordance among closely related isolates. Together, these findings suggest that ST1 and ST2, while both common causes of

C. difficile

infection in hospitals, show differential reliance on community and hospital spread. This conclusion supports the need for strain-specific criteria for interpreting genomic linkages and emphasizes the importance of considering differences in the epidemiology of circulating strains when devising interventions to reduce the burden of

C. difficile

infections.
Detection of B.1.351 and B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variants in Monterrey metropolitan area in Northeast Mexico
Authors: Galán-Huerta Kame A. , Garza-de-la-Peña Eduardo , Elizondo-Valdez Gabriela V. , Herrera-Saldivar María F. , Rivas-Estilla Ana M. , Lozano-Sepúlveda Sonia A. , Martínez-Acuña Natalia , Arellanos-Soto Daniel , Ramos-Jiménez Javier
Published: June 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) have spread throughout the world. In Mexico, VOC B.1.351 has been detected on one occasion and B.1.1.7 several times. We detected lineages B.1.351 and B.1.1.7 in patients who traveled to USA and B.1.1.7 in a patient with no travel history.

Article summary line

Introduction of B.1.351 and B.1.1.7 S ARS-CoV-2 variants in Monterrey, Mexico.
C Reactive Protein based early intervention for home quarantined COVID-19 patients to avoid complications and hospitalization
Authors: Arjunan Manimarane , Anoop U.R , Verma Kavita , Manimarane Oviyaa
Published: June 2021

Background

As India was reeling under the relentless onslaught of the second wave of COVID -19, the hospitals were over-crowded and resources were inaccessible. Many COVID -19 positive patients had to stay at home and reach out to their family physicians for guidance. This gave us an opportunity to observe a group of patients in home quarantine. The challenge was daunting. We could not afford to allow these patients to deteriorate as hospital beds and oxygen support were not readily available. Therefore, we developed an innovative approach to monitor these patients and to intervene at the optimal time to avoid hospitalization.

Based on objective biochemical tests like elevated CRP and clinical signs like persistent high-grade fever, we initiated early low dose steroids and antibiotics prior to the onset of hypoxia. None of the home quarantined patients deteriorated because of the timely medical intervention. These patients neither required oxygen support nor hospitalization. We therefore present our new treatment model for home quarantined COVID-19 patients along with our suggestions for implementing the model at the community level.

Methods

25 patients under home quarantine who contacted online for medical guidance underwent clinical and biochemical evaluation. CT radiological examination was done whenever indicated. Treatments were initiated under medical guidance based on the CRP values and clinical presentation.

Results

Among the 25 patients, 40% of the patients (10/25) had mild symptoms with normal CRP. 24% of the patients (6/25) had mild symptoms with elevated CRP. 36% of patients (9/25) had elevated CRP with persistent high fever. All the 25 patients recovered over the next four weeks.

Conclusion

We propose an early objective assessment of inflammatory markers like CRP prior to the onset of hypoxia during home quarantine and early, need-based intervention under medical guidance to avoid complications and hospitalization.
Accelerometer-derived sleep onset timing and cardiovascular disease incidence: a UK Biobank cohort study
Authors: Nikbakhtian Shahram , Reed Angus B , Obika Bernard Dillon , Morelli Davide , Cunningham Adam C , Aral Mert , Plans David
Published: June 2021

Aims

Growing evidence suggests that sleep quality is associated with cardiovascular risk. However, research in this area often relies upon recollection dependant questionnaires or diaries. Accelerometers provide an alternative tool for deriving sleep parameters measuring sleep patterns objectively. This study examines the associations between accelerometer derived sleep onset timing and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods and Results

