bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cis-regulatory code for predicting plant cell-type specific high salinity response
Authors: Uygun Sahra , Azodi Christina B. , Shiu Shin-Han
Published: November 2018

Multicellular organisms have diverse cell types with distinct roles in development and responses to the environment. At the transcriptional level, the differences in environmental response between cell types are due to differences in regulatory programs. In plants, although cell-type environmental responses have been examined, details on how these responses are regulated remain spotty. Here, we identify a set of putative cis-regulatory elements (pCREs) enriched in the promoters of genes responsive to high salinity stress in six Arabidopsis thaliana root cell types. Using machine learning with pCREs as predictors, we establish cis-regulatory codes, i.e. models predicting whether a gene is responsive to high salinity for each cell type. These pCRE-based models outperform models utilizing in vitro binding data of 758 A. thaliana transcription factors. Surprisingly, organ pCREs identified based on whole root high salinity response can predict cell-type responses as well as pCREs derived from cell-type data -because organ and cell-type pCREs predict complementary subsets of high salinity response genes. Our findings not only advance our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of plant spatial transcriptional response through cis-regulatory codes, but also suggest broad applicability of the approach to any species, particularly those with little or no trans regulatory data.
A dynamic neural network model for predicting risk of Zika in real-time
Authors: Akhtar Mahmood , Kraemer Moritz U.G. , Gardner Lauren M.
Published: November 2018

Background

In 2015 the Zika virus spread from Brazil throughout the Americas, posing an unprecedented challenge to the public health community. During the epidemic, international public health officials lacked reliable predictions of the outbreak’s expected geographic scale and prevalence of cases, and were therefore unable to plan and allocate surveillance resources in a timely and effective manner.

Methods

In this work we present a dynamic neural network model to predict the geographic spread of outbreaks in real-time. The modeling framework is flexible in three main dimensions i) selection of the chosen risk indicator, i.e., case counts or incidence rate, ii) risk classification scheme, which defines the high risk group based on a relative or absolute threshold, and iii) prediction forecast window (one up to 12 weeks). The proposed model can be applied dynamically throughout the course of an outbreak to identify the regions expected to be at greatest risk in the future.

Results

The model is applied to the recent Zika epidemic in the Americas at a weekly temporal resolution and country spatial resolution, using epidemiological data, passenger air travel volumes, vector habitat suitability, socioeconomic and population data for all affected countries and territories in the Americas. The model performance is quantitatively evaluated based on the predictive accuracy of the model. We show that the model can accurately predict the geographic expansion of Zika in the Americas with the overall average accuracy remaining above 85% even for prediction windows of up to 12 weeks.

Conclusions

Sensitivity analysis illustrated the model performance to be robust across a range of features. Critically, the model performed consistently well at various stages throughout the course of the outbreak, indicating its potential value at any time during an epidemic. The predictive capability was superior for shorter forecast windows, and geographically isolated locations that are predominantly connected via air travel. The highly flexible nature of the proposed modeling framework enables policy makers to develop and plan vector control programs and case surveillance strategies which can be tailored to a range of objectives and resource constraints.
National Population and Cost Implications of Treatment with Icosapentyl Ethyl in the United States: An Assessment Based on the REDUCE-IT trial
Authors: Khera Rohan , Valero-Elizondo Javier , Saxena Anshul , Virani Salim S , Krumholz Harlan M , Nasir Khurram
Published: November 2018

Icosapent ethyl, an omega-3-fatty acid, was associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with elevated levels of serum triglycerides and at a high-risk of adverse cardiovascular events in the recently completed REDUCE-IT trial. We applied the eligibility criteria of the REDUCE-IT trial to a nationally representative sample of individuals in the United States captured in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for a 6-year period (2009-2014) and estimated the number of individuals nationally that would be potentially eligible for treatment with icosapentyl ethyl. We found that nearly 3 million US adults would potentially be candidates for this therapy. Further, based on the list cost of the drug, if all eligible individuals are treated, the additional cost to the US healthcare system will be almost $9 billion a year.
PRMT1-mediated methylation of the Large Drosha Complex regulates microRNA biogenesis
Authors: Spadotto Valeria , Giambruno Roberto , Massignani Enrico , Mihailovich Marija , Patuzzo Francesca , Ghini Francesco , Nicassio Francesco , Bonaldi Tiziana
Published: November 2018

