bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improved sensitivity and resolution of ATAC-seq differential DNA accessibility analysis
Authors: Sheikh Ahmed Ali , Blais Alexandre
Published: March 2022

Eukaryotic genomes are packaged into chromatin, and the extent of its compaction must be modulated to allow several biological processes such as gene transcription. The regulatory elements of expressed genes are typically in relatively accessible chromatin, and several studies have revealed a reliable correlation between the abundance of mRNA transcripts and the degree of DNA accessibility at the regulatory elements of their coding genes. In consequence, the genome-wide profiling of DNA accessibility by methods such as ATAC-seq can help in the study of gene regulatory networks by serving as a proxy for gene expression and by helping identify important gene cis-regulatory elements and the trans-acting factors that bind them. The predominant approach used to identify differentially accessible genomic loci from ATAC-seq data obtained in two conditions of interest is comparable to that employed in RNA-seq gene expression profiling studies: accessible regions are identified through peak calling and treated like “genes”, then sequenced DNA fragments (originating from two neighboring transposase insertion events) that overlap them are counted and subjected to abundance modeling, which then allows to identify those that have a significant difference between the two conditions. We reasoned that this approach could be improved in terms of sensitivity and resolution by introducing two changes: bypassing peak calling, using instead a genome-wide sliding window quantification approach, and counting transposase insertion sites, instead of fragments originating from two neighboring insertion sites. We present the development of this approach, which we term “widaR”, for Window- and Insertion-based Differential Accessibility in R, using a murine skeletal myoblast differentiation dataset. Reproducible R code is provided.
CyberSco.Py: open-source software for event-based, conditional microscopy
Authors: Chiron Lionel , LeBec Matthias , Cordier Céline , Pouzet Sylvain , Milunov Dimitrije , Banderas Alvaro , Meglio Jean-Marc Di , Sorre Benoit , Hersen Pascal
Published: March 2022

Timelapse fluorescence microscopy imaging is routinely used in quantitative cell biology. However, microscopes could become much more powerful investigation systems if they were endowed with simple unsupervised decision-making algorithms to transform them into fully responsive and automated measurement devices. Here, we report CyberSco.Py, Python software for advanced automated timelapse experiments. We provide proof-of-principle of a user-friendly framework that increases the tunability and flexibility when setting up and running fluorescence timelapse microscopy experiments. Importantly, CyberSco.Py combines real-time image analysis with automation capability, which allows users to create conditional, event-based experiments in which the imaging acquisition parameters and the status of various devices can be changed automatically based on the image analysis. We exemplify the relevance of CyberSco.Py to cell biology using several use case experiments with budding yeast. We anticipate that CyberSco.Py could be used to address the growing need for smart microscopy systems to implement more informative quantitative cell biology experiments.
Structural and functional analysis of the D-alanyl carrier protein ligase DltA from Staphylococcus aureus Mu50
Authors: Lee In-Gyun , Song Chiman , Yang Seoyeong , Jeon Hanul , Park Jingyeong , Yoon Hye-Jin , Im Hookang , Kang Sung-Min , Eun Hyun-Jong , Lee Bong-Jin
Published: March 2022

D-Alanylation of the teichoic acids of the Gram-positive bacterial cell wall plays crucial roles in bacterial physiology and virulence. Deprivation of D-alanine from the teichoic acids of Staphylococcus aureus impairs biofilm and colony formation, induces autolysis and ultimately renders methicillin-resistant S. aureus highly susceptible to antimicrobial agents and host defense peptides. Hence, the D-alanylation pathway has emerged as a promising antibacterial target against drug-resistant S. aureus. D-Alanylation of teichoic acids is mediated via the action of four proteins encoded by the dlt operon, DltABCD, all four of which are essential for the process. In order to develop novel antimicrobial agents against S. aureus, the D-alanyl carrier protein ligase DltA, which is the first protein in the D-alanylation pathway, was focused on. Here, the crystal structure of DltA from the methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain Mu50 is presented, which reveals the unique molecular details of the catalytic center and the role of the P-loop. Kinetic analysis shows that the enantioselectivity of S. aureus DltA is much higher than that of DltA from other species. In the presence of DltC, the enzymatic activity of DltA is increased by an order of magnitude, suggesting a new exploitable binding pocket. This discovery may pave the way for a new generation of treatments for drug-resistant S. aureus.
Protein dynamics developments for the large scale and cryoEM: case study of ProDy 2.0
Authors: Krieger James Michael , Sorzano Carlos Oscar S. , Carazo Jose Maria , Bahar Ivet
Published: March 2022