We derived sleep onset and waking up time from accelerometer data collected from 103,712 UK Biobank participants over a period of seven days. From this, we examined the association between sleep onset timing and CVD incidence using a series of Cox proportional hazards models. 3172 cases of CVD were reported during a mean follow-up period of 5·7 (±0·49) years. An age- and sex-controlled base analysis found that sleep onset time of 10:00pm-10:59pm was associated with the lowest CVD incidence. A fully adjusted model, additionally controlling for sleep duration, sleep irregularity, and established CVD risk factors, was unable to eliminate this association, producing hazard ratios of 1·24 (95% CI, 1·10–1·39;p<0·005), 1·12 (1·01–1·25;p=0·04), and 1·25 (1·02–1·52;p=0·03) for sleep onset <10:00pm, 11:00pm-11:59pm, and ≥12:00am, respectively, compared to 10:00pm-10:59pm. Importantly, sensitivity analyses revealed this association was stronger in females, with only sleep onset <10:00pm significant for males.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest an independent relationship between sleep onset timing and risk of developing CVD, particularly for women. We also demonstrate the potential utility of collecting information about sleep parameters via accelerometry-capable wearable devices, which may serve as novel cardiovascular risk indicators.

Translational Perspective

Abnormal sleep timing is a feature of poor-quality sleep and is likely to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. Accelerometer-derived measures of sleep quality, particularly sleep timing, may be associated with greater vulnerability to cardiovascular disease, particularly in women. Onset of sleep timing may constitute a novel cardiovascular risk factor and target for preventative intervention. Wearable devices equipped with accelerometers may be useful in assessing sleep related cardiovascular disease risk factors as they would allow passive measurement of sleep parameters, such as sleep timing.
Microbiota responses to different prebiotics are conserved within individuals and associated with habitual fiber intake
Authors: Holmes Zachary C. , Villa Max M. , Durand Heather K. , Jiang Sharon , Dallow Eric P. , Petrone Brianna L. , Silverman Justin D. , Lin Pao-Hwa , David Lawrence A.
Published: June 2021

Background

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) derived from gut bacteria are associated with protective roles in diseases ranging from obesity to colorectal cancers. Intake of microbially accessible dietary fibers (prebiotics) lead to varying effects on SCFA production in human studies, and gut microbial responses to nutritional interventions vary by individual. It is therefore possible that prebiotic therapies will require customizing to individuals.

Results

Here, we explored prebiotic personalization by conducting a three-way crossover study of three prebiotic treatments in healthy adults. We found that within individuals, metabolic responses were correlated across the three prebiotics. Individual identity, rather than prebiotic choice, was also the major determinant of SCFA response. Across individuals, prebiotic response was inversely related to basal fecal SCFA concentration, which, in turn, was associated with habitual fiber intake. Experimental measures of gut microbial SCFA production for each participant also negatively correlated with fiber consumption, supporting a model in which individuals’ gut microbiota are limited in their overall capacity to produce fecal SCFAs from fiber.

Conclusions

Our findings support developing personalized prebiotic regimens that focus on selecting individuals who stand to benefit, and that such individuals are likely to be deficient in fiber intake.
Population structure and environmental niches of Rimicaris shrimps from the Mid Atlantic Ridge
Authors: Methou Pierre , Hernández-Ávila Ivan , Cathalot Cécile , Cambon-Bonavita Marie-Anne , Pradillon Florence
Published: June 2021

Among the endemic and specialized fauna from hydrothermal vents, Rimicaris shrimp surely constitutes one of the most important and emblematic components of these ecosystems. In the Mid Atlantic Ridge, two species affiliated to this genus co-occur: Rimicaris exoculata and Rimicaris chacei that differ by their morphology, their trophic regime as well as by their abundance. The first forms large and dense aggregations on active vent chimney walls in close proximity to vent fluid emissions, whereas the second is recognized as much less conspicuous, living mostly in scattered groups or solitary further away from the fluids. However, the recent revision of Rimicaris juvenile stages from the Mid Atlantic Ridge shows that R. chacei abundance would be higher than expected at these early life stages. Here, we describe and compare the population structures of R. exoculata and R. chacei at the Snake Pit and TAG vent fields. We show distinct population demographics between the two co-occurring shrimps with a large post settlement collapse in R. chacei population suggesting a large juvenile mortality for this species. We also observe important spatial segregation patterns between the two species and their different life stages. Additionally, our results highlight distinct niches for the earliest juvenile stages of both R. exoculata and R. chacei, compared to all the other life stages. Finally, we discuss the potential factors - predation and competitive interactions among others - that could explain the differences we observe in the population structure of these two species.
Neural ADMIXTURE: rapid population clustering with autoencoders
Authors: Mantes Albert Dominguez , Montserrat Daniel Mas , Bustamante Carlos D. , Giró-i-Nieto Xavier , Ioannidis Alexander G.
Published: June 2021