MicroRNA (miRNA) biogenesis is a tightly controlled multi-step process operated in the nucleus by the activity of the Large Drosha Complex (LDC). Through high resolution mass spectrometry (MS) analysis we discovered that the LDC is extensively methylated, with 82 distinct methylated sites associated to 16 out of 23 subunits of the LDC. The majority of these modifications occurs on arginine (R)- residues (61), leading to 86 methylation events, while 29 lysine (K)-methylation events occurs on 21 sites of the complex. Interestingly, both depletion and pharmacological inhibition of PRMT1 lead to a widespread alteration of the methylation state of the complex and induce global decrease of miRNA expression, as a consequence of the specific impairment of the pri-to-pre-miRNA processing step. In particular, we show that the reduced methylation of the ILF3 subunit of the complex is linked to its diminished binding to the target pri-miRNAs. Overall, our study uncovers a previously uncharacterized role of R-methylation in the regulation of the LDC activity in mammalian cells, thus affecting global miRNA levels.
Characterization and Variation of the Rhizosphere Fungal Community Structure of Cultivated Tetraploid Cotton
Authors: Qiao Qinghua , Zhang Jingxia , Ma Changle , Wang Furong , Chen Yu , Zhang Chuanyun , Zhang Hui , Zhang Jun
Published: November 2018

Rhizosphere fungal communities exert important influential forces on plant growth and health. However, information on the dynamics of the rhizosphere fungal community structure of the worldwide economic crop, cotton (Gossypium spp.), is limited. Next-generation sequencing of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS1) was used to characterize the rhizosphere fungal communities of worldwide cultivated tetraploid cotton using G. hirsutum cv. TM-1 (upland cotton) and G. barbadense cv. Hai 7124 (island cotton). Plants were grown in field soil (FS) that had been continuously cropped with cotton and nutrient-rich soil (NS) that had not been cropped. Fungal species richness, diversity, and community composition were analyzed and compared among soil resources, cotton genotypes, and developmental stages. We found that the fungal community structure between the rhizosphere and bulk soil of cotton were different and the rhizosphere fungal communities were significantly varied between FS and NS. These results suggest that cotton rhizosphere fungal community structure variation was primarily determined by the interaction of cotton roots with different soil resources. We also found that the community composition of cotton rhizosphere fungi varied significantly during different developmental stages, suggesting that developmental stages were also important factors in the dynamics of rhizosphere fungal communities for the varying dominant fungal genera of the rhizosphere. In addition, we also observed that fungal pathogens were clearly increased at certain developmental stages, suggesting a higher infection rate and a high incidence of corresponding soil-borne disease in each stage. This research illustrates the characteristics of cotton rhizosphere fungal communities and provides important information for understanding the potential influences of rhizosphere fungal communities on cotton growth and health.
A new two-dimensional CdII coordination polymer based on 1,3-bis(2-methyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene and 1,3-phenylenediacetic acid: synthesis, crystal structure and physical properties
Authors: Chen Ning-Ning , Ni Jian-Ning , Wang Jun
Published: November 2018

A novel two-dimensional CdII coordination framework, poly[[[μ-1,3-bis(2-methyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene-κ2
N:N′](μ-1,3-phenylenediacetato-κ4
O,O′:O′′,O′′′)cadmium(II)] dihydrate], {[Cd(C10H8O4)(C14H14N4)]·2H2O}
n
or {[Cd(PDA)(1,3-BMIB)]·2H2O}
n
[1,3-BMIB is 1,3-bis(2-methyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene and H2PDA is 1,3-phenylenediacetic acid], has been prepared and characterized using IR, elemental analysis, thermal analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, the latter revealing that the compound is a (4,4) grid coordination polymer with layers oriented parallel to the bc crystal planes. In the crystal, adjacent layers are further connected by O—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional structure in the solid state. In addition, the compound exhibits strong fluorescence emissions and shows photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue in the solid state at room temperature.
Crystal structures of two hydrogen-bonded compounds of chloranilic acid–ethyleneurea (1/1) and chloranilic acid–hydantoin (1/2)
Authors: Gotoh Kazuma , Ishida Hiroyuki
Published: November 2018