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) has become a well established technique with the potential to produce structures of large and dynamic supramolecular complexes that are not amenable to traditional approaches for studying structure and dynamics. The size and low resolution of such molecular systems often make structural modelling and molecular dynamics simulations challenging and computationally expensive. This, together with the growing wealth of structural data arising from cryoEM and other structural biology methods, has driven a trend in the computational biophysics community towards the development of new pipelines for analysing global dynamics using coarse-grained models and methods. At the centre of this trend has been a return to elastic network models, normal mode analysis (NMA) and ensemble analyses such as principal component analysis, and the growth of hybrid simulation methodologies that make use of them. Here, this field is reviewed with a focus on ProDy, the Python application programming interface for protein dynamics, which has been developed over the last decade. Two key developments in this area are highlighted: (i) ensemble NMA towards extracting and comparing the signature dynamics of homologous structures, aided by the recent SignDy pipeline, and (ii) pseudoatom fitting for more efficient global dynamics analyses of large and low-resolution supramolecular assemblies from cryoEM, revisited in the CryoDy pipeline. It is believed that such a renewal and extension of old models and methods in new pipelines will be critical for driving the field forward into the next cryoEM revolution.
Influence of social support on individual health knowledge adoption in online diabetes communities: the mediating role between cognition and emotion
Authors: Zhao Haibao , Wang Jianya , Zhang Huiqing
Published: March 2022

Purpose

To address the problem of how to guide and promote health knowledge adoption, based on online diabetes communities, this study explores the impact mechanism of social support on users' individual health knowledge adoption to provide insights for online diabetes community management and personal health management.

Design/methodology/approach

Integrating the theories of cognitive-affective personality system (CAPS) and social support, this study constructs a theoretical model, collects data through a questionnaire and uses a structural equation model to analyse 356 data.

Findings

The results show that: (1) Considering the online diabetes communities, it is reasonable to divide social support into emotional, information, network and respect support. (2) Social support affects individual health knowledge adoption through the intermediaries of knowledge argument quality, knowledge source credibility and positive emotions. (3) The order of the mediating effect of cognitive and emotional factors between social support and health knowledge adoption is knowledge argument quality > knowledge source credibility > positive emotions and rationality > sensibility. (4) Users pay more attention to the source credibility of professional health knowledge than that of experiential health knowledge.

Originality/value

This research expands the application scope of CAPS and opens the “black box” of the impact of social support on individual health knowledge adoption behaviour. Simultaneously, the dimensions of social support and the mediating effect between social support and the two types of health knowledge are discussed.
Towards blockchain led decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) business model innovations
Authors: Saurabh Kumar , Rani Neelam , Upadhyay Parijat
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Today, business model innovations leverage digital technologies to gain a competitive advantage and transform business processes. Blockchain is still gaining attention in specific fields and bringing value to business models. There is a dearth of research on how blockchain decentralized autonomous organizations impact organization business model innovations. This study attempts to contribute the body of knowledge based on a review of decentralized autonomous organizations and the business model innovation literature using the integrative and generative approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper offers an analysis of decentralized autonomous organizations based on digital business models built on the well-established work by Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010). The practical multilayered decentralized autonomous organizations architectural implementation model design is achieved using practical archetypes depicted in the proposed decentralized autonomous organizations business model. The paper evaluates a marketplace comprising 13 decentralized autonomous organizations led platforms with core functionalities.

Findings

The paper delivers decentralized autonomous organizations led digital business model canvas elements to explain decentralized autonomous organization business model innovations. It presents the underlying multilayered decentralized autonomous organizations architectural implementation model required to conceptualize a practical business model with an enterprise-ready target operating model.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes directly to the practical decentralized autonomous organizations business model canvas, exemplifying the nine elements of decentralized autonomous organizations’ characteristics for any organizational transformation. The tools and accelerators (business model, layered architecture, target operating model and product mapping) developed in the paper address the managerial challenges of redesigning the decentralized business models.

Originality/value

The proposed decentralized autonomous organizations smart contract powered business model provide a digital platform to adhere to rules, follow policies, preserve principles and develop consensus without human interventions. The paper shapes the first of its kind decentralized autonomous organizations marketplace evaluation while mapping it to decentralized autonomous organizations layered architecture product requirement considering business model dimension to adopt actionable target operating model.
Ranking the ontology development methodologies using the weighted decision matrix
Authors: Sinha Prashant Kumar , Dutta Biswanath , Varadarajan Udaya
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The current work provides a framework for the ranking of ontology development methodologies (ODMs).