Characterizing the genetic substructure of large cohorts has become increasingly important as genetic association and prediction studies are extended to massive, increasingly diverse, biobanks. ADMIXTURE and STRUCTURE are widely used unsupervised clustering algorithms for characterizing such ancestral genetic structure. These methods decompose individual genomes into fractional cluster assignments with each cluster representing a vector of DNA marker frequencies. The assignments, and clusters, provide an interpretable representation for geneticists to describe population substructure at the sample level. However, with the rapidly increasing size of population biobanks and the growing numbers of variants genotyped (or sequenced) per sample, such traditional methods become computationally intractable. Furthermore, multiple runs with different hyperparameters are required to properly depict the population clustering using these traditional methods, increasing the computational burden. This can lead to days of compute. In this work we present Neural ADMIXTURE, a neural network autoencoder that follows the same modeling assumptions as ADMIXTURE, providing similar (or better) clustering, while reducing the compute time by orders of magnitude. Indeed, the equivalent of one month of continuous compute can be reduced to hours. In addition, Neural ADMIXTURE can include multiple outputs, providing the equivalent results as running the original ADMIXTURE algorithm many times with different numbers of clusters. Our models can also be stored, allowing later cluster assignment to be performed with a linear computational time. The software implementation of Neural ADMIXTURE can be found at https://github.com/ai-sandbox/neural-admixture.
What is wrong with micromanagement: economic view
Authors: Aguilar Sean R. , Kosheleva Olga
Published: June 2021

Purpose

It is well known that micromanagement — excessive control of employees — is detrimental to the employees' morale and thus, decreases their productivity. But what if the managers keep people happy — will there still be negative consequences of micromanagement? This is the problem analyzed in this paper.

Design/methodology/approach

To analyze our problem, we use general — but simplified — mathematical models of how productivity depends on the working rate.

Findings

We show that even in the absence of psychological discomfort, micromanagement is still detrimental to productivity. Interestingly, the negative effect of micromanagement increases as the population becomes more diverse.

Originality/value

This is the first paper in which the purely economic consequences of micromanagement — separate from its psychological consequences — are studied in precise mathematical terms, and is the first paper that analyzes the relation between these consequences and diversity of the population.
Individual and organizational mindfulness: a social exchange-based approach
Authors: Bagchi Soumendra N. , Sharma Rajeev
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Understanding multiple dimensions of problem or opportunity and the context in an evolving environment is an essential task for leaders. The allied expectation is to be aware of gaps in knowledge, and areas of organizational ignorance, which can prove detrimental for the organization. In this paper, we propose a framework based on social exchange theory directed towards developing organizational mindfulness.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a reflective note based on workshops conducted for senior managers of a Fortune Global 500 petrochemical company having more than 10,000 employees. The workshop was carried out in modular mode, with one module conducted in virtual mode and the second module in physical mode. The time gap between each module was two months.

Findings

Purposive questioning, engaged in both as a social exchange as well as to solicit information from multiple stakeholders which may otherwise would have been ignored, develops broader and more detailed analysis of problems and extensive individual and organizational mindfulness.

Practical implications

This paper offers a methodology for managers to explore and develop solutions for complex problems. The methodology also provides identification of areas requiring organizational re-learning.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on problem solving by providing a methodology to develop individual and organizational mindfulness. The structured format of the approach ensures this can be formalized and taught to decision makers, without being limited by their prior background.
Financial inclusion enhancement through the adoption of Islamic microfinance in Nigeria
Authors: Abdullahi Abdurrahman , Othman Anwar Hasan Abdullah , Kassim Salina
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the determinants of intention to adopt Islamic microfinance among prospective customers in Nigeria, to enhance access to formal financial services.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative study used the proportionate stratified random sampling technique to collect data from 450 respondents, using close-ended questionnaires. The data was analyzed using analysis of moment structures-structural equation modeling. The decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB) was used as the underlying theory to test 10 hypotheses.