The structures of the hydrogen-bonded 1:1 co-crystal of chloranilic acid (systematic name: 2,5-dichloro-3,6-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone) with ethyleneurea (systematic name: imidazolidin-2-one), C6H2Cl2O4·C3H6N2O, (I), and the 1:2 co-crystal of chloranilic acid with hydantoin (systematic name: imidazolidine-2,4-dione), C6H2Cl2O4·2C3H4N2O2, (II), have been determined at 180 K. In the crystals of both compounds, the base molecules are in the lactam form and no acid–base interaction involving H-atom transfer is observed. The asymmetric unit of (I) consists of two independent half-molecules of chloranilic acid, with each of the acid molecules lying about an inversion centre, and one ethyleneurea molecule. The asymmetric unit of (II) consists of one half-molecule of chloranilic acid, which lies about an inversion centre, and one hydantoin molecule. In the crystal of (I), the acid and base molecules are linked via O—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming an undulating sheet structure parallel to the ab plane. In (II), the base molecules form an inversion dimer via a pair of N—H...O hydrogen bonds, and the base dimers are further linked through another N—H...O hydrogen bond into a layer structure parallel to (\overline{1}01). The acid molecule and the base molecule are linked via an O—H...O hydrogen bond.
μ2-Chlorido-chlorido(μ2-4-{[2-(diethylamino)ethyl]imino}pent-2-en-2-olato)bis(tetrahydrofuran-κO)cobalt(II)lithium
Authors: Vinocour Felipe A. , Soto-Navarro Andrea , Pineda Leslie W.
Published: November 2018

The crystal structure of the title compound, [CoLi(C11H21N2O)Cl2(C4H8O)2], has monoclinic symmetry and comprises one heterometallic binuclear complex molecule in the asymmetric unit. The Co2+ cation is bonded to one oxygen and two nitrogen atoms of a β-ketoiminato ligand and to two chlorido ligands, leading to a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal coordination sphere. One of the Cl ligands and the oxygen atom of the β-ketoiminato ligand are bridging to a Li+ cation, which is further bonded to oxygen atoms of two THF molecules. The resulting coordination sphere is distorted tetrahedral. In the crystal, weak intermolecular C—H...Cl hydrogen bonds are identified that link the complex molecules into a three-dimensional network structure.
Triple bottom line model and food safety in organic food and conventional food in affecting perceived value and purchase intentions
Authors: Hsu Shu Yen , Chang Chiao-Chen , Lin Tyrone T.
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there is a significant difference in consumer’s attitude and purchase intentions toward organic food and conventional food (non-organic food and non-genetically modified) under the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for environmental protection in the context of global warming and frequent food safety issues.

Design/methodology/approach

To understand the triple bottom line(TBL) affect the consumers’ attitude and purchase intentions of organic food and conventional food from the consumer’s point of view, primary data collected via 363 valid questionnaires tested the conceptual model by structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The results show that CSR has a significant influence on consumers’ perceived value. Moreover, perceived value is an important factor in affecting consumers’ attitude and purchase intentions. And consumers’ attitude toward environmental concern, food safety concern and CSR also have an indirect effect on purchase intentions.

Originality/value

The findings of the study would help corporations not only pursue economic profit but also keep a balance within the environment and the ecosystem, and serve as a reference to corporations to fulfill CSR for the goal of sustainable management.
Pro-poor growth and the realization of common prosperity of socialism with Chinese characteristics
Authors: Conglai Fan , Chaofeng Xie
Published: November 2018

Purpose

As the essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics, common prosperity stands for both the goal of and the approach to economic growth. Shared development is a new stage of the process of common prosperity. From the perspective of economic growth, it requires the low- and middle-income groups to gain more from the growth than high-income groups. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on provincial panel data, the random effect model and the dynamic panel model are used in this paper to analyze the path to achieve pro-poor growth.

Findings

The keys to achieve pro-poor growth are first to promote new urbanization with people at the center, diversify the forms of employment and improve the income structure of the residents, and second to improve the accuracy in designing redistribution policies.

Originality/value

After the realization of “some get rich first” policy, it is important to swiftly adapt to a new mindset of shared development, which charters a new course to the Marxist common prosperity. There exist few established economic theories or action plans with respect to shared development. Pro-poor growth, however, offers a perspective to achieve both sharing and development.
Efficient numerical treatment of nonlinearities in the advection–diffusion–reaction equations
Authors: Erdogan Utku , Sari Murat , Kocak Huseyin
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to propose a non-classical method to obtain efficient and accurate numerical solutions of the advection–diffusion–reaction equations.

Design/methodology/approach

Unlike conventional numerical methods, this study proposes a numerical scheme using outer Newton iteration applied to a time-dependent PDE. The linearized time dependent PDE is discretized by trapezoidal rule, which is second order in time, and by spline-based finite difference method of fourth order in space.

Findings

Using the proposed technique, even when relatively large time step sizes are used in computations, the efficiency of the proposed procedure is very clear for the numerical examples in comparison with the existing classical methods.