Design/methodology/approach

The framework is a step-by-step approach reinforced by an array of ranking features and a quantitative tool, weighted decision matrix. An extensive literature investigation revealed a set of aspects that regulate ODMs. The aspects and existing state-of-the-art estimates facilitated in extracting the features. To determine weight to each of the features, an online survey was implemented to secure evidence from the Semantic Web community. To demonstrate the framework, the authors perform a pilot study, where a collection of domain ODMs, reported in 2000–2019, is used.

Findings

State-of-the-art research revealed that ODMs have been accumulated, surveyed and assessed to prescribe the best probable ODM for ontology development. But none of the prevailing studies provide a ranking mechanism for ODMs. The recommended framework overcomes this limitation and gives a systematic and uniform way of ranking the ODMs. The pilot study yielded NeOn as the top-ranked ODM in the recent two decades.

Originality/value

There is no work in the literature that has investigated ranking the ODMs. Hence, this is a first of its kind work in the area of ODM research. The framework supports identifying the topmost ODMs from the literature possessing a substantial amount of features for ontology development. It also enables the selection of the best possible ODM for the ontology development.
Impacts of transformational leadership on organizational change capability: a two-path mediating role of trust in leadership
Authors: Cao Thanh Thi , Le Phong Ba
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Given the important role of change capability for organizational development and competitive advantage, the purpose of this study is to clarify the influences of transformational leadership (TL) on organizational change capability (OCC) via mediating roles of two specific aspects of trust in leadership namely disclosure-based trust and reliance-based trust.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modeling is applied to test the degree of influences of TL and employee trust on OCC via empirical data collected from 376 participants in 115 small and medium firms in China.

Findings

The results show the positive and significant impacts of TL and aspects of employee trust in leadership on OCC. It indicated that disclosure-based trust in leadership has a greater influence on change capability in comparison with the effect of reliance-based trust in leadership. Especially, the findings have shown the evidence supporting the mediating mechanism of aspects of employee trust in leadership between TL and OCC.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides the practical initiatives that highlight the importance of applying TL style to build and improve the trust of employees in their leadership for fostering OCC.

Originality/value

The paper has significantly advanced and deepened insight of how transformational leaders nurture employee’s specific shades of trust in leadership for fostering OCC. The valuable findings of this study contribute to enriching the theoretical basis of organizational behavior and change management, and can be used to analyze and explain the relationships between TL, employee’s trust in leadership and organizational capability for change.
Farmer’s environmental orientation as an antecedent to the intention for adopting conservational agriculture practices: the moderation analysis
Authors: Gillani Syed Hussain Mustafa , Kiani Malkah Noor , Abid Saifullah
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Pakistan has long been regarded as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations promotes conservational agricultural practices (CAP); however, they received little attention. Therefore, this study aims to explore the antecedents of farmers’ intention to adopt CAP with empirical evidence to enhance CAP in developing countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a random sampling strategy, the data has been gathered from 483 Pakistani’s farmers of the most agriculture-producing province, Punjab and Sindh via a questionnaire survey. Regression-analysis (Haye’s process approach) is implied for testing the hypothesis.

Findings

The findings indicated that a farmer’s environmental orientation positively affects the farmer’s intention to adopt CAP. Furthermore, the farmer’s attitude towards agricultural production and the farmer’s belief in climate change also positively moderate the relationship.

Practical implications

Based on findings, this research suggests a need for efforts by the government to encourage farmers to engage themselves in technical support for the adoption of CAP. The educational campaigns and training sessions need to be arranged by the government for this purpose. This may help the farmers to adopt strategies relating to climate change concerning their education, credit access and extension services.