Findings

Results showed the intention toward the adoption of Islamic microfinance is high in Nigeria. In total, 8 of the 10 study hypotheses were supported, out of which attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control were found to have a positive and significant influence on the behavioral intention to adopt Islamic microfinance. Consequently, the study recommends the need for stakeholders in the Nigerian financial system to embark on enlightenment campaigns that will improve the public attitude on the role of Islamic microfinance banks in the promotion of financial inclusion and poverty reduction.

Research limitations/implications

The study focused specifically on three selected states in Northern Nigeria that are predominantly Muslim. The findings and indeed the conclusions of the study, may not be suitable for generalization to other parts of the country.

Practical implications

The study found that three constructs: attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control were found to affect behavioral intention. Thus, the Central Bank of Nigeria and Islamic financial institutions should tailor their enlightenment campaigns toward improving public attitude on the need to adopt Islamic microfinance banks to further enhance financial inclusion, and thus reduce the incidence of poverty. Islamic microfinance banks should complement their commercial products and services with Islamic social finance products such as Sadaqat, Zakat and benevolent loan, as is the practice in jurisdictions where Islamic finance is institutionalized.

Social implications

The social implication of the study is its ability to determine factors that will enhance financial inclusion in Nigeria. This will assist in reducing poverty and income inequality.

Originality/value

The study was also able to extend the DTPB by introducing awareness as an additional latent construct in explaining attitude.
Leveraging interorganizational governance for bridging responses to supply chain disruptions: a polynomial regression analysis
Authors: Liu Hua , Wei Shaobo
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Drawing on the transactional cost economics (TCE) perspective, we aim to investigate the effects of the balance and imbalance between contractual and relational governance on a firm's bridging responses to supply chain disruptions. By adopting the institutionally contingent perspective, we further examine the moderating effect of cultural distance on the relationship between governance mechanisms and bridging responses.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on data collected from 183 firms in China, we use polynomial regression and response surface analyses to test our research model.

Findings

The bridging responses increase along with an increasing balance level between contractual and relational governance and decrease along with an increasing imbalance level between contractual and relational governance. Moreover, the positive effect of balance between contractual and relational governance is strengthened by a large cultural distance. We also find that a large cultural distance amplifies the negative effect of the combination of high relational governance and low contractual governance yet weakens that of the combination of high contractual governance and low relational governance.

Originality/value

Our study provides nuanced insights into the effects of the balance and imbalance between contractual and relational governance on bridging responses and into the cultural boundary conditions under which these effects vary.
No games to watch: empirical analysis of sport fans’ stress and coping strategies during COVID-19 lockdown
Authors: Kwon Youngbum , Kwak Dae Hee
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 forced most sport leagues to cancel games in March–April 2020, leaving no sport games to watch for sport fans. The present study examined how sport consumers appraise stress and engage in coping behaviors resulted from sport lockout due to the global pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examined the relationship between sport fans’ psychological dispositions, threat appraisal and coping strategies among professional sport fans in the USA. A panel of sport fans (N = 446) representative of the US adult population participated in an online survey in the fourth week of April, 2020 when no major sport leagues made a return from the lockout due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Findings

Results of this present study showed that anger, aggressiveness and need for affiliation increased threat perceptions toward the COVID-19 lockout, which subsequently had significant effect on emotion-focused and disengagement coping behaviors.

Research limitations/implications

This is the first empirical study that examined stress and coping behavior among sport fans in the global public health crisis context. Our findings show what triggers stress appraisals and how fans cope with them.

Practical implications

Findings suggest that segmenting sport fans based on psychological dispositions could be useful in predicting fans that will engage in coping behaviors.

Social implications

While the hope is to return to normal postpandemic, COVID-19 might not be the last. We are uncertain whether there might be another potential pandemic-related sport lockdown. Understanding how lack of sport events can create distress in sport fans and have important public health implications.