Originality/value

This study, unlike these classical methods, proposes an alternative approach based on linearizing the nonlinear problem at first, and then discretizing it by an appropriate scheme. This technique helps to avoid considering the convergence issues of Newton iteration applied to nonlinear algebraic system containing many unknowns at each time step if an implicit method is used in time discretization. The linearized PDE can be solved by implicit time integrator, which enables the use of large time step size.
Determining the efficacy of consolidating municipal electric utilities in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Walsh Philip R. , Ajibade Olalekan
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine empirically if the encouragement by government policy of merger and acquisition activity involving municipal and provincially owned electricity distribution utilities (LDCs) in the Province of Ontario has had positive effects in terms of value creation, operating performance and economies of scale.

Design/methodology/approach

It was anticipated that with LDC consolidation, there will be increased operational efficiency and improvement in the cost-effectiveness of the merged electrical utility. Using matched pairs dependent t-testing and Wilcoxon signed-rank testing, the authors compared data for three years before and after the merger or acquisition of 16 municipal utilities (616 total observations) to determine if there were any statistically significant changes (positive or negative) in measures of financial, operational and service efficiency.

Findings

The findings indicate statistically significant increases in debt as a percentage of shareholder equity in post-merger/acquisition utilities and consequently leveraged higher returns on equity. However, there were no statistically significant changes in financial, operational or service efficiency measures (with the exception of decreased efficiency in telephone response).

Research limitations/implications

A total of 16 mergers or acquisitions were reviewed involving 32 of 79 LDCs, with the research implications pointing to a need for existing policy to be reviewed to determine whether a more detailed examination is required by the provincial energy regulator, including a closer examination of managerial motives, before approving mergers between municipal electricity distributors. This research involves only a quantitative approach and further research would examine these transactions using qualitative measures for a deeper examination as to managerial motives.

Practical implications

The results suggest that the mergers or acquisitions to date have served only to increase shareholder risk without improvement in other financial, operational or service efficiencies, a contradiction to the rationale behind the Province’s merger policy.

Social implications

The consolidation policy for Ontario LDCs has not resulted in any statistically significant improvement in electricity rates or service for consumers.

Originality/value

This paper is the first examination of the effects of Ontario’s LDC consolidation policy in terms of specific financial, operational and service efficiency measures.
Remodelling the retail store for better sales performance
Authors: Webber Cleber da Costa , Sausen Jorge Oneide , Basso Kenny , Laimer Claudionor Guedes
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the relationship between strategic remodelling of the retail store and the performance of companies in the retail sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The method used was a quantitative and descriptive survey of 93 cases from a sample of 329 retail stores from three chains that had remodelled some of their retail stores.

Findings

The results showed that strategic remodelling improved the performance of the stores surveyed, demonstrating the importance of retail store management as a strategic resource that can improve performance and competitiveness. Applying the balanced scorecard (BSC) perspectives, the retail store strategies had a greater influence on the dimension of internal processes than on other dimensions. Specifically, lighting is the redesign strategy that provides the best performance result.

Practical implications

The findings offer support to managers who are considering modifications to the retail store. Decisions about strategies related to external visual communication, internal layout, internal visual communication, fixtures, painting of the store, lighting, location of the store and visual merchandising can make a difference in the pursuit for better performance across a range of dimensions.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to both the retail strategy and marketing literature by evidencing the link between specific retail remodelling strategies and performance using the BSC dimensions.
Tensile strength of composite ties in business relationships
Authors: Wood John Andy
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to empirically examine the proposed framework that incorporates multiple business relational ties as components in a composite that can provide strength to relationships. Strength is conceptualized as tensile strength or an ability to withstand stress without permanent deformation of the relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses dyadic survey data collected by mail survey from the organizational buyers and suppliers. Analysis is through moderated multiple regression.

Findings

Results indicate that stressors can disrupt individual components of relationships. However, the overall relationship outcome of behavioral loyalty remains intact with tensile strength coming from other components of the relationship.

Originality/value

This research introduces the concept of tensile strength from the material sciences as relevant to dyadic business relationship strength. The outcomes indicate that looking at multiple components of the business relationship provides greater insight into the tensile strength of business relationships.
Linking business model research and marketing: new network-based approach to business model analysis
Authors: Klimanov Denis , Tretyak Olga
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish a connection between the business model (BM) and B2B marketing research by developing a new approach to the BM analysis and improvement, which is based on inter-organizational networks and value chains.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology is based on mutual enrichment of methods and results of BM and business-to-business marketing studies that are relatively isolated from each other, and on integration of them to the unified structured approach that could be applied to analyze both BM and a set of interfirm relationships of networked market players. This paper is based on extensive literature review in the areas of BM and relationship/industrial marketing. The review is based on most cited and contemporary articles found in the Scopus and EBSCO databases.