Originality/value

This paper explores the antecedents of farmers' intention for CAP in Pakistan. The empirical evidence previously missing in the body of knowledge will support the governments, researchers and FAO to establish a mechanism for enhancing CAP in developing countries like Pakistan. Further research is recommended to explore the outcomes of farmers' intentions to adopt more CAP to gauge the effectiveness of adaptation strategies
Impact of labour unrest and skilled workforce in host country on inflow of foreign direct investment – a case of Taiwan, ROC
Authors: Lai Yu-Cheng , Sarkar Santanu
Published: March 2022

Purpose

In this paper, the authors examined the changes in labour unrest and labour quality brought by high labour standards over a considerable period in Taiwan. Then, the authors studied the role of these changes in predicting the inflow of foreign direct investment (IFDI) in the country. To test the role, the authors measured the differences in effects of the two changes on wages, working hours and employment opportunities of skilled female and skilled male workers in FDI-intensive and non-intensive industries.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a model built on pooled cross-sectional time-series data from 1999 to 2012, the authors measured the effect of changes in labour unrest and the presence of skilled workers on the net inflow of FDI. Using data from the Manpower Utilisation Survey (MUS), the authors applied differences–in–Differences-in--ddifferences- (DDD) and differences–in–Differences-in-ddifferences-in--differences- (DDDD) estimation methods to test the effect of changes in labour unrest and labour quality on three labour market outcomes, namely wages, working hours and job opportunities of skilled workforce.

Findings

Increasing labour unrest affected the employment opportunities of almost every unemployed person seeking skilled jobs in Taiwan. When the authors compared the adverse effect of high labour standards on employment opportunities and working hours, the authors found women looking for skilled jobs in foreign-owned firms to be the worst affected. Besides, foreign firms paid different wages to skilled educated men than what foreign firms' domestic counterparts paid to skilled educated men employed in Taiwanese firms.

Practical implications

An in-depth analysis of changes in labour unrest and presence of skilled workers because of high labour standards and the extent to which such changes helped the nation to attract FDI should be useful to policymakers interested in understanding the impact of legislative measures and policy reforms on labour market outcomes across industry types, which matter to foreign investors. If changes in labour unrest and labour quality influenced the inflow of FDI more to firms in one set of industries than the others, the same should have a bearing on revamping of future enactment and enforcement in Taiwan.

Originality/value

Current study findings would not only provide broad lessons to policymakers in Taiwan but findings of the authors' country case study should be able to guide growing economies that are equally careful whilst raising the labour standards as most fear that high labour standards can deter inflow of FDI because of increasing labour cost.
The impact of artificial intelligence technology stimuli on smart customer experience and the moderating effect of technology readiness
Authors: Gao Jingyan , Ren Lina , Yang Yang , Zhang Duo , Li Lan
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This research clarifies the connotations and dimensions of artificial intelligence (AI) technology stimulation and establishes a stimulus scale to explain the relationship between AI technology stimuli and smart customer experience.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an empirical study that uses SPSS 24.0 software to perform hypothesis testing on the path relationships between model elements.

Findings

Two dimensions of AI technology stimuli (i.e. passion and usability) have a significant, positive impact on smart customer experience; the moderating effects of contrasting dimensions of technology readiness (i.e. optimism and discomfort) are significantly different; smart customer experience has a significant, positive impact on the word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions of consumers.

Research limitations/implications

There are several limitations. Most importantly, the data collected in this study are only from consumers who use intelligent customer service robots in the catering industry. Future research can consider exploring relevant AI technologies in other sectors.

Practical implications

This study has several implications that guide catering companies to develop various positioning and strategies for remaining competitive effectively.

Originality/value

Based on arousal theory, customer experience theory and WOM marketing theory, this is the first novel research project that empirically discusses the dimensions of AI technology stimuli, smart customer experience and WOM intentions with regard to the moderating effect of the technology readiness of consumers toward AI technology.
A legal-realist assessment of human rights, right to health and standards of healthcare in the Malawian prison system during COVID-19 state disaster measures
Authors: Van Hout Marie Claire , Mhango Victor , Kaima Ruth , Bigland Charlotte , Mariniello Triestino
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The first case of COVID-19 in the Malawi prison system was reported in July 2020. Human rights organisations raised concerns about the possibility of significant COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths in the prison system, because of the poor infrastructure, lack of healthcare and adequate COVID-19 mitigation measures, existing co-morbidities (tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis C), malnutrition and poor health of many prisoners.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a legal-realist assessment of the Malawian prison system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures, with a specific focus on the right to health and standards of healthcare as mandated in international, African and domestic law.

Findings

The Malawi prison system was relatively successful in preventing serious COVID-19 outbreaks in its prisons, despite the lack of resources and thead hocreactive approach adopted. Whilst the Malawi national COVID plan was aligned to international and regional protocols, the combination of infrastructural deficits (clinical staff and medical provisions) and poor conditions of detention (congestion, lack of ventilation, hygiene and sanitation) were conducive to poor health and the spread of communicable disease. The state of disaster declared by the Malawi Government and visitation restrictions at prisons worsened prison conditions for those working and living there.