Originality/value

The findings provide empirical evidence on how sport consumers respond to the pandemic-related sport lockdown and cope with the unprecedented situation. The findings of this study contribute to the sport management literature as we are unsure whether the sport industry might face this challenging situation in the future again.
From intuition to intelligence: a text mining–based approach for movies' green-lighting process
Authors: Kim Jongdae , Lee Youseok , Song Inseong
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a predictive model for box office performance based on the textual information in movie scripts in the green-lighting process of movie production.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use Latent Dirichlet Allocation to determine the hidden textual structure in movie scripts by extracting topic probabilities as predictors for classification. The extracted topic probabilities are used as inputs for the predictive model for the box office performance. For the predictive model, the authors utilize a variety of classification algorithms such as logistic classification, decision trees, random forests, k-nearest neighbor algorithms, support vector machines and artificial neural networks, and compare their relative performances in predicting movies' market performance.

Findings

This approach for extracting textual information from movie scripts produces a valuable typology for movies. Moreover, our modeling approach has significant power to predict movie scripts' profitability. It provides a superior prediction performance compared to previous benchmarks, such as that of Eliashberg et al. (2007).

Research limitations/implications

This work contributes to literature on predicting the box office performance in the green-lighting process and literature regarding suggesting models for the idea screening stage in the new product development process. Besides, this is one of the few studies that use movie script data to predict movies' financial performance by proposing an approach to integrate text mining models and machine learning algorithms with movie experts' intuition.

Practical implications

First, the authors’ approach can significantly reduce the financial risk associated with movie production decisions before the pre-production stage. Second, this paper proposes an approach that is applicable at a very early stage of new product development, such as the idea screening stage. The authors also introduce an online-based movie scenario database system that can help movie studios make more systematic and profitable decisions in the green-lighting process. Third, this approach can help movie studios estimate movie scripts' financial value.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few studies to forecast market performance in the green-lighting process.
A systematic review of conceptual models and methodologies in research on school principals in Iran
Authors: Hosseingholizadeh Rezvan , Sharif Atefeh , Taghizadeh Kerman Nafiseh
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to present a review of topics, conceptual models and methodologies in research on Iranian school principals over the past four decades.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a descriptive quantitative form of a systematic review of research to analyze topics, conceptual models and methodologies employed in 565 studies published by Iranian scholars in the national and international databases.

Findings

The content analysis of the studies revealed the increasing interest of the Iranian scholars in the two topical foci, namely, the school leadership models and principal profile, with a focus on the direct-effects (Model B) and the antecedent-effects (Model A). The evidence also suggests the disinclination of the researchers to study leadership concerning student learning outcomes. The most frequently used school leadership model in the Iranian schools has been transformational leadership, while the distributive/collaborative and instructional leadership studies were few. The scholars have mostly relied on a survey-based quantitative research approach, using correlation analysis techniques.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that despite the increasing global acceptance of school leadership, its implementation in practice is inevitably shaped by the institutional policies and cultural values of different societies.

Social implications

The findings of this study strengthen the supposition that the differences in school leadership across societies are influenced by various cultural and contextual factors.

Originality/value

This paper is the first systematic review of the empirical studies that present insight into topics, conceptual models and methodologies in research on school principals in Iran.
Resilient companies in the time of Covid-19 pandemic: a case study approach
Authors: Acciarini Chiara , Boccardelli Paolo , Vitale Mario
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The Covid-19 pandemic represents an extraordinary and unpredictable event influencing the whole economy and society. Using a case study approach, the authors explored how big companies operating in Italy were able to respond to the crisis to ensure business continuity. Therefore, the authors discussed different business disruptions caused by Covid-19; in addition, they developed an integrated policy framework in which they proposed specific strategic responses for increasing the level of organizational resilience. The aim of the paper is to discuss and reflect on the ability of specific companies to increase their level of organizational resilience when unexpected events happen.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with target CEOs of four major companies operating in Italy in different industries. Especially, the authors focused on multiutilities, media and communications, investment banking and mobile telecommunications. The interviews were based on questions dealing with Covid-19 implications and strategic responses to navigate this complex scenario.