Findings

This paper formulates the key BM research directions and visualizes their development over time. It is demonstrated in the paper that currently, there is little involvement of marketing researchers in the study of BM; however, there are multiple touchpoints between these areas of knowledge, which can help in further developing BM studies. On the basis of these findings, a conceptual model and new network-based approach to BM analysis is offered, which allows addressing the complex nature of networked interaction among BM participants. The approach includes stepwise algorithm for BM analysis designed for business practitioners.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed approach can be applied by business practitioners to analyze and improve their BM via managing the interactions of inter-organizational network participants with a focus on customer interests. While the approach is of a universal character, the specific tools for evaluating BM on each stage may vary across different markets.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the current conceptual knowledge on BM studies development and their relationship with marketing. It also contributes to theory and practice by the development of a new marketing-based approach to the BM analysis focused on managing business relationships, which allows evaluation of the current state of a BM and provides directions for its improvement. This approach evaluates the alignment of interfirm relationships along the value chain and orients it toward the final consumer.
Aligning corporate and business strategy: managing the balance
Authors: Wadström Pontus
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This study aims to expand the knowledge on strategy and alignment by exploring how executives and strategists can manage alignment between corporate and business strategy to leverage synergies, from a corporate strategy perspective, without limiting local responsiveness, from a business strategy perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is characterized by privileged access and richness of data. A case study design was used to explore the results. Data include interviews, observations in workshops, material produced in workshops and personal field notes.

Findings

The study provides insights about how alignment between corporate and business strategy can be managed to balance requirements on both corporate and business strategy. To do so alignment needs be understood and managed based on its contribution to the competitiveness of the firm. In addition, alignment encompasses two dimensions: direction of alignment (which can be vertical and horizontal) and relation of alignment (which can be numerical and non-numerical). This leads to four different types of alignment.

Research limitations/implications

Explorative case studies yield results less generalizable. Future research is thus encouraged to confirm or contradict the results of this study.

Practical implications

When formulating strategy, executives and strategists need to consider what type of alignment is appropriate for what parts and elements of the strategies (e.g. goals and activities) to gain competitive advantage. By using different types of alignment, it is possible to balance the need for both corporate synergies and business responsiveness.

Originality/value

This study fulfils an identified need to study what alignment between strategies on different organizational levels encompasses and the potential risks of alignment.
Long-term relationship of crude palm oil commodity pricing under structural break
Authors: Salami Monsurat Ayojimi , Haron Razali
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the pricing efficiency of the Malaysian crude palm oil (CPO) market before and after the structural break. This study uses the daily closing price of CPO and CPO futures (CPO-F) for the period ranging from June 2009 to August 2016 while taking structural breaks into account.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, symmetric and asymmetric long-run relationship model are employed, such as the Johansen cointegration, VECM, TAR and M-TAR models, to examine the impact of structural breaks on the pricing efficiency of the Malaysian CPO market.

Findings

This finding establish that Malaysian CPO price is efficient before and after the structural break. The consistent efficiency of the Malaysian CPO market supports the trading of the CPO-F in Globex and the use of Malaysian CPO pricing as the reference price. This study establishes that a structural break in the Malaysian CPO price series does not affect the pricing efficiency of the market.

Research limitations/implications

This study shows that using Malaysian CPO price as a reference price is sustainable even in the event of a structural break. Therefore, market participants in the Malaysian CPO market have less to worry about the CPO price as it supports the weak form of efficiency. Price deviation in the short run may not lead to arbitrage profit as transaction cost may not be covered.

Practical implications

This study implies that if there is distortion in the price due to shocks, both manufacturers and producers need to hedge their positions in the futures market (subject to their positions in the underlying market). By entering into the futures market, pricing is locked in advance; hence, price risk is eliminated. Such a distortion could also affect the efficiency of the CPO price, therefore this study also addresses the issue of efficiency of the local CPO market.

Originality/value

Previous studies on Malaysian CPO pricing efficiency did not take the effect of structural break into consideration, making it difficult for these studies to show consistency in the efficiency of the Malaysian CPO market.
Hypertension and diabetes management: a policy perspective from Ghana
Authors: Owusu Mark Fordjour , Basu Arindam , Barnett Pauline
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess policy and management of hypertension and diabetes in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted 26 key informant interviews with policy makers, payers, providers and participants from advocacy groups associated with the management of hypertension and diabetes both at national and district levels in Ghana; conducted focus group discussions with a total of 18 hypertensive and diabetic patients; and analyzed documentation detailing activities that have been undertaken in response to the management of hypertension and diabetes in Ghana. The authors then conducted a content analysis after combining the three sources of information.