Originality/value

In sub-Saharan Africa, there is limited capacity of prisons to adequately respond to COVID-19. This is the first legal-realist assessment of the Malawian prison system approach to tackling COVID-19, and it contributes to a growing evidence of human rights-based investigations into COVID-19 responses in African prisons (Ethiopia, South Africa and Zimbabwe).
The impact of workplace safety and customer misbehavior on supermarket workers' stress and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Mayer Brian , Helm Sabrina , Barnett Melissa , Arora Mona
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Essential frontline workers in the retail sector face increased exposure risks to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to frequent interactions with the general public. Often these interactions are fraught with controversies over public safety protocols. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of frontline workers' perceptions of workplace safety and customer misbehaviors on their stress and psychological distress to inform managing workplace health and safety during public health crises.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted an online survey of 3,344 supermarket workers in the state of Arizona (US) during the state's first COVID-19 pandemic wave in July 2020. Measures included mental health distress, and perceptions of workplace safety and customer behaviors. The authors utilized a mixed-methods approach combining multiple regression analyses with qualitative analyses of open-ended comments.

Findings

Workers reported high rates of stress and psychological distress. Increases in mental health morbidity were correlated with perceptions of being unsafe in the workplace and concerns about negative customer encounters. Qualitative analyses reveal frustration with management's efforts to reduce risks intertwined with feelings of being unsafe and vulnerable to threatening customer encounters.

Practical implications

The findings highlight the need to provide and enforce clear safety guidelines, including how to manage potential hostile customer interactions, to promote positive health workplace management during a pandemic.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to assess the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the mental health of non-health care frontline essential workers and presents novel insights regarding perceived customer misbehavior and need for management support and guidance in a public health crisis.
A review of consumer affinity research: recent advances and future directions
Authors: Serrano-Arcos M. Mar , Sánchez-Fernández Raquel , Pérez-Mesa Juan Carlos , Riefler Petra
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Consumer affinity may be a key factor in overcoming ethnocentric barriers and promoting a favourable attitude towards specific foreign countries and their products. However, progress in knowledge of this concept in international marketing literature has suffered from a lack of integration and analysis. The purpose of this study was to shed new light on the concept of consumer affinity based on a comprehensive systematic review of the literature, provide a critical analysis of previous research in terms of conceptual, methodological and substantive issues and problems and offer avenues for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

This structured systematic review of consumer affinity included articles published in international peer-reviewed journals from 2008 to 2021, examining key conceptual, operational and substantive aspects.

Findings

This systematic review of articles on consumer affinity published over the past 14 years revealed that this line of research is a growing vibrant domain in the context of international marketing. It also showed that current knowledge of consumer affinity is characterized by theoretical inconsistencies, contradictory empirical results and scant international marketing research in the affinity domain.

Originality/value

This article provides an overview of the extant literature on consumer affinity and yields a consolidated image of its current status, as well as a research agenda that raises new questions for the academic community.
Exploring privacy paradox in contact tracing apps adoption
Authors: Duan Sophia Xiaoxia , Deng Hepu
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Understanding the privacy concerns of individuals in the adoption of contact tracing apps is critical for the successful control of pandemics like COVID-19. This paper explores the privacy paradox in the adoption of contact tracing apps in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive review of the related literature has been conducted, leading to the development of a conceptual model based on the privacy calculus theory and the antecedent-privacy concern-outcome framework. Such a model is then tested and validated using structural equation modelling on the survey data collected in Australia.

Findings

The study shows that perceived benefit, perceived privacy risk and trust have significant influences on the adoption of contact tracing apps. It reveals that personal innovativeness and trust have significant and negative influences on perceived privacy risk. The study further finds out that personal innovativeness is insignificant to perceived benefit. It states that perceived ease of use has an insignificant influence on perceived privacy risk in the adoption of contact tracing apps.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt to use the privacy calculus theory and the antecedent–privacy concern–outcome framework for exploring the privacy paradox in adopting contact tracing apps. This leads to a better understanding of the privacy concerns of individuals in the adoption of contact tracing apps. Such an understanding can help formulate targeted strategies and policies for promoting the adoption of contact tracing apps and inform future epidemic control through effective contact tracing for better emergency management.
Adaptive enhanced admittance force-tracking controller design for highly dynamic interactive tasks
Authors: Liu Chengguo , He Ye , Chen Xiaoan , Cao Hongli
Published: March 2022

Purpose

As more and more robots are used in industry, it is necessary for robots to interact with high dynamic environments. For this reason, the purpose of this research is to form an excellent force controller by considering the transient contact force response, overshoot and steady-state force-tracking accuracy.