Findings

Based on the CEOs' contributions, the authors presented short-term actions and long-term strategies planned and implemented by each Italian company. In particular, the authors emphasized similarities and dissimilarities in terms of strategic responses and future business development.

Originality/value

The analysis of practical cases was helpful for increasing their knowledge on organizational resilience and for providing the managerial community with a policy framework to navigate unexpected events like the Covid-19 pandemic.
The misunderstanding of halal tourism in Bandung city - Indonesia: Muslim tourist arrivals are increasing in the obscurity of concepts
Authors: Wahyudin Uud , Randa Agrian Ratu , El Karimah Kismiyati , Santoso Imelia Martinovita
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to find out what causes differences in understanding the concept of halal tourism between the government and stakeholders, which results in the slow development of halal tourism and the emergence of doubts for stakeholders who want to be part of halal tourism in Bandung.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a qualitative research method, and then the results presented the Fishbone Diagram (Cause and Effect) of halal tourism concept in the City of Bandung. A case study approach is in accordance with the Bandung City branding as the halal tourism destination in Indonesia. The informants are the halal tourism stakeholders, consumers, the government and the tourism community.

Findings

Even though the level of Muslim tourist's arrival in Bandung has always been increasing, what was proclaimed by the government is unclear related to the halal tourism concept. The ambiguity of the halal tourism concept spread in Bandung impacts the absence of clear standardization of supporting facilities and accommodation and the emergence of anxiety and mistrust of stakeholders in applying the halal concept into their tourism business in Bandung.

Research limitations/implications

This study was only conducted in Bandung City, Indonesia; hence, it lacks generality. Accordingly, future studies can expand to several potential halal tourism cities in Indonesia and halal tourists outside Bandung as informants.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first practical paper that provides a detailed and comprehensive description of the different concepts of halal tourism in the city of Bandung.
Servant leadership and employee voice: a moderated mediation
Authors: Song Yang , Tian Qi-tao , Kwan Ho Kwong
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of servant leadership on employees' promotive voice behavior and prohibitive voice behavior by focusing on the mediating role of job engagement and the moderating role of proactive personality.

Design/methodology/approach

Time-lagged data were collected using a field survey research design. The participants included 216 employees and 23 supervisors in two commercial banks in China.

Findings

Perceived servant leadership was positively related to employees' promotive and prohibitive voice behavior, and these relationships were mediated by enhanced job engagement. In addition, employees' proactive personality amplified the relationship between perceived servant leadership and job engagement, and the mediating effect of job engagement on the relationship between perceived servant leadership and voice behavior.

Research limitations/implications

This study enhances understanding of the mechanisms underlying the servant leadership – voice model by identifying the mediating role of job engagement. The results also demonstrate the moderating role of proactive personality in enhancing the effects of servant leadership. However, the survey design was not longitudinal, which limits the study's ability to confirm causality.

Practical implications

The findings reveal that servant leadership, employees' job engagement, and proactive personality can facilitate employees' promotive and prohibitive voice behavior.

Originality/value

This study addresses the unexplored mediating mechanism of the relationship between servant leadership and voice behavior, and offers new directions for servant leadership and voice research.
Ordered weighted logarithmic averaging distance-based pattern recognition for the recommendation of traditional Chinese medicine against COVID-19 under a complex environment
Authors: Fu Yuhe , Zhang Chonghui , Chen Yujuan , Gu Fengjuan , Baležentis Tomas , Streimikiene Dalia
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The proposed DHHFLOWLAD is used to design a recommendation system, which aims to provide the most appropriate treatment to the patient under a double hierarchy hesitant fuzzy linguistic environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the ordered weighted distance measure and logarithmic aggregation, we first propose a double hierarchy hesitant fuzzy linguistic ordered weighted logarithmic averaging distance (DHHFLOWLAD) measure in this paper.

Findings

A case study is presented to illustrate the practicability and efficiency of the proposed approach. The results show that the recommendation system can prioritize TCM treatment plans effectively. Moreover, it can cope with pattern recognition problems efficiently under uncertain information environments.