Findings

Using a stepwise policy process, the Ghanaian health sector has developed overarching policies and strategies on management of diabetes, hypertension, other non-communicable diseases, tobacco, alcohol and nutrition-related issues. Availability of funds and over-concentration on communicable diseases are the main barriers to the implementation of policies. Besides, response of the health sector to address the problems of hypertension and diabetes is focused more on clinical management than prevention; while the structures and processes to manage diabetes and hypertension is available at all levels of service delivery, more needs to be done on preventive aspects.

Originality/value

This is the first study in Ghana to combine individual interviews, focus groups and document analysis to review policy development, implementation and response activities on the management of hypertension and diabetes. The authors believe that the evidence from this research will inform future policy initiatives on hypertension and diabetes management in Ghana.
Does firm performance increase with risk-taking behavior under information technological turbulence?
Authors: Pratono Aluisius Hery
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to contribute to the risk management studies in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by examining the complicated relationship between risk-taking behavior and firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted a survey of the Indonesian SME owner-managers and used partial least square structural equation modeling to examine the mediating effect of pricing capability and moderating effects of information technological turbulence.

Findings

The results do not only confirm the positive impact of risk-taking behavior on firm performance but also identify that impact of risk-taking behavior on firm performance is more effective at the low information technological turbulence than at the high one.

Research limitations/implications

This study relied on information from the owner-managers in SMEs, which may bias against the perspective of their employees and the business partners.

Originality/value

This study advances the risk-taking behavior research in SMEs context by introducing the effect of pricing capability and information technological turbulence.
Towards Chinese smart manufacturing ecosystem in the context of the one belt one road initiative
Authors: Al-Sayed Rafif , Yang Jianhua
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically China’s determined thrust to attain a high level of technological innovation and the factors affecting moving towards a smart and sophisticated manufacturing ecosystem in conjunction with the Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR).

Design/methodology/approach

This research provides empirical determination of the factors affecting moving towards smart manufacturing ecosystems in China. The method is based on combining two approaches: semi-structured interview and questionnaire-based with academics, experts and managers in various Chinese industrial sectors. The results are based on the multivariate analysis of the collected data. A case study of the current manufacturing ecosystem was also analyzed, in order to understand the present state as well as the potential for China’s competitive edge in the developed OBOR countries.

Findings

The results illustrate the importance of the infrastructure dimension comprising variables related to ecosystems, industrial clusters and Internet of Things IoT and other advanced technologies. A case study of the city of Shenzhen’s transformation into a smart cluster for innovative manufacturing points out how China’s OBOR initiative for regional collaboration will further transform the regional smart clusters into an ultra-large innovation based smart ecosystem.

Originality/value

This research is the first to study China’ policies towards playing a prominent role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution 4IR in the context of the OBOR initiative, through empirically defining the factors affecting moving towards a knowledge-intensive smart manufacturing ecosystem where the added value is mostly innovation based.
Multi-dimensional flexibility-complexity trade-off modeling in manufacturing systems
Authors: Javid Nasser , Khalili-Damghani Kaveh , Makui Ahmad , Abdi Farshid
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a multi-dimensional model on the basis of the key factors of the flexibility and the complexity through structural equation modeling (SEM). Dimensions of the flexibilities and complexity, including 16 main factors and 34 sub-factors, are investigated. The sampling of the research is accomplished using both academic and industrial experts.

Design/methodology/approach

A huge electronic questionnaire analysis, including 1,250 samples from which 1,036 were returned, was accomplished in various universities and manufacturing companies throughout the USA, Europe and Asia. Partial least square-SEM (PLS-SEM) is used to test the hypotheses through confirmatory factor analysis.

Findings

The results reveal insightful information about the impacts of different dimensions of flexibility on each other and also the effect of the flexibility on the complexity. Finally, system of linear mathematical equations for flexibility-complexity trade-off is proposed. This can be applied to realize the trade-off among dimensions of flexibility and complexity.

Originality/value

Flexible manufacturing systems are formed to meet the needs of the customers. Such systems try to produce products in appropriate quality at the right time and at the specified quantity. These, in turn, require flexibility and will cause complexity. Although flexibility and complexity are both important, there is no comprehensive framework in which the multi-dimensional relationships of the manufacturing flexibility and complexity, as well as their dimensions, are demonstrated.
Intra- and inter-regional expansion: a nonlinear model
Authors: Zhang Hua , Qian Gongming , Li Lee , Qian Zhengming
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to differentiate between intra- and inter-regional diversification and explore how each affects firm performance. Existing studies show that both intra- and inter-regional expansion provide benefits and incur costs but the findings are mixed. This study aims to explain the mixed findings.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses secondary data and quantitative methodologies to test hypotheses.