Design/methodology/approach

Combining the active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) and the adaptive fuzzy PD controller, an enhanced admittance force-tracking controller framework and a well-designed control scheme are proposed. Tracking differentiator balances the contradiction between inertia and jump control signal of the control object. Kalman filter and extended state observer are introduced to obtain purer feedback force signal and uncertainty compensation. Adaptive fuzzy PD controller is introduced to account for transient and steady state performance of the system.

Findings

The proposed controller has achieved successful results through simulation and actual test of 6-axis robot with minimum error.

Practical implications

The controller is simple and practical in real industrial scenarios, where force control by robots is required.

Originality/value

In this research, a new practical force control algorithm is proposed to guarantee the performance of the force controller for robots interacting with high dynamic environments.
Development of a UVC-based disinfection robot
Authors: Ma Ye , Xi Ning , Xue Yuxuan , Wang Siyu , Wang Qingyang , Gu Ye
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The disinfection robot developed by the authors and team focuses on achieving fast and precise disinfection under a given or specific disinfection zone. This looks to solve problems with traditional robots that pay less attention to the level, efficiency and zones of disinfection. To effectively support and guarantee normal running for the whole system, a digital twin system is applied to the disinfection robot. This study aims to achieve fast, precise and thorough disinfection via the developed mobile robot.

Design/methodology/approach

The designed robot is composed primarily of the following three parts: a mobile platform, a six-axis robotic arm and a ultraviolet-C (UVC) LED array. The UVC LED array is installed on the end-effector to achieve large-scale, precise manipulation. The adoption of all types of advanced sensors and the development of an intuitive and user-friendly client interface are helpful in achieving remote control, path planning, data monitoring and custom disinfection functions.

Findings

Disinfection of three different locations in the laboratory was performed; the dosage distribution of the surface as radiated by the UVC robot was detected; and feasibility of development was validated.

Originality/value

The developed disinfection robot achieved fast, precise and thorough disinfection for a given or specific disinfection zone.
Working capital management and firm performance nexus in emerging markets: do financial constraints matter?
Authors: Jabbouri Imad , Satt Harit , El Azzouzi Oumaima , Naili Maryem
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of working capital management (WCM) on firm performance. The authors pursue innovation by exploring how the level of financial constraints shapes the impact of WCM on corporate performance.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the generalized method of moments (GMM) is used to analyze a sample of 753 firms listed on ten Middle East and North Africa (MENA) emerging markets.

Findings

The authors' empirical analysis demonstrates that financially constrained firms are coerced to adopt an aggressive WCM approach to reduce investment in working capital, minimize financing costs and improve financial performance despite the risks associated with this strategy. Contrarily, financially unconstrained firms, uphold a high level of investments in working capital to grow sales and improve financial performance. The authors' results strongly reject the “one size fits all” approach of WCM. The authors assert that the degree of financial constraints largely defines the firm's optimal WCM approach.

Practical implications

The authors' study reveals to financial managers the importance of adopting an appropriate WCM strategy that fits firm-specific characteristics and financial flexibility. The authors' results urge policy makers to ease access to financing to all firms to enhance both their financial flexibility and ability to respond efficiently to emerging investment opportunities as well as develop resilience to economic slumps.

Originality/value

To the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first study that explores WCM and financial constraints in MENA emerging markets.
Being bound and tied by the ropes of frugality: a case study on public management values and service integration
Authors: Løken Therese Dwyer , Helgesen Marit Kristine , Vike Halvard , Bjørkquist Catharina
Published: March 2022

Purpose

New Public Management (NPM) has increased fragmentation in municipal health and social care organizations. In response, post-NPM reforms aim to enhance integration through service integration. Integration of municipal services is important for people with complex health and social challenges, such as concurrent substance abuse and mental health problems. This article explores the conditions for service integration in municipal health and social services by studying how public management values influence organizational and financial structures and professional practices.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a case study with three Norwegian municipalities as case organizations. The study draws on observations of interprofessional and interagency meetings and in-depth interviews with professionals and managers. The empirical field is municipal services for people with concurrent substance abuse and mental health challenges. The data were analyzed both inductively and deductively.