Originality/value

An expert system is proposed to combat COVID-19 that is an emerging infectious disease causing disruptions globally. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been proved to relieve symptoms, improve the cure rate, and reduce the death rate in clinical cases of COVID-19.
An exploratory study of heuristics for anticipating prices
Authors: Ehrig Timo , Katsikopoulos Konstantinos V. , Jost Jürgen , Gigerenzer Gerd
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This research explores how investment and central bankers cope with strategic uncertainty when they anticipate prices. The uncertainty originates from others' decisions and their consequences, and cannot be meaningfully reduced to risk. The authors postulate that, in order to cope with this type of uncertainty, bankers use simple rules, also called heuristics. This study aims to identify such heuristics and the psychological processes that underlie them.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors interviewed 22 managers of teams tasked to anticipate prices, in two leading investment and central banks. The primary data came from in-depth, semi-structured interviews lasting 30–60 min, supplemented by our observations during the on-site visits, emails and phone calls when preparing the interviews, and reports published by the banks. Data were coded and heuristics were induced over multiple rounds by multiple researchers.

Findings

Bankers (1) construct simple game representations of markets, (2) make inferences to gauge opponents, (3) become alert when they see too much agreement and (4) communicate coherent narratives. Heuristics (1)–(3) are employed when the pace of decision-making is fast, whereas (4) is used for longer time scales. In sum, bankers exhibit reciprocal bounded rationality, wherein interaction partners are mutually aware of and adapted to the fundamental uncertainty of the task and their limited resources.

Originality/value

Heuristics for anticipating prices have not been studied empirically outside the lab. The findings may help integrate conceptualizations of heuristics in the simple-rules and fast-and-frugal-heuristics research programs and improve market efficiency.
Analyzing Zoombombing as a new communication tool of cyberhate in the COVID-19 era
Authors: Lee Claire Seungeun
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The aims of this paper are to explore the rise of cyberhate on the Zoom video conferencing platform at the outset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to examine victimized cases of Zoombombing where it was used as a cyberhate tool. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only impacted our lives and modes of working and studying, but also created new environments for cybercriminals to engage in cybercrime, cyberhate and hacking by exploiting tools such as Zoom. This new phenomenon called “Zoombombing” was first reported in mid-March 2020, when the social distancing and stay-at-home policies in the United States were nationally introduced.

Design/methodology/approach

This research conducted a news media content analysis on cases of Zoombombing. To conduct this analysis empirically, a dataset with all of the reported Zoombombing cases from March to April 2020 was created. Google Trends, news media and tweets were used to analyze Zoombombing as a form of cyberhate, particularly digital racism.

Findings

The results reveal prevalent Zoom-mediated racism toward Asian Americans, African Americans and Jewish Americans. This study understands Zoombombing from a sociopolitical/cultural perspective through news reporting of victimized cases and explores various ways that Zoombombing shapes, mediates, transforms and escalates racism.

Originality/value

This study is one of the very first studies to analyze Zoombombing in a way that builds upon an emerging body of literature on cyberhate. This paper considers Zoom as a space where curious young people, cybercriminals, extremists and hackers impose their ideologies and beliefs upon newly established online learning and working environments and engage in a struggle for identity recognition in the midst of increasingly accessible vulnerable software and cyberspace.
Property rights and reputation in the dairy agro-industrial system
Authors: Sudré Carolina Andrea Gómez Winkler , Souza José Paulo de , Bouroullec Melise Dantas Machado
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of governance structure alignment, property rights protection, and reputation in generating efficiency in dairy agro-industrial system in Paraná, Brazil, and Midi-Pyrénées, France.

Design/methodology/approach

Descriptive qualitative research, comprising semi-structured interviews with producers, processors and key agents of the dairy agrindustrial system in Brazil and France, in 2016/2017.

Findings

As a result, it was identified that measurement generates information about transacted dimensions and when it is shared can generate affect reputation in transactions that leads to system improvement. It was also observed that, in the dairy agro-industrial system, reputation acquired does not reduce all the measurement costs, as the product requires measurement in each all collection, regardless of the reputation created.