Findings

Using data from 663 Canadian firms over a six-year period (2006–2011), the authors find that the relationship between firm performance and the depth and width of intra-regional expansion is nonlinear. The authors also find a sigmoid-shaped relationship between firm performance and inter-regional diversification, i.e., performance initially increases with home regional diversification, decreases with bi-regional diversification and finally increases again with multi-regional diversification.

Originality/value

The findings of this study shed light on the current debate on the merits of inter- and intra-regional diversification and have important theoretical and managerial implications.
A cradle-to-cradle analysis in the toner cartridge supply chain using fuzzy recycling production approach
Authors: Lin Chun-Wei , Jeng Shiou-Yun , Tseng Ming-Lang , Tan Raymond
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated approach for a green product cradle-to-cradle (C2C) fuzzy recycling production planning model.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies the failure mode and effects analysis technique and Taguchi experimental design method, develops a green product C2C performance evaluation system that considers the fuzzy impacts of environmental laws and regulations, green goodwill, and environmental efficiency of targeting countries, and decides both the optimal green production plan and estimated optimal life cycles.

Findings

This study compares the different degree of maturity in environmental regulations, and various recycling situations are simulated to demonstrate the successful applicability of the proposed model as well as the incentive policy for Taiwan, the USA and Bangladesh.

Originality/value

Previous studies failed both to develop a holistic recycling production plan which is able to consider both the optimal combination of recycled components used and final green products produced with the maximum total resultant sales profit and to consider the potential failure phenomenon of recycled components adopted in the final product. Furthermore, most prior studies ignored the influence of environmental law, goodwill of the product and the efficiency of recycling mechanism of the community.
Measuring the effects of a laser beam on melt pool fluctuation in arc additive manufacturing
Authors: Näsström Jonas , Brückner Frank , Kaplan Alexander F.H.
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The steadily growing popularity of additive manufacturing (AM) increases the demand for understanding fundamental behaviors of these processes. High-speed imaging (HSI) can be a useful tool to observe these behaviors, but many studies only present qualitative analysis. The purpose of this paper is to propose an algorithm-assisted method as an intermediate to rapidly quantify data from HSI. Here, the method is used to study melt pool surface profile movement in a cold metal transfer-based (CMT-based) AM process, and how it changes when the process is augmented with a laser beam.

Design/methodology/approach

Single-track wide walls are generated in multiple layers using only CMT, CMT with leading and with trailing laser beam while observing the processes using HSI. The studied features are manually traced in multiple HSI frames. Algorithms are then used for sorting measurement points and generating feature curves for easier comparison.

Findings

Using this method, it is found that the fluctuation of the melt surface in the chosen CMT AM process can be reduced by more than 35 per cent with the addition of a laser beam trailing behind the arc. This indicates that arc and laser can be a viable combination for AM.

Originality/value

The suggested quantification method was used successfully for the laser-arc hybrid process and can also be applied for studies of many other AM processes where HSI is implemented. This can help fortify and expand the understanding of many phenomena in AM that were previously too difficult to measure.
Stakeholder considerations in public-private partnerships
Authors: Anderson Beverlee B. , Ratiu Catalin
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how an understanding of the alignment of goals of customers, employees and investors can aid in the partner selection process. The paper explains the opportunities and challenges offered by a keen examination of a restrained stakeholder view of the firm. It also explains the relational challenges of partner selection together with the interactive effects of these variables.

Design/methodology/approach

The design uses secondary data focused on customers, employees and investors’ goals and their alignment with sustainable development goals (SDGs). Consumer behaviour data on issues related to SDGs, research on employee’s work motivation and the goals of investors, both institutional and individual, are investigated.

Findings

To develop effective public–private partnerships (PPPs), the goals and behaviours of both parties must be recognised, considered and addressed. The goals and priorities of these entities are not always well aligned with SDG goals. In selecting partners, non-government organisations will benefit from recognising the differing goals of stakeholders and common ground for actions.

Research limitations/implications

The model examines only three stakeholder groups: consumers, investors and employees.

Practical implications

A selection process based on a solid understanding of key stakeholders can offer the necessary information to target partners that are more likely to succeed in implementing strategies geared towards the SDGs.

Social implications

While PPPs have the potential to be successful, to achieve significant gains in advancing the SDG agenda, there must be “buy-in” from relevant stakeholders associated with the partnerships.