Findings

The study reveals that opportunities to assess, allocate and deliver integrated services were limited due to organizational and financial structures as the most important aim was to meet the financial goals. The authors also find that economic and frugal values in NPM doctrines impede service integration. Municipalities with integrative values in organizational and financial structures and in professional approaches have greater opportunities to succeed in integrating services.

Originality/value

Applying a public management value perspective, this study finds that the values on which organizational and financial structures and professional practices are based are decisive in enabling and constraining service integration.
Management as craft and developing craftership
Authors: Ruth Damian
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer an appraisal of the craft metaphor in management with particular reference to authority, resistance, care and the interior landscape of the manager/crafter.

Design/method/approach

This is a conceptual essay that draws on an autoethnography.

Findings

Respect for the limits of managerial and bureaucratic authority and an appreciation of the manager/crafter's interior landscape are crucial aspects of effective craft and management practice. Insights into the practice of craft may enhance understanding of how both craft and management are a potent brew of politics, power, people, history, reason, faith and authority and just how crucial the interior landscape of the manager/crafter is.

Originality/value

This article offers a focus on an inadequately examined aspect of management/craft – the interior landscape of the manager – that is informed by an auto-ethnography and suggests a case for conceptualizing management as craft, with implications for management development.
Impacts of reporting lines and joint reviews on internal audit effectiveness
Authors: Jung Yusun , Cho Moon-Kyung
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the extent to which two commonly recommended information sharing and communication interventions, direct reporting lines between the internal audit function (IAF) and the audit committee (AC) and their joint reviews of internal audit standards and procedures, improve the internal audit in the continuous audit control and monitoring efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses data from the Audit Intelligence Suite-Benchmarking (AIS) Report for the years 2007 to 2016 published by the Institute of Internal Auditors. The authors test the research hypotheses using the ordinary least squares regression method.

Findings

Functional reporting lines from the IAF to the AC positively impact the internal audit, but administrative lines have a negative impact. Reviews conducted jointly between the IAF and the AC positively influence the internal audit. The impacts of reporting lines and joint reviews are also associated with accounting complexity within a given industry, organizational control structure, organizational scope and the level of IAF’s responsibilities over internal control environment to comply with Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002.

Research limitations/implications

Because the study uses AIS data, operationalization of variables is constrained to items in the given data set. Future studies, including field studies, may identify other variables and measures using diverse data sources. This study expands the knowledge of effective means of information sharing and communication to enhance interactions between the IAF and the AC.

Practical implications

The results suggest that the use of reporting lines should correspond to accounting complexity, organizational control structure, organizational scope, and reliance on the IAF in handling SOX responsibilities. They also highlight the importance of joint reviews between the IAF and AC in ensuring a high-quality internal audit.

Originality/value

The authors envisioned reporting lines and joint reviews as an excellent tool to balance the relationship between the IAF and the AC for continuous internal auditing beyond generating internal audit reports according to the US Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission framework Principle 14.
The regulatory environment of real estate professional services firms (PSFs) in Kenya
Authors: K'Akumu O.A.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This paper brings up the regulatory environment for valuation and estate agency practices in Kenya. Its main purpose is to assess the regulatory institutions to determine whether consumers of real estate services are protected from risks in the property market and to compare Kenya's situation to other markets in the world.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative study of institutions including bodies and laws that are involved in the regulation of valuation and estate agency practices in Kenya, using document analysis method. The roles of professional body, the Institution of Surveyors of Kenya and the registration bodies, the Valuers Registration Board and the Estate Agency Registration Boards and attendant statutes, the Valuers Act and the Estate Agents Act are reviewed to gain insights into the regulation practice in Kenya. Benchmarking is done using regulatory practices in the United Kingdom and the USA.

Findings

Concerning valuation, Kenya uses a hybrid system combining the United Kingdom's self-regulation approach and the USA's state regulation approach. The co-regulation approach is working well for valuation practice in Kenya. On the other hand, the regulatory system for estate agents is weak because of limited powers of enforcement, thereby allowing an unknown number of agents to practise outside the regulatory framework.