Research limitations/implications

As a limitation of the study, there is a difference in the moments when the interviews were done. In 2016, in France, the context was low prices, while in 2017, in Brazil, there was a rise in prices. This difference could have influenced some responses to the interviews, mainly about efficiency by producers.

Practical implications

Reputation, protecion of property rights by measurement and information sharing allows reduction costs (transaction, measurement and negotiation costs). This efficiency implies improvement to the system, in cases of milk producers and processors.

Social implications

Improvements in the dairy system can have repercussions on several other improvements such as better distribution of income among agents in the chain; better-paid producers, which implies the improving quality of lives of these people; better products offered to consumers.

Originality/value

From a complementary perspective of transaction cost economics and measurement cost economics, reputation and protection of property rights are discussed with a focus on efficiency. Empirically, the paper contains heterogeneous data collected from two countries: Brasil and France.
Impact of upward and downward earnings management on stock returns
Authors: Ali Asgar , Bansal Manish
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The current study aims at examining the impact of upward and downward earnings management on the cross-sections of stock return. The study also examines the moderating role of cross-sectional effects on the association between earnings management and stock returns.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed univariate and bivariate-sorted portfolio-level analysis to investigate the issue. Fama–Macbeth cross-sectional regression is used to analyze the moderating role of different cross-sectional effects. The study used a sample of 3085 Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) listed stocks spanning over 20 years from January 2000 to December 2019.

Findings

The findings suggest that investors have different perceptions toward different forms of earnings management. In other words, results exhibit that investors perceive downward earnings management as an element of risk; hence, they discount the returns at a higher rate. On the contrary, results show that upward earnings management is positively perceived by the investors; hence, they hold the stocks even at a lower rate of return. This relation is found to be consistent even after controlling the impact of marker effect, size effect, value effect and momentum effect.

Originality/value

This study is among pioneering studies that consider the direction of earnings management while examining its impact on the stock return. This study is also among the earlier attempts to examine the moderating role of four different cross-sectional effects by taking a uniform sample of stocks over the same period.
CD‐g‐CS nanoparticles for enhanced antibiotic treatment of Staphylococcus xylosus infection
Authors: Zheng Si‐Di , Zhang Zhi‐Yun , Ma Jin‐Xin , Qu Qian‐Wei , God'spowe Bello‐Onaghise , Qin Yue , Chen Xue‐Ying , Li LU , Zhou Dong‐Fang , Ding Wen‐Ya , Li Yan‐Hua
Published: June 2021

Staphylococcus xylosus (S. xylosus)‐induced cow mastitis is an extremely serious clinical problem. However, antibiotic therapy does not successfully treat S. xylosus infection because these bacteria possess a strong biofilm formation ability, which significantly reduces the efficacy of antibiotic treatments. In this study, we developed ceftiofur‐loaded chitosan grafted with β‐cyclodextrins (CD‐g‐CS) nanoparticles (CT‐NPs) using host–guest interaction. These positively charged nanoparticles improved bacterial internalization, thereby significantly improving the effectiveness of antibacterial treatments for planktonic S. xylosus. Moreover, CT‐NPs effectively inhibited biofilm formation and eradicated mature biofilms. After mammary injection in a murine model of S. xylosus‐induced mastitis, CT‐NPs significantly reduced bacterial burden and alleviated inflammation, thereby achieving optimized therapeutic efficiency for S. xylosus infection. In conclusion, this treatment strategy could improve the efficiency of antibiotic therapeutics and shows great potential in the treatment of S. xylosus infections.
When the Clips Are Down: How Young Children Negotiate a Classroom Management System
Authors: Brownell Cassie J. , Parks Amy Noelle
Published: June 2021

Historically, research about classroom management has been instrumental in nature. Although some studies have engaged a critical perspective, few have studied management from the perspectives of children. Through interviews with third‐grade children, this study asked: How do third graders make sense of a “clip chart” classroom management system in relation to themselves and their classmates? Findings provide insights into how management practices impact both children's behavior and their understandings of themselves and others.