Originality/value

The paper addresses some issues seldom addressed in SDG PPP writing.
Seeing the forest for the trees: Putting multilayer networks to work for community ecology
Authors: Hutchinson Matthew C. , Bramon Mora Bernat , Pilosof Shai , Barner Allison K. , Kéfi Sonia , Thébault Elisa , Jordano Pedro , Stouffer Daniel B.
Published: November 2018

A framework for the description and analysis of multilayer networks is established in statistical physics, and calls are increasing for their adoption by community ecologists. Multilayer networks in community ecology will allow space, time and multiple interaction types to be incorporated into species interaction networks.

While the multilayer network framework is applicable to ecological questions, it is one thing to be able to describe ecological communities as multilayer networks and another for multilayer networks to actually prove useful for answering ecological questions. Importantly, documenting multilayer network structure requires substantially greater empirical investment than standard ecological networks. In response, we argue that this additional effort is worthwhile and describe a series of research lines where we expect multilayer networks will generate the greatest impact.

Inter‐layer edges are the key component that differentiate multilayer networks from standard ecological networks. Inter‐layer edges join different networks—termed layers—together and represent ecological processes central to the species interactions studied (e.g., inter‐layer edges representing movement for networks separated in space). Inter‐layer edges may take a variety of forms, be species‐ or network‐specific, and be measured with a large suite of empirical techniques. Additionally, the sheer size of ecological multilayer networks also requires some changes to empirical data collection around interaction quantification, collaborative efforts and collation in public databases.

Network ecology has already touched on a wide swath of ecology and evolutionary biology. Because network stability and patterns of species linkage are the most developed areas of network ecology, they are a natural starting place for multilayer investigations. However, multilayer networks will also provide novel insights to niche partitioning, the connection between traits and species’ interactions, and even the geographic mosaic of co‐evolution.

Synthesis. Multilayer networks provide a formal way to bring together the study of species interaction networks and the processes that influence them. However, describing inter‐layer edges and the increasing amounts of data required represent challenges. The pay‐off for added investment will be ecological networks that describe the composition and capture the dynamics of ecological communities more completely and, consequently, have greater power for understanding the patterns and processes that underpin diversity in ecological communities.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Phenotypic plasticity of Capsella bursa‐pastoris (Brassicaceae) and its effect on fitness in response to temperature and soil moisture
Authors: Choi Byungwook , Jeong Hyungsoon , Kim Eunsuk
Published: November 2018

Capsella bursa‐pastoris is one of the most common plants on earth. Although phenotypic plasticity of ecologically important traits possibly contributes to its wide geographic range, little is known about the plasticity of C. bursa‐pastoris and its effects on its fitness. In a laboratory, we assessed the phenotypic plasticity in response to two representative climatic conditions: temperature and soil moisture. In addition, we quantitatively evaluated the relationship between phenotypic plasticity and fruit production. Most measured morphological and physiological traits exhibited plastic responses to temperature and fitness based on fruit production was maintained across temperatures. In contrast, no plasticity to soil moisture was detected, and plants produced fewer fruits in dry soil. Selection analysis revealed that the plasticity of the flowering time and the water‐use efficiency had positive effects on fruit production over the tested temperature regime. These experimental results suggest that phenotypic plasticity probably enables C. bursa‐pastoris to cope with heterogeneous temperature environments and thereby probably contributes to its wide geographic range.
Effects of organic matter and low oxygen on the mycobenthos in a coastal lagoon
Authors: Ortega‐Arbulú Ana‐Sofia , Pichler Monica , Vuillemin Aurèle , Orsi William D.
Published: November 2018

Fungi living in sediments (‘mycobenthos’) are hypothesized to play a role in the degradation of organic matter deposited at the land‐sea interface, but the environmental factors influencing the mycobenthos are poorly understood. We used mock community calibrated Illumina sequencing to show that the mycobenthos community structure in a coastal lagoon was significantly changed after exposure to a lignocellulose extract and subsequent development of benthic anoxia over a relatively short (10 h) incubation. Saprotrophic taxa dominated and were selected for under benthic anoxia, specificallyAquamyces(Chytridiomycota) andOrbilia(Ascomycota), implicating these genera as important benthic saprotrophs. Protein encoding genes involved in energy and biomass production from Fungi and the fungal‐analogue group Labyrinthulomycetes had the highest increase in expression with the added organic matter compared with all other groups, indicating that lignocellulose stimulates metabolic activity in the mycobenthos. Flavobacteria dominated the active bacterial community that grew rapidly with the lignocellulose extract and crashed sharply upon O2depletion. Our findings indicate that the diversity, activity and trophic potential of the mycobenthos changes rapidly in response to organic matter and decreasing O2concentrations, which together with heterotrophic Flavobacteria, undergo ‘boom and bust’ dynamics during lignocellulose degradation in estuarine ecosystems.