Originality/value

The paper is unique in its subject matter as it evaluates the external organization (regulatory) environment of professional services firms (PSFs) in the real estate market. Existing studies have been done mainly by management scholars focussing on the internal organization environment of PSFs in general. Secondly, the study brings up to the international audience the regulatory system and practice in the real estate professional services market. This has not been done for Kenya and perhaps for many other countries. Lastly, it makes a novel recommendation that emphasis should be placed on registration and regulation of PSFs rather than individual practitioners to enhance quality in the provision of services where real estate agency is concerned.
Multimaterial powder bed fusion techniques
Authors: Mehrpouya Mehrshad , Tuma Daniel , Vaneker Tom , Afrasiabi Mohamadreza , Bambach Markus , Gibson Ian
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art in powder bed fusion (PBF) techniques for additive manufacturing of multiple materials. It reviews the emerging technologies in PBF multimaterial printing and summarizes the latest simulation approaches for modeling them. The topic of “multimaterial PBF techniques” is still very new, undeveloped, and of interest to academia and industry on many levels.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a review paper. The study approach was to carefully search for and investigate notable works and peer-reviewed publications concerning multimaterial three-dimensional printing using PBF techniques. The current methodologies, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, are cross-compared through a systematic review.

Findings

The results show that the development of multimaterial PBF techniques is still in its infancy as many fundamental “research” questions have yet to be addressed before production. Experimentation has many limitations and is costly; therefore, modeling and simulation can be very helpful and is, of course, possible; however, it is heavily dependent on the material data and computational power, so it needs further development in future studies.

Originality/value

This work investigates the multimaterial PBF techniques and discusses the novel printing methods with practical examples. Our literature survey revealed that the number of accounts on the predictive modeling of stresses and optimizing laser scan strategies in multimaterial PBF is low with a (very) limited range of applications. To facilitate future developments in this direction, the key information of the simulation efforts and the state-of-the-art computational models of multimaterial PBF are provided.
Consolidating loads for sustainable construction in New Zealand: a literature review-based research framework
Authors: Dhawan Kamal , Tookey John , GhaffarianHoseini Ali , GhaffarianHoseini Amirhosein
Published: March 2022

Purpose

A long-term collaborative public water infrastructure procurement contract in New Zealand adopts “Enterprise Alliance” delivery (strategy) with a Construction Consolidation Centre (CCC) (operational) logistics solution. New Zealand's unique spatial, market, regulatory and economic circumstances present a research gap pertaining to the sustainability impacts of the combinatory implementation. The paper suggests a literature review-based research framework for examining these.

Design/methodology/approach

Systematic literature review (SLR) discovers unique New Zealand attributes, and sustainability impacts of both the approaches overseas. Towards formulating a research framework, the paper discusses sustainability of construction and its New Zealand context, and research focus within the implemented model. Significant issues from SLR reveal Design, Logistics, Impacts and Spin-offs research domains. The paper suggests a research framework and examines an appropriate research design.

Findings

CCC implementation under a programme alliance is without precedent in New Zealand. Variance of New Zealand's unique attributes from North American and European characteristics behind successful implementation are likely to impact domestic outcomes. A research framework to test this hypothesis will enable investigating the relevance of the concepts to New Zealand settings and provide a contextual implementation datum. Implementation benchmarks will potentially influence public policy and enrich indigenous knowledge corpus, potentially transferrable to associated domains (urban planning, transportation and energy).

Originality/value

The paper attempts to define a research direction in the domain of applying supply chain management principles to the New Zealand's construction sector by investigating the employment of a CCC in a collaborative environment as an infrastructure project delivery vehicle with sustainability leanings.
A new squirt coefficient to simulate P‐wave attenuation
Authors: Li Guangquan
Published: March 2022

In double‐permeability models, the squirt coefficient representing the fluid mass equation came from mathematical parameterization that was inconsistent with physics, resulting in the prediction of an infinitely large squirt coefficient at an infinitely high frequency. This was a drawback of the models, as an infinitely large squirt flux rate means unrealistic infinite large velocity and kinematic energy (velocity and energy must be bounded). This paper is motivated by solving the problem. At first, when P‐wave compresses a porous rock, the contact of grains (the normal of which is the wave direction) is very compliant, which generates a strong squirt transverse to the wave direction. In contrast, the squirt along the wave direction is relatively small. Based on such a transverse squirt mechanism, a new squirt coefficient is derived, which yields a vanishing value at infinite high frequency. Secondly, the squirt coefficient is put into a previous model to predict velocity and attenuation of ultrasonic P‐wave. Two core samples (Berea sandstone and Boise sandstone) are used for illustration; both the measured velocity and quality factor are well simulated. It is notable that there is an interesting shoulder on the velocity dispersion curves before the asymptotical behaviour of velocity at high frequency.